2014-08-26
Deputy Chief Minister – Lack of Appointment
Ms LAWRIE to CHIEF MINISTER
Your government has descended from chaos into crisis. Just as you lacked leadership when you stood for days defending the indefensible actions of the disgraced member for Fong Lim, you now lack the confidence to appoint a Deputy Chief Minister. This lack of confidence has the public service asking who the minister across seven portfolios, including Treasury, will be. It sends a message of uncertainty to investors. Such is the level of dysfunction in the CLP, Territorians are now placing bets on who the deputy will be. Here is a taste of the odds board ...
Madam SPEAKER: Put it down, member for Barkly.
Ms LAWRIE: Why could you not put the Territory above your rank incompetence and ensure the important role of Deputy Chief Minister was filled?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, an old trick brought out again; it is good to see old tricks recycled. It is interesting when you hear some of the commentary from Labor about changes in portfolios and ministries. We have looked through some history and identified what took place last week, compared to what has happened in the past.
It is interesting when you look at the comments made by the member for Fong Lim and the actions he took in resigning and compare that to some of the actions from the former Labor government. The former member for Johnston, Chris Burns, made some disparaging remarks against the …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Why can you not fill the rank of Deputy Chief Minister?
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Sit down.
Mr GILES: The former member for Johnston made some disparaging remarks against the now Attorney-General and what did Labor do? It continued to promote him and use him as a minister. Look at the former member for Sanderson, Mr Len Kiely, who made that outrageous slur against a woman at a sports event. What did Labor do? It promoted him as minister. We stand by what we do; we hold our morals in high regard.
We also looked at Labor’s performance in its first four years of government, between 2001 and 2005 …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! You made a direction that we cannot use …
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please do not use props.
Mr GILES: I am just reading off it, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: If you could just place it on the table please.
Mr GILES: Between 2001 and 2005 there were 12 portfolio changes, eight new ministries, 28 ministry changes and eight ministries cut. Crime was going up as were house prices, house blocks were stalled, business confidence was down 22% and we saw turmoil in the public service - very interesting ...
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Who will be your Deputy Chief Minister?
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, get to the point.
Mr GILES: Let us look at some of the reshuffles that happened under Labor’s time in government. In its first term …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The Chief Minister is not going anywhere near answering the question of why will he not appoint a Deputy Chief Minister. Does he have such a great lack of confidence in everyone in his team?
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, Opposition Leader. Chief Minister, get to the point.
Mr GILES: On the contrary, we have the ability to continue to do our job. Let us look at the Labor report card when we came to government: $1.8bn in debt from the prison; Asset Management System failing of $70m; $3bn worth of Power and Water debt; the cost of living going up; no land release; crime increases to the highest level in 14 years …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Territorians want to know who their Deputy Chief Minister is. Why can you not appoint one? Answer the question.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, get to the point, please.
Mr GILES: Territorians want to know that crime and debt are going down, the economy is going up and there are jobs there for their kids in the future. That is what they care about. Territorians do not want to hear politicians talking about their jobs; they want to see us talking about their kids’ jobs, so kids like the ones in the gallery today from Sanderson Middle School have an opportunity in life ...
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The Chief Minister no longer has the numbers within his party room. If you do not decide who is Deputy Chief Minister, who does?
Mr ELFERINK: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order, Leader of Government Business.
Mr GILES: As I said, people do not care when we talk about our jobs, they want us focusing on their jobs and future jobs for their kids, which is what we will continue to do.
__________________________
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, before the next question, I welcome and acknowledge in the gallery the wife of the member for Daly, Rhonda Higgins, and her family. Welcome to parliament.
Members: Hear, hear!
__________________________
Browse Basin – Gas Opportunities
Mr HIGGINS to CHIEF MINISTER
Can you please update the Assembly on the news just announced by Santos and ConocoPhillips about exciting new gas opportunities for the Territory in the Browse Basin? What might these developments mean for our economy and job creation into the future?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. I was just reminded by the Attorney-General that the Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia Development is asking a question about Territorians and jobs for the future. That is what it is about. He has a close eye on the news occurring around Australia in this sector.
It was great to see NT Resources Week in the Territory last week, especially SEAAOC, Minerals Week and the Building the Territory Conference, which more than 1000 people attended.
In the Browse Basin, ConocoPhillips has some exciting deposits, as does Santos. Last week, Santos announced findings from its next well in Lasseter, which is identified as having significant gas opportunities.
I have been working with Santos and ConocoPhillips for the past 18 months, asking those two companies if they can work towards the aggregation or unitisation of their fields and not go to Western Australia, but instead come towards Darwin for either a greenfield or brownfield opportunity. So far to date, we have heard very positive commentary from ConocoPhillips and Santos.
I am mindful that beyond the INPEX construction of a second gas train at the start of 2017, we need to ensure we have continuity of economic opportunity, business excellence and jobs for Territorians. Seeing the work from Santos and Conoco is exciting. I am travelling to Singapore soon to meet with both companies at their offshore headquarters, trying to ensure an opportunity around unitisation and economic opportunities into the future.
