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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 2 Hansard (29 February) . . Page.. 382 ..

MR HIRD (continuing):

nitty-gritty, boys and girls. Will we see a blow-out of taxes or will we go out and borrow? Or would they increase borrowings to fund the shortfall, which means shifting the burden onto future territory residents, children and parents, as they did prior to 1995?

Labor's proposed roll-back of the GST means less revenue from the GST. That means less is being provided for education, health, police, medical services and urban services for the community in the ACT. They know that. Is that what the Berry and Stanhope consortium want to do? How else is Labor going to pay for the roll-back? Mother England might tip in a boatload of money.

The Federal Labor shadow Treasurer is now talking about doing away with a 30 per cent rebate for private health care insurance, affecting thousands of families, retirees and pensioners. That is what they are talking about. Does the ACT Labor Party agree with this? Are they so uncaring about the people of Canberra that they would put at risk the provision of health care? It surprises me. I am horrified. Because of their questioning of the Minister for Health over many years, I find it wanting.

Every person in Canberra is waiting to hear what the Berry-Stanhope Labor Party will do. What will it be? No income tax cuts? Will they keep wholesale sales tax? Will they keep financial institutions duty and debits tax? How much will they cut ACT revenue? What services are they going to cut? Or will they do it in the time-honoured Labor way and go into debt once again in a big way? This is a matter of utmost importance to the ACT and every Territorian. I ask for an extension of time.

MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Not in an MPI, Mr Hird. Your time has expired.

MR STANHOPE (Leader of the Opposition) (4.19): If we could give you leave, Harold, we would. The Labor Party would have been happy for you to take up the whole hour because of the damage that you have just done to the Liberal Party's chances for re-election. I came here today prepared for a serious debate, but I think Mr Hird has almost destroyed that possibility by his presentation. It is pleasing for us in the Labor Party to see the extent to which the Liberal Party in the ACT is prepared to embrace the GST.

I look forward to the Liberal Party campaigning in the next ACT election for support for the GST. In fact, during that election campaign I have no doubt that I will quite willingly assist them in reminding the people of the ACT about their dedicated support for this very regressive tax. I will give this commitment to Mr Hird and the Liberal Party in terms of their support for this tax: I will willingly assist them in letting every elector in the ACT know of their dedicated rusted-on support for this regressive, appalling tax. I look forward to campaigning with the Liberal Party in the next ACT election in relation to the application of the GST and their support for it.

Last week when the Chief Minister broke her until then deafening silence on the imminent introduction of the most regressive tax ever imposed on the Australian community, she did more than merely reveal her position. The Chief Minister, in launching an attack on Labor's commitment to roll back the goods and services tax, simply fell in behind her Federal Leader, Mr John Howard. She joined the

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