Ms MARTIN - 2000-06-13
The recent APEC Conference passed by with a 60cm crocodile in Lake Alexander causing bigger newspaper headlines and a bigger impact on the lives of Territorians.
You have already revealed that the Chan Building was done up at a cost of $1.4m to host this conference. What else was spent by this government in putting on the conference? Why are Territorians footing most of the bill for this international conference rather than the Commonwealth and why aren’t your Canberra mates paying the bills rather than diverting resources from the real needs of Territorians?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I did not think that the opposition would be stupid enough to, I suppose, rub their face in the mud they created the last sittings.
Let’s have a look at the environment of this APEC Conference. We have a $1.2bn railway project coming up over the next couple of years. $1.2bn of bringing a link between Asia and Adelaide. We have $200m in stage 1 and stage 2 of our port development to complement that railway and to also add to that link between Asian and the rest of Australia. That is the environment we are talking about. We are talking about an activity which is really working very hard to link the Territory positively to South-East Asia and the Asia-Pacific. Within that environment, and in an environment where a half-page newspaper ad in Tokyo will cost you a $1m - one ad of half a page in a Tokyo newspaper - we had the opportunity of getting 21 of the Trade Ministers of the APEC nations, the nations of Asia and the Pacific, to come to the Northern Territory to experience the Northern Territory; to visually see what was happening in the Territory; to become aware of the activities of the Territory and the capabilities of the Territory for a cost of just over $1m. No, sorry, I wash my mouth out because, as the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Development quite ably pointed out, of the $1.4m to bring the Chan Building up to the standard required for these kinds of meetings, $1.1m of that was recyclable. In other words, it was going to be able to go to ...
A member interjecting.
Mr MANZIE: I hear a little cry from the opposition. Obviously they do not wish the community to have the facts put before them. But I will just go over that. Of the $1.4m, $1.1m is recyclable, so therefore, for an outlay of $300 000 plus a few other costs which I will get into, the Territory has been able to bring and highlight to trade ministers, the ministers responsible for trade throughout the APEC area, for less than a third of the price of one half page newspaper ad in the Tokyo newspaper.
Now I think not only is it pretty good value but the circumstances of the Territory at the moment with the CLP government’s vision as to where we are going, where we have to go and the importance of engaging all those trading nations to our north to complement and to make sure that the railway port works, it would be irresponsible of us if we had not taken steps to get that APEC conference here. This government will continue at all times to do all kinds of activity to create jobs and to create a future for Territorians. Compare that to the opposition who mealy-mouth and try to get some political capital out of the expenditure of money to achieve the future of our Territory. It just shows the contrast between the CLP and the ALP. They live in the past, they have no vision for the Territory and if they were in power there would be no APEC Conference, there would be no railway, there would be no future. That is why voters continually re-elect the CLP government because we do have a vision for the future. Occasionally we might make some mistakes trying to achieve that vision but we are trying to achieve and we succeed, year after year. That is why we have the lowest unemployment rate in the country and that is why we have one of the highest growth rates in the country. We create jobs, we see a vision and we strive for it, contrary to these people.
Let’s just have a look, briefly, at what that APEC Conference did achieve. I am going to be presenting a ministerial statement to this House in this sittings which will enable the opposition to get up and bag all these things and say: ‘We would like to go back to the stone age and we do not want anything to happen. We do not want any jobs created.’ They can have all the opportunities they like to go into detail about how they would not allow the Territory to grow, how they do not have any vision for the future.
But, just a few facts and the meeting outcomes. The outcomes, even though the Territory does not attend any of the working sessions because it is for the nations involved, the outcomes are relevant to the Territory and our focus on developing international trade, attracting investment and strengthening our regional relationships.
Honourable members would already have seen the statement of the Chair, which was released at a press conference in the Main Hall, and I am certain that this statement will be referred to in future as the Darwin Statement. What happened? We had bilateral discussions. One of the key benefits of hosting a meeting in Darwin is the opportunity to conduct formal and informal bilateral discussions with visiting ministers and delegation heads. Last week, I formally met with a number of visiting ministers and delegation heads, and I also informally met with a number. I know the Chief Minister met with a number, and I know a number of my ministerial colleagues met both formally and informally. I met with the heads of the delegations from Russia, from the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand. I hosted a group of international media which deal with trade. I also had meetings with the Malaysian, USA, and Bruneian groups - all people who have a part in our future if we have a vision.
