Page 103 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 24 May 1989
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Is it a fact that that money will be made available only if the Commonwealth Treasurer does not exercise some kind of veto. If that is true, what are the terms and conditions under which all or any of that money is likely to be made available in the next financial year?
MS FOLLETT: I have written to Mr Kaine today on this matter, but perhaps I could expand on what I said yesterday. I think it is clear that access to the funds that are held in trust by the Commonwealth is going to need negotiation between the ACT Government and the Commonwealth Government and that that process of negotiation has really not commenced at this stage. But the bottom line, and I think what Mr Kaine is getting at, is that the $22.7m in the trust account cannot be released without the agreement of the Commonwealth Government. Does that answer the question?
MR KAINE: Yes, it does.
COMMERCIAL RENT INCREASES
MR COLLAERY: My question is directed to the Chief Minister. In view of the extraordinary rent increases being suffered by retail and commercial tenants in this city and the lack of legislative protection for those tenants, is it the intention of the Government to give some reasonable tenure and protection to those commercial tenants? Are you aware that the rent situation in the Australian Capital Territory is reaching a crisis state for retailing generally in the Territory? Do you propose to appoint an all-party committee to produce recommendations for a standard approach to this topic by this Assembly, having regard to the importance of the issue to the economic base of the Territory?
MS FOLLETT: I think it may be more appropriate if that question were addressed to the Deputy Chief Minister, the Minister for Industry, Employment and Education. Is that acceptable?
MR COLLAERY: Yes.
MR WHALAN: The question of the regulation of the relationship between retail tenants, and indeed all commercial tenants, was the subject of some consideration during the election campaign. The Australian Labor Party circulated very widely throughout the business community a proposal that we would introduce legislation in relation to the regulation of business leases.
The motivation for this is not that we wish to intrude into the commercial relationship that exists between business lessees and their landlords, but rather to make the relationship more fair. It seems at the moment that
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