Mr ELFERINK - 2010-05-04
Last week you said to this House: ‘As of March, year to date, we have put $913m out the door into construction …’. According to your budget spend for the year it was only $749m. Can you explain how you put out $913m into construction when, according to your own budget papers, you have only spent $749m on the infrastructure budget all year?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, that was because the budget, in terms of the total infrastructure payments, when you are looking at the cash program for 2010-09, was using a different point in time to mine. Mine was as at March.
Mr Elferink: You used March to March? You are such a dishonest person! Small wonder people do not trust you!
Madam SPEAKER: Order, Member for Port Darwin!
Ms LAWRIE: You are a fool.
Mr Elferink: You are a …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin!
Mr Elferink: dishonest person.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, I ask you to withdraw those comments. Treasurer, I ask you to withdraw that comment as well about the member for Port Darwin.
Ms LAWRIE: I withdraw the fact that he is a fool, Madam Speaker.
Mr Elferink: Ditto, Madam Speaker, I withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you. Please continue.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, the expenditure, the spend of, and I correct it, it is not $913m, it is $919m for the record - $919m - I did say $913m last week, so I will correct that, $919m infrastructure spend, as of March, is a record. The cash figure of $749m which appears in the budget books is from an earlier date, and I will get that date to you. There is no dishonesty in this. What I gave the parliament last week was the latest figure. What is published in the budget books is an earlier figure, because when we set the budget figures, it is an earlier period than March.
Mr Elferink: You are dishonest.
Ms LAWRIE: I really take exception to that ridiculous comment by the member for Port Darwin.
Dr BURNS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! You have already asked him to withdraw once. He can only do that by substantive motion.
Madam SPEAKER: Yes. Member for Port Darwin …
Mr Elferink: I withdraw, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, if I had the information of the $919m cash spend March to date that Treasury gave me on me physically, I would table it because I take exception to the slur in terms of my honesty. I absolutely …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: … am providing the accurate spend as of March. In the budget sector capital works programs, the figures in here, of course, include a $991m Power and Water spend as well.
Mr Elferink: Over what period?
Ms LAWRIE: You seem to have missed this as well, member for Port Darwin. We announced, back in 2009-10, a total infrastructure spend of $1.3bn. If you look at the cash payment table for 2009-10, that has risen to $1.5bn. If you have a look at the variations of what has occurred within the budget papers, you will see an additional $514m went into the capital program in the last six months of the Budget 2009-10 year. That was a part of the Commonwealth bringing forward capital stimulus spending and our own decisions. We are proud of our capital spend.
Mr ELFERINK: Supplementary, Madam Speaker?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, you cannot ask a supplementary question.
Mr ELFERINK: I thought we changed the rules.
Madam SPEAKER: No, it has not been through the …
Mr ELFERINK: Oh, we have not changed the rules yet. What a shame.
Madam SPEAKER: Resume your seat.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, that was because the budget, in terms of the total infrastructure payments, when you are looking at the cash program for 2010-09, was using a different point in time to mine. Mine was as at March.
Mr Elferink: You used March to March? You are such a dishonest person! Small wonder people do not trust you!
Madam SPEAKER: Order, Member for Port Darwin!
Ms LAWRIE: You are a fool.
Mr Elferink: You are a …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin!
Mr Elferink: dishonest person.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, I ask you to withdraw those comments. Treasurer, I ask you to withdraw that comment as well about the member for Port Darwin.
Ms LAWRIE: I withdraw the fact that he is a fool, Madam Speaker.
Mr Elferink: Ditto, Madam Speaker, I withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you. Please continue.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, the expenditure, the spend of, and I correct it, it is not $913m, it is $919m for the record - $919m - I did say $913m last week, so I will correct that, $919m infrastructure spend, as of March, is a record. The cash figure of $749m which appears in the budget books is from an earlier date, and I will get that date to you. There is no dishonesty in this. What I gave the parliament last week was the latest figure. What is published in the budget books is an earlier figure, because when we set the budget figures, it is an earlier period than March.
Mr Elferink: You are dishonest.
Ms LAWRIE: I really take exception to that ridiculous comment by the member for Port Darwin.
Dr BURNS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! You have already asked him to withdraw once. He can only do that by substantive motion.
Madam SPEAKER: Yes. Member for Port Darwin …
Mr Elferink: I withdraw, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, if I had the information of the $919m cash spend March to date that Treasury gave me on me physically, I would table it because I take exception to the slur in terms of my honesty. I absolutely …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: … am providing the accurate spend as of March. In the budget sector capital works programs, the figures in here, of course, include a $991m Power and Water spend as well.
Mr Elferink: Over what period?
Ms LAWRIE: You seem to have missed this as well, member for Port Darwin. We announced, back in 2009-10, a total infrastructure spend of $1.3bn. If you look at the cash payment table for 2009-10, that has risen to $1.5bn. If you have a look at the variations of what has occurred within the budget papers, you will see an additional $514m went into the capital program in the last six months of the Budget 2009-10 year. That was a part of the Commonwealth bringing forward capital stimulus spending and our own decisions. We are proud of our capital spend.
Mr ELFERINK: Supplementary, Madam Speaker?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, you cannot ask a supplementary question.
Mr ELFERINK: I thought we changed the rules.
Madam SPEAKER: No, it has not been through the …
Mr ELFERINK: Oh, we have not changed the rules yet. What a shame.
Madam SPEAKER: Resume your seat.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016