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker! As riveting as this information is, the minister did say he would go to the other costs involved, and has failed to do so, so far, which is the question.
Mr SPEAKER: Well, I am assuming that the minister will get around to those costs.
Mr MANZIE: Yes, Mr Speaker, but I am just trying to ensure that we set the contexts of these costs. That we show this government has vision for the future and we show that the ALP not only has no vision, but they wish to constrict the future opportunities of Territorians by mealy-mouthed penny pinching within an area which requires very active work by the government.
The Leader of the Opposition asked the question and obviously she does not like the answer. It is typical of them. They do not think far enough ahead to see just how stupid they look when they ask some of these questions.
Ms Martin: You have not answered it, Daryl.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr MANZIE: I will continue. Our aim was to maximise Territory business, not only the Territory business reputation but also input into the preparations in the meeting arrangements and I am very pleased to report that that was also achieved.
There are a wide range of Territory businesses which gained additional business from the conduct of this meeting and they included hotels, restaurants, hire cars, taxis, harbour cruise operator, coaches, minibus suppliers, caterers, food suppliers, security guards, construction companies, building product suppliers, gift and indigenous art suppliers, equipment and furniture hire firms, furniture removalists, floral and decorative art suppliers and more; the list goes on. Territory companies.
Where does the honourable Leader of the Opposition think this money was spent? It was spent in the Territory for the benefit of Territory businesses and Territory jobs while guaranteeing a future for Territory and future job growth. Darwin’s capacity, Darwin’s capability, we often talk about it, but the successful conduct of this meeting has, I believe, dispelled any doubts about our ability to stage international meetings of this magnitude and to do so professionally and successfully. Now the opposition would say Darwin does not have the capacity to do these things. They would cringe and hide because they do not have enough sense to have pride in the ability of Territorians. That is why they are knocking this - because of the way they feel about their capacity and the capacity of Territorians. Well, I have news for them. The Territory can stand toe to toe with anyone in the world and come out in front. We have achieved that by showing the capacity of Darwin to the rest of the trading world and that has to have great benefits for our future.
The chairman, the federal minister, Mark Vaile, commented on the warm and welcoming atmosphere in Darwin which allowed trade ministers to focus their energies on the task before them. He had just recently come from Seattle where it was a disaster. The World Trade meeting was disaster and those who attended and came here said Darwin’s capacity to provide a venue, provide atmosphere and security was outstanding. It enabled those delegates to focus on what they were doing and to achieve in a way that trade ministers have not achieved before. The eyes of many of those delegates from overseas and elsewhere in Australia have been opened to Darwin’s role as an international city and gateway to Asia and our ability to successfully host such a significant meeting.
The cost – well, the full details obviously of the cost to the Territory are not yet available but I hope to be able to report more fully on those in the detailed statement I will be making on Thursday. However, let’s run through some preliminary estimates. The al fresco function was probably about $70 000; $20 000 sponsorship from Macquarie Bank; liaison and support about $30 000; to transport the furniture probably another $30 000; the cost of security which was provided by Chubb was substantially a Commonwealth responsibility although the NT Police did provide additional security as part of their normal operational duties.
Now there is a contribution that has been promised by the Commonwealth plus reimbursement of other expenses outlaid on the Commonwealth’s behalf and those details are presently being put together. But you can remember that I said that the cost of this conference to the Territory, the only additional cost, would be provision of a venue which enabled that conference to be held here. Other costs were those that have to be borne by the Commonwealth and my colleague, the minister for transport and works, quite clearly laid out those capital costs.
The practical benefits arising from our role, just as a summary, are the standing and recognition for the Territory in APEC economies where the meeting outcomes and the manner in which it was all conducted will be reported; the direct and indirect business generated for the Northern Territory private sector; the immediate and longer term outcomes of the bilateral discussions; the enhanced knowledge and experience with Territory tourism services and attractions; the demonstration of the Territory’s capacity and its effectiveness in achieving international standard results; a wide range of skills and experiences were developed in the teams involved; and of course the residual building and other assets. That building will be a great asset to the Territory, as long as that particular thing is required, and we also have a revitalised Bennett Park that will remain a community asset.
For the cost of less than a half page advert in the Tokyo newspaper we achieved this, and we still have an asset which all Territorians will not only be proud of, but which they will be able to utilise in the future. It puts a lie to Labor’s claim of continually looking ahead for the future, because obviously their attitude to the APEC conference is typical of their attitude to the Territory in general. They have no faith in the future.
