PRIME MINIST: ER WEDNESDAY, 14 APRIL 1982
From the Press Office SUMMARY OF ABC'S
You have heard that the Federal Treasurer will announce that
the Government will amend taxation legislation to allow
Royal Commissions access to taxation files of individual
and companies under investigation. The decision follows a
request from the current Royal Commission of the activities
of the Ship Painters and Dockers Union.
Helen O'Neil
The Government's decision breaks a very long standing tradition
that income is supposed to be a private matter between the
individual a-ad the Taxation Commissioner. The reason according
to the Treasurer, Mr John Howard is the Government believes
the Royal Commrissions might be able to come up with information
that will prove of special benefit to the community. Until
the interim report of the Royal Commission into the Painters
and Dockers, the Government had shelved the decision on
similar requests for access which had been made by two drug
inquiries. The Painters and Dockers Report by the Commissioner,
Frank Costigan QC said that Mr Costigan believed that members
of the union were involved in multi-million dollar tax
rackets and that its investigations were ineffective without
that added power to look into information held after all, by
another. Government agency. The Commissioner said it would
be a scandalous waste of taxpayers time and money if he was
denied access. -But the Government has imposed a series
of boundaries how the information can be used in a bid to
preserve some privacy. Firstly, the Commission will be able
to disclose information only if they do not identify individuals
or companies. Secondly, the onlyway which the Commission
will be able to pass on information they find disturbing is
through a Minister with a recommendation to pass the information
on to-the Federal Police. Therefore, the final decision
on who will -gain. access to the information remains in the hands
ofthe Government. The taxation information obtained in this
way by the police won't be able to be used in any prosecutions
and the Government has also warned that the decision should
not be assumed to be a precedent for any other relaxation of
the secrecy provisions. It has also rejected a recommendation
of the Australian Royal Commission of Inquiry into drugs
to allow disclosure of tax information to law enforcement
agencies inquiring into serious drug offences. Therefore,
the degree of access will depend on how the Government interprets
whether the Royal Commission has relevant terms of references
which give it . the right to open up the taxation office.
AS the British Navy Task Force gets closer to the occupied
Falkland Islands the American peace bid seems to be faltering
an Australian historian has called for a closer inspection
of Ar: gentina's claim on the Islands. Dr Miguel Bratos()
a Cuban American Lecturer in Spanish studies at the University
of NSW. is interviewed by Steve Sailoh.
-2-
A report that $ 2.7 billion had been wiped off the the Australian
resources boom has prompted widespread sole searching today
about the state of the Australian economy and the policies the
Government is following. The Financial Review devoted an
editorial and a large front page article to the subject under
the banner recession, it is here and * serious. And its editorial
called in particular for a freeze on money wages as a
step towards improving profitability. Other economic indicators
released today showed a record capital inflow attributed to
borrowings overseas by Austrlian companies unable to get
finance at home, an increase by the ANZ bank of 1% on its
rates for large overdrafts and a continued slump in the building
industry. Interview with Rod Nettle, South Australian Chamber
of Commerce and Industry and Phil Riven business strategist.
Senator Neville Bonner today described the Queensland
Government's aboriginal land legislation as a continuation
of * the Government's paternalistic control of aborigines.
Senator Bonner told Queensland delegates to the National
Aboriginal Conference in Brisbane the deed of grant in trust
gave no security of tenure and was unacceptable to aborigines.
Report from Margot Stevens.
A by-election is on for the State seat of Drummoyne in NSW
vacated by Mr Michael Maher. This time however, the boot could
be on the other foot. Labor Premier Mr Wran has taken out some
early insurance by acknowledging that he expects a kick in the
pants from the electors of Drummoyne. Interview with
Malcolm Mackerras.
A Perth doctor's house has been attacked in what some claim
is a disturbing counter measure in the undeclared war between
tobacco and an anti smoking group. The doctor has been publicly
linked with the group which alters cigarette advertising
posters. Report from John mills.