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08 February 2010

The billboard that Queensland banned “Welcome to Queensland…. Subsidised by the taxpayers of NSW” is now a postcard landing on the desk of Federal Treasurer, Wayne Swan, and the desks of 329 other Queensland and NSW MPs as NSW Business Chamber ramps up the campaign to protect the NSW budget from a $2 billion raid by the Commonwealth Grants Commission.

Thousands of postcards have been sent to parliamentarians, business leaders, community groups and media as a way of highlighting the Commonwealth Grants Commission plans to cut $2 billion from the NSW Budget over the next three years.  Thousands of emails have also been sent to NSW Business Chamber members throughout NSW asking them to contact Wayne Swan and get him to stop the Commonwealth Grants Commission.

“Queensland made a miscalculation if they thought their decision to ban our billboard will make us go away.  We have received encouragement from right across NSW and from both sides of State politics to keep up the fight and we intend to do so,” said Stephen Cartwright, CEO of NSW Business Chamber.

“We’ve had great support from Kristina Keneally, Eric Roozendaal, Barry O’Farrell and Mike Baird on this issue.  

“However, the real fight is in Canberra where the Commonwealth Grants Commission will decide in coming weeks if NSW will lose another $2 billion.  According to NSW Government figures, NSW has lost $14.7 billion in GST revenue over the past decade.

“The Commonwealth Grants Commission’s plan represents a grave threat to the NSW budget and the Grants Commission proposal is seriously flawed.  Does anyone truly believe that NSW should lose $242 million because we don’t have enough traffic on our roads? 

“Or that NSW should lose $96 million because it spends too much on funding police and gaols?  Sydneysiders want low levels of crime and we should not be punished for having a strong police force.

“NSW will also lose an additional $527 million because the Commonwealth Grants Commission believes NSW spends too much on infrastructure.”

Mr Cartwright said it was time the nonsense around the GST formula ended. 

“We support providing additional assistance to smaller economies like the Northern Territory, Tasmania and South Australia.  However, NSW should never be forced to subsidise a resource-rich state like Queensland.”