Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Member for Solomon Luke Gosling on Labor's Federal budget reply

Transcript

Member for Solomon Luke Gosling on Labor's Federal budget reply · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, we know that the federal budget was handed down
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: earlier in the week yesterday the night before, and so
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: things were looking pretty positive in the sense that there's
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: two point six billion dollars to be spent on infrastructure
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: projects across the Northern Territory in coming years. But what's
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: going to be in the opposition's budget reply. Well, I'm
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: not too sure whether he'll be able to reveal it
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: all this morning, but I'm sure he'll be able to
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: give us a few bits of information. It is Luke Gosling,
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Labour's Member for Solomon. Good morning to you, Luke.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. How are you very well?
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: Luke? Elbow's delivering his budget reply a little bit later
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: this evening. What can the territory expect.
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I think what we've seen from Elbow in
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: previous budget reply speeches is an absolute commitment to infrastructure
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: development in the Northern Territory and the Darwin and palmerstan
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: and that's going to be as as he has consistently
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: throughout his time not only as the leader of the Opposition,
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: but as the Infrastructure Minister as well, back in the
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: days when we were in federal government. But it's been
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: nine years since then, and unfortunately, whilst there's a lot
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: of hope about government announcements about infrastructure sort of way
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: into the future. And I think what we need to
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: see is infrastructure for the Nolton territory brought forward and
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: be put into action so that there are other jobs
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: there for our kids. And I think what's been missing
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: is a commitment to unique places and vocational education and training.
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: So I think you can expect to see an ongoing
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: commitment from that from Albow as well, so our kids
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: are trained up for the jobs that come with the
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: infrastructure as well.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: So it sounds like a bit of a bit more
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: of a focus on jobs and training. Looke with some
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: of that infrastructure money, I mean two point six billion dollars,
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: I think it was your two point six billion dollars
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: on different infrastructure projects. If Labor is elected at the
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: next election, will will they still move forward with that
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: two point six billion dollars worth of infrastructure?
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: The two point six billions an interesting figure. There's a
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: bit of smoke and mirrors involved in that. But we
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: always ask ourselves a question what's real here and what's
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: just a pre election front page? And of course they
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: always get the front page. They get the big amount.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: But what we've seen with roads funding is it's never
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: actually happened. So they've been in government for nine years,
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: but the roads funding never actually reaches the territory and happens.
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: It's always just outpath the what they call the forward estimates,
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: which is four years into the future. So I think
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: money that is delivered onto the ground in reality is
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: always much better than promises out on than never never.
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: But federal labor absolutely committed to developing the North. We
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: support more money into the nape, but we need real money.
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: A good example is what happened with the shiplift in
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: the last election. We said four hundred million real money,
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: let's get the ship lift built, get that industry pumping,
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: and then we saw a knafe commitment. We're still waiting
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: for the shape the ship lift obviously to come to being.
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: So what we need is actually action on the ground,
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: and that's what Elbow will be committed to.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: I guess I suppose what I mean with the infrastructure
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: spending is yesterday we spoke to Louise McCormack, the Infrastructure
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: Commissioner for the Northern Territory. She said that the planning
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: has been in the works for the large majority of
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: these infrastructure projects for some time. I know that in
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: Parliament yesterday the Northern Territory Government was saying that Scott
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: Morrison had backed their infrastructure plan. So I guess what
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: I'm asking is is Albow going to back it as well?
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: No. Absolutely, We've made that very clear. I mean Later
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: is always going to support more infrastructure investment for the regions,
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: and in particular our region because how important it is
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: as the capital of Northern Australia, but also throughout the territory,
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: not just Darwin and Parmesan. Obviously it's welcome, but we've
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: just after nine years, you can forgive us for being
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: a little bit skeptical about what their real commitment to
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: that funding hitting the ground is. So yes, of course
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: with the NT government who have been working on their
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: infrastructure plans, we support those. We welcome that the federal
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: government supports those. But I guess you've just got to
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: ask yourself what's real and their track record of delivery
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: is not great. Look at Kakadu as one example, but
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: there's sports facilities that have promised in the last election.
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: We're not one dollar has actually gone into those projects
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: in Darwen and Parmeerston in my electorate. So luke schedule
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: about their ability to deliver whilst welcoming the.
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: Promise, Luke, what else can we expect? I know you
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: can't give away all of the budget reply speech for tonight,
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: but mate, what else can we expect? Is there going
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: to be a bit more? Yesterday we spoke to Dina
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: Tali from nt Costs and she had wanted to see
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: more in it for those low to middle income earners.
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: And you know, even when you talk about things like housing,
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: can we expect more of a focus on things like
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: that in the budget reply? Yeah?
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: I think we definitely will see that affordable housing is
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: obviously essential, that the price of housing is obviously and
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: rent is difficult for families. And you know, rather than
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: sort of a short term sugar hit of a few
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: hundred dollars, we'd rather see more long term wage growth,
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: more permanent jobs rather than low paid, insecure work, so
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: that people can actually afford their rent, can afford petrol,
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: can afford to support their family. So affordable housing will
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: absolutely be a big part of federal labors offering. We'll
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: have a lot more to say, not just tonight, but
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: during the campaign as well, which will happen sometime in
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: the near future.
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: Luke Gosling, always good to catch up. We'll talk to
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: you again soon, no doubt.
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: Good only Katie.
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: Thank you.