Mr STIRLING - 1998-02-26
Today's events have shown dissent within his own parliamentary wing from his bully-boy tactics over the Statehood Convention. Is it not also true that the Northern Territory Bar Association, of which he is a member, has rejected him as well in its recent correspondence? I seek leave to table this letter from Colin McDonald QC - a real QC.
Leave granted.
Mr STIRLING: The letter I have tabled
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relates to the proposed Statehood Convention. It states: 'The constitutional convention, as proposed by the Chief Minister, is fundamentally flawed and should not proceed as proposed'.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, once again, the member for Nhulunbuy has been caught out. He has probably tabled the letter of 14 February. What he has not tabled is the letter of 5 February. The member for Nhulunbuy can wave them around, but he did not tell the whole story. He is up to his usual tricks. Let me now read ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, do not read until they are quiet. Member for Fannie Bay, your interjections are becoming very annoying.
Mr STONE: The letter is addressed to me. It reads:
I understand that a constitutional convention to discuss the proposed Northern Territory constitution is to be held
in March 1998. So far, the Bar Association has not been approached to participate in the convention. I write to
request that 2 places at the convention be allocated ...
Mr Bailey: That is not the letter that has been tabled.
Mr STONE: No, I will come to the letter that has been tabled. I will tell you about this letter because this is a boomer:
I write to request that 2 places at the convention be allocated to the Bar Association - namely, the president
and one other member. I do so because the Bar Association has much to offer and contribute to a convention
of this kind.
As you know, the Northern Territory Bar Association has been active in relation to the issue of the proposed
constitution for a long time. It has made submissions, members have delivered papers and we have participated
in many meetings concerning constitutional development.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr STONE: Would you please be quiet and let me give my answer?
Mr Bailey: It does not even have a lawyer on it.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Wanguri, have you forgotten my remark to you a minute ago?
Mr STONE: It is to be chaired by a lawyer, you dill!
That letter was a demand for 2 allocated positions. When they were not forthcoming, there came the letter of 14 February, denouncing the whole process as undemocratic. It had to be scrapped. It could not go ahead. The president of the Bar Association, when he was unable to obtain 2 appointed positions on an unelected basis, said that he would take his bat and ball and go home.
The letter that the member has tabled makes a number of statements: 'In the association's view, the deficiencies of the proposal include ...' It lists a number of claims. I will read this one: 'The members of the convention are restrained from recognising in the constitution rights in respect of indigenous people'. Can anybody
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in the Territory show me where there has been any attempt to circumvent or constrain the recognition of the rights of indigenous people? It is an absolute fabrication.
This is an organisation that has 17 members and it demands 2 positions. When it cannot have its own way, it decides to condemn the process. Had the Bar Association members bothered to read the advertisements that appeared in the newspaper, they would have seen that they fell within one of the representative groups - namely, the Business Council of which the Law Society is a member. I do not want to get too technical about this, but the Northern Territory Bar Association is a subgroup of the Law Society which, as a member of the Business Council of the Northern Territory, has an opportunity to elect delegates. If the lawyers do not want to take their chance with other organisations ...
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr STONE: Obviously, you did not know. What blatant dishonesty to come in here and not table the earlier correspondence! I can only ask the member for Nhulunbuy ...
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: The other letter is to me as well. They are both addressed to me. I would expect, as a matter of transparency and openness, the member for Nhulunbuy to have tabled both letters because we would then have seen how transparent the Northern Territory Bar Association really was. It wanted 2 appointed members and, when it could not get them, it took its bat and ball and went home.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Nhulunbuy, I suggest you pull yourself together. Let us have a little order in the Chamber.
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Leave granted.
Mr STIRLING: The letter I have tabled
Page 10
relates to the proposed Statehood Convention. It states: 'The constitutional convention, as proposed by the Chief Minister, is fundamentally flawed and should not proceed as proposed'.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, once again, the member for Nhulunbuy has been caught out. He has probably tabled the letter of 14 February. What he has not tabled is the letter of 5 February. The member for Nhulunbuy can wave them around, but he did not tell the whole story. He is up to his usual tricks. Let me now read ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, do not read until they are quiet. Member for Fannie Bay, your interjections are becoming very annoying.
Mr STONE: The letter is addressed to me. It reads:
I understand that a constitutional convention to discuss the proposed Northern Territory constitution is to be held
in March 1998. So far, the Bar Association has not been approached to participate in the convention. I write to
request that 2 places at the convention be allocated ...
Mr Bailey: That is not the letter that has been tabled.
Mr STONE: No, I will come to the letter that has been tabled. I will tell you about this letter because this is a boomer:
I write to request that 2 places at the convention be allocated to the Bar Association - namely, the president
and one other member. I do so because the Bar Association has much to offer and contribute to a convention
of this kind.
As you know, the Northern Territory Bar Association has been active in relation to the issue of the proposed
constitution for a long time. It has made submissions, members have delivered papers and we have participated
in many meetings concerning constitutional development.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr STONE: Would you please be quiet and let me give my answer?
Mr Bailey: It does not even have a lawyer on it.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Wanguri, have you forgotten my remark to you a minute ago?
Mr STONE: It is to be chaired by a lawyer, you dill!
That letter was a demand for 2 allocated positions. When they were not forthcoming, there came the letter of 14 February, denouncing the whole process as undemocratic. It had to be scrapped. It could not go ahead. The president of the Bar Association, when he was unable to obtain 2 appointed positions on an unelected basis, said that he would take his bat and ball and go home.
The letter that the member has tabled makes a number of statements: 'In the association's view, the deficiencies of the proposal include ...' It lists a number of claims. I will read this one: 'The members of the convention are restrained from recognising in the constitution rights in respect of indigenous people'. Can anybody
Page 11
in the Territory show me where there has been any attempt to circumvent or constrain the recognition of the rights of indigenous people? It is an absolute fabrication.
This is an organisation that has 17 members and it demands 2 positions. When it cannot have its own way, it decides to condemn the process. Had the Bar Association members bothered to read the advertisements that appeared in the newspaper, they would have seen that they fell within one of the representative groups - namely, the Business Council of which the Law Society is a member. I do not want to get too technical about this, but the Northern Territory Bar Association is a subgroup of the Law Society which, as a member of the Business Council of the Northern Territory, has an opportunity to elect delegates. If the lawyers do not want to take their chance with other organisations ...
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr STONE: Obviously, you did not know. What blatant dishonesty to come in here and not table the earlier correspondence! I can only ask the member for Nhulunbuy ...
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: The other letter is to me as well. They are both addressed to me. I would expect, as a matter of transparency and openness, the member for Nhulunbuy to have tabled both letters because we would then have seen how transparent the Northern Territory Bar Association really was. It wanted 2 appointed members and, when it could not get them, it took its bat and ball and went home.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Nhulunbuy, I suggest you pull yourself together. Let us have a little order in the Chamber.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016