2014-05-13
Foundation 51 –
Scrutiny of Involvement with CLP
Scrutiny of Involvement with CLP
Mr VOWLES to CHIEF MINISTER
You have refused the opposition’s request to move Question Time to enable parliament scrutiny of your budget today. You have also refused to do the right thing and call an inquiry into the actions of Foundation 51. Why are you so desperate to avoid any scrutiny of the actions of your CLP government? Documents tabled in this parliament last week destroy your claims that you knew nothing about the actions of the CLP slush fund, Foundation 51, so how can you expect anyone to trust anything you say?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Johnston for his question. Oh dear. How can anyone trust anyone else when you ask a question about scrutiny?
The member for Johnston has asked about scrutiny. This is Question Time, when you can ask us questions and scrutinise what we do as government. I think it is funny how you talk about changing Question Time. Member for Johnston, did you ring me and ask me to change Question Time? I never received a phone call from anyone asking me to change it, so that is very good.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. As the Chief Minister knows, the request went through the Leader of Government Business, the member for Port Darwin, John Elferink.
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: You ask why I did not move it, when you never asked me to. Get with it. It is a funny question to ask: why I did not say yes to your request when you never sent me one.
You ask me about transparency and accountability when we are standing here in Question Time being asked questions we can answer. We have a budget which will come down today, which has a period of five days, some 56 hours, of questioning through an estimates process. Opposition and Independents can ask questions of government about the budget, expenditure last financial year and this one, and where we will spend our money next financial year. That is transparency, accountability and being open about what we do and how we spend money. It is a very silly question, member for Johnston.
Budget 2014-15 – Housing
Ms FINOCCHIARO to CHIEF MINISTER
Housing is one of the single biggest contributors to the high cost of living in the Northern Territory. What measures are in Budget 2014-15 to ensure we continue to drive down the cost of housing?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her question. It is good to hear a question about the Northern Territory, policy, programs and what we are doing to meet the needs of Territorians.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 68. This anticipates debate before the House.
Mr ELFERINK: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker, there is no debate before the House because the bill has not been introduced.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
Ms LAWRIE: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker, it is on the Notice Paper and we have been given notice of introduction.
Madam SPEAKER: No, it is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: Anybody who is anybody would have seen the news on Sunday with us talking about the amount of money we will spend on land release in the Northern Territory. Anybody who is anybody will know that eleven-and-a-half years of the former Labor government left us with not only a debt legacy of $5.5bn, but a legacy of not enough houses, not enough supply to meet demand in the Northern Territory.
Anybody who is anybody will know we have spent the last two years trying to reframe the budget, to get the deficit under control as we move towards a fiscal imbalance, to get the forecast debt level of $5.5bn worth of debt back under control.
That is why this budget is so important today and why the Country Liberals are proud to deliver a budget which builds a future for the Northern Territory. It builds a future for our children and puts forward 6500 blocks of land to meet the needs of Territory families, to ease the squeeze of cost of living pressures too many Territory families have succumbed to. This is because of neglect by the former Labor government, particularly the Leader of the Opposition, who was the Treasurer, Lands and Planning minister, Transport and Infrastructure minister and did not do enough for the Northern Territory.
We are spending around $135m on new land release, commercial and residential, across the Northern Territory, including in our regional towns - $84m just on residential.
The other day we announced $44.9m for 6500 new blocks of lands in locations such as Palmerston north - or Litchfield North as we might like to call it - looking at new areas, new development and new blocks of land. There is no doubt the opposition is a mile behind on this. It was behind when in government, when the Leader of the Opposition was the Treasurer, the Lands and Planning minister, the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, and it is still behind.
I will tell you how far behind the opposition is and how much it cares about the cost of living, housing and land release. It cares so much that the member for Johnston has been made the shadow minister. That is how much it cares. If Labor cared about land release and cost of living pressures, it would give the portfolio to a shadow minister with some credentials, who could stand up and have a proper, articulate conversation in this Chamber.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Instead of attacking another member of parliament, is there any good news in the budget for Territorians?
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order, sit down.
Mr GILES: The most auspicious spend on land release ever in the Territory’s history - $135m on land release. The Country Liberals are driving down the cost of living in the Northern Territory.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
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Distinguished Visitors
Hon Syd Stirling
Distinguished Visitors
Hon Syd Stirling
Madam SPEAKER: I acknowledge and welcome in the gallery a former member of parliament and Deputy Chief Minister, Hon Syd Stirling, accompanied by Jenny Djerrkura.
