Federal election campaign: Shorten Government would ‘bail out’ cash-strapped NT Government

A SHORTEN government would help bail the cash-strapped Territory out of its debt disaster, says Member for Solomon Luke Gosling

A SHORTEN Government would help bail the cash-strapped Territory out of its debt disaster, says Member for Solomon Luke Gosling.

On his first day on the hustings yesterday, Mr Gosling foreshadowed a “package of support” to come from a federal Labor government.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner and Treasurer Nicole Manison are due to deliver the full Langolant report into the NT’s stuttering economy, along with their plan to get it back on track just a month before the May 18 federal election.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten with NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner on the Darwin Esplanade

Mr Gosling has held the seat with a margin of 6 per cent since voters punished then-CLP member Natasha Griggs in 2016 for the sins of the scandal-plagued former Giles Government.

When asked if he believed he would suffer a similar backlash from Territorians angry at the Gunner Government’s handling of the economy, Mr Gosling said voters could differentiate between the two levels of government.

“The people of Darwin and Palmerston understand there are differences between the Federal Government and the NT Government,” he said.

“But what they also understand is the Territory will only go forward if the NT Government and the Federal Government are working together.”

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Mr Gosling didn’t give any details of the promised “package of support”.

The Coalition has ruled out a bailout for the NT, which is facing a projected net debt of $35 billion by 2030 if expenditure continues to grow at its current rate.

Mr Gosling acknowledged “real challenges” faced by the NT economy, but attributed them primarily to external factors outside the Territory government’s control.

On the first official day of campaigning, Mr Gosling was at Darwin’s Alan Walker Cancer Centre to spruik Labor’s signature $2.3 billion Medicare policy, which will reduce out of pocket costs for cancer patients. Labor would fund a four year position for a metastatic cancer nurse at RDH and a Camp Quality family liaison co-ordinator, Mr Gosling announced yesterday.

The bookies have Mr Gosling at unbackable odds against his CLP opponent, former NT deputy coroner Kathy Ganley. Warren Snowdon is also at short odds to hold off CLP challenger Jacinta Price to retain his seat of Lingiari.

But pundits believe it will be a much tighter race.

Ex NT Labor member Ken Parish said he expected Mr Gosling and Mr Snowdon to keep their seats, but with reduced margins of 4-5 per cent.

The CLP has started its NT campaign by capitalising on Labor’s debt woes, with the slogan “Don’t let Shorten do to Australia what Gunner has done to the NT.”

“There’s no denying we’re in a lot of debt and there can be denying Territorians are in a lot of pain,” Ms Ganley said.

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The NT’s two Senate spots are almost certain to be filled by the major party’s top picks – Malarndirri McCarthy for Labor and Katherine vet Sam McMahon, who will take over from retiring CLP Senator Nigel Scullion.