Mr KIELY - 2003-05-28
The budget has been well received by Territorians, with the exception of that side, from whom we would not expect anything different. Can the Treasurer please inform the House what comments are being made about the third Martin Labor government budget?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I am delighted to respond to the question from the member for Sanderson. He is quite right; the budget has been well received, virtually universally throughout all sectors of the Northern Territory, with the exception of those who sit opposite. The internationally respected credit rating agency, Standard & Poor’s, issued a press release, very quick out of the blocks: ‘Northern Territory’s finances continue to improve’. They say very clearly that this government is on track to deliver its promised improvement in finances, deficit management and heading down to getting the budget under control properly when we get to debt.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO, Carole Frost, told radio yesterday that reductions in stamp duty that small businesses pay on leases and on franchise arrangements would have a big impact for small business. The Chamber put out a 2003-04 budget brief –with regional highlights. Again, we are happy to receive their commendation of the budget.
The Northern Territory division of the Property Council welcomed the budget saying it, ‘reflects a commitment to responsible and sustainable financial management while seeking to improve the delivery of services’. A press release issued by the Property Council Australia, Northern Territory division: ‘Property Council welcomes Stirling budget’. I will be happy to table each of these as I go, Madam Speaker. Indeed, I had breakfast with them this morning and the chairperson, Ross Finocchiaro, was very positive in his comments closing the breakfast this morning.
Their media release makes specific note of the fact that the changes to the land rich stamp duty legislation is clearly not a de facto land tax as alleged by the Leader of the Opposition yesterday. What he has to understand is that we do not have a land tax, as all other jurisdictions in Australia do. It is a recurrent, and it is based on the value of the land and set at a certain rate, and you thump it up every year, come hell or high water. We do not have a land tax in Northern Territory. This is not an every year recurrent; this occurs at the purchase of a property or a business at which time the purchaser pays it. It is a long, long way from a land tax.
The Police Association welcomed the funding commitments in the budget, describing it as a step in the right direction, under the heading ‘Northern Territory Police Association welcomes budget announcements’.
Mr Reed: You are not doing enough. Read the lot.
Mr STIRLING: I will table it, and I will read the whole lot, if you insist:
The Northern Territory Police Association has welcomed the funding commitments announced in today’s budget.
Vince Kelly said the $1.5m committed to enhancing the PROMIS computer system is a step in the right direction.
Our members have repeatedly identified problems with this system and, by extension, the service we deliver to the public.
Hopefully, for both police and the public, this money will improve the system.
We also welcome the $3m to properly fund civilian police positions …
I understand that our police minister will have more to say on that.
What this will mean is that the operational budget can be spent on …
Guess what?
… operations.
Members interjecting.
Mr STIRLING: Well, apparently it was not happening for a long time. Why else would the President of the Police Association draw our attention to that little matter there?
The $250 000 allocated to upgrade the Ali Curung police station is long overdue. On a recent visit there, I saw first-hand how
run-down this police station is, and I urge the government to fast-track this money.
While we welcome the spending commitments announced today, the real test for the government lies ahead …
We acknowledge this; no problem.
… when the O’Sullivan report on police resources is complete.
Our members have painted a clear picture for Mr O’Sullivan and his team about the reality of police numbers, particularly
in operational uniform areas.
I would like to catch up with Mr Vince Kelly and get to the bottom of this. This is intriguing:
Our members have painted a clear picture for Mr O’Sullivan and his team about the reality of police numbers, particularly in
operational uniform areas.
Frankly, I doubt that current recruiting has, or will cover attrition, and the promised increase of 50 police over four years, nor do
I believe 50 will be enough.
Well, again, we await the O’Sullivan report to see where that takes us. There are a couple of intriguing little statements in here. I am looking forward to seeing the police minister and the opposition at the Estimates Committee, because I have a view that it might be the opposition that gets a bit of a grilling at the Estimates Committee on police staffing, numbers and budgets, rather than the police minister.
A significant investment in policing is required, and there must be some attempt to reduce the attrition rate, otherwise the
staffing crisis like that experienced in the early 1990s is just around the corner.
