2015-09-15
Chief Minister – Call to Resign
Mr GUNNER to CHIEF MINISTER
Today the former Prime Minister of this country, Tony Abbott, stood aside after losing the support of his party room. Australia has a new prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and we wish him all the best for the sake of our country. Chief Minister, you have lost the support of your party room. You have lost four of your members to the cross benches. You have lost majority government. What is left of your government is hopelessly divided. I have always been told it is never too late to do the right thing. Will you stand aside for the sake of the Northern Territory? Will you do what all honourable leaders before you have done?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, today we all asked what Labor would come up with, and that is the depth of it. Well done, Leader of the Opposition, it is good to see that.
I am grateful for this question because it goes to the matter of trust when talking about leadership. Many members in this Chamber, and people around the Northern Territory, will be well aware the member for Karama, the person the Leader of the Opposition knifed for leadership of the Labor Party, has incurred substantial bills in a personal and ill-advised crusade to recover her legal costs from a recent court case.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very clear question. The majority of the Chief Minister’s party room voted him out. Will he do the honourable thing and stand aside like former Prime Minister Tony Abbott did today.
Mr GILES: I am sure you promised the member for Johnston he would be your deputy and that did not happen, did it?
The member for Karama is still before the courts and I do not presume to anticipate the court’s decision. However, I seek assurance from the opposition, which goes to heart of the question about trust. Should the court rule that the member for Karama is responsible for her own legal costs, will the Leader of the Opposition give an unambiguous assurance to the House that neither he, nor any of his colleagues, will allow any future Labor government to pay for Karama’s legal costs?
Ms Fyles: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, the Chief Minister is presenting a hypothetical. However, Chief Minister, if you can get back to the answer to the question it would be appreciated.
Mr GILES: Let me refresh the memories of those opposite. The member for Karama was ordered to pay $214 876 in court costs by the NT Supreme Court Justice, Stephen Southwood, after failed court action against Stella Maris Inquiry Commissioner, John Lawler.
The amount was almost all at the cost of the NT government in that case, yet the Leader of the Opposition comes in here speaking about leadership and trust, so that is a fair question.
Will you rule out if ever there is a Labor government and you are the leader …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. That matter is still before the court. Will you do the honourable thing and stand aside as Tony Abbott has?
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down. It is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: Labor released a little document under the Restoring Integrity to Government reforms, which makes a number of wild assumptions, so my answer goes back to the point …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Why will you not answer this question and do the honourable thing by resigning? Your party room voted you out, but you refused to resign.
Mr GILES: In regard to restoring integrity in government, will Labor rule out paying the member for Karama’s legal costs of over $214 000? That is a serious question. Will you rule out paying the Stella Maris legal costs for Delia Lawrie?
Prime Minister and Chief Minister – Moving the Territory Forward
Mr BARRETT to CHIEF MINISTER
Following on from a sterling question about Australia today having a new Prime Minister, I look to the Northern Territory government. Can you outline some of the key issues you will raise with the new Prime Minister in regard to moving the Northern Territory forward?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Blain for his question. On behalf of the Northern Territory government, I congratulate Malcolm Turnbull on becoming the Prime Minister. I am sure it is a great honour to be the Prime Minister of this nation. It is a great responsibility to be the leader of Australia and I am sure he will serve the nation well. I also offer my thoughts to Tony Abbott, who has served this country well.
As Chief Minister I have had the opportunity to serve with three Prime Ministers in COAG: Kevin Rudd; Julia Gillard; and Tony Abbott. I found Tony Abbott to be a great leader, determined to do what is best for the nation. I wish Tony and his family all the best for the future.
Since the election of the Coalition government, we have been working hard to put the development of northern Australia firmly on the national agenda. The development of the north is good for the Territory and the nation. It creates jobs and future opportunities for all Territorians. Significant progress has been made since the release of the White Paper on Developing Northern Australia, especially around commitments to new infrastructure.
We are confident that we will work very closely with the new Prime Minister, especially on driving forward the northern Australia agenda to create jobs.