You have already revealed that the Chan Building was done up at a cost of $1.4m to host this conference. What else was spent by this government in putting on the conference? Why are Territorians footing most of the bill for this international conference rather than the Commonwealth and why aren’t your Canberra mates paying the bills rather than diverting resources from the real needs of Territorians?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I did not think that the opposition would be stupid enough to, I suppose, rub their face in the mud they created the last sittings.
Let’s have a look at the environment of this APEC Conference. We have a $1.2bn railway project coming up over the next couple of years. $1.2bn of bringing a link between Asia and Adelaide. We have $200m in stage 1 and stage 2 of our port development to complement that railway and to also add to that link between Asian and the rest of Australia. That is the environment we are talking about. We are talking about an activity which is really working very hard to link the Territory positively to South-East Asia and the Asia-Pacific. Within that environment, and in an environment where a half-page newspaper ad in Tokyo will cost you a $1m - one ad of half a page in a Tokyo newspaper - we had the opportunity of getting 21 of the Trade Ministers of the APEC nations, the nations of Asia and the Pacific, to come to the Northern Territory to experience the Northern Territory; to visually see what was happening in the Territory; to become aware of the activities of the Territory and the capabilities of the Territory for a cost of just over $1m. No, sorry, I wash my mouth out because, as the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Development quite ably pointed out, of the $1.4m to bring the Chan Building up to the standard required for these kinds of meetings, $1.1m of that was recyclable. In other words, it was going to be able to go to ...
A member interjecting.
Mr MANZIE: I hear a little cry from the opposition. Obviously they do not wish the community to have the facts put before them. But I will just go over that. Of the $1.4m, $1.1m is recyclable, so therefore, for an outlay of $300 000 plus a few other costs which I will get into, the Territory has been able to bring and highlight to trade ministers, the ministers responsible for trade throughout the APEC area, for less than a third of the price of one half page newspaper ad in the Tokyo newspaper.
Now I think not only is it pretty good value but the circumstances of the Territory at the moment with the CLP government’s vision as to where we are going, where we have to go and the importance of engaging all those trading nations to our north to complement and to make sure that the railway port works, it would be irresponsible of us if we had not taken steps to get that APEC conference here. This government will continue at all times to do all kinds of activity to create jobs and to create a future for Territorians. Compare that to the opposition who mealy-mouth and try to get some political capital out of the expenditure of money to achieve the future of our Territory. It just shows the contrast between the CLP and the ALP. They live in the past, they have no vision for the Territory and if they were in power there would be no APEC Conference, there would be no railway, there would be no future. That is why voters continually re-elect the CLP government because we do have a vision for the future. Occasionally we might make some mistakes trying to achieve that vision but we are trying to achieve and we succeed, year after year. That is why we have the lowest unemployment rate in the country and that is why we have one of the highest growth rates in the country. We create jobs, we see a vision and we strive for it, contrary to these people.
Let’s just have a look, briefly, at what that APEC Conference did achieve. I am going to be presenting a ministerial statement to this House in this sittings which will enable the opposition to get up and bag all these things and say: ‘We would like to go back to the stone age and we do not want anything to happen. We do not want any jobs created.’ They can have all the opportunities they like to go into detail about how they would not allow the Territory to grow, how they do not have any vision for the future.
But, just a few facts and the meeting outcomes. The outcomes, even though the Territory does not attend any of the working sessions because it is for the nations involved, the outcomes are relevant to the Territory and our focus on developing international trade, attracting investment and strengthening our regional relationships.
Honourable members would already have seen the statement of the Chair, which was released at a press conference in the Main Hall, and I am certain that this statement will be referred to in future as the Darwin Statement. What happened? We had bilateral discussions. One of the key benefits of hosting a meeting in Darwin is the opportunity to conduct formal and informal bilateral discussions with visiting ministers and delegation heads. Last week, I formally met with a number of visiting ministers and delegation heads, and I also informally met with a number. I know the Chief Minister met with a number, and I know a number of my ministerial colleagues met both formally and informally. I met with the heads of the delegations from Russia, from the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand. I hosted a group of international media which deal with trade. I also had meetings with the Malaysian, USA, and Bruneian groups - all people who have a part in our future if we have a vision.
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker! As riveting as this information is, the minister did say he would go to the other costs involved, and has failed to do so, so far, which is the question.
