Mr STIRLING - 1999-02-17
Last year the now Chief Minister contacted Mr Andrew Coward about the allegations and supporting evidence that he produced about corrupt practices of Country Liberal Party operatives. These allegations implicated a number of his current colleagues and a number of his current staff. Will the honest, open and accountable new Chief Minister support the establishment of an independent investigation if it is shown that Territory tax payers paid for the Country Liberal Party to receive research information detailing voter intention for federal and Territory elections, which clearly had nothing to do with government going about government business?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, firstly the allegations that the honourable member makes have never been substantiated and we went through that fairly wasteful debate for most of the previous sittings of this Assembly. I can give you a simple answer as to what is going to occur under my leadership, and that is that you are wasting your time pursuing these matters. I have a pretty good interest in history and I do not mind it as a bit of bedtime reading, but my interest is the development of the Territory and how we pursue a better life for Territorians. I am not going back over events which are 10 years and 3 Chief Ministers past.
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: The previous Chief Minister said that he did not like Mr Coward and he got rid of him. I hardly knew the bloke. I would have met him about twice.
A member: You talked to him on the phone.
Mr BURKE: I did. And I am getting to that. When he did start laying these allegations through the fax machine, I gave him the opportunity to substantiate his allegations to me, which I felt was fair and reasonable on my part, and he failed dismally. In fact, I could almost hear the tape recorder click on as I began my conversation. I agree with the previous Chief Minister that he is a pretty unsavoury and untrustworthy character.
I am not going to pursue it. That’s it. You can raise it all you like. I am not pursuing it. It is a dead issue. As far as I am concerned, it is a dead issue. But Territorians should know what the real issue is. The real issue here is not a CLP cover-up. The real issue here is that this mob on the other side are at the bidding of their federal colleagues and this is an exercise to destroy one Mark Textor. The reason it is an exercise to destroy one Mark Textor is, if you will excuse my words, he is bloody good! He is damn good at his job, and the Labor Party cannot stand it and they will try any mechanism they can to get rid of this bloke.
Mr Stirling: He is a crook and a liar.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order, the member for Nhulunbuy!
Mr BURKE: What is worse is that this is a Territory lad that we should be proud of, and the son of a highly respected Territory detective. I think it is a shame, but we should know what the real agenda is. The real agenda is that this lot are 2 days behind the lot down in Canberra. Because 2 days ago in the Senate I will read out the sorts of questions that one Senator Ray was putting about Mark Textor. Members will get the drift of where the real action and the real focus is.
Senator Ray asked the ministers listed below: ‘What contracts has the department or any agency of the department provided to the firm Australasian Research Strategies Pty Ltd since March 1996?’. That is Mark Textor’s company. ‘In each instance, what was the purpose of the work conducted by Australasian Research Strategies Pty Ltd? In each instance, what has been the cost to the department of the contract? In each instance, what selection process was used to select Australasian Research Strategies Pty Ltd - open tender, short list or some other process?’.
The questions were asked of the minister representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, the minister representing the Treasurer, the minister representing the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, the minister representing the Minister for Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business, the Minister for Family and Community Services, the minister representing the Attorney General, the minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and the minister representing the Minister for Immigration and Multi-cultural Affairs. It was a wide scatter-gun approach, as one would expect, and focused right on Mark Textor.
The next question Senator Ray asked the minister representing the Minister for Finance and Administration was: ‘On how many occasions between January 1990 and 30 November 1998 [that is an 8 year stint] has Mr Mark Andrew Textor [they have named him this time] been employed under the Members of Parliament Staff Act 1984 in each instance?’. There was another question from Senator Ray to ask the minister representing the Minister for Finance …
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The question asked whether the Chief Minister would support the inquiry put forward by the opposition into these allegations. I’m getting a hint that he’s not going to, but would he provide the answer rather than this irrelevant material from the Senate.
Mr SPEAKER: Again, I think that the Chief Minister has some leeway in order to answer the question as he believes he needs to. I would ask the Chief Minister, though, to get to the answer of the question as quickly as possible.
Mr BURKE: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I’ve given the answer - no. But it is very important that we understand that the Territory government is a side issue in the game that’s being played. I will finish outlining the last question. It was to ask the minister representing the Minister for Finance and Administration: ‘On each of the 3 instances that Mr Mark Andrew Textor was employed by Dr Wooldridge [and they go through the dates], what travel allowance was paid to Mr Textor, including rates, dates and destinations; what was the cost and details of any travel, including airfares, by Mr Textor; and what was the cost and details of any cab charge, any hire car etc used by Mr Textor?’.
