2002-11-28
Staffing Problems in Police Force
Mr BURKE to MINISTER for POLICE, FIRE and EMERGENCY SERVICES
Minister, the Police Association today made it very clear that there are severe staffing problems in the police force. Why is it that your government are the only ones who believe you have enough police to start new police stations at Kintore and Humpty Doo; increase the size of the Drug Squad, Staff and Assets Confiscation Unit, a Telephone Interception Unit, a witness protection program; and continue to take general duties police off the street to fill vacancies in such areas as CIB, property crime, domestic violence and summary of prosecutions units? Why do you refuse to set up an independent review of police as called for by the opposition and the Police Association?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. I remember we had a similar debate in Question Time on Tuesday, so we can go through the same rounds of the arguments as then.
As I indicated on Tuesday, we are putting three recruit squads through this financial year, which will be a total of an additional 81 police officers. We are on track to an additional 50 that we committed in the last Territory election. In terms of some of the additional operations that the police are mounting as a result of, to a large part this government’s legislative agenda such as witness protection and increasing drug laws in the Northern Territory to give the police powers to crack down on drug manufacturers and drug traffickers in the community that are a source of so much of our property crime …
Mr Reed: House-breakers.
Mr HENDERSON: Oh, they have finally woken up to the link between the illicit trade in drugs and property crime. It was one that was derided. It has taken a couple of years for those people opposite to wake up that there is a very, very strong link between illicit drug use and property crime.
That is why we have introduced the legislation and those operations are having effect. We can see that they are having effect in a large number of accounts. I have a police media release here, and I am sure the member for Johnston will be very pleased to hear this. This media release today says that police searched three units in Moil last night and a man will be summonsed for possessing a trafficable quantity of cannabis. Further on, the media release it says that the Drug Enforcement Unit - this unit that the opposition is deriding and would never have been set up under their government - intends to serve the occupants with notices under the new drug house legislation, which was not supported by those opposite. These notices will advise the occupants and landlord that, if further dangerous drugs are located on the premises in the future, an application will be made to the court to have these premises declared a drug house. We have seen Speed Plus on Dick Ward Drive closed. We are absolutely determined to crack down on drug trafficking everywhere and that is why we have provided police with the additional resources. A large part of those additional resources is going to the Drug Squad and, consequently, to other programs such as witness protection.
We believe the results are starting to be shown. We had the Justice crime statistics released by my colleague last week showing a decrease over the first quarter compared to the last two years worth of data - a trend decrease in property crime. At the moment, while we see crime trends - although it is still too high; I admit it is too high – going down, we are pushing police through that training college as fast as we can. With three courses this year, 81 additional officers, we cannot push them through any faster. We are starting to see the results of the great work that police do.
Government Efforts to Bring Gas Onshore
Mr KIELY to CHIEF MINISTER
Can the Chief Minister update the House on the government’s fight to bring gas onshore in Darwin?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, first of all, I must say this is not just about this government’s fight to bring gas onshore to Darwin. It is about Team NT and, certainly, about our community wanting to see gas from the Timor Sea come onshore in Darwin.
Mr Baldwin: Tell us what your colleagues are saying.
Mr Reed: More shifting of ground, I suspect.
Ms MARTIN: It is obviously …
Mr Burke: Who leaked the information to your federal shadow?
Ms MARTIN: It is extraordinary, the negative attitude towards gas in Darwin that we are hearing from opposition benches.
Mr Burke: I am only saying what the producers are saying about your comments.
Ms MARTIN: I am aware that we have an Opposition Leader who told me not that long ago: ‘Line up on FLNG. Get in …
Mr Burke: We know what the producers are saying about your comments. It is a sign of a government that cannot govern.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Chief Minister, resume your seat.
Mr Burke: The way you have been commenting, it is a government that cannot govern.
Madam SPEAKER: Deputy Clerk, would you pass that to the Leader of the Opposition. He might like to see some of the remarks someone sent to me today. I ask members, again, to watch the way they are reacting in the House, please. Your interjections when they actually interrupt someone speaking are unacceptable.
Ms MARTIN: Thanks, Madam Speaker. Look, this is a very serious issue for the Territory. About our future economic development, I would have thought that there would be support in this House for continuing to be focussed on gas onshore from the Timor Sea. I would have thought that a headline as we saw today in the NT News would have set alarm bells ringing for anyone who knew that gas is coming onshore from the Timor Sea.
A pipeline will be built. We are all aware of the state of the Bayu-Undan project. It is a $3bn project that has already had that commitment in it. You double that when you look at the gas component. We are waiting for the treaty to be ratified between Australia and East Timor. I spoke on that with Alexander Downer this morning, who was in East Timor yesterday. He reports that the talks are continuing, that they are robust and the deadline of the 31 December seems within reach. We all understand what that means; that the gas component of the Bayu-Undan project can go ahead when that ratification of the treaty finally occurs, and that we will see a pipeline built from Bayu to Wickham Point for an LNG plant, with those LNG exports going to Japan. We know as a parliament, as a community, that gas from the Timor Sea is on track. It is very disappointing to see when there are misguided comment and, certainly, inaccuracies about that.
The Phillips project is a gigantic one. We all applauded the North West Shelf LNG exports to China. This is a bigger project; this is nearly $27bn in the life of the project - the combined liquids and gas projects from Bayu-Undan. It is a gigantic project, and it is well on track to bring gas into Darwin.
Sunrise is a different project. Sunrise has a different complexity to it. I am aware that Woodside say - as being one of the joint venturers in Sunrise - that they have completed their investigations into comparing a floating LNG option for extracting gas from the Timor Sea and then exporting it, with an onshore gas case. Woodside have said: ‘We have completed it’. Well, I do not believe they have. It is clear that there are domestic gas customers - I was talking to one this morning. There are domestic gas customers – okay, they are difficult to align at this stage. However, I said to Woodside very clearly when I spoke to them last week: ‘You have some problems with how you have carried out the onshore gas case - real problems. The first is that you are talking to customers and saying this is a genuine exercise of getting customers aligned and committed to taking Sunrise gas. Yet, at the same time you have very senior people in your company who are saying: “We want to go ahead with a floating option”. It is a double message; what do your customers think?’ Well, customers said to us very clearly that they did not feel as though it was being put as a strong case for committing to domestic gas. I made that point unequivocally to Woodside when I met them last week.
