2006-06-14
Mandatory Reporting of Domestic Violence
Ms CARNEY to CHIEF MINISTER
Yesterday, I asked you whether you supported the mandatory reporting of domestic violence, and you were busy trying to blame everyone else for your shortcomings. In doing so, you forgot to answer the question. Would you please answer this question? Do you support the mandatory reporting of domestic violence?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, it is an important question and domestic violence is certainly a crime that happens all too often in the Territory and, in the current context of debate, all too often in our Aboriginal communities. I spoke yesterday at length about the work that out Police Force, particularly, is doing with their Domestic Violence Units across the Territory. I believe that all crimes should be reported. I believe it is important that domestic violence be reported. We have had mandatory reporting in place for child abuse for a long time across the Territory, and that is strongly supported. I believe we should have a situation where it is mandatory to report the crimes that come under domestic violence. I know that there are difficulties with that.
Over the last 25 to 30 years, as the whole issue of domestic violence has been raised around Australia, we have seen that it was one of the crimes that a lid was kept on and, within homes, women in particular were not comfortable in reporting domestic violence. They were not comfortable in reporting crimes that would mean their families would be disrupted. There was a lot of work done over those past 30 years. All praise to those who did the work and were so active in that, that women who do experience domestic violence in the wider community now report it.
The next step is to tackle domestic violence in our Aboriginal communities. It is a complex issue. I went through some of those issues yesterday, about the difficulties of Aboriginal relationships and families that women do have reporting. I praise the work our police are doing in their Domestic Violence Units to support women who have been victims of domestic violence.
Despite what the Opposition Leader says and the way that she casts aspersions, she has been wrong on every point. We are strongly working with those who are victims of domestic violence. We will continue that; there is a lot more to do. However, I believe that every person who is the subject of domestic violence should report it.
Ms CARNEY: Mr Acting Speaker, I wonder if I could ask a supplementary question?
Mr ACTING SPEAKER: No supplementary, Leader of the Opposition.
Aboriginal Territorians – Generational Change
Ms ANDERSON to MINISTER for INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS
Recently, there has been a lot of attention focused on the problems facing Aboriginal Territorians. What do you think is needed to achieve generational change?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, I thank the member for Macdonnell for that question, because it is an important one. The issues and the problems facing Aboriginal Territorians and Australians have hit the media over the last few weeks. When you look at it, those issues emerge on a regular basis. The last few weeks are just an example of what has happened over many decades in Australia. There is a lot of attention given to the issues when they are raised, whether it is domestic violence, poverty, child sexual abuse or overcrowding in houses. Those issues get a lot of attention when they emerge. There is a lot of emotion attached with that and a lot of discussion then, sadly, the issue moves on. We have seen that happen.
On a national level, the issue has gone from the problems facing Aboriginal Territorians and Australians to nuclear reactors. It moves on. This is an opportunity we cannot let get away. This last national debate is one that we have to use to make change. Australia has to do better. We have to do better with our Aboriginal Territorians from a Territory point of view, Aboriginal Australians from an Australian point of view. I do not need to roll out statistics here. Statistics tell the story of what faces many thousands of Aboriginal people in Australia: the life expectancy figures, the hospitalisations, the incarcerations, the lack of jobs, the overcrowding in houses, the abuse and the violence. The statistics tell those stories.
We have to take this opportunity to make a national change. We need a commitment on a national level. We need a strategy for a generational change. There is often discussion about the slide we have seen Aboriginal people facing in many aspects of their lives over a generation. I believe it is going to take a generation to turn that around, but only if we make a national commitment.
I have raised it with the Prime Minister. I met with him on 31 May, and said that not only do we need a national strategy, but the place to discuss that is COAG, which is happening next month. COAG is the highest forum in the country, with the Prime Minister, the Premiers and the Chief Ministers. That is where we can make those commitments and start to see that change made.
It is not as though we do not have other national strategies. We have a range of other national strategies. We have competition policy strategies, water initiative strategies. I went through a lot of the strategies yesterday, that range from cane toads through to marine pollutants. This is one of the major issues facing Australia. There is no reason why we do not have a national strategy for Aboriginal people, changing the way that their lives are at the moment, and also wanting the indicators for Aboriginal people that we accept for our lives. We need to set targets for the national strategy, not just say: ‘Okay let us see what can do in a generation’. We have to have five-, 10-, 15-year strategies and set those targets.
I believe that now is the time to grab that opportunity for change. We can do it through COAG and through national commitment. I believe we can make a real change for Aboriginal Australians and Aboriginal Territorians.
Aboriginal Children – Sexually Transmitted Disease Infection
Ms CARNEY to CHIEF MINISTER
How many children in Aboriginal communities were reported as having been infected with sexually transmitted infections in the past two years? If you do not know the answer to that question, why not?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, I thank the Opposition Leader for her question. Sexually transmitted infections in young people in the Northern Territory are, very sadly, higher than the national average, as are the rates for adult Territorians. The infections in children under 14 have remained relatively stable over the past decade. However, the number of infections in the 14- to 15-year-old age group does appear to be increasing. We are not quite certain why that is happening, but we believe it relates to greater sexual activity in 14- and 15-year-olds across the Territory.
I do not have the actual figures for how many STIs there have been in Aboriginal children. However, the number of sexually transmitted infections in children under 12 has varied between about 5% and 15% over the last four years. I refer this question to the minister who has carriage of that for more details she may have, quite appropriately.
Ms LAWRIE (Family and Community Services): Mr Acting Speaker, as the Chief Minister has outlined, there has been a trend of STIs across the Territory which have been similar for the last decade. Records from the Centre for Disease Control show that, in 2005, there were seven cases of STIs detected in children under 12. In the same year, there were 38 cases in children aged 12 and 13 and, for children aged 14 and 15 - as the Chief Minister pointed out, we have higher statistics - there were 206 identified cases. I note that there were 45 fewer cases of a child with an STI in 2005 than the previous year. Nevertheless, these are still shocking numbers and require our attention.
