Mr ELFERINK - 1998-04-29
The resignation of Labor Senator Bob Collins has left Territorians under-represented in the Senate for 3 months now. What further action does the Chief Minister plan to take to rectify this situation if the Northern Territory branch of the Labor Party continues with its farcical preselection process?
Mr Stirling: Get out of here! It is called democracy.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is farcical. 'It is called democracy', interjects the member for Nhulunbuy! The ALP's leading candidate, Tracker Tilmouth, went on radio and television and said: 'I qualify in every respect, but I have been told, "Don't bother"'. He meets all the prerequisites for preselection and they, the heavies in the Labor Party, have written a letter to him and said: 'Don't bother'.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Chief Minister, resume your seat. Obviously, my comments have made no difference whatsoever to either side. Chief Minister, that was very provocative. You know that.
Mr Stone: He upset me.
Madam SPEAKER: You cannot blame the member for Nhulunbuy for reacting in his own way to what you said.
Mr Stone: Yes, I can.
Madam SPEAKER: Keep your remarks controlled. Member for Nhulunbuy, do not go over the top. Chief Minister, try again.
Mr STONE: Let me say, Syd, that when you say ...
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The answer should be directed through the Speaker. The Chief Minister knows he should refer to members by the name of their electorate.
Mr STONE: The Leader of the Opposition is quite correct, Madam Speaker, and I apologise unequivocally for my slip in parliamentary etiquette.
However, I say to the member for Nhulunbuy that his interjection of 'it is called democracy' rings hollow. It rings hollow because we are aware of the way the federal Labor Party sought to intervene initially. We have heard a high-profile candidate, Tracker Tilmouth, go to the media and say he has been told not to bother.
Ms Martin: Rubbish!
Mr STONE: The member for Fannie Bay says it is rubbish, but it is on the record. He said it on ABC radio.
I wrote to the Leader of the Opposition - she has not paid me the courtesy of acknowledging that
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letter - and raised the issue of ways in which we could expedite ...
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: Madam Speaker, you cannot blame me if I start to raise my voice because members opposite are interjecting over the top of me.
Ms Martin: You should show some self-control.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Fannie Bay.
Mr STONE: I wrote to the Leader of the Opposition. I invited her to sit down and work through a process by which to ensure that there was proper representation in the Senate for all Territorians. She did not pay me even the courtesy of a reply. I then wrote to the federal Leader of the Opposition, Hon Kim Beazley, who at least wrote back, saying that it was all to do with the democratic process. He had obviously telephoned the Territory Labor Party people to ask what they were doing and what he should say.
We have exhausted all the options. We say to the opposition that we will make the necessary arrangements for it to nominate its Senate replacement on the first day of the June sittings. We will make the arrangements even though those sittings are committed normally entirely to the budget process. In the event that the Labor Party does not come forth with a nomination, we will move on the floor of this Chamber to nominate Patricia Margaret Crossin and Dennis Patrick Bree as 2 candidates for open debate and selection as the Senate replacement.
It is a very serious matter that I put to the opposition. Even by the date of those sittings in June, many months will have elapsed since Bob Collins first indicated in February that he would not be continuing. It will be in the order of 4 to 5 months. That is unprecedented in the history of Australia, let alone in the history of the Territory. We put the opposition on notice that those 2 names will be nominated for open debate and for members of the Assembly to make a choice.
Madam SPEAKER: I urge ministers to make their answers shorter. It is 10.20 already and we have had only 2 questions. The member for Greatorex.
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Yesterday, the government certainly had 2 questions in a row and the call was not passed back to the opposition. We are seeing it happen again today. On occasions, we have to test the government ministers and we are entitled to question them turn about.
Madam SPEAKER: Yesterday, both sides had 7 questions. If I sometimes inadvertently give 2 in a row to that side, I will certainly ...
Mr Stirling: They can ask the ministers in the corridor.
Madam SPEAKER: You had 7 each yesterday so ...
