Ms CARNEY - 2006-05-02
Is it not the case that you will receive, in either income or asset sales, an additional $217m-worth of unexpected revenue this year? The answer is yes. Is it not the case that if you had not received the unexpected $217m, you would have presided over a budget deficit of $264m? Does this not speak volumes about your budget management credentials? Why on earth do you think you have cause for smiling?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker ...
Ms Carney: You are not interested in numbers, in deficits? Fancy that.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mr STIRLING: Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. If I go back, for example, to the increased Special Purpose Payments flowing from the Commonwealth throughout a year, sometimes you might not know the program even exists. The Commonwealth might not even know in May when the budget comes down, but by October/November they have dreamt this one up and they have gone to the states and asked them to sign on. That will require - in very many cases, it would be unusual if it was not the case - corresponding expenditure from the Commonwealth.
It is a nonsense to say, you have all of this revenue and you have spent it all; if you do not have that revenue, you would now have a $200m deficit. Well, if we had not received the revenue, we would not have spent it. If we had not had the agreement signed off with the Commonwealth, we would not have received that revenue; we would not have had to match that revenue and expenditure; we would not have had to put on extra staff in order to run that program out; and the question would not have arisen in the first place, so there would never have been a $200m deficit.
It sends shudders down my spine when the Leader of the Opposition talks about $200m deficits, because that is exactly where the Country Liberal Party was headed when Territorians saved this place from the CLP. It was a $134m deficit headed for in 2001-02 until this government came in and put an end to the nonsense where they just continued to spend like drunken sailors, without any thought to the future.
Go out and ask the business world what they thought of how things were going in 2001-02 – then the highest taxing government in Territory history, the last government of the CLP in 2001-02. Compare your rates of taxation and your take compared with what we do today.
The question is hypothetical in the sense that, if you had not had all this extra money, then you would have been $200m worse off. No, we would not, because if we had not had all of that extra money, then we would not have been required to match it and put on extra staff. The question is a bit fanciful.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker ...
Ms Carney: You are not interested in numbers, in deficits? Fancy that.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mr STIRLING: Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. If I go back, for example, to the increased Special Purpose Payments flowing from the Commonwealth throughout a year, sometimes you might not know the program even exists. The Commonwealth might not even know in May when the budget comes down, but by October/November they have dreamt this one up and they have gone to the states and asked them to sign on. That will require - in very many cases, it would be unusual if it was not the case - corresponding expenditure from the Commonwealth.
It is a nonsense to say, you have all of this revenue and you have spent it all; if you do not have that revenue, you would now have a $200m deficit. Well, if we had not received the revenue, we would not have spent it. If we had not had the agreement signed off with the Commonwealth, we would not have received that revenue; we would not have had to match that revenue and expenditure; we would not have had to put on extra staff in order to run that program out; and the question would not have arisen in the first place, so there would never have been a $200m deficit.
It sends shudders down my spine when the Leader of the Opposition talks about $200m deficits, because that is exactly where the Country Liberal Party was headed when Territorians saved this place from the CLP. It was a $134m deficit headed for in 2001-02 until this government came in and put an end to the nonsense where they just continued to spend like drunken sailors, without any thought to the future.
Go out and ask the business world what they thought of how things were going in 2001-02 – then the highest taxing government in Territory history, the last government of the CLP in 2001-02. Compare your rates of taxation and your take compared with what we do today.
The question is hypothetical in the sense that, if you had not had all this extra money, then you would have been $200m worse off. No, we would not, because if we had not had all of that extra money, then we would not have been required to match it and put on extra staff. The question is a bit fanciful.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016