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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 2 Hansard (25 February) . . Page.. 412 ..

Mrs Carnell: Mr Speaker, on a point of order again: Mr Whitecross still has not started to talk about the issue that is on the table. How long can this go on for?

MR SPEAKER: Relevance, Mr Whitecross.

MR WHITECROSS: Mr Speaker, this is all context. Mrs Carnell does not like hearing about her failures, but this is important context for the current debate.

Mr Speaker, capping or pegging of rates liabilities to overcome large increases requires properties with little or no increases in value paying a disproportionate share of rates. Labor successfully moved an amendment to the June 1996 Bill that gave the Chief Minister a one-year reprieve and asked her to bring forward a new rates system for 1997. This is the new rates system. Not only was this amendment designed to force the Government to keep its election promise to produce a new rates system, albeit a year late, but it was designed to ensure that rates were levied on up-to-date valuations.

Mr Speaker, we all know that in the debate last week Mrs Carnell sought to get out from under her responsibility to use up-to-date valuations. The one thing I will reiterate about the debate we had last week is that Mrs Carnell's attempt to avoid using 1997 valuations and to once again use 1994 valuations was designed to achieve a similar purpose to her original purpose in trying to use 1994 valuations through to after the next election - namely, to put off the bad news that her capping rates to 1994 values was disguising the fact that some residents in Canberra were going to get big increases in rates. She set up a problem for herself. She did not listen to people who warned her that she was creating a problem for herself. She realised too late that there was a problem, and she has now been trying to figure out ways of avoiding having to wear the responsibility for her problem.

Mr Speaker, the new rates system using 1997 values will ensure that we do have a fair rates system in the ACT, will ensure that it uses up-to-date values, and will ensure that any blame for rates increases suffered by individuals in the community because of Mrs Carnell's decision to use 1994 values long after they were out of date rests with Mrs Carnell and her Government.

Mr Speaker, there are several components to the new rates system that I want to mention particularly. The first and most important feature of the new system is the three-year rolling averages. The new rates system proposal put forward by the Government includes the use of the three-year rolling averages, which will assist in smoothing out fluctuations in valuations and, therefore, fluctuations in rates bills. The Labor Opposition will, of course, be supporting this. After all, it was the Labor Party that put forward this proposal in 1994.

Mrs Carnell: You did not implement it.

MR WHITECROSS: Mr Speaker, Mrs Carnell says that we did not implement it. We would have implemented it, except for one small thing: Mrs Carnell took over as Chief Minister, and she chose not to implement it. But, if she had, she would have saved herself a lot of trouble. If she had, she would not be in the mess she is in now.

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