The advice that we have is - and this is from markets - that any proposal to build a floating facility and export to American markets is dead. The market is not there, so the whole fundamental for an FLNG proposal for Sunrise to export to an American market is not there. We could have told the joint venturers that ages ago, but the proper processes had to be followed. The only way that Sunrise will really be developed - the only way - is back to the future. The cooperation and aligning we saw in the past between the joint venturers of supporting the Phillips position we have heard so strongly all along: that onshore gas can work and that is the best option for Sunrise and the way to go; so that joint venturers working with the Territory and federal government will see Sunrise developed in the national interest and, very certainly, the Territory’s interest.
Reports that gas in the Timor Sea is not going to happen are wrong, are wrong, are wrong! That pipeline from Bayu-Undan is on track as are the prospects for Sunrise, although it is a difficult field - it is difficult to get that alignment between the joint venturers. We have not seen any change in that now over 12 to 18 months. However, I am forever an optimist. When you look at the exploration and investment that has already been made in the Timor Sea - probably a couple of hundred million dollars worth - then the joint venturers want to see that realised. It is a massive field of gas, it needs to come onshore to Darwin for development in Darwin into the national grid to provide another source of competitive gas to the Australian market. The national interest case is there. The Prime Minister is waiting for the joint venturers to present their onshore gas case to him. He is still waiting. So, until that is done, there is no finality. Until the Prime Minister can see what kind of financial incentives need to be put in place, just as happened with the North West Shelf 25 years ago, then this gas is there for the use of Australia.
It is our resource, and we will continue as a Territory to say: ‘Bring that gas onshore’, and have great confidence in the future of the Timor Sea as underpinning the Territory’s future development. I would expect this House to be joined as one in that pursuit.
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Before we go on, I would like to acknowledge the presence in the gallery of the electorate officers who are participating in a seminar in Parliament House at the moment. On behalf of all members, I extend you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Christmas Period – Police Concerns
Mr REED to CHIEF MINISTER
I ask how Territorians can have confidence that they and their property will be safe over the Christmas period, given that during the last week one of our government agencies, PowerWater, have said: ‘Ho, ho, ho, put up your Christmas tree and smother it with Christmas lights so that Santa will know where to leave all the presents’, promptly followed a day or so later by: ‘No, no, no’, from the Police Force of the Northern Territory saying: ‘Don’t put up your Christmas tree, don’t smother it in lights, because it will send a message to all the burglars that that is a house to break into to get a good stash of goodies’. Further, of course, the Police Association have now said that they do not have enough police to collectively protect the property of Territorians to make sure that their property is safe, and to indeed ensure that Territorians can have a very happy Christmas.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is a very serious issue.
Mr Reed: Yes, is it ‘ho, ho, ho’ or ‘no, no, no’?
Ms MARTIN: We have been very short on Christmas cheer here. Is that the member for Katherine’s Christmas cheer? Maybe it is.
Under the previous government, year after year, there were always troubled times during the holiday season. We always saw an increase in antisocial behaviour over those breaks. From our point of view …
Mr Reed: Never had police say ‘Don’t put up the Chrissy tree lights’ before.
Ms MARTIN: From our point of view in opposition, we were very loud in saying there should be a focus on tackling those problems that were created in holiday times. We have a very strong commitment to that. I am not saying that it is easy. I am saying that we have a lot of young people on the street and sometimes they do not have much to do, but we are working closely with police to tackle the problems of our community safety. This is in stark contrast to the previous government, which simply said they had a ‘one shot and a locker’ approach. It was one shot in the locker year after year. While they clung to the star of mandatory sentencing - which did descend very rapidly - there were no programs put in place, no real concentration on tackling the issue such as times like the Christmas period.
The police are running targetted operations over Christmas on property crime because this government does not say there is a ‘one shot in the locker approach called mandatory sentencing’ for property crime. We know a multifaceted approach is needed and we are working with police on that targetted approach over the Christmas period. As the police minister said in answer to the last question: there is no magic quick fix for our problems of property crime, even though it might be coming close to Christmas. We will be working in a targetted way.
It is very pleasing to know that the efforts we have put in so far have been vindicated by the figures that we have seen over this last quarter. Those figures show that across the board, crime is coming down in the Territory. We have a lot of work to do. Crime is coming down in the Territory, but we are taking it seriously and are committed, as a government, to having a safer community in the Territory.
We are not committed to a ‘one shot in the locker’ policy, we are committed to a safer community. We will have targetted programs over Christmas to try and ensure that that happens.
Madam SPEAKER: I have to say that one of the pleasures I have before Christmas is driving the children around to see the Christmas lights, and I congratulate all those people who go to enormous effort to put up such wonderful displays. I would hate to think that we would lose that community aspect, because they are great. I am sure the Chief Minister agrees with me.
Mineral Exploration Licences
Ms LAWRIE to CHIEF MINISTER
Chief Minister, can you please inform the House of the situation in regard to the granting of mineral exploration licences?
ANSWER
This is a great pre-Christmas question, Madam Speaker. It is one that really should put stars in the skies for miners around the Territory.
Madam Speaker: It should light up the lights.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker! Mineral exploration and mining is the largest contributor to our gross state product and our resources sector, which last year contributed almost a quarter of our GSP, has been struggling under the previous administration. The CLP, when in government, clearly dropped the ball when it came to the mining industry, even while standing in here time and time again saying: ‘We are fighting for the mining industry’. The facts were that they dropped the ball.
The previous government’s record, particularly during its last term of government - those last four years - in granting mineral exploration licences was, to put it kindly, abysmal. In its last term of government …
Mr Dunham: Tell us about native title.
Ms MARTIN: You should know this! In the last term of the CLP government, there were 234 exploration licences granted, 234 over four years. If you do your math, that is about an average of 59 a year. Now, 234 over four years is about 59 a year.
In the spirit of Christmas, I am delighted to be able to report to the House that, in a little over one year, this government has granted 347 licenses.
Members: Hear, hear!
Ms MARTIN: 347 licences! In terms of the area of land affected, we have provided mineral explorers with access to a massive 225 508 km2 since winning government just 15 months ago - a quarter of a million. I seek leave to table a map, because this is a very important question for the Territory. I would like to share with the House that map.
