2007-08-29
Royal Darwin Hospital – Accident and Emergency Department
Mr CONLAN to MINISTER for HEALTH
Several times in June, the Accident and Emergency waiting area at Royal Darwin Hospital was partially transformed into a treatment area, being separated with sheets and towels as dividers. How many times this year has this occurred?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, there is no doubt that the Accident and Emergency Department at Royal Darwin Hospital does come under severe pressure and congestion at times. I cannot give the member for Greatorex the exact number of times that there may have been overflow at Royal Darwin Hospital Accident and Emergency. However, last week in this House, I acknowledged that there are pressures on our Accident and Emergency Department, and I outlined very clearly to this House the steps being taken by this government to alleviate that pressure, namely, the opening of a 24-bed RAPU facility - Rapid Admission Unit – to try to ease the pressure of people who require admission to Royal Darwin Hospital through Accident and Emergency. That is $7.8m recurrent, with 80 new staff. This is all designed to address the issue of bed block, which is a major problem for the Accident and Emergency Department of Royal Darwin Hospital.
As well as that, we are opening a new ward on 3B in the hospital, a 24 bed facility which will be operational by September, which will further ease congestion through Accident and Emergency.
Ms CARNEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question was quite specific and the minister answered it by saying he did not know. I wonder whether the minister would be able to provide the answer to the question by the end of Question Time. While his information is useful, had this not been the question it would be a good answer.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, there is no point of order.
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, I am reminded of Acts Chapter 7, where they ‘stopped their ears because they did not want to hear the truth’.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, I will continue. This is a very pivotal point. The shortage of GPs throughout the Territory is another important factor as to why our Accident and Emergency Department is congested. And it is very important, because many patients who are presenting to our Accident and Emergency Department could be adequately dealt with by a GP in general practice. We have asked the Commonwealth government to address this issue. It is a very important issue, and the Round the Clock Medicare scheme that was introduced by the federal government has not really benefited the Territory. We are asking the Commonwealth, which has purview over GP and Medicare matters to ensure that there are more GPs, not only in our remote areas, but also in Darwin and Palmerston.
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Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Dr Bill Wilson, former lecturer in Political Science at Charles Darwin University. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Chief Minister’s Meeting with Prime Minister
Mr BONSON to CHIEF MINISTER
Earlier today I understand you met with the Prime Minister. Can you advise the House on discussions held?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Millner for the important question. I met with the Prime Minister this morning and had a very constructive discussion with him on a variety of subjects. Quite rightly, we discussed Closing the Gap announcements that were made by this government last week in response to the Wild/Anderson Report in a context of a generational change that we have put in place, the first five year plan. Of course, we talked about the federal government’s plan of tackling child abuse which they announced in June.
I stressed again, and I am sure everyone in here joins me in stressing to the federal government and the Prime Minister that, if we are to effectively tackle the situation facing Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory, the solutions need to be long term. I restated that the solutions must be long term, and discussed what we were putting in place and, given the federal government’s plan, but also the areas of responsibility of the federal government, what kind of commitment the Prime Minister could give.
Discussions have been held with health ministers, locally and federally, and I am pleased that we are moving on those. Everyone in here knows that because of a lack of GPs in the bush we miss out on millions of dollars in both NBS and PBS funding, and it really makes a difference when it comes to delivering medical and health services right across the Territory.
I did raise with the Prime Minister that there are health teams going across the Northern Territory, but I would be concerned if those health teams are simply duplicating work that we are already doing with our very dispersed health clinics across the Territory, and the terrific work that our nurses and doctors do in those health clinics. I said that if you cash-up NBS and PBS, we have calculated it to be a recurrent sum of between $60m and $70m per year. This is strongly advocated by the Health minister, and we need to put that in place for long-term solutions.
We have a commitment from the federal government of 50 police. I am delighted to say that that commitment is ongoing. Put together with the police numbers that we have increased by 200 over the last few years, and another 40 in Closing the Gap, I believe we will have a much more effective remote policing strategy in the future. I thank the federal government for their support there.
Another critical area is education. The federal government gives assistance for English as a Second Language if you are a six-year-old. We all know that many kids in our remote areas only speak English at school. It is a really tough ask for the school, when you have six-, seven- and eight-year-olds, to get them literate in those very important early years. I have argued with the federal government that not only should we have extra funding for six-year-olds, but also for seven and eight, covering those early childhood years. I did not get a commitment today from the Prime Minister, but the work is happening at officer level to identify the cost of that well focused additional resource in education.
Following yesterday’s motion in here I raised the issue of a plebiscite for a nuclear waste dump in the Territory. Guess what? The Prime Minister said no. It is a really interesting difference, isn’t it? For the rest of the country, where we site nuclear reactors, the Prime Minister said, yes, we will have a plebiscite. For the Northern Territory, a nuclear waste dump is going to be sited here because the South Australians said ‘go away’, and the only reason that the Prime Minister can do it to the Territory is because he can. On behalf of all Territorians, I am extremely disappointed.
