2014-02-20
Machado-Joseph Disease Foundation – Funding Cut
Ms LAWRIE to CHIEF MINISTER
Yesterday your colleagues, the members for Namatjira and Arnhem, condemned Senator Nigel Scullion for axing $10m funding to the Machado-Joseph Disease Foundation. The member for Arnhem said she was appalled and disgusted by the decision. The member for Namatjira said the decision by Senator Scullion was absolutely disappointing.
The member for Arnhem wanted to know who in this House would follow her in the fight to get the funding reinstated for the sufferers of this terrible disease. Members of the opposition will follow her in the fight and were also appalled at the axing by Senator Nigel Scullion. Will you contact Nigel Scullion to get the funding reinstated or, if he ignores you again, will you reinstate the funding from the Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Karama for her question. There are a few inferences in the question. It is fantastic the members for Arnhem and Namatjira - I did not hear the debate but you are raising something with me - speak up on issues within their electorates. This is what we expect everyone to do in this parliament. The difference between Country Liberals and Labor is if you are a member of the Country Liberals, the Liberal Party, the National Party, part of the LNP or otherwise, you have the freedom to speak about things in your electorate and to fight for what you believe in. This is a fantastic outcome.
I am not sure of the outcome for the MJD Foundation of a funding decision determined by the federal minister for Indigenous Affairs which comes out of the ABA, but I have not been briefed on, advised or asked any questions about the funding which goes to MJD or in regard to the foundation.
Senator Scullion and I discuss matters on a regular basis and I am more than happy to have a chat with him. Senator Scullion should be very proud of the position he holds in Canberra. He is the most senior Cabinet member ever to come from the Northern Territory, the best Indigenous Affairs minister, ever, in Canberra - the person most committed to the Northern Territory and Indigenous Affairs, and the person putting the fight right up there to make sure we get …
Members interjecting.
Mr GILES: … investment support to drive change in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. I have the utmost respect and confidence in Nigel doing his job.
I will pick up on one of the interjections screamed across the Chamber by the member for Nhulunbuy. She complains relentlessly. If we go to the debate about gas to Gove ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 113: relevance. Will you contact Senator Nigel Scullion and seek the $10m to be reinstated to the Machado-Joseph Disease Foundation? Will you lobby for that funding?
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, if you could get to the question.
Mr GILES: I have already said I will have a chat to Nigel. I do not know the details of the submission. I have never heard of it. But we hear from the member for Nhulunbuy about the issue of Gove on a regular basis …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 113: relevance. If after your chat he does not reinstate it, will you …
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: People on this side of the Chamber know the work I have been doing. I know the work all members and ministers have been doing on this side of the Chamber. We hear from the member for Nhulunbuy. We heard from Electricity Bill - Bill Shorten - who went there. We occasionally hear mumblings from the very poor Labor Senator for the Northern Territory. You hear from Nigel Scullion and Tony Abbott. One person you do not hear from is Warren Snowdon. Warren Snowdon never mentioned MJD. Has he ever stood up for MJD? Has he ever stood up for Gove? You want to talk about representatives in Canberra …
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Land Release in 2014
Mr KURRUPUWU to MINISTER for LANDS, PLANNING and the ENVIRONMENT
Last year we saw some huge progress in land release after housing supply was left in a paralysed state by those opposite. What will be the areas of focus for you this coming year?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for his question. It is widely known the previous Labor government was asleep at the wheel when it came to land release and securing the Territory’s housing future. Shame! For your average Territorian this meant skyrocketing mortgages and outrageous rents. Figures from the Real Estate Institute of the Northern Territory state the median house price rose, on average, 11% every year between 2002-12. This means a house which costs …
Mr McCARTHY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 255. I ask the minister to table the document he is reading from.
Mr CHANDLER: Madam Speaker, I have personal notes on here.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.
Mr CHANDLER: This means a house which cost $190 000 in 2002 ended up costing $578 000 in 2012, all thanks to Labor mismanagement. This is what happens when you say no to everyone who comes to you with an idea. However, we, on this side of the House, realise the only way you will reduce the cost of living in the Territory is to stabilise the growing housing prices.
Last year, we laid the foundations to stimulate housing supply. We sped up departmental processes to make it easier, faster and cheaper to deal with government. We established the Northern Territory Planning Commission. We developed a comprehensive infill land release strategy which could deliver as many as 2700 new dwellings. In the year ending December 2013, the median house price has only risen by around 6%, almost half of Labor’s record. This is real change which will make a real difference to Territorians, and it is only the beginning.
We have big plans in 2014 to continue to stimulate the housing supply. Final stages of Zuccoli in Palmerston east will be released this year, which will yield over 1700 houses. These stages are coming on faster than they would have under Labor because huge market confidence has resulted in bumper land sales.
