The Liberals’ Brendan Smyth is raising a ruckus about the vexed issue of the Compulsory Third Party (CTP) Insurance Scheme:
“Despite numerous claims from the ACT Government that the review of the CTP scheme would be completed, as required by legislation by early January 2012, the Government still has not delivered its report to the Assembly,” Mr Smyth said.
“Section 275 of the Road Transport (Third Party Insurance) Act clearly states the Minister must review the operation of the Act as soon as practicable after the end of its third year of operation, and must present a report on the review to the Legislative
Assembly within three months after the day the review is started.
“This failure on the part of Katy Gallagher and her colleagues to comply with the clear letter of the law simply adds to the litany of failures from this Government relating to CTP insurance.
“Early in 2011, the then Treasurer, Katy Gallagher, proposed amending the ACT’s CTP insurance scheme, even though amendments made to the scheme in 2008 had not had time to be fully effective.
“After she was reminded that the relevant Act required the Government to review the CTP scheme within three years, she committed to a review of the Act.
“On 31 March 2011, Katy Gallagher told the Assembly that she had ‘asked that Treasury commence the review on 1 October 2011.? (Hansard, 31 March 2011, 1175).
“On 6 October 2011, the now Treasurer Andrew Barr, told the Public Accounts Committee that the review had commenced. (Hansard, PAC, 6 October 2011, 30).
“Then, on 3 January 2012, Andrew Barr confirmed in an answer to a question on notice, that the report of the review ‘is expected to be presented to the Legislative Assembly in the first sitting week for 2012’.?
“The evidence is quite clear and compelling – despite the many commitments and promises, the ACT Labor Government has failed to follow the legislation and hasn’t delivered the review of the ACT?s CTP insurance scheme on time,” Mr Smyth concluded.
