Mr AH KIT - 1998-08-12
Many Territorians were seen to attend conventions and meetings to discuss Territory statehood. What input and opportunity will these bodies have to shape the move to Territory statehood?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, there have been opportunities over many years for people to contribute to statehood, and in many different forms. I have explained already to members this morning that there has been a process of visits to Aboriginal communities and major centres across the Northern Territory, over a period of years, to enable people to express their views and to attend meetings. Many of the meetings were not as well attended as one might like, but the opportunity was provided, and the opportunities continue.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: You are under a warning, member for Wanguri.
Mr REED: Sadly, during the Statehood Convention held in this Chamber earlier this year, delegates who were representing Aboriginal people took the opportunity to walk out.
Mr Burke: Some.
Mr REED: Some. The land council representatives took the opportunity to walk out and surrendered their opportunity to participate, to contribute, and to be part of the process. No one can tell me that that is a responsible action as far as representing their constituency ...
A member interjecting.
Mr REED: Well, I am sure Territorians will make up their own minds as to whether or not ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr REED: ... it was.
People have had, and will continue to have, the opportunity to speak to members of the opposition as members of the Legislative Assembly. As Members, they are free to do whatever they consider to be desirable in their electorates to seek information from their constituents, bring it back here and use it when contributing to the debate. It is a little late to do it tomorrow, but they should be better organised than they are. Obviously, they are not very good at developing a strategy that will enable them to represent their constituents satisfactorily. The other thing the 7 of them can do is to call on Kim Beazley to make a firm, unequivocal statement about what he intends to do. We have heard since yesterday, since the Prime Minister made this announcement, that statehood will be conferred on the Territory in 2001. We have heard from the Greens and we have heard from the Democrats. We did not like what they said, but at least they stated their case. Have we heard from Simon Crean? No. Have we heard an unequivocal commitment from the federal Australian Labor Party to support statehood for the Northern Territory in 2001? Has it made a commitment to support it in the House of Representatives and the Senate? Will that commitment be forthcoming? Judging by the comments made by the Labor candidate in the forthcoming federal election, I fear sadly that it will not because he is of the view that the Territory will not attain statehood unless it has the support of the minor parties in the Senate, which means that the Australian Labor Party will not support it. That is what I understand from the comments he made this morning.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: Members opposite should be aware of this, because they should be pressuring him, as their candidate, and the Leader of the Opposition should have written yesterday to Kim Beazley, on behalf of Territorians, calling on him to state unequivocally that the Australian Labor Party federally will support statehood for the Northern Territory.
The opposition has been calling on the government over the years to do more work in relation to achieving statehood. We have done it. We have achieved it. It will occur in 2001. The date is set. The opposition has now to perform, and it will be interesting to see how seriously they represent Territorians.
It is a great shame that the Leader of the Opposition was not proactive enough yesterday to write to the federal Leader of the Opposition and is not able today to state confidently that she has done that and table a copy of that letter to the Leader of the Australian Labor Party’s parliamentary wing, calling on him to support unequivocally statehood for the Northern Territory.
What have they done this morning? The 7 members opposite have asked 4 questions, all introverted and negative. Not one of them has recognised the magnificence of this occasion and what it will mean for Territorians. Every question has been negative. The party spoiler, the Leader of the Opposition, and her members in opposition have found not an ounce of brightness in the statement made yesterday by the Prime Minister and the commitment to Territorians. I consider that a great shame.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, there have been opportunities over many years for people to contribute to statehood, and in many different forms. I have explained already to members this morning that there has been a process of visits to Aboriginal communities and major centres across the Northern Territory, over a period of years, to enable people to express their views and to attend meetings. Many of the meetings were not as well attended as one might like, but the opportunity was provided, and the opportunities continue.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: You are under a warning, member for Wanguri.
Mr REED: Sadly, during the Statehood Convention held in this Chamber earlier this year, delegates who were representing Aboriginal people took the opportunity to walk out.
Mr Burke: Some.
Mr REED: Some. The land council representatives took the opportunity to walk out and surrendered their opportunity to participate, to contribute, and to be part of the process. No one can tell me that that is a responsible action as far as representing their constituency ...
A member interjecting.
Mr REED: Well, I am sure Territorians will make up their own minds as to whether or not ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr REED: ... it was.
People have had, and will continue to have, the opportunity to speak to members of the opposition as members of the Legislative Assembly. As Members, they are free to do whatever they consider to be desirable in their electorates to seek information from their constituents, bring it back here and use it when contributing to the debate. It is a little late to do it tomorrow, but they should be better organised than they are. Obviously, they are not very good at developing a strategy that will enable them to represent their constituents satisfactorily. The other thing the 7 of them can do is to call on Kim Beazley to make a firm, unequivocal statement about what he intends to do. We have heard since yesterday, since the Prime Minister made this announcement, that statehood will be conferred on the Territory in 2001. We have heard from the Greens and we have heard from the Democrats. We did not like what they said, but at least they stated their case. Have we heard from Simon Crean? No. Have we heard an unequivocal commitment from the federal Australian Labor Party to support statehood for the Northern Territory in 2001? Has it made a commitment to support it in the House of Representatives and the Senate? Will that commitment be forthcoming? Judging by the comments made by the Labor candidate in the forthcoming federal election, I fear sadly that it will not because he is of the view that the Territory will not attain statehood unless it has the support of the minor parties in the Senate, which means that the Australian Labor Party will not support it. That is what I understand from the comments he made this morning.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: Members opposite should be aware of this, because they should be pressuring him, as their candidate, and the Leader of the Opposition should have written yesterday to Kim Beazley, on behalf of Territorians, calling on him to state unequivocally that the Australian Labor Party federally will support statehood for the Northern Territory.
The opposition has been calling on the government over the years to do more work in relation to achieving statehood. We have done it. We have achieved it. It will occur in 2001. The date is set. The opposition has now to perform, and it will be interesting to see how seriously they represent Territorians.
It is a great shame that the Leader of the Opposition was not proactive enough yesterday to write to the federal Leader of the Opposition and is not able today to state confidently that she has done that and table a copy of that letter to the Leader of the Australian Labor Party’s parliamentary wing, calling on him to support unequivocally statehood for the Northern Territory.
What have they done this morning? The 7 members opposite have asked 4 questions, all introverted and negative. Not one of them has recognised the magnificence of this occasion and what it will mean for Territorians. Every question has been negative. The party spoiler, the Leader of the Opposition, and her members in opposition have found not an ounce of brightness in the statement made yesterday by the Prime Minister and the commitment to Territorians. I consider that a great shame.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016