Mr KIELY - 2001-10-18
This morning, the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Development reported that the previous government had not allowed sufficient cash to deliver on all the projects they had promised in their last budget. Can you advise the House what this means in terms of the government’s capital works program and what action has been taken to address this shortfall?
ANSWER
I thank the member for Sanderson for his question. We had the unedifying sight yesterday of the now opposition trying to pretend that they had run the capital works program and our budget in a responsible manner. Yet Territorians know only too well that there was deceit perpetrated on Territorians by the way that the previous administration ran both the budget and, also, as we have seen, their capital works program over the last two years.
To go to that question in detail, the revoted amount for the capital works program in the CLP’s last two budgets - so we are looking at 2000-01 and 2001-02 - increased from $88.6m to $152.2m. What that means is, the revoted amount for ongoing capital works almost doubled between these last two CLP budgets. There was a logic to that for the CLP. They were in an election year, 2000-01, and there were a lot of promises made - uncashed promises, but a lot of promises made. However, as I said, the cash was actually allocated to capital works only, and the cash that was allocated only grew by 5%. So, the revoted amount almost doubled, the cash grew only by 5%. The end result is that by the end of this year, on the previous CLP government’s own estimates, the revoted capital works in the Department of Transport and Works would be greater than the actual cash allocation in the current financial year. What does that mean? That means that new works grind to a halt. The way that the Country Liberal Party did the capital works budget over the last two years, and the deceit and the hollow promises that were made there, new works grind to a halt.
The CEO of the Department of Transport and Works did advise the previous administration that more funds were required, that the level of funding provided by the Country Liberal Party was unsustainable. Increasingly, we are hearing that word ‘unsustainable’ apply to the management of the CLP. With that kind of scenario I have outlined, what was the CLP’s post-election agenda? What would it have been? Would it have been ratcheting up the amount of debt on the Bankcard, it was almost to the limit. Would it have been more ratcheting up the Bankcard, or would it have been the cuts? Would it have been the kind of slash and burn across the public sector that we have seen in the past? I know what it would be. The fact that they are on the opposition benches has saved Territorians from the kind of slash and burn approach we have seen from the Country Liberal Party. We have seen it before.
This government recognises the current needs of the construction and related industries. The CLP has, and would have, left them in the lurch. This government plans to spend significantly more this year on capital works, in cash, than the CLP did last year. This government, through our mini-budget process, will look to expand the capital works program and cash even further.
ANSWER
I thank the member for Sanderson for his question. We had the unedifying sight yesterday of the now opposition trying to pretend that they had run the capital works program and our budget in a responsible manner. Yet Territorians know only too well that there was deceit perpetrated on Territorians by the way that the previous administration ran both the budget and, also, as we have seen, their capital works program over the last two years.
To go to that question in detail, the revoted amount for the capital works program in the CLP’s last two budgets - so we are looking at 2000-01 and 2001-02 - increased from $88.6m to $152.2m. What that means is, the revoted amount for ongoing capital works almost doubled between these last two CLP budgets. There was a logic to that for the CLP. They were in an election year, 2000-01, and there were a lot of promises made - uncashed promises, but a lot of promises made. However, as I said, the cash was actually allocated to capital works only, and the cash that was allocated only grew by 5%. So, the revoted amount almost doubled, the cash grew only by 5%. The end result is that by the end of this year, on the previous CLP government’s own estimates, the revoted capital works in the Department of Transport and Works would be greater than the actual cash allocation in the current financial year. What does that mean? That means that new works grind to a halt. The way that the Country Liberal Party did the capital works budget over the last two years, and the deceit and the hollow promises that were made there, new works grind to a halt.
The CEO of the Department of Transport and Works did advise the previous administration that more funds were required, that the level of funding provided by the Country Liberal Party was unsustainable. Increasingly, we are hearing that word ‘unsustainable’ apply to the management of the CLP. With that kind of scenario I have outlined, what was the CLP’s post-election agenda? What would it have been? Would it have been ratcheting up the amount of debt on the Bankcard, it was almost to the limit. Would it have been more ratcheting up the Bankcard, or would it have been the cuts? Would it have been the kind of slash and burn across the public sector that we have seen in the past? I know what it would be. The fact that they are on the opposition benches has saved Territorians from the kind of slash and burn approach we have seen from the Country Liberal Party. We have seen it before.
This government recognises the current needs of the construction and related industries. The CLP has, and would have, left them in the lurch. This government plans to spend significantly more this year on capital works, in cash, than the CLP did last year. This government, through our mini-budget process, will look to expand the capital works program and cash even further.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016