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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 1 Hansard (12 December) . . Page.. 160 ..

MR QUINLAN (continuing):

with those commitments, this government intends to honour those commitments through the appropriation bill.

In addition, the government will seek passage of the bill to provide essential funding for areas of much needed service deficiencies, particularly the Canberra Hospital. We will look at introducing a third appropriation bill early next year which will provide an opportunity for the government to implement its policies after an appropriate period of consideration over the next couple of months.

Mr Speaker, the sustainability of the budgeted operating surplus across the forward estimates is in question. The surpluses are so small that a number of events could push the estimates back into deficit. Against a background of probably inheriting a projected operating deficit for the year, the government will begin the difficult task of determining its key budget parameters over the next three months.

While it is preferable to have a budget passed before the new financial year, this may be difficult. Several factors are leading the government towards a more realistic plan of introducing the 2002-03 budget late in June. I will make a further statement on that tomorrow. The overriding principle in determining the timing of the budget will be to build a schedule that allows for maximum community and Assembly consultation. A comprehensive budget process also needs to review taxation revenues. The current system of taxing needs to be reviewed to ascertain its equity, efficiency and effectiveness.

Concurrent with budget considerations, the government will be considering all aspects of introducing a new rating system for the ACT. The major element of the proposed system is to limit increases in rates across the ACT to CPI. Many residents of the ACT have copped extreme increases in their rates bill from year to year. Labor believes that these increases are unfair and unjust and our policy of capping increases to CPI will provide certainty and fairness to Canberra residents.

Labor will also end the unfair application of CPI to rate increases used by the previous government. Under the Liberals, the forecast CPI was used to multiply rate increases. The forecast figure invariably turned out to be higher than the actual figure for that year, and the government pocketed the difference. Labor will not use the forecast figure. We will apply the more accurate CPI multiplier to general rates. Again, Labor will introduce fairness into government.

For Labor, fairness will not end with the application of the CPI. We will also review our rating system to remove the inequities that currently exist, and we will ensure that long-term residents in the inner Canberra suburbs, many of whom are elderly, are not forced out of their homes as a result of rate increases overtaking their ability to pay for them. The government's aim is to progressively implement these reforms from 2002-03.

During the election the government made a commitment that, in consultation with business, industry and professional organisations, it would update the red tape task force report and review its implementation. Following the establishment of Business Canberra, a comprehensive study will commence of the detailed implementation of the task force report and identify any further government actions that are necessary to improve the ACT's regulatory environment. The review will report to government in June 2002,

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