2002-10-17
Department of Health and Community Services - Budget
Mr DUNHAM to MINISTER for HEALTH and COMMUNITY SERVICES
On 18 June this year, you told the House that you had been advised your department would come in on target. You said:
- I am saying to you that I have been advised that we are going to come in on budget, and that is as much as I would like to say at this stage.
When did you find out that your department would not be coming in on budget, and when were you advised that in fact you would be coming in at almost $9m over budget? Have you counselled the person who gave you that erroneous advice, or is that the departed CEO of your department? Why do the figures for your department in the budget books issued almost almost two months after the end of the financial year not reflect the true figures now revealed in your annual report?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the honourable member for his question. These same questions were brought up in the Estimates Committee and were answered at that time. At that stage, I answered the questions, so did the Acting CEO of my department, and so did the Under Treasurer. We have already provided these answers, Madam Speaker.
Mr DUNHAM: A supplementary, Madam Speaker?
Madam SPEAKER: No, not at the moment.
Bali Incident - Update
Ms SCRYMGOUR to CHIEF MINISTER.
Can the Chief Minister bring the House up to date in regards to the response to the Bali bombings?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, an important question. I am very pleased to bring the House up to date with what is happening four days after the Bali bombing and our response.
The Prime Minister has announced that Sunday will be a national day of mourning. He has taken up a suggestion – a good suggestion – from federal Opposition Leader Simon Crean, and it has been adopted in a bipartisan spirit, which is a very important part of what we have seen over the last few days. We have been asked, right around the country, to observe a minute’s silence at 12 noon Eastern Standard Time, for us, that is 11.30 am. Flags will be at half-mast at this time. Each state is marking the occasion in its own way. In the Territory, I know there will be a number of church services and special prayers for those who were injured or killed in the horror of the Bali bombing.
In the Territory on Sunday, I will join the Consul of the Republic of Indonesia at 4 pm to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph on the Esplanade in memory of those who died in Bali. The Cenotaph honours our war dead, and although these Australians and those of other nationalities who died in Bali weren’t soldiers, they were victims of a very insidious war, a war of terror. We will remember and honour them as we did the victims of 11 September.
I invite everyone to place a flower at the Cenotaph on Sunday - it doesn’t have to be anything expensive, it can be a simple frangipanni. They are around and in blossom at the moment, or whatever is appropriate in whatever part of the Territory it is, and do it at a time of choosing sometime on the Sunday. I am just indicating that the Consul and myself will be there around 4 pm. We chose what is a very peaceful spot on the Esplanade looking out over the sea, and that will make us focus on how close we are to Indonesia, which is a very special point. I invite parliamentary colleagues and staff to join me at 4 pm, and anyone in Darwin to do so. It will be a very simple ceremony, a matter of laying flowers and remembering.
There has been another proposal, which I think is an excellent one, from federal Opposition Leader Simon Crean, about tackling the region’s security issues which are very high on the agenda at the moment. Simon Crean has proposed a conference of regional leaders to look at ways, in a regional sense, of tackling terrorism. In talking to my federal colleague, I proposed Darwin as a venue for that. It is entirely appropriate. We are the gateway to Asia and we have successfully run major events like that, for example, the APEC Trade Ministers, and we can undertake the security and the organisation required.
Looking at what is happening at the hospital now, Madam Speaker, of the seven who remain at RDH, two have been transferred interstate, four are still in intensive care and one of those injured is recovering in the wards. A Balinese woman was brought to the hospital for treatment overnight by the RAAF. She has a major burns injury and it is likely that she will be transferred to Sydney as soon as she is stabilised. We were to receive two Balinese patients. Sadly, one of those died before boarding the plane for treatment here.
What has happened over this week has been very traumatic for a number of people. A Bali crisis line is available for Territorians. The number is 1800 019 116. It is for anyone who feels they need to talk about some aspect of this, need some aspect of counselling, or want to talk about someone they know who needs counselling. It is a counselling and referral service. If a parent has children who are distressed or someone who has fears about travelling, that crisis line is open for use. We will make sure we provide all the necessary resources for this phone line.
In a way it is a miracle that we haven’t had a Territorian reported who has either been injured or part of the Bali bombing, but if anyone needs to find out about a relative or friend, Federal Police advise that the number is 1800 333 000. So it is a simple number: 1800 333 000 if there are any concerns about missing relatives or friends.
A final point: the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition have left for Bali where they will attend a memorial service this evening. Again, another indication of the true bipartisan spirit we are seeing right across this country in response to the bombings in Bali.
Sunday afternoon, the national day of mourning, 4 pm on the Esplanade at the Cenotaph for a simple ceremony remembering, with flowers, those who died or injured.
Madam SPEAKER: Before we go on, I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to all those members and staff, particularly the staff of the Minister for Community Development’s office, for the wonderful contributions that have poured into our office, member for Port Darwin, it has been quite extraordinary in such a short time. So many people have rallied and sent in contributions. Many thanks indeed to all those who have contributed, and we will make sure they get off tomorrow with Leigh Hillman.
