Page 3465 - Week 11 - Thursday, 14 October 1993
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Clause 21 of the Bill will enable standing appointments to the positions of Acting Registrar and Acting Sheriff. This will be a more efficient arrangement than that which presently applies, where an acting appointment has to be made each time the occupant is absent from duty. In addition to these main amendments, the Bill contains many amendments of a routine and technical nature that will streamline and simplify the Act. In closing, Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the court, and particularly Chief Justice Miles, for useful assistance provided in developing and clarifying this Bill. I commend the Bill to the Assembly. Madam Speaker, I present the explanatory memorandum.
Debate (on motion by Mr Humphries) adjourned.
BUSINESS FRANCHISE FEES
Motion for Disallowa
nce
MR HUMPHRIES (10.43): Madam Speaker, I move:
That the determination of fees contained in Table 1 of Determination No. 122 of 1993 and made under the Business Franchise (Tobacco and Petroleum Products) Act 1984 be disallowed.
Madam Speaker, the Follett Government's increase in petrol tax announced in last month's budget is a destructive tax. It was imposed, moreover, by a hypocritical government. For this reason the Opposition today is seeking to have disallowed the increased taxation measures on petroleum under the Business Franchise (Tobacco and Petroleum Products) Act 1984. Within the last two months Canberrans have had their petrol prices rise by 3.5 cents a litre simply on the basis of destructive taxation measures imposed by Labor governments, both Federal and local.
Madam Speaker, the thing that is most annoying about this taxation measure is that it comes from a government which whinges and screams every time the rack price of petrol in the ACT rises. Every time a petrol retailer raises the price of petrol by even half a cent a litre, Minister Connolly is bleating over Canberra's airwaves about retailers, and particularly oil companies, discriminating against motorists in Canberra and the like, saying that it is time for the motorist to fight back. It is all very well for the Government to bleat about petrol prices, but if they do they make a rod for their own back when it comes to increasing the tax payable on petrol by Canberra motorists.
In the August Federal budget the Federal Treasurer announced staggered increases in petrol prices of 5c per litre for unleaded fuel and 10c per litre for leaded fuel. In budget mark 2 or 3, or whatever it is - I have lost track - Mr Dawkins announced that the final stage increase on leaded fuel of 3c per litre would be abandoned. So petrol rose by 3c a litre on the night of the Federal budget. Motorists at that time felt betrayed - and, I think, rightfully so. It was against this background that the ACT Government framed its own budget in September - the background being a further 2c per litre rise on leaded fuel and 1c a litre on unleaded fuel, to take effect in February 1994, at the behest of the Federal Government. Not satisfied to leave it there, the same increase is to be repeated in October 1994. The worrying feature is that between now and when these increases are finalised we have another Federal budget and possibly another ACT budget to come down.
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