Mr ELFERINK - 1999-11-24
In August, he announced that a number of government capital works projects in central Australia had been brought forward in response to a slowdown in construction work in the Alice Springs building industry. What is the status of those projects and the effect upon jobs in Alice Springs?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the honourable member for MacDonnell obviously spends a considerable amount of time in his electorate. He’s aware of some of the projects that the government is undertaking in regional parts and remote areas of the Northern Territory.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr REED: He obviously has more interest than the members opposite who find it appropriate to interject.
It was a program worth about $10m, the works that we did bring forward in central Australia
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Mr REED: You probably wouldn’t be much more familiar with what’s going on. Have you been around your electorate to see what is popping out of the ground there? If he had been, the honourable member opposite would be aware of works at the Larapinta Preschool. Extensions costing $310 000 to increase school capacity are under way. The Braitling Primary School is being extended to the tune of $500 000. Construction of housing at Mutitjulu. Health clinic at Willowra, $230 000. Nyirripi, construction of housing. Hermannsburg – have you been to Hermannsburg lately, member for Stuart? You might be aware that there’s housing under construction there, due for completion in March 2000. I don’t know if you have been up to Yuendumu lately, but you would be aware that there’s some accommodation under construction.
The Centre for Remote Health project, a joint venture between Flinders University in South Australia and the Menzies School of Health Research, is worth $2.2m. Harts Range is to get a new police station. The member for MacDonnell and I were at Kulgera last week to open the new police station there, following immediately on a visit to Yulara to open the new fire service complex - another $1m project.
The story continues right across the Northern Territory. I was in Mataranka last week with the member for Victoria River to open a new $1m facility for tourism infrastructure in Elsey National Park. That will be a great boon to tourism activity in the region. While I was in Mataranka, I happened to notice that there is a new health clinic coming out of the ground there. The steel framework is up and work is under way.
I don’t know if the member responsible for Maningrida has been there lately. He should be aware that there is a large housing program under way to house teachers at the Maningrida community.
And there are more. There is the Alice in 10 project that the Northern Territory government is strongly pursuing, to have a strategy in place to meet the needs of central Australia well into the future. We were able to announce last week that there were 6 responses to construct a convention centre in Alice Springs to grow the tourism industry. And there will be a new $1.3m visitor centre in Katherine.
Every player wins a prize - it doesn’t matter where you are. That is a hallmark of this government, even without getting into a $1200m project to build a railway. That is going to very much advantage development in the regional and remote parts of the Northern Territory.
The honourable member for Arnhem sits there with a stupid grin on his face. Because it takes you half a day to travel 400 km to get to the boundary of your electorate from your office in Casuarina, you would not be aware of what is happening out here in your electorate. There is an enormous amount of activity under way right across the regional and remote areas of the Northern Territory. I don’t know if the member for Arafura has been to Maningrida recently, but the housing that’s under construction there ...
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Mr REED: You can still go there if you leave Casuarina. Not only is it being constructed, but it is directly benefiting the community at Maningrida because the community has the building contract. So the Territory’s infrastructure program and our capital works program also provide employment and business opportunities for Aboriginal communities. It’s a wide-ranging program, deriving benefits to Territorians right across the Northern Territory. And we’re going to see those opportunities expand dramatically over the next 4 years with the construction of the railway.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the honourable member for MacDonnell obviously spends a considerable amount of time in his electorate. He’s aware of some of the projects that the government is undertaking in regional parts and remote areas of the Northern Territory.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr REED: He obviously has more interest than the members opposite who find it appropriate to interject.
It was a program worth about $10m, the works that we did bring forward in central Australia
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Mr REED: You probably wouldn’t be much more familiar with what’s going on. Have you been around your electorate to see what is popping out of the ground there? If he had been, the honourable member opposite would be aware of works at the Larapinta Preschool. Extensions costing $310 000 to increase school capacity are under way. The Braitling Primary School is being extended to the tune of $500 000. Construction of housing at Mutitjulu. Health clinic at Willowra, $230 000. Nyirripi, construction of housing. Hermannsburg – have you been to Hermannsburg lately, member for Stuart? You might be aware that there’s housing under construction there, due for completion in March 2000. I don’t know if you have been up to Yuendumu lately, but you would be aware that there’s some accommodation under construction.
The Centre for Remote Health project, a joint venture between Flinders University in South Australia and the Menzies School of Health Research, is worth $2.2m. Harts Range is to get a new police station. The member for MacDonnell and I were at Kulgera last week to open the new police station there, following immediately on a visit to Yulara to open the new fire service complex - another $1m project.
The story continues right across the Northern Territory. I was in Mataranka last week with the member for Victoria River to open a new $1m facility for tourism infrastructure in Elsey National Park. That will be a great boon to tourism activity in the region. While I was in Mataranka, I happened to notice that there is a new health clinic coming out of the ground there. The steel framework is up and work is under way.
I don’t know if the member responsible for Maningrida has been there lately. He should be aware that there is a large housing program under way to house teachers at the Maningrida community.
And there are more. There is the Alice in 10 project that the Northern Territory government is strongly pursuing, to have a strategy in place to meet the needs of central Australia well into the future. We were able to announce last week that there were 6 responses to construct a convention centre in Alice Springs to grow the tourism industry. And there will be a new $1.3m visitor centre in Katherine.
Every player wins a prize - it doesn’t matter where you are. That is a hallmark of this government, even without getting into a $1200m project to build a railway. That is going to very much advantage development in the regional and remote parts of the Northern Territory.
The honourable member for Arnhem sits there with a stupid grin on his face. Because it takes you half a day to travel 400 km to get to the boundary of your electorate from your office in Casuarina, you would not be aware of what is happening out here in your electorate. There is an enormous amount of activity under way right across the regional and remote areas of the Northern Territory. I don’t know if the member for Arafura has been to Maningrida recently, but the housing that’s under construction there ...
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Mr REED: You can still go there if you leave Casuarina. Not only is it being constructed, but it is directly benefiting the community at Maningrida because the community has the building contract. So the Territory’s infrastructure program and our capital works program also provide employment and business opportunities for Aboriginal communities. It’s a wide-ranging program, deriving benefits to Territorians right across the Northern Territory. And we’re going to see those opportunities expand dramatically over the next 4 years with the construction of the railway.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016