2014-08-28
Deputy Chief Minister – Reinstatement Threats
Ms LAWRIE to CHIEF MINISTER
The disgraced member for Fong Lim, by all accounts, is holding your government to ransom with threats that he will resign from the parliament if not reinstalled as Deputy Chief Minister next Monday. Territorians are disgusted with your culture of cover-up. They watched for days as you defended his homophobic rant …
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Statement by Speaker
Behaviour in Chamber
Statement by Speaker
Behaviour in Chamber
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, please pause. Honourable members, it has been a busy two weeks and I know things are a little testy. It is the last day of sittings, but I will not tolerate offensive language or any sign language from one side to the other. Member for Namatjira, I saw that. If it is done again you will be on a warning.
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Ms LAWRIE: Territorians watched for days as you defended his homophobic rant, exposed because of leaks from your colleagues. Will you rule out the return of Dave Tollner as Deputy Chief Minister?
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, you may wish to answer the question if you choose, but it is more of a political party matter. It is up to you.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I will let it go.
SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION
Deputy Chief Minister – Reinstatement Threats
Deputy Chief Minister – Reinstatement Threats
Ms LAWRIE to CHIEF MINISTER
You had the opportunity to rule out the appointment of your mate, Dave Tollner, as the Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory ...
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, please pause. Under the standing orders you cannot have a supplementary question when there was no answer to the question.
Ms LAWRIE: Can I reword it?
Madam SPEAKER: No.
Prisoners Working
Mrs FINOCCHIARO to CHIEF MINISTER
The Country Liberals government is unapologetic about its belief that prisoners should be set to work when they are behind bars. Has the opposition offered any alternative views on how prisoners should be treated?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is great to receive a question from the member for Drysdale. Like her, I am proud to say this Country Liberals team is working hard to get prisoners working in our community, something we are very proud of.
We have worked very hard, and the Attorney-General, as minister for Corrections, who has been slandered by the opposition over the last couple of weeks, has worked tirelessly to ensure we have a culture where prisoners in our gaols do some work and give back to the community. That is what the member for Drysdale supports; she is a fantastic advocate of it.
Despite the fact the Country Liberals are driving crime down to its lowest levels since the 1990s, are sending the clear message to the community that we will not tolerate crime and that we want our streets to be safe, and have said prisoners should start working, Labor has called this week - under the guise of the Leader of the Opposition –for award wages to be paid for prisoners.
She does not believe prisoners should be working and giving back to the community where they committed the crime and have provided an unsafe environment. She goes so far as to say they should be paid the same wage as welders on award wages.
We see prisoners mowing the lawns of old ladies, cleaning up the rivers and parks, and the Leader of the Opposition is calling for a new union to be created in the prison system. Maybe Matthew Gardiner could give you a hand with that …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Chief Minister is misleading the parliament. I never called for a new union to be created.
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down, it is not a point of order, withdraw.
Mr GILES: This is what the Leader of the Opposition …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! You asked the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw, she should withdraw.
Ms Lawrie: I was about to stand and he started shouting again. I withdraw.
Mr GILES: The Leader of the Opposition told ABC that unless they are paid award wages, they are being used as slave labour. Hold up high the Leader of the Opposition who stands for the rights of every prisoner to be paid award wages in the Northern Territory. The criminals who make our streets unsafe, which we are cleaning up …
Ms Lawrie: Real wages for real work.
Mr GILES: This is what the Opposition Leader stands for. They do not have any other policies. No policies will go through the Labor policy handbook except for award wages for prisoners. The Leader of the Opposition says prisoners should be paid $640.90 per week to mow old ladies’ front yards, to clean up our rivers - the job of being in prison.
We stand tough on crime and law and order. We do not stand for unions representing prisoners. We do not stand for award wages for prisoners repaying the community, as they should.
It is a disgrace. Talk to your mates at Unions NT, the same blokes that ripped off the Territory with Stella Maris, and you can work out your stuff from there.
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Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fannie Bay, before you start, I welcome and acknowledge someone in the gallery, the member for Barkly’s daughter-in-law from Melbourne.