A bit of a gem. I am glad the former Treasurer asked me to read that out, because there are three potentially very damaging statements contained in that press release that go right to the heart of when he was police minister. As I said, there will plenty more to come out on that.
The Territory Construction Association says the budget has reinforced the role of construction as the prime economic driver: ‘NT budget reinforces the role of construction in the economy’. The CEO, Michael Kilgariff, endorsed the government’s view that residential and commercial construction should receive a boost over the next year.
That is pretty widespread community support for this budget, unlike the very tired, stale response we had from the Leader of the Opposition this morning. It is a signal address the opposition has, on the day after the budget. They have the full parliament to put on the record any complaints they have about the budget: what they like about it, what they do not like about it but, most importantly, where they would go and what they would do as a government. We heard very little of that this morning. It shows to us that they have not learnt from their time in opposition; they have come up with no ideas.
There is a little more on the behaviour of the Leader of the Opposition. Apparently, he has taken to sending out faxes far and wide - quite ranting and raving faxes, I am told - to Territorians at 2.30 am. We know occasionally the Chief Minister gets phone calls at 2.30 am - that is where she said: ‘Press one if you want the Treasurer, press four if you want the Minister for Health’, but she has never sent out half-mad faxes at 2.30 am.
The government was contacted by a very irate Territorian whose combined home phone and fax machine happened to ring fairly loudly at 2.30 am. She thought: ‘My God! What is this?’ She had this page full of strange random thoughts generated by the member for Brennan. I suggest that is not a good look for the member for Brennan, or for the opposition.
Further to that again, we will be expected to go to the media and respond to the Leader of the Opposition’s thoughts on the budget. I was ready to go down to the media and they said: ‘Well, it is a bit hard to talk to you, Mr Stirling, we have not seen the Leader of the Opposition;, I said: ‘It is 12.30 pm, he said he was due down here at 12 o’clock’. If you are up sending out faxes at 2.30 am, I suppose you have to catch up during the next day. However, I suggest it is not a good look.
The budget has been warmly and widely applauded and, together with all Territorians, this government looks forward to getting on with the business of promoting this great place and our great lifestyle.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I am delighted to respond to the question from the member for Sanderson. He is quite right; the budget has been well received, virtually universally throughout all sectors of the Northern Territory, with the exception of those who sit opposite. The internationally respected credit rating agency, Standard & Poor’s, issued a press release, very quick out of the blocks: ‘Northern Territory’s finances continue to improve’. They say very clearly that this government is on track to deliver its promised improvement in finances, deficit management and heading down to getting the budget under control properly when we get to debt.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO, Carole Frost, told radio yesterday that reductions in stamp duty that small businesses pay on leases and on franchise arrangements would have a big impact for small business. The Chamber put out a 2003-04 budget brief –with regional highlights. Again, we are happy to receive their commendation of the budget.
The Northern Territory division of the Property Council welcomed the budget saying it, ‘reflects a commitment to responsible and sustainable financial management while seeking to improve the delivery of services’. A press release issued by the Property Council Australia, Northern Territory division: ‘Property Council welcomes Stirling budget’. I will be happy to table each of these as I go, Madam Speaker. Indeed, I had breakfast with them this morning and the chairperson, Ross Finocchiaro, was very positive in his comments closing the breakfast this morning.
Their media release makes specific note of the fact that the changes to the land rich stamp duty legislation is clearly not a de facto land tax as alleged by the Leader of the Opposition yesterday. What he has to understand is that we do not have a land tax, as all other jurisdictions in Australia do. It is a recurrent, and it is based on the value of the land and set at a certain rate, and you thump it up every year, come hell or high water. We do not have a land tax in Northern Territory. This is not an every year recurrent; this occurs at the purchase of a property or a business at which time the purchaser pays it. It is a long, long way from a land tax.
The Police Association welcomed the funding commitments in the budget, describing it as a step in the right direction, under the heading ‘Northern Territory Police Association welcomes budget announcements’.
Mr Reed: You are not doing enough. Read the lot.
