Page 1815 - Week 06 - Thursday, 14 May 2015
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
MS BURCH: I will have to take that on notice and bring an answer back to you, Mr Smyth.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Smyth.
MR SMYTH: Minister, what procurement process was undertaken by ESA to provide facilities management for its properties at this time?
MS BURCH: I have no direct line of sight to those tenderers and those arrangements. All of the questions, as they come through, Mr Smyth, I will take on notice.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Coe.
MR COE: Minister, would you please also take on notice what is the annual cost of the contract and why the contract has not yet been retendered?
MS BURCH: I will get the detail and bring it back, Madam Speaker.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Coe.
MR COE: Minister, would you provide to the Assembly any reports which guide the directorate’s decisions regarding facilities management at the ESA?
MS BURCH: I am happy to include some relevant information when I come back to the Assembly.
Federal government—budget
MS FITZHARRIS: My question is to the Minister for Women. Minister, as the minister with responsibility for women’s policy in the ACT government, can you update the Assembly on how measures in Tuesday’s federal budget will impact on women in the ACT?
MS BERRY: I thank Ms Fitzharris for this question. It is regrettable that, having made the decision to spend big in the budget, the commonwealth has managed to disadvantage and alienate women across Australia, including here in the ACT. As members would know, the budget takes $1 billion away from women by stopping women from accessing both an employer scheme and a government scheme. This is despite the fact that the Prime Minister had for so long championed a universal maternity leave scheme of 26 weeks at full pay. Instead, he has gone backwards on that quite quickly. When did the commonwealth government announce this? On Mother’s Day.
In the post-budget analysis I find myself in agreement with Karl Stefanovic, when he said that Mr Abbott will go to the next election “having broken a significant promise and that is to the women of Australia”. This budget hits Canberra’s women by taking away precious bonding time and pressuring women back to work sooner. Canberra’s women should have been able to expect more support from the Prime Minister who made himself the minister for women.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video