2013-11-28
Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority – Changes to Legislation
Mr VOWLES to CHIEF MINISTER referred to MINISTER for PARKS and WILDLIFE
The Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority has worked hard to protect sacred sites across the Territory, including sites potentially affected by the Ord River expansion scheme. It has taken legal action against those who have damaged sacred sites, including government agencies. Yesterday the board of the AAPA heard of your plans to change sacred site legislation, to dump the current board and replace it with a board hand-picked by you. The minister for AAPA, the member for Stuart, would not meet with the board about your proposed changes. The board has, in turn, had to turn to the former minister, the member for Namatjira, and the member for Arnhem for help and advice. Why are you attacking the AAPA board, a group of eminent Territorians just doing its job?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Johnston for his question. It is good to see he has the first question today. It must be the first time. He has moved up the ranks; he must be backing the right candidate for the Leader of the Opposition’s job. Well done, member for Johnston.
You could have asked the minister responsible for AAPA. Yes, we are looking at the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority act. We look at different pieces of legislation on a regular basis.
A lot of work has been done by the sacred sites Authority over many years. We respect the work it does and the work our land councils do in regard to sacred sites. We are looking to see how well the act is functioning and whether it needs any changes or improvements. It is something we do on a regular basis.
I am happy to hand over to the minister responsible to explain what is happening with the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority.
Mrs PRICE (Parks and Wildlife): Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Johnston for raising the question. We are looking at ways of better utilising AAPA and the committee. We are reviewing it at the moment. It has nothing to do with me.
Stella Maris
Ms FINOCCHIARO to CHIEF MINISTER
In regard to ongoing revelations about the secret Stella Maris deal hatched by the former Labor government on the day prior to the caretaker period before the 2012 election, could you please outline what concerns government has about the decision made by the former Labor Cabinet to award a long-term lease worth $3m to its union mates for nil rent, which, it has been revealed, was set to financially benefit Unions NT.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her question. I know the member for Drysdale has significant questions and concerns about what occurred with this dodgy deal undertaken on the last day of the last parliament in the Northern Territory. The last day before parliament of the Legislative Assembly ceased, before the last election, Labor was not preparing for the election, it was, through the Minister for Lands and Planning, signing up to a 20-year deal – a dodgy deal – over Stella Maris, giving away a Territory asset for little value: zero dollars in fact, aside from the $442 transaction fee that needed to occur.
It is very interesting. We heard yesterday from the minister for Lands, Planning and the Environment some of the details of this deal and how well orchestrated and constructed it was. It was interesting to go through the Unions NT Strategic Plan 2012-13 and see how they have identified and earmarked that Stella Maris could be part of their growth plans to raise revenue for Unions NT, the key funder for the Labor Party moving into elections.
There has been much criticism raised about the member for Barkly, the former minister for Lands and Planning. He was the bloke who signed it off, gave away a Territory asset for up to 20 years for no money, something that could have earned between $3m and $6m over that period. He just gave it away with the stroke of a pen. This site was planned under the Unions NT Strategic Plan, in conjunction with the Labor cohort over there, to be turned into a commercial centre. It would be rent free for all those years so it could be turned into a restaurant or a caf. It would have allowed Unions NT to move out of its current premises into Stella Maris and make a lot of money which they could backfill into the Labor Party. More importantly, its plan was to redevelop the current Unions NT site, reaping a lot of money through this dodgy back yard deal.
As I said, the member for Barkly, the former Minister for Lands and Planning, is copping all the criticism over this. But now we see senior Labor colleagues saying it was not the member for Barkly, he was just the puppet in all of this; it was the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Karama. She was the one driving the dodgy deal, doing all the backroom deals for all of her Labor mates to try to get money into the Labor Party. ‘We will just help Unions NT. We will rack up the credit card with $5.5bn worth of debt, do dodgy asset deals on behalf of Territorians and bankroll money into Unions NT so it can fund our election campaign.’ This is a dodgy deal. This deal stinks, but it does not surprise me with Delia Lawrie and her dirty, dodgy deals.
Gove Refinery Closure –
Statement by Attorney-General
Statement by Attorney-General
Ms WALKER to CHIEF MINISTER
Yesterday, your Attorney-General slammed yet another body blow to the people of Nhulunbuy by stating publicly that the Gove refinery will be mothballed, a bizarre claim seeing no announcement has yet been made by Rio Tinto. He said:
- At the moment it’s going to be mothballed, for all intents and purposes that’s closed for functional reasons.
He went on to sink the boot in further, showing no respect or regard for people who have built their lives and livelihoods in Nhulunbuy.
