Mr ELFERINK - 2001-06-07
Over recent months we have seen the closure of Ayers Rock climb to the people visiting the Uluru area. My question to the Chief Minister is not so much about the closure of the climb on the last occasion, but those voices which were raised to see the climb permanently closed, thus threatening the income, not only of the people who live at Yulara, but also Mutitjulu, Docker River and even communities in northern South Australia. My question is this: Can he state the Northern Territory government’s position in relation to the permanent closure of the climb on Uluru?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is a very important question. I know that it is causing great concern to the member for Macdonnell and also the constituents that he represents in that particular area. As members would be aware, the Rock climb was closed following the death of a traditional owner and everyone understood the sensitivity in having the Rock closed on the day of the funeral and on the day of the death, as well. There was an arbitrary decision made by Parks Australia to close the Rock climb indefinitely until such time as the funeral took place and then they would look at the issue after that.
That has caused a great deal of concern in the tourism industry because immediately that climb was closed - and the information at the time was that the climb would be closed for up to four weeks - there were a whole range of concerns expressed directly to my office by tourism industry associations Australia-wide. I acted quickly to ask for some compromise. I acted quickly to get some sense into the situation so that those operators would not be affected. Anyone who sees the press release that I sent out, the comments that I made, they were directed directly at Parks Australia.
The arbitrary decisions that Parks Australia made we do not believe were in the interests of the traditional owners. It was interesting, as I said, within days of that press release and the issue gaining momentum, a major Australian tourism body, the Australian Tourism Export Council says that international clients are uncertain about whether to continue selling tours to Uluru and Central Australia. The Council’s Andrew Burnes says the tourism industry should have been consulted before the climb was closed. At that particular time he said we have to have an obligation; we have nearly 1000 people coming out here over the next 20 days. We are going to have to tell them they will not be able to view the Rock. Within days, a United States holding wholesaler was already considering dropping Uluru as a tourist destination because of the ban on the Rock climb. A Japanese tour company that handled five large tours - a report on the 22 May saying that five tours from Japan have already been cancelled because of the closure. This was the issue we were trying to get some sense into. When you are dealing with these issues overseas as an international wholesaler, when someone says ‘The Rock is closed,’ they see it as the whole Rock resort.
They do not have the fine point of it is only the climb. We should never forget that the issue of climbing the Rock is of primary importance to tourists who go there. There are some that do not climb the Rock but it is nonsense to suggest that the majority of tourists who go to the Rock go there to climb it and that was borne out by the fact that within hours of the Rock climb being reopened there were hundreds of people making their way up.
The irrelevant Labor Party in the Northern Territory first of all said nothing for days. Eventually the Leader of the Opposition said that there was some compromise position could be reached. I notice that the Labor candidate federally said that some compromise position should be reached. What was happening in Canberra? What was happening by the real people who run the Labor Party in the Northern Territory? What was Labor nationally doing? Labor nationally was sponsoring a motion through the Senate to aid in assisting that Rock climb to be closed permanently. Quite frankly, it is a disgraceful example of race politics being played by the Labor party, by the Labor candidate in Macdonnell, by anyone who could try to develop a situation whereby we could lead to a situation whereby that climb was closed indefinitely.
Mr Stirling: Senator Hill supported it.
Mr BURKE: The member for Nhulunbuy says Senator Robert Hill supported it. So what? This is the big difference between the Labor Party in the Northern Territory and the CLP. Almost every question that was asked yesterday of me and my fellow ministers was, ‘Why should Territorians support you for the next four years?’ The answer is very simple: Territorians should support us for the next four years because we stick up for them, that’s why. We stick up for them.
We don’t care whether it Is a conservative government in Canberra or Labor government in Canberra, we will stick up for Territorians. We don’t care whether they are in Darwin, we don’t care whether they are in Alice Springs. If they trying to make a quid at Uluru, if their young Territorians and young people from interstate working at Uluru, we will work to ensure that they have a job now and in the future. That is why Territorians will stick up for us because we tell the truth about the real situation in the Northern Territory. And don’t go peddling out ‘liar Martin’s Labor team’ because ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Chief Minister must withdraw that comment. You must withdraw the words.
Mr BURKE: I am reading from the paper. It says ‘liar Martin’s Labor team’.
Mr SPEAKER: Well, it doesn’t quite.
Mr BURKE: Well maybe it is ‘lair Martin’s Labor team’. I withdraw. It is ‘lair Martin’s Labor team’.
This is the sort of Labor team that begin their political careers, they hope, by lying. Not one of them, not one of them has defended the allegations that I made that they have been running a whole campaign using taxpayers’ money and running their whole campaign out of the Leader of the Opposition’s office. And when it comes to being on ‘lair Martin’s Labor team’ where is Peter Shew? You only get on the team if you can fit into the space. Are there no Greeks in Palmerston? Why did you drop him? Have you got half a team, full team, half a team?
Territorians should understand it is the irrelevant team. It is an irrelevant team because the team is run from Canberra, has always been run from Canberra, and will always be run from Canberra. When it comes to sticking up for Territorians rights, this mob is totally irrelevant.
