❓ Opposition questions Treasurer on budget woes, attributing them to debt blowout, spending, and project costs. Treasurer deflects, blaming previous government's financial management and highlighting their own cost-cutting measures.
AnsweredQoN 865Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
The Treasurer has recently blamed the Gallop Labor Government’s budget woes on an $18.3 million adjustment in the expected goods and services tax revenue funding next year, which I remind the Treasurer is effectively 0.0064 per cent of the total $2.821 billion in GST revenue to WA in 2002-03, which has increased by $159 million. Given that, will the Treasurer now acknowledge that the budget difficulties he is facing are instead due to - (a) a $1 billion blow-out in state debt in Labor’s first year in government; (b) his failure to rein in $182 million in government spending this year; and (c) projected cost blow-outs in several government projects including the southern rail link? Mr RIPPER
AnswerView source ↗
(a)-(c) I continue to be amazed by the Leader of the Opposition when he gets up and asks questions about the budget. He sat on the previous Government’s budget committee that delivered five deficits out of eight - four of them in a row. There would have been another deficit but for the privatisation of AlintaGas and Westrail Freight Pty Ltd and the way in which the Government manipulated that financial transaction to add to its revenue. I am amazed that the Leader of the Opposition continues to mislead the public on the question of debt. The debt increase he refers to is in fact $740 million, with $368 million of that debt related to projects already committed to by the coalition; it was in the coalition Government’s forecast. That debt would have occurred even if the coalition Government were still in power. From where has the rest of the debt arisen? A you-beaut car leasing deal was entered into by the previous Government with the Matrix Group Ltd, which was uneconomic and would have cost millions of dollars if we had let it continue. This Government took responsible action and terminated that uneconomic deal. Rather than continue with a dodgy, private finance deal that was costing the taxpayers a mint, we returned government vehicle leasing arrangements to traditional state financing arrangements. Although that has added $229 million to state debt, it is still providing value to taxpayers compared with the Matrix private financing arrangement. The Leader of the Opposition appears to believe that the Government cannot deliver on the $852 million budget cuts as part of the priority dividend in the last budget. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating when estimated expenditure for next year is reduced and the out-turns for agencies are in place. Those cuts are sticking. This Government is doing what the previous Government could not do. One of the reasons the coalition Government could not reduce debt was the behaviour of maverick senior ministers opposite, one of whom is now the Leader of the Opposition. As a minister in the previous Government, he was disloyal to his Treasurer and settled any portfolio problem he had by signing a blank cheque and telling his Treasurer not to worry about the cost because he had settled the deal. The poor old Treasurer had to deal with what was delivered to him. Mr Trenorden interjected. Mr RIPPER: I regret to say that the predecessor of the Leader of the National Party was also a bit of a maverick concerning financial matters. Poor old Richard Court had to deal with the Leader of the Opposition and the former Leader of the National Party, two maverick senior ministers, who made balancing his budgets impossible. That is one reason the coalition Government delivered five deficits out of eight.