The Northern Territory Planning Commission will investigate potential residential land release in Berrimah Farm to accommodate the further growth of Darwin. A developer for Katherine East Stage 1 is to be awarded very soon. The site will deliver over 200 houses for Katherine, a region ignored by Labor for over 10 years. In Alice Springs - another area forgotten by those opposite - we will see houses constructed in Kilgariff this year.
This is not talk, it is action. I am focusing on infill developments as well. The old Alice Springs Bowls Club went to auction earlier this month and more auctions in the Palmerston region are scheduled for May and June this year. A number of sites in Katherine and Tennant Creek have also been flagged for release this year for residential development. We are making a real difference to the lives of Territorians and we will continue to do so, despite the lies and fear mongering of those opposite.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! You have ruled lies as out of order in the past.
Madam SPEAKER: Yes, minister, if you could rephrase that last sentence, please, and withdraw.
Mr CHANDLER: I withdraw. Mistruths.
Nhulunbuy – Assistance Package
Ms WALKER to CHIEF MINISTER
On Monday, Alcoa announced it will permanently close its smelter near Geelong. Yesterday, the Prime Minister met the Premier of Victoria, and the federal Industry minister, Ian Macfarlane, met the Mayor of Geelong to plan an assistance package for workers out of a job because of Alcoa’s decision.
It is has been three months since Rio Tinto’s decision to curtail production in Nhulunbuy, leading to the loss of thousands of Territory jobs. No federal ministers, including the Prime Minister have come to meet with you to work out an assistance package for Nhulunbuy. Why did you fail to raise assistance for Nhulunbuy at COAG in December? Why can you not get your federal colleagues to put a real offer on the table for Nhulunbuy? Why do they ignore you?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it would not be a day in parliament without the member for Nhulunbuy not wanting to be part of the solution, but just to carp and whinge again.
Let us fix a couple of mistruths and factual anomalies in her question. Why was it not raised at COAG? It was.
Ms Lawrie: Really, on the agenda, was it?
Mr GILES: Were you there? No, you were not. I can tell you it was. What about the response we provided to Nhulunbuy and the package being developed and partly delivered already by Rio Tinto? What about the response by the Northern Territory government and our future planning for the response to the region there? What about some options we have put up already and you, as the local member, have knocked back?
I can tell the House and Territorians what is going on in this debate.
Ms Fyles: Why can you not get your federal colleagues to Nhulunbuy?
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Nightcliff.
Mr GILES: I did ask you yesterday to grow up, member for Nightcliff. I will tell you exactly what is going on. Ministers, government and departments are working very hard behind the scenes to make sure we provide the best response we can for the people of Nhulunbuy. It is very easy to talk in the national media about a big figure you can offer as part of a package. That is easy to do …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr GILES: Do you want to listen to the answer?
Ms Walker: You are not answering.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nhulunbuy! Cease interjecting.
Mr GILES: I am done.
Power Plant Proposal
Mr WOOD to TREASURER
It has been announced recently there is a proposal by Northern Power to build a new power plant next to the existing Weddell Power Station, generating about one-fifth of the electricity the Power and Water Corporation puts into Darwin and Katherine. Could you say where the company will get its gas from, what arrangements will be in place to transmit the power from Weddell to Darwin and Katherine, and what benefit this will have for domestic consumers, or is this only for big business? If this power company removes possibly one-fifth of the power produced by Power and Water, how does this affect the viability of Power and Water, and will it mean power prices will increase further to cover fewer sales? Finally, do the proposed legislative changes to Power and Water Corporation have any bearing on this project?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for the question. It is a great question because it gives me the opportunity to outline a few things which are happening in the generation areas of the utilities industry in the Territory.
The member for Nelson is dead right; there is a lot of interest in building a power station at Weddell. I do not know exactly where they are sourcing their gas; it has not been a discussion with me or anybody else in government as far as I am aware. It is none of our business. The company has to make those arrangements itself. Needless to say, the member for Nelson is dead right, there is a lot of interest from Northern Power, but there is also a lot of interest from a range of other power producers as well.
I am aware of a Territory business wanting to put a solar power farm in the Top End. It is also very interested in a solar farm in Tennant Creek. There is also interest in a bio-mass generator in the Douglas Daly region to utilise some of the trimmings and the wood derived from the thinning of the mahogany plantations there.
Most of this interest has been generated from the announced changes the government is making. We welcome it because the Territory economy, as we all know, is growing rapidly. We are seeing more businesses setting up here, and much more confidence in the Territory marketplace. There is no doubt the generation capacity Power and Water currently has will be gobbled up very quickly.
We need to find new sources of generation capacity. It is fair to say it is almost impossible to find interest from the private sector to provide generation capacity with the monopoly a GOC like the Power and Water Corporation has ...
Ms Lawrie: They would like Weddell, wouldn’t they? They would want Weddell.
