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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 14 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 4673 ..

Mr De Domenico: He is not there to talk about housing prices.

MR BERRY: Mrs Carnell referred to housing prices. It will not happen. It will not happen in the foreseeable future.

Mr De Domenico: According to whom?

MR BERRY: The actuary. It will not happen for many years.

Mr De Domenico: What, housing prices will not go up?

MR BERRY: They will not go up as a result - - -

Mr De Domenico: Quote from the actuary's report that says that.

MR SPEAKER: Order!

MR BERRY: They will not go up as a result of this legislation. I turn to some of the comments that Mr De Domenico made in his speech on this matter. He said:

... construction employees in the ACT would enjoy benefits that, with the exception of South Australia, are available to no other construction industry employees throughout Australia.

They would not be the first employees in one particular geographical area in Australia that enjoyed superior benefits to those of a group of employees in another geographical area. But he puts far too much weight on that, because construction industry workers in the ACT and all the States, but not including the Northern Territory, on my information, enjoy superior benefits on long service leave to those of most other workers in the private sector because they do not have this portability arrangement. I have not seen it spreading into other parts of industry, though it would not surprise me if at some point in the future that occurred. It is something that - - -

Mr De Domenico: Would you support that?

MR BERRY: It is a part of our policy. Mr De Domenico's reference to the sunset clause undermines his leader's contribution to this debate. The sunset clause in the training levy Bill was passed through this Assembly. The training levy will be dealt with from another source in due course. If it is not dealt with from another source in due course, in accordance with the Minister's promises, then it will be returned to this source. I think that will simply be the outcome.

Mr De Domenico then asks what my motives might be in relation to the introduction of this Bill. He asked the question, "Why did he not take such a step when he was Minister, or why did not Mr Lamont when he was Minister at the time?". If Mr De Domenico had been paying attention at the last election, he would have noted that the Labor Party promised this very action - - -

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