Mrs HICKEY - 1997-12-02
Yesterday, the Chief Minister let the cat out of the bag on his deputy. He told the ABC Drive Time program that, at a meeting of Attorneys-General, the Northern Territory had already voted against the lowering of the age of consent, well before the Deputy Chief Minister began his so-called research. The issue of the age of consent has been decided - end of story.
Mr Stone: No, it has not! That is where you are wrong. It is ongoing.
Mrs HICKEY: Until the Deputy Chief Minister was sprung in Kings Cross, no one in the Territory had called for any debate on this issue. That being so, why was the minister so intent on pursuing that matter that he had to go to an erotic shop in Sydney and buy an illegal, X-rated video?
ANSWER
I am pleased the Leader of the Opposition asked the question, Madam Speaker. It provides me with another opportunity to present those matters to the general public. It is interesting that the Leader of the Opposition is raising these matters on moral grounds when, as Leader of the Opposition, she cannot even take responsibility for her own actions. When she has to answer for her actions, she sends out her electorate secretary and says: ‘Brigid, go and answer these questions on my behalf’. Interestingly, the only one of the 7 dwarfs who did not ask a question on this matter yesterday ...
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Deputy Chief Minister has referred to the opposition collectively as the ‘7 dwarfs’. I suggest that is unparliamentary.
Mr REED: The honourable 7 dwarfs! The member for Arafura was not allowed to ask a question on this matter yesterday. I suspect that was because of a bit of a problem that he has. Members may recall when he borrowed some government equipment. He took a microwave oven and hocked it.
Ms MARTIN: A point of order, Madam Speaker! It is clear under standing order 67 that the minister should answer the question. This is irrelevant.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
Mr REED: Not only did he take government items and hock them, but I recall also that - members opposite may like to check the Parliamentary Record - when he asked his boss for some money to retrieve them from the hock shop, he told him the amount required was more than it actually was. He even tried to do his boss in for $100 or so. I forget the exact amount of money.
As for the member for Nhulunbuy, there is still the question of what happened when he rolled his vehicle. Who was driving the vehicle? What speed was it doing when it was rolled?
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I would hate to have to refer the Chief Minister and his deputy to the Privileges Committee for misleading this House. The fact is that I have never rolled a car in my life. The Chief Minister referred to it the other day and the Deputy Chief Minister has again misled this House and Territorians. I ask him to check his facts and withdraw his ridiculous assertion.
Madam SPEAKER: The Deputy Chief Minister will withdraw that remark.
Mr Stone: A bit sensitive about it, aren’t you?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: Madam Speaker, I withdraw the remark. It is interesting that honourable members opposite can rely on that type of information to vilify and criticise someone on this side but, when we refer to a media report about one of the members opposite, by which they may be a little offended, they become sensitive. I am simply illustrating the fact that, when it comes to morals, the Labor Party is very forgiving. When it comes to other issues that another member might wish to raise, they are not so forgiving.
Let me come to the question. The opposition conveniently overlooks the facts and jumps in at the deep end. If the Leader of the Opposition were across these issues, she would be aware that this debate has been going on around this country since 1990. At the moment, there is legislation before the Western Australian parliament, supported I believe by the Labor Party, to reduce the age of consent and therefore to remove the level of protection for young Western Australians. There has been considerable interest in this legislation by the lobby groups supporting it and by those who are concerned about
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our young people and do not want the law changed.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: If you are happy for this debate to go on and you blithely ignore ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr REED: It is interesting that, when there is a national discussion on a particular issue that suits members opposite, they ask why the Territory government does not become involved, and why the government does not explain the issues to Territorians. This matter has been under discussion for some time. The debate started on 28 June 1990, with the model Criminal Code chapter on sexual offences, including the age of consent ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: In July 1997, in response to an overwhelming public outcry against the recommendations in the discussion paper ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Chief Minister will resume his seat. I tolerated a little fun, but members are going too far. Now let us ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Do not start talking when I am speaking. Have a little more self-control.
Mr Bailey: Self-control!
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Wanguri, try to behave. Deputy Chief Minister, continue with your answer.
Mr REED: I am trying to, Madam Speaker. I pass on a request from a constituent in Katherine that, if the member for Arnhem would stop grunting and laughing into the microphone, people listening to the broadcast might be able to hear what is being said.
The committee that is considering these issues is expected to take these views into account when it produces its final report on sexual offences in March 1998. The job has not been completed. The matter is still before the national forums. It is still a matter that the public is interested in. If the opposition thinks it is supported in what it is doing, it should be aware that I am receiving many phone calls to my office in support of the action I have taken. As I said yesterday, I have the ability, as a member of parliament, to bring these issues before Territorians, and they are the ones who will make the judgment.
I challenge the Leader of the Opposition to stand by her previously stated views in relation to these matters, together with a number of other members who are still on the opposition benches. The member for Fannie Bay is on the record as advocating the removal of protection for young Territorians when she was a journalist. In fact, and I can find some - oh, she looks ashamed and shocked! She does not remember. She does not have a very retentive memory.
Ms MARTIN: A point of order, Madam Speaker! There is absolutely no evidence for this. The minister should be asked to withdraw it.
Mr Coulter: You can make a personal explanation.
Mr REED: If members opposite have the conviction to support their position in relation to this as a Labor Party, and if they want to test it publicly in debate, I suggest they do their homework and come here in February and introduce some legislation to liberalise laws, which they have supported in the past, to remove protection from young Territorians and provide people with the opportunity to take advantage of young Territorians. Let them put that forward for public debate and then see what the community has to say. They should have the courage of their convictions to follow through their views, as I am following through on my views.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! It would help if there were not so many interjections and the minister could make his reply. More questions could then be asked and answered. As it is, the minister appears to be taking a long time to reply, but that is partly because of the interjections. I suggest that, if members of the opposition wish to put more questions in Question Time, it would be sensible for them to allow the minister to deliver his answer uninterrupted.
