Ms MARTIN - 1999-02-25
Will the Treasurer tell Territorians who benefited from the Country Liberal Party blowing $950 000 of taxpayers’ money on the Northbrick loan? In his answer I ask the Treasurer to detail the role of Kingdom Pty Ltd, the company owned by Neville Walker, John Beech, Leo Venturin and Allen Scott, which acquired the brickworks in 1988.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I expected the Leader of the Opposition would be asking this question so I had a letter prepared that would provide her with some advice in relation to the principals involved in Northbrick Industries in 1982, when the company was established, and similarly for the company Harbour Prospecting Pty Ltd, one of the principals of which executed deeds guaranteeing the loan in May 1986, following the purchase of Northbrick Industries by Harbour Prospecting.
In relation to the other people the Leader of the Opposition has named in this House, quite unnecessarily ...
Mr Stirling: Your mates.
Mr REED: It is a matter of principle that you stand in this House. You are in this House protected, and you use this as a coward’s castle to name someone. Now just listen to the answer. You use this as a coward’s castle to name someone,
Members interjecting.
Ms Martin: Look who has talked about them on radio!
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: You’ve asked a question, why don’t you listen to the answer?
Ms Martin: Get it right!
Mr REED: I have got it right; you just do not have the manners to listen. You have to show how disgraceful your behaviour is even in front of a gallery full of children. You should be ashamed of yourselves. You are trying to set an example as a leading Territorian and you should be ashamed of yourself. You call yourself a community leader.
Mr SPEAKER: Would the Treasurer please resume his seat. I have, on a couple of occasions already this morning, asked members opposite to keep it down. I am asking you once again to keep the interjections short and sharp and don’t continue the monologue. I will get to my feet and name one of you if you keep this up.
Mr REED: I will provide that information to the Leader of the Opposition. I am not going to name the people here – although I have in the letter to the Leader of the Opposition. But I am not going to put them on the record because the Leader of the Opposition has raised this matter as a matter of illegality, as a matter of suspicion, as a matter of some contrivance having occurred in relation to this loan.
Even though one person has become bankrupt as a result of this process, and the Territory pursued that person to the end to try to recover the money, I don’t think anyone should be named in the context that the Leader of the Opposition has pursued this matter, and has made the sorts of allegations and innuendoes that she has. Out of respect to the Territory community and the people involved, I have provided the names to the Leader of the Opposition, and I send that across to her. I will not be tabling the letter, but the information includes the names of the principles involved in both companies ...
Ms Martin: If you go to the ASC you get all that information. What is wrong with you?
Mr REED: Well, why didn’t you go to the ASC?
Mr Burke: Why did you ask the question?
Ms Martin: Because we did not know the name of the company because you did not put it in this letter.
Mr REED: Mr Speaker, it is the Leader of the Opposition who is prepared to get up in this House, in coward’s castle, with the protection that this facility has over what members say, and she has chosen to name people who, if they were involved in this process, were connected with the final sale of the assets of this company after it became defunct. They were not in a position, as I understand it, for us to pursue them.The only person we could pursue ...
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr REED: There are hardworking public servants at the moment who are trying to assist business, who are trying to create jobs, who aretrying to get information together to get the 1999-2000 budget organised, and they have had to be sidetracked from positive means by which they can help the Territory, to work on this nonsense. If you want to keep distracting them with things that happened in 1982 and casting the sort of allegations that you have, can I remind you that there is only one member in this Chamber who has been to court for stealing government property, and he is sitting behind you! Don’t forget what has happened on your side if you want to bring out the nasties.
You want to present yourself and your colleagues as all clean and tidy and conveniently try to rewrite history. If you have any allegations against people, don’t go naming people in here just because you want to be vindictive.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: There is a strong business sector out there trying to grow the Territory and create jobs for Territorians and all the Leader of the Opposition can do is come and denigrate them, name them in this House and cast a shadow on them. She should be ashamed of herself.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I expected the Leader of the Opposition would be asking this question so I had a letter prepared that would provide her with some advice in relation to the principals involved in Northbrick Industries in 1982, when the company was established, and similarly for the company Harbour Prospecting Pty Ltd, one of the principals of which executed deeds guaranteeing the loan in May 1986, following the purchase of Northbrick Industries by Harbour Prospecting.
In relation to the other people the Leader of the Opposition has named in this House, quite unnecessarily ...
Mr Stirling: Your mates.
Mr REED: It is a matter of principle that you stand in this House. You are in this House protected, and you use this as a coward’s castle to name someone. Now just listen to the answer. You use this as a coward’s castle to name someone,
Members interjecting.
Ms Martin: Look who has talked about them on radio!
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: You’ve asked a question, why don’t you listen to the answer?
Ms Martin: Get it right!
Mr REED: I have got it right; you just do not have the manners to listen. You have to show how disgraceful your behaviour is even in front of a gallery full of children. You should be ashamed of yourselves. You are trying to set an example as a leading Territorian and you should be ashamed of yourself. You call yourself a community leader.
Mr SPEAKER: Would the Treasurer please resume his seat. I have, on a couple of occasions already this morning, asked members opposite to keep it down. I am asking you once again to keep the interjections short and sharp and don’t continue the monologue. I will get to my feet and name one of you if you keep this up.
Mr REED: I will provide that information to the Leader of the Opposition. I am not going to name the people here – although I have in the letter to the Leader of the Opposition. But I am not going to put them on the record because the Leader of the Opposition has raised this matter as a matter of illegality, as a matter of suspicion, as a matter of some contrivance having occurred in relation to this loan.
Even though one person has become bankrupt as a result of this process, and the Territory pursued that person to the end to try to recover the money, I don’t think anyone should be named in the context that the Leader of the Opposition has pursued this matter, and has made the sorts of allegations and innuendoes that she has. Out of respect to the Territory community and the people involved, I have provided the names to the Leader of the Opposition, and I send that across to her. I will not be tabling the letter, but the information includes the names of the principles involved in both companies ...
Ms Martin: If you go to the ASC you get all that information. What is wrong with you?
Mr REED: Well, why didn’t you go to the ASC?
Mr Burke: Why did you ask the question?
Ms Martin: Because we did not know the name of the company because you did not put it in this letter.
Mr REED: Mr Speaker, it is the Leader of the Opposition who is prepared to get up in this House, in coward’s castle, with the protection that this facility has over what members say, and she has chosen to name people who, if they were involved in this process, were connected with the final sale of the assets of this company after it became defunct. They were not in a position, as I understand it, for us to pursue them.The only person we could pursue ...
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr REED: There are hardworking public servants at the moment who are trying to assist business, who are trying to create jobs, who aretrying to get information together to get the 1999-2000 budget organised, and they have had to be sidetracked from positive means by which they can help the Territory, to work on this nonsense. If you want to keep distracting them with things that happened in 1982 and casting the sort of allegations that you have, can I remind you that there is only one member in this Chamber who has been to court for stealing government property, and he is sitting behind you! Don’t forget what has happened on your side if you want to bring out the nasties.
You want to present yourself and your colleagues as all clean and tidy and conveniently try to rewrite history. If you have any allegations against people, don’t go naming people in here just because you want to be vindictive.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: There is a strong business sector out there trying to grow the Territory and create jobs for Territorians and all the Leader of the Opposition can do is come and denigrate them, name them in this House and cast a shadow on them. She should be ashamed of herself.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016