Leader of the Opposition, Lia Finocchiaro, says this week is a major test for the Chief Minister to explain how he plans to pull the Territory out of the current economic doldrums, combat the crime wave plaguing Territorians, force AUSMAT out of Howard Springs despite no experience and a fraction of the staff needed, as well as detail how he will actually implement recommendations from the Territory Economic Reconstruction Committee (TERC) report.
“This week, the Gunner Labor Government hands down its second Budget of its second term. What we know is that our debt will be greater than ever before and the Chief Minister’s only plan is to lower Territorians’ expectations.
“If our debt is less than $8.4 billion, Labor will try to dress it up as good news. The Chief Minister will try and spin that if the debt doesn’t quite reach the catastrophic levels forecast of $8.4 billion, that is a win. Let’s not kid ourselves.
“Unlike the Federal Government and all other jurisdictions, our cupboard was bare when we entered the global pandemic. Labor’s economic mismanagement has crippled our economy, and our recovery, and will hang over the heads of Territorians for decades to come.
“This week, the Chief Minister is due to give notice of his plan to address our law and order crisis. Despite the seriousness and urgency of this issue, the Gunner Labor Government STILL hasn’t decided whether it will introduce this legislation on urgency. Michael Gunner doesn’t care that his inaction will create more victims of crime and more work for police. He simply doesn’t care about Territorians.
“In the March sittings, the CLP Opposition introduced its Bail Amendment Bill 2021, however, the Gunner Labor Government refused to debate it. After months and months of denying crime is out of control, Labor had to be dragged kicking and screaming to actually admitting its negligence in addressing the crime crisis. Labor saying it will introduce ‘tough’ laws is a temporary political fix after A Current Affair embarrassed the Gunner Government on the national stage. We will be holding Labor to account to ensure it does what has been promised.
“This week, Labor will begin to boot out the world-leading AUSMAT team from the Howard Springs quarantine facility and transition to an untested single-governance model headed by the NT Police Commissioner.
“Last week we had 54 active COVID cases in the Northern Territory. A global pandemic is not the time to be indulging the Chief Minister’s inflated sense of self-importance. International repatriation should be left to the professionals.
“This week, the Chief Minister is due to give notice of how he will actually implement the TERC report. Currently, his ‘implementation’ has consisted of appointing not one, not two, but three highly-paid public servants to acting Commissioner positions, without job descriptions and on undisclosed salaries.
“In 2017, Michael Gunner attempted a museum-led economic recovery, but the new plan appears to be a recovery by appointing more senior public servants. How many more Commissioners will Labor employ before they consider the Territory economically reconstructed?
“The Chief Minister’s chickens are coming home to roost and making sure he hits his own benchmarks will be a key focus of the CLP this week. The Opposition has proposed well- thought, planned alternatives to all of these issues and we call on the Gunner Government, in the absence of any policies of its own, to consider and borrow ours. Territorians cannot afford any more Labor inaction,” said Ms Finocchiaro.