Extract from Hansard Legislative Council 3 July 2001
Mike Elliott Leader Australian Democrats Member of the Legislative Council		Parliament Index 2001 Autumn Sitting Index Browse by Subject   Search all Democrats material About the SA Parliament Hansard on line

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 7 June. Page 1773.)

The Hon. M.J. ELLIOTT: I indicate the Australian Democrats' support for the second reading. These measures are all part of the government's budget. I will comment on two of those measures whilst indicating my support of all the measures contained in the bill. The cut in payroll tax is supported by the Democrats. In fact, the abolition of payroll tax has been Democrat policy since the party's inception, so the government will find that any cuts in payroll tax will be supported by the Democrats because, ultimately, payroll tax is a tax on employment and a disincentive to employ.

These cuts are fairly marginal and I have no doubt that, in the next couple of years, pressure will be well and truly upon us. As GST revenue starts to flow to the states, there is little doubt that the eastern states will aggressively cut their payroll tax as part of the competition that we experience between the states and, at that stage, this state will have no choice other than to follow. Nevertheless, we welcome these cuts which, at this stage, are still quite marginal, but they are heading in the right direction.

While on the matter of stamp duty-the amendments to stamp duty are also raised in the bill-it would have been an opportunity for the government to grant an exemption to stamp duty on charges in relation to the collapse of HIH. Many people had to reinsure and the government so far has done nothing to offer support to many of the victims of the HIH collapse. It would have been quite an easy measure, whilst addressing the issue of stamp duty, to grant an exemption for people who had to take out new policies as a consequence of the HIH collapse. The Democrats support the second reading.

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