What we can see here is the difference between the yellow and the green areas. The yellow areas were what you as a government, opposition, granted in four years. Can you see them? They are minuscule, but they are there. We put them in bright yellow so you would have a really good chance. Now, compare that to the ones on green. See those ones in green? That is what we have granted in 15 months - a very significant difference, and we are very proud of that fact. Those licences included 51 on Aboriginal freehold land and 296 on land which was affected by the operation of that Native Title Act. The combined exploration expenditure commitment for these licences during the first years alone is $14m. You have to remember that these licences are typically granted for six years, with annual expenditure covenants tending to rise in later years.
Far from engaging the Aboriginal land councils in unnecessary, costly and fruitless litigation, this government is working with the land councils and the industry to increase the industry’s lifeblood; that is, access to land for exploration. So, when we talk in this lead-up to Christmas about the achievements of this government, I am very proud to say to our mining industry: ‘Happy Christmas!’ because, in the last 15 months, working with our mining industry and the land councils, we have had significant and profitable achievements.
Industrial Accidents – Mine Sites
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for BUSINESS, INDUSTRY and RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Minister, the latest annual report from the department showed that there were more than 400 injuries and 55 environmental incidents in the Territory’s mines over the last financial year. Yet, of 187 that were serious accidents or critical environmental incidents, mining officers investigated only 25 of them in detail. Can the resource development minister tell parliament if the Labor government plans to remove responsibility for the investigation of mining accidents and environmental incidents out of the mines department so there is no perceived conflict of interest; and if not, why?
ANSWER
I thank the member for Nelson for his question. To go to the last point about a conflict of interest first, to ensure there is no perceived conflict of interest. By saying that, he is alleging that there is a conflict of interest in the officers of my department and their responsibilities under the act to investigate mining accidents. It is very disappointing to hear that allegation in this House. I would urge the member for Nelson that, if he has any evidence of a conflict of interest, then please bring them to my attention, because …
Mr Wood: Perceived.
Mr HENDERSON: It is not the perception that I have of those people within my department who do an absolutely magnificent and first rate job.
However, again, if there is anybody - and for Territorians who are listening to this broadcast - out there who has any evidence of a conflict of interest, then please bring it to my attention and I guarantee that they will be thoroughly investigated.
Regarding that accident rate, I do not have the exact statistics with me at the moment. However, what I can, and have been proud to say on a number of occasions publicly is that, from the reports that I have been given, the lost time injury frequency rate - I believe I have that terminology right - over the last number of years has trended downwards significantly in the Northern Territory. I believe at the moment - and I will correct this information if I am wrong - the Northern Territory is the second best performing jurisdiction in Australia regarding the lost time injury frequency rate in the mining industry. The industry has cleaned up its act significantly over the last 10 years.
I had lunch with the mining board today and one of the things that I complimented them on is that the industry has taken its responsibilities very seriously. In fact, the mining industry across the nation has committed to zero fatalities, and so they should. Every mining operation that belongs to the various mining councils around Australia have committed to that. I will bring statistics back to this parliament - hopefully, my office upstairs can bring them down before the end of this session - where I can put on the record that we are the second best performing jurisdiction in the mining industries.
Having worked in the mining industry myself, at the coalface, I can say it is a very dangerous industry in which to work. There are always going to be accidents in that industry where you are dealing with explosives and heavy machinery. While you can do everything you can, unfortunately, there will be accidents. But in my department’s investigation regime and its responsibilities under the act, I have every confidence in them and, if anybody does believe that there are conflicts of interest, I urge them to bring them to my attention.
Housing Access by Young People
Ms SCRYMGOUR to MINISTER for HOUSING
Minister, what is this government doing to assist young people to access and maintain public housing tenancies?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the honourable member for the question. It is important to the economic and social wellbeing of young people that they have suitable choices regarding their location and style of living, as it impacts on their housing options. Young people have limited housing choices, reflecting low income and financial resources.
The Youth Head Leasing program, which was an initiative identified from the 2001 housing forums, was developed to assist young people aged 16 to 17 years to gain access and maintain public housing tenancies. The program acknowledges that tenants in this age group often lack the life skills required to live independently. This can adversely affect their tenancies, with many failing without support.
On 9 November, I approved the lease of six one-bedroom dwellings in the Darwin and Palmerston areas to organisations participating in the Youth Head Leasing program. In this pilot program, the organisations are: Centrecare, Young Women’s Christian Association otherwise known as the YWCA, and Anglicare. The program is jointly funded through my department and the Department of Health and Community Services.
An inter-sectoral steering committee comprising representatives from my department, the Department of Health and Community Services, and the Northern Territory Shelter will manage the program. Territory Housing is providing the dwellings, the Department of Health and Community Services will negotiate administrative service level agreements, and the Northern Territory Shelter will work with organisations on a day-to-day basis. Territory Housing will lease one-bedroom flats or units to the participating organisations. These organisations will then sublease the building to a client for a maximum period of six months, providing them with the support that they so dearly require. At the end of the period, a direct tenancy agreement with Territory Housing is to be established.
This is a very positive initiative, designed and implemented cooperatively with a number of community organisations and government agencies. It provides a practical response to a need identified for young Territorians.
Singapore Airlines Services to Territory
Ms CARNEY to MINISTER for TOURISM
Minister, you recently met with Singapore Airlines executives to discuss the recommencement of services to the Northern Territory. Could you tell Territorians how much did international air capacity to the Territory fall in 2001-02? How much did visitor numbers to the Territory fall in 2001-02? What incentives have you laid on the table in order to encourage Singapore Airlines to fly to the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her question. I guess the answer to the last question first: in terms of any monetary incentives, there were no monetary incentives at all laid on the table. What we are in the business of, particularly with Singapore Airlines, is trying to offer business incentives - a business case incentive - for them to come to the Territory. It was very apparent in our discussions with Singapore Airlines - which went over probably an hour-and-a-half to two hours - that they might have some misconceptions about the contemporary Territory, or travel into the Territory.
The case that they put forward was basically: ‘Well, we tried it for a decade, it did not work. We tried different combinations and permutations. So what is different about the Territory?’ Well, the Chief Minister probably outlined some of the differences. I believe we are on the threshold of development of a gas plant at Wickham Point, and there will be substantial business travel, particularly between Japan and Australia and other regions of South-East Asia, and possibly Europe to Australia. The key to a lot of the travel from the South-East Asian market is actually business class travel.