Royal Darwin Hospital – Accident
and Emergency Department
and Emergency Department
Mr CONLAN to MINISTER for HEALTH
You would be aware of the terrible story of page 7 of today’s Northern Territory News about a woman who was left sitting in Accident and Emergency for up to eight hours whilst suffering a suspected miscarriage. Why, with the extra $1.1bn this government receives every year, are patients like this woman left abandoned in Territory hospitals?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this is a very sad case. My sympathy - and I am sure that of all members here - is with that young woman. However, the word ‘abandon’, as used by the member for Greatorex, is a very strong word.
This young woman was seen initially by a triage nurse and, yes, she did have to wait eight hours within the hospital. I am the first to place on the record that that is an unacceptably long time. I know that Dr Len Notaras is investigating this particular matter. She was triaged, but she was in a situation where the Accident and Emergency Department was very busy.
I have outlined in my answer to the previous question exactly what action this government is taking to try to alleviate congestion in the Royal Darwin Hospital Accident and Emergency. As I did last week in this House, I place on the record again: we have the busiest emergency departments in our hospitals compared to the rest of Australia. We have 705 presentations per 1000 population; the Australian average is 223. We have the highest number of admissions to our public hospitals per head of population - 529 per 1000 population; the Australian average is 210. I talked about a rapid admission unit, an extra ward at Royal Darwin Hospital and, crucially, more GP services in our community.
I was heartened by the announcement by the Rudd Labor team nationally of a $220m investment in super clinics. That is a very important way forward for us in Darwin, and Palmerston in particular, because I do not believe the Round the Clock Medicare system of grants has worked for us. There have been some grants made in Darwin, but none in Palmerston. I commend the national plan of the Rudd Labor team of a $220m investment in improving GP services and access for our people. The truth of the matter is much of the congestion in the Royal Darwin Hospital Accident and Emergency Department comes about because of the lack of GPs in the wider community.
Tiger Brennan Drive Extension – Funding
Mr BURKE to MINISTER for INFRASTRUCTURE and TRANSPORT
Some months ago, Kevin Rudd’s federal Labor team committed to funding the Tiger Brennan Drive extension. Belatedly, today, the Prime Minister has done the same. Can you explain for my electorate and the House what this means?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the news today from the Prime Minister that the Commonwealth has finally agreed to match Kevin Rudd’s funding commitment to the Tiger Brennan Drive extension. Earlier this year, my department advised me that the Commonwealth, through the AusLink roads funding program, was continuing to refuse to provide any additional funding for the Tiger Brennan Drive extension and without that …
Mr Mills: Wrong.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: The member for Blain says: ‘Wrong’. Categorically, this is the advice from my department to me as minister. You were not in the room.
Members interjecting.
Ms LAWRIE: I just wonder how you think you can say that it is wrong.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Minister, please direct your comments through the Chair.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, my department advised me that the Commonwealth was continuing to refuse to provide any additional funding for the Tiger Brennan Drive extension, and that, without the funding, the project would not be able to go ahead. They suggested we could reallocate the Northern Territory government’s contribution to other road projects. Madam Speaker, I said no. The Tiger Brennan Drive extension is an important road project to service Darwin’s rural area and Palmerston. I was not prepared to divert the funding, even though, in a theoretical sense, that is what we should have done at that time. I decided to continue to fight for the funding for Canberra’s matched commitment to our commitment.
I went to Canberra in March and met with both Mark Vaile, the Deputy Prime Minister, who is Transport minister, and also with the shadow transport minister, Martin Ferguson, to put the case strongly again about just how critical the Tiger Brennan Drive extension is, and how it sits within the AusLink roads program. It was easy to convince Labor of the absolute need for that extension, and they came out and announced that they would match the Territory government’s contribution to allow the road to be built. It was a bit more difficult to convince the Coalition. Disappointingly, they failed to allocate the additional funding in their May budget. At the time, I was confident that we would see the funding in the federal May budget, because all of design and scope work had been provided to the Commonwealth.
I welcome the news today. John Howard’s announcement as Prime Minister is a bit of a ‘me too’ catch-up, but it is fantastic news. It is on with job. The first part of the project is fixing up the current problems at the intersection of Wishart and Berrimah Roads. As we know, traffic is banked up for quite a few kilometres every morning trying to get into the city. We will be creating a dual lane turning area there as the first part of the project. The tender work is currently being drawn up. There are on-site inspections at that intersection. I look forward to that project under construction just after the Wet Season.
Creating Darwin’s Future - Chan Building
Mr MILLS to CHIEF MINISTER
Yesterday, you announced your plan to demolish the Chan Building. This demolition has been on the table for 10 years. Yesterday in the House, you also said that your government is one of real plans and decisions. Since you have had 12 months to decide what to do, can you inform the House of the time line for the demolition? Specifically, where will you be housing the government computer mainframe and data storage facilities that are currently housed there, and will there be a proposed purpose-built facility and how much will that cost?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question because Creating Darwin’s Future and the announcement yesterday has received overwhelming support. I knew that somewhere there would be some gremlin going ‘nah, nah, I do not like it.’ We have found him. He is sitting in the CLP in the opposition.
