Mr BURKE - 2001-11-29
My question is in relation to the latest Yellow Pages Index which I am sure she has read and I am sure she has found alarming. In November’s Yellow Pages Business Index for small and medium enterprises, it identifies a major crash in the business confidence and its prospects for the next 12 months from 43% to 36%, to be precise. What responsibility does the Chief Minister and Treasurer take for this decline in confidence?
ANSWER
I thank the Opposition Leader for his question. Let me say, as a new government after nearly 27 years of the previous administration, that I am not really surprised that business would be having a think about the new government. I am disappointed, of course, that the figures are not better. But, if you put those figures in context, we are still the fourth most supported government across Australia. If you compare those figures, quite properly, with the others in the business index, what you will see is that we have a positive rating, whereas there are governments like New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia that have negative ratings. It is important to put it in context but that does not diminish the fact that, as a new government, we are disappointed. I notice that this survey was taken up to the beginning of November, so taken over those last two weeks of October.
To put that further in context, there have been some extraordinarily difficult circumstances that this government has faced since we came to office just three months ago. The first impact for us was discovering that there was left to Territorians a very large hole in the budget that had been disguised by the previous administration. $12m they admitted to. What was it? Well over $100m. An absolute deceit on Territorians, an absolute deceit. So this is a new government coming into office, after 26 years of the CLP, and what happens first? We had to tell the community, we had to tell business, that the previous administration perpetrated a fraud on them. So, if you are going to look at where should the confidence be, of course business is going to say: ‘Well, how are we going to manage this?’ And they have been watching.
We followed that by the very dramatic impact, not just on the Territory, not just on Australia, but world-wide, of the terrorist attacks in the United States. We are still seeing that impact, after a very shocking and a very evil event that happened. Following close on the heels of that, we had the collapse of Ansett. We know the impact that had in the Territory, and how much work there has been to restore at least a greater percent of those flights into the Territory, and the impact on tourism. So, you have to look at the impact on tourism with the collapse of Ansett, and then combine that with the impact world-wide - again, including tourism and business confidence - of what happened in the United States and the terrorist attack.
Since the survey was taken, I think we have proved, as a new government, our great credentials to business. I think we have proved it through the very successful summit that was held here. Business people, non-government sector, community people from around the Territory, sat in here for a day-and-a-half and actually forged together how we move in the future. It was a great contribution, it was really about partnerships, and it was certainly about bringing the indigenous and non-indigenous Territorians together to recognise that there are joint missions together for economic development of the Territory. A very positive response from business. The contribution of business to that summit was acclaimed to be great. I think real partnerships have been forged. You saw that in the communiqu and how this government has already responded to the initiatives of the communiqu.
Following that, we have seen a major restructure of agencies in the Territory, showing business, again, that government is about doing efficient business, focussing on service delivery and outcomes. Of course, business, who listened to the previous Chief Minister and heard him say: ‘We think you should pull your belts in, business’, said to me: ‘What about government pulling their belts in?’ Not a sign from the previous administration about pulling their belts in - not a sign. We have established our credentials. We have said government will pull its belt in, government will be efficient, we will be focussed on service delivery and focussed on outcomes, and business respects this.
Then, this week, a responsible and fair mini-budget, welcomed by business as a new culture for the Territory. A new culture, discarding the old culture, discarding the culture that ran up debts, discarding the culture that pretended there were no deficits, that did not appropriately manage the growth we needed in the Territory economy. Business recognises that, for the next four years, there will be growth in the Territory economy, but there are also efficiencies to be made. We have the respect of business and we will keep talking to business because of what we have done.
I say again to this parliament, I am disappointed at these figures. I am disappointed at these figures, and I think it is very important for this new government to win the respect of business, to listen to business. We will be doing that. So, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question, and I think we are demonstrating, day-by-day, to business. Look at some of the other initiatives we have taken. The introduction of Quick Start II, actually tackling the problems left by the previous administration in construction in terms of minor new works and road repairs, which were left with nothing in their budgets. Also, initiatives in terms of putting out government rental office space on the market – what an initiative! Out to tender - the response has been terrific! Also, announcing that we will move ahead with the wharf precinct. I acknowledge it was an initiative of the previous government. Where had it gone? Where had it gone - it had disappeared, no action. It is all very well to put out the glossy brochures, and we said this again and again. They had the glossy brochure approach, but no action. The documents were there, but you could not move it forward.
