Page 4530 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 14 December 1993
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MR KAINE: I ask a supplementary question, Madam Speaker. Since it is quite clear from the Treasurer's response that the ACT Government goes further than any other government in Australia in extracting revenues from business through payroll tax, particularly in connection with superannuation - it was clear that that was what she was saying - is this just another element of the Government's program to provide disincentives for business enterprise in the ACT and to turn that micro economy that Mr Connolly is talking about reforming into an even more micro economy?
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, Mr Kaine is quite wrong to say that it is clear that the Territory extracts a greater amount of revenue by this method than do other jurisdictions. I have just explained at great length that there is no uniformity. Some jurisdictions raise more revenue from payroll tax, including the superannuation contributions, than does the ACT. So it is quite spurious for Mr Kaine to raise that by way of a supplementary question. I am sure that members will recognise, in looking at the business taxing regime in this Territory, that what has occurred is very much in line with what has occurred in other jurisdictions but especially with what has occurred in New South Wales.
Indeed, it would be foolhardy in many respects for us to get way out of kilter with New South Wales, because many of our businesses are readily transportable. It makes no sense at all. If what Mr Kaine had said were true, then we would have seen a mass exodus of Territory businesses to New South Wales, and that simply has not occurred. The single area where the Territory is different from other jurisdictions, including New South Wales, is our failure to reinstate a bank accounts debits tax. That is a whole revenue item that we do not have but that other businesses have to pay. Madam Speaker, Mr Kaine is quite wrong in attempting to extract a political point, because his information is quite wrong.
Department of Education and Training - Computer Consultant
MR MOORE: Madam Speaker, my question is directed to Mr Wood as Minister for Education. This is yet another question on education - one which I gave the Minister some indication that I would be asking. Has the Department of Education employed an external computer consultant? If so, at what cost to the Government? Could this work not have been done within the department?
MR WOOD: Madam Speaker, I am delighted to take on board Mr Moore's questions about education, even if this is a fairly technical one. Yes, we have taken on a computer consultant at a cost of $30,000, the reason being that, despite the range of skills available in the department and in the Government Service generally, the quite specific skills required were not available. It was therefore considered appropriate to appoint a consultant. As an example of the sorts of skills that we are seeking and the sort of data processing that we want to do with our computers, we expect to be able to hook any of our primary schools into facilities around the world - for example, the Library of Congress. I might also point out for Mr Moore's benefit that the consultancy has been arranged not singly in the Education Department but through the whole of government approach on matters concerning computers.
Ms Follett: I ask that further questions be placed on the notice paper.
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