Mr ELFERINK - 2000-10-10
I have sat in this Chamber on numerous occasions and heard the Leader of the Opposition talk about honesty. Actually, so often have I heard it that I thought the word honesty was spelt M-A-R-T-I-N. How honest is it for a political leader to knowingly partake in the deception of police?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition spends a lot of time in this Chamber giggling in a girlish way. She should, on occasion, reflect on the enormous responsibility she carries and the fact that she is responsible for deceiving the police force in the Northern Territory and deceiving the Police Commissioner of the Northern Territory and seems to think that she can just giggle and laugh this sort of issue away. And that is why I said that anyone who engages - the Leader of the Opposition in particular - in a knowing deception of the police should resign. I stand very strongly by that statement. That is why I called on the Leader of the Opposition to resign, because of that very deception.
We should recall that on 22 August, following claims by former Labor Deputy Leader, John Bailey, about the manner in which the police handled a break and enter complaint at his home, a caller claiming to be named Catherine rang ABC Talkback, backing up John Bailey’s complaint with a similar complaint of her own. Catherine was calling to complain that the police had failed to investigate a burglary at her home because she told them that she opposed mandatory sentencing.
Following Catherine’s complaint on public radio, the Police Commissioner - and this is the important bit - the Police Commissioner launched an investigation and appealed for Catherine to come forward to assist police with their investigations. Now, Catherine remained silent through all of this. This is from 22 August.
But the member for Fannie Bay and Leader of the Opposition did not stay silent. What she did was she went public; called the Police Minister dishonest in terms of the tactics that he was using; and made astounding claims about the operation of the police in the Northern Territory.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Zip up, zip up for a second and you might hear something.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: The same day, the Leader of the Opposition, Clare Martin, also lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman, relating to the way police handled the reported break-in at John Bailey’s house, and of course in the Ombudsman’s complaint she did not mention Catherine.
Mr Stirling: Who directed the police …
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Nhulunbuy.
Mr BURKE: Two weeks later, Media Watch exposed this deception on national television. Of course, Catherine was not Catherine. Catherine was Adele Young, Clare Martin’s chief of staff. Her most senior staff member. Now, for two weeks the Leader of the Opposition had allowed this deception to continue. Remember, the Police Commissioner is calling for Catherine to come forward, the Leader of the Opposition knows who Catherine is, and the Leader of the Opposition knows that all of this took place with her full knowledge and the knowledge of her chief of staff, yet stayed silent during the whole episode. As Media Watch said it was not only a deception, it was a deception of ABC presenter and former colleague, and I don’t know what he thinks about the whole thing, Fred McCue, but most importantly from my mind it was a deception, a knowing deception of the police force in the Northern Territory.
The Leader of the Opposition was fully aware that the person being sought by police was her chief of staff, because she was involved in orchestrating the phone call, yet she allowed the deception of the police to continue. Now I simply say, if you cannot be honest with police, you certainly cannot be honest with Territorians, and you should not be the Leader of the Opposition in the Northern Territory.
Mr Speaker, there is another thing that comes out of this, and that is that the Leader of the Opposition said that her chief of staff did not give her real name because she was so terrified of the Northern Territory government that she hid her name from the ABC. Now I want to know if that is true or not, because this Leader of the Opposition cannot tell the truth. She says that her chief of staff is so scared of reprisals, whatever they might be, from the CLP government, her own chief of staff works for the Labor Party, that she hid her name from the ABC. Now, is that true? Is that true? Is that what she wants Territorians to believe? Because that is what you said.
This is what her chief of staff said; this is what her chief of staff told ABC Media Watch: ‘I identified myself and where I worked at the commencement of the conversation. I informed Kate Finlayson that I would not be of any use to her as a story as I worked for the Leader of the Opposition’. So, this is not someone who is scared about reprisals, this is someone who is saying, I was advised by the ABC to use a false name. Now, someone is lying. Someone is lying again. It is either the Leader of the Opposition or it is her chief of staff. What was said to the ABC? Was it, ‘I am Catherine and with a knowing attempt to deceive the ABC’, or was it, ‘I am Adele Young. I won’t be much use because I am a Labor operator, I am Clare Martin’s chief of staff’, and Kate Finlayson says, ‘No, you use a false name, there will be more punch in that’. If that is the case, you lied again. You lied again. Because she has gone out and she has suggested that this person was too fearful of using her name because of reprisals from the ABC.
Mr Stirling: How do police handle break and enters now?
Mr BURKE: What we have here is ..
A member: Answer the question.
Mr BURKE: Yes, answer the question one day instead of giggling in this Chamber … is a Leader of the Opposition who cannot even on the smallest things tell the truth. Goes on Fred McCue’s radio program and says I am going overseas in September; comes on later and says I am not going overseas. Fred says, ‘I thought you were going overseas in September?’. ‘No, I never said that. I never said September. I said sometime’. It is all on the record.
Answer the simple question, and one day if you come up with your code of conduct, with your little list on what is good government, right up the top I will stamp on my head, I don’t have to be …
Ms Martin: Why does being associated with the Labor Party mean that you don’t get your break-ins investigated?
