Page 2126 - Week 07 - Thursday, 16 June 1994
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MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (7.35), in reply: I thank Mr Kaine for his comments on this Bill and for his support of it. I think it is a much fairer system. I remark only that, like Mr Kaine, I am aware that there are people other than pensioners who are on low fixed incomes, and it is certainly my intention to continue to review our concessions regime to ensure that those concessions are well targeted to the people in our community who most need them. That is a continuing process. I realise, for instance, that there are some people on unemployment benefits and on sickness benefits who may be just as badly off as pensioners. Nevertheless, this proposal will be to the advantage of pensioners.
There are all up, I am told, some 7,000 pensioners in the ACT. The figure of 3,300 that I referred to in introducing the Bill was an additional number of people who became eligible under the Commonwealth's changed treatment of its own fringe benefits arrangements. Under those arrangements, there were included some social security beneficiaries and veterans' affairs pensioners, some older long-term allowees, and people 60 years of age or older who have been on some form of income support. That is the 3,300 people who have now been included in the pensioner net, to make up the total number of around 7,000. The continuing review of concessions, I have no doubt, will over time throw up ever greater targeting opportunities, and it is certainly the intention of the Government that that process will continue and will try to make for a fairer regime throughout the community.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
MRS CARNELL (Leader of the Opposition): I would like to make a statement under standing order 47, Madam Speaker.
Leave granted.
MRS CARNELL: In the Chief Minister's response earlier today to my budget statement, she made some comments about the statements I made on buses and nursing homes, and also on some figures which she obviously misunderstood. In my statement I made the comment - - -
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