I was very pleased to hear the new Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, talking about the importance of things such as the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, which has been warmly welcomed by state leaders throughout the country representing all sides of politics, including the Premiers of Queensland, South Australia and Victoria, the ACT Chief Minister, and Labor leaders in New South Wales and other jurisdictions. However, Territory Labor has refused to support the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. They stand there with their union mates, campaigning in xenophobic fashion against anything Asian in this nation. If you are Chinese, Labor does not support you.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 62; that is untrue and he should withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, you have freedom of expression; however, try to be careful with your comments when stating a group of people says one thing, when clearly they do not say that.
Mr GILES: This is a post from Delia Lawrie’s Facebook page, protesting with the unions against the China FTA. That link is pretty clear.
Another Labor document says, ‘The China free trade deal will kill jobs in the Territory’. That is promoted by Labor, the unions and the former leader of the Labor Party. You cannot trust the Leader of the Opposition. He has two hands up his back. One is the member for Karama waving him about, and the other is the CFMEU and other unions telling him what to do. Labor does not like the Chinese. We support jobs.
Advertising – Use of Taxpayer Funds
Ms FYLES to CHIEF MINISTER
Every day you waste hundreds of thousands of dollars, in taxpayers’ money, on blatantly political government promotional ads in an effort to spin your failing government’s appalling record. Tomorrow Territory Labor will introduce legislation to stop this waste of money. It will put an end to the misuse of taxpayer funds by this government and future governments. Will you support these changes?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, Labor is a bit sensitive about the On Track advertising campaign, which by 9 September this year has spent approximately $119 000 on print, radio and TV advertisements. Labor has brought into question whether or not government should be promoting things like Crocwise, kids turning up to school and washing your hands. Labor is trying to say things are political.
Just over $100 000 was spent by 9 September on the On Track campaign.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. This is not about Crocwise or water safety ads; it is about putting an end to the misuse of taxpayer dollars. Will you support our changes?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: The Labor budget over the last full year had $9m for marketing. What did I just say? There was $119 000 spent by 9 September. Where did $9m go? I have a couple of examples.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Will the Chief Minister support stopping this waste by this government and any future government?
Mr GILES: Here is a little glossy brochure, titled ‘Darwin Waterfront & Convention Centre’ that Labor issued as part of its marketing campaign. There is another little fold-out brochure titled ‘INPEX’, which talks about how Labor achieved it. It has a photo of the former Chief Minister in it, which you are not allowed to do under today’s rules. The former Chief Minister was doing a bit of promotion for that.
There is another one under the former Labor government, which says, ‘Northern Territory 1000s & 1000s of Jobs’ – promoting under your marketing expenditure. It is a pity you forgot to say it was jobs you never created, because the Country Liberals introduced the lowest unemployment rate in the nation.
Here is one to gauge the Leader of the Opposition’s untrusting opinion on aligning politics to marketing campaigns. It is called ‘Northern Territory Government Achievements’, and was issued by the former Labor government. It also has a picture of the former Chief Minister advertising their achievements. I question what the difference is in this case.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very direct question. Will you support our changes tomorrow and preserve taxpayer funds?
Mr GILES: I think I am stating my case. Here is one from this year from the Leader of the Opposition’s budget, which says, ‘Territory Labor’ and ‘See You at Glenti!’ Was that paid out of the Leader of the Opposition’s budget? I am not saying it should not have been, but you need to be fair and reasonable in this case. I hope there are other questions in regard to …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Labor will stop the waste by this government and any future governments. Will the Chief Minister support our bill? That is the question and he has not answered it.
Mr GILES: Labor released ‘Northern Territory Government Achievements’ when in government – you were spending taxpayers’ money. The government needs to promote its message. You ask us to communicate more and we are, but now you complain because you do not like the message. You do not like house prices, petrol prices, unemployment rates and debt lowering, or growth going up. That is the truth of the matter.
Port of Darwin – Trade Results
Mr BARRETT to CHIEF MINISTER
Can you please update the House on the Port of Darwin’s latest trade results and what that means for economic growth and job opportunities in the Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Blain for his question. As a former employee in related industries at the port I know he is very interested in what is happening at the port.
Yesterday we put out a magnificent communication tool, talking about trade at the port. It indicated trade has gone up significantly at the port across a range of areas, especially in the last 12 months. Live cattle trade has gone up by 51%, or 121% in two years, to a record of about 613 000 cattle going over the Port of Darwin. This makes Darwin the largest live export port in the southern hemisphere. Congratulations to the cattle, transport logistic and feed lot industries, as well as the workers at the port who do a top job exporting those cattle.
