Page 1191 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 24 March 2009
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There are a number of relatively minor matters that are included in this bill. These are intended to ensure that only those who are entitled to receive assistance under the first home owners scheme receive that assistance. Moreover, the bill also contains provisions that enable the commissioner to institute action to recover grants that have been paid when they should not have been.
There are a number of comments in the scrutiny of bills report about this bill. Indeed, Ms Hunter has tabled some amendments. I have looked at the amendments and they mirror very closely amendments that I had prepared, so it may well be a fight as to who gets to their feet first. But in this case we will allow the Greens to move their amendments—I will circulate mine—because they achieve the same purpose as ours and we will be supporting the amendments.
MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Minister for Transport, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Minister for the Arts and Heritage) (12.22): Mr Speaker, the Treasurer is unable to be here for this debate. She apologises for that, and I will close the debate on her behalf.
I will close the debate simply by thanking members for their contributions. As members have acknowledged, this is a machinery bill designed to facilitate the ACT government’s capacity to administer essentially a federal scheme to assist first home buyers in response, most particularly, to the financial global crisis. I think we probably need to put it in that context and understand the context in which the scheme was enhanced by the federal government for a very specific purpose, mostly directed at stimulating activity in a global financial turndown.
There are some arguments about the force and impact of schemes such as this, and the longer term implications of course are a debate for another day in another context. But I thank members for their contributions. I acknowledge the amendments that have been moved. I think the government’s attitude is that we are not particularly taken by the force of the amendments but have no real issues with them.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail stage
Bill, by leave, taken as a whole.
MS HUNTER (Ginninderra—Parliamentary Convenor, ACT Greens) (12.23), by leave: I move amendments Nos 1 to 3 circulated in my name together [see schedule 1 at page 1241].
I am moving these amendments to the First Home Owner Grant Amendment Bill 2009 to reflect the concerns expressed by the scrutiny of bills committee and to convey the Greens’ concern that various provisions should include a “reasonable
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