The government has a very clear responsibility to protect children. We have made a significant investment in the protection of our children, increasing the child protection budget from less than $8m when the CLP were in government, quadrupling that to $32m under the Labor government. In addition, we have put 51 additional child protection workers at the coalface to deal with notifications. We have increased guidelines that require reporting to FACS or police where there is clear evidence of sexual abuse; when there is reasonable suspicion that sexual abuse is present; when a pregnancy has occurred in a person under 14 years; when sexual activity is occurring in a person under 14; when sexually transmitted infection is diagnosed in a person under 14; and when sexual activity is occurring in any person under the age of 16 not considered mature enough to understand the concept of consent to sexual activity.
In summary, this means that we are saying very clearly to all our agencies at the coalface, for young people under 14, report the facts in all cases. For young people aged 14 and 15 years old, the guidelines require that if there is any suspicion of abuse or exploitation, also report to Family and Children’s Services or police. In addition, if a young person aged 14 or 15 does not have family support, is being secretive or does not seem to understand what they are doing, this would be a trigger for a general practitioner or another clinician to refer the young person to FACS.
If a young person aged 14 or 15 has strong family support, is clear about what they are doing, then counselling and education is often the best support a general practitioner or another clinician can provide. This is the way to ensure that young people with infection seek the treatment and support they need to make good life choices rather than avoid the treatment.
Child Protection Task Force
Mr KNIGHT to CHIEF MINISTER
A joint task force involving police and the Department of Health and Community Services has been announced to work on child abuse and child protection. What is the joint task force expected to achieve?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, it is an important question and I thank the member for Daly for asking it. In our recent experience, it has been shown from key investigations that the best results were achieved in this important area of child abuse and child protection when police and child protection officers worked in close partnership. The task force that was announced today by the Police Commissioner involving our police force and the Department of Health and Community Services will work not only on investigating child abuse, but improving child protection across the Northern Territory. The task force will formalise the existing collaboration between the two agencies and build on that arrangement.
The task force will include detectives who will be specially qualified in forensic child interviewing, plus Family and Children’s Services child protection officers. There will be five detectives, an intelligence officer and 14 FACS staff who will be initially assigned to the task force. This will build capacity to respond to child abuse and child sex abuse beyond the scope of the normal criminal investigations.
This is all about finding the most effective ways of bringing offenders to justice, and providing the best possible protection for our children across the Territory. The task force will also investigate trends and patterns in Territory communities, and assess wide-ranging solutions to child protection. In February this year, the agencies of police and FACS, jointly established a Peace at Home Project in Katherine to improve responses to family violence. The child protection task force is another example of that working together to reduce crime and increase public safety, especially for vulnerable children.
Since 2001-02, there has been a 36% increase in child abuse notifications in the Territory, and this includes a 96% increase in notifications in cases involving Aboriginal children. There has also been nearly 100% increase in children taken into out-of-home care. When you break it down into Aboriginal children, that increase is 118%. While those figures are very sad, our activity has shown that we are doing a lot more in discovering where child abuse is happening and making the requirements those children need to be taken out of their families. They are being taken at greater numbers, sadly, but it is a much more effective response than we saw five years ago.
It is essential that the task force involves Aboriginal families and community leaders who, we know, are overwhelmingly and passionately wanting to protect their children and provide them with the best environment possible.
Children with Sexually Transmitted Diseases – Prosecution Rates
Ms CARNEY to CHIEF MINISTER
How many of the reports in indigenous communities regarding children with sexually transmitted diseases have translated into prosecutions of offenders? There is a difference between the number of children who are reported as having sexually transmitted diseases with the prosecution rate. What initiatives will you implement to ensure that the prosecution rate matches the rate of sexually transmitted infections?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, I do not have those figures at hand, neither do I believe we would have them at hand through Justice or the child protection area. I am certainly happy to see if we do have those figures. The issue that is at the heart of the Opposition Leader’s question is an important one. The fact that we do have children with STIs is alarming in the first place. The minister has just given the figures that we do have, and that area of 14- to 15-year-olds is, of course, a worrying one. It is worrying when anyone has STIs, whether they are adult or child.
The work has been done and I have just outlined the work of the task force. A lot of resources have been put into that area. As I said in the answer to the last question, when you have police and child protection working together, you get much more effective outcomes. We have moved that one step forward now. We have said the informal arrangement of police working with child protection will now be formalised into a task force. I believe that, when we can take much more effective action on reports of child sexual abuse and any potential STIs, then, particularly with the involvement in the first instance of police, we will see that translated into more prosecutions where appropriate.
Jobs Plan 2 and Training
Mr WARREN to MINISTER for EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION and TRAINING
Can the minister update the House on the number of Territorians in training? Can you also advise the House of the success to date of Jobs Plan 2 in getting more Territorians into training.
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, I thank the member for Goyder for his question. Jobs Plan 2, like its predecessor, Jobs Plan 1, is having a tremendous impact in training more Territorians, which is critical for our success into the future in terms of our economy.
We now have 3233 Territorians in training. When we came to office in August 2001, that number was around 2200, so we have had around a 50% increase in the number of people trained in the last five years. In 2005, the number of trainees and apprentices commenced was 2703. That is the highest ever level of commencements in one year. These figures lag behind a bit because administration and the paperwork takes some time to get through the system. To date this year, we have 995 official commencements. I expect the real figure to be much higher than that because of the lag in getting the sign-ups and the paperwork through the system. We are well on the way, on those figures, to fulfilling our election commitment of 10 000 commencements of trainees and apprenticeships over the term of this government.