Remote Health Clinic Funding
Mr DUNHAM to MINISTER for HEALTH and COMMUNITY SERVICES
Nearly four months of this financial year have already passed, and work units, including remote health clinics, of your department have still not been advised what their funding allocations are. How do you expect hard working staff in your department to undertake their duties when they don’t know how much funding they have?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this is a very surprising question from the member for Drysdale. I certainly believe that people in remote areas know what their budgets are, but I will follow up to make sure that they do. I would be very concerned if that was the case, and I will get the information back to the House by the end of this Question Time.
Bali Incident – Effect on Tourism
Dr BURNS to MINISTER for TOURISM
Minister, given that tourism is such an important industry for Bali, can you give a preliminary assessment of the impact on tourism of the Bali bombing, both for Bali and the Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I have to say, in answer to the question, there was a lot of debate about whether to put this in government’s list of questions today. What I am seeking to do in answering this question is relate to the concern that is coming through the industry, and certainly the shock and horror amongst our tourism industry in the Northern Territory that have such very strong links with the Balinese tourism industry. There are many very strong friendships and many strong relationships between our industry operators and the Balinese industry operators, and these have been forged over many years. Everybody is absolutely devastated by this horrendous event that has killed and maimed so many people. The consequences of this are going to last for a long time.
What I have been very heartened and, I suppose, strengthened by over the last couple of days as I have been speaking to people in Indonesia as well as in Darwin, both in the tourism industry and the broader business community, Territorians who are in Jakarta and Bali, and Territorians who have spent most of their life developing businesses and relationships with Indonesia, their resolve in terms of us working closely with Indonesia to develop those links has only been strengthened.
People are stepping forward and calling for leadership. People believe that, when all of this washes through, the people of Australia and Indonesia and Bali are going to come closer together, and that is very heartening. When I talk to people in Jakarta, Australians are staying there, they are not moving and they are working with their Indonesian colleagues while other countries are vacating the space, so I think our relationship with Indonesia and Bali, ultimately, when we work through all of this, is going to be strengthened. That is certainly the indication that I am receiving from people who have spent so much of their lives working to develop those relationships.
The tourism industry is obviously going to be impacted. Tourism is founded predominantly on traveller confidence and perception, and those things are going to take a long time to recover. For the Balinese people, we can only pray that their situation is going to recover much quicker than it seems as though it will at the moment.
In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attack in New York last year, we saw an 8% reduction in terms of inbound tourist numbers into Australia, and it is imminently possible that we will see a further contraction in those numbers as a result of these attacks in Bali.
The Tourist Commission is conducting an assessment on those numbers and putting together risk management strategies in terms of what we will be doing in response. We are also actively monitoring those traveller perceptions in our key source markets of Europe, North America, Asia and Japan, however it is too early to give any definitive assessment. The assessment at the moment is people are still scheduled to come through to Australia, but obviously the Bali leg is not looking too good.
As I have advised the House previously, at the last Tourism Ministers conference I urgently requested that the Australian Tourist Commission work with the states in putting together a risk management strategy for the tourism industry in the event of any further troubles in the Middle East or terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, these events have occurred and there is a lot of work happening with a great degree of urgency now to try and ensure a coordinated response with the ATC and the other states.
In terms of some numbers, last year around 11 000 international visitors to the Northern Territory spent a night in Indonesia prior to travelling to Australia, and around 6000 NT visitors spent a night in Indonesia, then entered Australia through Darwin International Airport. You can see the potential impact on our industry could again be very severe. We have to work with industry to do the best we can through this period.
In terms of aviation issues, 618 international airline seats a week were available into Darwin from Denpasar, and that is about 36% of the total aviation capacity. I have been speaking at length with Qantas and Garuda executive officers, and will continue to work with those airlines and look at rescheduling routes.
We have to call it as we see it: there is going to be a downturn which is the last thing we need at the moment.
I have asked the Tourist Commission to urgently brief the Regional Tourism Associations in terms of what work we are doing on risk management strategies. That is going to be happening next week across the Territory.
I have been asked, on behalf of the tourism industry in the Northern Territory, to again convey their deepest outrage and sympathy to all of their colleagues in Indonesia and Bali who they have worked with for so many years; and their absolute assurance that that friendship will continue. They will continue to work with their business colleagues and friends in Bali and Indonesia. We, as a government, and this House, totally support them in doing that, and we will do all we can.
HIV Contact Tracing
Mr ELFERINK to MINISTER for HEALTH and COMMUNITY SERVICES
Minister, I understand that two local women have been infected with HIV as a result of a long-grasser’s activities recently, and I have cause to believe that this person is now in Alice Springs and may well be spreading his disease there. Has important and urgent contact tracing been completed? Can the minister inform the House if potential for this disease to spread rapidly from its source has been halted?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Macdonnell for his question. This is, indeed, a very serious issue and I am happy that he has raised it. My department has been working very closely with communities to make sure that this situation is resolved.
Obviously, the situation with the two women he refers to has been that we have had to locate those women and make sure that they have been adequately tested. There is a significant program throughout communities, which is looking at this whole issue of HIV. Also, within the long-grass community, we are looking at how we can communicate with those people about the serious issue of the transmission of disease.
