Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 4 Hansard (25 June) . . Page.. 1021 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General, Minister for Justice and Community Safety and Minister Assisting the Treasurer) (10.41): Mr Speaker, I present the Birth (Equality of Status) (Amendment) Bill 1998, together with its explanatory memorandum.

Title read by Clerk.

MR HUMPHRIES: I move:

That this Bill be agreed to in principle.

I ask for leave to have my presentation speech incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

Speech incorporated at Appendix 5.

Debate (on motion by Mr Stanhope) adjourned.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General, Minister for Justice and Community Safety and Minister Assisting the Treasurer) (10.42): Mr Speaker, I present the Insurance Levy Bill 1998, together with its explanatory memorandum.

Title read by Clerk.

MR HUMPHRIES: I move:

That this Bill be agreed to in principle.

The Bill which I have just presented gives effect to a budget initiative. In the past insurance companies writing insurance for property in the ACT have directly benefited from the services provided by all the emergency agencies without any direct contribution to the costs of those services. Activities by the emergency agencies, particularly in the areas of prevention/mitigation and response to emergencies, minimise the damage to property subject to a variety of insurance policies.

The Government has decided, as part of a budget measure, to provide for a levy on insurance companies to contribute to the provision of those vital services. This is similar to a levy on insurance companies in other States that provides most of the funding for various fire services. In other States up to 75 per cent - I think in some cases even more - of fire services expenditure is funded by a levy on insurance companies. However, in the ACT the operational services within the Emergency Services Bureau have traditionally

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .