Page 2763 - Week 08 - Thursday, 11 August 2016
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Members interjecting—
MR BARR: It is not unsurprising that people buy their first home and then they might start a family, have children, need a larger home and move into a larger home. They might have more children and need an even larger home. They might move three times during that phase of adulthood. When their children grow up and they become empty nesters, it is often the case that people downsize. And a real barrier to moving in our housing market is stamp duty. It is a real barrier. I think that even those opposite acknowledge that: I think, although from the interjections and their absolute opposition to us cutting stamp duty, you would probably even question that.
Our desire is to see this bad tax phased out. We are doing it gently over a 20-year period to minimise the impacts on households who have recently moved. On average, Canberra households move every seven years, so there are some people who move even more frequently. Stamp duty is a significant tax and a significant burden for those who, for whatever reason, need to move house, whether that is because their family is growing or because their family is shrinking. They may have separated; they may have divorced. They may need to move house.
That you support a gouging of tax out of those people reflects on your values. We choose a different path, and that is why we support tax reform.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Coe.
MR COE: Treasurer, under your plans, in what year will conveyance duties be abolished?
MR BARR: The government has outlined a second stage of tax reform in this budget that takes the reforms through to 2021-22. We have indicated our desire to phase out stamp duty over a two-decade period, so that would take the timetable into the early 2030s.
Transport—integrated system
MR HINDER: My question is to the Minister for Transport Canberra and City Services. Can the minister outline for the Assembly the steps the government is taking to deliver an integrated transport system for the people of Canberra?
MS FITZHARRIS: I thank Mr Hinder for his question. Indeed, I can outline the steps the government is taking to establish an integrated transport system. This is, as the Chief Minister noted earlier, one of the government’s highest priorities. As the minister for transport, I am proud to be implementing it.
Of course, as members know, Labor set out its ambition to achieve this in the transport for Canberra policy document consulted on throughout 2011 and released in early 2012. Through that we identified the frequent public transport corridors and we have delivered the blue and red rapid bus services. We subsequently released a detailed public transport improvement plan late last year setting out our commitment
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