I thank the member for his question and I can assure him and members of the House that everything is being done that needs to be done.
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Distinguished Visitor
Distinguished Visitor
Madam SPEAKER: Before we do go on, members, I would like to acknowledge the presence in the gallery of a former member of the Legislative Assembly, Ms Dawn Lawrie. On behalf of all members, I extend a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: I would also like to welcome schoolchildren, from Kiana School - a long way from home - with their teacher, Mr Lance Sharp. Kiana, as we know, is one of our schools on the Barkly Tablelands, so they are over 1000 km away from home. We are very pleased to see you, and on behalf of all members, I extend to you a warm welcome. Nice to see some people from remote areas coming all this way.
Members: Hear, hear!
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DNA – Information Exchange
Mr KIELY to MINISTER for POLICE, FIRE and EMERGENCY SERVICES
Can the minister inform the House of ways to better facilitate the exchange of DNA information between jurisdictions?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Sanderson for his question in relation to DNA because it is an issue very much before me as Minister for Police, and very much before the Northern Territory. In fact, today I called on the Commonwealth and all jurisdictions to reconsider their approach to the form and shape that their own DNA legislation should take because we have a very clear view that the Northern Territory legislation is strong, effective, and proves up the potential of DNA as an effective, modern crime fighting tool.
If we were to go the way that the Commonwealth is attempting to bully and intimidate us, we would have drastically weakened DNA legislation, and the rest of the jurisdictions of Australia need to accept this and recognise this. If you are going to have a tool as powerful as this, you want it to be used to the greatest effect and that means all jurisdictions having the capability to do that. The Commonwealth insistence seeks to water down our legislation on what we consider spurious grounds. We might be alone in Australia on this issue, but we are not alone in the world. The British model, for example, the first jurisdiction to introduce DNA legislation in the world in 1984, recently moved to amend their laws, and guess whose model they are closest to in the western world? The Northern Territory.
That legislation has been challenged within the European judicial system, gone all the way to the English High Court and upheld. It is good enough for the High Court of England to support the DNA legislative regime that England has, yet that regime would not pass the Commonwealth of Australia test. If England were a state of Australia, they would be excluded from the DNA National Database in the same way that the Commonwealth is …
Mr Reed: When we introduced it, your shadow Attorney-General opposed it, mind.
Mr STIRLING: Well, I do not recall that. In fact, my recollection is that this legislation went through with the support of this House.
Members interjecting.
Mr STIRLING: I certainly do not recall that being the case. The situation is this: if we were to go the way of the Commonwealth, we would no longer, for example, be able to use DNA analysis for such crimes as car theft and burglary because the Commonwealth only want to hold it for the more serious level of crimes. That would have rendered absolutely useless Operation Gene Sweep, which the police carried out a month or two ago, with the subsequent pick-up of a number of offenders ranging from very serious offences, I might add, sexual assaults and the like, down to burglary and car thefts.
That is the power and effectiveness of DNA. Yet if we were to go with the Commonwealth, we would be excluded from using it for those crimes. This idea of how you get a sample, a swab from inside the mouth - not regarded as an intrusive method of obtaining a sample in the Northern Territory but under the Commonwealth model, regarded as an intrusive act - means that the person being tested in such a fashion can demand and will have a doctor of their choice or a dentist of their choice present at the time that the sample is taken. That is not going to suit us in the Northern Territory in every case, and nor do we want to overlay the requirements of the legislation with these complex requirements.
In many cases of DNA’s use as an effective crime fighting tool, it is used more times than not to exclude a person from a police investigation. We question the Commonwealth and the other jurisdictions: what purpose is served by attempting to restrict the use of DNA in the way that they propose. It is going to continue to be an issue because I raised it at the last Police Ministers Council in Darwin with Senator Ellison representing the Commonwealth, and I am taking it back to the next Police Ministers Council in Darwin which I will be chairing. Interestingly, when I raised it at the last Police Ministers Council, I was not without support. It was not a question of 7-1 because the minister from New South Wales came in to ask questions and to support the position that the Northern Territory was taking.
What it means is that we have to exchange agreements, and we saw the complication in the case of New South Wales prior to the Darwin Cup. We saw the complications in the case of the more recent South Australian example, where the Commissioner for Police in both jurisdictions had to sign off letters of exchange. I, as Minister for Police, had to sign off letters of exchange, and we had to again repeat the procedure in the case of South Australia.
We can go on and negotiate individual agreements with each of the states - and work is ongoing with Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania - to secure up-front agreements so that we don’t have to get one-off exchange agreements each time that this situation arises, but that does not go anywhere near the effectiveness and great use of a proper national DNA bank for Australia.
The Commonwealth really has to look at this, as do the other jurisdictions, because a patchwork of agreements, Northern Territory with each other jurisdiction, is simply not as good as the DNA National Database could be if everyone was to adopt the Northern Territory model. We will continue to stand our ground, we won’t be watering down the legislation.
Madam Speaker, I repeat that when that legislation went through, it went through with the entire support of this House.
Palmerston Fire Station - Dedicated Rescue Vehicle
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for POLICE, FIRE and EMERGENCY SERVICES
Minister, you would, I believe, have received a letter from members of the NT Fire Service raising concerns about the practicality of removing the dedicated rescue vehicle from Palmerston Fire Station and instead putting all that rescue equipment on a main turnout appliance - in layman’s terms: the big, red fire truck. I believe the arguments put by the fire officers as to why the rescue vehicle should be retained make very good sense. One example is that the main turnout vehicle is simply not suitable for off-road situations, especially in the Wet Season. Do you also accept their arguments and will you allow the vehicle to stay and be manned at Palmerston?
ANSWER
I thank the member for Nelson for his question, Madam Speaker. It is really not a matter for the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services to say whether he agrees with the sympathies or the arguments of the firefighters or not. As Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services, I do not dictate, and nor should I – I am not a qualified fire fighter, I am not an expert in these matters. We have a Chief Fire Officer who is, and we have senior management within the NTFRS who make these decisions based on their years of experience, their accumulated wisdom and their practical knowledge of these matters.
The fact that it has come to attention in this way - I understand that the letter has gone back to the Chief Fire Officer - is a positive and healthy sign that the former, sometimes difficult, relationships between the firefighters on the one hand and senior management and the Chief Fire Officer on the other, are improving because I think this matter arose out of a process of consultation at the recent EBA which has been supported by 96% of the firefighters, has built in it a consultative process.
Part of the process itself of talking about the EBA involved the Chief Fire Officer visiting stations across the Territory, including all Darwin stations and Palmerston. I understand that the idea of this new vehicle, dispensing with the lighter framed vehicle that they are used to having, came up out of those discussions. I welcome that because it is a consultative process, it is open and it gives the firefighters - and these are the guys who have to go out and use this equipment, they are the people well qualified to put a view back to management.
The fact that that is occurring is healthy, positive. I can understand and see the sorts of things that they are saying, that the larger, heavier vehicles are not equipped for bush tracks. They are not equipped for crossing terrain in Wet Season conditions, and I can see those arguments.
Nonetheless, it is not my call as minister to say what sort of equipment the fire service should have or where they should be deployed. The fact is there is an exchange of views between management and the people who have to use the equipment. They have put forward these views. Management, no doubt, will take them into account in forming their final decision. I just stress I think it is a positive sign, rather than the fire service saying: ‘Give us that. We are going to equip the big truck with everything and you will use that in all circumstances’. The fact that this exchange of views is going on is a positive sign for a healthy consultative process into the future.
Communicable Diseases Unit Funding
Mr ELFERINK to MINISTER for HEALTH and COMMUNITY SERVICES
Minister, we have just heard from you that you are aware of the two ladies involved in this who have been infected with HIV. You answered nothing in relation to the man concerned, and that is an issue of concern to me. Given that your Communicable Diseases Unit has yet to receive its budget funding for this year, can you at least guarantee them that operational funding will be the same as last year’s level, or will it be cut?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Macdonnell for his question. I have some feedback on the question asked earlier by the member for Drysdale. The answer is that staff have been given indicative budgets and are able to manage in this period. I must say I have every confidence in the ability of my department and staff to manage budgets and service delivery. Certainly, in this situation …
Mr Dunham: Indicative? When do they get their final budget?
Mr Henderson: You don’t want to talk about your budget management! We saw the letter.
Mr Reed: Indicative! A third of the year has gone.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mrs AAGAARD: This is a very serious situation, and I must say that it is a bit sad that the member for Macdonnell wants to use it in such a political fashion. The transmission of HIV is something which is of concern to the entire community, and which is being handled in a very serious and careful way by my department. I have absolute confidence that my department knows how to handle this.
Mr Henderson: Paul Bartholomew’s letter.
Mr Elferink: What I want you to do is your job.
Ms Scrymgour: She does her job.
Mr Dunham: You haven’t done contact tracing.
Ms Scrymgour: How do you know?
Mr Elferink: Where is this guy?
Dr Burns: Did you do it as health minister?
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Members, order! It is very hard to hear the minister.
Mrs AAGAARD: Madam Speaker, my department is providing clinical care, support and education for the two women and is following up their contacts. It is also providing outreach services for education testing for sexually transmitted infections and HIV among other itinerants. Since HIV has the potential to spread beyond the Darwin urban area, the department has also informed all Northern Territory health service providers of this situation, and advised them on the preventative and treatment strategies they should use.
In addition, all key stakeholders have been informed of this situation. The AIDS/STD program is developing a framework for collaborative service delivery. Key bodies at a national level have also been informed: the Australian National Council on AIDS, Hepatitis and Related Diseases, the Indigenous Australians Sexual Health Committee, and the Intergovernmental Committee on AIDS, Hepatitis and Related Diseases.
My department is very experienced in this area of work. It is doing a considerable amount of work to make sure that there is no spread of HIV in the community. I have every confidence in their ability to make sure that this not spread.
