Page 1586 - Week 05 - Thursday, 15 May 2014
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investment in health and community care, just a little over $1 billion annual investment in education and training, $500 million annually in municipal services and around $450 million in community services, disability services and housing, the vast majority of the territory budget is invested in the wellbeing of our residents, increasing our education and training output and ensuring that we maintain our very enviable status as the best educated and the healthiest, happiest and longest-living community in this country.
The government’s principal investments through the budget are in those portfolio priorities. It stands in marked contrast to what we have seen from the commonwealth budget on Tuesday night where the commonwealth essentially indicated that they did not see a future role for the national government in supporting health and education provision in the states and territories. This $80 billion cut in commonwealth government funding to the states and territories in the forward estimates for the provision of health and education services really goes to the core of how our federal financial relations seem to operate.
It is no surprise that state premiers and state treasurers are joining with territory chief ministers and treasurers in expressing a great deal of alarm, regardless of which side of the political fence you might sit on, at the commonwealth government’s approach. Let us be very clear: ripping $80 billion out of health and education spending in this country will have a significant impact on service provision at a local level. There is just no escaping that reality. It means, in effect, that the commonwealth government has simply shifted its budget problem to the states and territories and also to individual households.
Everyone who now has to pay to go and see a GP, that is the commonwealth shifting their budget problem onto your household budget, just as they are shifting the problem to the states and territories. Again, you do not need just to take my word for this, Madam Speaker. Look at what Premier Baird has said in New South Wales. The Liberal Premier, Mike Baird, said this commonwealth budget is “a kick in the guts” to New South Wales, just as it is here in the ACT.
This ACT Labor government will continue to invest in our community’s future through health and education, through municipal services, through community services and through a range of other priorities that the government has in its annual budget.
We also have a $1.3 billion infrastructure program for the city. We look to be adding to that program over the forward estimates and over the balance of this decade to provide the essential infrastructure that this city will need as we head into the first decade of our second century as a city.
Yes, there are going to be challenging economic times ahead, but the ACT government is aware of the critical importance for us now to invest in this community both in terms of the infrastructure our community needs and the health and education services, the community services and the municipal services that we need. We know we are going to have to do all the heavy lifting ourselves in partnership with the private sector and with this community because the federal government have walked away. (Time expired.)
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