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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 8 Hansard (28 August) . . Page.. 2607 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

On Tuesday, in my tabling speech, I also foreshadowed the introduction of an amendment to the Bill which arose as a result of discussions with members of the Assembly. I would like to thank all those members of the Assembly who were part of those discussions. This issue is not an easy one. I agree totally with Mr Berry and Mr Moore on this. Given any other set of circumstances, you simply would not go down this path at all.

This amendment will provide for a standing appropriation to cover the costs of administering the schemes for paying subsidies to taxpayers. The amendment will require the Government to disclose any funding issued for this purpose in the notes to the financial statements of the departments, allowing the Assembly full scrutiny of the standing appropriation. It will allow for a sunset clause, which Mr Moore has already spoken about, which gives effect to the proposed amendments for a period of just under three years to the end of the 1999-2000 financial year. This will allow sufficient time for the proposed overhaul of the taxation system and will allow the ACT to put in place permanent arrangements dependent on the final agreement with the Commonwealth. I commend this amendment to the Assembly.

I again thank everybody who was part of the input into this amendment. The Government, and I am sure all members of this Assembly, would agree that this is a bit of a stopgap approach to allow a taxation debate in Australia. I am sure that that taxation debate will happen in every parliament in Australia, certainly in the Federal arena. There will be very different views, as Mr Tucker has already indicated. I believe that everybody is entitled to their views. At the end of the day I am hopeful and very confident that we will end up with a more equitable tax system in this country.

Amendment agreed to.

Bill, as a whole, as amended, agreed to.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

MR BERRY: My question is to the Chief Minister, Mr Speaker. In today's edition of the Canberra Times, Chief Minister, you are reported to have stated at last night's Liberal Party shindig that you and Mr Howard had different views on some social issues but you solidly supported his economic policy. Does this mean, Chief Minister, that you support John Howard's economic policies that have gutted the Public Service in Canberra, which has led to massive public sector job losses and, with your own negligent policies, contributed to an ACT economy in recession; contracted out public services to the private sector, interstate and off-shore; flooded the ACT's commercial office market

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