2007-02-22
Royal Darwin Hospital - Budget
Dr LIM to MINISTER for HEALTH
On Julia Christensen’s breakfast program on ABC radio on Tuesday, you claimed:
- Government has invested nearly $200m since we came to power in 2001, that is a 75% increase in RDH. We have put 58 extra beds in there, and we are busy implementing our Rapid Admission Unit.
Are you claiming that you have spent $200m more out of the Territory’s budget, not Commonwealth budget, Territory monies, on the Royal Darwin Hospital since 2001? If so, can you detail exactly where the $200m has been spent at the Royal Darwin Hospital, and why it is we have ambulances and waiting rooms being used as wards? If not, what were you telling ABC listeners on Tuesday?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question from the member for Greatorex. As I have said a number of times over the past two weeks, this government has spent and invested 75% extra funding into Royal Darwin Hospital since we came to power in 2001. We are currently spending just under $200m per annum.
Dr Lim: At RDH?
Dr BURNS: At RDH.
Dr Lim interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: I have placed that on the record before in this House, member for Greatorex. By my calculations, the expenditure probably started off somewhere around $115m to $120m. This is recurrent expenditure excluding substantial amounts of …
Dr Lim: Recurrent expenditure, you mean salaries?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, the minister is answering your question. Minister, have you finished your answer?
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, it is obvious the member for Greatorex does not want to listen to the answers that I have given. I was responding to his question. However, if he will not afford me the courtesy of allowing me to give my answer after I listened carefully to his question, I am not going to stand here and be interrupted constantly by the member for Greatorex.
Darwin City Waterfront –
Auditor-General’s Report
Ms SACILOTTO to CHIEF MINISTER
The Darwin City Waterfront Project will deliver a convention centre, wave pool, parklands, promenades, hotel apartments, retail and commercial property. Can you please advise the House what the Auditor-General’s February report said about the waterfront project?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Port Darwin for the question because it is an important one. This is the second report that the Auditor-General has provided to the House dealing with the waterfront. It was tabled yesterday. If you remember, the first report was tabled in August last year and it reviewed the appropriateness of the processes adopted in the tendering, assessment and selection of the successful consortium. The Auditor-General found no issue with that process.
The report tabled yesterday comes some 18 months into the project, and I believe it is very timely. Members and the public can see for themselves the progress that is being made in transforming what was an industrial wasteland into - and it is happening step-by-step – a world-class convention centre surrounded by high quality public and recreational facilities and, of course, the residential and hospitality development. The project is progressing well.
As mentioned many times before, the economic benefit to the Territory was the key driver in the decision to proceed with the waterfront development. In his report, the Auditor-General goes through a number of different elements of where we are today, and has indicated that the analysis conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers assessed the value of the project to the Territory. They looked at incremental tourism spend and the impact on Gross State Product. Respectively, the tourism spend was $197m flow-on, and the impact on Gross State Product from the waterfront development was $350m,. It was these figures that provided a sound basis to proceed to tender for the project.
However, and this is a point that the Auditor-General makes very clearly, the decision to proceed with the project also included the use of a public sector comparator against the tenders received, which included a comparative assessment of the risk allocation arrangement between the Territory and the private sector for that PPP. Pleasingly, the Auditor-General concludes that this comparison was positive. It is very important that, with this PPP, the comparison was positive.
The Auditor-General also looked at the cost of the project. The estimated nett cost to the Territory of the contractual arrangements with the private sector, as I have previously said, was $144m in 2005 dollars at financial close in May 2005, not forgetting that the Territory investment would leverage some $900m in private sector investment over the life of the project. That is the really exciting component of this project; the Territory taxpayer investment leverages such a significant private sector investment. Of course, as we talked about at the time, there were also the additional costs associated with the remediation works and the external works to the project, such as decontamination and managing UXOs.
The Auditor-General’s summary of costs and returns, which he has adjusted to reflect values in November 2006, result in a nett cost to the Territory of $135.2m. A comparison of the cost previously recorded by my government with those of the Auditor-General shows that when you look at the detail of the figures, there has been an improvement in the Territory’s position of $45.1m, which is largely due to the increased expectation in relation to property returns. So we have actually seen a return to the Territory and an improvement in our position of $45.1m.
I want to talk a little more about those property returns. A key factor underpinning that nett cost is the property returns. The Auditor-General has calculated that total returns from Stages 1 and 2 could be expected to be in the order of $233m in future dollars or, if you translate them to November 2006 dollars, $112.8m. If you go back 18 months, that compares with the $62m in 2005 prices that we expected at financial close. That is a significant return in property value in just that 18 months’ time, and that is what the Auditor-General said.
Madam Speaker, this is an excellent outcome and underlines the value to the Territory being able to capture those increasing property values over time, in the way that we have done, which is through guaranteed percentages of gross revenue in the final sale prices, rather than just what the CLP opposition wanted us to do, just sell the land.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: … and look at that overall return, what an excellent way to proceed. I am very pleased, and I am sure this House is very pleased, to have received this comprehensive review. I look forward to further reviews of what, for the Territory and Darwin, is a great project.
