Mr MILLS - 2000-05-09
Who was it who first claimed the Labor Party was ‘tough on crime’ and ‘tough on the causes of crime’? Was it the member for Fannie Bay, Clare Martin or the Queensland Premier?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this is a doozey. I wish sometimes that parliament was broadcast so that the general public might see this on television because it is so hard to get to the general public just what a lazy lot we have sitting opposite us here - the Labor Party in the Northern Territory.
The leading statement of their law and order - they will not call it a policy because they haven’t got any details or costings - if they costed it, then we could really attack it. The starting statement from the Leader of the Opposition of the Northern Territory says that Labor will be ‘tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime’. If anyone looks up the law and order policy of the Queensland government, the Beattie government, they will see that those were Beattie’s words long before they were the Leader of the Opposition’s words in the Northern Territory. That made me think that maybe after all of the debate in terms of law and order, and all of the times that we have waited since the Leader of the Opposition was appointed, over 14 to 15 months now, to roll out policies, the Labor Party in the Northern Territory would take the time, do the consultation, and come up with a law and order policy which at least catered for the Northern Territory – which was original.
Dare I say I was suspicious because, if you recall, I did a ministerial statement on health shortly before the 1997 general election. In that statement on health, as health minister at the time, I listed the 5 priorities of health in terms of the Northern Territory government’s priority for its policy on health. The first strategy was to develop an appropriate and sustainable mix of public hospital and community health services. Do you know what the Labor health policy was, their first priority? The development of an appropriate and sustainable mix of public and community health services. That’s original!
Then I went on. There were 5 more. The second strategy was to develop appropriate preventative strategies in Aboriginal health. Their second strategy was the implementation of appropriate preventative strategies particularly in Aboriginal health. The third strategy was to develop adequate primary health services. Their’s said: ‘The planning and information development of effective primary health services’. It was straight plagiarism and a terrible indictment on the way the Labor Party is so lazy in the way they conduct business in the Northern Territory and try to fool the general public as to what they are up to.
What we had with the Labor law and order policy was a take straight off the Internet of 3 areas. One was the Blair government in the United Kingdom and their law and order strategies. One was the Sherman Report, which was a report to the federal US government on spending on law and order in the United States, and the third was a take from the Queensland law and order policy. If you do some research, as we did, it really is a litany of plagiarism. It is a litany ...
Members interjecting.
Mr BURKE: ... it is a litany, it is the sort of stuff that a first year university student would be fronted up for and probably kicked out. To suggest that you could come up with a policy that simply borrows from other policies...
Ms Martin: That is why Shane went off ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: ...and only takes from those policies what it thinks will help pad out what it has. The classic is they are pointing to the Blair UK government’s efforts in law and order. What they do not mention is that what underpins the Blair policy on law and order is mandatory sentencing for burglary, 3 years minimum. Three years minimum in the United Kingdom for your third conviction of burglary. Didn’t mention that in your law and order policy, didn’t fit, somehow didn’t quite fit into there. A strategy which the Blair government believes, by the year 2002, will reduce by 17 000 the number of home burglaries in the United Kingdom - mandatory sentencing for burglary. Not mentioned in their law and order policy but certainly other stuff from there that they thought fitted.
The classic comes from the Labor Party Queensland government’s law and order policy. I will table this and I will also attach it to a media release because this is an example of the kind of plagiarism that occurs. What is underlined here is what the Labor Party of the Northern Territory say and what is underlined in this one sheet that I have here is verbatim, taken from the Queensland policy, and I will read you both.
Labor in the Northern Territory:
In supporting families we need to understand the complex issues impacting on modern families. Research indicates that families who are at risk of poverty, relationship breakdown and abusive or inadequate parenting are more likely to produce teenagers at risk of entering the crime site. We also know that support of a non-violent family can reduce the likelihood of family members entering the crime cycle. Pre-schools, childcare centres, primary and secondary schools and health care centres play an important role in detecting behaviour that may lead to criminal activity.
If one reads the Queensland 3 paragraphs, it says this:
In supporting families, children and young people we need to recognise the impact of complex circumstances on family life. Research and experience indicates that families who are at risk of poverty, relationship breakdown and abusive or inappropriate parenting are more likely to produce teenagers at risk of criminal activity. They also show us that support of a non-violent family can reduce the likelihood of family members offending later in life. Pre-schools, childcare centres, primary and secondary schools and health care centres play an important role in detecting and taking early action in circumstances that may lead to criminal activity.