Welcome; keep an eye on him.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Attorney-General – Peter Maley Appointment
Mr GUNNER to CHIEF MINISTER
By any measure, the Maley affair should have been the end of the Attorney-General. You should have sacked him. Instead we have seen a culture of cover-up. The appointment of Mr Maley as a magistrate was a lack of judgement, and the fact there has been no inquiry into Maley’s conduct is outrageous. Has the Attorney-General survived because you do not have the numbers to sack him and keep your own job?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Fannie Bay for his fantastic question.
Clearly, the Labor strategists are working overtime on your side of the Chamber. I think we all know three important things in this Chamber. The deputy is decided by the team, not by me. The portfolios held by the Attorney-General, the Corrections minister and Public Service Employment minister, are determined by me, and he has my full support, the same as every other member on this side of the Chamber.
What is important about Peter Maley is the attacks on him by Labor are about his political interest, not his professional ability.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Last week, the Chief Minister gave the member for Fong Lim his full support and the chair is now empty.
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: You are attacking him because of his political interest, not his professional ability. That is exactly what it is about and I find that absurd. I also find it absurd – and I refer to my answer yesterday. We should be talking about the jobs of Territorians, not the jobs of political mates and people in this Chamber. That is not what we are all here to do.
We are here to come up with great policy that advances the interests of Territorians, so the kids who come to see parliament know there are jobs for their future. That is what we are supposed to be doing, building the Territory for our future.
If you want to talk about Peter Maley - yesterday you asked about 13 questions. I do not know what the 13 questions are, as I have not seen them. Perhaps it has something to do with this on the front page of the NT News, ‘Labor is scum, filthy and corrupt’.
I was very interested to read that newspaper this morning. Perhaps that is what was being asked in those 13 questions put out to Labor. You are asking for these things to be tabled; we do not know what those 13 questions were, but perhaps it had something to do with Peter Maley saying, ‘Labor is scum, filthy and corrupt’.
I do not know if Peter Maley was referring to any individual, to the party or perhaps to the process and procedure around how you operated the Stella Maris debate, when you gave away a $3m Territory asset to your union mate, Matthew Gardiner, at Unions NT. This is the same bloke, presumably, who will be asked to represent the interests of prisoners now seeking award wages under Labor’s new policy.
I go back to the point about Peter Maley. He has political interests …
Mr McCARTHY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. With 30 seconds to go, will the Chief Minister advise of the numbers he has been crunching this week?
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order. Sit down, member for Barkly.
Mr GILES: It is very timely the member for Barkly stands up. Perhaps Peter Maley was saying the member for Barkly is scum, filthy and corrupt.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, withdraw those comments, please.
Mr GILES: I withdraw. Perhaps Peter Maley was referring to the member for Barkly’s operations in the Stella Maris scandal, where he signed off on the asset to Labor mates …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! That is offensive; he is referring to the front page remarks.
Madam SPEAKER: The Chief Minister withdrew comments in respect to the member for Barkly, as I ordered.
Mr GILES: Perhaps he was referring to the Leader and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, regarding your operations on Stella Maris and the way you handed over Territory government assets to your union mates.
Roads to Recovery Funding
Mr HIGGINS to CHIEF MINISTER
Can you update the House on the federal government’s Roads to Recovery package? How will the Commonwealth money help the Territory, and are there any threats to this money being spent in the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. He is not only passionate about his electorate of Daly and the regional and remote areas within it; he is passionate about the whole of the Territory. He is passionate about the road infrastructure and networks that connect people and business, and allow us to get on with our social and economic lives. He is also passionate about local government. I congratulate the member for Fong Lim, the former minister for Local Government, who helped with the establishment of the new regional council in the area from Peppimenarti to Palumpa, out to Wadeye and all areas in between.
The member for Daly raises a very important question in asking about the Roads to Recovery package. He asked about funding for roads, and he asked what threats there are to roads. We can talk about the 2014-15 capital works program, which is approximately $6m worth of applications from the Road to Recovery program. It covers work such as on the Ernest Giles Road south of Alice Springs, the grading and re-sheeting of the Hodgson River Road in Minyerri, improving the floodway of the Barkly Stock Route and the upgrade of the Mermaid Circuit at Dundee Beach - a road I know only too well.
