Mrs BRAHAM - 1994-06-28
I refer the Treasurer to comments made in recent months by the Territory's federal Labor representatives, Senator Bob Collins and Hon Warren Snowdon. It seems that Senator Collins has thrown his not inconsiderable weight behind the Northern Territory economy and has begun to claim credit for its excellent state because of the 80 in the dollar that
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the federal government gives the Northern Territory. Do Senator Collins and Mr Snowdon deserve most of the credit for the state of the Territory economy?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, if ever there was an example that Senator Collins had lost touch with Northern Territorians, it was in the following statement which he made in an interview recently: 'I will be very interested to see the Territory budget brought down tomorrow because I will be extremely interested to see how you intend to spend our money'. It is not his money. Although he goes to Canberra because he is a Senator, it does not mean that it is his money. If ever there was an example of his having lost touch with reality, it is that statement. In his haste to be associated with a winner - that is, the Territory economy - I believe Senator Collins is suffering from delusions of grandeur.
What Senator Collins was really saying was that it is pretty good that Canberra departments are reporting that the Northern Territory has been the best performing economy over a 10-year period and that the Evatt Foundation agrees with that and says that the Northern Territory is the only government which has presented its budget in the proper format. In fact, Senator Collins said that before the IPA gave the Territory 8 out of 10 for this budget. He decided that he had better get on top of this by telling people exactly what he and Warren had been doing in Canberra to prop up the Territory budget and by saying that it was 'our money' - that is, Canberra's money. It is not Canberra's money. It is money that all Australians give.
Members interjecting.
Mr Bell: A subtle distinction.
Mr COULTER: To use the word 'our' was deliberate on his part. He was very possessive. He said that it is 'our' money - that is, the federal government's money - but it is not.
I have said before that Territorians should not feel ashamed about the 80 in the dollar which the Territory receives from the federal coffers because Territorians produce more per capita than the rest of Australia. Indeed, I have said many times that northern Australia, which includes Queensland, Western Australian and the Northern Territory, produces about 29% of Australia's total export wealth. To unlock that wealth ...
A member: You are going backwards.
Mr COULTER: You are going backwards. You really have a problem. You have not learnt a thing.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr COULTER: The fact is that those figures are correct. Together with Western Australia and Queensland, Northern Territorians produce more than any other part of Australia. We should bear in mind that less than a million people produce 29% of Australia's total export wealth. Therefore, we should not feel ashamed. However, if members opposite want us to feel ashamed that we receive 80 in the dollar, they should remember that the figures for the other states are fairly high too. The figure is 55
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to 60 for some other states. We have no reason to feel ashamed. However, let me continue ...
Mr Ede: That is not the issue.
Mr COULTER: It is. I think that you feel ashamed about it.
Mr Ede: If you feel ashamed, you can. That is not the issue. It is a matter of spending it properly.
Mr COULTER: We were talking about the $1132m of Commonwealth funding contained in the budget. Senator Collins said that that was another indication that the federal Labor members for the Territory, Warren Snowdon and himself, had delivered. What did they say when, in one fell swoop, about $44m was removed from the capital grants? Do they want to claim the credit for that as well? They claimed that we would lose $50m under Fightback, but do they want to claim credit for the $44m that has been removed?
I have been visiting federal Treasurers for years. I have spoken to 4 different Treasurers - Keating, Kerin, Dawkins and Willis. When I have walked through the door with Treasury officers, I do not recall a federal Treasurer ever telling me not to worry about a particular matter because Warren Snowdon and Bob Collins had been to see him and sorted out any problems. I do not recall that ever happening, but the Chief Minister may be able to help me out in that regard.
Mr Ede: When I have been down there, I have never heard them say anything about you either.
Mr COULTER: How many times have you been?
Mr Ede: I travel down there a couple of times a year.
Mr COULTER: Did you happen to speak to Mr Willis about obtaining a few lines in the statement that was released at the last Premiers Conference?
Mr Ede: No, that is all their own work! They are capable of doing that.
Mr Stone: Did they confuse you with Brian Burke too?
Mr COULTER: Yes, they thought that he was from Western Australia. He had Susan Bradley travel down ahead saying, 'Three cheers for Brian Burke'.
Not once do I recall a Treasurer ever making any comment. That is not to say that our federal members do not ensure that they get particular projects up, but where were they when the $44m was cut peremptorily? They want to be on the band wagon because the Territory economy is performing well.
In a radio interview during the election, Senator Collins said that per capita funding was not the way to go in the Northern Territory. That shot the Leader of the Opposition's argument down in flames - so he was a big help! He was a help when Jamie Gallacher would not allow the press to speak to the man from Sydney who came here to rubbish the government. Jamie had to go home for 4 days with the flu, and Senator Collins's staffers took over the campaign for the Leader of the Opposition.
Mr Ede: What are you talking about?
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Mr COULTER: Mr Johnson came here and Jamie Gallacher went home crook for 4 days because he could not answer questions from the press as to where the man from Sydney was. He had 4 days off during the middle of your campaign. You do not remember that?
Mr Ede: He had pneumonia!
Mr COULTER: He had pneumonia all right! He had a problem breathing because you had hold of his throat. That was all his problem was.
Mr Ede: You have your foot in yours!
Mr COULTER: That reminds me of the time when the member for Barkly stood as an independent in her electorate and missed out by 39 votes. That was followed by a by-election because Mr Hallett was not an Australian citizen and the Leader of the Opposition turned up on her doorstep saying that he would be her campaign manager. She missed out by about 90 votes that time.
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr EDE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! This has nothing whatsoever to do with the question that was asked of the Treasurer. We want to get on with Question Time. Please ask the Treasurer to wind up.
