Mrs HICKEY - 1998-12-01
Madam Speaker,I seek leave to table a copy of the preliminary findings from qualitative research facilitated by Paul Cowdy and conducted by Mark Textor on the views of uncommitted voters between the ages of 20 and 35. The document is dated 21 April 1993. There is a copy for the Chief Minister.
Leave granted.
Mrs HICKEY: I refer the Chief Minister to page 3 of the document which details the views of uncommitted voters on Country Liberal Party ministers and other individual politicians. The uncommitted voters use the following words to describe Mr Stone. I quote from the document: ‘Arrogant little man, new, young, brash upstart, doing bad things’. Will he admit that the practice of spending taxpayers’ money to find out what uncommitted voters think of him and other CLP ministers is wrong?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I can find ‘Coulter Does the Territory Proud (in Hypotheticals)’ but not anything else. Very important stuff. Ah, here we go. What is your point?
Mrs Hickey: Does the Chief Minister agree that it is wrong for Territory taxpayers to be paying for opinion about his standing?
Mr STONE: But I didn’t ask for it. I didn’t commission this research. This predates my time. This is 1993. I didn’t become Chief Minister until May 1995. I am happy to answer any questions that the opposition want to direct to me concerning the time that I have been the Chief Minister. And that started from 26 May.
Mr Stirling: You don’t want to answer this?
Mr STONE: How can I? It’s not in my time. I don’t have responsibility for it. And in any event, let me make this clear. I have no way of confirming that this is even a genuine document I have been handed. All the earlier ones weren’t, you see. That was the problem. This was demonstrated in the first question that I took. They only put down half the document - not all of it. So I have to say I’m a bit sceptical to start with.
In terms of the issues that have been canvassed in this polling, what the Leader of the Opposition didn’t tell people listening to this broadcast is that it ranges across a whole raft of areas. The original letter said:
As agreed, the research will: provide an assessment of where and in what areas of administration Territorians feel their government should be allocating its resources; explore expectations of their Territory government in the longer term; find out what improvements they would like to see in various departmental programs and services; determine what role the Territory should play in any possible constitutional development that might takeplace at a national level; [make] an assessment of attitudes towards the impact of government programs (such as recent initiatives on alcohol licensing) on the lifestyle of Territorians.
Now, in making a complete assessment, why wouldn’t you also make an assessment of the perceived performance of ministers of the Crown across those areas? Regardless of what might have been said about me in 1993, I remind members opposite that the score last year was 18 to 7. That is the only poll that counts – 18 to 7. The Leader of the Opposition is the biggest loser who has ever walked into this Chamber.
Leave granted.
Mrs HICKEY: I refer the Chief Minister to page 3 of the document which details the views of uncommitted voters on Country Liberal Party ministers and other individual politicians. The uncommitted voters use the following words to describe Mr Stone. I quote from the document: ‘Arrogant little man, new, young, brash upstart, doing bad things’. Will he admit that the practice of spending taxpayers’ money to find out what uncommitted voters think of him and other CLP ministers is wrong?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I can find ‘Coulter Does the Territory Proud (in Hypotheticals)’ but not anything else. Very important stuff. Ah, here we go. What is your point?
Mrs Hickey: Does the Chief Minister agree that it is wrong for Territory taxpayers to be paying for opinion about his standing?
Mr STONE: But I didn’t ask for it. I didn’t commission this research. This predates my time. This is 1993. I didn’t become Chief Minister until May 1995. I am happy to answer any questions that the opposition want to direct to me concerning the time that I have been the Chief Minister. And that started from 26 May.
Mr Stirling: You don’t want to answer this?
Mr STONE: How can I? It’s not in my time. I don’t have responsibility for it. And in any event, let me make this clear. I have no way of confirming that this is even a genuine document I have been handed. All the earlier ones weren’t, you see. That was the problem. This was demonstrated in the first question that I took. They only put down half the document - not all of it. So I have to say I’m a bit sceptical to start with.
In terms of the issues that have been canvassed in this polling, what the Leader of the Opposition didn’t tell people listening to this broadcast is that it ranges across a whole raft of areas. The original letter said:
As agreed, the research will: provide an assessment of where and in what areas of administration Territorians feel their government should be allocating its resources; explore expectations of their Territory government in the longer term; find out what improvements they would like to see in various departmental programs and services; determine what role the Territory should play in any possible constitutional development that might takeplace at a national level; [make] an assessment of attitudes towards the impact of government programs (such as recent initiatives on alcohol licensing) on the lifestyle of Territorians.
Now, in making a complete assessment, why wouldn’t you also make an assessment of the perceived performance of ministers of the Crown across those areas? Regardless of what might have been said about me in 1993, I remind members opposite that the score last year was 18 to 7. That is the only poll that counts – 18 to 7. The Leader of the Opposition is the biggest loser who has ever walked into this Chamber.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016