Shadow Minister for Territory Families and Opposition Whip, Joshua Burgoyne, says the May parliamentary sittings will be a big fortnight of CLP-led legislation – which have been introduced to protect and support Territory workers, and ensure regular reporting from the Chief Health Officer (CHO) to Territorians.
“Our Sentencing Amendment Bill 2022 ensures every offender who assaults a Territory worker – even if it is their first offence – will face an actual term of imprisonment.
“If Labor does not support this straight forward legislation, then it does not support Territory workers.
“Parliament will also be debating the CLP’s legislation to ensure regular reporting from the Chief Health Officer (CHO) to Territorians. Territorians deserve to know what the best health advice is, the evidence to back it up, and how that advice has been implemented by the Gunner Labor Government.
“The CLP does not support the CHO having unfettered emergency power for two more years, after Labor scraps the state of emergency – and does not support the removal of the mandatory reporting by the CHO to parliament.
“Territorians can’t expect Labor to deliver anything in tomorrow’s NT budget which will give confidence that the Gunner Government has a plan to pull the Territory out of $8 billion of debt.
“Any cash splash will be charged to the credit card, or is likely a revote from the year before – which is funding that was earmarked for projects in the previous financial year, but was never spent.
“Territorians want certainty. Territorians want lower cost of living expenses. Territorians want a government with a plan. The Gunner Labor Government can’t deliver on that.
“Under Michael Gunner, NT Labor has blown the Territory’s budget from $1.8 billion when it came to power back in 2016, to $8 billion with nothing to show except a $12 million grandstand, $35 million payouts to teenage criminals, a $4 million playground and $3 million shadeless shade structure.
“The CLP has a solid plan to cut red tape, attract private investment and get the Territory’s economy moving. A CLP Government would implement an Approvals Fast-Track Taskforce which will ease the regulatory burden on business and industry, focus on reducing approval timeframes and streamlining processes across government.
“We would follow the recommendations of the Langoulant report and introduce a single point of coordination for major project investment through the establishment of the Territory Coordinator to encourage and support the private sector – instead of creating THREE Commissioner roles with no power and no teeth which cost taxpayers $1 million annually just in salaries. “Under a CLP government, Labor’s complicated hybrid mining tax would be abolished and replaced with an ad valorem model – which would bring the Territory into line with other jurisdictions,” said Mr Burgoyne.
ENDS