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Foundation 51 – Administration
Mr VOWLES to CHIEF MINISTER
In 1987 Mr Graeme Lewis appeared in Darwin Magistrates Court for failing to provide documents in relation to CLP slush fund, Carpentaria Pty Ltd. The charge against Mr Lewis was proven and he received a three-month good behaviour bond. Carpentaria’s successor, Foundation 51, is also engaged in fundraising and campaigning for the CLP, and Mr Lewis has failed to lodge disclosure returns as required by Territory and Commonwealth law. In the interests of accountability and transparency, will you hold an inquiry into Foundation 51, and, given the clear conflict of interest as a CLP slush fund director, will you sack Graeme Lewis from his government-funded positions?
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, before you answer the question, it has some relationship to public affairs, but it is a party matter. You can choose to answer or not.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is fantastic to see so many people in the Chamber today, particularly the young school children. They are watching democracy in play and can see how the opposition can question government on important matters of government policy.
Today is one of the most important days for government in the Northern Territory, releasing our budget showing where we have spent money before and where we will spend it in the next financial year. Question Time today presents an opportunity for the opposition to ask us questions, particularly about our budget. However, we do not receive questions about the budget …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The Chief Minister is not answering the question about the activities of Mr Lewis and the fundraising he is doing for the CLP while being employed by the government.
Madam SPEAKER: That is out of order.
Mr GILES: Today is one of the most important days in the Territory parliament. It is budget day, which is why we have the cameras set up ready for 11 am when the Treasurer will give his speech. All of us, as ministers, will have a chance to talk about our portfolios and what we are doing. Again, we sit in this Chamber and do not get a question about policy. We have the shadow minister for …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Given the clear conflict of interests as a CLP slush fund director, will you now sack Graeme Lewis from his government-funded …
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order, Opposition Leader!
Mr GILES: They can keep going with these personal attacks of individuals who do not have the right to freedom to defend themselves within this Chamber.
Ms Lawrie: They are publicly funded positions.
Mr GILES: Go outside the Chamber and start voicing your concerns and make statements if you have the guts, members for Johnston and Karama.
This is an important budget. The school children will be interested to hear, when the budget comes down, the amount of additional money we are putting into schools and infrastructure.
I spoke in the last answer about the amount of money we are putting into land release; $84m will go towards land release across the Northern Territory. It is not only the government ensuring the development of land release, we will leverage …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was specifically about sacking Graeme Lewis from the government-funded positions. Will you answer the question?
Madam SPEAKER: The Chief Minister has latitude to answer it in his own way.
Mr GILES: Given our $5.5bn Labor debt legacy, we had a choice about whether we go into more debt and fully develop all the land or whether we work to stimulate the private sector by doing some of the leading headworks, then outsource it to the private sector and let them develop it.
We are spending about $135m – some of it on commercial, $84m on residential – we can start stimulating the private sector, increasing the supply to meet the demand. Keeping in mind the necessity of balancing the negative equity …
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a specific question and the Chief Minister has not answered it. I ask you to draw him back to the question he was asked and to address the question.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, if you could get to the point.
Mr GILES: I was talking about land release and how we are stimulating the private sector, but also making sure we are meeting the housing needs of Territorians and driving down the cost of living.
The question was out of order, as ruled by Madam Speaker, and you are deliberately attacking someone. I find it interesting that the opposition, with all eight members, take the lead from an Independent who is asking a question about an inquiry which, I presume, will be on the table for tomorrow night. Why do you not come up with your own questions and topics for discussion, or bring policy and program debate in here on budget day?
Debt Reduction
Mr BARRETT to TREASURER
It has been well-documented that this government and Territorians were left a forecast $5.5bn debt to pay off by the former Labor Treasurer who sits opposite. This debt had an interest bill of $425m per year. Can the Treasurer tell members of this House what has been the success of the Country Liberals debt reduction strategy?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Blain for his question. He is very interested in the fiscal strategy this government is undertaking and I appreciate his interest.
He is dead right; I think everybody in the Territory now knows we were facing a forecast debt of $5.5bn. A forecast left to us by the previous Treasurer who sits opposite.
The debt had an interest bill of $425m per year. The budget deficit left to 230 000 people was over $1bn. That was what the Opposition Leader’s Pre-election Fiscal Outlook showed.
It is on the record in black and white. We were shocked and horrified at the state of the books and the mess we inherited when we came into government; it was appalling.
The Opposition Leader does not want to hear this, because it is a direct reflection on the way she carried on when she was in government.
