Page 1242 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 9 April 2008
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
exploring the issue of tax reform. The exploration has obviously continued. It is not going to manifest itself today with a positive outcome, but I will continue to press this issue because I do believe it is important.
I have had quite significant numbers of people raise it with me as an issue. I am particularly concerned about these sorts of measures on our older people, our fixed-income people, self-funded retirees, people who are reliant on superannuation, which is increasing simply by the consumer price index, and those people who see these things go up as well as watching their rates bills go up. The value of their homes increases but their income stream does not rise to match.
I know there are various measures and exemptions or at least deferrals that can be accessed. As I have said in this place before and as I am sure many members know, older people do not like to leave debt and it causes them to stress when they do not have the capacity to meet the growing charges imposed by this territory government.
I thought it was a little rich to hear, not withstanding my appreciation of the Greens’ support, the Liberal Party talk about my plagiarising this policy. I persevered to convince the Liberal Party of this policy. For months and months, Mr Smyth, in the Liberal Party party room, delayed it. He said, “No. We need to see more figures.” He put up every conceivable roadblock. When it comes to in fact cutting expenditure or cutting taxation, he is not comfortable with that whole concept.
To hear it said that I am plagiarising something that I persevered with, posited and argued for many, many months last year I find absolutely hypocritical. I cannot believe anyone can stand up in this place, knowing the facts as they do and I do, and then tell me—
Mrs Dunne: We do.
MR MULCAHY: Mrs Dunne protests here. I find it extraordinary that Mrs Dunne, who was part of those discussions, protests. She knows that from August to late last year Brendan Smyth kept saying, “No, no, no; we cannot embrace this one yet and we cannot embrace the fire and emergency services repeal bill,” even though his then leader wanted it. Now I am being told that I am plagiarising something that I wrote. I should have put a copyright on the particular policy. Talk about trying to capture the credit after the event! It is quite extraordinary.
The Chief Minister, quite interestingly, said: “Where can this cut of $17 million be found? Where is Dr Foskey going to produce these savings? What services are going to disappear?” But in the same address he talked about making $100 million in efficiencies—this is what he is claiming—within the territory. He spoke earlier today about the shared services centre, which they assured us last year in annual reports would deliver $20 million in savings. The Chief Minister says that is going to happen. That is good news. But when you hear that these things are achievable and then they say, “But how can we ever find $17 million,” I find enormous confusion in that response. It does not add up.
Indeed, the Chief Minister also said there was room for improvement in the way the territory is managing its affairs, which makes one believe that, in fact, this is quite
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .