Mr ELFERINK - 2009-05-05
Territorians woke up this morning to a burden of $26 000 debt for every man, woman and child as a result of your handling of the Territory’s finances. That debt comes on top of a 25% power price shock, a 70% water tax and the highest rents and dearest groceries in the country.
You are now also adding to the financial burden of Territorians by making petrol, already the most expensive in the country, even dearer still by offering ...
Dr BURNS: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, Order!
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Please pause. Order! Member for Port Darwin, resume your seat.
Dr BURNS: … pretty patient and given the member quite a lot of latitude. I refer again to Standing Order 112. Just reading from parliamentary practice …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: … it says the questions may not become lengthy speeches. This is what we have from the member for Port Darwin. I think he has been given quite a lot of latitude.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! I will just seek some advice. Member for Port Darwin, can you simply ask the question.
Mr ELFERINK: Yes, Madam Speaker. That debt comes on top of the 25% power price shock, a 70% water tax and the highest rents and dearest groceries in the country. You are now also adding to the financial burden of Territorians by making petrol, already the dearest in the country, even more expensive still …
Madam SPEAKER: This is a very long question, member for Port Darwin.
Mr ELFERINK: … by 1.1 per litre petrol subsidy. Why are you and your government so determined to make living in the Territory so expensive?
Madam SPEAKER: Treasurer, before you take on the question. Member for Port Darwin, that is a really a very long question. I refer you to Standing Order 112 in relation to questions. While I always allow a level of latitude, that really was far too long.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, there is nothing more vitally important to Territorians than having a job. Try managing the cost of living when you do not have a job. Try managing the cost of living when you are on the unemployment scrap heap, where the CLP would have put you by slashing jobs across the public sector and by refusing to accept what every government around this nation recognises it must do to protect jobs in their economies, which is to go into temporary deficit and have a clear path to climb out of that temporary deficit.
The CLP would ensure that Territorians in their thousands would be put on the unemployment scrap heap. This government will not do that.
Mr Bohlin interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Drysdale!
Ms LAWRIE: We are about protecting jobs. The CLP could not even manage in the good times and this is what they do in the bad times - they make people unemployed. Thousands of jobs would go.
In stark contrast, this government is about ensuring that we are protecting the jobs of Territorians by putting a record infrastructure budget, $1.3bn out there; dollars into the private sector to ensure that we are seeing those subbies, the contractors, in employment because we know there is contraction in private investment. We are also promising the security of our public service, and we are not going to go cutting and slashing like the CLP would have us do. There is a raft of initiatives in this budget to support families living in the Territory and the cost of living in the Territory.
For example, this Labor government pays $62m in power subsidies for households and small businesses, pensioners’ and carers’ concessions. That equates to $750 subsidy per connection. This government had the initiative of the back-to-school payment, and ask any family what that back-to-school payment means to them when it comes to enrolling their kids at school, how much of an enormous help it is to them. We took it from $55 to $75 each year to assist each child enrolled at school.
We have the most generous pensioner and carer concession scheme in Australia; concessions across utilities, rates, public transport, spectacles, motor vehicle registration, driver’s licensing and seniors interstate and overseas travel. Budget 2009-10 delivers an increase in those concessions up from $104 per annum to $150 per annum per pensioner. Free bus travel for students, pensioners and carers, the only jurisdiction in the nation doing that; free entry to great recreation facilities like Leanyer Recreation Park.
Making living bearable for families, this budget delivers $5m for a water park in Palmerston – very welcome out there. We paid $3.5m …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: … to subsidise childcare. We are the only state or territory jurisdiction that takes the burden off families for childcare, and try looking at the cost of a full-time place. We are the lowest taxing jurisdiction for small- and medium-sized businesses in the nation, and we remain that way. Cumulative tax savings for households and businesses amount to over $230m since 2001; that is dollars back in their pockets; it is not dollars in government revenue - $230m since 2001 in tax savings.
The 1.1 per litre fuel subsidy that we are redirecting into roads and public transport - when it was removed in Victoria and Tasmania there was no increase in the price of fuel. The Parry report looked into the price of fuel in the Territory and said there were two key factors in the price of fuel at the bowser in the Territory. One is volume - we are small population, a small volume; the second is the lack of competition in the marketplace ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Whilst I appreciate the appropriation speech of this morning, there is no requirement to go through it all over again. She has now strayed way off the subject. The issue of relevance is ...
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, there is no point of order. The Treasurer has the call.
Ms LAWRIE: I know they do not want to hear the fact that they are simply making up furphies because this is a strong budget to protect Territorians. They are making up …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! You will not allow ‘deceit’ and you will certainly not allow the use of the word ‘lie’. I ask that ‘furphies’ and those sorts of similar words be cast into the same mould.
Dr BURNS: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker! That is a completely preposterous proposal put by the member for Port Darwin. What is hurting him is that the Treasurer is actually turning to the nub of his question and demonstrating to all Territorians the work that this government has done in supporting Territorians in their jobs and in their houses. The member for Port Darwin does not like it.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Treasurer, if you could come to the point fairly soon, thank you.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, I am about to finish. The shadow Treasurer jumped as I was about to sit down. I will repeat: this budget is about protecting the jobs of Territorians in the harshest economic conditions seen in generations where, for the first time in 75 years, there is a global recession. Every responsible government will spend because we have private sector contraction to save the jobs of Territorians.
