Page 480 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 17 February 2016
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government and the only party that are cutting concessions in this city are the federal government and the Liberal Party.
My government’s review has examined the nature, the eligibility, the usage and costs of the concessions program, current and future demand profiles for concessions and the impacts on the territory budget. The analysis drew on extensive modelling undertaken by NATSEM and data available from various sources, including the commonwealth, other states and the Northern Territory, ACT government agencies, Icon Water and ActewAGL.
Of course, as part of this process community input has been an important part of considering how we improve our concessions program. The territory government has worked closely with peak bodies in the community sector such as the ACT Council of Social Service to develop a discussion paper. The community was invited to have their say about the discussion paper which was titled, “Options to improve the fairness and targeting of the ACT concessions program.” This was issued in November last year. Consultation closed last week.
The government will now consider the submissions. As I indicated in response to media questions during the week, we will announce our response in due course. But I can reassure the Assembly and the community that any changes will be built on the fundamental principle of making the concessions scheme fairer. What we have heard from the shadow minister is an attack, firstly, that we are taking too long to do this and that there is a scare campaign out there being run. You are responsible for that, Mr Doszpot. You are the one. It is in your power whether or not there is a scare campaign on this matter.
Opposition members interjecting—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Doszpot, please sit down. Stop the clock. Mr Doszpot, you were heard in silence. You will hear Mr Barr in silence. Mr Wall, stop interjecting and yelling across the chamber. Mr Barr.
MR BARR: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. It cannot be both; it cannot be that the government is being too hasty and taking too long. It cannot be that we are being fair and unfair. It cannot be that we are consulting and that we are not consulting. If you were to weave your way through the ramble that was the speech to open this debate, we were simultaneously being accused of all of those things.
Then at the end he suggests that we were running a scare campaign, when we stepped in to fill the cuts made by the federal Liberal government to concessions programs here in the territory, when we are looking to make the system fairer and to target assistance to those who need it most.
I will be very clear in stating the values that we hold and the values that we will apply to this task. That will always be to want to target assistance to low income earners. I am not in the business of providing concessions to the richest people in this city. I would hope no-one is in the business of providing concessions to the richest people in this city. If that is what those opposite think a concessions programs is, to provide
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