2013-11-26
Gas to Gove
Ms WALKER to CHIEF MINISTER
People in Nhulunbuy – workers, families, businesses and traditional owners – are in shock today. Rio has advised the future of the Gove operations is under review and they will not be proceeding with converting the refinery to gas. You need to accept responsibility for this crisis which you created when you made the decision in July to renege on the 300 PJ of gas offered and secured by Terry Mills. Will you commit to being in Nhulunbuy on Friday to release the social and economic impact analysis to inform residents of what their future may hold?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nhulunbuy for the question, I know she has an interest in the future plans for Rio Tinto in the community in regard to the refinery.
In regard to the question about gas, in particular, the Northern Territory government has offered up all gas as requested by Rio Tinto. That has come through two different equations: what we have offered publicly and the guarantee that Ian Macfarlane, the federal Resources minister, has offered. We have been in conversation with Rio Tinto, as you could imagine, many times over this year about what we can do to try to secure the long-term operations of the refinery and ensure the bauxite extraction continues to provide an economic base for the region and the township.
There are significant considerations that Rio Tinto is putting in place about the operations of the refinery into the future. We are well aware of the loss-making ventures in the refinery which have occurred over the last five years since the acquisition of the refinery in 2007-08 and the amount of the capital injection which has gone into that refinery. We have been communicating in a range of …
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! It is to do with relevance. The question was not about gas. We know Rio Tinto is not proceeding with gas. My question was very specific: will he commit to being in Nhulunbuy on Friday to release the social economic impact analysis? We do not want a newsletter or a radio interview, we want to see the Chief Minister front up to the community and have some answers about what the future holds.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Nhulunbuy, please be seated. Chief Minister, you have the call. You have three minutes to answer the question.
Mr GILES: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. As I said, we have been communicating with Rio Tinto and PacAl over the year about a range of things. On 13 November, I wrote to the CEO of Rio Tinto, Mr Sam Walsh, outlining the current gas and pipeline offer, illustrating that we have provided the gas and the federal government has agreed to underwrite the pipeline. There has been much work done to ensure there is a pipeline easement that can continue. That was passed through with the Northern Land Council quite well, and I thank Rio for its their efforts in that regard ...
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very direct question: will the Chief Minister go to Nhulunbuy on Friday and meet with local residents who are devastated?
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
Mr GILES: Thanks, Madam Speaker. I received a response to that letter on 19 November, which I will table.
We have plans to go to Nhulunbuy on Friday already – thank you very much for the question – so we will be able to speak with some of the stakeholders and the community about the position Rio is in at the moment. Rio advised Cabinet yesterday …
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Will the Chief Minister confirm that he is taking some of his key colleagues, the Mines minister …
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order. Sit down, member for Nhulunbuy.
Mr GILES: As I said, we will be going there on Friday and having a chat with the stakeholders. We have had the opportunity of writing to many of those stakeholders and letting them know the position Rio is in. Rio gave Cabinet a briefing yesterday, telling us there will be a decision made by the board soon. We hope the refinery continues to remain in operation, but these decisions will be made by the board at a future date.
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of Year 3/4 students from Wagaman Primary School accompanied by their teachers, Dean Chappel and Josiah. On behalf of honourable members, I welcome you to Parliament House Question Time, and I hope that you have a good visit.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I also welcome the electorate officers from the Country Liberal Party side of the Chamber who have their week-long professional development this week. Welcome to Question Time.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Gove Alumina Refinery – Government Efforts
Ms FINOCCHIARO to CHIEF MINISTER
Could you please update the Assembly on the Northern Territory government’s efforts to secure the future of the Gove alumina refinery?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for the question. The member for Drysdale, like everyone on this side of the Chamber, is very concerned about the future economic conditions for the region in East Arnhem Land. Over this year and prior to that, we have been working to ensure the refinery can continue operating. We had a request for gas late last year, as the former Labor government had a request for gas which they did not fulfil and did not guarantee as much as we did. We have also offered the opportunity of being able to utilise coal — whether or not the refinery could operate better on a cheaper fuel supply of coal.
There is now a number of solutions on board in terms of gas. All the gas that has been requested has been offered up by the Northern Territory government, the federal government and private suppliers who are keen to provide gas solutions.
Reports have been referred to today by the member for Nhulunbuy that Rio is not looking at going towards a gas solution. Rio makes its decisions based on commercial terms, as you can understand. We received a briefing yesterday in Cabinet which informed us of Rio’s impending decision by the board about the future of the refinery for the Nhulunbuy region. We do not know when that board meeting will be. We presume it will be very soon, possibly this week, and that will put in place a decision which will determine whether the refinery will continue in operation or not.
In government we have been working very hard to identify the issues and concerns around what would happen if the refinery was closed, curtailed or otherwise. We have been putting in place modelling about what we can do to assist the community in the broader sense. There is a significant amount of concerns should the refinery cease operations or curtailment.
We are working on what that means for the education sector, the health sector, for real estate …
Ms Walker: It means disaster.
Mr GILES: … and how we work with Westpac for people who have home loans in the region.
I have just tabled a copy of a letter we received in response from Rio Tinto to our latest correspondence. There is no doubt that this is a significant concern. Nhulunbuy is a mining town.
