Page 4098 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 26 November 2014
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deathly silent on this. There has been no defence of the ACT community. There has been no criticism of the federal Liberal government by the Canberra Liberals or by their senator, Zed Seselja. The impacts of the federal government budget cuts are evident in our community. We see them in the ABS statistics on unemployment, retail, trade, residential, building approvals and wages growth, all of which indicate the negative impact on our local economy.
Of course, the Mr Fluffy program has had and will continue to have an impact. This scheme will have an impact on the ACT’s bottom line. Our community will pay and will pay socially and for the ongoing health effects that become realised over the years to come. The government’s scheme on resolving this issue once and for all is the right thing to do. The buyback and demolition program is the only way that we can solve the Mr Fluffy saga once and for all and make sure that families are no longer exposed to the horrible health risks associated with asbestos. The government will not be making money from the scheme. The minimum cost to the ACT budget of the scheme will be approximately $300 million to $400 million. Any income made from the scheme goes towards paying back the loan that the federal Liberal government so generously made to the ACT.
Beyond those that live in the Mr Fluffy homes and the impact upon the budget, we also need to safely dispose of the deadly asbestos. Much of the waste will be disposed of in west Belconnen. We need to make sure that the community in west Belconnen is reassured and that the program has regard for the safety of that community as trucks travel down the streets and dispose of this asbestos that is having such a terrible legacy on our community and many of the families that it is affecting.
I am truly outraged at the federal government’s response to this issue. They are not equally sharing the burden with the ACT. Frankly, they should be ashamed for the lack of support that they are giving families who live in the homes with loose-fill asbestos. These issues have real consequences for us all indirectly and directly, and many thousands of people across Canberra will lose their jobs and financial security. Mr Fluffy home owners are dealing with a horrible legacy that the federal government are just simply not taking seriously enough.
Because of these factors, our budget will, of course, come under pressure. But the ACT government will continue to make the right choices to support the economy, to support investments and to support jobs—and not just jobs in hospitality. Whilst these jobs in hospitality might be a choice for some women, some women might choose to go into IT or health or education or higher education sectors that the ACT government continues to encourage investment in. It is why the ACT government is maintaining spending on these front-line services, like health and education, and investing in infrastructure through a four-year, $2.5 billion program announced in the 2014-15 ACT budget.
The government has made a purposeful decision to focus on four key areas of investment across Canberra, those being health, education, public transport and responding to and resolving the toxic legacy of the Mr Fluffy asbestos. In my local community in Belconnen, we have seen a lot of investment already—more services and more staff at the Belconnen Community Health Centre and new walk-in centre, and in the future we will have the University of Canberra public hospital.
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