Ms MARTIN - 2000-10-10
When you became Chief Minister in February last year you told this House: ‘Economic decline leads directly and unavoidably to personal impoverishment, social disorder and government impotence’. According to the ABS trend data, since the member for Brennan became Chief Minister, the NT economy has been in steady decline. Access Economics have confirmed the NT economy is in technical recession. So will the Chief Minister now agree that Territorians are less well off than they were when you got the job and that you now head an impotent government with no solutions to the economic quagmire you have dumped Territorians in?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, before I address the question directly, I will just say that the hypocrisy that the Labor Party brings to this House never ceases to astound me. I listened as the Labor leader brought forward a flurry of activity in order to get prepared for their general business day of motions to be put before this House. Motions, one would have thought, that would have been developed over some time in the interests of parliament as issues arise. But, no. What we have here is a lazy Labor opposition now faced with having to get an agenda organised for their general business day which occurs tomorrow. So in order to do that they bring a flurry of motions to this House the day before that general business day.
Amongst the hypocrisy of those motions which one could address, not the least being the 10-point plan on good governance – which I would suggest the Labor leader herself could begin by stamping on her forehead, ‘I will tell the truth, I will tell the truth’ and not continue to deceive Territorians and then you might start to get to be close to what governance is all about.
Amongst it I noticed they are running the line about a federal inquiry into fuel prices. I am sure we will address that issue tomorrow but I just want to remind honourable members that when the Labor Party huffs and puffs and moralises on the issue of fuel prices, we should remember that it was the Labor Party in Australia which introduced the indexation of fuel. It was the Labor Party, in order to pay their debts, which introduced the indexation of fuel and the impost to the taxpayer. We should never forget that in 1983 when indexation was introduced, the petrol fuel excise was – they do not like to hear this – the petrol fuel excise when it was introduced by a Labor government in 1983 was 6.155 per litre. When the Labor government left office in 1996, the petrol excise was 34 per litre. Now that, to my mind, demonstrates absolutely clearly the hypocrisy of this particular party when they start to talk about where blame should be laid in Australia because of rising fuel prices. Any person with a reasonable assessment of what goes on knows what is the true situation.
Now, with regards to the economy and economic situation of the Northern Territory, I will say simply this, and that is that Access Economics forecast that the Territory economy will grow faster than any other jurisdiction, with an average annual growth of 5.6% over the five years to 2003-04. Access Economics state the growth will be driven by increased oil production, construction of the Darwin to Alice railway and the prospect for a handful of gas mega-projects proceeding and a buoyant tourism outlook.
When the Labor Party talks down the economy of the Northern Territory we should all reflect perhaps on the simple positives of the Northern Territory, and that is, it is the preferred place to live, work and invest. It is the place that Territorians love and it is the place which has a superb future for them and their children. This small jurisdiction of 200 000 people is bringing on two of the largest projects that Australia has ever seen. One is the construction of the great Adelaide to Darwin railway generated, which no-one can dispute, by the CLP government and operatives of the CLP government over many, many years and hindered by the Labor party at every opportunity since in the long period they were in government during the Hawke period. That project is about to occur. That project is about to occur and one can only look bemused at comments from people such as Senator Trish Crossin who would suggest on the eve of signing that it requires another $300m for the project. It just demonstrates how out of touch and how negative this Territory member of the Labor Party is.
Secondly, gas on shore to the Northern Territory is the mega-project that Access Economics rightly points to. If the Leader of the Opposition wants to talk down the Northern Territory economy she might like to try and inform Reuters News Service and others who, as late as – I can’t find the date on this, but certainly in the last day or so, 9 October - reflected on the Sunrise Gas Project, part of the Timor Sea gas venture that would contribute $760m per year to Australia’s exports. The Reuters article said that during the more than 20 year life of the operation about 3400 jobs would be created; the Sunrise developers plan to ship gas from the fields to Darwin in northern Australia to a $1.5bn methanol and syngas plant proposed by Methanex Corporation. I can go on and on.
After the railway, and I would hope shortly, we can announce that gas will be brought onshore to the Northern Territory and we can announce that at last in our history the proximity of the Northern Territory, and of Darwin in particular, will really count, because not only will the transportation links be superb but we will also have cheap energy not only for consumers but also for producers. That will attract manufacturing in all its forms associated with gas and other manufacturing to the Northern Territory.
