Mr ADAMSON - 1997-02-25
I remind honourable members that, last week, the Leader of the Opposition did her shopping and came back claiming that she was paying too much for 31 of 57 items. I gained the impression that, if I had the Leader of the Opposition do my shopping, I would be broke within a month. I believe a similar situation would pertain if she had charge of the Treasury.
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Has the Chief Minister any advice for Territorians about the high prices that the Leader of the Opposition is paying for her shopping in Darwin?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I have a simple message for Territorians: you could not trust the Leader of the Opposition to do your shopping. If you could not trust her to do the shopping, you could not trust her to run the economy.
Mr Bailey: When was the last time you did yours?
Mr STONE: For the benefit of the member for Wanguri, I am about to take him through this shopping list. I became a little interested in this since I do much of the shopping for my household. Territorians who see me at Rainbow or Coles or Woolworths would know that I do the shopping for my household.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr STONE: I do not shop at those bourgeois boutique places that the member for FannieBay goes to. She is from the champagne socialist set. You will not find her at Malak or Casuarina. She will be at Parap or Fannie Bay, where she should stay.
I looked at the television news coverage of what the Leader of the Opposition did. She is pretty clever, because she tried to trick Territorians again. She relied on ABS figures. I wondered why she did not talk about particular prices. It did not gel with me. I am sure that anyone who does the shopping for their household would have realised that the figures that the Leader of the Opposition was pushing forward to Territorians were a little odd. She cannot be trusted to do the shopping, and I am about to demonstrate why.
One of the ABS figures related to rump steak. I think she had it down at $12.39 a kilo. If she had gone to Rainbow, she could have bought it for $4.99 a kilo. If she had shopped at Coles, she could have bought it for $6.49 a kilo.
Mr Bell: It must be a while since you have bought rump steak, Shane.
Mr STONE: The member for MacDonnell probably does not do any of the shopping for his household. He would not know ...
Mr Bell: I know how to cook rump steak, and I don't pay $5 a kilo for it.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: If you are not paying $5 a kilo, you are a mug. If you look at any of the material that comes through your letterbox, you will find that you can buy quality rump steak for $4.99 a kilo.
Members interjecting.
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Mr STONE: I know members opposite want to interrupt. They do not want me to put this across to the people listening ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is too much interjection from the opposition benches. I ask them to refrain and hear the Chief Minister in reasonable silence.
Mr STONE: They do not want this story told because they have been caught out.
Mr Bailey: What are the specials in Sydney or Melbourne?
Mr STONE: I am not talking about Sydney or Melbourne. I am talking about what you can buy in the Territory if you shop around. In running the story the way she did, the Leader of the Opposition was either duplicitous or incompetent. I am starting to believe that she is probably both.
Let us move off the rump steak. I have already demonstrated that it can be bought for half to one-third the price she quoted and I do not believe ...
Mr Bailey: What about the pork barrel?
Mr STONE: The member for Wanguri thinks this is a great joke.
Mr Bailey: No. We are talking about comparative ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wanguri will have an opportunity to ask questions later.
Mr STONE: Obviously, the member for Wanguri does not do the shopping in his household. If he did, he would not have allowed his leader to go on television and run this misleading line that created the impression that Territorians were paying far more than they actually do. It is ironic that members opposite refer continually to ABS figures ...
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr STONE: If the member for Nhulunbuy will be quiet, I will give other examples. The Leader of the Opposition was telling us that we pay $1.78 a kilo for carrots. However, I found them for 88c a kilo. I do not know where she is doing her shopping, but she is plainly wrong.
Mr Bailey: So you run all over the place and get your specials. Who could shop like that?
Mr STONE: Most ordinary Territorians shop like that. That is the problem that members opposite ...
Members interjecting.
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Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Chief Minister will please resume his seat. I have tolerated sufficient interjection from the member for Wanguri this morning and I will take no more. He is on a warning.
Mr STONE: I am sure the member for Nelson shops around. I am sure that she would know where the specials are to be found. I think that most ordinary Territorians take the time to look for the specials. Many of the supermarkets are located close to one another. Instead of trying to scare people and undermine the business community in the Territory, could the Leader of the Opposition not be just a little positive? There is a whole series of examples here. Whether you are talking about sliced cheese, canned fruit or strawberry jam, all of her prices were 2 and 3 times what people are actually paying ...
Mr Toyne: No.
Mr STONE: The member for Stuart says no. I wonder whether he does the shopping and whether he makes the comparisons. If members opposite all believe so firmly that the Leader of the Opposition's figures are right, they are as incompetent as she is. It really does demonstrate, not only that Territorians should not trust them to do the shopping, but also that they certainly should not trust them to run the economy. Anybody who wants to peruse the sort of shopping information that comes through their letterbox will know the truth about the price of everything, from meat to bread through to light beer. The Leader of the Opposition's price for super-strength beer, and these were stubbies, was $30.68 per carton of 24. Yet most people who drink beer know that it can be bought for between $24 and $27 a slab. That goes simply to show how out of touch she is with what ordinary Territorians are doing and what they are paying. If she intends to go on television and pull those sorts of stunts, at least she should tell Territorians the truth. If she means to rely on ABS figures, she should at least take the time to run around the supermarkets and satisfy herself that those figures are accurate. Clearly, these were not accurate.
