James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The coalition government has taken responsible action with additional financial assistance of $259 million to protect the Northern Territory from the extreme outcomes resulting from the 2018-19 GST distribution, which has placed essential services under pressure. The total GST bill has been increased by around $2 billion this year alone as a direct result of the integrity measures the Commonwealth has introduced and legislated to improve the GST take. This is money that goes to all states and territories to provide essential services like schools, hospitals and police.