Page 2791 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 13 September 1994
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MR HUMPHRIES: I ask a supplementary question, Mr Acting Speaker. I did ask two other questions, Chief Minister, and I will repeat them in case you forgot. Can you assure the Assembly that this is not as a result of any cross-border sales of diesel fuel? Can you assure the Assembly that neither you nor your department is aware of any such cross-border sales?
MS FOLLETT: Mr Acting Speaker, I rely on the Revenue Office to administer our laws in relation to revenue matters. As I have said to you, the advice that I have is that those revenues are in line with their expectations. Mr Humphries has asked me a specific question about cross-border sales. This was the matter on which, during the last Estimates Committee hearings, Mr Humphries quite disgracefully tried to encourage people to flout the law. He was actively encouraging people to flout the tax laws of this Territory - to flout the laws which were specifically brought into being by this Assembly and, in effect, to indulge in tax evasion. That has never been an admirable quality, and I do not admire it in Mr Humphries. I am amazed that he, again, is raising that issue.
I said at the time that I would have a look at the operation of that law, and if it needed to be amended it would be amended. The review of that diesel fuel revenue matter has been completed and I will be acting upon it shortly. In the meantime I do not believe that it is Mr Humphries's place to continue, as he appears to be doing, to try to encourage people to avoid paying a Territory tax - a tax which was imposed by a vote of this Assembly. I can say, Mr Acting Speaker, that the Revenue Office, which is responsible for compliance in all of our tax matters, has brought no cases of cross-border sales to my attention.
Land Acquisitions
MS SZUTY: My question without notice is to the Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning, Mr Wood. When I was briefed by officers of Mr Wood's department on the Lands Acquisition Bill which was passed by the Assembly on 24 August last, I specifically asked whether there were any instances in which the Government would immediately seek to use its powers to acquire land under this legislation. I was advised that there were none. I refer the Minister to the article on page 2 of today's Canberra Times regarding the difficulties that have been encountered in reaching an equitable agreement between the leaseholder of the Fassifern Equestrian Centre and the Government over the resumption of all or part of the centre's lease so that development in Dunlop is not delayed. In particular I refer the Minister to his quoted comment that if the matter is not clarified the Government will be able to resume the lease under the new Lands Acquisition Act. My question to the Minister is this: Were the officers of his department aware of this case at the time I was briefed? How many similar cases actually exist, and what action does the Minister intend to take to ensure that the Lands Acquisition Act is applied appropriately, particularly in relation to cases in which negotiation for acquisition had commenced prior to the Act's gazettal?
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