Mr BURKE - 2003-02-19
Madam Speaker, I have listened carefully to the answers to questions on population from both the Chief Minister and the Treasurer. We have heard about how ABS could have got the figures wrong. The truth is this: for the first time since Cyclone Tracy, the Territory’s population is falling and unemployment is rising, in the face of the railway project - and that is a very important point.
The second point is this: when we talk about inaccuracies, your own budget papers, against Commonwealth predictions, predicted a 1.7% population growth - check your budget papers. That, as you have said Treasurer, leads to increased revenue in your budget papers based on the explanation you have just given. I want to know this answer: how much have these ABS new figures cost the Territory this year, next year and in coming years - how much?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I listened very carefully to the answer given by the Treasurer, and I would have hoped because it is such an important issue for the Territory, that the Leader of the Opposition might have listened as well. We gave a figure of …
Mr Burke: What is it? Tell Territorians – now and over term. Tell us.
Ms MARTIN: The figures that we are looking at now are somewhere between $25m and $30m, potentially. That is why it is so important that we take the methodology used by the ABS and argue …
Mr Burke: How did you calculate 1.7% growth, against Commonwealth predictions? How did you calculate it?
Dr TOYNE: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Mr Burke: Answer the question, it is very important, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Give the Chief Minister a chance to answer it.
Ms MARTIN: The Leader of the Opposition asked the question and then has no courtesy in listening to the answer. Let us just deal with the number of points in the question he asked. The implications are serious ones for the Territory, and you put that together with our determination to bring our deficit under control, the outrageous situation left by the CLP, and the misrepresentation given to Territorians about what the deficit was; that is of concern to this government. We are determined to get the deficit strategy in place. We have it in place now and are determined to continue with that.
The implications of these revised figures are potentially $20m to $25m. So, at this stage we are not certain of the final figures, and we will be in Canberra arguing about the methodology.
The unemployment situation faced by the Territory is significantly better than when we came into government - a couple of points better. We would like to see unemployment levels lower but, at this stage of the year, considering where we are at, I do not think unemployment is doing too badly. Compared with the legacy left by the CLP, it is significantly better.
Let us look at the predictions for the Territory and what the independent forecasters are saying - the Access Economics and the BIS Shrapnels - and the positive predictions they have for the Territory over the next five to 10 years, predicated on the growth brought by major projects, and issued with confidence about the future of the Territory. It is very churlish to have the Leader of the Opposition come in here, try to distort facts, and then talk down the Territory economy, when the predictions coming from the Access Economics and the BIS Shrapnels are that we are going to see growth in our economy - from a Country Liberal Party government in 1999-2000 which oversaw zero growth in our economy. The words being spoken now only smell of rank hypocrisy.
The second point is this: when we talk about inaccuracies, your own budget papers, against Commonwealth predictions, predicted a 1.7% population growth - check your budget papers. That, as you have said Treasurer, leads to increased revenue in your budget papers based on the explanation you have just given. I want to know this answer: how much have these ABS new figures cost the Territory this year, next year and in coming years - how much?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I listened very carefully to the answer given by the Treasurer, and I would have hoped because it is such an important issue for the Territory, that the Leader of the Opposition might have listened as well. We gave a figure of …
Mr Burke: What is it? Tell Territorians – now and over term. Tell us.
Ms MARTIN: The figures that we are looking at now are somewhere between $25m and $30m, potentially. That is why it is so important that we take the methodology used by the ABS and argue …
Mr Burke: How did you calculate 1.7% growth, against Commonwealth predictions? How did you calculate it?
Dr TOYNE: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Mr Burke: Answer the question, it is very important, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Give the Chief Minister a chance to answer it.
Ms MARTIN: The Leader of the Opposition asked the question and then has no courtesy in listening to the answer. Let us just deal with the number of points in the question he asked. The implications are serious ones for the Territory, and you put that together with our determination to bring our deficit under control, the outrageous situation left by the CLP, and the misrepresentation given to Territorians about what the deficit was; that is of concern to this government. We are determined to get the deficit strategy in place. We have it in place now and are determined to continue with that.
The implications of these revised figures are potentially $20m to $25m. So, at this stage we are not certain of the final figures, and we will be in Canberra arguing about the methodology.
The unemployment situation faced by the Territory is significantly better than when we came into government - a couple of points better. We would like to see unemployment levels lower but, at this stage of the year, considering where we are at, I do not think unemployment is doing too badly. Compared with the legacy left by the CLP, it is significantly better.
Let us look at the predictions for the Territory and what the independent forecasters are saying - the Access Economics and the BIS Shrapnels - and the positive predictions they have for the Territory over the next five to 10 years, predicated on the growth brought by major projects, and issued with confidence about the future of the Territory. It is very churlish to have the Leader of the Opposition come in here, try to distort facts, and then talk down the Territory economy, when the predictions coming from the Access Economics and the BIS Shrapnels are that we are going to see growth in our economy - from a Country Liberal Party government in 1999-2000 which oversaw zero growth in our economy. The words being spoken now only smell of rank hypocrisy.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016