I was also interested to read an article in the Australian Financial Review today, where the minister, Senator Ian Macfarlane, was talking about the Country Liberals dream of building a pipeline between the Northern Territory and the eastern seaboard of Australia to provide an opportunity of domestic gas supply, as well as offshore or international gas supply and working towards onshore gas development.
I am not using this map for graphic purposes, but this is the pathway we are looking at for building that pipeline between Alice Springs and Moomba. It is estimated to cost about $1.2bn, and be just over 1000 km depending on the pathway taken. It presents an opportunity for economic gain into the future.
We can move gas from Browse Basin into the eastern seaboard and into the Territory. We can use swap gas and many other molecular swap structures. This means there is a strong economic pathway for Territorians into the future ...
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Magistrate Maley – Mismanagement of Resignation by Attorney-General
Mr GUNNER to CHIEF MINISTER
Your Attorney-General showed a failure of judgment in recommending Mr Maley as a magistrate. He showed a lack of understanding of law, the separation of powers, the judicial code of conduct and the judicial code of ethics in refusing an independent inquiry. Magistrate Maley has finally done the right thing and resigned under pressure.
Your Attorney-General, who mismanaged the whole shambles, should be resigning as well. Will you do the right thing and immediately stand down your Attorney-General who has failed in his conduct as first law officer?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Fannie Bay and shadow Attorney-General for his question. I will not be standing down Mr Elferink as the Attorney-General. The Attorney-General has my full support and confidence, as does every other member on the Country Liberals side of this Chamber.
Let me tell you about the Attorney-General, who also happens to be the Corrections minister. He has brought about the most substantial law enforcement reform process within the Northern Territory, such as the Sentenced to a Job program, which is getting people out of gaol and into jobs, as well as one punch legislation, which holds criminals to account and makes the Territory and our streets safer places.
You talk about a slur, but I have just given two fine examples of what we have done. Put that into the combination of our team and the work we are doing on alcohol mandatory treatment, alcohol policy reform, Alcohol Protection Orders and the recruitment of additional police. If you put that into the context of us now publicising crime statistics, not hiding them like Labor used to – we put them out monthly on the website for all to see – we now have crime at the lowest levels since the 1990s when the CLP was last in power.
We have had more than 400 people go through alcohol mandatory treatment services. That is 400 Territorians who have had an opportunity to change their lives, get off grog for three months and get the cognitive ability back to make decisions about whether they want to go back on the grog or stay off it. We are giving people an opportunity in life and the Attorney-General has been one of the leaders of our team in making this such a success.
It is not only his portfolio, it is a team approach and I put my full confidence …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The Attorney-General failed to call an independent inquiry; he needs to answer the question. Will he stand down the Attorney-General?
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, if you could get to the point.
Mr GILES: That is a repetitive question. I have already said no. I am singing the praises of what the Attorney-General – also the Minister for Correctional Services, for Children and Families and for Public Employment – has been doing. He has my full confidence, as do the other 11 members of this team. We are driving crime and debt down, driving the economy up and making sure kids have jobs for the future ...
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Last week he defended Tollner and Tollner went, he defended Graeme Lewis and Graeme went. He is now defending Elferink. When will Elferink go?
Madam SPEAKER: The Chief Minister has already answered the question.
Mr GILES: On that interjection, hopefully the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Attorney-General will both go, too.
October Business Month
Mr BARRETT to MINISTER for BUSINESS
October Business Month is coming up, thank goodness, and it will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year. Can the minister outline how this event has stood the test of time and continues to be well supported by the local business community after two decades?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Blain for his question. As a member who entered parliament from the private business sector, I acknowledge his outstanding desire to ensure business continues to be strong in the Northern Territory. The member for Blain acknowledges that October Business Month started in 1994. What is interesting is there was a Country Liberals government in 1994. The Country Liberals government brought this back in 1994. It has been going for as long as the Deckchair Cinema and Parliament House.
The very first October Business Month attracted 699 attendees over 12 events. Now we have almost 10 times as many people and events. Last year more than 6600 attendees enjoyed a great range of business conferences, seminars and networking opportunities. October Business Month is considered by many small businesses to be a premiere business event in their calendar.
As an annual program organised and hosted by the Department of Business, it encourages business owners, managers and staff to attend a month-long program of professional development and business networking. October Business Month includes seminars, workshops, conferences and other events where businesses can benefit from up-to-date firsthand knowledge delivered by a diverse range of nationally and internationally recognised speakers.
I could speak more about October Business Month, but the most important thing for businesses is they know there is a future for the economy of the Northern Territory. In my first answer I spoke about the opportunities we have with offshore gas with Santos and ConocoPhillips in the Browse field, as well as potential unitisation and bringing gas onshore in the Northern Territory, all serviced by the Top End.
Business can be confident there are positive signs ahead in the Northern Territory, unlike with the former Labor government where business confidence was down by 22% in its four-year term. Business confidence in the Northern Territory is going extremely well.
In the second week of October I will welcome the AJBCC and the JABCC, the Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee and the Japan-Australia Business Co-operation Committee, which will be sending their best and brightest business leaders from around Australia and Japan to have the first ever conference outside a main capital city, in Darwin, where we will have an opportunity to showcase the Territory for all it is.
