Mr BAILEY - 1998-04-21
The Statehood Convention, orchestrated by him, passed a resolution directing the government to conduct a 3-question referendum on statehood. Madam Speaker, I seek leave to table a copy of that resolution.
Leave granted.
Mr BAILEY: The resolution requires that the people of the Northern Territory be given the opportunity to cast a vote in a 3-question referendum which addresses whether the Northern Territory should become a state, what the name of the new state should be, and whether the proposed constitution is acceptable. Will the Chief Minister give an unconditional guarantee that this 3-question referendum will be put to the people of the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, anybody who has been listening to what I have said on radio or television, or who has read newspaper reports of my comments, will be aware that I have stated in unequivocal terms that Territorians will have the opportunity to participate in a referendum. I know it galls the member for Wanguri that the Statehood Convention was such a successful forum, notwithstanding his attempts to wreck it. He failed miserably. I am grateful for one thing - that the ordinary Territorians who were either elected or appointed to that convention were able to see at first hand the antics of the member for Wanguri. They could not believe it. They had never been exposed to such behaviour and antics in all their lives. He became virtually the talk of the convention with some of the stunts that he pulled.
I wonder whether it registered with the member for Wanguri, when Bob Collins was on his feet arguing against the entrenchment of land rights or organic laws while he was arguing the opposite, that he had somehow missed the boat on what
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Territorians really thought about these issues. I wonder whether he felt any misgivings at all, given that he seemed to be on an entirely different tack to Bob Collins at various times, that perhaps he was a little out of touch with what Territorians believe in and what their views are.
The member for Wanguri is a bully boy and ...
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Mr STONE: The member for Arnhem interjects. There sits one of the most gutless delegates to participate in the convention. Every time there was a critical vote, he left the Chamber. He ran away. Old jelly-back sitting over there - Jabba the Hutt. He ran out of the room. He did not want to stand for this or for that.
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Arnhem.
Mr STONE: I was particularly pleased to receive a letter from the Tiwi Land Council saying that its delegate, Jimmy Tipungwuti, distanced himself from the antics of these people, and that Tiwi people considered it a privilege and an important responsibility ...
Mr Ah Kit: Where is the letter?
Mr STONE: I shall table the letter. I have the letter in my office and I will take delight in reading it out. There were Aboriginal people in that forum who were delighted to be part of it and who faced up to their responsibilities.
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Arnhem.
Mr STONE: They did not run out of the room when it all got too hard.
Returning to the question, Madam Speaker, I have made it very clear that Territorians will have the opportunity to participate in the referendum.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Wanguri.
Mr Toyne: Answer the question.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Stuart.
Mr STONE: During the course of these sittings, I will be introducing a referendum bill. It will be a generic piece of legislation - not only for statehood issues. Territorians will have the opportunity to participate in their own state-based referendums from time to time.
I await the report of the chairman of the convention, Hon Austin Asche, which will be debated in the Assembly sittings in August. At that time, members will have an opportunity to express a view on the constitution that has been recommended to the parliament, the name for the state that has been recommended and the timeline that has been recommended, and how those 3 issues relate to the referendum recommendation. I can be no clearer or more unequivocal than that.
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Leave granted.
Mr BAILEY: The resolution requires that the people of the Northern Territory be given the opportunity to cast a vote in a 3-question referendum which addresses whether the Northern Territory should become a state, what the name of the new state should be, and whether the proposed constitution is acceptable. Will the Chief Minister give an unconditional guarantee that this 3-question referendum will be put to the people of the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, anybody who has been listening to what I have said on radio or television, or who has read newspaper reports of my comments, will be aware that I have stated in unequivocal terms that Territorians will have the opportunity to participate in a referendum. I know it galls the member for Wanguri that the Statehood Convention was such a successful forum, notwithstanding his attempts to wreck it. He failed miserably. I am grateful for one thing - that the ordinary Territorians who were either elected or appointed to that convention were able to see at first hand the antics of the member for Wanguri. They could not believe it. They had never been exposed to such behaviour and antics in all their lives. He became virtually the talk of the convention with some of the stunts that he pulled.
I wonder whether it registered with the member for Wanguri, when Bob Collins was on his feet arguing against the entrenchment of land rights or organic laws while he was arguing the opposite, that he had somehow missed the boat on what
Page 173
Territorians really thought about these issues. I wonder whether he felt any misgivings at all, given that he seemed to be on an entirely different tack to Bob Collins at various times, that perhaps he was a little out of touch with what Territorians believe in and what their views are.
The member for Wanguri is a bully boy and ...
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Mr STONE: The member for Arnhem interjects. There sits one of the most gutless delegates to participate in the convention. Every time there was a critical vote, he left the Chamber. He ran away. Old jelly-back sitting over there - Jabba the Hutt. He ran out of the room. He did not want to stand for this or for that.
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Arnhem.
Mr STONE: I was particularly pleased to receive a letter from the Tiwi Land Council saying that its delegate, Jimmy Tipungwuti, distanced himself from the antics of these people, and that Tiwi people considered it a privilege and an important responsibility ...
Mr Ah Kit: Where is the letter?
Mr STONE: I shall table the letter. I have the letter in my office and I will take delight in reading it out. There were Aboriginal people in that forum who were delighted to be part of it and who faced up to their responsibilities.
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Arnhem.
Mr STONE: They did not run out of the room when it all got too hard.
Returning to the question, Madam Speaker, I have made it very clear that Territorians will have the opportunity to participate in the referendum.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Wanguri.
Mr Toyne: Answer the question.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Stuart.
Mr STONE: During the course of these sittings, I will be introducing a referendum bill. It will be a generic piece of legislation - not only for statehood issues. Territorians will have the opportunity to participate in their own state-based referendums from time to time.
I await the report of the chairman of the convention, Hon Austin Asche, which will be debated in the Assembly sittings in August. At that time, members will have an opportunity to express a view on the constitution that has been recommended to the parliament, the name for the state that has been recommended and the timeline that has been recommended, and how those 3 issues relate to the referendum recommendation. I can be no clearer or more unequivocal than that.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016