Ms Lawrie: Bring it on; I am proud of my track record.
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, cease interjecting!
Mr TOLLNER: She cannot help it.
Dealing with the legacy left by the Opposition Leader is a big task. It has taken enormous effort across government to wind down our spending. It has been somewhat of a miracle that we came into government, saw the debt and deficit and what we were paying in interest – it is a miracle to get to the situation we are in.
I will not go into what is in the budget now as I will do that at 11 am. There has been a concerted effort across government by ministers and agency heads to reduce spending. We thought there would be massive cuts to services and reductions in staffing numbers across the Territory, but this is not the case. By focusing on efficiencies and eliminating waste we have saved enormous amounts of money in spending. Admittedly, we have some boosts from revenue; however, the real work has been done by getting all those little rats and mice together, which comes to an enormous number.
I pay tribute and thanks to all my colleagues for their hard work in keeping the brakes on spending across government. We are delivering a first-class budget which maintains all the services people expect, with reduced spending. That is giving us money to put toward new services.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
Foundation 51 – Peter Maley
Mr GUNNER to CHIEF MINISTER referred to ATTORNEY-GENERAL and MINISTER for JUSTICE
Extracts from the ASIC database show magistrate Maley is a director of Foundation 51. I seek leave to table the extract.
Leave granted.
Mr GUNNER: An e-mail from Mr Graeme Lewis confirms Foundation 51 is directly involved in CLP fundraising and campaigning. This direct involvement in CLP activities called into account Mr Maley’s independence and impartiality. He has now resigned from the CLP and Foundation 51, but remains a magistrate.
Your decision to appoint him has jeopardised all Crown cases he has presided over. What actions will you take, as Chief Minister, to preserve the integrity and reputation of the Territory’s judicial system?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, before I hand it over to the Attorney-General, I find that to be a slur on the judicial system of the Northern Territory. I have a lot of faith in the judicial system, whether it is police, the court system or otherwise. To seek to defame everybody who works in the justice system is sad, member for Fannie Bay.
Last week I said I was surprised you are getting into the gutter to the same level as the Leader of the Opposition and member for Johnston, and I am still surprised you are going to those depths. I held you in high regard, member for Fannie Bay.
In regard to your reflection on the justice system, those who work in it and your derogatory remarks, I will hand over to the Attorney-General who can provide a more fulsome answer.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Madam Speaker, the matters on which the member for Fannie Bay reflects are for the courts. I remind the member for Fannie Bay of the rule in Ebner; it deals with the matters of apprehended bias, which will be then determined by a court when a court has to deal with the question of apprehended bias, and the two-stage test in the rule in Ebner. He is attempting to drag individuals’ names into this House, because they will govern by spite.
Should they ever take power, they will govern by spite. We have already heard the Leader of the Opposition name and target individual public servants saying, in committees, they should be ashamed of themselves. If this mob ever comes into power, they will govern by spite with personalities in mind and will have a mass execution of people they do not like. That is a grave disservice to the people of the Northern Territory, and we have heard the Leader of the Opposition individually name public servants who are in her sights.
The division which occurred in the past amongst the members opposite has been clear, with members reduced to tears by the Leader of the Opposition because of her spiteful disposition. Should this lot over here ever form government in the Northern Territory, it would be a government of fear, governed by personalities not principles.
Budget 2014-15 –
North Australia Development
North Australia Development
Mr HIGGINS to CHIEF MINISTER
Can you outline for the Assembly how Budget 2014-15 will support the development of north Australia?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. I remember many years ago when we first met and we were talking about how to develop the Northern Territory. One of the big things which came up was the importance of building roads and bridges to open up country and invest in parts of the Northern Territory where we have not had the greatest ability of access. It is also important to provide greater levels of connectivity and ensure we can provide a delivery of services and goods to people do not get the opportunity for much of the year. Much of the development of northern Australia has to do with roads and bridges, and I look forward to the announcement about some of the road funding in the budget at 11 am.
We worked hard as a Cabinet and a government in ensuring we had as much money as possible go towards roads and bridges to ensure we can provide connectivity and open up the Territory.
One of the other components about building northern Australia is ensuring we have commercial land available across the Territory. I spoke a bit through a couple of my previous answers about our $135m investment in land release and the $84m in residential, but there is around $50m committed to the continual release of commercial land in the Northern Territory. For the economy to grow, we must release more industrial land for the Territory’s oil and gas, mining, transport and logistics sectors, located close to our transport links.
