Queensland Parliamentary Debates [Hansard] Legislative Assembly TUESDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER 1942 Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy 346 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] AddreBB in Reply. TUESDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER, 1942. Mr. SPEAKER Hon·. E. .J. Hanson, Buranda) took the chair at 11 a. m. ADDRESS IN REPLY. PRESENTATION AND ANSWER. Mr. SPEAKER: I have to report to the House that accompanied by hon. members of this Assembly, I, on Monday, 28 September, presented to His Excellency the Governor the Address of the Legislative Assembly, adopted by the House on 15 Septembar, and that His Excellency was pleased to make the following reply:- ' 'Government House, "Brisbane, 28 September, 1942. ''Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen,-As Rep­ resentative of His Majesty the King in the State of Queensland, I tender to you and the Members of the Legislative Assembly my sincere thanks for the Address in Reply to tl:!!a Speech which I delivered when I opened Parliament on 25 August. ' ' I shall, personally, and at the earliest moment, convey to His Majesty your expres­ sions of loyalty and affection to His Throne and Person. ''Both last year and the year bafore, when thanking Honourable Members for the Address in Reply,. I called attention to the ever-increasing demand for great national •endeavour. That demand is even more urgent to-day on all of us, and I am glad indeed to realise than this fact is so clearly recognised by Honourable Members. I feel very confident that ~very step possible will be taken by Parliament to help in every practical manner all who are fighting for us overseas, or who are on service in this State, I am convinced, from my personal knowledge of the great effort which is being shown in all our munition works, on Supply. [29 SEPTEMBER.) Supply. 347 our railways, and in every sphere of activity defence projects ordinary works, many of that the people of this State are very firmly which could and should have been done in determined to make all sacrifices in order past years from State development taxa­ to give •every help towards a victorious and tion. The plutocrat trying to conceal his lasting peace. income from the taxing authorities is '' Leslie vVilson, Goven10r. '' matched by the Treasurer trying to conceal his wealth from the Commonwealth Govern­ ment. Nor do the facts disclosed in the CIRCULATION AND COST OF Budget support the Treasurer's claim to be ''HANSARD.'' giving full support and co-operation in the .Mr. SPEAKER laid on the table the war effort. On the contrary, he has insisted report of the Chief Reporter,. State Reporting on his full pound of flesh from both the Bureau, on the circulation and cost of '' Han­ people and the Commonwealth Government. sard" for the financial year ended 30 June, The Treasurer managed to reduce his sur­ 1942. plus to £63,772, although he had the advan­ tage, because of overseas loan conversions, PAPERS. of a reduction of interest and exchange The following paper was laid on the table, payments of £447,000 per annum and the and ordered to be printed:- almost total elimination of unemployment as a result of the large amount of Common­ Report upon the operations of the Sub­ wealth expenditure that has taken place in Departments of Native Affairs, Jubilee Queensland. Hospital for Chronic Diseases (Dalby), Dunwich Benevolent Asylum, Institution The Treasurer: And State expenditure. for Inebriates (Dunwich), Eventide Home :ilir. NICKLIN: I shall deal with State (Charters Towers), Queensland Industrial expenditure, too. Undoubtedly-and the Institution for the Blind (South Bris­ Treasurer must admit it-the Commonwealth bane), and Westwood Sanatorium. expenditure in this State has had a very The following paper was laid on the table:­ considerable effect on his Budget. Indeed, Regulations (2) ,. dated 24 September, 1942, when we look at this fact it is absolutely under the Public Safety Act of 1940. astounding to the people of this State that the Treasurer has been unable to give them any reduction in the taxes and charges COAL AND OIL SHALE MINE WORKJ:<;RS imposed upon them. (PENSIONS) ACT AMENDMENT BILL. .Mr. Collins: Do you not know the Federal Government have taken over taxation~ THIRD READING. :ilir. NICKLIN: It is all very well for hon. Bill, on motion of Mr. Gair, read a third members opposite to endeavour to shelter time. behind the Commonwealth Government. The Commonwealth Government are collecting SUPPLY. from the taxpayers of this State taxation on COMMITTEE-FINANCIAL STATEMEl'\T­ income only. That is by no means the full RESUMPTION OF DEBA'l'E. amount of taxes and charges levied by the Government on the people of this State. Are (The Chairman of Committees, Mr. Brassing­ there not other avenues in which the Govern­ ton, Fortitude Valley, in the chair.) m'ent could have given some