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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 1 Hansard (15 February) . . Page.. 247 ..

MR RUGENDYKE (continuing):

Mr Smyth, why is the government taking this risk, particularly as people who drive around with unpaid registration labels would not be covered by compulsory third party insurance should they be involved in an accident. How do you expect police to be able to police this system?

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, you have to start from the premise that most people are honest, and most Canberrans are honest and do the right thing. There are those who, whether they get a sticker or not in their registration renewal notice, will not renew their registration. That, of course, will need enforcement and Urban Services will make sure that the AFP is aware of the changes and work out strategies for enforcement. But whether they get a sticker or not, those who choose not pay the registration choose not to pay the registration. If they break the law in that way, their cars will not be registered and they will not be insured.

MR RUGENDYKE: I have a supplementary question. As members are aware, vehicles can be registered for three, six or 12-month periods. Is it the minister's intention to send out stickers for the three periods of registration or will someone who wants registration for a different period have to come back and exchange a sticker?

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, this system is not new for Australia; New South Wales and Victoria do the same. They post out something like eight million labels a yet in advance of payment. This is not leading-edge thought on how to make systems more efficient. The question presupposes that people will accept the label and say, "I am registered; I will put it on my car." I do not think Canberrans are like that and I do not think that they are that dumb that they will attempt to do that.

In attempting to make sure that all systems are as efficient as we can make them, we often look at what happens in other jurisdictions. Both New South Wales and Victoria already have this system and it is a system that is seen to work. In New South Wales about 2 per cent of the labels are not being validated is.

We have troubles now with people who do not register their vehicles and we have enforcement. Urban Services and the police will work together to make sure that enforcement is effective; but, at the same time, we should not be afraid to use new ways of doing things. Just because we have done something one way for 10, 20 or 30 years does not mean that we should not be attempting to find ways to make the system more effective.

Mr Humphries: Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the notice paper.

TransACT

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, yesterday I took a question on notice from Mr Osborne about TransACT. He wanted to know who the shareholders of TransACT were. My advice is: ACTEW 26.8 per cent, TVG 32.4 per cent, AGL 20 per cent, Marconi 15.2 per cent, ACV 4.8 per cent and the staff of TransACT have a 0.8 per cent shareholding in the enterprise.

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