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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 7 Hansard (29 June) . . Page.. 2234 ..

Treasurer, are you aware of the comment and similar comments, and are they correct?

MR HUMPHRIES: I thank Mr Hird for that question. I listened to the interview on radio this morning and was astonished by the number of errors that were made in the course of just a few short minutes by Mr Stanhope.

Ms Carnell: He did not mislead the public, did he?

MR HUMPHRIES: I would not want to comment in an unparliamentary way in this place, but I was surprised. I would have thought that a person who has been the Leader of the Opposition for a couple of years would have found it a little easier to strike the truth just occasionally in the course of his remarks.

It was also surprising how often what he had to say diverged from what others in the opposition have been saying in the last few days. We had, first of all, the statement that this budget is basically underscored by a windfall of $80 million or so through pre-GST payments. I emphasise the words "pre-GST payments". What are pre-GST payments?

Mr Moore: Can I have my share of nothing? I would like my share for health.

MR HUMPHRIES: Your share of nothing, Mr Moore, is nothing. What are these pre-GST payments, Mr Speaker? I do not know. It is particularly odd, given that only two days ago the Estimates Committee, chaired by Mr Corbell, issued a report in which it said, inter alia:

The Estimates Committee says that the GST is going to cost us money in the coming financial year, and then on radio this morning Mr Stanhope says that some pre-GST payments that will be coming down to the ACT will help our bottom line.

Mr Moore: Patently false.

MR HUMPHRIES: Patently false, I would have thought. It is not surprising that Mr Stanhope finds some urgent issue to discuss with Mr Berry so that he can avoid having to face up to these uncomfortable facts. The fact of the matter is that there will be no pre-GST payments. The GST, as we have made perfectly clear, will not begin to assist the ACT until the 2003-04 financial year. We have said that time and again. It is very hard to see how we can contend simultaneously with the assertion that there will be money available in excess of the GST in the first year and that the GST will cost us lots of money in the first year. Which is it? Make up your mind. Mr Speaker, if members of the opposition have finished discussing their laundry, what they are having for dinner tonight how we have had a lot of rain lately, et cetera-

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