Royal Darwin Hospital -
Emergency Unit Staffing
Dr LIM to MINISTER for HEALTH
Yesterday, at the Royal Darwin Hospital, you had a patient who was on a respirator being nursed in the corridor in the emergency department. Even you must know that such patients need to be treated in an Intensive Care or High Dependency Unit, where the nurse to patient ratio is 1:1 or 1:2, rather than 1:6 as is the case in the emergency department. Monitoring of such patients in HDU or ICU is done for very important safety reasons. How did this happen: that this patient may be at risk of his life? What are you doing to ensure that it does not continue to happen?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the member for Greatorex has raised a specific issue. That is his version of events. This is the first I have heard of this assertion. I know from previous experience with the opposition, and the member for Greatorex in particular, that some of the issues he raises are – I am picking the words very carefully here, Madam Speaker. In some …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: … instances it is not the whole story. He is making assertions about a particular case. I have to say that I trust the judgment of the clinicians in our emergency department and within Royal Darwin Hospital.
Let us cut to the chase here. The shadow wrote me a letter at 12 noon today, which said:
Question Time - nursing numbers …
Dr LIM: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I did the courteous thing and advised the minister that I would be asking health questions of him, and I listed some questions. The minister then wrote to me saying that he is not prepared to answer those questions. This is Question Time, for goodness sake ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, what is your point of order?
Dr LIM: My point of order is the minister should answer the questions, not refer to the letter.
Madam SPEAKER: Please resume your seat, member for Greatorex. There is no point of order. Minister, please continue.
Dr BURNS: I am doing that, Madam Speaker. The member for Greatorex has written me a letter and he has asked seven questions - all of them very complex questions requiring a lot of detail in relation to Royal Darwin Hospital, going back in time to 2003, many of them in relation to the emergency department. I have written back to the member for Greatorex. I thanked him for his letter and said that I will formally reply to his questions …
Ms CARNEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The minister may, quite inadvertently, be on a different track. The question that my colleague, the member for Greatorex, just asked was not in the letter provided to the minister. Therefore, I ask that you invite him to answer the question that was asked, instead of referring to extraneous matters.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, you would be aware that, during Question Time, with both answers and questions, there is a lot of latitude, particularly in the answering of questions. The minister is answering the question.
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, what I am saying is that the member for Greatorex, at 12 noon today, dumped, or gave this letter, requiring quite detailed work and response - a lot of it to do with the emergency department at Royal Darwin Hospital – and expects everyone – demands - that these questions be answered in Question Time today. He obviously expects everyone in the emergency department …
Dr Lim: It is easy enough to do. Not only can you not visit the hospital, you cannot even pick up a phone to ring them.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: … senior clinicians, senior administrators at the hospital to drop everything, and answer these questions.
Member for Greatorex, you have raised an issue about a patient on a respirator. I have said this is the first I have heard about it; this is your version of events. I will certainly be inquiring about that. However, I have learnt over the time I have been in this parliament, to take with a grain of salt some of the assertions that are made by the opposition, vis--vis the bogus table that was presented in sittings in November. They have a whole range of tricks that they roll out here, and I have learned to take it all with a grain of salt.
Crime Rate
Mr BURKE to MINISTER for JUSTICE and ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Since coming to office in 2001, the Martin Labor government has strongly pursued the perpetrators of crime by tackling the causes of crime and providing the resources to catch and punish those who commit crime. Can the minister advise my constituents whether these actions have been successful in bringing down crime levels over the last five years?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Brennan for his question. I advise all his constituents, and have it on the Parliamentary Record for all Territorians to see, where we have arrived at with this question of crime.
Together with the handling of the economy, which is a key focus for us, the reduction of crime across our community is right up there alongside that as a priority and a key focus. When we came to office in August 2001, it was no secret that our predecessors, the CLP government, had long before taken their eye off the question of crime. The criminal effects of drugs, which were well known in the community by and large, were totally dismissed by the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister of the day. Dismissed as not being an issue, despite the fact that Territorians well knew, and research well showed us the link between the abuse of drugs and property crime. For four years, in the term of office, they failed to recruit one police officer into the police force.
So all that meant was that, in 2001, the task we had to undertake was made much more significant by that neglect. We have taken a number of actions across a number of areas to tackle crime. First and foremost, the O’Sullivan Report increased the budget of Police, Fire and Emergency Services by 55%, a cost of $75m, now translated into, to quote the Police Commissioner, ‘an extra 215 police’. That was what was required in order to catch up to a level of service required by the community.
We have tackled drugs with new and tougher drug laws, penalties and forfeiture, including forfeiture of the proceeds of crime. We have bought police better equipment; we have tackled antisocial behaviour with strong laws; we are addressing issues of violence; and we have tackled the issue of gangs with the legislation passed last year. Substance abuse, particularly alcohol abuse, is being addressed at a community level. We have innovative approaches at Groote Eylandt with the permit system. I am pleased to say that soon a version of it is to be imported into my home town of Nhulunbuy.
We have seen the situation at Alice Springs with the alcohol restrictions. We have seen the Tiwi Islands alcohol restrictions going from full strength to mid-strength beer. Those results are significant. On Groote Eylandt, restrictions have seen crime plummet. On Tiwi, with the move to mid-strength and light beer, police overtime has plummeted, which has to tell you that so also has the antisocial behaviour and crime. In Alice Springs, the anecdotal evidence so far suggests hospital presentations as a result of alcohol abuse are decreasing.
