Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro responds to the Treasurer’s annual financial report and $11 million spend on new road signs

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Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro responds to the Treasurer’s annual financial report and $11 million spend on new road signs · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line is the Opposition leader,
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Leah Finocchiaro.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Good morning, Leah, Good morning Katie, Good morning listeners.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your time this morning. Now, Leah,
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: I am keen to ask you more about the Treasurer's
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: annual financial Report being tabled in Parliament overnight. But before
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: we get there, we certainly revealed on the show a
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: bit earlier this morning that over eleven million dollars is
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: being invested on these variable message signs. Do you feel
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: as though that's money well spent?
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  Speaker 2: Oh, Katie, it's a total way. So I think people
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  Speaker 2: have been watching over the last few months wondering what
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: the concrete was for, the wondering what the cabling was for,
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: wondering what the polls were for. And now we've got
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  Speaker 2: great big TV screens flagging roads right across the top end,
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  Speaker 2: and I don't think people can see the justification for it,
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  Speaker 2: particularly when eleven point five million dollars could go into
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  Speaker 2: significant road safety upgrades. For example, Kirkland Road and we'll
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: let Boulevard in my electorate needs about one five million
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: for safety upgrade. That would have been a better use
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: of the money. So again we've got to we've got
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  Speaker 2: a government with very interesting priorities and a bunch of
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  Speaker 2: new TVs.
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  Speaker 1: I'm told that you know that the reason that they've
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: had to be spent on this is that there is
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  Speaker 1: certainly you know that it was it was money which
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  Speaker 1: had been funded from the Commonwealth government around road safety
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  Speaker 1: and that there's limits on you know, on what sort
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  Speaker 1: of messaging can go on there, and that it is
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  Speaker 1: a good thing. I mean, I guess it's it's one
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: of those situations again. It feels leah where I know
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  Speaker 1: when the Northern Territory government made the announcement about the
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: grand stand the Turf Club grant for the grandstand, they
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: had said to me at that time, look, they're different
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: buckets of money, because I'd argue, why didn't you invest
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: it into the hospital or something else? And I'm assuming
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  Speaker 1: that that's the same case here.
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  Speaker 2: Well, even if this money is quarantined to some extent
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  Speaker 2: by the federal government through that federal contribution, it would
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  Speaker 2: be for road safety upgrade, so the territory government would
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: have absolutely leeway in what it is they spend that
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  Speaker 2: money on. And like I said, it could have been
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  Speaker 2: used to improve particularly those dangerous intersections that we all,
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: you know, know across the territory Baggett roads. I mean
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  Speaker 2: there's examples everywhere, and you know, ultimately, I guess what
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  Speaker 2: people are concerned about in the conversations I've been having
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  Speaker 2: is one, are these signs exactly going to say? I mean,
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  Speaker 2: if it's bucketing down rain, you won't be able to
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  Speaker 2: read the sign anyway. If there's a car accident or
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  Speaker 2: something happening ahead, which is what's slowing traffic, You've really
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: not got many options in the territory. If you're on
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  Speaker 2: the Stewart Highway, you're on the Stuart Highway, if you're
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  Speaker 2: on Tiger Brennan. You know, there's very little opportunities to
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  Speaker 2: be able to go a different way. So it'll be
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: interesting to see how they use them. But eleven point
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  Speaker 2: five million sure is a heck of a lot of money, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: And you know, you just question where else that could
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: have gone.
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  Speaker 1: It is a lot of money now, I know that.
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  Speaker 1: There was further detail in Parliament overnight when the Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territory Government Treasurer tabled the twenty twenty one twenty two
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: Treasurer's Annual Financial Report. Leah the final outcome the Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territory government say is a fiscal balanced deficit of three
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  Speaker 1: hundred and thirty million dollars. The government says this represents
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: an improvement of five hundred and twenty four million dollars
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: since the revised figure in the twenty twenty two to
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  Speaker 1: twenty three budget and a massive one billion dollar improvement
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: from the original figure in twenty one twenty two's budget
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  Speaker 1: from May last year. However, you look at it, though
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  Speaker 1: we are in an enormous amount of debt, was there
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  Speaker 1: much else sort of uncovered in that annual financial report
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  Speaker 1: of concern from your perspective.
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: Well, I think when the Treasurer produces a report into
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: Parliament at about eleven forty five at night, Katie, there's
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: always reason for concern because it makes me think what
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: are they trying to bury in the middle of the night.
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: But of course we had a lovely speech for from
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: the Treasurer talking it all up. At the end of
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  Speaker 2: the day, Katie, what we've got is a seven point
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  Speaker 2: six billion dollar debt. That's a billion dollars a year.
