Dr TOYNE - 2001-05-29
When Katherine was flooded in 1998, affected residents were appropriately provided with around $1000 per household in relief payments. On 27 February, your government pledged up to $817 per household in flood relief payments to the residents of Kalkarindji and Pigeon Hole on the basis that they had suffered similar losses in the Victoria River floods.
Chief Minister, your government broke its promise leaving the Daguragu Community Government Council to foot a bill of $28 000, and the people of Pigeon Hole with nothing. Your government, like your federal colleagues, is mean, tricky and out of touch. Your government’s promise to the people of the Victoria River District was just another CLP fairytale, wasn’t it?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, those listening must be appalled by the lack of originality in the comments that both the member for Wanguri and the member for Stuart just made. I am sure Territorians would hope they could phrase a question better than that.
With regards to the flood relief funding, we don’t break promises - we always deliver. Charged with the responsibility for these floods and the previous floods has been the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services, who I take the opportunity to say does an absolutely superb job at every opportunity. He gets in there at the forefront, like a real leader should, and attends to issues in communities that are the responsibility of the member for Arnhem whom we never see until after the event - and then only to criticise. I will refer that question to the minister responsible.
Mr REED: I’m very pleased to have the opportunity to advise Territorians on how much the Territory government does assist. From the point of view of the assistance this government provided to Territorians who were affected by floods this year - and I remind Territorians that those affected range from Borroloola in the East ...
A member interjecting.
Mr REED: Stop mumbling and you might hear the answer and be better informed. From Borroloola in the east, 800 km west to those folk at Mistake Creek. Those people were forwarded assistance above and beyond the Natural Disaster Relief arrangements, and that was principally because Northern Territory government agencies worked very hard to assist everyone in that regard.
Community-based organisations such as Red Cross - their efforts were not respected by people like the member for Arnhem, which is a great shame.
I am reminded why the honourable members opposite have got the guilts in this regard. That is because last year when there were floods the member for Arnhem went to a social function in Alice Springs instead of going to Beswick to see how he could help his constituents in the time of a flood. And on this occasion this year the member for Victoria River and myself, together with the police commissioner, went to Daguragu and Kalkarindji at the time of the evacuation to ensure that people were being adequately cared for.
I am going to get to the point of ‘adequately cared for.’ I remind the member for Stuart that the people were evacuated by air free of charge. The evacuees were housed in Katherine, they were fed in Katherine, they were clothed in Katherine, and they were provided with recreational activities to keep them active. Schooling was provided free of charge and they were transported home by bus free of charge. Territorians would expect nothing less than that level of amenity and support would be provided to those people in the circumstances in which they found their homes and their community flooded. All of that amounted to much more than $800. In fact, they received much more than the NDRA might otherwise have allowed them.
I also remind the good member for Stuart that in providing people who lost refrigerators, furniture and other items in their houses because of the entry of floodwaters, those items were not only replaced but they were replaced on site. The government took up the responsibility, recognising that these people had limited resources. We decided that we would not only provide them with replacement new refrigerators, lounge suites, dining room suites and whatever else they might have lost, but we would provide the pantechnicons to transport that furniture and other items to those places so that they wouldn’t have to face that responsibility.
This was another cost burden on Territorians, which they would expect to bear to help people in those circumstances. It was another cost to assist the people to whom the honourable member for Stuart refers. All that time he never came forward once to say, ‘How can I help my constituents?’ Never once did he cross the Chamber to say, ‘How can I help my constituents?’
So I think that squares away what the government does to help people in circumstances where they find themselves flooded or in another natural disaster - be it that a Labor member might be visiting them!
Mr PALMER (Leader of Government Business): Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Question Paper.
Chief Minister, your government broke its promise leaving the Daguragu Community Government Council to foot a bill of $28 000, and the people of Pigeon Hole with nothing. Your government, like your federal colleagues, is mean, tricky and out of touch. Your government’s promise to the people of the Victoria River District was just another CLP fairytale, wasn’t it?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, those listening must be appalled by the lack of originality in the comments that both the member for Wanguri and the member for Stuart just made. I am sure Territorians would hope they could phrase a question better than that.
With regards to the flood relief funding, we don’t break promises - we always deliver. Charged with the responsibility for these floods and the previous floods has been the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services, who I take the opportunity to say does an absolutely superb job at every opportunity. He gets in there at the forefront, like a real leader should, and attends to issues in communities that are the responsibility of the member for Arnhem whom we never see until after the event - and then only to criticise. I will refer that question to the minister responsible.
Mr REED: I’m very pleased to have the opportunity to advise Territorians on how much the Territory government does assist. From the point of view of the assistance this government provided to Territorians who were affected by floods this year - and I remind Territorians that those affected range from Borroloola in the East ...
A member interjecting.
Mr REED: Stop mumbling and you might hear the answer and be better informed. From Borroloola in the east, 800 km west to those folk at Mistake Creek. Those people were forwarded assistance above and beyond the Natural Disaster Relief arrangements, and that was principally because Northern Territory government agencies worked very hard to assist everyone in that regard.
Community-based organisations such as Red Cross - their efforts were not respected by people like the member for Arnhem, which is a great shame.
I am reminded why the honourable members opposite have got the guilts in this regard. That is because last year when there were floods the member for Arnhem went to a social function in Alice Springs instead of going to Beswick to see how he could help his constituents in the time of a flood. And on this occasion this year the member for Victoria River and myself, together with the police commissioner, went to Daguragu and Kalkarindji at the time of the evacuation to ensure that people were being adequately cared for.
I am going to get to the point of ‘adequately cared for.’ I remind the member for Stuart that the people were evacuated by air free of charge. The evacuees were housed in Katherine, they were fed in Katherine, they were clothed in Katherine, and they were provided with recreational activities to keep them active. Schooling was provided free of charge and they were transported home by bus free of charge. Territorians would expect nothing less than that level of amenity and support would be provided to those people in the circumstances in which they found their homes and their community flooded. All of that amounted to much more than $800. In fact, they received much more than the NDRA might otherwise have allowed them.
I also remind the good member for Stuart that in providing people who lost refrigerators, furniture and other items in their houses because of the entry of floodwaters, those items were not only replaced but they were replaced on site. The government took up the responsibility, recognising that these people had limited resources. We decided that we would not only provide them with replacement new refrigerators, lounge suites, dining room suites and whatever else they might have lost, but we would provide the pantechnicons to transport that furniture and other items to those places so that they wouldn’t have to face that responsibility.
This was another cost burden on Territorians, which they would expect to bear to help people in those circumstances. It was another cost to assist the people to whom the honourable member for Stuart refers. All that time he never came forward once to say, ‘How can I help my constituents?’ Never once did he cross the Chamber to say, ‘How can I help my constituents?’
So I think that squares away what the government does to help people in circumstances where they find themselves flooded or in another natural disaster - be it that a Labor member might be visiting them!
Mr PALMER (Leader of Government Business): Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016