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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 8 Hansard (25 June) . . Page.. 2039 ..

Ms Follett: That is exactly what she said.

MR WHITECROSS: That is exactly what she said. It is nonsense. Mr Speaker, for the record let us recall that pensioners get a 50 per cent rates concession. Rates deferral and hardship provisions are also available to people. Let us not have any nonsense about people having to sell their houses because they cannot pay the rates bill.

In response to the concerns which were raised under the previous Government about fluctuations in rates values, the previous Government came up with a new way of doing rates, using three-year averages. Mrs Carnell did not even try that system. She threw that system out before it was even tried. She said, "We have an even better system".

Mrs Carnell: Turn around and ask Rosemary what was wrong with it.

MR WHITECROSS: We announced it. We were going to do it, but these people threw out that system of three-year rolling averages, which would have evened out fluctuations, before it was even tried. Before it was even tried, Mrs Carnell threw it out. She said, "I have a better one. In the meantime we will have this interim measure. We know it is a bit messy basing rates on 1994 values, but we will do it for this year". We said that it was not a smart idea, but the Assembly went along with it. Mrs Carnell had a review in process. She has come back with nothing. We want her to come back next year with something.

Mrs Carnell, in her reply to the in-principle debate, argued against herself. She said that there are no dramatic movements in valuations so it does not make much difference. If indeed Mrs Carnell is right and there are no dramatic movements and it is not going to make much difference, why does she not now implement a sensible rating system, instead of continuing to use 1994 valuations? Mr Speaker, her worst argument was the one about fairness. What Mrs Carnell is doing is transparently unfair. Mr Speaker, in the last - - -

Mrs Carnell: Do you think 62 per cent increases in one year were fair?

MR WHITECROSS: Mrs Carnell, as I said, the Labor Government had already come up with a solution to that which you threw out before it was even tried.

Mrs Carnell: You had not even put it in place. You had been in power for four years, with 62 per cent increases in one year.

MR WHITECROSS: Who has the floor, Mr Speaker?

Mrs Carnell: You interjected the whole time during my speech.

MR SPEAKER: Order! The house will come to order. I would remind both sides of the chamber that all interjections are out of order.

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