You are now also adding to the financial burden of Territorians by making petrol, already the most expensive in the country, even dearer still by offering ...
Dr BURNS: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, Order!
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Please pause. Order! Member for Port Darwin, resume your seat.
Dr BURNS: … pretty patient and given the member quite a lot of latitude. I refer again to Standing Order 112. Just reading from parliamentary practice …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: … it says the questions may not become lengthy speeches. This is what we have from the member for Port Darwin. I think he has been given quite a lot of latitude.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! I will just seek some advice. Member for Port Darwin, can you simply ask the question.
Mr ELFERINK: Yes, Madam Speaker. That debt comes on top of the 25% power price shock, a 70% water tax and the highest rents and dearest groceries in the country. You are now also adding to the financial burden of Territorians by making petrol, already the dearest in the country, even more expensive still …
Madam SPEAKER: This is a very long question, member for Port Darwin.
Mr ELFERINK: … by 1.1 per litre petrol subsidy. Why are you and your government so determined to make living in the Territory so expensive?
Madam SPEAKER: Treasurer, before you take on the question. Member for Port Darwin, that is a really a very long question. I refer you to Standing Order 112 in relation to questions. While I always allow a level of latitude, that really was far too long.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, there is nothing more vitally important to Territorians than having a job. Try managing the cost of living when you do not have a job. Try managing the cost of living when you are on the unemployment scrap heap, where the CLP would have put you by slashing jobs across the public sector and by refusing to accept what every government around this nation recognises it must do to protect jobs in their economies, which is to go into temporary deficit and have a clear path to climb out of that temporary deficit.
The CLP would ensure that Territorians in their thousands would be put on the unemployment scrap heap. This government will not do that.
Mr Bohlin interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Drysdale!
Ms LAWRIE: We are about protecting jobs. The CLP could not even manage in the good times and this is what they do in the bad times - they make people unemployed. Thousands of jobs would go.
In stark contrast, this government is about ensuring that we are protecting the jobs of Territorians by putting a record infrastructure budget, $1.3bn out there; dollars into the private sector to ensure that we are seeing those subbies, the contractors, in employment because we know there is contraction in private investment. We are also promising the security of our public service, and we are not going to go cutting and slashing like the CLP would have us do. There is a raft of initiatives in this budget to support families living in the Territory and the cost of living in the Territory.
For example, this Labor government pays $62m in power subsidies for households and small businesses, pensioners’ and carers’ concessions. That equates to $750 subsidy per connection. This government had the initiative of the back-to-school payment, and ask any family what that back-to-school payment means to them when it comes to enrolling their kids at school, how much of an enormous help it is to them. We took it from $55 to $75 each year to assist each child enrolled at school.
We have the most generous pensioner and carer concession scheme in Australia; concessions across utilities, rates, public transport, spectacles, motor vehicle registration, driver’s licensing and seniors interstate and overseas travel. Budget 2009-10 delivers an increase in those concessions up from $104 per annum to $150 per annum per pensioner. Free bus travel for students, pensioners and carers, the only jurisdiction in the nation doing that; free entry to great recreation facilities like Leanyer Recreation Park.
Making living bearable for families, this budget delivers $5m for a water park in Palmerston – very welcome out there. We paid $3.5m …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: … to subsidise childcare. We are the only state or territory jurisdiction that takes the burden off families for childcare, and try looking at the cost of a full-time place. We are the lowest taxing jurisdiction for small- and medium-sized businesses in the nation, and we remain that way. Cumulative tax savings for households and businesses amount to over $230m since 2001; that is dollars back in their pockets; it is not dollars in government revenue - $230m since 2001 in tax savings.
The 1.1 per litre fuel subsidy that we are redirecting into roads and public transport - when it was removed in Victoria and Tasmania there was no increase in the price of fuel. The Parry report looked into the price of fuel in the Territory and said there were two key factors in the price of fuel at the bowser in the Territory. One is volume - we are small population, a small volume; the second is the lack of competition in the marketplace ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Whilst I appreciate the appropriation speech of this morning, there is no requirement to go through it all over again. She has now strayed way off the subject. The issue of relevance is ...
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, there is no point of order. The Treasurer has the call.
Ms LAWRIE: I know they do not want to hear the fact that they are simply making up furphies because this is a strong budget to protect Territorians. They are making up …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! You will not allow ‘deceit’ and you will certainly not allow the use of the word ‘lie’. I ask that ‘furphies’ and those sorts of similar words be cast into the same mould.
Dr BURNS: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker! That is a completely preposterous proposal put by the member for Port Darwin. What is hurting him is that the Treasurer is actually turning to the nub of his question and demonstrating to all Territorians the work that this government has done in supporting Territorians in their jobs and in their houses. The member for Port Darwin does not like it.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Treasurer, if you could come to the point fairly soon, thank you.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, I am about to finish. The shadow Treasurer jumped as I was about to sit down. I will repeat: this budget is about protecting the jobs of Territorians in the harshest economic conditions seen in generations where, for the first time in 75 years, there is a global recession. Every responsible government will spend because we have private sector contraction to save the jobs of Territorians.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016