Mr ELFERINK - 1999-04-29
I have listened with fascination to what the Chief Minister has had to say in relation to the Leader of the Opposition’s budget reply. I would like to hear what the Treasurer has to say about it.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it’s interesting that the Leader of the Opposition should chuckle at such a question. Two days in a row now in these sittings, she has made parliamentary history. In the first instance, on Tuesday when the budget was delivered, there was not one question from the opposition to the Treasurer about what the budget may contain or what they thought it should contain. They are the ones who are trying to project what they would do for Territorians so that they might win government. But they have no ability to look to the future, have a plan of their own, or project their views and their policies to Territorians.
Then we heard an appalling presentation by the Leader of the Opposition, speaking for some time but saying nothing. On half a dozen or so occasions, I think, she made reference to a $20m inclusion in the budget for flowerpots at Parliament House, an upgrade at Parliament House. That was quite outrageous, she claimed. She went so far as to say that that money should be spent on hospitals.
That’s another demonstration that she cannot read what’s in the budget books. She has no idea of how to comprehend the information provided to her. Perhaps we’ve given her too much. We should give her an Enid Blyton storybook tale next budget - a publication especially for the Leader of the Opposition, so that she might understand it. We’ll give it to her in cartoon form. She might be able to take to that a little better.
There is nothing in the budget about $20m for improvements to Parliament House that we can divert, as she suggests, to health. There’s nothing even in the forward works estimates. It’s a complete myth. It is quite odious for her to suggest to Territorians that it is there. And, of course, she conveniently overlooks that the only money being spent on building alterations in this parliament has been in the Leader of the Opposition’s office. She is concerned that her office isn’t big enough, so she’s spending taxpayers’ money to upgrade her office, make it bigger and make it more comfortable. That’s where any money that’s been spent in Parliament House goes to - into upgrading your office. Be honest with Territorians and let them know exactly what is going on. Don’t try to tell them that there’s $20m for an upgrade in Parliament House in the budget when in fact there isn’t.
Let’s get on to another couple of points. Yesterday, she was suggesting that the budget should have reduced revenue, the income to government, but at the same time we should have been spending more in different areas of government. That, clearly, is how she, on her own, without the confidence of her colleagues, is going to run government if she’s ever lucky enough to get into government. She’s going to send the place broke. At the same time she’s saying spend more money, she’s saying collect less taxes, reduce charges so we’ll have a smaller income. If that isn’t the road to financial ruin and bankruptcy for Territorians, please explain to me what is.
I’d also like the Leader of the Opposition, while she is proposing to spend more money, to tell us what she’s going to stop doing if she wins government so that she can divert resources to those areas where she wants to spend more money. Is she going to downgrade the quality of our schools, which are recognised as the best in the country? How many defence people do you speak to who have been transferred up here from down south and are surprised when they go to our schools and the see the number of computers? They see schools that are only a few years old, yet more are coming out of the ground to meet the needs of the increasing student numbers. When they get here, they are surprised at the quality of services, not only in schools but also in sporting facilities.
Are you going to build fewer sporting facilities? Are you going to stop the government’s long-term projects for improving sporting facilities for Territorians? Are you going to reduce services to people in remote areas? Where is the Leader of the Opposition going to save the money so that she can spend it in other areas at the same time that she’s getting less income?
On payroll tax, she gave us unequivocal evidence yesterday that she cannot understand the budget papers. She told this House that there was a vast increase, $6m, in income from payroll tax. On that point she was correct. But where she falls over, and where she is deceitful with Territorians, is that that income will come from the changes to the payroll tax that will be introduced in legislative form later today. She made assumptions, rather than looking at the information that’s provided to her in the budget papers, as to why the income is increasing. It’s increasing, of course, because we have a stronger economy. More people are working, so more tax is paid. It’s growth of taxes, not new or expanded taxes.
The other thing, of course, that she dwelt on yesterday was this long, sad song that she’s now developing and trying, again quite deceitfully, to project as true when it’s totally false - high unemployment figures in the Northern Territory. That is absolutely untruthful, totally deceitful. What I want the Leader of the Opposition to tell Territorians is this: If you don’t believe the ABS …
Mr TOYNE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! This is Question Time. This guy gets a chance to reply at the end of the budget debate.
Mr SPEAKER: There is no point of order. It was a fairly broad question and I’m allowing some leeway in the answer because of that. But I ask the minister to wind up the answer as quickly as possible.
Mr REED: I understand why the member for Stuart wouldn’t want the Opposition Leader, his boss, embarrassed.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: Oh, you’re embarrassed! You’d better make an apology for her.
The Leader of the Opposition cannot tell Territorians that unemployment is not the lowest in the Australia when, in fact, it is. Territory unemployment is measured on the same basis and by the same formula as it is in all other jurisdictions in this country, and you all should be proud of it. I want the Leader of the Opposition to tell Territorians this: If she doesn’t accept the ABS figures for unemployment in the Territory, does she also reject the ABS figures for population growth? Are all these people who have moved to the Northern Territory, the folks out at Robertson Barracks, the personnel at RAAF base Tindal, just a myth? Actually there’s no one in those uniforms. That’s what’s she trying to tell Territorians.
The ABS says our population has grown nearly 2% over the last year. If she rejects that, she’s going to have even less money in any budget she might make up, because that’s what funding from the Commonwealth through the Grants Commission is based on in part - population growth. She has to accept the unemployment figures if she’s going to accept the population growth figures, just as she would have to accept the wonderful growth in development in the Northern Territory and the growth of our economy, which has also been well ahead in the country.
If they did fall over the line one day and happen to get into government, they would find one vast difference from what all other new governments have experienced elsewhere in this country. They wouldn’t have to mend the economy. They wouldn’t have to put in place a financial recovery program, because this government has been able to build up strong financial resources - money in the bank. This government has the capability to meet its debt repayments because it has a debt management program that is responsible. If they were ever lucky enough to get into government, they wouldn’t need a debt repair program like Kennett did we he got in after the Labor Party in Victoria. This government has an excellent record of financial management that they’d inherit in that unlikely event.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it’s interesting that the Leader of the Opposition should chuckle at such a question. Two days in a row now in these sittings, she has made parliamentary history. In the first instance, on Tuesday when the budget was delivered, there was not one question from the opposition to the Treasurer about what the budget may contain or what they thought it should contain. They are the ones who are trying to project what they would do for Territorians so that they might win government. But they have no ability to look to the future, have a plan of their own, or project their views and their policies to Territorians.
Then we heard an appalling presentation by the Leader of the Opposition, speaking for some time but saying nothing. On half a dozen or so occasions, I think, she made reference to a $20m inclusion in the budget for flowerpots at Parliament House, an upgrade at Parliament House. That was quite outrageous, she claimed. She went so far as to say that that money should be spent on hospitals.
That’s another demonstration that she cannot read what’s in the budget books. She has no idea of how to comprehend the information provided to her. Perhaps we’ve given her too much. We should give her an Enid Blyton storybook tale next budget - a publication especially for the Leader of the Opposition, so that she might understand it. We’ll give it to her in cartoon form. She might be able to take to that a little better.
There is nothing in the budget about $20m for improvements to Parliament House that we can divert, as she suggests, to health. There’s nothing even in the forward works estimates. It’s a complete myth. It is quite odious for her to suggest to Territorians that it is there. And, of course, she conveniently overlooks that the only money being spent on building alterations in this parliament has been in the Leader of the Opposition’s office. She is concerned that her office isn’t big enough, so she’s spending taxpayers’ money to upgrade her office, make it bigger and make it more comfortable. That’s where any money that’s been spent in Parliament House goes to - into upgrading your office. Be honest with Territorians and let them know exactly what is going on. Don’t try to tell them that there’s $20m for an upgrade in Parliament House in the budget when in fact there isn’t.
Let’s get on to another couple of points. Yesterday, she was suggesting that the budget should have reduced revenue, the income to government, but at the same time we should have been spending more in different areas of government. That, clearly, is how she, on her own, without the confidence of her colleagues, is going to run government if she’s ever lucky enough to get into government. She’s going to send the place broke. At the same time she’s saying spend more money, she’s saying collect less taxes, reduce charges so we’ll have a smaller income. If that isn’t the road to financial ruin and bankruptcy for Territorians, please explain to me what is.
I’d also like the Leader of the Opposition, while she is proposing to spend more money, to tell us what she’s going to stop doing if she wins government so that she can divert resources to those areas where she wants to spend more money. Is she going to downgrade the quality of our schools, which are recognised as the best in the country? How many defence people do you speak to who have been transferred up here from down south and are surprised when they go to our schools and the see the number of computers? They see schools that are only a few years old, yet more are coming out of the ground to meet the needs of the increasing student numbers. When they get here, they are surprised at the quality of services, not only in schools but also in sporting facilities.
Are you going to build fewer sporting facilities? Are you going to stop the government’s long-term projects for improving sporting facilities for Territorians? Are you going to reduce services to people in remote areas? Where is the Leader of the Opposition going to save the money so that she can spend it in other areas at the same time that she’s getting less income?
On payroll tax, she gave us unequivocal evidence yesterday that she cannot understand the budget papers. She told this House that there was a vast increase, $6m, in income from payroll tax. On that point she was correct. But where she falls over, and where she is deceitful with Territorians, is that that income will come from the changes to the payroll tax that will be introduced in legislative form later today. She made assumptions, rather than looking at the information that’s provided to her in the budget papers, as to why the income is increasing. It’s increasing, of course, because we have a stronger economy. More people are working, so more tax is paid. It’s growth of taxes, not new or expanded taxes.
The other thing, of course, that she dwelt on yesterday was this long, sad song that she’s now developing and trying, again quite deceitfully, to project as true when it’s totally false - high unemployment figures in the Northern Territory. That is absolutely untruthful, totally deceitful. What I want the Leader of the Opposition to tell Territorians is this: If you don’t believe the ABS …
Mr TOYNE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! This is Question Time. This guy gets a chance to reply at the end of the budget debate.
Mr SPEAKER: There is no point of order. It was a fairly broad question and I’m allowing some leeway in the answer because of that. But I ask the minister to wind up the answer as quickly as possible.
Mr REED: I understand why the member for Stuart wouldn’t want the Opposition Leader, his boss, embarrassed.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: Oh, you’re embarrassed! You’d better make an apology for her.
The Leader of the Opposition cannot tell Territorians that unemployment is not the lowest in the Australia when, in fact, it is. Territory unemployment is measured on the same basis and by the same formula as it is in all other jurisdictions in this country, and you all should be proud of it. I want the Leader of the Opposition to tell Territorians this: If she doesn’t accept the ABS figures for unemployment in the Territory, does she also reject the ABS figures for population growth? Are all these people who have moved to the Northern Territory, the folks out at Robertson Barracks, the personnel at RAAF base Tindal, just a myth? Actually there’s no one in those uniforms. That’s what’s she trying to tell Territorians.
The ABS says our population has grown nearly 2% over the last year. If she rejects that, she’s going to have even less money in any budget she might make up, because that’s what funding from the Commonwealth through the Grants Commission is based on in part - population growth. She has to accept the unemployment figures if she’s going to accept the population growth figures, just as she would have to accept the wonderful growth in development in the Northern Territory and the growth of our economy, which has also been well ahead in the country.
If they did fall over the line one day and happen to get into government, they would find one vast difference from what all other new governments have experienced elsewhere in this country. They wouldn’t have to mend the economy. They wouldn’t have to put in place a financial recovery program, because this government has been able to build up strong financial resources - money in the bank. This government has the capability to meet its debt repayments because it has a debt management program that is responsible. If they were ever lucky enough to get into government, they wouldn’t need a debt repair program like Kennett did we he got in after the Labor Party in Victoria. This government has an excellent record of financial management that they’d inherit in that unlikely event.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016