Mr TOLLNER: It scares off private investors to think they will put a great deal of money in - the Weddell option is looking at in excess of $200m. The fact of the matter is they would not be making the commitment if they had to compete against a monopoly operator like the Power and Water Corporation. It is for those reasons we are making these reforms.
It is a great outcome for Territorians because we are not spending more of those taxpayer dollars which could be going into other areas of our economy, such are roads, schools, bridges and hospitals, and the private sector is stepping up to the mark.
Palmerston Regional Hospital - Update
Ms FINOCCHIARO to MINISTER for HEALTH
The people of Palmerston have waited for 11 long years under Labor and are anxious for real action on a hospital for the region. Can you please update the House on the progress made on the Palmerston Regional Hospital?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her question. If anyone in this Chamber will hold us accountable for the progress of the Palmerston hospital it is the tenacious member for Drysdale. She is absolutely committed to this project and is driving it from the rear.
There continues to be good news rolled out on the progress of the Palmerston hospital, unlike the former Labor government which had 11 years. They knew the demands placed on the Royal Darwin Hospital would be unsustainable into the era we are in now! The pressure on RDH is already extraordinary.
As soon as we came to government we identified a 45 ha site which was 15 times the size of the site originally chosen by Labor. We have a long-term vision for the health needs of the greater Darwin area. The former Labor government was very short-sighted, very small-minded, and chose what was to be a ridiculously small site.
The Stage 1 scoping study is now complete. We are very happy to announce it will be available to the public this afternoon. The formal market testing and expressions of interest process will be finalised in the coming months. This Stage 1 scoping study shows the hospital will deliver an emergency department to respond to the needs of the Palmerston region. We will also provide medical and surgical services, including cardiology, renal medicine, cancer services, paediatric, antenatal and postnatal obstetrics services with birthing services to be delivered at Stage 2.
We are building a health precinct which will meet the demands of the greater Darwin area into the future. We have a vision, we are on track, and we are planning. We are undertaking this planning process with a great deal of detail. We will not fall into the trap of variations costing taxpayers an extraordinary amount of money. It will be undertaken with great competence and scrutiny.
We are very pleased to announce the federal Health minister is in town today. He will be touring the new expansion of RDH’s emergency department today, and the two new operating theatres. It is a great day to celebrate not only the progress of the Palmerston hospital, but health services across the Northern Territory.
Indigenous Essential Services -
Cost Recovery
Cost Recovery
Mr VOWLES to MINISTER for COMMUNITY SERVICES referred to TREASURER
You are the minister responsible for coordinating funding of essential services to remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. These services are delivered under a service agreement by Indigenous Essential Services, a not-for-profit business managed by the Power and Water Corporation. The last annual report by IES said one of its key strategies is developing cost recovery models which better reflect the cost of service delivery. This would include improvements to the user pays model. What options are you considering to increase cost recovery for power, water and sewerage services from residents in our remote communities?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Johnston for the question, but it is best answered by the minister for Power and Water.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! His is not the minister for Power and Water, he is the Treasurer. He is the shareholding minister. The Minister for Essential Services is not here. We were advised another minister would take questions for him, but Indigenous Essential Services is coordinated through Community Services.
Madam SPEAKER: The minister has referred it to the Treasurer in his capacity as the shareholding Treasurer.
Mr TOLLNER: Madam Speaker, I thank the Minister for Community Services. It is entirely appropriate I answer this question as the shareholding minister of the Power and Water Corporation. Indigenous Essential Services Pty Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Power and Water Corporation.
The member for Johnston asked a good question in relation to Indigenous Essential Services. I can inform the House we are looking for innovation predominately in that area. For too long there has been a lack of innovation and desire to take on new ideas because of the uniform tariff across the Northern Territory. No one is suggesting we are changing this. We are certainly not changing it, but the need for innovation in this area is being taken away because, ultimately, it makes no difference to the costs of where the people are …
Ms Lawrie interjecting.
Mr TOLLNER: Do you ever dry up? You sit there and nag, nag, nag constantly. You are an appalling disgrace of a member of parliament.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, direct your comments through the Chair please.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 62: offensive. It is offensive to say the Leader of the Opposition is appalling.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nightcliff, I do not believe it is offensive. Are you offended, Opposition Leader?
Ms LAWRIE: Of course it is offensive, but it is his normal form so he can continue.
Madam SPEAKER: Treasurer, you have the call.
Mr TOLLNER: Madam Speaker, it is difficult to keep a train of thought when you have an Opposition Leader who is constantly going yabberty, yabberty, yabberty, making no sense at all, just talking for the sake of talking. What is her point? Where do you get off sitting there going yabberty …
Ms Lawrie interjecting.
Mr TOLLNER: You are still doing it. You cannot shut your gob!