Importantly, this training is spread across the Territory. This is not behind the Berrimah Line where Darwin is the great beneficiary. It goes right across the Territory, and it includes a significant number of women and indigenous people. In fact, indigenous people make up 22% of overall numbers of those trainees and apprentices. Traditional trades have been strongly supported within the mix; around 42% of all those commencements are in those difficult to get traditional skilled trade areas.
Jobs Plan 2 also brought the introduction of the employee incentives through the Workwear/Workgear bonus. As of 12 May 2006, 1076 apprentices and trainees have accessed that bonus; 400 of them being apprentices in the recognised skill shortage areas.
I saw some of the results of Jobs Plan 1 and 2 when I attended graduation ceremonies over the past few months - Group Training NT, Darwin TRAC Association and Dovaston Assessment and Training. I get a real buzz at these events because there is a whole range of Territorians receiving certificates for accredited training - young, sometimes not so young - gaining qualifications in their chosen careers, benefiting themselves, strengthening the workforce and, of course, benefiting their employer with their new skills which gives them increased productivity in the workplace.
We will continue, as a government, to work with business, industry associations, our schools, our training organisations, and our unions right across the face of the Northern Territory to maintain this level of training activity.
Larrakeyah Sewage Outfall – Upgrade
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for ESSENTIAL SERVICES
Yesterday, you said that $40m will be allocated over the next five years to expedite sewage being pumped from Larrakeyah to Ludmilla. If you really wanted to expedite this issue, could you say why it has taken seven years to do the engineering and pre-engineering work, remembering that Stage 1 of the Darwin Sewerage Strategy started in 1999? Where in this year’s budget is there an allocation of funding for the project? Why has your government not put a litter trap on the Larrakeyah outfall to stop plastics getting into the harbour, or is the government exempt from complying with its own litter laws?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. The trap – was it a litter trap - was it?
Mr Wood: That is the title we give to …
Mr HENDERSON: Okay. I am learning a lot about titles for things in this area, thank you very much, member for Nelson.
As I advised the House yesterday, Power and Water do have a five-year plan to divert the Larrakeyah outfall to Ludmilla and to close the Larrakeyah outfall. Advice I have received today is that that work is going to require a minimum of five years to complete. Overnight, I have asked the Power and Water Corporation whether that work can be brought forward. My advice is that it will require five years to complete, with around 18 months of detailed design work, two to three years for the upgrade of the Ludmilla plant, and a further year or two for the construction of the final diversion tunnel and commissioning of the system.
I am advised today that this project cannot be fast-tracked. Consequently, I have called for a report from Power and Water on what can be done to improve the quality of the outfall from Larrakeyah whilst this work takes place.
Issues have been raised in regard to the operation of the outfall. I can say that Power and Water operate under a discharge licence that is administered by the department of Environment. That licence is up for review at the end of July. Power and Water will comply with any conditions that are put on them with regard to that licence.
I can also advise that Power and Water samples the waste water in the vicinity of the outfalls. The reports are made annually. In regard to this issue - and it is not diminishing the importance of this issue for Territorians who are concerned about the health of our harbour - a report that was commissioned last year by the department, The Health of the Aquatic Environment in the Darwin Harbour Region, states in its conclusion that there has been no detectable change in the water quality of Darwin Harbour since the first comprehensive survey in 1990-91. The current outfall was constructed in the mid-1960s, where it has been for many years.
In the year 2006 it is not good enough, and that Larrakeyah outfall will be closed in five years. Continual monitoring does take place. Recent reports, as I have said, have shown that there has been no deterioration in the quality of the water in Darwin Harbour. It is a massive body of water, which has huge tidal movements. There are enormous dilution rates to the outfall at Larrakeyah. Regarding the issues and concerns that have been raised by various commentators about the operation of the macerator at the outfall, I have been advised overnight that, on average, the macerator is only not operating due to maintenance requirements or power outages for 24 hours out of every 8760 hours. That is a downtime of about 2.7% when there is untreated and un-macerated effluent being discharged into the harbour.
We should certainly be closing the outfall. It cannot be done overnight, I have been advised it will be over the next five year. I have called for a report on what can be done to improve the quality of that outfall in the interim. However, the main issue is the quality of water in Darwin Harbour, and that has not diminished in every survey that has been conducted between 1991 and the present day.
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Visitors
Visitors
Mr ACTING SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the Speaker’s gallery of Mr Neville and Mrs Clare Townsend, Mr Graeme Burgess, and Mr Tony and Mrs Margaret Fletcher. Mr Fletcher was formerly the chair of the Public Accounts Committee in Tasmania. They are all part of the great caravan trek that we see coming through the Territory at this time of the year. On behalf of honourable members, I extend a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Secondary Education in Remote Communities
Ms McCARTHY to MINISTER for EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION and TRAINING
Can the minister advise the House of any recent developments in secondary education in remote communities, and the expected number of graduates from secondary schools in the bush?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, I thank the member for Arnhem for her question. In fact, one of the delights of being minister for Education - I imagine anywhere, but particularly in the Northern Territory - is the opportunity to go and visit schools. The best part of that is getting out to some of these more remote schools. Two of these schools that I visited in the last couple of weeks happen to be in the member for Arnhem’s electorate. I was in Numbulwar for the opening of a cyclone shelter within the schoolyards, and Milyakburra on Bickerton Island on day one. What was impressive was the enormous number of students, parents and community members inside the school. In fact, up until that point - and that was the first day - it was the busiest I had ever seen a remote schoolyard.
