Appendix H: Consultations

Consultation process

On 30 March 2011, the Commonwealth Government issued Terms of Reference¹ for this review of Australia’s system of distributing the GST amongst the States and Territories (hereinafter collectively referred to as simply ‘the States’).

The Panel has consulted extensively during the course of the Review. Table H.1 outlines the main stages of the consultation process.

Table H.1 GST Distribution Review Consultation Process

Consultation	Date
Original Terms of Reference	March 2011
Initial consultations with each jurisdiction and the CGC	May — August 2011
Issues Paper released	July 2011
Symposium	October 2011
Supplementary Terms of Reference	November 2011
Supplementary Issues Paper released	December 2011
First Interim Report	March 2012
Second Interim Report	June 2012
Final consultations with each jurisdiction	June — July 2012
Final Report	October 2012

Following receipt of its Terms of Reference the Panel visited each jurisdiction to obtain initial views on particular issues of concern and met with the Chairman and staff from the Commonwealth Grants Commission (CGC). These consultations occurred between May and August 2011.

The Panel released several documents to help facilitate consultation:

• An issues paper, related to the initial Terms of Reference, was released in July 2011 providing some background on HFE in Australia, indicating some particular matters on which views were sought, and inviting formal public submissions.
• A second issues paper, related to the supplementary Terms of Reference, was released in December 2011.²
• Two interim reports were finalised in March 2012 and June 2012.

Lists of submissions responding to these papers are set out below.

The Panel conducted a symposium in Sydney in October 2011 to provide an opportunity for academics to present their views. A list of individuals and organisations that attended the symposium is given below.

Following the release of the interim reports the Panel met with representatives from each jurisdiction in June and July 2012 to provide them with further opportunity to present their views directly to the Panel.

All public submissions have been placed on the Review website.³

The Panel thanks all those who contributed to this Review.

Submissions in response to the initial issues paper

Government submissions

Australian Capital Territory Government, Submission to the GST Distribution Review Issues Paper of July 2011, October 2011.

Australian Government, The Treasury, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, October 2011.

Commonwealth Grants Commission, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, August�2011.

New South Wales Government, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, November�2011.

Northern Territory Government, Review of GST Distribution — Submission to Issues Paper, October 2011.

Queensland Government, Submission to the Review of GST Distribution, October 2011.

South Australian Government, Submission to the GST Distribution Review Panel, September 2011.

South Australian Government, Supplementary Submission to the GST Distribution Review Panel — Horizontal Fiscal Equalisation: Modelling the welfare and efficiency effects, February 2012.

South Australian Government, Response to comments from Jonathan Pincus and Henry Ergas on the Independent Economics Report on Horizontal Fiscal Equalisation: Modelling the welfare and efficiency effects, April 2012.

Tasmanian Government, GST Distribution Review — Submission by the Tasmanian Government in Relation to the Issues Paper, October 2011.

Victorian Government, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, October 2011.

Western Australian Government, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, October�2011.

Western Australian Government, Submission to the GST Distribution Review — Response to the Australian Government Submission, December 2011.

Other submissions

Association of Mining and Exploration Companies, Submission to the Commonwealth Treasury — GST Distribution Review, October 2011.

Business Council of Australia, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, December�2011.

Business SA, Submission in relation to the GST Distribution Review Issues Paper, October�2011.

Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Western Australia, Submission to Review of GST Distribution, October 2011.

Crook, Tony, MP, Member for O’Connor, Submission to the Goods and Services Tax Distribution Review, October 2011.

Emery, Peter, Submission to GST Distribution Review, September 2011.

Ergas, Henry and Pincus, Jonathan, Reflections on Fiscal Equalisation in Australia, 2011.

Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, Submission in Response to the GST Distribution Review Issues Paper, October 2011.

Institute of Public Affairs, Beyond Its Use-by Date: Australia’s System of Fiscal Equalisation, and How to Reform It, Submission to the Federal GST Distribution Review, September 2011.

New South Wales Business Chamber, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, October 2011.

Pincus, Jonathan and Ergas, Henry, Comments on Independent Economics report for the SA Government, entitled “Horizontal Fiscal Equalisation: Modelling the welfare and efficiency effects”, March 2012.

Pincus, Jonathan, Submission to the GST Distribution Review: Mining Revenues, August�2011.

Queensland Treasury Corporation, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, July 2011.

Ripper, Eric MLA, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, October 2011.

Submissions in response to the supplementary issues paper

Government submissions

Australian Capital Territory Government, Submission to the GST Distribution Review Supplementary Issues Paper of December 2011, March 2012.

New South Wales Government, Second Submission to the GST Distribution Review, March 2012.

