2012-03-28
QUESTIONS – Wednesday 28 March 2012
Container Deposit Scheme – Analysis Undertaken
Mr CHANDLER to MINISTER for NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENT and HERITAGE
A number of years ago, Associate Professor Ram Vemuri from the CDU prepared a report into the sustainability of a container deposit scheme. At that time your government appeared to support a national scheme. When you developed the current container deposit legislation can you advise if this report was referred to? Can you advise what other analysis was undertaken prior to CDL being introduced; and will you table that advice, including all recommendations?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Brennan for his question. It is quite clear he is going to get bogged down in reports and the past and what their solution is for Cash for Containers. We know they want to scrap it. He stated that ...
Members interjecting.
Mr Tollner: We have a solution. Not like you, you drongo.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order! Member for Fong Ling, I ask you to withdraw that comment, please.
Mr TOLLNER: I withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you very much.
Mr HAMPTON: Thank you, member for Fong Lim.
Madam Speaker, we on this side of the House support Cash for Containers because we know Territorians want cash for their containers. It is as simple as that. We are not going back on that. We are pushing ahead. In fact, we are going to expand Cash for Containers and depots, particularly in Darwin. We know there is a reverse vending machine opening up very soon in Parap. There will be one in Millingimbi. The member for Arnhem will be very happy to know about the expansion of …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question is quite succinct. It refers to the Ram Vemuri report. Has the minister seen it …
Ms Lawrie: Superseded by a parliamentary inquiry.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Elferink: So you know about it?
Ms Lawrie: Superseded by a parliamentary inquiry.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ELFERINK: The question we have, Madam Speaker, is: has he seen the report and will he table it? How hard is that?
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, please come to the point.
Mr HAMPTON: Madam Speaker, there have been many reports done and there has been much discussion at ministerial council meetings, especially over the last four years I have been minister. Do we have a national scheme? Has anyone taken notice of those reports? No, that is why we are pushing ahead with it in the Northern Territory. We are not going to wait for the rest of the country to base their scheme on a report ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question is specific: has he seen the report and was it considered as part of this scheme? That is all we are asking.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, come to the point of the question, please.
Mr HAMPTON: Sure, Madam Speaker. What I am saying is there have been many reports done. We are pushing ahead with it because we know Territorians want cash for containers. It has been discussed at the national level for many years. We are not waiting for a national scheme. We set up a working group in the Northern Territory, which the CLP did not want to be a part of, and shame on them, absolute shame ...
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Relevance. The minister was asked a question about a specific report, whether he would table that specific report, and whether he considered that specific report - not a rant on everything else.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Minister, can you come to the specifics of the question? Or I will ask you to resume your seat.
Mr HAMPTON: Thank you, Madam Speaker. This wonderful scheme in the Northern Territory, which is important for Territorians to know, was created by Territory parliamentarians: the member for Nelson and government members. The CLP did not want to be a part of that. They do not want to be a part of Cash for Containers. They want to scrap it ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
Mr GUNNER to CHIEF MINISTER
The Leader of the Opposition is calling on the Henderson government to slow down the planning for the Palmerston Hospital. Can you please update the House on the progress of plans for the new hospital for Palmerston and the rural community?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Fannie Bay for his question. I was aghast reading the transcripts this morning that a local member from Palmerston is complaining that the government is progressing too quickly with the planning for the Palmerston Hospital, telling us to slow it down. I do not know if he spoke to his other colleagues, the member for Drysdale or the member for Brennan. I do not know if you know the Leader of the Opposition was on the radio this morning calling on us to slow it down. We will not be doing that because Palmerston residents want this hospital. We have reached an agreement with the Australian government to fund the hospital for Palmerston and we are getting on with the job of delivering it.
Our planning and consultation has been extensive. We have had a survey which residents responded to; a community leadership group with Palmerston City Council has been meeting regularly; Palmerston seniors are really excited about this hospital; we have held workshops with clinicians and community stakeholders; and concept plans are being developed. But the Leader of the Opposition says: ‘Slow it down. You are going too fast’.
We know at the last election the CLP had a gammon Palmerston hospital policy, because their gammon hospital was not going to be delivered until 2025. I will be taking my old pension by then. The date they committed to was 2025. I can assure the residents of Palmerston that the hospital will be open well before 2025 and we are working hard on delivering it.
The Leader of the Opposition has also called for Royal Darwin Hospital to be scaled back to a secondary hospital. He was on the radio a few months ago saying Royal Darwin Hospital needs to be scaled back to a secondary hospital. Now he wants Palmerston Hospital delayed. So, we are going to scale back Royal Darwin Hospital and you want to delay Palmerston Hospital. It is no wonder the Leader of the Opposition does not have a health policy. The CLP is all over the place. It has no vision and no commitment. The Karl Marx manifesto from the member Port Darwin does not even mention health. That shows where the axe is going to fall. If the CLP is to achieve government in August this year, the axe will fall on health, the axe will fall on education, and the axe will fall in the bush. No mention of Indigenous, no mention of education, no mention of health - that is where the cuts are going to come.
We are proud to be working to progress the Palmerston Hospital as quickly as we possibly can.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the former member for Katherine, Mrs Fay Miller. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a warm welcome and congratulations on your possible election as the Mayor of Katherine.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of staff from the Department of Construction and Infrastructure. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you also a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr CHANDLER to MINISTER for NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENT and HERITAGE
Can you confirm if any of the reports that you have written or have read recommended not to introduce the container deposit scheme based on economic and social grounds? If so, why did your government ignore these recommendations?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr Giles: Send them out, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: I would like to say, member for Braitling, your voice was much louder than any others. .
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Brennan for his question. I love answering questions on Cash for Containers. I have toured around the Territory. I do not know about the member for Brennan, who likes to stay in his air-conditioned office and his suit, but I have toured around the Territory. I have been to Tennant Creek, Nhulunbuy and Aputula. One thing I know from my visits throughout the Northern Territory is that Cash for Containers is what Territorians want ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: the answer has to be succinct and directly relevant to the question. He is not even going close to trying to answer these questions. All we want is specific information. Can he answer the question?
Members interjecting.
Ms LAWRIE: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker, I am sure there are plenty of beverage industry-funded reports out there which do not want Cash for Containers, just like the CLP.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Treasurer, that was a frivolous point of order. I ask you to leave the Chamber for one hour pursuant to Standing Order 240A.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, can you please come to the point. So far in your answer you have not come to the point. Minister, you need to come to the point now or I will ask you to resume your seat. Come to the point, please.
Mr HAMPTON: Yes, Madam Speaker. There have been many reports done on Cash for Containers, at a national level as well as in the Northern Territory. The one report I do take notice of is the report from the working group set up by this Legislative Assembly, made up of members of parliament in the Northern Territory, who looked at the financial model, the regionalisation model, and the legal model that suits the Northern Territory. That is the report I look at. That is the report that has put together our model.
I am not going to go back and rewrite history, as the member for Brennan does, and go into the past. We are about a vision for the Northern Territory, getting on with Cash for Containers, expanding Cash for Containers, and not scrapping it ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: I think the minister has completed his answer.
Ms SCRYMGOUR to CHIEF MINISTER
Can you please update the House on how this government is supporting Territory families?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for her very important question. Support for Territory families is, front and centre, a major issue for my government. We all know the cost of living in the Northern Territory has been high for two primary reasons: our remoteness and our lack of competition in a smaller marketplace. Ultimately, the best way to drive down prices is to increase competition. That is why we are absolutely focused on growing the economy, creating jobs, creating opportunities - as opposed to the CLP which has a one-page economy policy which aims to slash the Territory government budget and throw hundreds of people out of work.
Territorians want wages up and prices down. There are some encouraging signs. The latest ABS average weekly earnings in the Territory is rising at 8.3% annually, well above inflation at 2.4%. Of course, I recognise not every Territory family is seeing that type of wage growth. That is why we are supporting Territorians with the most generous concessions and grants in the country - housing concessions the CLP would scrap. We have already heard the CLP make a policy commitment to return housing to the marketplace; they would scrap all of our housing assistance schemes, driving the cost of housing up in the Northern Territory. We have electricity concessions, senior concessions, education and childcare concessions, and the lowest taxes for small business in the country.
A total of 74 000 Territory households receive an average annual discount of $820 on their electricity bill. Some 23 800 Territorians receive senior concessions; we are not sure if there is anywhere else in the world that provides free flights for seniors. Over 4000 children and their families benefit from our childcare subsidy; and approximately 40 000 $75 Back to School Bonus vouchers were distributed to Territory families this year. We are the only place in Australia with free public transport for students and seniors - that was an election commitment delivered and it is one I receive much positive comment on. We have delivered super clinics which cut the costs of healthcare. The opposition has committed to scrapping the super clinics, which would drive up the cost of healthcare to Territorians.
It is these types of spending initiatives the CLP is determined to cut if it was to come to budget. Their only economic policy is to bring the budget back into surplus within four years. It would cut these concession schemes, cut the public service, and would have to jack up taxes to be able to achieve that. That is the issue, front and centre. The CLP is about shrinking the economy. We are about growing the economy and creating jobs.
Mr CHANDLER to MINISTER for NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENT and HERITAGE
Yesterday, you promised you would find out how much more Territorians have paid for containers compared to the amount in dollar terms returned to them in redeemed deposits ...
Mr Knight: No, he did not.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr CHANDLER: What is the dollar amount between what has been spent and what has been returned?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question again. As I said yesterday, I will take that question on notice. The scheme is just over two months old ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Mr Hampton: I have only had five seconds to answer it.
Mr ELFERINK: The minister has already answered the question. Whatever follows from this point on is just gumph.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, do you have more information to add to what you have just said?
Mr HAMPTON: I have, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Just keep fairly well to the point then.