The community engagement in and around that school was enormously encouraging - almost overwhelming. There was an enormous number of students singing, the Yillila Band performing as only they can - I do not know what decibels, and I do not know about ear protection, but they were just enormous. I actually challenged them to see if they could come up with a DVD about encouraging kids to come back to school, along the lines that we have had Georgie Rrurrambu developing, because we are going to put that DVD out into schools and challenge all of those schools and communities that have a band to better George. The Yillila Band members came up to me afterwards and said: ‘George who? We can kill Georgie, give us a look at that DVD’. They gave me three DVDs of their own, home produced in their back yard at Numbulwar. I have to say, Georgie might be in for a bit of a surprise. However, the whole idea of that is motivation around getting students to school.
We went there on the Thursday and, of course, in a week where generalisations about Aboriginal community life were running rife through the national media, where anyone who picked up a paper or listened to national media during that week would have automatically believed that every Aboriginal community was totally dysfunctional, that they were dangerous places, and that nothing positive ever occurred in an Aboriginal community. My lasting regret of this two-day visit to these communities was that I did not have someone from the media with me to witness this firsthand. I have to pay credit to someone who does not give us a lot of credit, and that is Peter Murphy in the Sunday Territorian, because he did have the courage to write a very positive article about this trip. It was the week, as well, where it was being suggested that Aboriginal culture should not be taught in schools.
What we saw at Numbulwar was a platform on which we can build excellent educational outcomes into the future. I congratulate all involved. It will not be long before we see the first Year 12 Northern Territory Certificate of Education students coming out of Numbulwar.
The next day, I crossed through home into my own electorate at Galiwinku on Elcho Island. I have never been so proud to be at Galiwinku, where I jointly opened the Shepherdson College secondary school buildings. It was a truly amazing day. I have photos of Numbulwar which I will table.
The member for Braitling asked about the $50 vouchers. There is an example of what that school did with the $50. Every student - hundreds of them, you could not count them - all in their spick and span school uniforms. That is what they did with their $50. All of the school staff were in the same uniform - never been so proud. The level of pride in the faces of the students, the parents, the school council members, the teachers themselves shone through. Also, there was the involvement of the teachers, the parents and the community totally engaged with that school and what was happening. It was a fantastic example of how a school could, at its best - and should, in my view - be a centre point for cohesion in the community. That is what Shepherdson College is doing. Galiwinku services around 700 people: 78 students in the senior secondary classes and night classes for adults. I presented the first three Northern Territory Certificates of Education to three Year 12 students who graduated in 2005 - the first ever at Galiwinku.
In 2003, of course, we had the first graduates from Year 12 in a bush community. In 2004, it was six and, in 2005, 25. This year, we are on track for 30 students to graduate with the NTCE across remote communities, and that is terrific news.
Secondary schools now open and operating include: Maningrida, Papunya, Shepherdson, Minyerri and Kalkarindji. A secondary school is being built at Wadeye., I am enormously proud of the achievements of this government in improving education in the bush.
We will continue to work hard to deliver quality education to Territory students, no matter where they live. I just wanted to show some of the shots of Numbulwar and I table those photographs for members.
Child Abuse in Remote Communities – Lack of Action
Ms CARNEY to CHIEF MINISTER
In the last few weeks, I have received several e-mails from health workers who have been frustrated by the lack of action that has occurred, or not occurred, following reporting of child abuse in remote communities. I table one of those e-mails. One I received is from a health worker in Central Australia who is very concerned that she reported a case of a 6-year-old girl having syphilis. She reported it in relatively recent times. Then, only a few months later, the same child went back to that clinic and presented with another sexually transmitted infection.
Are you aware of that and other cases and, how will your 20-year plan immediately take action to deal with those sorts of cases and prevent many children being subjected to what is repeated sexual abuse in communities, with no action and without even being taken into care?
Ms Lawrie: It is not true there is no action. Not true.
Ms CARNEY: Read the e-mail.
Ms Lawrie: Find out the facts.
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, I do not know of this individual case. I did not receive the e-mail that the Opposition Leader did. It is a very tragic case and, if there has not been follow-up, there should have been. I say, on behalf of everyone in this House, that if a six-year-old had syphilis, we would want it followed up immediately. I will refer that to the minister. If you can pass that e-mail across, then we can certainly make sure that we follow that up straight away.
I have given the figures for how many more notifications we have of child abuse and child sexual abuse. I believe that, with the additional resources that are going into that area – the way we are changing the approach, particularly working with the police – that we probably will see a growing number of those notifications. In itself, that is a sadness, but we are not going to deal with this issue until we take the lid off it. As I said yesterday, for the last 10 years under the CLP, there was not one extra child protection worker put in place - not one extra child protection worker put in place – and we know that the police resources were kept very thin. Although we have instances, I am not diminishing the fact of the one that you have raised; if that was not investigated, I want to know why not.
Mr Acting Speaker, we will continue to focus resources on what is a very important area, and one of concern to every Territorian. We will have child protection workers, properly resourced, doing that work in our communities. They will work together with police, and we will make sure that we are giving the best protection we can to our children, wherever they are: Darwin, Alice Springs or a remote community.
Central Australia – Tourist Loop Roads
Ms ANDERSON to MINISTER for INFRASTRUCTURE and TRANSPORT
Can you advise the House on progress of the upgrading of tourist loop roads in Central Australia?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, I thank the member for her question. She is a very active local member. The West MacDonnell tourist loop road is a very important development in South Australia – in Central Australia rather …
Mrs Braham: South Australia? Better not send it to South Australia.
Dr BURNS: It does not extend that far, member for Braitling.
It is a very important development. It is a magnificent part of the world. I am sure a lot of tourists use it already. When this loop road is completed, there will be even more. There has been significant expenditure and work done on this road already and, in the 2006-07 year, there will be $13.9m spent, which is significant.