Ms Walker: It is not a significant concern, it is a crisis.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, I listen to the interjections that keep coming from the member for Nhulunbuy. While we have been working on this side to come up with solutions to support the Rio refinery and make sure it continues operation, we have not seen anything from the member for Nhulunbuy about being part of the solution.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Can you release the social and economic impact analysis?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Sit down.
Mr GILES: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I know the member for Nhulunbuy and the Leader of the Opposition have had briefings on this matter and are well aware of what is occurring with Rio. I am more than happy to give them another briefing to identify what some of those …
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Could the Chief Minister get seat 1E next to me on Qantas Friday morning and I will give him a briefing?
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I warn that I will not tolerate outbursts like that again. Gas to Gove is topical; yes, it is critical for many Territorians as it is for the government and the opposition. Member for Nhulunbuy, you are on a warning.
Mr GILES: I reaffirm that we are fully committed to working with the community in the region of Nhulunbuy and ensuring there is future economic direction there. We eagerly await Rio Tinto’s decision. We are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.
Education Cuts
Ms LAWRIE to CHIEF MINISTER
The Northern Territory community acted swiftly to organise fundraising efforts for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Chief Minister, I thank you for acting after I wrote to you urging the NT government to support the relief efforts. You acted then. I ask, when will you listen to parents, teachers and students who are telling you how much your education cuts are truly hurting Territorians? Even your own CLP members, one by one, are starting to speak out against the cuts, and we hear CLP Central Council was very vocal on the weekend against the education cuts. When will you listen and act to stop the education cuts that will affect the future of our children in the Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. We are working very hard on providing a pathway forward for education in the Northern Territory. We know there are teachers, principals, school councils and many others in the education sector who are working their darndest and who want the best outcome for kids in education. The situation remains that we have the highest paid teachers in the country, the highest spend per student in the country against the national average, the best teacher/student ratios in the country but the worst education outcomes.
W want to provide a platform for the way forward for the development of northern Australia and ensure we have well educated students who can pathway through educational avenues such as CDU to ensure they are the nation’s leaders in areas such as engineering, oil and gas, agribusiness and food production so they can be the staple behind the development of northern Australia. To do that we have to ensure we get the best educational outcomes at the schooling level.
That is why we have made allocation changes so we get more teachers per student in the primary years to get the best educational outcomes for kids for an early start in life. It is very important to get the early start in life for kids in the early years. We also have three reviews under way. One is looking at the performance of middle schools to see whether they are hitting the target and getting the educational outcomes required.
We are looking at remote Indigenous education to see how we can improve that area to get better education for Indigenous students in remote areas. We are also looking at senior schooling to ensure we get the best outcomes, particularly through the allocation of classes and whether or not we have the right subjects for those senior schools at the moment. Those reports will be coming in shortly.
I congratulate the Minister for Education for the hard work he has done to try to drive change in this area to ensure we have the best educated kids in the Territory.
I have a chart in front of me which shows that over the last five years we have seen a rapid increase of more than $200m go into the education sector, an increase of 700-plus teachers in the education sector, but a complete decrease in the NAPLAN results we are receiving in our schooling system. If you want better educated kids you have to look at the resources that go in and ensure they are targeted properly to get the right educational outcomes for those kids. Quite clearly, we are not getting the educational outcomes in all aspects of the schooling sector that we want. We want reform in that area to ensure we have the best educated kids to support the growth and economy of Australia, northern Australia, and the Northern Territory into the future.
Mr WOOD: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Could the graph the minister has shown be tabled please?
Mr GILES: Member for Nelson, I will not table it because I will use this information later. I am happy to e-mail you a website with the graph on it.
Transparency in Government – Labor
Mr HIGGINS to CHIEF MINISTER
The Opposition Leader and deputy leader have been quick to call for greater transparency in government decisions and for due diligence to be applied. Given today’s front page article about the Stella Maris scam, can you please advise on the hypocrisy of Labor’s approach to secret deals when they were in government.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, while it might not have been good to have transparency and clarity about what was on offer with gas to Gove, it is very hypocritical for Labor to talk about transparency. One of the first things the minister for Lands and Planning uncovered when he became …
Mr McCarthy interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please pause. Member for Barkly, do not call out across the Chamber. You are on a warning too.
Mr GILES: One of the first things the minister for Lands and Planning identified was one of Labor’s dirty, dodgy deals they had done in the Northern Territory. Everyone is well aware of New South Wales’ mishandling of Crown land and dodgy deals with the unions, and it seems that stench has plagued its way to the Northern Territory.
Just before the election campaign you would think all Labor ministers and members would be working very hard towards re-election. You could imagine the member for Barkly was getting ready to go into his electorate, but no, on 3 August, just before the closing of the last parliament, the member for Barkly, on the eve of the caretaker period when he was Minister for Lands and Planning, managed to pen a letter to the unions saying he was pleased to offer up the historic Stella Maris site on a 10-year lease with the option of another 10 years for no rent. Let me table that letter, Madam Speaker. Not only did he write the letter, the same day he managed to have it run over to Unions NT to be signed and stamped by his union mates, collect the $442 in admin fees, and have it dropped off by the department. Not a bad day’s work, is it?