The case was put repeatedly - not just by Singapore or Silk, but by Qantas and others - that you can have a plane full of leisure travellers but, to make it really worthwhile for the airline companies, they need a significant amount of business travel. So that is an important aspect. I believe business travel to the Territory will grow – I am sure it will, with the development of oil and gas.
To come to the member’s question about the travel figures to the Territory, I am willing to lay them out here. They are not pretty. We have to admit that for tourism the circumstances are grim, and I am prepared to lay it on the table. But I am also prepared to give my commitment to this parliament and to those in the tourism industry that I will be working as hard as I can. I will be exhorting the Tourist Commission and the board of the Tourist Commission, to work as hard as they can to increase tourism into the Northern Territory.
However, if I could just return to the facts and figures that the member asked for. In travel to and from the Territory in 2001-02, there was actually a 1% increase over 2000-01 in visitor expenditure. However, total visitor numbers and nights both declined in 2001-02 by 5% and 4% respectively. The thing to remember about total visitor numbers is that not all those visitors, of course, will be tourists. Not all of them will go to an attraction such as Crocodylus Park or elsewhere. Some of them are here are on business. We have seen in the past few weeks that there is a significant number in the American Navy, but they still spend significant amounts in the Territory. The industry is interested in tourist numbers, so if you are looking at overall visitor numbers, I guess in expenditure there was a 1% increase, but visitor numbers and visitor nights declined.
Holiday visitors in the Northern Territory in 2001-02 declined by 9% to about one million visitors. Holiday visitor nights declined by 12%, and expenditure by holiday visitors in 2001-02 was down by 4% to about $625m. On a positive note if there is one in there, and as I said these figures are grim, the average visitor to the Northern Territory in 2001-02 spent more per trip than in previous years. Expenditure by international holiday visitors was 5% lower in 2001-02. The member opposite asked the question: ‘How much did international travel decrease into the Territory?’ My recollection is that international airline capacity into the Territory declined by about 31%. Interstate visitors fell marginally by 1%. They injected about $299m into the Northern Territory economy.
Regarding the way forward, as I said, I am in constant dialogue with senior people in the airline industry. Yesterday I spoke with Mr John Borghetti from Qantas, canvassing options for 2003. That is very important. The airline industry, as shown by the takeover of Ansett by Qantas, is in an incredible state of flux. I know both major airlines in Australia, that is Qantas and Virgin Blue, are looking at acquisitions to their fleet next year. We have to remember that, with a 737, you are looking at a $60m investment. What these airline companies are looking for is where they can get the maximum return for their investment in such a substantial asset. What we have to do is convince them that part of that investment is the Territory. I am confident that 2003 will see a better year for the airline industry.
I have not had a chance to really speak about this, but I know that some very good people are continuing on the board of the Northern Territory Tourist Commission, with Mr Bob Annells as Chairman. When I first came into this portfolio and was briefed about the commission and its work, I asked: ‘What is a Tasmanian, someone based in Victoria, doing as Chair of the Northern Territory Tourist Commission?’ He was an appointment by the previous government, but it did not take me long to work out that he is someone who is very distinguished, has a lot of experience, and has been very successful in marketing overseas and staging major events.
We have a local tourism operator on the board who is continuing: Mrs Michelle Smail is well known in Central Australia. Of course, Maree Tetlow is also on the board, along with Grant Hunt from Voyagers, which has a substantial investment in the Territory and I believe that they own or run about a third of the infrastructure in the Territory. They are very significant contributors to tourism in the Territory. There are some major appointments …
Members interjecting.
Dr BURNS: Well, you asked a question. I am pointing the way forward, Madam Speaker. I will speak …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mr Baldwin: Just table your briefing book, that will do.
Dr BURNS: No, I do not have to do that, but I will finish; that is my prerogative.
Mr Rob O’Brien from Pearl Aviation, is very experienced in the aviation industry, was bought up in the Territory and actually started his aviation career with Connair, and is someone who has had vast experience and has a great commitment to the Territory. Ms Penni Tastula who is known to many, many people, is a very successful operator in the Territory. Mr Bardia Bodaghi operates in the youth and backpacker market.
Madam Speaker, in summary …
Members interjecting.
Dr BURNS: Well, I have been waiting for this question for a few days. It is Christmas time; be generous. I am coming to an end.
It has been a terrible year. I believe next year will be a better year. We are well placed with the Board of the Tourist Commission and the strategic plan for the Tourist Commission about to be released on 2 December.
Madam SPEAKER: I suppose there is little point in saying could we have short answers.
Youth Night Patrol
Mr BONSON to MINISTER for HEALTH and COMMUNITY SERVICES
Can you advise the House of progress to implement the youth night patrol?
ANSWER
I thank the honourable member for his question. I know that the member for Millner is particularly interested in this initiative.
It is an election commitment of this government, and one which is being worked through at the moment, and which further demonstrates this government’s absolute commitment to young people. We have already heard today from the Minister for Housing about the initiative about housing and young people. This is further in our package of election commitments relating to young people.
Of course, the youth night patrol will provide crisis and short-term intervention, referring young people and families to other services when long-term intervention and ongoing case management is required. It will be a non-punitive and supportive service that focusses on connecting with young people and building positive relationships with them and their families.
I am happy to say that the tender for delivery of the youth night patrol service closed on 30 October. A panel of government and community representatives have met to assess proposals and has finalised the recommendation for the preferred service provider. The Procurement Review Board is now considering the panel’s recommendation, and an announcement will be made as soon as their decision is finalised.
I am very happy to say that this new service will commence during the coming school holidays, which will be a wonderful thing for the people of Darwin. It will provide a mobile program staffed by youth workers who will be out on the streets at night. The mobile program will be supported by a base in the northern suburbs of Darwin which will act as a contact and information referral point for the workers and young people and their families.
The youth workers will also stay in touch with local business people and community members in the course of their work. It will be improving the network of services and support for young people which is very much overdue, and I am very proud to be involved with this initiative.