Will you apologise to the people of Nhulunbuy when you go to the public meeting tomorrow? Have you had to apologise to Rio Tinto for your Attorney-General’s comments? Will you reveal what plans you have to secure Gove’s future?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this is a very sensitive matter for many reasons, particularly in the Arnhem region and the township of Gove, Nhulunbuy. We are awaiting a decision by the Rio Tinto board to determine the future of the refinery in Gove to advise the workforce what lies in the future and to inform the community, including the business community and the traditional owners, what the future of the refinery is and what a rebuilding or refocusing package would look like. As I have said over the last couple of days, we do not know when that board meeting is. We think it is today and tomorrow, but we do not know and are awaiting a decision.
Ms Walker: Advertise the public meeting. Nobody knows it is on.
Mr GILES: I will be travelling to Nhulunbuy tomorrow on the back of Rio Tinto’s meeting. They have invited me to go to their meeting which is at 10.30 am in the Town Hall, as stated in our media release and as I have said publicly, member for Nhulunbuy; it is difficult for you to read. Rio Tinto is holding a meeting, and we will be there to provide some questions and answers from a Northern Territory point of view. Should a …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a direct question. Will he apologise for the Attorney-General’s comments?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nightcliff, the Chief Minister has three minutes to answer the question as he sees fit. It is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: As I was saying, Rio will be going to Gove tomorrow. We will be going there and will be able to provide responses to questions as part of our first stage of communication. We will be listening to concerns and making sure we design our responses appropriately to the needs of the people. We will be identifying Rio’s package of responses to the residents and how the Territory and Australian governments can provide support to the residents in the community.
These are difficult and troubling times. We do not know exactly what is happening with the refinery. Rio Tinto has done a lot of analysis about what it means for the community. Much of the analysis done by Rio Tinto has been shared with Cabinet and I have asked Rio Tinto to share some of that information with Labor. Rio Tinto offered to have a briefing with the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Nhulunbuy yesterday afternoon and they refused.
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Chief Minister is being dishonest. Unless he is tapping my phone, how would he know? There was no meeting planned for yesterday, you fool!
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nhulunbuy, withdraw all those comments.
Ms WALKER: I withdraw, Madam Speaker.
Mr GILES: Rio Tinto told us they are doing their best to work with the local member but she could not be bothered turning up and neither could the Leader of the Opposition. ‘Oh, we cannot turn up until after Question Time’, so you can play games in here with the lives of people from Nhulunbuy.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 62: offensive or unbecoming words. The member for Nhulunbuy has clearly stated she has a meeting today and it is offensive that the Chief Minister keeps referring to her as being misleading.
Mr GILES: I never used the term misleading, so very good, member for Nightcliff.
Rio told us, on our request, that you were fully briefed. They told us you refused to meet yesterday afternoon and you would not meet until after Question Time today.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Will he apologise for the foolishness and bizarre behaviour of the Attorney-General?
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order. Sit down!
Mr GILES: I am done.
Education Staff Cuts
Ms LAWRIE to CHIEF MINISTER:
My question is to the current Chief Minister.
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, withdraw that reference to ‘current’.
Ms LAWRIE: I withdraw ‘current’.
Yesterday, hundreds of teachers rallied outside Parliament House and attended Question Time to protest your savage cuts to education. You did not seem interested in listening to the teachers, students, families and support workers who are all trying to tell you how devastating your cuts will be to education in the Territory. You have not listened to us, you have not listened to the teachers and students, but I thought you may just listen to your own colleagues, the members for Goyder, Namatjira and Arnhem. Yesterday, you said:
- There have not been any direct approaches to me in that regard.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the people we do not believe in this Chamber are Labor. These are the people who led us to a position where there is a $5.5bn debt. They went into the last election saying everything is hunky dory, and we looked in the cupboard and the place is bare. They could have spent more time working out how to reduce debt levels, reduce deficit …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very direct question.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nightcliff, sit down! The Chief Minister has only just started his answer. Government has three minutes to answer the question. He was only 20 seconds into it. It is not a point of order and you are on a warning.
Mr GILES: As I was saying, they could have spent time reducing deficit and debt, and getting things under way so we had the opportunity to govern in the best interests of the Northern Territory …
Ms Lawrie: Did you lie in the Chamber yesterday?
Madam SPEAKER: Withdraw that, Opposition Leader.
Ms LAWRIE: I withdraw.
Mr GILES: … with a better fiscal position to be operating from. But no, they did not. They were too busy rubbing up dodgy deals for their union mates …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was about education, the CLP members’ concerns about cuts to education and whether the Chief Minister is aware of them?
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order!
Mr GILES: Instead of managing the economy properly, the day before the election you were doing grubby, dodgy deals for your union mates so they could make money and bankroll your campaign on the back of Territory assets. We could have made between $3m and $6m and had more money in our coffers to put into education, for example, but no, you were playing silly games.