(a) a $1 billion blow-out in state debt in Labor’s first year in government; (b) his failure to rein in $182 million in government spending this year; and (c) projected cost blow-outs in several government projects including the southern rail link? Mr RIPPER replied: (a)-(c) I continue to be amazed by the Leader of the Opposition when he gets up and asks questions about the budget. He sat on the previous Government’s budget committee that delivered five deficits out of eight - four of them in a row. There would have been another deficit but for the privatisation of AlintaGas and Westrail Freight Pty Ltd and the way in which the Government manipulated that financial transaction to add to its revenue. I am amazed that the Leader of the Opposition continues to mislead the public on the question of debt. The debt increase he refers to is in fact $740 million, with $368 million of that debt related to projects already committed to by the coalition; it was in the coalition Government’s forecast. That debt would have occurred even if the coalition Government were still in power. From where has the rest of the debt arisen? A you-beaut car leasing deal was entered into by the previous Government with the Matrix Group Ltd, which was uneconomic and would have cost millions of dollars if we had let it continue. This Government took responsible action and terminated that uneconomic deal. Rather than continue with a dodgy, private finance deal that was costing the taxpayers a mint, we returned government vehicle leasing arrangements to traditional state financing arrangements. Although that has added $229 million to state debt, it is still providing value to taxpayers compared with the Matrix private financing arrangement. The Leader of the Opposition appears to believe that the Government cannot deliver on the $852 million budget cuts as part of the priority dividend in the last budget. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating when estimated expenditure for next year is reduced and the out-turns for agencies are in place. Those cuts are sticking. This Government is doing what the previous Government could not do. One of the reasons the coalition Government could not reduce debt was the behaviour of maverick senior ministers opposite, one of whom is now the Leader of the Opposition. As a minister in the previous Government, he was disloyal to his Treasurer and settled any portfolio problem he had by signing a blank cheque and telling his Treasurer not to worry about the cost because he had settled the deal. The poor old Treasurer had to deal with what was delivered to him. Mr Trenorden interjected. Mr RIPPER: I regret to say that the predecessor of the Leader of the National Party was also a bit of a maverick concerning financial matters. Poor old Richard Court had to deal with the Leader of the Opposition and the former Leader of the National Party, two maverick senior ministers, who made balancing his budgets impossible. That is one reason the coalition Government delivered five deficits out of eight.
(b) his failure to rein in $182 million in government spending this year; and (c) projected cost blow-outs in several government projects including the southern rail link? Mr RIPPER replied: (a)-(c) I continue to be amazed by the Leader of the Opposition when he gets up and asks questions about the budget. He sat on the previous Government’s budget committee that delivered five deficits out of eight - four of them in a row. There would have been another deficit but for the privatisation of AlintaGas and Westrail Freight Pty Ltd and the way in which the Government manipulated that financial transaction to add to its revenue. I am amazed that the Leader of the Opposition continues to mislead the public on the question of debt. The debt increase he refers to is in fact $740 million, with $368 million of that debt related to projects already committed to by the coalition; it was in the coalition Government’s forecast. That debt would have occurred even if the coalition Government were still in power. From where has the rest of the debt arisen? A you-beaut car leasing deal was entered into by the previous Government with the Matrix Group Ltd, which was uneconomic and would have cost millions of dollars if we had let it continue. This Government took responsible action and terminated that uneconomic deal. Rather than continue with a dodgy, private finance deal that was costing the taxpayers a mint, we returned government vehicle leasing arrangements to traditional state financing arrangements. Although that has added $229 million to state debt, it is still providing value to taxpayers compared with the Matrix private financing arrangement. The Leader of the Opposition appears to believe that the Government cannot deliver on the $852 million budget cuts as part of the priority dividend in the last budget. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating when estimated expenditure for next year is reduced and the out-turns for agencies are in place. Those cuts are sticking. This Government is doing what the previous Government could not do. One of the reasons the coalition Government could not reduce debt was the behaviour of maverick senior ministers opposite, one of whom is now the Leader of the Opposition. As a minister in the previous Government, he was disloyal to his Treasurer and settled any portfolio problem he had by signing a blank cheque and telling his Treasurer not to worry about the cost because he had settled the deal. The poor old Treasurer had to deal with what was delivered to him. Mr Trenorden interjected. Mr RIPPER: I regret to say that the predecessor of the Leader of the National Party was also a bit of a maverick concerning financial matters. Poor old Richard Court had to deal with the Leader of the Opposition and the former Leader of the National Party, two maverick senior ministers, who made balancing his budgets impossible. That is one reason the coalition Government delivered five deficits out of eight.