When you have the leaders of companies like Mitsubishi, SMBC, JAL and NYK Line for shipping, it is an opportunity for us to showcase what we have, look for business opportunities in the future and see how, once again, we can grow our economy, develop greater business and more jobs in the future for our kids and grandkids.
Deputy Chief Minister – Lack of Appointment
Mr McCARTHY to CHIEF MINISTER
This relates to the up-and-coming, by-and-by reshuffle of the CLP. The member for Port Darwin should be sacked as Attorney-General for the Maley scandal, the Don Dale riot and for the Department of Children and Families being under pressure.
The member for Brennan has disastrously mismanaged education – 35 teachers, what a pretence; 125 have gone. The member for Sanderson has overseen cuts to Infrastructure that are sending small- and medium-size businesses into disrepair. The member for Katherine has delivered millions of dollars of water licences to his CLP mates, locking up reserves for crucial development of northern Australia. The member for Greatorex is your benchmark on ministerial standards. The member for Stuart is clearly not up to the job. The member for Araluen has been dealt a hospital that is not going anywhere. Is this why you cannot find a deputy?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the funny thing about having a strong and diverse team is that we just get on and do the job. While you come out with all of these little things willy-nilly, every day of every week, we are getting on and doing the job. Someone can sit in this chair or not, but crime and debt are still going down, the economy is still going up and kids are looking forward to having jobs into the future. It is a positive sign.
Palmerston hospital is still moving forward. It will still be built. Sport and tourism are still operating, and so is the live cattle trade thanks to the hard work of the minister for Primary Industry.
Prisoners are still working today. We still have $132.5m going towards residential and commercial land release …
Mr McCARTHY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Why can you not find a deputy for Territorians?
Mr GILES: There are 6500 blocks of land as part of the biggest land release strategy in the Territory’s history. We are putting $400m into roads. Those tenders will still go out. Those roads will still be built and people will still continue to be connected.
I can tell you on behalf of the Minister for Community Services, homeland and outstation properties are now getting $5200 per house. This never happened under Labor. It is business as usual and things keep going.
Someone can sit in the chair, or they cannot; I will carry the workload. But business will keep going. In 2016-17, when the economy is forecast to dip thanks to Labor, we will ensure it continues to grow and prosper, business will be successful and job numbers will continue to grow ...
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very direct question. Why can you not find a Deputy Chief Minister?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nightcliff, it is not a point of order. The question raised went across all portfolios and the Chief Minister is answering.
Mr GILES: Let me go on. The member for Drysdale will still be in her role of Parliamentary Secretary to the Chief Minister, ensuring we celebrate the Anzac Centenary and we put all of our Festivals NT work into action.
The member for Blain will keep supporting business, as I said in my previous answer. The member for Daly will ensure our roads are built and we support the Daly, that we start a smooth transition for things like the local healthcare centre and solutions in regional and remote communities.
I know the member for Fong Lim is a massive supporter and continues to ensure we achieve economic growth in the Northern Territory, and that his electorate is the best and proudest in the Northern Territory on his behalf.
Seeing the change to some of the public housing complexes, providing long-term and stable tenure reform for people is part of what we want to do. We will achieve it no matter who sits in which chair. We are a broad church, a team, and are getting on with doing business and governance. As I said, crime and debt are going down, the economy and jobs are going up.
Government’s First Two Years
Mr TOLLNER to CHIEF MINISTER
Yesterday marked the official halfway point in the government’s first term. Can you give a snapshot of the economy and business confidence after two years?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the question from the member for Fong Lim. I thank him for his hard work in helping us rebuild the Northern Territory after eleven-and-a-half years of dismal Labor performance.
Yesterday I was proud to spend the second anniversary of the Country Liberals coming into government by turning the sod on a new $300m development known as the Gateway Shopping Centre in Palmerston, at the intersection of Roystonea Avenue, the Stuart Highway and Yarrawonga Road, for those who do not know where that is.
I am proud because private developments like this are a direct product of the CLP government’s open-for-business attitude, something sorely missed under Labor’s reign. The Gateway Shopping Centre is being built by the Coombes Property Group and has the potential for around 3000 jobs – roughly speaking, 1250 post-construction and 1750 during construction – on a 15 ha site. It is another example of the confidence to invest in the Northern Territory. These guys bring their money from interstate and overseas banks. It is not like someone sitting around the corner putting money in there. This is strong confidence.
I note the comments in the editorial of the NT News today; they are right. It is not just the Gateway Shopping Centre complex, it is the $50m hotel complex and, through the Department and the Minister for Infrastructure, the intersection to the Palmerston Regional Hospital in Litchfield region which is being built. It is about the office tower and the jobs we are creating for the rural and Palmerston area. It is recognition that the Territory is growing and there is a strong sign of confidence.
When we roll out a budget as we did this year, and put $132.5m towards commercial and residential land release, people say, ‘These guys have it together, they are getting things done’. There will be 6500 blocks of land available across the Northern Territory, not just in one part, but in regional, remote and urban areas in the Top End and the south. We know housing is a critical component of our economy and adds significant pressure to the cost of living.
