Ms MARTIN - 2001-07-04
Chief Minister, under your leadership ...
Mr BURKE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The previous notice of motion from the Leader of the Opposition, was that a signalling of a motion for this sitting day?
Mr SPEAKER: Not as I understand it, no.
Mr BURKE: I just wanted to be clear.
Ms MARTIN: I know you have not been here that long, but you should understand the parliamentary orders.
Chief Minister, under your leadership your only female Cabinet minister, Loraine Braham, was axed and has turned on the CLP. The CLP’s most recent member of the House of Representatives, Nick Dondas, has turned on you. At short notice the CLP’s most experienced Cabinet minister, Daryl Manzie, has decided to walk away from your government. Now we have seen ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: Now we have seen ...
Mr Manzie: I would like to make a personal explanation.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is a way you can go about that. If you wish to make a personal explanation you should come and talk to me about it.
Ms MARTIN: Short notice, Mr Speaker. The CLP’s most experienced Cabinet minister, Daryl Manzie, has decided to walk away from your government. Now we have seen unprecedented levels of blood-letting, hatred and division surrounding Senator Tambling. Chief Minister, if you cannot unite your own party how can Territorians expect you to unite the Territory?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I cannot believe that the Leader of the Opposition would be so stupid as to ask a question about leadership within minutes of announcing that she has just sacked her shadow mining minister for a comment he made in debate yesterday. Now that is real leadership for you. This is real leadership, that the shadow minister for mining makes a comment in debate yesterday, for which I would have thought any leader of any substance at all would have at the very least counselled the member, and maybe said to the member ‘Certainly do not ...’ This is what he said actually: ‘The main points, it seems to me that what is happening is that the government is handing over …’ ...
Dr Toyne: Let us talk about Gladys.
Mr BURKE: This is all that the member for Arnhem said yesterday as I understand it, that has resulted in the Leader of the Opposition sacking him this morning and then making an explanation about the fact that what he said is not representative of the Labor Party views in the Northern Territory. The first thing I would say to you is that, when the Leader of the Opposition criticises me, she has just sacked the most prominent Aboriginal Territorian in the Northern Territory, and an Aboriginal Territorian of some note Australia-wide. She has the gall to question my leadership. The reason she sacked him is he said last night in debate:
The main point, it seems to me, that what is happening is that the government is handing over the best interests of Territorians to the control of the mining companies, and they are creating the potential for graft and undue influence.
Now, they’re strong words, but there are lots of strong words used in this debate. I would have thought that the shadow minister for mining would have had some authority to speak in this House on that particular subject. If he has tripped over a few words, I would have thought that the very most that would occur to that particular member, would be that the leader - any leader of note - would have counselled him. It seems to me that you have taken the opportunity to sack him ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: This is the way ...
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The question did go to the issue of Senator Tambling. The Chief Minister is choosing to duck around the issue, but the question is about Senator Tambling. He might want to fill us in, if it is such a clear cut decision, why CLP Central Council went for 4 hours and 20 minutes last night. This is a clear case and I do not think he addressed the question.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The question is whether it is relevant to - and I think that there is perhaps some relevance - the remarks the Chief Minister is making. But I would ask him to get on to the nub of the question as quickly as possible.
Mr BURKE: I am getting to the substance of the question, and that is that the Leader of the Opposition is making allegations about my leadership and my involvement with other members of parliament. This is the way she operates - she operates by sacking her shadow minister for mining and energy because of comments he made last night. She operates by misleading the Commissioner of Police for up to 2 weeks in purporting that there was an incident at a dwelling which never occurred, it was fabricated by one of her staff. She stayed silent while a member of the ABC was sacked because of her involvement, and the Leader of the Opposition let that particular individual, a single mother, be the fall guy for her deliberate deception. She waited for days until the Northern Territory News dragged out of her what the real circumstances in the incident involving the member for Arafura’s car when it was damaged was. She covered her member for Nhulunbuy when he lived in a Housing Commission house at $140 000 a year while people who needed that accommodation went without. She allows the member for Wanguri to raise allegations in this House that have no substance at all in terms of the issue with ...
Members interjecting.
Mr BURKE: ... and the member for allegations, the member for Wanguri, is too good at it. I have got an allegation for the member for Wanguri: What did you do at the E-Commerce Conference in Sydney in April last year? How long were you away? Where did you stay? Who paid for it? There is a good one to follow up, and let us see if the media are interested in that one. Because when you talk about ripping off taxpayers’ money, you make sure your own house is clean before you start making allegations against someone. An E-Commerce conference in Sydney where you stay at the Southern Cross for seven days and the conference went three days. Tell us about it.
Mr Speaker, when it comes to Senator Tambling and my involvement, what I’ll say ...
Ms Martin: He just makes it up.
Mr BURKE: The Leader of the Opposition says, ‘He just makes it up’. That is what she is an expert at, just making it up.
When it comes to the issue of Senator Tambling, I would say to her, at least I was there. At least I was involved in my party’s decision. Where were you when the Trish Crossin pre-selection was occurring? We did not hear a peep out of you, and in fact you, the Leader of the Opposition, backed ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: ... and the party process was this: She backed Warren Snowdon and she got rolled. That was the party process, so do not talk to me about leadership and strength. It is over here, it is not there.
