Mrs LAMBLEY - 2016-03-15
Your new remote contracting policy reads that 70% of remote construction contracts under $5m will go to Aboriginal businesses from 1 January 2017. You announced this on 8 February 2016 and it has taken you over a month to realise this is a very unfair, unreasonable and possibly racist policy. To top it off, last week at your procurement forum people were told that to qualify as an Aboriginal business they had to employ 30% Aboriginal staff. Businesses will go broke thanks to this policy. How many local Aboriginal people do you employ in your electorate and ministerial offices? Are you following your own agenda?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is not in the best interests of the Northern Territory if we start bringing in race-based debates …
Ms Lawrie: It is an Indigenous employment policy. Are you doing it?
Mr GILES: Let us not be racially divisive in this Chamber. We have a policy about remote procurement that seeks to increase the levels of Aboriginal employees in the Northern Territory. This is not a new policy or measure; it is a different way of doing it. This is not a new policy that has only just started. This is a policy that has been implemented for more than 12 months, but never announced. It has been achieving amazing gains.
When we were putting out government contracts more than 12 months ago, we were achieving 40 Aboriginal outcomes for employment from our government contracts. Since the change in this process, as I announced at the release, we have achieved 576 unique Aboriginal employment participations from our contracts. It is changing people’s lives, building economies and having positive outcomes in remote parts of the Northern Territory. It is seen around the country …
Mrs LAMBLEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110. A simple question: how many local Aboriginal people do you employ in your electorate and ministerial offices?
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, get to the point.
Mr GILES: The remote procurement policy is achieving great outcomes. There have been many people who have commented on the policy who have not read the policy. Unfortunately there are many misunderstandings of the policy.
The question had an assertion in it that 70% of all contracts need to go to Aboriginal businesses, which is not correct. Our baseline target is 35% of remote contracts in communities around essential services and small-scale housing repairs. This policy has been in play …
Mrs LAMBLEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110. A simple question. All I require is a figure for each of those and I believe the Chief Minister is misleading this parliament. I quoted directly from his media release, which I am happy to table here and now …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, you can only do that with a substantive motion if you believe the Chief Minister is misleading the parliament. Can you withdraw those comments?
Mrs LAMBLEY: I withdraw those comments. It is true; I quoted directly from his …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! She has qualified the withdraw. The instruction was to withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: It has been withdrawn.
Mr GILES: This policy is being heralded around the country in the outcomes it is receiving. Many people are asking for us to assist them to improve their policies. There are procurement targets in a range of areas around the country. I note that the Commonwealth procurement process has a 3% target for Indigenous employment.
With regard to the remote procurement process, we announced a review and evaluation to make sure the intent, policies and outcomes achieved are what we want. We want to provide clarity on the policy itself …
Mrs LAMBLEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110: relevance. The Chief Minister is not answering the question. I can only assume that the answer to both questions is zero.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Please sit down. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: Of the two people who work in my electorate office, one is Aboriginal.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is not in the best interests of the Northern Territory if we start bringing in race-based debates …
Ms Lawrie: It is an Indigenous employment policy. Are you doing it?
Mr GILES: Let us not be racially divisive in this Chamber. We have a policy about remote procurement that seeks to increase the levels of Aboriginal employees in the Northern Territory. This is not a new policy or measure; it is a different way of doing it. This is not a new policy that has only just started. This is a policy that has been implemented for more than 12 months, but never announced. It has been achieving amazing gains.
When we were putting out government contracts more than 12 months ago, we were achieving 40 Aboriginal outcomes for employment from our government contracts. Since the change in this process, as I announced at the release, we have achieved 576 unique Aboriginal employment participations from our contracts. It is changing people’s lives, building economies and having positive outcomes in remote parts of the Northern Territory. It is seen around the country …
Mrs LAMBLEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110. A simple question: how many local Aboriginal people do you employ in your electorate and ministerial offices?
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, get to the point.
Mr GILES: The remote procurement policy is achieving great outcomes. There have been many people who have commented on the policy who have not read the policy. Unfortunately there are many misunderstandings of the policy.
The question had an assertion in it that 70% of all contracts need to go to Aboriginal businesses, which is not correct. Our baseline target is 35% of remote contracts in communities around essential services and small-scale housing repairs. This policy has been in play …
Mrs LAMBLEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110. A simple question. All I require is a figure for each of those and I believe the Chief Minister is misleading this parliament. I quoted directly from his media release, which I am happy to table here and now …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, you can only do that with a substantive motion if you believe the Chief Minister is misleading the parliament. Can you withdraw those comments?
Mrs LAMBLEY: I withdraw those comments. It is true; I quoted directly from his …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! She has qualified the withdraw. The instruction was to withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: It has been withdrawn.
Mr GILES: This policy is being heralded around the country in the outcomes it is receiving. Many people are asking for us to assist them to improve their policies. There are procurement targets in a range of areas around the country. I note that the Commonwealth procurement process has a 3% target for Indigenous employment.
With regard to the remote procurement process, we announced a review and evaluation to make sure the intent, policies and outcomes achieved are what we want. We want to provide clarity on the policy itself …
Mrs LAMBLEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110: relevance. The Chief Minister is not answering the question. I can only assume that the answer to both questions is zero.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Please sit down. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: Of the two people who work in my electorate office, one is Aboriginal.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016