By ERWIN CHLANDA
Opposition Leader Gary Higgins (pictured) says the Giles government handed to the Gunner government a deficit of $78m.
The deficit is now understood to be $1400m – or $1.4 billion.
That makes the increase 18 times the $78m in the two years and five months of Labor government in the NT.
Mr Higgins says the Opposition has challenged Labor “to own up to its role in devastating the Territory’s economy and admit it has a problem.
“We’ve seen at the weekend and today Labor’s new way of blaming the CLP.
“The fact is the deficit handed to Labor was $78m as recorded by the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Statement.
“The CLP also had a plan to bring the budget back into surplus which can be seen in the forward estimates of Budget 16/17.”
Mr Higgins says Labor knew Inpex was winding down and our GST receipts would be down: “Where was their plan to deliver economic diversification and to tackle the down turn?
“Our plan included onshore gas, diversification of the pastoral estate, growing and supporting our tourism industry, developing further links to tap into the growing international student market and major projects and we published a full policy and plan at the time of the 2016 election.”
The CLP argument is like counting their chickens before they hatch.
Just because you have a plan doesn’t mean it would come to be. The only lucky thing for them is nothing Gunner does or says will save his party.
They will be tossed next election, and our stocks of experienced and reliable politicians in the NT are very low.
Next election let’s disable the the duopoly that have both brought us to this situation and vote in some ethical independents who will work for the community not the party CLP NLP ALP all same same gammon bullshit artists.