The only problem is this smells very much like disgraced New South Wales politician Eddie Obeid. Maybe we should call him Gerry Obeid, the member for Barkly.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please withdraw that comment.
Mr GILES: I withdraw. Let me be clear, this is prime CBD real estate with a value of about $3m rising to $6m when the lease expires, with an estimated rental value of $150 000. That is $3m of foregone revenue over the life of the lease. But what benefit for Territorians?
The Chief Executive of the Department of Lands and Planning wrote a letter to Mr Alan Paton, the Secretary of Unions NT. I table a copy of that letter expressing his concerns about the allocation of that property and lease to Gerry Obeid.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, withdraw that comment.
Mr GILES: I withdraw, Madam Speaker.
With all this in mind, that is the reason the minister for Lands and Planning again wrote to the necessary people on Friday, outlining that decision will not be going ahead because we believe it is fraught with danger. It is not the best use of public investment and monies …
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Education Staffing
Ms FYLES to CHIEF MINISTER
Your government is in meltdown over the bungling of our education system. You have shown that you are striking special deals with select CLP members who have spoken out against your savage cuts to schools. The member for Goyder has taken to social media to show how your education cuts are hurting Territorians, hurting our students. Even your rank and file members are telling you to lay off our schools. We hear Taminmin high school is still losing up to 20 staff, a combination of teachers and support staff. It appears your education policy is in chaos while you try to shore up your leadership numbers.
Will you tell the House what special deals you have done over some schools while other still face drastic cuts?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, there are no special deals in any school. There is a formula applied. The Minister for Education has applied that formula, thank you very much.
But I can tell you all about special deals done by the former Labor government - by Gerry Obeid with his union mates.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very direct question: why are some schools being drastically cut and others not?
Madam SPEAKER: The Chief Minister has answered the question.
Mr GILES: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. That was not the question. You had the question at the end and I answered it. I said there are no special deals, full stop. There is a formula applied by the Education department, outlined by the Minister for Education. If you want to talk about special deals, let us talk about the Stella Maris and what you did with Unions NT.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. I am talking about education, parents, teachers, students …
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Nightcliff. The Chief Minister has answered the question.
Mr GILES: This whole deal of the Unions NT and Stella Maris reminds me of Centenary House in Canberra.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was very specific to schools and we would like the Chief Minister to talk about cuts to education.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. The Chief Minister has the call.
Mr GILES: This question is actually about unions and the union education campaign which is trying to stir everybody up. Let us talk about a dodgy deal with the unions when the former Lands and Planning minister offered up a $3m asset to Unions NT for nick – a $442 transfer fee to get the documents signed and handed over. That is what a dodgy deal is.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question went to education. Here is the Stella Maris submission from Unions NT. It was not dodgy it was historic …
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, there is not point of order. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, the plan was to move Unions NT into a free building so it could rent the Unions NT building to other government departments, no doubt, just like Centenary House in Canberra – the unions can raise money. This is a stinky, dodgy deal done by the former Labor government.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was very specific about cuts in schools. The Chief Minister is not talking about education and the harm to our children and our schools.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, if you could keep your comments to education generally.
Mr GILES: Could you imagine how much more money would have been in the education budget if Stella Maris was rented out at value? But, no, a dodgy deal for Labor mates – Labor and the unions in the thick of it doing a dodgy deal around the Stella Maris.
I know I cannot use the name Gerry Obeid, but the linkages between these two stink.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please withdraw those comments.
Mr GILES: I withdraw, Madam Speaker.
But I will talk about the hypocrisy here. We are being fully transparent on Rio Tinto and what is happening with education, but we have Labor leading with their chins about the lack of transparency over Stella Maris.
We are not running away from what we are doing. We are providing direction for the Northern Territory to try to get the best educational outcomes for our kids in the future so they are nation leaders in performance on industry around agribusiness, food production, oil and gas, and engineering.
We want the best for our kids and we are working to get that. It is not the best when Labor does dodgy deals with the unions, for no money, on Territory assets. That does not get an outcome for Territorians. The member for Barkly should explain his actions and apologise to Territorians for ripping off $3m in assets that would have escalated to $6m over the term of the agreements. If you want more money in Education stop giving away. That is an absolute disgrace and it stinks of what happened in New South Wales.
Japan Trip – Chief Minister
Ms LEE to CHIEF MINISTER
Can you please outline for the Assembly the exciting outcomes of your recent trip to Japan and the warm reception received by the Territory delegation?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arnhem for her question. I note the member for Arnhem was recently in Singapore on a CPA tour. She told me how good that tour was and how much she learnt from being in one of our friendly Asian neighbours’ countries, visiting their parliament and seeing the benefits we can have from greater interaction with Asia.
The Asian century is upon us and the Northern Territory is perfectly poised to take advantage of the enormous opportunity presented across our region. I am determined to see that we make the most of our natural assets of proximity to Asia to secure the economic future of the Northern Territory. The County Liberals have a long tradition of reaching out to Asia, something that was shut down under Labor. Cast your mind back to people such as Shane Stone and Denis Burke and the interaction and strong bonds they had with our regional neighbours.
