Ms LAWRIE - 2014-05-14
Budget 2014-15 confirms you as the highest-taxing Treasurer in the Territory’s history. You are making it harder for Territorians to enter the housing market by cutting the eligibility for the First Home Owner Grant. You are attacking our pensioners by means testing the concession scheme. Your budget blames the Territory’s skyrocketing cost of living on your power price hikes and your increases to motor vehicle registration. Your mates in Canberra will now hit us twice a year with fuel price increases. Your dollar-a-day childcare subsidy does not ease the thousands of dollars’ worth of burdens you are heaping on Territory families and businesses. When will you stop putting your hands in the pockets of Territorians and making it harder for our businesses and families to survive?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the Opposition Leader has no credibility whatsoever on this matter. The premise of the question is wrong. The budget handed down yesterday shaves $1.3bn off the projected debt, saving us $55m per year in interest repayments. It is interesting to hear the former Treasurer ask questions of this nature. I remind people that the former Treasurer projected debt to increase to $5.5bn – a $1.2bn budget deficit was projected for last financial year. This is the same person who left the Northern Territory in such a mess …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Whilst predictable, I will take you back to the question. When will you stop putting your hand into the pockets of Territorians and adding to their cost of living burden? You are the highest-taxing Treasurer in the Territory’s history.
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, it is not a point of order.
Mr TOLLNER: The Opposition Leader knows she created the financial mess the Northern Territory government finds itself in. She is the one reason this government has had to make tough decisions, because of the financial mess left to us. This government has a plan to fix that mess and get out of the financial abyss left to us by the previous government. We are working to fix that mess.
I draw your attention to the Opposition Leader who crows and carries on with, ‘You can’t do this; you can’t do that.’ Not once has the Opposition Leader said, ‘Here’s a better way of doing things; here’s a policy government might want to consider.’ All the Opposition Leader does is complain about our efforts to fix the mess she created.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The Treasurer is refusing to answer the question.
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order, sit down.
Mr TOLLNER: I have finished.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the Opposition Leader has no credibility whatsoever on this matter. The premise of the question is wrong. The budget handed down yesterday shaves $1.3bn off the projected debt, saving us $55m per year in interest repayments. It is interesting to hear the former Treasurer ask questions of this nature. I remind people that the former Treasurer projected debt to increase to $5.5bn – a $1.2bn budget deficit was projected for last financial year. This is the same person who left the Northern Territory in such a mess …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Whilst predictable, I will take you back to the question. When will you stop putting your hand into the pockets of Territorians and adding to their cost of living burden? You are the highest-taxing Treasurer in the Territory’s history.
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, it is not a point of order.
Mr TOLLNER: The Opposition Leader knows she created the financial mess the Northern Territory government finds itself in. She is the one reason this government has had to make tough decisions, because of the financial mess left to us. This government has a plan to fix that mess and get out of the financial abyss left to us by the previous government. We are working to fix that mess.
I draw your attention to the Opposition Leader who crows and carries on with, ‘You can’t do this; you can’t do that.’ Not once has the Opposition Leader said, ‘Here’s a better way of doing things; here’s a policy government might want to consider.’ All the Opposition Leader does is complain about our efforts to fix the mess she created.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The Treasurer is refusing to answer the question.
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order, sit down.
Mr TOLLNER: I have finished.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016