Schipp Steps Forward
The Sun Herald
Saturday June 5, 1993
EX-HOUSING Minister Joe Schipp-who threatened to be "a thorn in the side"of the Government when sacked from Cabinet-will get his chance next week when he appears before the Parliamentary committee into the HomeFund mortgage scheme.
Mr Schipp has been catapulted to the head of witnesses, with ex-Premier Nick Greiner and Labor's former Housing Minister Frank Walker, to get the committee off with a bang.
Independent MP and committee chairman John Hatton has told members he wants to make Mr Schipp a priority witness to give the committee credibility and show it is not a "political sop" to the public disquiet over HomeFund.
The committee, which has to report by September, will meet this week to make a decision on the new order.
Meantime, the AMP Society has warned that time is running out for its proposal to refinance the HomeFund scheme which would cut high mortgage rates by a third.
Low income borrowers groaning under the weight of HomeFund fixed interest rates as high as 15.9 per cent would benefit by a cut to 9.25pc under the AMP scheme.
The State Government has been evaluating the proposal for nearly six weeks although Cabinet could consider the issue this week.
© 1993 The Sun Herald