Page 1028 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 19 March 1991
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Further on it is mentioned that the figure for the betterment levy on the sale of land remains at $3.4m across the full range of the estimates. It seems to me that that is an indication of the Alliance Government's approach to betterment. In a Bill that we are about to debate later this week there is a sliding scale of betterment levy, from 50 per cent for land held for over 20 years to a higher betterment charge for land held for shorter periods. This indicates, of course, that we can expect very little increase in that area, because the land that is being developed and on which we would expect to see betterment charges levied has, of course, been held for over 20 years.
Mr Speaker, whilst I had some other points to raise, they follow very much the same sort of direction as these few specific examples that I have drawn attention to. There is clearly a positive feeling about the forward estimates and the forward estimates report. I think that there are still quite a few factors to consider and quite a number of issues where things could be improved for the people of Canberra.
MR COLLAERY (Attorney-General) (8.57): Of course, I agree with Mr Moore. Things should and can always be improved for the people of Canberra. That is what this Assembly is about. Those of us who are here to participate and to get reasoned debate understand that. But, once again, we heard Ms Follett - who, of course, is not in the chamber again and has not been for some time - making some carping criticism from a prepared script. What many of us in this Assembly are waiting for is to see what the Leader of the Opposition can do without a script. We are all waiting for that.
The overall comments on remarks in relation to forward estimates I leave to the Treasurer, Mr Kaine. I will just pick up a number of the points made by the Leader of the Opposition. She referred to the inept budget management of Mr Humphries and me and gave no real analysis of those issues. She has sought, to my knowledge, no real documents under freedom of information or anything to test out her theories because I think she does not want to test her theories.
There has been no request to me, as a Minister, in question time, to detail how I had a budget overexpenditure. There was no real inquiry, just a whole range of accusations and statements, unsubstantiated in part and, in others, not reflecting information that has already been put to the Assembly by the Treasurer. For example, we hear criticism of projected budget expenditure increases from the Australian Labor Party; yet, when we look at some of those expenditures, particularly those in the Housing and Community Services Bureau, we find that salary overruns relating to award increases and SEP implementation amount to the sum of, as I understand it, $813,000 in the bureau that I administer.
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