I was very clear about the Chan Building yesterday, and said there is a lot of work to be done, to understand the cost of how you deal with our data centre, which is in the basement, and what you do with it in the future. I said, yes, there are significant costs there which need to be looked at. The funding in this year’s budget, $0.25m, is to look at a master plan for State Square which will look at all those elements and properly advise government. I also said that we would not see vast changes to State Square until we understood what was happening there.
One of the delights I had today, after yesterday’s announcement, was to walk back into Parliament House after lunch and take a look at what State Square might look like if the Chan Building was gone, and it is a really wonderful public space. If you take out the Chan Building, it has a great ambience, and it will be – as someone on radio said to me yesterday – a kind of Federation Square for Darwin. If it could be a meeting place like Federation Square, that would be terrific. Member for Blain, I am sorry you do not support the idea of a State Square. There is a lot of work to be done …
Mr MILLS: A point of order; Madam Speaker! Incorrect, absolutely incorrect.
Ms MARTIN: We have to do the master plan.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Chief Minister, are you still answering the question?
Mr Mills: That is false.
Ms MARTIN: No, I thought the member had a point of order so I was sitting down.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
Ms MARTIN: There is a lot of work to be done, and for the member for Blain not to have listened to what I said yesterday and come in and pretend that we have done that assessment - it is an important assessment and there could be significant costs in how we manage the data centre into the future. That does not stop us doing a master plan and working out how we manage that, because if we are looking at the future of Darwin, a public square, a state square is a very important component.
We will do that work. The funding is there, we will do the master plan. There was overwhelming support for the announcements in Creating Darwin’s Future yesterday. When I walked around the venue at lunch time, everyone was positive and, as I said, I knew we would find someone who had a negative attitude towards it. Penni Tastula said: ‘Absolutely fabulous!’. Penni has a disagreement with us about the siting of the Defence of Darwin museum, but reckons the whole plans are terrific. The Property Council’s Allan Garraway welcomed the announcement and was on radio saying that this is about revitalising the CBD, great announcement, likes the planning changes. Karen Brown, a well known voice in the city, said she had strong support for what we are putting in place, particularly the planning changes for better streetscaping, awnings and active interfaces, and welcomed the plans for the future of Darwin. As for the sour faces on the opposition, I am sorry they do not support it.
Darwin CBD - Promotion
Ms SACILOTTO to CHIEF MINISTER
Yesterday, the Chief Minister launched the government’s plan for Darwin and I was delighted. Those plans will provide significant support for business in the CBD. Earlier today, Lexi Sherren of Earth Collection Clothing and I called on the Darwin City Council to have the foresight to support this government’s vision by providing funds to market and promote the CBD. Will the Chief Minister support our call?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I certainly do and it is supported by every member on this side of the House. I congratulate the member for Port Darwin - the CBD is a key part of her electorate - on her efforts to bring this important matter to the public’s attention. A constant cry of retailers and service providers in the mall is that they are not getting any marketing or promotion. I was talking to one retailer recently who said someone from Humpty Doo visited her shop and said: ‘I had no idea this was here. I had no idea of the range of retailers in the CBD because nobody is marketing it. I go to Casuarina because it is marketed’. It is critical to ensure that promotion and marketing happens for all the businesses, whether they are restaurants, service providers, or retailers, whoever they are in the CBD, so we can enhance its vitality and make each and every business more profitable.
I congratulate Lexi Sherren. I know many other retailers who would have lined up with the member for Port Darwin, and I call on the Darwin City Council to put much more effort into marketing and promoting the CBD. We have a plan for revitalisation; they have their part to play. Importantly, part of it is marketing.
Public Bus Services
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for INFRASTRUCTURE and TRANSPORT
Since your government changed the Darwin bus timetable, there have been a number of complaints about the reduction in bus services, especially buses from Palmerston. In light of the Chief Minister’s statement about Creating Darwin’s Future, why has your government cut the public bus service by 8%? What does this say about your commitment to public transport? After a public outcry, you recently reinstated the 7.02 am bus from Palmerston to Darwin. Will you please also reinstate the 7.02 am bus from Palmerston to Casuarina?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. One of the recent changes to the bus schedule included a direct route, Palmerston to Casuarina. It is an express service that had not existed before, so it was a new service. The feedback we are receiving is that morning commuters from Palmerston to Casuarina love the new express service. With the change in the bus schedule, we have announced new services for Yarrawonga Industrial Park, something you have called for, member for Nelson, certainly an extension of services into the suburb of Farrar. We have picked up critical scheduled services that cater for nursing staff, for example, getting to and from Palmerston, to the hospital. There are a range of new services coming into the system as a result of the changes to the bus schedule. We have put in a new schedule, the first time the schedule has been overhauled in 10 years. We listened to public feedback as a result of that …
Mr Wood: You changed it two years ago, then had to change it again.