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, direct your comments through the Chair.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 62. ‘You cannot shut your gob’ is offensive.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, if you could direct your answer to the question, and direct your comments through the Chair, please, and withdraw.
Mr TOLLNER: I am trying to answer the question, but the Opposition Leader cannot shut her mouth. She just keeps talking. She is up again – yabberty, yabberty, yabberty!
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 62, you asked him to withdraw and he did not.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, I believe you did withdraw, but if you did not could you please withdraw the previous reference.
Mr TOLLNER: I am sorry I told her to shut her gob. Withdrawn. Perhaps she will take a bit of advice.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, minister. If you could answer the question.
Mr TOLLNER: We are trying to add a bit of innovation into Indigenous Essential Services. We want to see it take up some more of the renewable options. We want to see whether we can do things a lot more cheaply in remote areas rather than driving truckloads of diesel day-in day-out. I am sure there are many things we can be doing better in the bush. We want to provide a reliable service at the lowest possible cost to all Territorians, particularly those living in remote communities.
Affordable Housing Initiatives
Mr HIGGINS to MINISTER for HOUSING
This government is funding real solutions to meet housing demands in the Territory. Unlike the former Labor government and the now fly-in fly-out shadow minister, the Opposition Leader, we are investing in Central Australia. Can you please update the House on the exciting progress of the Kilgraiff subdivision in Alice Springs and other affordable housing initiatives of this government?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question. He has a great interest in real housing solutions for Territorians, particularly in his electorate, the remote parts of the Territory, but also in our urban centres. It is a very good point, perhaps a point which has been lost on many Territorians, that the architect of Alice Springs’ demise is now the Opposition Leader.
The shadow minister for Central Australia is the member for Karama. It is an extraordinary turn of events, and I am not sure where this is supposed to leave the member for Barkly. What happened there, Gerry? The only member south of the Berrimah line is no longer the shadow minister for Central Australia. There is something so wrong there on so many levels.
But, I digress. I thank the member, again, for his question. We are trying to provide real housing solutions, especially for our most vulnerable Territorians, through social and affordable housing, and it is great to have a question on housing. I think this is the first housing question I have had in the House since I became the Minister for Housing in September. Maybe it is the second, but I have not had too many questions from the shadow minister for Housing. It goes to show their commitment to housing. They dropped the ball for 11 years. We were elected to clean up their mess in housing, which is exactly what we are doing.
Let us look at Kilgariff. It is Alice Springs’ newest suburb and it is crucial to lowering the cost of living in Alice Springs and stabilising the housing market.
Registration of interest to purchase blocks opened through LJ Hooker in Alice last Friday, with 33 blocks on the market in the first stage. It is a huge milestone. I thank the minister for Lands and Planning for his assistance. I think at this stage we have 21 expressions of interest already.
While I have articulated and made abundantly clear the previous Labor government stalled this vital project, we have our foot to the floor and are fast tracking this development. It is very exciting news that prospective land buyers can register their interest in purchasing one of 33 blocks off the plan, with prices ranging from $160 000 to $180 000. They are deliberately priced to be within reach for most first home buyers. Similarly sized blocks in Alice Springs are on the market for about $250 000. This will eventually lead up to about 80 affordable residential blocks available in two stages, which is easing the squeeze in the local housing market.
Work is being fast tracked and it is anticipated titles will be issued towards the end of the year, and building can begin once these titles are issued.
This is the first major residential development south of The Gap and should meet demand for housing in Alice Springs for the next two decades.
There is much more to talk about in the housing space. I welcome many more questions from the opposition, maybe not this sittings, but there is another one coming up in March. I am fully prepared and more than happy to answer your questions.
Firefighters with Cancer
Ms MANISON to CHIEF MINISTER
Today, the member for Fannie Bay is in Alice Springs attending the funeral of Chris Lake, a respected former Territory firefighter who served for more than 30 years. He succumbed, sadly, to cancer. It is an accepted fact that firefighters are more likely to develop cancer due to their job. Your government voted down legislation we introduced last year to help firefighters battling cancer. Mr Lake is, tragically, the second firefighter to pass away from cancer since that decision.
Will you now show some heart and introduce this legislation as soon as possible? You do not have to let it be tied up in the Workers Compensation review. Will you support our firefighters?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Wanguri for her question. I presume, and hope, she did not write this question, because this is a sad day, with the funeral of Chris Lake, a firefighter. I am aware the member for Fannie Bay is not in the Chamber, he is at the funeral, but to bring a funeral and the death of a firefighter into a political question in Question Time on the day of his funeral is completely offensive.
I am prepared to have a debate about the changes for presumptive legislation on the floor of this parliament at any time, but I go back my point: if you have written this question, I would be highly embarrassed. This is the day the bloke is getting buried and we will continue this debate at a later date. I will not entertain debating this matter on the day of his funeral.