Mr HAMPTON: Yes. As I said, the scheme is just over two months old. In the legislation we have committed to a three–month report. A lot of information and data is being collected by depots, through coordinators ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question is very specific. The letter that you gave to us indicated that you wanted us to be very specific in what we did and restrict ourselves as to the rules of this House. We have deliberately asked very specific questions in line with the letter you sent. I ask that the answers should also be as specific as required by Standing Order 113.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you very much.
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, speaking to the point of order, the minister did say yesterday he would take that question on notice. Now he is elaborating a time frame around that notice, so it is relevant.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, is there very much more you have to say? Otherwise you could resume your seat.
Mr HAMPTON: If I did not keep getting interjections, Madam Speaker, I might be able to speak.
Madam SPEAKER: Only if it is relevant to the question, thank you.
Mr HAMPTON: Let me answer it, member for Port Darwin. I am saying that it is in the legislation. Have a look. There is a three-monthly report due out very soon of the data and some of the questions. The one thing that is clear is that we are going to stand up to the beverage industry. I have written to them about the prices they are putting on containers ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, I ask you to resume your seat, thank you.
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENT and HERITAGE
In your second reading speech regarding the Cash for Containers legislation in November last year, you said that an approval to supply beverage containers in the Territory is subject to the requirements, and that an effective waste management plan is in place for a container. A waste management arrangement for containers includes transparent processes for receiving and paying refund amounts and handling costs.
How many suppliers have you written to telling them that you intend to suspend their supply approval because they do not have an ongoing effective and appropriate waste management plan and therefore the right to sell products in the NT? Which suppliers have you written to? If still nothing has happened, when are you going to force these beverage companies to the table by suspending their approval to sell their products in the NT so the issue of a reasonable handling fee can be sorted out once and for all?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his very sensible question on Cash for Containers. As I stated yesterday and today, the government is fully committed to Cash for Containers because we know Territorians want it. I am not sitting back letting this thing go to ground like the opposition is.
It is a matter of legislative fact that all coordinators and depots understand that they can operate under approvals that have consequences for non-compliance. That is a very important point. We have a market-based scheme so the commercial relationship between depots and coordinators is critical. Undoubtedly, there are some difficulties with commercial relationships and between some of the depots and some of the coordinators. I have seen and heard that firsthand through the mediation and my briefing with Tom Pauling. I would be cautious in assuming that there is fault only on one side, based only on the assertions from other parties and their disputes. These are difficult disputes and they are about commercial relationships.
The department and I have been working methodically through those issues where it looks like something is amiss on either side of the dispute, and we have been willing to act – that is very important. For example, where concerns were raised by regional collection depots that one of the coordinators was not answering e-mails and not answering phone calls, I have written to that coordinator reminding them of their obligations ...
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I do not think he is being particularly relevant here. He was asked about how many letters he sent out and how many threats he has made to suspend their rights to sell products. Now he is getting onto a story about something completely different.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, I would have to say, it was a very long question. In fact, it had about five different questions. Minister, I do not know what the answer is, that is the other thing, but if you can answer the question as closely as possible to the one which the member for Nelson has asked.
Mr HAMPTON: I am getting there, Madam Speaker, for sure. I am trying to give examples relating to the question asked by the member for Nelson, to give practical examples of what we are doing. One example was the issues raised by regional collection depots. I said that I have written to one of those coordinators reminding them of their obligations and indicating a show cause process could be instigated if the response is not satisfactory. In the case of NTRS, there were practical issues regarding delivery of containers that were of concern to a number of coordinators. My department has made a firm offer to oversee audits of those deliveries as long as it takes for those relationships to bed down and, equally, remind coordinators of their obligations.
Mr GUNNER to MINISTER for EDUCATION and TRAINING
Can you please inform the House of the Henderson government’s initiatives that support Territorians to get a great education?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question. As I alluded to in the House yesterday, there is a record $930m budget for education this year, and an infrastructure spend, in toto, of around $516m. That includes Commonwealth BER funding over four years. The nitty-gritty of it is the Back to School payment scheme, as the Chief Minister said, $75 per student for 40 000 students throughout the Northern Territory. I know through attending many school council meetings and talking to many parents that this is a welcome support for Territory families, particularly at the beginning of the year when families have just been through Christmas and all that entails. Extending free transport for all school students has been well received across the Territory.
It was my pleasure to attend a function in Parliament House on Monday night for home-grown students in the Territory who received scholarships and cadetships. I was pleased to see the member for Katherine and the Treasurer attending the function. Fifty-five Territorians received teacher education scholarships. In talking with many of those families and individuals, they are very glad about that. One of them whispered to me that she could not do this particular study without that support. Forty-five Early Childhood Teacher scholarships were awarded, once again a very happy group. There were 20 Vocational Education and Training scholarships; and 30 Higher Education scholarships. I was approached by a lady who had had a complete career change. She was back at university and this scholarship enabled her to do that study. She was very grateful to, and complimentary of, government.
The top 10 Higher Education scholarships for our highest-achieving Year 12 students, and once again, Madam Speaker, it is great to see CDU, in terms of engineering, medicine and teaching, attracting the very best of our graduates. I believe it is a great thing for the Territory.
Childcare subsidy: as we know, we are the only jurisdiction in Australia offering such a subsidy, and we have 4000 children in 80 childcare centres in the Territory. It represents around $4.2m per year, which equates to about $1400 per full-time child per year. It is unique. We know the Commonwealth has ultimate responsibility for childcare in Australia, including the Northern Territory, but we are the only government offering this support for Territory families.
The CLP is light on policy and quick on criticism. We want to know what the CLP is going to drop. It wants to bring the budget ...
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Relevance: the minister was asked a question about what his government is doing. He was not asked a question about what we are doing.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Fong Lim! Time has expired; resume your seat.
Mr ELFERINK to CHIEF MINISTER
When you announced the Daly River Blue Mud Bay agreement, you said that details of costings would be contained in the budget. Yesterday, you said full costings would not be released until the entire agreement had been concluded. My very specific question is: will the final costs of the deal be released before the Territory election and, if not, why not?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I absolutely put on the public record again today that if the Blue Mud Bay deal is completed, and I have every confidence it will be, by 1 July this year, all the costs associated with that will be made public.
Mr GUNNER to MINISTER for SENIOR TERRITORIANS
Can you please update the House on how the government is supporting senior Territorians?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Fannie Bay for his question. He has a great number of seniors in his electorate. It has been this government that is delivering for senior Territorians. We have the most generous schemes in the Northern Territory for seniors. As the Chief Minister said, there are some 23 000 members of the Pensioner and Carer Concession Scheme in the Northern Territory, which is the most generous scheme in Australia. It is for eligible carers, seniors, aged war veterans, and also pensioners and low income superannuants. Every year since coming to government we have been committed to this scheme and to expanding it.
On the other side of the House, there is no policy in this area. We have a commitment to slash the budget, so this scheme is on the chopping board. What is on the chopping board is concessions worth up to $1500 for seniors, for electricity and water subsidies, council rate subsidies, sewerage subsidies, and motor vehicle registration subsidies. These concessions for seniors are all on the chopping board if the CLP ever comes to office.
Under a Labor government, seniors will get free driver’s licences, free proof of ID, free public transport, concessions on interstate and overseas travel, free spectacles, and also stamp duty on the sale of their house. These concessions benefit senior Territorians, the people who have looked after Australia and the Northern Territory. These types of assistance are on the chopping board under the CLP. All these concessions are up for grabs. There is not a word from the other side of the House. They know what they are up to as far as slashing the budget ...
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The minister was asked what the government is doing for senior Territorians. He was not asked what the Country Liberals would do or what the opposition’s plans are. I ask you to call him to be relevant.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, can you come to the point in answering the question, thank you.
Mr KNIGHT: Madam Speaker, the questioner does not seem to be too disturbed with my answer.
These are the concessions that support senior Territorians. This Henderson Labor government and the Labor governments over the last 10 years has supported senior Territorians. All these schemes that support senior Territorians are on the chopping block. Every seniors organisation and every senior in the Territory should be paying close attention to what the CLP is going to do, to slash the subsidies and concessions they receive. Every single person on the other side there knows what is on the chopping block for senior Territorians.
Chemical Plant Site
Mr WOOD to CHIEF MINISTER
In the NT News yesterday, Tuesday, 27 March, there was a heading: ‘Chemical giant backs Darwin for major international gas hub’. It was reported that US-based Dow Chemical has entered into a three-year program with CDU to support research and training at the North Australian Centre for Oil and Gas. The building of a multibillion dollar chemical plant in Darwin was again mentioned. Can you tell this parliament where your government would site a multibillion dollar chemical plant? Would it be Darwin Harbour, Glyde Point or elsewhere?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. I thank Andrew Liveris and Dow Chemical for their very generous support of Charles Darwin University. I met with Mr Liveris - I have met him on many occasions - and it is great to see his support for our university. We have been talking to Dow Chemical for some time, but at this stage there is no current proposal before us.
There are many issues regarding the federal government taxation settings on how petroleum is taxed that would have to be resolved before any such commercial proposal could come to the Northern Territory. However, we would be very keen to make that happen. I have made public comment that I believe it is time for the federal government to look at those taxation settings in regard to facilitating downstream processing of petroleum products in Australia.
Our government has recently released our Greater Darwin Region Land Use Plan. In that document, Gunn Point is identified as a potential site for such facilities in the future. We are being proactive. There are many issues here. When we first started talking to INPEX, there was no potential of that project ever materialising - and it certainly has. When INPEX was first talked about, the Leader of the Opposition said it was a 19th century project that did not belong in Darwin. He actually wrote to everyone in the northern suburbs …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question was specifically aimed at the location of any future plant. It had no reference at all to INPEX or, for that matter, the Leader of the Opposition. Standing Order 113 again.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, if you could come to the point.
