A $4.65 billion budget was announced last night in Parliament by the Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, for the 2018-2019 financial year.

A budget designed to give every Fijian family a leg up, the budget introduces policies for  the “Fijian people to prosper”.

“Tonight (last night), we will be building on the opportunities we have already brought for the Fijian people to prosper.  And continuing the unprecedented development that has transformed our nation’s prospects with another bold and historic national budget, one that will touch the lives of every member of every family in Fiji.

“Because what makes this year’s budget special, Madam Speaker, is that this budget is built for Fijian families. It is a budget built for every Fijian family, everywhere in Fiji, because all Fijian families matter.

“When Fijian families are strong, united, stable and thriving, the nation is strong, the nation is united, the nation is stable and together the nation succeeds. And this is a budget that is grounded in the same values that build strong and stable Fijian families: responsibility, integrity, accountability, foresight, and a sense of duty and care for our fellow Fijians,” Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said.

He pointed out that this was a budget that empowered Fijian families, laying out new and better economic opportunities for every member of every family in the country.

“This is a budget that gives a leg-up to families who need special care, those in rural and remote parts of Fiji and those low-income families, and this is a budget that protects families, who are facing tragic and unforeseen circumstances. And this, Madam Speaker, is a budget that will bring every Fijian family more prosperity, not only in the here and now, but for years and decades to come.”

The full 2018-2019 National Budget kit will be available in Tuesday’s Fiji Sun edition.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum’s entire address will be in Saturday’s Fiji Sun.

Edited by Naisa Koroi

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