Page 1712 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 4 June 2014
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We have sought, where we can, to ameliorate some of the cuts and the impacts that the commonwealth reductions will have, whilst not necessarily taking responsibility to enter the field that they have so clearly left. We have also sought to continue along the path that we had set out on in terms of investing in the infrastructure that our city needs, that a growing city is demanding, whether it be in health infrastructure, in public transport infrastructure, in development opportunities to allow the economic opportunities for the city to continue regardless of the biggest player in town’s intentions.
So this budget was an incredible challenge to put together and, for someone who has sat round the budget table now for a few years, I would say it is one of the hardest to balance up the range of competing priorities against the available resources that the government has and then carefully watch that and look at that in terms of the economic climate of the city. That changed dramatically three weeks before this budget was to be handed down.
The other important area in the budget relates to the continuing efforts we have to improve the efficient operation and the effective operation of our tax base. So we are looking at changes to how we collect our own revenue. This should come as no surprise to anybody. We went to the election outlining our agenda in this regard. We are continuing to implement it and we are prepared to debate that and talk about that with our opponents, as we no doubt will over the next few days.
Whilst there are changes and increases to rates across the territory, there are also continued reductions in insurance charges and payroll tax and the amounts that people will have to pay for stamp duty when they choose to move or downsize. These are all important elements of the tax reform package that must be acknowledged and, I think, is acknowledged outside this place as a very positive long-term reform agenda for the territory. I have no doubt that governments of the future, treasurers of the future, chief ministers of the future will look back at this time and acknowledge the important and necessary steps we are taking in relation to tax reform.
I also welcome the feedback that we have had on the budget to date. I cannot think of another budget that has been perhaps so eagerly anticipated, so heavily lobbied around. There is no doubt that the consultations the Treasurer undertook, the consultations I undertook, following the federal budget announcements, where we had people ringing up wanting to come to those roundtables to participate, made sure that when we were finalising the budget we understood exactly what those various interest groups wanted and needed and that we reflected that in our budget to the largest degree possible. I think the responses that we have received to date, the media commentary, the media releases that have been put out, have clearly shown there is broad-based support for the direction that the government has taken.
I nominate some of those leading industry groups who have been prepared to stand up and say that they think the decisions we have taken, whilst challenging, are pointing the territory in the right direction. They include the Canberra Business Council, the ACT Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Property Council, the Insurance Council, Medicare Local, the Mental Health Coalition, the ANMF—not always an
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