We have spent the past year trying to rebuild that relationship and ensure we have strength of trade in the future. We have had many trade missions into Asia through many ministers who are seeking to shore up those opportunities.
While I was in Tokyo I had the opportunity to deliver the keynote address to the Japan-Australia business chamber of commerce. The event was attended by over 300 leading business people from both nations, and it was an opportunity to showcase the Northern Territory’s trade and investment opportunities. Next October, Darwin will be hosting that event, which is a fantastic opportunity for the Northern Territory to showcase what we have to the rest of Australia and to our mates in Japan.
While I was there I had the opportunity to meet with the INPEX Chairman and President and discuss how things are going with the performance and delivery of the INPEX development projects, such as Blaydin Point, and what is happening with the Ichthys gas deal.
We had the chance to meet with Mitsubishi Corporation, one of the biggest companies in the world, which will soon be sending a delegation here. We had a range of meetings scheduled, including Japan Airlines, Chiyoda and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. All these meetings presented a real opportunity to drive trade and investment in the Northern Territory. We have already seen a visit – I will talk about Vietnam later – from Vietnamese companies and delegations over the weekend which presented significant opportunities. Where we hear the federal government talking about the development of northern Australia, what we are talking about with the development of northern Australia dovetails perfectly into our relationship with Asia as we rebuild after Labor neglected that and let it go.
People talk about Darwin being the gateway to Asia, but I like to think of it as Darwin being Asia’s gateway into Australia, and we have to foster that opportunity. It is the only capital city north of the Tropic of Capricorn and needs to be the economic base that drives the recovery of northern Australia, and Australia as a whole, as we start to see more and more manufacturing industries decrease.
The visit to Japan was timely; we have rebuilt relationships, now we need the conversion into product.
Water Allocations
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for LAND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
On the NT 7.30 Report last Friday there was a story on water allocations. According to the ABC, one of the Mataranka recipients of the government’s generous allocation of free water this year said they would consider trading water.
Considering the water was given to the farmer for free and this farmer received a large allocation of water on the basis of a cropping plan, does this mean if the farmer does not follow the cropping plan, or simply does not go ahead with it, they can hang onto the allocation, wait until the consumptive pool has been used, then sell their water at a tiny profit to a potential grower who missed out on a water licence? Is your government’s water allocation plan about developing agriculture in the NT or is it leaving it open for some clever entrepreneurs to bide their time and simply make a quick buck out of selling water?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. He is very keen to understand water and related matters in the Northern Territory.
Water trading in the Northern Territory only occurs where water allocation plans have been declared. The water allocation plan sets the rules for trading in licences, and trading may be restricted to particular zones within a plan area. That all comes under the terms of the plan.
The rules for trading aim to ensure trading will not cause unsustainable use of water resources, both in terms of potential environmental impacts and impacts on other water users. Trading is allowed in each of the four water allocation plans declared to date – Alice Springs, the western Davenport, Katherine/Tindall and Ti Tree – and in draft plans under development, including the Mataranka and Oolloo draft plans. There can be no water trading until the Mataranka plan is declared.
There has been very little trading in water licences in the NT to date due to very small licence holder markets, lack of interest and some degree of suspicion regarding trading by licence holders and the general level of underdevelopment, or what is considered underdevelopment by some, of water resources to this stage.
Beyond the rules provided in water allocation plans to ensure sustainable water usage, the environmental protection arising from trade, there is minimal government intervention and trading decisions are left to buyers and sellers of licences.
The member for Nelson also spoke specifically about the Mataranka plan and the large water allocation that was made recently. The licences issued these days are issued under adaptive management. The Water Controller maintains a level of control over that water licence such that it is reviewed annually so the amount of water on the licence and made available can be reviewed subject to recharge of the aquifer. Not only that, the production plan submitted which justifies the issue of a water licence is also stringently controlled by the Water Controller.
He will look at the development of those blocks of land and will ensure the plan is adhered to and the licence holders issued licences under the new regime of adaptive management are all made aware of their rights, and of their responsibilities in ensuring they comply with the production plans submitted which justify the issue of those water licences.
Tiwi Islands – Development
Mr VOWLES to CHIEF MINISTER
Tiwi traditional owners have expressed their shock and surprise about your secret land deals on the Tiwi Islands. Labor is in favour of regional economic development and jobs for Indigenous Territorians, but we are against secret deals. Traditional owners say they have not been consulted about your plan to hand over 10 000 ha for development. We have a petition from the Munupi clan on Melville Island which raises concerns about the lack of consultation and information about this land grab. Will you table details about consultation and costs regarding this land deal?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Johnston for his question. Leading with the chin – you have ‘secret deals’ in your question. Do you not see what is on the front page of the paper and think about changing your language?
This bunch sat in government for eleven-and-a-half years and did not produce regional economic outcomes for Indigenous people across the Territory. There was no economic solution for the Tiwi Islands at all. We are coming up with plans and you want to bag them out. You talk about secret deals, look at the front page of the paper, as the Attorney-General just indicated, about secret deals – doing a dodgy deal with the union.