The successes have not only come from cattle export. There has been an increase of 39% servicing the supply industry for offshore oil and gas, an increase of 125% in cement being imported and an increase in cruise ships, of which there have been 65 in Darwin port this year. These are all adding to the improved trade elements of the port.
We need a port for tomorrow not a port for today. The port for today has 782 m of quay line, and three berths for retenders to come into the Marine Supply Base, which was outsourced by the former Labor government, and we need to expand that. We are a Country Liberal government. We do not want to go into billions of dollars of debt to expand the port. We need private partners to assist with the fantastic operational achievements of the port and get investment. We need more quay line and areas where boats can load and offload, whether it is Navy or Defence, grey ships or white ships.
We need more hardstand to put cargo onto. If you go to the port you will see there are many areas where there are ponds or areas of water. We need to convert that to hardstand. It is an expensive operation, but it will make our port compliant to international standards. We need more reefer points, which are places where refrigerated containers can be plugged in. Developments like the big aquaculture prawn farm on Legune Station will mean 100 000 tonnes of aquaculture prawns will be exported by our port. We need power points for refrigerated containers and the infrastructure to get those containers onto the ships. It is about a logistical supply chain.
Our operators at the port have been doing a tremendous job and should be congratulated. Only one party in this Chamber has a plan to grow our port. Labor opposes our plan. We will grow our port and increase jobs. We will increase supply and logistics in the Territory and make Darwin the true capital of northern Australia.
Planning Action Network – Funding Cuts
Mr GUNNER to MINISTER for LANDS and PLANNING
You have attacked a community group in a handwritten note, killing off their minimal annual funding. You did this because the organisation does not agree with the government. I will read from your note:
- Margaret, my view is that PLan has now become nothing more than a political activist group and there has been no hint that the organisation is prepared to collaborate with government.
That is an arrogant and vindictive decision. Do you only fund the organisations you like and that like you in return?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. We make no bones about not funding politically motivated organisations. I was once a big supporter of the Planning Action Network and engaged in some good dialogue with Margaret Clinch and other members of the organisation. But, over the 18 months or so, it is now not possible to have a conversation with them. They refuse to talk about planning issues.
Members interjecting.
Mr TOLLNER: Members opposite might want to listen to this; we are giving the public a right to have their say at the start of the process. We are moving public consultation in with the Planning Scheme, which I thought would be welcomed by PLan and the members opposite.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a direct question. Do you only fund organisations you like?
Mr TOLLNER: I like most organisations that government funds. We do a good job with our funding, without a doubt. As Treasurer I am not interested in wasting money. If there is an opportunity to add value to the Northern Territory and our community it is money well spent. But to fund a political organisation which is throwing rocks …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The Planning minister has sent a threat to every community group that disagrees with him, saying that if you do so you will be defunded.
Madam SPEAKER: This is not a point of order, sit down.
Mr TOLLNER: That is a crazy assertion and you know that fully. The government funds a plethora of NGOs across the Territory which undertake valuable work for our community. That is the point; it is about valuable work for our community. I note last year we ceased funding the Environment Centre NT because it is a nonsense organisation. It is not about protecting the environment or environmental outcomes; it has done nothing but become a tainted political organisation. I can understand why members opposite are supportive of those groups, because they are doing their bidding.
If the Leader of the Opposition had any shred of decency he would have said at the meeting at Blake Street that Labor’s plan is to see The Gardens redeveloped. It was in Labor’s 2030 plan and all the planning documents. The proponent of that development used Labor’s document to promote his development.
Did the Leader of the Opposition show any integrity and talk to the Planning Action Network or say, ‘Hang on, this is what Labor would do in government’? No, he did not. I rest my case.
SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION
Planning Action Network – Funding Cuts
Planning Action Network – Funding Cuts
Mr GUNNER to MINISTER for LANDS and PLANNING
The funding you provided to PLan was $29 632, which is not a huge amount. It is enough for three full-page ads in the NT News, to get halfway to New York for minister Price or for six visits to the Red Rose in Tokyo. It is a petty and arrogant decision. Who is next on your hit list? Is it the Environment Centre NT or PLan? Who?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, we fund those valuable community organisations across the Territory and will continue to do so. We on this side of the Chamber love the non-government sector, but we are not into wasting money. That is something Labor does when in government. Good on you; you can throw money around like drunken sailors, but we are not of the same mould. We are carefully managing government finances and the economy, and if you want to know why we achieved such a good result in the budget, you might look at the rats and mice and the little savings we have made around government.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Why was a $20 000 trip for minister Styles on 5 September cancelled after it had already been paid for?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order, sit down.
Safety is Everyone’s Right Strategy
Mrs FINOCCHIARO to ATTORNEY-GENERAL and JUSTICE
Can you please update the House on the progress of the Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy and its effect on domestic and family violence in the Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her interest in this area, as it should be an interest to us all. Before I answer the question, I congratulate Justice Kelly’s decision to open her court room to the cameras yesterday and name a domestic violence victim, Terasita Bigfoot. The violence perpetrated against her was unspeakable. She was left alone to die in the dark with fatal injuries.
Since coming to government, and since being given the role of Attorney-General, this government and I have stridently pursued matters in the domestic violence domain. All members would now be familiar with the Safety is Everyone’s Right policy and the Family Safety Framework we have created across the Northern Territory. This is about using all the resources of government and the non-government sector to surround families in crisis with a view to protect primarily the victims, who are all too often women, and the children of those women.
As at 30 June this year, 257 high-risk victims have been referred to Family Safety Meetings. A total of 1142 government and non-government staff across the Northern Territory have undertaken Family Safety Framework training, and 92 support agencies across the Northern Territory have signed up to receive electronic referrals through SupportLink. The SupportLink process is a cloud-based internet platform which gives government and non-government agencies a framework to perform multilayered partnerships, so we can protect victims of domestic violence.
There are 33 specialist domestic violence services now available, and these systems enabled the Northern Territory police to refer 331 domestic violence victims to those support services in the last financial year. We have invested $3m in critical intervention outreach services. I am pleased to announce the Alice Springs Women’s Shelter, Tennant Creek Women’s Refuge and Darwin Aboriginal and Islander Women’s Shelter have been contracted to deliver critical intervention outreach services in these respective areas. We are also enlisting a further $800 000 to develop a specialist domestic and family violence support service for Indigenous youth, aged between 12 and 17 years, in Alice Springs and the surrounding town camps and remote communities.
This government has been strident in its prosecution of those who perpetrate violence against their families. We maintain that domestic violence is not something that requires merely restraint; it should be treated as a criminal activity. I commend Justice Kelly on the sentence she handed down yesterday.
Housing Wait Times
Ms MOSS to MINISTER for HOUSING
In 2012 the average turnaround time in returning vacant social housing stock back to use was 45 days. By 2014 this had blown out to 101 days. This means people are waiting an extra two months to get a home. This year you are promising to bring it down to 70 days, which is still a massive increase on 2012. Why has this turnaround time blown out?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her question. Labor members abandoned housing when they were in government. They reduced public housing stock by over 1100 dwellings. Now they complain about long waiting lists. They should come forward and be honest about the problem they created.
As at 30 June there were 3448 applicants on the waiting list for public housing across the Northern Territory. This is 233 fewer than in June 2014, and 263 fewer than when I became the Minister for Housing. Our plan is working to ensure only those eligible for housing are on the waiting list. We have audited the waiting list, but we also have a strategy in place to move people along.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. In 2012 the wait was 45 days and in 2014 it was 101 days for a house to be no longer vacant. What is the explanation behind the blowout?
Mr GILES: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker. That information is incorrect. The member for Wanguri was the Housing adviser at the time so she would know that.
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down, Chief Minister, it is not a response to the point of order.
Mrs PRICE: Our plan is working to ensure only those who are eligible for housing are on the waiting list. We have audited the waiting list, but we have a strong strategy in place to move people into housing.
The Giles government’s plan to reduce wait times focuses on reducing turnaround times for properties, lifting people out of public housing and getting more houses back to stock.
Mr McCARTHY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 255. Will the minister table the document she is reading from?
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, do you wish to table the document or is it your private notes?
Mrs PRICE: These are my personal notes.
Mr Gunner: Do you have notes that answer the question?
