Page 1096 - Week 06 - Thursday, 27 July 1989
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some of the pressure off the very critical Murrumbidgee River corridor. I think it is important that these recreational areas be properly developed.
It is unfortunate, however, that the Government has not seen fit to provide those sorts of basic facilities in some of the smaller parks in the Tuggeranong Valley, like the playground and the toilets at Richardson, about which residents of that area, who are not necessarily always the best off financially, have had some concern for some time. I think it is important and critical that that area in which they live should be given some attention, and I would seek to have the Government look at that as soon as possible.
Given the range of revenue measures covered in the budget, it would be unprofitable to attempt to consider the whole process in any depth, and I will concentrate on a few matters which need comment. I already heard the comments by Mr Kaine in relation to the Labor Party's election pledge. It pledged not to increase rates and taxes to individual citizens or households. As we can all see now, that pledge made no distinction between real terms and actual rates. Never was there a distinction. It was that there will be no increase in rates.
What we now find is that the term "real terms" is creeping into the Government's rhetoric. I think it is unfortunate, as my colleague Mr Kaine has already said, that the Government has not seen fit to honour that promise. The Government needs to accept that its revenue collection is based on some fudging around the margins of its declared policy, and I think the quicker the Chief Minister and the Government come to terms with that the better.
We welcome the increase to the threshold for payment of payroll tax from $400,000 to $432,000 and the Government's intention to index that threshold in future years. This measure will provide some relief for businesses burdened by all sorts of cost increases and may also help to allow for increases in employment, although these will obviously be marginal. I think it is also appropriate that this matter comes at a time when businesses are suffering, like all groups who are seeking to borrow money on the open market, because of the high interest rates.
We also welcome the planned introduction of legislation to make leases liable for stamp duty for increased land values resulting from lease purpose variations. This will act as a break, if a small one, on the rampant profit making potential inherent in lease purpose changes. The Rally, as I am sure this Assembly is aware, would prefer far more substantial checks on lease administration. But, since we are discussing revenue issues, I need only observe that the Government's recognition of the potential for lease purpose abuses is akin to its attitude to the sex industry - namely, once a problem has been recognised, raise revenue from it rather than confront the problem.
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