We know, because the member for Barkly put it in there, that you received advice to Cabinet not to proceed that way but Cabinet overturned the advice to do a secret dodgy deal to hand over Territory government assets.
Mr VOWLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. I want to hear the answer. It is a very important question and a topic we all want to hear the answer to without his rhetoric or anything else.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Johnson, sit down. There is no point of order. Chief Minister, you have the call. Could you get to the point of the answer please?
Mr GILES: In the question was a reference to secret deals. The only person in this Chamber who did secret deals is the member for Barkly, the former Lands and Planning minister. I have spoken publicly at length about this matter and the work we have been doing with the member for Arafura on how we can support economic development on the Tiwi Islands. In the next week or two, we will sign a memorandum of understanding about how we progress economic development opportunities, which is something Labor never did.
I will tell you what Labor did. They could have been focusing on the Tiwi Islands and supporting economic development. Instead, in the lead-up to the last election, they were very quick with a sleight of hand to hand over a government-owned asset, Stella Maris, for no money at all, which is a secret, dodgy deal.
Mr VOWLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. I respect the fact he has the secret deals out of his system. Will you table details about the consultation and costs of this land deal?
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, the member for Johnston is not well researched, once again, on this issue. I have spoken publicly at length about this. I was at the State of the Territory lunch the other day. I sat on stage and promoted what we are doing because we believe it is a positive to try to drive economic reform on the Tiwi Islands and deliver jobs. We are working with the Tiwi Land Council which is the authorised body to speak on behalf of …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a direct question: will he acknowledge the petition and the concerns of the people on Melville Island?
Madam SPEAKER: The Chief Minister has three minutes to answer.
Mr GILES: You need to listen closely; that was not the question. I am answering the question which was about secret deals and whether I will release information. We are speaking publicly about it. I gave an interview at 8.30 am today on ABC talking about this project and what we are doing. I laid it all on the table. We are doing hard work to promote economic advancement on the Tiwi Islands.
I thank the member for Arafura who is leading the charge in driving reform to get business development and job creation on the Tiwis. I challenge you to state your policy on the matter ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Chief Minister, will you table the details about the consultation and costs regarding the land deal?
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order, sit down.
Mr GILES: Now they are really scraping the bottom of the barrel. You come in here with a very weak question without any content, not having researched it. I am talking about it publicly everywhere. Why do you not come here with Labor’s policy on economic development? You did not practise one for eleven-and-a-half years. Now we are advancing things and you want to knock it. You do not support development in the bush. You do not support jobs for Aboriginal Territorians. You should be ashamed!
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Distinguished Visitor
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Rick Setter, a past member of this parliament. Welcome, Mr Setter.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Trade Relationship with Vietnam and China
Ms FINOCCHIARO to CHIEF MINISTER
You recently took a Northern Territory government and business delegation to Vietnam and China. Could you please outline the efforts being made by the NT government to expand the Territory’s trade relationship with these two Asian power houses?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her question. The member for Drysdale had the opportunity of coming with me to Bali recently on a delegation about the development of a trilateral agreement between Indonesia, Timor-Leste and the Northern Territory, particularly eastern Indonesia, and how we can increase supply trade routes, promote connectivity and have better development through the region.
In regard to Vietnam and China, we had a very good opportunity to rebuild the relationships which were formed already and create new relationships. In China, we had an opportunity of presenting to the China Investment Forum about the Northern Territory and the opportunities here.
We are already starting to see results of that visit with the China Development Bank coming to the Territory at the end of this month looking for investment opportunities in partnerships. It is very important to remember these partnerships in investment opportunities are all about getting job creation for the Northern Territory, for our kids into the future. That is why it is important to ensure we have the best educated kids in the Northern Territory.
While we were in Vietnam, we had the opportunity to jointly inspect feedlots with a company by the name of Animex in the Haiphong province, checking out the feedlot areas and the condition of the cattle. While not being a cattle expert, I was very impressed with the condition of the cattle I saw there.
As I referred to in a previous answer, we had a 22-strong banking and industry delegation in the Northern Territory over the weekend. Many of us on this side of the Chamber had lunch with that delegation and worked out what some of those opportunities are.
While in Vietnam, we spoke about the potential of the buffalo industry in a live export trade. The minister for Primary Industry has been working on a protocol agreement between the Australian and Vietnamese governments about how we might be able to sell live cattle overseas. The benefit of talking about the buffalo we could sell to Vietnam is that it presents real economic opportunities for regional areas of the Northern Territory. We know there used to be a very strong buffalo trade. I have had a conversation with the member for Arnhem who indicates that many people from her region are interested in escalating the buffalo trade. When we were in Vietnam some of those conversations were, ‘How can we go about exporting 5000 buffalo a month?’ My comment was that I do not think we are at a point where we can start talking about numbers and that 5000 is a very large number. But even at lunch on Saturday they were talking about 10 000 buffalo a month, so they are very early indications of communication.
The minister for Primary Industry is working out how we can set up a supply chain logistics assessment process, what we can do to identify stock numbers, how we can get our product to market, what we do in the Wet Season and the Dry Season. There is a range of work going on.