Mrs PRICE: I do.
Ms Walker: Then answer the question.
Mrs PRICE: I am answering the question.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mrs PRICE: Madam Speaker, if they listen to me I will give them the answer they want. We currently have a review in progress, looking at new models of housing. I am excited to see the outcome of the review. We are doing that as we speak.
Housing works will continue from homelessness to home ownership. I want to lift people out of public housing into affordable housing, the private rental market and home ownership. We sold 15 houses last year.
Ms MOSS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. I asked a very specific question around the return of vacant social housing stock and the reasons behind the blowout in turnaround times.
Mrs PRICE: Eight of these homes were sold to resident tenants. This is giving them a shot at home ownership.
Programs such as Real Housing for Growth created an affordable rental market in the Territory for the first time. While Labor let rent go up and up, we have seen Real Housing for Growth bring rent down by encouraging development, and providing houses at 70% of market rent.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It used to take 45 days for a vacant property to be made available to the public. It now takes 101 days – this is from their budget books. We are asking for the explanation around why the turnaround time has blown out.
Madam SPEAKER: The minister has three minutes to answer the question. Minister, if you could get to the point.
Mrs PRICE: That is misleading.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, please withdraw that comment.
Mrs PRICE: I withdraw.
We have delivered over 500 houses and have more than 1200 tenanted, being constructed or in planning under Real Housing for Growth. Now that rental prices have started to come down across the Territory, we need to look at where we can best direct investment into housing. The Chief Minister and I recently announced a review …
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
Ice Use – Update
Mr BARRETT to MINISTER for POLICE, FIRE and EMERGENCY SERVICES
We are all aware of the current issues the Northern Territory is facing with crystal methamphetamine. Can the minister update us on what the government is doing in this space?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Blain for his question and for his ongoing commitment to finding a solution to ice use in our community.
The issue of illicit drug use and supply is a growing concern in the Northern Territory and police are tackling this issue head on. A total of 650 gm of methamphetamine has been seized this year, which is more than half of what was seized in the whole of last year. While the problem has not yet reached the level experienced by jurisdictions interstate, ice and its devastating impacts are starting to bite in our community. We have to be extremely careful to not allow ice into our remote Indigenous communities. There is evidence it may have arrived in certain areas, but so far so good, we have not seen that occur.
The Territory has a unique opportunity to learn from what is happening elsewhere and intervene before ice takes hold. Northern Territory Police has reported an increase in methamphetamine seizures, arrests, acts of violence and drug deaths related to amphetamine-type stimulants, which I will refer to as ATS. Use of ATS is not restricted to any particular group. It affects all levels of society. The use of these drugs and the effects they are having on Territory families are a serious concern for the Giles government, which is why we have established the parliamentary inquiry into methamphetamines to look at our responses and what more can be done.
Northern Territory Police were working collaboratively with the Australian Border Force, Australian Federal Police and the Australian Crime Commission to establish an NT joint law enforcement ice task force, Strike Force Nemesis.
To complement Strike Force Nemesis and Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services, the Drug and Organised Crime Squad is dealing with the ATS issue, with a range of amendments to strengthen drug and firearm legislations currently under way.
The Country Liberals are pressing ahead urgently in the fight against the distribution of ice use in the Territory, announcing on 16 September that new laws aimed at stopping the distribution and use of ice would be introduced into parliament. The suite of legislative changes the Giles government is introducing includes increased border protection, interception options and increased offences for firearm and drug-related offences. This will enable Northern Territory Police to declare specific roads as drug detection areas. Approximately 80% of the methamphetamine seized in the Northern Territory is being imported from other jurisdictions.
Channel 9 is running ads to focus on ATS and we need to keep the momentum rolling. This government makes no apology for pressing ahead urgently in the fight against the distribution and use of ice in the Northern Territory.
Litchfield Council
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for LOCAL GOVERNMENT and COMMUNITY SERVICES
It has been a long time since the people of Litchfield have had a democratically elected council. Can you please give an update on the status of the Litchfield Council, including when the rural area can have an elected council? Considering there is so much happening regarding planning in the area, it is vital we have councillors sticking up for the rural area. Will you release the report on the Litchfield Council and say what actions you will take in regard to any recommendations in the report?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his important question. I totally agree; it is important we have functioning, democratically elected councils, especially when there is a great deal of planning activity.
