Page 1960 - Week 05 - Thursday, 5 May 2011
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In summary, this is the third Gallagher budget and it shows. Clearly, it is not a beige budget as some would suggest; and it is far too costly with record borrowings to be called bland. But despite all that, it still lacks inspiration, real vision and direction, and it arrogantly ignores the fact that Labor’s mismanagement of the economy is hurting Canberra families. It is hurting Canberra families and Canberra deserves better.
Canberrans want road networks that work; buses that run; homes that are affordable; choice in education. They want a change from the cynical name calling if anyone dares to criticise; they want the stoush over hospitals to stop. We are all tired of legacy projects and smokescreens.
This is a government that has lost its way, lost touch with the community, and feels no shame in delivering the biggest taxing, biggest borrowing and biggest spending budget in the history of ACT self-government. And despite evidence that living in this city is hard on families, hard on renters, hard on home and unit buyers, hard on ratepayers, hard on those seeking surgery, the Treasurer would have us believe that this budget is meeting the government’s commitments to the community and supporting those who need additional support.
Canberrans want a government that does what it says it will do. Canberrans want a government to get on with the business of managing the territory. They have been denied that for too long. (Time expired.)
MR HANSON (Molonglo) (5.12): “We pay more, we get less, we wait longer” was a headline in the Canberra Times last year and I think it aptly applies equally today to this budget, which is big spending, big taxing, Labor true to its form.
I turn firstly to health. What is clear from this budget is that Katy Gallagher has been distracted by her Calvary fiasco. Those of us that might have been looking for leadership from the minister to provide a way out of the crisis that we see in many areas of our health system are bitterly disappointed. There is no leadership in this budget from the health minister. There is no way out for elective surgery, which has the longest waiting times in the nation—in fact, more than double the national average. For the emergency departments, where people wait so long, there is no way out there. As to the number of GPs, which is the lowest per capita in Australia, we see nothing in this budget to address that issue.
She has delivered a budget that is focused basically on keeping up with the demand, keeping up with growth, but shows little new in terms of vision. And what she has done is broken a promise. She went to the last election promising a secure adult mental health facility. I think Simon Corbell had promised that before her. Certainly it was identified in the budget, so far as I can see, back in 2004-05. But it was definitely a 2008 election promise that she has broken.
She has been standing up today and she has been standing up throughout this week talking about ACT Labor’s commitment to the mental health community. But they do not have a commitment to the mental health community that is on par with the
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