Mr McADAM - 2004-10-14
Can the minister advise if any costed policy proposals have been sent from anyone in the CLP opposition that will further enhance business confidence in the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, the member for Barkly, for his important question. We have around 12 months to go before an election has to be called in the Northern Territory. It is interesting that, in the three years in government, this side of the House has not received one costed policy proposal from the opposition - three years and zero in costed policies.
Occasionally, we get a press release. We get policy on the run, like the Opposition Leader yesterday on smoking: ‘Oh, I have not thought about that yet but, let me see, no, we will maintain the status quo’. That is the level of policy development that is going on in the CLP. Or was it like the radio interview around budget time, when we announced our payroll tax cuts in the Northern Territory, and the Leader of the Opposition said: ‘Well, we are going to abolish payroll tax. We are going to abolish stamp duties in the Northern Territory. You are rolling in the GST money, we are going to abolish all of these taxes’. However, the policies from the CLP have not been funded.
I sometimes wonder how 10 members opposite …
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, would you get to the answer to the question.
Mr HENDERSON: There are 10 members opposite, three years in opposition, and not one single policy. I reckon that $50 note the member for Greatorex has in his back pocket is still nice and crisp, although it is getting old.
I have had some interesting internal opposition documents sent to me, which show where the opposition is at this particular point in time. Only last week, I had some internal Country Liberal Party documents sent to me – leaked - that show where this once proud Northern Territory party is in policy development. We have five pages here, but no policies, just draft slogans - new logos, slogans, clichs …
Mr Dunham: Come in spinner! It is a trap! We left it as a trap, you goose!
Mr HENDERSON: …expressions of hope that one day they will return to their rightful inheritance. Some of their policies …
Mr Dunham: We knew if we left it in the pub you would find it.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale! I heard that, withdraw it!
Mr DUNHAM: I withdraw, Madam Speaker. I withdraw the fact that he is a goose.
Mr HENDERSON: These are leaked documents, and I table them. Let us look at these slogans. One is called ‘Slogans’. ‘The Power Behind Progress’ - I believe that is a bit lame. Another one: ‘Fighting for an independent future’. Well, you guys can leave off that because you became the Canberra Liberals after the last federal election.
Here we have a raft of new logos and slogans. Let us look at the logos here. Country Liberal Party - maybe we should call it the Canberra’s Liberal Party. What they do show is that the opposition is bitterly divided, leaking internal documents to me as Leader of Government Business - an act of treachery against the Opposition Leader. Which one of the nine people around you has leaked these to my office? I am not sure, but it is an act of treachery.
Can I make a suggestion? If the CLP wants to return to their rightful inheritance - as the member for Drysdale believes it is - to being in government, spend more time on policies and less time on slogans and logos.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, the member for Barkly, for his important question. We have around 12 months to go before an election has to be called in the Northern Territory. It is interesting that, in the three years in government, this side of the House has not received one costed policy proposal from the opposition - three years and zero in costed policies.
Occasionally, we get a press release. We get policy on the run, like the Opposition Leader yesterday on smoking: ‘Oh, I have not thought about that yet but, let me see, no, we will maintain the status quo’. That is the level of policy development that is going on in the CLP. Or was it like the radio interview around budget time, when we announced our payroll tax cuts in the Northern Territory, and the Leader of the Opposition said: ‘Well, we are going to abolish payroll tax. We are going to abolish stamp duties in the Northern Territory. You are rolling in the GST money, we are going to abolish all of these taxes’. However, the policies from the CLP have not been funded.
I sometimes wonder how 10 members opposite …
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, would you get to the answer to the question.
Mr HENDERSON: There are 10 members opposite, three years in opposition, and not one single policy. I reckon that $50 note the member for Greatorex has in his back pocket is still nice and crisp, although it is getting old.
I have had some interesting internal opposition documents sent to me, which show where the opposition is at this particular point in time. Only last week, I had some internal Country Liberal Party documents sent to me – leaked - that show where this once proud Northern Territory party is in policy development. We have five pages here, but no policies, just draft slogans - new logos, slogans, clichs …
Mr Dunham: Come in spinner! It is a trap! We left it as a trap, you goose!
Mr HENDERSON: …expressions of hope that one day they will return to their rightful inheritance. Some of their policies …
Mr Dunham: We knew if we left it in the pub you would find it.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale! I heard that, withdraw it!
Mr DUNHAM: I withdraw, Madam Speaker. I withdraw the fact that he is a goose.
Mr HENDERSON: These are leaked documents, and I table them. Let us look at these slogans. One is called ‘Slogans’. ‘The Power Behind Progress’ - I believe that is a bit lame. Another one: ‘Fighting for an independent future’. Well, you guys can leave off that because you became the Canberra Liberals after the last federal election.
Here we have a raft of new logos and slogans. Let us look at the logos here. Country Liberal Party - maybe we should call it the Canberra’s Liberal Party. What they do show is that the opposition is bitterly divided, leaking internal documents to me as Leader of Government Business - an act of treachery against the Opposition Leader. Which one of the nine people around you has leaked these to my office? I am not sure, but it is an act of treachery.
Can I make a suggestion? If the CLP wants to return to their rightful inheritance - as the member for Drysdale believes it is - to being in government, spend more time on policies and less time on slogans and logos.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016