Page 1399 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 28 March 2012
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Mr Barr has said that he would like to examine the detail of the bill and that he needs more time for it. But the detail in the bill is 20 words, and I will read the 20 words: “a statement giving an analysis of the impact of the proposed budget on the cost of living of ACT residents”.
That is the detail—and I have deliberately made it that way because the way we legislate in the modern context is not to put the details into the acts; we leave flexibility where things might be required to be done through the regulations. But I do believe the government have a right to present this in accordance with how they present their papers and under their decisions.
The explanatory memorandum uses the example of the average effect on average households. As I said in the speech, I actually do expect this to evolve over time. The WA model has evolved over time; other models have evolved over time. If the government wants to put more than just an average in, that would be welcome. If the government wants to give a selection of households, that would be great. Ideally perhaps the government will also put in the effect on the business community, because we do know that they segregate the revenue streams into what comes from commercial and what comes from residential, for instance, in matters of taxation.
As I said when I tabled this bill, I do believe that this will be an evolving document. I welcome Mr Barr’s assurance that the statement will appear in this year’s budget. I think I heard him say that. Yes, he nods, so thank you, Treasurer. I think it is important when times are tight—and for a lot of people times are tough—that government have a direct understanding of what the implications of their policy settings are and that they explain in reasonable terms what those impacts will be on the community that they tax and provide concessions or assistance to.
So it really has been left at those brief 20 words to enable the government of the day to make sure that they put in as much information as they want. This is really the minimum that we want. We want an analysis of the impact of the proposed budget on the cost of living of ACT residents. If you want to do more, I would welcome that. You have said on a number of occasions, and you said in your speech last year, that the government already does this analysis. If you do this analysis, it should not be too hard to put it together and put it in the budget papers. It would be worth having it.
We have heard the claim this morning that we have got the cheapest electricity in Australia. It might be cheap—cheaper than other jurisdictions—but what is the energy usage? The unit cost might be cheap, but do we use more? That would be an interesting question, because the overall bill here may be higher than in other jurisdictions because of climatic effects. Canberra is one of those few places where you probably need heating and cooling. I suspect there are not too many heaters built in homes in Far North Queensland, for instance, or in parts of WA. But Canberra is unique. Its position in the Southern Highlands, at the entrance to the Australian Alps, does have an impact on the way we build our homes and the way we heat and cool them. I think it is important that government is given flexibility. What this bill sets is the minimum standard of what we expect.
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