Mr AH KIT - 1997-11-27
Yesterday, the minister told this House that the Yulara Town Council will be adequately replaced by an advisory committee. Isn't it a fact that the advisory committee can only suggest things to the minister and has no power whatsoever? Isn't it a fact that it will have a life of only 18 months? Has the minister plans to bulldoze, in this term of parliament, other local government councils elsewhere in the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thought we had been over this yesterday. We had a major statement from the Treasurer that provided adequate opportunity for members opposite to say their piece. A motion of
Page 29
censure was moved against me, although I must say that it was very dismal.
Members interjecting
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BALDWIN: As I explained yesterday, what we are looking for is relevance. We are looking for clearly defined roles and responsibilities with relevant functions for local government. The functions that the Yulara Town Council is currently undertaking are very limited and, since the change in the dynamics of that community with the sale of the resort, those functions have become almost negligent.
Mr Bailey: You are negligent!
Mr BALDWIN: Negligible.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BALDWIN: It has become a privatised, single-purpose resort community, and a local council has no relevance there. The council's rate base has changed. We went through all of this yesterday. The rate base will be ...
Mr Stirling: You said the people would have a say.
Mr BALDWIN: The rate base will be predominantly ...
Mr Stirling: They are not going to have a say.
Ms Martin: They do not have the rights ...
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BALDWIN: If the council continued, the rate base would be paid for predominantly by the new owners of the resort. It would be ludicrous to have the owners of a privatised resort pay rates to a council which then goes back to that resort company and contracts it to do the work that it is quite capable of doing in the first place.
Mr Bailey: It makes decisions about how that money is spent. It makes decisions about what is best for the community.
Mr Stirling: It is called democracy.
Members interjecting
Mr BALDWIN: Madam Speaker, we have been through all this. An advisory committee will be set up which will report to the Treasurer.
Ms Martin: For how long?
Mr BALDWIN: It will continue on an ongoing basis ...
Ms Martin: For 18 months.
Mr BALDWIN: ... to ensure that the services that are now ...
Mr Stirling: It is ongoing. Did the advisers lie?
Mr Bailey: Did the advisers lie?
Madam SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wanguri.
Mr BALDWIN: Those services are not diminished. The cash assets will be vested in the government for the people of Yulara to build new facilities. They will make recommendations on how that will be spent when the ideas are gathered from the community. The council is holding $2m and, as the Treasurer outlined yesterday, a swimming pool is to be built. That announcement has been made, and the role of the committee will be ongoing. The opposition seems to think that my integrity is in question over this ...
Mr Stirling: It is in tatters, actually - absolute tatters.
Mr BALDWIN: Members opposite have said that I am hypocritical in doing this. That question needs to be looked at closely by the opposition. Some members opposite have form. The spokesperson for local government, the former director of the Northern Land Council, while ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BALDWIN: The NLC has put much of its resources into damning community government councils in the Northern Territory. Much of ...
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Mr BALDWIN: This is the man. The NLC had people, with whom he was very closely associated, going around damning community
Page 30
government councils in the Territory. It did not want them to establish community government councils and was working against them. The Northern Territory government initiated community government councils. Here he sits as the shadow spokesperson for community government and
Page 31
local government councils in the Territory. He is the hypocrite. It is like having Dracula in charge of the blood bank.
Page 23
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thought we had been over this yesterday. We had a major statement from the Treasurer that provided adequate opportunity for members opposite to say their piece. A motion of
Page 29
censure was moved against me, although I must say that it was very dismal.
Members interjecting
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BALDWIN: As I explained yesterday, what we are looking for is relevance. We are looking for clearly defined roles and responsibilities with relevant functions for local government. The functions that the Yulara Town Council is currently undertaking are very limited and, since the change in the dynamics of that community with the sale of the resort, those functions have become almost negligent.
Mr Bailey: You are negligent!
Mr BALDWIN: Negligible.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BALDWIN: It has become a privatised, single-purpose resort community, and a local council has no relevance there. The council's rate base has changed. We went through all of this yesterday. The rate base will be ...
Mr Stirling: You said the people would have a say.
Mr BALDWIN: The rate base will be predominantly ...
Mr Stirling: They are not going to have a say.
Ms Martin: They do not have the rights ...
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BALDWIN: If the council continued, the rate base would be paid for predominantly by the new owners of the resort. It would be ludicrous to have the owners of a privatised resort pay rates to a council which then goes back to that resort company and contracts it to do the work that it is quite capable of doing in the first place.
Mr Bailey: It makes decisions about how that money is spent. It makes decisions about what is best for the community.
Mr Stirling: It is called democracy.
Members interjecting
Mr BALDWIN: Madam Speaker, we have been through all this. An advisory committee will be set up which will report to the Treasurer.
Ms Martin: For how long?
Mr BALDWIN: It will continue on an ongoing basis ...
Ms Martin: For 18 months.
Mr BALDWIN: ... to ensure that the services that are now ...
Mr Stirling: It is ongoing. Did the advisers lie?
Mr Bailey: Did the advisers lie?
Madam SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wanguri.
Mr BALDWIN: Those services are not diminished. The cash assets will be vested in the government for the people of Yulara to build new facilities. They will make recommendations on how that will be spent when the ideas are gathered from the community. The council is holding $2m and, as the Treasurer outlined yesterday, a swimming pool is to be built. That announcement has been made, and the role of the committee will be ongoing. The opposition seems to think that my integrity is in question over this ...
Mr Stirling: It is in tatters, actually - absolute tatters.
Mr BALDWIN: Members opposite have said that I am hypocritical in doing this. That question needs to be looked at closely by the opposition. Some members opposite have form. The spokesperson for local government, the former director of the Northern Land Council, while ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BALDWIN: The NLC has put much of its resources into damning community government councils in the Northern Territory. Much of ...
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Mr BALDWIN: This is the man. The NLC had people, with whom he was very closely associated, going around damning community
Page 30
government councils in the Territory. It did not want them to establish community government councils and was working against them. The Northern Territory government initiated community government councils. Here he sits as the shadow spokesperson for community government and
Page 31
local government councils in the Territory. He is the hypocrite. It is like having Dracula in charge of the blood bank.
Page 23
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016