Mr LUGG - 1999-04-28
Labor Opposition’s federal master has been in town trying to inject some substance into members opposite. Did the Chief Minister hear Barry Jones accusing the government of favouring its supporters, and I wonder if he has any comment on that?
ANSWER
Mr BURKE: Mr Barry Jones did say this government favours its supporters, and can I say, I think this is excellent advice. This is superb advice coming from a former Pick-a-Box champion, and a renowned Australian, and it shows the degree of excellent advice that he’s giving to the Labor opposition. We favour our supporters, and our supporters are Territorians, and if you want to put out a glossy brochure that says that we favour supporters around all the homes in the Northern Territory, you do it, we’ll pay for it, because we’re extremely proud of the government.
We favour our supporters, and our supporters are Territorians, and they’ve continued to support us over many, many years in many, many elections, and the reason they support us is because we don’t take them for granted. We appreciate the support we get from Territorians, and we appreciate the fact that we have the honour to be in government, and we also know that the day we don’t deliver for Territorians is the day they will throw us out of government, and we keep that issue firmly in our mind.
Can I say that, if it means raising a level of debt in the Northern Territory in order to build the roads, infrastructure and amenities for Territorians, we will do it. We will do it to ensure that Territorians enjoy, and continue to enjoy, the lifestyle that this CLP government has delivered over many, many years.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr BURKE: For any Labor leader to go to the media or stand in this House and have the unabashed hide to talk about debt, I find it just quite amazing.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Territorians might be interested to know that, to this day, in South Australia, South Australians begin their working day knowing that every day it costs them $2m per day to pay off the debt that was left to do them by the Bannon Labor government. This is the sort of debt that Labor governments around Australia have run up. Uncontrolled debt, caused by uncontrolled promises, and these are the sorts of promises that the Labor Leader opposite is trying to run out now.
Someone who can completely dismiss any thoughts of privatisation or building a private sector in the Northern Territory. Talk about keeping everything the way it is, talk about more and more spending, and not the slightest inkling as to how she would manage to achieve that, without running debt to the same sorts of levels that were run in other governments around Australia. I’d be interested in listening to her response to the budget presentation, because I want to hear something about policy. I want to hear about how you would do it, because it’s very easy to sit on that side of the House and criticise. But what we want to hear is how you would deliver on the sorts of promises you’ve made in the media.
I’ll tell you how they’ll do it. She’ll come from the Joan Kirner school of a social security-led development, that’s the way it will happen. You’ll be pandering to a social security mob and you’ll run this place into debt ...
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr BURKE: ...without ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Chief Minister has the floor.
Mr BURKE: It’s worth reflecting on the track record of Labor governments around Australia. As I said, the Bannon government in South Australia - to this day South Australians pay $2m. Fancy going to work every day, knowing that you’re going to have to work until lunchtime just to meet your bit of a South Australian government debt that’s been delivered to you by a Labor government that was thrown out around about 1993. That’s the extent they ran that place into debt.
In Western Australia, the Brian Burke and Carmen Lawrence Labor governments, ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr BURKE: They’re financial ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! You’ve said that, you don’t have to repeat yourself.
Mr Lugg: You’re never going to be in charge of ...
Mr Bailey: Mr Speaker, he said it twice already...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would you resume your seat, please?
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: In Western Australia, the Brian Burke and Carmen Lawrence Labor governments financial dealings led to the WA Inc investigation ...
Mr Bailey: Is this a ministerial statement, or a question?
Mr BURKE: ... investigating $30m that went awry and, conservatively, Western Australians believe they’ve lost up to $812m through dealings.
The Treasurer referred to the Victorian government under Joan Kirner, and in 1992 The Australian reported that financial disasters under the former Victorian Labor Government cost taxpayers $4000m. The Kirner government was investigated by a Senate inquiry on its $1.26b breach of borrowing guidelines.
And we all know about our former federal Labor government, where it has been estimated by the Business Council of Australia that, during their term in government, the living standard in Australia dropped by at least 13%. This hasn’t and won’t happen under a CLP government. Sure there are levels of debt, but there are levels of debt that even Access Economics believe are understandable, given the particular situation we have in the Northern Territory and, most importantly, we have a good capacity to repay on that debt, and our revenue earnings are predicted by Access Economics to be growing at something like 9% on their own estimates.