Over the last five years, right across the board, crime figures have revealed significant falls in the level of crime in our community. To be more specific, house break-ins are down 50% over the last six years; break-ins to commercial and other premises are down 31% over the last six years; motor vehicle and related offences show a 51% decrease over the last six years; other theft is down by 25% over the last six years; and property damage is down 29% over the last six years. In total, there are 10 272 fewer property offences than six years ago. That is 10 272 Territorians who have not been broken into over the past six years since we have been in government, or almost that time, as compared to the front page week after week, day after day run by the Northern Territory News through 1999, 2000 and 2001 in and around burglaries, property offences, break-ins and those sorts of crimes. Sexual assaults decreased 21% over the same time period.
Each of those figures suggests that much has been done to make the Territory a safer place. More has to be done; we acknowledge that. But I will tell you what we will not do: we will not take our eye off the ball, we will not get complacent about these results in the way that we saw our predecessors do and the damage that that caused to the Territory. We have tackled these issues head on. We will continue to work with our communities to make them even more safe.
Royal Darwin Hospital - St John
Ambulance Paramedics
Ambulance Paramedics
Dr LIM to MINISTER for HEALTH
Is it true that, yesterday, Territory Health told St John Ambulance that the Royal Darwin Hospital emergency department would only accept from them patients suffering life threatening illnesses, and that all other patients brought to them at the ED by St John Ambulance would have to be treated by St John Ambulance paramedics elsewhere in the hospital? Why are St John Ambulance paramedics engaged to work in a hospital and where are they working from?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, once again the member for Greatorex is making assertions. If he has evidence of this, let him bring it forward.
Bradshaw Primary School –
Comments by Member for Braitling
Comments by Member for Braitling
Mr HAMPTON to MINISTER for EMPLOYMENT EDUCATION and TRAINING
Yesterday, in Question Time, the member for Braitling made some extraordinary allegations about the teaching practices at Bradshaw School. Can you please tell us more about this situation at Bradshaw, and whether the labelling of the school by the member for Braitling was fair?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Stuart for a very responsible question as a result of the very irresponsible and offensive question …
Mrs Braham: Very true question.
Mr HENDERSON: … asked by the member for Braitling yesterday. She may well want to continue with the line, ‘this is very true’, in a chase for cheap political points, however, I want to talk today about what we are doing as a government and what Bradshaw Primary School, a great school, is doing in Alice Springs to give every child there a decent education.
I was disappointed yesterday. I have made phone calls today and have been speaking to many people about the allegations made by the member for Braitling. I am very disappointed that the member chose to launch her attack without asking for a briefing about the situation at Bradshaw Primary School, without visiting the school, without speaking to staff at the school about what is happening there. To come in here and chase a very cheap political point, without seeking to inform herself from the school itself about what is happening there, is very disappointing.
As I said yesterday, the students caught up in the member’s question – and we are talking about little kids here – come from some of the most challenging home environments in this country. Previously, these children rarely went to school; their learning outcomes were very poor and no child had met literacy benchmarks. That is what we are talking about in terms of their previous education environment. As I said yesterday, these children deserve the right to a quality education, the same as any other kid in Alice Springs.
Once a suitable facility was identified, DEET staff carried out lengthy discussions with families of the students. A transition plan was put in place for those students, and it was agreed to by the staff and the parents for the start of school this year. This was a transition plan …
Mrs Braham: They have been at Bradshaw since April last year.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Braitling, cease interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: … and it is working. That is the good news that is coming out of all of this. Attendance is higher, learning outcomes are improving.
Last week, 33 students enrolled at the school. There were 27 there on some days and 24 on others. That is a lot more than would have been turning up at the Irrkerlantye Learning Centre. It is a significant improvement on what was happening at the learning centre that the member for Braitling and others members on the other side of the House campaigned to keep open. They campaigned to keep open a facility where there was poor attendance and no learning outcomes.
Many students who came to Bradshaw could not recognise the alphabet. Now, they can read 30 out of 100 most common words, and they are writing sentences. I saw them do it. Only last week, a parent meeting was held and it was well attended. The parents are being engaged. As I said yesterday, I went to that school just a few weeks ago and I witnessed what was happening in the classrooms. It is clear that the progress at the school is down to the principal, the teachers, the parents and the kids. It goes to show what can be achieved when we work together.
I will not repeat the allegations that were made yesterday because they are offensive. Half the enrolled students at Bradshaw Primary School are indigenous, and the comments that were made yesterday insulted everyone. I contacted the principal of the school this morning, so disturbed was I by the media reports that were running last night on the radio. The paper reported accurately, albeit on the front page. I rang the principal of the school as soon as I arrived at work this morning. I bet the member for Braitling has not phoned the principal.
Mrs Braham: And they are going to change their policy.
Mr HENDERSON: I bet the member for Braitling has not, Madam Speaker …
Mrs Braham: I have spoken to Irrkerlantye.
Ms Carney: They are deeply offended by what you said. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mr HENDERSON: … because the amount of disbelief and hurt that is occurring at that school is absolutely palpable. A number of parents have contacted my office …
Ms Carney: And mine.
Mr HENDERSON: Yes, and the Leader of the Opposition’s office. They are absolutely outraged about the allegations made about the school. That has deeply hurt teachers in the school.