The Darwin Business Park precinct will receive $11.1m for expansion, which I am very proud of, and will help grow the Northern Territory. The industrial area is strategically located close to the port of Darwin and the Adelaide to Darwin rail freight terminal.
Other projects include the next stage of the Muramats Road industrial area, where $6.3m has been set aside for five additional lots and $5.9m to continue works on the Wishart Road development. Concentrating industrial development in these strategic zones will free up more prime land for residential development. This commercial land release complements our residential land release program announced on the weekend, with 6500 additional dwellings constructed across the Northern Territory.
The Giles government is securing our children’s economic future, with almost $6m in funding to support the new Northern Australia Development Office and a new Commissioner to Indonesia and ASEAN over the next two years. This is the kind of work which will translate into building northern Australia development. It is about putting infrastructure in place, opening the country up, getting the right investments, such as new oil and gas and hydrocarbon, new pastoral activities, horticulture and agriculture, and ensuring commercial land and transport infrastructure is available to get the goods to market.
Rest assured, the Country Liberal Party has a plan. Labor does not have a plan, they only have sledging. We have a plan and they do not have one policy on their side of the Chamber.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Palmerston North – Consultation
Mr WOOD to CHIEF MINISTER
I have lived in Howard Springs for 30 years, been a member and President of the Litchfield Council for 13 years, a member of the Northern Territory Planning Commission and the local member for Nelson since 2001. I support rural residential developments so young families can enjoy and afford a rural lifestyle rather than suburbia.
On Sunday you announced the Palmerston North suburb, meaning rural lifestyle, planning, constituents and local place names are irrelevant. You, at no stage, have given me the opportunity to be part of these development plans and you did not have the decency to tell me you would make a major announcement which would affect my electorate. You asked for my help at the last sittings of parliament during a censure motion, where I indicated I would give you support if needed. I would rather work with you on houses and land for the benefit of Territorians, but you seem to think I am – and that the people in my electorate are - the doormat on your path to glory and fame.
My mother always taught me to say please and thank you and to be respectful. Why do you then treat me like a dog with your description of me in this House, rather than with just a skerrick of inclusiveness and respect, which I would expect from any leader of our Northern Territory worth his or her salt?
Madam SPEAKER: Your time has expired.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. The member for Nelson would be aware the Planning Commission has been undertaking a range of consultations and developing plans across many different regional areas of the Northern Territory.
He would also be aware that on Sunday we announced a $45m investment into new land release which will be undertaken in the Northern Territory, in part of the Litchfield shire which is in the electorate of Nelson.
The member for Nelson has every opportunity to have a conversation with the minister for Lands and Planning and talk about land release at any point in time.
I can tell the member for Nelson that all respect is given to every member of this Chamber. We make decisions about investments that happen all over the Northern Territory. I just gave an answer in talking about the port area. Do you think I talk about every decision I make with the member for Fong Lim, whose electorate the port is in? Right now we are sitting in the member for Port Darwin’s electorate; every time we make an announcement about what is happening in our city we do not ask John if it is okay. We must get on and govern the way we do.
I do appreciate, member for Nelson, that you will have an opinion on this. The plans that have been put out are not definitive plans, and the minister for Lands and Planning will be undertaking more consultation. He has been in consultation with Litchfield Council and has been talking in depth with the president, Allan McKay. The minister for Lands and Planning tells me those conversations have gone well.
When we announce things, such as land release – Kilgariff is a good example where we talk extensively with the Alice Springs Town Council about how we will do some of these things. I encourage the member for Nelson to have a conversation with the minister for Lands and Planning; I had a chat with Peter on Sunday, and we spoke about how we will engage with local members on developing further plans in that regard. Thank you for your input; I appreciate it is in your electorate and you will have opinions on it.
I appreciate that we are releasing land to drive down the cost of living in the Northern Territory, ensuring we address the demand needs through providing increased supply. I am proud that we have been able, as a Country Liberals government, to make the largest investment in the Territory’s history for the largest land release in residential and commercial blocks.
Fishing – Permit-Free Access
Ms FINOCCHIARO to MINISTER for PRIMARY INDUSTRY and FISHERIES
Can you please update the House on the process of permit-free fishing access along intertidal waters?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her question. A large number of fishermen who will take advantage of these new arrangements live in her electorate, and I am sure she is representing their interests very well.
Our government is continuing to support Indigenous development opportunities by providing $2.7m in the 2014-15 budget towards permit-free fishing access to the intertidal waters overlying Aboriginal land. This is great news for commercial and recreational fishos in the Territory, as well as keen anglers who are lured to the NT every year to try their luck during our peak fishing seasons.
