Page 646 - Week 02 - Thursday, 18 February 2016
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called the GDE. It was meant to cost $55 million and take five years; it cost close to $200 million and took 10 years, and then they had the temerity to declare that it opened early after having built one road, and before that was even finished, they then had to duplicate it.
We know this government is not good at delivering these sorts of projects. These projects can and will, in this case, drive higher costs of living and higher cost of living pressures on the people of the ACT. It is an important matter for people living out there who want to buy those new school shoes, who have to buy the new footy jumper at the start of the season, who want their kids to become involved in art and music but cannot, simply because the cost of living pressure in the ACT now is so great. Things that were taken for granted 10, 20, 30 years ago are unaffordable in the ACT. (Time expired.)
MR BARR (Molonglo—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Tourism and Events and Minister for Urban Renewal) (4.12): Supporting our community will always be this government’s top priority. As a Labor government we believe in supporting households, whether they are in need of financial assistance, in need of health care or in any other circumstance where they need a helping hand. As such, we are focused on assisting households. We believe in supporting jobs and providing high quality health and education systems for the benefit of our community.
One of the best things that any government can do to support households is to foster an economic environment where good jobs are being created and are available. Whilst the Liberal Party has been busy sacking Canberrans, my government has been focused on creating jobs and growth in the territory so that as many people in Canberra as possible enjoy the dignity and financial security of being in work. We have sought to keep people in work through our policy of proactively implementing policies to boost job creation in the territory during the significant hit to our economy that has come from the Liberal Party’s cuts.
It is pleasing to note today in the labour force figures announced this morning that the territory has recorded its highest ever number of people in work at 212,300. That is an all-time record number of people in work in the territory in spite of the commonwealth government cuts to the public service. So I would put forward that having a job is one of the best ways to reduce cost of living pressures.
Another great way to support households who are facing cost of living pressures is to provide high quality public services—notably schools, hospitals and community health care. My government does not believe that access to high quality health and education services should be based on whether or not you can afford to pay. That is why this government is proud to be investing more than $2.5 billion this year in the territory’s health and education systems to ensure that all Canberrans can access quality schools and hospitals without worrying about whether they can afford such services.
As I indicated yesterday, the government is a proud supporter of the territory’s concessions scheme. Whilst the Liberal Party, again, have been getting out and
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