Ms LAWRIE: Do you want to hear the answer?
Mr Wood: I am just telling you.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Nelson, you have asked the minister a question. Please allow her to answer.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, we listened to public feedback after the change, the first radical overhaul of the bus schedule in 10 years.
Mr Wood: Changed the word to radical.
Ms LAWRIE: Cannot help himself, Madam Speaker.
Mr Wood: Do not be so touchy.
Mr Kiely: Madam Speaker, I want to hear the answer.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Nelson! Order, member for Sanderson! Minister, please continue.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, as a result of the changes, we listened to the feedback from the public. We put in additional changes, to the changed schedule, to capture the feedback we were getting from the public in terms of the things they did not like in the new schedule. The current timetable has the Palmerston to Casuarina route with that new express service at 8.00 am. We have buses running at 6.35 am, 7.15 am, 8.05 am, 8.20 am and 8.35 am. I have been told that the usage levels of these services are fine, they are not over capacity, and the Department of Planning and Infrastructure is saying that the morning peak services are flowing well.
We have set up a new community feedback service. We want to continue to hear from the public. I am currently undertaking a review of all the public transport systems, so it is important to get the feedback from the public at this stage. There are new customer service feedback mechanisms, new forms, and complaints can be put in through this service. I can send these forms out to you, member for Nelson. There is also …
Mr Wood: I get them by e-mail, but I will have them.
Ms LAWRIE: There is also a site for on-line feedback, and we have been getting a lot of good information from that, at www.nt.gov.au/transport/.
Mr Wood: Thank you, minister, for changing that bus.
Katherine Railway Bridge
Mrs MILLER to CHIEF MINISTER referred to MINISTER for INFRASTRUCTURE and TRANSPORT
In 2003 and 2005, your government committed to painting the Katherine Railway Bridge. It is almost September 2007, and since your government is a government of real plans and decisions, can you inform the House and the people of Katherine exactly when you will be meeting your commitment to paint the Katherine bridge?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I am aware generally of the issue of the Katherine bridge and its painting. I would have thought the member for Katherine was aware that this issue comes within the portfolio of the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. So, quite properly, I will refer that question to the minister.
Ms LAWRIE (Infrastructure and Transport): Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Katherine for her question. She has been an advocate of getting the job done. She would be aware that there was a significant quote for the entire restoration of the bridge, including paintwork. The member for Katherine came up with a good suggestion saying, why don’t we look at painting and renovating the side of the bridge that faces the public. The member for Katherine gave a commitment to the previous minister to provide some quotes on that. It is my understanding those quotes were provided yesterday.
Mrs Miller: I need an answer.
Members interjecting.
Mrs Miller: I need an answer.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Katherine, order!
Ms LAWRIE: It was her suggestion and we were happy to go with it.
Darwin Festival - Future
Mr WARREN to MINISTER for ARTS and MUSEUMS
We have just finished the most successful Darwin Festival so far. What is the future of the Darwin Festival and what is the future of other festivals supported by this government?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Goyder for his question. In the last five years, this government has substantially boosted its support for community festivals in the Northern Territory. We now fund 15 remote festivals, from Kintore in Central Australia to Galiwinku in the Top End, some five regional festivals, and a further five festivals as key organisations. In the current year, total funding for these festivals will be $928 000, which is quite substantial. In addition, the government supports other multicultural festivals, such as the highly successful Greek Glenti Festival.
Festivals celebrate the life of our community, the diversity of our different communities within the Territory and the creativity of Territorians. There is also an opportunity for us to experience activities from other parts of Australia or our near neighbours to the north which we would otherwise not get to see. For example, during the Darwin Festival, we had the dancers from Timor-Lest.
While government may be the backbone of festival funding - for example, the Darwin Festival received $480 000 this year - what made the Darwin Festival are the sponsors, which are the flesh and blood of these important community events. The Darwin Festival, like all festivals, relies on its sponsors for their generosity and community spirit and we just could not do without them. Sponsorship support is what I like to think of as a cultural gift to the community, and it is an invaluable one. I am certain members on both sides of this House will endorse our strongest thanks for the value of these wonderful cultural gifts that we get from our sponsors.
I am pleased to announce today that, a month ago, we gave special support to the Darwin Festival in funding an economic impact study on the value of the festival to the economy. We will replicate that with the Alice Springs Festival and Desert Mob, which is coming up. I often say Alice Springs is a very vibrant, creative arts community with Wearable Arts and all that is happening there. The Chief Minister and I are having a look at the Beanie Festival. It is a fantastic festival and has grown from the $15 000 we gave in support of that to what they are getting now. The exposure is not only national, it is also international. To all of the organisers, the Beanie, the Wearable Arts and the Alice Springs community, I am certainly looking forward to being part of that festival.