Mr HENDERSON: I will absolutely come to the point. The point is, if you want to secure opportunities like downstream processing for petroleum products, you have to be aggressive in seeking those opportunities, not trying to scare Territorians by writing to everyone in the northern suburbs saying the INPEX project belonged in the 19th century ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Mr Henderson: I know the member for Port Darwin does not like to hear this.
Mr ELFERINK: The same standing order. The minister is not answering the question and has not answered the question. If he does not have an answer, he should just give the floor to someone else who has a serious question to have answered.
Madam SPEAKER: Resume your seat. Chief Minister, if you could just come to the point, please.
Mr HENDERSON: I was asked if we had received such a proposal, where would the project go. I have said that we have identified, through our Darwin Area Land Use Plan, that Gunn Point is a potential site for such projects. Such projects do not occur without vision, hard work, and a passion for securing investment into the Territory. The Opposition Leader does not have that. He has no vision for the Northern Territory; he has no policies for the Northern Territory ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Mr HENDERSON: ... his economic policy is on one page.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Mr ELFERINK: As a point of order, Madam Speaker, ministers are being asked by you to come to the point, and they repeatedly do not. I ask that you direct these ministers to either answer the questions or sit down.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, thank you very much for your advice. I probably do not need it. You should bear in mind that I do not know what the answers are, so when I am listening to the answer I am trying to listen to whether or not it seems relevant to me. That is the way I make the decision.
Mr MILLS to CHIEF MINISTER
Last night in Darwin there were 314 calls to 000; 703 additional emergency calls; 24 arrests; 45 protective custodies; 41 assaults; and 103 disturbances. Watch Commander Garry Smith said on radio this morning that it was a: ‘... relatively sedate overnight period’. If that was sedate, what does a busy night look like? Do you agree with Watch Commander Garry Smith?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this type of question goes to show how hollow and shallow the Leader of the Opposition is, in no policy, no vision for the Northern Territory, no confidence in the Northern Territory going forward …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question was: do you agree with Watch Commander Garry Smith? All we are hearing is the start of a three-minute tirade about the Leader of the Opposition. Does he agree with the Watch Commander or not?
Madam SPEAKER: Resume your seat, member for Port Darwin. The Chief Minister has had about five seconds into the question. It is hard for me to be able to judge at this point.
Mr HENDERSON: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I will check those statistics with police to see if they are accurate. The Leader of the Opposition has form coming in here quoting from police sources that turned out to be wrong. However, if that was the level of activity last night it shows the police are doing their job - and a very difficult job they do throughout the Northern Territory on a nightly basis. In the Top End we talk a lot about Alice Springs, In Alice Springs, 90% of all police activity is alcohol-related ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! We have made these questions specifically tight so they can have very short or comprehensive answers. I ask that Standing Order 113 be applied. We are not talking about Alice Springs.
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I point out that, under Standing Order 112(3)(a), ministers should not be asked for an expression of an opinion. That was expressly asked in that question.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, I will call you. Come to the specifics of the question as much as you are able to.
Mr HENDERSON: I will come to the point. I have a lot of respect and time for Superintendent Garry Smith. If he said it was a relatively quiet night across Darwin then it probably was.
Ms SCRYMGOUR to MINISTER for WOMEN’S POLICY
Yesterday, you tabled the second and final report outlining achievements under the Northern Territory government’s Building On our Strengths: A Framework for Action for Women in the Northern Territory 2008-2012. Could you please outline to the House how the Henderson government plans to progress key issues for Territory women into the future?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for her question. Following the successful celebrations of the Centenary of International Women’s Day last year and most recently the International Women’s Day event earlier this month, it was good to spend some time with a number of women at the Convention Centre at lunchtime as we looked at the policy beyond 2012 when the current policy expires.
The Office of Women’s Policy has met with a number of women in Alice Springs and Darwin, with forums in each of those places and has received feedback from across the Territory. The dominant themes emerging are the need for transparency and accountability in all government reporting, including sex and gender data collection and analysis. I expect that to be very much a part of our A Working Future policy as we look at the SDCU and the work that it does in growing the regions and ensuring that while we want to see that data across the public service, we need to ensure that what we are growing in the regions in terms of the towns shows very much the data in relation to women and the hopes and vision that we have for all women across the Northern Territory.
Some of the other themes include women’s economic and financial security being impacted by the barriers women face in workforce participation, enabling pathways, and identifying mechanisms for government to increase women’s representation in all aspects of public life.
Part of the thinking coming through is that specific action plans need to be developed to improve governance, women’s leadership and participation. I take note of the new Mayor of Katherine who is here as one of those new leaders in local government. We are very proud of the first term of the shires in terms of women’s representation in leadership and also at the CEO level.
Some of the issues coming through include the fact that government boards in the Northern Territory sit at 32%, which shows no change since 2008, although it did rise briefly in 2009 and 2010 to 34%, Women’s representation in the Northern Territory parliament has fallen since 2010, which saw an all-time high of nine women in the Legislative Assembly from 2008 to 2010.
Madam Speaker, I look forward to bringing forward that policy in the coming months.
Mr MILLS to CHIEF MINISTER
You promised the Police Association to consider a review of the police force. You have now had ample time to consider that review. Will you commit to a complete audit of our police force and, if so, when?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, in answer to that question, what we have achieved is a negotiation with the Commonwealth for an extra 95 police officers, to be funded by the Commonwealth, to the Northern Territory ...
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! It was specifically in relation to the consideration of the review that was committed to; specifically, no other consideration, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Minister has only just begun answering the question.
Mr HENDERSON: To answer the question, one has to put the question into context. At the time I made a commitment to consider a review, it was many months prior to discussions with the Commonwealth about additional police resources for the Northern Territory. Any review that would be commissioned without understanding what those additional Commonwealth resources are, not only for new resources, the 95 extra police officers the Commonwealth will fund for the Northern Territory Police Force, but at the time there was no certainty about Commonwealth funding going forward for the 60 police officers who were funded by the Commonwealth in terms of additional police in the bush.
Since that time when the Police Association made that call, we now have certainty going forward for 150 additional police - the 60 ongoing and the 90 new that are coming. I will continue to discuss this issue with the Police Association, but police resources have been boosted significantly, way above the ambitions of many people in the police force who are very happy with the additional commitment from the Commonwealth, which will certainly relieve a lot of pressure on the police force in the Northern Territory.
Mr GUNNER to MINISTER for ESSENTIAL SERVICES
How is the Henderson government assisting Territory households with their power bills? Are you aware of any alternative policies?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Fannie Bay for his question. Chief Minister, I know of one former police officer who is looking for a job - the member for Drysdale. So of those 90 new police officers, perhaps there is a job there for you, Rosco, after you were stabbed in the back by the Leader of the Opposition ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, can you come to the point please?
Mr KNIGHT: I am, Madam Speaker. As members and Territorians would be aware, it has been this government investing in the Power and Water Corporation, with $1.7bn over five years into infrastructure. Let us have a bit of a chat about the Power and Water Corporation and its history. Our position is to grow Power and Water; to build it and expand it to cater for the growth of the Northern Territory, our economy, our business growth and our population growth. In 2000, the then CLP government proposed to sell off the Power and Water Authority, to privatise a public utility. That would have meant, in today’s terms, a tripling of the power costs, a tripling of the water costs, and a tripling of the sewerage charges. That policy still exists with the CLP.
Their plan is to privatise the Power and Water Corporation, and what that means for Territory businesses and for Territorians is higher power prices, higher water prices, higher sewerage charges, and a lack of investment ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order! Member for Fong Lim!
Mr KNIGHT: Madam Speaker, through this government, we have the second-lowest power prices in the country; we have the lowest water charges in the country and the lowest sewerage charges in the country. We provide $61m each year to provide these subsidies to every single household ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr KNIGHT: ... some $820 ...
Madam SPEAKER: Order! The member for Fong Lim will cease interjecting!
Mr KNIGHT: ... per household we are providing to reduce the cost of living in the Northern Territory. Under a CLP government, you would see higher power prices ...
Mr Westra van Holthe interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Katherine!
Mr KNIGHT: ... you would see higher water charges and your cost of living would go up. Those subsidies I previously mentioned for seniors would not exist. Senior Territorians, the general public, and the business community especially, would be slugged by this privatisation plan of the CLP.
Mr Elferink: Have a look at this from Lasseters bill, and talk about the business community, sunshine.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Port Darwin!
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for CONSTRUCTION referred to MINISTER for LANDS and PLANNING
A contract was recently awarded in February to Downer EDI Works Limited for the repair and resurfacing of Hughes Airstrip south of Noonamah. Could you explain why this is being repaired and resurfaced? Is Hughes Airstrip now heritage listed? Does the government have any plans to develop the airstrip?
Madam Speaker, that question may also go to the minister for Heritage, because the contract is under the Department of Construction and Infrastructure, but it may be on behalf of Heritage, I am not sure.
Madam SPEAKER: Can I ascertain which minister it goes to?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I am honoured to answer that question from the member for Nelson to talk about what is a heritage-listed airstrip. As the member for Nelson alluded to, the contract was let and has been completed. It was a resurface/repair of the Hughes Airstrip. The reason for that is NRETAS use it as a strategic point for their bushfire fighting. It is a place they have chosen to land their water bombers and work their strategic plans for fighting Dry Season fires in the greater Darwin area. The contract was awarded to Downer EDI and was completed at the end of February 2012. That is the reason for it. The scope of work was repair and resurfacing.
Mr CONLAN to CHIEF MINISTER
On ABC radio last week, your Police Commissioner said of the demand on police services in Alice Springs:
How much do you expect demand to rise, and how will you cope with that extra demand?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the Police Commissioner was talking in the context of the law and order issues in Alice Springs. As the Alice Springs population grows, along with any population growth, you will see an increase in all types of activity, unfortunately, including incidents of antisocial behaviour and crime. In the context of population growth, that is a consequence of population growth virtually anywhere in the world.