Some rural residents have written to me with their views about whether the councillors should be re-elected. They were varying views. As the minister for Local Government, it is my job to ensure we are supporting local councils to operate at an optimal level, delivering better services in compliance with the act.
On 27 January 2015 the Litchfield Council was placed under official management pursuant to section 224 of the Local Government Act. All council members were suspended from office and Mr Frank Crawley was appointed as official manager to take control of the operations and financial affairs of the council.
Mr Crawley was also appointed to investigate the conduct of suspended members and the financial position of the council. He was to report these findings to me by 30 June 2015. Since I received the investigators report, each suspended member has been provided a copy so they can provide a written submission on the content of the report. The original due date for written submissions was 6 August 2015; however, one suspended member requested an extension to 14 September 2015, which was granted.
The purpose of the report is to help me, as minister, to inform my decision. The report is not written for public consumption. It contains private and confidential information and, accordingly, it will not be released. This government is about accountability in local government. We have taken action to address the dysfunction in the council, as we have done in Tiwi. We will continue to do so across the Territory to make sure local government is strong and healthy.
I have now received all responses and assessed them in consideration of the investigator’s findings. I will consider whether to reinstate suspended members or dismiss them from office and call fresh elections. I have also heard from many community members who are concerned about either the reinstatement or the standing down of councillors. I will ensure the community, pending the outcome, is provided with the appropriate information in moving forward, as we are doing with Tiwi.
I do not have the date my decision will be made. I will not make it in haste, but with due diligence.
I was pleased to reinstate the Tiwi councillors yesterday, and I look forward to what the future brings for the Litchfield Council.
Prisoner Numbers
Mr CONLAN to MINISTER for CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
Can you please update the House on the previous government’s projected prisoner numbers and how the previous Labor government had those numbers so wrong? In light of your Pillars of Justice statement today, can you tell the House why prison numbers are now showing encouraging signs of decreasing?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, that is correct, but primarily they had the model wrong. Unfortunately the model they were using was leading to projections of prison numbers in the order of 2000.
I do not know what the exact number is this morning, but as of a few days ago the …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 68: anticipation of debate. It is on the Notice Paper and we are already talking to it.
Madam SPEAKER: Which debate do you believe it is anticipating? Ministerial statements are not on the Notice Paper. Minister, please continue.
Mr ELFERINK: If the member had paid attention to the statement he would realise I was answering a question about projected prison numbers, which are not comprehensively dealt with in the statement.
The document the opposition produced, justifying building a new gaol, said we would have 2000 people in custody today. We have about 1600 prisoners in custody, meaning we have 400 fewer prisoners, or a saving of about $25m per year. Are we soft on crime? No, we are not. We have reduced crime.
The Labor Party will get rid of temporary beat locations because they do not like them.
Mr Gunner: That is not true.
Mr ELFERINK: It is true. The shadow Attorney-General said she wants to get rid of them. You cannot cuddle your way to a safe community. The members opposite want to get rid of paperless arrests, Alcohol Protection Orders and everything that tells a human being in our society they are responsible. They believe you can cuddle your way to a safe society. They are soft on crime. If they had listened to the shadow Attorney-General before lunch they would have heard her say, ‘We will make sure we do all the soft stuff up front’.
Mr McCARTHY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. I would love the minister to tell us how the projections were different.
Mr ELFERINK: We have 400 fewer prisoners. Amongst those 400 are people in the Sentenced to a Job program. The normal recidivism rate fluctuates slightly, but generally trends around 55%. If you are not in the Sentenced to a Job program there is a better chance you will go back to gaol. If you are in the program the likelihood of returning to gaol is around 20%. That is an achievement; it is not soft. It says to prisoners, ‘We expect something from you. We expect you to lift your game and lift yourself up.’ They pay tax, rent and money to victims – in cash – because they have become more responsible. By becoming more responsible they have lifted themselves into a place where they could not have dreamt of going. They are proud of themselves and, frankly, I am proud of them.
The idea that you can somehow feel sympathy for a person to the point where they feel better about themselves is naive, but it is the Labor Party’s plan for crime in the Northern Territory.
