Mr McCARTHY - 2013-02-20
The week before last year’s Northern Territory election you signed a contract to establish a government business centre at Borroloola. I was in Borroloola just over a week ago and they mentioned that neither you, any of your ministers, nor any of your members have been back to Borroloola since signing this contract. There was no funding in your mini-budget which gives us the road map to what you are talking about, not spinning about. Will the work start soon, or when will the work start on the government business centre for Borroloola? I am glad you mentioned you have a framed copy of this contract on your desk, so I do not need to table it. I am very interested in taking back the message to the people of Borroloola. When will you do this, or is it more election spin to the bush?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question. No, it is not election spin. The fifth point of the five-point plan is accountability. That was a document we signed in the presence of those community leaders. We meant what we said and we will deliver on exactly what we said we will. We will work with those communities ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point or order, Madam Speaker! Relevance. Why was it not in your funded election commitments that you submitted to Treasury?
Madam SPEAKER: Please be seated.
Mr MILLS: I take that as a bit of a compliment. You were in government for well over a decade and you are now squawking about the high expectations of the Country Liberal government, of all the things we could do in a couple of months. I take that as a compliment.
We do have a real plan and we are setting about achieving it. I know you are really well intentioned, member for Barkly, and are really keen to deliver the good news to Borroloola. To give you some more information to provide to your constituents - because I know you are out there to promote to the members of that community that there is now a very proactive and engaged government which is very serious about delivering for all the Territory - I will ask the Minister for Transport to give you some more information.
Mr GILES (Transport): Thank you very much, Chief Minister. You turn up in this parliament for Question Time with a whole bunch of briefs. Looking through some of this information on transport, Borroloola comes to mind.
There is some old information about growth towns that was discussed in the last election term under the previous Labor government. One of their policies was to put MVR services in the bush. I have been the length and the breadth of the Territory. I have been to Borroloola, I have been through the seats of Arnhem, Arafura, Stuart, Namatjira, Daly, and I have not seen any MVR services.
In the second week of being the Transport Minister, I said to the department, ‘I want MVR services in the bush, I want to trial them ...
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question is in relation to relevance. The member asked when the government business centre, as promised, would commence.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, if ever I have heard about relevance on such an important topic, it is the irrelevance of the member for Nhulunbuy.
Within two weeks of coming in, we already had the department working on getting an MVR and the shopfront at Borroloola and Maningrida. I am sure the member for Arafura would be happy with that. We are looking at Port Keats. We are looking at Yuendumu. We will be looking for five places. That has been a work in progress, you get that happening …
Ms Walker: What about Galiwinku? Not interested in that?
Mr GILES: Do not talk about it. You did not do anything for 11 years. You did not speak for the last four years. You did not fight for gas to Gove. Why do you not get some relevance in here? You were like the member for Johnston is now ...
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The minister well knows he must direct his comments through the Chair.
Mr GILES: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. The conversational aptitude of the member for Johnston reflects the member for Nhulunbuy’s last four years ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, you time has expired.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question. No, it is not election spin. The fifth point of the five-point plan is accountability. That was a document we signed in the presence of those community leaders. We meant what we said and we will deliver on exactly what we said we will. We will work with those communities ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point or order, Madam Speaker! Relevance. Why was it not in your funded election commitments that you submitted to Treasury?
Madam SPEAKER: Please be seated.
Mr MILLS: I take that as a bit of a compliment. You were in government for well over a decade and you are now squawking about the high expectations of the Country Liberal government, of all the things we could do in a couple of months. I take that as a compliment.
We do have a real plan and we are setting about achieving it. I know you are really well intentioned, member for Barkly, and are really keen to deliver the good news to Borroloola. To give you some more information to provide to your constituents - because I know you are out there to promote to the members of that community that there is now a very proactive and engaged government which is very serious about delivering for all the Territory - I will ask the Minister for Transport to give you some more information.
Mr GILES (Transport): Thank you very much, Chief Minister. You turn up in this parliament for Question Time with a whole bunch of briefs. Looking through some of this information on transport, Borroloola comes to mind.
There is some old information about growth towns that was discussed in the last election term under the previous Labor government. One of their policies was to put MVR services in the bush. I have been the length and the breadth of the Territory. I have been to Borroloola, I have been through the seats of Arnhem, Arafura, Stuart, Namatjira, Daly, and I have not seen any MVR services.
In the second week of being the Transport Minister, I said to the department, ‘I want MVR services in the bush, I want to trial them ...
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question is in relation to relevance. The member asked when the government business centre, as promised, would commence.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, if ever I have heard about relevance on such an important topic, it is the irrelevance of the member for Nhulunbuy.
Within two weeks of coming in, we already had the department working on getting an MVR and the shopfront at Borroloola and Maningrida. I am sure the member for Arafura would be happy with that. We are looking at Port Keats. We are looking at Yuendumu. We will be looking for five places. That has been a work in progress, you get that happening …
Ms Walker: What about Galiwinku? Not interested in that?
Mr GILES: Do not talk about it. You did not do anything for 11 years. You did not speak for the last four years. You did not fight for gas to Gove. Why do you not get some relevance in here? You were like the member for Johnston is now ...
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The minister well knows he must direct his comments through the Chair.
Mr GILES: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. The conversational aptitude of the member for Johnston reflects the member for Nhulunbuy’s last four years ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, you time has expired.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016