That is why we are putting downward pressures on the cost of living with the biggest land release program in the Territory’s history, so people have an opportunity to buy a house. It is so people have a choice and people in Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, Timber Creek, Mataranka, Palmerston and Darwin all have an opportunity to move into new houses. That is why we restructured the First Home Owner Grant in this year’s budget, increasing it to $26 000 so we could stimulate the residential construction industry, provide housing for people and drive down cost of living pressures.
Magistrate Maley – Resignation
Mr GUNNER to CHIEF MINISTER referred to ATTORNEY-GENERAL and JUSTICE
It is extraordinary for a magistrate to resign after 11 months. What reasons did magistrate Maley give for his resignation?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, Mr Maley did not offer his resignation to me, but to the Attorney-General, and I am not aware of the reasons. Perhaps the Attorney-General can elaborate on that.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Madam Speaker, I have had the pleasure of sitting here listening to the members opposite bleat about this. I will start with an observation: not once that I am aware of has anybody raised an issue in Mr Maley’s courtroom about his conduct as a magistrate. I find it extremely frustrating …
Ms Lawrie: Why did he resign?
Mr Tollner: Shame on you, Delia, you are a grub.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, withdraw that comment.
Mr TOLLNER: Sorry, Madam Speaker, withdrawn.
Mr ELFERINK: I find it frustrating that so many commentators have chosen to occupy the public domain to criticise …
Members interjecting.
Mr ELFERINK: I will pause for a second. The Bar Association’s Mr John Lawrence has been strident in his public comments. I find it curious that the former President of the Bar Association has been strident in his criticism of Mr Maley and what he describes as a politically motivated pursuit.
The question remains: what single action has been taken in relation to a matter of apprehended bias in the courtroom presided over by Mr Maley? As far as I know, the answer is none …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Why did magistrate Peter Maley resign after 11 months on the bench?
Madam SPEAKER: The minister has three minutes to answer the question.
Mr ELFERINK: The second point is if you accept the rarefied atmosphere asserted to by people like Messrs Wyvill and Lawrence, you would also understand that they would argue any contact between the benches of any political or social policy nature should be abandoned. How is it that I can go to a social dinner …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Magistrate Maley has resigned. The Attorney-General continues to defend him, but why has he resigned?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. The minister has a minute left to answer.
Mr ELFERINK: The members opposite are all excited about this – and good luck to them. I find it depressing that a magistrate was singled out in the fashion that Mr Maley has been by the members opposite and what appear to be their allies. Not once has he had an opportunity to deal with this in a courtroom, because no member of the Bar Association has walked into his courtroom and challenged …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very specific question: why did magistrate Peter Maley resign after only 11 months on the bench? This is unprecedented; what are you hiding from the public?
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, Opposition Leader.
Mr ELFERINK: Not only that, the members opposite do not want to hear this truth because it puts paid to all the hysteria that surrounds this. My advice to the members opposite is if they want to ask that question, maybe they should address it to Mr Maley ...
Ms Lawrie: Do you not know, or are you misleading?
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I ask the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw that comment.
Ms LAWRIE: I withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: I did not hear it, but thank you for withdrawing.
Bus Service to Correctional Centre
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for TRANSPORT
When the new correctional centre was being built, there was a public bus service planned to service the facility. This bus service could have taken workers, day release prisoners and visitors to and from the prison. It could have also taken workers to work from the INPEX village, families to the Howard Springs Nature Park and people living in the Howard Springs area to Palmerston.
Why have you rejected this service and said this is the responsibility of Corrections, when bus services are your responsibility? Are you now saying the Department of Education should provide buses for schools, the Department of Health should provide buses for RDH and the Palmerston Super Clinic, and Crocodylus Park should provide its own bus services?
Will you consider a two-year trial bus service for the prison in the rural area? If not, does this have anything to do with the sale of the Darwin Bus Service to a private company?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. I understand some work has been done on the viability of a bus service to the prison. When we look at spending taxpayers’ dollars it is an enormous cost for such a small service. Surveys have been completed in relation to that. We must look at how we will create the best, most efficient bus service.
When you talk about selling the Darwin Bus Service to private enterprise – they provide us with a service at a per-kilometre fee. We, as well as the department, determine the bus routes, so there will be a financial analysis performed. We do not run a bus service to Pine Creek or somewhere like that because it is not viable.
When you are left with a $5bn debt you could …
Mr Wood: I knew that was coming, but that is not the question.
Mr STYLES: No. You need to take these things into consideration. If you want to spend money unwisely – these are taxpayers’ dollars, and they expect us to provide a reasonable service for a reasonable cost. If we are looking at cost recovery, which we are not with regard to the public transport system, we will determine what is viable and what is not ...
Mr Wood: Show me a viable bus service in Darwin.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nelson!
Mr STYLES: If you look at what is available, member for Nelson, from the surveys there is a small number of people who would use that service. To run a bus there is not feasible. Corrections will put arrangements in place to have staff taken there. You talk about INPEX and Crocodylus Park; there are bus services which run past. If you want us to run a bus service into many private operations, it is not going to happen. The department looks at the most effective and efficient use of taxpayers’ dollars for these services.
