Ms FINOCCHIARO - 2014-05-13
Housing is one of the single biggest contributors to the high cost of living in the Northern Territory. What measures are in Budget 2014-15 to ensure we continue to drive down the cost of housing?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her question. It is good to hear a question about the Northern Territory, policy, programs and what we are doing to meet the needs of Territorians.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 68. This anticipates debate before the House.
Mr ELFERINK: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker, there is no debate before the House because the bill has not been introduced.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
Ms LAWRIE: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker, it is on the Notice Paper and we have been given notice of introduction.
Madam SPEAKER: No, it is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: Anybody who is anybody would have seen the news on Sunday with us talking about the amount of money we will spend on land release in the Northern Territory. Anybody who is anybody will know that eleven-and-a-half years of the former Labor government left us with not only a debt legacy of $5.5bn, but a legacy of not enough houses, not enough supply to meet demand in the Northern Territory.
Anybody who is anybody will know we have spent the last two years trying to reframe the budget, to get the deficit under control as we move towards a fiscal imbalance, to get the forecast debt level of $5.5bn worth of debt back under control.
That is why this budget is so important today and why the Country Liberals are proud to deliver a budget which builds a future for the Northern Territory. It builds a future for our children and puts forward 6500 blocks of land to meet the needs of Territory families, to ease the squeeze of cost of living pressures too many Territory families have succumbed to. This is because of neglect by the former Labor government, particularly the Leader of the Opposition, who was the Treasurer, Lands and Planning minister, Transport and Infrastructure minister and did not do enough for the Northern Territory.
We are spending around $135m on new land release, commercial and residential, across the Northern Territory, including in our regional towns - $84m just on residential.
The other day we announced $44.9m for 6500 new blocks of lands in locations such as Palmerston north - or Litchfield North as we might like to call it - looking at new areas, new development and new blocks of land. There is no doubt the opposition is a mile behind on this. It was behind when in government, when the Leader of the Opposition was the Treasurer, the Lands and Planning minister, the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, and it is still behind.
I will tell you how far behind the opposition is and how much it cares about the cost of living, housing and land release. It cares so much that the member for Johnston has been made the shadow minister. That is how much it cares. If Labor cared about land release and cost of living pressures, it would give the portfolio to a shadow minister with some credentials, who could stand up and have a proper, articulate conversation in this Chamber.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Instead of attacking another member of parliament, is there any good news in the budget for Territorians?
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order, sit down.
Mr GILES: The most auspicious spend on land release ever in the Territory’s history - $135m on land release. The Country Liberals are driving down the cost of living in the Northern Territory.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Madam SPEAKER: I acknowledge and welcome in the gallery a former member of parliament and Deputy Chief Minister, Hon Syd Stirling, accompanied by Jenny Djerrkura.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her question. It is good to hear a question about the Northern Territory, policy, programs and what we are doing to meet the needs of Territorians.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 68. This anticipates debate before the House.
Mr ELFERINK: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker, there is no debate before the House because the bill has not been introduced.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
Ms LAWRIE: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker, it is on the Notice Paper and we have been given notice of introduction.
Madam SPEAKER: No, it is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: Anybody who is anybody would have seen the news on Sunday with us talking about the amount of money we will spend on land release in the Northern Territory. Anybody who is anybody will know that eleven-and-a-half years of the former Labor government left us with not only a debt legacy of $5.5bn, but a legacy of not enough houses, not enough supply to meet demand in the Northern Territory.
Anybody who is anybody will know we have spent the last two years trying to reframe the budget, to get the deficit under control as we move towards a fiscal imbalance, to get the forecast debt level of $5.5bn worth of debt back under control.
That is why this budget is so important today and why the Country Liberals are proud to deliver a budget which builds a future for the Northern Territory. It builds a future for our children and puts forward 6500 blocks of land to meet the needs of Territory families, to ease the squeeze of cost of living pressures too many Territory families have succumbed to. This is because of neglect by the former Labor government, particularly the Leader of the Opposition, who was the Treasurer, Lands and Planning minister, Transport and Infrastructure minister and did not do enough for the Northern Territory.
We are spending around $135m on new land release, commercial and residential, across the Northern Territory, including in our regional towns - $84m just on residential.
The other day we announced $44.9m for 6500 new blocks of lands in locations such as Palmerston north - or Litchfield North as we might like to call it - looking at new areas, new development and new blocks of land. There is no doubt the opposition is a mile behind on this. It was behind when in government, when the Leader of the Opposition was the Treasurer, the Lands and Planning minister, the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, and it is still behind.
I will tell you how far behind the opposition is and how much it cares about the cost of living, housing and land release. It cares so much that the member for Johnston has been made the shadow minister. That is how much it cares. If Labor cared about land release and cost of living pressures, it would give the portfolio to a shadow minister with some credentials, who could stand up and have a proper, articulate conversation in this Chamber.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Instead of attacking another member of parliament, is there any good news in the budget for Territorians?
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order, sit down.
Mr GILES: The most auspicious spend on land release ever in the Territory’s history - $135m on land release. The Country Liberals are driving down the cost of living in the Northern Territory.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
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Distinguished Visitors
Hon Syd Stirling
Distinguished Visitors
Hon Syd Stirling
Madam SPEAKER: I acknowledge and welcome in the gallery a former member of parliament and Deputy Chief Minister, Hon Syd Stirling, accompanied by Jenny Djerrkura.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016