Local Government News

Don Page
State Matters

Vendor Tax on the family home

Some unsuspecting local residents are being hit with the Carr Labor Government's new vendor tax on their principal place of residence.

Whilst principal places of residence are generally exempt from Carr's 2.25 per cent vendor tax, those that are sold within two years of purchase are not. There are many people who, because of changing family, health or employment circumstances, must sell their home within a couple of years of purchase and are now paying the vendor duty on the sale of their family home.

In my view, the principal place of residence should be exempt from vendor tax. In fact the vendor tax should go altogether!

Premier Carr's unfair trifecta of property taxes; stamp duty, land taxes and vendor duty have made life very hard for 'mum and dad' property investors, pensioners and others. The Coalition has committed itself to the abolition of the vendor tax altogether and the reintroduction of the threshold for land tax.

I have been collecting the details of anyone charged vendor tax on their principal place of residence so I can raise the problem in Parliament and would appreciate hearing from anyone who has paid vendor tax on their family home.

Daylight Saving reminder

Daylight Saving ends on Sunday, March 27, at 3am, when the clocks are put back one hour.

Rewards for good driving

For a long time, I have supported the concept of driver rewards as well as better driver education. I am therefore pleased the State Government has announced extra demerit points to reward good drivers in NSW, but I would like to see the scheme go further and offer discounts on registration and licence costs for unblemished driving records.

In my view, there is no real incentive in offering extra demerit points to the 75 per cent of drivers who never get demerit points and therefore will never use them. A better approach would be providing discounts on licence and registration costs for good drivers. Giving good drivers a discount is a better incentive than points they are unlikely to ever use.

The State Labor Government should also be investigating ways to improve driver behaviour through education. The Roads Minister should consider offering incentives to motorists to complete defensive driving courses, which would improve their driving skills.

Young drivers responding late last year to my Ballina Electorate Young Driver survey showed they were strongly supportive of driver education programs and incentive schemes. 87 per cent of 18 to 25-year-olds responding to the survey were supportive of driver education in schools and I expect this support for driver training would be reflected across the entire community.

To improve driver behaviour for the long term, we need to introduce compulsory driver education for year 11 and 12 students. In NSW only 16 per cent of students study driver education.

The State Labor Government should consider the driver education issue as well as offering a driver with a blemish-free five-year record a discount on their licence fee or registration fee.

Office contacts

Address: PO Box 1018, Ballina, NSW, 2478
Phone: 6686 7522
Fax: 6686 7470
Email: Don.Page@parliament.nsw.gov.au

Thomas George
Canberra Connection

Workplace Fatalities forum

I am hosting a forum on Tuesday, April 12, from 5.30-7.30pm. Those with interests and expertise in this field have been organised to speak and I believe it's important for business owners to attend and become more aware of the proposed legislation. There is widespread concern among employers (mainly small businesspeople) about the impact of this legislation, which provides for increased penalties for breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The Bill would penalise any person who has a managerial responsibility, even if they were not at the workplace where a fatality occurs. While The Nationals strongly support safe workplaces, we believe this legislation is turning every employer into a potential criminal. Invitations will be sent to local businesses or contact my office for further information.

Enclosure permits

As many landholders may have already heard, the NSW Government has, for the third time, backed down on its rents for Enclosed Road Permits. Recently The Nationals/Liberals released its policy (copy available upon request) and last week the NSW Carr Labor Government was forced to back down and offer a reduction in its proposed rent levels. Whilst the Government's changes are a vast improvement on what was originally proposed, there are still major areas of concern. The Nationals/Liberals concern is that the Government has only promised to reduce the rents for a three-year period, ending in July 2007.

The Nationals/Liberals believe that if Labor is re-elected in March 2007 rents will go straight back up to the originally intended level of $350 and $750 per annum that they had originally proposed. I believe that The Nationals/Liberals' policy is responsible and fair, and we look forward to implementing it in full when The Nationals/Liberals go into Government in 2007.

Local showgirls and rural achievers

I attended the young auctioneers and showgirl competitions held over the weekend at the Royal Easter Show. Miranda Saunders (Lismore) and Shannon Johnston (Alstonville) represented our local show societies and both young ladies were wonderful ambassadors for this region and did us proud. I also had the pleasure of attending the 2005 District Exhibit Awards presentation where the Northern Districts exhibit, under the management of Arthur Johns and his team, won first prize for the first time since 1940.

Justice of the Peace changes

I have publicised this matter a number of times, however, my office receives consistent enquiries by local Justices of the Peace (JPs) who were not aware of changes. If they have not already done so, JPs should register with my office to receive information on this issue and to obtain the reappointment forms. The main change affecting current JPs is that they will have to reapply every five years. Existing Justices of the Peace have three years (until December 1, 2006) to lodge a reappointment application and to re-establish either an employment or community based need for the appointment. Forms are available from my office.

Land tax

Following many variances to land tax issues from July 1 2004, my office has received increased enquiries requesting information on this matter. Anyone with an investment property or those who pay land tax who would like to receive information should contact my office.

Commonwealth Day

I was honoured to nominate two representatives who were accepted to attend the Observance of Commonwealth Day in London, which was celebrated on March 14 by people in 53 countries. Mr Lee Marshall and Mr Damien Mulherin, who were both locally educated and are currently working in London, made applications through my office to be nominees for the NSW Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Both gentlemen had the honour of meeting and speaking with the Queen, discussing their origins and issues relating to this area.

Rail usage survey

A survey of potential rail users and their requirements is currently taking place. This survey is for passenger and freight and to determine the viability of running a privately owned rail service, in the absence of any NSW Government services, on the Casino to Murwillumbah line. Please be aware that feedback is being sought and should anyone require a copy to be posted, please advise my office. The closing date is next Thursday, March 31.

Workers comp premiums

WorkCover NSW has released a comprehensive discussion paper proposing reforms to the NSW workers compensation system. The proposed reforms aim to more fairly distribute scheme costs among employers and provide incentives to improve workplace safety, early reporting of claims and return to work opportunities.

Some of the issues open for consultation are:

• The way premiums are calculated for small, medium and large businesses;
• The extent to which a claim influences a business' premium;
• Refunds to business following fraudulent claims;
• The way costs of claims are calculated;
• Grouping of related businesses when assessing premium;
• The excess a business pays when they have a claim; and
• Discounts for employers who improve their occupational health and safety.

Written submissions close on Friday, April 8, and can be sent to WorkCover Premiums Review, WorkCover NSW, Locked Bag 2906, Lisarow, NSW, 2252. They can also be faxed to 9287 5339 or emailed to premium.review@workcover.nsw.gov.au. Copies of the discussion paper can be obtained from my office or the WorkCover website at www.workcover.nsw.gov.au.

Office contacts

Address: PO Box 52, Lismore, NSW, 2480
Phone: 6621 3624
Fax: 6622 1403
Email: lismore@parliament.nsw.gov.au or www.thomasgeorge.com.au