2014-05-15
Water Licence – Blackbull Station
Ms LAWRIE to CHIEF MINISTER referred to MINISTER for LAND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Two water licences granted and advertised yesterday in the NT News for a total of 8517 ML were for a company called Blackbull. A major shareholder in Blackbull Station is magistrate and former Foundation 51 director Peter Maley.
These licences have been awarded before the aquifer water allocation plan is finalised. How can Territorians have any confidence that you run a government free from corruption when you grant free water licences which add significant value to a property part-owned by former director of a CLP slush fund?
Will you call an independent Inquiry into the allocation of water licences in the Territory since September 2012?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Karama for her question. We are on the last day of a fortnight of parliament where we have delivered the best budget in the Territory’s history and you have to slander us in the first question. You are slandering people on the outside.
You want to talk about transparency and accountability – I do not know all the details of this application for a water licence, but in your question, much of the premise of which I do not accept, you spoke about it being advertised. Clearly we are letting the public know what is happening through the advertisement.
I have not seen the advertisement; I do not when the licence was issued. I am happy to grab a paper and read it, member for Karama and current Leader of the Opposition, but if you want to know a little more about the issuing of a water licence, I am happy to ask …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Will the Chief Minister hold an independent inquiry into the granting of water licences?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fannie Bay, the Chief Minister just started answering the question. It is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. The opposition forgets we have a bureaucracy of around 20 000 working for the Northern Territory government. Some work in an agency under the guidance of the Minister for Land Resource Management, and Primary Industry and Fisheries, and they look at the allocation of water licences. Your query about the allocation of water licences goes right to the heart of those staff who work in those agencies and analyse and make decisions about issuing those licences.
You try to cast aspersions on a political party and on this side of the Chamber, but you are attacking the public servants who assess and make recommendations and decisions on water licences. We will not have an inquiry.
I will hand over to the minister, who can give you some further information about the analysis and issuing of the water licence.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Land Resource Management): Madam Speaker, I am shell-shocked by this question after my 30-minute contribution last night to a motion from the member for Nhulunbuy about water licencing in the Northern Territory. It is quite clear the members opposite are not listening or are too stupid to understand …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Katherine, withdraw that comment.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: I withdraw … or are not clever enough to understand how the water licencing system works in the Northern Territory.
I do not know how many times I have explained this system. Politicians have nothing to do with the issuing of water licences. They are inferring there is corruption in the public service because they are saying the public servants who made this decision are being affected by whether an applicant is a member of a political party. That is disgraceful. It is typical of the opposition to put slurs on the public service in that fashion.
Budget 2014-15 –
Business Community Response
Business Community Response
Ms FINOCCHIARO to TREASURER
What was the business community’s response to this week’s Northern Territory budget?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member of Drysdale for the question.
I am overwhelmed by the response from the community to the budget; it has been overwhelming. It has met with widespread support in every nook and cranny I have been into in the last few days, a range of business breakfasts, budget lunches and the like.
The Chamber of Commerce says the business community has backed the budget. CEO Greg Bicknell said, ‘I think people are pretty happy with what the Treasurer has come up with this year. The business community has accepted that the Territory government has taken the right steps in addressing the debt down the road, they are really working hard to address that. It was hardening to see that there has not been any major cut backs.’
Dianne Davis from the Real Estate Institute of the Northern Territory, REINT, said about the Giles government’s NT budget, ‘I think it is good for Darwin because we all know there has been a restriction in land release over the last four years and I think what this government is doing is excellent for us all and our industry.’
Master Builders Association, ‘Treasurer, Dave Tollner, this morning handed down his second Territory budget. From an MBA perspective, the key responsibilities of the Treasurer and his budget are to maintain confidence in the economy so people can continue to invest, to cater for growth so government is not a handbrake on development and to ensure sustainability in the budget settings over the long term. On these tests, the Treasurer has delivered a budget that is both responsible and defendable.’