The contract is being let in two tranches. The first part is a $4m contract - one of the largest of its kind in the Territory - to source gravel there. Larapinta Constructions was the successful tenderer. They will excavate, screen, crush, and blend the gravel. What is significant is that Larapinta Construction is a joint venture between DAC Enterprises and Ntaria Council. As it is a joint venture, Ntaria Council will benefit directly from the contract, but it also has the opportunity to benefit from the jobs and training that the contract will deliver. The council has already purchased a 960 CAT loader and will provide training to people working on that contract. It is a great opportunity for that council, which is in the member’s electorate, to develop as a civil contractor.
It shows the government’s commitment, through road construction, to fostering jobs and regional development for a great project, which is the West MacDonnell tourist loop road.
Bussing of Town Camp Children to School
Mrs BRAHAM to MINISTER for EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION and TRAINING
Some time ago, I wrote to you about my concern at the lack of bussing of town camp children to school. As you are aware, Tangentyere received funding from the Department of Employment, Education and Training to provide that bus service but they were unable to do that because they did not have a licensed bus driver. As you know, non-attendance is something that concerns me. There was a 12-year-old child in the town camp recently who had never attended school. Knowing your commitment to education, how are you going to solve this problem of getting the town camp kids to school?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, I thank the member for Braitling for her question. I also thank her for writing to me in May. Although I do not have an answer for you yet, I appreciate that you took time to put pen to paper and put constructive views forward as to how the department might take it forward. The letter is still with the department for investigation and a response.
Given Tangentyere’s situation, it makes sense - we have to work out what the alternatives are, what liability we have. Indeed, officers in Alice Springs are currently looking at that. I understand that, this very day, they are examining the possibilities of the suggestions put forward in your letter. As soon as I get a response back from the department, I will have it forwarded to you.
Of the 48 students on Tangentyere’s books for transporting, I understand six are not attending. I am interested in what you have to say about the young person who has never been to school, and that will be followed up by the department. I understand also that Tangentyere has now put a revised proposal into DEET to expand the service at a much larger cost. I guess that goes in the mix along with what DEET has worked out and your suggestions. As soon as I have an answer, I will get back to you. It is an important issue and we are working on it.
Darwin Symphony Orchestra - Funding
Mr BURKE to MINISTER for ARTS and MUSEUMS
Shakespeare tells us that music is the food of love. Can you inform the House what is in store for lovers of classical music in the Territory?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, I thank the member for Brennan for his great question. Shakespeare, for at least a moment, can transport us from this veil of tears that is parliament to think of the finer things in life. One of those finer things of life is the Territory’s own community orchestra, the Darwin Symphony Orchestra. The DSO has been with us for 17 years and has evolved into one of the Territory’s flagship arts companies.
It is with great pleasure that I inform the House that they have been accepted as such by my department and will now be funded on a triennial basis. It is well deserved, something which has finally been recognised by the federal government. I am sure I am not stealing the thunder of my federal counterpart, Senator Kemp, in informing the House that they are to receive $100 000 annually over the next four years to build artistic excellence within the orchestra, which I am sure the member for Nelson will be very happy about.
I am told that the only real disappointment from the federal Australia Council for the Arts officers who came to Darwin last week to negotiate how the funding might work, is that they were unable to time their visit here to coincide with the historic performance the Darwin Symphony Orchestra is staging with a full company of the Australian Ballet on 19 July 2006. The performance of Giselle, which we have assisted with a grant to the ballet of $45 000, will be staged as a free event at the George Brown Botanical Gardens Amphitheatre, on the 165th anniversary of Giselle. I am sure this performance under the stars will be a memorable one.
In addition, I am very happy to announce to the House that the Northern Territory government is matching a $35 000 grant from the federal government to boost the DSO’s famous program of touring regional centres - so we are not forgetting about the regional centres around the Territory. The DSO has a wonderful future, based on a 20-year vision of where classical music might be, not just in five years, but 20 years from now. I am sure everyone in the House wishes this great organisation all the best in what they do in serving the Territory community.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mandatory Reporting of Sexual Abuse
Ms CARNEY to CHIEF MINISTER
I now table another e-mail I received from a health worker in Central Australia about children, and a child in particular, that she was treating, who presented with multiple infectious diseases like syphilis and gonorrhoea. The youngest child that this health worker is treating is a seven-year-old Aboriginal girl in Central Australia. The health worker said that she reported this matter. She said: ‘All these departmental people want to know is why we tested the kids in the first place. It is like we are on trial for finding it’.
Do you agree that investigating these sorts of matters thoroughly and comprehensively is vital, and that it should be done without any level of interference or obstruction from any departmental level, or indeed, any other source?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, as I said in answer to the previous question, what we want to see is cases like this investigated thoroughly. As for the case that the Opposition Leader has raised, I do not know the details of that one either. On the surface of it, if a seven-year-old has sexually transmitted infections, we should be taking action straight away.
I have a great deal of confidence in our departmental staff in the FACS area. I believe that they would want to see a thorough investigation of a report like that. I know the minister shares that belief as well, as does everyone in this House. I cannot comment specifically on the case that the Opposition Leader has raised. However, I give an assurance to Territorians that we are focusing very clearly on child sex abuse by working much more effectively with police and FACS, which I believe will give us a much more coordinated outcome in investigations and prosecutions. I am not in a position to comment on this individual case, but I certainly hope that it can be referred to the department for a follow-up.
Groote Eylandt - Government Employee Housing Project
Ms McCARTHY to MINISTER for HOUSING
Can you report to the House on the new government employee housing project that was launched during your recent trip to Groote Eylandt?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, I thank the member for Arnhem for her question. On 25 May, I had the pleasure of visiting Alyangula on Groote Eylandt to open 21 new dwellings. The new dwellings consist of nine houses and 12 units. The total project development cost was $11.720m. The new dwellings will be occupied by teachers, police officers and health staff. I must say they are very impressed and happy about this particular project. I know that, as the construction proceeded, they were out there doing the landscaping, clearly something they appreciate, and so they should, as they are very dedicated people who work very hard in those regions.