Northern Territory Government, Review of GST Distribution — Northern Territory Government Submission to Supplementary Issues Paper, March 2012.

Queensland Government, Submission to the Review of GST Distribution, August 2012.

South Australian Government, Submission to the GST Distribution Review Panel — Response to Supplementary Issues Paper, March 2012.

Tasmanian Government, GST Distribution Review Submission to the Supplementary Issues Paper, March 2012.

Victorian Government, GST Distribution Review — Victorian Supplementary Submission, March 2012.

Western Australian Government, Submission to GST Distribution Review Supplementary Terms of Reference, March 2012.

Other submissions

Business SA, Submission in relation to the GST Distribution Review Supplementary Issues Paper, March 2012.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA, Submission to the GST Distribution Review Supplementary Issues Paper, February 2012.

Insurance Council of Australia, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS): Funding the Unfunded Commitment, material prepared by Deloitte for the Insurance Council of Australia, April 2012.

McDonald, James, Submission to the GST Distribution Review: Separating Federal Public Goods and State Productivity Dividends, NSW, March 2012.

McDonald, James, A note on the efficiency of Horizontal Fiscal Equalization, NSW, March 2012.

McGowan, Mark MLA, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, April 2012.

Submissions in response to the interim reports

Government submissions

Australian Capital Territory Government, Response to the First and Second Interim Reports [of the GST Distribution Review], July 2012.

Commonwealth Grants Commission, Submission to the GST Distribution Review on its Interim Reports, July 2012.

Government of Norfolk Island, Norfolk Island Government Submission to the GST Distribution Review Second Interim Report, July 2012.

Joint Submission by the States of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia to the GST Distribution Review, August 2012.

New South Wales Government, Third Submission to the GST Distribution Review, August�2012.

Northern Territory Government, Review of GST Distribution — Northern Territory Government Submission to the First and Second Interim Reports, July 2012.

Queensland Government, Submission to the Review of GST Distribution — Supplementary Issues, April 2012.

South Australian Government, Response to the GST Distribution Review Interim Reports, July 2012.

Tasmanian Government, GST Distribution Review — Submission in Response to the First and Second Interim Reports, July 2012.

Victorian Government, Third Submission to the GST Distribution Review, August 2012.

Western Australian Government, GST Distribution Review —Submission in Response to the First and Second Interim Reports, August 2012.

Other submissions

Brohier, Peter, Reconnecting an isolated state, article as it appeared in The Examiner newspaper, 7 July 2012. The article was provided as a submission to the GST Distribution Review.

Buckley, Brian, Submission on Interim Reports of GST Distribution Review, July 2012.

Business Council of Australia, GST Distribution Review — Response to Interim Reports, July 2012.

Chamber of Minerals & Energy of Western Australia, Submission to Review of GST Distribution, July 2012.

Emery, Peter, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, Three Cheers for the Commonwealth Grants Commission, July 2012.

Emery, Peter, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, Some Questions of Consistency, August 2012.

Emery, Peter, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, Has Any Good Case Been Made For Substantial Change to the Current Arrangements, August 2012.

Evans, Michael, Submission on interim reports of GST Distribution Review, July 2012.

FAQ Consulting, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, Darwin, July 2012.

Feng, Lintong, Simpler and More Efficient GST Distribution, July 2012.

Garnaut, Ross, Submission to the GST Distribution Review, July 2012.

Hill, John, The Review Of Horizontal Fiscal Equalisation, 2012.

New South Wales Mineral Council, GST Distribution Review — Supplementary Issues Paper, March 2012.

National Retail Association, The Threshold Question: Economic impact of the low value threshold on the retail industry, Report prepared by Ernst & Young for NRA, July 2012.

Pincus, Jonathan, Summary of a Workshop on the GST Distribution held in Canberra 23�July 2012.

Symposium — list of participants

The Panel conducted a symposium in Sydney in October 2011 to provide an additional opportunity for academics to present their views to the Panel. The Symposium was also attended by a number of observers.

Participants

Dr John Donovan

Mr Peter Emery

Dr Vince FitzGerald

Mr Chris Murphy

Prof Jonathan Pincus

Emeritus Prof Cliff Walsh

Prof Neil Warren

Prof Ross Williams

Observers

Other visits and discussions

During the course of the Review the Panel met with all State Treasurers, several State premiers and the CGC and a number of academics. The Panel also had formal discussions with the following people:

Dr Bruce Cohen

Prof Ross Garnaut (AO)

Mr Ted Evans (AC)

In addition, the Secretary of the Review attended a number of Heads of Treasury meetings to discuss the progress of the Review.

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