The Minister for Mines and Energy might be interested in this one. APPEA, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, issued a media release, saying – I will not quote the whole thing. I am happy to table it:
- The Northern Territory budget handed down today recognises the growing importance of natural gas to the NT economy.
- Shale gas has the potential to be a significant new driver of economic activity in the Territory, and the Giles government is to be congratulated for encouraging the industry’s development.
- Well done on the most sound budget.
The PRBA gave it the tick of approval this morning, as did the property council. Like I say, it has been a good budget. It secures our children’s future and puts us on the right path for growth.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister your time has expired.
Middle Eastern Investors
Mr VOWLES to TREASURER
A notice published in yesterday’s NT News reveals that TFS Properties Ltd has received two new water licences. These licences are for a total of 21 533 ML on the Oolloo Dolostone Aquifer. I refer to your media release from 6 March 2014, entitled ‘Middle East Investors Eye Territory Opportunities’. I seek leave to table the release.
Leave granted.
Mr VOWLES: In this release you mentioned the interest of a Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund and TFS in developing sandalwood plantations in the Douglas Daly region. Can you confirm that the contact number for TFS on this release belongs to Bethany Maley, the wife of magistrate, Peter Maley? Can you also advise if former CLP Chief Minister, Denis Burke, is a lobbyist for the Middle Eastern investors?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, what an interesting question. I do not know if Denis Burke is involved in any way with those Middle Eastern investors. As for Peter Maley’s wife, that is a question you should put to her.
My wife has a job. I am sure other members in this place have wives and husbands who have jobs. Some people have to earn a crust. The member for Johnston might feel right having the little lady sitting at home doing the dishes and the like, but most of us have working spouses.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was about TFS, the significant water allocation and the CLP contacts involved in the connections.
Madam SPEAKER: The minister has three minutes. Minister, get to the point.
Mr TOLLNER: Getting to get to the guts of the question, this government is not ashamed of drumming up private investment. The Chief Minister has been very proactive about promoting private investment in the Northern Territory. We know the way the former government did it. The former government wanted to lock everything up and try to shut down the economy, apart from one business. This government is very proud of its economic record. We are very proud of the fact we are making water available, and we are making it available for more than the one or two people the opposition would like to focus on.
We are saying the Northern Territory government is open for business. We are cutting red and green tape. We are getting on with the job of promoting economic activity in the Northern Territory. I am thrilled that TFS is taking the step and has the confidence to invest in the Northern Territory. I would be triply thrilled if it was being backed by a Middle Eastern investor, because that sovereign wealth fund is one of the largest funds in the world. It has investments all over the globe. The fact it is eyeing the Northern Territory is a very big tick in the box of the Giles government.
It is something we are particularly proud of, that we are getting out there, not just looking inward, but outward, trying to drum up private investment and grow the Northern Territory economy.
Tiwi Islands Access
Mr BARRETT to MINISTER for TRANSPORT
Can you please update the House on what you are doing to ensure safer access to the Tiwi Islands?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Blain for his question; it is a very good question.
Following on from what the Treasurer just said, the Giles government is open for business. This project, creating access to ferries and other vehicles on the Tiwi Islands, has been led by the Chief Minister as the minister for Regional Development, and what a great initiative it is.
The Northern Territory government has approved a grant to Tiwi Enterprises to investigate and design new pontoons at Paru and Wurrumiyanga, as well as a tourist precinct.
This transport access will provide leverage for the government’s commitment to social and economic development on the Tiwi Islands, and that means jobs there. The grant will see the investigation, design and cost estimates of both pontoons and a design for a tourism precinct to consider the boardwalks, lighting, signage, shade and other welcome aspects to the community to support tourism and boost development opportunities on the Tiwi Islands.
Since Sealink NT began its service to the Tiwi Islands last September, an initiative the Giles government and SeaLink NT entered into, it has been extremely well received, with more than 5470 people using the service up to the end of 2013. My information is that number is growing as people become confident. It has made a huge difference to people working on the Tiwi Islands, and for island people being able to get to Darwin for medical services at a reasonable rate.
There is no fixed infrastructure in Wurrumiyanga to allow passengers to embark or disembark safely from the ferry. This initiative will start to frame future opportunities that could provide a huge boost to the community, and support the government’s commitment to the economic and social development of the Tiwi Islands. This is something the government is very proud of. We have been working with people to develop regional, rural and remote Australia.
It is important to those communities that the government does these sorts of things. As you can see by the fantastic budget presented by this side of the House and the Treasurer, there are initiatives in the bush. Record amounts of money are being spent there, and that is on top of a $5.5bn projected debt the opposition and the member for Karama were the architects of, which is why we find ourselves – we have done this all within the confines of a massive debt around our neck.
Currently on the Tiwi Islands, passengers transfer to the shore by a barge operated by the Tiwi Island Regional Council. This is unsustainable in the long term, and is unavailable on Sundays, which limits travel options for workers returning to the islands after a weekend on the mainland. I am pleased to say we can assist with the design of this important piece of infrastructure with the potential to make a huge difference to the residents on the Tiwi Islands. The funding is being provided by this budget. Thanks.
Water Licence – Call for Inquiry
Ms WALKER to CHIEF MINISTER
In March 2013 the government awarded a water licence for 5800 ML to former CLP candidate, Tina MacFarlane. During the application process, recharge rates for the aquifer were remodelled. The sustainable yield was increased by 16 500 ML, and concerns raised by scientists about the adverse impacts of river flows were ignored. An e-mail subsequently tabled in this parliament proved that the Minister for Land Resource Management was directly involved in the decision to award the licence. Three days ago new licences for extraction of 46 509 ML from the Oolloo Dolostone Aquifer were approved, including a total of 8500 ML for Blackbull Station, a company partly owned by Foundation 51 director, magistrate, Peter Maley. Will you now call an inquiry into all water licences awarded by your government since September 2012?
ANSWER
No, we will not. We will continue have a clear and transparent process of good governance in the Northern Territory. We will back the bureaucracy. We will back our departments and our staff who work for the Northern Territory government to invest, analyse and make recommendations and decisions about how these things go forward. We will also maintain the political impartiality in the process and the decisions.
If people are CLP, Labor or Greens members, whichever they may be, they all have an opportunity to participate in good governance, business or whatever they may choose to do in the Northern Territory. We do not take positions like Labor does in regard to how things occur or what the outcomes may be in the Northern Territory.
You are trying to defame as many people as you can. You have just defamed Bethany Maley, who was a Labor advisor under your government. To what end will not defame people in this Chamber. We are now two days after one of the best budgets the Northern Territory has ever seen, a budget that will grow the Northern Territory for our children’s future, and you cannot ask one question about the budget.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was not about the budget but whether he will hold an inquiry into water licence allocation.
Mr GILES: That is exactly right, and that was my point; it is not about the budget. It is not about how we are growing the Northern Territory. It is not about where we are investing. It is not about the largest amount of road funding in the Northern Territory’s history, opening the country, opening the regions and remote areas, building important strategic roads in the Northern Territory.
Ms LAWRIE: A point or order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Quite specifically, this is a call for an inquiry into the granting of water allocation licences.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, Opposition Leader.
Mr GILES: I have said no. There will be no enquiry because I back the public service. I back the bureaucracy and I back the people who work for us to drive reform and change in the Northern Territory. I back the people who work in Education, building our school system. I back the people who work in Corrections, looking after our inmates and trying to get people working. I back those who work in Health and mandatory alcohol rehabilitation to get people’s health back on track. I back those in Sport and Tourism to grow sport and tourism in the Northern Territory. I back those in Community Services, building our community services, supporting homelands and supporting investments in Parks and Wildlife. I back those who work in Primary Industry, Land Resource Management, Fisheries and Mining, because they know we are a government with a plan for delivering for the Northern Territory. We support bureaucracy. We support transparency and accountability, unlike Labor.
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker. Standing Order 113: relevance. This is a question about an inquiry into water allocations, not just from the opposition but from traditional owners …
Mr GILES: You can come in here slander and defame as many people as you want. You can slander and give a bad name to the 20 000 public servants.
Members interjecting.
Mr GILES: We won on this side of the Chamber, and for the member for Nhulunbuy, who wants to come in here with her little interjections …
Members interjecting.
Mr GILES: … ask a question about the future in Nhulunbuy and stand up for your electorate.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it is the last day of two weeks of sittings. However, Standing Order 51 states:
- No Member may converse aloud or make any noise or disturbance which in the opinion of the Speaker is designed to interrupt or has the effect of interrupting a Member speaking.
I like to hear the question and the answer. Opposition members, cease interjecting, government members cease interjecting also. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: I have finished thanks, Madam Speaker.
Bush Infrastructure Upgrades
Mr HIGGINS to MINISTER for COMMUNITY SERVICES
Can you please correct the record on what this government is doing to upgrade bush infrastructure?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. We are proud of the budget delivered by our Treasurer. We are building for the Territory and we have a plan, despite the information being peddled by those opposite. Budget 2014-15 contains a range of great projects to benefit those in the bush. The government is investing over $73m in the Territory with funding for the delivery of electricity, water, and sewerage services to 72 remote Indigenous communities.
I was surprised and disappointed to hear the comments from the members opposite, saying we are doing nothing for the bush. This is simply untrue. Even a quick glance at the budget overview on page two shows there is over $17m for essential services infrastructure alone. This includes Maningrida, where $3m has been allocated for an election promise to upgrade the sewerage system in the community. This upgrade will improve public health outcomes by reducing the risk of public contact with sewerage effluent, particularly from the sewage overflow into the sea, but it does not stop there.
This might interest the member for Arnhem, the community of Angurugu will benefit from almost $7m allocated to stage one works for the replacement of the asbestos-riddled sewer mains.
Member for Nhulunbuy, the community of Yirrkala will benefit from $1m allocated for the replacement of a ground level water storage tank, providing Yirrkala with a secure water supply into the future.
This government has listened to the bush and is working hard to provide infrastructure to benefit the lives of those who need it most. An amount of $1.6m has been allocated to replace the elevated water storage tank to provide Numbulwar, member for Arnhem, with a secure water supply by removing the risk of storage failure. At Galiwinku, member for Nhulunbuy, the Northern Territory government is working with the Commonwealth to provide almost $5m to upgrade essential services infrastructure. This includes a sewerage system that will allow the growth of the community, which is desperately waiting for the upgrade. This upgrade will support the overdue development of childcare, health and multipurpose facilities in the community. We have listened, we are delivering; we have a plan.
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113. I would like to hear the minister’s comments on $8m ripped out of Children and Families for our most vulnerable Territorians.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nhulunbuy, that is a misuse of standing orders. You are on a warning. Minister, you have the call.
Mrs PRICE: Madam Speaker, these works prove the Giles government is working hard for the bush, and I look forward to delivering real outcomes.
Call for Inquiry into CLP
Ms LEE to CHIEF MINISTER
You are the chair of the Cabinet which appointed Peter Maley as a magistrate. You are aware that on Saturday 23 February 2014 he called me and offered me an inducement. He stated that I would have my own cheque book. Further, there was also an implied threat that if I left the CLP I would no longer be protected. Shortly after that I was called by the Attorney-General, who also tried to stop me leaving the CLP and repeated that I would no longer be protected if I left. I seek leave to table all the relevant documents ...
Leave denied.
Ms LEE: Chief Minister, will you now act to stand these two men aside pending a full, independent investigation?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arnhem for her question. No, not at all; I do not know what you are talking about. I do not know that Peter Maley called you, and if he did, how am I to know what he spoke to you about? That is ridiculous. I will not be doing that.