I will table that for the benefit of honourable members - the underlined bits are word to word from the Queensland policy. It is just straight plagiarism.
The third area I want to make mention of is the Sherman Report. The Sherman Report is interesting because where the Labor Party quoted the Sherman Report on law and order and the sorts of recommendations that were in that report, they said that: ‘These measures that the Sherman Report makes mention of, have credibility because they have passed muster’ to quote the ALP in the Northern Territory - mind you that is also plagiarised straight out of the Queensland document. ‘…passed muster under a rigorous ...’
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Listen. You are a scientist. The member for Stuart claims to be a scientist, listen. The member for Stuart claims he always comes from a scientific basis. I have heard him say that verbatim in this House.
The Labor Party claims the Sherman Report recommendations are appropriate and have immediate credibility because they have ‘passed muster under a rigorous and scientific analysis’. Do you know what Mr Sherman himself said? This is what Mr Sherman himself said when reporting to the United States government. Not in their policy; just drop that little bit. This is what Mr Sherman himself said:
The report uses a relatively low threshold of the strength of scientific evidence. This threshold is far lower than ideal for informing Congressional decisions about billions of dollars in annual appropriations and reflect the limitations of the available evidence.
He goes on to say:
The number and strength of available evaluations is insufficient for providing adequate guidance to the national effort to reduce serious crime.
All we ask for is a bit of honesty. That is all we ask for, a bit of honesty and a bit of original thought. If you are going to put forward documentation and strategies which you believe are appropriate for Territorians; if you claim that you have consulted and done your research, have the honesty to inform Territorians how shallow your research is. Have the honesty to inform Territorians how shallow your research is, and if you wish to impress this government, or Territorians, do some work.
I have had a quick look at the recreational fishing policy, and the guts of that policy, apart from what has been stolen from the Northern Territory government’s policies, is that they want more fish. Well, we can all agree with that. We want more fish. But they’re going to open the recreational areas, they are going to double it from 15% to 30% by doing agreements on Aboriginal land. You know how to do agreements on Aboriginal land? The member for Arnhem will tell you the answer. You know what the answer is? You get out your cheque book; that is how you get access. Tell Territorians, get out your cheque book. That is how you get access to Aboriginal land.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this is a doozey. I wish sometimes that parliament was broadcast so that the general public might see this on television because it is so hard to get to the general public just what a lazy lot we have sitting opposite us here - the Labor Party in the Northern Territory.
The leading statement of their law and order - they will not call it a policy because they haven’t got any details or costings - if they costed it, then we could really attack it. The starting statement from the Leader of the Opposition of the Northern Territory says that Labor will be ‘tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime’. If anyone looks up the law and order policy of the Queensland government, the Beattie government, they will see that those were Beattie’s words long before they were the Leader of the Opposition’s words in the Northern Territory. That made me think that maybe after all of the debate in terms of law and order, and all of the times that we have waited since the Leader of the Opposition was appointed, over 14 to 15 months now, to roll out policies, the Labor Party in the Northern Territory would take the time, do the consultation, and come up with a law and order policy which at least catered for the Northern Territory – which was original.
Dare I say I was suspicious because, if you recall, I did a ministerial statement on health shortly before the 1997 general election. In that statement on health, as health minister at the time, I listed the 5 priorities of health in terms of the Northern Territory government’s priority for its policy on health. The first strategy was to develop an appropriate and sustainable mix of public hospital and community health services. Do you know what the Labor health policy was, their first priority? The development of an appropriate and sustainable mix of public and community health services. That’s original!
Then I went on. There were 5 more. The second strategy was to develop appropriate preventative strategies in Aboriginal health. Their second strategy was the implementation of appropriate preventative strategies particularly in Aboriginal health. The third strategy was to develop adequate primary health services. Their’s said: ‘The planning and information development of effective primary health services’. It was straight plagiarism and a terrible indictment on the way the Labor Party is so lazy in the way they conduct business in the Northern Territory and try to fool the general public as to what they are up to.
What we had with the Labor law and order policy was a take straight off the Internet of 3 areas. One was the Blair government in the United Kingdom and their law and order strategies. One was the Sherman Report, which was a report to the federal US government on spending on law and order in the United States, and the third was a take from the Queensland law and order policy. If you do some research, as we did, it really is a litany of plagiarism. It is a litany ...
