Mr CONLAN - 2015-03-26
Can you please enlighten the House as to why Country Liberals governments always manage to deliver fairer and better budget outcomes than Labor governments?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I think the member for Greatorex for that excellent question. It is a common theme that Liberal, National and Country Liberal governments will always be economically better than Labor governments. That is a fact and is the common thinking. People who visit Australia ask me what parties we have. I say that we have two fundamental parties; one spends the money and the other saves it. One party is good at spending money and the other is good at being responsible.
It is thrilling to see former Treasurer, Barry Coulter, sitting in the gallery today. There is a man who knew frugal behaviour and how to balance a budget, and he did a fantastic job. Through the history of the Territory we saw Country Liberals governments pass budgets over decades which were responsible and delivered for Territorians.
Contrast that with what happens federally. I was very fortunate to be part of the Howard government. When the Howard government came to power it was staring down the barrel of a $100bn debt legacy left to them by the former Hawke and Keating governments. The Hawke and Keating governments would be a breath of fresh air in comparison to the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd governments. Hawke and Keating were seen as good economic managers for the reforms they drove, but as far as living within their means they were not very good.
Mr Howard and Mr Costello attacked the challenge. When they left government 13 years later Australia was in surplus. We had balanced budgets and surpluses, and Australia was in good shape.
Within six short years we saw the destruction of the Labor government after a mad spending spree put us into intergenerational debt. I was reading a commentary in the paper which said for 40 years we will be looking down the barrel of budget deficits, thanks to the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd years.
The upcoming budget in the Territory will again be a typical Country Liberals budget; it will be responsible. We will manage the finances well. Our last couple of budgets are starting to bear fruit and we are getting over the hurdle and hill left by the former Treasurer.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I think the member for Greatorex for that excellent question. It is a common theme that Liberal, National and Country Liberal governments will always be economically better than Labor governments. That is a fact and is the common thinking. People who visit Australia ask me what parties we have. I say that we have two fundamental parties; one spends the money and the other saves it. One party is good at spending money and the other is good at being responsible.
It is thrilling to see former Treasurer, Barry Coulter, sitting in the gallery today. There is a man who knew frugal behaviour and how to balance a budget, and he did a fantastic job. Through the history of the Territory we saw Country Liberals governments pass budgets over decades which were responsible and delivered for Territorians.
Contrast that with what happens federally. I was very fortunate to be part of the Howard government. When the Howard government came to power it was staring down the barrel of a $100bn debt legacy left to them by the former Hawke and Keating governments. The Hawke and Keating governments would be a breath of fresh air in comparison to the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd governments. Hawke and Keating were seen as good economic managers for the reforms they drove, but as far as living within their means they were not very good.
Mr Howard and Mr Costello attacked the challenge. When they left government 13 years later Australia was in surplus. We had balanced budgets and surpluses, and Australia was in good shape.
Within six short years we saw the destruction of the Labor government after a mad spending spree put us into intergenerational debt. I was reading a commentary in the paper which said for 40 years we will be looking down the barrel of budget deficits, thanks to the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd years.
The upcoming budget in the Territory will again be a typical Country Liberals budget; it will be responsible. We will manage the finances well. Our last couple of budgets are starting to bear fruit and we are getting over the hurdle and hill left by the former Treasurer.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016