Page 5682 - Week 17 - Thursday, 5 December 1991
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
LAND (PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT) BILL 1991
Detail Stage
Consideration resumed.
Clause 171
MR JENSEN (3.58): Mr Speaker, I move:
Page 81, line 21, after "land", insert "for a term not exceeding 50 years that is".
I do not think we need to make any further comment on this, because the issue was raised during the debate on my amendment No. 85. The Rally believes that for commercial leases this is not an inappropriate period for a lease extension. Commercial areas often change their use quite considerably and over a much shorter period because of the very nature of their operations. Anyone who has been out to Fyshwick will know what I mean. That is why I have proposed this 50-year period, and I do not think it is inappropriate. It is well in excess of the requirement for commercial mortgages, which is one of the issues that people are concerned about. Naturally, the price required to be paid will reflect the term of the lease.
MR WOOD (Minister for Education and the Arts and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (4.00): Mr Speaker, the Government opposes this amendment. It has been a long-term policy that up to 99 years is the provision that applies. Some flexibility is allowed for within that, and that is what we propose to keep.
Amendment negatived.
Clause agreed to.
Clauses 172 to 182, by leave, taken together, and agreed to.
Clause 183
MR MOORE (4.00): The nature of my proposed amendment is to facilitate a 100 per cent betterment tax. This matter has been debated in this Assembly at length on previous occasions. As has been my approach right through the debate on this Bill, I do not intend to labour the point any more than is necessary to make my point, which is that the leasehold system, in contrast to the freehold system, is specifically designed to facilitate returning the profit from speculation on land to the community as a whole. The only way to tap into profit from speculation is to charge 100 per cent betterment tax.
That is not to interfere with a developer's right to develop and to make a great deal of profit - as much as they want - on the development done on the land. I have no difficulty with people making profit under those
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .