Ms WALKER - 2013-10-09
In our national newspaper on 16 March, your current Chief Minister said the permit system for Aboriginal land was a trade barrier that needs to be lifted. You are the Minister for Community Services now with responsibility for securing land tenure for all Northern Territory government infrastructure. You have also supported these comments, saying people need to be able to use community land for construction and economic reasons. Please outline the steps you have taken to implement your Chief Minister’s policy of removing the permit system.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I refer the question to the Chief Minister.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I know members on the Labor opposition find it difficult to work hard. They are all unionised people who could not work in an iron lung. I encourage them to research the Administrative Arrangement Orders. They will find that Economic Development is within my portfolio. Do some research and find out to whom you should be directing that question.
Going to the point of permits as trade barriers, we are working very hard with, as a good example, the member for Arafura, on how we can drive economic growth ...
Members interjecting.
Mr GILES: If you want to have a serious answer to this question, I am happy to give you one. If a tourist arrives on the Tiwi Islands, whether by ferry or by plane, and they want to go to a fishing lodge, they have to be able to get from Point A to Point B with ease of access so they can support the jobs, the fishing lodge, and all of those things. One of the issues with that is the trade barrier, as I call it, of the permit system. No one wants to travel through our culturally sensitive land; that is not what it is about. It is about having a permanent access route without that trade barrier to drive economic growth. That was the point of your question and how it was asked.
Getting to other points about economic development, member for Nhulunbuy, you stand here and occasionally ask a question. You are getting more …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! It was a very specific question. Standing Order 113: relevance. Please outline the steps you have taken to implement your policy of removing the permit system. What steps have you taken?
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, Opposition Leader. The Chief Minister has three minutes to answer the question. Come to the point, Chief Minister.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, we talk about driving economic development and growth and we are facilitating some of those things. I have had a good chat with the member for Namatjira, who is trying to facilitate some growth in a particular area of her electorate. We are doing things with the members for Arnhem, Stuart and Daly around a range of areas, including all the urban electorates. You stand in this Chamber, you get on radio, you bleat …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. What steps have you taken to remove the permit system?
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, please be seated. The Chief Minister has time to answer the question as he sees fit.
Mr GILES: We will work with land councils on major arterial routes.
You stood in this Chamber yesterday speaking about teachers at Yirrkala School. Let me quickly go through the staffing ratios. In primary years …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. This is not about you cutting teachers; it is about a permit system.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Member for Nightcliff, sit down!
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, preschools years, 40:1 ratio, no change; early years, Transition to Year 2, 20:1, a reduction from 22:1; primary years 22:1, the same as it was before - no change ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr GILES: You talk about teacher reduction in those - listen and you might learn, member for Nhulunbuy.
If you want to keep teachers in bush schools, get kids to school ...
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. My question was very specific around the permit system and steps being taken to dismantle it. I did not ask a question about education.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. The Chief Minister is answering the question as he sees fit.
Mr GILES: You should lead in your electorate. Work with us. If you want more teachers in bush schools, get school attendance up. When no one goes to school, you cannot have more teachers than students ...
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I refer the question to the Chief Minister.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I know members on the Labor opposition find it difficult to work hard. They are all unionised people who could not work in an iron lung. I encourage them to research the Administrative Arrangement Orders. They will find that Economic Development is within my portfolio. Do some research and find out to whom you should be directing that question.
Going to the point of permits as trade barriers, we are working very hard with, as a good example, the member for Arafura, on how we can drive economic growth ...
Members interjecting.
Mr GILES: If you want to have a serious answer to this question, I am happy to give you one. If a tourist arrives on the Tiwi Islands, whether by ferry or by plane, and they want to go to a fishing lodge, they have to be able to get from Point A to Point B with ease of access so they can support the jobs, the fishing lodge, and all of those things. One of the issues with that is the trade barrier, as I call it, of the permit system. No one wants to travel through our culturally sensitive land; that is not what it is about. It is about having a permanent access route without that trade barrier to drive economic growth. That was the point of your question and how it was asked.
Getting to other points about economic development, member for Nhulunbuy, you stand here and occasionally ask a question. You are getting more …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! It was a very specific question. Standing Order 113: relevance. Please outline the steps you have taken to implement your policy of removing the permit system. What steps have you taken?
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, Opposition Leader. The Chief Minister has three minutes to answer the question. Come to the point, Chief Minister.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, we talk about driving economic development and growth and we are facilitating some of those things. I have had a good chat with the member for Namatjira, who is trying to facilitate some growth in a particular area of her electorate. We are doing things with the members for Arnhem, Stuart and Daly around a range of areas, including all the urban electorates. You stand in this Chamber, you get on radio, you bleat …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. What steps have you taken to remove the permit system?
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, please be seated. The Chief Minister has time to answer the question as he sees fit.
Mr GILES: We will work with land councils on major arterial routes.
You stood in this Chamber yesterday speaking about teachers at Yirrkala School. Let me quickly go through the staffing ratios. In primary years …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. This is not about you cutting teachers; it is about a permit system.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Member for Nightcliff, sit down!
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, preschools years, 40:1 ratio, no change; early years, Transition to Year 2, 20:1, a reduction from 22:1; primary years 22:1, the same as it was before - no change ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr GILES: You talk about teacher reduction in those - listen and you might learn, member for Nhulunbuy.
If you want to keep teachers in bush schools, get kids to school ...
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. My question was very specific around the permit system and steps being taken to dismantle it. I did not ask a question about education.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. The Chief Minister is answering the question as he sees fit.
Mr GILES: You should lead in your electorate. Work with us. If you want more teachers in bush schools, get school attendance up. When no one goes to school, you cannot have more teachers than students ...
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016