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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 7 Hansard (27 June) . . Page.. 2066 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Let us be clear: if Labor had been in office in the ACT in the last three years, it would be introducing this bill tonight in this place and asking the Assembly to pass it.

Mr Quinlan: With deep regret.

MR HUMPHRIES: Maybe so; maybe with deep regret. I am sure that there would be a pained expression on your brow, but you would still be asking us to pass this bill, because every other state Labor government has done exactly the same thing. To Ms Tucker I address some comments.

Ms Tucker: I am not voting against the bill.

MR HUMPHRIES: All right, I will lay off, then. I will not say a thing.

Ms Tucker: I made comments about the GST, but I am not voting against the bill.

MR HUMPHRIES: In that case, Mr Speaker, my lips are sealed about Ms Tucker.

Ms Tucker: Just to save you time, that is all.

MR HUMPHRIES: It will save me time. I have two further short comments. This is, according to Mr Quinlan, an abhorrent tax system. I would like to have someone explain to me what would have been different about the consumption tax-goods and services tax-which the Labor Party, at least several prominent members of it, wanted to pass at the time of the national tax summit in 1986. What iniquitous features pertain to this tax system that would not have pertained to Labor's goods and services tax had it proceeded with that idea?

I am not going to defend John Howard in this debate, but I notice much comment made of the change of mind that the Prime Minister had in 1995 or 1996 about the goods and services tax. I do remember Bob Hawke promising faithfully in 1983 that there would be no capital gains tax.

Mr Stefaniak: "No Australian child will be living in poverty."

MR HUMPHRIES: Not that promise. That is another promise that we can talk about. It is a pity Hansard cannot pick up the inflection in Mr Stefaniak's voice and get the real feel for his impersonation of the former Prime Minister. He said that there would be no capital gains tax in Australia, absolutely not, it was not on the agenda for the Labor Party. He introduced legislation for the capital gains tax in 1985 and he argued that there had been an election in 1984 and promises of that kind are only good for one term of parliament.

Mr Howard not only went to another election after he made those comments, if not two elections, but also put up front in 1998, at the election in that year, what he was going to do with the national tax system. It was a commitment that he put on the table in considerable detail and said, "Here is our proposition. Vote for a Liberal government and we will have this new tax system." Australia did and on 1 July Australia will have a new tax system. I think it has been a very democratic process, Mr Speaker. It is certainly one

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