Page 417 - Week 01 - Thursday, 11 December 2008
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cuts out, so clearly Mr Barr has no credibility on this issue. But we do see them taking different directions now. On the one hand, Kevin Rudd is giving first homebuyers money; on the other hand it is being taken in really quite outrageous levels of taxation by the ACT government. This is something that most jurisdictions have recognised. Most jurisdictions have given real relief for first homebuyers. The ACT Labor Party continues to hold out.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (8.45): Again I make the point that were we able to explore this in an estimates process we could have had a discussion about first homeownership and the assistance that one might provide. The government has a land rent scheme on the table. I am not sure whether the land that is provided for the land rent scheme has been announced yet or whether any of that assistance has gone forward.
This is the point. The tradition is that all estimates can be broad ranging—we can look at other issues—but we are confined, and we will be confined all night, because we do not have officials with us to answer questions and there is no obligation for ministers to answer. This is the problem with doing it this way. Perhaps the Chief Minister, who is very keen on the land rent scheme, can tell us how that is helping people into homeownership, along with the assistance of the federal government, which is doing a good thing here by upping the amount of assistance.
Perhaps the Chief Minister will take the opportunity to rise or perhaps the Treasurer, if she is in charge of the scheme now, will rise and tell us who the financial provider is that will be providing this assistance. They are going to hide again and this is the problem—accountability, increased accountability. There will not be an answer.
The Leader of the Opposition has made our support for this assistance quite clear. There is a small amount of $50,000 which was to provide mortgage relief. I would have thought that was urgent, given the climate that we are in, but that has not been included in this appropriation bill. Given the minister’s commitment that this bill delivers on election commitments which it indicated through the campaign would be introduced immediately—it is largely targeted at those in need—I would have thought if you needed mortgage relief that would be a need you might have now.
Mr Stanhope: I think we should add that. We should start adding things tonight.
MR SMYTH: No, I am asking why it is not in there. If you were fair dinkum and if we had a good process, if you had actually worked a little bit harder instead of goofing off for 36 days, we might have an answer. Perhaps the Treasurer, when she rises, can tell us who the financial institute is that will deliver the rent scheme and when the $50,000 worth of mortgage relief will be brought in to play to assist those who are suffering.
MS HUNTER (Ginninderra—Parliamentary Convenor, ACT Greens) (8.48): The Greens support this appropriation as it falls in line with the Prime Minister’s announcement on 14 October 2008, providing a much-needed urgent incentive for first homebuyers purchasing established or newly constructed homes before June 2009. While interest rates and petrol prices have fallen rapidly in recent months, the ACT housing market in particular has been under extreme pressure due to the high
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