Nobody has lobbied me in regard to teachers. Many people had conversations with the Minister for Education. I said it yesterday and will say exactly the same today. Many people have spoken to the Education minister about education.
You continue going down this divided road when the only people divided in this parliament are the eight members of Labor sitting over there who cannot decide between a four-four vote whether to go with Delia or Michael. I would have voted for Michael straightaway …
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please withdraw and refer to members by their electorate names.
Mr GILES: I withdraw.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Is the Chief Minister concerned that the CLP members would rather talk to the media than him about their concerns around education?
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down, it is not a point of order. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: It is very good that local members raise their concerns and issues. That is what we want local members to do. Could you imagine if the member for Nhulunbuy had been raising concerns and providing solutions for the people of Gove? She does not stand up for the people of Gove. Let me read from an election flyer from the member for Nhulunbuy for the last election. She promised the people of Gove, should she be re-elected – I will read it out ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It is a big stretch from the flyer to education and the fact you say your colleagues have never spoken to you about their concerns around education.
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order. The Chief Minister has three minutes to answer the question.
Mr GILES: Election commitments – bus service extension to weekends; double the back to school voucher; a ride on mower for the Gove Golf Club. This flyer does not say anything about standing up for the residents of Gove and the refinery.
We are happy that our members have a say about what improvements they want.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was about education. I can understand why the Chief Minister does not want to talk about education, but the question was about education.
Alcohol Protection Orders
Ms ANDERSON to MINISTER for POLICE, FIRE and EMERGENCY SERVICES
The government is in the process of introducing alcohol protection orders as a new tool for police to tackle alcohol-fuelled crime, including drink-driving. Chief Minister, could you tell the Assembly what the opposition has had to say about these new orders?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Namatjira for her question. She knows only too well the terrible problems alcohol causes in the lives of many Territorians, particularly in Central Australia and for Indigenous Territorians. We are looking at a range of measures and a suite of tools we can implement to reduce the situation around domestic violence and do our darndest to reduce those extreme levels.
The Minister for Alcohol Rehabilitation, Robyn Lambley, the member for Araluen, has done a great job in introducing alcohol mandatory treatment which is changing people’s lives. We fully support those and want to see more facilities provided across the Territory, including our remote regions, so we can have better services there.
One of the other tools we are looking at is alcohol protection orders. Alcohol protection orders, should legislation pass, will be a tool that will allow officers, through a review process, to place someone on an order not to consume, possess or seek to purchase alcohol. They will be put on that order when they have committed a crime where the opportunity for sentence has a period of six months or longer. As an example, we are talking about people who commit serious harm, someone who commits an assault on Mitchell Street or beats their wife while under the influence of alcohol. We are trying to provide this tool so we can help people not to consume alcohol.
We know that 70% of people who breach their domestic violence orders have consumed alcohol before they committed the breach. There have been a number of incidents where people have lost their lives as a result of breaching domestic violence orders while they have been consuming alcohol. There was one recently in Darwin where somebody lost their life as a result of a breach of a domestic violence order. That person is alleged to have been consuming significant amounts of alcohol.
This alcohol protection order regime is designed to stop those people from possessing, accessing or purchasing alcohol, or entering licensed premises to purchase and consume alcohol. We believe these tools will save people’s lives and reduce domestic violence in the Northern Territory, and we are firmly committed to them.
Alcohol-Related Crime
Mr GUNNER to CHIEF MINISTER
The latest crime statistics show the failure of your alcohol polices, with alcohol-related crime up by more than 11% across the Territory. In Darwin, alcohol-related assaults are up by 12.3%, while in Tennant Creek the picture is grim, with alcohol-related crime up by 43.7%. Under the CLP, we have less graffiti but more assaults and more domestic violence. It is just not good enough. Your answer is to bring in alcohol protection orders which the experts are telling you will not work. When the Police Association says police laws will not work, you have a problem. When NAAJA tells you the laws should be scrapped, there is clearly a problem. When AMSANT says the laws should be dropped, there is clearly a problem.
Will you listen to organisations like the police, NAAJA and AMSANT that are telling you that alcohol protection orders will do nothing to tackle the ever-escalating rate of alcohol crime which exists under your government?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I will answer part of that, then I might flick over the Attorney-General. We will wait and see.
All the organisations you have just identified were against mandatory alcohol rehabilitation, which is now having a positive effect in our community by helping people. I hear concerns and listen to what is happening, but we are seeing those people silenced, to a degree, because the program is achieving real results.
