Gunner Government needs nothing short of a miracle to survive
THE Gunner Government will head into the Christmas break pleading to Santa for a miracle. No matter which way you cut the Christmas cake, they are in a world of pain
Opinion
Don't miss out on the headlines from Opinion. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE Gunner Government will head into the Christmas break pleading to Santa for a miracle.
No matter which way you cut the Christmas cake, they are in a world of pain.
This week it was revealed the Territory’s net debt will hit $8.3 billion within four years – the equivalent of $34,583 for every man, woman and child.
Led by a Chief Minister who is on the nose with voters and a Treasurer who struggles to explain in detail how she will rid the Territory of this horrific debt, the Gunner Government is up shit creek without a paddle.
The mood on the fifth floor of Parliament right now is exactly how the former CLP Government found itself heading into the start of the 2016 election year.
Ministers and staffers are jumping at shadows wondering where the next hit will come from and morale is as low as the water levels on the Todd River.
At the same time, their heads are buried in the sand that they are on the brink of one of the greatest election chokes in Australian history.
When it was elected with a majority 18 of 25 seats at the last election, the immediate thought of many pundits was this Government would hold power for at least eight years.
Right now, unless Santa and his reindeers deliver some magic potion to the fifth floor, it is difficult to see Labor winning the 13 seats required for it to retain government.
There is confidence the economy will turn within the next 12 to 18 months but that is all too late for Michael Gunner and Labor.
When Territorians cast their votes at the ballot box in August, this Government may forever regret its first 18 months in power when its review-after-review strategy stalled economic development and investment in the Territory.
If Labor wants to have any hope of hanging on to power they need to start admitting their failures to Territorians.
It’s not until you acknowledge a problem can you fix it. Whether that problem is Michael Gunner, Nicole Manison, their policies, or their army of spin doctors, that is up to them to work out.
Op shop trend Aussies might want to rethink
There’s something about getting a bargain that’s exhilarating. But that’s getting harder and harder to do these days, writes Tom Bowden.
The terrifying twist in Trump’s extreme aid freeze
When Donald Trump froze foreign aid, guards responsible for thousands of ISIS fighters walked off the job. Tom Minear argues it should make the president think twice.