Power and Water –
Treasurer’s Action
Treasurer’s Action
Mr BARRETT to TREASURER
Yesterday in the House the Treasurer said he would be taking action on a rise in network charges recommended for Power and Water by the Utilities Commission. Can the Treasurer tell my constituents what that action is?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Blain for his question. I know he is vitally interested in what is going on with Power and Water. He has been at every briefing session and has quickly made himself aware of what is going on.
I have issued two directions to the Power and Water Corporation in the last few weeks or so and, in accordance with the rules, I table both of those directions.
The first one is a direction about the $80 credit for the system black, where we have credited everybody who lost service with an $80 credit. The second is in direct relation to the Network Price Determination the member for Blain alluded to.
The Utilities Commission made a 2014 determination that set the total revenue requirement for the Power and Water Corporation networks over the next five years. The Commission proposed a revenue path that would have resulted in an overall real increase in network tariffs over a five-year regulatory period of 39%, including an initial increase of 29.8% in real terms from 1 July 2014.
I have taken unprecedented action in the Northern Territory and directed the board of the Power and Water Corporation to adopt an alternative revenue path, incorporating revenue increases above the consumer price index of just 18%. It is 10.21% in 2014-15, an 8% increase in 2015-16, and further increases are in line with CPI for the remaining three years of the regulatory period.
This direction demonstrates that, first, as a government we have said we are prepared to take a lower return from the Power and Water Corporation, so rather than adopting the whack of the weighted average cost to capital the Utilities Commission adopted of 7.86%, we said we would be happy with 4.61%. That reflects a cost of borrowings for the government and shows we are not in the business to make money.
Secondly, this action should put paid to any suggestion we are privatising the network. Thirdly, it shows without a doubt that we are serious about demanding greater efficiencies from our Power and Water Corporation.
That determination will assist the larger business in the Territory, along with local government right across the Territory, and it shows we are serious about maintaining low levels of power tariffs.
_______________________
Distinguished Visitor
Hon Denis Burke
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Hon Denis Burke. Welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
_______________________
Foundation 51 – Peter Maley
Foundation 51 – Peter Maley
Mr GUNNER to CHIEF MINISTER
Magistrate Peter Maley’s resignation from the CLP slush fund Foundation 51 and from the CLP ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! This slander and speculation is a clear breach of Standing Order 62 and I ask that this line of questioning be ruled out of order.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it is not a point of order, because using ‘offensive and unbecoming words’ refers to members of the Assembly, not a company.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I shall quote it back to you:
- No Member shall use offensive or unbecoming words against … any Member of the Assembly or against any House or … Parliament or against any member of the Judiciary …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, it is not a point of order. The first part of the question references a company, but I caution you, member for Fannie Bay, in regard to referencing a member of judiciary. Please continue.
Mr GUNNER: Magistrate, Peter Maley,has resigned from the CLP slush fund, Foundation 51, as well as the CLP. That resignation shows …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fannie Bay, please pause. It is not a point of order, member for Port Darwin, because he is not referencing the member of the Magistrates Court. He is talking about a company.
Mr ELFERINK: He just mentioned magistrate, Peter Maley. He is a member of the judiciary.
Madam SPEAKER: He has resigned from companies. In my opinion he has not cast aspersions on the magistrate, Mr Peter Maley.
Mr GUNNER: Magistrate Maley now understands how inappropriate it is for a magistrate to be involved in party politics. Will you now concede it is equally inappropriate for CLP slush fund director, Graeme Lewis, to simultaneously hold high-paying government-funded positions? Given you have refused to conduct an independent judicial inquiry into Foundation 51, will you now release the names of who Graeme Lewis has met with in his role as Land Development Corporation Chair and who has donated to the CLP slush fund, Foundation 51, so Territorians can be confident government transactions are not for sale to the highest bidder?
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, before you start, the section about who donates to which company is ruled out of order, but the other part of the question is fine.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, for clarity, which part is fine?