Territory Discoveries – Brochure Tender
Mr McADAM to MINISTER for TOURISM
Minister, can you please report to the House with your review of the tender process for Territory Discoveries brochures?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Barkly for his question because it is an important question and it is in response to an issue the member for Araluen raised in this House earlier this week regarding the tender outcomes for a series of Territory Discoveries brochures.
At the time, as I said, the issue had been raised directly with me by one of the companies that failed to win the contract, and we did have a review of the process through the Procurement Review Board and I wish to inform the House on the outcome of that review.
The tender was awarded to a Sydney-based company, Enterprise Marketing. The specific imputation in the question from the member for Araluen was that somehow I didn’t support Territory business. That could not be further from the truth, and as I said to the House at the time, the whole issue of procurement and the processes within government for procurement is certainly something that is being taken very seriously in terms of a very high level review that is occurring in Treasury at the moment.
We did look into this process in some detail, and it is amazing, when you go into the detail of the process, what you find. When you go back to the history of how that detail was accumulated, it becomes even more interesting. The member for Araluen’s complaint about a lack of support for local business, when we went back to the history of this contract, who it had been awarded to and how it had been awarded, the same Sydney-based company had been awarded this same contract on three previous occasions by the former CLP government. Now, it is interesting. I don’t know …
Mr Dunham: It’s our fault again! I see. It’s our fault again. Righto.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, we will move forward a little more because it becomes even more interesting. I am surprised.
I do not know what processes those members opposite go through in determining their tactics for Question Time and what questions they are going to raise or whether there is a bit of amnesia slipping through, or whether some members on the other side are not around the table when these questions are being allocated because I am sure if everybody had been there, the pennies would have started to drop that this might not be somewhere that members opposite might want to go.
Not only was this company awarded this contract by the CLP in three previous years, in June last year, they were awarded all of the work - $400 000 all up split into two areas: one component $185 000; the other $215 000 that went to another company - not through a tender process at all. Not to tender at all. A Sydney company, $185 000 put through a Certificate of Exemption.
Who’s signature was on this Certificate of Exemption at the time? Who’s signature is this?
Dr Burns: It’s the member for Katherine!
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, the Certificate of Exemption was signed by the member for Katherine who was not only Tourism Minister at the time, he was also the Treasurer and the minister responsible for procurement.
Here we have the CLP government, great friends of the business community in the Northern Territory, standing up for the business community in the Northern Territory. You would have thought that the Minister for Tourism and the Treasurer would have understood the processes required through the procurement processes and the conditions under which a Certificate of Exemption could be awarded. As the minister for procurement, the member for Katherine had an absolute responsibility to ensure that Territory companies have an opportunity to bid for Territory work. What was the justification that was in that Certificate of Exemption? The justification - not within the bounds of the justifications that you can use for awarding a Certificate of Exemption – was:
- … the proven performance of the company to deliver a quality product.
So just because they had been awarded this contract in the past, that was good enough reason not to allow Territory companies to bid for this work into the future.
We have been through all of the standing processes for the awards and briefs from ministers in terms of Certificates of Exemption, and this was out of all bounds and really is an atrocious episode. It does raise the question as to whether opposition members are talking to each other before coming here.
That is the history and the type of support that members opposite and the member for Katherine in particular provided for small business in the Northern Territory at the time. What have we done? The current tender, the subject of the member for Araluen’s question, has split the creative development and the printing elements of the contract, and the printing was separately tendered and won by a local Territory business, as it has for the past several years, Colemans Printing. Great news for Territory business.
Part of the pre-production work for the time sensitive seasonal brochures with a value under $100 000 was awarded by NTTC to Enterprise by a Certificate of Exemption. However, unlike last year, all of the specialist brochures were put out to a competitive tender process. It is the process that we had an issue with.
I commissioned the PRB to review that process and the review found, in summary, that the tender process did not adequately identify the importance and weighting being given to the web design and online support components of the work versus the basic graphic design and layout, and this may have disadvantaged some of the local bidders. The review also found that some local bidders did not adequately address all selection criteria by which they placed themselves at some disadvantage given that the tender panel could only assess the material put before them.
I have accepted and agreed with this conclusion, and have asked Territory Discoveries to advise me how to ensure local bidders get a fair go. I have also sought legal advice from the Department of Justice, and have been advised that the contract awarded can be terminated, with one month’s notice. We have done that, and that has been communicated to Enterprise Marketing. Territory Discoveries will re-tender the elements of work that have not yet been completed.
We have acted on behalf of Territory business. It does indicate that we do have a significant issue within government in terms of the procurement process, particularly for those smaller contracts under $100 000 that do not need ministerial approval for Certificates of Exemption. The previous government did commission, in 1999, a review of the procurement process that came up with a whole raft of recommendations, and I am going back to that review. Virtually none of those recommendations have been implemented, particularly the recommendation that procurement officers receive very specific and intensive training in terms of their responsibilities.