I also pay tribute to GEMCO, as it is important to understand that, prior to these houses being built, the public servants were occupying GEMCO houses. With the expansion there, they wanted their houses back, hence the project that I have just referred to.
The construction was managed by the Department of Planning and Infrastructure on behalf of Territory Housing. Clearly, they did a very good job, and brought it in within budget. I also pay tribute to Sitzler Bros, a great Northern Territory company that has been around for a very long time. They have been very innovative and creative, talking to all parties in respect of this project, particularly in relation to the design and, in some cases, actually bringing down the costs. Thanks also to the Anindilyakwa Land Council, which played an important role and, as I mentioned previously, Territory Housing and DPI in most projects.
In the bush, there are normally trees in existence and, of course, most people wish those trees to be retained. I pay tribute to Sitzler Bros, who were able to come up with a design as, indeed, did the Department of Planning and Infrastructure, so those trees remained intact. I would also like to thank the community at Alyangula for their patience and forbearance in regard to this project, which has been quite some time coming. I am absolutely certain that it will benefit the total community.
In conclusion, I would also like to thank the project team at DPI; in particular Mr Bob Williams, Roger Warr, John Cross, Jan Miers, George Hutchinson, Malcolm McIntosh, Trevor Dutch, and John Gleeson, Trevor Collins, Mike Simpson, and Terri McCubbin from Territory Housing. I have already mentioned Sitzler Bros, particularly Michael Sitzler, who flew up from Alice Springs to be present on that occasion. Thanks also to Mr Andrew McDonald and Mr Andrew Keen from Sitzler Bros. Last but by no means least, the member for Arnhem who was there for the occasion. I am sure that it is something that she and this government is very proud of.
Member for Macdonnell - Alleged Misconduct
Ms CARNEY to CHIEF MINISTER
On 3 June this year, The Age newspaper reported that the member for Macdonnell’s conduct recently in Papunya may have compromised a police investigation into the infection of children with sexually transmitted infections by the men in that community. I table a copy of that newspaper article. According to the article, the health workers were very critical of the member for Macdonnell, a part of your team. What, if any, investigations have been undertaken into the member for Macdonnell’s conduct? When do you expect those investigations to be complete?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, we have had a long succession of articles that have emerged through The Age and other locally-based Centralian newspapers, that have made a range of allegations about the member for Macdonnell. There have been, over the last year-and-a-half, I believe, a number of investigations. Each and every one of those allegations was taken seriously, and there have been a number of investigations, both at a federal and a Territory level. Do you know what, Mr Acting Speaker? Not one of those allegations has had any fact - not one …
Ms Carney: They have not been into her conduct and potentially interfering with a police investigation in relation to STIs. Come back to the subject.
Mr ACTING SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition! Please stop, Leader of the Opposition.
Ms MARTIN: Not one of those allegations has had any facts associated with them that could be sustained - not one. I do not know how many investigations we are up to now. We do know where a lot of those allegations are coming from. We know that the former member for Macdonnell is engaged in trying to undermine the woman who won his seat, as he saw it - the woman who took the seat from him.
Again, we find allegations being made to The Age newspaper. I said on a number of occasions that we are following through on those allegations. They have been followed through by police, Consumer Affairs, federal authorities, and the Office of Audit and Evaluation. A number of times, the opposition was winding themselves up about the allegations, and not a fact could be substantiated. For the pressure and offence that the member for Macdonnell has been subjected to, the opposition should be ashamed of themselves! It is continuing.
I say to the Opposition Leader: your credibility is on the line here. You come in making allegation after allegation; that are not substantiated. Because we will not walk away from this …
Ms Carney: You are disgraceful.
Mr ACTING SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, you asked the question. It is a very passionate and emotive subject we are on, and the Chief Minister is trying her best to answer you. Please give her that courtesy.
Ms Carney: She should do better, Mr Acting Speaker.
Ms MARTIN: Mr Acting Speaker, because these allegations are once again being made, I will not walk away from the fact that they are being made, and they will be properly investigated. In a context of allegations made on a regular basis, where nothing has been substantiated - absolutely nothing - and yet the Opposition Leader and the former member for Macdonnell have been winding up the whole issue to do with the member for Macdonnell …
Ms Carney: Talk about children. What do the words ‘Lateline interview’ mean to you?
Ms MARTIN: … I say to the opposition, get back on the proper subjects that you should be on. Simply casting aspersions on one member of this parliament has not worked, despite everything that has been said. It has not worked, despite everything that has been alleged and reported, and it is a disgrace.
Ms Carney: You are just dreadful. You are the disgrace. Just pathetic.
Mr ACTING SPEAKER: Order, Leader of the Opposition!
Ms MARTIN: It brings the standard of behaviour in the Chamber down. It brings it down. There is no evidence. However, I say again …
Ms Carney: Have you read the article?
Ms MARTIN: … that The Age is raising these issues and we will properly investigate them.
International Cricket Series
Mr NATT to MINISTER for SPORT and RECREATION
Can you update the House on the upcoming international cricket series to be played at Marrara?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for this important question. Yes, indeed, the Top End A Series is shaping up to be a fantastic smorgasbord of cricket that is sure to satisfy the appetite of every cricket fan across the Territory. Australia A is lining up against Pakistan A, India A and two sides from New Zealand - teams to play the early matches and the others to play the later games.
Darwin will host this smorgasbord of cricket with a combination of 10 matches in three formats: test, one dayers and 20/20 games, over two venues between five teams representing four nations. The Australian team alone has 10 players with national team experience, and the other countries are bringing strong teams. They are all taking this A series extremely seriously. Players will be desperate to press for national selection in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy and next year’s World Cup.
