Mr ELFERINK - 2001-06-26
The member for Stuart has once again come into this Chamber and demonstrated his passion for interfering in local government issues without any care for the propriety of his actions. Nevertheless, the member for Stuart did make some comments in the last sittings - or I should say, tried to pursue an issue in the last sittings - about the Pungalindum Bore 240km north-west of Alice Springs.
Dr Toyne interjecting.
Mr ELFERINK: I pick up the interjection from the member for Stuart.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ELFERINK: Although I understand that the outstations are the responsibility of ATSIC, I would like to know what the minister has done and can he advise honourable members of what steps have been taken?
ANSWER
It is a good question, Mr Speaker. I often hear from this particular member because like the member for Stuart, he too has remote constituents. I know the member for Macdonnell, if there are issues relating to power and water in his area, is very quick to get on the phone - usually when he is out bush he raises the matter and it comes straight to my office while he is on site. Contrast, sharply with the member for Stuart.
At the end of last sittings - and members will note that the member for Stuart and I sit a mere matter of meters away from each other - I received through the mail on 7 June a letter from Dr Toyne the member for Stuart, talking about a terrible occurrence of water being out at a place called Pungalindum. This letter was dated 25 May. So it took two weeks to get to me for starters.
We received the letter and it said this is terrible, the school has been without water, teachers have to cart water, children can’t drink, toilets can’t be flushed, 60 people, serious health risk. I thought this was pretty important and certainly not a matter that I would have left for six months. The allegation of the member for Stuart - and he made it again in the media - was that this community had been out of water for six months. So here is the local member, writing to the Power and Water minister, saying: ‘Look, there has been no water in this particular community for six months. Do you reckon you could have a look at it?’
There are a few issues concerning water supply in the Northern Territory that he should be well aware, or I would I expect him to be well aware, of. There are different instrumentalities that look after water in different places. That is particularly so at Pungalindum where it is an ATSIC-funded water supply with the contractor being the Utopia Council. So we have a situation where I assume when he knocks on the door of the Utopia Council he is not just hearing a complaint about a water problem but he is also hearing from the potential contractor to fix it. One would have assumed that that would have been going through his brain at the time.
Fortunately we have some very competent staff in the Chief Minister’s office in Alice Springs and I did make a call to that office ...
Member interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: ... and I spoke to a bloke called Kenny Lechleitner. Incidentally, Kenny Lechleitner is also putting his hand up to be the future member for Stuart and I think he has demonstrated ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr DUNHAM: ...he was on site at Pungalindum and he is looking at this water problem which was reputed to be ...
Members interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: ... He had quotes, he was going to give donations to the contractor and ...
Members interjecting.
MrDUNHAM: ... it’s interesting that ...
Members interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: ... they decided to have a look.
They visited the school. They had been there only a couple of months earlier and this had not been brought up as an issue, so the six months is a little bit dubious in any event. The Power and Water Authority would also disagree that in fact the water has been off for that amount of time. But it doesn’t matter, he is gilding the lily with little bit of exaggeration there. So he has known for six months. That is his allegation.
They visited the school and found that some of the taps at the school did not work, so they turned the water on and found that there was a problem with the pump, there was a problem with the shaft down the hole. However, it is a pretty simple matter of the water reticulation allowing the water to actually filter through the pipe and get to the school.
Now this was emotionally brought out, it was a story that ran on AAP, it was run on the morning program on ABC and it was put to me that I should just get to it and fix it.
Another interesting footnote to this is that while the member for Stuart was rabbiting on on the ABC, a program that does run throughout the Territory, I got a call from the contractor who put the bore in. He said, ‘Look, there should be nothing wrong with this bore, it is under warranty. We have not heard from the people - the council is responsible for its maintenance and we have not heard from them. By the way, when they ring, I hope they come and pick up the tank as it is still in the yard. They have paid for it but the new tank is still sitting out in the yard’.
So there is a problem here with the contractor, which is the Council and complainant, and there is definitely a problem with the local member. I cannot believe that anyone in this parliament would get a report of water being off in one of their communities, a community of up to 60 people, for six months, and then draft a letter and take two weeks to send it.
Most of us would appreciate that water is actually an essential service. I would also be dumbfounded to believe that this person could be talking to not only the complainant, but the rectifier of the problem, and not put those two issues together. From my end, I would hope that Kenny Lechleitner is very successful in the next campaign. His very ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr DUNHAM: ... I would hope that his very frank assessment of problems and his capacity to fix it; and his ability to get to talk to the people really quick, would mark him as a man who not only listens to the people, but gets out there and fixes the problem. This is unlike the current incumbent who whinges, sniffles, whines, sits on his hands for six months over a problem like this, and then calls on the government to rectify a problem which is not of our making.
