LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Sir – The Labor Government needs to begin delivering on the high expectations it raised while in Opposition.
The recent release of a Chamber of Commerce survey highlights the serious concerns the Territory’s business community has with the Labor Government’s performance so far.
More than 450 chamber members responded to the survey – an extremely strong response to the lack of action by the Government – and identified increasing crime and declining infrastructure as the two key concerns of business.
The Government misled Territorians when it launched its Immediate Works Stimulus package last November – most of the works it outlined won’t begin until well into the dry season.
Only about 10% of the 2016-17 infrastructure budget has been implemented and the Government continues to focus on a summit process that, according to the Government’s own website, has only two submissions from business and been deferred until April.
Is it any wonder the Territory’s population growth is 700% behind the national average?
Crime figures released last Friday show Territory-wide, commercial break-ins increased by 18.2%Â in the 12 months to December 1. In Darwin the increase was 63.5%Â and in Alice Springs 25.9%.
There is no plan to tackle this serious crime surge.
It is difficult to frame a strong response when there appears to be a leadership vacuum in the Government.
Gary Higgins
Opposition Leader
I’m no Labor voter, but it’s hard to take this guy too seriously when he’s mentioning crime figures for the 12 months to December 1.
Wasn’t the election in August after four years of this guy’s government?
Labor had only just gotten their feet under the desk when the 12 months of figures had completed.
Unless he’s got another set of figures that shows that the entire increase was due to a massive surge in the last three months of the reporting period, then he’s really just having a go at his government’s own record.