Madam SPEAKER: It was the part about the Chair, Mr Graeme Lewis, and who he has met in the capacity of his job within government.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, Mr Graeme Lewis meets with a range of people on this side of the Chamber because he is the Chair of the Waterfront Corporation, which reports to the Minister for Lands, Planning and the Environment. He is Chair of the Land Development Corporation, which now reports to me, and he is also on the Top End Health Service, which reports to the Minister for Health.
There is a range of people who meet with Graeme Lewis. There is probably a range of people who met with him from this side of the Chamber over a long period of time when he was the Treasurer of the CLP, but on matters outside of government.
Labor has been quite successful today; well done in the debate. You are trying to take the focus off the best budget the Territory has seen, but are doing that by defaming people and trying to erode business confidence in the Northern Territory.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very specific question. Who has Graeme Lewis met with in his role as Land Development Corporation Chair?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. I think the Chief Minister has already answered that.
Mr GILES: I have already answered that, if your ears were working. What you are doing is defaming people and, once again, bringing this parliament into disrepute from your side of the Chamber. We have put out the best budget, one we are all extremely proud of …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was ‘so Territorians can be confident that important government land transactions do not go to the highest bidder’.
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, it is not a point of order. The Chief Minister is answering the question.
Mr GILES: My point being, what we saw on Tuesday – I will say it once again – was the best budget ever. It invests all over the Territory. There is a future for children, it releases land, it invests in schools, builds roads and is supportive of business, something you are clearly not.
I go to the point of a response I gave the other day directly to the member for Fannie Bay. On Tuesday and on Wednesday, I referred to my disappointment in you as a member of parliament …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was about Graeme Lewis, his role as Chair of the Land Development Corporation and who he has met with.
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, the Chief Minister has answered that component. He has three minutes to answer the question.
Mr GILES: I will go to the point. There are some people on that side of the Chamber who we respect more than others. I respect the member for Casuarina; he has his business interests at heart, although he is in the wrong party in my opinion. I do not respect the member for Johnston very much; he does not add much value to the debate. The member for Fannie Bay used to provide a valuable contribution in the Chamber, but now he clearly cannot get the numbers to take over from the member for Karama, because the member for Wanguri has her nose in front in the leadership debate on the Labor side of the Chamber. Because you cannot get the numbers, member for Fannie Bay, you are getting in the gutter where the Leader of the Opposition has been for years and year. Instead you come in here and start defaming people.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113. Territorians do want to know what dealings the CLP-appointed Graeme Lewis, Chair of the Land Development Corporation, has. Territorians want the confidence that there is open, transparent and accountable government in the Territory.
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, that is not a point of order and you are misusing standing orders. You are on a warning.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, I am disappointed in the member for Fannie Bay. He has gone down in my estimations as a member of parliament. He has gone into the gutter. You have already defamed Bethany Maley and Peter Maley. You have defamed former Chief Minister Denis Burke. Who else is on your list? You have also defamed Tina MacFarlane today …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. I will be disappointed if the Chief Minister does not answer the question. Who has Graeme Lewis met with in his role as Land Development Corporation Chair? Beyond ministers, which developers has he met with?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fannie Bay, I believe the Chief Minister has answered that in saying who that person has met with. You are misusing standing orders as well and you are on a warning.
Mr GILES: The final point about who has been defamed today: the public service. Labor comes in as the great defenders of the public service. You lie about the numbers of changes in public service numbers …
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, withdraw that comment, please.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, I withdraw ‘lie’. They mislead about the change in the numbers of public servants, which is an outrage. Today they have completely defamed a range of public servants, particularly the minister for Primary Industry and Land Resource Management’s departments.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Food Exports
Mr HIGGINS to MINISTER for PRIMARY INDUSTRY and FISHERIES
With the rapidly increasing demand of many of our Asian neighbour countries for safe, quality and secure food supplies, can you please inform the House of initiatives aimed at positioning the Northern Territory to capitalise on this opportunity?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question, because it shows a clear understanding of the significant role primary industry sectors play in developing northern Australia.
