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Katie Woolf spoke with Member for Solomon Luke Gosling on the Federal Government Budget · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf, thanks to Joyce Main, Dowin
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: homes On and Stuart Highway Beerrimer.
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  Speaker 2: Well, as we know, the federal budget was handed down
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  Speaker 2: overnight and I guess there's you know, there is a
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: lot to take in. There always is when you talk
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: about these budgets and trying to work out what's in
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: it for us, what's in it for the Northern Territory.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: We did speak to the to the Federal Minister for Finance,
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: Simon Birmingham a little bit earlier this morning and he
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: art laid what territorians can expect. But joining me on
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  Speaker 2: the line right now is the federal member for Solomon,
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  Speaker 2: the Labor Member for Solomon, Luke Gosling. Good morning to you, Luke.
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  Speaker 1: Morning Katie Luke.
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  Speaker 2: What did you make of last night's budget?
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  Speaker 1: Katie? There's been a lot of commentary about it. It's
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  Speaker 1: being a big spending budget. But I guess the thing
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  Speaker 1: that sort of outside of politics has seen over eight
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: years of this current government is that, you know, they've
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  Speaker 1: made a lot of announcements, but then we find that
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: there's big underspends and they don't actually spend what they're
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: committed to spending. So whilst I welcome parts of the budget,
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: we're still waiting to see the funding for kak who
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  Speaker 1: actually eventuate onto the ground, And I was really unhappy
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: to see that no money in there for the veterans
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  Speaker 1: well being Senator. They promised that the last election, so
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  Speaker 1: that project sort of flounders on. And when it comes
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  Speaker 1: to infrastructure announcements, there was a cut in infrastructure funding
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  Speaker 1: at the time where we need to be building. So
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  Speaker 1: I guess our point of view is that can you
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  Speaker 1: really trust what they've announced and will it ever get
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  Speaker 1: under the ground or is it just a big spending
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  Speaker 1: budget in the lead up to a federal election. We'll see.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I had wandered the same thing about kakado but
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: then when I went back and looked, I did notice
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  Speaker 2: that that money was actually in the budget from last year.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: So I mean, what were you expecting or what were
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  Speaker 2: you hoping for when it comes to Kakadoo, Like.
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  Speaker 1: Everyone in the tourism business and the traditional owners out
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  Speaker 1: there and everyone who's been looking at the degradation of
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  Speaker 1: Kakadu over theears, we're expecting some work to actually be
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: done on the ground. You go out there and it's
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  Speaker 1: run down. So I guess my point is they've made
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  Speaker 1: an announcement about money in a federal election in twenty
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  Speaker 1: nineteen and that hasn't eventually aid onto action on the ground.
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  Speaker 1: And we've got the tourism industry saying well, because nothing's
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  Speaker 1: been done. They're actually saying we need more funding because
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: it's more rundown than it was. And we've got this
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  Speaker 1: really magic opportunity at the moment with no international tourism
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  Speaker 1: to really capture the hearts of Australians and get them
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  Speaker 1: back to Kakadu, but nothing's been done, which is really disappointing.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, this is where I'm struggling to work out what
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  Speaker 2: the goal is with Kakadoo at the moment, because you know,
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  Speaker 2: you're right, as I said, there is that money that's
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: there initially, and you're right, there is definitely or there
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  Speaker 2: was a call even from Glenn Hingley a little bit
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  Speaker 2: earlier in the week for more operational funding on the
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  Speaker 2: ground for Kagado. But with that money that had previously
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  Speaker 2: been earmarked, who's responsible then for making sure that that
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  Speaker 2: sort of gets rolled out in the Northern Territory And
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  Speaker 2: what is the hold up?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I'd love to know Katie what the hold up is,
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  Speaker 1: because we've got a situation where there was commitments around
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  Speaker 1: roads being sealed, there's commitments around an upgrade of facilities
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  Speaker 1: and a new welcoming center, even just little things like
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  Speaker 1: public toilets and the signings out there, little things like
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  Speaker 1: that that make a big difference. I suppose the amenities
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  Speaker 1: go out there for the tourists to have the best
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  Speaker 1: possible experience. I mean, there's been next to nothing done,
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: and National Parks seem to be more interested in pick
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  Speaker 1: and fights with the traditional owners about sacred sites and
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  Speaker 1: we might see gunlom clothes. So across the board, we've
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  Speaker 1: seen I think a mishandling of kakado by the federal
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  Speaker 1: government and parks. And it's just such an important icon
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  Speaker 1: for us to have looking a million bucks, and I
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  Speaker 1: just expected to see more action by now. And obviously
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  Speaker 1: Glenn Henley and others are doing the best that they
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  Speaker 1: can to ensure that there is some action. But I fam.
