Mr MILLS - 2000-02-29
Last Friday, the Labor opposition had to endure the humiliation of her Territory federal colleague in the Senate, refusing to lie over whether she had been told by the Opposition Leader to butt out of interfering in the Territory’s mandatory sentencing matters.
Is it true that her boss, Kim Beazley, has repeated that he will not butt out and will do everything he can to have the Territory’s laws overturned?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this has been an interesting and sorry saga for the Leader of the Opposition in terms of how her federal colleagues view her in the Northern Territory and view her opinions on certain issues as she says them in the media. The reality is that what we have is someone who is duplicitous, who speaks with forked tongue, who says one thing in the media and in fact is conniving around the back with her federal colleagues. I will take members briefly through this little saga so it is absolutely clear as to where the Leader of the Opposition is going on this particular issue. It goes as far back as 2 June last year when the Leader of the Opposition said with regards to the changes I made to our mandatory sentencing laws in the Northern Territory, ‘I am reasonable enough to say, yes Denis Burke, you have got a political dilemma but we are supporting you in your moves. We are supporting you in your moves’, this is on mandatory sentencing. ‘This is a first step, and we will support this’. Now, that is pretty unequivocal, Clare Martin said. Later on she said, with regards to the present furore with regards to mandatory sentencing, on Channel 8, quoted on Channel 8 news 22 February this year ...
Mr Stirling: You should be careful quoting ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: Mr Speaker, I encourage the member for Nhulunbuy to ask a question about misleading. I encourage you, get up and ask.
With regards to what she said on 22 February this year, Ms Martin said:
Kim Beazley 100% agrees with me. This legislation is Territory legislation and it should be thrown out here.
She then went on to say on Drivetime on 25 February this year:
Let me just say what the situation is between myself and Kim Beazley and Federal Labor. We are agreed that the place to appeal this is in the Territory - absolutely clear. Have you told him to keep out of mandatory sentencing? No, I told him that the place that this law was going to be repealed was in the Northern Territory.
Then we have her Northern Territory Labor branch federal colleague, Warren Snowdon, quoted in the Alice Springs News on 16 February:
Warren Snowdon says he will support any and all moves to get rid of mandatory sentencing and this could include the Territory law being knocked out by the federal government. He says Canberra should act because the mandatory sentencing laws in the Territory, as well as in Western Australia, are in conflict with international conventions.
The other side of the House does not have much control over Mr Snowdon.
The classic is the interview on 8 DDD morning program on 25 February between the reporter, Julia Christensen, and one Trish Crossin. Classic interview because what Crossin refused to do was lie on behalf of her Labor leader in the Northern Territory, and it’s worth reading a synopsis from that interview.
Reporter:
You’ve vocally supported federal intervention but that’s been to the embarrassment of your local colleagues. Has Clare Martin told you to butt out?’
Crossin:
Clare Martin and Kim Beazley and the federal Labor Party caucus are singing the same tune about this.
Reporter:
Well, they’re not really because you’re saying there needs to be federal intervention, Kim Beazley has gone for international intervention, Clare Martin has said “Leave this to me, I’ll repeal these laws when I become Chief Minister”. It sounds as though you don’t have confidence in her becoming that.
Crossin:
Well, they’re singing the same song here.
Reporter:
On the one hand you are saying: “Okay, she’s going to repeal the laws, but I want federal intervention”, to her embarrassment.
Crossin:
Well, the Labor Party at this stage has supported the Senate inquiry.
Reporter:
But the Labor Party has asked the UN to investigate these laws.
Crossin:
Evidence before the Senate Committee has proven to us that there is a breach in the 2 international conventions and we will need to respond appropriately.
Reporter:
Have you discussed this with Clare Martin, this latest move?
Crossin:
Well, of course.
Mr TOYNE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! We are 20 minutes into question time and we are still on the second question. We are not interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. The response is relevant to the question. It was a fairly explicit question and the response to date has been in accord with that.
Mr BURKE: Mr Speaker, the Opposition do not like the facts being put on the record. This is Trish Crossin, your federal colleague.
Reporter:
Have you discussed this with Clare Martin, this latest move?
Crossin:
Well of course, we talk about this constantly. This is an issue that all of us are singing the same song.
Reporter:
Can I get you to answer that question. Have you talked about this latest move to Clare Martin and has she told you, as has been reported, to butt out?
Crossin:
I don’t believe that Clare has actually said that the United Nations should butt out about this.
Reporter:
No, she has reportedly said she has told her federal colleagues to butt out.
Crossin:
Well at this stage what we are doing is waiting for the Senate inquiry to hand out its report.
Reporter:
Trish Crossin, can I get you to answer the question please?
Crossin:
We would need to see what the Federal government does.
Reporter:
Has Clare Martin told you to butt out?
Crossin:
I think you are asking the wrong question.
Reporter:
Well, it has been reported that she told the Federal Party to butt out. Can you tell me whether that is the case or not?
Crossin:
Well what we are actually doing is supporting, we supported the Senate inquiry.
Reporter, closing statement:
You obviously don’t want to answer that question, so I think the listeners can draw their own conclusions.
Trish Crossin:
Well, Julie, I don’t think that’s being fair.
Well, Territorians have drawn their own conclusions, and that shows that you are either an irrelevance, or you speak with a forked tongue. The classic, the grand finale was Kim Beazley, her Labor leader, the Messiah on radio 2BL Sydney, 25 February 2000, in answering a reporter as to whether he would butt out, Beazley says, ‘Well, I am not butting out’. Clare Martin, are you irrelevant, or do you speak constantly with a forked tongue?