I want to put on the record, again, that I, this government and, I believe, all bar the member for Braitling, deeply support the efforts of the principal and the teachers at Bradshaw Primary School. You have our total support. Madam Speaker, it is fantastic that those kids are now learning to read and write. That is the good news. They should not have been used for cheap political points.
Local Government Reform – Roads Funding
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for LOCAL GOVERNMENT
You say in your information pack on changes to local government that there will be more funding for local government and it will be fairly distributed. As you know, the Grants Commission distributes local government money received from the federal government based on the Territory population and distributed on a horizontal equalisation scheme or a needs basis.
With the whole of the Territory to be now incorporated under your new shire model, and with the same amount of money available through the Grants Commission, where will the extra funding needed to maintain newly incorporated roads come from? Will the $20m from the Commonwealth for unincorporated roads be used for that purpose? If there is no extra funding forthcoming, will that mean that there will be less money for local roads maintenance in existing municipal or council regions which will now have to be funded by increasing their rates?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. You have raised a number of very important issues. It is important to understand that some of the details are yet to be determined in the context of the existing arrangements with the Grants Commission.
You also made reference to the roads money, in effect, as to whether the $20m would be forthcoming. We know very well that, at this point in time, the Northern Territory government is effectively precluded from making any application in respect to extra dollars for roads. So, for the very first time, this will allow those communities, under the reform of the Local Government Act, to at least have the same opportunity to make bids in respect to roads. So, yes, number one, potentially, there is going to be a lot more capacity and certainty under this new reform to be able to secure road money.
The other issue you raised was the way in which the Grants Commission charter operates at the moment. I know that it is very much dictated to by the Commonwealth. I guess your question is that, no more money, which means that, under this reform, there would be less money as a result of the new arrangement. What I can say is that I believe we have a greater capacity to be able to secure extra dollars in terms of the reform that we have been talking about over the last few days. Clearly, there is some capacity by way of a levy that might apply across the Northern Territory and, of course, the shire councils will have that capacity, should they choose to do that. I suspect they will, and so they should.
The other issue, which is …
Mr Wood: Tell the ratepayers in Litchfield.
Mr McADAM: No, whatever. The other point I want to impress on you and others is that this actual model has an agreement in principle by the Commonwealth government. I believe there is greater capacity to be able to attract dollars from the Commonwealth government in respect to the new shire model. That is still to be tested, however, I have every confidence, because this new model is a recognised third tier of government. It is very robust, it has very strong accounting management principles in place. It is for that reason that I believe that the Commonwealth government will be able to park some of their dollars in these new entities with a degree of certainty.
Mr Wood: We will need some guarantees.
Mr McADAM: I beg your pardon?
Mr Wood: I believe we will need some guarantees.
Mr McADAM: Well, again, as you go forward on exercises like this, there are always outstanding issues and outstanding matters. For the first time, there will be a system of local government in place that is recognised by the Northern Territory government, it will be recognised by the Commonwealth government and, most importantly, it is going to provide rigour of good management practices and principles. That is the problem we have had in the past. There has been a reluctance on the part of the Commonwealth government to provide funding, as has been the case for some of our programs. However, be confident, be positive, unlike some other members, because I believe this reform will provide the certainty and the opportunity that people out in the bush so richly deserve.
Royal Darwin Hospital - St John
Ambulance Paramedics
Ambulance Paramedics
Dr LIM to MINISTER for HEALTH
You may not have wanted to answer the last question, however, I will ask you this: is it the case that, yesterday, paramedics where called into work at the Royal Darwin Hospital because the Royal Darwin Hospital advised St John Ambulance that the hospital would only accept patients suffering from life-threatening illnesses brought to the hospital by ambulance. Again, this meant that Territory Health, your department, authorised the removable of ambulances from the road because you had them parked at the Royal Darwin Hospital with paramedics treating patients. While these paramedics are treating patients, what happens when an ambulance is needed to respond to a life-threatening emergency elsewhere in Darwin? Whose responsibility will it be when something goes wrong?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I will reiterate what I said in response to the last question: I would like to see the member for Greatorex substantiate what he is saying. It seems to me that, over the past ...
Dr LIM: A point of order, Madam Speaker! This is Question Time. I am asking the minister a question. He had time to ring the Royal Darwin Hospital. All he had to do was pick up the telephone. He now tells me, effectively, not only can he not visit the Royal Darwin Hospital, he cannot even phone them. The information is there at the Royal Darwin Hospital. He could ring them.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Greatorex.
Mr Henderson: I was going to speak to the point of order.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Minister, do you wish to continue?
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, I will reiterate what I said earlier: the member for Greatorex is yet to substantiate these assertions. I have complete confidence in the clinicians and staff at Royal Darwin Hospital in the way they treat patients and patient flow.
The member for Greatorex has a history of saying our health system is collapsing. This is the Northern Territory News - I believe it was Thursday, 15 February: ‘Territory Health System Collapsing, says CLP’s Lim‘. In this article, the member for Greatorex said he believed government had spent an additional $200m on Health department staff wages over the past six years rather than injecting the money into the health system …
Dr LIM: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Please pause, minister, there is a point of order.
Dr LIM: Madam Speaker, I made a personal explanation about that, and this minister …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Dr LIM: I made a personal explanation about that error in calculation …
Mr Stirling: We cannot trust what you say!
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr LIM: That was made in this House only last week. The minister knows full well that I did that, and what he is doing now is quoting completely erroneous figures.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order! Minister, it is true that the member made a personal explanation.
