Ms LAWRIE - 2013-10-09
Yesterday, you told us how things were good in the bush under your leadership. According to the most recent test of your performance, you have lost Arafura, Arnhem, Stuart, and Namatjira. Add to that the loss of Sanderson and you would be on the opposition benches. Your predecessor, the member for Blain said:
If this is what your own colleagues say about your performance, is it any wonder Territorians have lost faith in you to lead them, or is the member for Blain wrong?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. People in the Northern Territory will be under no illusions that we are not firmly committed to driving improvements and performance in regional and remote areas of the Northern Territory. That also includes urban locations across the Northern Territory.
We have a range of initiatives we are pursuing, including eroding Labor shires. I said yesterday that by 1 January next year the shires will be formulated into regional councils, fulfilling our election commitment. We are working to ensure roads and maintenance contracts and housing maintenance contracts go to local people. We are continuing with our remote transport strategy and initiative.
Recently we launched the new Tiwi ferry service for Tiwi Islanders. The member for Arafura, who was on that initial trip, was very excited, as were Tiwi Islanders. We have more than $1m committed by Infrastructure Australia to undertake a feasibility study on upgrading road works on the top road through Jabiru to Oenpelli and out to Maningrida and Ramingining, looking at what we can do there.
We are looking at how we can better support community-controlled health centres in remote areas.
We are providing an era of decentralisation to a regional capacity to give people a greater say in the way they do business, and confidence is significantly growing out there.
We made a call a while ago to support economic growth in regions to drive jobs and economic advancement creating businesses. A number of communities have come to us seeking to work to provide economic growth. The Tiwi Islands have been in the newspaper, but there are some fantastic outcomes we are working on in that area. We are working in Wadeye to get some improvements in that frame, and a range of other communities which I will not mention at this point in time. There is a range of initiatives coming through local members about how we can drive growth.
We have already seen, through the mining minister, the creation of three mines in the Roper region. A range of local people in the Arnhem region is working in those mines. We are looking at supporting Ngukurr …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Your colleague said the transaction is incomplete and appears to be abandoned. Is he wrong ...
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, it is not a point of order. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: There is a range of things we are doing. Recently in Tennant Creek we opened a Chief Minister’s office to start dealing with and coordinating strategic issues and how we can respond to some of the social demands, and drive economic improvements in the region.
One of the important things to look at if you want to look at statistics is the latest Sensis report. It shows that the Territory recorded the highest regional business confidence in the nation, at 47%. If anyone wants to talk about confidence in leadership, you only have to look to the member for Fannie Bay, because clearly he does not have confidence in your leadership.
- We gave the bush hope and they gave us trust. That resulted in us winning government, but that transaction is incomplete and appears to have been abandoned. The government is now centralised and focused on the agenda and interest of its senior leadership.
If this is what your own colleagues say about your performance, is it any wonder Territorians have lost faith in you to lead them, or is the member for Blain wrong?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. People in the Northern Territory will be under no illusions that we are not firmly committed to driving improvements and performance in regional and remote areas of the Northern Territory. That also includes urban locations across the Northern Territory.
We have a range of initiatives we are pursuing, including eroding Labor shires. I said yesterday that by 1 January next year the shires will be formulated into regional councils, fulfilling our election commitment. We are working to ensure roads and maintenance contracts and housing maintenance contracts go to local people. We are continuing with our remote transport strategy and initiative.
Recently we launched the new Tiwi ferry service for Tiwi Islanders. The member for Arafura, who was on that initial trip, was very excited, as were Tiwi Islanders. We have more than $1m committed by Infrastructure Australia to undertake a feasibility study on upgrading road works on the top road through Jabiru to Oenpelli and out to Maningrida and Ramingining, looking at what we can do there.
We are looking at how we can better support community-controlled health centres in remote areas.
We are providing an era of decentralisation to a regional capacity to give people a greater say in the way they do business, and confidence is significantly growing out there.
We made a call a while ago to support economic growth in regions to drive jobs and economic advancement creating businesses. A number of communities have come to us seeking to work to provide economic growth. The Tiwi Islands have been in the newspaper, but there are some fantastic outcomes we are working on in that area. We are working in Wadeye to get some improvements in that frame, and a range of other communities which I will not mention at this point in time. There is a range of initiatives coming through local members about how we can drive growth.
We have already seen, through the mining minister, the creation of three mines in the Roper region. A range of local people in the Arnhem region is working in those mines. We are looking at supporting Ngukurr …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. Your colleague said the transaction is incomplete and appears to be abandoned. Is he wrong ...
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, it is not a point of order. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: There is a range of things we are doing. Recently in Tennant Creek we opened a Chief Minister’s office to start dealing with and coordinating strategic issues and how we can respond to some of the social demands, and drive economic improvements in the region.
One of the important things to look at if you want to look at statistics is the latest Sensis report. It shows that the Territory recorded the highest regional business confidence in the nation, at 47%. If anyone wants to talk about confidence in leadership, you only have to look to the member for Fannie Bay, because clearly he does not have confidence in your leadership.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016