As a key part of 2014 budget funding, the Indigenous Community Marine Ranger Program will be further strengthened and funding will go towards scientific and technical skills, allowing them to participate in scientific research. That is a great outcome for them.
The program will include the provision of enhanced compliance training and stronger powers for marine rangers so they can work more closely with water police officers and undertake enforcement activities on our waterways. This is about transitioning Indigenous people working in these ranger programs into real jobs. Improved consultation and involvement of traditional owners in fisheries management processes is also a part of the package. Agreements highlight the need for fishers to respect and recognise the cultural importance of the waters they visit.
Ms Lawrie: What agreements?
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: A fishing mentoring program will also be included in funding, which will provide training and skills development in commercial fishing …
Ms Walker: You have to have a permit to be on an Aboriginal land trust
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: … allowing more Indigenous people to participate in the seafood industry. The opposition is trying to talk over the top of me, but this is a good news story.
That last paragraph about giving Aboriginal people the skills and training they need to participate in …
Ms Lawrie: How about getting their agreement?
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Listen to me, Leader of the Opposition … in commercial fishing.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! We have given an enormous amount of latitude, but the behaviour of the Opposition Leader now requires restraint.
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down, member for Port Darwin.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: This allows more people to participate in a meaningful way in the seafood industry; it is about real jobs and employment opportunities.
Our government will continue negotiations with traditional owners across Arnhem Land to provide similar development opportunities for permit-free access to the Territory’s coastline, in the wake of the Blue Mud Bay High Court decision. Since coming to government, the Country Liberal Party has ramped up Blue Mud Bay as a priority and reached a number of agreements for long-term benefits for these coastal communities. Unlike Labor, this government has established a good working relationship with the Tiwi Land Council and is close to finalising an agreement for permit-free access to the southern and eastern areas of Melville and Bathurst Islands, including the Aspley Strait, while protecting the economic viability of the Tiwi-owned fishing lodges.
The opposition does not like to hear good news, but this is very good news for the future economic benefits for Aboriginal people across the Northern Territory coastline.
Election Commitments
Ms LAWRIE to TREASURER
Despite promising to reduce the cost of living before the last election, you have betrayed Territorians by hiking up power and water prices, increasing housing costs and slashing jobs across our public service. It is very hard to put food on the table when your livelihood has been stripped away from you.
To add insult to injury, you scrapped the First Home Owner Grant for Territorians entering the market through existing dwellings. You have completely ignored Territorians seeking their principal place of residence. You make a smoke and mirrors announcement about land release, with not one block to be released and, maybe, if you are lucky, you might see something in 2020. You have callously made it much harder for Territory families to make ends meet, put food on the table and enjoy a better standard of living. Are there any election commitments that you will meet?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is amazing that I finally get a question from the Opposition Leader, the former Treasurer, about the cost of living, of all things. Goodness, gracious me.
I welcome the question, Opposition Leader, and I encourage you to ask more. The issue about the cost of living is real and it is the toughest nut we have to crack as a government.
This economy is breaking records; every economic indicator shows how the Territory economy is outperforming the rest of the nation. The Giles government makes no apologies for driving economic growth.
One of the problems with economic growth is it is very difficult to contain cost of living pressures. As the economy grows rapidly, there is more demand for services and less supply. It is difficult to maintain downward pressure on the cost of living. We know what the situation is in the Northern Territory, the big driver of cost of living pressure is the housing crisis created by the former government, failure to release land and those sorts of things. As the Chief Minister just outlined, the budget I am outlining today has an enormous amount of money for land release and to aid construction of new houses. It is the most ambitious land release program in the history of the Northern Territory - 6500 housing lots across the Territory.
I was also asked about the First Home Owner Grant. We have changed the grants to focus on new housing from 1 January 2015 we want new houses built and for the focus to be put on new housing construction. The downside with putting it on existing houses …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Can you name a single election commitment that you will meet?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. The Treasurer is answering the question.
Mr TOLLNER: The problem with making the scheme available for existing houses is that it puts upward pressure on housing prices, which is something we want to avoid. The economist Saul Eslake told a senate committee meeting about affordable housing that housing grants for existing homes served to:
… exacerbate the already substantial imbalance between the underlying demand for housing and the supply of it.
