Yvette D'Ath (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I certainly would challenge the views of those on the opposite side and their recollections of the Howard government and their right to impose levies on people.

We also need to deal with this issue of who is actually going to be paying the levy. We heard from the member for Forde yesterday. He gave a couple of examples of who is going to be impacted by this levy. The example he gave was of a pensioner whose home was flooded. Once again, those on the opposite side of this chamber do not understand this levy. They have not bothered to read any of the detail of who actually pays. To stand here and say that a pensioner is going to be liable: is that pensioner getting an income of more than $50,000? I doubt it. The reality is that the examples that the other side are throwing up are ridiculous examples with no basis to them.

We have just heard from the Leader of the Opposition, who actually said that the only people who will not pay this levy are the people who had their homes inundated and claimed relief. Once again: have they read the bills? In fact, those earning $50,000 or less will not be paying this flood levy. I ask those who are to speak after me on this flood levy to please read the bills. If you listened to the statements of those who have spoken before me you would think that they do not know who this levy applies to.

The fact is that this levy is modest, temporary, sensible and responsible. It is important that we rebuild the major infrastructure in Queensland. The Premier’s relief fund will assist those individuals to rebuild their homes, but we need to get the major infrastructure in Queensland repaired as quickly as possible to help the local economies, the state economy and the national economy. That is what this levy will do.

I am very proud to be standing here as part of a Labor government that saw this country through the worst financial crisis that this country has ever seen and now is willing to make the tough decisions to rebuild Queensland after the most devastating floods that our state of Queensland has ever seen. I support these bills before the House.

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