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Tues 31 March -
The NSW Budget is looking more and more in trouble as the Government continues to hide the truth from the people of NSW, Shadow Treasurer Mike Baird said today.
“The Appropriation (Budget Variations) Bill 2009 handed down today details another list of hidden expenses not previously reported by the Treasurer and Premier who have abandoned the need for any form of financial discipline in running this State.
“Not only does the Bill highlight waste such as the $2.75 million requested for Ministerial offices but just as importantly it raises real questions on how expenses are managed in this Government.
“Rather than being up front about these costs, they are hidden in this additional Appropriations Bill which gives effect to creating surpluses at Budget time when the true position may well be a significant deficit.
“At the same time it has been revealed that Ministers do not check their budgets themselves further highlighting the lack of scrutiny of ongoing expenditure.
“It is also important to note that just five months after handing down a Mini-Budget, the Government has come back to the Parliament today asking for another $1.4 billion.
The concerns with the expense management of this Labor Government are well known and publicly acknowledged.
“The lack of expense control has been raised by Treasury itself, the global rating agencies and the Government’s own report into expenditure.
“The lack of action in response to these concerns means that the State’s AAA rating is in jeopardy and Premier Rees knows there is more bad news to come, which is why he confessed last week that the state’s credit rating is at risk.
“This is why we have been arguing for tighter financial discipline where day-to-day expenses are in line with our revenue so the state doesn’t live beyond its means. “This basic budget platform then allows us to invest in projects for the future which deliver services for the community and create employment,” Mr Baird said.
(1) Hansard, Written Questions 4922-4917
(2) NSW Treasury Head, John Pierce, SMH, 19 Nove 08
(3) Standard & Poors analyst, Brendan Flynn, The Australian, 25 Feb 09
(4) Vertigan and Stokes, NSW Audit of Assets and Expenditure, 2006
Media Contact: Wendy Black 0418 532 534
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