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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 7 Hansard (22 September) . . Page.. 1997 ..

MS CARNELL: I cannot make any comments, Mr Speaker, about a decision made by a Federal department or by Federal government. In the ACT we have probably the most transparent form of government. In fact, this week we will be tabling annual reports which will contain full workplace statistics. I think in the last Assembly sitting I also tabled the last two quarters of last year's workplace statistics. So we can see they are right on the table in the ACT.

MR STANHOPE: I ask a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Given the obvious concern in the Canberra community about job cuts and the Chief Minister's admission now that this is a very open government, will the Chief Minister agree to table copies of representations by the ACT Government to the Commonwealth and correspondence between the two governments in relation to Federal Public Service cuts or relocation of Federal agencies from and within Canberra?

Ms Carnell: Which documents, Mr Speaker?

MR STANHOPE: All correspondence between the ACT and Commonwealth governments on job cuts to the Federal Public Service under the Howard Government. Will the Chief Minister table all correspondence between the two governments on that subject?

MR SPEAKER: I must caution you that it has to be relevant to the ACT and this Government.

MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I would like to think that those opposite would have better questions to ask in question time and that when they ask a question they would know what information they are after and could spell it out in a much more definite fashion.

Insurance Levy - Motor Vehicles

MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, I have a question for the Attorney-General in connection with the Insurance Levy Act that was passed on 1 September. Minister, you were quoted this week in the Tuggeranong Chronicle as saying:

The Government's Insurance Levy Act does not require them to levy the policy on motor vehicle policy-holders.

When we go to the Act, Mr Humphries, it defines "general insurance" as being insurance in respect of property situated in the Territory when the insurance was effective. Minister, if motor vehicles are not considered to be property, can you tell us what other forms of property are not encompassed by this Act?

MR HUMPHRIES: I thank Mr Kaine for the question. I think Mr Kaine has misread the legislation. What the legislation says - I do not think the legislation refers to $10m - is that there is a $10m levy which is coming from the whole of the insurance industry in the ACT; that is, all those insurance companies which sell insurance within the ACT.

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