You talk about statistics of serious incidents and harms against the person which relate to alcohol. Of the cases in relation to domestic violence when you were in government – you took your eye off the ball and did dodgy deals –around 25% of cases involving domestic violence and breaches were pursued, and people were being charged and going through the court process. Around 75% of cases were not actively pursued.
As a result of good policing, fantastic efforts by the police, we are seeing a reduction in property crime. With the start-up of operations such as Trident and the support link referral service in Alice Springs, we now have a targeted focus on that 75% of people who were not targeted before. Therefore, the numbers will keep going up while we keep targeting the perpetrators of domestic violence. While we operate a mandatory alcohol rehabilitation process and have greater focus on domestic violence and the perpetrators, those numbers will go up. The alcohol protection orders are a tool to drive change in that area.
I will reflect on some of the comments you, as a shadow minister, and some of your colleagues have been making in the media. You are talking about whether someone will be able to go to TIO Stadium or to the local bread shop. O
Mr Tollner: Fannie Bay Super Pizza.
Mr GILES: Or Fannie Bay Super Pizza. Clause 23(4) of the bill makes allowance for people to go to those venues if they are doing the right thing and not consuming alcohol. There is a clause which allows that. Look through the bill.
The real concern we have is that every time your raise whether someone can go to TIO Stadium, Fannie Bay Super Pizza or wherever it is, you are defending the perpetrator, someone who has been charged with a crime. There are people who have breached domestic violence order breaches and who have, in many cases, assaulted their wives, and you are saying it is not fair they cannot go to a liquor shop. That is just defending the people who are committing crime and assaulting people in the Northern Territory. You talk about assault numbers but you are not prepared to stand up for those people who are being assaulted or to have consequences for the people committing those crimes. If you want to go to Fannie Bay Super Pizza, do not commit a crime that carries a sentence of six months or more. It is the law.
Domestic Violence
Mr KURRUPUWU to ATTORNEY-GENERAL and MINISTER for JUSTICE
There is no doubt that domestic violence in the Northern Territory is at an unacceptably high level. How do you plan on addressing this issue and how will it improve on the attempts of previous Labor governments?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, that is a good question from a member who cares very much about this issue because …
Mr Wood: We all care, by the way.
Mr ELFERINK: … it deals with what happens in his electorate and – I pick up on the interjection from the member for Nelson – across the Northern Territory.
I acknowledge the initial efforts by the former Labor government to address the issue of domestic violence in our community.
How often did we hear them, when on this side of the House, say the reason the assault rates were going up in the community was because they were doing something about it? That was the argument they continually ran whenever they were asked that question, yet we hear them attack now because they know what is going on in this space.
There is an increase in domestic violence, but I refer to Labor’s own statistical releases from the early noughties. Those statistical releases, through research in the Northern Territory, stated that only around 24% of offences against the person were reported. That is not good enough. There was domestic violence legislation in place, but that meant the police would take a civil order to prevent a husband from going back to a premises or something like that. That was not reflected in the crime statistics.
The former Labor government started charging them, and I approve of that; it is a good policy. But that is where the former Labor government stopped. That was the solution. Get the copper to lock up more people and that will be the solution
We are committed to going a lot harder. The Chief Minister has said in this House that he finds domestic violence a reprehensible and disgusting crime.
Mr Gunner: As we all do.
Mr ELFERINK: As we all do. Hear, hear!
Let’s get real. Let’s get stuck into it. That is exactly what the police have done, and I note the presence of the Police Commissioner and congratulate him on his excellent work in this space.
The fact remains that domestic violence still has to be dealt with in a much broader context. So we have announced, and are pursuing, a comprehensive domestic violence reduction strategy across government, using NGOs and involving the federal government, to rip the scab off this infection and start going after the infection that lies within. Part of that process is looking for perpetrators, and we make no apologies about that. When we find a perpetrator they will be charged with a criminal offence and will answer for their criminality in front of a court of law in the Northern Territory.
Fuel Prices
Mr WOOD to CHIEF MINISTER referred to TREASURER
You promised Territorians in estimates this year that you were investigating what you could do to lower petrol prices. According to the figures today we are buying fuel at the Darwin gate 4.1c higher than at the Perth gate. Why is the average retail price, as of yesterday in Darwin, 18c per litre more than in Perth? What have you done to lower the price?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. As you know, petrol prices are set by retailers and so forth, but as government you do your best to see how you can put downward pressure on prices. That is about supply and demand, commercial opportunities and how you can reduce the costs.
The portfolio responsibility for petrol prices sits with the Treasurer. The Treasurer has done some work on this with the ACCC, and I ask the Treasurer to update the House on what he has done.
