Page 3425 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 22 August 2018
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diversity register connects people with diverse experiences to government and non-government board vacancies.
People with disability are invited to submit their details to the diversity register to be considered for boards and committees across the ACT. The diversity register also acts as a central portal of information about development and training opportunities for ACT citizens to learn more about the important role of governance and accountability.
Improving how we involve people with disability in decision-making and in the civic life of Canberra is an ongoing process, and I look forward to seeing the changes these steps make to the lives of people with disability in our community and, indeed, to our community as a whole.
Clubs—diversification fund
MR PARTON: My question is to the Minister for Regulatory Services. Minister, I refer to your recent announcements on new taxes and charges for licensed clubs. You plan to introduce a gaming machine diversification fund levy and increase the community contributions charge. Some clubs will have to pay an additional $300,000 as a result of these changes. What research has the government done on the impact of these changes on the viability of vulnerable licensed clubs?
MR RAMSAY: I thank Mr Parton for his question. There has been extensive consultation with the clubs themselves. I think the important thing to remind the Canberra Liberals about this is that the work that has been done, specifically the work that has led to the diversification funding, has come from Neville Stevens in his consultation with the clubs.
The government is specifically working to try to make sure that we have a strong, viable club sector that is working strongly for the community as a whole. As part of that, I appointed Neville Stevens. He has worked with each individual club, as well as with the clubs groups. The recommendation for the diversification fund, which will be ring-fenced and will be feeding back into the clubs, will ensure their ongoing sustainability for a future model of business rather than a past model of business that the Canberra Liberals want to hold on to.
That came from the clubs themselves. The government will be matching that dollar for dollar over the first three years. I am very pleased that that work has been done so consultatively and is supported by the clubs themselves.
MR PARTON: Minister, how do you expect licensed clubs to diversify away from poker machines when you keep introducing new taxes and charges and raising existing taxes, charges and rates?
MR RAMSAY: I refer Mr Parton to the answer to the previous question, which is that the diversification fund is itself working to enable clubs to move beyond that. What we have also done, I remind Mr Parton, is provide tax rebates to small and medium clubs as well as grants to the small and medium clubs. That is all part of the work to make sure that the clubs are able to stay in their business heading forward.
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