Page 3001 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 15 August 2018
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services, give their mates in big business a leg-up and try to turn back the clock on all of our progressive reforms. We will not let that happen.
Last year they supported cutting thousands of jobs from the public service and continually tightened the efficiency dividend. Since 2016 they have been moving jobs out of our capital city for no other reason than shameless political pork-barrelling. This federal government attack the ABC at Ultimo the way they attack the public service in Canberra. I will not be surprised if the ABC somehow ends up headquartered in Armidale.
The Canberra Liberals have a shocking record of standing up to their mates on the big hill. They lack the fortitude to stand up for our community in the face of federal Liberal attacks. Sadly, it is another move by our federal government against Canberra values and Canberra jobs. Every time we try to stand up as a city, the Canberra Liberals are standing on the sidelines cheering on their federal colleagues. It is time for everyone to stand up for our city.
MR COE (Yerrabi—Leader of the Opposition) (5.13): It is a pleasure to speak on something that is going to have no impact whatsoever on Canberrans, Australians, staff at the ABC, viewers or listeners. This is all just another grandstanding exercise by a Labor backbencher. This one was a gushing advertorial, no less. Next time on your LinkedIn profile, feel free to put “Program director”, “Media commentator”, “Journalist”, “Advertorial writer” or whatever else you want to put down. Importantly, Mr Steel delivered that motion with his usual passion and flare. I thought it was fantastic, and I very much hope that he continues with this same sort of passion in the future.
I was very reassured by Bec Cody’s contribution. I thought it was a really meaningful contribution. It was full of substance and it really gave the good people of Murrumbidgee the value for money that they deserve out of their MLAs.
Really this is just B-grade grandstanding. Where is the ABC line item in the budget that we are debating right now? Where is it? Have a look through all of these budgets, budget papers 1, 2, 3 and 4. Go through all the statements. You are going to be hard-pressed to find the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in any of them. In fact, go through our legislation. Other than perhaps a few random mentions in some old legislation about where you have to advertise something or make some broadcasting available, it is entirely irrelevant to our jurisdiction.
I of course support the work that ABC Canberra do. It is a shame that the Chief Minister hates journalists. The ABC is full of journalists. The Chief Minister hates journalists, but somehow Chris Steel loves journalists. He said so in his gushing advertorial for ABC Canberra.
It may be news to Mr Steel, but people on this side of the chamber—indeed, people in the Liberal Party in general—do not live and die by our federal conferences. Whilst you may get up and have a little countdown clock as to how many days till the next ALP national conference, I am afraid we do not. Whilst I would not go as far as saying it is irrelevant, it is perhaps not particularly relevant. But one way or another,
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