Mr TOLLNER (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. What the Chief Minister did not say was that he has written to the ACCC and received what I call an inappropriate response. Basically, the ACCC said it has washed its hands of it and it is not its business. I am not happy with that response and am taking the matter up with the federal Treasurer. This is part of national legislation and we are keen to see those national authorities do their job and step in where there are concerns of inflated pricing or collusion.
No one is making any allegations at the moment, but there is certainly some scuttlebutt about it. We would like the matters investigated properly, and I am taking that matter up with the federal Treasurer and finance ministers.
White Ribbon Day –
Violence Against Women
Violence Against Women
Mr HIGGINS to MINISTER for WOMEN’S POLICY
White Ribbon Day was 25 November. Can you please update the House on what action you and the Giles government are taking to reduce the incidence of violence against women?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question. I know the member for Daly is a strong advocate for stopping violence and domestic violence in our communities and in his electorate of Daly. The issue is close to my heart and something that, sadly, I have experience in, having been a victim of domestic violence in my first marriage and having felt the deep hurt when family and friends abandoned me because I dared to stand up against what was happening to me. This is why I am so proud of the opportunity the Chief Minister has given to me to be involved in breaking the cycle of family and domestic violence across the Northern Territory.
White Ribbon is one of the most significant male-led movements to end violence against women. As Minister for Women’s Policy, I was proud to attend the White Ribbon breakfast yesterday. I was so impressed. Over 50 Territory men and women from all walks of life showed a united front against family violence. We need to break the silence about violence against families. Everyone has a right to feel safe and secure in their own home.
That is why the Territory government has established a permanent Aboriginal Men’s Advisory group to suggest strategies for reducing family violence and child abuse. Catholic Care NT's Charlie King, I am proud to say, will be the coordinator of the advisory body, which will recommend ways of improving support for Aboriginal men and suggest strategies to tackle the disturbing levels of violence in our communities. This advisory group will play an important role in reporting issues back to the government so we can look at them and commit to their men’s programs.
Among the recommendations so far is a call for men to play a bigger role in ending violence through community driven programs. The programs might include looking after sacred sites, going back to country, getting to know what our culture was before we were brought into this environment and learning how to be strong men and look after family and not beat our women, and women not to be abusive towards their husbands as well, because that also happens.
Strategic Indigenous Reserves – Ngukurr
Ms WALKER to CHIEF MINISTER
This week we have seen two of your backbenchers speak out against your policy on strategic Indigenous reserves. The members for Namatjira and Arnhem spoke passionately in this House about the need for Indigenous groups to have their water rights recognised and protected so they could maximise economic development potential on their lands.
In your presentation to the Property Council function last Friday you said major Japanese company, Mitsubishi, would visit Ngukurr to discuss agribusiness with traditional owners. Traditional owners at Ngukurr are very concerned about water. Wandarang elder, Kevin Rogers, said:
- That MacFarlane lady, she’s getting more. You know that shouldn’t be. Everybody should have a fair share of this water.
How can you say you support Indigenous economic development when you are giving away their water to your CLP mates?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this hairy old chestnut. I thought you would be able to come up with some other questions by now, member for Nhulunbuy. Of course the members for Arnhem and Namatjira are frustrated; they have lived through eleven-and-a-half years of failed policies by your failed government that did not deliver economic development. We were asked to go to Ngukurr to talk to the TOs and see if we could find investors to utilise some of the water of the Roper and the underground water. It is a fantastic idea …
Ms Lawrie: You are giving it away.
Mr GILES: We are not giving it away. We want the traditional owners from Ngukurr to be able to use that water. It is a fantastic idea. Everyone on this side is frustrated that nothing happened under your government. Look at where economic development occurred around the Northern Territory in the eleven-and-a-half years you were in government.
You complain about the Tiwi Islands. You are trying to stir up trouble, trying to drive knives and wedges in when the Tiwi Land Council and the traditional owners want something to happen. Traditional owners from Ngukurr are asking us to come and look at economic development opportunities. Traditional owners in the electorate of Namatjira want stuff done. They are talking to us in Daly about what we can do there, and in Stuart. We will make economic development happen.
The member for Barkly, who was in government, a senior Cabinet minister, did not leave an economic legacy for Tennant Creek. They are sitting there now without an economic future. We are now trying to drive economic reform into the Barkly, into Tennant Creek. You come in here and ask these questions. You think you can drive some sort of a wedge. Everyone here is frustrated that you did not do anything in eleven-and-a-half years. We want people to be able to use water ...
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. There was a very specific element to the question about why you are giving away water to your CLP mates at the cost of Indigenous economic development.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: Nobody gives away water. There were 75 outstanding water licences. We came into government and identified …
Mr McCarthy: You gave it to him, and he gave it away!
