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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 3 Hansard (7 March) . . Page.. 769 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Mr Speaker, as a result of that strategy in part we have increased the number of jobs in the ACT by 17,000 net since 1995. We are one of only two jurisdictions in Australia to have continuing growth in jobs advertisements. I am proud of that position. It is a strong financial position which has allowed those businesses to grow. I and the government intend to continue that direction to ensure, despite the views of those opposite, that job growth in this community continues. We have a demonstrated recipe for making that happen and we will continue that recipe if given the chance.

MRS BURKE: Mr Speaker, I have a supplementary question. I thank the Treasurer for that good news. Can the Treasurer advise the Assembly whether he has received positive feedback from the business community about the increases in the threshold?

Mr Stanhope: I think it is a triumph.

MR HUMPHRIES: I quite agree, Mr Stanhope-it is a triumph. Mr Chris Reeves of the Canberra Business Council welcomed the initiative on Capital TV. He said:

If we raise the threshold, it means that people can create more jobs and employ more people.

Mr Bastian, the CEO of the Australian Council of Small Business, was equally supportive on Prime TV. He said:

There is a range of paperwork behind payroll tax that no longer has to be handled so you save a bit on the tax and presumably you've got some forms that you don't have to fill out any more. It's great.

We're talking several hundred businesses there. It would be hard not to see 100 or so jobs in that type of measure.

Mr Peters of the Canberra Chamber of Commerce and Industry-

Mr Stanhope: The glove puppet.

MR HUMPHRIES: I thought I would get a reaction. Mr Peters said:

One more staff member or some pay increases would throw us into payroll tax. With the increases-

that is, the increase in the threshold-

we could continue to be in the position where we continue to be outside payroll tax and we can employ one more person without having to pay payroll tax.

The endorsement I was not expecting came from Mr Quinlan who, on WIN News a few days ago, said:

The ALP supports this initiative. In fact, we supported it last year when it was in the budget. There is nothing changed in relation to last year's budget and this year's.

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