Virgin Blue Airlines
Ms CARNEY to MINISTER for TOURISM
Minister, Territorians were told that they would get a daily service from Darwin for the $2m that they are paying for Virgin Blue Airlines. Now that services have been cut by two a week, are you still paying Virgin Blue Airlines $2m for this reduced service? How much will you pay Virgin Blue Airlines next year for what level of service?
ANSWER
I thank the honourable member for her question. When the agreement with Virgin Blue was originally framed it was for a minimum of three services per week. Therefore, at the service level of five per week they are still fulfilling their obligation under the agreement.
The honourable member would be aware that it was made plain that, normally, during the period that it is proposed these two services are cut back, that is a fairly normal action in the way they program their routes because it is a low point in the season and there is not the capacity. That is something, I understand, has routinely happened in previous years with Qantas, and Virgin Blue are doing it now. So, they are still fulfilling their obligations.
Government Reviews
Mr WOOD to CHIEF MINISTER
Chief Minister, could you tell the House how many reviews the government is carrying out at the moment, regardless of whether the date for comments has passed? Could the government please list those reviews? Could the Chief Minister set up a web site which shows all government reviews with details such as scope, date and any other matters that would help the public know what is happening, and comment if they wish? Could that web site also include completed reports; for example, the recommendations?
ANSWER
It is a very worthwhile question from the member for Nelson. Certainly, when there have been any major reviews announced by government, we have made these very public. We do major reviews in a very different way from the previous administration; we actually want to talk to those who will be affected by the review, and we have done that extensively. For instance, take the passenger vehicle review that was done after much discussion with the industry. The health review, there was much discussion with the industry. These reviews will be done well and we will make those review recommendations public when it is complete.
Reviews are a very important part of government. If you look at business, part of making sure that a government or business is dynamic and engaged, is reviewing what you are doing, and that is an ongoing and continuous process. There are many aspects of how agencies operate, and of how the smaller parts of agencies operate, that are constantly under review. That is just a part of government. We have had some very public reviews but, if you want to know what is being reviewed, then they are on the agency web sites and included in annual reports.
Because of our agreement over the National Competition Policy, we have had to review every piece of legislation that could be affected by the National Competition Policy. All those reviews have come in here, where appropriate legislation was changed. We are confident that we will be completing all those reviews by the target date of June next year.
Many aspects of what happens in the Territory are under review constantly, and there have been some key reviews that we have made very public announcements about. Health is one, and we have the procurement review happening …
Mr Stirling: High schools next year.
Ms MARTIN: Of course, one that we are incredibly committed to next year is a review of secondary education. That review will be done not only with stakeholders like schools or educationalists, but we will be talking to parents and, very importantly, to those who are in the secondary system themselves: our students.
So there are a whole different range of reviews happening, some of major significant, while others are just rolling reviews. One of the things we have found in government is that, after 27 years of one administration, there are many elements of government that need refreshing and reinvigorating. As I said to start with …
Mr Dunham: Oh, so it is our fault? Oh, right!
Ms MARTIN: Don’t be so defensive, member for Drysdale. As I said to start with, it is part of the ongoing process of keeping government, a business - or how your family runs, for heavens sake – dynamic, engaged and relevant. That will happen with this Labor government all the time. There are many, many reviews going on, and there are web sites to access these. There are the National Competition Policy reviews and there are those very public reviews that we are doing …
Mr Wood: Just put them on one site so that we can find them.
Ms MARTIN: But if you go to the different agencies and their web sites …
Members interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: … there are many of those.
Members interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: Look, we are busy doing the reviews, where applicable, and they are available and we will be accountable about that. But I must say that one of the surprises of being in government is that so many aspects of what we are doing had a hardening of the arteries, and need reinvigorating. We are certainly working closely with the business community and with our public sector to do just that.
Teacher Shortages
Mr MILLS to MINISTER for EMPLOYMENT EDUCATION and TRAINING
It has been predicted that, at the start of the 2003 school year, we could expect a teacher shortage of up to 200. Other states and territories have funded aggressive advertising campaigns. Exactly what is the Territory doing? How much is this government spending on advertising? Also, are you advising potential recruits of your strategy to ensure that they will not be assaulted whilst teaching in the Territory’s remote schools - a fate suffered by six teachers in the last two weeks?
ANSWER
I thank the member for his question, Madam Speaker. That figure of six does rest on my conscience as well, because I get news flashes every time one of those incidents occurs. I am thankful that, on many occasions they are not out in the media.
However, every effort and every angle of the law is heavily pursued, I can assure the member, to bring those offenders to justice because there is never, under any circumstances, any justification for violence against anyone in our community, particularly those public servants who are often doing it pretty tough out in those communities. That is the last thing they need, the level of violence and threat that seems to emanate in some of these communities from time to time. It pops up in different communities at different times of the year; so you cannot say that there is an outburst in one community at a particular point in time. Maybe it is all right for the next 12 months and it pops up again.
I spoke about this in relation to infrastructure questions yesterday. It is something that is a beginning to drive me a little harder now - this whole-of-government approach and how we deal with communities and the social problems out there. When these violent types of episodes occur, there could be any number of reasons and frustrations; we do not know about the individual cases. But, in may cases, as I think the minister for health referred to yesterday, it is a question of relationships. It is a question of relationships between the agency in the community, the services delivery, and its relationships with that community. In terms of education - and it goes for health as well, if you are going to deliver service equitably, efficiently and properly in those communities - the better your relationship with the community you are serving, the better that you are going to deliver that service and, hopefully, reduce those sorts of activities.
In relation to recruitment next year, certainly, that national shortage of teachers is weighing heavily on government’s mind. It is a timely question, and I can assure the member for Blain that it is to the forefront of government’s mind, because the AEU is reminding government of the need to look to that difficulty of recruitment, and keeping the numbers up. Of course, they have the perfect opportunity and timing to be reminding a government of this, as they go through the enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations.
Mr Mills: I have not seen any ads in the national papers.
Mr STIRLING: Well, considerably more money was pumped into the advertising program for recruitment. I have addressed that question in the House in terms of the recruitment retention strategy earlier. We can dig those figures out, regarding just how much extra is going in.
I can assure the member that it is something that is right to the forefront. In terms of the enterprise bargaining agreement, the thing that is going to be uppermost in the negotiator’s minds, both from the government side and the AEU, is the question of quantum of the increase, and of competitiveness of salaries in the Northern Territory versus the rest. We are a high cost place to live, and the AEU has argued consistently in previous EBAs - and they will do again this time - that they need to be at the forefront in comparative salaries in order to be able to attract and retain teachers into the future.