Youth Services Funding in Alice Springs
Mrs LAMBLEY to CHIEF MINISTER
The weather is warming up in Alice Springs. Even as a short-term former resident of Alice Springs, you may remember as the weather warms up people tend to spend more time on the streets, especially young people, with problems of antisocial behaviour inevitably escalating.
Over the past few years you have stripped millions of dollars from night time youth services in Alice Springs, approximately $2.5m. In response to a public outcry in February this year you clumsily tried to fix the mess you created. The problem is no one knows exactly how much you spent or where it has gone, despite the fact I have asked numerous people. How much extra did you spend on night time youth services earlier in the year and what services did that money go to?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the member for Araluen would be the best person to talk to about cuts. She was the Treasurer when she cut the youth service funding when we first came to government. I put that back on you, member for Araluen.
I have put more money into youth services than you ever did when you were the Treasurer. As a member of Alice Springs you cut the funding. You would be aware, if you were paying attention, that we have put millions of dollars back into youth services not only in Alice Springs, but in Nhulunbuy, Katherine, Darwin, Palmerston, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs.
We have recently moved forward with an agreement with the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress and the Alice Springs Town Council to provide additional after-hours youth services. These came about as a result of conversation with the non-government organisation sector, which I work with and meet with every six months in Alice Springs, my home town, talking about how we can continue to improve services.
When talking about crime, you must talk about the reduction in crime in Alice Springs. The number one thing which has reduced crime in Alice Springs is the temporary beat locations. That is the police at bottle shops, which the members for Nhulunbuy and Nightcliff, and the untrustworthy Leader of the Opposition, want to get rid of. Not only do they want to get rid of temporary beat locations, but also Alcohol Protection Orders, paperless arrests and mandatory alcohol rehabilitation, which more than 450 people have been referred to this year. Let us stop and think about this.
Ms MOSS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The member for Araluen asked a very specific question about youth funding and how much of it has been spent, if the Chief Minister could answer the question.
Mr GILES: And as I was saying, 450 people have been referred to mandatory alcohol rehabilitation in the Northern Territory this year. Under Labor, 450 people would not have the opportunity to be rehabilitated from their alcohol addiction. Under Labor there would be rivers of grog flowing, with no police at the bottle shops. I do not know what the member for Barkly thinks about Labor’s policy. There is a 58% reduction in crime in Tennant Creek with the TBLs.
Mrs LAMBLEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Enough chest beating, can you please tell us exactly how much extra funding you allocated to night time youth services in Alice Springs and what services you allocated that money to?
Mr GILES: As I said at the start, you cut the funding; I have increased the funding. You know we have made announcements to put it back in.
Mrs Lambley: You are lying, Chief Minister.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, withdraw that.
Mrs LAMBLEY: I reluctantly withdraw.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very direct question which the Chief Minister clearly cannot answer.
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order; sit down.
Mr GILES: I am pretty sure I have been answering it comprehensively. Look at Labor’s policies on crime …
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Clearly he is not answering the question; he could at least provide an answer by taking it as a question on notice.
Mr GILES: If you lined up Mr Whippy ice cream and Labor with its policy on crime they would be exactly the same, as soft as each other.
Ms MOSS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Can the Chief Minister answer the question about youth funding in Alice Springs?
Mr GILES: I have answered the question up hill and down dale, but the point remains, Labor is soft on crime.
Mrs LAMBLEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Can we assume the Chief Minister has not allocated funding to night time youth services?
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order; sit down.
Mr GILES: You should never assume anything apart from Labor being soft on crime. Nothing will change there.
Oil and Gas Industry Development
Mr KURRUPUWU to MINISTER for MINES and ENERGY
Can the minister outline the government’s approach to the development of an onshore oil and gas industry in the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for the good question. I appreciate that he is keen to see economic development across the Northern Territory and in his electorate of Arafura.
This morning I was thrilled to welcome a group of protesters to parliament. There was an anti-fracking mob out the front. I got outside and welcomed their participation in public debate on the matter of fracking. I made a couple of points to that group. As I said, I welcomed them to the parliament and I take on board their comments, as does everybody in government. We are very big on consultation, as members know.