Mr BURKE: I once said I would stamp on her head ‘It is alright to tell the truth’. It is alright to tell the truth. One day, if you come up with your code of conduct and your little list on what is good government, right at the top, I will stamp on her head ‘It is alright to tell the truth’.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition spends a lot of time in this Chamber giggling in a girlish way. She should, on occasion, reflect on the enormous responsibility she carries and the fact that she is responsible for deceiving the police force in the Northern Territory and deceiving the Police Commissioner of the Northern Territory and seems to think that she can just giggle and laugh this sort of issue away. And that is why I said that anyone who engages - the Leader of the Opposition in particular - in a knowing deception of the police should resign. I stand very strongly by that statement. That is why I called on the Leader of the Opposition to resign, because of that very deception.
We should recall that on 22 August, following claims by former Labor Deputy Leader, John Bailey, about the manner in which the police handled a break and enter complaint at his home, a caller claiming to be named Catherine rang ABC Talkback, backing up John Bailey’s complaint with a similar complaint of her own. Catherine was calling to complain that the police had failed to investigate a burglary at her home because she told them that she opposed mandatory sentencing.
Following Catherine’s complaint on public radio, the Police Commissioner - and this is the important bit - the Police Commissioner launched an investigation and appealed for Catherine to come forward to assist police with their investigations. Now, Catherine remained silent through all of this. This is from 22 August.
But the member for Fannie Bay and Leader of the Opposition did not stay silent. What she did was she went public; called the Police Minister dishonest in terms of the tactics that he was using; and made astounding claims about the operation of the police in the Northern Territory.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Zip up, zip up for a second and you might hear something.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: The same day, the Leader of the Opposition, Clare Martin, also lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman, relating to the way police handled the reported break-in at John Bailey’s house, and of course in the Ombudsman’s complaint she did not mention Catherine.
Mr Stirling: Who directed the police …
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Nhulunbuy.
Mr BURKE: Two weeks later, Media Watch exposed this deception on national television. Of course, Catherine was not Catherine. Catherine was Adele Young, Clare Martin’s chief of staff. Her most senior staff member. Now, for two weeks the Leader of the Opposition had allowed this deception to continue. Remember, the Police Commissioner is calling for Catherine to come forward, the Leader of the Opposition knows who Catherine is, and the Leader of the Opposition knows that all of this took place with her full knowledge and the knowledge of her chief of staff, yet stayed silent during the whole episode. As Media Watch said it was not only a deception, it was a deception of ABC presenter and former colleague, and I don’t know what he thinks about the whole thing, Fred McCue, but most importantly from my mind it was a deception, a knowing deception of the police force in the Northern Territory.
The Leader of the Opposition was fully aware that the person being sought by police was her chief of staff, because she was involved in orchestrating the phone call, yet she allowed the deception of the police to continue. Now I simply say, if you cannot be honest with police, you certainly cannot be honest with Territorians, and you should not be the Leader of the Opposition in the Northern Territory.
Mr Speaker, there is another thing that comes out of this, and that is that the Leader of the Opposition said that her chief of staff did not give her real name because she was so terrified of the Northern Territory government that she hid her name from the ABC. Now I want to know if that is true or not, because this Leader of the Opposition cannot tell the truth. She says that her chief of staff is so scared of reprisals, whatever they might be, from the CLP government, her own chief of staff works for the Labor Party, that she hid her name from the ABC. Now, is that true? Is that true? Is that what she wants Territorians to believe? Because that is what you said.
This is what her chief of staff said; this is what her chief of staff told ABC Media Watch: ‘I identified myself and where I worked at the commencement of the conversation. I informed Kate Finlayson that I would not be of any use to her as a story as I worked for the Leader of the Opposition’. So, this is not someone who is scared about reprisals, this is someone who is saying, I was advised by the ABC to use a false name. Now, someone is lying. Someone is lying again. It is either the Leader of the Opposition or it is her chief of staff. What was said to the ABC? Was it, ‘I am Catherine and with a knowing attempt to deceive the ABC’, or was it, ‘I am Adele Young. I won’t be much use because I am a Labor operator, I am Clare Martin’s chief of staff’, and Kate Finlayson says, ‘No, you use a false name, there will be more punch in that’. If that is the case, you lied again. You lied again. Because she has gone out and she has suggested that this person was too fearful of using her name because of reprisals from the ABC.
Mr Stirling: How do police handle break and enters now?
Mr BURKE: What we have here is ..
A member: Answer the question.
Mr BURKE: Yes, answer the question one day instead of giggling in this Chamber … is a Leader of the Opposition who cannot even on the smallest things tell the truth. Goes on Fred McCue’s radio program and says I am going overseas in September; comes on later and says I am not going overseas. Fred says, ‘I thought you were going overseas in September?’. ‘No, I never said that. I never said September. I said sometime’. It is all on the record.
Answer the simple question, and one day if you come up with your code of conduct, with your little list on what is good government, right up the top I will stamp on my head, I don’t have to be …
Ms Martin: Why does being associated with the Labor Party mean that you don’t get your break-ins investigated?
Mr BURKE: I once said I would stamp on her head ‘It is alright to tell the truth’. It is alright to tell the truth. One day, if you come up with your code of conduct and your little list on what is good government, right at the top, I will stamp on her head ‘It is alright to tell the truth’.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016