We will look at a new ticketing system to gain further information as to who uses the buses on which routes at what times. That trial system is in place at the moment; we will gather data which will give us information as to whether pensioners, students or people on weekly or monthly tickets are using the buses. There is a range of things we will gather data on.
If, at some stage in the future, there is a demonstrated demand and the department believes there is a viable service, we will look at putting the service in place. Until then we will continue to gather data.
Sporting Events
Mrs FINOCCHIARO to MINISTER for SPORT, RECREATION and RACING
Darwin soccer fans are in for a treat tonight, with A-League club Adelaide United to play a special exhibition game at Larrakia Park at Marrara. Can you please outline to the House how this exciting game is one of the many new major sporting events the Country Liberals Giles government is bringing to the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her question. She is very passionate about sport in the Northern Territory. I am pleased to say that under the Giles Country Liberals government, sport and recreation is going from strength to strength. It has never been in better shape, on the back of the tremendously successful Parramatta Eels game we saw a couple of weeks ago. With a record crowd of about 10 000 people at TIO Stadium, the Eels pulled off a win.
We also have another great sporting event to add to our already bursting at the seams sporting calendar, which is soccer, or football, as the member for Casuarina likes to call it. There are 3500 registered soccer players in the Territory; it is one of our top 10 participant sports. They are in for a thrill tonight when Adelaide takes on the Darwin NorZone All Stars.
Adelaide United played a game in Alice Springs recently against Melbourne; they also played the Alice Springs All Stars. It was quite a lopsided score line – I think it was 10-0. Nevertheless, it was a great thrill for the Alice Springs All Stars to play an A-League side like Adelaide United. They are at it again tonight; it gets under way at about 7 pm. The all-stars team will be a combination of up and coming local youth talent, which is fantastic. It includes one player from each NorZone Premier League club.
It is part of our jam-packed Festivals NT program and is made possible with our three-year agreement with Adelaide United, which includes a pre-season A-League game in Alice Springs; this was played last weekend on Saturday. The crowd at the redeveloped Anzac Oval was about 2000 people. Some $3m has gone into that to make it a premier ground in Central Australia – a great rectangular field, so we can see first-class football, rugby league, and rugby union played in the Centre and across the Northern Territory ...
Members interjecting.
Mr CONLAN: The opposition does not like the good news. Festivals NT is kicking goals, as I said; it is an already jam-packed program.
Part of the agreement with Adelaide United has also seen a full-time development officer in Alice Springs to help grow the game in the region. They have also launched the hugely successful Indigenous program, which conducts eight- to 10-week programs in remote communities. The club also visited local schools in Darwin today and they will be out there again tonight.
The Reds have been actively promoting tourism on this trip, showcasing a number of experiences to their fans in Adelaide and urging them all to Do the NT. There is great tourism leverage as part of that.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for kids, children under five are free. Gates open at 5.30 pm, the game kicks off at 7 pm. It is the latest addition to an already jam-packed sporting calendar that has seen the Parramatta Eels, the Melbourne Demons, international cricket, and now Adelaide United – fantastic stuff. Our-jam packed Festivals NT program has never been in better shape, under the Giles Country Liberals government.
Magistrate Maley – Suitability of Appointment
Mr GUNNER to ATTORNEY-GENERAL and MINISTER for JUSTICE
What advice or information, oral or written, were you provided prior to Mr Maley’s appointment in regard to his suitability? Were you told he was unsuitable? What reasons did Mr Maley give you for his resignation? The public deserve to know the truth.
Madam SPEAKER: Attorney-General, before you answer, that has already been asked and answered, if you wish to turn your attention to the first part of the question.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I will attend to it very quickly. A committee was made up of people from the profession who independently reviewed all material in relation to Mr Maley and made a recommendation to the government. The Cabinet decision was made without me being present, so in …
Mr Gunner: But the Cabinet note, which went to everyone in Cabinet was from you, Attorney-General.
Mr ELFERINK: You are a complete – no, I will not go there. I will not be teased out. As tempted as I may be, I will not lower myself to the level of the shadow Attorney-General.
This was a system which was put in place to make certain people in the profession …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was very specific. Were you given any advice as to Mr Maley being unsuitable for the position of magistrate?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. The minister has three minutes to answer the question.
Mr ELFERINK: An independent committee made up of people from the profession came up with some names, and those names were taken into the Cabinet process. I absented myself from that process.
Unfortunately, that is not enough for the members opposite because it does not suit the world view they are trying to press upon the people of the Northern Territory. They do not like the fact that this was kept at arm’s length from yours truly. Their assertions to the contrary do not do anything but try to muddy the waters. That is exactly what this question is about, merely muddying the waters. I suggest to members opposite that if they have an allegation to make, do it outside. But, of course, they do not do that …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The note which went to the Cabinet colleagues went under Mr Elferink’s signature. What advice or information did you receive about magistrate Maley’s unsuitability, and did you provide that information to your Cabinet colleagues?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. He has a minute to answer the question. Get to the point, minister.
Mr ELFERINK: An independent committee dealt with the matter.
