Ms WALKER - 2014-03-19
Your government promised bush voters you support jobs for local people. The government in Canberra, and many members of your own government, agree unemployment and welfare is a root cause of entrenched Indigenous disadvantage in the Northern Territory. Why are you implementing policies leading to job losses in the bush, like the 19 hard working locals employed in housing maintenance in the West Arnhem Regional Council? Why are you not listening to your colleagues, especially those on your back bench who represent bush electorates, and supporting local employment in the bush, instead of favouring untested and expensive fly-in fly-out contracts for maintenance and housing tenancies work in communities?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I reject the premise of the question because it is entirely false. If anything, this will go to empowering Aboriginal people and providing more employment opportunities on the ground. I understand, the question is about the shire, the shire contracts and those other contractors who have received these new housing maintenance coordination services.
Members interjecting.
Mr CONLAN: Listen and I will explain to you. The contracts awarded will deliver three separate services in each region: housing maintenance coordination services; tenancy management services; and panel contract for trade qualified services. A total of 66 local and community-based organisations have been successful as part of the tender process. Are you disputing me? You are.
Ms Walker: I am. Why are they retendering the Yirrkala contract?
Mr CONLAN: We will provide the member for Nhulunbuy with a full briefing. I know she has already asked for one, but I think we will provide her with another one.
Ms Walker: I had the briefing, you goose.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nhulunbuy, withdraw that comment.
Ms Walker: I withdraw.
Mr CONLAN: So you do not believe the brief the department provided, is that what you are saying?
Ms Walker: It was a very honest briefing; you were not there.
Mr CONLAN: It does not matter. You do not believe the information the department provided to you?
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Minister, please direct your comments through the Chair.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing order 113: relevance. Very clearly, the question was in relation to the fly-in fly-out contracts, local in terms of the Northern Territory. People in remote communities have lost their jobs under your watch and you are ignoring it.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.
Mr CONLAN: I think the point here is the shadow minister for Housing has bothered to ask a question. In her entire time here, as shadow minister for Housing, this is the first question she has asked and I am trying to explain it to her, yet she refuses to listen to the information provided.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing order 113: relevance. We want an answer to this important question, there are jobs lost in the bush.
Madam SPEAKER: The minister is answering the question; he has time, three minutes.
Mr CONLAN: I embarked on answering the question to the shadow minister, but we will go back. A total of 66 local and community-based organisations have been successful as part of the tender process. Our new model aims to improve service delivery to tenants, improve response time, contain costs and provide opportunities for employment of local Indigenous business enterprises. It is pretty simple. Regional tenderers were separated into community clusters to provide smaller local organisations an opportunity to apply.
The model facilitates local training, apprenticeships and employment opportunities with funding to 30 June 2018. Tell me, what is wrong with empowering more Aboriginal people to engage in meaningful work options in their community?
Members interjecting.
Mr CONLAN: There is nothing wrong with it and it is leading with the chin from the shadow minister for Housing, who has asked her very first question in this House as shadow. I provided her with a briefing from the department and I have now attempted to answer a question, which she refuses to listen to.
If this is her attitude towards the important issue of Indigenous employment, so be it. This government is doing everything it can to empower Aboriginal people and ensure they have meaningful work options in their community.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I reject the premise of the question because it is entirely false. If anything, this will go to empowering Aboriginal people and providing more employment opportunities on the ground. I understand, the question is about the shire, the shire contracts and those other contractors who have received these new housing maintenance coordination services.
Members interjecting.
Mr CONLAN: Listen and I will explain to you. The contracts awarded will deliver three separate services in each region: housing maintenance coordination services; tenancy management services; and panel contract for trade qualified services. A total of 66 local and community-based organisations have been successful as part of the tender process. Are you disputing me? You are.
Ms Walker: I am. Why are they retendering the Yirrkala contract?
Mr CONLAN: We will provide the member for Nhulunbuy with a full briefing. I know she has already asked for one, but I think we will provide her with another one.
Ms Walker: I had the briefing, you goose.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nhulunbuy, withdraw that comment.
Ms Walker: I withdraw.
Mr CONLAN: So you do not believe the brief the department provided, is that what you are saying?
Ms Walker: It was a very honest briefing; you were not there.
Mr CONLAN: It does not matter. You do not believe the information the department provided to you?
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Minister, please direct your comments through the Chair.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing order 113: relevance. Very clearly, the question was in relation to the fly-in fly-out contracts, local in terms of the Northern Territory. People in remote communities have lost their jobs under your watch and you are ignoring it.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.
Mr CONLAN: I think the point here is the shadow minister for Housing has bothered to ask a question. In her entire time here, as shadow minister for Housing, this is the first question she has asked and I am trying to explain it to her, yet she refuses to listen to the information provided.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing order 113: relevance. We want an answer to this important question, there are jobs lost in the bush.
Madam SPEAKER: The minister is answering the question; he has time, three minutes.
Mr CONLAN: I embarked on answering the question to the shadow minister, but we will go back. A total of 66 local and community-based organisations have been successful as part of the tender process. Our new model aims to improve service delivery to tenants, improve response time, contain costs and provide opportunities for employment of local Indigenous business enterprises. It is pretty simple. Regional tenderers were separated into community clusters to provide smaller local organisations an opportunity to apply.
The model facilitates local training, apprenticeships and employment opportunities with funding to 30 June 2018. Tell me, what is wrong with empowering more Aboriginal people to engage in meaningful work options in their community?
Members interjecting.
Mr CONLAN: There is nothing wrong with it and it is leading with the chin from the shadow minister for Housing, who has asked her very first question in this House as shadow. I provided her with a briefing from the department and I have now attempted to answer a question, which she refuses to listen to.
If this is her attitude towards the important issue of Indigenous employment, so be it. This government is doing everything it can to empower Aboriginal people and ensure they have meaningful work options in their community.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016