Newman government in debt to the power of metaphor

The contentious issue of government debt saw a medley of metaphors hurled across the chamber during question time in State Parliament.

Answering a question yesterday from Labor MP Curtis Pitt about the government’s plans to lift debt to $85 billion by 2014-15, Premier Campbell Newman said the government was like an aircraft in a power dive.

“I have said time and time again that what we have inherited is like an aircraft diving from 30,000 feet into the debt,” he said.

“We are in this power dive into the financial abyss and we are straining on the control yoke.”

Treasurer Tim Nicholls said the state’s financial situation under the previous Labor government had been heading straight for “Niagara Falls”.

Asked by LNP member Trevor Watts about the Government’s fiscal consolidation plans, Mr Nicholls said Labor had been “heading towards a debt burden of between 140 and 150 per cent of revenue”.

Labor MP Tim Mulherin called on the Premier to detail the purposes of the government’s latest borrowings of $1.65 billion announced on August 2 and to outline the Government’s total borrowings program for
2102-13.

Mr Newman said the borrowings were to “keep the lights on” and to “pay for the huge yawning operating deficit that we have been given by those opposite”.

He said this year the operating deficit would be at least $4 billion and could rise to $5 billion.

“That is why we have to borrow, to fill the black hole that they created.”

Comments
One Response to “Newman government in debt to the power of metaphor”
  1. John Weyler says:

    A medley of metaphors!

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