Page 3782 - Week 13 - Thursday, 18 October 1990
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a simple matter for that independent candidate to register as a party and then have all of the privileges of a registered party.
Most of the matters which were before the committee and which we will further debate in this Assembly, I am sure, are not necessarily party-political ones. They are concerned with getting no more than a fair deal for the people of the ACT from our miserly former overlords in the Commonwealth. It is unacceptable to penny-pinch with the democratic process and force financial adjustments on the people of the ACT that are not experienced anywhere else in Australia. Whilst we have entered a partnership with the Australian States and the Northern Territory, we must insist on being an equal partner. We must be treated on an equal basis and not selected as a target for unfair discrimination.
It is with those basic principles in mind that I commend to the house the Alliance Government's response to the report of the Select Committee on Self-Government. I table the following paper:
Self-government - Select Committee - Report - Government response.
Debate (on motion by Ms Follett) adjourned.
MOTOR TRAFFIC (AMENDMENT) BILL (NO. 7) 1990
MR DUBY (Minister for Finance and Urban Services) (10.40): Mr Speaker, I present the Motor Traffic (Amendment) Bill (No. 7) 1990. I move:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
This Bill serves two purposes: firstly, it amends the Motor Traffic Act 1936 to allow the auctioning of taxi plates. Secondly, it relaxes the requirement for a licence holder to use, control and manage the licensed vehicle. This latter provision will allow leasing of taxi plates.
Presently, the Motor Traffic Act 1936 only allows the responsible Minister to sell taxi licences for a determined fee. This prevents the release of plates by auction where the price paid for a licence is determined by competitive bidding. This Bill will increase the options open to the Government by allowing future plates to be sold either at auction or for a determined fee.
I intend to auction nine taxi plates before the end of this year. It is over four years since the last release of plates and the value of plates has altered considerably. Auctioning these taxi plates with a reserve price will allow the market to determine the current value of the plates. The reserve will ensure that the Government
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