Page 2399 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 6 August 1991
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Mr Connolly: We have done it, with land tax. It was a tough decision. Are you going to back us on that one? Or are you going to give away $6m?
MR KAINE: We will talk about budget outcomes when we get to the end of this year. You have never had to confront one. I had to balance your budget for you because it was blowing out when we took over in December 1989. It was only by keeping control of the budget that we brought it in balanced. Last year, when every State budget and the Commonwealth budget went absolutely haywire, with a $1.4 billion budget ours overran by $6m. That is a good result by any standard. If you do not believe it, just go and do some comparisons against the States.
The absolute figure of $6m sounds a lot of money; but look at it in comparison with what the other State governments were able to achieve, particularly those of your Labor mates. Look at Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania, and see what their budget outcome was.
Mr Connolly: What about New South Wales?
MR KAINE: Nick Greiner's outcome, like mine, was very good, relatively, and you cannot deny that. Look at the facts; do not merely speculate. Do not talk off the top of your head, as you always do. Go and look at the figures and then come back and tell me whether the result last year was not a lot better than you are pretending now.
Mr Speaker, I started with the proposition that it was a Clayton's strategy; it is. I want to see some leadership from this Government as to what they are going to do, and I am sure that there are nearly 300,000 people out there who are paying taxes in this Territory and who are looking for that, too. I think it is about time that we saw some policy making, decision making and action on the part of the Government, instead of this plaintive plea of "Tell me what to do".
MR COLLAERY (3.19): Mr Speaker, my comments will be brief because the strategy itself is a brief document and, like Mr Kaine, I recognise much of it as part of our proposed budget indicators. It was called our proposed budget strategy when I saw the Cabinet draft. In one way I am pleased. As I predicted when the Follett Government was restored, there was little that Ms Follett could do to tinker with the budget. This document establishes the notion that there is little that she is going to do to the budget in the short term. There are a couple of variations, but they point more towards her style rather than substance. The imposition of a one per cent land tax has come suddenly - overnight almost. It needed very careful thought, particularly in terms of effect on investment decisions and its social justice impact. I will come back to that.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .