Mr STIRLING - 2001-05-29
Territorians have confirmed again and again that we pay the highest prices for groceries in Australia. So, not surprisingly, there was great interest when the minister got front page headlines with his cheap food freight plan. But industry and independent commentators unanimously ridiculed the plan for what it was: a cheap pre-election stunt with no substance. I quote Alan Morris from the Winnellie Supermarket: ‘It is a little bit pie-in-the-sky at the moment. There are a whole lot of logistics that have to be looked at’. Brooke David from Australian Fuel Distributors said: ‘The rail and freight component won’t have any real impact on the price of goods. The road transport industry does it better than anyone now.’ And this one from Michael Carne, Institute of Public Affairs: ‘This is just pie-in-the-sky. It is simply not going to happen.’
Minister, I ask you: are they wrong? Is this just another chapter in the CLP fairytale where the story bears absolutely no resemblance to the truth?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, there is an old saying in the Northern Territory, ‘You go fishing for barramundi and catch blind mullets.’ In they come again. Indeed, I did say that this Northern Territory CLP government, which looks after the best interests of Territorians, indeed does have a plan for the reduction of supermarket prices in Darwin and the Territory in general.
It is difficult to explain in detail the construction of the space shuttle; it is easy on the other hand to stand back and say it is not going to work. We have embarked upon a very difficult long-term and detailed process in terms of utilising the assets and the infrastructure that this government is building for the railway and the port to ensure not only that Darwin becomes a pre-eminent export and import port in Australia, but that one of the collateral benefits of that will be a reduction in supermarket prices in Darwin to a level that is enjoyed in other parts of Australia, especially those capital cities currently enjoying price equalisation interstore such as in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide.
We embarked upon this process some time ago. I point to three documents at least: 1997, The Darwin Hub Implementation Plan; November 1996, Darwin 2010: The Multi-Modal Transport and Logistics Hub; and Foundations for our Future, the Northern Territory, to become the supply, service and distribution centre for the region.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is too much chatter. It is not interjection; it is chatter on the opposition benches.
Mr PALMER: Mr Speaker, the member for Barkly chatters that it is government by publication. In fact what it is, Mr Speaker, is government reporting its aims and ambitions and performance to the people of the Northern Territory through promulgation. We are responsible and accountable to the people of the Northern Territory.
We have now a railway, we have now the most modern port in Australia. We are going to build on those assets; we are going to use that infrastructure for the benefit of Territorians.
We are spending in excess of $300m, closer to $400m, on those assets. And, briefly, what we need to do is to be able to position Darwin as a distribution centre for Asia. I do talk at length with logistics companies, with transport companies, and with the executives of major supermarket chains in Asia. It is those major supermarket chains in Asia that tell us if we can position Darwin in terms of supplying those supermarkets, the savings on stockholding costs in buying a container of product - whatever it is - out of Sydney is 21 days. They have to order the product 28 days in advance from Sydney. If they get it out of store in Darwin in seven, the same price as Sydney in seven days, the stockholding costs come down commensurately. We are talking to the Unilevers of the world, we are talking to Philip Morris, we are talking to Colgate Palmolive, those big manufacturing companies ...
Dr Toyne: Have you talked to Tollner?
Mr PALMER: I beg your pardon?
Dr Toyne: Have you talked to Dave Tollner?
Mr PALMER: I have talked to Dave Tollner. I spoke to Alan Morris of Winnellie Supermarket yesterday. I spoke to the railway consortium last night.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr MITCHELL: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I totally agree with the question that was asked by the opposition, and I, like many other Territorians, would like to listen to the minister’s answer in quiet, please.
Mr SPEAKER: I have already asked for silence, and I expect a little more silence.
Mr PALMER: We are working assiduously towards this goal. But we have an aim; we have a goal. Unlike the rabble opposite, their only aim in life, their only goal in life, is to whinge, to whine, to carp, to knock. Territorians hear them knocking, but they can’t come in. They won’t be allowed in.
We will use those assets. We will use that infrastructure, that $300m or $400m investment ...
Ms Martin: In five years time.
Mr PALMER: In five years time, in 10 years time, in 20 years time. It will take time, we don’t deny it will take time, but we will do it.
The opposition leader has been caught lying in the past, she was caught lying last week.
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker!
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The minister can’t imply that the ...
Mr PALMER: No, I’m not referring to her as a liar ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! You are. That is an inference. You will withdraw.
Mr PALMER: Yes, Mr Speaker. The mendacious ...
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker!
Mr PALMER: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. The mendaciousness of the opposition leader is legendary. Just last week she gave the example of bananas from Darwin being sent to a store in Adelaide and sent back to Darwin. None of the banana growers know anything about it. None of those who supply direct to Woolworths and Coles know about it. The Horticultural Association doesn’t know a thing about it. Banana George doesn’t know anything. Top Bananas don’t know anything about it. She won’t even retract that. Yes, she’s true, it’s right, she’s dead spot-on! Not that anyone else knows anything about it. Except Clare and the ABC, yes.
As I said, we don’t deny it will be a long and arduous process. We have a lot of work to do. However, in the last few weeks my staff have been in Asia once again. We conducted more than 50 face-to-face interviews with importers, with distributors, with logisticians, with freight companies. We are working on the process to position Darwin.
As I said, my department of Transport and Works, the Logistics unit, has been in Asia. We are talking to these companies. We have people about to announce the construction of a very large cold store in Darwin; we have people looking at the construction of large store facilities in Darwin, taking advantage of the railway and the other logistics opportunities it presents. We are working at it and we will deliver unlike the opposition which has no idea, no plan and no hope.
Mr Stirling: Are mangoes a big part of this or a little part?
Mr PALMER: Mangoes have nothing to do with it.
Ms Martin: Nor live cattle?
Mr PALMER: Nor live cattle. Nor you. You are nothing to do with it. You are a mere nuisance.
I table for the benefit of honourable members the Asian Freight Logistics Study of May 2001 to add to the volumes of information this government has promulgated to Northern Territorians; to add to the general public knowledge of what we are about. The more people I speak to about this, the more people become enthused and encouraged about what this government is doing. The more the opposition open their mouth, the more people become enthused and encouraged about what this government is doing.
As I said, I table this for the benefit of members opposite and, indeed, Territorians so they can get a closer understanding of what we are doing and what we are about. This is a long-term process but it is a process that will bring lasting and real benefits to Territorians.
Minister, I ask you: are they wrong? Is this just another chapter in the CLP fairytale where the story bears absolutely no resemblance to the truth?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, there is an old saying in the Northern Territory, ‘You go fishing for barramundi and catch blind mullets.’ In they come again. Indeed, I did say that this Northern Territory CLP government, which looks after the best interests of Territorians, indeed does have a plan for the reduction of supermarket prices in Darwin and the Territory in general.
It is difficult to explain in detail the construction of the space shuttle; it is easy on the other hand to stand back and say it is not going to work. We have embarked upon a very difficult long-term and detailed process in terms of utilising the assets and the infrastructure that this government is building for the railway and the port to ensure not only that Darwin becomes a pre-eminent export and import port in Australia, but that one of the collateral benefits of that will be a reduction in supermarket prices in Darwin to a level that is enjoyed in other parts of Australia, especially those capital cities currently enjoying price equalisation interstore such as in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide.
We embarked upon this process some time ago. I point to three documents at least: 1997, The Darwin Hub Implementation Plan; November 1996, Darwin 2010: The Multi-Modal Transport and Logistics Hub; and Foundations for our Future, the Northern Territory, to become the supply, service and distribution centre for the region.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is too much chatter. It is not interjection; it is chatter on the opposition benches.
Mr PALMER: Mr Speaker, the member for Barkly chatters that it is government by publication. In fact what it is, Mr Speaker, is government reporting its aims and ambitions and performance to the people of the Northern Territory through promulgation. We are responsible and accountable to the people of the Northern Territory.
We have now a railway, we have now the most modern port in Australia. We are going to build on those assets; we are going to use that infrastructure for the benefit of Territorians.