We will pick up those recommendations and implement them, and we are absolutely committed to ensuring that Territory business gets a fair go. They have to be competitive on price and quality and they can be competitive but they need to be given a go. We will give them a go, unlike members opposite, and the member for Katherine has been caught pretty badly on this occasion.
Violent Offenders – Placement in Community
Dr LIM to MINISTER for HEALTH and COMMUNITY SERVICES
Last Thursday night, I spoke about Ptilotus Crescent and the minister has not responded as yet. Minister, why have you placed a man as violent as Roland Ebatajitna, a man with a history of homicide, in a residential home in a residential area in Alice Springs? What assurance can you give to nearby residents that they will be protected from this man?
Mr Henderson: Have you raised this with the Minister’s office?
Dr Lim: Yes, and she hasn’t responded.
Dr Toyne: That is disgraceful.
Dr Lim: Well, respond! Would you like to have him next door to you?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mr Burke: A toss-up between that and the casino, was it?
Madam SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the floor.
Ms Martin: A toss up between that and the casino?
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I am somewhat surprised that the member for Greatorex has brought this issue up.
Dr Lim interjecting.
Mrs AAGAARD: He wanted additional information when he was in my office this week having a briefing on legislation. He also had a briefing on this in Alice Springs with my senior advisor and with departmental staff.
Mr Burke interjecting.
Mrs AAGAARD: This is a very sensitive matter, and one that is being handled very well by my department. I think it is totally inappropriate to bring this type of question to the House.
Dr Lim interjecting.
Mrs AAGAARD: If the member for Greatorex wishes to have further information provided to him, I would be happy to do that in a private briefing.
Information Commissioner - Selection Panel
Mr KIELY to MINISTER for JUSTICE and ATTORNEY-GENERAL.
We saw the historic passage of the Information Act last week. Can you report to the Assembly on the names of the people on the selection panel for the new Information Commissioner?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it was a pleasure earlier in the sittings to discover that we have a betting man amongst us in the member for Nelson. He proffered an envelope with a name of the new Information Commissioner in it, and I think $100 was mentioned in dispatches. I would like to hold the member for Nelson to that bet. I suggest that he may lodge the envelope with the Clerk and we will see how we go.
Mr Wood: The Clerk has it.
Dr TOYNE: So $100 to your favourite charity, if you are on, okay?
Mr Wood: Okay.
Dr TOYNE: The member for Nelson’s proposal during the debate on the bill was that we have a parliamentary committee to make a selection. We argued at the time, and we still hold this view, that the selection of such an important and complex position should be made by people who understand the tasks that the Information Commissioner will be asked to perform.
I have great pleasure today in outlining the selection panel that will make the decision following the recent advertising of this position in the national and local papers. The first member of the panel is Sue Oliver from the Department of Justice. You will recall that Sue Oliver was very much the centre of the drafting of the bill which is now the act. Tony Fitzgerald, the newly-appointed Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, will be on the panel, and that is because we think there is some capacity for the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner and the Information Commissioner to co-locate some of their resource base. Sarah Butterworth, head of the Department of Corporate and Information Services, has expertise both in terms of the public service aspects of the new Commissioner’s work and the archives and government record-keeping aspects. The final member of the four person panel will be Bronwyn Keighley-Gerardy, who is the Information Commissioner in Western Australia.
The Information Act in Western Australia is seen as best practice around Australia at the moment. Their Information Commissioner has operated that act for three years and will bring an enormous amount of expertise to the selection panel. By now, the member for Nelson might see that there is no got-up job here. This is a very serious process of advertising and selection.
Drug Maintenance Programs
Mr DUNHAM to MINISTER for HEALTH and COMMUNITY SERVICES
The government has introduced a methadone maintenance program. Surprise, surprise! The minister has announced in her recent statement that there will be nine doctors participating in this program including six GPs. Minister, who are these doctors and how will drug addicts be treated within their community clinics?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for his question. He said we have introduced a methadone maintenance program. That statement is somewhat misleading. What we have done is introduce maintenance programs into the Northern Territory, a much needed form of clinical address to a very significant drug problem in the Northern Territory. What we have said is that buprenorphine will be the main pharmacotherapy of choice and, except in exceptional circumstances, that will be used.
It is very misleading for the member for Drysdale to put that particular line. Yes, methadone will be used for some things. It will be used for cases such as with pregnant women, and for particular types of clients who are allergic, for example, to buprenorphine which apparently does happen, and there are a few other clinical guidelines for the use of methadone as well.
In relation to the question about the doctors who are available for this kind of treatment, there are a number. I don’t have their names in front of me. What a surprise! I don’t actually need to know this kind of information.
Members interjecting.
Mrs AAGAARD: What I do need to know is that my department knows who they are, and my department does know who they are. This information is the domain of the Chief Health Officer, not the Minister for Health. The Chief Health Officer is overseeing a program of training for doctors. Since we said that we were going to be introducing this program, there have been a number of GPs who have come forward and said they wanted training, and this is happening.
I must say that it is a wonderful time for the Northern Territory that we have actually caught up with the rest of Australia; we are providing services which other parts of Australia have taken for granted for many, many years. People no longer have to get on a bus and go somewhere else. We make sure that our young people, our people who do have drug problems, will be treated here in the Territory, and we will care for them in the best possible way.
