Thursday, 9 March 2006
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9 MARCH 2006 www . hansard . act . gov . au Thursday, 9 March 2006 Visitors ...........................................................................................................................513 Duties Amendment Bill 2006.........................................................................................513 Standing orders—suspension .........................................................................................514 Executive business—precedence....................................................................................519 People living in poverty..................................................................................................519 Amendment of Assembly resolution..................................................................519 Children and Young People Amendment Bill 2005 (No 2) ...........................................520 Racing (Jockeys Accident Insurance) Amendment Bill 2006........................................530 Workers Compensation Amendment Bill 2006 .............................................................533 Road Transport (Public Passenger Services) Amendment Bill 2005.............................541 Questions without notice: Hospitals—safety ...............................................................................................544 Focus on business convention ............................................................................544 Red Hill ..............................................................................................................546 Budget—spending ..............................................................................................546 Policing—response times ...................................................................................547 Attorney-General—use of external counsel .......................................................550 Belconnen to Civic busway ................................................................................551 Human resources package ..................................................................................552 Hospitals—funding.............................................................................................552 Canberra Day......................................................................................................554 Personal explanations .....................................................................................................555 Papers .............................................................................................................................556 Economic white paper implementation (Ministerial statement).....................................556 Canberra’s urban infrastructure (Matter of public importance) .....................................561 Road Transport (Public Passenger Services) Amendment Bill 2005.............................577 Personal explanation.......................................................................................................591 Motor Sport (Public Safety) Bill 2006 ...........................................................................591 Statement by member .....................................................................................................595 Adjournment: Mr Ted Quinlan—retirement..............................................................................597 Mr Ted Quinlan—retirement..............................................................................599 Mr Ted Quinlan—retirement..............................................................................600 Mr Roland Manderson........................................................................................600 Mr Ted Quinlan—retirement..............................................................................601 Mr Ted Quinlan—retirement..............................................................................602 Mr Ted Quinlan—retirement..............................................................................603 Departure of Assembly personnel ......................................................................603 Ms Kate Vaughan ...............................................................................................603 Mr Ted Quinlan—retirement..............................................................................604 Mr Ted Quinlan—retirement..............................................................................605 Mr Ted Quinlan—retirement..............................................................................606 Schedules of Amendments: Schedule 1: Children and Young People Amendment Bill 2005 (No. 2) ..........607 Schedule 2: Children and Young People Amendment Bill 2005 (No. 2) ..........608 Schedule 3: Racing (Jockeys Accident Insurance) Amendment Bill 2005........611 Schedule 4: Road Transport (Public Passenger Services) Amendment Bill 2005.....................................................................................................614 Schedule 5: Road Transport (Public Passenger Services) Amendment Bill 2005.....................................................................................................614 Answers to questions: Capital works (Question No 743).......................................................................617 Ms Anita Phillips (Question No 787).................................................................617 Emergency Services Authority—contracts (Question No 826) .........................618 Emergency Services Authority—expenditure (Question No 827).....................619 Government—ministerial travel (Question No 832)..........................................621 WorkCover—review (Question No 843) ...........................................................627 Arts and letters—funding (Question No 844) ....................................................628 Motor vehicles—home-garaged (Question No 845) ..........................................628 Motor vehicles—home-garaged (Question No 847) ..........................................629 Motor vehicles—home-garaged (Question No 848) ..........................................631 Motor vehicles—home-garaged (Question No 850) ..........................................631 Motor vehicles—home-garaged (Question No 851) ..........................................632 Canberra Hospital—Ronald McDonald family room (Question No 856) .........632 ACTION—SMS bookings (Question No 862) ..................................................633 ACTION Buses—security cameras (Question No 863).....................................634 Water—burst mains (Question No 870).............................................................635 Community Inclusion Board (Question No 874) ...............................................636 Public service—indigenous officers (Question No 875)....................................636 Health—breast screening services (Question No 877).......................................637 Gungahlin footpaths (Question No 884) ............................................................637 Dragway (Question No 886) ..............................................................................638 Aboriginal health impact statement (Question No 902).....................................638 Education—health scholarships (Question No 903) ..........................................639 Business— fair trade products (Question No 907).............................................640 Environment and conservation—arboretum (Question No 908)........................640 Murrumbidgee catchment action plan (Question No 909) .................................640 Legislative Assembly for the ACT Thursday, 9 March 2006 MR SPEAKER (Mr Berry) took the chair at 10.30 am and asked members to stand in silence and pray or reflect on their responsibilities to the people of the Australian Capital Territory. Visitors MR SPEAKER: I acknowledge the presence in the gallery this morning of students from MacKillop Catholic College. Duties Amendment Bill 2006 Mr Quinlan, pursuant to notice, presented the bill, its explanatory statement and a Human Rights Act compatibility statement. Title read by Clerk. MR QUINLAN (Molonglo—Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development and Business, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Sport and Recreation, and Minister for Racing and Gaming) (10.33): I move: That this bill be agreed to in principle. I am pleased to present this bill, which provides further tax relief for ACT businesses. As many Assembly members are aware, the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Reform of Commonwealth-State Financial Relations, the IGA, which underpins the introduction of the GST, required the states and territories to cease the application of certain taxes in 2001 through to 2005. The ACT abolished the financial institutions duty, the duty on quoted marketable shares and the debits tax. The states and territories also agreed to review the need to retain other specified business taxes by 1 July 2005. The outcome of the ACT review was a package of reform measures first introduced in the 2005-06 budget, with a proposed timetable over the next five years. The ACT, along with Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory, have proposed various abolition dates for the following duties where they apply: duty on core business assets, duty on rental arrangements, lease duty, mortgage duty and duty on unquoted marketable securities. New South Wales and Western Australia are yet to announce any decision on the abolition of any of the business taxes that still