Mr HIGGINS - 2013-08-20
The previous Labor government’s container deposit scheme had many failings. Can you update the House on what the Country Liberal government has done to overcome Labor’s failures to provide Territorians with a container deposit scheme that works and is beyond legal challenge?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question; however, I cannot answer this question in three minutes. It is a great example of how the former Labor government operated – hopeless.
Ms Lawrie: You dropped the ball.
Mr CHANDLER: We dropped the ball? Listen to the Leader of the Opposition, we dropped the ball! Opposition Leader, you need a big lesson in history. When I was on that side of the Chamber I constantly warned the then government of the failings of this scheme, the flaws in the legislation and the challenges this legislation would face. Were we right? Yes, we were.
Ms Lawrie: You promised the beverage industry you would axe it, did you not?
Mr CHANDLER: That is probably the only thing you have said honestly in this House today, Leader of the Opposition. The beverage industry is a challenge and we are finding that at the moment. However, had this legislation been rolled out effectively in the first place and you had listened, just slightly - I wish you would do it now – to some of the issues, we would not be in the situation we are in.
Ms Lawrie: What are you going to …
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, cease interjecting.
Mr CHANDLER: Most Territorians are supportive of the legislation, but it is clunky and was rolled out too soon. Even people who had been working hard on this legislation under your administration said they needed another seven to nine months to get it right but were not given that courtesy by a lazy, untrustworthy Labor government.
Seven to nine months was all they needed to get this right, but no, in the rush to get this out on 2 January what did we find? Within 12 months we were in court because you failed to heed the warnings. You had nearly 12 months in government with this legislation and failed to do anything about it. We came into government …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! He has 45 seconds to say what he will do.
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, sit down. You are on a warning. Minister, you have the call.
Mr CHANDLER: The Leader of the Opposition is probably embarrassed and that is why she keeps interrupting. When coming to government and realising the situation we acted immediately and started to negotiate with states around the country and did something very rare in politics today, got agreement from every state and territory, including the Commonwealth …
Ms Lawrie: It was under way. We had that process under way.
Mr CHANDLER: Of course you had the process in place. We would not have gone to the courts; it would not have cost Territorians millions of dollars! Yet, we have had to continue to run this legislation. Why? Because of a failed Labor government which rushed things, got it wrong, and failed to listen to Territorians.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Daly for his question; however, I cannot answer this question in three minutes. It is a great example of how the former Labor government operated – hopeless.
Ms Lawrie: You dropped the ball.
Mr CHANDLER: We dropped the ball? Listen to the Leader of the Opposition, we dropped the ball! Opposition Leader, you need a big lesson in history. When I was on that side of the Chamber I constantly warned the then government of the failings of this scheme, the flaws in the legislation and the challenges this legislation would face. Were we right? Yes, we were.
Ms Lawrie: You promised the beverage industry you would axe it, did you not?
Mr CHANDLER: That is probably the only thing you have said honestly in this House today, Leader of the Opposition. The beverage industry is a challenge and we are finding that at the moment. However, had this legislation been rolled out effectively in the first place and you had listened, just slightly - I wish you would do it now – to some of the issues, we would not be in the situation we are in.
Ms Lawrie: What are you going to …
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, cease interjecting.
Mr CHANDLER: Most Territorians are supportive of the legislation, but it is clunky and was rolled out too soon. Even people who had been working hard on this legislation under your administration said they needed another seven to nine months to get it right but were not given that courtesy by a lazy, untrustworthy Labor government.
Seven to nine months was all they needed to get this right, but no, in the rush to get this out on 2 January what did we find? Within 12 months we were in court because you failed to heed the warnings. You had nearly 12 months in government with this legislation and failed to do anything about it. We came into government …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! He has 45 seconds to say what he will do.
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, sit down. You are on a warning. Minister, you have the call.
Mr CHANDLER: The Leader of the Opposition is probably embarrassed and that is why she keeps interrupting. When coming to government and realising the situation we acted immediately and started to negotiate with states around the country and did something very rare in politics today, got agreement from every state and territory, including the Commonwealth …
Ms Lawrie: It was under way. We had that process under way.
Mr CHANDLER: Of course you had the process in place. We would not have gone to the courts; it would not have cost Territorians millions of dollars! Yet, we have had to continue to run this legislation. Why? Because of a failed Labor government which rushed things, got it wrong, and failed to listen to Territorians.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016