(c) projected cost blow-outs in several government projects including the southern rail link? Mr RIPPER replied: (a)-(c) I continue to be amazed by the Leader of the Opposition when he gets up and asks questions about the budget. He sat on the previous Government’s budget committee that delivered five deficits out of eight - four of them in a row. There would have been another deficit but for the privatisation of AlintaGas and Westrail Freight Pty Ltd and the way in which the Government manipulated that financial transaction to add to its revenue. I am amazed that the Leader of the Opposition continues to mislead the public on the question of debt. The debt increase he refers to is in fact $740 million, with $368 million of that debt related to projects already committed to by the coalition; it was in the coalition Government’s forecast. That debt would have occurred even if the coalition Government were still in power. From where has the rest of the debt arisen? A you-beaut car leasing deal was entered into by the previous Government with the Matrix Group Ltd, which was uneconomic and would have cost millions of dollars if we had let it continue. This Government took responsible action and terminated that uneconomic deal. Rather than continue with a dodgy, private finance deal that was costing the taxpayers a mint, we returned government vehicle leasing arrangements to traditional state financing arrangements. Although that has added $229 million to state debt, it is still providing value to taxpayers compared with the Matrix private financing arrangement. The Leader of the Opposition appears to believe that the Government cannot deliver on the $852 million budget cuts as part of the priority dividend in the last budget. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating when estimated expenditure for next year is reduced and the out-turns for agencies are in place. Those cuts are sticking. This Government is doing what the previous Government could not do. One of the reasons the coalition Government could not reduce debt was the behaviour of maverick senior ministers opposite, one of whom is now the Leader of the Opposition. As a minister in the previous Government, he was disloyal to his Treasurer and settled any portfolio problem he had by signing a blank cheque and telling his Treasurer not to worry about the cost because he had settled the deal. The poor old Treasurer had to deal with what was delivered to him. Mr Trenorden interjected. Mr RIPPER: I regret to say that the predecessor of the Leader of the National Party was also a bit of a maverick concerning financial matters. Poor old Richard Court had to deal with the Leader of the Opposition and the former Leader of the National Party, two maverick senior ministers, who made balancing his budgets impossible. That is one reason the coalition Government delivered five deficits out of eight.
Mr RIPPER replied: (a)-(c) I continue to be amazed by the Leader of the Opposition when he gets up and asks questions about the budget. He sat on the previous Government’s budget committee that delivered five deficits out of eight - four of them in a row. There would have been another deficit but for the privatisation of AlintaGas and Westrail Freight Pty Ltd and the way in which the Government manipulated that financial transaction to add to its revenue. I am amazed that the Leader of the Opposition continues to mislead the public on the question of debt. The debt increase he refers to is in fact $740 million, with $368 million of that debt related to projects already committed to by the coalition; it was in the coalition Government’s forecast. That debt would have occurred even if the coalition Government were still in power. From where has the rest of the debt arisen? A you-beaut car leasing deal was entered into by the previous Government with the Matrix Group Ltd, which was uneconomic and would have cost millions of dollars if we had let it continue. This Government took responsible action and terminated that uneconomic deal. Rather than continue with a dodgy, private finance deal that was costing the taxpayers a mint, we returned government vehicle leasing arrangements to traditional state financing arrangements. Although that has added $229 million to state debt, it is still providing value to taxpayers compared with the Matrix private financing arrangement. The Leader of the Opposition appears to believe that the Government cannot deliver on the $852 million budget cuts as part of the priority dividend in the last budget. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating when estimated expenditure for next year is reduced and the out-turns for agencies are in place. Those cuts are sticking. This Government is doing what the previous Government could not do. One of the reasons the coalition Government could not reduce debt was the behaviour of maverick senior ministers opposite, one of whom is now the Leader of the Opposition. As a minister in the previous Government, he was disloyal to his Treasurer and settled any portfolio problem he had by signing a blank cheque and telling his Treasurer not to worry about the cost because he had settled the deal. The poor old Treasurer had to deal with what was delivered to him. Mr Trenorden interjected. Mr RIPPER: I regret to say that the predecessor of the Leader of the National Party was also a bit of a maverick concerning financial matters. Poor old Richard Court had to deal with the Leader of the Opposition and the former Leader of the National Party, two maverick senior ministers, who made balancing his budgets impossible. That is one reason the coalition Government delivered five deficits out of eight.
