Page 1292 - Week 05 - Thursday, 25 June 1992
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
not seem to want to admit it. I can understand why you would not want to admit it. Aside from all the damage it is doing or is likely to do to the industry, what puzzles me most is why the Liberals sit there pretending that nothing is going to happen.
Mr Kaine: We are going to take 20 per cent of your taxes off and add 15 per cent of ours.
Mrs Carnell: Things are going to be better. There will be a million more jobs.
MR BERRY: We get interjections from the Opposition. How much quality has the Leader of the Opposition? This is the person who yesterday was singing the praises of Nick Greiner. Nick Greiner lost office because of the ICAC's identification of him with corruption. You were singing his praises yesterday.
Mr Kaine: I will continue to do so, Minister.
MR BERRY: That gives you an idea where the Liberals are coming from. Corruption is okay in government.
Mr Kaine: We do not appoint our mates to positions in the ACT, like you do.
MR BERRY: Corruption is okay in government. Nick Greiner is okay.
Mr Kaine: Do you want me to name a few of your appointments to bodies in the ACT?
MR BERRY: Yes, I would be getting agitated about this, too. It is a big mistake.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! Please allow Mr Berry to answer the question. Mr Berry, please answer the question.
MR BERRY: These questions are of a genuine nature. The racing industry is a major employer in the ACT, and the Liberals have stated that gambling will be exempt from the tax. But the realities are that, with the implementation of the "frightpack", racing, the fifth largest industry, will suffer heavily. That is important to me because it is an important industry in the ACT. It employs a lot of people and provides a lot of income for the industry and for government in the Territory. This in turn will impact on the associated industries that benefit from TAB funds. The flow-on effect will reduce the turnover in the industry and cut the amount of money punters have to bet. Canberra and the rest of Australia, I submit, clearly cannot afford a goods and services tax, no matter how much the Liberals deny it.
Budget Expenditure
MR DE DOMENICO: My question is to the Chief Minister. Is she aware of comments made by the Canberra business community that "the political realities of both the Commonwealth funding and appropriate State-like expenditures require the Government to seek a reduction of at least 10 per cent of its overall budget expenditure, and a saving of at least $100m must be achieved within the next two years, otherwise the current gap of some $70m will widen to $200m"? What savings need to be made? Will the Chief Minister outline her plan to complement her increases in taxes and charges well beyond the consumer price index?
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .