Mr AH KIT - 2001-05-31
Last financial year, the Territory had zero economic growth, the worst performance in Australia. In the period since then, the Territory continued to experience Australia’s worst downturn in construction, in part due to the disastrous effects of the GST. Chief Minister, your do-nothing approach saw more than half, or $208m, of the capital works program for last year not spent. Why didn’t you put the Territory first and fast track projects right at the very time they were needed for the construction industry and Territory jobs?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, if the member for Arnhem was remotely aware of the circumstances that surrounded the Territory over the last 12 months he would understand that, first, the downturn the Northern Territory experienced was similar to downturns right across Australia and, in fact, around the world ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Arnhem has asked a question. Please let’s hear the answer.
Mr BURKE: ... exacerbated by factors that were predictable in many respects. The construction industry, which was booming prior to the introduction of the GST, was particularly affected by the introduction of the GST. Hopefully, we are just starting to come out of that particular trough. We have ensured the capital works program has been adequate to meet the Northern Territory’s needs. We should not forget that during this period we were pursuing the signing of the railway with the expectation that the railway would commence and alleviate some of the hurt that was out there. The results of our efforts are plain to see. You now have a Northern Territory economy that is not as reliant on government initiatives as it was in the past. We have seen about $300m worth of work projected into Mitchell Street alone and that is primarily private sector money.
Ms Martin: You pulled back capital works.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: You can whinge and whine all you like but the proof is in the pudding with railway construction starting.
The proof is in the pudding when my colleague, the member for Nelson, goes out to the pubs and talks to his mates out there and all they are talking about is oil and gas and jobs and opportunities. If you look around Mitchell Street and other places, you will see that construction of major projects that are privately funded is about to start. We have a great future in front of us and I hope we, as the CLP government, have the privilege of remaining in power and taking Territorians on to greater and bigger things.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, if the member for Arnhem was remotely aware of the circumstances that surrounded the Territory over the last 12 months he would understand that, first, the downturn the Northern Territory experienced was similar to downturns right across Australia and, in fact, around the world ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Arnhem has asked a question. Please let’s hear the answer.
Mr BURKE: ... exacerbated by factors that were predictable in many respects. The construction industry, which was booming prior to the introduction of the GST, was particularly affected by the introduction of the GST. Hopefully, we are just starting to come out of that particular trough. We have ensured the capital works program has been adequate to meet the Northern Territory’s needs. We should not forget that during this period we were pursuing the signing of the railway with the expectation that the railway would commence and alleviate some of the hurt that was out there. The results of our efforts are plain to see. You now have a Northern Territory economy that is not as reliant on government initiatives as it was in the past. We have seen about $300m worth of work projected into Mitchell Street alone and that is primarily private sector money.
Ms Martin: You pulled back capital works.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: You can whinge and whine all you like but the proof is in the pudding with railway construction starting.
The proof is in the pudding when my colleague, the member for Nelson, goes out to the pubs and talks to his mates out there and all they are talking about is oil and gas and jobs and opportunities. If you look around Mitchell Street and other places, you will see that construction of major projects that are privately funded is about to start. We have a great future in front of us and I hope we, as the CLP government, have the privilege of remaining in power and taking Territorians on to greater and bigger things.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016