Homelands Extra Allowance – Election Commitment
Ms LEE to MINISTER for COMMUNITY SERVICES
With regard to responsibility for the delivery of the CLP’s Homelands Extra Allowance election commitment, how does this election commitment contribute to the Indigenous economic development of the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arnhem for her question. Unlike those opposite, this side cares about Aboriginal people and the issues they face in homelands and remote communities. Unlike Labor, this government wants to see the living standards of those people improved. They did nothing for 11 years …
Mr VOWLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 62: I find it highly offensive to say Labor does not care for Indigenous people. It is not correct.
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order. It is not offensive.
Mrs PRICE: They did nothing for 11 years. They sat back and watched them do nothing …
Mr McCarthy: Rubbish!
Mrs PRICE: They sat on their hands and talked and talked. They love to lecture and – member for Barkly!
Mr McCarthy: Rubbish!
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, please pause. Member for Barkly, you do not yell across the Chamber. You are on a warning.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member for Barkly’s interjections are of such a nature they are almost an assault, and he should apologise to the minister. Beating up on her like that is disgraceful.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of Government Business, I heard what you said, but all members in this House are yelling across the Chamber and it is all insulting and offensive. I ask members to cease doing so, otherwise there will be no warnings and you will be asked to leave the Chamber.
Mr Elferink: Disgraceful behaviour, man.
Mrs PRICE: They love to lecture, carp, whinge and talk down the Territory.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, please pause. Leader of Government Business, you are on a warning. I just said do not call across the Chamber; it does not matter how soft or loud your voice is.
Mrs PRICE: They love to lecture, carp and whinge; they are good at it. They did nothing for our people on the communities for 11 years.
Mr VOWLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 62: offensive. I do find it offensive and …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Johnston, I have already ruled it as not offensive. Sit down. You are on a warning.
Mrs PRICE: They failed to deliver results, unlike this government. We are about getting results and doing something.
Homelands residents can apply for $5200 per household per year, to be spent on works and repairs on their houses. This program is about keeping homelands residents’ houses in the best condition, reducing the need for public housing – the housing crisis created and delivered by those failures across the floor. This financial year alone, over $1.7m has been distributed to Indigenous service providers to start work. So far, over 450 applications have been received and 19 service providers are being funded with this. Two-hundred-and-ninety-eight dwellings in 149 homelands across the Territory are already seeing results. There have been 104 applications and more than $200 000 released in the member for Namatjira’s electorate. This is great news.
Member for Nhulunbuy - who claims she never gets much for her electorate - you should be happy to hear there is $0.5m so far.
This election commitment is an amazing success, and this program also provides opportunities for local and Indigenous employment. Residents are seeing real results with money going directly to the homes for much needed repairs and minor works.
Ms Walker: When are you going to meet with Laynhapuy Homelands?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nhulunbuy!
Mrs PRICE: I have been there. I have spoken to Laynhapuy Homelands. I know Djawa; I know the people of Arnhem Land.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
NTPS Staff Survey
Ms FYLES to MINISTER for PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT
Last year, you failed to hold the NT public service staff survey when it was due. Clearly, you did not want to hear what public servants thought about working for your government. Could you please confirm a date for when the NTPS staff survey will be held this year, and when will the results be released, or do you still not want to hear what public servants have to say?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is a notable track record from members opposite that they have a hand-in-glove relationship with the unions of the Northern Territory. This hand-in-glove relationship becomes manifest in all manner of fashions and, once again, we get to see it. The member will say she is the defender of the public service. No, she is not. She is the defender of the union movement and its intentions …
Ms Lawrie: The staff survey?
Mr ELFERINK: I will get to it. The point is, to the Leader of the Opposition, the question relates to a much broader picture than only the staff survey. We have a habit in this House of members opposite making a raft of allegations and then asking a specific question. Then they whinge, through many points of order, that we are addressing the raft of allegations. I am addressing the raft of allegations and the hand-in-glove relationship we are seeing …
Ms Lawrie: What about the staff survey?
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Opposition Leader!
Mr ELFERINK: If the Opposition Leader does not want to hear the answer to the question I am happy to sit down. I will happily sit down, but I will get to it in my time. This hand-in-glove relationship we see manifest, particularly with United Voice Union - which is by far the most militant union and is not serving its membership well. We have seen similar misrepresentation by the teachers’ union, which has, on two occasions, ended up in the Fair Work Commission and had rulings against it because of the poor quality of advice they have given their union members. Those union members rely very heavily …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 113: relevance. I asked a very direct question. When will the staff survey be held and when will the results be released?
Madam SPEAKER: The minister has three minutes to answer the question and he has indicated he will answer. Minister, you have the call.
