Built as a budget of repair and maintenance the CLP Government has handed down its first budget since it has been elected as it tried to deliver on its promise of rebuilding the economy. With a focus on crime, corrections and health this year’s total budget spend is more than $12 billion dollars. But despite some savings debt is still expected to reach $14 billion dollars by 2029. Being the highest per-capita in the country despite it relatively small population.
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TVTranscript
00:00A chipper treasurer with a budget largely focused on damage control.
00:08We know that we need to rebuild our economy and this budget today starts us down that path.
00:14Despite the Northern Territory's tiny population, the NT has racked up the highest net debt per capita
00:21out of all Australian states and territories, projected to reach more than $12 billion next financial year
00:28and potentially hitting nearly $14 billion by 2029.
00:34Although the Commonwealth covers 71% of the NT government's costs,
00:39the Territory's treasurer is asking for more.
00:42The federal government has only given us enough GST money really as maintenance money.
00:47Big ticket items include a $60 million increase for corrections,
00:51bringing the department's total budget to a record $495 million.
00:57And $2.3 billion for health services across the Territory,
01:03mostly supported by a boost in Commonwealth funding.
01:07There's little in the budget for tourism,
01:09with funding for tourism events and screen production taking a $4 million hit.
01:15Minerals industry representatives pleased by the NT government's focus on gas and mining projects.
01:22Wherever there's a local mine, that local community really does benefit from the money that's being spent there.
01:28The heads of social services that rely on government funding gathered to dissect the details.
01:34There's a lot to be pleased about.
01:35We're really pleased that the government has continued a lot of the services and programs
01:40that have been established over the last few years.
01:42Affordable housing experts not so pleased.
01:45We don't have the housing to support the existing population that live here in the Northern Territory
01:50and that's evidenced by those wait lists in the urban centres.
01:54We have a huge amount of people on those wait lists and they're up to 10 years.
01:58The Northern Territory has the highest rates of domestic family and sexual violence in Australia.
02:04And at first glance, the NT government's notable increase in DV funding looks like a win.
02:10But the devil is in the detail.
02:12The $36 million in annual DV funding over five years is spread across various departments
02:19and ignores an action plan prepared by experts in the sector.
02:23They apportion it across education, across police, across correction.
02:28But the DV sector itself is a specialist sector, requires significant investment.
02:34A budget deep in the red, with a mammoth task of rebuilding the economy lying ahead.