Ilpiye-Ilpiye Town Camp – Normalisation
Mr HIGGINS to MINISTER for COMMUNITY SERVICES
You have been working hard with the Australian government towards normalisation of the Ilpiye-Ilpiye town camps on the outskirts of Alice Springs. Can you please update the House on this fantastic opportunity for camp residents?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. Ilpiye-Ilpiye is in minister Conlan’s electorate of Greatorex. It is pleasing to see that these town camps are finally being recognised and are becoming suburbs of Alice Springs. The Australian and Northern Territory governments are working together to deliver Ilpiye-Ilpiye subdivision normalisation.
This $10.6m upgrade means the Ilpiye-Ilpiye residents will benefit from services, including a new formal bus stop area, postal services and street names. I am excited to say the tender for this large exercise has been awarded to Probuild NT, an Alice Springs based industry.
The improved standard of infrastructure will also mean services you and I take for granted, such as rubbish collection and running water, can be delivered in Ilpiye-Ilpiye like in the rest of Alice Springs. This is another example of how this government is working for Indigenous Territorians to improve their lifestyle, unlike those opposite, who did nothing other than create glossy brochures and call them growth towns.
Once subdivision works are complete, the Ilpiye-Ilpiye Aboriginal Corporation will have the option of freehold titles to the serviced lots of land.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 51 is supposed to restrain the members opposite from their behaviour and it is not having that effect.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, Standing Order 51 applies to all members equally in this Chamber.
Mrs PRICE: Once subdivision works are complete, the Ilpiye-Ilpiye Aboriginal Corporation will have the option of freehold titles to the serviced lots of land, which will be individually titled and available for either private construction or sale. Private home ownership opportunities in Ilpiye-Ilpiye will potentially provide economic and community benefits, including an increase in housing supply, independence from government, pride and a great sense of control and security.
The awarded contract includes an Indigenous participation plan and local development criteria of 20% throughout the six-month construction phase. The Indigenous employment results will be measured on a monthly basis. The project involves comprehensive stakeholder consultations to deliver an agreed land use plan. This government will continue to work hard with the Australian government to bring town camps in line with other suburbs of Alice Springs, giving the residents an opportunity of normal life with access to services we take for granted. I look forward to delivering this project for the residents of Ilpiye-Ilpiye and making a real change in their lives.
Papunya School – Closure
Ms ANDERSON to MINISTER for EDUCATION
In your media statement yesterday you said students will participate in NAPLAN assessments today. Have you given approval for Papunya School to be closed today, therefore excluding children from Papunya being part of this NAPLAN assessment?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Namatjira for her question. I have not been advised about that school. I know about four schools across the Northern Territory did not even receive their NAPLAN kits, which is not good enough. The organisation involved has had to make special arrangements with those schools to sit NAPLAN testing on another day. If that school is closed for any reason, whether it is sorry business, the water has been turned off or for one of the many reasons that causes closure of our schools, I am happy to get a follow-up from the Department of Education to find out what has occurred with that school today; however, about four schools have had to make special arrangements – six …
Mr Giles: There are 178 out of 184.
Mr CHANDLER: That is right, yes, six schools across the Northern Territory did not receive the NAPLAN kits and special arrangements have been made …
Ms ANDERSON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. There is a letter from the teacher closing the school because she said the kids are rama rama, which means mad.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.
Mr CHANDLER: I am unaware of what this allegation is, but there are already measures in place to allow schools which did not receive their NAPLAN kits to sit their exams on another day, the same conditions could apply to this school. If it is closed today for any given reason, I can assure you there are measures in place to allow this testing to occur.
Everyone will agree, we need to have our children tested. NAPLAN testing is but one measure of education standards in the Northern Territory and across Australia. They need to sit these tests so we can benchmark, but I will get information from the Department of Education today and I will get it back to you as soon as I can.
Sport Voucher Scheme Expansion
Mr HIGGINS to MINISTER for SPORT, RECREATION and RACING
The Country Liberals government’s successful Sport Voucher Scheme has been expanded to provide more opportunities for our children to lead active and healthy lives. Can you please outline to the House some of the opportunities the Sport Voucher Scheme is providing, particularly for our remote communities and children living in the bush?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. The Batchelor Area School in his electorate created great sports programs and had great outcomes last year with the success of the 2103 Sport Voucher Scheme. I am pleased to say, as part of our $6bn injection into the Northern Territory economy, which will be handed down today by the Treasurer, we have injected an extra $5m into the Sport Voucher Scheme.
This will be expanded across the Northern Territory, especially our remote parts of the NT. The new Sport Voucher Scheme, which will begin after 1 July, means every enrolled school-aged child across the Territory is eligible to claim $200 per year on sport and recreation activities.
