Mrs HICKEY - 1998-08-19
A basket of goods for a Territory household, consisting of bread, milk, fruit, vegetables, tea, coffee, aspirin, cough mixture, condoms and tampons, is currently free of wholesale sales tax. Will the Chief Minister admit the simple truth that these basic goods will cost Territory families 10% more under a goods and services tax?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is about a week too late. All of her colleagues elsewhere in Australia pulled this stunt last week. Once again, the opposition is dragging the chain. This argument has been totally demolished. I can only assume that the Leader of the Opposition does not bother to keep up with the debate. Once again, she has exposed the fact that she is not prepared to do the hard slog to work out the facts. I hoped she would know that, with the wholesale sales tax being removed and a range of other taxes being removed - including where they relate to food - quite clearly there will be a reduction in the price of a number of items.
We have seen this stunt before. I suggest that Territorians who are listening to this broadcast make up their own minds and not be spooked by the Labor Party. It will run a scare campaign and tell only part of the story. In fact, Territorians will be better off under this package.
Mr Bailey: Rubbish! You don’t believe that.
Mr STONE: I do believe it. I believe it fervently. I know that Territorians, whose disposable incomes are among the highest in Australia, will have more money in their pockets. The Labor Party can argue all it wants. Yesterday I was speaking to a 67-year old lady who said: ‘I have been a swinging voter, back and forth. But what really lost me with the Labor Party was that, within about 15 minutes of the package being released, Kim Beazley and Gareth Evans came out on screen and condemned it I’m not stupid. How could anyone have looked at it critically and objectively and made that assessment? This is just going to be fought on political lines, isn’t it?’
That is the sad thing about this. When the Leader of the Opposition stands up and trots out the usual old line with her basketful of food, she is simply trying to scare people into believing that they will be worse off. She knows that we have an absurd situation in this country at the moment where toothpaste carries a tax and caviar does not. Is this what the opposition wants to perpetuate? Is that the sort of system that it wants Territorians to live under? Wouldn’t it prefer a fairer system with the wholesale sales tax removed, transport costs reduced and goods cheaper across the board? The Labor Party is attempting to discredit a package that will work for all Territorians. I say to Territorians …
Mrs Hickey: It will be a disaster!
Mr STONE: She says it will be a disaster. Listen to this doom-and-gloom merchant! This is the person who orders her tiles from south. She does not even give local traders a go.
The reality is that there will be an additional $350m in funding. I repeat that for Territorians listening to this broadcast: an additional $350m will come into our funding base over the first 10 years - and that is a conservative estimate.
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: I want Territorians to know that that means more money for schools, for police, for hospitals and health clinics, for roads and for facilities to add to the amenity of life. The tragedy is that the Labor Party is saying no to all of this
Mr Bailey: Who pays for all of this?
Mr STONE: They cannot con Territorians. Territorians have said no to them in the past and they will say no to them again.
Madam SPEAKER: I remind opposition members that there are children in the gallery. Your behaviour is rather disgraceful today. Is that how you want them to see our politicians, our leaders? I suggest that opposition members refrain from interjecting so often and in such numbers. Otherwise, they may not be acknowledged for a question at all.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is about a week too late. All of her colleagues elsewhere in Australia pulled this stunt last week. Once again, the opposition is dragging the chain. This argument has been totally demolished. I can only assume that the Leader of the Opposition does not bother to keep up with the debate. Once again, she has exposed the fact that she is not prepared to do the hard slog to work out the facts. I hoped she would know that, with the wholesale sales tax being removed and a range of other taxes being removed - including where they relate to food - quite clearly there will be a reduction in the price of a number of items.
We have seen this stunt before. I suggest that Territorians who are listening to this broadcast make up their own minds and not be spooked by the Labor Party. It will run a scare campaign and tell only part of the story. In fact, Territorians will be better off under this package.
Mr Bailey: Rubbish! You don’t believe that.
Mr STONE: I do believe it. I believe it fervently. I know that Territorians, whose disposable incomes are among the highest in Australia, will have more money in their pockets. The Labor Party can argue all it wants. Yesterday I was speaking to a 67-year old lady who said: ‘I have been a swinging voter, back and forth. But what really lost me with the Labor Party was that, within about 15 minutes of the package being released, Kim Beazley and Gareth Evans came out on screen and condemned it I’m not stupid. How could anyone have looked at it critically and objectively and made that assessment? This is just going to be fought on political lines, isn’t it?’
That is the sad thing about this. When the Leader of the Opposition stands up and trots out the usual old line with her basketful of food, she is simply trying to scare people into believing that they will be worse off. She knows that we have an absurd situation in this country at the moment where toothpaste carries a tax and caviar does not. Is this what the opposition wants to perpetuate? Is that the sort of system that it wants Territorians to live under? Wouldn’t it prefer a fairer system with the wholesale sales tax removed, transport costs reduced and goods cheaper across the board? The Labor Party is attempting to discredit a package that will work for all Territorians. I say to Territorians …
Mrs Hickey: It will be a disaster!
Mr STONE: She says it will be a disaster. Listen to this doom-and-gloom merchant! This is the person who orders her tiles from south. She does not even give local traders a go.
The reality is that there will be an additional $350m in funding. I repeat that for Territorians listening to this broadcast: an additional $350m will come into our funding base over the first 10 years - and that is a conservative estimate.
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: I want Territorians to know that that means more money for schools, for police, for hospitals and health clinics, for roads and for facilities to add to the amenity of life. The tragedy is that the Labor Party is saying no to all of this
Mr Bailey: Who pays for all of this?
Mr STONE: They cannot con Territorians. Territorians have said no to them in the past and they will say no to them again.
Madam SPEAKER: I remind opposition members that there are children in the gallery. Your behaviour is rather disgraceful today. Is that how you want them to see our politicians, our leaders? I suggest that opposition members refrain from interjecting so often and in such numbers. Otherwise, they may not be acknowledged for a question at all.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016