Roads to Recovery began 14 years ago under the Howard government, and it has been vital to local government in helping to deliver better local roads for local residents. It is important for the development of the Northern Territory and provides a vital life source of funds to our local councils and shires across the Territory.
We see now the Roads to Recovery package after 14 years - developed by the Liberal Howard government, back in the days when the member for Fong Lim was in that government – and we find ourselves in a position where we are trying to pass legislation in Canberra. Prime Minister Tony Abbott is trying to pass legislation through Warren Truss, the responsible minister, but it is being blocked. Every council, local government and shire council in the Northern Territory, waiting for vital road money to put vital infrastructure into local government areas, is having that infrastructure work stopped. It is being blocked by Labor in the Senate in Canberra; they will not support money coming towards the Territory to support our local councils and build roads.
The members for Daly and Stuart, and every other member across this Chamber who has a local government, as we all do, will now be suffering in their local areas because their local councils cannot get access to the Roads to Recovery funding - a program which was started 14 years ago. Shame on Labor members. They will not get out and talk to their federal mates and tell them what to do. They will not call for them to change it …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BARRETT: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 51; I cannot hear the Chief Minister’s answer with the consistent interruptions from the other side of the floor.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, if you could keep the noise volume down that would be appreciated so everyone can hear the questions and answers.
Mr GILES: Just as they did not stand up to Canberra over the live cattle debacle or getting rid of the carbon tax, they are now not standing up over the Roads to Recovery program - three important issues which negatively affect the Territory. Opposition Leader, tell your mates in Canberra to support the Roads to Recovery program ...
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Magistrate Maley – Resignation
Mr GUNNER to ATTORNEY-GENERAL and MINISTER for JUSTICE
You admitted to the media yesterday that you were aware of the allegations surrounding magistrate Peter Maley. Yet, despite being aware of the allegations, you chose to oppose an inquiry into magistrate Maley - allegations so serious they led to his resignation. End this culture of cover-up, come clean with Territorians, and explain why Peter Maley resigned after 11 months in the job. What do you know of his reasons for his resignation?
Mr Tollner: What allegation? What are you talking about? You are an imbecile!
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Fong Lim, please withdraw that comment.
Mr TOLLNER: Withdrawn.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it has become obvious over the last couple of days that the way Labor has been pressing on in this area is part of a plan. A Casuarina by-election is around the corner and it is part of a plan to muddy, stir and not tell the truth. The moment the member for Daly first entered parliament they were slandering him in the most unreasonable and outrageous terms.
The moment a public servant made a decision they could put a slant on with the issue of water licences, they slandered that person in the most outrageous fashion. I have seen lower-level public servants in the Estimates Committee identified by name by the Leader of the Opposition, to slander and tell lies about them ...
Madam SPEAKER: Please withdraw that.
Mr ELFERINK: I withdraw ‘lies’, but I can barely think of a word …
Ms Walker: What about the slander against a staffer?
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ELFERINK: I hear the member for Nhulunbuy screeching from the corner. What did she do in this House last night? She came into this House and asked about the former Chief Minister, Denis Burke:
- Minister, is it true that Denis Burke was summarily sacked by his board and escorted to the door after he had cleared his desk?
That is a deliberate attempt to impeach a man who has served the people of the Northern Territory well ...
Ms Fyles: Is it true?
Mr ELFERINK: It was untrue. Over the last few days we have heard …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question went to the allegations around Mr Maley that were so serious they led to his resignation, and what the Attorney-General knew of those allegations. He has admitted to the media he knew of those allegations.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you. Attorney-General, you have the call.
Mr ELFERINK: The only person making allegations is you. They are unsupported, which is why the people across the Chamber are not to be trusted. I am astounded by the dishonesty of the members opposite. Let us talk about the Stella Maris deal - the dodgy, dirty, little Stella Maris deal they engaged in …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It is clear the Attorney-General does not want to answer the question about the allegations that were so serious they led to Mr Maley’s resignation. What do you know about the allegations?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fannie Bay, please be seated. The Attorney-General has one minute to answer the question if he wants to.
