Page 646 - Week 03 - Thursday, 15 March 2007
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Mr Mulcahy has just again expressed in strong terms his major concern around the wage price index measure as opposed to the CPI. He speaks publicly on behalf of the Liberal Party and says, “Oh, yes, we think this is abhorrent but we will do nothing about it.” What he is saying is that a Liberal government will return to the CPI. He has no option but to put out his next press release and say, “I, today, in a matter of public of importance, have committed a Liberal government to the abolition of the emergency services levy. I have committed a Liberal government to returning to the CPI.”
Of course, although he was a little bit more coy today, he and his colleagues say, “We as a government will not support the water abstraction charge. We as a government do not support land tax at its current level. We as a government do not support payroll tax at its current level. We as a government will not continue to collect parking fees from a range of areas.” Mrs Dunne is on the public record, on behalf of the Liberal Party, as saying that they will not continue with paid parking in Belconnen and Tuggeranong. Mr Pratt is on the record as saying that they will abolish paid parking at our hospitals. When one assumes and takes advice on the quantum of the rates, taxes and charges which the Liberal Party in government will not persist with, the figure is of the order of $100 million. Mr Mulcahy has repeated that today. This is the Debnam line.
If you are not going to abolish the wage price index as a measure, why did the shadow Treasurer stand in this place today and criticise us trenchantly? Or are you going to leave it there? Are you trying to have two bob each way? Are you saying, “This is abhorrent but if we get into government there is absolutely no way we are going to abolish it”? Do you dare stand today and say that you are not going to abolish the emergency services levy? Do you dare stand today and support Mr Pratt’s promise to abolish the emergency services levy? The Leader of the Opposition should tell us when he responds.
The Liberal Party is on record in this place as saying it will not support the emergency services levy and the water abstraction charge. We have just again seen a major attack by the shadow Treasurer on the utilities tax. So there we have it. Let us go through the services to get the formal Liberal Party position. Do they, in the context of this matter of public importance, which they have brought forward, commit today to the abolition of the utilities tax, the emergency services levy, the water abstraction charge, paid parking, land tax and payroll tax? Do they, today, commit, as they have said they will, to rebuilding all of the schools that have been closed? Do they, today, commit, as they have said they will, to re-establish the Griffith library? Do they, today, commit to abolishing the shared services centre?
Commit today to the essential heart and guts of your matter of public importance: will you or will you not continue with those charges? Will you or will you not abolish those charges? If you do what you have been saying, that you will not seek to mislead this community any longer in terms of your intentions around these charges, then do the honourable thing, the honest thing, and begin to inform the Canberra community of which range of services you will cut. Will you, in government, return to the situation that we inherited where the ACT had nearly the lowest per capita level of expenditure on mental health in Australia? Is that where you will go? That is your
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