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, of course, I acknowledge that the member for Greatorex corrected the record, and inserted another figure in instead of $200m, which was $20m - which is wrong again.
The point I am making is that the member for Greatorex seems to delight in going around saying our health system is collapsing. That might be very well for his political gains, but it is a very dangerous game, and he needs to be very careful in what he is doing here. We are talking about people’s lives, the abilities of our clinicians, and our health system. I say to the member for Greatorex: be very careful what you do here because you are making assertions that our health system is collapsing - and it is not.
Ms Carney: You do not know what St John Ambulance drivers were told yesterday and you are the Minister for Health? Goodness gracious me!
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order! Leader of the Opposition!
National Rugby League Fixture - Darwin
Mr BONSON to MINISTER for SPORT and RECREATION
The Territory’s sporting calendar is packed with excellent events. This weekend’s NRL fixture in Darwin is a fantastic addition to our great lifestyle. Can the minister inform the House how this event is shaping up for Saturday night - which I will be attending.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is all about lifestyle, since our lifestyle is the lure of the Territory. We have been very fortunate over the last two months. We have seen some fantastic athletes coming to Darwin. We already have the world’s Hottest 7s Rugby Union Championships, the NBL match with the Perth Wildcats, the AFL Indigenous All Stars match and, last weekend, I was in Alice Springs for a fantastic event, the Imparja Cup, and this weekend, the National Rugby League is at Richardson Park.
You will recall that last year we had a very successful Rugby League match at Alice Springs where the Penrith Panthers and Newcastle Knights played in front of a crowd of 6000 people. We have been working very hard with the Australian Rugby League and the Northern Territory Rugby League to make this a permanent fixture in the Territory’s sporting calendar. We have been successful - we have signed a three year agreement. There is going to be a National Rugby League game this year in Darwin, next year in Alice Springs, and the year after in Darwin again. The Penrith Panthers and Newcastle Knights have put their hands up to come back to the Territory. They thank Territorians who made them feel very welcome. That is why they want to come back.
Both teams will be again conducting community players and coaching clinics. We will be providing free buses from Casuarina, Darwin and Palmerston interchange every 30 minutes to take people to Richardson Park. There will be a free shuttle bus service to and from the Turf Club starting at 4 pm. There will be an Under 15 match, City versus Country, before the main match. This will be followed by our own NTIS Under 18s versus Darwin Colts Under 18s. That will be a great game.
Madam Speaker, we are looking forward to seeing many more sporting events taking place in 2007. Events like this not only improve our great Territory lifestyle. Let us not forget that Darwinians and the people of the Territory are crazy about their sports. When these teams come to Darwin, they bring with them support people who need accommodation and transport. They spend money in the city, thus generating more jobs and certainly empowering our economy.
Royal Darwin Hospital Nurses – Overtime
Dr LIM to MINISTER for HEALTH
From your own figures, which you tabled this week, across the Northern Territory health system, over 34% of nurses are working more than the standard working week. How many nurses at Royal Darwin Hospital worked overtime in the last two pay cycles? You would also be aware that there are quite a number of nurses who work for Territory Health who also work for nursing agencies. Are these additional hours worked by these nurses through agencies counted as part of the 34% of nurses working overtime?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, once again, I will respond to the member for Greatorex. I tabled the document here which showed the overtime rates specifically related to pay period 16 over the last two weeks leading up to that, and I believe that was very explicit.
In terms of nurses working overtime, I am advised that the directors of nursing in the various hospitals are responsible for ensuring that nurses do not work unsafe hours within any of those discreet institutions. As I said this morning, if someone has evidence of someone working unsafe hours I would like to know about that, and I would take action about that.
This line of questioning by the opposition seems to deny, if you are talking about Royal Darwin Hospital, that we have actually invested in many extra nurses, actually 30% extra nurses since 2001. The FTE has increased from 518 FTE to 674 FTE, an increase of 156 or 30%. We have invested in 58 new beds, as the member for Greatorex has acknowledged.
We are a government that is investing in our health system, investing in our hospital system and, as I reported to the parliament earlier today, the report on government services that I raised in this House before clearly shows that, in terms of per capita population, we have the highest numbers of hospital doctors and hospital nurses.
We are a government that is investing in our hospitals, investing in our personnel, and as much as the opposition is trying to white ant that in the public mind, I stand on that record and I am proud of it.
Childcare – NT Government Assistance
Mr WARREN to MINISTER to FAMILY and COMMUNITY SERVICES
As every young family in my electorate can tell you, childcare is an essential service for Territory families. I know the lack of capital support to childcare centres by the Howard government has put upward pressure on childcare fees. What is the Territory government doing to assist Territory families who need childcare?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Goyder for his question. I know he is a very strong advocate of the childcare centres in the rural area. Yes, childcare is a federal government responsibility, however, it is a responsibility that they seem keen to walk away from. We have seen the attitude expressed by both the federal government and the CLP opposition that childcare is a business, an industry. This government strongly disagrees with that attitude. It is an essential service, a service on which Territory families fundamentally rely.
It is with this support for childcare that we introduced a families package, with an innovative commitment of $500 000 for playground equipment for not-for-profit community childcare services. I want to update the House on the implementation of that election commitment. We have playgrounds where our young children build their physical and social skills and where they begin their learning path. That $500 000 was identified to assist these centres to provide essential playground equipment, and to upgrade equipment, including shade structures, which are very important.
