Page 2610 - Week 12 - Thursday, 16 November 1989
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Mr Humphries: Before, Minister.
MRS GRASSBY: No. The polls have already told us we are going back into government, so there is no worry.
Mr Humphries: Oh, have they?
MRS GRASSBY: That is right, that we are going back into government federally.
Mr Whalan: The Canberra poll.
MRS GRASSBY: We are talking about the general poll.
I listened to Mr Kaine talking about child-care rebates. To be eligible to get this rebate, the secondary earner must receive an income from employment. If we look at this we find it to be restricted to the costs of formal child-care. It still does not help the poor. If you are not paying the tax, how can you get the rebate?
Mr Humphries: If you are not working, you do not get a rebate either. If you are not working you do not need to get child-care.
MRS GRASSBY: If you are paying very little tax, you do not get the rebate or, if you are unemployed, you do not get the rebate. As the Minister said, it is the people at the bottom who are going to suffer. The people with the money will be all right, as usual with Liberal Party policy.
Mr Humphries: You do not need child-care if you are unemployed.
MRS GRASSBY: You may if you have a part-time job but you are not earning enough money to get a rebate. You still need child-care.
Mr Humphries: Well, then you're not unemployed.
MR SPEAKER: Order! Please address your remarks through the Chair.
MRS GRASSBY: Do you think, Mr Speaker, you could keep Mr Humphries quiet? All yesterday nobody could speak, including the Chief Minister, because he could not keep quiet. Do you think you could keep him in hand, please, Mr Speaker? He is terribly difficult. He is like a child.
MR SPEAKER: Please take note, Mr Humphries.
MRS GRASSBY: If we have to go through the tax package, I will leave the child-care part to my colleague Mr Berry, who knows all about that. I looked at some of the things and they absolutely frightened the heck out of me. Let us take the part where you are going to save on things such as the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
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