Mr ELFERINK - 1998-04-30
According to the Leader of the Opposition, the imposition of increased charges in the budget will cost Territorian families $1000 over the next 3 years. I seek clarification from the Treasurer. Is this indeed the case, or is it simply that the opposition cannot add up?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, not only are they unable to add up, but they are too stodgy to stand up. The Leader of the Opposition was so keen to pursue the government in Question Time that she could not even get to her feet in time to ask a question.
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Treasurer's opening comment has absolutely nothing to do with the question. It is a personal reflection on myself. I object to it. I ask that you request him to withdraw it and get on with the answer.
Madam SPEAKER: Treasurer, you should not reflect on members in the Chamber. You should simply answer the question. Please give your answer.
Mr REED: Madam Speaker, I will reflect on the incompetence of the Leader of the Opposition in mathematics. She has been painstakingly careful to ensure that the treasury spokesman on the opposition benches does not say anything about the budget. He has not been allowed to speak on radio or make any comment to the print media. He has not appeared on television. She has taken the running herself. The concern expressed by the member for MacDonnell relates to comments made by her in her budget response yesterday. At page 3 of her speech, she said that the budget 'will cost the typical family an additional $1000 between now and the next Territory election for the bare essentials, water and power'. Of course, she has a bit of a problem. She is talking about a period of 3 years, as demonstrated at page 16 of her budget response. The problem is that her calculation depends on a 4-year figure. She has had to fudge her own figures for blatantly political purposes.
The fact is that, as a consequence of the increases, Territorians will pay about $3.60 per week more or $187 a year. That increase will commence from 1 July 1998. Therefore, the cost of the revenue measures, in the years leading upto the next election, would total about $623, not $1000. However, let us be generous and use the Leader of the Opposition's guesstimate of $255 a year. Using her figures, the total cost of the increased rates would be about $850 between July 1998 and the next election - not even close to $1000. She is talking in terms of 3 years and multiplying in terms of 4 years. She cannot even rely on her own figures. I suggest she return the job of responding on the budget to the shadow treasurer, because she is making an appalling mess of it.
We went to extraordinary lengths with the budget documents this year to help the members opposite - even the Leader of the Opposition. I know she is intimidated by thick books and, therefore, as I said yesterday, we have given her a skinny summary. She can look at a skinny book and not feel intimidated by it. We went further than that. To assist her when she refers to the budget documents, we put a code on the spine of each budget paper. With the help of that code, when she needs to refer to, say, Budget Paper No 2, all she needs to do is raise her fingers, 1, 2, compare that with the yellow bars on the spines of the papers and pick the one that is marked accordingly. That has been done to make it easy for her. However, she lacks the capacity to multiply by 3. She does it by 4. She has had to fudge her own figures ...
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Unfortunately, the Treasurer seems incapable of answering questions in any other way than by slagging off at the opposition for about three-quarters of his answer. I ask you to direct him to answer the question and then sit down.
Madam SPEAKER: Treasurer, continue to answer the question.
Mr REED: Madam Speaker, I believe my remarks have been relevant to the question inasmuch as they have clearly demonstrated the inability of the Leader of the Opposition to use both the budget figures and her own figures. She has quoted incorrect figures and ...
Mr Bailey: Whose budget papers are wrong? Is it because you stuffed up?
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Wanguri.
Mr REED: She quoted an incorrect figure of $1000. It is only about $623. Why can't she focus on the financial year ahead of us, the subject of this budget, instead of trying not only to misinterpret the
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budget figures but also to fudge her own figures to make her own position look better. She should be honest with Territorians. She is misleading them, but they are alert to that. Members opposite should be ashamed of themselves.
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ANSWER
Madam Speaker, not only are they unable to add up, but they are too stodgy to stand up. The Leader of the Opposition was so keen to pursue the government in Question Time that she could not even get to her feet in time to ask a question.
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Treasurer's opening comment has absolutely nothing to do with the question. It is a personal reflection on myself. I object to it. I ask that you request him to withdraw it and get on with the answer.
Madam SPEAKER: Treasurer, you should not reflect on members in the Chamber. You should simply answer the question. Please give your answer.
Mr REED: Madam Speaker, I will reflect on the incompetence of the Leader of the Opposition in mathematics. She has been painstakingly careful to ensure that the treasury spokesman on the opposition benches does not say anything about the budget. He has not been allowed to speak on radio or make any comment to the print media. He has not appeared on television. She has taken the running herself. The concern expressed by the member for MacDonnell relates to comments made by her in her budget response yesterday. At page 3 of her speech, she said that the budget 'will cost the typical family an additional $1000 between now and the next Territory election for the bare essentials, water and power'. Of course, she has a bit of a problem. She is talking about a period of 3 years, as demonstrated at page 16 of her budget response. The problem is that her calculation depends on a 4-year figure. She has had to fudge her own figures for blatantly political purposes.
The fact is that, as a consequence of the increases, Territorians will pay about $3.60 per week more or $187 a year. That increase will commence from 1 July 1998. Therefore, the cost of the revenue measures, in the years leading upto the next election, would total about $623, not $1000. However, let us be generous and use the Leader of the Opposition's guesstimate of $255 a year. Using her figures, the total cost of the increased rates would be about $850 between July 1998 and the next election - not even close to $1000. She is talking in terms of 3 years and multiplying in terms of 4 years. She cannot even rely on her own figures. I suggest she return the job of responding on the budget to the shadow treasurer, because she is making an appalling mess of it.
We went to extraordinary lengths with the budget documents this year to help the members opposite - even the Leader of the Opposition. I know she is intimidated by thick books and, therefore, as I said yesterday, we have given her a skinny summary. She can look at a skinny book and not feel intimidated by it. We went further than that. To assist her when she refers to the budget documents, we put a code on the spine of each budget paper. With the help of that code, when she needs to refer to, say, Budget Paper No 2, all she needs to do is raise her fingers, 1, 2, compare that with the yellow bars on the spines of the papers and pick the one that is marked accordingly. That has been done to make it easy for her. However, she lacks the capacity to multiply by 3. She does it by 4. She has had to fudge her own figures ...
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Unfortunately, the Treasurer seems incapable of answering questions in any other way than by slagging off at the opposition for about three-quarters of his answer. I ask you to direct him to answer the question and then sit down.
Madam SPEAKER: Treasurer, continue to answer the question.
Mr REED: Madam Speaker, I believe my remarks have been relevant to the question inasmuch as they have clearly demonstrated the inability of the Leader of the Opposition to use both the budget figures and her own figures. She has quoted incorrect figures and ...
Mr Bailey: Whose budget papers are wrong? Is it because you stuffed up?
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Wanguri.
Mr REED: She quoted an incorrect figure of $1000. It is only about $623. Why can't she focus on the financial year ahead of us, the subject of this budget, instead of trying not only to misinterpret the
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budget figures but also to fudge her own figures to make her own position look better. She should be honest with Territorians. She is misleading them, but they are alert to that. Members opposite should be ashamed of themselves.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016