Mr GUNNER - 2015-11-18
The events in this Assembly earlier this morning have once again shown Territorians why you are unfit to govern. A vicious and ultimately botched attempt to remove the Speaker for daring to highlight your lack of integrity speaks volumes about the esteem in which you hold this parliament and the people of the Northern Territory.
The arrogance, untrustworthiness and incompetence on display over the last 24 hours is a defining feature of your government, and it is the way you have treated Territorians for three long years. When will you finally do the right thing, listen to Territorians and resign?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, is the alternative a Labor Party without policy? What is the alternative? You had eleven-and-a-half years of opportunity to do a range of things.
I have just delivered a speech at the Chamber of Commerce AGM. I spoke about many things the government has done in three-and-a-half years. Yesterday I answered a question and spoke about how the government was virtually bankrupt with the level of debt and deficit. I spoke about the range of things we have been doing. Off the top of my head I can come up with a number of projects: the Tiger Brennan Drive duplication; Palmerston Regional Hospital; a $40m upgrade to the Royal Darwin Hospital; $33m into the Pickertaramoor Road on the Tiwi Islands; upgrading the Port Keats Road; bridges on the Roper and Wilton Rivers; and the health centre at Ngukurr. There was more than $6m last year to roll out mobile phone and ADSL2+ technology in 13 communities across the Territory. There is $42m going into telecommunications across the Territory with Minjilang being the first community, and I understand Umbakumba is the second. Look at what we have done to reduce petrol prices in the Northern Territory.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113; it was a very direct question. When will you do the right thing by listening to Territorians and resign? Answer the question.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: Petrol prices are the lowest in the country. House prices are down, honouring our election commitment to reduce the cost of living. There has been the biggest land release program in the Territory’s history of more than 6500 blocks of land. There has been the biggest increase in Indigenous employment, in and outside of the public service, in the Territory’s history.
I pose this to the Leader of the Opposition: what is the alternative? We have a Leader of the Opposition who says he supports the gas pipeline announced yesterday, but he does not support the gas industry. What is the pipeline, a tunnel of love? We want to put gas there. What we want is the best gas industry in the Territory with the best environmental regulations. We have just released the second Hawke Report, and I know the Minister for the Environment will have more to say about that.
We are putting in place reforms which protect the Territory’s lifestyle, build our economy, reduce costs-of-living pressures and, importantly, build jobs. There is no alternative in this Chamber. I cannot go beyond one policy by Labor, which is to have a moratorium.
The arrogance, untrustworthiness and incompetence on display over the last 24 hours is a defining feature of your government, and it is the way you have treated Territorians for three long years. When will you finally do the right thing, listen to Territorians and resign?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, is the alternative a Labor Party without policy? What is the alternative? You had eleven-and-a-half years of opportunity to do a range of things.
I have just delivered a speech at the Chamber of Commerce AGM. I spoke about many things the government has done in three-and-a-half years. Yesterday I answered a question and spoke about how the government was virtually bankrupt with the level of debt and deficit. I spoke about the range of things we have been doing. Off the top of my head I can come up with a number of projects: the Tiger Brennan Drive duplication; Palmerston Regional Hospital; a $40m upgrade to the Royal Darwin Hospital; $33m into the Pickertaramoor Road on the Tiwi Islands; upgrading the Port Keats Road; bridges on the Roper and Wilton Rivers; and the health centre at Ngukurr. There was more than $6m last year to roll out mobile phone and ADSL2+ technology in 13 communities across the Territory. There is $42m going into telecommunications across the Territory with Minjilang being the first community, and I understand Umbakumba is the second. Look at what we have done to reduce petrol prices in the Northern Territory.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113; it was a very direct question. When will you do the right thing by listening to Territorians and resign? Answer the question.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: Petrol prices are the lowest in the country. House prices are down, honouring our election commitment to reduce the cost of living. There has been the biggest land release program in the Territory’s history of more than 6500 blocks of land. There has been the biggest increase in Indigenous employment, in and outside of the public service, in the Territory’s history.
I pose this to the Leader of the Opposition: what is the alternative? We have a Leader of the Opposition who says he supports the gas pipeline announced yesterday, but he does not support the gas industry. What is the pipeline, a tunnel of love? We want to put gas there. What we want is the best gas industry in the Territory with the best environmental regulations. We have just released the second Hawke Report, and I know the Minister for the Environment will have more to say about that.
We are putting in place reforms which protect the Territory’s lifestyle, build our economy, reduce costs-of-living pressures and, importantly, build jobs. There is no alternative in this Chamber. I cannot go beyond one policy by Labor, which is to have a moratorium.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016