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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 8 Hansard (26 October) . . Page.. 2150 ..

MS FOLLETT (continuing):

I am not sure whether this Bill represents two broken promises or just one. Perhaps I should just repeat the statement, as the Liberals have repeated their promises: This Bill represents another Liberal broken promise. On Tuesday morning on ABC radio, the backbencher for self-publicity, Mr Harold Hird, MLA, who incidentally does not own any shares in Harold Hird and Associates Pty Ltd, said that money from this increased poker machine tax - - -

Mrs Carnell: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: Ms Follett, please refer to the member by his correct name.

MS FOLLETT: I think I did - Mr Harold Hird, MLA, Mr Speaker.

MR SPEAKER: That is correct, but not with the appendage.

MS FOLLETT: Fine. Mr Hird said that the money from this increased poker machine tax would go to assist sporting groups, not just for this year but for years to come. Mrs Carnell has stated that the Licensed Clubs Association and the Government would agree on the distribution of this money each year from the trust fund.

After the Bill was tabled in the Assembly, I searched through the Bill for the clauses that established the trust fund, who would be the trustees of the fund, who would appoint those trustees, and how they would determine who would receive the funds from one year to the next. That search was totally in vain. Nowhere in this Bill is there any establishment of a trust fund; nor is there any guarantee of how the extra money raised by this increased tax will be expended this year, much less in future years. The only guarantee the Canberra sporting community has is a Liberal promise. Given that this Bill represents another broken Liberal promise, I do not think the promise on the use of this extra tax in future has any value at all.

If you want to check the worth of the Liberal promise, Mr Speaker, you should just ask Charnwood High School. In a unanimous decision on Tuesday night, the Charnwood High School community said that they wanted the school to remain open. Yesterday, the Liberal Government bludgeoned that community into closing their local high school. Since the Liberal Government is not capable of keeping its election promises, the Labor Party, which incidentally delivered all of its 1992 election promises during our three years of government, will attempt to keep them honest. While we will support the Bill in principle, we will be moving an amendment in the detail stage to keep the ACT tax rate in line with that in New South Wales. If this Government is concerned about its credibility, it will support that amendment. If at a later date this Government introduces a Bill to establish an ACT sporting trust with a one per cent levy on the poker machine revenue of Canberra's community clubs, the Opposition will seriously consider that proposal when it comes forward.

While I cannot say that I would commend the Bill to the Assembly, I do suggest that it be accepted in principle; but I doubt very much whether "principle" is a term that can be applied to the Government, given that paragraph 4(d) of the Bill represents yet another broken promise.

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