Members interjecting.
Mr BURKE: ... it is a litany, it is the sort of stuff that a first year university student would be fronted up for and probably kicked out. To suggest that you could come up with a policy that simply borrows from other policies...
Ms Martin: That is why Shane went off ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: ...and only takes from those policies what it thinks will help pad out what it has. The classic is they are pointing to the Blair UK government’s efforts in law and order. What they do not mention is that what underpins the Blair policy on law and order is mandatory sentencing for burglary, 3 years minimum. Three years minimum in the United Kingdom for your third conviction of burglary. Didn’t mention that in your law and order policy, didn’t fit, somehow didn’t quite fit into there. A strategy which the Blair government believes, by the year 2002, will reduce by 17 000 the number of home burglaries in the United Kingdom - mandatory sentencing for burglary. Not mentioned in their law and order policy but certainly other stuff from there that they thought fitted.
The classic comes from the Labor Party Queensland government’s law and order policy. I will table this and I will also attach it to a media release because this is an example of the kind of plagiarism that occurs. What is underlined here is what the Labor Party of the Northern Territory say and what is underlined in this one sheet that I have here is verbatim, taken from the Queensland policy, and I will read you both.
Labor in the Northern Territory:
In supporting families we need to understand the complex issues impacting on modern families. Research indicates that families who are at risk of poverty, relationship breakdown and abusive or inadequate parenting are more likely to produce teenagers at risk of entering the crime site. We also know that support of a non-violent family can reduce the likelihood of family members entering the crime cycle. Pre-schools, childcare centres, primary and secondary schools and health care centres play an important role in detecting behaviour that may lead to criminal activity.
If one reads the Queensland 3 paragraphs, it says this:
In supporting families, children and young people we need to recognise the impact of complex circumstances on family life. Research and experience indicates that families who are at risk of poverty, relationship breakdown and abusive or inappropriate parenting are more likely to produce teenagers at risk of criminal activity. They also show us that support of a non-violent family can reduce the likelihood of family members offending later in life. Pre-schools, childcare centres, primary and secondary schools and health care centres play an important role in detecting and taking early action in circumstances that may lead to criminal activity.
I will table that for the benefit of honourable members - the underlined bits are word to word from the Queensland policy. It is just straight plagiarism.
The third area I want to make mention of is the Sherman Report. The Sherman Report is interesting because where the Labor Party quoted the Sherman Report on law and order and the sorts of recommendations that were in that report, they said that: ‘These measures that the Sherman Report makes mention of, have credibility because they have passed muster’ to quote the ALP in the Northern Territory - mind you that is also plagiarised straight out of the Queensland document. ‘…passed muster under a rigorous ...’
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Listen. You are a scientist. The member for Stuart claims to be a scientist, listen. The member for Stuart claims he always comes from a scientific basis. I have heard him say that verbatim in this House.
The Labor Party claims the Sherman Report recommendations are appropriate and have immediate credibility because they have ‘passed muster under a rigorous and scientific analysis’. Do you know what Mr Sherman himself said? This is what Mr Sherman himself said when reporting to the United States government. Not in their policy; just drop that little bit. This is what Mr Sherman himself said:
The report uses a relatively low threshold of the strength of scientific evidence. This threshold is far lower than ideal for informing Congressional decisions about billions of dollars in annual appropriations and reflect the limitations of the available evidence.
He goes on to say:
The number and strength of available evaluations is insufficient for providing adequate guidance to the national effort to reduce serious crime.
All we ask for is a bit of honesty. That is all we ask for, a bit of honesty and a bit of original thought. If you are going to put forward documentation and strategies which you believe are appropriate for Territorians; if you claim that you have consulted and done your research, have the honesty to inform Territorians how shallow your research is. Have the honesty to inform Territorians how shallow your research is, and if you wish to impress this government, or Territorians, do some work.
I have had a quick look at the recreational fishing policy, and the guts of that policy, apart from what has been stolen from the Northern Territory government’s policies, is that they want more fish. Well, we can all agree with that. We want more fish. But they’re going to open the recreational areas, they are going to double it from 15% to 30% by doing agreements on Aboriginal land. You know how to do agreements on Aboriginal land? The member for Arnhem will tell you the answer. You know what the answer is? You get out your cheque book; that is how you get access. Tell Territorians, get out your cheque book. That is how you get access to Aboriginal land.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016