Qld: Beattie backflips over ambulance levy
By John Sheed And Alex Murdoch
BRISBANE, Dec 22 AAP - The Queensland government today backflipped over plans to collectits ambulance levy through local government.
Premier Peter Beattie said the scheme would still go ahead, but the government wouldnow have to find an alternate method of fund collection.
He said the government had the power to legislate to force local councils to collectthe levy, but would not do that.
"If we did that we would probably end up having to send mayors to jail and we aren'tgoing to do that," Mr Beattie said.
Queensland's Local Government Association (LGAQ) president Noel Playford today welcomednews of the Beattie backdown, but said the furore could have been prevented by consultationwith the LGAQ.
"It's a bit of a relief after six days of wondering and six days of fighting againstsomething that wasn't right," he said.
Acting Opposition Leader Vaughan Johnson said Mr Beattie had panicked in the wake ofthe combined mayor's fury.
"Now he will have to do the homework he should have done years ago," he said.
Mr Beattie said he was determined to make sure the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS),which had been losing revenue through bad debts and a drop in voluntary subscriptions,was properly funded.
He said he underestimated the reaction of local government to the proposal to havethe levy collected through rate notices.
Mr Beattie said collecting the levy through local government was the cheapest of theoptions, but he would not comment on whether an alternative method of collection wouldmean the levy would have to increase.
He said he and Treasurer Terry Mackenroth were examining alternative collection methods,including through motor vehicle registration and electricity accounts.
"I don't expect us to be in a position tomorrow to announce what the alternative schemewill be but we will raise the scheme - I am determined that we will have a universallyfunded ambulance scheme - I am determined it will apply and that everybody will make afair contribution," Mr Beattie said.
He said local government mayors had taken a base view and were more interested in theirpolitical careers than the communities they served.
But Mr Playford said the scheme was simply wrong.
"People have a limited ability to pay rates, which are traditionally the source ofrevenue for councils to provide local services," he said.
"If the government imposes levies on rates and takes away that capacity then localservices would suffer."
AAP am/ph/de
KEYWORD: AMBULANCE 2ND NIGHTLEAD
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