Page 1073 - Week 06 - Thursday, 27 July 1989
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try to give some kind of equity between the residential and the commercial sector in the rates paid.
It is a fact of life that there are fluctuations like this every time there is a revaluation of property. It is, I believe, quite impossible to strike a rate that separates out rates for groups that are affected differentially. Indeed, there will be a number of residential ratepayers who will be paying rates higher than the CPI increase simply by virtue of the fact that the value on their land has risen and that they cannot be protected differentially against other ratepayers. By the same token there will be, of course, some residential ratepayers whose rates will actually have fallen. That is the explanation: In the commercial area it was simply a reflection of the increased value of the properties.
MR DUBY: I ask a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Part of the answer referred to market forces. Do you not agree, therefore, that these commercial proprietors will have no choice but to pass those increases on to the consumers of the ACT?
MS FOLLETT: I believe, Mr Speaker, that it is a matter for the commercial businesses in question as to how they deal with an increase in their rates such as might be experienced. I myself do not accept that you could take it as read that they would pass on those increases to their consumers but I know that that is in many cases a traditional way that commercial enterprises deal with such rises.
School Gymnasium
MR KAINE: I would like to address a question to the Minister for Industry, Employment and Education, and it also is based on the draft budget statement. Under the proposed new capital works in the draft budget there was mentioned a new gymnasium at a cost of $1.693m which is proposed for the Alfred Deakin High School and that is conditional upon receipt of funds from the disposal of surplus schools.
My question is: Has the Government done anything to achieve the disposal of surplus schools and have any offers been received for any of the four primary schools closed this year? If so, how much has been offered and what is it proposed that they be used for?
MR WHALAN: In relation to the gymnasium at Alfred Deakin High School, which is the high school resulting from the amalgamation of Deakin High School and Woden Valley High, it was interesting that in fact one of the staff actually, I think, or maybe a member of this Assembly, was saying that when he went to school at Deakin High School they were promising a gymnasium then. So I can assure you this is a
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