In the first round of grants we introduced last year, playground equipment was provided to some 28 services for approximately $187 000. This week, we have approved a further 46 grants across the Territory, bringing the total funding allocated to that $500 000 commitment.
I congratulate all those childcare centres that applied and were successful. They will be able to provide opportunities such as bike riding, climbing equipment, water play, softball areas and shade. Those 46 grants are right across the Territory. Examples of where they are going are: Minyerri JET Crche will receive $6500 to install soft fall, a sand pit and fencing; Jirnari Childcare Centre will put up a shade cloth and purchase new play equipment to the value of $7000; the Central Australian Toy Library and 3-Year-Old Kindy will receive a grant of $7460 to install fencing, a water bubbler and playground equipment.
It is worth noting that 32 grants have gone to remote communities or town camps. I am pleased to say that we are a government that is working in partnership with our community-managed services. Under the federal government regime, childcare centres would be forced to raise their childcare fees to meet these essential equipment requirements. I call on the federal government and the member for Greatorex to stop thinking of childcare as an industry. It is an essential service to families. They provide a key role in the learning pathways of our children.
I acknowledge the fine work done by my agency, the Department of Family and Community Services, and some of the staff are here today, for the great work they did in assessing these applications and taking these great programs to our childcare centres.
School Policy – Former Irrkerlantye
Learning Centre Students
Learning Centre Students
Mrs BRAHAM to MINISTER for EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION and TRAINING
I was not going to ask you this question, but I could not help but do so after your remarks. I take it from your remarks that you actually support the school in the policy of segregation that they are enacting at the moment. There are two other schools in Alice Springs that have town camp children and run units, but they do not separate the children at recess and lunchtimes. Are you saying your government actually supports this policy? When are you going to talk to the parents about it?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I will not thank the member for Braitling for this question because, again, she is making outrageous assertions about the policy intent of this government. I am 6’5” and I can stand here and wear any sorts of allegations raised against me, but it is very offensive and hurtful to continue to make these allegations …
Mrs Braham: They are not allegations. They are truths. They are not allegations.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Braitling, cease interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: … for decisions that have been made in the best interests of those students at Bradshaw Primary School, in consultation with their parents.
I am advised that the transition plan that it is place – it is a transition plan to ensure that these students become accustomed to the rigours, the disciplines, the school environment, before they move into the mainstream classrooms. These are decisions that are made by professional people, by the teachers at Bradshaw Primary School, in conjunction with their parents.
I outlined earlier the successful outcomes that are being achieved, which are that, on the numbers that I am presented with, over 80% of those students are attending school every day. The biggest single challenge we have in indigenous education is regular attendance of those indigenous kids at our schools – 80%, Madam Speaker. I would pay a king’s ransom to see 80% attendance in many of our remote schools around the Northern Territory - 80% attendance. We are also seeing those students reading and writing. As I said, when they went to the school, they could not even read the alphabet. They are now able to read 30 of the 100 most common words and they are writing sentences. That is what we want out of our education system, kids going to school and learning to read and write.
Mrs Braham: And socially integrate, or does not that feature in your program?
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: In terms of the community partnerships, the work that the school has done with their parents, as I said, and the member for Braitling obviously did not listen to the answer …
Mrs Braham: I did. No, minister, you have it wrong.
Mr HENDERSON: … there was a meeting between the school and the parent body last week which a significant number of parents attended, it was very well attended, and the transition plan includes getting the kids to school, being flexible around starting times for students’ recess and lunchtimes. The kids are getting to school earlier, because the dedicated teachers there are getting into a bus, driving around the town camps, picking the kids up, ensuring they get a feed on the bus and getting them into the classroom earlier. So they start school earlier, therefore they have their lunch early, unless you want the poor little buggers to starve, and then, they finish school earlier, because they started earlier, to get them home.
We are a government that is not going to enforce - and I talked about community plans that are going to be put in place in our 15 biggest remote communities, where we are going to consult with the communities. One of the things we are going to put on the table for discussion is starting and finishing times of schools because, at the end of the day, we do not want a rigid, inflexible system, we want kids who go to school, and come out of school, learning to read and write.
That is what is now happening with those students from Irrkerlantye that was not happening before. I back the professional judgment of the teachers, the principal, and the commonsense of the parents 100%, Madam Speaker, and I wish those students and those teachers all the best.
Palmerston Returned Services League –
New Facility
New Facility
Mr BURKE to CHIEF MINISTER
As you would be aware, much of my electorate are Defence personnel, some of whom are in Iraq as we speak. Last Sunday, you officially opened the Palmerston RSL’s new home at the Palmerston Sports Club. Can you advise the House about the new alliance and what it means for the people of Palmerston, especially our returned servicemen and women?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, a pertinent and timely question from the member for Brennan. As a proud patron of the Palmerston RSL, I was delighted to open the RSL’s new home at the Palmerston Sports Club on Sunday afternoon. It has been a while coming. Anyone who visited the Palmerston RSL in what could only be described as a donga, would know that it was in a fairly appalling state and, over the last few years, was getting worse and worse by the day. On my first visit there, you could put your hand through the wall and it was in a quite termite-ridden state.