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  Speaker 2: I definitely take your point around Kakadoo. I guess the
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  Speaker 2: other side of it, there's no denying that this time
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  Speaker 2: round with the budget, there seems to be you know,
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  Speaker 2: a lord in it. When you talk about those tax cuts,
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  Speaker 2: we have had a massive, a massive amount earmarked for
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  Speaker 2: us here in the Northern Territory five billion as I
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  Speaker 2: understand it, next financial year when it comes to that
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  Speaker 2: infrastructure and some of those highways, and when we talk.
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  Speaker 1: About it saying that the year's cadie.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, But then it's up to the territory government in
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  Speaker 2: terms of actually delivering that work on the ground when
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  Speaker 2: it comes to that infrastructure for our roads, isn't it.
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  Speaker 1: I mean it's a partnership and obviously the Anti government's
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  Speaker 1: doing the best they can with the federal government and
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  Speaker 1: have have welcomed this budget. When I look at this
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  Speaker 1: budget and when we look at the bigger picture, the
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  Speaker 1: roads funding is a good example. The roads funding is
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  Speaker 1: always in the budget, but it's out on the never
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  Speaker 1: and ever when it comes to the actual spend hitting
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  Speaker 1: the ground. So yeah, I would like I just want
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  Speaker 1: to see them actually do what they say they're going
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  Speaker 1: to do when it comes to these infrastructure projects. And overall,
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  Speaker 1: there was a three billion dollar cut in the infrastructure
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  Speaker 1: budget that sort of gets missed in amongst the big announcements.
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  Speaker 1: But when it comes to age care, for example, there's
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  Speaker 1: a big dollar figure there, but it's still not covering
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: the recommendations out of the Royal Commission, and that is
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  Speaker 1: also and that's also a concern because what Territorians know
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  Speaker 1: is that the cost of everything's going up. Yeah, I
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  Speaker 1: think as a good example, but their wages aren't going up,
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  Speaker 1: and I just can't see much in this budget that
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  Speaker 1: focuses on getting more Territorians into permanent, well paid jobs
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: so that they can provide for their families time.
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  Speaker 2: We also know there has been a five hundred an
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: additional five hundred million for us in the territory for
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: the GST for this financial year. The Chief Minister, also
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  Speaker 2: Minister Paul Kirby and others have been out this morning,
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  Speaker 2: you know, saying that this is a good budget for
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  Speaker 2: the territory. How come you feel differently to them?
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  Speaker 1: No, obviously I like thent GUM and I welcome that
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  Speaker 1: extra GST F I mean, but it's sort of making
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: up from the previous cut, which we're pretty damaging to
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: our bottom line. So we always welcome a fair go,
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  Speaker 1: but we obviously reserve the right to say when commitments
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: haven't been met, and that's part of my job to
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  Speaker 1: keep the government to account. They're committed to a five
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: million dollar Veterans Well Being Center, and that money is
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: not in the budget and we're not seeing that eventuate
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: on the ground. So part of this budget is good
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: for the territory, and I join with the Chief Minister
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: in welcoming that extra GST for example. But let's not
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: forget that we've copped it in the past. Moving forward,
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: I just hope that some of their announcements actually eventuate
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: onto the ground and that's my job to continue to
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: push them and make sure that they do it.
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  Speaker 2: Most certainly is and Luke Gosling, we always appreciate your time.
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: Thank you very much for having a chat with us.
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: And does Elbow hand down his budget? Replies it tonight
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  Speaker 2: or tomorrow night.
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: That's tomorrow night. So yep, we've been I've been working
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: hard with his team to get some territory love in there.
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: But we'll see. But I think it will show a
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  Speaker 1: different vision for the future.
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: Well let us know and and let us know what
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: is in it for the territory. And Elbow's reply, Luke
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: Gosling always good to catch up. Thank you mate,