Mr HATTON - 1998-08-11
I think I can speak on behalf of all members in welcoming the announcement in this Chamber this morning by Hon Alex Somlyay about the Northern Territory becoming the seventh Australian state. I remind honourable members that the Northern Territory started its bid for statehood as long ago as 1985, when the first debates on statehood occurred and when the announcement of the Northern Territory bid for statehood was made.
Why has it taken so many long and tortuous years for such an announcement to be drawn out of the federal government?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, that is a very good question. I was interested to hear the Leader of the Opposition allude to the fact that a recently held federal meeting of the Australian Labor Party issued an announcement supporting statehood for the Northern Territory. One has to ask why the Australian Labor Party made that announcement when it was out of government and why did it not make such an announcement during its 13 years in federal government, when it had the opportunity to progress the Northern Territory toward statehood?
Can the Leader of the Opposition clarify for Territorians whether the current Leader of the federal opposition, Hon Kim Beazley, is serious about the advancement of the Territory to statehood?
Mr Bailey: Very much so. It is not simply the advancement of the CLP.
Mr REED: I am pleased the member raised that point. Clearly, the opposition is concerned about the comments by the federal Leader of the Opposition as reported in the NT News last Saturday. I will read the comments into Hansard:
He said:
The federal Leader of the Opposition is telling Territorians …
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: … that it …
Mr Bailey: The convention was hijacked by you.
Mr REED: This convention …
Mr Bailey: When are we going to have a people’s convention?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Wanguri, the Acting Chief Minister is on his feet trying to answer the question, and you are interjecting continually. I am suggesting, very early in the day, that you cease this behaviour.
Mr REED: This question is of great importance to every Territorian. There are a number of people in the gallery. Those people came here, at short notice, to witness the statement by the honourable federal minister. I think that is a clear demonstration of the fact that Territorians look forward to statehood. They want to be sure that the federal Labor Party, the opposition’s cohorts, will not say to Territorians, that they can have statehood, but only if a Labor government is in power.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr REED: Who is the boss?
Mr Bailey: Democracy.
Mr REED: I thought you just had a contest to see who is the boss.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: Is he the boss, or is she the boss?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Members, you are getting out of hand.
Mr REED: Madam Speaker ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Wanguri.
Mr REED: The federal Leader of the Opposition, Kim Beazley, is clearly telling Territorians that, if there is no Labor government in the Northern Territory there will be no statehood. This completely overlooks the fact that it is not the CLP that puts the CLP on the government benches, rather it is Territorians. For years, Territorians have expressed their views. Kim Beazley’s views were reported clearly in last Saturday’s NT News.
I want the Leader of the Opposition to give an assurance to Territorians that there will be no political nonsense in relation to ...
Mr Bailey: What are you doing now!
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: The opposition’s federal leader is saying that there will be no Territory statehood without a Territory Labor Party government. However, Territorians will make that choice, not Kim Beazley. Territorians will make that choice at the ballot box.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: For anyone to say otherwise is an affront to Territorians.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Wanguri, you are on your feet, but I spoke to you a moment ago, and now I am giving you a warning. Any more outbursts of the kind we have heard from you this morning, and you will be out. Your interjections are unreasonable. I would like also to remind members that they are to refer to members in the House by their electorate or office, not by their Christian name.
Why has it taken so many long and tortuous years for such an announcement to be drawn out of the federal government?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, that is a very good question. I was interested to hear the Leader of the Opposition allude to the fact that a recently held federal meeting of the Australian Labor Party issued an announcement supporting statehood for the Northern Territory. One has to ask why the Australian Labor Party made that announcement when it was out of government and why did it not make such an announcement during its 13 years in federal government, when it had the opportunity to progress the Northern Territory toward statehood?
Can the Leader of the Opposition clarify for Territorians whether the current Leader of the federal opposition, Hon Kim Beazley, is serious about the advancement of the Territory to statehood?
Mr Bailey: Very much so. It is not simply the advancement of the CLP.
Mr REED: I am pleased the member raised that point. Clearly, the opposition is concerned about the comments by the federal Leader of the Opposition as reported in the NT News last Saturday. I will read the comments into Hansard:
- Opposition Leader, Kim Beazley, said the federal opposition supported the concept of statehood for the Territory, but not if the Northern Territory government turned it into a conservative stronghold.
He said:
- But frankly, from our point of view, we would watch anything that the Northern Territory government does very closely. We are saying that Northern Territory statehood, yes, Country Liberal pocket borough – no.
The federal Leader of the Opposition is telling Territorians …
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: … that it …
Mr Bailey: The convention was hijacked by you.
Mr REED: This convention …
Mr Bailey: When are we going to have a people’s convention?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Wanguri, the Acting Chief Minister is on his feet trying to answer the question, and you are interjecting continually. I am suggesting, very early in the day, that you cease this behaviour.
Mr REED: This question is of great importance to every Territorian. There are a number of people in the gallery. Those people came here, at short notice, to witness the statement by the honourable federal minister. I think that is a clear demonstration of the fact that Territorians look forward to statehood. They want to be sure that the federal Labor Party, the opposition’s cohorts, will not say to Territorians, that they can have statehood, but only if a Labor government is in power.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr REED: Who is the boss?
Mr Bailey: Democracy.
Mr REED: I thought you just had a contest to see who is the boss.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: Is he the boss, or is she the boss?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Members, you are getting out of hand.
Mr REED: Madam Speaker ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Wanguri.
Mr REED: The federal Leader of the Opposition, Kim Beazley, is clearly telling Territorians that, if there is no Labor government in the Northern Territory there will be no statehood. This completely overlooks the fact that it is not the CLP that puts the CLP on the government benches, rather it is Territorians. For years, Territorians have expressed their views. Kim Beazley’s views were reported clearly in last Saturday’s NT News.
I want the Leader of the Opposition to give an assurance to Territorians that there will be no political nonsense in relation to ...
Mr Bailey: What are you doing now!
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: The opposition’s federal leader is saying that there will be no Territory statehood without a Territory Labor Party government. However, Territorians will make that choice, not Kim Beazley. Territorians will make that choice at the ballot box.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: For anyone to say otherwise is an affront to Territorians.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Wanguri, you are on your feet, but I spoke to you a moment ago, and now I am giving you a warning. Any more outbursts of the kind we have heard from you this morning, and you will be out. Your interjections are unreasonable. I would like also to remind members that they are to refer to members in the House by their electorate or office, not by their Christian name.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016