I cannot and I will not - and it is not my place to - give any indication of where that quantum will be reached. However, I can assure the member it is right at the forefront of the negotiations in terms of the enterprise agreement and getting recruitment up to the mark.
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Statement by Speaker
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Millner, you have the call but before you do, I would just like to advise members of the presence of Chris Bagley in the Table Office. Chris is another student from Northern Territory University who is doing an internship with members this year. He is our third one. We are very grateful for the assistance they have provided and the research they are doing.
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Property Crime – Link with Drug Dependency
Mr BONSON to JUSTICE AND ATTORNEY-GENERAL
There is clear evidence of a link between break-ins and other property crime and drug dependency. What is the government doing to break the drug crime cycle?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Millner for his question. Indeed, I always welcome questions regarding crime prevention and, particularly, the prevention of crimes related to drugs. As my colleagues have already referred, the Office of Crime Prevention report on levels of crime in our community have shown some encouraging early signs of reduction in property crimes, particularly house break-ins throughout the Northern Territory. That has occurred in a period since mandatory sentencing has been repealed.
Members interjecting.
Dr TOYNE: That is a bit of a problem for you guys, over there.
The first thing we have to go back and do is to see what elements have led to that reduction in those areas of crime because, while encouraging, there is still a lot of work to be done to bring crime down to an acceptable level. In fact, the only level that we would regard as acceptable would be zero crime but, of course, that is pretty unrealistic to aspire to in the modern world, unfortunately.
So, what elements have gone into this reduction in property crime, house break-ins, that have occurred since the beginning of this year? I can tell you one element that we are pretty certain about and that is that we got stuck into drug dealers in the Northern Territory. We have taken them out of their comfort zone - the comfort zone that the CLP left them in for 26 years - and we have got stuck into them and are making it a lot harder for them to purvey drugs to, particularly, young people throughout the Territory.
When you look at the assertions we have been making right through this debate on crime and crimes related to drugs, we have been saying over and over again, that there is a connection between drug use and property crime. Here we have, yet again, in the Northern Territory News: ‘Junkie boy thief eludes police’. We have Commander George Owen, when interviewed about these cases that they are pursuing as part of their current Operation Genesweep 2 - the second of these Genesweeps - referring to the offenders: ‘These people, they are not solely breakers, they might do drugs, they might do breaks, some of them do breaks because they need money for drugs,’ he said. ‘Two of the people involved in Genesweep being investigated, one was stealing to support an amphetamine habit. There’s another young fellow who is a serious morphine addict and that’s why he steals, to buy MS Contin to shoot up’. Now, here we have again; the police see it day in day out. The crime reporters who go to our courts see it day in day out, and the fact that we are now targetting this area of these habits and this trade within our community, is one of the elements that has led to the early reductions in property crime that has been captured in this first of the quarterly reports.
We look forward to seeing some further evidence of the sustained reduction in these areas of crime. To do that, we have to go back and have a look at exactly what elements have gone into those reductions. It is hard to see how the Opposition Leader could describe as minuscule the problem that was identified by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare survey of 2001, which would put us as the worst jurisdiction in the nation in drug use, particularly by our young people. We have a problem; we have had a problem, and we have to do something about these problems.
In May of this year, I introduced a legislative package which, amongst other things, enabled police to identify, raid and build up evidence on premises being used to trade drugs. We look forward to the first of these drug houses being declared. We are very close. I look forward to standing in front of this House in Alice Springs, having my photo taken next to that green sign, because I will be very proud when the first sign goes up. In the meantime, a number of well-known drug houses in Darwin have closed down, including Speed Plus on Dick Ward Drive. The Foil on Moil was raided again in the last 24 hours. We are building up evidence layer by layer against these people. We are not going to give them anywhere to sit comfortably and get on with their evil trade within our community.
The next step in our war against drugs is to establish the Drug Courts. That will be done early next year. That will allow us to take serial offenders whose crimes are clearly being fuelled by a drug habit to go into a rehabilitation program as a way of presenting back to that court at the time of hearing and sentence, with some sign that they have attempted to do something about the habit which they are prepared to support to the detriment of our community and the householders in the community where they live.
We are on the move. We are encouraged by the early signs. I look forward to taking on this battle next year. We will be doing our level best to make further inroads in these areas of crime.
Drug Legislation
Mr MALEY to MINISTER for JUSTICE and ATTORNEY-GENERAL
The Attorney-General and his government have boasted much about their efforts to tackle drugs and how wonderful their drug house legislation is. Can the Attorney-General confirm that an application to have a house in Darwin declared a drug house is still in the hands of the prosecutors two months after it was submitted by the police? Can the Attorney-General confirm that this delay has been caused by problems with the legislation, and could he honestly detail those problems and what the government intends to do about it?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question. Let us clarify this area. The first thing I want to clarify is that, should the police feel that they have enough evidence to raise a case to have a drug house declared, that is civil action and they will source their legal support not from the DPP, as was reported earlier, but as a civil action from one of their own lawyers in the Department of Justice or through the outsourced arrangements by which legal support can be taken on by the government.
I am not aware of any problems with the legislation that is preventing this proceeding; it is simply a matter of the police taking on the legal process and applying civil laws to the evidence they have.
Alleged Drug Dealing at Nightclubs
Ms SCRYMGOUR to MINISTER for POLICE, FIRE and EMERGENCY SERVICES
Is the minister aware of a recent report about allegations of bouncers dealing in drugs at Darwin nightclubs? Can he inform the House what the situation is?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for her question. On Monday this week, honourable members will be aware, the NT News included an article entitled: ‘Bouncers accused of drug deals’. In this article, it is reported that the director of a local security company made a series of allegations, stating that bouncers and doormen are dealing in drugs in hotels and nightclubs across our city. Everybody here in this House would know that, as a government, we have been very strong in our commitment to cracking down on drug dealers and we have introduced some very tough legislation. As the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General has just stated, only recently the NT News reported on house breakers who police say are known amphetamine and morphine users.