I say to business, we are working with you and we will continue to work hard. Even though we feel a level of disappointment about these particular figures, they were - I say again, business was assessed before we had the summit, before we had the agency restructure, before we had the mini-budget. Even though it is not good, if we look around Australia, there are governments that do not have the support that this new government has.
ANSWER
I thank the Opposition Leader for his question. Let me say, as a new government after nearly 27 years of the previous administration, that I am not really surprised that business would be having a think about the new government. I am disappointed, of course, that the figures are not better. But, if you put those figures in context, we are still the fourth most supported government across Australia. If you compare those figures, quite properly, with the others in the business index, what you will see is that we have a positive rating, whereas there are governments like New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia that have negative ratings. It is important to put it in context but that does not diminish the fact that, as a new government, we are disappointed. I notice that this survey was taken up to the beginning of November, so taken over those last two weeks of October.
To put that further in context, there have been some extraordinarily difficult circumstances that this government has faced since we came to office just three months ago. The first impact for us was discovering that there was left to Territorians a very large hole in the budget that had been disguised by the previous administration. $12m they admitted to. What was it? Well over $100m. An absolute deceit on Territorians, an absolute deceit. So this is a new government coming into office, after 26 years of the CLP, and what happens first? We had to tell the community, we had to tell business, that the previous administration perpetrated a fraud on them. So, if you are going to look at where should the confidence be, of course business is going to say: ‘Well, how are we going to manage this?’ And they have been watching.
We followed that by the very dramatic impact, not just on the Territory, not just on Australia, but world-wide, of the terrorist attacks in the United States. We are still seeing that impact, after a very shocking and a very evil event that happened. Following close on the heels of that, we had the collapse of Ansett. We know the impact that had in the Territory, and how much work there has been to restore at least a greater percent of those flights into the Territory, and the impact on tourism. So, you have to look at the impact on tourism with the collapse of Ansett, and then combine that with the impact world-wide - again, including tourism and business confidence - of what happened in the United States and the terrorist attack.
Since the survey was taken, I think we have proved, as a new government, our great credentials to business. I think we have proved it through the very successful summit that was held here. Business people, non-government sector, community people from around the Territory, sat in here for a day-and-a-half and actually forged together how we move in the future. It was a great contribution, it was really about partnerships, and it was certainly about bringing the indigenous and non-indigenous Territorians together to recognise that there are joint missions together for economic development of the Territory. A very positive response from business. The contribution of business to that summit was acclaimed to be great. I think real partnerships have been forged. You saw that in the communiqu and how this government has already responded to the initiatives of the communiqu.
Following that, we have seen a major restructure of agencies in the Territory, showing business, again, that government is about doing efficient business, focussing on service delivery and outcomes. Of course, business, who listened to the previous Chief Minister and heard him say: ‘We think you should pull your belts in, business’, said to me: ‘What about government pulling their belts in?’ Not a sign from the previous administration about pulling their belts in - not a sign. We have established our credentials. We have said government will pull its belt in, government will be efficient, we will be focussed on service delivery and focussed on outcomes, and business respects this.
Then, this week, a responsible and fair mini-budget, welcomed by business as a new culture for the Territory. A new culture, discarding the old culture, discarding the culture that ran up debts, discarding the culture that pretended there were no deficits, that did not appropriately manage the growth we needed in the Territory economy. Business recognises that, for the next four years, there will be growth in the Territory economy, but there are also efficiencies to be made. We have the respect of business and we will keep talking to business because of what we have done.
I say again to this parliament, I am disappointed at these figures. I am disappointed at these figures, and I think it is very important for this new government to win the respect of business, to listen to business. We will be doing that. So, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question, and I think we are demonstrating, day-by-day, to business. Look at some of the other initiatives we have taken. The introduction of Quick Start II, actually tackling the problems left by the previous administration in construction in terms of minor new works and road repairs, which were left with nothing in their budgets. Also, initiatives in terms of putting out government rental office space on the market – what an initiative! Out to tender - the response has been terrific! Also, announcing that we will move ahead with the wharf precinct. I acknowledge it was an initiative of the previous government. Where had it gone? Where had it gone - it had disappeared, no action. It is all very well to put out the glossy brochures, and we said this again and again. They had the glossy brochure approach, but no action. The documents were there, but you could not move it forward.
I say to business, we are working with you and we will continue to work hard. Even though we feel a level of disappointment about these particular figures, they were - I say again, business was assessed before we had the summit, before we had the agency restructure, before we had the mini-budget. Even though it is not good, if we look around Australia, there are governments that do not have the support that this new government has.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016