Alice Springs news
Alice Springs news; NewspaperNT
2008-07-24
This publication contains may contain links to external sites. These external sites may no longer be active.
This publication contains many links to external sites. These external sites may no longer be active.
English
Community newspspers; Australia, Central; Alice Springs (N.T.); Newspapers
Erwin Chlanda
Alice Springs
v. 15 issue 25
application/pdf
Copyright. Made available by the publisher under licence.
Erwin Chlanda
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/232757
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/661377
G r a n t s f iddle gets a new lease of l i fe 2 0 0 2 / 2 0 0 3 1 9 9 8 / 1 9 9 9 2 0 0 7 / 2 0 0 8 CATEGORIES Grants in million $ Actual spend in million $ by ALP Govt Grants in million $ Actual spend in million $ by CLP Govt Grants in million $ Actual spend in million $ by ALP Govt CATEGORIES 6 7 . 6 2 .5 4 1 . 0 0.0 Total General Public Services 3 9 4 . 0 7 7 1 . 0 3 4 1 . 0 9 5 6 . 0 Family & Children's Services 98 .5 3 0 . 1 6 9 . 0 19 .0 178 .7 4 3 . 0 Transport of Rural School Children 13 .4 5 .0 11 .0 4 .0 14 .5 2 .3 Non government schools education 19 .9 2 8 . 3 17 .0 2 3 . 0 , 2 9 . 5 3 2 . 2 Government schools education 3 0 8 . 8 2 4 8 . 7 2 5 4 . 0 199 .0 4 0 0 . 5 3 9 3 . 4 Debt charges NT 6.7 2 2 1 . 3 1.5 8 1 . 0 - 3 3 . 1 9 1 . 0 Debt charges NSW 4 2 3 . 4 4 2 8 . 8 Tourism NT 1 0 . 1 4 8 . 7 11 .0 2 7 . 0 11 .8 53 .8 Culture & Recreation 3 5 . 8 148 .4 3 2 . 0 4 9 . 0 4 3 . 2 9 5 . 2 Total Health & Community Services 8 7 9 . 0 6 4 0 . 0 6 5 9 . 0 4 7 0 . 0 Police 123 .0 9 9 . 0 100 .0 7 8 . 0 136 .2 120 .5 Housing 122 .0 67 .0 8 9 . 0 7 2 . 0 136 .2 120 .5 Homeless & general welfare 6 1 . 9 4 8 . 4 Aged & disabled services 6 5 . 6 6 1 . 6 Services to Indigenous Communities 2 1 7 . 9 110 .3 Corrective Services 133 6 7 . 8 Public Safety 4 6 . 5 2 7 . 2 Water sanitation & Protection of the environment 6 9 . 3 3 8 . 9 Non-urban transport 16 .7 3.9 Roads 2 4 9 . 8 122.4 Urban transport 23 4 3 . 7 PLEASE NOTE: Figures for 2 0 0 7 / 2 0 0 8 supplied by the Northern Territory Council of Social Service. B y E R W I N C H L A N D A W h a t the N T G o v e r n m e n t gets f r o m C a n b e r r a , a n d w h a t it spends , is get t ing a lot o f a i r t i m e in the p r e - e l e c t i o n p o l i t i c k i n g - bi i t i t 's a n o ld s t o r y , a n d a n e m b a r r a s s i n g case o f the pot ca l l ing the ket t le b lack . F o r example , O p p o s i t ion L e a d e r T e r r y M i l l s is seeking to make mi le age w i t h "allegations that the T e r r i t o r y G o v e r n m e n t has directed Federal f u n d ing a w a y f r o m F a m i l y and C o m m u n i t y Serv ices , " in 2006/07 receiv ing $179m but spending "just $43m in that category" . T h e A l i c e N e w s ran a comment in M a y 2004, w h e n the re la t i ve ly n e w L a b o r G o v e r n m e n t in the N T was preparing its third budget. A t that time the N o r t h ern T e r r i t o r y C o u n c i l o f Social Serv ice pointed out huge discrepancies between what the C o m m o n w e a l t h Grants C o m m i s s i o n a l lo cated for certain purposes, and what port ion the g o v ernment is actually spend ing o n them. A s r e a d e r s c a n see o n the table above, no th ing m u c h has changed: in areas where hand-on- theheart pledges are c o m m o n , a lot less is spent than al located. ( T h e t w o columns o n the r ight o f the table ref lect the current situation. T h e s e figures were supplied this w e e k by the N T C o u n c i l o f Social Serv ice . ) Back to the 2004 c o m ment piece: W h a t ' s inter esting today is the C o u n t r y L ibera ls ' outrage at these discrepancies: t rouble is, w h e n they were i n power , before 2001, their record was e v e n worse . T h i s was the scene in M a y , 2004, w h e n w e headed our comment piece " N u m bers tell the truth o f w a r m in the t u m m y poli t ics". W h a t sort o f B u d