Book 8 - Parliament of Victoria

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
1736 COUNCIL Thursday, 2 June 2011
This bill will also deliver this government’s election promise
to increase stamp duty relief for eligible pensioners by
extending the threshold for the pensioner concession from
$440 000 to $750 000 and making the concession available to
self-funded retirees who hold a commonwealth seniors health
card.
As their lifestyle and circumstances change, older Victorians
may wish to downsize their homes. This measure will help
relieve some of the financial burden felt by older Victorians
and ensure stamp duty is not a disincentive to seniors
considering downsizing. Extending this concession to
self-funded retirees and increasing the threshold will mean
many more Victorians will benefit from this assistance in the
future.
During the 2010 election campaign, this government also
announced the introduction of a stamp duty exemption for
young farmers. In line with this announcement, this bill will
introduce a duty exemption and concession for persons under
the age of 35 on the purchase of their first agricultural
property. A full exemption will apply to transactions up to the
value of $300 000, with a duty concession applying between
$300 000 and $400 000.
Introducing a duty exemption and concession for young
farmers is important to the long-term future of the agricultural
sector and related Victorian industries. The average age of
farmers is increasing, and the government’s new duty
exemption and concession will encourage more young people
to consider a career in farming. This measure will also help
preserve the viability of rural communities by delivering jobs
and increasing investment in both rural and regional areas.
In addition to delivering this government’s state taxation
election commitments, this bill also makes a number of
general amendments to various revenue laws.
This government is committed to enhancing the productivity
and competitiveness of the Victorian economy by ensuring
that no unnecessary burden is imposed on Victorian business.
In line with this commitment the government has continued
efforts to maintain the harmonisation of payroll tax legislation
across Australia, which has seen significant administrative
savings for business. This bill will amend the Payroll Tax Act
2007 to remove outdated references to commonwealth
legislation in the employee share scheme provisions. To
maintain harmonisation these amendments were developed in
consultation with the other states and territories.
This bill also amends the Taxation Administration Act 1997
to establish a framework for deeming an assessment to have
been made and served where land transfer duty is paid online.
These amendments will ensure that individuals or businesses
that pay duty online have the same rights and obligations as
other taxpayers. An online duty payment system is currently
being developed and will ultimately make it easier and
cheaper to interact with the SRO and result in significant
administrative savings.
The final measure in this bill is to increase the penalties for
offences under the FHOG act. The FHOG is designed to give
first home buyers the opportunity to enter the competitive
property market. This government is serious about protecting
honest Victorians and punishing anyone who has gained an
unfair advantage using fraudulent means.
The penalty for providing false and misleading information
will be increased from a maximum of 60 penalty units
($7167) to a maximum of 120 penalty units ($14 334) and
will include the introduction of a 12-month maximum jail
term. The scope of this offence will also be broadened to
include the provision of false and misleading information in
connection with an FHOG application. This should act as a
strong deterrent for anyone contemplating making a false
claim, and ensures the penalties available reflect the
seriousness of this offence.
I commend the bill to the house.
Debate adjourned on motion of Mr LENDERS
(Southern Metropolitan).
Debate adjourned until Thursday, 9 June.
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
Adjournment
Hon. G. K. RICH-PHILLIPS (Assistant
Treasurer) — I move:
That the Council, at its rising, adjourn until Tuesday, 14 June.
Motion agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT
Hon. G. K. RICH-PHILLIPS (Assistant
Treasurer) — I move:
That the house do now adjourn.
Department of Premier and Cabinet: catering
Mr LENDERS (Southern Metropolitan) — The
matter I raise on the adjournment tonight is for the
attention of the Premier, Mr Baillieu, and it regards the
catering arrangements at the Department of Premier
and Cabinet and also the lack of curiosity and lack of
understanding on the part of the Minister for Health as
to how his meals are paid for. I was surprised in
question time today — I guess I was underwhelmed —
by the minister’s response to a question he was asked
about catering, which is something he expressed a
particularly strong view about when in opposition. He
had in an FOI request and on Melbourne radio was
thundering on about how evil it was that the catering
costs at the Department of Premier and Cabinet were
actually being met. He had a particularly strong view
about ministers being paid so much money that they
should pay their own catering bills.
That is all part and parcel of the election debate; I
understand that. Two days from an election an