Ms MARTIN: A point or order, Mr Speaker! Am I being questioned? The Chief Minister’s asking me a question.
Mr SPEAKER: No, you’re not.
Is it true that her boss, Kim Beazley, has repeated that he will not butt out and will do everything he can to have the Territory’s laws overturned?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this has been an interesting and sorry saga for the Leader of the Opposition in terms of how her federal colleagues view her in the Northern Territory and view her opinions on certain issues as she says them in the media. The reality is that what we have is someone who is duplicitous, who speaks with forked tongue, who says one thing in the media and in fact is conniving around the back with her federal colleagues. I will take members briefly through this little saga so it is absolutely clear as to where the Leader of the Opposition is going on this particular issue. It goes as far back as 2 June last year when the Leader of the Opposition said with regards to the changes I made to our mandatory sentencing laws in the Northern Territory, ‘I am reasonable enough to say, yes Denis Burke, you have got a political dilemma but we are supporting you in your moves. We are supporting you in your moves’, this is on mandatory sentencing. ‘This is a first step, and we will support this’. Now, that is pretty unequivocal, Clare Martin said. Later on she said, with regards to the present furore with regards to mandatory sentencing, on Channel 8, quoted on Channel 8 news 22 February this year ...
Mr Stirling: You should be careful quoting ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: Mr Speaker, I encourage the member for Nhulunbuy to ask a question about misleading. I encourage you, get up and ask.
With regards to what she said on 22 February this year, Ms Martin said:
Kim Beazley 100% agrees with me. This legislation is Territory legislation and it should be thrown out here.
She then went on to say on Drivetime on 25 February this year:
Let me just say what the situation is between myself and Kim Beazley and Federal Labor. We are agreed that the place to appeal this is in the Territory - absolutely clear. Have you told him to keep out of mandatory sentencing? No, I told him that the place that this law was going to be repealed was in the Northern Territory.
Then we have her Northern Territory Labor branch federal colleague, Warren Snowdon, quoted in the Alice Springs News on 16 February:
Warren Snowdon says he will support any and all moves to get rid of mandatory sentencing and this could include the Territory law being knocked out by the federal government. He says Canberra should act because the mandatory sentencing laws in the Territory, as well as in Western Australia, are in conflict with international conventions.
The other side of the House does not have much control over Mr Snowdon.
The classic is the interview on 8 DDD morning program on 25 February between the reporter, Julia Christensen, and one Trish Crossin. Classic interview because what Crossin refused to do was lie on behalf of her Labor leader in the Northern Territory, and it’s worth reading a synopsis from that interview.
Reporter:
You’ve vocally supported federal intervention but that’s been to the embarrassment of your local colleagues. Has Clare Martin told you to butt out?’
Crossin:
Clare Martin and Kim Beazley and the federal Labor Party caucus are singing the same tune about this.
Reporter:
Well, they’re not really because you’re saying there needs to be federal intervention, Kim Beazley has gone for international intervention, Clare Martin has said “Leave this to me, I’ll repeal these laws when I become Chief Minister”. It sounds as though you don’t have confidence in her becoming that.
Crossin:
Well, they’re singing the same song here.
Reporter:
On the one hand you are saying: “Okay, she’s going to repeal the laws, but I want federal intervention”, to her embarrassment.
Crossin:
Well, the Labor Party at this stage has supported the Senate inquiry.
Reporter:
But the Labor Party has asked the UN to investigate these laws.
Crossin:
Evidence before the Senate Committee has proven to us that there is a breach in the 2 international conventions and we will need to respond appropriately.
Reporter:
Have you discussed this with Clare Martin, this latest move?
Crossin:
Well, of course.
Mr TOYNE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! We are 20 minutes into question time and we are still on the second question. We are not interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. The response is relevant to the question. It was a fairly explicit question and the response to date has been in accord with that.
Mr BURKE: Mr Speaker, the Opposition do not like the facts being put on the record. This is Trish Crossin, your federal colleague.
Reporter:
Have you discussed this with Clare Martin, this latest move?
Crossin:
Well of course, we talk about this constantly. This is an issue that all of us are singing the same song.
Reporter:
Can I get you to answer that question. Have you talked about this latest move to Clare Martin and has she told you, as has been reported, to butt out?
Crossin:
I don’t believe that Clare has actually said that the United Nations should butt out about this.
Reporter:
No, she has reportedly said she has told her federal colleagues to butt out.
Crossin:
Well at this stage what we are doing is waiting for the Senate inquiry to hand out its report.
Reporter:
Trish Crossin, can I get you to answer the question please?
Crossin:
We would need to see what the Federal government does.
Reporter:
Has Clare Martin told you to butt out?
Crossin:
I think you are asking the wrong question.
Reporter:
Well, it has been reported that she told the Federal Party to butt out. Can you tell me whether that is the case or not?
Crossin:
Well what we are actually doing is supporting, we supported the Senate inquiry.
Reporter, closing statement:
You obviously don’t want to answer that question, so I think the listeners can draw their own conclusions.
Trish Crossin:
Well, Julie, I don’t think that’s being fair.
Well, Territorians have drawn their own conclusions, and that shows that you are either an irrelevance, or you speak with a forked tongue. The classic, the grand finale was Kim Beazley, her Labor leader, the Messiah on radio 2BL Sydney, 25 February 2000, in answering a reporter as to whether he would butt out, Beazley says, ‘Well, I am not butting out’. Clare Martin, are you irrelevant, or do you speak constantly with a forked tongue?
Ms MARTIN: A point or order, Mr Speaker! Am I being questioned? The Chief Minister’s asking me a question.
Mr SPEAKER: No, you’re not.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016