Page 2612 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 7 August 2013
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Thus, while I commend Mr Wall’s interest in supporting small and medium businesses, I also imagine that Mr Wall would support the examination of the viability of credit lines and of the government ensuring that it actually gets paid for the services that it is providing.
I have prepared an amendment which reflects the work that ACT NOWaste is doing in this area and I now move that amendment:
Omit all words after paragraph (1)(b), substitute:
“(c) that over 500 customers continue to be allowed access to credit accounts for use of ACT NoWaste facilities;
(d) that 44% of the 420 active accounts are currently in arrears with over $2 million overdue;
(e) that, as a result, ACT NoWaste has suspended the establishment of new credit accounts to assess the significant risk and liability exposure of the ACT Government; and
(f) that ACT NoWaste is assessing the activity level required to make it cost effective to maintain accounts. This review will be completed by the end of September 2013, with a customer consultation process to follow in October.”.
Let me conclude by simply saying that what the amendment does is outline a number of the facts that I have spelled out today, including the fact that the government is reviewing this system. I think that the TAMS Directorate has found itself in a difficult position where if we were not taking serious action, I suspect that either the estimates committee or through question time I would be being rightly scrutinised in this place as to why the agency was not managing the considerable non-payment of funds owed to it. TAMS has had to take the action because, as you can see from the details I have outlined today, despite considerable efforts to work with business to resolve this situation, TAMS cannot sustain the sorts of patterns that we are seeing.
I do find it very distressing and somewhat concerning that Mr Wall would go so far as suggesting, because somebody now has to turn up with cash or a credit card or EFTPOS, the possible alternative is illegal dumping. Frankly, any business in this town that has that sort of attitude is not necessarily a business we really want in this town. That is not a community-minded approach to running a business. Businesses also have a social responsibility. Government have not barred them from accessing the site. They have simply said, “You need to turn up with a credit card.” Plenty of businesses run with corporate credit cards. I think that sort of suggestion, that sort of insinuation—
Mr Wall: You do not know small business, do you, Shane?
MR RATTENBURY: What, you do not have a credit card?
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