Blackmore River Prawn Farm - Land Acquisition and Grant
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for JUSTICE and ATTORNEY-GENERAL
I understand work has started, or is about to start on the Blackmore River Prawn Farm in the Darwin rural area. One of the last hurdles to the project was the hearing of native title objections to the government’s compulsory acquisition of land for the project by the Lands Tribunal. The tribunal’s decision shows that the native title claimants withdrew their objections, and that the government agreed to grant a portion of the land to a representative Aboriginal body. Could the minister please give details of the land grant, and to which Aboriginal organisation it went?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I must confess I am not up to date with that project. It has passed into the province of the Minister for Planning and it is not with me any more. The last time I had anything to do with it, there was such an arrangement being worked out but I have no recent information.
Ms Martin: We could pass it to the minister.
Madam SPEAKER: Yes. Minister?
Mr VATSKALIS (Transport and Infrastructure): Madam Speaker, all interests, including native title rights and interests, being approximately 756 hectares of land at Blackmore River, were acquired on 4 September 2002 following successful negotiation between the government and the Northern Land Council.
I cannot go any further because apparently there are legal proceedings in place at the moment, and I do not think it is very wise for me to comment on it because I do not want to prejudice the outcome of these legal proceedings. There were 756 hectares were acquired following successful negotiations between the government and the Northern Land Council, and that is as far as I can go.
Mr Burke: There is only a claim.
Mr Baldwin: Well, what was the deal?
Mr Burke: It was only a claim. They did not own the land; it is only a claim.
Mr VATSKALIS: Should the member wish to have a briefing, I am prepared to provide it to him as soon as he wants.
World Teachers Day
Mr BONSON to MINISTER for EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION and TRAINING
Can the minister advise the House on any activities being organised to celebrate World Teachers Day next week in recognition of the valued efforts of our Territory teachers?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Millner for his question. The government, for the first time last year, recognised World Teachers Day at a major Parliament House reception for teachers and through centres. It was coming off the back of a rather difficult time for government and the profession of teachers, and the teachers union, through the process of that Enterprise Bargaining Agreement. The government thought it was a good idea to use whatever mechanisms we could to lift the esteem and profile of teachers in the community for the wonderful job that they do.
Next Friday, 25 October, government will do again what it did last year. The theme for this year is ‘Teachers Create Dialogue Every Day’. It recognises the key role teachers play in the classroom and the community as promoters of dialogue, understanding, mutual respect and solidarity that are basic core values of a democratic society. So we will appropriately recognise this, and we will promote the value of teachers through advertising in newspapers in regional centres. The department’s edition of In Form will be issued on that day, and that will be an inaugural World Teachers Day edition. We will have functions in the five regional centres across the Territory, the Chief Minister will be here in Palmerston House. I will be in Nhulunbuy with teachers. The members for Sanderson and Arafura will be assisting at other centres.
It is a great opportunity for government to stand there on World Teachers Day and thank teachers for the dedicated work that they do out in the community. It provides an opportunity also for teachers from the government and non-government sectors to come together on that day. We encourage teachers from remote and rural areas, if they are coming into centres at the end of the teaching week, to also get along to the functions being held in regional centres so that we can recognise and thank them, too, for their untiring efforts.
It was one of the issues last year: it is okay to hold a function in Darwin, you can get most of the urban teachers together at short notice, but for Milingimbi, Ramingining, Gapuwiyak, Santa Teresa and so on, it is all the more problematic. Those remote and rural teachers deserve recognition for the job they do. Education remains the highest priority for this government, and government is pleased to have the opportunity to use this day to recognise all Northern Territory teachers for their commitment to improving outcomes.
Earlier today, the shadow minister raised the possibility seeing the DARE program go without a replacement. I want to assure him and other members and those who are listening that is not the case. A key principle behind the review is that police will remain directly involved in drug education. Nothing will be changed overnight. DARE will not be phased out. It will remain as is until such time as the drug education strategy that DEET is working up in conjunction with the national approach to drug education in our schools is implemented. Until such time as that is implemented, nothing will change. It is envisaged, on the back of that review and its recommendations, that police will s till play a full role in the delivery of the new drug awareness education strategy, along with the classroom teacher.
There is another salient point in that review in relation to the role of School-Based Constables in this. It was originally set up for the police officer and the classroom teacher to share the workload in front of the classroom in relation to drug education and awareness. What happened over time was that, because School-Based Constables were doing it all the time, they probably got good at it – as you do if you continue to do the same thing all of the time. The classroom teacher came and went and at some point, you would have teachers come to the classroom who did not know what DARE was and did not play a rightful part in front of the classroom.
DARE will continue until such time as the new strategy comes in and police officers will continue to have a role, even with the new strategy.