It is amazing we are now seeing these issues reported accurately in the NT News. For years, those members opposite denied there was any link at all between illicit drug use and property crime. The Leader of the Opposition derided these allegations in saying that the link between drug use and property crime was minuscule. But that is not the case. I am delighted to see that the new drug house laws are taking effect. In fact, we have seen Speed Plus in Dick Ward Drive close down and, as the minister for Justice and Attorney-General said, we are very close to declaring other properties in Alice Springs and Darwin as drug houses. The member for Johnston, who was out doorknocking the other night, again reported increased traffic at a particular place in Moil. So, this legislation is taking effect and the link is now well known and well regarded.
The Drug Enforcement Unit has initiated dedicated operations to apprehend those people involved in the drug trade. To give members some idea, in November 2001, Operation Abrahams targetted persons suspected of dealing drugs in licensed premises in Mitchell Street. As a result of this operation, four people were arrested and charged with possession and supply of dangerous drug offences. Officers seized quantities of MDMA - for members who are not aware, that is Extacy - tablets and powder, amphetamines and Cannabis. None of those charged were employees of the licensed premises.
In March 2002, Operation Valentine targetted persons selling drugs in nightclubs. Six people were arrested and charged with possession and supply of dangerous drug offences. Again, quantities of MDMA, amphetamines and Cannabis were seized and again, none of these six arrested were employees of those premises.
Two specific operations are ongoing and to some extent, will be never ending. I am also advised that the unit is also acutely mindful of recent amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act, specifically the drug house legislation relating to licensed premises, which they actively seek to enforce. Although proactive in their drug enforcement practices, the unit also relies heavily on information supplied by the public.
I have been advised there have been no information reports attributed to the person who commented in the article the other day. I would urge all Territorians if they do have evidence, or suspicions of people dealing in illicit drugs, to report them to the police. The people who manufacture and distribute these substances are evil and they need to be dealt with. I would urge all Territorians to report these offences to the police. We on this side of the House, will continue to do whatever we can to drive these people out of business.
Health and Community Services Staffing Crisis
Mr DUNHAM to MINISTER for HEALTH and COMMUNITY SERVICES
Madam Speaker, it is six months to the day that the health minister appeared in the NT News with an admission that: ‘Yes, we have a health crisis, but I will fix it’. As recently as yesterday, the NT Branch of the Nursing Federation confirmed that we still have a crisis in our hospitals in the Northern Territory and with nursing staff right across the Territory. Minister, will you admit that you have failed to meet your promise to fix the health crisis? Can you tell Territorians how many doctors and nursing staff we will be short this Christmas?
ANSWER
It must be nearly Christmas and the honourable member is just deciding that it is time for him to actually do something.
Members interjecting.
Mrs AAGAARD: He was interviewed last week by Julia Christensen, who said: ‘Where have you been, you have been missing for twelve months?’ I must say the honourable member only seems to pop up just before sittings and comes up with very spurious things.
Yesterday, Paul Nieuwenhoven did refer to nurses but, in fact, he was talking about nurses in aged care. Aged care is a Commonwealth responsibility, and I agree that, in fact, nurses in aged care are not actually getting a very good deal. They are not getting a very good deal, and are actually paid at a different rate to nurses in other parts of the Territory and Australia. So, that is actually a Commonwealth matter which the honourable member might like to take up with his federal colleagues.
I am very happy to say that, in this last week, I have actually received the review from my department. Let me just go over why we had to have a review - let me just go over that. There was 27 years of sheer neglect in the health system …
Members interjecting.
Mrs AAGAARD: … conditions in hospitals, indigenous health were, of course, issues …
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order! I cannot hear the minister.
Mrs AAGAARD: It is a ho, ho, ho here for the opposition.
Mr Baldwin: It is a no, no, no for you.
Mrs AAGAARD: We were put in the position of having to have a review of this department. I am very pleased to have received the report. It is a very positive report, and it is one which will be putting us into the best position in the Northern Territory to get very good health and community service outcomes for the people of the Northern Territory.
The fact that we had the review, and that 132 written submissions were received, and 484 individuals also put in oral submissions, indicates that there was something that needed to be done because of the 27 years of neglect in this portfolio. I am very happy that we have had this review, we will be working on it over the next couple of months.
Let me take the opportunity while I am on my feet to say that I am also very happy to announce that we have a new CEO coming on board at the end of January. He is someone who is quite well–known in the Territory, to many people in the health field …
Mr Dunham: So, is he a nurse? Can he bog in over Christmas?
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! Minister, cease for a moment. Member for Drysdale, order, thank you, so that we can hear the minister’s announcement.
Mrs AAGAARD: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am very happy to announce Mr Robert Griew is going to be our new CEO. Mr Griew is well-known to many people in the health field in the Northern Territory, because he headed up OATSIH, the Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Services, and is, in fact, involved with the first two coordinated care trials in the Northern Territory. He is very experienced in indigenous health and this is going to be a real asset for the department.
He also has extremely good skills across the full range of the portfolio: disability, aged care, as well as in work force, and has worked for non-government sectors. One of his key qualities is, in fact, in change management. When he comes on board he is going to be implementing the reform agenda that we have and putting in place the reforms. Thank you, Madam Speaker, for this opportunity, and thank the honourable member for his question.
Tiwi Child-care Centre
Mr KIELY to MINISTER for TRANSPORT and INFRASTRUCTURE
Can the minister advise if there has been any result to the long-running issue of the child-care centre in the old Tiwi Primary School building?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this matter has been dragging on for some time. The Tiwi Child-Care Centre currently operates from an annexe in the old Tiwi Primary School. In the year 2000, the proprietors obtained a five-year lease and they started operating from the Tiwi Primary School building, which by then was owned by the Northern Territory University and was known as the Tiwi Campus.
A building that was built in the 1970s, it has, unfortunately, passed its use-by date, contains asbestos, and it was left empty for some time. Later, about 2001, the then CLP government decided to buy it off the NTU and paid $7m. They purchased the building, but they did nothing about it. They did not put anybody there, and they actually left it empty. As a result, the building further deteriorated, and became a centre for itinerants to shelter in during the Wet Season.