The Police Commissioner has also said that the best tool they have to fight crime and antisocial behaviour in the Northern Territory is our alcohol reforms - alcohol reforms that have seen, across the Northern Territory since 1 July, a drop in alcohol-related assaults. These are reforms the opposition would scrap. The opposition’s policy on crime is to turn the tap back on, to increase the amount of alcohol sold in Alice Springs ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Once again, we have asked a very specific question seeking a specific answer. Again, he is straying and is not consistent with Standing Order 113. We urge that he be directed back to the question or not answer it.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, it is quite a general question. The Chief Minister appears to be answering the question, but if you can come closer to the question asked, thank you.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, we are talking about policing numbers. We would certainly need more police numbers in Alice Springs if the CLP was ever to get into power and increase the amount of alcohol sold in Alice Springs. More alcohol equals more crime. More alcohol equals more antisocial behaviour. If you have more crime and more antisocial behaviour, you need more police. We know there is a link between alcohol, antisocial behaviour and crime. The member for Sanderson denies that. He has said that there is no link between alcohol …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question was: how much do you expect demand to rise and how will you cope with that extra demand? This is not talking about CLP’s what-ifs.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, you can resume your seat.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, I have answered the question in the context the Police Commissioner was talking about. Unfortunately, he is not here to answer the question; that was his answer.
I point out that the CLP’s policy is to increase the sale of alcohol, to see more alcohol consumed in Alice Springs that would lead to more violence, more crime, more women being assaulted and bashed, and more kids being neglected. That is their policy; it is a shameful policy and would certainly need more police to mop up.
Ms SCRYMGOUR to MINISTER for TRANSPORT
How is the government supporting Territorians through our public transport network? Are you aware of any alternative policies in this area?
Mr Tollner interjecting.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: The member for Fong Lim should listen!
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this government has a very strong record of supporting Territorians. I am very proud to be part of the work that goes into supporting Territorians with public transport. As you heard from the Chief Minister, we lead the nation with free public transport for students, seniors, pensioners and carers. That is an amazing initiative and receives much comment around this nation.
I take great interest in public transport across the Northern Territory, and I am very aware of our public transport policies and the support and development that goes into it. I have to ask whether there are any alternatives, so get the typewriters ticking over there, because we, and Territorians, are interested in what you propose.
There are some good initiatives you might like to pick up on though, such as maintaining what we have: people with cards that represent the Australian government Pensioner and Concession Card, the NT government Pensioner and Carer Concession Card, the NT government Senior Card, other state or territory government senior cards, a person presenting with a Vision Impairment Travel Pass, and a person presenting any Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card.
Each year, we provide free buses to events, and we are very proud of this. There are a number of good outcomes: not only does it take cars off the road and reduce congestion at events, but it also delivers a great green outcome. Each year we provide free buses to transport members of the public to and from special events such as the NTFL grand final; Harmony Day Soiree; National Rugby League and AFL games; Australian Superbike Championships;, the V8 Supercars; Anzac Day Dawn Service; Freds Pass Show; Fogg Dam Conservation Field Day; Alice Springs Show and Royal Darwin Show; BassintheGrass; the Darwin Cup; Ladies Day and Palmerston Sprint; the Darwin Festival; and a special initiative, the Starlight Express, which has a very added road safety aspect in the Christmas/New Year period, from the CBD, from party central, for Territorians to get home safely and to not drink and drive. We are very proud of that.
Regarding alternatives, I also challenge the others to put out a policy to match our Regional Integrated Transport Strategy. This is a significant investment of $3.1m over three years which is getting some fantastic results. It is developing business models in the bush. So, alternatives - you better get the typewriters ticking on that one, ladies and gentleman, because we are prepared to continue this and all Territorians, regional and remote, are celebrating it ...
Mr MILLS to MINISTER for HEALTH
With reference to your plan for a Palmerston Hospital, if a person has a medical emergency after 8 pm that requires surgical intervention, will they be able to receive surgical treatment at the Palmerston Hospital, or will they be directed straight to Royal Darwin Hospital?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it depends on the situation. If it is a minor one, it will be addressed on the spot. If it is not, it probably has to be transported to our primary hospital, the Royal Darwin Hospital. That is a decision made by the doctors, not by ministers.
Mr GUNNER to MINISTER for HEALTH
Maintaining good health is important for Territory families and requires good access to quality primary healthcare and general practitioners. Can you please update the House on the support super clinics provide to Territory families?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, there is no doubt our government is committed to providing quality healthcare for all Territory families. We know very well that if you access a GP easily, you will stay healthy; you will stay out of hospital. Unfortunately, the number of the GPs in the Territory is half the per 100 000 population that it is for Sydney or Melbourne. Our government is delivering more GPs by providing integrated multidisciplinary care for support for the GP super clinic.
The Palmerston Super Clinic has assisted over 30 000 people since the daytime service opened nearly 18 months ago, and the after-hours clinic has assisted 33 000 people. This morning, I heard the Leader of the Opposition talking about the Farrar Medical Centre providing a service and then this government offered them something that was not what they expected. The super clinic provides care for people in Palmerston seven days a week, from 8 am until 6 pm, and the after-hours clinic from 6 pm until 8 am.
Apart from doctors, the super clinic in Palmerston provides a women’s health clinic that was not provided in Farrar; an Indigenous Closing the Gap clinic that was not provided in Farrar; mental health services, respiratory services, psychology, family planning and pathology collection. Yes, it was not what they expected; they got more than they expected.
In addition to that, a number of outpatient specialist clinics from RDH are now held at the super clinic to provide extra services to people in Palmerston.
Because of the success of the Palmerston Super Clinic, we are negotiating with providers to apply to the Commonwealth for assistance and authorisation to open a super clinic in the northern suburbs. We believe it is vital for people to be able to access GPs, and also bulkbilling for families. The super clinic in Palmerston provides bulkbilling for families with children under 16, and for senior Territorians. Despite our efforts, we know we are not going to have enough GPs in the next few years. Despite the medical school graduates, despite the people we are trying to attract, despite the initiatives by the Commonwealth, they are not coming here for various reasons. The GP super clinic is one way to provide essential services to Territorians in Palmerston and in Darwin, an integrated service, available to all Territorians at a cost-effective price.
Mr MILLS to MINISTER for HEALTH
As a local member in Palmerston and being involved in this area for some time, I still think there is a need for some clarification and reassurance for the Palmerston community. So if I organise a community forum that includes Palmerston and rural residents to give you an opportunity to clearly explain your plans for your hospital in Palmerston, and to get feedback from local families on the level of service that will be provided, the location and access, and the long-term needs of the region, will you attend that public forum?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I would thank the member for organising the forum, but it is too little, too late. We have already had three meetings with the Palmerston City Council to discuss the Palmerston Hospital. We have had meetings with senior citizens in Palmerston to discuss this issue …
Mr Mills: I was there.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: … and we had meetings with clinicians and stakeholders. There is another one in April, and I call on you to attend that forum, because we have already had too many forums. As minister, I cannot tell the people what services are to be at the hospital. The clinicians provide advice regarding what services are to be at the hospital.
We have canvassed the opinions of the local residents in the rural area and in Palmerston, and the clinicians. The local member must be the only local member in Australia who does not want something to be built quickly in his electorate. Our intention, and we have said it all along, is to deliver a 60-bed hospital in Palmerston by 2016, and we will do it. We have enough space for the first stage. My instructions were clear – no single-storey hospital. We want a multistorey hospital with the ability to expand in the future. There is additional land for the hospital to reach Stage 2 and Stage 3 as the rural area and Palmerston expand.
I am dismayed that the local member complains about the government delivering a hospital in his electorate too quickly ...
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, have you completed your answer?
Mr VATSKALIS: Yes, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: You have, so there is no point of order.
Ms WALKER to MINISTER for NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENT and HERITAGE
Can you please inform the House how the Henderson government is supporting Territorians to reduce their energy consumption?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nhulunbuy for her very good question. One key way Territorians can minimise this pressure on the family and business budget is through energy efficiency. Energy-saving items in the home are a simple way to save money, save power, and help the environment. A family can save up to $300 per year on power bills by using selected energy items in the Energy Smart Rebate NT scheme. The Northern Territory government is providing households with a rebate of 50%, or up to $200, off the purchase and/or installation price of selected energy-saving devices. Items available for rebate include power boards, energy efficient light globes, timers, power usage meters, fridge and freezer seals, and many more.
It is easy to get an Energy Smart Rebate and I will go through the steps for you. Step 1 is to choose from the approved list of Energy Smart items. Step 2 is to purchase and install items from the list – remember to keep your receipts. Step 3 is to complete the rebate application form and scan or post in your receipts. Territory families can apply online for the rebate at energysmart.nt.gov.au.
For small- and medium-sized businesses, ecoBiz NT is an environmental partnership program that helps Territory businesses reduce their electricity bills. ecoBiz is expert at helping small businesses make savings that directly increase profits. On a 5% margin, $1000 of savings equals $20 000 in new sales annually.
Additionally, Power and Water is providing a once-off deduction of $100 to participating businesses. The Territory government also supports community groups like COOLmob, which does a fantastic job running programs to help Territory families and businesses save money on power bills.
Dr BURNS (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Container Deposit Scheme – Analysis Undertaken
Mr CHANDLER to MINISTER for NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENT and HERITAGE
A number of years ago, Associate Professor Ram Vemuri from the CDU prepared a report into the sustainability of a container deposit scheme. At that time your government appeared to support a national scheme. When you developed the current container deposit legislation can you advise if this report was referred to? Can you advise what other analysis was undertaken prior to CDL being introduced; and will you table that advice, including all recommendations?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Brennan for his question. It is quite clear he is going to get bogged down in reports and the past and what their solution is for Cash for Containers. We know they want to scrap it. He stated that ...