Mr ELFERINK: Anything being alleged is coming from you guys, and it is scurrilous, dishonest, and is aimed at doing nothing other than trying to run down good Territorians …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. What do you know was behind Peter Maley’s reason for resignation? Answer the question.
Mr ELFERINK: I am answering the question. It is you lot. That is what is behind it all, you guys sitting there, making scurrilous, outrageous allegations.
If any information comes forward I will deal with it, but no information has come forward ...
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The 13 questions to magistrate Maley were in the NT News. Magistrate Maley resigned as a result of those 13 questions. What do you know about the 13 questions and the issue behind them?
Mr ELFERINK: This is more of the rubbish you hear from members opposite. They are speculating about all sorts of things they know nothing about because there is a by-election in the air.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The Attorney-General told the media yesterday he knew of the allegations and he should tell the House.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Sit down.
Mr ELFERINK: This is just scurrilous rubbish. The only thing of any merit on the other side of this House is the member for Barkly’s impeccable dress sense.
Carbon Tax – Benefits of Scrapping
Mr TOLLNER to CHIEF MINISTER
Can you give some advice to the House as to whether there are any benefits to scrapping Labor’s job destroying carbon tax?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, what a good question. The member for Fong Lim is probably aware of this, but on Thursday 17 July 2014, much to the disgust of the Territory and federal Labor Party, the Australian Liberal government and the Coalition abolished the carbon tax.
If you want to talk about cost of living pressures, let me get to that point – they abolished the carbon tax. The Country Liberal Party has opposed this tax right from the start. We support the Abbott government in scrapping the tax in federal parliament. Scrapping the tax in federal parliament will help lower costs for Australian businesses and ease cost of living pressures for households. Territorians will pay less for their electricity now we have removed former Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s carbon tax, a tax she pledged Labor would never introduce.
In getting to the answer for the member for Fong Lim, I will talk about the benefits to Territorians of repealing the carbon tax. That includes a reduction for a small family of around $142 a year from their power bill, and for a large family a saving of $245 a year, or $61 a quarter. I think Territorians will be happy we are shaving $245 per annum from an average large family home ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. You slugged Territorians $2000 on their power bills, so put it in context.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: I know the words ‘lie’ and ‘mislead’ are …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. You have asked for that word not to be used. He keeps using it.
Madam SPEAKER: The Chief Minister can use the word in a general sense. It was not directed at anyone in particular.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, there is a chip on the shoulder with those words. I know ‘lies’ and ‘mislead’ are not allowed to be used in this Chamber, but if I were to use them, it would be towards the claim about the $2000. If I was to use ‘lies’ and ‘mislead’, I would refer to the recent media release about the price increase by the Utility Commission, which was completely incorrect and completely misleading for Territorians. It did not have any effect on residential customers or small businesses at all, despite what you said - waving this out trying to scare people.
I will also identify that small business customers not only will be exempt from receiving an increase from the Utilities Commissioner’s recommendation, but they will save $790 per annum on their electricity bill. Families are saving $245 a year, small businesses are saving $790 a year and I cannot believe Labor did not support that. It is a shame.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Fracking in the Northern Territory
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for LANDS, PLANNING and the ENVIRONMENT
The Northern Territory branch of the International Association of Hydrogeologists said this to the fracking inquiry:
- In the next 25 years, tens of thousands of new unconventional gas wells may be drilled in the NT. IAH(NT) believes the potential exists for contamination of aquifers and surface waters should well integrity be compromised, and/or ‘produce’ water surface storage facilities fail. We are concerned that the deterioration and failure of improperly decommissioned (also known as ‘abandoned’) wells could, over time; result in long-term release of oil and/or gas into the environment.
I try to keep an open mind on fracking, but regardless of your views or mine, do you agree it looks silly for a government to, on one hand, set up an inquiry into fracking and hear statements I have read, but on the other hand allow new wells to be drilled before the inquiry has released its findings? Does it not beg the question; will the government ignore the findings of the inquiry if the recommendations do not suit the government’s support for gas exploration?
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Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, please pause for a moment while I welcome some students. Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of Year 5/6 classes from Driver Primary School accompanied by Ruth Billeter and Carlene Blumberg. On behalf of honourable members, welcome to Parliament House and I hope you enjoy your time here.
Members: Hear, hear!
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ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the question from the member for Nelson. In some regard he is right. As a team, talking about protecting our environment and doing something about it, we have taken some practical measures to get to the bottom of some of the issues facing hydraulic fracturing.
The issue has created a lot of angst in the community, and lobby groups are doing their darnedest to put out incorrect information. Like you and many other people, we are genuinely interested in identifying the risks and what we can do to mitigate them. That is why this government called on an inquiry. Hydraulic fracturing – or fracking - has been done in the Northern Territory for many years. The former Labor government spoke a lot about their environmental credentials, but I could go through a list of things they mucked up seriously, which we have had to fix.
In eleven-and-a-half years of government, not once did they hold any inquiry like this. It took a Country Liberals government to have the courage to take on something that is, and could be, a double-edged sword. You are right, there were very broad terms of reference, which we worked hard on to ensure we would have the broadest inquiry possible. We hunted around the country to find a person who would be as independent as possible from any government - a man who has worked for Labor and conservative parties. We found the right person and the right terms of reference to dig down and look at the myths and facts surrounding the risks. This Country Liberals government took on that inquiry to find out the truth.
Ms Fyles: Will you release the findings publicly?
Mr CHANDLER: The inquiry and the results will be released; that was said up front in regard to this inquiry, but let us unpack for one moment. Some of the things the Labor government did in regard to …
Mr WOOD: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Will the government ignore the findings of the inquiry if the recommendations do not suit the government support?
Mr Giles: Wait until we get the inquiry.
Mr WOOD: I need the answer; I have not received an answer.
Mr CHANDLER: We do not know the outcome of the inquiry. I do not want to pre-empt the inquiry, it would be wrong. Unlike the former Labor government, we do not like to interfere with process, and this is an open, honest inquiry to find out the facts, the risks to our environment and how we can put robust regulations in place so our environment is protected for the long term.
Government Projects on the Horizon
Mr BARRETT to CHIEF MINISTER
The government’s open for business attitude is driving a booming economy. Can you please provide an update on some of the exciting projects currently on the horizon?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Blain, who is also the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Business, for his question. He knows too well the perilous state of the economy we inherited after eleven-and-a-half years; the Territory was a place where business did not want to invest, where we had $5.5bn worth of debt and interest repayments on that debt skyrocketing to a point where we could not invest in the Territory.
That is why we have driven debt down by $1.3bn - $55m per year is now being saved through not having interest repayments on that debt. It means we can invest in schools, roads, the Palmerston Regional Hospital at Holtze, and all these other things, so we can build the Territory for the future.
The question was about some of the positive signs coming into the Territory, which look bright.
It is great to see a national conversation taking shape on a gas pipeline to take Territory gas to southern states. Labor may catch up soon on this, but I have been driving it very well. We now have recognition from the federal government, the New South Wales government, the South Australian government and, hopefully, we will be signing an agreement very soon. It will drive jobs and economic growth into our regions and provide jobs for regional and remote Territorians.
It is also exciting to see news on the back of last week’s announcements from Santos and ConocoPhillips about gas discoveries in the Browse Basin, with the potential for onshore processing in Darwin, whether that will be brownfield or greenfield sites. There has been a significant gas condensate discovery at the Santos Lasseter-1 exploration well. The discovery is also adjacent to the Greater Poseidon field, which is operated by ConocoPhillips
Ms Lawrie: I said all of this in the Chamber the other night.
Mr GILES: I know you said this the other night; you copied my speech, well done. You cannot take credit for how we got ConocoPhillips to move away from WA and talk with Santos about the potential aggregation of the fields, and you cannot take any credit for working towards trying to bring that onshore in the Northern Territory.
