Questions Day 1 - Tuesday 23 May 1995
Parliamentary Record 11
Questions for 7th Assembly 1994 - 1997; ParliamentNT; Parliamentary Record; 7th Assembly 1994 - 1997
1995-05-23
Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
English
Questions
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
Darwin
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QUESTIONS - Tuesday 23 May 1995 When the Australian government reached 6% growth, it put the brakes on and interest rates went up. What happened in the Territory? Last year, it was 8.5% and the year before it was 3.5%. That is how strong the economy is in the Northern Territory, and it will increase to 6.5% in 1995-96. The economy is robust, and the budget is responsible. Sure, it contains tax hikes and revenue increases, but I let every Territorian know that there have been no substantial increases in taxes and charges over the last 3 years, and there is not likely to be for some time into the future. That is the kind of budget that was delivered here last Thursday. It is an excellent budget and it has received widespread support, not only from the business community and ordinary Territorians, but following analysis by the Institute of Public Affairs, whose Mr Nahan, on the ABCs 7.30 Report, called it a responsible budget and a good budget, and so it is. Proposed Asian Economic Institute Mr SETTER to MINISTER for ASIAN RELATIONS and TRADE In January 1993, the Northern Territorys 2 federal Labor members, Hon Warren Snowdon and Senator Bob Collins, trumpeted that they would have a $25m Asian economic institute built in Darwin. Can the minister confirm the rumour that the federal government has now scrapped the idea of this particular institute? ANSWER Mr Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition attempts to savage the Treasurer over the Northern Territory budget, but we have yet to hear a single word on the federal budget that has been delivered... Mr Ede: He said that it was okay. Barry Coulter said that it was ... Mr STONE: ... a budget that Australians do not even believe in. There it was - the great, heralded announcement of an Asian trade institute. The federal government even spent S im o n the prefeasibility studies and said that it was a great idea for engagement with Asia. Away we went. It went as far as to appoint a chairman, a former senior executive of BHP. It said that it would spend $25m, but then came the whisper - over the next 5 years. It is reminiscent, of what Hon Carmen Lawrence had to say about expenditure on Aboriginal health across all of Australia. If I recall correctly what the Minister for Health and Community Services had to say, that was $103m - over 4 years. In this instance, we have been given a $25m commitment - over 5 years - except that $4m was spent on top of the $lm, and then what happened? The project disappeared. Despite all their talk about engagement with Asia, and putting these kind of facilities into the northern part of Australia, the Leader of the Oppositions colleagues in Canberra have failed miserably, and he has said nothing about it. He has said not a word. That is the problem with Territory Labor. It does not stand up for Territorians. Whenever any bad news comes out of Canberra, all members opposite do is run around and make apologies for people like Snowdon and Collins. It is really time they stood up for Territorians. 566