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Mr Stone: No, it has not! That is where you are wrong. It is ongoing.
Mrs HICKEY: Until the Deputy Chief Minister was sprung in Kings Cross, no one in the Territory had called for any debate on this issue. That being so, why was the minister so intent on pursuing that matter that he had to go to an erotic shop in Sydney and buy an illegal, X-rated video?
ANSWER
I am pleased the Leader of the Opposition asked the question, Madam Speaker. It provides me with another opportunity to present those matters to the general public. It is interesting that the Leader of the Opposition is raising these matters on moral grounds when, as Leader of the Opposition, she cannot even take responsibility for her own actions. When she has to answer for her actions, she sends out her electorate secretary and says: ‘Brigid, go and answer these questions on my behalf’. Interestingly, the only one of the 7 dwarfs who did not ask a question on this matter yesterday ...
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Deputy Chief Minister has referred to the opposition collectively as the ‘7 dwarfs’. I suggest that is unparliamentary.
Mr REED: The honourable 7 dwarfs! The member for Arafura was not allowed to ask a question on this matter yesterday. I suspect that was because of a bit of a problem that he has. Members may recall when he borrowed some government equipment. He took a microwave oven and hocked it.
Ms MARTIN: A point of order, Madam Speaker! It is clear under standing order 67 that the minister should answer the question. This is irrelevant.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
Mr REED: Not only did he take government items and hock them, but I recall also that - members opposite may like to check the Parliamentary Record - when he asked his boss for some money to retrieve them from the hock shop, he told him the amount required was more than it actually was. He even tried to do his boss in for $100 or so. I forget the exact amount of money.
As for the member for Nhulunbuy, there is still the question of what happened when he rolled his vehicle. Who was driving the vehicle? What speed was it doing when it was rolled?
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I would hate to have to refer the Chief Minister and his deputy to the Privileges Committee for misleading this House. The fact is that I have never rolled a car in my life. The Chief Minister referred to it the other day and the Deputy Chief Minister has again misled this House and Territorians. I ask him to check his facts and withdraw his ridiculous assertion.
Madam SPEAKER: The Deputy Chief Minister will withdraw that remark.
Mr Stone: A bit sensitive about it, aren’t you?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: Madam Speaker, I withdraw the remark. It is interesting that honourable members opposite can rely on that type of information to vilify and criticise someone on this side but, when we refer to a media report about one of the members opposite, by which they may be a little offended, they become sensitive. I am simply illustrating the fact that, when it comes to morals, the Labor Party is very forgiving. When it comes to other issues that another member might wish to raise, they are not so forgiving.
Let me come to the question. The opposition conveniently overlooks the facts and jumps in at the deep end. If the Leader of the Opposition were across these issues, she would be aware that this debate has been going on around this country since 1990. At the moment, there is legislation before the Western Australian parliament, supported I believe by the Labor Party, to reduce the age of consent and therefore to remove the level of protection for young Western Australians. There has been considerable interest in this legislation by the lobby groups supporting it and by those who are concerned about
Page 49
our young people and do not want the law changed.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: If you are happy for this debate to go on and you blithely ignore ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr REED: It is interesting that, when there is a national discussion on a particular issue that suits members opposite, they ask why the Territory government does not become involved, and why the government does not explain the issues to Territorians. This matter has been under discussion for some time. The debate started on 28 June 1990, with the model Criminal Code chapter on sexual offences, including the age of consent ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: In July 1997, in response to an overwhelming public outcry against the recommendations in the discussion paper ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Chief Minister will resume his seat. I tolerated a little fun, but members are going too far. Now let us ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Do not start talking when I am speaking. Have a little more self-control.
Mr Bailey: Self-control!
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Wanguri, try to behave. Deputy Chief Minister, continue with your answer.
Mr REED: I am trying to, Madam Speaker. I pass on a request from a constituent in Katherine that, if the member for Arnhem would stop grunting and laughing into the microphone, people listening to the broadcast might be able to hear what is being said.
The committee that is considering these issues is expected to take these views into account when it produces its final report on sexual offences in March 1998. The job has not been completed. The matter is still before the national forums. It is still a matter that the public is interested in. If the opposition thinks it is supported in what it is doing, it should be aware that I am receiving many phone calls to my office in support of the action I have taken. As I said yesterday, I have the ability, as a member of parliament, to bring these issues before Territorians, and they are the ones who will make the judgment.
I challenge the Leader of the Opposition to stand by her previously stated views in relation to these matters, together with a number of other members who are still on the opposition benches. The member for Fannie Bay is on the record as advocating the removal of protection for young Territorians when she was a journalist. In fact, and I can find some - oh, she looks ashamed and shocked! She does not remember. She does not have a very retentive memory.
Ms MARTIN: A point of order, Madam Speaker! There is absolutely no evidence for this. The minister should be asked to withdraw it.
Mr Coulter: You can make a personal explanation.
Mr REED: If members opposite have the conviction to support their position in relation to this as a Labor Party, and if they want to test it publicly in debate, I suggest they do their homework and come here in February and introduce some legislation to liberalise laws, which they have supported in the past, to remove protection from young Territorians and provide people with the opportunity to take advantage of young Territorians. Let them put that forward for public debate and then see what the community has to say. They should have the courage of their convictions to follow through their views, as I am following through on my views.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! It would help if there were not so many interjections and the minister could make his reply. More questions could then be asked and answered. As it is, the minister appears to be taking a long time to reply, but that is partly because of the interjections. I suggest that, if members of the opposition wish to put more questions in Question Time, it would be sensible for them to allow the minister to deliver his answer uninterrupted.
Page 50
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016