Mr LUGG - 1998-04-23
Recently, the member for Fannie Bay raised concerns about an alleged major fuel spill at Royal Darwin Hospital. Are more details of the alleged spill available?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the member for Fannie Bay set out on her political career in a most mendacious manner, and she has maintained that manner ever since. She consistently distorts the truth and overdramatises situations, all with the intent of misleading Territorians and perhaps obtaining some political advantage.
On 16 March this year, the member for Fannie Bay issued a press release which screamed:
Darwin Hospital Fuel Spill Must Be Explained
Territory Labor's environment spokesperson, Clare Martin, is calling on the Country Liberal Party to explain to the
people of Darwin the extent of a recent fuel spill. A major fuel leak occurred in the industrial area of the hospital
over the last month. Diesel was spilled, and much of it disappeared down the stormwater drain.
There are a number of questions either the health minister or the environment minister must answer. How much
fuel was spilled? Where did that fuel go? What is the environmental damage? How will it be fixed? Why was
the spill covered up?
The facts are that a fuel line, leading from a header tank that services the standby generators at Royal Darwin Hospital, had become contaminated with water. As members of this House with any sort of engineering or mechanical abilities would know, diesel floats on water. The easiest way to remove that water was to drain it, and that was what happened. They were draining a fuel line. They had a 20 L oil drum there. They drained the water out. A small amount of diesel was mixed with the water and somehow become spilt. They went immediately into action. As I said, it was a small amount of diesel mixed with less than 20 L of water. A greater quantity of fuel is spilled every day of the week when people overfill their lawnmowers.
Ms Martin: Rubbish!
Mr PALMER: These are the facts. This is what happened. A 20 L drum of water fell over at the loading bay.
Ms Martin: That is what this fellow said about Groote.
Mr PALMER: A 20 L drum of water, contaminated with some diesel, fell over ...
Ms Martin: Three million litres, and he said it was nothing.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for
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Fannie Bay.
Mr PALMER: ... at the loading bay at Royal Darwin Hospital, and dampened an area of some 30 m2. I admit now to a cover-up: they took a bag of dry cement and covered up the fuel! When the dry cement had soaked up whatever fuel was there, they scraped it up, put it in a drum and disposed of it properly.
As for a major fuel spill at Royal Darwin Hospital, flowing down stormwater drains and contaminating the environment - as I said, the member for Fannie Bay started her career in politics in a most mendacious way and she has maintained that line ever since. Territorians would be well advised to pay no heed to any press release that she issues in the future in relation to the environment or environmental damage.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Fannie Bay, your interjections have been too frequent this morning. I am giving you a warning.
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ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the member for Fannie Bay set out on her political career in a most mendacious manner, and she has maintained that manner ever since. She consistently distorts the truth and overdramatises situations, all with the intent of misleading Territorians and perhaps obtaining some political advantage.
On 16 March this year, the member for Fannie Bay issued a press release which screamed:
Darwin Hospital Fuel Spill Must Be Explained
Territory Labor's environment spokesperson, Clare Martin, is calling on the Country Liberal Party to explain to the
people of Darwin the extent of a recent fuel spill. A major fuel leak occurred in the industrial area of the hospital
over the last month. Diesel was spilled, and much of it disappeared down the stormwater drain.
There are a number of questions either the health minister or the environment minister must answer. How much
fuel was spilled? Where did that fuel go? What is the environmental damage? How will it be fixed? Why was
the spill covered up?
The facts are that a fuel line, leading from a header tank that services the standby generators at Royal Darwin Hospital, had become contaminated with water. As members of this House with any sort of engineering or mechanical abilities would know, diesel floats on water. The easiest way to remove that water was to drain it, and that was what happened. They were draining a fuel line. They had a 20 L oil drum there. They drained the water out. A small amount of diesel was mixed with the water and somehow become spilt. They went immediately into action. As I said, it was a small amount of diesel mixed with less than 20 L of water. A greater quantity of fuel is spilled every day of the week when people overfill their lawnmowers.
Ms Martin: Rubbish!
Mr PALMER: These are the facts. This is what happened. A 20 L drum of water fell over at the loading bay.
Ms Martin: That is what this fellow said about Groote.
Mr PALMER: A 20 L drum of water, contaminated with some diesel, fell over ...
Ms Martin: Three million litres, and he said it was nothing.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for
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Fannie Bay.
Mr PALMER: ... at the loading bay at Royal Darwin Hospital, and dampened an area of some 30 m2. I admit now to a cover-up: they took a bag of dry cement and covered up the fuel! When the dry cement had soaked up whatever fuel was there, they scraped it up, put it in a drum and disposed of it properly.
As for a major fuel spill at Royal Darwin Hospital, flowing down stormwater drains and contaminating the environment - as I said, the member for Fannie Bay started her career in politics in a most mendacious way and she has maintained that line ever since. Territorians would be well advised to pay no heed to any press release that she issues in the future in relation to the environment or environmental damage.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Fannie Bay, your interjections have been too frequent this morning. I am giving you a warning.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016