Every morning when I wake listen to the news, and read the paper I become convinced the Darwin in the Northern Territory are a little bit more, a little bit more and a little bit more rundown.

Take this morning. The NT News reports for businesses that have closed because of lack of custom. This simply has onto the other businesses, some small and some larger, that have closed over the last 12 to 18 months.

There are lots of plans about improving this city on our territory, lots of visions, lots of talk and Tubthumping. However, in practical terms nothing is changing for the better and things continue to slide.

Underpinning our demise a government that spends $4 million a day more than it receives an income. That borrowed money is applied to pay wages for the public service and to service the interest due on previously borrowed money’s.

The present indebtedness of the government is not all due to the Gunner Administration. We were already on the death trial and the previous governments. However, borrowing has escalated and our debts are magnifying hugely because of fiscal policy.

There has to be an endpoint! It seems that we are going down the gurgler at a rate of knots. As a long-term territorial who came here in 1975, prior to self government, it seems to me that the only way forward is to go back to being managed and 100% managed by Canberra.

Simply put, the Northern Territory in self managing terms is not up to the mark.