Mr AH KIT - 1999-06-03
On Tuesday the member for MacDonnell, John Elferink told this house and I quote from the Hansard:
There are communities in the Central Australia area outside Alice Springs which have Aboriginal populations in them that know no God at all. This is quite depressing because some of the social problems that arise out of an ungodly life, for a lack of better words, could be addressed.
ABC radio reported yesterday that Mr Elferink says he never claimed in parliament some Aboriginal communities were ungodly as has been reported. It quoted the member as saying:
Those news reports are absolutely wrong and I’m disgusted to hear that that’s actually the phraseology that’s being used. What I said was that many of those communities know no God. I am offended at the word ungodly but I didn’t use it, I said they know no God.
I ask the Chief Minister will you direct your member to retract the appalling statements and false denial?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I’ve become aware that there was some issue raised with regards to those words yesterday. I will take the opportunity today to speak to the member for MacDonnell and …
A member interjecting.
Mr BURKE: No, not necessarily a reprimand. I’d like to find the context because I haven’t read the transcript and I’d like to hear from him an explanation as to the context in which he used those words. It is very easy for me to walk over to him, or into the lobby, catch him at lunchtime and have a chat to him. The same avenue is available to every member of the opposition, I might add. They can have a yarn to him and find out in his mind, the reasons for, and the context in which he used those words. Now, if the matter is seen by the member himself to be something that he wishes to make a personal explanation about to this parliament, that avenue is also available to him.
There are communities in the Central Australia area outside Alice Springs which have Aboriginal populations in them that know no God at all. This is quite depressing because some of the social problems that arise out of an ungodly life, for a lack of better words, could be addressed.
ABC radio reported yesterday that Mr Elferink says he never claimed in parliament some Aboriginal communities were ungodly as has been reported. It quoted the member as saying:
Those news reports are absolutely wrong and I’m disgusted to hear that that’s actually the phraseology that’s being used. What I said was that many of those communities know no God. I am offended at the word ungodly but I didn’t use it, I said they know no God.
I ask the Chief Minister will you direct your member to retract the appalling statements and false denial?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I’ve become aware that there was some issue raised with regards to those words yesterday. I will take the opportunity today to speak to the member for MacDonnell and …
A member interjecting.
Mr BURKE: No, not necessarily a reprimand. I’d like to find the context because I haven’t read the transcript and I’d like to hear from him an explanation as to the context in which he used those words. It is very easy for me to walk over to him, or into the lobby, catch him at lunchtime and have a chat to him. The same avenue is available to every member of the opposition, I might add. They can have a yarn to him and find out in his mind, the reasons for, and the context in which he used those words. Now, if the matter is seen by the member himself to be something that he wishes to make a personal explanation about to this parliament, that avenue is also available to him.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016