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition members, cease interjecting.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I ask the member …
Madam SPEAKER: What is your standing order?
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: It is Standing Order 51, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: No, please be seated. It is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: We will review Hansard, member for Katherine. When we came to government there were 75 applications for water allocation licences where people were seeking to utilise water for farming. One of those applying for a water licence was Tina MacFarlane. She went through the appropriate process with the Water Controller. That is how it works and that is how everybody is going through this process. There are still more to be assessed. We want people from Arnhem, Namatjira, Nhulunbuy, Barkly, Daly and Stuart to apply to be able to utilise water. We understand people are frustrated that things have not been done in eleven-and-a-half years, and we remain committed to developing economies and creating jobs in regional and remote locations.
Aboriginal Health Workers – Numbers
Ms MANISON to CHIEF MINISTER referred to MINISTER for HEALTH
Indigenous health workers play a vital role in providing primary and preventative healthcare in Northern Territory communities. They are also an important part of the Indigenous workforce in remote regions, yet we are hearing that many Indigenous health worker positions on communities are being lost. Your Health minister has been careful in her denials, and you said on radio that you have no knowledge of the issue; yet, we keep hearing it. Recently on talkback radio a whistleblower said 32 Indigenous health worker positions in the Top End and 27 in Central Australia are going. Can you reveal how many Indigenous health worker positions are going, on what communities and how many community health jobs are disappearing?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Wanguri for her question. In case you do not realise it, the Minister for Health is here and I ask her to answer your question.
Mrs LAMBLEY: Madam Speaker, there are no Aboriginal Health Worker positions being axed from the Department of Health in the Northern Territory. Coming to government 15 months ago and taking on this portfolio of Health in March, I was horrified to find the number of Aboriginal health practitioners in the Northern Territory had decreased by 20% under the former Labor government. That is a significant number of Aboriginal Health Worker positions that are not in existence now because of the failure of the former Labor government.
I had the pleasure of handing out Aboriginal health practitioner awards last week, and not only did I make that comment, but John Paterson, the CEO of AMSANT made the same comment that, essentially, under Labor, the whole system disintegrated. So we are faced with vacant positions in health clinics across the Northern Territory that are not able to be filled because Labor took their eye off the ball; they failed to educate people in the areas of health practitioners and health workers. They failed to stimulate that sector of the health workforce and now we have a lack of suitable people to take these positions.
I have travelled extensively throughout the Northern Territory in the last nine months and I hear time and time again that health worker positions are unable to be filled. I went to Papunya a few weeks ago and they have a health worker position which has been vacant for six years. We have only been in government for 15 months. For all those years that position was vacant under Labor.
I am faced with the enormous task of fixing another mess left by Labor. I thank the member for Wanguri, but, of course, they do not want to hear this …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very direct question. How many positions are going, in what communities and which jobs are disappearing?
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Nightcliff. Minister, you have the call.
Mrs LAMBLEY: They do not take responsibility for anything, whether it is the downfall of education, the failure of Labor to deliver in the education space or the failure of Labor to deliver in the health space.
Electronic Monitoring of Offenders
Ms LEE to MINISTER for CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
As part of this government’s Pillars of Justice reform, the Northern Territory government is looking at ways to implement electronic monitoring of offenders. Could you please update the House on the capabilities of this GPS technology and the positive impact it will have for Corrections, the police and the wider community?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the member for Arnhem is very interested in matters of crime and keeping it under control in her electorate and in the Northern Territory.
Ms Walker: And the fact that your government is locking up more and more countrymen.
Mr ELFERINK: Oh dear, oh dear. Have a glass of water and take a chill pill, petal. Just slow down.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 62. I find that offensive, asking the member to take a chill pill.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nhulunbuy, are you offended?
Ms WALKER: I am offended and I was also offended by being referred to as ‘petal’.
Madam SPEAKER: Withdraw please, Minister for Correctional Services.
Mr ELFERINK: I withdraw, Madam Speaker. I am sorry they are so precious on their side of the House, because this is about not being precious. This is about responding to issues in our community.
If you are released from the Department of Correctional Services under parole, there is a good chance you will end up wearing one of these.
Ms Lawrie: How many?
Mr ELFERINK: Wait for the answer. Relax.
There is a very good chance you will end up wearing one of these because we want to keep an eye on the criminals in our community. These will also extend to bail which means, eventually, police will be able to use them as well as the courts to keep track of people who would otherwise find themselves on remand. This is part of the Northern Territory government’s fulsome response to the criminal activity that continues to occur in our community. People who perpetrate crimes of domestic violence will also be subject to wearing these.