Sunrise Health Service - Katherine East
Mr BALDWIN to MINISTER for HEALTH and COMMUNITY SERVICES
Minister, you would be very aware that a number of communities have serious concerns regarding the proposed Sunrise Health Service in the Katherine East region. Their greatest concerns are that decisions have been made regardless of community views. Can you personally assure those communities that they will not be steam-rolled into this program against their wishes?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, my understanding with this Coordinated Care Trial is that it has been a very long process and one which has taken a lot of consultation by the departments of Health of both the Commonwealth and Northern Territory governments. There has been extensive consultation on all facets of the trial.
In relation to community groups in the area, I would be happy to follow up with any specific issues that you are looking at here. At this stage, I am fairly confident that the Sunrise trial is going quite well, but I would be happy to take specific information from the member opposite. It is a very important trial, it is one which involves the devolution of services to communities, and something which is very important in the long term for indigenous health strategies.
I must say that the only feedback I have had at this stage has been very positive. If there are particular issues that the member would like to raise, I would be very happy to do that with a briefing.
Relay for Life - Relocation
Dr BURNS to MINISTER for SPORT and RECREATION
I understand that the Northern Territory Cancer Council had to relocate its annual fundraising event, the Relay for Life, from the Arafura Athletic Stadium to the Showgrounds at Winnellie. I ask the minister: why was this necessary, and what impact did the relocation have on the success of the event?
ANSWER
Mr Mills: Did any ALP politician go? Not one!
Mr AH KIT: Sorry, what’s that? Did somebody rattle a bucket over there, did they? Gee, it’s good to see you mob awake and into it. You’ve really knocked us around over the last couple of weeks! God, your performance has been great!
Madam Speaker, I thank the honourable member for his question. Throughout Australia, various Cancer Council state organisations use the so-called Relay for Life event as a major annual fundraiser. This is the case in the Northern Territory and, in preparation for this year’s event, which was held for a 24-hour period commencing on Friday, 20 September, the Cancer Council had a long-standing booking for the Arafura Athletics Stadium. However, at the same time, within the budget context - and we all know about that - the government was considering a proposal for the resurfacing of the athletics track at the stadium.
Mr Burke: Why did you give a week’s notice? That is what they were upset about; that’s why you are answering the question. Why did you give them a weeks notice?
Mr AH KIT: Look, don’t you jump in and start forcing me to start bringing up the black hole again. I am conscious of the black hole as much as it is now. You should sit there and take your tablets.
Members interjecting
Mr AH KIT: Madam Speaker, of course, within the budget context, the government was considering a proposal for the resurfacing of the athletics track at the stadium. Until final decisions in the budget had been confirmed, it was not possible or appropriate to be discussing the timing of the resurfacing project with Northern Territory Athletics. Unfortunately, this meant that, by the time we discovered that there was an overlap between the Cancer Council event and the required starting date for works at the athletics stadium – which, mind you, was neglected by the former government – there was only …
Mr Dunham: We built it, you goose!
Mr AH KIT: Well, you built a lot of things and you just left them there! You walked away from it. You built them and walked away. This is about the best you are going to get for a Sport and Recreation Minister in the time of self-government, I can tell you. Madam Speaker, they are so provocative.
Unfortunately, this meant that by the time we discovered that there was an overlap between the Cancer Council event and the required starting date for the works at the athletics stadium, there was only a short time available to identify an alternative venue. For several days, people from my office got together with departmental officers, and we worked tirelessly to find a solution to assist the Cancer Council people.
Mr Mills: Because they are very angry with you.
Mr AH KIT: I will pick up the interjection. He says they are very angry. Wait for the fairy tale ending, will you? Don’t try to pass some of these silly punch lines that you have been practising.
As I said, for several days my office, together with departmental officers, worked with the Cancer Council to secure an alternative venue for the Relay for Life. This included an offer to assist, wherever possible, with extra costs and work associated with the relocation. Ultimately, the Cancer Council decided that the Winnellie Showgrounds would serve as an adequate alternative and the decision was made to shift the event to the showgrounds.
It was regrettable that this inconvenience arose. However, what I am really pleased about is that in the end, we were able to work together to come up with a very good solution. I was able to provide special assistance funding of $3500 to help offset the unavoidable costs associated with shifting the event to a different venue. As I understand it, the event itself was an outstanding success. Stop talking it down, members opposite.
Mr Mills: I was there. No one from that side was there. Noticeable by your absence.
Mr AH KIT: You were there but you are still talking it down. You should be up clapping.
I believe that the Relay for Life raised around $60 000 for cancer research, and that the showgrounds turned out to be an ideal venue. In the end, it was a win-win situation, something that members opposite are not used to.
The work on the new athletics track has proceeded according to schedule and should be completed early next month. Obviously, we are moving to get that in place because of the Arafura Games in May next year, and the Cancer Council has had access to a venue that turned out to be an excellent alternative.
Further, I am seeking approval to host a function here. We can make sure that we get to see them and to acknowledge the efforts they put in, once again, to the great fundraiser that was conducted at the showgrounds.
Mr STIRLING (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I would ask that further questions be placed on the Question Paper.
Madam SPEAKER: Of course, I should also take the opportunity to remind members of the Masters Games are next week, and we expect to see you all in Alice Springs.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016