Mr ELFERINK: As the Speaker quite rightly pointed out, I was addressing those issues. I have taken this question in the past from members opposite about the staff survey. I have given the instruction to the Commissioner for Public Employment that the staff survey is to be completed, and he will complete it in his own time. It is an operational issue for the Commissioner for Public Employment. I am not like the members opposite when they were in government, when their tentacles of government reached right down into the public service on the most basic level. They saw the public service as minions to their left-wing cause. I do not treat the public service with that disrespect.
Crime Figures of Karama and Casuarina
Ms FINOCCHIARO to MINISTER for POLICE, FIRE and EMERGENCY SERVICES
Can you inform the House about the encouraging crime figures coming out of the electorates of Karama and Casuarina?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, what a good question! I thank the member for Drysdale. I had a spring in my step when I heard that one. It is fantastic! Before I start, I must apologise. Yesterday, in this House, there was a question from the member for Fannie Bay asking about crime. I thought it was a very good question. I was waiting for another one; I was looking forward to it. The question yesterday was, why have the crime stats not been released, because it is 19 February and they should be released on 17 February, as they were on 17 January.
I very inappropriately said nasty things about the Attorney-General for being two days late. I was pretending we should be giving him a slap on the wrist. I had a chat to the Attorney-General later on and I said, ‘John …’ - because I call him John - ‘What is going on, you are two days late?’ Never mind the fact Labor did not publicise any crime stats at all and we now publish them online every month. I had a chat with my mate, John, and he said, ‘Oh, Chief Minister’ – Adam – ‘we actually publish them on the third Friday of every month’. For the members opposite, I should advise the third Friday of every month is not always on the 17th. I made an incorrect statement; I said it was two days late and I was really naughty by rousing on the Attorney-General ...
Ms Walker: Come on, it is not comedy hour for the chief clown.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr GILES: However, this is beside the point. Yesterday, I was talking – during the very fun-filled answer – about the changes in crime stats in the Karama electorate. I did not have them on hand; I made a rough estimation …
Ms Fyles: What about Nightcliff?
Ms Walker: What about Nhulunbuy?
Mr McCarthy: What about Tennant Creek?
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr GILES: Oh, I can get to other good figures if you like, member for Nightcliff. This one can go on all day. However, I will quickly talk about some of those stats in Karama. You can tell by the level of interjections they know it is bad news coming. I said roughly 25%. I was using roundabout figures, but let us get specific for Karama. There is a range of statistics we can look at, but I did a comparison on three-yearly statistics - 2007, 2010 and 2013. The last full year of figures is 2013. You can pick something out, for example, between 2010 and 2013 sexual assaults and related offences were down by 38.89% - a little off from the 25%. You can talk about total offences against property. I said around 25% yesterday but, in fact, it is 33.67%. You can talk about assaults in Casuarina; in the three-year period they are down 34.57%, reducing crime by 10%. You talk about total offences against property, down by 32.75% against the 2007 figures.
There is only one party in this Chamber fixing crime and it is the Country Liberal Party and this government.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Container Deposit Legislation –
Proposed Changes
Proposed Changes
Mr WOOD to MINISTER for LANDS, PLANNING and the ENVIRONMENT
In October last year, you announced ‘We are resurrecting the cash for cans program across the Territory’. You have since foreshadowed changes to the legislation which are intended to make life easier for depots by reducing the number of splits.
Where are the changes promised? How will these changes resurrect cash for cans across the Territory and not only in the major centres? What moves have been made towards a national Cash for Containers scheme, as raised in the media recently?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the question from the member for Nelson.
The Country Liberals picked up where the previous government dropped the ball. They basically crushed any chance of a - sorry, a play on words. We have worked damn hard on this side trying to fix up a broken piece of legislation the previous government left us. We worked damn hard to secure state and territory support to continue that legislation - done. We have been working very hard behind the scenes getting information from the industry to find out how we can make this legislation more effective, being very careful we do not take it too far. Remember, we faced a challenge in the federal court by a major beverage manufacturer and I do not think, morally, it has the environment at heart.
The Territory Country Liberals government is making changes to that legislation. I anticipate in the March sitting the changes will be introduced to this House. We have finished a number of consultations with the industry to ensure we have covered off as much as we can. Things like the splits were causing a number of concerns, making it a very complicated and costly system. We are reducing this from around 24 splits and are aiming for around eight or nine splits.
The legislation will be introduced, I hope, in March. We are still waiting on two key components and one piece of legal advice before we can continue. Once we have ticked it off, we will ensure we get the legislation up.
I will not rush this; I want this to be right. We have worked too damn hard to save a system loved by Territorians and with great environmental outcomes for the Northern Territory. I am very hopeful at this stage it will be the March sittings.
One thing we are also looking at - in the same legislation was the old plastic bags. I distinctly remember the former minister saying the reasons they introduced the 15c or 20c plastic bag levy - another levy on Territorians - was the weight of plastic going into landfill. I am asking about what measures we have put in place over the last few years to measure how successful the plastic bag ban part of that legislation is, because it is part and parcel - cash for cans and plastic bags – of whether or not we have really made substantial savings in plastic which goes into the landfill.