It is not just exclusive to sport, we recognise some children do not play active sport but rather have a cultural pursuit, so we have expanded the program to involve sports, culture and other recreational activities such as scouts and ballet. This means more school aged children will have access to this fantastic program.
The question alluded to remote parts of the Territory. In 2014, thus far we have seen the remote sports voucher program already receive 10 applications from 14 schools across remote parts of the Territory, with another 20 schools with applications in draft form. Schools have until 20 June to make their applications.
So far, Elliott School has $5325 to run a two-week equestrian program at the school, catering for all students from preschool to Year 9. Each student will access the program for an hour a day over 10 days. The Sandover Group School in Central Australia - last year we saw six remote schools combine their funding, which resulted in $30 000 to purchase a mobile athletics carnival trailer. It is fantastic stuff and a great initiative.
In the east Arnhem region - I am sure the member for Arnhem will be interested to hear this - the Ramingining School has $16 990, and all students have the opportunity to participate in five gymnastics sessions over five days, which is facilitated by Gymnastics NT. They can participate in five swimming lessons over five days, facilitated by the Northern Territory Royal Live Saving Society, and participate in a whole school athletics carnival. In the west Arnhem region, the Warruwi School has $8700 and is purchasing bikes and safety equipment to run a bike safety course. Students will be taken out for one hour, three times per week in the Dry Season to practice their skills. Quick calculation shows $27 000 in the east Arnhem region alone, as a result of the Sport Voucher Scheme.
The Katherine School of the Air has $15 675 to assist with fuel costs for students to attend sporting events in Katherine.
There is plenty more good news and three minutes is not enough to outline the great stories the Sport Voucher Scheme has involved.
Deputy Chief Minister – Behaviour
Mr McCARTHY to DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER
Many Territorians and Australians witnessed your disgraceful performance in this Assembly during Thursday’s censure debate. Will you now apologise to this parliament for bringing Territory parliamentarians into disrepute?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, clearly the clip aired on the television was taken out of context.
Darwin Bus Service Tender
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for TRANSPORT
You recently told parliament there has been a number of tenders for the Darwin Bus Service. Can you say whether it is true NT Fleet has been told to vacate its home in Stuart Park within 18 months, which is also the home of the Darwin Bus Service and valuable land? Can you also say if that same land at Stuart Park was part of tender documents included with the sale of the Darwin Bus Service?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. I assume the member is talking about the Armidale Street section.
The government is asking for expressions of interest in the Darwin Bus Service. Those expressions of interest have closed and are now being assessed.
As part of putting that out to tender, the Armidale Street premises will probably be incorporated into any deal done between the government and the service provider.
Mr Vatskalis: You can get a cheap bus service and the land.
Mr STYLES: I pick up on the interjection - it is not. You have a piece of land with some facilities on it. If a private operator comes along and is awarded a contract, it will negotiate with the government in relation to the use of those premises, the facilities and the land.
At some stage in the future, if a service provider, for efficiency and effectiveness, decides it wants to go somewhere else and run the maintenance and services for bus fleets, it will negotiate with the government to possibly terminate a lease on those premises. At that stage I imagine the government would look at what it can do with any premises not being utilised by the Darwin Bus Service, Buslink or any other provider of services to the Northern Territory.
Mr Wood: Will NT Fleet have to move?
Mr STYLES: For the member for Nelson, my understanding is it will not be necessary for NT Fleet to move out of Armidale Street. The government will assess what assets are not being utilised.
If someone comes along and says, ‘There is a better, more efficient and effective way to do business’, we will listen. Our job is to spend taxpayers’ dollars wisely and ensure we get value for money.
I know the other side did not necessarily do that. That is why we have a $5.5bn debt, but on this side we will be assessing the tenders and what people need to facilitate services to the Northern Territory taxpayer.
Gas Generation and Alice Springs Development
Mr BARRETT to MINISTER for MINES and ENERGY
Can you outline what the Northern Territory government is doing to help supply gas to generate power in the Northern Territory, and update the House on how this government is committed to developing the Alice Springs region?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Blain for his very important question. I am passionate about this stuff. We in parliament ask ourselves from time to time why we are here.
I saw the students in the gallery this morning; they are the reason we are here. This government is all about driving the economy of the Northern Territory to create a place and environment where they can grow up in the best part of Australia. That is what we are here to do.
That is why I am very passionate talking about the oil and gas industry, because I believe incrementally, over time, this will be an enormous industry for the Northern Territory. It will make this place a wonderful environment to live and work in.