Members interjecting.
Mr Tollner: We have a solution. Not like you, you drongo.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order! Member for Fong Ling, I ask you to withdraw that comment, please.
Mr TOLLNER: I withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you very much.
Mr HAMPTON: Thank you, member for Fong Lim.
Madam Speaker, we on this side of the House support Cash for Containers because we know Territorians want cash for their containers. It is as simple as that. We are not going back on that. We are pushing ahead. In fact, we are going to expand Cash for Containers and depots, particularly in Darwin. We know there is a reverse vending machine opening up very soon in Parap. There will be one in Millingimbi. The member for Arnhem will be very happy to know about the expansion of …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question is quite succinct. It refers to the Ram Vemuri report. Has the minister seen it …
Ms Lawrie: Superseded by a parliamentary inquiry.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Elferink: So you know about it?
Ms Lawrie: Superseded by a parliamentary inquiry.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ELFERINK: The question we have, Madam Speaker, is: has he seen the report and will he table it? How hard is that?
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, please come to the point.
Mr HAMPTON: Madam Speaker, there have been many reports done and there has been much discussion at ministerial council meetings, especially over the last four years I have been minister. Do we have a national scheme? Has anyone taken notice of those reports? No, that is why we are pushing ahead with it in the Northern Territory. We are not going to wait for the rest of the country to base their scheme on a report ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question is specific: has he seen the report and was it considered as part of this scheme? That is all we are asking.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, come to the point of the question, please.
Mr HAMPTON: Sure, Madam Speaker. What I am saying is there have been many reports done. We are pushing ahead with it because we know Territorians want cash for containers. It has been discussed at the national level for many years. We are not waiting for a national scheme. We set up a working group in the Northern Territory, which the CLP did not want to be a part of, and shame on them, absolute shame ...
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Relevance. The minister was asked a question about a specific report, whether he would table that specific report, and whether he considered that specific report - not a rant on everything else.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Minister, can you come to the specifics of the question? Or I will ask you to resume your seat.
Mr HAMPTON: Thank you, Madam Speaker. This wonderful scheme in the Northern Territory, which is important for Territorians to know, was created by Territory parliamentarians: the member for Nelson and government members. The CLP did not want to be a part of that. They do not want to be a part of Cash for Containers. They want to scrap it ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
Palmerston Hospital – Planning Progress
Mr GUNNER to CHIEF MINISTER
The Leader of the Opposition is calling on the Henderson government to slow down the planning for the Palmerston Hospital. Can you please update the House on the progress of plans for the new hospital for Palmerston and the rural community?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Fannie Bay for his question. I was aghast reading the transcripts this morning that a local member from Palmerston is complaining that the government is progressing too quickly with the planning for the Palmerston Hospital, telling us to slow it down. I do not know if he spoke to his other colleagues, the member for Drysdale or the member for Brennan. I do not know if you know the Leader of the Opposition was on the radio this morning calling on us to slow it down. We will not be doing that because Palmerston residents want this hospital. We have reached an agreement with the Australian government to fund the hospital for Palmerston and we are getting on with the job of delivering it.
Our planning and consultation has been extensive. We have had a survey which residents responded to; a community leadership group with Palmerston City Council has been meeting regularly; Palmerston seniors are really excited about this hospital; we have held workshops with clinicians and community stakeholders; and concept plans are being developed. But the Leader of the Opposition says: ‘Slow it down. You are going too fast’.
We know at the last election the CLP had a gammon Palmerston hospital policy, because their gammon hospital was not going to be delivered until 2025. I will be taking my old pension by then. The date they committed to was 2025. I can assure the residents of Palmerston that the hospital will be open well before 2025 and we are working hard on delivering it.
The Leader of the Opposition has also called for Royal Darwin Hospital to be scaled back to a secondary hospital. He was on the radio a few months ago saying Royal Darwin Hospital needs to be scaled back to a secondary hospital. Now he wants Palmerston Hospital delayed. So, we are going to scale back Royal Darwin Hospital and you want to delay Palmerston Hospital. It is no wonder the Leader of the Opposition does not have a health policy. The CLP is all over the place. It has no vision and no commitment. The Karl Marx manifesto from the member Port Darwin does not even mention health. That shows where the axe is going to fall. If the CLP is to achieve government in August this year, the axe will fall on health, the axe will fall on education, and the axe will fall in the bush. No mention of Indigenous, no mention of education, no mention of health - that is where the cuts are going to come.
We are proud to be working to progress the Palmerston Hospital as quickly as we possibly can.
__________________
Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the former member for Katherine, Mrs Fay Miller. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a warm welcome and congratulations on your possible election as the Mayor of Katherine.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of staff from the Department of Construction and Infrastructure. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you also a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
__________________
Cash for Containers – Recommendations Not to Introduce Scheme
Mr CHANDLER to MINISTER for NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENT and HERITAGE
Can you confirm if any of the reports that you have written or have read recommended not to introduce the container deposit scheme based on economic and social grounds? If so, why did your government ignore these recommendations?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr Giles: Send them out, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: I would like to say, member for Braitling, your voice was much louder than any others. .
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Brennan for his question. I love answering questions on Cash for Containers. I have toured around the Territory. I do not know about the member for Brennan, who likes to stay in his air-conditioned office and his suit, but I have toured around the Territory. I have been to Tennant Creek, Nhulunbuy and Aputula. One thing I know from my visits throughout the Northern Territory is that Cash for Containers is what Territorians want ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: the answer has to be succinct and directly relevant to the question. He is not even going close to trying to answer these questions. All we want is specific information. Can he answer the question?
Members interjecting.
Ms LAWRIE: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker, I am sure there are plenty of beverage industry-funded reports out there which do not want Cash for Containers, just like the CLP.
Members interjecting.
_____________________
Suspension of Member
Member for Karama
Suspension of Member
Member for Karama
Madam SPEAKER: Treasurer, that was a frivolous point of order. I ask you to leave the Chamber for one hour pursuant to Standing Order 240A.
___________________
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, can you please come to the point. So far in your answer you have not come to the point. Minister, you need to come to the point now or I will ask you to resume your seat. Come to the point, please.
Mr HAMPTON: Yes, Madam Speaker. There have been many reports done on Cash for Containers, at a national level as well as in the Northern Territory. The one report I do take notice of is the report from the working group set up by this Legislative Assembly, made up of members of parliament in the Northern Territory, who looked at the financial model, the regionalisation model, and the legal model that suits the Northern Territory. That is the report I look at. That is the report that has put together our model.
I am not going to go back and rewrite history, as the member for Brennan does, and go into the past. We are about a vision for the Northern Territory, getting on with Cash for Containers, expanding Cash for Containers, and not scrapping it ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: I think the minister has completed his answer.
Territory Families – Government Support
Ms SCRYMGOUR to CHIEF MINISTER
Can you please update the House on how this government is supporting Territory families?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for her very important question. Support for Territory families is, front and centre, a major issue for my government. We all know the cost of living in the Northern Territory has been high for two primary reasons: our remoteness and our lack of competition in a smaller marketplace. Ultimately, the best way to drive down prices is to increase competition. That is why we are absolutely focused on growing the economy, creating jobs, creating opportunities - as opposed to the CLP which has a one-page economy policy which aims to slash the Territory government budget and throw hundreds of people out of work.
Territorians want wages up and prices down. There are some encouraging signs. The latest ABS average weekly earnings in the Territory is rising at 8.3% annually, well above inflation at 2.4%. Of course, I recognise not every Territory family is seeing that type of wage growth. That is why we are supporting Territorians with the most generous concessions and grants in the country - housing concessions the CLP would scrap. We have already heard the CLP make a policy commitment to return housing to the marketplace; they would scrap all of our housing assistance schemes, driving the cost of housing up in the Northern Territory. We have electricity concessions, senior concessions, education and childcare concessions, and the lowest taxes for small business in the country.
A total of 74 000 Territory households receive an average annual discount of $820 on their electricity bill. Some 23 800 Territorians receive senior concessions; we are not sure if there is anywhere else in the world that provides free flights for seniors. Over 4000 children and their families benefit from our childcare subsidy; and approximately 40 000 $75 Back to School Bonus vouchers were distributed to Territory families this year. We are the only place in Australia with free public transport for students and seniors - that was an election commitment delivered and it is one I receive much positive comment on. We have delivered super clinics which cut the costs of healthcare. The opposition has committed to scrapping the super clinics, which would drive up the cost of healthcare to Territorians.
It is these types of spending initiatives the CLP is determined to cut if it was to come to budget. Their only economic policy is to bring the budget back into surplus within four years. It would cut these concession schemes, cut the public service, and would have to jack up taxes to be able to achieve that. That is the issue, front and centre. The CLP is about shrinking the economy. We are about growing the economy and creating jobs.
Cash for Containers – Costs to Territorians
Mr CHANDLER to MINISTER for NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENT and HERITAGE
Yesterday, you promised you would find out how much more Territorians have paid for containers compared to the amount in dollar terms returned to them in redeemed deposits ...
Mr Knight: No, he did not.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr CHANDLER: What is the dollar amount between what has been spent and what has been returned?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question again. As I said yesterday, I will take that question on notice. The scheme is just over two months old ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Mr Hampton: I have only had five seconds to answer it.
Mr ELFERINK: The minister has already answered the question. Whatever follows from this point on is just gumph.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, do you have more information to add to what you have just said?
Mr HAMPTON: I have, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Just keep fairly well to the point then.
Mr HAMPTON: Yes. As I said, the scheme is just over two months old. In the legislation we have committed to a three–month report. A lot of information and data is being collected by depots, through coordinators ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question is very specific. The letter that you gave to us indicated that you wanted us to be very specific in what we did and restrict ourselves as to the rules of this House. We have deliberately asked very specific questions in line with the letter you sent. I ask that the answers should also be as specific as required by Standing Order 113.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you very much.