We are spending in excess of $300m, closer to $400m, on those assets. And, briefly, what we need to do is to be able to position Darwin as a distribution centre for Asia. I do talk at length with logistics companies, with transport companies, and with the executives of major supermarket chains in Asia. It is those major supermarket chains in Asia that tell us if we can position Darwin in terms of supplying those supermarkets, the savings on stockholding costs in buying a container of product - whatever it is - out of Sydney is 21 days. They have to order the product 28 days in advance from Sydney. If they get it out of store in Darwin in seven, the same price as Sydney in seven days, the stockholding costs come down commensurately. We are talking to the Unilevers of the world, we are talking to Philip Morris, we are talking to Colgate Palmolive, those big manufacturing companies ...
Dr Toyne: Have you talked to Tollner?
Mr PALMER: I beg your pardon?
Dr Toyne: Have you talked to Dave Tollner?
Mr PALMER: I have talked to Dave Tollner. I spoke to Alan Morris of Winnellie Supermarket yesterday. I spoke to the railway consortium last night.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr MITCHELL: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I totally agree with the question that was asked by the opposition, and I, like many other Territorians, would like to listen to the minister’s answer in quiet, please.
Mr SPEAKER: I have already asked for silence, and I expect a little more silence.
Mr PALMER: We are working assiduously towards this goal. But we have an aim; we have a goal. Unlike the rabble opposite, their only aim in life, their only goal in life, is to whinge, to whine, to carp, to knock. Territorians hear them knocking, but they can’t come in. They won’t be allowed in.
We will use those assets. We will use that infrastructure, that $300m or $400m investment ...
Ms Martin: In five years time.
Mr PALMER: In five years time, in 10 years time, in 20 years time. It will take time, we don’t deny it will take time, but we will do it.
The opposition leader has been caught lying in the past, she was caught lying last week.
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker!
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The minister can’t imply that the ...
Mr PALMER: No, I’m not referring to her as a liar ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! You are. That is an inference. You will withdraw.
Mr PALMER: Yes, Mr Speaker. The mendacious ...
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker!
Mr PALMER: I withdraw, Mr Speaker. The mendaciousness of the opposition leader is legendary. Just last week she gave the example of bananas from Darwin being sent to a store in Adelaide and sent back to Darwin. None of the banana growers know anything about it. None of those who supply direct to Woolworths and Coles know about it. The Horticultural Association doesn’t know a thing about it. Banana George doesn’t know anything. Top Bananas don’t know anything about it. She won’t even retract that. Yes, she’s true, it’s right, she’s dead spot-on! Not that anyone else knows anything about it. Except Clare and the ABC, yes.
As I said, we don’t deny it will be a long and arduous process. We have a lot of work to do. However, in the last few weeks my staff have been in Asia once again. We conducted more than 50 face-to-face interviews with importers, with distributors, with logisticians, with freight companies. We are working on the process to position Darwin.
As I said, my department of Transport and Works, the Logistics unit, has been in Asia. We are talking to these companies. We have people about to announce the construction of a very large cold store in Darwin; we have people looking at the construction of large store facilities in Darwin, taking advantage of the railway and the other logistics opportunities it presents. We are working at it and we will deliver unlike the opposition which has no idea, no plan and no hope.
Mr Stirling: Are mangoes a big part of this or a little part?
Mr PALMER: Mangoes have nothing to do with it.
Ms Martin: Nor live cattle?
Mr PALMER: Nor live cattle. Nor you. You are nothing to do with it. You are a mere nuisance.
I table for the benefit of honourable members the Asian Freight Logistics Study of May 2001 to add to the volumes of information this government has promulgated to Northern Territorians; to add to the general public knowledge of what we are about. The more people I speak to about this, the more people become enthused and encouraged about what this government is doing. The more the opposition open their mouth, the more people become enthused and encouraged about what this government is doing.
As I said, I table this for the benefit of members opposite and, indeed, Territorians so they can get a closer understanding of what we are doing and what we are about. This is a long-term process but it is a process that will bring lasting and real benefits to Territorians.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016