Page 1223 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 6 April 2016
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charge that never delivers—and that illusory surplus that slips out year after year, before we add in the cost of capital metro.
We know that things are not going to get better under this government, and we know that the government will continue the tax grab wherever they can. We have seen that in the current budget with the extension of parking rates. Mr Hinder told us that people get penalty rates for working late at night. Yes, and that is kind of offset by the fact that they are now paying to park their cars later at night. I am quite sure that that was not taken into account when the government decided to extend not only the parking rates but the time covered by parking rates in the ACT.
We have a government that is continually increasing its take by continually increasing the burden on existing taxpayers and making their life harder and harder. I am very proud of the initiative that the Canberra Liberals put in place. We said that the government should have a cost of living statement in the budget. The very first year, the government coughed it right up and said, “Yes, as a consequence of this budget, households are being slugged an extra $641.” They modified it in later years by giving scenarios and vaguing it out a little bit, so that you really could not work out what the increase was. But year on year the take increases and the burden increases.
We still have this insistence, as I say in paragraph (1)(a), on continued increases in residential rates and other government charges well beyond the cost of living trends—well beyond, because this government cannot live within its means. The problem is that it also comes at a time when there is no increase in services. We now know from Mr Doszpot’s work that the schools are full. Here is the man who closed 23 schools and now schools are full. Who would have thought? Isn’t it amazing! We closed these schools as a saving and yet the schools are full!
Mr Corbell has joined us, which is fabulous, because he is the health minister—the minister for long waiting lists. The lists were long when he was the Minister for Health last time and they are just as long now. We are not meeting the category times. All of the surveys say people would not mind paying more tax if they thought they would get more for it, but they do not.
If we look at the ACT government as a business, there are assets of about $28 billion, a net worth of about $17 billion, a turnover of about $5 billion and 20,000 employees. As a company you would expect a dividend, Madam Deputy Speaker. All that the people of the ACT get are bills and fewer services, increased bills, increased rego, and increased fees, fines and charges. You get crowded schools, longer waiting lists, less maintenance and a very tired look of the city.
Indeed there was a story on the ABC today saying that the police are not meeting their domestic violence targets. Why is that? How much did they cut from the police budget, Mr Hanson? $13 million. There they are, ripping money out of the police budget, domestic violence targets are not being met and people wonder about this government and their plans.
We really need to take note of the threats presented by increases in rates and charges to low income families and households within the community. Let us do the work
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