Page 4610 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 19 October 2011
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before you go ahead with this.” What did the government say? “No.” The public accounts committee, the committee charged with looking at the finances of the territory, made three recommendations. What was the government’s response? Not agreed, not agreed, not agreed, “We’re going ahead with it.” What did Mr Barr say? “Well, we’ve made the decision. It’s in this year’s budget.”
We have a majority of members who believe this should not go ahead until certain works are done. The government has basically said: “Well, we’re not going to do those works. We don’t believe you.” And the majority of members will not stand up for what they believe. Well, the Liberal Party will.
In a way, we are almost forced to move this motion because the government refuses to listen to the majority. But the Greens will kowtow, as they so often do. They will acquiesce; they will fall over; they will hasten to assist the government rather than be the third-party insurance they promised to be. It will be to Ms Le Couteur’s eternal shame that she does not vote for this today, as it will be to yours, Mr Speaker, and the other Greens, because what did you say? What did the Greens member on the public accounts committee say? What did the Greens members on the estimates committee say? Do certain things, and the government has basically said they will not do them.
There are 19 or 20 recommendations in the estimates report about this. In the time I have been here, I do not think an issue has drawn as many recommendations and as many good suggestions from the committee about what the government should do. The government accepts four of them, agrees in principle to one, notes 13—which is just thumbing its nose at the Assembly—and does not agree to two. That is the standard. We know how the government plays. But I go back to three recommendations from the public accounts committee. Recommendation 1:
The Committee recommends that the ACT Government make no final decision with regard to the whole-of-government office building project until the Standing Committee on Public Accounts has received a copy of the business case, and the economic and environmental analysis, together with any other relevant considerations, and had time to consider this information and report to the ACT Legislative Assembly.
Well, that will not happen because the Greens will not stand up for it. It is disgraceful that we put recommendations on the table supported by a majority of members in this place but the majority of the members will not back it up. That is why the Greens are not third-party insurance. That is why the Greens do not stand for anything. That is why this motion is on the table today—to bring this government to heel. But, of course, the Greens will not do it.
Recommendation 2 from the public accounts committee:
The Committee recommends that the ACT Government provide the Standing Committee on Public Accounts with an assessment of the opportunity cost of a whole-of-government office building project against other significant infrastructure projects, such as the Majura Parkway, a light rail network, a new convention centre, or a third major hospital.
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