There has been a lot of hard work done over the years to make this new alliance happen. The RSL and the Palmerston Sports Club should be applauded. It will mean more activities and better facilities for RSL members and their families. We know about the Palmerston Sports Club; it has a top class bistro, it has a club bar, gaming rooms and the TAB. It is a partnership that will benefit both organisations. We need to praise the RSL President, Gary Markwell and the others on the committee and, from the sports club, General Manager, Andrew Hay, for their vision and certainly what took a lot of commitment to get this relationship right.
The big winners are the people of Palmerston. The sports club is a great establishment and this alliance is yet another sign that Palmerston is moving ahead at a rate of knots. There is a real buzz around the place. Just in the past year, we have seen the new Bunnings store open, and the opening of the revamped Oasis Shopping Centre.
Just look at constructions in suburbs like Darla and Farrar, and the investment in community infrastructure, like the Palmerston Recreation Centre and the redevelopment and expansion of Palmerston and Taminmin High Schools. Just go to the shops - retail trade is growing, business confidence is high and there are more Territorians with jobs than ever before.
Madam Speaker, there has never been a better time to live and work in Palmerston. I look forward to Palmerston continuing to move ahead in 2007.
Members: Hear, hear!
Nurses – Workload
Dr LIM to MINISTER for HEALTH
By your own figures, across the Northern Territory health system, over a third of nurses are working more than their standard working week. I table a payslip of a nurse - and I hope you will ensure that this nurse does not get the sack or pressure from the department – who, in the last pay period, worked 19 hours in one day. This was done because there were not enough nurses to field a night shift. How is having a nurse working 19 hours out of a 24-hour day good for the nurse and good for patient care?
How many other instances this year, at either the Royal Darwin Hospital or the Alice Springs Hospital, have nursing staff worked 16 or more hours in the same 24-hour period? I seek leave to table this payslip.
Leave granted.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, as I said in my previous answer, if there is evidence of nurses working unsafe hours, I want to see that. I will certainly …
Ms Carney: Why don’t you know about it? That is the issue.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: I will certainly follow up on that. However, as I said in a previous answer, the oversight of nurses and the number of hours they work is the responsibility of the Director of Nursing in each institution. It is their responsibility to ensure that nurses are not working unsafe working hours. I have trust in our clinicians, nursing directors and administration. I am more than happy to look at the payslip that the member for Greatorex has tabled and I will follow up on that.
Broadband Connect – Impact on NT
Ms McCARTHY to MINISTER for COMMUNICATIONS
Can the minister provide the House with details of any bids made under Broadband Connect that would affect the Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arnhem for her question. I can confirm that, following consultation with the Department of Corporate and Information Services, Telstra has placed a bid for Broadband Connect. A component of that bid seeks funding for improved telecommunication services in the Northern Territory. The important point to make here is that it is a national bid and it does incorporate part of the Northern Territory component which, effectively, is about upgrading broadband to communities across the Northern Territory.
I met with the Chief Executive Officer of Telstra, Mr Sol Trujillo on 15 December to discuss matters relevant to Telstra in the Northern Territory and matters around that bid. On the morning of the discussions, there were some concerns because media reports indicated that perhaps Telstra might not wish to proceed with the bill. However, it was a very constructive meeting and I appreciate the decision by Telstra, by Sol Trujillo, to incorporate the NT bid as part of the broader bid. I also thank officers from my department – Les Hodgson and others - who did put in a lot of hard work to get to that stage.
It is important to report, member for Arnhem, that I spoke in the House yesterday about the Broadband ASDL initiative at Yuendumu, which is in the member for Stuart’s electorate – a very important one. What it highlights is that people at places like Yuendumu and other remote communities should have the same certainty – I use these words all the time – the same opportunity, to be able to access information communications technology at the same price as people in Darwin, Adelaide or Melbourne. The bottom line is that the communities do have the capacity. The most important thing is that Telstra has the will and the commitment to be able to do it, so that is a great outcome.
I acknowledge Mr Mark Sweet, the Country Wide Area General Manager in the Northern Territory. I know Mark has worked very hard with officers from the Department of Corporate and Information Services to get this proposal up. Thank you to all of those people for their ongoing commitment to the Northern Territory.
There is a bigger issue here too, which is very important. There is a federal election coming up, and sometimes the Northern Territory gets caught up in the biddings that occur on the eastern seaboard or where the population base or, indeed, where the seats are. To that effect, officers in my department have worked very hard to engage community support right across the Northern Territory, from land councils, the Cattlemen’s Association, the Chamber of Commerce, and a whole host of others, trying to impress upon the Commonwealth government and Senator Coonan just how important it is to the Northern Territory in terms of improved communications. Accordingly, I ask minister Scullion and Mr David Tollner to apply the same rigour. I am sure they will, on behalf of all Territorians, to ensure that we get this bid up.
Members: Hear, hear!
Royal Darwin Hospital Nurses – Overtime
Dr LIM to MINISTER for HEALTH
In this time of crisis in health care, you would expect to have nurse numbers and nurse working hours go past your desk each fortnight as they complete each roster. By your own figures, across the Northern Territory, 34% of nurses are working more than the standard working week. I table two more pay slips from nurses working in Territory Health. These clearly show nurses working considerable hours of overtime each week, and, some are working while they are supposed to be on leave or on days off.
