Page 1282 - Week 05 - Thursday, 25 June 1992
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Overall, the proposed increases in rates and taxes appear to me to be a reasonable response by the Government to the issue of raising revenue to meet, in part, its budget commitments. It will now be important to gauge the community's reaction to these. I am pleased that the Government has also addressed its social justice obligations. I will further address the Government's proposed budget strategy in broader terms during the budget strategy debate later this afternoon.
MR MOORE (11.56): Madam Speaker, for me there are two principles involved here. I have a policy of pegging rates to the CPI, and that is my preferred position. But I also made it very clear in the election - much clearer, in fact, than that policy - that I would be committed to allowing a government to have their budget Bills. Under these circumstances I think it is appropriate for the Government to have my support in being able to raise revenue. My preference would be to increase land taxes rather than rates, as I have stated in this Assembly before today. It is a position that is the very opposite to that which Mr De Domenico just stated. However, I will not be moving an amendment to the Bill, nor opposing it, because of my previous commitment.
I have the same feeling about the fees charged at TAFE. I am still of the opinion that education is a basic right and that education, whether compulsory or non-compulsory, ought not have fees attached to it. That applies to tertiary education as well as secondary education - tertiary education both at TAFE and at the universities. So I state here my personal opposition to that but at the same time recognise the right of the Government to levy taxes as it sees fit. I would like to reiterate Ms Szuty's comment about the adult literacy courses. I think this is a most important area. We have debated it in this Assembly. I am very pleased to see that the Government has moved on those courses. With those few comments, Madam Speaker, I am prepared to accept this Bill.
MR STEVENSON (11.58): I do not agree that the Government should be able to do whatever they like with taxes and charges and fees regardless.
Ms Follett: That is why it is in the Assembly.
MR STEVENSON: The Chief Minister says that that is why it is in the Assembly. The difficulty with that is that other members of the Assembly have agreed to pass such Bills and will not do anything else with them. They are already locked into any charges and increases that there are. The difficulty is that once again the people of the community, who have to fork out of their pocket for these various charges and increases, do not even have time for discussion.
One example is the 3c a litre tax on petrol that you said would not be there. One of the most time-honoured methods of governments in Australia is to say, "At a certain time we will do away with this". I assumed that the Chief Minister had indicated that that tax would go.
Mr Lamont: Your assumption is not correct.
MR STEVENSON: Okay, I withdraw that until I check the wordings again; but that is fine. Nevertheless, it should have gone. There is no opportunity for the people in the community to have a say on this thing. We have spoken again and again about Bills being rushed through. There are no more important matters than those which take away the power of people in the community to pay for the things they need to pay for, such as education, health, and various other things for themselves and their families.
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