These trade delegations are important to identify investment opportunities. Anything we can do in this frame to develop jobs in regional areas is good for the Northern Territory. We will fully support it despite the indications by the member for Johnston with his previous question that he does not support remote economic development or jobs for Aboriginal Territorians.
Alcohol Protection Orders
Mr GUNNER to MINSTER for POLICE, FIRE and EMERGENCY SERVICES
You promised to cut crime by 10% a year, every year, but since the Banned Drinker Register was scrapped, violent crime has risen by 11%. Your alcohol protection orders do not prevent problem drinkers from buying alcohol. The Police Association has said that unless you are controlling alcohol at the point of sale then banning people will not work. Are you seriously telling us that the advice you have from police is that you should not be controlling alcohol at the point of sale? If you are, will you table that police advice?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the future Leader of the Opposition for his question. The advice I received from police is that the alcohol protection orders will be one of the best tools they have in reducing the supply of alcohol to people who have chronic alcohol misuse and abuse issues. We make it no secret on this side of the Chamber that we want to work towards getting people off the grog so they can be rehabilitated and have an opportunity of a more sustainable life and a sense of hope.
Some of the work that has been done by the Minister for Alcohol Rehabilitation is starting to see early outcomes with people getting off the grog for three months and working to ensure when those people come out of rehab they have better opportunities for connectivity in society and being able to stay off the alcohol. In regard to the alcohol protection orders, I understand the shadow minister has had an opportunity to have a briefing on this matter. He would have heard from police that they believe it is an exceptional tool in being able to reduce the impact of alcohol on people who have a chronic alcohol abuse problem.
In relation to the question about crime statistics, property crime has gone down substantially over the period of time since we have been in government. I have just been handed a brief that talks about offences against property being down 14.11% in the Northern Territory. The Palmerston members would be happy to know there has been a 58% drop in residential property crime, which is unheard of. It is around 40% in Alice Springs and 45% in Darwin.
It is amazing to see the drop in property crime. You know the best part about the drop in property crime? There are now fewer people going to gaol because they are not committing property crime. We want to reduce the number of people in gaols. We are achieving substantial outcomes in this frame and the APOs are designed to keep people out of gaol.
Alcohol rehabilitation is designed to keep people out of gaol. More importantly, these attempts on having change in terms of alcohol misuse and abuse is about seeing a reduction in domestic violence in our community. Around 70% of all cases of domestic violence are alcohol-related. Under Labor, under the former government, only about 25% of people who committed domestic violence offences were being prosecuted.
I have issued, with the government, a directive that we want everyone pursued on domestic violence, so you will continue to see the numbers increase for domestic violence or offences against the person because we are actually charging people and sending a message that domestic violence will not be tolerated.
We all stand here with white ribbons on today, so do you, to fight the scourge of domestic violence in our society. You are talking about the assault statistics. Look at what they are all about. This is about us pursuing the perpetrators of alcohol –related domestic violence so we can start protecting women in a much better frame. I do not stand back from taking any action on this. If the domestic violence assault numbers keep going up, all the better because we are charging people for committing the offence and sending a clear message that we will not tolerate it.
Typhoon Haiyan –
Deployment of Medical Support
Ms ANDERSON to MINISTER for HEALTH
A second medical team will be deployed to the Philippines tomorrow to provide additional medical support for victims of Typhoon Haiyan and replace the first emergency medical team sent a fortnight ago. Can you please provide the House with an update regarding their involvement and the important help they are providing to victims of the devastating typhoon?
Ms Fyles: Alison, keep lobbying the Education minister. Keep up the good work.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nightcliff, that was uncalled for. You are on a warning.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Namatjira for her very important question. Just 18 days ago typhoon Haiyan hit the Tacloban area of the Philippines, we all know that. We are very proud to talk about the involvement of the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre based in Darwin. Indeed, a second team is about to be despatched from Darwin, Team Bravo, which will comprise 37 professionals and logisticians from across Australia and New Zealand.
You will all be aware that just days after the typhoon struck the Philippines the first team was despatched from Darwin, also comprising 37 medical professionals. They have done an outstanding job under extremely adverse circumstances in the Philippines, helping the poor people of the Philippines to overcome what must be a horrendous experience.
We know many thousands of people died through this terrible natural disaster, and it is with such great pride I stand here to applaud and honour the work of the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre and the Australian medical assistant teams despatched so far.
Team Bravo will comprise 14 representatives directly from the Northern Territory, including the team leader, Dr Nick Coatsworth. His position is Deputy Director of Disaster Response and Preparedness. The team will be based at the Tacloban airport, where the first team, Team Alpha, is also based. They will undertake the same work the first team has been doing in the Philippines. Since last Saturday, Team Alpha has performed 100 surgeries and treated more than 710 outpatient cases and 144 inpatient cases who presented with a range of conditions from severe head injuries, spinal and long bone fractures, to minor injuries and wounds.
The doctors are also dealing with contaminated wounds, tetanus and other diseases. Both teams have been deployed and coordinated by the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre headed up by Dr Len Notaras, Executive Director of the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre. We honour and applaud these wonderful human beings, particularly those from the Northern Territory, who are helping the people of the Philippines.