We have done that economic study for the Darwin Festival. We will also look at Alice Springs because people often think that these festivals are just a means for people to get up and it is a hobby. These festivals actually add a lot of benefit to the community socially, but also, very importantly, economically. That impact study is about to be finalised. When we have it we will make it public. It is showing some good signs, certainly for the visitations and the number of tourists who were in town who went to the Darwin Festival. I am looking forward to having a look at Alice Springs as well. There are a lot of good signs of its economic value to both Darwin and Alice.
Mobile Police Vans - Driver Licensing
Ms CARNEY to MINISTER for POLICE, FIRE and EMERGENCY SERVICES
Is it the case that drivers of the mobile police stations require a specific licence to drive those vehicles? If that is the case, can you advise how many police officers in Katherine and Alice Springs have such licences?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome a question about our mobile police stations because they are a great initiative. Whether it is the suburbs of Darwin, in Katherine or Alice Springs, the mobile police presence is a very important one. You can find that mobile police presence in hot spots in Alice Springs, at football games, and in Darwin at the same range of activities. It is always great to see it there. It is a really reassuring presence. The last time I saw it at a football match was the soccer – the Victory and the Glory playing in Darwin.
I do not know the specifics of the licences that you require to drive that, however, I will find out and let the Leader of the Opposition know. Mobile police stations are great. Territorians believe they are doing a great job. They certainly are a great addition to police capacity to deal with the hot spots and the incidents that do happen from time to time.
Ms Carney: Minister, could you confirm by the end of Question Time? Is that possible?
Ms MARTIN: I said I would get back to you.
Mr Henderson: I believe the Police Commissioner has more important things to do …
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms Carney: Yes, well, 2010 is probably when it is going to happen. So you do not know and you will never get back to me?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Members, cease interjecting.
Taminmin High School – Initiatives
Mr WARREN to MINISTER for EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION and TRAINING
Recently, I joined you when you visited Taminmin High School. It was a great visit and a great day. Can you please tell the House about some of the exciting activities and initiatives that are coming out of this great rural school?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Goyder for his question. He is a very keen supporter of the great work that is happening at Taminmin High School. As minister for Education, I am very keen to visit as many of the schools in the Territory as I can. We have 171 public schools and, in 12 months, I am over the half way mark in getting around to the schools.
Taminmin has really caught my eye as being one of our leading high schools in the Northern Territory. The work that is happening there is certainly best practice that I can see as minister. The school is very well and capably led by Principal, Tony Considine and his staff. I put on the record my congratulations to Tony and the school for the significant gains they are getting there, not only for academic results but also in attendance. The government, as part of our middle years reforms for schools, is spending a lot of money at Taminmin: $4.4m to construct a 200 capacity classroom module and upgrade existing services and facilities for middle years. Currently, 730 students are enrolled at the school but, with the Year 7s next year, it will go close to 1000 and be the second largest secondary school in the Northern Territory.
Policy reforms being implemented there which are leading to a real community embracing of the school and increased retention of students, and zero students last year moving to Casuarina Senior College and staying on at Taminmin High School, include the school uniform policy in the middle school and senior schools. Every student wears the uniform; they have drawn a line in the sand and made it happen. There is also a standing policy which defines clear expectations for students to meet their obligations for attendance and engagement in their learning. Where kids do not engage in the classroom there are formal procedures to let parents know about that. There is an assignment strategy, which includes a comprehensive program that focuses on completion of assessment tasks, and parents sign up on enrolment to a detention policy for unfinished assignments, where kids have to finish their assignments during school breaks. That has lifted assignments going in on time by about 40% to where nearly 90% of all assignments are actually handed in on time. As a result of that, outcomes are improving in terms of education.
Taminmin is the largest school provider of VET programs in the Northern Territory, along with the farm and the national resources area there. There are Brahmin cattle at the school, and a goat breeding program. My colleague, the member for Casuarina, tells me that our Greek community is pleased with the goats that are being bred there for Greek Easter. They are looking to engage the cattle industry and the horticulture industry in a partnership with schools program to support those VET providers. There is a Leading Learner Program which provides elite academic achievement and continues to build a critical mass of high achieving students, and a strong accelerated literacy program to target under-achieving students with a structured and rigorous program of explicit literacy learning.
Some of the students from Taminmin were in the gallery this morning. This school is really lifting itself up. It is going to be the second largest high school in the Northern Territory, with great results being achieved at that school. It is certainly a model that I am looking at in terms of some of the initiatives at that school and rolling those out as best practice across the Northern Territory. Congratulations to Tony Considine and his staff on a fabulous school in our rural area.