Mr Stirling: So it is all right for the government?
Madam SPEAKER: I shall give the opposition 2 in a row after this question.
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Mr Stirling: Get out of here! It is called democracy.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is farcical. 'It is called democracy', interjects the member for Nhulunbuy! The ALP's leading candidate, Tracker Tilmouth, went on radio and television and said: 'I qualify in every respect, but I have been told, "Don't bother"'. He meets all the prerequisites for preselection and they, the heavies in the Labor Party, have written a letter to him and said: 'Don't bother'.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Chief Minister, resume your seat. Obviously, my comments have made no difference whatsoever to either side. Chief Minister, that was very provocative. You know that.
Mr Stone: He upset me.
Madam SPEAKER: You cannot blame the member for Nhulunbuy for reacting in his own way to what you said.
Mr Stone: Yes, I can.
Madam SPEAKER: Keep your remarks controlled. Member for Nhulunbuy, do not go over the top. Chief Minister, try again.
Mr STONE: Let me say, Syd, that when you say ...
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The answer should be directed through the Speaker. The Chief Minister knows he should refer to members by the name of their electorate.
Mr STONE: The Leader of the Opposition is quite correct, Madam Speaker, and I apologise unequivocally for my slip in parliamentary etiquette.
However, I say to the member for Nhulunbuy that his interjection of 'it is called democracy' rings hollow. It rings hollow because we are aware of the way the federal Labor Party sought to intervene initially. We have heard a high-profile candidate, Tracker Tilmouth, go to the media and say he has been told not to bother.
Ms Martin: Rubbish!
Mr STONE: The member for Fannie Bay says it is rubbish, but it is on the record. He said it on ABC radio.
I wrote to the Leader of the Opposition - she has not paid me the courtesy of acknowledging that
Page 217
letter - and raised the issue of ways in which we could expedite ...
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: Madam Speaker, you cannot blame me if I start to raise my voice because members opposite are interjecting over the top of me.
Ms Martin: You should show some self-control.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Fannie Bay.
Mr STONE: I wrote to the Leader of the Opposition. I invited her to sit down and work through a process by which to ensure that there was proper representation in the Senate for all Territorians. She did not pay me even the courtesy of a reply. I then wrote to the federal Leader of the Opposition, Hon Kim Beazley, who at least wrote back, saying that it was all to do with the democratic process. He had obviously telephoned the Territory Labor Party people to ask what they were doing and what he should say.
We have exhausted all the options. We say to the opposition that we will make the necessary arrangements for it to nominate its Senate replacement on the first day of the June sittings. We will make the arrangements even though those sittings are committed normally entirely to the budget process. In the event that the Labor Party does not come forth with a nomination, we will move on the floor of this Chamber to nominate Patricia Margaret Crossin and Dennis Patrick Bree as 2 candidates for open debate and selection as the Senate replacement.
It is a very serious matter that I put to the opposition. Even by the date of those sittings in June, many months will have elapsed since Bob Collins first indicated in February that he would not be continuing. It will be in the order of 4 to 5 months. That is unprecedented in the history of Australia, let alone in the history of the Territory. We put the opposition on notice that those 2 names will be nominated for open debate and for members of the Assembly to make a choice.
Madam SPEAKER: I urge ministers to make their answers shorter. It is 10.20 already and we have had only 2 questions. The member for Greatorex.
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Yesterday, the government certainly had 2 questions in a row and the call was not passed back to the opposition. We are seeing it happen again today. On occasions, we have to test the government ministers and we are entitled to question them turn about.
Madam SPEAKER: Yesterday, both sides had 7 questions. If I sometimes inadvertently give 2 in a row to that side, I will certainly ...
Mr Stirling: They can ask the ministers in the corridor.
Madam SPEAKER: You had 7 each yesterday so ...
Mr Stirling: So it is all right for the government?
Madam SPEAKER: I shall give the opposition 2 in a row after this question.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016