Public Assets – Sale
Mr VOWLES to CHIEF MINISTER
You refuse to rule out the sale of TIO, our port and the new retail and generation utilities. We now hear your lack of judgment extends to selling the port for just $50m instead of the hundreds of millions of dollars it is worth. Privatisation is opposed by business as they know usage costs would increase, another blow to the bottom line of our cost of living. You have no mandate to sell our public assets. Will you commit to publicly releasing a cost-benefit analysis before embarking on any commercial negotiations to sell TIO, our port or generation and retail corporations?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I do not know who comes up with these little thought bubbles. How many times have I ruled out selling the port? To come up with a $50m asset price is ridiculous. I was shaking my head listening to that question. There needs to be a bit more rigour. Nothing is hidden. I will walk you through the bouncing ball, member for Johnston. I have said it many times.
We have engaged a company called Flagstaff Partners, which has to go through a two-step process to identify people who may be keen to invest in the port. This includes looking at extending the quay line, extending the hard stand, more berthing opportunities, better ways to increase containerisation and better management practices – a range of different things.
They have gone through the first stage and are now up to the second stage, establishing financial modelling on the operation of the port. They will go into the market at a future point to see who might like to invest in the port.
I have been open and transparent about that as a business model. We are also working with a company called Port Jackson Partners, which we have engaged to work with us on modelling around the potential pipeline I discussed before and identifying how we can best work with companies in marketing our pipeline thoughts. That goes some way to the original three options. One is towards Mount Isa from Tennant Creek, another from an area around Ali Curung but off towards Longreach, and the Alice Springs to Moomba line, our preference being Alice Springs to Moomba. Port Jackson Partners will have the responsibility of helping us not only market that to potential pipeline companies, but also work with potential gas …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! There is less than a minute to answer. Will you commit to publicly releasing cost-benefit analyses before embarking on any commercial negotiations to sell TIO, our port and our generation and retail corporations? You have not answered that question.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: You cannot release the documents if you have not undertaken any analysis on the sale of them. We go back to the same point. That answers the interjection, but let me keep talking about Port Jackson Partners.
As part of the contract, it will have a requirement to market towards potential gas purchasers, being power companies interstate and in the Northern Territory, although we have a good gas contract now. It will look at some of those interstate governments to try to get support on these deals, particularly New South Wales and Victoria, so we can gain support in how we get the supply of gas into the domestic market.
The pipeline will cost a lot of money and you have to underwrite it. We do not want to underwrite it; we want the private sector to. Part of the role of Port Jackson Partners is to sell that to the market so we can support long-term economic sustainability in the Territory.
SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION
Public Assets – Sale
Public Assets – Sale
Ms LAWRIE to CHIEF MINISTER
Will you rule out the sale of public assets, TIO …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Did she ask the question originally?
Ms LAWRIE: I am asking a supplementary on the question. The leader is able to.
Madam SPEAKER: The leader can do it on any question.
Ms LAWRIE: Chief Minister, you have no mandate to sell public assets. Will you categorically rule out the sale of TIO, our port and the generation and retail corporations?
Mr Tollner: What about $5.5bn of debt? You are the one who racked it all up. Idiot! You are trying to stop us paying it off.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, withdraw that comment.
Mr TOLLNER: I am sorry for drawing their attention to $5.5bn worth of debt, I know they do not like it …
Madam SPEAKER: Withdraw the comment!
Mr TOLLNER: What comment? The $5.5bn?
Madam SPEAKER: You know exactly which word to withdraw.
Mr TOLLNER: I have no idea what you are talking about; I suggested they should start talking about their $5.5bn debt.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, withdraw the comment where you called the member an ‘idiot’.
Mr TOLLNER: I am sorry, I thought that was a fact. I withdraw.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I am trying to recall the question. To my knowledge there has been no cost-benefit analysis done on any of those things. I have ruled it out before …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very specific question. You have no mandate to sell our public assets. Rule out the sale of TIO, our port and our generation and retail corporations.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. He is getting to the question. Chief Minister, get to the point.
Mr GILES: We are in the habit of not ruling anything in or out. We have a mandate to sell assets; we sell land all the time as part of land release strategies. We trade all the time in different things in the interests of public benefit.
Going back to the original question from the member for Johnston – I think it was about cost-benefit analysis. I am not aware of any cost-benefit analysis. As the minister responsible for the port I have ruled out selling it uphill and down dale. I do not know if any analysis has ever been done about selling the port. We want financial investment into the port to increase the capacity.
Alice Springs Masters Games – Entertainment
Mrs FINOCCHIARO to CHIEF MINISTER
The Alice Springs Masters Games is just around the corner. Can you please update the Assembly about a new addition to the pre-games entertainment line-up which has been negotiated by our government?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I do not talk about age, but as the youngest member of our team, the member for Drysdale is interested in some of these new generation bands which I am not always aware of these days. She is very keen to see the government play a role in bringing top-class entertainment to the Northern Territory, something that appeals to younger audiences.
