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Treasurer Roozendaal should be focused on fixing the mess Labor has created in NSW, not wasting time in an argument over words, Shadow Treasurer Mike Baird said today.
“I can’t believe that one week out from the State Budget, the Treasurer is spending time challenging me over my opinion piece in today’s Sydney Morning Herald,” Mr Baird said.
“In the article, I have suggested that the State Budget will effectively be a report card on the Rees Government.
“I remember well with my own report cards, that no amount of excuses, posturing or PR management will make up for a lack of hard work during the year.
“Unfortunately from the posturing we are seeing today from the Treasurer, it appears the report card, by way of the Budget, will be another disappointment for the people of NSW.
“Labor has failed in its management of the state, and that’s been reflected in the warnings from the ratings agencies that hard work is needed to restore sound financial management to the state.
“That’s further supported by the Access Economics Business Outlook, which found the NSW economy is in the worst possible position because of bad policies over a long period of time*.
“Mr Roozendaal is denying media reporting that he admitted the state’s credit rating ‘could be sacrificed for job creation and infrastructure spending'**.
“However his comments follow a similar admission from Premier Rees that ‘I hope it doesn’t get to a choice between jobs and the triple-A’***.
“We have a Premier and Treasurer who spend their time arguing over words, yet only last week they couldn’t utter the word ‘recession’**** when the figures clearly showed what we all know, NSW is going backwards.
“Whilst they play the word games, people are losing their jobs and our unemployment rate continues to sit above the national figure. “I challenge the Treasurer to adopt the Liberal/National’s plan to support jobs in the Budget with a 15 percent reduction in payroll tax for 12 months and a cut to lead times for major infrastructure projects’, said Mr Baird.
MEDIA: Wendy Black - 0418 532 534
* Access Economics Business Outlook, 28 April 2009
** SMH 2 May 2009, “Credit rating could be sacrificed for job creation, says Roozendaal”
*** SMH 26 February 2009, “NSW unemployment likely to reach 7%, Rees warns”
**** Roozendaal, Parliament Question Time, 3 June 2009
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