Page 2502 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 9 August 2016
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of an advertising claim. For example, if a tradesperson promoted that they were licensed, Access Canberra checked this representation for accuracy.
False advertising can mislead consumers and can have an impact on competition. Raising retailer awareness of consumer guarantees was also a key activity for Access Canberra. Consumer guarantees provide consumers with a set of rights for goods and services they acquire. Many businesses across Canberra have been visited and provided with advice and information about what to do when a customer changes their mind about a product or requests a refund for a faulty product.
On 5 May 2016 I announced a review to holistically consider the regulation of civil surveillance in the territory. The review looks at whether the current safeguards are sufficient to prevent the improper use of surveillance technologies. The review report makes 10 recommendations to improve privacy protections while encouraging the responsible use of new and emerging technologies. Due to the broad nature of this review, the Justice and Community Safety Directorate is seeking public comment and input on the recommendations. Consultation on this will begin shortly.
In regard to business licensing, this Assembly has recently passed the Traders Bill, which reforms the way in which licensing occurs for four industries, namely, pawnbrokers, second-hand dealers, motor vehicle dealers and motor vehicle repairers. I anticipate that along with this being implemented over the next year consultation will occur with other similar types of industries to see if this model can be expanded.
Members can see from that that the team in Access Canberra, supported by the policy officers in Justice and Community Safety, have been very active in the consumer affairs and justice space to ensure that Canberrans get support and get good responses in this area.
There is a range of work to continue in this space. I have flagged a couple of issues around retirement villages and various consumer safety laws. Initially this budget will enable that work to continue and I think we will see a continued improvement in government regulation through the role of Access Canberra which, as members will see from the number of ministers speaking to it today, has a broad-ranging reach across government. It is about putting the focus on the customer and having that single point of entry to government for those who need to seek information.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (4.28): This Labor-Greens coalition government claimed that they would give the people of Canberra a rates breather this year. Over the past year the consumer price index increased by one per cent. The increase for this financial year is predicted to be not much more. The wage price index has gone up by just about two per cent. But rates are going up by on average 4.5 per cent this financial year. With this increase and the addition of levies, many ratepayers will be paying six per cent or more on their rates, which is six times CPI and at least three times the WPI. It is not much of a breather at all.
I guess breather is a relative term, because since 2012 the average rate increase for ACT residents has been 47 per cent. That is getting up towards 10 per cent a year, well on the way to tripling. The CPI has increased over this whole period by
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