(a)-(c) I continue to be amazed by the Leader of the Opposition when he gets up and asks questions about the budget. He sat on the previous Government’s budget committee that delivered five deficits out of eight - four of them in a row. There would have been another deficit but for the privatisation of AlintaGas and Westrail Freight Pty Ltd and the way in which the Government manipulated that financial transaction to add to its revenue. I am amazed that the Leader of the Opposition continues to mislead the public on the question of debt. The debt increase he refers to is in fact $740 million, with $368 million of that debt related to projects already committed to by the coalition; it was in the coalition Government’s forecast. That debt would have occurred even if the coalition Government were still in power. From where has the rest of the debt arisen? A you-beaut car leasing deal was entered into by the previous Government with the Matrix Group Ltd, which was uneconomic and would have cost millions of dollars if we had let it continue. This Government took responsible action and terminated that uneconomic deal. Rather than continue with a dodgy, private finance deal that was costing the taxpayers a mint, we returned government vehicle leasing arrangements to traditional state financing arrangements. Although that has added $229 million to state debt, it is still providing value to taxpayers compared with the Matrix private financing arrangement. The Leader of the Opposition appears to believe that the Government cannot deliver on the $852 million budget cuts as part of the priority dividend in the last budget. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating when estimated expenditure for next year is reduced and the out-turns for agencies are in place. Those cuts are sticking. This Government is doing what the previous Government could not do. One of the reasons the coalition Government could not reduce debt was the behaviour of maverick senior ministers opposite, one of whom is now the Leader of the Opposition. As a minister in the previous Government, he was disloyal to his Treasurer and settled any portfolio problem he had by signing a blank cheque and telling his Treasurer not to worry about the cost because he had settled the deal. The poor old Treasurer had to deal with what was delivered to him. Mr Trenorden interjected. Mr RIPPER: I regret to say that the predecessor of the Leader of the National Party was also a bit of a maverick concerning financial matters. Poor old Richard Court had to deal with the Leader of the Opposition and the former Leader of the National Party, two maverick senior ministers, who made balancing his budgets impossible. That is one reason the coalition Government delivered five deficits out of eight.
The Leader of the Opposition appears to believe that the Government cannot deliver on the $852 million budget cuts as part of the priority dividend in the last budget. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating when estimated expenditure for next year is reduced and the out-turns for agencies are in place. Those cuts are sticking. This Government is doing what the previous Government could not do. One of the reasons the coalition Government could not reduce debt was the behaviour of maverick senior ministers opposite, one of whom is now the Leader of the Opposition. As a minister in the previous Government, he was disloyal to his Treasurer and settled any portfolio problem he had by signing a blank cheque and telling his Treasurer not to worry about the cost because he had settled the deal. The poor old Treasurer had to deal with what was delivered to him.
One of the reasons the coalition Government could not reduce debt was the behaviour of maverick senior ministers opposite, one of whom is now the Leader of the Opposition. As a minister in the previous Government, he was disloyal to his Treasurer and settled any portfolio problem he had by signing a blank cheque and telling his Treasurer not to worry about the cost because he had settled the deal. The poor old Treasurer had to deal with what was delivered to him.
Mr RIPPER: I regret to say that the predecessor of the Leader of the National Party was also a bit of a maverick concerning financial matters. Poor old Richard Court had to deal with the Leader of the Opposition and the former Leader of the National Party, two maverick senior ministers, who made balancing his budgets impossible. That is one reason the coalition Government delivered five deficits out of eight.
