Mr KIELY - 2005-05-04
This morning, the Treasurer heard the opposition’s response to the Martin government’s budget. Can the Treasurer advise the House whether there is any crossover between what the Leader of the Opposition says he would like to do and what the CLP actually did when it was in power for over 27 years? Can the Leader of the Opposition be believed?
Mr DUNHAM: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I believe that, under the rules of questions, an opinion cannot be sought of a minister and the question is obviously seeking an opinion on something for which the minister is not responsible.
Madam SPEAKER: He is responding to a statement made by the Leader of the Opposition.
Mr Dunham: So in regard to …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, I am speaking, thank you! It is my interpretation that on many occasions, questions have been asked by opposition members and the government that seek an opinion.
Mr Burke: You can give your opinion.
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, cease!
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Sanderson for his question. I was quite pleased to hear the Leader of the Opposition give me the floor to say I can give my opinion because simply, I say, along with the member for Sanderson, I do not believe he can be believed when it comes to his statement this morning.
I listened intently and in silence to the contribution by the Leader of the Opposition, and the words came to mind: a recycled speech by a recycled leader that all sounded a bit tired. In fact, I do not believe he delivered his budget reply as well as his predecessor, the member for Blain, did 12 months earlier. It is a good idea to always judge a person by actions rather than by what they say because then you get a little bit more of the measure of the man. That is why I say he is unbelievable, because he had two-and-a-half years as Chief Minister to bring about many of the things he was talking about this morning.
Let us have a look at the track record in the time of Chief Minister Burke’s CLP government. Total investment in the economy was minus 28% in 1999-2000, and if that was not bad enough, it slumped a further 1.4% in 2000-01. He talked about population growth this morning. He is going to lift it to whatever figure, again, an unbelievable figure he says he will get it to. When he was in government, he halved it. He took it under 1% and he wants us to believe that he can deliver 2.5% into the future. Unbelievable!
Business investment was minus 39.4% in 1999-2000. Bad enough? It slumped again, minus 2.1% throughout 2000-01.
Mr Baldwin interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Daly, cease!
Mr STIRLING: Investment in dwellings was minus 26.1% in 1999-2000 and minus 40.1% in 2000-01. In case the opposition forget the headlines of the day, 6 May 1999:
That was not long after he became Chief Minister, in fact, May 1999. If we go to 3 September 1999:
That is enough; we have heard enough of that one. If we go to 2 March 2000: ‘NT small business battles lean time’. If it all went bad in August 2001, I do not know how these headlines ever happened to appear in the NT News. These all pre-date August 2001. ‘NT small business battles lean time’. Still under Chief Minister Burke, 5 September 2000: ‘Real estate sales fall to six-year low’. They were good times, Denis, they were good times. The construction industry was out the door. He is unbelievable.
There is the record of his Chief Ministership, and the promises he made today are both uncosted, unfunded in a budgetary sense, and the only way he can get there is cuts to services and job losses throughout the public sector. He is unbelievable.
Mr DUNHAM: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I believe that, under the rules of questions, an opinion cannot be sought of a minister and the question is obviously seeking an opinion on something for which the minister is not responsible.
Madam SPEAKER: He is responding to a statement made by the Leader of the Opposition.
Mr Dunham: So in regard to …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, I am speaking, thank you! It is my interpretation that on many occasions, questions have been asked by opposition members and the government that seek an opinion.
Mr Burke: You can give your opinion.
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, cease!
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Sanderson for his question. I was quite pleased to hear the Leader of the Opposition give me the floor to say I can give my opinion because simply, I say, along with the member for Sanderson, I do not believe he can be believed when it comes to his statement this morning.
I listened intently and in silence to the contribution by the Leader of the Opposition, and the words came to mind: a recycled speech by a recycled leader that all sounded a bit tired. In fact, I do not believe he delivered his budget reply as well as his predecessor, the member for Blain, did 12 months earlier. It is a good idea to always judge a person by actions rather than by what they say because then you get a little bit more of the measure of the man. That is why I say he is unbelievable, because he had two-and-a-half years as Chief Minister to bring about many of the things he was talking about this morning.
Let us have a look at the track record in the time of Chief Minister Burke’s CLP government. Total investment in the economy was minus 28% in 1999-2000, and if that was not bad enough, it slumped a further 1.4% in 2000-01. He talked about population growth this morning. He is going to lift it to whatever figure, again, an unbelievable figure he says he will get it to. When he was in government, he halved it. He took it under 1% and he wants us to believe that he can deliver 2.5% into the future. Unbelievable!
Business investment was minus 39.4% in 1999-2000. Bad enough? It slumped again, minus 2.1% throughout 2000-01.
Mr Baldwin interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Daly, cease!
Mr STIRLING: Investment in dwellings was minus 26.1% in 1999-2000 and minus 40.1% in 2000-01. In case the opposition forget the headlines of the day, 6 May 1999:
- Building industry faces slump in NT.
The Territory Construction Association is expected to confirm today what ABS figures already show, the building trade has slumped.
That was not long after he became Chief Minister, in fact, May 1999. If we go to 3 September 1999:
- NT business backs away from Burke.
The Burke government’s appeal among NT small business has slumped.
That is enough; we have heard enough of that one. If we go to 2 March 2000: ‘NT small business battles lean time’. If it all went bad in August 2001, I do not know how these headlines ever happened to appear in the NT News. These all pre-date August 2001. ‘NT small business battles lean time’. Still under Chief Minister Burke, 5 September 2000: ‘Real estate sales fall to six-year low’. They were good times, Denis, they were good times. The construction industry was out the door. He is unbelievable.
There is the record of his Chief Ministership, and the promises he made today are both uncosted, unfunded in a budgetary sense, and the only way he can get there is cuts to services and job losses throughout the public sector. He is unbelievable.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016