Today’s Northern Territory News named the Chief Ministers XI squad, with the final team and captain to be announced the week before the test against India that starts on Friday, 30 June. This is a huge opportunity for locals to play at the international level. Preparations are running smoothly and organisers are very excited about the event. Cricket NT has sold out corporate hospitality packages for Australia A’s one day game against Pakistan on Sunday, 9 July.
Coinciding with the Top End tour are several junior tournaments with under-age teams from across Australia, India and the United Arab Emirates. We are, of course, looking to strong community support. I encourage Territorians to get out there and support and witness cricket at a fantastic level at this great cricketing carnival.
Larrakeyah Sewage Outfall – Water Sampling in Harbour
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENT and HERITAGE
My question relates to Waste Discharge Licence No 70 approved for the discharge of raw sewage into Darwin Harbour at Larrakeyah. Your department requires monthly and six-monthly sampling of sewage for certain chemicals, temperature, conductivity, pH, E coli and biological oxygen, demanded by the licensee, Power and Water. Does NRETA, or the EPA, or the EPA program, or the EPA Board, or the EPA interim board, check or verify sampling? How often, and when was the last time the Larrakeyah outfall was checked? Is the average discharge of 20 million CFU/100 ml of E. coli into Darwin Harbour a health risk to people who use the harbour? I compare that with the average discharge from the Ludmilla Treatment Plant of only 200? If you are allowing litter in the form of plastics and cables to enter into the harbour through the outfall, is not your department and Power and Water breaching you own Litter Act?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, it was quite a long question and I will attempt to go through some of the issues that the member for Nelson raised, because it is an important issue. In the last couple of days, I have been working with my department and also my colleague, the Minister for Essential Services, to try to deal with this issue.
Regarding the raw sewage issue, member for Nelson, the current discharge licence, which my colleague mentioned earlier, is about to expire at the end of July this year. In working with the EPA on some of the issues that have become apparent over the last couple of days, if necessary, we will look at some of those issues. Part of that is to put some extra conditions on their licence when it is extended.
Under the terms of that existing licence, and any licence, Power and Water are required to report annually to the department. It is an offence under the licence conditions for Power and Water Corporation if they do not report any unusual activity or anything that comes out of their sampling or testing, or advise the EPA of anything out of the ordinary, or unplanned incidences. There are quite heavy penalties for that, and that is something about which I have met today and the day before with …
Mr Wood: Do you verify those samples?
Ms SCRYMGOUR: … the minister. No, I cannot give you exact details of what you have asked for in your question because that was quite a long question. I will get back to you with further details about that.
It is an important issue, and one that the EPA is working with the Power and Water Corporation, and also the department of Health and the Darwin Port Corporation, because another issue is that there is no appropriate signage. There should be signage there; however, there is none. We are encouraging Power and Water to work with the department of Health and Darwin Port Corporation to get that signage up as soon as possible so that people are notified of what is happening there.
Nursing and Midwifery Awards
Mr BONSON to MINISTER for HEALTH
Nurses and midwives across the Northern Territory play a key role in the delivery of a high standard of health care. Can you advise the House what the government is doing in recognition of this dedicated service provided by the nursing and midwifery profession?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, I thank the member for Millner for giving me the opportunity to talk about the nursing and midwifery awards, which were held on 12 May 2006 in the hall at Parliament House. It is important that we very specifically pay attention to and celebrate the quality of the work that is done by our nurses in the Northern Territory. When you think of the different places and issues that they are dealing with - everything from remote clinics, to community health centres, to our hospitals, and to the back-up programs in very specific areas of health delivery, including birthing services for mothers, the early childhood and infancy services, antenatal, postnatal care - there is just no end to the importance of the work that is being done.
I would like to share with members some of the awardees this year. It is important that this House is aware of who has been selected as our best and brightest nurses for the awards.
In 2006, the nomination categories were expanded to include Living Legend, Graduate Nurse of the Year, and Aged Care and General Practice. The communities got behind these awards. In 2004, we had 57 nominations for the first year of the awards; 83 last year; and 155 this year. You can see the public are really getting behind these awards and trying to put forward the nurses they have had fantastic, professional service from.
The selection panel was Pat Miller, our Deputy Administrator and the Executive Director of the Central Australia Legal Aid Service, and a group of professional nurses and departmental people. I thank Pat and her selection panel for the work that they did.
The category winners for 2006 are: Acute Care, Mary Williams from Tennant Creek Hospital; Aged Care and General Practice, Mary Greenup from Tiwi Gardens Aged Care; Community Care, Tim Emerton, from Alcohol and Other Drugs, Coconut Grove; Graduate of the Year, Bridget Franc from Royal Darwin Hospital; Living Legend, Nan Miller, from Centre for Disease Control, who retired in 2006 - she has done an amazing amount of work in establishing the storage of our medicines; Mental Health, Deborah Spurgeon, from Top End Mental Health Services; Midwifery, Heather Hancock, Home Birthing Services in Alice Springs and Darwin; and Remote Nurse of the Year, Janet Rigby, from Wadeye Health Centre.
The overall Nurse of the Year winner was Mary Williams of Tennant Creek. It was great to see someone from the Barkly win, and I am sure Elliot would know the quality of Mary’s contribution to nursing in our health system in the Northern Territory.
I was very happy. I am looking forward to seeing the awards go on and get bigger and better into the future years. The nurses know how important they are, the public who depend on their services know how important they are.
