Mr ELFERINK - 2000-05-17
I was very intrigued with the question from the Leader of the Opposition and I wish to direct my question to the Treasurer, the appropriate person to receive such questions.
The Labor Party is synonymous with debt elsewhere in this country. On the tail-end of the Labor leader’s question, I would like to know whether the Treasurer agrees with the Opposition Leader’s claim that the project should be funded without any rules?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition before lunch in her response to the budget will have the opportunity to tell Territorians which of the projects the government announced yesterday she would not do, which of the projects she considers are not worthy of proceeding with. Would she not proceed with the Royal Darwin Hospital redevelopment? Would she not proceed with the new Girraween Primary School? Would she take from the students at the Casuarina Street Primary School the extensions to their school that were in the budget yesterday?
The Leader of the Opposition will have the ability today to say what projects she would not proceed with, because that is how you could have a budget without an increase in debt.
The question in relation to debt is not so much that it’s a shock-horror circumstance to go into debt, to borrow money; it is the ability to pay. In asking the question whether we thought those priorities, those initiatives, were worth funding, we asked the next question, which is obviously have we the capacity to pay.
As I indicated in the budget speech yesterday, our interest payments next year will be $20m less than they were in 1996, after we have taken out the additional borrowings. We are taking out additional borrowings because there is a bigger population, there is more activity, there is a need for more services, there is a need for improved infrastructure, and Territorians will get an extra return on the budget and the funding that they perform in the form of their taxes. The budget turns opportunity for Territorians into reality.
In terms of debt, I ask the Leader of the Opposition what she thinks of the former Port Darwin Labor candidate in relation to his position on debt, and he is in the business. Mr Fraser, was the former ALP candidate for the Port Darwin by-election. I think his pre-selection options for the Labor Party in the future may be somewhat diminished. I quote his comments:
We should be actually working with the Northern Territory government in going out there and increasing our capital works, either by releasing some of the cash reserves or by abandoning the stupid debt-free policy so we can do some infrastructure work.
This man has a vision; he wants to do something. That is why he did not fit comfortably with the 7 members opposite. Further he went on to say:
I think the people that are going around at the moment and talking about debt free policy just haven’t got a handle on what a good government is all about.
That is your man. He was your candidate, your best person, he was the best person that you could find to represent you in the Port Darwin by-election - that is his view. You can be very pleased he was not elected because he would be causing a bit of disruption amongst your ranks at the moment.
The Leader of the Opposition interjected in relation to good Labor governments elsewhere who are operating responsibly. You might want to look at what Mr Carr did in June 1999. He went out and borrowed ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: These students are studying politics, give them a good example as to what they can expect from their politicians.
Ms Martin: You should tell the truth.
Mr REED: Have a few manners.
Ms Martin: While they are here, tell the truth.
Mr REED: I am telling the truth and I will table the document. Mr Carr, Labor Premier of New South Wales, in June 1999 borrowed $3.3bn to reduce unfunded government superannuation liabilities. I am not criticising the fact that he did it because obviously he did it in the context of the global circumstances that applied to his budget and the needs of the constituents of New South Wales. That is precisely the way this government responded in structuring the budget for the next financial year and meeting the needs of this financial year as they emerged.
Yesterday at lunchtime, after I delivered the budget in here, I did a presentation to 110 folk to describe the budget - a PowerPoint presentation. I did the same this morning at the MGM Casino with the Chamber of Commerce. Sixty or 70 people attended that breakfast to hear about the budget, including people like Mr Nahan of the Institute of Public Affairs who was on the Channel 8 news last night saying: ‘This is a railway budget; it is going to create jobs’. He was positive about it.
The Police Association was on the news last night appreciative of the fact they were going to get more funding for more police officers and more safety equipment. A construction agency was expressing their appreciation and the value of the budget in terms of the jobs it will create in the construction industry because of the foresight of this government to provide the funding to do it.
The unions, interestingly, were somewhat opposed to it because they’re over there supporting this mob and you will get those circumstances presented to you in the Leader of the Opposition’s presentation today. The Leader of the Opposition will have her chance to say what she would do for Territorians, and what she wouldn’t do in terms of the things that have been done in the last 12 months and the things that will happen into the future in this action budget. This budget will see the Territory provide more jobs for Territorians; it’s going to put $7m a year worth of computer equipment into all of our schools. This will enable kids to pick up the information technology information that they need so that when they enter their employment in the future they will be well equipped and well trained to do so.
It will provide health services second to none: $38m redevelopment of the Royal Darwin Hospital, $30m of redevelopment of the Alice Springs Hospital, and $3.6m to secure the future of Alice Springs with 3600 km2 of land to expand it.
