Mr MILLS - 2004-02-17
You are into your third year of government and you still have failed to win the confidence of the business community. Most recently, it was at a record low of minus 32. Have you asked the business community why they have no confidence in the Labor government?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Opposition Leader for his question. We have seen an economy in the Territory which we inherited, that was struggling. We might have the Opposition Leader smiling about that, but it is a fact of life. It meant an economy that had a massive deficit that had no growth in it. It meant that for many Territory small businesses things were going very tough. You put that together with the two …
Mr Dunham: Growth is worse now than it ever was.
Ms MARTIN: It is interesting that the Opposition Leader asks the question and yet we get interjections interrupting the answer. Do you have no leadership? Does the Opposition Leader have any leadership so that he can get quiet from his side, Madam Speaker?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, cease your interjections.
Ms MARTIN: We inherited an economy that is going through tough times. If you put that together with the world situation and the impact we had on our tourism market - an industry that employs 15% of the Territory work force in either a direct or indirect way - what we have is an economy and business doing it tough. I am pleased to say that, if you look at some of the indicators of our economy, it is picking up. Some of those key major projects have come into place - last month, the railway. In mid last year we saw gas, which had been talked about for so long - a commitment from the joint venturers in Bayu-Undan to bring gas onshore, a major stimulus and a step change in our economy.
I cannot stand here and say that every small business is suddenly going to do a lot better, but we are seeing a lot of small businesses reporting a pick-up. In tourism, we are currently seeing optimism for this year, and particularly increased optimism for the next year coming. We are working closely with small business. We do not pretend we have their full confidence, but we are working closely and are listening to small business. We are doing what is important for a government, which is to build the big economic picture so that that flow-on will happen in the economy; that we are seeing growth and the underpinnings of how our economy will grow in the future. We are doing the work and what we hear from the opposition is simply the rhetoric.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Opposition Leader for his question. We have seen an economy in the Territory which we inherited, that was struggling. We might have the Opposition Leader smiling about that, but it is a fact of life. It meant an economy that had a massive deficit that had no growth in it. It meant that for many Territory small businesses things were going very tough. You put that together with the two …
Mr Dunham: Growth is worse now than it ever was.
Ms MARTIN: It is interesting that the Opposition Leader asks the question and yet we get interjections interrupting the answer. Do you have no leadership? Does the Opposition Leader have any leadership so that he can get quiet from his side, Madam Speaker?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, cease your interjections.
Ms MARTIN: We inherited an economy that is going through tough times. If you put that together with the world situation and the impact we had on our tourism market - an industry that employs 15% of the Territory work force in either a direct or indirect way - what we have is an economy and business doing it tough. I am pleased to say that, if you look at some of the indicators of our economy, it is picking up. Some of those key major projects have come into place - last month, the railway. In mid last year we saw gas, which had been talked about for so long - a commitment from the joint venturers in Bayu-Undan to bring gas onshore, a major stimulus and a step change in our economy.
I cannot stand here and say that every small business is suddenly going to do a lot better, but we are seeing a lot of small businesses reporting a pick-up. In tourism, we are currently seeing optimism for this year, and particularly increased optimism for the next year coming. We are working closely with small business. We do not pretend we have their full confidence, but we are working closely and are listening to small business. We are doing what is important for a government, which is to build the big economic picture so that that flow-on will happen in the economy; that we are seeing growth and the underpinnings of how our economy will grow in the future. We are doing the work and what we hear from the opposition is simply the rhetoric.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016