In answer to the Leader of the Opposition’s interjection, 50, which is how many more than you introduced, Leader of the Opposition? Oh, 50. They looked at this technology when they were in government and they screwed it up. They are now whinging that we are doing something they looked at.
That is the difference between the Northern Territory government under the Country Liberals and the Northern Territory government under Labor. They talked about it and put out the media releases, we produced the results. We will tag these villains and ensure they continue to be accountable and trackable after they leave custody.
It was with the imagination of the brain dead slug that was the former member for …
Madam SPEAKER: Withdraw, minister.
Mr ELFERINK: I withdraw, Madam Speaker. The former minister did not have the imagination of a brain dead slug ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, withdraw that too.
Mr ELFERINK: I withdraw that too. This is good technology …
Mr McCARTHY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I want to see him put it on to see if he stops barking.
____________________
Suspension of Member
Member for Barkly
Suspension of Member
Member for Barkly
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Barkly, I would like you to leave the Chamber, thank you, for a frivolous point of order. Leave the Chamber for one hour, pursuant to Standing Order 240A.
____________________
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, this government is committed to using every tool in the tool box to combat crime in our community. We are proud to roll this technology out. It is just one more thing criminals will have to think about. They may even have to wear them to Fannie Bay Super Pizza.
Local Government Reform
Ms WALKER to CHIEF MINSITER
Yesterday you introduced, on urgency, legislation that gives power to the minister for Local Government to sack any council or council member if he feels like it. Under the new legislation your minister may abolish a council or local government area and sack a mayor or any other member. You have failed to recognise councils are elected by their local areas, you have not consulted with local councils, and you have effectively made your minister the local council kingmaker. I do not believe councils like MacDonnell, Alice Springs, East Arnhem, Roper Gulf, Darwin and Palmerston, and the rest, will be very happy when they find out they are under the rule of King Dave.
Chief Minister, what response have you had from local councils to this level of interference in grassroots government?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, what was the end of the question? I got bored half way through.
Mrs Lambley: Local government.
Mr GILES: Okay. I could not understand the last part of your question or hear what the question was.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, do you require the question to be read again?
Mr GILES: I could not hear the last bit.
Ms WALKER: Chief Minister, what response have you had from local councils to this level of interference in grassroots government?
Mr GILES: A fantastic response. People want to see a change to the shire structure. You might recall what happened in the last term of government where people were unhappy with your shires. We went to the election with a policy to change the shire structure. As we saw at the most recent meeting I was at in Peppimenarti with the member for Daly, the Deputy Chief Minister and minister for Local Government where traditional owners said, ‘We want to change the structure. We want a regional council. We appreciate your election policy of being able to set up a regional council if we want to.’
Port Keats, Wadeye, Palumpa, Peppimenarti, Emu Point, Woodycupaldiya – all these places want to be part of a regional council structure. They identified – to my surprise there was good community consultation – they wanted the regional council to be set up in Peppimentarti, which I thought was really good.
The legislation that came in yesterday, which will be accelerated on urgency so we can respond to community needs, is very good. I appreciate the fact the Local Government minister is working very hard to drive reforms to meet the needs and concerns of people in the community.
One thing I found interesting was the member for Nhulunbuy and those opposite were very unhappy about this coming through on urgency. They did not like that. Do you know what happened on Tuesday morning? They tried to move a motion – the member for Nhulunbuy did it – that they could get the GBD item on Gove and the Rio Tinto refinery up at the start of business. That is not the process ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. You are wrong; it was for the GBD on Wednesday.
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down. It is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: They tried to introduce it on Tuesday morning for GBD on Wednesday – very good point, Leader of the Opposition; you are on the money – and were so offended that they could not get that done urgently. They were so offended that they could not turn up for a briefing with Rio yesterday afternoon. It was so important that it had to be urgent on Tuesday morning so they could debate Rio Tinto and Gove, but they could not even turn up at a briefing. They have not even had a briefing this morning. Straight after 11 am they will be able to move out of their grandstanding parade and go for that briefing.
It is fantastic that we are doing something about local government because you did not. You brought in the shire structure many of the people are not happy with ...
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. We have given the Chief Minister nearly three minutes to answer the question. I ask you to draw him back to it: what response have you had from local councils to this level of interference in grassroots government? Answer the question, please!
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, if you could get to the point, please.
Mr GILES: There is no interference. He is the minister for Local Government. He is making amendments to an act to respond to community concerns and needs. I applaud him for doing that and I applaud all ministers who are working with him to ensure there are good representations for local government structure in all areas of the Northern Territory.