I can assure you, member for Nelson, at this stage we are hopeful to get the legislation up in the March sittings.
Tourism NT Move to Alice Springs
Mr VATSKALIS to MINISTER for TOURISM
One of your first actions in taking government was the widely criticised, politically motivated move to relocate Tourism NT from Darwin to Alice Springs. Will you now tell us the real cost of moving Tourism NT to Alice Springs? How many staff are now based in Alice, how many remain in Darwin, and what is the cost of the departmental travel between Darwin and Alice Springs, compared to two years ago when Tourism NT was in Darwin?
ANSWER
This is extraordinary, member for Casuarina. We were sitting upstairs saying, ‘I hope this guy asks a question today on tourism, but surely he is not that stupid’, and you have. With regard to the specifics around this question, I can take it on notice for you, because I think we have articulated it in the past. I have not got the - just a moment, they might be here.
Ms Fyles: Will you table those documents?
Mr CONLAN: They will be publicly available; they have been in estimates. In the past we have articulated the cost of all this stuff, but you probably have not been listening, as usual. I will provide those for you in a briefing. It might be the best way to go, because they are specific and I do not want to be giving you incorrect figures. I want to articulate something the minister has been talking about for some time about our Asian engagement strategy. This goes to the credibility of the member for Casuarina and where he stands with tourism. He has stood on a number of occasions …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very relevant question about the cost of relocating tourism from Darwin to Alice Springs.
Madam SPEAKER: The minister has said he does not have the figures on hand and is prepared to either provide them to the member or at estimates.
Mr CONLAN: I am more than happy to get those for you. They are publicly available and the government is not shying away from it. We know you do not like Alice Springs and we know it offends you when Alice Springs starts to receive a little attention. It was the hallmark of the previous government for the last 11 years. It is little wonder, and no surprise, that resourcing some of the regions - providing them with a bit of clout - highly offends you. I want to go to the issue of our international marketing and Asian engagement in China. When were you the minister, 2008?
Mr Vatskalis: 2005.
Mr CONLAN: You are talking about the money being poured into Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, and our commitment to the region and attracting China visitation. In 2012-13, when we came to government, the CLP invested $600 000 into Southeast Asia, $436 000 into Japan and $800 000 into Northeast Asia.
This year, we will put $800 000 into Southeast Asia, $800 000 into Northeast Asia and a little over $1m into Japan. When you were the minister, you put $424 000 into Southeast Asia, $724 000 into Northeast Asia, and it slowly went down. It went down as far as $279 000 into Southeast Asia. I find it interesting, amazing and quite cute that you can talk on the radio, like you did on the ABC this morning, and suggest somehow we are walking away from our Asian markets when we are re-investing into our Asian markets, after you ripped the guts out of all marketing strategies into Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia – pretty obvious, but typical of the member for Casuarina, foot in mouth disease like nobody else.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister your time has expired.
Hydraulic Fracturing Concerns
Mr HIGGINS to MINISTER for LANDS, PLANNING and the ENVIRONMENT
There has been a lot of community concern in the Territory about the environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing. Can the minister update the House on his efforts to put these concerns to rest?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly, as someone who has the Territory at heart and ensuring we look after the environment, particularly around the Daly area which he is passionate about, and where, I believe, it is still very wet.
Hydraulic fracturing - or fracking - could be the key to unlocking huge economic benefits for the Northern Territory oil and gas industry. However, people are unsure about the potential impacts these practices could have on the environment, which creates some angst in the community. These community concerns have led me to recommend that this government commissions an inquiry into the potential environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing in the Northern Territory.
It is my intention that the inquiry will look at the assessment of environmental risks, actual environmental impacts and the effectiveness of the mitigation measures. I have written to the Chair of the Northern Territory’s independent EPA, Bill Freeland, informing him of my intentions to recommend the inquiry, seeking his advice on appropriate terms of reference, and a recommendation of qualified persons to lead or assist in the inquiry.
The inquiry aims to separate actual environmental risks from perceived risks, and clear up some of the claims about hydraulic fracturing which have caused public concern. Recommendations of effective methods for mitigating actual environmental impacts will come from the inquiry. We are a government open for investment, but those investments cannot come at the cost of our unique environment. I will continue to be an advocate for the environment. I want this inquiry to provide Territorians with accurate information so they can have the utmost confidence in our regulatory framework.
