Page 4666 - Week 15 - Thursday, 21 November 1991

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We hear much of full fee-paying students, but I had not heard of full fee-paying preschool students until this document arrived on my desk. That option, I understand, was in response to a request from some preschool parent associations who suggested that they could use that facility. I note what you say about the injustice of it, if that was the word you used.

Dr Kinloch: Fairness.

MR WOOD: Fairness. Some parents, because of their financial circumstances, would have access to that year and others would not. That is obviously a matter that this Government, concerned about fairness, will be giving very careful consideration to as we prepare our response.

Land Tax

MR MOORE: My question is directed to the Chief Minister through the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Berry. It is a question on the land tax. I wonder whether there is any reason why the new land tax could not be collected quarterly in the same way that rates are levied.

MR BERRY: Mr Moore has asked a question about the collection of land taxes. One would not want to soak up the benefits of a tax like that in an administrative process. It seems to me that to load a good tax with some burdensome administrative arrangement would place an impost on government revenue that would leave us short in real terms. I am prepared to pass it on to the Chief Minister, but I think those sorts of issues would have to have further consideration.

MR MOORE: I ask a supplementary question. Will you make a commitment to find out what those extra costs would be and bring those costs back to the Assembly?

MR BERRY: I will pass the matter on to the Chief Minister, Mr Speaker. I am sure that we will report back to Mr Moore in due course.

I ask that further questions be placed on the notice paper.

Community Nursing Service

MR BERRY: Yesterday, Mr Speaker, Mr Humphries asked me about community nurses and the detection of cases of postnatal depression and child abuse on first home visits. I have made some statements about the issue, Mr Speaker. I think the issue was raised by Mr Humphries to take advantage of some very serious reports of child abuse which have appeared in the media in recent days. I think that to take advantage of those sorts of things is wrong; but I do


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