Employment
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for EMPLOYMENT and TRAINING
In the House of Representatives on 18 November, Mr Nikolic, the member for Bass, asked how the government will support unemployed job seekers and employers in his electorate of Bass in Tasmania. The Assistant Minister for Employment replied:
- … we have a jobs plan for Tasmania to assist businesses to employ people – a plan to provide $3250 to assist Tasmanian business to employ people unemployed Tasmanians and unemployed eligible job seekers.
…
We have got a relocation assistance plan to assist job seekers to move to where the jobs are …
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. In relation to attracting skilled workers to the Territory and how we deal with Territorians, it is our intention to get as many Territorians as possible working on Territory projects first. We know the Territory economy is set to boom. This year it is growing at 5% and next year it will be growing at 7%. We will have the strongest economic growth in the nation next year. That is, in large part, thanks to the great work the Chief Minister and other ministers of this government have been doing.
We recognise the need to get skilled workers into our workforce in the Northern Territory. First and foremost, we want to see Territorians reaping the rewards of this economic growth. In that regard, the department is pouring enormous amounts of money into training Territorians in a range of skill shortage areas. Similarly, my friend and colleague, the Minister for Education, is pouring enormous resources into making sure children in the Northern Territory get the best education that will set them up for a job in the Northern Territory, first and foremost. We are also putting enormous amounts of effort into skilling up businesses to make sure it is Territory businesses that are first and foremost to get this work …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It is about what you are doing to get the federal incentive packages to the Territory. Unemployment is rising under your watch – 7500 Territorians …
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, sit down! It is not a point of order. You are on a warning!
Mr TOLLNER: Madam Speaker, the opposition knows that is a load of malarkey. We have the strongest employment growth in the nation. All of the economic indicators – every Premier and leader in Australia would give their eye teeth to be in the position our Chief Minister is in. He is doing a fantastic job of driving employment growth in the Northern Territory to the point where we have more jobs than there are Territorians to do them. We are 100% committed to making sure Territorians are the first to reap the rewards ...
Mr WOOD: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113 says an answer shall be succinct, concise and directly relevant to the question. The question was: we have many unemployed people in remote parts of the Territory. Is your government asking the federal government for the same plan as Tasmania? Forty seconds, minister, please answer that.
Mr TOLLNER: If these stupid interjections, where the Leader of the Opposition jumps in and makes some nefarious comment about how the sky is falling in and the Territory is about to be ruined, would stop – I was just getting to the point of answering the question and you jumped up with a silly interjection.
We are doing everything possible to get Territorians into work first. When it comes to federal government assistance packages, we want the federal government to get those unemployed people around Australia into the Northern Territory. I am interested in dragging Tasmanians here to work in the Northern Territory.
Casuarina Square Crime
Mr KURRUPUWU to MINISTER for POLICE, FIRE and EMERGENCY SERVICESCasuarina shopping centre has been in the news recently after some horrific crimes. Could you please update the Assembly as to what police are doing in this area?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for his question. Casuarina, on occasion, is raised as a crime hot spot. I am aware the police are doing a fantastic job there as are the local shopping centre security staff. I am aware you have concerns in that regard.
We have boosted the police in that area to ensure we have a safer environment for shoppers in the Casuarina shopping precinct. In addition to the Casuarina police station, the Casuarina Square police shopfront and beat continue to provide a highly visible presence in the shopping centre.
Police have also been active in responding directly to the recent violent incidences that have occurred there. Just yesterday, police launched Operation Studebaker specifically targeting crime and antisocial behaviour in the Casuarina Square shopping precinct.
It is one many such targeted operations police conduct regularly in the area.
The member for Casuarina is being very vocal in his concern about safety in the shopping centre, recently calling an excited press conference where he feigned indignation at the current situation. I wonder how many times the local member has been to see the local police and discuss this matter. I wonder how many times he has gone for a briefing to ask what has happened. I wonder how many times he has sat down with police and asked if there could be a special operation with targeted actions. I suspect the answer is none.
I thank the Police Commissioner, who is in the audience today, and all of the police who are providing a response throughout their normal day to day operations, particularly with Operation Studebaker, trying to target crime and antisocial behaviour in Casuarina Square shopping precinct.
It is a response we are actively pursuing and is something I became directly involved with because I wanted to see a greater response. I wonder how many times the member for Casuarina talked to police about this matter and raised specific concerns.
Members of the Casuarina alcohol accord meet every three months to discuss the crime trends and antisocial behaviour in the area. Its last meeting noted the crime trends in Casuarina Square shopping precinct were on the decline. It is a step in the right direction but there is still a long way to go. We will not be taking our foot off the pedal. We know members of the community have significant concerns about crime. We have raised it as a serious issue, and police are now implementing Operation Studebaker. We anticipate there will be successful outcomes from that. We want to see a reduction in crime in and around the precinct.
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