Valuer-General

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:10): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Treasurer a question regarding the Office of the Valuer-General.

Leave granted.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: A constituent has contacted me saying that, for the first time in 20 years, the Valuer-General has issued a landowner's return: a demand that he disclose all commercially relevant information about his commercial property, or face a $2,500 fine. The constituent says that the Valuer-General only recently revalued his property with a 10 per cent increase in the past year and he fears that this landowner's return will be used to extract even more revenue from commercial property owners.

My question to the Treasurer is: have all commercial property owners been issued with a landowner's return, and will this be an annual event? What is the purpose of the landowner's return? Is this another attempt to generate more revenue from landowners already struggling under the weight of land tax? How many commercial property owners have been issued with a $2,500 fine for noncompliance?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:11): I am happy to take the honourable member's question on notice and refer it to the responsible minister. The Valuer-General, under a previous government, did report to the treasurer but the Valuer-General now reports to minister Knoll. So I will take advice through minister Knoll's department.

What I would highlight for the benefit of the honourable member is that, irrespective of which particular minister they report to, the Valuer-General is a completely independent office in relation to his or her practices in terms of valuation. That is, neither the treasurer in a past life, or indeed minister Knoll, is in a position to be able to direct the Valuer-General in relation to valuation practices and procedures. Of course, we also have the added complication with the former government's privatisation of the Lands Titles Office and the potential overlap between the Valuer-General's role and that privatisation as well.

With all those caveats, I will take the honourable member's questions on notice and refer them to the appropriate minister, who will then need to refer them to the independent Valuer-General, and bring back a reply to the member.