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, speaking to the point of order, the minister did say yesterday he would take that question on notice. Now he is elaborating a time frame around that notice, so it is relevant.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, is there very much more you have to say? Otherwise you could resume your seat.
Mr HAMPTON: If I did not keep getting interjections, Madam Speaker, I might be able to speak.
Madam SPEAKER: Only if it is relevant to the question, thank you.
Mr HAMPTON: Let me answer it, member for Port Darwin. I am saying that it is in the legislation. Have a look. There is a three-monthly report due out very soon of the data and some of the questions. The one thing that is clear is that we are going to stand up to the beverage industry. I have written to them about the prices they are putting on containers ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, I ask you to resume your seat, thank you.
Cash for Containers – Waste Management Plans
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENT and HERITAGE
In your second reading speech regarding the Cash for Containers legislation in November last year, you said that an approval to supply beverage containers in the Territory is subject to the requirements, and that an effective waste management plan is in place for a container. A waste management arrangement for containers includes transparent processes for receiving and paying refund amounts and handling costs.
How many suppliers have you written to telling them that you intend to suspend their supply approval because they do not have an ongoing effective and appropriate waste management plan and therefore the right to sell products in the NT? Which suppliers have you written to? If still nothing has happened, when are you going to force these beverage companies to the table by suspending their approval to sell their products in the NT so the issue of a reasonable handling fee can be sorted out once and for all?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his very sensible question on Cash for Containers. As I stated yesterday and today, the government is fully committed to Cash for Containers because we know Territorians want it. I am not sitting back letting this thing go to ground like the opposition is.
It is a matter of legislative fact that all coordinators and depots understand that they can operate under approvals that have consequences for non-compliance. That is a very important point. We have a market-based scheme so the commercial relationship between depots and coordinators is critical. Undoubtedly, there are some difficulties with commercial relationships and between some of the depots and some of the coordinators. I have seen and heard that firsthand through the mediation and my briefing with Tom Pauling. I would be cautious in assuming that there is fault only on one side, based only on the assertions from other parties and their disputes. These are difficult disputes and they are about commercial relationships.
The department and I have been working methodically through those issues where it looks like something is amiss on either side of the dispute, and we have been willing to act – that is very important. For example, where concerns were raised by regional collection depots that one of the coordinators was not answering e-mails and not answering phone calls, I have written to that coordinator reminding them of their obligations ...
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I do not think he is being particularly relevant here. He was asked about how many letters he sent out and how many threats he has made to suspend their rights to sell products. Now he is getting onto a story about something completely different.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, I would have to say, it was a very long question. In fact, it had about five different questions. Minister, I do not know what the answer is, that is the other thing, but if you can answer the question as closely as possible to the one which the member for Nelson has asked.
Mr HAMPTON: I am getting there, Madam Speaker, for sure. I am trying to give examples relating to the question asked by the member for Nelson, to give practical examples of what we are doing. One example was the issues raised by regional collection depots. I said that I have written to one of those coordinators reminding them of their obligations and indicating a show cause process could be instigated if the response is not satisfactory. In the case of NTRS, there were practical issues regarding delivery of containers that were of concern to a number of coordinators. My department has made a firm offer to oversee audits of those deliveries as long as it takes for those relationships to bed down and, equally, remind coordinators of their obligations.
Education – Government Initiatives
Mr GUNNER to MINISTER for EDUCATION and TRAINING
Can you please inform the House of the Henderson government’s initiatives that support Territorians to get a great education?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question. As I alluded to in the House yesterday, there is a record $930m budget for education this year, and an infrastructure spend, in toto, of around $516m. That includes Commonwealth BER funding over four years. The nitty-gritty of it is the Back to School payment scheme, as the Chief Minister said, $75 per student for 40 000 students throughout the Northern Territory. I know through attending many school council meetings and talking to many parents that this is a welcome support for Territory families, particularly at the beginning of the year when families have just been through Christmas and all that entails. Extending free transport for all school students has been well received across the Territory.
It was my pleasure to attend a function in Parliament House on Monday night for home-grown students in the Territory who received scholarships and cadetships. I was pleased to see the member for Katherine and the Treasurer attending the function. Fifty-five Territorians received teacher education scholarships. In talking with many of those families and individuals, they are very glad about that. One of them whispered to me that she could not do this particular study without that support. Forty-five Early Childhood Teacher scholarships were awarded, once again a very happy group. There were 20 Vocational Education and Training scholarships; and 30 Higher Education scholarships. I was approached by a lady who had had a complete career change. She was back at university and this scholarship enabled her to do that study. She was very grateful to, and complimentary of, government.
The top 10 Higher Education scholarships for our highest-achieving Year 12 students, and once again, Madam Speaker, it is great to see CDU, in terms of engineering, medicine and teaching, attracting the very best of our graduates. I believe it is a great thing for the Territory.
Childcare subsidy: as we know, we are the only jurisdiction in Australia offering such a subsidy, and we have 4000 children in 80 childcare centres in the Territory. It represents around $4.2m per year, which equates to about $1400 per full-time child per year. It is unique. We know the Commonwealth has ultimate responsibility for childcare in Australia, including the Northern Territory, but we are the only government offering this support for Territory families.
The CLP is light on policy and quick on criticism. We want to know what the CLP is going to drop. It wants to bring the budget ...
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Relevance: the minister was asked a question about what his government is doing. He was not asked a question about what we are doing.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Fong Lim! Time has expired; resume your seat.
Daly River – Blue Mud Bay Decision Costs
Mr ELFERINK to CHIEF MINISTER
When you announced the Daly River Blue Mud Bay agreement, you said that details of costings would be contained in the budget. Yesterday, you said full costings would not be released until the entire agreement had been concluded. My very specific question is: will the final costs of the deal be released before the Territory election and, if not, why not?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I absolutely put on the public record again today that if the Blue Mud Bay deal is completed, and I have every confidence it will be, by 1 July this year, all the costs associated with that will be made public.
Senior Territorians – Government Support
Mr GUNNER to MINISTER for SENIOR TERRITORIANS
Can you please update the House on how the government is supporting senior Territorians?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Fannie Bay for his question. He has a great number of seniors in his electorate. It has been this government that is delivering for senior Territorians. We have the most generous schemes in the Northern Territory for seniors. As the Chief Minister said, there are some 23 000 members of the Pensioner and Carer Concession Scheme in the Northern Territory, which is the most generous scheme in Australia. It is for eligible carers, seniors, aged war veterans, and also pensioners and low income superannuants. Every year since coming to government we have been committed to this scheme and to expanding it.
On the other side of the House, there is no policy in this area. We have a commitment to slash the budget, so this scheme is on the chopping board. What is on the chopping board is concessions worth up to $1500 for seniors, for electricity and water subsidies, council rate subsidies, sewerage subsidies, and motor vehicle registration subsidies. These concessions for seniors are all on the chopping board if the CLP ever comes to office.
Under a Labor government, seniors will get free driver’s licences, free proof of ID, free public transport, concessions on interstate and overseas travel, free spectacles, and also stamp duty on the sale of their house. These concessions benefit senior Territorians, the people who have looked after Australia and the Northern Territory. These types of assistance are on the chopping board under the CLP. All these concessions are up for grabs. There is not a word from the other side of the House. They know what they are up to as far as slashing the budget ...
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The minister was asked what the government is doing for senior Territorians. He was not asked what the Country Liberals would do or what the opposition’s plans are. I ask you to call him to be relevant.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, can you come to the point in answering the question, thank you.
Mr KNIGHT: Madam Speaker, the questioner does not seem to be too disturbed with my answer.
These are the concessions that support senior Territorians. This Henderson Labor government and the Labor governments over the last 10 years has supported senior Territorians. All these schemes that support senior Territorians are on the chopping block. Every seniors organisation and every senior in the Territory should be paying close attention to what the CLP is going to do, to slash the subsidies and concessions they receive. Every single person on the other side there knows what is on the chopping block for senior Territorians.
Chemical Plant Site
Mr WOOD to CHIEF MINISTER
In the NT News yesterday, Tuesday, 27 March, there was a heading: ‘Chemical giant backs Darwin for major international gas hub’. It was reported that US-based Dow Chemical has entered into a three-year program with CDU to support research and training at the North Australian Centre for Oil and Gas. The building of a multibillion dollar chemical plant in Darwin was again mentioned. Can you tell this parliament where your government would site a multibillion dollar chemical plant? Would it be Darwin Harbour, Glyde Point or elsewhere?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. I thank Andrew Liveris and Dow Chemical for their very generous support of Charles Darwin University. I met with Mr Liveris - I have met him on many occasions - and it is great to see his support for our university. We have been talking to Dow Chemical for some time, but at this stage there is no current proposal before us.
There are many issues regarding the federal government taxation settings on how petroleum is taxed that would have to be resolved before any such commercial proposal could come to the Northern Territory. However, we would be very keen to make that happen. I have made public comment that I believe it is time for the federal government to look at those taxation settings in regard to facilitating downstream processing of petroleum products in Australia.
Our government has recently released our Greater Darwin Region Land Use Plan. In that document, Gunn Point is identified as a potential site for such facilities in the future. We are being proactive. There are many issues here. When we first started talking to INPEX, there was no potential of that project ever materialising - and it certainly has. When INPEX was first talked about, the Leader of the Opposition said it was a 19th century project that did not belong in Darwin. He actually wrote to everyone in the northern suburbs …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question was specifically aimed at the location of any future plant. It had no reference at all to INPEX or, for that matter, the Leader of the Opposition. Standing Order 113 again.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, if you could come to the point.
