Ms WALKER - 2012-05-02
Can you please update the House on how the Leader of the Opposition’s budget reply would affect the Northern Territory economy and the lives of Territorians?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, absolutely the worst budget reply ever. No ideas, no suggestions, just the standard CLP line to create commissions, committees, boards, task forces, investigate things further, and get back with a plan and at a time of its choosing. Will that be any time soon? Will you fess up to Territorians ahead of the election, or will you continue to duck, weave and hide and be a policy-free zone?
This really was the CLP’s opportunity to be up-front with Territorians; to outline its costed policies and present its plans to Territorians. All the Leader of the Opposition outlined is that he wants to change the direction of the Territory and send it backwards. With the Territory entering the most significant phase of economic growth and prosperity in its history, the Leader of the Opposition wants to get his hands on the steering wheel, pull the handbrake, and do a U-turn.
He stands up spouting doom and gloom. That Territory families will never have to pay back government debt is a furphy he is running. If, when the GFC hit, this government had not provided a major boost to infrastructure spending - more than doubling it - to boost and protect jobs, we could have easily continued delivering the surpluses we had done as we had a track record for eight budget surpluses in a row. However, if we had done that and simply paid back all our debt, every Territorian would have ultimately paid the price, with massive job losses and a flatline economy.
Your commitment to return to surplus will see funding ripped out of schools and hospitals, jobs cut, and will drive up the cost of living because you will rip out that subsidy from Power and Water. You ignore the wishes of business and you want to cut infrastructure spending. You ignore families who genuinely want jobs.
The Territory government will continue to drive the economy forward and to support jobs. We will continue to provide high-quality health, education, policing and housing. We will continue to help our Territory businesses gear up for the growth of the major projects we landed. We will continue to support Territory families with the best concessions in the nation.
It is time for the Leader of the Opposition to stop hiding. We know you have a bit of form hiding in a restaurant for hours on end. Stop hiding; come out and reveal your plan to Territorians. You have no leadership and no policies.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, absolutely the worst budget reply ever. No ideas, no suggestions, just the standard CLP line to create commissions, committees, boards, task forces, investigate things further, and get back with a plan and at a time of its choosing. Will that be any time soon? Will you fess up to Territorians ahead of the election, or will you continue to duck, weave and hide and be a policy-free zone?
This really was the CLP’s opportunity to be up-front with Territorians; to outline its costed policies and present its plans to Territorians. All the Leader of the Opposition outlined is that he wants to change the direction of the Territory and send it backwards. With the Territory entering the most significant phase of economic growth and prosperity in its history, the Leader of the Opposition wants to get his hands on the steering wheel, pull the handbrake, and do a U-turn.
He stands up spouting doom and gloom. That Territory families will never have to pay back government debt is a furphy he is running. If, when the GFC hit, this government had not provided a major boost to infrastructure spending - more than doubling it - to boost and protect jobs, we could have easily continued delivering the surpluses we had done as we had a track record for eight budget surpluses in a row. However, if we had done that and simply paid back all our debt, every Territorian would have ultimately paid the price, with massive job losses and a flatline economy.
Your commitment to return to surplus will see funding ripped out of schools and hospitals, jobs cut, and will drive up the cost of living because you will rip out that subsidy from Power and Water. You ignore the wishes of business and you want to cut infrastructure spending. You ignore families who genuinely want jobs.
The Territory government will continue to drive the economy forward and to support jobs. We will continue to provide high-quality health, education, policing and housing. We will continue to help our Territory businesses gear up for the growth of the major projects we landed. We will continue to support Territory families with the best concessions in the nation.
It is time for the Leader of the Opposition to stop hiding. We know you have a bit of form hiding in a restaurant for hours on end. Stop hiding; come out and reveal your plan to Territorians. You have no leadership and no policies.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016