As a part of taking the lead role in developing northern Australia, in budget 2014 the Northern Territory government has provided $1m over two years to progress the development of the Food Industry Development Group. This is something that has never been done in the Northern Territory before. The focus of this group will be to establish robust pathways to drive food exports into niche, high-value markets in Asia, strengthening the Territory’s $580m primary industry sector and boosting agriculture, horticulture and aquaculture development.
Asia’s middle class economy is burgeoning, and if we are to unlock the full potential as producers of high-quality, safe and secure food commodities, we need to be ready to meet the demand this economic transformation is creating for our commodities. The Territory will need to differentiate itself from international competitors keen to meet the rising demands of Asia’s growing population. The charter of the new Food Industry Development Group is to coordinate and implement economic development in food production through market analysis, new market development and facilitation of land investment packages, assisting industry to attract overseas development and helping to meet Asia’s demand. A perfect example of how this group will operate is in the case management of the investment plans of CT Group which, as announced last week, is looking to produce up to 10 000 ha of dragon fruit.
Budget 2014 commits a further $9.6m over four years to expand the government’s land and water assessment program, which will identify new areas for development and thus play a key role in unlocking the Territory’s land use potential. This assessment program will supply high-quality information, allowing production of land suitability maps essential for designing specific food production systems and underpinning successful development. The availability of this data is therefore key to attracting private investment by reducing the risk of poor returns and production failures, as well as mitigating potential environmental degradation.
The Country Liberals government is committed to creating and sustaining jobs in the primary industry sector, and these two budget initiatives will no doubt create a very positive ripple effect through the Territory well into the future. I am very proud to be supported by my Cabinet colleagues in this enterprise. It is the first time we have made this foray. It expands on the work the Live Export Market Development Unit started 12 months ago, which came as a budget announcement in the previous year. This is an exciting time for the Northern Territory in agricultural development.
CLP – Appointment of Party Members
Mr WOOD to CHIEF MINISTER
During the Cold War, communists infiltrated society through various bodies like the unions, media, teachers and the public service. Mao Tse-tung once said, when talking about cadres:
- In order to guarantee that our party and country do not change their colour, we must not only have a correct line and correct policies but must train and bring up millions of successors who will carry on the cause of the proletarian revolution.
I notice a similarity when I see various board and other positions in government being given to members of the CLP. In fact, you just put a member of your party on the Litchfield DCA. Do I understand this is a liberalist policy by your government to make sure the cause of the proletarian – sorry, capitalist free market and open for business revolution – will continue and not be impeded by those pesky privileged bourgeois rural Territorians who hold another view, like Palmerston suburbs stay out of Holtze? Or is the C in CLP closer to communist than country?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question. It is closer to caring, member for Nelson, compassionate, considerate – I could go through the dictionary.
One of the first things I did as Chief Minister was establish an economic development panel made up of three people, one of whom was Doug McTaggart, former Under Treasurer in Queensland, who worked – correct me if I am wrong – for both Labor and Liberal governments in Queensland. I put on Ian Smith, who I met with last night, who is trying to do a deal with Adelaide United. His wife is Natasha Stott Despoja, a former Democrat. I also put on former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory Paul Henderson, a Labor Chief Minister. I did that because I thought they could add value in developing the economic profile of the Northern Territory.
We do not have boundaries in political affiliations about how we want to grow the Northern Territory. I took a lot of heat from many people about the appointment of Paul Henderson, but I thought it was really good for us to get a great level of connectivity between the former Chief Minister’s networks, and to provide him an opportunity in his new business career by assisting us in what we want to do. I had no issue about his former political party status, member for Nelson and Madam Speaker. That shows a clear ability for us …
Ms Lawrie: One out of how many?
Mr GILES: There is range of them, member for Karama and Leader of the Opposition. We do not have a concern if you are Labor-aligned or not aligned with anybody. We want to grow the Northern Territory, build infrastructure, attract investment and build jobs for kids.