Palmerston Hospital – Opening Date
Ms MANISON to CHIEF MINISTER
Your Health minister will not commit to an opening date for Palmerston hospital, with residents having to now wait until at least 2018 for basic hospital services. Reports are coming through that the costs have blown out by about $25m because the site you have chosen is unserviced and because of your government’s delays. Will you commit to an opening date for the Palmerston hospital and explain who will fund the additional costs?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Wanguri for her question. It has been a fantastic outcome, through the election campaign, to see a commitment by the Northern Territory government of $40m and $110m by the Abbott-led Coalition government in Canberra to advance the cause of the Palmerston and regional hospital into the future. I know it sits in the Litchfield Shire and they are all very cautious about that.
One of the important elements in the Palmerston regional hospital is ensuring we have community consultation. We have identified a site. The signs there say ‘proposed site’ – some consultation to ensure people are happy with the site. We are planning what that might look like and the staged development of that site, and we will consult more with community. There are public forums occurring at the moment which the Health minister has been to, which is very good of her. It is excellent to be able to have a chat and hear the community feedback.
There is a very interesting element in this. When we were in opposition and Labor was in government they spoke a lot about the Palmerston hospital, even promised it in 2008, to my recollection, during the election campaign. However, the funny thing was we got to 2012 and it was not built; there was not a shovel in the ground. There was a fence and a sign, but nothing else.
In direct answer to the question from the member for Wanguri about when it will be open, I will give you this hint with this answer: it will be built before you ever would have done it.
Ms MANISON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Will the Chief Minister answer the question? When will that hospital be open? Will you commit to a date?
Mr GILES: We are not giving you a date because we are going through community consultation. We want to make sure we bring the community with us on this outcome. We will build the Palmerston hospital but, unlike Labor, we will get it done. If we think about the four-year time frame between 2008 and 2012, where you promised it and did not deliver, I can tell you in the time between 2012 and 2016 there will be work happening on the ground.
I go back to answer that very direct question about whether I can give an indication of when it will be built. I will give the same answer: before you would have done it.
Howard East Aquifer
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for MINES and ENERGY
Earlier this year, I wrote to the department expressing my concerns about an application for an exploration tenure over most of the Howard East aquifer. This aquifer supplies 10% of Darwin’s water and also supplies many rural people with water. You announced, via media release, a gas and oil reserve over the residential areas of Palmerston and the rural residential areas. That is good. However, you made no mention of the aquifer. If you do not believe the aquifer should be reserved from gas and mine development why did you, as shown on this map, cover some of the aquifer and not other parts? What is the science behind the north-south line shown on this map which divides the aquifer? As Minister for Essential Services, could you please say what was Power and Water’s response to potential gas and oil development over the aquifer?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. RB56, to which he is referring, is a reserved blocks area over greater Darwin, declared under the petroleum legislation. The action provides that no petroleum applications over that area can be accepted. This is in contrast to what existed before where the former Labor government only had a general reserve area over the Darwin city/Palmerston region and did not look beyond that for protecting that part of the Northern Territory from exploration for oil and gas.
The creation of the RB is a result of a general administrative process where assessing petroleum exploration applications over areas that are inhabited or uninhabited, domestic or business, culturally sensitive, have heritage concerns, are parks or reserves, are water reserves or catchment areas, or are of environmental significance. Rather than each application for an exploration permit being considered under all those criteria, which is a lengthy and time-consuming process, it was decided to cut to the chase and protect that entire area.
The boundary the member for Nelson has described is based on science. Although I do not have the details of all the science with me, I can say that Power and Water Corporation has advised that the part of that aquifer catchment between the east RB boundary and the South Adelaide River is a saline aquifer and not fit for human use. Therefore, it was not included in the RB.
Rather than grabbing a broad paintbrush and painting over a great swathe of the Territory and imposing this reserved area, we based that decision on the science available. The idea is we are protecting some of these sensitive areas from any form of exploration. The fact that the saline nature of that aquifer in the eastern part towards the river existed meant there was no need to extend the boundary of that reserved area to cover those areas right up to the boundary of the river.
Tourism – Asian Markets
Mr HIGGINS to MINISTER for TOURISM
It is on the record that the current Labor leader hates tourists, despite the millions of dollars they inject into our economy. Can you please update the House on what this government is doing to attract more tourists to the Territory and the importance of the emerging Asian markets of Japan and China?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, when the recent reshuffle happened and the Tourism portfolio went from the member for Johnston to the member for Casuarina, who was previously the Tourism minister, I thought, ‘Hallelujah we might see a bit of enthusiasm and constructive argument around tourism! Finally, the tourism industry will get an opposition Tourism spokesperson with a bit of gumption and credit’, but sadly that has not come to fruition.
Mr McCARTHY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, if you could get to the point of the question.
Mr CONLAN: To answer the question properly you need to put this bloke into context. We have a guy over here whose greatest contribution to the tourism industry when he was Tourism minister was to shut down scenic flights over Katherine Gorge. That is what he wanted to do. That is what he brought to the table, this wonderful idea, ‘Let’s shut down scenic flights over Katherine Gorge’.
Then he said on radio the other day, ‘What we need in this business is a plan. We need a vision.’
