Mr EDE - 1995-05-24
Last week, I described the Treasurer's budget as the `orphan' budget. Now that we are to have a new Chief Minister and possibly a new Treasurer, will the present Treasurer admit that he can give no assurances that the budget will reflect the policies of the new administration, and that the Territory must remain now on hold, in policy paralysis, until such time as we hear the policies of the new Chief Minister and his new Cabinet?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, firstly, may I say that I will be the Treasurer who sees this budget through all stages in this House in the June sittings. This budget is a process which has Cabinet approval.
Mr Ede: That does not even take you to the start of the financial year.
Mr Coulter: I take the Leader of the Opposition's point in questioning whether, therefore, it reflects the policies of the new administration. I think he will hear from the new administration very soon in that regard.
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I take this opportunity to announce that I will not be seeking re-election as Deputy Chief Minister on Friday. However, as I said, I will be here as Treasurer to see this budget through the parliament. It is a responsible budget. The opposition has nowhere to go in relation to it. It does not have an argument running at all. That is borne out when one considers that, as Mike Nahan from the Institute of Public Affairs said, this is the highest-taxing budget in 10 years, but what has the community reaction been? In relation to the increases in bus fares, when people were interviewed at random the other day and asked what they thought, of the 6 people asked, 5 said that it was about time they increased, that they had not been increased for 3 years and that they were receiving $3m worth of new buses for an overall revenue collection of $200 000. They reckon that they are on a pretty good deal.
Mr Ede interjecting.
Mr COULTER: Listen, I did not see you out there with the people. I did not see you at Fred's Pass Reserve or anywhere like that, mixing with the people and asking them what they thought.
Mr Ede: I was there.
Mr COULTER: Under which log were you, because I did not see you there.
Mr Ede interjecting.
Mr COULTER: Mr Speaker, I was able to mix with the people and I can tell you that Territorians understand what we have done with this budget. Sure, there are increases in taxes and charges, but there had not been any in the 3 previous years. As we have said, unless there are unforeseen circumstances, it is highly unlikely that there will be major increases or changes for some time to the taxation and revenue base which we have established in this budget. It is a budget that will take the Territory through the next 4 or 5 years because of the fiscal policies and the self-imposed targets that we set ourselves in terms of controlling debt etc. Not one question has been asked on debt in relation to this budget because the Leader of the Opposition knows that we have it under control. We have always had it under control. Interest payments have been pegged at the 1992-93 level. It is a responsible budget that will do the Territory very well.
The Leader of the Opposition knows also that the Territory economy has never looked better than it does now. The new administration will be taking over with an economy that is unparalleled in the history of the Northern Territory. I say that with all honesty. We have employment growth of 16%, and gross state product was up 8.5% last year and is up 6.5% this year. Remember, Keating put the brakes on the rest of Australia when it looked as though it was getting to 6%. He did that because his economy was unsustainable, and the Territory ...
Mr Ede You said that they were just turning on one more oilwell tap!
Mr COULTER: You rubbished the people of the Northern Territory. You said that they had old Holden station wagons, that they were battlers and that they would be taking wine to the barbecue. That is absolute rubbish! That will not happen. In fact, new car registrations in the Northern Territory are up by 13%.
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Members interjecting.
Mr COULTER: We have the highest average weekly earnings in Australia at $701. The Leader of the Opposition rubbishes Territorians and the Northern Territory economy. He is an absolute failure. I can assure members that this budget will be maintained. As I said, it ain't no orphan budget. It is an exceptional budget that has been hailed as such by most Territorians and, indeed, by outside commentators across the board.
Members interjecting.
Mr COULTER: Have we heard an Access Economics comment from the other side yet? We have not heard a word, yet it was given the documentation some time ago to do its analysis. It has not rubbished it.
Page 585
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, firstly, may I say that I will be the Treasurer who sees this budget through all stages in this House in the June sittings. This budget is a process which has Cabinet approval.
Mr Ede: That does not even take you to the start of the financial year.
Mr Coulter: I take the Leader of the Opposition's point in questioning whether, therefore, it reflects the policies of the new administration. I think he will hear from the new administration very soon in that regard.
Page 583
I take this opportunity to announce that I will not be seeking re-election as Deputy Chief Minister on Friday. However, as I said, I will be here as Treasurer to see this budget through the parliament. It is a responsible budget. The opposition has nowhere to go in relation to it. It does not have an argument running at all. That is borne out when one considers that, as Mike Nahan from the Institute of Public Affairs said, this is the highest-taxing budget in 10 years, but what has the community reaction been? In relation to the increases in bus fares, when people were interviewed at random the other day and asked what they thought, of the 6 people asked, 5 said that it was about time they increased, that they had not been increased for 3 years and that they were receiving $3m worth of new buses for an overall revenue collection of $200 000. They reckon that they are on a pretty good deal.
Mr Ede interjecting.
Mr COULTER: Listen, I did not see you out there with the people. I did not see you at Fred's Pass Reserve or anywhere like that, mixing with the people and asking them what they thought.
Mr Ede: I was there.
Mr COULTER: Under which log were you, because I did not see you there.
Mr Ede interjecting.
Mr COULTER: Mr Speaker, I was able to mix with the people and I can tell you that Territorians understand what we have done with this budget. Sure, there are increases in taxes and charges, but there had not been any in the 3 previous years. As we have said, unless there are unforeseen circumstances, it is highly unlikely that there will be major increases or changes for some time to the taxation and revenue base which we have established in this budget. It is a budget that will take the Territory through the next 4 or 5 years because of the fiscal policies and the self-imposed targets that we set ourselves in terms of controlling debt etc. Not one question has been asked on debt in relation to this budget because the Leader of the Opposition knows that we have it under control. We have always had it under control. Interest payments have been pegged at the 1992-93 level. It is a responsible budget that will do the Territory very well.
The Leader of the Opposition knows also that the Territory economy has never looked better than it does now. The new administration will be taking over with an economy that is unparalleled in the history of the Northern Territory. I say that with all honesty. We have employment growth of 16%, and gross state product was up 8.5% last year and is up 6.5% this year. Remember, Keating put the brakes on the rest of Australia when it looked as though it was getting to 6%. He did that because his economy was unsustainable, and the Territory ...
Mr Ede You said that they were just turning on one more oilwell tap!
Mr COULTER: You rubbished the people of the Northern Territory. You said that they had old Holden station wagons, that they were battlers and that they would be taking wine to the barbecue. That is absolute rubbish! That will not happen. In fact, new car registrations in the Northern Territory are up by 13%.
Page 584
Members interjecting.
Mr COULTER: We have the highest average weekly earnings in Australia at $701. The Leader of the Opposition rubbishes Territorians and the Northern Territory economy. He is an absolute failure. I can assure members that this budget will be maintained. As I said, it ain't no orphan budget. It is an exceptional budget that has been hailed as such by most Territorians and, indeed, by outside commentators across the board.
Members interjecting.
Mr COULTER: Have we heard an Access Economics comment from the other side yet? We have not heard a word, yet it was given the documentation some time ago to do its analysis. It has not rubbished it.
Page 585
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016