You also cannot take credit for us being set up as a supply base, for me going to Singapore in two weeks to talk to these two companies jointly about aggregating and coming to the Northern Territory, for better confidence in the Northern Territory or for building the Palmerston Regional Hospital. You cannot take anything out of rebuilding the tourism industry, fixing sport, fixing the live cattle industry, and getting prisoners to work, although you are trying to set up a union to have them paid $100 000 a year. And you cannot take credit for building roads, supporting homelands, for releasing 6500 house blocks or delivering the best budget the Territory has seen in the last 15 years.
You cannot take credit for that, Leader of the Opposition, but you can take credit for this comment, as reported by the NT News: ‘Labor is scum, filthy and corrupt’.
Peter Maley – Appointment
Mr GUNNER to ATTORNEY-GENERAL and MINISTER for JUSTICE
By your own description, you are a close friend of Peter Maley. You took the recommendation to appoint Peter Maley to Cabinet, and the Cabinet submission recommending Peter Maley went in under your name. Did you receive advice at any stage prior to recommending magistrate Maley that he was unsuitable for the position; yes or no? It is time to stop this culture of cover-up.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I have now seen several references to Labor as ‘scum, filthy and corrupt’, referred to from a report in today’s NT News.
Ms Lawrie: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Attorney-General, please withdraw those comments.
Mr ELFERINK: I was waiting for a point of order.
Madam SPEAKER: There was one. Withdraw the comments, as they were directed at people.
Mr ELFERINK: Okay. Madam Speaker …
Mr Tollner: A point of order, Madam Speaker! This is highly irregular. He is talking about the front page of a newspaper …
Madam SPEAKER: Sit down, member for Fong Lim. You do not have the call. Attorney-General, please withdraw the direction of the comments.
Mr ELFERINK: I am over this because it became …
Madam SPEAKER: Withdraw the comments, as they were directed at members, thank you.
Mr ELFERINK: I withdraw. I am over this. It became apparent to me yesterday that this is a muckraking campaign; stuff being injected into the public domain by the members opposite is nothing other than a fabrication of their own mind’s eye. I believe in evidence, and I will act upon it when I see it, but all I am hearing is the stuff being sprinkled around on the other side of the House.
Talk about double standards when you come into this place …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was very specific. Did you receive advice, at any stage prior to recommending magistrate Maley, that he was unsuitable for the position? Answer the question.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, if you can get to the point, please.
Mr ELFERINK: It is amazing they continue to go down this path and talk about double standards. Have they updated their register of interest yet? As recipients of probably tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of free legal advice which must be put into the register of interest - I do not know if they have updated that register, as I have not checked this morning, but they made no declaration about that last week. The recipients of free, in-kind advice which has to be declared - do we see it? No.
These people are into one thing only …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was very specific, Attorney-General. As the first law officer recommending the appointment of Peter Maley as a magistrate, did you receive advice at any stage, prior to recommending magistrate Maley, that he was unsuitable for the position? Answer the question. Stop the culture of cover-up.
Mr ELFERINK: The muckraking from the members opposite is disgraceful; it continues on and is aimed at senior and junior public servants, and former members of this House. It is just a slander machine. I am not interested in the least in making their slander machine legitimate in any way.
As far as I am concerned, what we know from the members opposite is they will slip and slide to any depth to bring into the public domain anything they think will help their cause when it comes to the by-election in Casuarina. They are a disgrace to this Assembly …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. You are the first law officer of the Northern Territory, Attorney-General. Did you receive advice that Peter Maley was unsuitable for the position of magistrate prior to taking the recommendation to Cabinet?
Mr ELFERINK: The slander machine continues, and they just cannot help themselves. Talk about a wretched, desperate opposition which will plumb no depth too deep to try to slander people in the Northern Territory ...
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. With 15 seconds remaining, surely the first law officer, the Attorney-General - the self-proclaimed legal water boy - can answer the question.
Mr Conlan: The time has expired.
Stella Maris Inquiry – Government Response
Mrs FINOCCHIARO to CHIEF MINISTER
The Northern Territory government will have to provide a response to the recommendations brought down by Commissioner Lawler in the inquiry into Stella Maris. Can you update the Legislative Assembly on where the government is up to with progress on its response to the recommendations in that report?
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Anticipation of debate. We are having this debate later today.
