Page 5429 - Week 17 - Tuesday, 3 December 1991
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Liberal Party have decided that ACT motorcycles over 600cc should incur only half the New South Wales fee, everybody else will have to pay more. If that is what they think is fair, I guess I cannot dispute it further.
The Government, after considering the case put by the motorcycling fraternity, maintained its view that this was a fair and appropriate increase, essentially for reasons based on interstate parity. We are somewhat staggered that a proposal that had been endorsed by the Liberal Party in government would suddenly become a cause for them to rally opposition to it. The cynicism, may I say, is breathtaking. I urge Assembly members not to be party to such a cynical exercise in vote grabbing.
MRS NOLAN (5.20): At the outset let me say that I had quite a lot of prepared notes in relation to this issue, but I do not think they are any longer necessary. The argument Mr Connolly has put forward is one that argues the case for all Assembly members supporting Mr Stefaniak's disallowance motion, and that is interstate parity.
Mr Connolly: You supported it in the past.
MRS NOLAN: I have never supported this, and at no stage was I aware of this situation until it was proposed by your Government.
Interstate parity is very important and it is an issue that should be addressed. The current situation is that the charge relating to New South Wales is only $66. The difference is that there is a $40 levy for all cycles, for all cars. It happens to be because the GIO in New South Wales lost money. The reality is that they put a tax right across the board - all cars, all cycles. If you take it back to registration fees, you are looking at a situation where the charge proposed in the ACT is over $100 while the New South Wales charge is $66. You cannot really argue the case of the $40 levy - - -
Mr Connolly: But you pay $106.
MRS NOLAN: Because you are paying a $40 levy, but you are still paying the same $40 levy if you own a car. In the ACT, whether you own a small car or a large car, the fee charged is exactly the same. It seems a little strange that for a smaller bike there happens to be a different fee than for a larger bike. I do not quite understand the difference. Perhaps if one had looked at imposing the increase right across the board, the fee would not have had to be as exorbitant for the larger bikes but could have been more general and perhaps raised the same sort of revenue. The reality is, Mr Connolly, that you have gone for raising revenue only from the larger bikes - - -
Mr Connolly: We have done what your Government did.
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