Do you accept that having over one third of your workforce constantly and persistently working overtime will create fatigue and negatively impact on employee morale? When are you going to do something about this? Is the current establishment of nurses at Royal Darwin Hospital and the Alice Springs Hospital in line with the numbers of patients we are actually dealing with?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, could you please seek leave to have those documents tabled?
Dr LIM: I seek leave to table these two payslips.
Leave granted.
Dr LIM: And I hope they do not get the sack either, Madam Speaker.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Members interjecting.
Dr LIM: Madam Speaker, I ask that the minister withdraw that comment. I am just making sure that these people do not lose their jobs.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr LIM: I ask the Treasurer to withdraw that. I do not like the way that he impugns the reputation of the CLP.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Dr LIM: The minister …
Madam SPEAKER: Order! There have been a lot of interjections on both sides, member for Greatorex. I ask you to resume your seat and we will have the minister answer the question.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Greatorex for his question. He has tabled three payslips now. As with the previous question, I have undertaken to investigate the matter. I will say a couple of things though, member for Greatorex, just because someone is working overtime does not mean to say that that overtime is unsafe. As I said previously …
Dr Lim: 19 hours straight?
Dr BURNS: … this is the call of the Director of Nursing in each of these institutions. Going back to the document that I tabled earlier this week …
Dr Lim: 19 hours in 24?
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: … in terms of the percentage of nurses who are working more than 50 hours per week across Royal Darwin Hospital, we saw the percentage there. Over the pay period, the average of the two weeks was about 3.3%. I guess you could pick out some payslips that show that someone is over that 50 hours. This needs to be investigated. I have acknowledged that nurses are working overtime, particularly during a difficult period like we have had in Royal Darwin Hospital over the past week or so. They do work overtime and I am greatly appreciative …
Dr Lim: Your superintendent put in another 30 shifts. Where did he find the nurses?
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: … of the nurses, of the effort and commitment of our nurses and doctors. As to the assertions you have made about unsafe working hours, I will have it investigated.
Motor Sports – Mud Racing
Mr KNIGHT to MINISTER for SPORT and RECREATION
Territorians love their motor sports. Can the minister please inform the House about any exciting additions to the motor sport calendar this year?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, more lifestyle questions. I had the great pleasure of standing alongside the President of the Top End Mud Racing Association, Mr Chris Lovewell, to announce that the National Mud Racing Competition is coming to Darwin from 26 to 28 April this year. This year was Victoria’s turn to have the competition, however, if you want mud racing you must have two vital elements: mud and water. Because water is in very short supply down south, our president was successful in suggesting Darwin as the host of the titles. The Victorians and the others could not resist such an offer so they are coming here.
It is not only mud racing people who will enjoy the competition. When we hosted this competition two years ago there were 5000 spectators. That translated to 280 bed nights. So people came from down south to enjoy the competition.
Our government has supported motor sports. We have spent more than $3m at Hidden Valley to bring it up to a world-class venue, and we have spent $661 000 at the mud racing facility. It is the only permanent facility of its kind in Australia. No other state or territory has this kind of facility. The people who race there are very proud of it. I was fortunate to see some of their machines, which you certainly could not run on roads around town. They are very noisy and very spectacular. They make a fantastic spectacle when they race in the mud. I am sure you will see some good footage tonight; my friend from the ABC was there taking some fantastic footage.
People in the Territory seem to like anything that goes ‘vroom’, anything that uses petrol, methanol, nitrous oxides, and makes a lot of noise. Then there are the clubs, such as the Lions Club, which benefit from these events because they raise funds by selling cold drinks or food.
I congratulate the people at the Top End Mud Racing Association. It is a great effort and I am looking forward to a fantastic weekend from 26 to 28 April this year.
East Timor –NT Government Aid
Mr WOOD to CHIEF MINISTER
Much is said by your government about the close relationship between the Northern Territory and East Timor. I know your government has been assisting with some aspects of health. What other projects are currently running in East Timor, and how much funding is your government giving to East Timor?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the relationship between the Northern Territory and Timor-Leste is a strong one, and over the time of the Timor-Leste government, we have worked hard to develop. I have said previously that sometimes that has been difficult. The priority for the Timorese government has been, in many ways, just managing. They have been short of resources, they have taken time, understandably, to develop their public sector and the mechanisms you need in place to successfully interact with an area like the Northern Territory.
We have had many programs in place. There has been a lot of assistance from many different areas. I would have like it to have been done on a more formal basis with the Timor-Leste government. That is not been possible. However, if you look at some of the areas we have worked in, and you mentioned health where there has been some substantial work, particularly through the Menzies School of Health Research, and there has been work done in mines, horticulture, fisheries and tourism. There has been engagement with our public sector about developing capacity in what is an emerging public sector for the Timor-Leste people. There has been judicial officer training sponsored by the Justice department. We have had scholarships for East Timorese students to come to the Territory, so there are a lot of different areas.
While I had hoped at some stage to sign a formal memorandum of understanding about this, it has not been achievable. The difficulties faced by the government have been quite substantial, but we have had many programs in place without that formal MOU. If I look back at the time, I would have liked to have done more. It has not been possible, despite our best intentions, but we will continue to work in a number of areas. The work that has been done has been substantial and has made a difference for Timor-Leste. We will continue that strong relationship.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016