Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to again extend an invitation to the Prime Minister, the member for Wentworth, and the Treasurer, the member for Cook, to visit Darwin and the Top End. We are a welcoming bunch and, most importantly, we want the Prime Minister and the Treasurer to see firsthand our massive potential. We also want them to understand the immense level of need, as well as the fantastic opportunities and skills available in the Northern Territory.

I do not want to be negative. I commend the funding boost for veterans' mental health and suicide prevention, and the additional money for mental health overall. But the only thing this budget does for us is confirm the gutting of the Northern Territory, with a $1.17 billion cut in Commonwealth payments, as a result of GST amendments. It is tearing the heart out of the Territory. So imagine just how disappointed we were on Tuesday night, optimistically hoping for at least some infrastructure investment for the Territory to help ameliorate the vicious GST cuts. But there was nothing. There is nothing in this budget that commits the federal government to working with the NT government to build and develop our cities, towns and regions. I just do not understand why the federal government has turned its back on the Northern Territory. We kept looking at the budget—maybe there was something in there—but the reality is this budget kicks the territory where it hurts. There is a lot of talk about developing the north from this government, but we have not had one dollar—not one dollar—out of the north Australia infrastructure funding, and we see very little in this budget.

Tourism is a major part of our economy, but what have we seen there? More cuts. Our economy is transitioning, as most of Australia is, out of the mining boom. We have impacts in the NT—winding down the construction phase—so we need to focus on tourism. But not only are there these cuts; there is nothing for the Territory—no new money and no infrastructure funding.

The only mention of Darwin I could find in the budget is a plan to reduce the size of the Australian Electoral Commission's office in Darwin and relocate it interstate to a capital city. I just do not understand that. A recent report about the Territory election showed that of those who are enrolled—and we have very poor voter enrolment—just 74 per cent turned out for the Territory election. The federal government is moving members of the AEC out of Darwin—which is struggling with population—interstate. It is the opposite of decentralisation— moving it to a bigger capital city—and it shows that Senator Fiona Nash's talk about decentralisation is an absolute furphy. Finally, I want to talk about the new tax arrangements. They are unfair. (Time expired)

See this speech in context