Treasurer Eva Lawler has reassured Territorians that the economy is in good shape and that the Fyles Government has a plan for economic repair because a new KFC is being built in Stuart Park, which she likened in Parliament to a beacon of hope “for all to see”.

“It just goes to show how confident people are when you get a new KFC in the Northern Territory,” she said during Question Time.

A development application for the new KFC was recently lodged, which would see it built at 43 Stuart Highway in Stuart Park on land previously used as a car dealership.

The Opposition CLP jumped on Ms Lawler’s comments, issuing a statement to deride the remarks, suggesting a new KFC is cold comfort for Territorians suffering through “skyrocketing cost of living” and a failing economy that has routinely ranked among the lowest performing in the nation for years.

“When Labor’s credentials are laid bare, it’s perfectly understandable why they have driven the economy backwards,” Lia Finocchiaro said, adding the government had “scraped the bottom of the KFC bucket” to present their economic credentials.

“If they had a nugget of decency, they would sack themselves and let the Opposition turn the ship around before it was too late.”

Independent MLA Robyn Lambley said the Treasurer’s comments were “desperate”.

“Eva Lawler, just told Parliament that a new KFC in Darwin was a strong sign of how successful their Government is, creating confidence in the business sector. Desperate times!” she wrote on Facebook.

In September, economists warned the NT was in a technical recession, with the Northern Territory’s State Final Demand declining by 0.5 per cent in the June quarter.

The jurisdiction’s SFD—the measure of public and private sector spending on various goods such as food, fuel, equipment, investments and property renovations, among others—suffered its second decline in the past three quarters, the September figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show.

In August, the NT Treasury Department’s own figures showed the cost of living continued to rise above the national average, while wages were increasing at a much slower pace, putting inflationary pressures on the economy.

Darwin’s consumer price index (CPI)—used to measure cost-of-living inflation—for the June quarter went up by 2.1 per cent translating to a continued slowing down of the jurisdiction’s economy. The recorded increase was among the highest in capital cities, tied only with Brisbane and Adelaide.

Faced with the disappointing economic news, Ms Lawler maintained at the time that the Territory’s economy was still on track to grow to an estimated $40 billion by 2030.

“Private investment is key to the Territory achieving a $40 billion economy by 2030,” Ms Lawler said, adding that the Territory’s SFD increased year-on-year by 8.2 per cent to $27bn, “the highest of any jurisdiction”.