Mr BALCH - 2000-03-02
The opposition continues to mount a scare campaign on the Commonwealth’s new tax system. Earlier this week, the member for Fannie Bay alleged Territorians would be much worse off under the federal government’s reforms. Do you have any advice on the true impact of the new tax system for the Territory?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the good taxpayer of the Northern Territory is kind enough to fund the employment of an economics adviser for the Leader of the Opposition and the Labor Party.
Mr Stirling: And a good one too.
Mr REED: ‘And a good one too’, interjects the member for Nhulunbuy. I agree. I have to agree that he is an excellent officer. He worked for some years in Treasury. I know that he’s very professional and I know that he wouldn’t provide advice that is either incorrect or might be misleading to the Leader of the Opposition. I know that he wouldn’t lie to her in terms of the advice that he was offering. I know that he is a professional officer. But I do wonder, in interviewing this particular officer and other applicants - I suppose there was more than one for the job - if the Opposition Leader asked him if he supported or opposed the GST?
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The question was not about the Leader of the Opposition’s staff, and the minister has dwelt on this for the better part of his speech. Perhaps he could get on with the answer.
Mr SPEAKER: The answer only has to be relevant to the question, and I’m not in a position to indicate that so far it’s not relevant to the question.
Mr REED: I wonder if the Leader of the Opposition asked this particular applicant if he was a supporter or an opponent of the GST, because whilst he was at Treasury he was a principle GST officer, and I happen to know that he is a very strong proponent of the GST. I happen to know that because every time I opened a Treasury file there was more advice as to what the Labor Party was saying wrong about the GST and what in fact the facts were in relation to a GST, and the briefs were signed by the opposition leader’s now economic adviser. He is a professional officer, and I believe that he is providing the opposition leader with professional correct advice along with the views that he holds on the GST.
I quote a few: ‘In addition, Labor has questioned the equity of Commonwealth tax etc. Critics of the proposed tax reform fail to acknowledge the changes to fuel excise arrangements will mean lower transport costs’. That is just one quote of her adviser. ‘Personal income tax will be down 14% or $1300m due mainly to changes for marginal rates and ranges. Low and middle income earners will be the main beneficiaries. Typical families will be $40 to $50 better off’. This is from you economics adviser, so why are you coming in here putting down the GST and the new tax system?.
I continue with the wonderful benefits that her economics adviser must be providing to her. He must be providing this advice to her because this is a professional officer that she’s employed. She is obviously taking a course of action and adopting a point of view quite contrary to the advice that is being put to her ...
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker! It is pure speculation on behalf of the Treasurer as to what advice is being received, and quite frankly I think it’s entirely inappropriate to be making those speculations on behalf of a staffer who can’t stand here and defend himself.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! No, there is no point of order. There is no point of order.
Mr PALMER: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The member opposite was quite happy last night to hide behind privilege and cast aspersions against members of the press, and now he would feign indignation that the Treasurer would question the acceptance of advice from a senior officer by the Leader of the Opposition.
Mr SPEAKER: I’ll take that as a comment, not anything to do with the point of order.
Mr REED: What I’m saying is that the officer is professional and I know that he wouldn’t give incorrect advice to the Leader of the Opposition. What I am calling into question is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. It was okay for you to question the credibility of the Chief Minister, now you’ve got to demonstrate that you are credible - and you cannot do it.
Childcare benefit of $390 a year. This is what her economics adviser understands about the GST. Wholesale sales tax will be abolished and there will be one-off payments to protect savings of pensioners and self-funded retirees. It is time that you stopped misrepresenting the new tax system and listened to your adviser. Territory taxpayers are paying you to get good advice. You are not only ignoring it, you are misrepresenting it, and you are disrupting the business community in adjusting to a new tax system. And it’s no good sitting there like a little schoolgirl pulling funny faces. Territorians expect more of their opposition leader than that.
The honourable member for Nhulunbuy says that these are unsubstantiated comments that I’m making. They’re not. I’ll table these documents. At the bottom of each page it says that the contact is - and I won’t name the person for his benefit - a ministerial officer of the Leader of the Opposition. She is getting professional advice in relation to the benefits that the Australian and the Northern Territorian economies will benefit from. I table those documents. She is getting professional advice. She is ignoring that advice, and she is wasting taxpayers money by employing an economics adviser because she’s not using the advice that’s being provided to her. There is a question on her credibility in relation to the information that she’s getting and the misrepresentation that she’s following through with.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the good taxpayer of the Northern Territory is kind enough to fund the employment of an economics adviser for the Leader of the Opposition and the Labor Party.