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  Speaker 2: Labor have added two hours situation since they've been in power.
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  Speaker 2: What this TAFA showed is a sixty three million dollar
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  Speaker 2: improvement on what they were predicting, But two thirds of
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  Speaker 2: that is actually attributed to timing changes, so they've just
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  Speaker 2: essentially moved projects from one financial year to the other
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  Speaker 2: so that we pay for them later, so that it's
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  Speaker 2: not captured in last year's data. And a third of
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  Speaker 2: that was also improvements in stamp duty and royalty. So
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  Speaker 2: not a lot of good news on the horizon. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: I'm pleased it's not nine billion like they thought it
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  Speaker 2: would be, but seven point six sure is hefty, and
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  Speaker 2: as we're seeing, you know, your listeners will know if
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: you're a frontline public servant, a police, a nurse, a
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: corrections officer, a teacher, you're still out there negotiating a
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: pay rise after what has been a pay freeze position.
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: So certainly next year we're expecting that number to be
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: much higher, given the government will be importantly providing pay
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: rises to frontline workers. But also interest rates are going
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: up and that hits government as much as it hits
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: you know, people out there with their home loans.
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: Leah, was there much further detail provided? I thought that
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: there was some further info that came out as well
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: about the health budget. Do you have much further detail
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: on that, I.
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  Speaker 2: Haven't k but they were way over budget, which, of course,
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  Speaker 2: you know, I guess to some extent is understandable. But ultimately,
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: you know, if all of our expenses keep going up
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  Speaker 2: and this government is not going to unleash the economy
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  Speaker 2: like we need so that we grow the size of
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: the pie, then what is the future of the Northern Territory.
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: I think all this path around a forty billion dollar
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  Speaker 2: economy by twenty thirty is lovely, but it's taken us
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  Speaker 2: nearly fifty years to get a six twenty six billion
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  Speaker 2: dollar economy, so the chances of reaching forty in a
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: couple of years time under this government is pretty slim.
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  Speaker 2: I'd have to stay, but we need to make massive
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: reform on an economic front to be able to keep
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  Speaker 2: up to pace with this government spending and of course
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: all of our liabilities. You know, we have to have
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  Speaker 2: a strong frontline service, There's no question about it. We
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  Speaker 2: have to deliver good health care, and all of those
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  Speaker 2: things cost money, and territories deserve to have the best.
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: Leah, before I let you go, we also know overnight, unfortunately,
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  Speaker 1: another rampage through the Alice Springs CBD Police once again
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  Speaker 1: urging residents to evacuate the CBD in Alice two land
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  Speaker 1: cruisers allegedly stolen and driven dangerously through the town. We've
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  Speaker 1: spoken to Senator for the Northern Territory, just Enter Price
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  Speaker 1: a bit earlier this morning, and she has said that
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  Speaker 1: you know that these problems, these youth crime problems, are
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: a direct result of the failure to protect kids from abuse,
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  Speaker 1: and it may take the AFP or the ADF to
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  Speaker 1: solve the problem. Do you think we need to go
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  Speaker 1: that far?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think Alice Springs is absolutely in crisis and
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  Speaker 2: the rest of the territory is not far behind. We've
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  Speaker 2: now got dolen vehicles driven by US used as missiles
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: directed at our police. And we asked questions in Parliament
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  Speaker 2: about this yesterday, Katie, around what are they is a
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: government doing to protect our police? Like does a police
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: officer have to get killed or another innocent person have
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: to get killed before this government takes different action? Of course,
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: all of our questions were just met with absolute garbage
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  Speaker 2: and rhetoric. And Katie, I literally I'm in Parliament right now,
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  Speaker 2: I'm sitting in my office. I literally just came out
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  Speaker 2: of the chamber. I tried to move my fifth police
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  Speaker 2: inquiry into the police crisis. I think I said three
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: lines yep, and Nicole Manison, the former police minister, shut
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  Speaker 2: me down, gaged the debate, didn't even let me get
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: through my speech, let alone try and establish an inquiry
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  Speaker 2: into our police crisis. So this government is just out
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  Speaker 2: of control and I honestly don't know what the answer
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  Speaker 2: is because as long as they're in control, we'll have
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  Speaker 2: weaker laws, not enough support for our police, and rampant
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  Speaker 2: crime across the community.
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: Well, I'll tell you what you's got to change. There
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  Speaker 1: is no doubt about that. Lea Finocchiaro, the Opposition leader,
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  Speaker 1: we appreciate your time this morning. Thank you for stepping
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: out of Parliament to speak with us.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you. Take care everyone,