Information Gathering Powers for the Treasurer to Review Emergency Services Funding
Emergency Services Levy Amendment Bill 2024
Legislative Council
Legislative Assembly
Assent
Introduced by: The Hon Daniel Mookhey MLC (ALP); The Hon Paul Scully MP (ALP)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The Debate
What different members said when this bill was debated:
Edmond Atalla ALP
“I support the Emergency Services Levy Amendment Bill 2024. The bill amends the Emergency Services Levy Act 2017, which is known as the ESL Act. The bill provides the Treasurer with the authority to require specified information from insurers for the purposes of evaluating and implementing reforms to the way in which emergency services are funded.”
Geoff Provest NAT
“I make a contribution to debate on the Emergency Services Levy Amendment Bill 2024. As the member for Mount Druitt indicated, the object of the bill is to permit the Treasurer to require insurers to provide information for the purpose of evaluating and implementing reforms to the way in which emergency services are funded. We have heard in this House that it is a complex issue.”
“I make a contribution to debate on the Emergency Services Levy Amendment Bill 2024. As the member for Tweed indicated, many communities across New South Wales, including mine, are experiencing the impacts of more frequent natural disasters, be they floods, bushfires or significant storm events. Reform is much needed in this space.”
Nathan Hagarty ALP
“As we have heard, the Emergency Services Levy Amendment Bill 2024 seeks to amend the Emergency Services Levy Act 2017. Essentially, the bill provides the Treasurer with the authority to require specified information from insurers for the purposes of evaluating and implementing reforms to the way in which emergency services are funded.”
David Mehan ALP
“I acknowledge the speakers who contributed to debate on the Emergency Services Levy Amendment Bill 2024—the members representing the electorates of Hornsby, Strathfield, Mount Druitt, Tweed, Liverpool and Leppington. I thank them for their contributions.”
News articles and press releases
Emergency Services Levy Amendment Bill 2024
The Hon. DANIEL MOOKHEY — 2024-03-14
The Government’s emergency services funding reform does not currently fall within the scope of the Treasurer’s current power to obtain information under section 47 (1) of the Emergency Services Levy Act 2017. Given the critical importance of the data for tax modelling and distributional impact analysis, the proposed amendments seek to grant the Treasurer the authority to require information, including unit record data of insurance policyholders, from insurers for the purposes of evaluating and implementing reforms to emergency services funding. To help ensure that insurers comply with the Treasurer’s request, it is proposed that insurers that fail to provide the requested data be guilty of an offence and liable to a penalty.