Have a bit of vision, do a bit of work and put some results in place for Territorians.
The Labor Party is synonymous with debt elsewhere in this country. On the tail-end of the Labor leader’s question, I would like to know whether the Treasurer agrees with the Opposition Leader’s claim that the project should be funded without any rules?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition before lunch in her response to the budget will have the opportunity to tell Territorians which of the projects the government announced yesterday she would not do, which of the projects she considers are not worthy of proceeding with. Would she not proceed with the Royal Darwin Hospital redevelopment? Would she not proceed with the new Girraween Primary School? Would she take from the students at the Casuarina Street Primary School the extensions to their school that were in the budget yesterday?
The Leader of the Opposition will have the ability today to say what projects she would not proceed with, because that is how you could have a budget without an increase in debt.
The question in relation to debt is not so much that it’s a shock-horror circumstance to go into debt, to borrow money; it is the ability to pay. In asking the question whether we thought those priorities, those initiatives, were worth funding, we asked the next question, which is obviously have we the capacity to pay.
As I indicated in the budget speech yesterday, our interest payments next year will be $20m less than they were in 1996, after we have taken out the additional borrowings. We are taking out additional borrowings because there is a bigger population, there is more activity, there is a need for more services, there is a need for improved infrastructure, and Territorians will get an extra return on the budget and the funding that they perform in the form of their taxes. The budget turns opportunity for Territorians into reality.
In terms of debt, I ask the Leader of the Opposition what she thinks of the former Port Darwin Labor candidate in relation to his position on debt, and he is in the business. Mr Fraser, was the former ALP candidate for the Port Darwin by-election. I think his pre-selection options for the Labor Party in the future may be somewhat diminished. I quote his comments:
We should be actually working with the Northern Territory government in going out there and increasing our capital works, either by releasing some of the cash reserves or by abandoning the stupid debt-free policy so we can do some infrastructure work.
This man has a vision; he wants to do something. That is why he did not fit comfortably with the 7 members opposite. Further he went on to say:
I think the people that are going around at the moment and talking about debt free policy just haven’t got a handle on what a good government is all about.
That is your man. He was your candidate, your best person, he was the best person that you could find to represent you in the Port Darwin by-election - that is his view. You can be very pleased he was not elected because he would be causing a bit of disruption amongst your ranks at the moment.
The Leader of the Opposition interjected in relation to good Labor governments elsewhere who are operating responsibly. You might want to look at what Mr Carr did in June 1999. He went out and borrowed ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: These students are studying politics, give them a good example as to what they can expect from their politicians.
Ms Martin: You should tell the truth.
Mr REED: Have a few manners.
Ms Martin: While they are here, tell the truth.
Mr REED: I am telling the truth and I will table the document. Mr Carr, Labor Premier of New South Wales, in June 1999 borrowed $3.3bn to reduce unfunded government superannuation liabilities. I am not criticising the fact that he did it because obviously he did it in the context of the global circumstances that applied to his budget and the needs of the constituents of New South Wales. That is precisely the way this government responded in structuring the budget for the next financial year and meeting the needs of this financial year as they emerged.
Yesterday at lunchtime, after I delivered the budget in here, I did a presentation to 110 folk to describe the budget - a PowerPoint presentation. I did the same this morning at the MGM Casino with the Chamber of Commerce. Sixty or 70 people attended that breakfast to hear about the budget, including people like Mr Nahan of the Institute of Public Affairs who was on the Channel 8 news last night saying: ‘This is a railway budget; it is going to create jobs’. He was positive about it.
The Police Association was on the news last night appreciative of the fact they were going to get more funding for more police officers and more safety equipment. A construction agency was expressing their appreciation and the value of the budget in terms of the jobs it will create in the construction industry because of the foresight of this government to provide the funding to do it.
The unions, interestingly, were somewhat opposed to it because they’re over there supporting this mob and you will get those circumstances presented to you in the Leader of the Opposition’s presentation today. The Leader of the Opposition will have her chance to say what she would do for Territorians, and what she wouldn’t do in terms of the things that have been done in the last 12 months and the things that will happen into the future in this action budget. This budget will see the Territory provide more jobs for Territorians; it’s going to put $7m a year worth of computer equipment into all of our schools. This will enable kids to pick up the information technology information that they need so that when they enter their employment in the future they will be well equipped and well trained to do so.
It will provide health services second to none: $38m redevelopment of the Royal Darwin Hospital, $30m of redevelopment of the Alice Springs Hospital, and $3.6m to secure the future of Alice Springs with 3600 km2 of land to expand it.
Have a bit of vision, do a bit of work and put some results in place for Territorians.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016