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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 7 Hansard (26 June) . . Page.. 2548 ..
MS DUNDAS
(continuing):registration, and 13 per cent take up six months registration. The revenue generated by the short-term surcharge during the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 was in excess of $3 million.
Holders of a Centrelink health care card pay a concessional surcharge of $10. However, holders of pensioner concession cards and veterans gold cards are not entitled to the concession on the surcharge, though they do receive a concession on their registration fee. A change in the concession scheme would save affected members of our community, such as pensioners, students and veterans, up to $80 per year.
As I said at the beginning of my speech, I am not calling on the government to throw out all aspects of the disallowable instrument. I am calling on the government to change regulation 79, sub-regulations 32 (3) and 68 (8) to extend the surcharge concession to these additional categories of low income people. I hope that the government can see that this is something that does need attention, and will work on making these changes.
MR WOOD
(Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, Minister for Urban Services, Minister for the Arts and Heritage and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (11.35): Ms Dundas has raised some fair points that need some further consideration, and the government is prepared to do that. But we should point out that the disallowance motion, if successful, would have a rather significant impact. Some might see it as a good thing to totally do away with the registration scheme. I do not think that is what Ms Dundas is asking for but, on my advice, that would be the impact of this disallowance motion-that registration would effectively cease to exist. So we do not quite want to go that far today. I do not think that a disallowance is the appropriate way to address what are some quite reasonable concerns.The $10 surcharge applies only to health care card holders. Interestingly, they are not eligible for any other concessions on vehicle registration, so that is a minor concession to them. Pensioner concession card holders pay $25-a point that you argue about-and yet they do not pay any registration at all. They get concessional registration, they pay third party insurance and that is all. But there is a reasonable argument that "they are on a concession, why should they pay $25?"
A further valid point is the cost. Officers tell me that this not a simple process-it is costly-but that if it can be done over the phone or the internet, the cost is less. I certainly give Ms Dundas the commitment that, while we will knock over the disallowance motion today, in view of the range of issues involved, the government will comprehensively review the surcharge agreements. We will do that quickly. We would be happy to involve Ms Dundas in that review, which will consider a proposal to make pensioner concession card holders and Department of Veterans Affairs gold card holders exempt from the $25 surcharge.
We will also consider reducing the administration fee for phone and internet transactions for all people, recognising that there are fewer administrative costs in such transactions. So I trust that, with those assurances, we can proceed to satisfy all needs, including those of the people Ms Dundas speaks for.
MR CORNWELL
(11.38): The opposition will not be supporting this disallowance motion pretty much for the reasons that the minister has outlined-that it is not possible
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