relief to the Debate resumed from 24 September (see taxpayers of Queensland to enable them to p. 346) on Mr. Cooper's m·otion- meet the extra calls made upon them by the Commonwealth Government to meet extra· '' That there be granted to His Majesty ordinary war expenditure 7 for the service of the year 1942-1943 a sum not exceeding £300 to defray the salary of The Secretary for Public Lands: What the aide-de-camp to His Excellency the particular taxation have you in mind~ Governor.'' .Mr. NICKLIN: I will tell the hon. gentle­ :ilir. NICKLIN (Mm·rumba) (11.8 a.m.) : man all about it before I have finished. The Treasurer has had the opportunity of One of the outstanding characteristics of presenting to this Parliament quite a number Labour finance is that the Government of Budgets during the time he has had the assume that they get better results from honour of occupying the high position of spending the people's money than would be Treasurer in this State. Having analysed obtained if the people spent it themselves. the latest Budget the Treasurer has presented On page 11 of the Budget the Treasurer to us, I think we can classify it in four or five makes this surprising statement- main parts. Its most astounding feature is that the hon. gentleman managed to show '' .... the State's expenditure on on paper a surplus of only £63,772. Its most development projects in the past is the disappointing feature is the omission of any source from which the Comm'onwealth reduction in taxes and charges upon the derives the whole of its income-taxation people to offset the additional war burdens revenue.'' that they have to carry. The Treasurer must That is a very surprising statement. have imposed a severe strain upon his imagination in his endeavours to classify as The Treasurer: I am surprised at you. 348 Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply. Ii!r. NICKLIN: Does the Treasurer mean Let us look at the Treasurer's surplus of to say that the expenditure of money and £63,772 and compare it with the surpluses effort by those engaged in primary produc­ shown by some of the other States. In South tion and in the secondary industries in this Australia the surplus was £1,289,676. State are mere sidelines~ The statement he makes is that the Commonwealth Govern­ The Treasurer: You might tell us w11at ment's income-taxation revenue comes solely the Commonwealth grant was. from the expenditure of the State Govern­ llir. NICKLIN: The surplus in Victoria ment. Surely, Mr. Brassington, the efforts was £792,000. When discussing the Appro­ of the primary producers and those engaged priation Bill earlier this session the in secondary industries in this State deserve Treasurer ridiculed the statements made by some recognition~ Surely, they pay some the Opposition that there had been some taxation~ It is a very surprising statement, adjustments in the State accounts in order indeed, for the 'rreasurer to make-that the to bring about the low surplus that he State's expenditure on development projects showed, but in his own Budget figures he in the past is the source from which the demonstrates that our statements were amply Commonwealth derives the whole of its justified. income-taxation revenue. How much income­ taxation revenue does the Commonwealth The Treasurer: Where do I demonstrate Government derive from the millions of that? pounds that \Yere wasted in State enterprises, lUr. NICKLIN: For a start, the £130,000 for example, and all the other wasteful that was taken from the Unemployment Government expenditure that does not give Insurance Fund in 1938-39 for the purposes one penny piece of income taxation to the of consolidated revenue was repaid during Commonwealth Government~ I thought the last year. Treasurer would at least have given some credit to secondary industries and those The Treasurer: That is the repayment of engaged in primary production in this t:\tate a debt. Should not the State pay its debt~ for the efforts they made for the development of the State and the contributions they are l'tlr. NICKLIN: Then, £385,916 was paid making to income-taxation revenue that is into the debenture and inscribed stock profit being taken from them by the Commonwealth and loss account, reducing the debit balance at the present time. to nil at 30 June, 1942. The Treasurer: And why should not that The Secretary for Labour and Industry: be done? You have not attempted to analyse that state­ ment at all. lUr. NICKLIN: In addition to that, £245,000 was credited to other trust accounts. A total lUr. NICKLIN: The statement is so silly of £760,916 was placed to the credit of Trust that it requires very little analysis. The Funds and this would not have been done bald statement that the Commonwealth is but f~r the need to bring the Treasurer's deriving the whole of its income-taxation surplus down to the low level at which he revenue from the expenditure made by the showed it in 1941-42.