Ms FYLES - 2015-09-17
It is clear your government has not been listening to the community’s response on the comments from the member for Port Darwin. The Deputy Chief Minister said:
Your Treasurer stated he would not have apologised, and said:
He also said:
Do you support the comments of your senior ministers?
ANSWER
Mr Deputy Speaker, I support everybody on this side of the Chamber in everything they do or say. It is part of being a team, working together and supporting one another. When I am not in this Chamber and am in the community, people ask me about politics and I answer by saying I support everybody in politics in the Northern Territory, any member in this Chamber, any minister or otherwise in government.
I listened to the debate we just had, which was lost by the member for Nhulunbuy, and the comments that were made. Yes, there are some emotions when you talk about such topics. There is also a high degree of sensibility in how the Westminster system came about, and why democracy and debate is important to improve policies and service delivery in the Northern Territory. We should not spend too much time reflecting on ourselves. We should spend more time reflecting on the Northern Territory.
I took heart from the second speech in the last debate by the member for Nelson, who said, ‘Can we just get on with the job?’ or words to that effect. Today, from this side of the Chamber, we have spoken about such topics as public service employees and how the numbers have increased since we came to government. We have also spoken about the Mitchell Street Mile.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very direct question. Do you support the comments made by your senior ministers?
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I believe the Chief Minister has answered it somewhat and he still has a minute to formulate an answer.
Mr GILES: I was just talking about the Mitchell Street Mile, promoting tourism, economic development and lifestyle activities for Territorians to get outside. It also provides leadership to young people within the Northern Territory and around Australia about being active, going for a run and being outdoors, not sitting in front of computers or TVs. That is an exciting opportunity.
There will be many more questions through the day. That is what we should be talking about, not about ourselves. It is a comment I use in public frequently. We need to stop talking about ourselves. Today, no doubt, the opposition will continue to ask questions about politicians, not about Territorians, which is where we lose the heart of debate in this Chamber. That is one of the reasons Australians hold politicians in such poor regard. They are always talking about themselves. Put policy on the table and if you philosophically do not agree with something then debate it. Do not keep talking about us. We do not want to talk about ourselves and we do not want to talk about you. We did not talk about you in the last debate; we could have, but we did not. We want to talk about the Territory.
- … when did we become so thin-skinned in this House?
Your Treasurer stated he would not have apologised, and said:
- I would have said, ‘Toughen up, princess!’
He also said:
- This is a storm in a teacup.
Do you support the comments of your senior ministers?
ANSWER
Mr Deputy Speaker, I support everybody on this side of the Chamber in everything they do or say. It is part of being a team, working together and supporting one another. When I am not in this Chamber and am in the community, people ask me about politics and I answer by saying I support everybody in politics in the Northern Territory, any member in this Chamber, any minister or otherwise in government.
I listened to the debate we just had, which was lost by the member for Nhulunbuy, and the comments that were made. Yes, there are some emotions when you talk about such topics. There is also a high degree of sensibility in how the Westminster system came about, and why democracy and debate is important to improve policies and service delivery in the Northern Territory. We should not spend too much time reflecting on ourselves. We should spend more time reflecting on the Northern Territory.
I took heart from the second speech in the last debate by the member for Nelson, who said, ‘Can we just get on with the job?’ or words to that effect. Today, from this side of the Chamber, we have spoken about such topics as public service employees and how the numbers have increased since we came to government. We have also spoken about the Mitchell Street Mile.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very direct question. Do you support the comments made by your senior ministers?
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I believe the Chief Minister has answered it somewhat and he still has a minute to formulate an answer.
Mr GILES: I was just talking about the Mitchell Street Mile, promoting tourism, economic development and lifestyle activities for Territorians to get outside. It also provides leadership to young people within the Northern Territory and around Australia about being active, going for a run and being outdoors, not sitting in front of computers or TVs. That is an exciting opportunity.
There will be many more questions through the day. That is what we should be talking about, not about ourselves. It is a comment I use in public frequently. We need to stop talking about ourselves. Today, no doubt, the opposition will continue to ask questions about politicians, not about Territorians, which is where we lose the heart of debate in this Chamber. That is one of the reasons Australians hold politicians in such poor regard. They are always talking about themselves. Put policy on the table and if you philosophically do not agree with something then debate it. Do not keep talking about us. We do not want to talk about ourselves and we do not want to talk about you. We did not talk about you in the last debate; we could have, but we did not. We want to talk about the Territory.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016