Wakefield's spending figures are rubbish: Lambley

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
 
Sir – The announcement by the Member for Braitling, Dale Wakefield, this week on infrastructure funding for Alice Springs was a complete load of rubbish.
 
In Parliamentary question time on Wednesday I requested a detailed breakdown of the $120m the Member for Braitling announced for Alice Springs over the next teo years, from the Treasurer.
 
This was provided to me today with sincere apologies for the grave errors.
 
It turns out the $50m for Araluen is actually $39m and the $70m for Braitling is $36. Instead of an infrastructure budget of $120m for Alice Springs the real figure is $76m.
 
Mistakes like this are inexcusable. The Member for Braitling needs to check her facts before making these important funding announcements.
 
Trust has been a key platform for this Government coming to power. I’m not sure if we can trust their figures after this.
 
The member for Braitling also reported that the Alice Springs hospital emergency department would undergo a “total refurbishment”.
 
Again this was untrue. It turns out it is the old emergency department that has been unused for four years, that will be refurbished to the tune of $3m.
 
‘This week we have seen the new Gunner Government make its first major funding announcements for Central Australia and they have completely botched it.
 
Robyn Lambley MLA
Independent Member for Araluen
 
UPDATE Saturday 9:20am
 
Minister Wakefield provided the following statement:-
 
“The NT Government is committed to a massive infrastructure program in Alice Springs and surrounds, including improvements to roads, schools, hospitals and other major works.
 
“The infrastructure list also includes new and fast-tracked projects such as the $6m Alice Springs Women’s Shelter, $7m for a brand new Alice Springs youth detention centre, and the start of the roll-out of $300,000 for every school.
 
“The figure of $120m mentioned in a press release earlier this week was inadvertently incorrect as it included $27m for work on Mereenie Loop, which does not sit within the Alice Springs electorates of Braitling and Araluen.”