Ms FYLES - 2015-11-19
How can Territorians have any trust in your government when you refuse to answer simple, straightforward questions about discussions between you and the member for Arnhem? Will you finally come clean and detail the discussions that have taken place about extra staff, future contracts or anything else to gain the support of the member for Arnhem? What are you desperately trying to hide from Territorians?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, we are not trying to do any of that. We are trying to tell Territorians all the good things we are doing.
One of the challenges of telling people all the good things is that there are so many. As a government, if you were going to produce a surplus you would spend months talking about how successful you would be. If you were going to launch a national critical piece of infrastructure such as a gas pipeline, enormous environmental reform, improvements in protecting our environment or the development of an onshore gas industry, you would talk about it for many months.
We have done all of this in three days. Plus we passed the ice legislation, which you did not support two months ago, giving police more powers to protect Territorians by having less ice on the streets.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113; it was a very direct question. What are you desperately trying to hide? What deal was done?
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: If you keep asking the same question I will keep giving you the same answer. These questions were asked yesterday and on Tuesday. I answered them then and I will answer them the same way now.
It is exactly the same. I will talk about Tiger Brennan Drive, that wonderful road duplication. The duplication of it started in 2001, when the member for Fong Lim was the member for Solomon. He first attracted the funding.
Ms Walker: All he attracted was funding for flagpoles.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr GILES: It is very interesting to hear the member for Nhulunbuy interjecting. One would cast their mind back to the period between 2008 and 2012 when she was in government and question what she achieved in those four years. I think it was zero in that four years, as opposed to our three years and everything we continue to roll out and improve, including the 120 additional police we have put on the streets.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113; with less than a minute to go, answer the question. What deal has been done? What are you hiding from Territorians?
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Nightcliff. You have already asked the question.
Mr GILES: I think it is 117 extra police that have been recruited on the beat. That does not include the police who have moved from behind the desk to out the front, or the ones that were in the courts and are now out on the streets; it is more than 120. We have been successful. Not only have we fixed the bankrupt nature of the government finances we inherited in 2012, but we have our 120 police plus more in the Northern Territory.
We are investing in sports all over the Northern Territory. These are things we want to talk about because we have been doing so much; it is such a challenge getting it out there. I love talking to the member for Arnhem about all the good things we are doing in the electorate of Arnhem, whether it is building bridges and health centres, or fixing roads and telecommunications.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, we are not trying to do any of that. We are trying to tell Territorians all the good things we are doing.
One of the challenges of telling people all the good things is that there are so many. As a government, if you were going to produce a surplus you would spend months talking about how successful you would be. If you were going to launch a national critical piece of infrastructure such as a gas pipeline, enormous environmental reform, improvements in protecting our environment or the development of an onshore gas industry, you would talk about it for many months.
We have done all of this in three days. Plus we passed the ice legislation, which you did not support two months ago, giving police more powers to protect Territorians by having less ice on the streets.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113; it was a very direct question. What are you desperately trying to hide? What deal was done?
Madam SPEAKER: That is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: If you keep asking the same question I will keep giving you the same answer. These questions were asked yesterday and on Tuesday. I answered them then and I will answer them the same way now.
It is exactly the same. I will talk about Tiger Brennan Drive, that wonderful road duplication. The duplication of it started in 2001, when the member for Fong Lim was the member for Solomon. He first attracted the funding.
Ms Walker: All he attracted was funding for flagpoles.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr GILES: It is very interesting to hear the member for Nhulunbuy interjecting. One would cast their mind back to the period between 2008 and 2012 when she was in government and question what she achieved in those four years. I think it was zero in that four years, as opposed to our three years and everything we continue to roll out and improve, including the 120 additional police we have put on the streets.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113; with less than a minute to go, answer the question. What deal has been done? What are you hiding from Territorians?
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Nightcliff. You have already asked the question.
Mr GILES: I think it is 117 extra police that have been recruited on the beat. That does not include the police who have moved from behind the desk to out the front, or the ones that were in the courts and are now out on the streets; it is more than 120. We have been successful. Not only have we fixed the bankrupt nature of the government finances we inherited in 2012, but we have our 120 police plus more in the Northern Territory.
We are investing in sports all over the Northern Territory. These are things we want to talk about because we have been doing so much; it is such a challenge getting it out there. I love talking to the member for Arnhem about all the good things we are doing in the electorate of Arnhem, whether it is building bridges and health centres, or fixing roads and telecommunications.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016