Public Service - Indigenous Employment
Mrs BRAHAM to MINISTER for PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT
The other day I asked the Chief Minister how many of the jobs she was creating in Closing the Gap would go to indigenous people and she was unable to give me an answer. In 2002, your government launched the Indigenous Employment and Career Development Strategy. Could you tell me how many indigenous people are employed in the public service, what percentage of the public service that is, knowing that indigenous people make up 30% of the Northern Territory population?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Braitling for her question. It is an important question. As part of the Chief Minister’s and this government’s Closing the Gap announcements the other day, we are aiming for 10% of our public service within five years to be from our indigenous population. At the moment, the figure is about 5.2%; I will correct that if I am wrong. It was about 2% when we came to government, so how that translates into raw numbers, I do not have the figures, but we can do the sums. We have gone from 2% to 5%. What we are looking to do over the next five years is to go from 5% to 10%. There is funding in Closing the Gap initiatives - about $10m - to particularly look at indigenous people in the Territory who are on CDEP programs with top-up through government agencies to transition those people into the full workforce.
What does the public service do? It implements government policy and advises government on policy initiatives. When 30% of our population are indigenous people, policy advice to government through the public service needs to see those numbers increase. We have put a target in place. We have gone from 2% to 5%. We are the first government that has had a clear, focused, policy-driven effort in this area. We have funding in the Closing the Gap policy initiatives to drive that reform, which is far more than the CLP ever did when they were in government.
October Business Month
Ms SACILOTTO to MINISTER for BUSINESS and ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
October Business Month is an important event in the business community. Can you outline what Territory businesses can look forward to in October this year?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her question. Yes, it is true, October Business Month has become an event valued by the business community and that is why my department has received such strong support this year.
This year’s theme is Growing Your Business Beyond Tomorrow. The theme addresses the key issues identified by Territory businesses, like skills shortages, business planning, managing business growth, planning for the future and, of course, globalisation. For the first time this year, October Business Month will transmit the presentation of a keynote speaker to other centres as it is delivered in Darwin. I will be introducing a keynote speaker, Mr Craig Rispin, to Darwin, Katherine and Tennant Creek at the same time. That will be available using broadband technology from Telstra.
I am impressed that there are over 30 partners from the business community, industry associations and other government departments which have partnered with DBERD to deliver more than 120 events across the Northern Territory for 2007. The positive reputation that October Business Month has gained sees, for the first time, that October Business Month has three platinum sponsors: Sensis Yellow Pages, National Australia Bank, and auDA, the Australian Domain Name Administrator. In total, 17 sponsors have been secured with $156 000 contribution to October Business Month 2007.
The calendar for October Business Month is packed with a range of exciting business events. There are going to be a number of keynote speakers: Peter Switzer is the main event speaker in Alice Springs and Darwin. He is the Small Business Editor for The Australian and author of the book, 350 Ways to Grow Your Small Business.
Rob Hartnett will kickstart OBM in Katherine and Tennant Creek. He is the author of Fast Times Ahead and Small Business, Big Opportunities. Steve Tighe is the Foresight Manager at Fosters. Steve’s presentation will provide an insight into addressing labour shortages and will reflect on the employment needs in the Territory. Back due to strong demand from last year is Craig Rispin, who will demonstrate how businesses can use technology to make money.
I attended a function last weekend for small businesses at SKYCITY Casino, and I was very pleased to see a large number of small businesses receiving awards from the Commonwealth and Territory governments. I was particularly impressed by the number of companies which, during their speeches, thanked DBERD, my department, for the support they have been provided, the continued support they have been given and the information and seminars provided by DBERD to small businesses in particular in order to cope in today’s very competitive environment. They do not only cope with competition in the Territory, but throughout Australia and the world, thanks to the Internet.
Mobile Police Station – Regional Placement
Mrs MILLER to MINISTER for POLICE, FIRE and EMERGENCY SERVICES
How many times has the mobile police station been placed and staffed in Katherine and Alice Springs in the last three months?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome questions about the mobile police station. It is a great initiative and one that is working well. For the actual numbers of placements in Katherine and Alice Springs, I will have to get back to the member. I do not carry those operational issues with me. Quite properly, they are the operational issues for the police. If you are interested in the workings of the mobile police station we can organise a briefing for you.
Ms Carney: I asked for the files and you never gave them to me.
Mrs Miller: It is a sneaky answer.
Ms MARTIN: Maybe the same one for the Opposition Leader in Alice Springs.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Ms MARTIN: They are a great initiative, and we are going as fast as we can to find out whether you need a special licence to drive the police mobile van. In terms of where they have been positioned in that time, I am very happy to get you that information.
Bushfires – Risk Management
Mr KNIGHT to MINISTER for NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENT and HERITAGE
Can the minister update the House on the current activities to reduce the threat to infrastructure, lives and livelihoods in the late Dry Season bushfires?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. Last year, 2006, was the worst year on record for extreme fire weather in the Northern Territory. There were 35 fire ban days declared across the Territory. That is more than twice the average. The best chance of controlling a fire is to hit it early and hit it hard. Experience indicates that the best way of doing this is through aerial bombardment, with water and retardants used. That is why the government has brought the Air Tractor 802 to the Territory. The Air Tractor is a plane that can dump three tonnes of water in a hit. The Air Tractor helps with our volunteer bushfire crews on the ground, and it has already proved invaluable in fighting fires at Rum Jungle. The Air Tractor is based at Batchelor, with the new $200 000 Batchelor bushfire station.
