Ms SACILOTTO - 2008-05-06
Can you outline to the House the highlights of Budget 2008-09?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Port Darwin for her question. Budget 2008-09 does deliver for Territory families. It delivers improved home affordability, with cuts to stamp duty and an expanded HomeNorth scheme. It delivers improved community safety, with more police on our streets. It delivers record spending on health, with more money to improve our hospitals. It delivers record spending on education, with two new schools in Palmerston and improved schools right across the Territory. It delivers jobs – 5000 jobs created in the last year - and more money to train Territorians and provide a skilled workforce.
Madam Speaker, it delivers on our Closing the Gap initiative and commitment to tackle indigenous disadvantage. It delivers on lifestyle for families, with more money for the environment, parks, sport and fishing. It delivers the highest ever record infrastructure budget of $870m. The stamp duty cuts and the payroll tax cuts in Budget 2008-09 make the Territory the lowest-taxing jurisdiction in Australia for small business. We have the highest economic growth in the country, forecast in this budget to be 6.6% for 2008-09. Budget 2008-09 ensures that Territory families benefit from our strong economy. Budget 2008-09 delivers all this while providing strong financial management. It is a balanced budget. The estimate surplus for 2007-08 is $5m and, importantly, we are forecasting surpluses for the first time in all of the future years.
Budget 2008-09 helps to continue to make the Territory the best place to live, work and raise a family. It delivers for Territory families now and, importantly, into the future.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Port Darwin for her question. Budget 2008-09 does deliver for Territory families. It delivers improved home affordability, with cuts to stamp duty and an expanded HomeNorth scheme. It delivers improved community safety, with more police on our streets. It delivers record spending on health, with more money to improve our hospitals. It delivers record spending on education, with two new schools in Palmerston and improved schools right across the Territory. It delivers jobs – 5000 jobs created in the last year - and more money to train Territorians and provide a skilled workforce.
Madam Speaker, it delivers on our Closing the Gap initiative and commitment to tackle indigenous disadvantage. It delivers on lifestyle for families, with more money for the environment, parks, sport and fishing. It delivers the highest ever record infrastructure budget of $870m. The stamp duty cuts and the payroll tax cuts in Budget 2008-09 make the Territory the lowest-taxing jurisdiction in Australia for small business. We have the highest economic growth in the country, forecast in this budget to be 6.6% for 2008-09. Budget 2008-09 ensures that Territory families benefit from our strong economy. Budget 2008-09 delivers all this while providing strong financial management. It is a balanced budget. The estimate surplus for 2007-08 is $5m and, importantly, we are forecasting surpluses for the first time in all of the future years.
Budget 2008-09 helps to continue to make the Territory the best place to live, work and raise a family. It delivers for Territory families now and, importantly, into the future.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016