Mr KURRUPUWU - 2012-11-01
Can the minister update the House on the recent extension of the Animal Welfare Branch in the Department of Local Government, and what impact that extension has had on the government budget decision?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, a very good question. He noted yesterday that I presented legislation into this House around animal welfare management.
In November 2011, in the NT government response to Recommendation 14 by the previous parliament’s Council of Territory Cooperation investigation into the Mataranka Station cattle issue, which the former government bungled, the government said:
The then minister for Local Government, who was also minister for Tourism, Indigenous Development and FACS, got all those things wrong. She said during the second reading debate on animal welfare on 2 May 2012 - legislation which was never passed by the government, that is how much it cared about animal welfare - I quote from Hansard:
Is that true? I can tell the House they put on an extra eight-and-a-half full-time equivalent positions created in the department to investigate and, if necessary, prosecute animal abuse and neglect claims.
The member asked what impact this had on the budget. It blew a huge hole in the budget because none of those supposed increased resources, as promised by the former minister for Local Government, the former member for Arnhem, were funded. Not a single dollar was provided for any of it. Those eight-and-a-half positions and associated operational costs totalled $891 552 and had to be absorbed by the department within the existing budget.
I will not go on with the other expenses, such as the $300 000 spent on prosecutions, or the $40 000 for animal welfare week - how to look after animals etcetera. I will not talk about any of that; I will reflect on our Treasurer’s comments about poor fiscal management.
One of the important things to note is the blowout in public service employees over a five-year period under the previous government. This graph almost looks like the man who climbs the ladder on the TV show you would know. Over that five-year period, the public service grew from 16 170 to 20 000. That is a 24% increase as opposed to a 16.3% increase in population growth in the Northern Territory.
The previous government was blowing out costs to a point where the new government does not have the money to do the job so it has to cut costs.
That is why we hold up our triple D credit rating - debt, deficit and Delia. That is what this government has to deal with - debt, deficit and Delia. I am trying to fix animal welfare.
Madam SPEAKER: Please be seated, minister. Your time has expired!
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The bully boys got their pathetic stunt in by holding up their little posters.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, a very good question. He noted yesterday that I presented legislation into this House around animal welfare management.
In November 2011, in the NT government response to Recommendation 14 by the previous parliament’s Council of Territory Cooperation investigation into the Mataranka Station cattle issue, which the former government bungled, the government said:
- Significant additional resources have been allocated to the Animal Welfare Branch (Department of Housing, Local Government and Regional Services).
The then minister for Local Government, who was also minister for Tourism, Indigenous Development and FACS, got all those things wrong. She said during the second reading debate on animal welfare on 2 May 2012 - legislation which was never passed by the government, that is how much it cared about animal welfare - I quote from Hansard:
- Members are aware that government has previously committed significant additional resource allocation to the Animal Welfare Unit ...
Is that true? I can tell the House they put on an extra eight-and-a-half full-time equivalent positions created in the department to investigate and, if necessary, prosecute animal abuse and neglect claims.
The member asked what impact this had on the budget. It blew a huge hole in the budget because none of those supposed increased resources, as promised by the former minister for Local Government, the former member for Arnhem, were funded. Not a single dollar was provided for any of it. Those eight-and-a-half positions and associated operational costs totalled $891 552 and had to be absorbed by the department within the existing budget.
I will not go on with the other expenses, such as the $300 000 spent on prosecutions, or the $40 000 for animal welfare week - how to look after animals etcetera. I will not talk about any of that; I will reflect on our Treasurer’s comments about poor fiscal management.
One of the important things to note is the blowout in public service employees over a five-year period under the previous government. This graph almost looks like the man who climbs the ladder on the TV show you would know. Over that five-year period, the public service grew from 16 170 to 20 000. That is a 24% increase as opposed to a 16.3% increase in population growth in the Northern Territory.
The previous government was blowing out costs to a point where the new government does not have the money to do the job so it has to cut costs.
That is why we hold up our triple D credit rating - debt, deficit and Delia. That is what this government has to deal with - debt, deficit and Delia. I am trying to fix animal welfare.
Madam SPEAKER: Please be seated, minister. Your time has expired!
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The bully boys got their pathetic stunt in by holding up their little posters.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016