Mr HENDERSON: I will absolutely come to the point. The point is, if you want to secure opportunities like downstream processing for petroleum products, you have to be aggressive in seeking those opportunities, not trying to scare Territorians by writing to everyone in the northern suburbs saying the INPEX project belonged in the 19th century ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Mr Henderson: I know the member for Port Darwin does not like to hear this.
Mr ELFERINK: The same standing order. The minister is not answering the question and has not answered the question. If he does not have an answer, he should just give the floor to someone else who has a serious question to have answered.
Madam SPEAKER: Resume your seat. Chief Minister, if you could just come to the point, please.
Mr HENDERSON: I was asked if we had received such a proposal, where would the project go. I have said that we have identified, through our Darwin Area Land Use Plan, that Gunn Point is a potential site for such projects. Such projects do not occur without vision, hard work, and a passion for securing investment into the Territory. The Opposition Leader does not have that. He has no vision for the Northern Territory; he has no policies for the Northern Territory ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Mr HENDERSON: ... his economic policy is on one page.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Mr ELFERINK: As a point of order, Madam Speaker, ministers are being asked by you to come to the point, and they repeatedly do not. I ask that you direct these ministers to either answer the questions or sit down.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, thank you very much for your advice. I probably do not need it. You should bear in mind that I do not know what the answers are, so when I am listening to the answer I am trying to listen to whether or not it seems relevant to me. That is the way I make the decision.
Police Force - Overnight Activity, 27 March 2012
Mr MILLS to CHIEF MINISTER
Last night in Darwin there were 314 calls to 000; 703 additional emergency calls; 24 arrests; 45 protective custodies; 41 assaults; and 103 disturbances. Watch Commander Garry Smith said on radio this morning that it was a: ‘... relatively sedate overnight period’. If that was sedate, what does a busy night look like? Do you agree with Watch Commander Garry Smith?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this type of question goes to show how hollow and shallow the Leader of the Opposition is, in no policy, no vision for the Northern Territory, no confidence in the Northern Territory going forward …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question was: do you agree with Watch Commander Garry Smith? All we are hearing is the start of a three-minute tirade about the Leader of the Opposition. Does he agree with the Watch Commander or not?
Madam SPEAKER: Resume your seat, member for Port Darwin. The Chief Minister has had about five seconds into the question. It is hard for me to be able to judge at this point.
Mr HENDERSON: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I will check those statistics with police to see if they are accurate. The Leader of the Opposition has form coming in here quoting from police sources that turned out to be wrong. However, if that was the level of activity last night it shows the police are doing their job - and a very difficult job they do throughout the Northern Territory on a nightly basis. In the Top End we talk a lot about Alice Springs, In Alice Springs, 90% of all police activity is alcohol-related ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! We have made these questions specifically tight so they can have very short or comprehensive answers. I ask that Standing Order 113 be applied. We are not talking about Alice Springs.
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I point out that, under Standing Order 112(3)(a), ministers should not be asked for an expression of an opinion. That was expressly asked in that question.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, I will call you. Come to the specifics of the question as much as you are able to.
Mr HENDERSON: I will come to the point. I have a lot of respect and time for Superintendent Garry Smith. If he said it was a relatively quiet night across Darwin then it probably was.
Women in the Territory – Government’s Plans
Ms SCRYMGOUR to MINISTER for WOMEN’S POLICY
Yesterday, you tabled the second and final report outlining achievements under the Northern Territory government’s Building On our Strengths: A Framework for Action for Women in the Northern Territory 2008-2012. Could you please outline to the House how the Henderson government plans to progress key issues for Territory women into the future?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for her question. Following the successful celebrations of the Centenary of International Women’s Day last year and most recently the International Women’s Day event earlier this month, it was good to spend some time with a number of women at the Convention Centre at lunchtime as we looked at the policy beyond 2012 when the current policy expires.
The Office of Women’s Policy has met with a number of women in Alice Springs and Darwin, with forums in each of those places and has received feedback from across the Territory. The dominant themes emerging are the need for transparency and accountability in all government reporting, including sex and gender data collection and analysis. I expect that to be very much a part of our A Working Future policy as we look at the SDCU and the work that it does in growing the regions and ensuring that while we want to see that data across the public service, we need to ensure that what we are growing in the regions in terms of the towns shows very much the data in relation to women and the hopes and vision that we have for all women across the Northern Territory.
Some of the other themes include women’s economic and financial security being impacted by the barriers women face in workforce participation, enabling pathways, and identifying mechanisms for government to increase women’s representation in all aspects of public life.
Part of the thinking coming through is that specific action plans need to be developed to improve governance, women’s leadership and participation. I take note of the new Mayor of Katherine who is here as one of those new leaders in local government. We are very proud of the first term of the shires in terms of women’s representation in leadership and also at the CEO level.
Some of the issues coming through include the fact that government boards in the Northern Territory sit at 32%, which shows no change since 2008, although it did rise briefly in 2009 and 2010 to 34%, Women’s representation in the Northern Territory parliament has fallen since 2010, which saw an all-time high of nine women in the Legislative Assembly from 2008 to 2010.
Madam Speaker, I look forward to bringing forward that policy in the coming months.
Police Force – Request for Review
Mr MILLS to CHIEF MINISTER
You promised the Police Association to consider a review of the police force. You have now had ample time to consider that review. Will you commit to a complete audit of our police force and, if so, when?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, in answer to that question, what we have achieved is a negotiation with the Commonwealth for an extra 95 police officers, to be funded by the Commonwealth, to the Northern Territory ...
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! It was specifically in relation to the consideration of the review that was committed to; specifically, no other consideration, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Minister has only just begun answering the question.
Mr HENDERSON: To answer the question, one has to put the question into context. At the time I made a commitment to consider a review, it was many months prior to discussions with the Commonwealth about additional police resources for the Northern Territory. Any review that would be commissioned without understanding what those additional Commonwealth resources are, not only for new resources, the 95 extra police officers the Commonwealth will fund for the Northern Territory Police Force, but at the time there was no certainty about Commonwealth funding going forward for the 60 police officers who were funded by the Commonwealth in terms of additional police in the bush.
Since that time when the Police Association made that call, we now have certainty going forward for 150 additional police - the 60 ongoing and the 90 new that are coming. I will continue to discuss this issue with the Police Association, but police resources have been boosted significantly, way above the ambitions of many people in the police force who are very happy with the additional commitment from the Commonwealth, which will certainly relieve a lot of pressure on the police force in the Northern Territory.
Power Costs – Government Assistance for Households
Mr GUNNER to MINISTER for ESSENTIAL SERVICES
How is the Henderson government assisting Territory households with their power bills? Are you aware of any alternative policies?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Fannie Bay for his question. Chief Minister, I know of one former police officer who is looking for a job - the member for Drysdale. So of those 90 new police officers, perhaps there is a job there for you, Rosco, after you were stabbed in the back by the Leader of the Opposition ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, can you come to the point please?
Mr KNIGHT: I am, Madam Speaker. As members and Territorians would be aware, it has been this government investing in the Power and Water Corporation, with $1.7bn over five years into infrastructure. Let us have a bit of a chat about the Power and Water Corporation and its history. Our position is to grow Power and Water; to build it and expand it to cater for the growth of the Northern Territory, our economy, our business growth and our population growth. In 2000, the then CLP government proposed to sell off the Power and Water Authority, to privatise a public utility. That would have meant, in today’s terms, a tripling of the power costs, a tripling of the water costs, and a tripling of the sewerage charges. That policy still exists with the CLP.
Their plan is to privatise the Power and Water Corporation, and what that means for Territory businesses and for Territorians is higher power prices, higher water prices, higher sewerage charges, and a lack of investment ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order! Member for Fong Lim!
Mr KNIGHT: Madam Speaker, through this government, we have the second-lowest power prices in the country; we have the lowest water charges in the country and the lowest sewerage charges in the country. We provide $61m each year to provide these subsidies to every single household ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr KNIGHT: ... some $820 ...
Madam SPEAKER: Order! The member for Fong Lim will cease interjecting!
Mr KNIGHT: ... per household we are providing to reduce the cost of living in the Northern Territory. Under a CLP government, you would see higher power prices ...
Mr Westra van Holthe interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Katherine!
Mr KNIGHT: ... you would see higher water charges and your cost of living would go up. Those subsidies I previously mentioned for seniors would not exist. Senior Territorians, the general public, and the business community especially, would be slugged by this privatisation plan of the CLP.
Mr Elferink: Have a look at this from Lasseters bill, and talk about the business community, sunshine.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Port Darwin!
Hughes Airstrip – Contract for Repairs
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for CONSTRUCTION referred to MINISTER for LANDS and PLANNING
A contract was recently awarded in February to Downer EDI Works Limited for the repair and resurfacing of Hughes Airstrip south of Noonamah. Could you explain why this is being repaired and resurfaced? Is Hughes Airstrip now heritage listed? Does the government have any plans to develop the airstrip?
Madam Speaker, that question may also go to the minister for Heritage, because the contract is under the Department of Construction and Infrastructure, but it may be on behalf of Heritage, I am not sure.
Madam SPEAKER: Can I ascertain which minister it goes to?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I am honoured to answer that question from the member for Nelson to talk about what is a heritage-listed airstrip. As the member for Nelson alluded to, the contract was let and has been completed. It was a resurface/repair of the Hughes Airstrip. The reason for that is NRETAS use it as a strategic point for their bushfire fighting. It is a place they have chosen to land their water bombers and work their strategic plans for fighting Dry Season fires in the greater Darwin area. The contract was awarded to Downer EDI and was completed at the end of February 2012. That is the reason for it. The scope of work was repair and resurfacing.
Alice Springs - Police Resources
Mr CONLAN to CHIEF MINISTER
On ABC radio last week, your Police Commissioner said of the demand on police services in Alice Springs:
- I suspect that over time demand would continue to rise.
