State leaders react to proposed GST changes

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has claimed that the states and territories across Australia would not support commonwealth on Goods and Services Tax amendments.

While heading into the meeting scheduled on Friday with states’ premiers and chief ministers, Andrews that Victoria won’t allow any rise in the GST but does not object in sharing income tax. “I don’t think there’s anywhere near a consensus on tax reform, we’re nowhere near that,” he told ABC TV. And while he does not support it, he told Sky News he will not oppose it if Victorians voted for it.

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill advocated giving top priority to healthcare funding. He said that whatever is required to keep healthcare services up-to-the-mark should be worked upon and made available. The SA premier said that simple solution to gather unison response on GST is to provide a fixed share of income tax. This way, the states and territories could get whatever is necessary in the long term, he added.

NSW Premier Mike Baird seconded the opinion of Weatherill and said that healthcare funding should be the “biggest priority” of the federal government as leaders suffer from shortage of funds. “Unless we build that in the long-term, we’re running away from the biggest problem that we have,” Baird told reporters.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that the commonwealth should not shift its goals on GST rules. She said that the nation is lacking a clear plan that the federal government needs to present and implement. She also agreed on the healthcare issues the states keep on facing and said that the leaders must have an agreement to focus on the biggest issue, which involves rising healthcare costs.

Before the national leaders meet on Friday, the Victorian premier claimed he would seek a better funding deal for the state’s health system at the meeting.

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