Canavan says Coalition ‘not interested’ in NT bail out

THE Coalition is unlikely to stump up to cover a 41-year-old debt the Territory Government says it’s owed by the Commonwealth

THE Coalition is unlikely to stump up to cover a 41-year-old debt the Territory Government says it’s owed by the Commonwealth.

One of the recommendations of John Langoulant’s wide-ranging review of the Territory’s fiscal crisis was to collect on the debt, which has existed since self-government. The NT Government will also seek relief from the Commonwealth for $90 million a year in superannuation liabilities.

Northern Australia Minister Senator Matt Canavan said the Coalition wasn’t interested in handing over cheque

BUDGET REPAIR STORIES

• BUSINESS concerns over NT budget repair

• NT forecast to return to surplus in a decade

• BUDGET FIX: Camping fees, $250 personalised plates and $200m from feds

• MORE than 50 of the highest public servants face the sack

• POLLIES, chief executives cop pay freeze among budget crisis

• SHORTEN government would ‘bail out’ cash-strapped NT

• NT GOVERNMENT to set a ‘debt limit’

• DUMMIES guide to the NT budget fix

“I’m not interested in bailing out a Labor Government here that has clearly lost control of its own finances; what I’m interested in is investing in Territorians and their jobs,” he said.

Mr Canavan said this week was the first he had ever heard of the decades-old debt, despite being in “constant communication” with Chief Minister Michael Gunner in the past three years.

However he said the Coalition Government would “look carefully” at any proposal from the NT.

Federal Opposition Treasury spokesman Chris Bowen wouldn’t confirm if those measures were part of a Territory “support package” from a future Shorten government but he told the NT News he had been having “active discussions” with the NT Government about its needs.

The Langoulant review also recommended the Territory seek Commonwealth help to address its infrastructure deficit. The 2027 surplus forecast by Territory Treasury isn’t dependent on the Commonwealth coming up with the $200 million payment.