I am thrilled to announce the Australian hip hop kings, Hilltop Hoods, will be performing at a special one-off show in Alice Springs in October. Tomorrow, Wednesday morning, the full line-up of the event and ticketing details will be released for Hilltop Hoods’ performance at Anzac Oval on Thursday 9 October. Hilltop Hoods are currently riding a wave of success with an anticipated seventh studio album, Walking Under the Stars, debuting at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart. It is the group’s fourth number one album.
It is a great privilege for Alice Springs and I encourage everyone to come out on 9 October and support the band.
The government is committed to bringing first-rate entertainment, cultural and sporting events to Alice Springs. It is another example of the fantastic opportunity we are offering to Central Australians in 2014.
I am pleased to have played a part in making this event happen. The special Hilltop Hoods’ concert adds to the already stellar line-up of entertainment organised around the Masters Games. People will be well aware that the Masters Games was another CLP initiative.
More than 1700 athletes from around Australia and 280 volunteers have already registered to be part of the Masters Games, which is the jewel in the crown of Alice Springs sports. The Alice Springs Masters Games is an important event the whole town can be proud of, and the people can get behind it. It boosts local economy through the huge influx of investors and puts a fantastic vibe around town.
This year’s Masters Games opening ceremony on 11 October will feature rock band icons, Dragon, supported by world-renowned Beatles tribute band, The Beatnix, alongside cover band Clearway playing hits from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The Neil Diamond tribute act, Forever Diamond, will perform at the closing ceremony.
I thank the Hilltop Hoods for coming to Alice Springs as part of their national tour. It is a fantastic sign when a number one national band wants to go to regional areas and give opportunities to regional Australians. It is great to see them come for free. It is fantastic that they want to invest in the Northern Territory.
I congratulate the minister for Sport for his hard work around the Masters Games. I congratulate the member for Drysdale; I am sure she will be trying to get a ticket to see the Hilltop Hoods. Come down, Lia, and enjoy the great band. It is great to see the regional areas benefiting from a government that supports the whole Northern Territory ...
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired
Warruwi Housing
Ms LEE to MINISTER for HOUSING
We have received a letter from the community of Warruwi, South Goulburn Island, expressing deep concern about the state of housing there. The government has promised new houses for the community, as well as upgrades to existing properties, yet you have now frozen the funding and what was promised has not been delivered. There are up to 20 people living in a home meant for only five. These problems are causing great concern to the community.
They have sent letters to your department, but have not received any response from the department or you. I seek leave to table the letter concerning housing in the electorate of Arafura.
Leave granted.
Ms LEE: Why has housing been promised and not delivered?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is a very difficult question to understand. Why has housing been promised and not delivered? That is not the case; there has been an effort by this government to deliver 2000 affordable homes across the Northern Territory, above the targets we expected to meet. We are more than halfway towards reaching the 2000 affordable homes target.
Our new maintenance contracts across the region are seeing more local people employed than ever before, under the previous model, across the Northern Territory. Then of course there is our NPARIH funding and commitment to create more homes in remote communities.
We recently launched our new Remote Home Ownership Program, through which 11 people have expressed interest in purchasing their own homes. It is groundbreaking; never before have we seen Indigenous people put their hands up to buy their own home and be provided with the access to do it. This government has made a commitment to Indigenous home ownership in the regions …
Ms ANDERSON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a direct question about Warruwi. If you have not been there, we would like an answer to say you have not been there and you do not know the subject matter.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, it is not a point of order. Minister, if you could get to the point.
Mr CONLAN: It is very interesting the member for Namatjira is chiming in. She has been the local member in her electorate for 10 years and a minister in two governments. If anyone ever had the opportunity to make a difference in their …
Members interjecting.
Mr CONLAN: As we know, this government is committed to housing. Our Real Housing for Growth initiative is halfway there, and we are punching well above our weight with regard to our target. We are approximately 300 or 400 above the targets we are expected to meet. We will be delivering our 2000 affordable homes.
Never before have we seen a government providing Aboriginal people with the opportunity to own their own homes. We have 11 expressions of interest in Indigenous home ownership, and those people will now go through the process of whether or not they are suitable to apply for finance …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was specific to Warruwi. If you do not know the answer, at least commit to getting back to them with the answer.
Madam SPEAKER: Please sit down, Opposition Leader.
Mr CONLAN: The question somehow alluded to the fact we are not doing anything in the regions. In fact, this government has been committed to delivering housing programs in the regions like never before, unlike Labor, which did nothing for housing in the regions across the Northern Territory for 11 years. We had 11 years of failure by the previous Labor government.
The member for Namatjira has been a minister in two governments. If anyone had an opportunity to deliver for the people of the Northern Territory, it was her.
The member for Arnhem comes up with these outrageous allegations that nothing is happening ...
Mr Vowles: Kick him out.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Johnston! You are on a warning.
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The minister has had almost three minutes to address the question, which is about housing at Warruwi. He has avoided it. If he does not know, then he should say, ‘I do not know’ and provide a briefing later or find the answers.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nhulunbuy, it is not a point of order.
Mr CONLAN: I am glad someone in this Chamber seems to understand what the question was, because everyone on this side has no idea what it was.
