Ms LAWRIE - 2001-11-27
Will the Chief Minister outline the response from the community to the challenges facing the Territory, brought about by the way the former government left the Territory’s government finances?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I imagine some of this comment is finally filtering through to the opposition, because the more Territorians understand about Burke and Reed’s black hole and what was bequeathed to Territorians …
Members interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: It is not actually a laughing matter. It is not a laughing matter, what you bequeathed to Territorians, and the dishonesty of that - is not a laughing matter. An unsustainable budget situation is the best you could bequeath to Territorians after nearly 27 years in power.
I have been delighted with the mature and realistic approach taken by Territorians to the mess we inherited. Territorians have every right to be very angry with the former administration and let me tell you, many are. Many Territorians are very angry with the kind of deceit perpetrated. Many business people, many of whom I would say honestly have not been supporters of ours, have expressed to me dismay at what they now know about what the CLP did in government. Instead of wallowing in anger, most Territorians, including business leaders - and I have just returned from a lunch to outline the budget strategy to a whole range of business community, and I thank the Chamber of Commerce for that opportunity - have adopted a realistic approach of having to get on with things.
Business, on the whole, have made it clear that they expect this mini-budget to bring in revenue measures. They made it clear that business should not bear the brunt of these measures, and that is exactly what this government has delivered. Business knows you cannot keep spending money you do not have. You cannot put everything on the credit card forever, that is unsustainable. But we know the previous administration just ran up the credit card. Ran up the credit card for a current expenditure. Ran up the credit card for recurrent expenditure, so agency wages and agency operationals were on the credit card.
Compare the attitude of business, who understand you cannot keep putting it on the credit card; who understand that you cannot keep running up deficits. Compare this with the kind of childish contribution we get from the opposition. The Leader of the Opposition has a ‘money tree’ approach. He leaves Territorians with a massive hole in the budget, but then plays childish politics. Even on Saturday, he was quoted as saying: ‘There is no reason to raise charges’. How do you think it works? How do you think it works? On one hand spend, spend, spend, then there is no need to raise revenue. Have you any understanding of economics? Perhaps this is the reason that you let the then Treasurer do what he did. You looked so aghast when we presented that audit trail from Treasury showing that he had fudged the budget figures. I do not think you knew anything about it.
Now we have the Leader of the Opposition scaremongering. That is the best he can do. First he says: ‘Spend, spend, spend’, then he says: ‘You do not have to raise any revenue. Then he says: ‘They’ll slash the public sector’, and does not listen to what is being said. He is trying to get out there and scaremonger. If the Leader of the Opposition had any honour, what he would be doing is saying: ‘We will work in a bipartisan way to overcome the problems we have. We will work together with government to make sure that we can move to a sustainable future’. But, no, we have him scaremongering, making the most ridiculous comments and, again, demonstrating he has no understanding of budgets.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I imagine some of this comment is finally filtering through to the opposition, because the more Territorians understand about Burke and Reed’s black hole and what was bequeathed to Territorians …
Members interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: It is not actually a laughing matter. It is not a laughing matter, what you bequeathed to Territorians, and the dishonesty of that - is not a laughing matter. An unsustainable budget situation is the best you could bequeath to Territorians after nearly 27 years in power.
I have been delighted with the mature and realistic approach taken by Territorians to the mess we inherited. Territorians have every right to be very angry with the former administration and let me tell you, many are. Many Territorians are very angry with the kind of deceit perpetrated. Many business people, many of whom I would say honestly have not been supporters of ours, have expressed to me dismay at what they now know about what the CLP did in government. Instead of wallowing in anger, most Territorians, including business leaders - and I have just returned from a lunch to outline the budget strategy to a whole range of business community, and I thank the Chamber of Commerce for that opportunity - have adopted a realistic approach of having to get on with things.
Business, on the whole, have made it clear that they expect this mini-budget to bring in revenue measures. They made it clear that business should not bear the brunt of these measures, and that is exactly what this government has delivered. Business knows you cannot keep spending money you do not have. You cannot put everything on the credit card forever, that is unsustainable. But we know the previous administration just ran up the credit card. Ran up the credit card for a current expenditure. Ran up the credit card for recurrent expenditure, so agency wages and agency operationals were on the credit card.
Compare the attitude of business, who understand you cannot keep putting it on the credit card; who understand that you cannot keep running up deficits. Compare this with the kind of childish contribution we get from the opposition. The Leader of the Opposition has a ‘money tree’ approach. He leaves Territorians with a massive hole in the budget, but then plays childish politics. Even on Saturday, he was quoted as saying: ‘There is no reason to raise charges’. How do you think it works? How do you think it works? On one hand spend, spend, spend, then there is no need to raise revenue. Have you any understanding of economics? Perhaps this is the reason that you let the then Treasurer do what he did. You looked so aghast when we presented that audit trail from Treasury showing that he had fudged the budget figures. I do not think you knew anything about it.
Now we have the Leader of the Opposition scaremongering. That is the best he can do. First he says: ‘Spend, spend, spend’, then he says: ‘You do not have to raise any revenue. Then he says: ‘They’ll slash the public sector’, and does not listen to what is being said. He is trying to get out there and scaremonger. If the Leader of the Opposition had any honour, what he would be doing is saying: ‘We will work in a bipartisan way to overcome the problems we have. We will work together with government to make sure that we can move to a sustainable future’. But, no, we have him scaremongering, making the most ridiculous comments and, again, demonstrating he has no understanding of budgets.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016