Mandatory Reporting of Sexual Abuse
Ms CARNEY to CHIEF MINISTER
In a statement about child protection in 2004, the former minister said: ‘We will take bold action when required to protect children …’. Do you think ‘bold action’ is interfering in investigations? Do you think ‘bold action’ is not responding to reports from health workers in indigenous communities? Do you think ‘bold action’ is doing more than just gloating about notifications - and increased notifications of sexual abuse, by the way, is not a good outcome. Do you think ‘bold action’ is doing more than just saying you have put in extra money?
ANSWER
Mr Acting Speaker, the premise of this question is that, somehow or other, we are not doing anything about child sexual abuse, and I strongly reject that. We have a major issue in the Territory. I have given the figures of the increases in notifications that have happened in the last three or four years. There has been a 30% increase, and, while you have the Opposition Leader asking ‘What are you doing about it?’, she also says that it is very bad that we have had this increase in notifications. You cannot run both sides …
Ms Carney: Notifications of child abuse is not good. Where are you in this debate?
Ms MARTIN: If we have a problem - under the CLP you did not do anything about it because you did not increase child protection and you had very poor resources for police. Those are facts.
Ms Carney: Rubbish! You are saying increased reports of child abuse is great, it is not. You are just useless.
Ms MARTIN: You say under the CLP government - this is what this mob is like - we did not have that many notifications so things must have been terrific. It is about time government got the guts to take the lid off it, and we have. We have the guts to do that and we will ignore the criticism from the opposition, which is hypocritical.
I am not proud to be standing here saying that notifications have increased, because it is sad that each of those incidents have occurred. However, we are never going to be able to deal with child sexual abuse happening unless it is notified. That is a starter. The Opposition Leader can continue to criticise and bag what is happening, but it would be a lot more productive, instead of the loud words that she is saying, if we both worked on this together, and if we had support from the other side of the House, rather than some inane gloating which we have seen over the last three weeks ...
Mrs Miller: It has not been gloating and you know that. It is very serious.
Ms MARTIN: That is unbecoming of an opposition who say they care - it is unbecoming. We will continue to focus efforts on Territory children wherever they are, on child abuse, on child abuse and sexual abuse, and we will continue that focus.
I am not saying we will always get it right, because there are many grey areas in the child protection area, and it is a really tough job for those involved. I pay tribute to them. However, we will continue to support them, we will continue that focus. We announced today the initiative of a task force, rather than having an informal relationship between child protection and police. We believe, from the work that has been done so far this year, that we will see much more effective and targeted action. We are not going to back off this; we are going to keep focusing those resources and keep the resources up so that we can do something. It is much more effective than the gloating that we have seen from the other side of the House …
Ms Carney: It is not gloating.
Ms MARTIN: … and the allegations that we have seen from the other side of the House, particularly when it comes to the member for Macdonnell ...
Mrs Miller: Absolutely not gloating.
Ms Carney: You just do not understand the issue and you do not care about it and that is why you were canned by the national media for three weeks, because you were such a disaster.
Ms MARTIN: … because it is a slur. It is not a slur on the member for Macdonnell, it is a slur on the opposition. I say to the opposition: put up or shut up. If the Opposition Leader, under our laws, has any evidence of child sexual abuse happening, she has an obligation to report it. She has an obligation to report if she has any evidence.
Ms Carney: They reported it, you did not do anything about it. It was reported. You silly woman!
Mr ACTING SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, I ask you to retract that.
Ms CARNEY: I withdraw it, Mr Acting Speaker, sorry. I withdraw..
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Mr Acting Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
ANSWER TO QUESTION
Aboriginal Children – Sexually Transmitted Disease Infection
Aboriginal Children – Sexually Transmitted Disease Infection
Ms LAWRIE (Family and Community Services)(by leave): Mr Acting Speaker, I provide additional information in response to a question from the Leader of Opposition in Question Time.
The Leader of the Opposition tabled two e-mails in regards to a remote nurse’s claims regarding the notification of a sexually transmitted disease in a child in a remote community. I am able to advise the Opposition Leader that there was a notification earlier this year of an STI in a remote community. That notification was investigated. There was not enough evidence from that investigation to proceed with prosecution.
There was a subsequent notification of a sexually transmitted disease in the same community. That investigation is under way, and has been under way for some time now, involving both police and Family and Children’s Services …
Dr Lim: What has happened to the child?
Ms Carney: Is the child in care?
Ms LAWRIE: I can further advise the Leader of the Opposition that, with the remote community involved, the local member, the member for Macdonnell, took it upon herself personally to notify me as Minister for Family and Children’s Services, of the allegations of a sexually transmitted disease in that community. I pursued that notification from the member for Macdonnell, quite appropriately, down through the channels to FACS. I thank the member for Macdonnell for taking quite appropriate action at community level to notify the relevant minister, who can notify the relevant agency of any allegations of child sexual abuse which, obviously, would be raised in the notification of a sexually transmitted disease.
I point out that it is a requirement to notify the Centre for Disease Control of sexually transmitted diseases. In notifications of STIs in under 18-year-olds in the Northern Territory, in 2004 and 2005, there were no notifications of a child under 12 with syphilis. I note that the e-mail tabled by the Leader of the Opposition was dated in May this year. It says that there was a child aged six seen months ago with syphilis. I am concerned that that has not been notified to the Centre for Disease Control as core procedure.
As minister, in follow-up to the notifications of the STI, and the investigations by both police and FACS, what I have done is ask my CEO to undertake an investigation within the agency to see whether there are any failings in the system in notifications to the Centre for Disease Control and to FACS, because I do not want to see any weakness, anywhere, right across our remote health system. If front-end remote health nurses are seeing STIs in children, or are suspicious of any abuse or neglect of children, that must be notified. We are very clear on that, we have sent that advice right across our whole service. I will ensure that this case currently under investigation becomes an investigation within the department to see how well the system works, and whether, indeed, there is any way that the system needs to be improved.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016