The Minister for Small Business & Tourism, Joe Hockey and Minister for Revenue & Assistant Treasurer, Senator Helen Coonan, today congratulated Premier Bob Carr for finally taking ownership of the public liability insurance issue in NSW.
The Ministers were responding to the NSW Government's announcement of a public liability insurance summit this month to be held in Nelson Bay, Port Stephens.
Bob Debus and John Aquilina will attend the meeting to bring about "legislative change by the second half of the year".
"It took some prodding, but it is good to see the States owning up to the fact that only they can change the laws, to stop the hikes in public liability premiums," Minister Hockey said.
"I call on other States to also seek out legislative solutions to this issue and move quickly so that public liability does not crush small businesses and community groups."
Senator Coonan said she was puzzled to read in the fine print of the announcement that a $30 admission fee would be charged to attend the NSW public liability insurance summit.
"Despite the Premier's apparently good intentions in raising the issue, it seems that the meeting may simply be a front for a local Labor Party fundraiser. If this is the case, it can only be described as highway robbery."