An ambitious legislative agenda was laid out yesterday as Governor George Fergusson read the first One Bermuda Alliance Government Throne Speech.Pledges focused on tackling violent crime and rebuilding the economy.“A key principle embedded in this Government agenda is transformation and redirection,” said Premier Craig Cannonier at the post Throne Speech press conference.The Opposition noted, however, that many of the pledges in the document were continuation of the former administration’s policies.The Premier also warned that the country faced “tough decisions” and some unpopular choices but that the legislative and policy initiatives will be in the country’s best interests.Finance Minister Bob Richards, in a warning of his own, said Government would take a harder line to recover monies owed to Government.“In the United States and most countries if you owe the Government they can put you in jail. I’m not going to be proposing putting anyone in jail but it seems to me in Bermuda the Government always seems to come last — and people pay their other debts and they don’t pay the Government,” he said.“I can tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that’s going to change. People who have taken money from employees on the auspices of having to pay that money to the Government — and, instead of paying that money to the government, they use it for working capital — that has got to stop. Because when those people retire they find there’s no money in the kitty for them. This is theft. So we are going to be taking a pretty strong line on those sorts of matters.”He added that the promised Spending and Government Efficiency Commission members had already been selected and legislation to give it teeth would be a priority.The SAGE Commission would have a broad mandate and be empowered to look into any area of public spending and even recommend privatisation if they see fit, Mr Richards said.Bermuda’s Police Service will be boosted with more police to fight gun crime and the private sector will be enlisted to turn around Bermuda’s financial woes. Companies hiring Bermudians and retired Government employees were among those to receive good news.The OBA gave further details on its plan to reduce Bermuda’s debt and increase investment, beginning with a two-year payroll tax exemption for firms which hire new Bermudians.Meanwhile an Economic Development Committee will aim to eliminate the red tape Mr Richards has long complained is to blame for slowing down development projects which could revitalise the economy.Acting on its concern at the scale of public debt, Government will set up a Public Debt Advisory Board, featuring members of the private sector to provide independent advice on existing and borrowing requirements.And the new Ministry of Economic Development has already teamed up with the private sector to form the Bermuda Business Development Corporation, which will function as the principal marketing and business development body for international business.A review of the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation will take place, while legislation will be amended to encourage more private equity, asset management and trust businesses.On crime, Government will fund a Recruit Foundation Course in the coming fiscal year, aimed at adding 20 more police officers to the fight against guns, gangs, drugs and violence.It will support a strong recruitment drive for the Bermuda Reserve Police, team up with Crime Stoppers for a Gun Bounty Programme offering cash awards for information leading to the confiscation of weapons, and implement a Neighbourhood Watch scheme giving residents phone alerts about public safety.Cash confiscated from crime will be diverted to sports and community projects.Public safety measures will also include mediation and the Operation CeaseFire programme.“It is a glaring deficiency in the fight against gang violence that rival factions are not even talking,” said Public Safety Minister Michael Dunkley.“Not enough effort is devoted to mediation, and the commitment of this Government is to immediately embark on focused gang mediation efforts and street level action that begins to present alternatives to dispute resolution.”Meanwhile a specialised court for the mentally ill is one of a string of proposed measures aimed at addressing the pattern of repeat mentally ill offenders.There was great relief for campaigners when Mr Fergusson announced sexual orientation and age will be added to the list of protected grounds under the Human Rights Act.“There is no place for discrimination in Bermuda in any form,” he said, prompting the biggest cheer of the morning from the audience.Addressing concerns over the increasing number of people on Financial Assistance, Government announced its intention for mandatory life skills programmes for some on benefits, such as money management and parenting.A Financial Assistance social worker will be able to refer clients to Bermuda Assessment and Referral Centre, while unemployed able-bodied people will be required to take part in community service to continue claiming Financial Assistance for a period of longer than three months.Breaks for seniors included a pledge for a biennial review to ensure rates of pensions for retired Government employees keep up with the cost of living, and a promise to put all FutureCare clients on the same premium.A host of controversial Progressive Labour Party policies were reversed, with the OBA saying it will set aside land licences for Bermudians married to non-Bermudians.Taxi drivers’ perennial bugbear, compulsory GPS, will become optional, while a new developer will be selected for the former Club Med site in St George’s, following years of uncertainty over the plans of Carl Bazarian.But following up on its previous announcement to abolish term limits, Government warned it will increase penalties on employers who breach immigration rules.To attempt to turn around Tourism, Government will set up a Product Development Bureau to increase public input, while prioritising the training of Bermudians for positions in the hospitality industry.The PDB will be a temporary body “that will seek out innovative and dynamic new excursions, tours and other activities that will originate from Bermudians”, Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell explained at the press conference, adding that a product development conference will be announced next week.“This will go hand in hand with the Premier’s call of creating more jobs,” Mr Crockwell said.On education, talks have already begun on the idea of extending the school day, with a better quality of teaching sought by raising the qualification standards.The OBA will carry through a long-held pledge by subjecting its own MPs to random mandatory drug testing; Opposition members will be invited to participate.And plans for a new National Park in Southlands, Warwick, could finally come to fruition as public consultation was pledged.“I would say 85 percent of what was presented was almost a cut and paste of what we had began in the previous administration,” said Opposition Leader Marc Bean.But he also noted that his party could still present some alternative policies in its Reply. “Under new leadership the party has an opportunity to change course and present alternative policies from when we were Government. And in some cases we will.“In some cases, the tone and writing of the Throne Speech was also very much within a campaign platform mode more than a policy driven document. I guess that could come from the limited period of time they have been in Government or because of a lack of experience. When they were in Opposition they spoke from being in a position of spectator. But now they are in the game as a player they are going to realise its actually much more difficult than what they thought.”