Page 3607 - Week 12 - Thursday, 13 October 1994
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Note the cheap attempt to suggest that Alliance Government Ministers had chauffeurs. She continued:
Those Canberrans are already facing enormous price hikes, along with the price uncertainty associated with the Middle East crisis.
Here is a real gem, Madam Speaker. She said:
We should also remember that, whether we like it or not, Canberra has been built for cars. Our public transport system at this point is not adequate.
It is no more adequate today, Chief Minister. Now that the hospital redevelopment program is well and truly over the hump, there is no justification for the continuation of that increase.
Madam Speaker, at the time, as well as criticising that increase, Labor predicted that the increase would not come off; that, at the end of the two-year period, the Government would maintain the increase. The Chief Minister was 100 per cent correct. The certainty with which she approached that question was enhanced by the fact that, when that two-year period had expired, she was the Chief Minister and Treasurer and she herself made the decision, despite a promise at the 1992 election to remove the increase at the end of the two years. Has she forgotten that? In fact, she retained that 3c a litre increase. Both parties pledged that at the 1992 election. Since that time, through the action of the Follett Labor Government, that increase has become a permanent feature of Canberra's taxation system.
Let the Chief Minister be reminded of some of the history of this matter. She made this statement in the Assembly on 29 June 1989, at the time when the New South Wales Government increased petrol prices:
The ACT Government will not be introducing the petrol franchise tax that has been introduced by the New South Wales Government, so there will be no increases in ACT petrol prices brought about by action of this Government, I can assure you of that.
It is interesting to compare that statement with the justification for this increase provided in the explanatory memorandum to this most recent increase. The justification is based on the fact that these fees reflect announced changes to rates in New South Wales. Apparently, New South Wales did not matter in 1989; but, once the fee was conveniently in place, suddenly increases do matter in 1994. Last year the Government further raised petrol prices, on exactly the same basis. Apparently, the argument about parity with New South Wales cuts one way but does not cut the other.
Madam Speaker, the most extraordinary argument advanced for this recent increase has to be the argument about the consumer price index. The Minister said in her tabling speech that the increases in the petrol franchise fee "reflect changes in the consumer price index since the fees were last determined". The fees were last determined at about this time last year - about 13 months ago. In the 13 months or so since the fees were last
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