ANSWER
Mr BURKE: Mr Barry Jones did say this government favours its supporters, and can I say, I think this is excellent advice. This is superb advice coming from a former Pick-a-Box champion, and a renowned Australian, and it shows the degree of excellent advice that he’s giving to the Labor opposition. We favour our supporters, and our supporters are Territorians, and if you want to put out a glossy brochure that says that we favour supporters around all the homes in the Northern Territory, you do it, we’ll pay for it, because we’re extremely proud of the government.
We favour our supporters, and our supporters are Territorians, and they’ve continued to support us over many, many years in many, many elections, and the reason they support us is because we don’t take them for granted. We appreciate the support we get from Territorians, and we appreciate the fact that we have the honour to be in government, and we also know that the day we don’t deliver for Territorians is the day they will throw us out of government, and we keep that issue firmly in our mind.
Can I say that, if it means raising a level of debt in the Northern Territory in order to build the roads, infrastructure and amenities for Territorians, we will do it. We will do it to ensure that Territorians enjoy, and continue to enjoy, the lifestyle that this CLP government has delivered over many, many years.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr BURKE: For any Labor leader to go to the media or stand in this House and have the unabashed hide to talk about debt, I find it just quite amazing.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Territorians might be interested to know that, to this day, in South Australia, South Australians begin their working day knowing that every day it costs them $2m per day to pay off the debt that was left to do them by the Bannon Labor government. This is the sort of debt that Labor governments around Australia have run up. Uncontrolled debt, caused by uncontrolled promises, and these are the sorts of promises that the Labor Leader opposite is trying to run out now.
Someone who can completely dismiss any thoughts of privatisation or building a private sector in the Northern Territory. Talk about keeping everything the way it is, talk about more and more spending, and not the slightest inkling as to how she would manage to achieve that, without running debt to the same sorts of levels that were run in other governments around Australia. I’d be interested in listening to her response to the budget presentation, because I want to hear something about policy. I want to hear about how you would do it, because it’s very easy to sit on that side of the House and criticise. But what we want to hear is how you would deliver on the sorts of promises you’ve made in the media.
I’ll tell you how they’ll do it. She’ll come from the Joan Kirner school of a social security-led development, that’s the way it will happen. You’ll be pandering to a social security mob and you’ll run this place into debt ...
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr BURKE: ...without ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Chief Minister has the floor.
Mr BURKE: It’s worth reflecting on the track record of Labor governments around Australia. As I said, the Bannon government in South Australia - to this day South Australians pay $2m. Fancy going to work every day, knowing that you’re going to have to work until lunchtime just to meet your bit of a South Australian government debt that’s been delivered to you by a Labor government that was thrown out around about 1993. That’s the extent they ran that place into debt.
In Western Australia, the Brian Burke and Carmen Lawrence Labor governments, ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr BURKE: They’re financial ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! You’ve said that, you don’t have to repeat yourself.
Mr Lugg: You’re never going to be in charge of ...
Mr Bailey: Mr Speaker, he said it twice already...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would you resume your seat, please?
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: In Western Australia, the Brian Burke and Carmen Lawrence Labor governments financial dealings led to the WA Inc investigation ...
Mr Bailey: Is this a ministerial statement, or a question?
Mr BURKE: ... investigating $30m that went awry and, conservatively, Western Australians believe they’ve lost up to $812m through dealings.
The Treasurer referred to the Victorian government under Joan Kirner, and in 1992 The Australian reported that financial disasters under the former Victorian Labor Government cost taxpayers $4000m. The Kirner government was investigated by a Senate inquiry on its $1.26b breach of borrowing guidelines.
And we all know about our former federal Labor government, where it has been estimated by the Business Council of Australia that, during their term in government, the living standard in Australia dropped by at least 13%. This hasn’t and won’t happen under a CLP government. Sure there are levels of debt, but there are levels of debt that even Access Economics believe are understandable, given the particular situation we have in the Northern Territory and, most importantly, we have a good capacity to repay on that debt, and our revenue earnings are predicted by Access Economics to be growing at something like 9% on their own estimates.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016