Mr MILLS - 2012-05-02
You say you could have returned to a budget surplus this year if you cut 40% of your infrastructure spending. How much could you have saved by slashing government advertising, ministerial travel and consultancies?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I am very proud of the budget handed down yesterday. The budget was all about a vision for the Northern Territory, an exciting vision, gearing up for growth, for the great economic opportunities that are being …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: … developed by this government with the private sector and supporting Territory families. What we had from the Leader of the Opposition was a political rant with no vision whatsoever for the Northern Territory …
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Relevance. This is about the Chief Minister’s response to his assertion.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, if you could come to the question, please?
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, all the spending commitments are well and truly documented in these budget papers. We are very clear about requiring government agencies to find savings through the 3% efficiency dividend, and also reprioritising within agency budgets, and that requires agencies …
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The point of the question - there are no extensions to this - how much, Chief Minister, could you save by slashing government advertising, ministerial travel and consultancies? That is a specific issue.
Mr HENDERSON: Very specifically, agencies are being asked to cut expenditure in those areas through the 3% efficiency dividend we have imposed on the agencies.
I gave the Leader of the Opposition a challenge yesterday to detail how he would find $491m-worth of savings in this budget to return the budget to surplus, and there was not one savings initiative detailed with costed savings in his response, Madam Speaker, he squibbed it ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113. The answer shall be succinct, concise and directly relevant to the question. The Chief Minister is on a frolic of his own.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, if you could just …
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, I have answered the question. The savings are within the 3% efficiency dividend agencies are required to find ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Chief Minister has now indicated he has answered the question. Therefore, unless he has further to say, he should simply sit down, and be told to.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, resume your seat.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, I am pointing out we have identified where agencies are to find savings to deliver back to the budget, and that is within the efficiency dividend and the reprioritisation. The Leader of the Opposition had an opportunity to say how he was going to bring the government back into surplus. Not one policy, not one initiative, not one savings measure ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113 is utterly clear on this and I ask the Chief Minister to be succinct, concise and answer the question.
Madam SPEAKER: Resume your seat, member for Port Darwin. Chief Minister.
Mr HENDERSON: We are very proud of our budget. The Leader of the Opposition should be embarrassed by his reply, the worst budget reply ...
Members interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: ... the Territory has ever seen.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, have you finished your response?
Mr HENDERSON: I have.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I am very proud of the budget handed down yesterday. The budget was all about a vision for the Northern Territory, an exciting vision, gearing up for growth, for the great economic opportunities that are being …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: … developed by this government with the private sector and supporting Territory families. What we had from the Leader of the Opposition was a political rant with no vision whatsoever for the Northern Territory …
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Relevance. This is about the Chief Minister’s response to his assertion.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, if you could come to the question, please?
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, all the spending commitments are well and truly documented in these budget papers. We are very clear about requiring government agencies to find savings through the 3% efficiency dividend, and also reprioritising within agency budgets, and that requires agencies …
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The point of the question - there are no extensions to this - how much, Chief Minister, could you save by slashing government advertising, ministerial travel and consultancies? That is a specific issue.
Mr HENDERSON: Very specifically, agencies are being asked to cut expenditure in those areas through the 3% efficiency dividend we have imposed on the agencies.
I gave the Leader of the Opposition a challenge yesterday to detail how he would find $491m-worth of savings in this budget to return the budget to surplus, and there was not one savings initiative detailed with costed savings in his response, Madam Speaker, he squibbed it ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113. The answer shall be succinct, concise and directly relevant to the question. The Chief Minister is on a frolic of his own.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, if you could just …
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, I have answered the question. The savings are within the 3% efficiency dividend agencies are required to find ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Chief Minister has now indicated he has answered the question. Therefore, unless he has further to say, he should simply sit down, and be told to.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, resume your seat.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, I am pointing out we have identified where agencies are to find savings to deliver back to the budget, and that is within the efficiency dividend and the reprioritisation. The Leader of the Opposition had an opportunity to say how he was going to bring the government back into surplus. Not one policy, not one initiative, not one savings measure ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113 is utterly clear on this and I ask the Chief Minister to be succinct, concise and answer the question.
Madam SPEAKER: Resume your seat, member for Port Darwin. Chief Minister.
Mr HENDERSON: We are very proud of our budget. The Leader of the Opposition should be embarrassed by his reply, the worst budget reply ...
Members interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: ... the Territory has ever seen.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, have you finished your response?
Mr HENDERSON: I have.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016