Page 130 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 14 December 2016
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The diversification of Canberra’s economy relies on a high performing tertiary education sector that can capitalise on opportunities and deliver the training and education we need to drive our smart economy forward. I support the motion today.
MS CODY (Murrumbidgee) (11.42), in reply: Firstly, I would like to thank all the speakers in support of my motion today. I would also like to respond to a few points that some of the speakers raised. This motion is a very good motion. It supports the ACT economy. We have worked hard to ensure that we have a strong economy here. I believe our opposition leader mentioned that the federal government is a huge contributor to the ACT economy. I do not believe that that is the case anymore. The federal government cuts, cuts, cuts, as I have already mentioned in my initial address.
We cannot rely on the federal government public service. This town was built on the public service. This town became a public service town. We do not see that anymore. They are abusing their employees. They are sacking them. They are cutting the employment rates in the ACT economy. The Barr government is ensuring that we are working very hard to deliver infrastructure projects like light rail. It is building our economy. It is ensuring that we will have jobs well into the future. It is ensuring that our jobs will then flow on to support our small and local businesses.
I, as a small business owner, as Ms Fitzharris has mentioned, know what it is like to ensure that we continue to have great local support. The Barr government is working on ensuring that we work hard to protect that. As noted in part 1(h) of my motion, the Barr government is working to make housing more affordable for local Canberrans. We are halving the cost of stamp duty for a buyer of a $500,000 home in the ACT.
That means that our Canberrans have more money in their pocket to help support and educate their children. We have a growing and wonderful CIT, as Ms Fitzharris has also said, which supports our economy by employment, by ensuring that our children and people in the ACT are well educated and have a choice to do what they would like to do.
These things all support our economy. They support the fact that the ACT, under the Barr government, has had a growing and strong economy. We need to ensure that this continues. We cannot sit here and watch a Liberal government come into power and take away all of the things that we have worked so hard to ensure that we deliver on.
As announced in the election, the Liberal Party suggested that they would destroy the light rail project. That would mean the loss of at least 3,500 jobs in the ACT. That would hinder our economy. It would make it very difficult for the ACT economy to have the great and strong growth that we are seeing today.
Madam Assistant Speaker, I would again like to thank everyone that stood and supported my motion today. I also thank those in the opposition that did not necessarily see the benefits of what our government is doing in the ACT. I commend the motion to the Assembly.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
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