The other thing that the Leader of the Opposition did not do - it was left to a reporter to do it - was to identify the products for which Territory prices are cheaper. Very conveniently, the Leader of the Opposition made no mention of that.
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Has the Chief Minister any advice for Territorians about the high prices that the Leader of the Opposition is paying for her shopping in Darwin?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I have a simple message for Territorians: you could not trust the Leader of the Opposition to do your shopping. If you could not trust her to do the shopping, you could not trust her to run the economy.
Mr Bailey: When was the last time you did yours?
Mr STONE: For the benefit of the member for Wanguri, I am about to take him through this shopping list. I became a little interested in this since I do much of the shopping for my household. Territorians who see me at Rainbow or Coles or Woolworths would know that I do the shopping for my household.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr STONE: I do not shop at those bourgeois boutique places that the member for FannieBay goes to. She is from the champagne socialist set. You will not find her at Malak or Casuarina. She will be at Parap or Fannie Bay, where she should stay.
I looked at the television news coverage of what the Leader of the Opposition did. She is pretty clever, because she tried to trick Territorians again. She relied on ABS figures. I wondered why she did not talk about particular prices. It did not gel with me. I am sure that anyone who does the shopping for their household would have realised that the figures that the Leader of the Opposition was pushing forward to Territorians were a little odd. She cannot be trusted to do the shopping, and I am about to demonstrate why.
One of the ABS figures related to rump steak. I think she had it down at $12.39 a kilo. If she had gone to Rainbow, she could have bought it for $4.99 a kilo. If she had shopped at Coles, she could have bought it for $6.49 a kilo.
Mr Bell: It must be a while since you have bought rump steak, Shane.
Mr STONE: The member for MacDonnell probably does not do any of the shopping for his household. He would not know ...
Mr Bell: I know how to cook rump steak, and I don't pay $5 a kilo for it.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: If you are not paying $5 a kilo, you are a mug. If you look at any of the material that comes through your letterbox, you will find that you can buy quality rump steak for $4.99 a kilo.
Members interjecting.
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Mr STONE: I know members opposite want to interrupt. They do not want me to put this across to the people listening ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is too much interjection from the opposition benches. I ask them to refrain and hear the Chief Minister in reasonable silence.
Mr STONE: They do not want this story told because they have been caught out.
Mr Bailey: What are the specials in Sydney or Melbourne?
Mr STONE: I am not talking about Sydney or Melbourne. I am talking about what you can buy in the Territory if you shop around. In running the story the way she did, the Leader of the Opposition was either duplicitous or incompetent. I am starting to believe that she is probably both.
Let us move off the rump steak. I have already demonstrated that it can be bought for half to one-third the price she quoted and I do not believe ...
Mr Bailey: What about the pork barrel?
Mr STONE: The member for Wanguri thinks this is a great joke.
Mr Bailey: No. We are talking about comparative ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wanguri will have an opportunity to ask questions later.
Mr STONE: Obviously, the member for Wanguri does not do the shopping in his household. If he did, he would not have allowed his leader to go on television and run this misleading line that created the impression that Territorians were paying far more than they actually do. It is ironic that members opposite refer continually to ABS figures ...
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr STONE: If the member for Nhulunbuy will be quiet, I will give other examples. The Leader of the Opposition was telling us that we pay $1.78 a kilo for carrots. However, I found them for 88c a kilo. I do not know where she is doing her shopping, but she is plainly wrong.
Mr Bailey: So you run all over the place and get your specials. Who could shop like that?
Mr STONE: Most ordinary Territorians shop like that. That is the problem that members opposite ...
Members interjecting.
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Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Chief Minister will please resume his seat. I have tolerated sufficient interjection from the member for Wanguri this morning and I will take no more. He is on a warning.
Mr STONE: I am sure the member for Nelson shops around. I am sure that she would know where the specials are to be found. I think that most ordinary Territorians take the time to look for the specials. Many of the supermarkets are located close to one another. Instead of trying to scare people and undermine the business community in the Territory, could the Leader of the Opposition not be just a little positive? There is a whole series of examples here. Whether you are talking about sliced cheese, canned fruit or strawberry jam, all of her prices were 2 and 3 times what people are actually paying ...
Mr Toyne: No.
Mr STONE: The member for Stuart says no. I wonder whether he does the shopping and whether he makes the comparisons. If members opposite all believe so firmly that the Leader of the Opposition's figures are right, they are as incompetent as she is. It really does demonstrate, not only that Territorians should not trust them to do the shopping, but also that they certainly should not trust them to run the economy. Anybody who wants to peruse the sort of shopping information that comes through their letterbox will know the truth about the price of everything, from meat to bread through to light beer. The Leader of the Opposition's price for super-strength beer, and these were stubbies, was $30.68 per carton of 24. Yet most people who drink beer know that it can be bought for between $24 and $27 a slab. That goes simply to show how out of touch she is with what ordinary Territorians are doing and what they are paying. If she intends to go on television and pull those sorts of stunts, at least she should tell Territorians the truth. If she means to rely on ABS figures, she should at least take the time to run around the supermarkets and satisfy herself that those figures are accurate. Clearly, these were not accurate.
The other thing that the Leader of the Opposition did not do - it was left to a reporter to do it - was to identify the products for which Territory prices are cheaper. Very conveniently, the Leader of the Opposition made no mention of that.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016