Darwin News
Planning For In Inflation
The substantial increase in Darwin's cost of living can be sheeted back to poor planning and mismanagement by the Henderson Government.
Shadow Treasurer John Elferink said the latest Consumer Price Index, released today, shows a 1.9% increase in the September quarter – by far the largest rise in the country.
'While other capital cities posted increases ranging from .6% to 1.3%, – Darwin residents are paying 1.9% more on average for a range of goods and services than they were in June,' Mr Elferink said.
'While it's generally accepted that it costs more to live in the Territory, the role of Government is to make life less expensive, not add to the cost.'
The Australian Bureau of Statistics says housing and electricity were key factors in the national increase – but specifically in Darwin.
The most significant contributor was the increase in electricity prices across seven capital cities, most notably in Sydney and Darwin.
The relatively larger quarterly increase for Darwin compared to other cities was mainly due to the increase in the housing group, where it was the most significant positive mover, showing a 3.6% increase.
'It's now official that the 18% electricity price hike slugged on Territorians by the Henderson Government is hurting,' Mr Elferink said.
'The tens-of-millions of dollars in dividends gouged out of PowerWater over many years by the Labor Government could have been used to upgrade the network to avoid hitting customers with a 25% rise over two years,' he said.
'And the Government's abject failure to release enough land for residential development is not only pricing would-be first home buyers out of the market but also hitting renters hard – with Darwin the most expensive capital city in which to rent a house or unit.'
Mr Elferink said it was the second consecutive quarter in which Darwin's had the country's highest inflation rate.
Darwin's annual inflation rate of 2.7% is above the national average by the proverbial country mile and also above the Government's 2.5% freeze on public sector pay increases.
2009-10-28
