Ms MARTIN - 2000-08-10
Today he announced that he will produce probably yet another glossy brochure, this time perhaps thinking about, yet again, a plan of management for Darwin Harbour. Is it not true that this is just a sham to detract attention from the sludge leaking from government tanks at Stokes Hill? How many glossy brochures will it take before you match Labor’s commitment not to dam Darwin Harbour?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition denigrates a lot of people who were involved - a lot of people from the community I might add, a lot of community organisations that are very relevant to Darwin, and the public servants – in the 230 studies that have been conducted over many years of Darwin Harbour and its surrounds. Early this year I delivered a major statement detailing the outcomes of those 230 studies.
I said at the time that we had embarked last year – not this year, last year – on the development of a strategic plan for the beneficial uses of Darwin Harbour. That is a year ago. In the next stage of this – and there are a lot of people involved in it as stakeholders - the committee that is developing the strategic plan for beneficial uses is now in the throes of putting together a discussion paper for public comment. That is what the flyer is - I table a copy - a flyer that asks for public comment on the discussion paper and input on the beneficial uses of Darwin Harbour. The people involved in this strategic plan, a very important process, are the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Top Rock, Top End regional councils, the Amateur Fishermen’s Association, Environment Centre NT, Environment Australia, Larrakia representatives and all government agencies.
This is a very important process that began a year ago, if you had been paying attention to the ministerial statements in this House. These people are lazy and incompetent. They do not know what they are talking about. They have not been paying attention. The strategic plan with the input of all of those important stakeholders …
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The minister would be well aware that a key part of the question is, will he match Labor’s commitment not to dam Darwin Harbour? I am yet to hear his answer.
Mr SPEAKER: There is no point of order. I think frivolous points of order do take up the time of Question Time.
Mr BALDWIN: The key point to the question was about a strategic planning process that is under way. If they think that is a sham, they can go and tell the Northern Territory community they do not have a concern about the Darwin Harbour. I have, and all on this side of the House have.
While we are on the subject of Darwin Harbour, I announce today that there are restoration programs going on for the further protection of our foreshores. One such program is under way as I speak. A $100 000 contract has been let to Earthbuilt Pty Ltd to do some restoration works on the foreshore in front of the MGM Casino on Mindil Beach. Those works will further stabilise the erosion of the sandbank in that area - further evidence that this government pays particular attention to the protection of Darwin Harbour and the foreshore that we all enjoy.
The Labor leader made some reference to sludge and the oil tanks. I will pick up on that comment and show the deceitfulness of the other side in some comments that were made by the pretender to be opposition leader. He is not even the environment shadow spokesman, but he seems to want to run off on this. He said this morning on the radio that the media was denied access to this site. When asked by Fred McCue which media, and had they actually been denied access, he said: ‘Well, that’s what they said’. I want to know which media company told him this.
Once again, the member for Wanguri has been caught out with his secretiveness. There have been no inquiries to my office. There have been no enquiries to the Department of Lands, Planning and Environment by the media, as far as we are aware, for access to the site. I invite the media, if they wish to visit the site, to please ring my office and I will arrange it. There is nothing to hide. The only thing that should be hidden, but cannot be hidden in this issue, is the deceitfulness of the member for Wanguri.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition denigrates a lot of people who were involved - a lot of people from the community I might add, a lot of community organisations that are very relevant to Darwin, and the public servants – in the 230 studies that have been conducted over many years of Darwin Harbour and its surrounds. Early this year I delivered a major statement detailing the outcomes of those 230 studies.
I said at the time that we had embarked last year – not this year, last year – on the development of a strategic plan for the beneficial uses of Darwin Harbour. That is a year ago. In the next stage of this – and there are a lot of people involved in it as stakeholders - the committee that is developing the strategic plan for beneficial uses is now in the throes of putting together a discussion paper for public comment. That is what the flyer is - I table a copy - a flyer that asks for public comment on the discussion paper and input on the beneficial uses of Darwin Harbour. The people involved in this strategic plan, a very important process, are the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Top Rock, Top End regional councils, the Amateur Fishermen’s Association, Environment Centre NT, Environment Australia, Larrakia representatives and all government agencies.
This is a very important process that began a year ago, if you had been paying attention to the ministerial statements in this House. These people are lazy and incompetent. They do not know what they are talking about. They have not been paying attention. The strategic plan with the input of all of those important stakeholders …
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The minister would be well aware that a key part of the question is, will he match Labor’s commitment not to dam Darwin Harbour? I am yet to hear his answer.
Mr SPEAKER: There is no point of order. I think frivolous points of order do take up the time of Question Time.
Mr BALDWIN: The key point to the question was about a strategic planning process that is under way. If they think that is a sham, they can go and tell the Northern Territory community they do not have a concern about the Darwin Harbour. I have, and all on this side of the House have.
While we are on the subject of Darwin Harbour, I announce today that there are restoration programs going on for the further protection of our foreshores. One such program is under way as I speak. A $100 000 contract has been let to Earthbuilt Pty Ltd to do some restoration works on the foreshore in front of the MGM Casino on Mindil Beach. Those works will further stabilise the erosion of the sandbank in that area - further evidence that this government pays particular attention to the protection of Darwin Harbour and the foreshore that we all enjoy.
The Labor leader made some reference to sludge and the oil tanks. I will pick up on that comment and show the deceitfulness of the other side in some comments that were made by the pretender to be opposition leader. He is not even the environment shadow spokesman, but he seems to want to run off on this. He said this morning on the radio that the media was denied access to this site. When asked by Fred McCue which media, and had they actually been denied access, he said: ‘Well, that’s what they said’. I want to know which media company told him this.
Once again, the member for Wanguri has been caught out with his secretiveness. There have been no inquiries to my office. There have been no enquiries to the Department of Lands, Planning and Environment by the media, as far as we are aware, for access to the site. I invite the media, if they wish to visit the site, to please ring my office and I will arrange it. There is nothing to hide. The only thing that should be hidden, but cannot be hidden in this issue, is the deceitfulness of the member for Wanguri.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016