Page 1641 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 29 May 1990
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Tuesday, 29 May 1990
____________________
MR SPEAKER (Mr Prowse) took the chair at 2.30 pm and read the prayer.
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Federal Funding for the ACT
MS FOLLETT: My question is to Mr Kaine in his role as Treasurer. I refer him to the very irresponsible comments made yesterday by the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Collaery, when he said that the rejection by the Federal Government of an additional year to the real terms funding guarantee would bankrupt the ACT. Will the Treasurer publicly release the letter which he received from the Prime Minister relating to this matter?
MR KAINE: First of all, Mr Speaker, I reject the proposition that anything that the Deputy Chief Minister said yesterday was untoward or out of order. The premise of the question, I think, is typical of Labor's opposition to everything that is done in this Assembly. I have indeed got a letter from the Prime Minister rejecting my suggestion and proposal that the transition period should be extended by one year to allow us to get our budgetary house in order.
The treatment we are receiving contrasts markedly with that accorded to the Northern Territory on its transition to self-government. I have no objection whatsoever to making the letter available, if that is the wish of the Leader of the Opposition. I table the following document:
Commonwealth general purpose funding - copy of a letter from the Hon. R.J.L. Hawke, Prime Minister, to Mr Kaine, dated 17 May 1990.
X-rated Videos Tax
MR STEVENSON: My question is to the Chief Minister. Mr Duby was reported in the Canberra Times on 18 May as saying that a 35 per cent tax on X-rated videos would be introduced. I have been contacted by many Canberrans who are very concerned about the possibility that this Government would profit from pornography. Would the Chief Minister be kind enough to allay the concerns of Canberrans with a clear statement that the Government will not attempt to profit from - using his words - "loot from lust", by the introduction of taxes on the porn video trade?
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