Mr Speaker, this is the situation that Territorians find themselves in today, and any short term doom and gloom the Leader of the Opposition would purport to bring forward should simply be discounted in the facts of what is the true situation. Certainly, if one wants to point to the economic situation in the Northern Territory, this government stands proudly on its record - not only for the way the Territory is today, but where it will be tomorrow.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, before I address the question directly, I will just say that the hypocrisy that the Labor Party brings to this House never ceases to astound me. I listened as the Labor leader brought forward a flurry of activity in order to get prepared for their general business day of motions to be put before this House. Motions, one would have thought, that would have been developed over some time in the interests of parliament as issues arise. But, no. What we have here is a lazy Labor opposition now faced with having to get an agenda organised for their general business day which occurs tomorrow. So in order to do that they bring a flurry of motions to this House the day before that general business day.
Amongst the hypocrisy of those motions which one could address, not the least being the 10-point plan on good governance – which I would suggest the Labor leader herself could begin by stamping on her forehead, ‘I will tell the truth, I will tell the truth’ and not continue to deceive Territorians and then you might start to get to be close to what governance is all about.
Amongst it I noticed they are running the line about a federal inquiry into fuel prices. I am sure we will address that issue tomorrow but I just want to remind honourable members that when the Labor Party huffs and puffs and moralises on the issue of fuel prices, we should remember that it was the Labor Party in Australia which introduced the indexation of fuel. It was the Labor Party, in order to pay their debts, which introduced the indexation of fuel and the impost to the taxpayer. We should never forget that in 1983 when indexation was introduced, the petrol fuel excise was – they do not like to hear this – the petrol fuel excise when it was introduced by a Labor government in 1983 was 6.155 per litre. When the Labor government left office in 1996, the petrol excise was 34 per litre. Now that, to my mind, demonstrates absolutely clearly the hypocrisy of this particular party when they start to talk about where blame should be laid in Australia because of rising fuel prices. Any person with a reasonable assessment of what goes on knows what is the true situation.
Now, with regards to the economy and economic situation of the Northern Territory, I will say simply this, and that is that Access Economics forecast that the Territory economy will grow faster than any other jurisdiction, with an average annual growth of 5.6% over the five years to 2003-04. Access Economics state the growth will be driven by increased oil production, construction of the Darwin to Alice railway and the prospect for a handful of gas mega-projects proceeding and a buoyant tourism outlook.
When the Labor Party talks down the economy of the Northern Territory we should all reflect perhaps on the simple positives of the Northern Territory, and that is, it is the preferred place to live, work and invest. It is the place that Territorians love and it is the place which has a superb future for them and their children. This small jurisdiction of 200 000 people is bringing on two of the largest projects that Australia has ever seen. One is the construction of the great Adelaide to Darwin railway generated, which no-one can dispute, by the CLP government and operatives of the CLP government over many, many years and hindered by the Labor party at every opportunity since in the long period they were in government during the Hawke period. That project is about to occur. That project is about to occur and one can only look bemused at comments from people such as Senator Trish Crossin who would suggest on the eve of signing that it requires another $300m for the project. It just demonstrates how out of touch and how negative this Territory member of the Labor Party is.
Secondly, gas on shore to the Northern Territory is the mega-project that Access Economics rightly points to. If the Leader of the Opposition wants to talk down the Northern Territory economy she might like to try and inform Reuters News Service and others who, as late as – I can’t find the date on this, but certainly in the last day or so, 9 October - reflected on the Sunrise Gas Project, part of the Timor Sea gas venture that would contribute $760m per year to Australia’s exports. The Reuters article said that during the more than 20 year life of the operation about 3400 jobs would be created; the Sunrise developers plan to ship gas from the fields to Darwin in northern Australia to a $1.5bn methanol and syngas plant proposed by Methanex Corporation. I can go on and on.
After the railway, and I would hope shortly, we can announce that gas will be brought onshore to the Northern Territory and we can announce that at last in our history the proximity of the Northern Territory, and of Darwin in particular, will really count, because not only will the transportation links be superb but we will also have cheap energy not only for consumers but also for producers. That will attract manufacturing in all its forms associated with gas and other manufacturing to the Northern Territory.
Mr Speaker, this is the situation that Territorians find themselves in today, and any short term doom and gloom the Leader of the Opposition would purport to bring forward should simply be discounted in the facts of what is the true situation. Certainly, if one wants to point to the economic situation in the Northern Territory, this government stands proudly on its record - not only for the way the Territory is today, but where it will be tomorrow.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016