Mr HATTON - 2001-02-20
This afternoonthe Labor Party has been shrunk and bruised and battered from discussions about the railway. I wish to continue the discussion of this particular subject.
I welcome the announcement last evening and this afternoon by the Chief Minister of the imminent construction of the railway this Dry season. I now refer, of course, to the $200m East Arm port facility and other infrastructure developments that may flow- on from the development or are required to corroborate the AustralAsia railway project.
Could the minister please advise of progress on these projects, how they will be assist in the growth and prosperity of Territorians, particularly with the development of the port, and the immediate assistance with job creation and business in our local construction industry?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, make no mistake, this government sees the construction sector as a very important part of the business sector of the Northern Territory. We are cognisant of the needs and wants of that sector and the necessity for government, on occasion, to amend capital works programs to recognise the ups and downs and the ebbs and flows of that particular industry.
Make no further mistake that the Labor opposition in this parliament would like nothing better than to see the Alice Springs to Darwin railway project fail. Make no mistake that they will do anything within their power to ensure that that project doesn’t get up. It is the old adage in politics that if you want to stab some one in the back first, get behind them. This is a classic example of what they are doing with Territorians’ railway line. It is in their political interest to ensure that this project fails so that they can point to the CLP and blame us. It is in their basic political interest, and they know it too. Let me tell you that the project directly will provide 1200 jobs directly to Territorians, indirectly several hundred, and with the multiplier effect it could be as many as 5000. It is a major project.
In addition to the railway project, we are obliged to provide and we will provide further facilities such as the East Arm Port, which has already cost in the order of $100m. By June of this year we will have let further tenders to the value of about $70m. If you take into account the container facility, the railway embankment out to that port, a 110m extension to the current wharf, and a bulk liquids terminal with a further contract following on from that for about $5m to provide the pipelines to the joint user terminal, those projects alone will employ a couple of hundred Territorians.
This is critical in terms of the future trade and development of the Northern Territory. Our ability to move product through that central corridor to the new near markets of Asia in a timely and efficient manner will allow not only Territory producers but producers from South Australia and Victoria to access new markets for fresh fruit and vegetables in Asia. The only access we have had to those markets is at the very high end, with produce flown in on chartered 747s at great expense. We will now be able to access a greater cross section of the markets in those South-East Asian economies.
In terms of product flowing back, there are very real opportunities that apply to the bulk cargo that comes into Australia and requires quarantine services. It will come through Darwin because of inbuilt inefficiencies in other ports.
But let’s have a quick look at the history of the mob opposite and their support for Territory projects. I go back to the Mindil Beach Casino, which they opposed. There is Cullen Bay, where you can find them any night of the week showing tourists around this magnificent development in Darwin. Who opposed it? The Labor Party. The Bayview development - who opposed it? The Labor Party. The Masonic Lodge development at Tiwi - who opposed it? The Labor Party. There is the Sheraton Hotels. That project has proved the cornerstone of the development of the tourist industry in the Northern Territory. The Sheratons and Yulara - who opposed it? The mob opposite. The Duck Pond - who opposed it? I will quote Reeves in 1984: ‘Another CLP white elephant’. Go and ask the fishing industry. Ask the North Australian prawn industry how the Duck Pond is. Ask the 50 trawlers that are tied up there every Wet season and every off season if that’s a white elephant. There is a litany of opposition. The Hidden Valley motorsports complex - who opposed it? This mob. Almost every project ..
A member: Palmerston. And now they have the hide to set up candidates there.
Mr PALMER: Palmerston itself - who opposed it? This mob. Then we propose a project worth $6m, which will create jobs for small Territory subcontractors and contractors. Not to look after big business, not to look after our so-called mates, but to look after grandma and grandad. Who opposed it? This mob! Who wanted to oppose units for aged pensioners at Leanyer? Forty units for aged pensioners at Leanyer. Not only do we look after the contractors, we’re looking after the mums and dads. We are looking after your mum and your dad, your grandparents. And they oppose it!