Ms Walker: You could have doubled the gas market if you had not reneged on the deal to Gove.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: I know the opposition does not want to hear all of this good news, but it is good. That is why I was delighted to be with the Chief Minister in Alice Springs the other day as he turned the sod on Central Petroleum’s new $20m Dingo Gas Field development at the Brewer Estate.
In February this year, Central Petroleum purchased Magellan Petroleum Corporation’s onshore Australian assets, including the reserved certified Dingo Gas Field in the Amadeus Basin. The gas field is located about 50 km south of Alice Springs.
Central Petroleum is planning to develop this gas field for production and treatment of raw gas pipeline sales, and quality and delivery of sales gas to customers.
Central Petroleum has a gas supply and purchase agreement with the Northern Territory Power and Water Corporation to develop the Dingo Gas Field and sell sales-quality gas for power generation at the Owen Springs Power Station on the Brewer Estate located near Alice Springs.
The Dingo Gas Field development will consist of a field gathering system connecting the Dingo Gas Field wells — there are four of them currently; two are in the position of producing and two others which need some work — to a central processing plant with a 45 km pipeline from the Dingo field to the City Gate Gas Treatment Facility at Brewer Estate.
Central Petroleum is looking to invest around $20m to get the project running, including $11m for the construction of the pipeline and $9m on upgrading the field. This is only the second onshore production licence that has been issued in the Northern Territory in 32 years. That tells me that the gas industry here finally has some confidence that the Northern Territory government is heading in the right direction.
After 11 years of directionless travel under the Labor government which saw virtually no development of the gas industry in the Territory, finally the industry has recognised that this is the place to do business.
Independent Schools Policy
Mr McCARTHY to MINISTER for EDUCATION
You told this parliament that the Territory government’s budget position justified cutting education when you said:
- Let us face it, if we were in a far better fiscal position we would love to see every teacher still here.
The Treasurer talks about rapid economic growth and the Chief Minister talks about building the Northern Territory for our children, but you have cut education spending, forced the closure of good programs and forced good teachers to walk out the door. You failed to resolve a protracted teachers’ EBA and now you are pushing ahead with your independent schools model without any support.
Minister, can you name one school that has signed up to your flawed education policy?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the question from the member for Barkly, who sits on the side of the Chamber that overlooked education for 11 years before this government came on board. In that time - I only need to point to some of the figures where we see, if memory serves me correctly, about a student cohort that grew by about 178 when the Department of Education grew by 700 or more …
Mr McCARTHY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The minister has been asked to name any school.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, if you can get to the point.
Mr CHANDLER: I was about 10 seconds in, but that is okay. We have three minutes to answer a question about education.
The mob over there had 11 years. In that time, there was a budget that grew year in year out, and we saw results go backwards. Is that a good use of taxpayers’ money and providing the very best we can for the children of the Northern Territory? No, it is not the best we can do; we can do so much more.
Look at the poor results we have in our remote schools under the former Labor government …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Can you name a school that has signed up to your flawed policy?
Madam SPEAKER: The minister has the three minutes.
Mr CHANDLER: This government, and I, as the minister, have a passion for education and doing all we possibly can. I understand that in this life as politicians we only get this amount of time over a lifetime to do a job. I will do my best to improve the results for kids in the Northern Territory, because we are results focused and not only focused on spending more money. We have to see results improved and give Indigenous children a chance in life. If we are to give them any opportunity in the future we have to improve the results of education. When you start to focus on the results, you start to see one thing: we have very well-resourced schools in the Northern Territory. We have great teachers with passion …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Has any school signed up to the independent schools policy?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. The minister has one minute left to get to the answer.
Mr CHANDLER: There are a number of policy initiatives we have been working on in the last 12 months. Let us look at the Indigenous education review, which is the first in 15 years. Let us look at rewriting the Education Act, which has not been touched for 35 years. We need something comprehensive which will take us forward for the next 20 or 30 years. Let us look at the investment we are putting into education and new infrastructure, which the Treasurer will outline today in his budget, the important focus on special education ...
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The minister has 30 seconds left to answer the question. Can he name one school that has signed up to this flawed policy?
Mr CHANDLER: We are working on a number of policy initiatives and that is just one - independent public schools. We have to work with schools that want to go down that path, to build capacity where it is. That is the way it should be, working with schools that want to go down that path and those that need capacity will get the support from the Department of Education, and from this government, which has a clear focus on improving education and giving kids a chance.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016