Remarkably, the Leader of the Opposition recently said that spending money on this bushfire station was an insult. The Martin government will continue to support our wonderful volunteer bushfire firefighters and give them the tools they need to help protect Territorians.
Auditor-General’s Report – Compliance
with Treasurer’s Directions
with Treasurer’s Directions
Mr MILLS to TREASURER
Yesterday, the Auditor-General’s August Report was tabled. In it, many issues are raised regarding unnamed agencies not following your direction, as well as agencies that are actually breaching the laws of which you have carriage. Why did you fail to ensure that our Treasurer’s Directions were not followed and that the law was not obeyed?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I will be seeking a very early meeting with both Treasury and with the Auditor-General to go across the issues. I assume the member for Blain is going to page 10 of the Auditor-General’s Report, where he talks about an emerging theme of a weakness creeping into internal controls across a number of areas, in general accounting, information technology controls, expenditure and procurement, travel, banking, telephones and hospitality. Every one of those would be a concern to me. The Auditor-General in this report is simply pinpointing that he believes there is a creeping weakness across these areas. He does not name agencies at all. This is more something he is picking up by way of a general theme and trend, rather than, for example, pointing to specific weaknesses in specific agencies, which, of course, once identified can be rectified immediately.
So what we have from the Auditor-General is a very general thrust in terms of what he believes is a theme creeping in. The Auditor-General does go on to say however, that, given the nature of these issues, he intends to again examine the adequacy of the internal audit function in agencies in the coming months with a view to ensuring that the internal audit function is adequate and effective. That is his job, and he is doing his job, as we would expect him to do. He is an outstanding Auditor-General, and I have certainly taken note of this already, although, as I say, he has not specified in any way any one complaint nor any one agency.
He does say, in the last paragraph, and I believe it is worth quoting:
- A notable exception to the issues that I have set out here is the Territory Insurance Office where the recently completed interim financial audit highlighted the continuing improvement by that organisation to the point where the results of the audit were notable for the lack of critical comment by me.
TIO has it right. As Treasurer, my job is to ensure every agency gets the same sort of comment that is made about TIO. I will be working with Treasury and I will be meeting with the Auditor-General to go across these issues.
Northern Territory Correctional Services
Mr BURKE to MINISTER for JUSTICE and ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Following your recent attendance at the Prison Officer-in-Training Graduation Parade, can you inform the House of your views regarding the strengths and future direction of Northern Territory Correctional Services?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Brennan for his question. Last Friday evening I had the pleasure of meeting and addressing the Graduation Parade of 11 new Prison Officers-in-Training at the Correctional Services training centre at Berrimah. They have successfully completed a pretty tough, comprehensive 13-week training and academic course. The course covers everything from riots and gas use procedures and training, to thorough testing on the laws covering all duties of a prison officer. This week they head into a further nine months of operational duty and ongoing training within the prisons.
What struck me most about these individuals, and what gives me a great deal of confidence in the future of Territory Correctional Services, was the diversity of the group of people: the age, the cultural diversity, the backgrounds from which they come and the richness, I guess, of life’s experiences as an accumulation of that group, all of which will stand them in great stead on the job which, of course, is all about dealing with fellow humans in a somewhat unnatural environment. All of those factors combined, and the enthusiasm and the commitment evident in those recruits will ensure that our Territory Correctional Services remains among the best in the country.
These prison officers no longer just turn keys. They must be highly trained, they must fulfil quite complex and difficult management tasks every day on the job, and they must assist with prisoner rehabilitation and ultimate reintegration back into the community. The prison officers have to bear in mind the effect of every decision they make on the job has on the goals they are trying to achieve.
I am a regular visitor to both Alice Springs and Darwin Correctional Centres. I know prison officers here face challenges not found elsewhere in the country, and they are challenges that will be further heightened by the federal intervention and inevitable flow-on effect that that will have through our judicial system and, eventually, you would have to suspect, into the prison system itself. Because of the state and capacity of our current facilities, at some stage, we know a new facility becomes inevitable. Much of the preliminary work around that has commenced, but some recent comments about sites are quite premature. I refer to the Katherine Times. I believe we need to write to the Katherine Times just to damp it down a little regarding the expectations that have been created by a Katherine Times’ headline quite recently. I respect their enthusiasm in Katherine for what was being suggested, but it is a fair way from final decision-making yet, and I will probably be talking to John Leo and I suspect we might send a letter to the Katherine Times in the near future.