It is opposition for opposition’s sake. As the Chief Minister said, what do you want?
I welcome the announcement last evening and this afternoon by the Chief Minister of the imminent construction of the railway this Dry season. I now refer, of course, to the $200m East Arm port facility and other infrastructure developments that may flow- on from the development or are required to corroborate the AustralAsia railway project.
Could the minister please advise of progress on these projects, how they will be assist in the growth and prosperity of Territorians, particularly with the development of the port, and the immediate assistance with job creation and business in our local construction industry?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, make no mistake, this government sees the construction sector as a very important part of the business sector of the Northern Territory. We are cognisant of the needs and wants of that sector and the necessity for government, on occasion, to amend capital works programs to recognise the ups and downs and the ebbs and flows of that particular industry.
Make no further mistake that the Labor opposition in this parliament would like nothing better than to see the Alice Springs to Darwin railway project fail. Make no mistake that they will do anything within their power to ensure that that project doesn’t get up. It is the old adage in politics that if you want to stab some one in the back first, get behind them. This is a classic example of what they are doing with Territorians’ railway line. It is in their political interest to ensure that this project fails so that they can point to the CLP and blame us. It is in their basic political interest, and they know it too. Let me tell you that the project directly will provide 1200 jobs directly to Territorians, indirectly several hundred, and with the multiplier effect it could be as many as 5000. It is a major project.
In addition to the railway project, we are obliged to provide and we will provide further facilities such as the East Arm Port, which has already cost in the order of $100m. By June of this year we will have let further tenders to the value of about $70m. If you take into account the container facility, the railway embankment out to that port, a 110m extension to the current wharf, and a bulk liquids terminal with a further contract following on from that for about $5m to provide the pipelines to the joint user terminal, those projects alone will employ a couple of hundred Territorians.
This is critical in terms of the future trade and development of the Northern Territory. Our ability to move product through that central corridor to the new near markets of Asia in a timely and efficient manner will allow not only Territory producers but producers from South Australia and Victoria to access new markets for fresh fruit and vegetables in Asia. The only access we have had to those markets is at the very high end, with produce flown in on chartered 747s at great expense. We will now be able to access a greater cross section of the markets in those South-East Asian economies.
In terms of product flowing back, there are very real opportunities that apply to the bulk cargo that comes into Australia and requires quarantine services. It will come through Darwin because of inbuilt inefficiencies in other ports.
But let’s have a quick look at the history of the mob opposite and their support for Territory projects. I go back to the Mindil Beach Casino, which they opposed. There is Cullen Bay, where you can find them any night of the week showing tourists around this magnificent development in Darwin. Who opposed it? The Labor Party. The Bayview development - who opposed it? The Labor Party. The Masonic Lodge development at Tiwi - who opposed it? The Labor Party. There is the Sheraton Hotels. That project has proved the cornerstone of the development of the tourist industry in the Northern Territory. The Sheratons and Yulara - who opposed it? The mob opposite. The Duck Pond - who opposed it? I will quote Reeves in 1984: ‘Another CLP white elephant’. Go and ask the fishing industry. Ask the North Australian prawn industry how the Duck Pond is. Ask the 50 trawlers that are tied up there every Wet season and every off season if that’s a white elephant. There is a litany of opposition. The Hidden Valley motorsports complex - who opposed it? This mob. Almost every project ..
A member: Palmerston. And now they have the hide to set up candidates there.
Mr PALMER: Palmerston itself - who opposed it? This mob. Then we propose a project worth $6m, which will create jobs for small Territory subcontractors and contractors. Not to look after big business, not to look after our so-called mates, but to look after grandma and grandad. Who opposed it? This mob! Who wanted to oppose units for aged pensioners at Leanyer? Forty units for aged pensioners at Leanyer. Not only do we look after the contractors, we’re looking after the mums and dads. We are looking after your mum and your dad, your grandparents. And they oppose it!
It is opposition for opposition’s sake. As the Chief Minister said, what do you want?
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016