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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 11 Hansard (30 November) . . Page.. 3484 ..
MR HARGREAVES (11.09): Mr Speaker, I ask for leave to amend my motion in the terms circulated.
Leave granted.
MR HARGREAVES: I move:
That:
(1) the Standing Committee on Planning and Urban Services inquire into and report on the National Competition Policy Review of ACT Taxi and Hire Car legislation:
(2) this Assembly directs the Government not to implement any changes to the hire car industry prior to the presentation of the Committee's report to the Assembly.
In August 1999 a review of the ACT taxi and hire car industry commenced. This purported to meet the government's obligation to the competition principles agreement. The purpose of the review was to assess the extent to which the legislation restricts competition and to recommend more efficient ways of achieving the legislative objectives in order to improve the outcome for the ACT community. Public submissions were called for, and 47 written and oral submissions were received. A steering committee set up to oversee the review consisted of representatives from the Department of Urban Services and the Chief Minister's Department.
Mr Speaker, you could be forgiven for thinking that the review was a fair and open process. Wrong! Although public submissions were called for, no-one from the hire car industry was consulted on the final draft. No-one from the hire car industry knew of the drastic changes for the industry. No-one from the hire car industry was represented on the steering committee. If you think the hire car industry was shut out, you are right.
The front cover of the report shows that it was completed in March 2000, but oddly it was released to the public only in mid-November. Why did it take the government eight months to release the report to the public? This was intended to stifle debate whilst rushing on with changes. The hire car industry received the report three weeks ago and has been told that changes will be implemented in December. This is typical Brendan Smyth consultation that is synonymous with this government.
Mr Smyth: Oh, dear.
MR HARGREAVES: I hear "Oh, dear" coming across the chamber. Perhaps it is an echo of Mr Humphries' words yesterday. He just does not care.
The review was supposed to examine the taxi and hire car industries but instead cowardly ignores the taxis. Is the government really afraid of Canberra Cabs? Obviously, because they thrust an immediate assault on the small business operators in the hire care industry. They see the hire cars operators as easy prey and a quick way to meet their competition policy requirements, as they did the milk vendors.
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