We then had the proposal by the Masonic Homes, who actually wanted to build a nursing home in the area. The government then offered them a lease of the land in the area, and they had to demolish the old building so Masonic Homes could start construction. The then Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment, the member for Daly, announced he was going to proceed with the demolition of the building. That, of course, caused an uproar in the community, because he was going to demolish part of the building, while this child-care centre was operating. You can imagine parents taking their children to the child-care centre when the demolition crew was demolishing a building full of asbestos. I remember very well the headlines in the newspapers then, and the meetings that followed, that he did not attend. The member for Wanguri and I attended. The then member for Casuarina, now Lord Mayor, attended once only, and he announced that the demolition was going to proceed.
Of course, we announced we were not going to proceed when we were in government, and we actually kept our promise. The demolition did not proceed, we found a way to accommodate the new development. However, the building was further deteriorating and I personally visited the building, something that the member for Daly failed to do as the Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment. I realised that the building was beyond repair and there was a danger of somebody losing their life. I ordered my department immediately to fence it in order to protect the building and the child-care centre.
We had negotiations with the proprietors of the child-care centre. The proprietor decided that she would like to surrender her lease, and the government will pay the two-year lease in compensation. At the same time, the proprietor agreed to purchase part of the land there and to build her own purpose-built child-care centre: a win/win situation.
The government paid the money, the proprietor bought the property, the Crown land, in order to build a new building …
Mr Baldwin interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Daly, you might hear the answer if you would stop.
Mr VATSKALIS: The money the government paid for the surrender of the lease is the money that the proprietor will pay to acquire the land. So there was no loss …
Mr Baldwin: How much?
Mr VATSKALIS: It is about $240 000.
Mr Baldwin interjecting.
Mr VATSKALIS: That is how much it cost the government to buy the lease out because you failed to do anything about the building. You rented a building that you knew was unsuitable, and you did nothing about it. It was full of asbestos: ‘We will demolish it. Don’t you worry about it, it is only asbestos …
Members interjecting.
Mr VATSKALIS: … if you close your windows it will be all right’. No, it was not going to be all right because in other states, in Western Australia and New South Wales, people who were exposed to asbestos have sued the government for multimillion dollar compensation. Some of these people suffer severe health problems, and some have died from asbestosis.
The report from experts in the Territory and other states indicated the presence of asbestos in the building, and we have to take special care when demolishing the building - even part of the building to accommodate the building of the Masonic Lodge. We have to do that with extreme care, removing the asbestos sheet by sheet and also having a continuous flow of water to wet the asbestos, because we want to protect the residents and the children in the child-care centre from the asbestos.
So it is a win/win situation. We are going to have a purpose-built, privately-owned child-care centre operating in Tiwi where, until now did not have a child-care centre. At the same time, with the surrender of the lease by the owner, we are going to proceed with full demolition of the building.
Mr Dunham: Rubbish! There is one at the hospital and one at the university.
Mr VATSKALIS: I will take up that interjection about the child-care centre in the hospital. Has the member for Drysdale tried to find a place for a child in a child-care centre? I did - I found one in Humpty Doo. The person was living in Tiwi, unfortunately; it was very inconvenient having to drop the children. There are very, very few spaces in Darwin at the child-care centres. That is why private companies are now coming from interstate to build child-care centres because they know they are going to fill all the spaces and they are going to make money.
The reality is that the Tiwi Child-care Centre problem has been resolved, thanks to myself and the member for Wanguri, and our efforts to stop the demolition of an asbestos-ridden building while the child-care centre was operating in 2001. We have a new child-care centre, purpose built, and it cost nothing, in reality, for the government.
Members interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that further questions be placed on the Question Paper and wish Territorians a happy Christmas and a prosperous and safe New Year.
SUPPLEMENTARY ANSWERS
Dundee Beach and Bynoe Harbour - Marine Park
Dundee Beach and Bynoe Harbour - Marine Park
Mr VATSKALIS (Lands and Planning): Madam Speaker, just one item. Yesterday, the member for Nelson asked a question with regards to Dundee Beach and the Bynoe marine park. I would like to give a brief response.
The Dundee Beach foreshore to the main high water mark is part of Crown lease term No 570. That Crown lease was granted by the CLP government to the Dundee Beach Pty Ltd, so the foreshore is not owned by the Territory, it is owned by a private developer and probably will be surrendered when the lease is completed.
As for the Bynoe Harbour, this is part of the Labor promises we made before the election. There will be a marine park in Bynoe. We are working on it and I intend to invite you when the marine park is formally declared.
Industrial Accidents – Mine Sites
Mr HENDERSON (Business, Industry and Resource Development): Madam Speaker, I have further information on a question raised by the member for Nelson this morning regarding injuries in our mining industry. Performance in the industry across Australia over recent years has exhibited an improving trend, with average lost time injury frequency rates calculated as the number of lost time injuries per million hours worked, falling from 18 in 1996-97 to 11 in 200-01. The figures for all states for 2001-02 are not yet available.
During the same period - that is 1996-97 to 2000-01 - the NT mining industry injury rates has varied from between 6.9 and 8.7, which is continually below the national average. As I said today, for the states the numbers are in for 2001-02, the Territory is trending as the second best performer to Western Australia in this area, and continues to make improvements.
Assaults on Nurses at Work
Mrs AAGAARD (Health and Community Services): Madam Speaker, I have some further information regarding a question raised by the member for Port Darwin yesterday. The member for Port Darwin asked yesterday about the numbers of assaults on nurses this year.
First, the member cited a figure of 213 assaults on nurses while at work for last year. I am unsure of where this figure came. If she is drawing on the Estimates Committee information, the number provided was 223 in 2001-02, not 213.
There is also a question of what is meant by assault. The figure provided for the Estimates Committee is for aggressive incidents. This includes verbal aggression, physical threat and sexual assault. Sadly, there were 133 incidents of verbal aggression; 89 physical threats and one case of sexual assault last year. These data are for all employees in the department, not only for nurses.
Since July this year, there have been 33 incidents of physical assault against nurses that involved biting, scratching, hitting and more serious assault, and this compares with 82 incidents last financial year. Obviously, any assault is unacceptable, and in this context statistics are not useful.
Unfortunately, across Australia and indeed overseas, workplace violence is increasing. Considerable effort is now being invested by large and small organisations to respond to this disturbing trend. Yesterday, I also outlined measures being taken by my department and across portfolios in this regard, and the minister for education mentioned some of those today.
Madam Speaker, every employee has a right to feel safe, and this will be the focus of the attention of myself and my colleagues.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016