Mr BURKE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The previous notice of motion from the Leader of the Opposition, was that a signalling of a motion for this sitting day?
Mr SPEAKER: Not as I understand it, no.
Mr BURKE: I just wanted to be clear.
Ms MARTIN: I know you have not been here that long, but you should understand the parliamentary orders.
Chief Minister, under your leadership your only female Cabinet minister, Loraine Braham, was axed and has turned on the CLP. The CLP’s most recent member of the House of Representatives, Nick Dondas, has turned on you. At short notice the CLP’s most experienced Cabinet minister, Daryl Manzie, has decided to walk away from your government. Now we have seen ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: Now we have seen ...
Mr Manzie: I would like to make a personal explanation.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is a way you can go about that. If you wish to make a personal explanation you should come and talk to me about it.
Ms MARTIN: Short notice, Mr Speaker. The CLP’s most experienced Cabinet minister, Daryl Manzie, has decided to walk away from your government. Now we have seen unprecedented levels of blood-letting, hatred and division surrounding Senator Tambling. Chief Minister, if you cannot unite your own party how can Territorians expect you to unite the Territory?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I cannot believe that the Leader of the Opposition would be so stupid as to ask a question about leadership within minutes of announcing that she has just sacked her shadow mining minister for a comment he made in debate yesterday. Now that is real leadership for you. This is real leadership, that the shadow minister for mining makes a comment in debate yesterday, for which I would have thought any leader of any substance at all would have at the very least counselled the member, and maybe said to the member ‘Certainly do not ...’ This is what he said actually: ‘The main points, it seems to me that what is happening is that the government is handing over …’ ...
Dr Toyne: Let us talk about Gladys.
Mr BURKE: This is all that the member for Arnhem said yesterday as I understand it, that has resulted in the Leader of the Opposition sacking him this morning and then making an explanation about the fact that what he said is not representative of the Labor Party views in the Northern Territory. The first thing I would say to you is that, when the Leader of the Opposition criticises me, she has just sacked the most prominent Aboriginal Territorian in the Northern Territory, and an Aboriginal Territorian of some note Australia-wide. She has the gall to question my leadership. The reason she sacked him is he said last night in debate:
The main point, it seems to me, that what is happening is that the government is handing over the best interests of Territorians to the control of the mining companies, and they are creating the potential for graft and undue influence.
Now, they’re strong words, but there are lots of strong words used in this debate. I would have thought that the shadow minister for mining would have had some authority to speak in this House on that particular subject. If he has tripped over a few words, I would have thought that the very most that would occur to that particular member, would be that the leader - any leader of note - would have counselled him. It seems to me that you have taken the opportunity to sack him ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: This is the way ...
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The question did go to the issue of Senator Tambling. The Chief Minister is choosing to duck around the issue, but the question is about Senator Tambling. He might want to fill us in, if it is such a clear cut decision, why CLP Central Council went for 4 hours and 20 minutes last night. This is a clear case and I do not think he addressed the question.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The question is whether it is relevant to - and I think that there is perhaps some relevance - the remarks the Chief Minister is making. But I would ask him to get on to the nub of the question as quickly as possible.
Mr BURKE: I am getting to the substance of the question, and that is that the Leader of the Opposition is making allegations about my leadership and my involvement with other members of parliament. This is the way she operates - she operates by sacking her shadow minister for mining and energy because of comments he made last night. She operates by misleading the Commissioner of Police for up to 2 weeks in purporting that there was an incident at a dwelling which never occurred, it was fabricated by one of her staff. She stayed silent while a member of the ABC was sacked because of her involvement, and the Leader of the Opposition let that particular individual, a single mother, be the fall guy for her deliberate deception. She waited for days until the Northern Territory News dragged out of her what the real circumstances in the incident involving the member for Arafura’s car when it was damaged was. She covered her member for Nhulunbuy when he lived in a Housing Commission house at $140 000 a year while people who needed that accommodation went without. She allows the member for Wanguri to raise allegations in this House that have no substance at all in terms of the issue with ...
Members interjecting.
Mr BURKE: ... and the member for allegations, the member for Wanguri, is too good at it. I have got an allegation for the member for Wanguri: What did you do at the E-Commerce Conference in Sydney in April last year? How long were you away? Where did you stay? Who paid for it? There is a good one to follow up, and let us see if the media are interested in that one. Because when you talk about ripping off taxpayers’ money, you make sure your own house is clean before you start making allegations against someone. An E-Commerce conference in Sydney where you stay at the Southern Cross for seven days and the conference went three days. Tell us about it.
Mr Speaker, when it comes to Senator Tambling and my involvement, what I’ll say ...
Ms Martin: He just makes it up.
Mr BURKE: The Leader of the Opposition says, ‘He just makes it up’. That is what she is an expert at, just making it up.
When it comes to the issue of Senator Tambling, I would say to her, at least I was there. At least I was involved in my party’s decision. Where were you when the Trish Crossin pre-selection was occurring? We did not hear a peep out of you, and in fact you, the Leader of the Opposition, backed ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: ... and the party process was this: She backed Warren Snowdon and she got rolled. That was the party process, so do not talk to me about leadership and strength. It is over here, it is not there.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016