The Liberal minority Government would stand or fall on its Budget, the Chief Minister Kate Carnell told the national Press Club yesterday.
She said it was an all-or-nothing matter and her Government would not allow the Budget to be picked over line by line by the cross-benches.
“”That’s the way we have always played it, and there’s nothing different this year,” she said.
The statement came as three cross-benchers and the Labor Opposition have attacked elements of the Budget and the Labor. Together they would form a majority.
Mrs Carnell said also that the decision by Prime Minister John Howard not to live in Canberra had cost the territory jobs.
“”A lot of things, like meetings, that used to happen in Canberra now go to Sydney,” she said. “”That is bad for the city and it sends a bad message. . . .
“”There is not doubt it has cost money coming into the ACT and money means jobs.”
Mr Howard’s decision to live in Sydney made it that much harder.
And on the subject she drew loud cheers when she urged media outside Canberra not to refer to the Federal Government as “”Canberra”. The Prime Minister does not live in Canberra and nor did any of his Ministers. Canberra was more than the Federal Government.
Mrs Carnell also let several questions about her own future go through to the keeper. She dismissed the idea that her post-Budget speech – made while Treasurer Gary Humphries was in the audience – was a valedictory. And she said the queue for ACT Senator Margaret Reid’s job stretched around the corner and she was not in it.
“”Besides, Margaret’s not retiring,” she said.
Mrs Carnell outlined measures to ensure that the money set aside to fund the ACT public-sector superannuation liability could not be used by politicians for future projects. She said a superannuation board with strict investment guidelines would be set up as recommended by former Reserve Bank Governor Bernie Fraser. It would be put in legislation.
Greens MLA Kerrie Tucker has said the “”social capital” agenda was not genuine and not enough to demonstrate that the Government had shed economic rationalism. United Canberra (and former Liberal) Trevor Kaine and Independent Dave Rugendyke have condemned the unitemised money in the health budget as a slush fund. These two MLAs have been strong opponents of Health Minister Micheal Moore’s plans for a safe-injecting room for heroin addicts and are concerned about him having access to uncommitted money.
Mrs Carnell defended the fund of $64 million over four years saying it would enable the Health Minister to respond to future needs which develop unexpectedly in health.