Mr Stirling: And a good one too.
Mr REED: ‘And a good one too’, interjects the member for Nhulunbuy. I agree. I have to agree that he is an excellent officer. He worked for some years in Treasury. I know that he’s very professional and I know that he wouldn’t provide advice that is either incorrect or might be misleading to the Leader of the Opposition. I know that he wouldn’t lie to her in terms of the advice that he was offering. I know that he is a professional officer. But I do wonder, in interviewing this particular officer and other applicants - I suppose there was more than one for the job - if the Opposition Leader asked him if he supported or opposed the GST?
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The question was not about the Leader of the Opposition’s staff, and the minister has dwelt on this for the better part of his speech. Perhaps he could get on with the answer.
Mr SPEAKER: The answer only has to be relevant to the question, and I’m not in a position to indicate that so far it’s not relevant to the question.
Mr REED: I wonder if the Leader of the Opposition asked this particular applicant if he was a supporter or an opponent of the GST, because whilst he was at Treasury he was a principle GST officer, and I happen to know that he is a very strong proponent of the GST. I happen to know that because every time I opened a Treasury file there was more advice as to what the Labor Party was saying wrong about the GST and what in fact the facts were in relation to a GST, and the briefs were signed by the opposition leader’s now economic adviser. He is a professional officer, and I believe that he is providing the opposition leader with professional correct advice along with the views that he holds on the GST.
I quote a few: ‘In addition, Labor has questioned the equity of Commonwealth tax etc. Critics of the proposed tax reform fail to acknowledge the changes to fuel excise arrangements will mean lower transport costs’. That is just one quote of her adviser. ‘Personal income tax will be down 14% or $1300m due mainly to changes for marginal rates and ranges. Low and middle income earners will be the main beneficiaries. Typical families will be $40 to $50 better off’. This is from you economics adviser, so why are you coming in here putting down the GST and the new tax system?.
I continue with the wonderful benefits that her economics adviser must be providing to her. He must be providing this advice to her because this is a professional officer that she’s employed. She is obviously taking a course of action and adopting a point of view quite contrary to the advice that is being put to her ...
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker! It is pure speculation on behalf of the Treasurer as to what advice is being received, and quite frankly I think it’s entirely inappropriate to be making those speculations on behalf of a staffer who can’t stand here and defend himself.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! No, there is no point of order. There is no point of order.
Mr PALMER: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The member opposite was quite happy last night to hide behind privilege and cast aspersions against members of the press, and now he would feign indignation that the Treasurer would question the acceptance of advice from a senior officer by the Leader of the Opposition.
Mr SPEAKER: I’ll take that as a comment, not anything to do with the point of order.
Mr REED: What I’m saying is that the officer is professional and I know that he wouldn’t give incorrect advice to the Leader of the Opposition. What I am calling into question is the credibility of the Leader of the Opposition. It was okay for you to question the credibility of the Chief Minister, now you’ve got to demonstrate that you are credible - and you cannot do it.
Childcare benefit of $390 a year. This is what her economics adviser understands about the GST. Wholesale sales tax will be abolished and there will be one-off payments to protect savings of pensioners and self-funded retirees. It is time that you stopped misrepresenting the new tax system and listened to your adviser. Territory taxpayers are paying you to get good advice. You are not only ignoring it, you are misrepresenting it, and you are disrupting the business community in adjusting to a new tax system. And it’s no good sitting there like a little schoolgirl pulling funny faces. Territorians expect more of their opposition leader than that.
The honourable member for Nhulunbuy says that these are unsubstantiated comments that I’m making. They’re not. I’ll table these documents. At the bottom of each page it says that the contact is - and I won’t name the person for his benefit - a ministerial officer of the Leader of the Opposition. She is getting professional advice in relation to the benefits that the Australian and the Northern Territorian economies will benefit from. I table those documents. She is getting professional advice. She is ignoring that advice, and she is wasting taxpayers money by employing an economics adviser because she’s not using the advice that’s being provided to her. There is a question on her credibility in relation to the information that she’s getting and the misrepresentation that she’s following through with.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016