The point I wish to emphasise is that I’m not going back over old ground. We are going this way, not that way. If members opposite want me to do a bit of bedtime reading, they can fax it all through to me. I am happy to sit down and read it when I have the chance. But I’m not going back to ancient history, which is 3 Chief Ministers prior to me. The real gain is a fine Territory lad who has served this side of parliament, both federally and in the Northern Territory, with distinction and we’re proud of him.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, firstly the allegations that the honourable member makes have never been substantiated and we went through that fairly wasteful debate for most of the previous sittings of this Assembly. I can give you a simple answer as to what is going to occur under my leadership, and that is that you are wasting your time pursuing these matters. I have a pretty good interest in history and I do not mind it as a bit of bedtime reading, but my interest is the development of the Territory and how we pursue a better life for Territorians. I am not going back over events which are 10 years and 3 Chief Ministers past.
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: The previous Chief Minister said that he did not like Mr Coward and he got rid of him. I hardly knew the bloke. I would have met him about twice.
A member: You talked to him on the phone.
Mr BURKE: I did. And I am getting to that. When he did start laying these allegations through the fax machine, I gave him the opportunity to substantiate his allegations to me, which I felt was fair and reasonable on my part, and he failed dismally. In fact, I could almost hear the tape recorder click on as I began my conversation. I agree with the previous Chief Minister that he is a pretty unsavoury and untrustworthy character.
I am not going to pursue it. That’s it. You can raise it all you like. I am not pursuing it. It is a dead issue. As far as I am concerned, it is a dead issue. But Territorians should know what the real issue is. The real issue here is not a CLP cover-up. The real issue here is that this mob on the other side are at the bidding of their federal colleagues and this is an exercise to destroy one Mark Textor. The reason it is an exercise to destroy one Mark Textor is, if you will excuse my words, he is bloody good! He is damn good at his job, and the Labor Party cannot stand it and they will try any mechanism they can to get rid of this bloke.
Mr Stirling: He is a crook and a liar.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order, the member for Nhulunbuy!
Mr BURKE: What is worse is that this is a Territory lad that we should be proud of, and the son of a highly respected Territory detective. I think it is a shame, but we should know what the real agenda is. The real agenda is that this lot are 2 days behind the lot down in Canberra. Because 2 days ago in the Senate I will read out the sorts of questions that one Senator Ray was putting about Mark Textor. Members will get the drift of where the real action and the real focus is.
Senator Ray asked the ministers listed below: ‘What contracts has the department or any agency of the department provided to the firm Australasian Research Strategies Pty Ltd since March 1996?’. That is Mark Textor’s company. ‘In each instance, what was the purpose of the work conducted by Australasian Research Strategies Pty Ltd? In each instance, what has been the cost to the department of the contract? In each instance, what selection process was used to select Australasian Research Strategies Pty Ltd - open tender, short list or some other process?’.
The questions were asked of the minister representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, the minister representing the Treasurer, the minister representing the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, the minister representing the Minister for Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business, the Minister for Family and Community Services, the minister representing the Attorney General, the minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and the minister representing the Minister for Immigration and Multi-cultural Affairs. It was a wide scatter-gun approach, as one would expect, and focused right on Mark Textor.
The next question Senator Ray asked the minister representing the Minister for Finance and Administration was: ‘On how many occasions between January 1990 and 30 November 1998 [that is an 8 year stint] has Mr Mark Andrew Textor [they have named him this time] been employed under the Members of Parliament Staff Act 1984 in each instance?’. There was another question from Senator Ray to ask the minister representing the Minister for Finance …
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The question asked whether the Chief Minister would support the inquiry put forward by the opposition into these allegations. I’m getting a hint that he’s not going to, but would he provide the answer rather than this irrelevant material from the Senate.
Mr SPEAKER: Again, I think that the Chief Minister has some leeway in order to answer the question as he believes he needs to. I would ask the Chief Minister, though, to get to the answer of the question as quickly as possible.
Mr BURKE: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I’ve given the answer - no. But it is very important that we understand that the Territory government is a side issue in the game that’s being played. I will finish outlining the last question. It was to ask the minister representing the Minister for Finance and Administration: ‘On each of the 3 instances that Mr Mark Andrew Textor was employed by Dr Wooldridge [and they go through the dates], what travel allowance was paid to Mr Textor, including rates, dates and destinations; what was the cost and details of any travel, including airfares, by Mr Textor; and what was the cost and details of any cab charge, any hire car etc used by Mr Textor?’.
The point I wish to emphasise is that I’m not going back over old ground. We are going this way, not that way. If members opposite want me to do a bit of bedtime reading, they can fax it all through to me. I am happy to sit down and read it when I have the chance. But I’m not going back to ancient history, which is 3 Chief Ministers prior to me. The real gain is a fine Territory lad who has served this side of parliament, both federally and in the Northern Territory, with distinction and we’re proud of him.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016