Mr REED - 2001-11-27
Madam Speaker, a few moments ago, the Treasurer told us that in cutting the ministry from nine to seven that she was going to save $2m this financial year, and ongoing. Can she explain the difference between her claim that she will be saving $2m this year, and what appears as the saving in her budget document released today - page 22, Budget Paper No 2 - wherein it says that savings as a result of reduction of minister’s from nine to seven is less, indeed, than half of $2m. In fact, it is $800 000. Has the Treasurer, by the information provided in her own documentation, and in the comments that she provided here today, misled the House?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, again, I say to the Deputy Opposition Leader and the former Treasurer in this House, he does not have any credibility in asking budget questions. He simply …
Mr REED: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question was nothing to do with credibility. People listening to this broadcast want the Treasurer to answer the question - did she mislead the House in relation to her assertions or not?
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order but the Chief Minister knows that she should make her answers relevant to the question.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, I take your point but it is important to add a context. This is an important day for this House. It is the mini-budget that sets the Territory back on a sustainable economic way. It has to be reminded every time there is the nerve of either the current Opposition Leader or the Deputy Opposition Leader, that they cheated on Territorians through the last budget papers. I make that very clear.
It is a simple point about saving money, reducing ministries - $9.9m a cost and we can reduce nearly over $2m. The sum you are looking at, in fact, is one that incorporates other figures. What it does is incorporates a payout to members of the staff that were formerly employed by you. That amount was a very seriously hefty one. So, from the savings we were intending to save, we have had to spend some money. We had to spend some funds in being able to meet the contractual obligations that you had put Territorians in.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, again, I say to the Deputy Opposition Leader and the former Treasurer in this House, he does not have any credibility in asking budget questions. He simply …
Mr REED: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question was nothing to do with credibility. People listening to this broadcast want the Treasurer to answer the question - did she mislead the House in relation to her assertions or not?
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order but the Chief Minister knows that she should make her answers relevant to the question.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, I take your point but it is important to add a context. This is an important day for this House. It is the mini-budget that sets the Territory back on a sustainable economic way. It has to be reminded every time there is the nerve of either the current Opposition Leader or the Deputy Opposition Leader, that they cheated on Territorians through the last budget papers. I make that very clear.
It is a simple point about saving money, reducing ministries - $9.9m a cost and we can reduce nearly over $2m. The sum you are looking at, in fact, is one that incorporates other figures. What it does is incorporates a payout to members of the staff that were formerly employed by you. That amount was a very seriously hefty one. So, from the savings we were intending to save, we have had to spend some money. We had to spend some funds in being able to meet the contractual obligations that you had put Territorians in.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016