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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 9 Hansard (18 November) . . Page.. 2620 ..

Mr Berry: I take a point of order. I asked a specific question. Has there been any contact?

MR SPEAKER: Just a moment. The Minister is answering.

MR MOORE: I was going to give you your answer. Now you miss out.

MR SPEAKER: When you say "any contact", it sounds like an infectious disease, but go on.

MR MOORE: Following the Estimates Committee situation and my failure to rule that out, a single person asked me whether it was actually on the agenda to privatise the Canberra Hospital. That was at a meeting at which we discussed a whole range of other things. At that meeting I gave the same answer that I have just given here to the Assembly - that what it was really about is that I will not play your rule-out games.

Government Vehicle Fleet - Leasing Cost

MR WOOD: My question is to the Chief Minister. It concerns the additional cost of leasing vehicles in the government fleet should the GST be introduced. Leasing companies claim that costs under one type of leasing arrangement will rise for a time because the value of used cars will fall. That is what they say. Has the Government assessed the likely additional cost of leasing its vehicles? If so, what is that cost? Indeed, have government agencies been approached on this matter as new leases are drawn up?

MS CARNELL: The Federal Government's proposal to introduce a GST is having no effect on current ACT Public Service fleet lease rates. Contrary to what Mr Wood has been saying, quite regularly over the last few days, and certainly in some comments you have made to the Canberra Times, under the leasing arrangements currently in place - - -

Mr Stanhope: Yes, he has done well.

MS CARNELL: He has done well by giving wrong information to the Canberra Times, Mr Stanhope? That is a very interesting approach.

MR SPEAKER: The Chief Minister is answering a question, not giving a critique.

MS CARNELL: Under the leasing arrangements currently in place for ACT PS vehicles, lease rates are based primarily on the purchase price of vehicles, the period of the lease and the anticipated residual value at the time of disposal. While it is true that current fleet rates are increasing, it is not as a result of the GST proposal. The key factors which are influencing current ACT PS lease rates are an increase in the purchase price of new vehicles, for example, the cost of a new Falcon has recently increased by some $2,500;

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