How much do you expect demand to rise, and how will you cope with that extra demand?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the Police Commissioner was talking in the context of the law and order issues in Alice Springs. As the Alice Springs population grows, along with any population growth, you will see an increase in all types of activity, unfortunately, including incidents of antisocial behaviour and crime. In the context of population growth, that is a consequence of population growth virtually anywhere in the world.
The Police Commissioner has also said that the best tool they have to fight crime and antisocial behaviour in the Northern Territory is our alcohol reforms - alcohol reforms that have seen, across the Northern Territory since 1 July, a drop in alcohol-related assaults. These are reforms the opposition would scrap. The opposition’s policy on crime is to turn the tap back on, to increase the amount of alcohol sold in Alice Springs ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Once again, we have asked a very specific question seeking a specific answer. Again, he is straying and is not consistent with Standing Order 113. We urge that he be directed back to the question or not answer it.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, it is quite a general question. The Chief Minister appears to be answering the question, but if you can come closer to the question asked, thank you.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, we are talking about policing numbers. We would certainly need more police numbers in Alice Springs if the CLP was ever to get into power and increase the amount of alcohol sold in Alice Springs. More alcohol equals more crime. More alcohol equals more antisocial behaviour. If you have more crime and more antisocial behaviour, you need more police. We know there is a link between alcohol, antisocial behaviour and crime. The member for Sanderson denies that. He has said that there is no link between alcohol …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question was: how much do you expect demand to rise and how will you cope with that extra demand? This is not talking about CLP’s what-ifs.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, you can resume your seat.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, I have answered the question in the context the Police Commissioner was talking about. Unfortunately, he is not here to answer the question; that was his answer.
I point out that the CLP’s policy is to increase the sale of alcohol, to see more alcohol consumed in Alice Springs that would lead to more violence, more crime, more women being assaulted and bashed, and more kids being neglected. That is their policy; it is a shameful policy and would certainly need more police to mop up.
Public Transport Network – Government Support for Territorians
Ms SCRYMGOUR to MINISTER for TRANSPORT
How is the government supporting Territorians through our public transport network? Are you aware of any alternative policies in this area?
Mr Tollner interjecting.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: The member for Fong Lim should listen!
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this government has a very strong record of supporting Territorians. I am very proud to be part of the work that goes into supporting Territorians with public transport. As you heard from the Chief Minister, we lead the nation with free public transport for students, seniors, pensioners and carers. That is an amazing initiative and receives much comment around this nation.
I take great interest in public transport across the Northern Territory, and I am very aware of our public transport policies and the support and development that goes into it. I have to ask whether there are any alternatives, so get the typewriters ticking over there, because we, and Territorians, are interested in what you propose.
There are some good initiatives you might like to pick up on though, such as maintaining what we have: people with cards that represent the Australian government Pensioner and Concession Card, the NT government Pensioner and Carer Concession Card, the NT government Senior Card, other state or territory government senior cards, a person presenting with a Vision Impairment Travel Pass, and a person presenting any Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card.
Each year, we provide free buses to events, and we are very proud of this. There are a number of good outcomes: not only does it take cars off the road and reduce congestion at events, but it also delivers a great green outcome. Each year we provide free buses to transport members of the public to and from special events such as the NTFL grand final; Harmony Day Soiree; National Rugby League and AFL games; Australian Superbike Championships;, the V8 Supercars; Anzac Day Dawn Service; Freds Pass Show; Fogg Dam Conservation Field Day; Alice Springs Show and Royal Darwin Show; BassintheGrass; the Darwin Cup; Ladies Day and Palmerston Sprint; the Darwin Festival; and a special initiative, the Starlight Express, which has a very added road safety aspect in the Christmas/New Year period, from the CBD, from party central, for Territorians to get home safely and to not drink and drive. We are very proud of that.
Regarding alternatives, I also challenge the others to put out a policy to match our Regional Integrated Transport Strategy. This is a significant investment of $3.1m over three years which is getting some fantastic results. It is developing business models in the bush. So, alternatives - you better get the typewriters ticking on that one, ladies and gentleman, because we are prepared to continue this and all Territorians, regional and remote, are celebrating it ...
Palmerston Hospital – After Hours Surgery
Mr MILLS to MINISTER for HEALTH
With reference to your plan for a Palmerston Hospital, if a person has a medical emergency after 8 pm that requires surgical intervention, will they be able to receive surgical treatment at the Palmerston Hospital, or will they be directed straight to Royal Darwin Hospital?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it depends on the situation. If it is a minor one, it will be addressed on the spot. If it is not, it probably has to be transported to our primary hospital, the Royal Darwin Hospital. That is a decision made by the doctors, not by ministers.
Super Clinics – Update on Support
Mr GUNNER to MINISTER for HEALTH
Maintaining good health is important for Territory families and requires good access to quality primary healthcare and general practitioners. Can you please update the House on the support super clinics provide to Territory families?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, there is no doubt our government is committed to providing quality healthcare for all Territory families. We know very well that if you access a GP easily, you will stay healthy; you will stay out of hospital. Unfortunately, the number of the GPs in the Territory is half the per 100 000 population that it is for Sydney or Melbourne. Our government is delivering more GPs by providing integrated multidisciplinary care for support for the GP super clinic.
The Palmerston Super Clinic has assisted over 30 000 people since the daytime service opened nearly 18 months ago, and the after-hours clinic has assisted 33 000 people. This morning, I heard the Leader of the Opposition talking about the Farrar Medical Centre providing a service and then this government offered them something that was not what they expected. The super clinic provides care for people in Palmerston seven days a week, from 8 am until 6 pm, and the after-hours clinic from 6 pm until 8 am.
Apart from doctors, the super clinic in Palmerston provides a women’s health clinic that was not provided in Farrar; an Indigenous Closing the Gap clinic that was not provided in Farrar; mental health services, respiratory services, psychology, family planning and pathology collection. Yes, it was not what they expected; they got more than they expected.
In addition to that, a number of outpatient specialist clinics from RDH are now held at the super clinic to provide extra services to people in Palmerston.
Because of the success of the Palmerston Super Clinic, we are negotiating with providers to apply to the Commonwealth for assistance and authorisation to open a super clinic in the northern suburbs. We believe it is vital for people to be able to access GPs, and also bulkbilling for families. The super clinic in Palmerston provides bulkbilling for families with children under 16, and for senior Territorians. Despite our efforts, we know we are not going to have enough GPs in the next few years. Despite the medical school graduates, despite the people we are trying to attract, despite the initiatives by the Commonwealth, they are not coming here for various reasons. The GP super clinic is one way to provide essential services to Territorians in Palmerston and in Darwin, an integrated service, available to all Territorians at a cost-effective price.
Palmerston Hospital – Public Forum Proposal
Mr MILLS to MINISTER for HEALTH
As a local member in Palmerston and being involved in this area for some time, I still think there is a need for some clarification and reassurance for the Palmerston community. So if I organise a community forum that includes Palmerston and rural residents to give you an opportunity to clearly explain your plans for your hospital in Palmerston, and to get feedback from local families on the level of service that will be provided, the location and access, and the long-term needs of the region, will you attend that public forum?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I would thank the member for organising the forum, but it is too little, too late. We have already had three meetings with the Palmerston City Council to discuss the Palmerston Hospital. We have had meetings with senior citizens in Palmerston to discuss this issue …
Mr Mills: I was there.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: … and we had meetings with clinicians and stakeholders. There is another one in April, and I call on you to attend that forum, because we have already had too many forums. As minister, I cannot tell the people what services are to be at the hospital. The clinicians provide advice regarding what services are to be at the hospital.
We have canvassed the opinions of the local residents in the rural area and in Palmerston, and the clinicians. The local member must be the only local member in Australia who does not want something to be built quickly in his electorate. Our intention, and we have said it all along, is to deliver a 60-bed hospital in Palmerston by 2016, and we will do it. We have enough space for the first stage. My instructions were clear – no single-storey hospital. We want a multistorey hospital with the ability to expand in the future. There is additional land for the hospital to reach Stage 2 and Stage 3 as the rural area and Palmerston expand.
I am dismayed that the local member complains about the government delivering a hospital in his electorate too quickly ...
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, have you completed your answer?
Mr VATSKALIS: Yes, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: You have, so there is no point of order.
Energy Smart Rebate Scheme
Ms WALKER to MINISTER for NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENT and HERITAGE
Can you please inform the House how the Henderson government is supporting Territorians to reduce their energy consumption?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nhulunbuy for her very good question. One key way Territorians can minimise this pressure on the family and business budget is through energy efficiency. Energy-saving items in the home are a simple way to save money, save power, and help the environment. A family can save up to $300 per year on power bills by using selected energy items in the Energy Smart Rebate NT scheme. The Northern Territory government is providing households with a rebate of 50%, or up to $200, off the purchase and/or installation price of selected energy-saving devices. Items available for rebate include power boards, energy efficient light globes, timers, power usage meters, fridge and freezer seals, and many more.
It is easy to get an Energy Smart Rebate and I will go through the steps for you. Step 1 is to choose from the approved list of Energy Smart items. Step 2 is to purchase and install items from the list – remember to keep your receipts. Step 3 is to complete the rebate application form and scan or post in your receipts. Territory families can apply online for the rebate at energysmart.nt.gov.au.
For small- and medium-sized businesses, ecoBiz NT is an environmental partnership program that helps Territory businesses reduce their electricity bills. ecoBiz is expert at helping small businesses make savings that directly increase profits. On a 5% margin, $1000 of savings equals $20 000 in new sales annually.
Additionally, Power and Water is providing a once-off deduction of $100 to participating businesses. The Territory government also supports community groups like COOLmob, which does a fantastic job running programs to help Territory families and businesses save money on power bills.
Dr BURNS (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016