I am now turning my attention to answering a question and saying what this government is doing in housing, unlike the former Labor government, the members of which sat on their hands for 11 long years. This government is committed to delivering housing programs to the people of the Northern Territory, and we will continue to do so ...
Members interjecting.
Mr CONLAN: Member for Arnhem, I am more than happy to provide a briefing for you ...
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Minister, your time has expired.
Don Dale Juvenile Detention Centre Incident
Mr BARRETT to MINISTER for CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
Late last week there was a serious incident at the Don Dale Juvenile Detention Centre. Can you please inform the House about the steps taken to ensure a similar situation cannot occur in the future?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Blain for his question. In answering this question, it gives me an opportunity to reply to the question from the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, where he asserted Don Dale was in a state of calamitous disrepair, or words to that effect. That is the legacy he left behind.
During the last budget process, I discovered some of the problems with the Don Dale centre, so we made arrangements to make certain there would be money in the budget to bring juvenile detention facilities in the Northern Territory up to a standard where the people of the Northern Territory are protected.
This was a calamitous failure on the part of the Labor Party and the members opposite, and continues to be so ...
Ms Fyles: Tear gas on children.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ELFERINK: I pick up on the interjection from the member for Nightcliff that we used tear gas on children. Yes, we did. Do you know why? Because these children were arming themselves with steel bars they were able to prise off the walls, and they were able to get out of a cell and arm themselves with broken glass, all because of 11 years of Labor neglect.
As far as we are concerned, when our staff are being threatened by people – juveniles or not – armed with steel bars and broken glass, we will take what steps are necessary to subdue them. I make no apologies for the steps that were taken. I congratulate the staff and support them in the decision to use reasonable force to protect themselves and the people of the Northern Territory.
It is a sad fact that these kids are out of control. They are out of control for any number of reasons. Nevertheless, when they pose a real threat to staff, appropriate action must be taken. I realise the members opposite seem to think the only way to deal with these kids is to give them a firm cuddle and run your fingers through their hair. But when they are threatening staff with weapons, we will take necessary steps to protect our people. We will take appropriate steps to be appropriately tough on crime.
The use of gas was over in four minutes. The kids were decontaminated very quickly. I congratulate again, and place my support behind, the staff who made this decision. The staff worked hard, Fluffy the Alsatian worked hard and, as far as we are concerned, it was a problem that was solved quickly.
Education – Budget Cuts
Ms FYLES to CHIEF MINISTER
It shows a lack of judgment to cut the Education budget by $15m. You cannot improve educational outcomes by ripping money out of our public schools. You then try to pretend only 35 teaching jobs have gone when the real figure is at least 125. Last year, you even opposed more money for better schools from the federal government, which would have benefited our most remote schools. Your plans for global budgeting are yet another lack of judgment and nothing more than an excuse for more cuts. The AEU and COGSO opposed the CLP’s education cuts and are extremely concerned about the ill-advised global school budgets being rammed through our schools.
When will you realise your lack of judgment is hurting Territory students and reverse these funding cuts?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nightcliff for her question. I refute some of the things she said in her question. For regional and remote education, the level of outcomes for child education, particularly when you look at the NAPLAN results, is unsatisfactory on a national scale.
It was an embarrassment coming into government after eleven-and-a-half years and seeing those results, aside from the fact Labor was in charge for that long. There are children graduating in the Northern Territory who cannot read and write. The number of proficient and successful education outcomes we were receiving in certain geographical areas of the Northern Territory was quite sad, from my point of view, no matter what side of the Chamber you sit on.
We have to find better ways to support our students in gaining better educational outcomes. Identifying ways to do that is a challenge, and is why I am working closely with the Minister for Education to undertake three review processes around middle years, remote education and so forth, looking at the curriculum to see if it is right ...
Ms Fyles: There are 125 teachers gone from our schools. It is just an excuse to cut. Subject choice is gone, the GEMS program is gone ...
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Nightcliff, cease interjecting.
Mr GILES: We are now looking at things like Direct Instruction to identify ways to provide a continuity of education …
Ms Fyles: Only anecdotal evidence.
Mr GILES: … for some students in the Northern Territory.
_______________________
Suspension of Member
Member for Nightcliff
Member for Nightcliff
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nightcliff, I asked you to cease interjecting. Leave the Chamber for one hour pursuant to Standing Order 240A.
_______________________
Mr GILES: Yes, we have made some changes to the student/teacher ratio. We are still the lowest in the country when it comes to face-to-face teaching in a classroom, but we are looking at new ways of doing things so we can strengthen education in the Territory.
On one hand, we are building the biggest, strongest economy we can into the future, but we also want the best and brightest students to come out of the lower end of school, from their junior, primary, middle and senior years. We also work closely with CDU to ensure we create pathways to support those students to become employees of excellence who can support a growing economy in the Northern Territory.
However, you must go back to the start to get the foundations and the basics right. That is why we conducted the Wilson review and put $40m extra into education facilities.
Regarding the assertion about not getting money from the federal government, we received well above what we were offered for Gonski. We have much better money coming in resource-wise, which means we can invest more in education to make sure our students have higher levels of expertise, skills and experience when they come out of the education system at the end of their schooling.
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