Page 2314 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 3 August 2022
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through on our principles and our very clear public position here. We have every intention of voting against a single line item in the budget, and we have every intention of supporting the budget and supporting the government. Of course, this government has our confidence. We are this government.
If our colleagues in Labor or the Liberals have seen enough information revealed about why this public funding should be redirected, perhaps they will join with us and agree that that line item should be changed; or perhaps they will decide that it is actually in the public interest to provide $41 million of public taxpayer funding to the ACT horseracing industry.
I am pleased that the end result of what we have from this MOU is transparency. I am pleased that we will have economic impact reports. I am pleased to see Minister Steel’s amendment, saying that those will be released. It is important that we get good, clear information into the public domain on the point of consumption tax and on the economic impact on the industry. I am happy to talk to anybody at any time about how we can move forward from this point. To be continuing to propagate pieces of information that simply are not held up by the facts is just not assisting our public debate at this time. We will be supporting Minister Steel’s amendment.
MR BARR (Kurrajong—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Climate Action, Minister for Economic Development and Minister for Tourism) (5.14): I would like to speak in support of Minister Steel’s amendment to Mr Parton’s motion. As the amendment to the motion outlines, the government does indeed collect a point of consumption tax. It is an excellent tax.
Mr Hanson: He loves a tax!
MR BARR: Not every tax is an excellent—
Mr Hanson: He knows a good tax, doesn’t he?
MR BARR: Not every tax is an excellent tax.
Mr Hanson: Some taxes are better than others, but he loves them all.
MR BARR: Some taxes are indeed better than others, Mr Hanson. But this one is an excellent tax because it is a tax on all online sporting bets made by residents in the jurisdiction in which the bet is made, regardless, of course, of where the bets are placed or where the event takes place. So it does not just apply to horse racing; it applies to bets placed online for all sporting and other events.
The ACT, of course, is not alone in operating a point of consumption tax. Indeed, even governments run by your mob, Mr Hanson, have a point of consumption tax. So it is an excellent tax; everyone agrees that it is a very good tax. That is good to hear. All jurisdictions, except the Northern Territory, have indeed introduced a point of consumption tax to ensure that bets made online—
Mr Hanson: It’s not as good as rates, though, is it? That’s your favourite one, isn’t it?
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