Budget Policies Target Territory Families

The Opposition have put Territory families at the centre of its budget reply speech with policies designed to help Territorians buy their own home, ease cost of putting fuel in the tank and improve the education of their kids.

"Owning your home, getting away on the weekend and knowing your kids are getting a good education are reasonable expectations,” says Jodeen Carney, Leader of the Opposition.

"That's why the Territory Opposition has devised specific policies to ensure those expectations can be fulfilled for a majority of Territorians.

"Our education initiatives provide top-up funding to overcome the problems created by the transition to middle schooling, reward additional fundraising by school communities and provide training for School Councillors who give their time so selflessly.

"Education is the foundation of our economic prosperity and glue for our social cohesion: improving the quality of education in the Territory is a priority of this Opposition.

"Our First Homebuyers Policy with its $100,000 discount on residential land blocks is tightly targeted to increase home ownership in the Territory without reducing the value of existing homes.

"The great Australian dream of home ownership is slipping out of each of far too many of our citizens.

"Our LPG Conversion Policy will reduce weekly fuel costs by around $20 for those deciding to make the switch to this cleaner fuel.

"Cheaper fuel makes getting away on the weekend that much easier.

"I've also re-announced 4 very important promises I made in last year's budget reply.”

They were:

1. 50% increase in the number of police cars per sector;

2. introduction of a HECS repayment system for health professionals for every year they stayed and worked in the Territory;

3. the introduction of the Life Long Learning Program including the Chief Minister's Reading Reward Program; and

4. a reduction in the number of public servant fat cats.


"I've put those policies back on the table because the Martin Government all but ignored them, to the detriment of Territorians.

"With crime on the rise, it's time to review a 20 year freeze on the number of police cars per sector.

"With recruitment and retention of health professionals at the core of our public hospital staffing problems, our HECS proposal is an innovative policy at its best.

"Our Life Long Learning Program would have encouraged more children to read more quality literature.

"Reducing the number of public servant fat cats is about getting value for taxpayers' money.

"Indeed getting value for taxpayer's money is a fundamental deficiency of the Martin Government.

"With a whopping $1.1 billion more in this budget than its first budget, the Martin Government is unable to deliver a functioning health system, can't put its promised extra 200 police on the beat and won't balance its books.

"The long-term costs of this Government's failure will be borne by all Territorians.”

2007-05-02