Mr SPEAKER: There is no point of order, but opposition members' interjections are creating a problem in that the minister is responding to them. I ask members opposite to avoid interjections so that we can get through Question Time much more quickly. I ask the Treasurer to wind up his answer as soon as possible.
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the federal government gives the Northern Territory. Do Senator Collins and Mr Snowdon deserve most of the credit for the state of the Territory economy?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, if ever there was an example that Senator Collins had lost touch with Northern Territorians, it was in the following statement which he made in an interview recently: 'I will be very interested to see the Territory budget brought down tomorrow because I will be extremely interested to see how you intend to spend our money'. It is not his money. Although he goes to Canberra because he is a Senator, it does not mean that it is his money. If ever there was an example of his having lost touch with reality, it is that statement. In his haste to be associated with a winner - that is, the Territory economy - I believe Senator Collins is suffering from delusions of grandeur.
What Senator Collins was really saying was that it is pretty good that Canberra departments are reporting that the Northern Territory has been the best performing economy over a 10-year period and that the Evatt Foundation agrees with that and says that the Northern Territory is the only government which has presented its budget in the proper format. In fact, Senator Collins said that before the IPA gave the Territory 8 out of 10 for this budget. He decided that he had better get on top of this by telling people exactly what he and Warren had been doing in Canberra to prop up the Territory budget and by saying that it was 'our money' - that is, Canberra's money. It is not Canberra's money. It is money that all Australians give.
Members interjecting.
Mr Bell: A subtle distinction.
Mr COULTER: To use the word 'our' was deliberate on his part. He was very possessive. He said that it is 'our' money - that is, the federal government's money - but it is not.
I have said before that Territorians should not feel ashamed about the 80 in the dollar which the Territory receives from the federal coffers because Territorians produce more per capita than the rest of Australia. Indeed, I have said many times that northern Australia, which includes Queensland, Western Australian and the Northern Territory, produces about 29% of Australia's total export wealth. To unlock that wealth ...
A member: You are going backwards.
Mr COULTER: You are going backwards. You really have a problem. You have not learnt a thing.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr COULTER: The fact is that those figures are correct. Together with Western Australia and Queensland, Northern Territorians produce more than any other part of Australia. We should bear in mind that less than a million people produce 29% of Australia's total export wealth. Therefore, we should not feel ashamed. However, if members opposite want us to feel ashamed that we receive 80 in the dollar, they should remember that the figures for the other states are fairly high too. The figure is 55
Page 10
to 60 for some other states. We have no reason to feel ashamed. However, let me continue ...
Mr Ede: That is not the issue.
Mr COULTER: It is. I think that you feel ashamed about it.
Mr Ede: If you feel ashamed, you can. That is not the issue. It is a matter of spending it properly.
Mr COULTER: We were talking about the $1132m of Commonwealth funding contained in the budget. Senator Collins said that that was another indication that the federal Labor members for the Territory, Warren Snowdon and himself, had delivered. What did they say when, in one fell swoop, about $44m was removed from the capital grants? Do they want to claim the credit for that as well? They claimed that we would lose $50m under Fightback, but do they want to claim credit for the $44m that has been removed?
I have been visiting federal Treasurers for years. I have spoken to 4 different Treasurers - Keating, Kerin, Dawkins and Willis. When I have walked through the door with Treasury officers, I do not recall a federal Treasurer ever telling me not to worry about a particular matter because Warren Snowdon and Bob Collins had been to see him and sorted out any problems. I do not recall that ever happening, but the Chief Minister may be able to help me out in that regard.
Mr Ede: When I have been down there, I have never heard them say anything about you either.
Mr COULTER: How many times have you been?
Mr Ede: I travel down there a couple of times a year.
Mr COULTER: Did you happen to speak to Mr Willis about obtaining a few lines in the statement that was released at the last Premiers Conference?
Mr Ede: No, that is all their own work! They are capable of doing that.
Mr Stone: Did they confuse you with Brian Burke too?
Mr COULTER: Yes, they thought that he was from Western Australia. He had Susan Bradley travel down ahead saying, 'Three cheers for Brian Burke'.
Not once do I recall a Treasurer ever making any comment. That is not to say that our federal members do not ensure that they get particular projects up, but where were they when the $44m was cut peremptorily? They want to be on the band wagon because the Territory economy is performing well.
In a radio interview during the election, Senator Collins said that per capita funding was not the way to go in the Northern Territory. That shot the Leader of the Opposition's argument down in flames - so he was a big help! He was a help when Jamie Gallacher would not allow the press to speak to the man from Sydney who came here to rubbish the government. Jamie had to go home for 4 days with the flu, and Senator Collins's staffers took over the campaign for the Leader of the Opposition.
Mr Ede: What are you talking about?
Page 11
Mr COULTER: Mr Johnson came here and Jamie Gallacher went home crook for 4 days because he could not answer questions from the press as to where the man from Sydney was. He had 4 days off during the middle of your campaign. You do not remember that?
Mr Ede: He had pneumonia!
Mr COULTER: He had pneumonia all right! He had a problem breathing because you had hold of his throat. That was all his problem was.
Mr Ede: You have your foot in yours!
Mr COULTER: That reminds me of the time when the member for Barkly stood as an independent in her electorate and missed out by 39 votes. That was followed by a by-election because Mr Hallett was not an Australian citizen and the Leader of the Opposition turned up on her doorstep saying that he would be her campaign manager. She missed out by about 90 votes that time.
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr EDE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! This has nothing whatsoever to do with the question that was asked of the Treasurer. We want to get on with Question Time. Please ask the Treasurer to wind up.
Mr SPEAKER: There is no point of order, but opposition members' interjections are creating a problem in that the minister is responding to them. I ask members opposite to avoid interjections so that we can get through Question Time much more quickly. I ask the Treasurer to wind up his answer as soon as possible.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016