Mrs HICKEY - 1998-10-15
The Women’s Advisory Council, the police, domestic violence workers and the health department have all confirmed the need for a refuge for victims of domestic violence in the Palmerston area. A promise was made many months ago by the Country Liberal Party administration to build a shelter. Recently, the Chief Minister has confirmed that a family shelter will be built. Can the Chief Minister advise whether a family shelter is the model that has been identified as the most appropriate in Palmerston, is this the model preferred by refuge workers, the health department and the police, and from what source of funding will the money be drawn for that shelter?
Mr Burke: You should be on your feet complimenting us for doing it.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I will pick up the interjection from the member for Brennan, who says, ‘You should be on your feet complimenting us for doing it.’
Mrs Hickey: You can do that.
Mr STONE: Isn’t it typical, Madam Speaker, that most remarkable feature of the opposition is that they knock everything.
Mr Ah Kit: No, no.
Mr STONE: Yes, yes. They knock absolutely everything.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: Madam Speaker, the leader of the opposition rose to her feet and said that these different agencies had confirmed that a family refuge was to be built in Palmerston. What is so remarkable about that? I have already announced it. She did not have to go and ask them whether they could confirm that it was going to happen.
Can I say also that the notion of the family refuge has the support of the Northern Territory Police Force, as it has the support of the YWCA who developed the model we are going to adopt and it has the support of the Women’s Advisory Council. I accept that there will be a difference of opinion about whether or not you should have a family refuge or whether it should be solely dedicated to women who are the victims of domestic violence, but can I make this point so Territorians understand exactly why we moved down this path for a family refuge. It is because, when a woman presents at these refuges and there are male children, depending on the ages of those male children, and I put that qualification in, there are times when those male children are turned away ...
Mrs Hickey: That happens very seldom.
Mr STONE: The fact that it happens even once is not good enough. It is a dreadful thing for a 13 or 14 year old boy to be told he is out on the street. That is what this is all about. It is about trying to pick up the pieces, as much for the kids as it is for the mother, and for the Leader of the Opposition to attach her wagon to this nonsense whereby little boys can be turned away and told to fend for themselves is reprehensible.
Government responded to the need to deal with street kids. A number of these street kids are on the street because they cannot go to the refuge with mum and their sisters. That is the bottom line in all of this. We are no less committed...
Mr Stirling: interjecting.
Mr STONE: I will pick up the interjection from the member for Nhulunbuy. I will tell him now, I have shown more interest in your refuge in Nhulunbuy than you ever have. It was me who went there and sorted through the problems that you seemed incapable of coming to talk to me about.
Madam Speaker, that is the point in all of this. I have never had a question from any members opposite of a substantive nature on domestic violence. I have never had a single representation of a substantive nature from members sitting opposite. The running on domestic violence has been left entirely to the government.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: Territorians have a choice. If they want dedicated refuges, they still have access to those refuges. If they want the family refuge, to take the family with them, they are going to have that choice.
Mrs Hickey: What source of funding are you using?
Mr STONE: From the government, where else?
Mrs Hickey: Which government?
Mr STONE: This government.
Mrs Hickey: And which source of …
Mr STONE: Go and read the budget papers.
Mr Burke: You should be on your feet complimenting us for doing it.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I will pick up the interjection from the member for Brennan, who says, ‘You should be on your feet complimenting us for doing it.’
Mrs Hickey: You can do that.
Mr STONE: Isn’t it typical, Madam Speaker, that most remarkable feature of the opposition is that they knock everything.
Mr Ah Kit: No, no.
Mr STONE: Yes, yes. They knock absolutely everything.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: Madam Speaker, the leader of the opposition rose to her feet and said that these different agencies had confirmed that a family refuge was to be built in Palmerston. What is so remarkable about that? I have already announced it. She did not have to go and ask them whether they could confirm that it was going to happen.
Can I say also that the notion of the family refuge has the support of the Northern Territory Police Force, as it has the support of the YWCA who developed the model we are going to adopt and it has the support of the Women’s Advisory Council. I accept that there will be a difference of opinion about whether or not you should have a family refuge or whether it should be solely dedicated to women who are the victims of domestic violence, but can I make this point so Territorians understand exactly why we moved down this path for a family refuge. It is because, when a woman presents at these refuges and there are male children, depending on the ages of those male children, and I put that qualification in, there are times when those male children are turned away ...
Mrs Hickey: That happens very seldom.
Mr STONE: The fact that it happens even once is not good enough. It is a dreadful thing for a 13 or 14 year old boy to be told he is out on the street. That is what this is all about. It is about trying to pick up the pieces, as much for the kids as it is for the mother, and for the Leader of the Opposition to attach her wagon to this nonsense whereby little boys can be turned away and told to fend for themselves is reprehensible.
Government responded to the need to deal with street kids. A number of these street kids are on the street because they cannot go to the refuge with mum and their sisters. That is the bottom line in all of this. We are no less committed...
Mr Stirling: interjecting.
Mr STONE: I will pick up the interjection from the member for Nhulunbuy. I will tell him now, I have shown more interest in your refuge in Nhulunbuy than you ever have. It was me who went there and sorted through the problems that you seemed incapable of coming to talk to me about.
Madam Speaker, that is the point in all of this. I have never had a question from any members opposite of a substantive nature on domestic violence. I have never had a single representation of a substantive nature from members sitting opposite. The running on domestic violence has been left entirely to the government.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: Territorians have a choice. If they want dedicated refuges, they still have access to those refuges. If they want the family refuge, to take the family with them, they are going to have that choice.
Mrs Hickey: What source of funding are you using?
Mr STONE: From the government, where else?
Mrs Hickey: Which government?
Mr STONE: This government.
Mrs Hickey: And which source of …
Mr STONE: Go and read the budget papers.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016