When it comes to seeing that the Rock Resort continues in business and the young people who work have a job in the future this mob is irrelevant because they can call for compromise in the Northern Territory. The real bosses like Crossin and Snowdon are running motions through the Senate to close down that operation, to close down the climb and eventually to close down the jobs of those Territorians and young Australians trying to work and produce not only a tourism product for Australians, but a revenue stream for the Mutitjulu people and the traditional owners.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is a very important question. I know that it is causing great concern to the member for Macdonnell and also the constituents that he represents in that particular area. As members would be aware, the Rock climb was closed following the death of a traditional owner and everyone understood the sensitivity in having the Rock closed on the day of the funeral and on the day of the death, as well. There was an arbitrary decision made by Parks Australia to close the Rock climb indefinitely until such time as the funeral took place and then they would look at the issue after that.
That has caused a great deal of concern in the tourism industry because immediately that climb was closed - and the information at the time was that the climb would be closed for up to four weeks - there were a whole range of concerns expressed directly to my office by tourism industry associations Australia-wide. I acted quickly to ask for some compromise. I acted quickly to get some sense into the situation so that those operators would not be affected. Anyone who sees the press release that I sent out, the comments that I made, they were directed directly at Parks Australia.
The arbitrary decisions that Parks Australia made we do not believe were in the interests of the traditional owners. It was interesting, as I said, within days of that press release and the issue gaining momentum, a major Australian tourism body, the Australian Tourism Export Council says that international clients are uncertain about whether to continue selling tours to Uluru and Central Australia. The Council’s Andrew Burnes says the tourism industry should have been consulted before the climb was closed. At that particular time he said we have to have an obligation; we have nearly 1000 people coming out here over the next 20 days. We are going to have to tell them they will not be able to view the Rock. Within days, a United States holding wholesaler was already considering dropping Uluru as a tourist destination because of the ban on the Rock climb. A Japanese tour company that handled five large tours - a report on the 22 May saying that five tours from Japan have already been cancelled because of the closure. This was the issue we were trying to get some sense into. When you are dealing with these issues overseas as an international wholesaler, when someone says ‘The Rock is closed,’ they see it as the whole Rock resort.
They do not have the fine point of it is only the climb. We should never forget that the issue of climbing the Rock is of primary importance to tourists who go there. There are some that do not climb the Rock but it is nonsense to suggest that the majority of tourists who go to the Rock go there to climb it and that was borne out by the fact that within hours of the Rock climb being reopened there were hundreds of people making their way up.
The irrelevant Labor Party in the Northern Territory first of all said nothing for days. Eventually the Leader of the Opposition said that there was some compromise position could be reached. I notice that the Labor candidate federally said that some compromise position should be reached. What was happening in Canberra? What was happening by the real people who run the Labor Party in the Northern Territory? What was Labor nationally doing? Labor nationally was sponsoring a motion through the Senate to aid in assisting that Rock climb to be closed permanently. Quite frankly, it is a disgraceful example of race politics being played by the Labor party, by the Labor candidate in Macdonnell, by anyone who could try to develop a situation whereby we could lead to a situation whereby that climb was closed indefinitely.
Mr Stirling: Senator Hill supported it.
Mr BURKE: The member for Nhulunbuy says Senator Robert Hill supported it. So what? This is the big difference between the Labor Party in the Northern Territory and the CLP. Almost every question that was asked yesterday of me and my fellow ministers was, ‘Why should Territorians support you for the next four years?’ The answer is very simple: Territorians should support us for the next four years because we stick up for them, that’s why. We stick up for them.
We don’t care whether it Is a conservative government in Canberra or Labor government in Canberra, we will stick up for Territorians. We don’t care whether they are in Darwin, we don’t care whether they are in Alice Springs. If they trying to make a quid at Uluru, if their young Territorians and young people from interstate working at Uluru, we will work to ensure that they have a job now and in the future. That is why Territorians will stick up for us because we tell the truth about the real situation in the Northern Territory. And don’t go peddling out ‘liar Martin’s Labor team’ because ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Chief Minister must withdraw that comment. You must withdraw the words.
Mr BURKE: I am reading from the paper. It says ‘liar Martin’s Labor team’.
Mr SPEAKER: Well, it doesn’t quite.
Mr BURKE: Well maybe it is ‘lair Martin’s Labor team’. I withdraw. It is ‘lair Martin’s Labor team’.
This is the sort of Labor team that begin their political careers, they hope, by lying. Not one of them, not one of them has defended the allegations that I made that they have been running a whole campaign using taxpayers’ money and running their whole campaign out of the Leader of the Opposition’s office. And when it comes to being on ‘lair Martin’s Labor team’ where is Peter Shew? You only get on the team if you can fit into the space. Are there no Greeks in Palmerston? Why did you drop him? Have you got half a team, full team, half a team?
Territorians should understand it is the irrelevant team. It is an irrelevant team because the team is run from Canberra, has always been run from Canberra, and will always be run from Canberra. When it comes to sticking up for Territorians rights, this mob is totally irrelevant.
When it comes to seeing that the Rock Resort continues in business and the young people who work have a job in the future this mob is irrelevant because they can call for compromise in the Northern Territory. The real bosses like Crossin and Snowdon are running motions through the Senate to close down that operation, to close down the climb and eventually to close down the jobs of those Territorians and young Australians trying to work and produce not only a tourism product for Australians, but a revenue stream for the Mutitjulu people and the traditional owners.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016