Government Plans
Mr VOWLES to CHIEF MINISTER
It is coming up to 12 months since you knifed the member for Blain as Chief Minister. What a year it has been. Under your watch, the cost of living is going through the roof, you keep driving up power prices, you have turned your back on Nhulunbuy, refused to come clean on plans to sell public assets, sacked teachers, laughed at nurses who told you they were in crisis, refused to invest in the regions, and you insult paramedics and firefighters. What does the next 12 months have in store for Territorians under your stewardship, because many Territorians say they cannot take much more of your disastrous leadership?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, we were saying, ‘Here comes a censure,’ but we know you must be a backer of, or within the faction of, the Leader of the Opposition to get questions like this. She just did not have the confidence in you to give you the censure.
What a year it has been. We were just talking about the reduction in crime in Karama and Casuarina, and I look forward to bringing in the Nightcliff figures next time. There has been mandatory alcohol rehabilitation, helping people with chronic alcohol problems. We got rid of the BDR and alcohol consumption in the Northern Territory - wholesale alcohol supply has gone down. It is down 7% in Alice Springs, 17% in Nhulunbuy – right across the Northern Territory alcohol consumption has gone down.
We have more land release than ever before. I will just keep writing them down. Housing is going out the door - Real Housing for Growth. We have stabilised the cost of housing in the Northern Territory. The cost of houses in the Northern Territory has stabilised to a point where it is having a negative effect on cost of living pressures, which brings me to a point. Your question about cost of living pressures going up. I want to see you prove it, because the cost of housing has stabilised through home purchase. The cost of rent needs more stabilisation, but we are working to stabilise it. This is why we are releasing more land, why we are building more houses and doing more and more. You talk about 12 months; the Minister for Community Services just spoke about how we have increased our homelands support to $5200 for every house.
As the shadow minister for Aboriginal Affairs, you would know that under the previous Labor regime, you provided $685 per house for one-bedroom homeland homes. They now get $5200 and people ask why? Because when those properties are beyond economic repair, they fall down, people move out and move into a public housing asset. We have to manage all housing assets in the Territory, whether we own them, operate them or otherwise, to make sure we have a suitable level of housing. What a change it has been in the 12 months, with $1.7m investment into homelands in the Northern Territory.
I could pick all the portfolios. The new mine at Western Desert: are you going to say it is nothing? Are you going to say it is not a good outcome? The work going on with Sherwin Iron, the work going on with building a new hospital at Palmerston, the crime figures coming down - where do we start and where do we finish? We keep going with the work, and I want to see a report card on eleven-and-a-half years of Labor and what it achieved.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Government Achievements
Ms FINOCCHIARO to CHIEF MINISTER
Chief Minister, can you please update the House on what the government is doing to encourage investment confidence and plan for the future?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I might continue from where I was before. The member for Drysdale knows what is occurring in her electorate. You talk in parliament about what we are doing with the federal government. We have secured an enormous amount of investment to fully duplicate and seal Tiger Brennan Drive, so people living in Palmerston will have a greater opportunity in driving into town. We have made a commitment it will continue and have said it will be done by 2016. You can drive down …
Ms Walker: Well done, Labor. Thank you, Labor, for that funding.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nhulunbuy, cease interjecting.
Mr GILES: Let us come back to the interjection. We heard some people on the other side saying, ‘Well done, Labor.’ I will tell you, factually, how Tiger Brennan Drive started. It was the former member for Solomon, now the member for Fong Lim, who did the deal to get it over the line at the start. It was supposed to be built at the time …
Members interjecting.
Mr GILES: They do not like the truth, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms Fyles: The same member who delivered oncology?
Mr GILES: He also delivered the oncology unit …
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please pause. Member for Nightcliff, I remind you, you are on a warning! Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: I might just get whispered in my ear the original cost of Tiger Brennan Drive. I think it was supposed to cost $23m. Because of the dilly-dallying of the former Labor government, it has now blown up to more than $100m to deliver. The Tiger Brennan Drive initiative was delivered by the Country Liberals. There was also the oncology unit. We will continue developing the major infrastructure in the Northern Territory to drive the development of northern Australia into the future.
The Palmerston hospital – a scoping study was released today with the Territory Minister for Health and the federal Minister for Health. This hospital will last for 50 years. We are getting the model right and bringing the community along with us. It is a major initiative. The work we are doing in the bush with the roads that will be built in the future, in joint partnership between the Territory government and the federal Coalition, is ensuring we get greater access and opportunity.
There will be massive change and there already has been. It is important to remember, while tourism and production in horticulture and agriculture are on the up, health and rehab are improving right across all our portfolios.
While all of these things are going on, we are dealing with making vast improvements in the Northern Territory, while balancing a $5.5bn debt. Who would have thought, when you have a $5.5bn debt, you can build a new hospital, drive down crime, release land, get your infrastructure budget as high as it is, get housing out there, approve water licences, and get agriculture going across the Northern Territory? It is a fantastic outcome. Just imagine what we could do if we were not building a $600m-plus gaol. Imagine if the money was in our bank account. We could build more infrastructure and we could do more for the Northern Territory. Just imagine …
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016