Leader of the Opposition, Lia Finocchiaro, says Territorians need to brace themselves for boundless economic pain when the Chief Minister hands down his second budget as Treasurer next week.
“The Gunner Government wants us to believe it’s not all doom and gloom because of an unexpected GST windfall and additional federal funding to manage Howard Springs. Make no mistake, this will be the highest debt the Northern Territory has ever seen.
“The fact the projected $8.4 billion net debt may be slightly less than the catastrophic levels first predicted should not be celebrated. No amount of smoke and mirrors can distract from the Gunner Government’s financial incompetence as Labor hurls the Territory off the economic cliff.
“We’ve already been crowned the nation’s worst performing economy for the ninth consecutive quarter, according to CommSec’s State of the States report. Right now, there’s little in the short, medium or long-term economic outlook that can turn the tide on our woeful fiscal position.
“The Gunner Labor Government has thrown its hiring freeze out the window with the creation of three highly-paid public servants roles: Infrastructure, Major Projects and Territory Investment Commissioners – who will have no teeth and no power. These three roles alone will cost more than $1 million annually.
“These parliamentary sittings will be dominated by the budget, that’s why the CLP Opposition pushed to recall parliament and address the out of control crime wave before the May sittings. Now important law and order reform will be overshadowed by the Gunner Government’s disastrous spending plan.
“We still don’t know if Labor will introduce its crime legislation on urgency, which means it may not be debated until the August sittings. The CLP’s Bail Amendment Bill 2021 was ready to go back in the March sittings. Despite the fact the Chief Minister was scrambling to turn his thought bubble into something that resembled a plan to address skyrocketing crime, Labor voted down debating this crucial legislation on urgency,” said Ms Finocchiaro.