My congratulations to Prison Officers-in-Training O’Donahue, Smith, Rashleigh, Brynes, Groom, Burmester, Holmes, Norris, Serrano, Lovegrove and Fitzgerald for their achievement thus far in their training. They are joining a very strong service that is professional, dedicated and will continue to serve the Territory well.
Arnhem Highway - Anthills
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for INFRASTRUCTURE and TRANSPORT
Madam Speaker, I hope we can have a statement on prisons one day.
Just past Corroboree Tavern is a group of anthills which are a popular tourist attraction. The Arnhem Highway is widened at that particular site to allow for bus parking. There is a boardwalk around the anthills which I understand has been unusable at least since the beginning of the year. Why is this boardwalk unusable? Has it been repaired yet? What message does it send to the tourism industry?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. There is a bit of a sad tale to this. The boardwalk came under some disrepair. Parks officers appropriately fenced it off to look at repairing the boardwalk. On inspection of the termite mounds, which are the whole point of having the boardwalk – it is a popular tourist attraction – it was discovered that the mounds were empty. The termites have fled their termite homes. We suspect that tourists had been going up for closer inspection and breaking the integrity of the outer wall of the termite mound. The termites feel very vulnerable to attack when this occurs, and so the colonies have fled the mounds. I have been advised that they have relocated to mounds further north. So there is now a discussion within the Parks and Wildlife area about the best way to deal with this.
Obviously, we do want to give tourists, if you like, an up close encounter with our very famous termite mounds, but at the same time it is a case of ‘do you want to create those opportunities for the mound integrities to be breached so that the termite colonies have to flee?’ I am waiting for further advice from the agency as to the best approach to deal with the fact that the colonies have exited the termite mounds closest to the boardwalk.
Pine Creek – Economic Development
Mr KNIGHT to MINISTER for MINES and ENERGY
I noted the first train load of iron ore was sent from the Territory Resources’ Frances Creek mine near Pine Creek to Darwin Port late last month. What are the implications for economic development and jobs in the Pine Creek region with the recommissioning of this mine?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. The Frances Creek iron ore mine is a success story for the Northern Territory. It is situated approximately 30 km north of Pine Creek and is owned and operated, as the member quite rightly said, by Territory Resources Limited. The mine reopened earlier this year after some time, as it was shut down in 1974 as a result of Cyclone Tracy. I visited the mine site a few months ago to see the first shipment. That was great to see. They put a lot of time and effort into the mine and to see the joy on the employees’ faces watching the first shipment leaving the siding was terrific. The siding is situated approximately 15 km from the mine. The reason the mine has been set up is because the close proximity to the railway siding gives it economic liability.
They plan to produce about 1.5 million tonnes of iron ore, which is of a very high grade. I understand that the mine life is mapped out for five years, but that may be extended because drilling is being undertaken in and around the site. The train is leaving every day from the site now and they are stockpiling the iron ore at the Port of Darwin. So far, they have stockpiled around 25 000 tonnes, and they expect that to build up to 70 000 tonnes later next month. That will be shipped to China via the port. Infrastructure and the logistics at the port are in place. The stockpile and conveyor facilities have been established there. That has been done under an operating lease and agreement between the company and the Darwin Port Authority. I am very pleased to say that progress is on schedule. The government has funded a bulk ore ship loader, which is a dual purpose facility. It not only helps the Frances Creek mine site and Territory Resources, but Bootu Creek manganese ships out of that area as well.
The benefits for Pine Creek and the Territory are that Territory Resources has spent about $15m on capital infrastructure on the mine. They have built a 65-bed accommodation unit at Pine Creek. An employment and benefit agreement has been set up between the local traditional owners and the NLC. They employ about 70 people at the mine and most of them come from Pine Creek. So the benefits are spread, and it is great to see that the residents of Pine Creek are receiving the benefits, the indigenous land owners, the Port of Darwin, FreightLink and, most of all, Territorians.
Auditor-General’s Report – Compliance
with Treasurer’s Directions
with Treasurer’s Directions
Mr MILLS to TREASURER
Of the hospitality, travel and credit card expenditure mentioned by the Auditor-General, are you in a position to tell the parliament how much the questionable transactions amounted to, and can you give this House a breakdown of the money that was spent?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, that is the most bizarre question I have ever heard. I have just gone through the answer in the Auditor-General’s own words. There is no agency mentioned. There are no figures against any of the items mentioned. It is a general theme, a trend, an observation that the Auditor-General has made.
Had he named an agency, had he named a particular area, had he quantified an amount against it, there would have been a response from the responsible agency in the Auditor-General’s report. The Auditor-General does not go around dropping bombshells and ambushes, such as the member for Blain suggests. It is a general theme that he has observed. He has undertaken to get right into this over the next few months. I made the commitment just six minutes ago that I would meet with Treasury and with the Auditor-General to seek a little more detail about this. There is no detail in the Auditor-General’s report, and this goose says: ‘Tell me the agencies, tell me the amounts, and what are you doing about it’. You are a goose.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016