Madam SPEAKER: The Stella Maris inquiry is on the Notice Paper, Order of the Day No 1, so I rule the question as out of order.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, the members opposite consistently ask questions about things on the Notice Paper. As far as I am concerned, some latitude should be allowed for the question to be asked. If they want that ruling applied, every question will go through that filter.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, can you repeat the question, please.
Mrs FINOCCHIARO: My question went specifically to the progress of the government in response to Commissioner Lawler’s recommendations. Can the Chief Minister update the Legislative Assembly on where the government is up to with progress on its response to the recommendations in the report?
Madam SPEAKER: I will allow the question because the member is asking about the work around the report. I expect the answer not to have any content about the report’s recommendations, so I am looking for procedural answers.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I seek advice on that clarification. The recommendations are in the report. The question directly went to the recommendations. If she wants to reword the question to make it broader than that, she can, but the recommendations sit in the report. Bear in mind I have Supreme Court action in train, and this is completely inappropriate. But, that will be for later, when we debate the report.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, yes, we are aware of pending court action. But, as I said, the direction is to the Chief Minister to talk about procedural matters and not about the report’s contents per se.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, clearly there are a few touchy people here today. I thank the member for Drysdale for her question. I know she has a firm interest in the appropriate and responsible management of assets in the Northern Territory, and whether or not they are given away to Labor and union mates or managed in the best interests of Territorians.
As we know, the Stella Maris report will be debated in this House later today. During that debate, it is my intention to provide a full response to the 21 recommendations made by Commissioner Lawler. Some of those recommendations have already been acted on despite that, including …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 68: anticipation of debate. He is talking about the recommendations.
Madam SPEAKER: No he is not; he is simply referencing the recommendations. It is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: Some of these have already been acted on, including the request from the government to Unions NT to relinquish any interests it may claim in the Stella Maris block.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please pause. The direction before was to talk about procedural matters to do with the report, not the report’s contents or what has happening with the recommendations. Keep your comments to procedural matters about where government is at with the report rather than the report’s contents and what you may or may not have done with them.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, I ask for some guidance. The government has already put advertisements in the newspaper seeking expressions of interest for the Stella Maris site, and I am happy to table a copy of that advertisement. I was going to talk about that. It is a recommendation so I seek clarification. It is recommendation number two about going to tender, and we have already done that.
Madam SPEAKER: That is fine.
Mr GILES: I thought it was okay to talk about that.
Recommendation 1 asked for Unions NT to relinquish the site, and it has not done that. Despite that, we have advertised seeking expressions of interest in the Stella Maris site. Through the Minister and the Department of Lands, Planning and the Environment, we are seeking expressions of interest from suitable community organisations, or others, which may be interested in taking the site up. It is a government site and should be used for Territorians - not for you and your mates. Territorians should have greater access to our public assets and support them in managing their organisation, particularly through the administrative sense. The site is not being put out for tender or expressions of interest for unions to try to redevelop the site, or to provide commercial gain to unions and the Labor Party.
It will be debated at length this afternoon, so I will not anticipate debate in regard to those recommendations. However, it is mighty timely of both the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Opposition to formally apologise to Territorians for what they did under the Stella Maris dirty, stinky, dodgy deal. I am calling on you to apologise to Territorians for giving the Stella Maris site to Unions NT – for your dirty, stinky, dodgy deal.
Government – Integrity and Honesty
Ms LAWRIE to CHIEF MINISTER
Your government is mired in scandal over the appointment of magistrate Peter Maley. You and the Attorney-General refuse to answer the most basic of questions as to what you knew about his suitability and his reasons for resignation. You still refuse to rule out the return of the former Deputy Chief Minister, the member for Fong Lim, who went on a bullying homophobic rant at a colleague’s son. There is a stench surrounding your government and, as Chief Minister, you seem content to stand in parliament and lie …
Madam SPEAKER: Withdraw that, Opposition Leader.
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS
Move Motion of Censure
Move Motion of Censure
Ms LAWRIE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent this House from censuring the Chief Minister and the CLP government for their lies, culture of cover-up and failure to govern with the integrity and honesty Territorians require.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, the government accepts this censure motion.
I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016