Ms LAWRIE - 2013-05-14
You promised to cut debt, but the budget the Treasurer is about to announce increases nett debt by over $1.1bn. According to the budget papers you are about to hand down this financial year, nett debt is $3.2bn. Next year you are increasing debt to $4.41bn. That is an increase of 35%. Why are you increasing debt by record amounts when you have promised to cut it?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. As you know, we are not going to go into any deliberations about the budget that will be presented at 11.05 am ...
Ms Lawrie: But it is budget day.
Mr GILES: You can wait until the budget comes down at 11.05 am. I am very interested in seeing where you got your rubbery figures from. One of the important points to note is that as we framed this budget our key consideration was how we could reduce your debt legacy of $5.5bn. It is a key theme of the conversation on this side of the Chamber – the $1.2bn deficit you framed for us. In conjunction with the previous new era in corrections that saw $550m for the new prison, a new era in corrections which has seen prison populations increase to 131% of capacity, an absolutely shameful point ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Relevance, 113. The question is: why is the government increasing debt by 35%: $1.1bn?
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, please be seated, there is no point of order.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, we will not be answering questions about the budget which is about to be presented. You were anticipating, in the forward estimates, a $5.5bn debt. I guarantee our debt will not be more than $5.5bn; it will be less. You left us with the legacy of $5.5bn worth of debt. You set us up with a $1.2bn deficit because we had to incorporate your new era in corrections, a prison that supported a system which sees capacity in our gaols at 131%. You talk about how you were supporting Territorians, but all you were doing was locking them up.
Look at SIHIP; I will go back to that old chestnut. This program was supposed to deliver bedrooms and houses for kids across the Northern Territory but there was a reduction in the bedroom numbers. You had $1.8bn and you reduced bedroom numbers. The only place you were housing people in the Northern Territory was in gaol, and you left us with a $5.5bn debt.
If you want to understand what is going to happen in our budget, wait until 11.05 am when the Treasurer hands it down. I guarantee you we will not have a $5.5bn debt.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. As you know, we are not going to go into any deliberations about the budget that will be presented at 11.05 am ...
Ms Lawrie: But it is budget day.
Mr GILES: You can wait until the budget comes down at 11.05 am. I am very interested in seeing where you got your rubbery figures from. One of the important points to note is that as we framed this budget our key consideration was how we could reduce your debt legacy of $5.5bn. It is a key theme of the conversation on this side of the Chamber – the $1.2bn deficit you framed for us. In conjunction with the previous new era in corrections that saw $550m for the new prison, a new era in corrections which has seen prison populations increase to 131% of capacity, an absolutely shameful point ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Relevance, 113. The question is: why is the government increasing debt by 35%: $1.1bn?
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, please be seated, there is no point of order.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, we will not be answering questions about the budget which is about to be presented. You were anticipating, in the forward estimates, a $5.5bn debt. I guarantee our debt will not be more than $5.5bn; it will be less. You left us with the legacy of $5.5bn worth of debt. You set us up with a $1.2bn deficit because we had to incorporate your new era in corrections, a prison that supported a system which sees capacity in our gaols at 131%. You talk about how you were supporting Territorians, but all you were doing was locking them up.
Look at SIHIP; I will go back to that old chestnut. This program was supposed to deliver bedrooms and houses for kids across the Northern Territory but there was a reduction in the bedroom numbers. You had $1.8bn and you reduced bedroom numbers. The only place you were housing people in the Northern Territory was in gaol, and you left us with a $5.5bn debt.
If you want to understand what is going to happen in our budget, wait until 11.05 am when the Treasurer hands it down. I guarantee you we will not have a $5.5bn debt.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016