The Northern Territory Government is cutting the number of days Parliament will spend scrutinising the budget during estimates — a decision the CLP says will make it harder to hold the Government to account.
Parliament normally sits for budget estimate hearings at the start of every financial year.
Traditionally the hearings last for six days and provide an opportunity for Opposition and independent MLAs to grill ministers over the Government's finances.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner's newly re-elected Labor Government has slashed this year's number of days down to four because the pandemic had affected the parliamentary sitting calendar.
"2020, I think we all agree, has not been the year we planned on, traditions have been thrown out the door," leader of government business, Natasha Fyles, said.
Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro said she was concerned the decision would make it harder to hold the Government to account over the NT's dire economic position.
"Budget estimates is a fundamental part of our democratic process and allows the Opposition to scrutinise how the Government intends to spend Territorians' money over the next year," she said.
"We have a lot of questions to ask, we have had a global pandemic since the last time we met for estimates, we have had no budget."
The NT budget will be handed down in November, but a pre-election fiscal projection highlighted serious issues with the Territory's finances.
Net debt is expected to blow out to $8.2 billion this financial year, with the deficit more than doubling to $2.3 billion.
The Government has also predicted a $649 million hit to its largest revenue source, the GST, over the next two years.
Ms Fyles said while the number of days for hearings had been reduced, the number of hours would be similar — about 60 hours over the week.
Ms Fyles said there was no need to add further sitting days when politicians could stay back late.
"Estimates has gone through to about 10:00pm in the evening — that is not unusual here in the Northern Territory for the 20-odd years that we've had estimates in place — and so we'll be starting at 8:00 in the morning and going though and making sure there's the scrutiny," she said.
Ms Finocchiaro said she was not reassured by the idea of fewer days but longer hours.
"I don't believe a word of it for a second," she said.
"Estimates have always been over six days and there's plenty of time in the sitting calendar to provide that level of scrutiny."
