Mr MILLS - 2000-02-22
The Labor Opposition Leader in the Territory claims her Territory branch does not support federal intervention into our mandatory sentencing laws. Does the Chief Minister have any proof that this claim is false?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, do you know what the Leader of the Opposition said on ABC TV last night? ‘I told Kim Beazley to butt out’. You know what Kim Beazley did? ‘Kofi Annan, come here, I want to talk about mandatory sentencing issues, and I want you to get the UN to overthrow those Territory laws’. She is irrelevant! Kim Beazley - you walk around, you follow him, you sell out the Northern Territory with the laws of a new tax system, you are a disciple of Kim Beazley. You stand in this House and say, ‘I am proudly a member of the federal Labor Party. I am proudly against uranium mining in the Northern Territory, and I am in control of my party’.
This is supposed to be the Leader of the Northern Territory Branch of the Labor Party. Proudly the Leader of the Northern Territory Branch of the Australian Labor Party, and do you know what her colleagues are doing? Trish Crossin is down south saying, ‘We are at one on this issue. I am a member of the Northern Territory Labor branch and we are as one. We’re going to get this overthrown by the federal parliament’. What sort of control have you got on her? What sort of control do you have on Trish Crossin? You even have Warren Snowdon running down there. Warren Snowdon is supposed to be one of your boys. Who’s the boss? Who’s in charge? Who is in charge?
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker! There is no need for the Chief Minister to be yelling in that fashion.
Mr SPEAKER: Well, I would have to say that you have set a fair standard, member for Nhulunbuy. There is no point of order.
Mr BURKE: Mr Speaker, is it too much to ask who is in charge? Who’s running the ship? I mean, you have the Leader here saying, ‘I want the Territory government to overthrow these laws’. And you have Warren Snowdon saying, ‘I will do any and everything to have these laws overthrown’. Now, who is in charge? That is a pretty simple question. Who is running the show? Is there one branch of the Northern Territory Labor Party, or are there a number of branches, and where does the Labor Party of the Northern Territory really stand on mandatory sentences? Where does Ian Fraser stand on mandatory sentences?
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr BURKE: I know he can’t count. He said he was an accountant and he charges $150 out of $200 to do his accounting work and that is two-thirds of the problem of the Commonwealth government’s contribution. Well, two-thirds of $200 is not $150, it is $133 and a few cents. I would hate to have him as the accountant working for me, and I would hate to have him as the Shadow Treasurer in this government. He is your candidate and here is a good opportunity for the Leader of the Northern Territory branch of the Australian Labor Party to truly get the ducks all in a line and truly say to Territorians what she is up to, because you have been speaking out of both sides of your mouth since you have been Leader. You have been saying you would have policies, and you have no policies. You said you supported native title legislation, and you got down south with Bolkus and you worked hard to overturn it. You said you support the Northern Territory running its own show and being free to make its own laws. At the same time she has got Snowdon and Crossin downstairs, and now Kim Beazley, doing his utmost to overturn it. The reality of the situation is that Clare Martin is increasingly irrelevant. And you know where you made your first mistake ...
Ms MARTIN: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I know the Chief Minister has not been here that long but under standing orders I am the Leader of the Opposition.
Mr SPEAKER: The Chief Minister should refer to the Leader of the Opposition as either the Leader of the Opposition or the member for Fannie Bay.
Mr BURKE: I am happy to, Mr Speaker. The Leader of the Opposition made her first mistake when she stood in this House as the new leader and sold out the former leader, because at least the former leader used to stand up for Territorians. She stood in this House and said: ‘I am formally a member of the Australian Labor Party and I will happily follow their dictates’, and happily following their dictates she is. The classic is to sell out the Northern Territory on the new tax system, and we’ll get to that at a later question.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, do you know what the Leader of the Opposition said on ABC TV last night? ‘I told Kim Beazley to butt out’. You know what Kim Beazley did? ‘Kofi Annan, come here, I want to talk about mandatory sentencing issues, and I want you to get the UN to overthrow those Territory laws’. She is irrelevant! Kim Beazley - you walk around, you follow him, you sell out the Northern Territory with the laws of a new tax system, you are a disciple of Kim Beazley. You stand in this House and say, ‘I am proudly a member of the federal Labor Party. I am proudly against uranium mining in the Northern Territory, and I am in control of my party’.
This is supposed to be the Leader of the Northern Territory Branch of the Labor Party. Proudly the Leader of the Northern Territory Branch of the Australian Labor Party, and do you know what her colleagues are doing? Trish Crossin is down south saying, ‘We are at one on this issue. I am a member of the Northern Territory Labor branch and we are as one. We’re going to get this overthrown by the federal parliament’. What sort of control have you got on her? What sort of control do you have on Trish Crossin? You even have Warren Snowdon running down there. Warren Snowdon is supposed to be one of your boys. Who’s the boss? Who’s in charge? Who is in charge?
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker! There is no need for the Chief Minister to be yelling in that fashion.
Mr SPEAKER: Well, I would have to say that you have set a fair standard, member for Nhulunbuy. There is no point of order.
Mr BURKE: Mr Speaker, is it too much to ask who is in charge? Who’s running the ship? I mean, you have the Leader here saying, ‘I want the Territory government to overthrow these laws’. And you have Warren Snowdon saying, ‘I will do any and everything to have these laws overthrown’. Now, who is in charge? That is a pretty simple question. Who is running the show? Is there one branch of the Northern Territory Labor Party, or are there a number of branches, and where does the Labor Party of the Northern Territory really stand on mandatory sentences? Where does Ian Fraser stand on mandatory sentences?
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr BURKE: I know he can’t count. He said he was an accountant and he charges $150 out of $200 to do his accounting work and that is two-thirds of the problem of the Commonwealth government’s contribution. Well, two-thirds of $200 is not $150, it is $133 and a few cents. I would hate to have him as the accountant working for me, and I would hate to have him as the Shadow Treasurer in this government. He is your candidate and here is a good opportunity for the Leader of the Northern Territory branch of the Australian Labor Party to truly get the ducks all in a line and truly say to Territorians what she is up to, because you have been speaking out of both sides of your mouth since you have been Leader. You have been saying you would have policies, and you have no policies. You said you supported native title legislation, and you got down south with Bolkus and you worked hard to overturn it. You said you support the Northern Territory running its own show and being free to make its own laws. At the same time she has got Snowdon and Crossin downstairs, and now Kim Beazley, doing his utmost to overturn it. The reality of the situation is that Clare Martin is increasingly irrelevant. And you know where you made your first mistake ...
Ms MARTIN: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I know the Chief Minister has not been here that long but under standing orders I am the Leader of the Opposition.
Mr SPEAKER: The Chief Minister should refer to the Leader of the Opposition as either the Leader of the Opposition or the member for Fannie Bay.
Mr BURKE: I am happy to, Mr Speaker. The Leader of the Opposition made her first mistake when she stood in this House as the new leader and sold out the former leader, because at least the former leader used to stand up for Territorians. She stood in this House and said: ‘I am formally a member of the Australian Labor Party and I will happily follow their dictates’, and happily following their dictates she is. The classic is to sell out the Northern Territory on the new tax system, and we’ll get to that at a later question.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016