2024-05-14
Contact: Suki Dorras-Walker, NT Greens candidate for Fannie Bay
M 0405 244 380
Suki Dorras-Walker on Budget Overall:
“The NT Greens are profoundly disappointed with Territory Labor’s 2024 budget. This is a predictable budget from a Labor Government that’s all out of ideas.”
“This is a Labor Government with no vision. It is not doing enough to help with the cost of living and housing pressures that Territorians are experiencing.”
“The future Labor envisages for the Territory is a sweltering climate and a landscape littered with gas fields and more prisons. Prisons that do little to break the cycle of incarceration, and do little to make our communities safer. Even our own government is treating the Territory like a sacrifice zone.”
“Instead our government could be supporting Territorians so that their rent and power bills aren’t breaking the bank, funding services so that families and young people thrive, and protecting the spectacular natural environment that Territorians and visitors from all over the world love so much. Territorians deserve more vision than what this government has to offer.”
Suki Dorras-Walker on Cost of Living:
“This budget reveals a tired government that has run out of ideas. This budget does not do enough to relieve the very real cost of living pressures Territorians are experiencing. Let’s be clear - when the NT Labor government is talking about a cost of living budget, they are really talking about an additional $1/week for pensioners and no real reduction in electricity prices.”
Suki Dorras-Walker on Housing:
“In a housing crisis, where people are waiting 8-10 years for public housing and experiencing significant overcrowding, we are seeing cuts to homelessness services. In the face of Territory-wide concern about youth crime, we are cutting the child protection budget. This is absolutely reckless and will do nothing to make our communities safer.”
“Currently between 0-1% of houses available for rent in the Territory are affordable for pensioners, families working minimum wage jobs, or young people on youth allowance, even with additional subsidies (Anglicare Rental affordability snapshot). Rent Choices may help in the short term, but ultimately serve to drive up already out of control rental prices. We need rent controls, a bond board and protections against rent bidding.”
“For renters in the NT, who make up nearly 50% of the population, this budget is just tinkering around the edges. Renters in the NT continue to have the worst protections in the country. We need rent controls, a bond board and protections against rent bidding.”
Suki Dorras-Walker on more prisons:
“In this budget Territory Labor pours money into new prisons when we know that 74% of people reoffend once released. This is policy with a focus on getting re-elected, not what actually works and keeps everyone in our community safe.”
“You only build prisons to fill them with people. Instead we could be fully funding evidence-based programmes that break the cycle of incarceration - including First Nations place-based programmes for at-risk groups, bail support and post release programmes that help people to start again, rather than return to the conditions that landed them in jail.”
Suki Dorras-Walker on Budget Deficit:
“We cannot reasonably address the budget deficit until wealthy mining and gas corporations are made to pay their fair share. Territorians are being ripped off by resource companies pilfering our public resources and a government that is all too willing to do their bidding.”