Page 1140 - Week 04 - Thursday, 21 March 1991
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this is a Bill that we are debating today because we are continuing to wait for the comprehensive planning package which the Chief Minister very smugly waved around in this Assembly yesterday. He told us that we will get to see it when he is good and ready, and I took it from his demeanour that we should not worry about that - in immortal Joh Bjelke-Petersen fashion.
Mr Speaker, there is an element of adhockery about this. It is unfortunate that we are now onto our second debate on a Bill to shore up the planning system while we wait for the comprehensive planning package. While we have said in the past - and I am sure Mr Jensen is about to quote it back at me, as he does regularly - that the planning package is so important that we have to get it right rather than rush it through, it does remind us yet again of the extraordinary - - -
Mr Jensen: You said it, Terry; I do not need to say it.
MR CONNOLLY: I think Labor has taken a very responsible view of this, and it is to be contrasted with the extraordinary opportunism of the Residents Rally in bringing down the Labor Government, when the alleged failure to have the entire package in place in six months starting from scratch was cited as a principal reason for bringing down that Government. And here we are, 15 months into the Alliance Government, on our second interim shoring up Bill.
Mr Speaker, as has been indicated by government speakers, the principal purpose of this Bill is, of course, to give effect to the new betterment tax scale that was announced by the Government in February 1990. And, as has been said, it is retrospectively giving effect to that. We have no difficulty with that as a principle. It is a common principle now in Australian legislation. Where a taxation proposal is introduced and announced by the Government, it may well be some time down the track before it is given effect to by legislation. I am not aware of any circumstance where it has taken over 12 months from the announced introduction of a tax to the passage of legislation to give effect to that taxation. I am unaware of any position in the States or the Commonwealth where it has taken the government over 12 months to get around to implementing that proposal, and to make it retrospective for a period greater than 12 months. But that again comes back to this problem of delay.
Mr Speaker, Labor will not be joining Mr Moore in his amendments, which have the effect of requiring 100 per cent betterment tax in every case. The policy of my party has been that a betterment tax of up to 100 per cent should be applied. The taxation measures announced by the Government and to be implemented by this legislation will therefore not be opposed by the Labor Opposition, but we will certainly carefully monitor the effect of that legislation.
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