g e t can w e expect next week? W i l l the N T L a b o r g o v e r n ment finally put our m o n e y w h e r e its m o u t h is? N o t l i ke ly , judg ing b y prev ious efforts. H a v e a look at the ta ble. Put y o u r fingers in y o u r ears to shut out all the hoo haa about n e w priorit ies o f health, education, housing, pol ice and all the rest o f the fee l -good stuff, and let the numbers talk. T h e y are f r o m the F e d eral Grants C o m m i s s i o n . T h e first c o l u m n is what Canberra paid to the N T L a bor government i n 2002/03 fo r var ious purposes, and the second co lumn shows o n what the government actu al ly spent each al location. T h e third and fourth c o l umns are the corresponding figures for the C L P Budget o f 1998/99. T h e Federal grants are not tied. T h a t means g o v ernments can spend them as they please. N e v e r t h e less, one can safely assume that the people at the Grants Commiss ion assessing "dis abil i t ies" are honourable , w e l l resourced and w e l l in formed. Y e t our governments , C L P as w e l l as Labor , by their actions, keep tell ing the c o m m i s s i o n it hasn't got a clue. Disabil i t ies are things l i k e b ig d i s t a n c e s , l o w populat ion, a great number o f d isadvantaged people, w i d e s p r e a d p o o r h e a l t h , infer ior education, need for housing, and so on . Labor , wh i l e in O p p o s i t ion, was fo rever c lamour ing about underspending b y the government on some purposes w h i l e overspend ing on others. C h e c k out the figures: not m u c h has changed. . Bear in m ind that m a n y o f the items relate not on ly to the people w h o w o u l d be the immediate recipients. F a m i l y and Ch i ld ren 's Serv ices , fo r example , is gross ly under- funded. T h a t department is deal ing - o r meant to be w i t h , among others, y o u n g sniffers w h o cause m a y h e m b y theft and vandal ism and make life a misery for agreat number o f people. T h e s e be come the secondary v ic t ims o f substance abuse. T h e C L P spent m e r e l y one th ird o f its grant o n that purpose - and so has Labor . F o r Homeless and G e n eral W e l f a r e the C L P d i ver ted all o f its $41m grant. L a b o r d iver ted .$74.1 m o f the $76.6m it rece ived. U n d e r b o t h g o v e r n ments, public schools get a lot less than the grant and pr ivate schools a lot more . E a c h g o v e r n m e n t d i v e r t e d a round one t h i r d , about $200m, f r o m Hea l th and C o m m u n i t y Serv ices . L a b o r spent o n l y ha l f o f the housing m o n e y on hous ing ($67m o f the $122m grant) . B y compar ison the C L P had a posit ively touching so cial conscience, spending on housing $72m o f the $89m allocation. C h e c k out " C u l t u r e & Recrea t ion" - a. k. a. Bread and C i r c u s e s , p r i m a r i l y spor t ing faci l i t ies grants spent in D a r w i n , w h i c h e n able ministers to make great guys o f themselves, handing C O N T . P A G E 10. Advertisement Important changes t o t h e Child Care Tax Rebate that you need to know From 1 July 2 0 0 8 the Austral ian Government will increase the Chi ld Care Tax Rebate payment t o famil ies f r om 30% to 50% to help meet their ou t -o f -pocke t ch i ld care cos ts . T h e Chi ld Care Tax Rebate is a payment for parents or guard ians w h o are work ing , s tudy ing or t ra in ing. T h e Chi ld Care Tax Rebate is not income tested. Families c a n n o w receive up to $7500 a year for each chi ld in approved care. T h e Chi ld Care Tax Rebate will be pa id quarter ly or as an annual l ump s u m payment . To find out more visit www.childcarerebate.gov.au or call the Family Assistance Office on 13 61 50. Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Ea^cVUood Educat ions Child Care Authorised by the Australian Government, Capital Hill, Canberra. A L I C E S P R I N G S N E W S - V o l 15, I S S U E 25. J u l y 24,2008 - PagCS'>'* http://www.childcarerebate.gov.au