Page 1096 - Week 04 - Thursday, 21 May 2020
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The government, as has been discussed in question time today, also intends to provide a $250 payment to public housing tenants, again, a very vulnerable section of our community. The government has provided immediate hardship deferral access for general rates, on an interest-free basis, for any ratepayer who has experienced a reduction in their income due to COVID-19. All a ratepayer need do is contact the revenue office to receive that interest-free hardship deferral.
So as a result of the timing of various payments, both commonwealth and ACT, the government decided to provide the $150 rebate in the first quarter of 2021 to ensure that the rates system could accommodate such a change whilst smoothing the support available to households from the commonwealth and the ACT over the COVID-19 pandemic period.
Sectors 1 and 2 have already had their bills sent for quarter 4, so it is not possible to bring forward the rebate for all residential properties into quarter 4. In addition to this $150 rebate, the ACT government have provided the $200 utilities concession increase and expanded access to interest-free deferrals whilst providing assistance packages to households as part of our economic survival package. This includes freezing the utilities network facilities tax at its current levels, enabling utility providers to pass on savings to customers, and contributing in a matched fund $250,000 to utility providers to assist households severely impacted by COVID-19. I particularly acknowledge ActewAGL and Icon Water and our partnership with them to support low income households. Indeed, households who are experiencing any difficulties in meeting their utilities bills are supported through this fund.
We delayed the provision of the quarter 4 rates notices by four weeks to give that cashflow assistance. We have provided incentives for residential tenancy relief, through the land tax and rates rebate, of up to $2,600 over the next six months. We have frozen the 2021 fire and emergency services levy at 2019-20 levels for all ratepayers and have frozen car registration, parking fees and MyWay fares until the end of 2021.
These initiatives reflect the first two tranches of the ACT government’s economic support package but, as I indicated yesterday, there will be more. We will be focusing particularly on those sections of the community and the business community who continue to experience economic difficulties as a result of COVID-19. I will provide a major statement to the Assembly in what would have been our budget week in June and then a full economic update in August, following the completion of the 2019-20 fiscal year reporting. This amendment to Mr Coe’s motion reflects some of the government’s support that has been provided.
Madam Assistant Speaker, I am having a Josh Frydenberg moment here and I note there is no water available in the chamber, I will get some in a moment; I will leave the chamber momentarily when I have finished speaking to do just that. That is not walking out on your motion, Mr Coe.
I commend the amendment to the Assembly. I have outlined the reasons why we have taken the approach that we have. I believe, in the circumstances that we face, that
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