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Speaker 1: Well, we know that the federal budget was handed down

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Speaker 1: earlier in the week yesterday the night before, and so

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Speaker 1: things were looking pretty positive in the sense that there's

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Speaker 1: two point six billion dollars to be spent on infrastructure

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Speaker 1: projects across the Northern Territory in coming years. But what's

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Speaker 1: going to be in the opposition's budget reply. Well, I'm

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Speaker 1: not too sure whether he'll be able to reveal it

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Speaker 1: all this morning, but I'm sure he'll be able to

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Speaker 1: give us a few bits of information. It is Luke Gosling,

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Speaker 1: Labour's Member for Solomon. Good morning to you, Luke.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. How are you very well?

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Speaker 1: Luke? Elbow's delivering his budget reply a little bit later

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Speaker 1: this evening. What can the territory expect.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I think what we've seen from Elbow in

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Speaker 2: previous budget reply speeches is an absolute commitment to infrastructure

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Speaker 2: development in the Northern Territory and the Darwin and palmerstan

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Speaker 2: and that's going to be as as he has consistently

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Speaker 2: throughout his time not only as the leader of the Opposition,

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Speaker 2: but as the Infrastructure Minister as well, back in the

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Speaker 2: days when we were in federal government. But it's been

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Speaker 2: nine years since then, and unfortunately, whilst there's a lot

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Speaker 2: of hope about government announcements about infrastructure sort of way

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Speaker 2: into the future. And I think what we need to

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Speaker 2: see is infrastructure for the Nolton territory brought forward and

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Speaker 2: be put into action so that there are other jobs

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Speaker 2: there for our kids. And I think what's been missing

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Speaker 2: is a commitment to unique places and vocational education and training.

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Speaker 2: So I think you can expect to see an ongoing

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Speaker 2: commitment from that from Albow as well, so our kids

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Speaker 2: are trained up for the jobs that come with the

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Speaker 2: infrastructure as well.

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Speaker 1: So it sounds like a bit of a bit more

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Speaker 1: of a focus on jobs and training. Looke with some

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Speaker 1: of that infrastructure money, I mean two point six billion dollars,

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Speaker 1: I think it was your two point six billion dollars

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Speaker 1: on different infrastructure projects. If Labor is elected at the

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Speaker 1: next election, will will they still move forward with that

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Speaker 1: two point six billion dollars worth of infrastructure?

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Speaker 2: The two point six billions an interesting figure. There's a

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Speaker 2: bit of smoke and mirrors involved in that. But we

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Speaker 2: always ask ourselves a question what's real here and what's

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Speaker 2: just a pre election front page? And of course they

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Speaker 2: always get the front page. They get the big amount.

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Speaker 2: But what we've seen with roads funding is it's never

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Speaker 2: actually happened. So they've been in government for nine years,

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Speaker 2: but the roads funding never actually reaches the territory and happens.

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Speaker 2: It's always just outpath the what they call the forward estimates,

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Speaker 2: which is four years into the future. So I think

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Speaker 2: money that is delivered onto the ground in reality is

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Speaker 2: always much better than promises out on than never never.

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Speaker 2: But federal labor absolutely committed to developing the North. We

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Speaker 2: support more money into the nape, but we need real money.

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Speaker 2: A good example is what happened with the shiplift in

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Speaker 2: the last election. We said four hundred million real money,

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Speaker 2: let's get the ship lift built, get that industry pumping,

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Speaker 2: and then we saw a knafe commitment. We're still waiting

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Speaker 2: for the shape the ship lift obviously to come to being.

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Speaker 2: So what we need is actually action on the ground,

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Speaker 2: and that's what Elbow will be committed to.

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Speaker 1: I guess I suppose what I mean with the infrastructure

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Speaker 1: spending is yesterday we spoke to Louise McCormack, the Infrastructure

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Speaker 1: Commissioner for the Northern Territory. She said that the planning

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Speaker 1: has been in the works for the large majority of

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Speaker 1: these infrastructure projects for some time. I know that in

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Speaker 1: Parliament yesterday the Northern Territory Government was saying that Scott

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Speaker 1: Morrison had backed their infrastructure plan. So I guess what

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Speaker 1: I'm asking is is Albow going to back it as well?

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Speaker 2: No. Absolutely, We've made that very clear. I mean Later

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Speaker 2: is always going to support more infrastructure investment for the regions,

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Speaker 2: and in particular our region because how important it is

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Speaker 2: as the capital of Northern Australia, but also throughout the territory,

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Speaker 2: not just Darwin and Parmesan. Obviously it's welcome, but we've

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Speaker 2: just after nine years, you can forgive us for being

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Speaker 2: a little bit skeptical about what their real commitment to

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Speaker 2: that funding hitting the ground is. So yes, of course

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Speaker 2: with the NT government who have been working on their

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Speaker 2: infrastructure plans, we support those. We welcome that the federal

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Speaker 2: government supports those. But I guess you've just got to

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Speaker 2: ask yourself what's real and their track record of delivery

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Speaker 2: is not great. Look at Kakadu as one example, but

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Speaker 2: there's sports facilities that have promised in the last election.

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Speaker 2: We're not one dollar has actually gone into those projects

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Speaker 2: in Darwen and Parmeerston in my electorate. So luke schedule

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Speaker 2: about their ability to deliver whilst welcoming the.

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Speaker 1: Promise, Luke, what else can we expect? I know you

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Speaker 1: can't give away all of the budget reply speech for tonight,

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Speaker 1: but mate, what else can we expect? Is there going

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Speaker 1: to be a bit more? Yesterday we spoke to Dina

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Speaker 1: Tali from nt Costs and she had wanted to see

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Speaker 1: more in it for those low to middle income earners.

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Speaker 1: And you know, even when you talk about things like housing,

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Speaker 1: can we expect more of a focus on things like

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Speaker 1: that in the budget reply? Yeah?

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Speaker 2: I think we definitely will see that affordable housing is

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Speaker 2: obviously essential, that the price of housing is obviously and

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Speaker 2: rent is difficult for families. And you know, rather than

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Speaker 2: sort of a short term sugar hit of a few

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Speaker 2: hundred dollars, we'd rather see more long term wage growth,

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Speaker 2: more permanent jobs rather than low paid, insecure work, so

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Speaker 2: that people can actually afford their rent, can afford petrol,

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Speaker 2: can afford to support their family. So affordable housing will

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Speaker 2: absolutely be a big part of federal labors offering. We'll

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Speaker 2: have a lot more to say, not just tonight, but

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Speaker 2: during the campaign as well, which will happen sometime in

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Speaker 2: the near future.

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Speaker 1: Luke Gosling, always good to catch up. We'll talk to

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Speaker 1: you again soon, no doubt.

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Speaker 2: Good only Katie.

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Speaker 1: Thank you.