Surprisingly few people seem to worry about the NT going broke.
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Territorians are famous for being laid back, but when they are called on to start filling potholes on their weekends off, they may reconsider.
Soon we may have Chief Minister Gunner and his Cabinet Ministers rattling tins down at the supermarket, or calling door to door on Sunday mornings, pleading for a gold coin donation.
Perhaps they could front a card table at Woolies here in Ktown, selling souvenirs, or furniture from Parliament.
Donald Trump shut down his government for a month over a wall.
NT citizens may have to build their own wall to keep desperate public servants from rummaging through our homes looking for their morning latte.
Suddenly shutting down a government as a money saver doesn’t seem like a bad idea.
Like the FIFO workers, perhaps two weeks on, and one week off. On second thoughts reverse that.
I feel sorry for the government workers who are now waiting each week to see if the bank will pass Gunner’s card at the ATM so they can be paid.
“Transaction declined, contact your bank.”
What a state of affairs.
The NT is so broke it has to borrow to pay wages, it’s true.
It’s only when I tell people that fact there is a hint of concern.
Generally though, the people I have questioned over this, don’t really care.
If it isn’t happening inside my home, or at my place of work, they don’t really care.
The NT has been living on borrowed time for a long time anyway, literally.
Lots of land, hardly any people – if not for the GST generosity of Canberra, there would be no NT Government.
Canberra has probably had a peek at our troubles, and decided they don’t want any part of it.
Canberra certainly doesn’t want to take over the running of the show, although perhaps they should.
No wonder the other states guffaw at the NT anytime the idea of state-hood is raised.
Must be belly laughs over that one.
Most people who have been here a while have heard some desperate hard luck tales.
It’s not just the government which is going down like the Titanic after hitting an iceberg.
People who have sunk their life savings into their homes are finding they are stuck.
The property values are half to two thirds what they were.
They can’t afford to get out.
Some folk reckon we’re guilty of trying too hard.
Take the NT for what it is, they say.
An Inpex-type development only comes along once a lifetime, didn’t anyone realise if would eventually be finished?
The NT is a bit shambolic, some people like it like that.
The government is now engaging a bit of CLP era power play, anything to take attention from the moth infestation down at Treasury.
It seems everyone is trying to get their hands on the ATM card that Gunner holds, political power can become a blind habit.
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