Page 2344 - Week 07 - Thursday, 4 August 2016
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MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (3.55): I do not think I have had the opportunity to speak on a matter of public importance during this Assembly, so I would like to take the opportunity today to dwell on the issue of the importance of reducing cost of living pressures on families in the ACT. When I made my maiden speech back in this place in a previous millennium I said I would always consider what we do in this place through the prism of the family, and I think it is appropriate that on this day we should look at the impact this Labor-Greens government has had on the family.
The Labor-Greens government likes to flaunt the fact that Canberra is now considered one of the most livable cities in the world. They say Canberrans should be proud of their city. But when I stand at shopping centres I am constantly barraged by people who have lost their pride in their city. They should be proud of their city, but they cannot be because of the potholes, the unmown grass, the graffiti, the choked roads, the health services which are amongst the worst in Australia, declining educational standards demonstrated by the latest NAPLAN data, increasing deficits, increasing debt and rising rates, taxes and fees.
Canberrans have lost their pride in their city because this government has lost touch with the needs of Canberrans and Canberra families. It has lost touch with the expectations of its citizens; it has lost touch with the priorities of our citizens that our citizens know are important for the future of our city.
There could be no greater example of that than the stumbling faux pas from Mr Hinder yesterday in relation to light rail. I will quote what Mr Hinder said: “There will not be any $27 million [sic] because it is an illusion. It does not exist. The contract that we have signed, something like $700 million. The $1.78 million that those on the other side keep talking about, if you add up every dollar we are going to spend over 20 years, it’s not real; it’s an illusion.” Firstly, we are talking about $1.78 billion, not million. That figure—$1.78 billion—is not a figure that has been made up by us on this side or anyone else but by the Auditor-General. It is a figure she determined by her investigation into the implementation of stage 1 of the light rail.
Mr Hinder seems to think that spending $1.78 billion over 20 years is something of an illusion. Mr Rattenbury said that we on this side do not have a long-term perspective. It is not in our DNA. Well, I tell you that we do have a long-term perspective when it comes to wasting taxpayers’ money. The wasting of taxpayers’ money on $1.78 billion light rail scheme is not an illusion; it is real. Furthermore, that is just stage 1—12 kilometres from Gungahlin to the city. It is real for every household in Canberra from Hall to Tharwa, from Dunlop to Oaks Estate, who will have to stump up $11,000 over 20 years to pay for the $1.78 billion illusory debt.
Madam Assistant Speaker, I suggest Mr Hinder might like to go to residents in Hall in his electorate, or Tharwa, Dunlop—which is in his electorate—or Oaks Estate or anywhere in between and see if people are happy to pay $550 every year for 20 years on his so-called illusion. Mr Hinder might also like to those residents if they think it is value for money to pay $550 a year every year to pay for 12 kilometres of light rail that they will not use. He also might like to ask whether they think their annual $550 for 20 years would bring them better hospitals, better education or better local
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