Chief Minister’s health centre election promise in Gunbalanya signed off by cabinet weeks in advance

GOVERNMENT cabinet ministers signed off on funding for an infrastructure project in a remote community before going into caretaker mode, allowing the Chief Minister to announce the project while campaigning in the community

GOVERNMENT cabinet ministers signed off on funding to design a health clinic and morgue upgrade in Gunbalanya before going into caretaker mode, allowing Chief Minister Michael Gunner to announce the new project while campaigning for the election in the Aboriginal community.

While in the West Arnhem Land community in the electorate of Arafura Mr Gunner announced the government had committed to doing the design work to upgrade the Gunbalanya Health Centre and morgue.

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But the government didn’t need to get this policy costed with Treasury because it is already funded – through an unallocated capital works funding pool that exists within the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics.

A spokesman for Mr Gunner confirmed cabinet had signed off on getting DIPL to go ahead and get started on the design work before caretaker mode kicked in at the end of July.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner speaking at a press conference two days before the election. Picture GLENN CAMPBELL

When the health centre upgrade will take place or how much it would cost will be decided in future budgets, based on the design.

How much is in this “capital works funding pool” was not stated, however there is a line within the NT government’s 2019-2020 budget that states $4m had been allocated to “design and concept development services for future projects”.

When questioned at a press conference yesterday, Mr Gunner said he had not promised any new facilities nor infrastructure “beyond what’s in the budget”.

“We’ve made no announcements that impact the bottom line, anywhere, at any stage, in any community,” Mr Gunner said.

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This comes after NT Labor seized on the CLP getting its policy costing documentation late to Treasury and Territory Alliance reneging on its initial commitment to submit its own paperwork. Labor said all its election commitments had been included in the COVID-19 financial report handed down in July.

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