Page 2180 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 28 August 2007
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enviable position—one, of course, that the Liberal Party could never deliver through its $685 million accumulated deficit during its last period in government. (Time expired.)
MR MULCAHY: I have a supplementary question for the Treasurer. Will you release the legal advice you obtained prior to the creation of the utilities network facilities tax?
MR STANHOPE: I do hope the media are keeping a tab, as we are, on the taxes which the Liberal Party, if they ever win government again, have undertaken to abolish. Once again, it is a very interesting equation. The Liberal Party have now serially announced that they will abolish the fire levy, they will abolish the utilities tax, they will reduce—
Mr Stefaniak interjecting—
MR STANHOPE: No, this is what you have done. When it is put to you in the hearing of the community, don’t deny it. Scurry around—
Mr Mulcahy: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: I asked the Chief Minister whether he would be releasing the legal advice that he obtained prior to the creation of the tax. What I or anybody else might promise to do really has nothing to do with it.
MR STANHOPE: It is important for Mr Stefaniak. He announced one policy today. In his response this morning, the Liberal Party have announced their first policy for the next election. They are going to abolish the per cent for arts scheme—Gary Humphries’s scheme. Gary Humphries introduced it when he was minister for the arts in, I think, 1998. Today, Bill Stefaniak has promised the first Liberal Party policy: they are going to abolish the per cent for arts scheme.
Members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order! Chief Minister, come to the subject matter of the question.
Mr Smyth: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker, under standing order 118 (a) and 118 (b). Firstly, he is not relevant to the subject of the question and, secondly, he is not allowed to argue it under the standing orders.
MR SPEAKER: Come back to the subject matter of the question.
MR STANHOPE: The subject matter of the question was the utilities tax—a tax which the Liberal Party have promised to abolish, along with the fire levy, the water abstraction charge—
MR SPEAKER: Order! No, it was not; it was whether the legal advice was going to be released.
MR STANHOPE: The answer is no.
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