Mr SPEAKER: Well, I am assuming that the minister will get around to those costs.
Mr MANZIE: Yes, Mr Speaker, but I am just trying to ensure that we set the contexts of these costs. That we show this government has vision for the future and we show that the ALP not only has no vision, but they wish to constrict the future opportunities of Territorians by mealy-mouthed penny pinching within an area which requires very active work by the government.
The Leader of the Opposition asked the question and obviously she does not like the answer. It is typical of them. They do not think far enough ahead to see just how stupid they look when they ask some of these questions.
Ms Martin: You have not answered it, Daryl.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr MANZIE: I will continue. Our aim was to maximise Territory business, not only the Territory business reputation but also input into the preparations in the meeting arrangements and I am very pleased to report that that was also achieved.
There are a wide range of Territory businesses which gained additional business from the conduct of this meeting and they included hotels, restaurants, hire cars, taxis, harbour cruise operator, coaches, minibus suppliers, caterers, food suppliers, security guards, construction companies, building product suppliers, gift and indigenous art suppliers, equipment and furniture hire firms, furniture removalists, floral and decorative art suppliers and more; the list goes on. Territory companies.
Where does the honourable Leader of the Opposition think this money was spent? It was spent in the Territory for the benefit of Territory businesses and Territory jobs while guaranteeing a future for Territory and future job growth. Darwin’s capacity, Darwin’s capability, we often talk about it, but the successful conduct of this meeting has, I believe, dispelled any doubts about our ability to stage international meetings of this magnitude and to do so professionally and successfully. Now the opposition would say Darwin does not have the capacity to do these things. They would cringe and hide because they do not have enough sense to have pride in the ability of Territorians. That is why they are knocking this - because of the way they feel about their capacity and the capacity of Territorians. Well, I have news for them. The Territory can stand toe to toe with anyone in the world and come out in front. We have achieved that by showing the capacity of Darwin to the rest of the trading world and that has to have great benefits for our future.
The chairman, the federal minister, Mark Vaile, commented on the warm and welcoming atmosphere in Darwin which allowed trade ministers to focus their energies on the task before them. He had just recently come from Seattle where it was a disaster. The World Trade meeting was disaster and those who attended and came here said Darwin’s capacity to provide a venue, provide atmosphere and security was outstanding. It enabled those delegates to focus on what they were doing and to achieve in a way that trade ministers have not achieved before. The eyes of many of those delegates from overseas and elsewhere in Australia have been opened to Darwin’s role as an international city and gateway to Asia and our ability to successfully host such a significant meeting.
The cost – well, the full details obviously of the cost to the Territory are not yet available but I hope to be able to report more fully on those in the detailed statement I will be making on Thursday. However, let’s run through some preliminary estimates. The al fresco function was probably about $70 000; $20 000 sponsorship from Macquarie Bank; liaison and support about $30 000; to transport the furniture probably another $30 000; the cost of security which was provided by Chubb was substantially a Commonwealth responsibility although the NT Police did provide additional security as part of their normal operational duties.
Now there is a contribution that has been promised by the Commonwealth plus reimbursement of other expenses outlaid on the Commonwealth’s behalf and those details are presently being put together. But you can remember that I said that the cost of this conference to the Territory, the only additional cost, would be provision of a venue which enabled that conference to be held here. Other costs were those that have to be borne by the Commonwealth and my colleague, the minister for transport and works, quite clearly laid out those capital costs.
The practical benefits arising from our role, just as a summary, are the standing and recognition for the Territory in APEC economies where the meeting outcomes and the manner in which it was all conducted will be reported; the direct and indirect business generated for the Northern Territory private sector; the immediate and longer term outcomes of the bilateral discussions; the enhanced knowledge and experience with Territory tourism services and attractions; the demonstration of the Territory’s capacity and its effectiveness in achieving international standard results; a wide range of skills and experiences were developed in the teams involved; and of course the residual building and other assets. That building will be a great asset to the Territory, as long as that particular thing is required, and we also have a revitalised Bennett Park that will remain a community asset.
For the cost of less than a half page advert in the Tokyo newspaper we achieved this, and we still have an asset which all Territorians will not only be proud of, but which they will be able to utilise in the future. It puts a lie to Labor’s claim of continually looking ahead for the future, because obviously their attitude to the APEC conference is typical of their attitude to the Territory in general. They have no faith in the future.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016