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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 8 Hansard (27 June) . . Page.. 2290 ..

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Payroll Tax - Supermarket Employees

MR WHITECROSS: Mr Speaker, my question is to Mrs Carnell in her capacity as the Treasurer. Minister, will you inform the Assembly of your estimate of the amount of payroll tax that will be lost to ACT revenue if 306 supermarket employees in town centre stores lose their jobs?

MRS CARNELL: A damned sight less than would be lost if 700 full-time employees lost their jobs in other businesses - assuming that those people pay payroll tax, of course.

MR WHITECROSS: Mr Speaker, my supplementary question to Mrs Carnell is this: Is it not the case that payroll tax for 306 employees earning an average income of $414 a week, at 7 per cent - this is before your latest changes - totals $8,876 per week or $461,000 a year in forgone payroll tax? How do you propose to make up this loss of Territory revenue?

MRS CARNELL: It is unfortunate that Mr Whitecross did not actually even read the supermarkets' own brochure, which said, even on their figures, that the 306 people were casuals and part-timers. As Mr Whitecross has just worked the whole thing out on a full-time salary, it shows that he does not know what he is talking about.

Woden Valley Hospital - Fracture Clinic

MR SPEAKER: Does anybody else wish to ask a question?

MR BERRY: Yes, I will ask one, if nobody else wants to.

Mr De Domenico: Which one?

Mr Hird: Have you got your lines right, Wayne?

MR BERRY: Do not worry about that, mate. I will always rise to the occasion.

MR SPEAKER: Proceed, Mr Berry. You have my protection on the matter.

MR BERRY: That is a welcome addition to the furniture. My question is to the Minister for Health and Community Care. The fracture clinic at Woden Valley Hospital operates on a system of one appointment for every patient; that is, everyone is given a 2.00 pm appointment, and people are expected to wait around until they are seen. The last patient is usually seen at about 5.00 pm. Because of the recent holiday Monday, all patients for Monday and Wednesday clinics were given an appointment for 2.00 pm on the Wednesday of that week. Is that not nice? This meant that the last patients,

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