On Thursday 12 November, the member for Stuart put out a media release stating that the Treasurer’s assurance that school nurses would stay in schools was false, and I quote:

Peter Toyne today condemned Mike Reed’s smoke and mirror attempts to disguise the removal of school nurses and educational therapists’ services from Territory schools.

This statement by Mr Toyne is contrary to my understanding of the government’s specific intention on this issue. Can the minister please clarify the truth of the matter for the benefit of members and Territorians?

ANSWER

I will be glad to, Madam Speaker. The first thing I must say is that the member for Stuart would not know. That is best demonstrated by the fact that in putting out his media release, he not only ignored a letter that the Chief Minister had written to the Leader of the Opposition …

Mr Bailey interjecting.

Mr REED: If you want to know what is happening, just listen, because that is why you are so ill-informed, why you are so lazy and why you are incompetent. That is why Gary Gray was here - to try to get you to do something, to stop being lazy, get organised, because the Labor Party nationally is sick of paying for your failures. I bet he had a surprise or two, now he has had a chance to have a look at you.

Mr TOYNE: A point of order, Madam Speaker!

Members interjecting.

Madam SPEAKER: I do not think I will even ask the minister go on.

Mr TOYNE: I have a genuine desire to hear an answer to this.

Members interjecting.

Madam SPEAKER: In that case, give the minister the opportunity to speak without interjecting.

Mr REED: The Chief Minister has written to members opposite and to the union. I table the letter to Mr Chris Sharp, the AEU NT Branch President, describing precisely what government’s intentions were. You cannot tell me you haven’t an answer to that because you’re in each other’s pockets, the AEU and the Labor Party. Nursing and allied health services are not going to be withdrawn from schools, so I table that. I table also the Opposition Leader’s brochure which again carries the line ‘threats to school nurses’ trying to create unnecessary concern in the community.

Madam Speaker, notwithstanding that on the very day he wrote his media release, I had a letter myself in the NT News, Letters to the Editor explaining to Territorians that what they were hearing from members opposite were nothing but lies in relation to the withdrawal of nurses in Alice Springs schools. I table that. Then the honourable member for Stuart asks the amazing question: ‘Why are we having this fight?’ It is because you are out there lying to people.

Mr BAILEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The minister has been in here for long enough to know by now that he cannot impugn another member of this parliament and say that he has lied.

Mr REED: I am quite happy to withdraw the remark. But can I say then if they are not out there lying, they are certainly out there misleading people. From the point of view of ...

Mr BAILEY: He cannot just turn around and change it from saying we are lying to saying we are misleading. You are still impugning and it is unparliamentary.

Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Mr REED: Madam Speaker, why are we having this fight? The information that the Leader of the Opposition has put out in her brochure and the information that the honourable member for Stuart has put out in his media release, creating unnecessary concern in relation to the suggested withdrawal of nurses and allied health professionals from schools, is blatantly untrue and undoubtedly misleading. I table for the benefit of honourable members a copy of the media release of the honourable member for Stuart.

The reason why members opposite are so concerned about Planning for Growth is that this government is active, it is pursuing the needs of the Territorians and they now have to do some work. They are bone idle, they are spineless, they are incompetent and they don’t have the capacity to respond in a positive and constructive way. You are lazy and Gary Gray will find out how lazy and incompetent you are. But do not trust him to fix your problems, because he is the one who lost the New South Wales seats for the federal Labor Party in the last federal election. So, do not think that he is going to be able to fix you up, especially with the material he has to work with. Look at you!

Mr Toyne: This has absolutely nothing to do with you and the question still has not been answered.

Madam SPEAKER: Minister, you still have not answered the question.

Mr REED: Madam Speaker, with much pleasure I say unequivocally that nurses will not be removed from schools. They will be responsible through their employment in government to Territory Health Services. It is quite appropriate in government’s view, indeed you could say essential, that the linkages are put in place so that the professional activities of these nurses and the services that they provide to students in secondary school are enhanced above those that they already provide. I do not deny that they do a good and essential job, but they will be able to be provided with more support. They will be able to maintain their professional careers and capabilities in relation to working in a health system. Their duties are essentially health services. They are nurses.

For the same reason, the school-based constables are not employed by the Department of Education - because they are police. They do not happen to have a profession that is intrinsically Education Department based, and that is why it is appropriate that the nurses should be employed by Territory Health Services. They should have those professional links, and I can assure the students, and I can guarantee the parents of students, that the services will be retained in schools, and they will be enhanced.

I also want to take the opportunity - and it is probably another Labor lie - to guarantee that school-based constables will not be removed from the schools. That is another rumour that is being floated about. The honourable members opposite are probably again behind that story. It is probably another Labor lie, that school-based constables are going to be removed from schools. Well, they are not. The first school-based constable was based at Casuarina High School in September 1984, and that was following recommendations from a working group ...

Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! This is irrelevant to the question.

Madam SPEAKER: Minister, I think you have completed your answer on the school nurses.

Mr REED: Madam Speaker, can I just say that if members opposite did not interject to the extent that they do, answers might be quicker from ministers. If they do not want to have put down another rumour that they have started, then that is a great shame and it demonstrates that they do not have the capacity to deal with things in a factual and truthful way. School-based constables will, in passing, be remaining in schools providing the excellent services that they provide, even if members opposite do not appreciate their services.