Everything good in the Northern Territory comes from our natural environment, especially economically. We would not have a mine, the ability to drill for gas, agriculture, aquaculture or tourism - all of these things depend on our pristine natural wilderness and this government is not in the business of killing the goose that laid the golden egg. I was up front with the group in saying we are taking every possible measure to make sure our environment is 100% protected as best as possible with gas drilling.
Gas drilling has occurred in the Northern Territory since 1967. Holes were fracked in Central Australia for most parts of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Almost the entire Territory was powered by gas that came from fracked wells in Central Australia.
Towards the end of the 2000s the previous government did a deal on the Blacktip resource, which is just off the coast of Port Keats, and we are now seeing offshore gas powering the Top End of the Territory.
The fact is we have a bright future in the Northern Territory when it comes to onshore gas. It has the ability to create thousands of jobs. Deloitte Access Economics suggests somewhere around 6000 jobs can potentially be created, and $22bn of GSP for the Territory.
Somewhere along the line it would be good to know the opposition’s position on gas drilling in the Northern Territory. After all, 33 wells were created between 2004 and 2013 by the previous government. Federal Labor is on board with this, as well as a range of other state Labor jurisdictions.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
Stuart Lodge – Funding
Ms WALKER to MINISTER for WOMEN’S POLICY
In August Leslie Riley of Bosom Buddies, a cancer support group in Central Australia, wrote to you, pleading with you to support the restoration of funding to Stuart Lodge, and the 68 beds of accommodation and short-term housing this provided to people coming in for medical treatment. Stuart Lodge has been closed for nine months and sits idle. Will you support Ms Riley’s request?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I received correspondence and we have been working on Stuart Lodge for a while. We are going through negotiations with NGOs which have offered to take on Stuart Lodge. Breast cancer support is very important; I lost four of my sisters to breast cancer. They would have loved to have somewhere to stay where it is safe and close to the town centre and hospital. At the moment there are negotiations for an NGO to take the centre on ...
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113; it was a very direct question. Will the minister support this request?
Madam SPEAKER: The minister has time to reply.
Mrs PRICE: I am answering the question because it is dear to my heart as well. I have lost so many people to breast cancer. I would like to make sure these people are looked after properly and given accommodation to ease their lives through the illness they have to put up with.
Ms Walker: Nine months.
Mrs PRICE: It takes so long. We had to write a repairs and maintenance report on Stuart Lodge as well. That happened two months ago. We now know how much it will cost to repair and maintain Stuart Lodge.
Motorcycle Safety
Mr CONLAN to MINISTER for TRANSPORT
Recent tragedies remind us how vulnerable motorcycle riders are, and of the dreadful impact these tragedies have on family and friends of those involved. Can you inform the House what this government is doing to reinforce its commitment to making the roads safer for our motorcyclists?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the question from the member for Greatorex. He knows how important it is for drivers to look out for bikes on our roads. Bikes can come up quickly behind us. They are not as big as cars or trucks, or other transport on the road. I have seen over many years, across Australia, different advertising campaigns like the old one which said, ‘Look right, look left, look bike’. These are the kinds of things we must continue. We need good advertising campaigns to raise awareness about this. We had Rider Awareness Week from 6 to 12 September, which is geared to make people more aware of riders on our roads.
Governments need to have a well-regulated motorcycle learning program, as we do through METAL. It is a great program which provides excellent upskilling for motorcyclists. We have the legislation in place to ensure a young rider cannot hop on the most powerful bike available. People step through the program as their skillsets improve over the years. METAL does a fantastic job. Much of what we do as a government has to come down to awareness. We have to make sure everyday drivers are looking out for motorcycles, at the same time making sure motorcyclists are doing the right things.
These machines are powerful. We have seen some tragedies in recent days. It is frustrating, as the Minister for Transport, to know parents, friends and families are going through some terrible times because of a loss from a motorcycle accident. I have been involved in a few motorcycle accidents. Most of them were in the dirt, but there were a few that happened on the road that saw me in hospital for a few weeks many years ago. I lost half my back and backside, but that is another story. It was painful. I was lucky because I survived that accident. Many do not.
We need to work hard as a community and find ways to get through to drivers with the clear message to keep an eye out for motorcyclists. Motorcyclists need to do all they can to ensure they have the skills to handle the bikes and ride at appropriate speeds around our suburbs. There are tragedies, but as a community we can all work together to find better solutions.
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