Dr Toyne interjecting.
Mr ELFERINK: I pick up the interjection from the member for Stuart.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ELFERINK: Although I understand that the outstations are the responsibility of ATSIC, I would like to know what the minister has done and can he advise honourable members of what steps have been taken?
ANSWER
It is a good question, Mr Speaker. I often hear from this particular member because like the member for Stuart, he too has remote constituents. I know the member for Macdonnell, if there are issues relating to power and water in his area, is very quick to get on the phone - usually when he is out bush he raises the matter and it comes straight to my office while he is on site. Contrast, sharply with the member for Stuart.
At the end of last sittings - and members will note that the member for Stuart and I sit a mere matter of meters away from each other - I received through the mail on 7 June a letter from Dr Toyne the member for Stuart, talking about a terrible occurrence of water being out at a place called Pungalindum. This letter was dated 25 May. So it took two weeks to get to me for starters.
We received the letter and it said this is terrible, the school has been without water, teachers have to cart water, children can’t drink, toilets can’t be flushed, 60 people, serious health risk. I thought this was pretty important and certainly not a matter that I would have left for six months. The allegation of the member for Stuart - and he made it again in the media - was that this community had been out of water for six months. So here is the local member, writing to the Power and Water minister, saying: ‘Look, there has been no water in this particular community for six months. Do you reckon you could have a look at it?’
There are a few issues concerning water supply in the Northern Territory that he should be well aware, or I would I expect him to be well aware, of. There are different instrumentalities that look after water in different places. That is particularly so at Pungalindum where it is an ATSIC-funded water supply with the contractor being the Utopia Council. So we have a situation where I assume when he knocks on the door of the Utopia Council he is not just hearing a complaint about a water problem but he is also hearing from the potential contractor to fix it. One would have assumed that that would have been going through his brain at the time.
Fortunately we have some very competent staff in the Chief Minister’s office in Alice Springs and I did make a call to that office ...
Member interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: ... and I spoke to a bloke called Kenny Lechleitner. Incidentally, Kenny Lechleitner is also putting his hand up to be the future member for Stuart and I think he has demonstrated ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr DUNHAM: ...he was on site at Pungalindum and he is looking at this water problem which was reputed to be ...
Members interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: ... He had quotes, he was going to give donations to the contractor and ...
Members interjecting.
MrDUNHAM: ... it’s interesting that ...
Members interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: ... they decided to have a look.
They visited the school. They had been there only a couple of months earlier and this had not been brought up as an issue, so the six months is a little bit dubious in any event. The Power and Water Authority would also disagree that in fact the water has been off for that amount of time. But it doesn’t matter, he is gilding the lily with little bit of exaggeration there. So he has known for six months. That is his allegation.
They visited the school and found that some of the taps at the school did not work, so they turned the water on and found that there was a problem with the pump, there was a problem with the shaft down the hole. However, it is a pretty simple matter of the water reticulation allowing the water to actually filter through the pipe and get to the school.
Now this was emotionally brought out, it was a story that ran on AAP, it was run on the morning program on ABC and it was put to me that I should just get to it and fix it.
Another interesting footnote to this is that while the member for Stuart was rabbiting on on the ABC, a program that does run throughout the Territory, I got a call from the contractor who put the bore in. He said, ‘Look, there should be nothing wrong with this bore, it is under warranty. We have not heard from the people - the council is responsible for its maintenance and we have not heard from them. By the way, when they ring, I hope they come and pick up the tank as it is still in the yard. They have paid for it but the new tank is still sitting out in the yard’.
So there is a problem here with the contractor, which is the Council and complainant, and there is definitely a problem with the local member. I cannot believe that anyone in this parliament would get a report of water being off in one of their communities, a community of up to 60 people, for six months, and then draft a letter and take two weeks to send it.
Most of us would appreciate that water is actually an essential service. I would also be dumbfounded to believe that this person could be talking to not only the complainant, but the rectifier of the problem, and not put those two issues together. From my end, I would hope that Kenny Lechleitner is very successful in the next campaign. His very ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr DUNHAM: ... I would hope that his very frank assessment of problems and his capacity to fix it; and his ability to get to talk to the people really quick, would mark him as a man who not only listens to the people, but gets out there and fixes the problem. This is unlike the current incumbent who whinges, sniffles, whines, sits on his hands for six months over a problem like this, and then calls on the government to rectify a problem which is not of our making.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016