(a) a $1 billion blow-out in state debt in Labor’s first year in government; (b) his failure to rein in $182 million in government spending this year; and (c) projected cost blow-outs in several government projects including the southern rail link? Mr RIPPER replied: (a)-(c) I continue to be amazed by the Leader of the Opposition when he gets up and asks questions about the budget. He sat on the previous Government’s budget committee that delivered five deficits out of eight - four of them in a row. There would have been another deficit but for the privatisation of AlintaGas and Westrail Freight Pty Ltd and the way in which the Government manipulated that financial transaction to add to its revenue. I am amazed that the Leader of the Opposition continues to mislead the public on the question of debt. The debt increase he refers to is in fact $740 million, with $368 million of that debt related to projects already committed to by the coalition; it was in the coalition Government’s forecast. That debt would have occurred even if the coalition Government were still in power. From where has the rest of the debt arisen? A you-beaut car leasing deal was entered into by the previous Government with the Matrix Group Ltd, which was uneconomic and would have cost millions of dollars if we had let it continue. This Government took responsible action and terminated that uneconomic deal. Rather than continue with a dodgy, private finance deal that was costing the taxpayers a mint, we returned government vehicle leasing arrangements to traditional state financing arrangements. Although that has added $229 million to state debt, it is still providing value to taxpayers compared with the Matrix private financing arrangement. The Leader of the Opposition appears to believe that the Government cannot deliver on the $852 million budget cuts as part of the priority dividend in the last budget. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating when estimated expenditure for next year is reduced and the out-turns for agencies are in place. Those cuts are sticking. This Government is doing what the previous Government could not do. One of the reasons the coalition Government could not reduce debt was the behaviour of maverick senior ministers opposite, one of whom is now the Leader of the Opposition. As a minister in the previous Government, he was disloyal to his Treasurer and settled any portfolio problem he had by signing a blank cheque and telling his Treasurer not to worry about the cost because he had settled the deal. The poor old Treasurer had to deal with what was delivered to him. Mr Trenorden interjected. Mr RIPPER: I regret to say that the predecessor of the Leader of the National Party was also a bit of a maverick concerning financial matters. Poor old Richard Court had to deal with the Leader of the Opposition and the former Leader of the National Party, two maverick senior ministers, who made balancing his budgets impossible. That is one reason the coalition Government delivered five deficits out of eight.
(b) his failure to rein in $182 million in government spending this year; and (c) projected cost blow-outs in several government projects including the southern rail link? Mr RIPPER replied: (a)-(c) I continue to be amazed by the Leader of the Opposition when he gets up and asks questions about the budget. He sat on the previous Government’s budget committee that delivered five deficits out of eight - four of them in a row. There would have been another deficit but for the privatisation of AlintaGas and Westrail Freight Pty Ltd and the way in which the Government manipulated that financial transaction to add to its revenue. I am amazed that the Leader of the Opposition continues to mislead the public on the question of debt. The debt increase he refers to is in fact $740 million, with $368 million of that debt related to projects already committed to by the coalition; it was in the coalition Government’s forecast. That debt would have occurred even if the coalition Government were still in power. From where has the rest of the debt arisen? A you-beaut car leasing deal was entered into by the previous Government with the Matrix Group Ltd, which was uneconomic and would have cost millions of dollars if we had let it continue. This Government took responsible action and terminated that uneconomic deal. Rather than continue with a dodgy, private finance deal that was costing the taxpayers a mint, we returned government vehicle leasing arrangements to traditional state financing arrangements. Although that has added $229 million to state debt, it is still providing value to taxpayers compared with the Matrix private financing arrangement. The Leader of the Opposition appears to believe that the Government cannot deliver on the $852 million budget cuts as part of the priority dividend in the last budget. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating when estimated expenditure for next year is reduced and the out-turns for agencies are in place. Those cuts are sticking. This Government is doing what the previous Government could not do. One of the reasons the coalition Government could not reduce debt was the behaviour of maverick senior ministers opposite, one of whom is now the Leader of the Opposition. As a minister in the previous Government, he was disloyal to his Treasurer and settled any portfolio problem he had by signing a blank cheque and telling his Treasurer not to worry about the cost because he had settled the deal. The poor old Treasurer had to deal with what was delivered to him. Mr Trenorden interjected. Mr RIPPER: I regret to say that the predecessor of the Leader of the National Party was also a bit of a maverick concerning financial matters. Poor old Richard Court had to deal with the Leader of the Opposition and the former Leader of the National Party, two maverick senior ministers, who made balancing his budgets impossible. That is one reason the coalition Government delivered five deficits out of eight.