Mr STIRLING: I will table it, and I will read the whole lot, if you insist:
The Northern Territory Police Association has welcomed the funding commitments announced in today’s budget.
Vince Kelly said the $1.5m committed to enhancing the PROMIS computer system is a step in the right direction.
Our members have repeatedly identified problems with this system and, by extension, the service we deliver to the public.
Hopefully, for both police and the public, this money will improve the system.
We also welcome the $3m to properly fund civilian police positions …
I understand that our police minister will have more to say on that.
What this will mean is that the operational budget can be spent on …
Guess what?
… operations.
Members interjecting.
Mr STIRLING: Well, apparently it was not happening for a long time. Why else would the President of the Police Association draw our attention to that little matter there?
The $250 000 allocated to upgrade the Ali Curung police station is long overdue. On a recent visit there, I saw first-hand how
run-down this police station is, and I urge the government to fast-track this money.
While we welcome the spending commitments announced today, the real test for the government lies ahead …
We acknowledge this; no problem.
… when the O’Sullivan report on police resources is complete.
Our members have painted a clear picture for Mr O’Sullivan and his team about the reality of police numbers, particularly
in operational uniform areas.
I would like to catch up with Mr Vince Kelly and get to the bottom of this. This is intriguing:
Our members have painted a clear picture for Mr O’Sullivan and his team about the reality of police numbers, particularly in
operational uniform areas.
Frankly, I doubt that current recruiting has, or will cover attrition, and the promised increase of 50 police over four years, nor do
I believe 50 will be enough.
Well, again, we await the O’Sullivan report to see where that takes us. There are a couple of intriguing little statements in here. I am looking forward to seeing the police minister and the opposition at the Estimates Committee, because I have a view that it might be the opposition that gets a bit of a grilling at the Estimates Committee on police staffing, numbers and budgets, rather than the police minister.
A significant investment in policing is required, and there must be some attempt to reduce the attrition rate, otherwise the
staffing crisis like that experienced in the early 1990s is just around the corner.
A bit of a gem. I am glad the former Treasurer asked me to read that out, because there are three potentially very damaging statements contained in that press release that go right to the heart of when he was police minister. As I said, there will plenty more to come out on that.
The Territory Construction Association says the budget has reinforced the role of construction as the prime economic driver: ‘NT budget reinforces the role of construction in the economy’. The CEO, Michael Kilgariff, endorsed the government’s view that residential and commercial construction should receive a boost over the next year.
That is pretty widespread community support for this budget, unlike the very tired, stale response we had from the Leader of the Opposition this morning. It is a signal address the opposition has, on the day after the budget. They have the full parliament to put on the record any complaints they have about the budget: what they like about it, what they do not like about it but, most importantly, where they would go and what they would do as a government. We heard very little of that this morning. It shows to us that they have not learnt from their time in opposition; they have come up with no ideas.
There is a little more on the behaviour of the Leader of the Opposition. Apparently, he has taken to sending out faxes far and wide - quite ranting and raving faxes, I am told - to Territorians at 2.30 am. We know occasionally the Chief Minister gets phone calls at 2.30 am - that is where she said: ‘Press one if you want the Treasurer, press four if you want the Minister for Health’, but she has never sent out half-mad faxes at 2.30 am.
The government was contacted by a very irate Territorian whose combined home phone and fax machine happened to ring fairly loudly at 2.30 am. She thought: ‘My God! What is this?’ She had this page full of strange random thoughts generated by the member for Brennan. I suggest that is not a good look for the member for Brennan, or for the opposition.
Further to that again, we will be expected to go to the media and respond to the Leader of the Opposition’s thoughts on the budget. I was ready to go down to the media and they said: ‘Well, it is a bit hard to talk to you, Mr Stirling, we have not seen the Leader of the Opposition;, I said: ‘It is 12.30 pm, he said he was due down here at 12 o’clock’. If you are up sending out faxes at 2.30 am, I suppose you have to catch up during the next day. However, I suggest it is not a good look.
The budget has been warmly and widely applauded and, together with all Territorians, this government looks forward to getting on with the business of promoting this great place and our great lifestyle.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016