Tony Windsor (New England, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I am very kind. My question relates to the taxation of payments to groundwater users under the Achieving Sustainable Groundwater Entitlements Program and the integrity of the government’s future role in water management. Prime Minister, you would recall saying in your answer to my question in this place on 6 September 2006:

The New South Wales government thus far have represented to us that they want the payment treated as income because, apparently, they are fearful of a precedent being established whereby such payments are seen as truly they are, and that is as compensation for the withdrawal of a previously conferred water right.

Prime Minister, freedom of information documents obtained from the New South Wales government relating to this matter clearly indicate that the New South Wales government, through Ministers Knowles and McDonald, were indeed pleading the case of groundwater users in New South Wales not to be taxed under the income tax arrangements for payments received via the joint program.

Given that the intergovernmental agreement is under the hand of the Australian Government Solicitor and given that the Prime Minister was a co-announcer of the program on 9 June 2005, has the Prime Minister misled the parliament by claiming it was the New South Wales government that wanted the payments to be treated as income, or will he now produce the documents that will support his answer on 6 September and again on 30 October last year? I simply say to the honourable Prime Minister—

See this speech in context