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. What did the Tourism minister do to prevent the Qantas office from closing in Nhulunbuy two weeks ago?
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order sit down. Minister, you have the call.
Mr CONLAN: That is a very interesting question, what did the Tourism minister do to prevent the Qantas office closing down in Nhulunbuy? Nothing, because it is a commercial decision by an airline. It has nothing to do with the government of the Northern Territory. It was the last remaining CBD office in the country. That has to tell you something. It was a commercial decision made by Qantas Limited.
Back to the member who is using parliament as a retirement home, the member for Casuarina. He is now the opposition spokesperson for Tourism.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Do you have any plans at all Tourism minister?
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down, Opposition Leader, there is no point of order.
Mr CONLAN: That is a very good interjection
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, can you get to the point of the question.
Mr CONLAN: Yes, and that leads me to the member for Casuarina who said, ‘What we need is a comprehensive solution, a plan for the future’. I do not know where they have been. We know the member for Karama hates tourists, old mate at the back there is treating parliament as a retirement home – the departure lounge – but what we have here is the Tourism 2020 vision. This is the Northern Territory’s strategy for growth. It is a fantastic comprehensive document. It is about 50 pages double sided and it articulates very specifically the Northern Territory government’s plans to return tourism to growth.
I do not know where you have been, member for Casuarina, but the industry had high hopes that when you took over from the lame member for Johnston who asked how many questions on tourism? Maybe one or two in over 12 months, probably zero. Here we are, 58 minutes into your first Question Time as the shadow spokesperson for Tourism and you have not even bothered to ask a question. You failed the tourism industry as Tourism minister and you have failed the tourism industry once again as the shadow spokesperson for tourism. It is an absolute disaster.
I will sign this one for you – an autographed copy – and send it to you. It might be worth a read, member for Casuarina. Do us all a favour and get across the portfolio.
Indigenous Housing – Remote
Ms WALKER to CHIEF MINISTER
You are on the record vowing to improve remote Indigenous housing, yet at Ramingining we have families living in tents in the Wet Season weather because their homes have been pulled down and there is no provision for transitional housing.
Why has transitional housing not been provided to families at Ramingining and how long will they have to live in tents?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this coming from a former member of a Labor government which facilitated the poor implementation of SIHIP. These are the ramifications of SIHIP in continuation – a $1.8bn program. I will be surprised if it gets more bedrooms at the end of the program than at the start. How dare you lead with your chin in this frame! This is about trying to get proper housing for people in communities and you have come in here after your previous Housing minister …
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question is very specific. How long will people in Ramingining have to live in tents? He was there last week, he must have seen it.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Nhulunbuy. Chief Minister, you have the call, get to the question.
Mr GILES: A $1.8bn program of which $400m was set aside, $40m a year for 10 years, to improve tenancy management in communities around the Northern Territory. Where did that money go? How did that subsidise your previous failures in SIHIP so everyone is trying to make savings now and you are getting less outcomes for people in the bush. You should be ashamed and so should all your former Housing ministers. The member for Casuarina and the former members for Daly and Johnston all failed in SIHIP. We tried to hold you to account. The member for Namatjira, when she was in your government, outlined your failures in this frame, and now you ask why there is not enough money to do everything.
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! There are two points of order, quite apart from the fact he needs to be addressing his comments through the Chair. Standing Order 113: relevance. Answer the question. Why are people living in tents? You are the government, own the problem.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Nhulunbuy. Sit down.
Mr GILES: I was giving that answer to say, ‘How dare they, when they were gifted $1.8bn under the SIHIP – the National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing. It is a disgrace to think you wasted all that public money from the federal and Territory governments, getting very poor outcomes across the Territory.
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! If the Chief Minister cannot answer the question could he refer it to the Housing minister?
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: The Minister for Housing and the Minister for Infrastructure take a very concerted effort in ensuring we get the best bang for our buck in delivering remote Indigenous housing in the Northern Territory. We are working very hard to establish a community housing sector in the Territory so we can get better streams of …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Ramingining residents are currently in tents …
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down, it is not a point of order. The Chief Minister is answering the question.
Mr GILES: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I remember when I was in opposition I was in Maningrida and people were living in tents when you were managing the program. This is an outcome of your failure in SIHIP …
Ms Walker: We changed that.
Mr GILES: You never changed it. You were not even good enough to become a minister. You did nothing for Gove, nothing on housing and nothing on education. Do not come in here leading with your chin.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Rather than a personal attack, what about the residents of Ramingining who are in tents in the Wet Season? What will you do, Chief Minister?
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, sit down. It is not a point of order. You are on a warning.
Mr GILES: I was in Ramingining the other day and saw how fantastic the community is looking and how much work the NT government is doing to improve housing stocks in Ramingining. The work that has been undertaken at Gapuwiyak for example – it was fantastic being there the other day.
Ms Walker: What did you think of the tents?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nhulunbuy! I remind you, you are on a warning.
Mr GILES: You did not raise this issue when you were in government and had the ability to fix these things. You wasted $1.8bn under SIHIP.
We will continue to deliver housing outcomes for people right across the Northern Territory, make reforms in the sector and ensure we have more bedrooms than when we started, unlike Labor.
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