Mr STIRLING - 1999-06-02
I refer again to an earlier question I asked the minister for Essential Services when he didn’t have a copy of the leaked document from Mr Gardner to the Minister for Power and Water Authority. It is indeed a most damning document of the whole operation and organisation of the Power and Water Authority and I have used some of the quotes, which appear on almost every page of the document.
The minister has had the document now for some 20 minutes. I ask him again, how did the Country Liberal Party Government let these problems arise in the first place and how was it that they were allowed to go on unchecked for so long?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, one of the things that Mr Gardner did when he got there was try to discover just what type of a corporation that he was put in charge of as the Chief Executive Officer. Each time when you have a new broom or a new CEO –that’s one of the reasons that you have changes at the top in CEOs etc, to ensure that you have new blood to come into the organisation. There are many other reports that followed this report. Indeed the government has taken action to review the operation.
If anybody had told you that you could take 300 jobs out of the Power and Water Authority 5 years ago, I’m sure you would not have agreed to it. I’m not sure whether you agree today that 150 jobs can go out of the Power and Water Authority, or indeed, any jobs. Or indeed, work practices where you don’t have multiskilling. You have to call a welder out ...
Ms Martin: Who’s been in charge?
Mr COULTER: I’m sorry?
Ms Martin: Who’s been in charge over all the ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr COULTER: I haven’t heard you people come in here ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr COULTER: ... and I don’t hear you ...
Mr Stirling: But you have been appointed to manage the problem.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr COULTER: Maintenance problems, you have…
Mr Stirling: Maintenance and management.
Mr COULTER: Well, I’m not sure whether it’s management. But that time has passed. We’ve moved on since then.
Considerable changes have been made now in work practices there. I was rudely interrupted, but for example, the practice that you would have to call out a welder to weld on a cross arm, instead of having somebody on the crew. To have a 2-man call-out, when most of those call-outs were simply the main fuse in the house. The circuit breaker had opened up and they could be replaced. We had 2-man crews on that. It’s not as bad, and I’ve complimented the Power and Water Authority workers, particularly their work and effort in times of crisis and great storms etc, and their diligence and what they are prepared to do to get power back on in the Northern Territory.
But let me give you an example, and you might use this a comparative analysis. I remember when there was an inquiry into the trams in Victoria. There is one tram that is fitted with a grinder and it travels along at nighttime and grinds the rail on which the tram goes to make sure that it’s nice and square and straight and doesn’t roll and fall off. And the unions down there insisted that a conductor be on that particular tram. Now, that’s the kind of ...
Ms Martin: What’s this got to do with the Power and Water Authority?
Mr COULTER: Well, it’s the type of work practices that have been there for some time and they are stopping. We are negotiating a new EBA. We have in fact a number of redundancies. I think over 53 people have left the Power and Water Authority since I became minister …
Mr Stirling: It’s certainly a substandard performance.
Ms Martin: Over an extensive period.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr COULTER: Well maybe it was, but I believe that they have done an excellent job in certain areas and, like any organisation, there are weaknesses in certain parts of that organisation. They are being rectified at the moment at an alarming rate and I am very pleased …
Ms Martin: And this is why we have the highest power prices in Australia.
Mr COULTER: We’ve had that argument during the budget and we couldn’t get that message through to you then as well.
The facts are that reform is well underway within the Power and Water Authority. Great milestones have been achieved. Commercial tariffs have now come off and we believe that the Power and Water Authority will be in great shape in the very near future.
The minister has had the document now for some 20 minutes. I ask him again, how did the Country Liberal Party Government let these problems arise in the first place and how was it that they were allowed to go on unchecked for so long?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, one of the things that Mr Gardner did when he got there was try to discover just what type of a corporation that he was put in charge of as the Chief Executive Officer. Each time when you have a new broom or a new CEO –that’s one of the reasons that you have changes at the top in CEOs etc, to ensure that you have new blood to come into the organisation. There are many other reports that followed this report. Indeed the government has taken action to review the operation.
If anybody had told you that you could take 300 jobs out of the Power and Water Authority 5 years ago, I’m sure you would not have agreed to it. I’m not sure whether you agree today that 150 jobs can go out of the Power and Water Authority, or indeed, any jobs. Or indeed, work practices where you don’t have multiskilling. You have to call a welder out ...
Ms Martin: Who’s been in charge?
Mr COULTER: I’m sorry?
Ms Martin: Who’s been in charge over all the ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr COULTER: I haven’t heard you people come in here ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr COULTER: ... and I don’t hear you ...
Mr Stirling: But you have been appointed to manage the problem.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr COULTER: Maintenance problems, you have…
Mr Stirling: Maintenance and management.
Mr COULTER: Well, I’m not sure whether it’s management. But that time has passed. We’ve moved on since then.
Considerable changes have been made now in work practices there. I was rudely interrupted, but for example, the practice that you would have to call out a welder to weld on a cross arm, instead of having somebody on the crew. To have a 2-man call-out, when most of those call-outs were simply the main fuse in the house. The circuit breaker had opened up and they could be replaced. We had 2-man crews on that. It’s not as bad, and I’ve complimented the Power and Water Authority workers, particularly their work and effort in times of crisis and great storms etc, and their diligence and what they are prepared to do to get power back on in the Northern Territory.
But let me give you an example, and you might use this a comparative analysis. I remember when there was an inquiry into the trams in Victoria. There is one tram that is fitted with a grinder and it travels along at nighttime and grinds the rail on which the tram goes to make sure that it’s nice and square and straight and doesn’t roll and fall off. And the unions down there insisted that a conductor be on that particular tram. Now, that’s the kind of ...
Ms Martin: What’s this got to do with the Power and Water Authority?
Mr COULTER: Well, it’s the type of work practices that have been there for some time and they are stopping. We are negotiating a new EBA. We have in fact a number of redundancies. I think over 53 people have left the Power and Water Authority since I became minister …
Mr Stirling: It’s certainly a substandard performance.
Ms Martin: Over an extensive period.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr COULTER: Well maybe it was, but I believe that they have done an excellent job in certain areas and, like any organisation, there are weaknesses in certain parts of that organisation. They are being rectified at the moment at an alarming rate and I am very pleased …
Ms Martin: And this is why we have the highest power prices in Australia.
Mr COULTER: We’ve had that argument during the budget and we couldn’t get that message through to you then as well.
The facts are that reform is well underway within the Power and Water Authority. Great milestones have been achieved. Commercial tariffs have now come off and we believe that the Power and Water Authority will be in great shape in the very near future.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016