Page 5061 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 26 October 2011
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list. How comprehensive is this list that tells us that some organisations are waiting 597 days? What was the amount of that outstanding invoice, Mrs Dunne?
Mrs Dunne: $200,000.
MR SESELJA: $200,000.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Order, Mr Seselja! Through the chair, please.
MR SESELJA: $200,000—through you, Mr Assistant Speaker. I thank Mrs Dunne for that information. A $200,000 invoice—it is not here. Either Ms Burch has given us just part of the story or they are not seen as overdue. How many other organisations are not deemed by this government to be overdue? How many of them are receiving interest? Did that organisation receive interest in this case? I do not believe that they did. I do not believe that they did, but perhaps the minister can enlighten us.
This is about saying that these types of lists, as incomplete as they are—as potentially misleading as they may be, as presented to the Assembly—provide the evidence of what is happening at the moment. They provide the evidence of what is happening at the moment; we are saying that we can do better. We have to do better.
I commend Mr Smyth for bringing this motion forward. It is about putting forward real commitments to paying businesses on time. Where that does stretch out over 45 days, which is significantly less than for most of these organisations now, interest will apply. That will ensure that directorates pay on time.
The Greens cannot pretend that, simply because they wrote it down in their agreement, it is existing. Clearly it is not. The evidence says that it is not. It is like saying, “Because they put in their agreement that there is going to be 10 per cent public housing, that is happening.” It is not happening, because the government told us it would cost $1 billion. They said it would cost $1 billion to get it done, so it is not happening.
Just writing it down and putting it in a signed agreement—that agreement is not worth the paper it is written on. We know that. It has been shown time and time again. We are all looking forward to our 15-minute bus services to all the suburbs. I am sure the people of Canberra are waiting with bated breath for that part of the agreement to be delivered on.
On the issue of payments, we believe that small businesses should be paid within the 30 days. We believe that the interest will apply, and should apply, and is currently not applying. That is why we have put forward a reasonable time frame in which interest will apply. I would have thought that the government would want to support that. The only rationale the government could have for not supporting it is if they are telling us that every business, every entity, that is not paid within 30 days at the moment is being paid interest.
Mr Barr or one of the Greens can get up, hand on their heart, and say that. We would like to see the evidence. We know that it is not true. It is not happening. That is why
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