Mr McCARTHY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. I am particularly interested in the Development Consent Authority appointments the member for Nelson asked about.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Barkly. Chief Minister, can you get to the point of the question.
Mr GILES: I cannot recall the appointment to the DCA. I will have to get some information about who that was. I was just told we advertised for people who wanted to be appointed to the DCA. We do that for all DCA appointments; we advertise and seek expressions of interest as well as take people from council to go on to the DCA.
The fundamental point is that we appoint people based on merit. We appoint people who want to grow the Northern Territory and do the job. We have an open transparent approach.
The member for Nelson and others are talking about inquiries. That drives things underground. We want to be open. We want the Electoral Commission to table who makes donations to whoever. We want companies like Foundation 51 to operate under the guidelines they have under their company’s rules and regulations. It has nothing to do with what happens inside this Chamber, and you have to be able to remove the politics and have transparency and accountability.
Getting back to your point, member for Nelson, the C in Country Liberals stands for caring, compassion, consideration and a cooperative approach.
Budget 2014-15 –
Disability Services Funding
Disability Services Funding
Ms FINOCCHIARO to MINISTER for DISABILITY SERVICES
Can you inform the Assembly about the significance of this year’s budget for the Northern Territory’s first Disability Services portfolio as part of the Country Liberals plan to modernise the delivery of disability services?
Ms Lawrie: You cut funding.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her question. This is one of the great news pieces coming out of this year’s budget, the very first Disability Services budget: $83.3m. I take up the interjection from the Leader of the Opposition; it was not a cut it was an increase. We are very excited about the fact we are, for the first time in the history of the Northern Territory, ensuring that allocation of money goes to people with disabilities, their families and carers to improve their lives and access to services and make sure they become an integral part of the community, as they should be.
The Country Liberals government is committed to modernising the delivery of disability services across all sectors of government, and $50m per annum is allocated to 44 external service providers across Australia so they can help us deliver these very important services in the support and care of people with disabilities.
Among the highlights of the disability budget, I am pleased to inform the Assembly there is a new funding agreement between the NT Office of Disability and the Department of Education to make sure a very special project based in Rapid Creek, Project 21, continues. This project started last year and is a work readiness program for young people transitioning from school. The Minister for Education and I are very pleased to say it will have ongoing funding, an increase in funding from last year, and the minister and I look forward to visiting Project 21 in the near future to share that piece of good news.
The 2014 budget also includes $2.25m to go towards the NDIS, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, trial in the Barkly region. The Northern Territory government is contributing 60% of that funding requirement. This is very exciting for the whole of the Northern Territory and Australia, because for the first time this scheme will be rolled out in very remote areas of Australia. All eyes will be on the Barkly region.
Further to this, tomorrow marks the first meeting of the Territory’s new advisory council on disability reform. The meeting will be held in Alice Springs. I look forward to being part of that meeting tomorrow, and I am very excited about this new Disability Services portfolio and the $83.3m budget allocated.
Allegations – Member for Port Darwin
Ms LAWRIE to CHIEF MINISTER
The member for Arnhem has raised very serious and grave allegations about your first law officer, the Attorney-General, and about magistrate, Peter Maley. They go to potential breaches of the Criminal Code Act, section 58: influencing a Legislative Assembly member, penalty of seven years imprisonment; section 59: Bribery of a Legislative Assembly member, penalty seven years imprisonment. Blackmail and extortion, conspiracy to pervert justice, compounding crimes - why are you lying your way out of these very grave …
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, withdraw that comment.
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS
Move Proposed Motion of Censure
Move Proposed Motion of Censure
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent this House from censuring the Chief Minister and his CLP government for the lack of any ethical standards or leadership, and behaviour including:
refusing to conduct a full and independent judicial enquiry into the actions of CLP slush fund Foundation 51 since its creation
refusing to instigate an inquiry under the Inquires Act into the granting of water licences since September 2012
failing to ensure that serious allegations of criminal behaviour are immediately passed on to police for investigation.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, we accept this censure motion.
I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016