Page 1564 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 14 May 2019
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Mr Coe interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: That is enough, Mr Coe.
MR BARR: The more generous concessions are means tested and they impact on providing—
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Minister, resume your seat. I remind you, Mr Hanson, you are on a warning. Mr Coe, I have asked you to be quiet a number of times. See how you go. Mr Barr.
MR BARR: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes, there is a range of concessions and deferral schemes available for anyone who is experiencing hardship.
MS LAWDER: Treasurer, will you rule out increases to rates in the upcoming ACT budget to give Canberrans like Carole and many self-funded retirees a break?
MR BARR: The government has already foreshadowed the next phase in the next few years of tax reform. They are already there for people to see. And rates have gone up every year in the history of Canberra; every year. They have gone up every year and they will go up every year into the future. No-one is suggesting—not even you lot at the last election were suggesting—that there will be no increase in rates ever into the future. The difference is whether there is any effort to reduce other taxes. You will put rates up and you will put all the other taxes up as well every year.
Mr Hanson interjecting.
MR BARR: You went to the last election proposing to increase all of the taxes. The tax take on every tax line would have gone up under the Liberals, because you were not proposing to cut any other taxes. We are cutting stamp duty in every budget.
Canberra Hospital—obstetrics unit
MRS JONES: Madam Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. The obstetrics and gynaecology unit at the Canberra Hospital has experienced ongoing problems under this government. The head of the obstetrics unit resigned in both 2011 and then again in 2014. The media reported on May 1 that a consultant has been hired to try to fix the ongoing tensions between management, doctors and midwives at the hospital. What is this consultant doing?
MS FITZHARRIS: I thank Mrs Jones for the question. I would like to take this opportunity to correct the reporting that implied, as Mrs Jones did, that this consultancy was to fix a particular problem. In fact, that is not specifically the case.
It is the case that we have discussed a number of matters related to maternity services here in the chamber. There is a consultancy underway to work across the variety of
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