(c) projected cost blow-outs in several government projects including the southern rail link? Mr RIPPER replied: (a)-(c) I continue to be amazed by the Leader of the Opposition when he gets up and asks questions about the budget. He sat on the previous Government’s budget committee that delivered five deficits out of eight - four of them in a row. There would have been another deficit but for the privatisation of AlintaGas and Westrail Freight Pty Ltd and the way in which the Government manipulated that financial transaction to add to its revenue. I am amazed that the Leader of the Opposition continues to mislead the public on the question of debt. The debt increase he refers to is in fact $740 million, with $368 million of that debt related to projects already committed to by the coalition; it was in the coalition Government’s forecast. That debt would have occurred even if the coalition Government were still in power. From where has the rest of the debt arisen? A you-beaut car leasing deal was entered into by the previous Government with the Matrix Group Ltd, which was uneconomic and would have cost millions of dollars if we had let it continue. This Government took responsible action and terminated that uneconomic deal. Rather than continue with a dodgy, private finance deal that was costing the taxpayers a mint, we returned government vehicle leasing arrangements to traditional state financing arrangements. Although that has added $229 million to state debt, it is still providing value to taxpayers compared with the Matrix private financing arrangement. The Leader of the Opposition appears to believe that the Government cannot deliver on the $852 million budget cuts as part of the priority dividend in the last budget. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating when estimated expenditure for next year is reduced and the out-turns for agencies are in place. Those cuts are sticking. This Government is doing what the previous Government could not do. One of the reasons the coalition Government could not reduce debt was the behaviour of maverick senior ministers opposite, one of whom is now the Leader of the Opposition. As a minister in the previous Government, he was disloyal to his Treasurer and settled any portfolio problem he had by signing a blank cheque and telling his Treasurer not to worry about the cost because he had settled the deal. The poor old Treasurer had to deal with what was delivered to him. Mr Trenorden interjected. Mr RIPPER: I regret to say that the predecessor of the Leader of the National Party was also a bit of a maverick concerning financial matters. Poor old Richard Court had to deal with the Leader of the Opposition and the former Leader of the National Party, two maverick senior ministers, who made balancing his budgets impossible. That is one reason the coalition Government delivered five deficits out of eight.
Mr RIPPER replied: (a)-(c) I continue to be amazed by the Leader of the Opposition when he gets up and asks questions about the budget. He sat on the previous Government’s budget committee that delivered five deficits out of eight - four of them in a row. There would have been another deficit but for the privatisation of AlintaGas and Westrail Freight Pty Ltd and the way in which the Government manipulated that financial transaction to add to its revenue. I am amazed that the Leader of the Opposition continues to mislead the public on the question of debt. The debt increase he refers to is in fact $740 million, with $368 million of that debt related to projects already committed to by the coalition; it was in the coalition Government’s forecast. That debt would have occurred even if the coalition Government were still in power. From where has the rest of the debt arisen? A you-beaut car leasing deal was entered into by the previous Government with the Matrix Group Ltd, which was uneconomic and would have cost millions of dollars if we had let it continue. This Government took responsible action and terminated that uneconomic deal. Rather than continue with a dodgy, private finance deal that was costing the taxpayers a mint, we returned government vehicle leasing arrangements to traditional state financing arrangements. Although that has added $229 million to state debt, it is still providing value to taxpayers compared with the Matrix private financing arrangement. The Leader of the Opposition appears to believe that the Government cannot deliver on the $852 million budget cuts as part of the priority dividend in the last budget. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating when estimated expenditure for next year is reduced and the out-turns for agencies are in place. Those cuts are sticking. This Government is doing what the previous Government could not do. One of the reasons the coalition Government could not reduce debt was the behaviour of maverick senior ministers opposite, one of whom is now the Leader of the Opposition. As a minister in the previous Government, he was disloyal to his Treasurer and settled any portfolio problem he had by signing a blank cheque and telling his Treasurer not to worry about the cost because he had settled the deal. The poor old Treasurer had to deal with what was delivered to him. Mr Trenorden interjected. Mr RIPPER: I regret to say that the predecessor of the Leader of the National Party was also a bit of a maverick concerning financial matters. Poor old Richard Court had to deal with the Leader of the Opposition and the former Leader of the National Party, two maverick senior ministers, who made balancing his budgets impossible. That is one reason the coalition Government delivered five deficits out of eight.
