Page 2287 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 15 September 1992
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SUSPENSION OF STANDING AND TEMPORARY ORDERS
Motion (by Mr De Domenico), by leave, agreed to, with the concurrence of an absolute majority:
That so much of the standing and temporary orders be suspended as would prevent order of the day No. 1, private members business, relating to the Rates and Land Tax (Amendment) Bill (No. 2) 1992, being called on immediately after the resolution of any question relating to the conclusion of consideration of order of the day No. 2, Executive business, relating to the Rates and Land Tax (Amendment) Bill (No. 3) 1992.
RATES AND LAND TAX (AMENDMENT) BILL (NO. 3) 1992
[COGNATE BILL:
RATES AND LAND TAX (AMENDMENT) BILL (NO. 2) 1992]
Debate resumed from 8 September 1992, on motion by Ms Follett:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
MADAM SPEAKER: Is it the wish of the Assembly to debate this order of the day concurrently with the Rates and Land Tax (Amendment) Bill (No. 2) 1992? There being no objection, that course will be followed. I remind members that in debating order of the day No. 2 they may also address their remarks to the Rates and Land Tax (Amendment) Bill (No. 2) 1992.
MR KAINE (Leader of the Opposition) (8.30): We are in a rather unusual position tonight in having to debate two Bills on the same topic that are such different Bills. We are in that situation because the Government initially declined to take the necessary action to amend this Act, even though it was obvious that there were problems with it. The Opposition took the initiative and then, behind it, along came the Government's belated Bill to achieve some change. The things that they are proposing are in no way consistent with the things that are being proposed in the private members Bill. So members now have a choice of two Bills, the objectives of which are quite different and the detail of which is quite different.
I suggest, Madam Speaker, that the Government's Bill is an expression of ideas that are at large either in the Treasury or in the ranks of the Liberal Party but not in the ranks of the Government. I can only conclude that the Government, on this issue, as with many others, is entirely without direction. Certainly, the Government failed to amend the Act when the problems first became evident. That did not occur only in August, or even in late July of this year, as the Chief Minister asserted only as recently as August. The problems that we are discussing today in connection with the Rates and Land Tax Act were evident at this time last year when the Act was first applied. The same problems are being experienced now as were being experienced a year ago by some people who became subject to this Act.
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