(a)-(c) I continue to be amazed by the Leader of the Opposition when he gets up and asks questions about the budget. He sat on the previous Government’s budget committee that delivered five deficits out of eight - four of them in a row. There would have been another deficit but for the privatisation of AlintaGas and Westrail Freight Pty Ltd and the way in which the Government manipulated that financial transaction to add to its revenue. I am amazed that the Leader of the Opposition continues to mislead the public on the question of debt. The debt increase he refers to is in fact $740 million, with $368 million of that debt related to projects already committed to by the coalition; it was in the coalition Government’s forecast. That debt would have occurred even if the coalition Government were still in power. From where has the rest of the debt arisen? A you-beaut car leasing deal was entered into by the previous Government with the Matrix Group Ltd, which was uneconomic and would have cost millions of dollars if we had let it continue. This Government took responsible action and terminated that uneconomic deal. Rather than continue with a dodgy, private finance deal that was costing the taxpayers a mint, we returned government vehicle leasing arrangements to traditional state financing arrangements. Although that has added $229 million to state debt, it is still providing value to taxpayers compared with the Matrix private financing arrangement. The Leader of the Opposition appears to believe that the Government cannot deliver on the $852 million budget cuts as part of the priority dividend in the last budget. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating when estimated expenditure for next year is reduced and the out-turns for agencies are in place. Those cuts are sticking. This Government is doing what the previous Government could not do. One of the reasons the coalition Government could not reduce debt was the behaviour of maverick senior ministers opposite, one of whom is now the Leader of the Opposition. As a minister in the previous Government, he was disloyal to his Treasurer and settled any portfolio problem he had by signing a blank cheque and telling his Treasurer not to worry about the cost because he had settled the deal. The poor old Treasurer had to deal with what was delivered to him. Mr Trenorden interjected. Mr RIPPER: I regret to say that the predecessor of the Leader of the National Party was also a bit of a maverick concerning financial matters. Poor old Richard Court had to deal with the Leader of the Opposition and the former Leader of the National Party, two maverick senior ministers, who made balancing his budgets impossible. That is one reason the coalition Government delivered five deficits out of eight.
The Leader of the Opposition appears to believe that the Government cannot deliver on the $852 million budget cuts as part of the priority dividend in the last budget. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating when estimated expenditure for next year is reduced and the out-turns for agencies are in place. Those cuts are sticking. This Government is doing what the previous Government could not do. One of the reasons the coalition Government could not reduce debt was the behaviour of maverick senior ministers opposite, one of whom is now the Leader of the Opposition. As a minister in the previous Government, he was disloyal to his Treasurer and settled any portfolio problem he had by signing a blank cheque and telling his Treasurer not to worry about the cost because he had settled the deal. The poor old Treasurer had to deal with what was delivered to him.
One of the reasons the coalition Government could not reduce debt was the behaviour of maverick senior ministers opposite, one of whom is now the Leader of the Opposition. As a minister in the previous Government, he was disloyal to his Treasurer and settled any portfolio problem he had by signing a blank cheque and telling his Treasurer not to worry about the cost because he had settled the deal. The poor old Treasurer had to deal with what was delivered to him.
Mr RIPPER: I regret to say that the predecessor of the Leader of the National Party was also a bit of a maverick concerning financial matters. Poor old Richard Court had to deal with the Leader of the Opposition and the former Leader of the National Party, two maverick senior ministers, who made balancing his budgets impossible. That is one reason the coalition Government delivered five deficits out of eight.
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