Ms FYLES - 2013-11-26
Your government is in meltdown over the bungling of our education system. You have shown that you are striking special deals with select CLP members who have spoken out against your savage cuts to schools. The member for Goyder has taken to social media to show how your education cuts are hurting Territorians, hurting our students. Even your rank and file members are telling you to lay off our schools. We hear Taminmin high school is still losing up to 20 staff, a combination of teachers and support staff. It appears your education policy is in chaos while you try to shore up your leadership numbers.
Will you tell the House what special deals you have done over some schools while other still face drastic cuts?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, there are no special deals in any school. There is a formula applied. The Minister for Education has applied that formula, thank you very much.
But I can tell you all about special deals done by the former Labor government - by Gerry Obeid with his union mates.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very direct question: why are some schools being drastically cut and others not?
Madam SPEAKER: The Chief Minister has answered the question.
Mr GILES: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. That was not the question. You had the question at the end and I answered it. I said there are no special deals, full stop. There is a formula applied by the Education department, outlined by the Minister for Education. If you want to talk about special deals, let us talk about the Stella Maris and what you did with Unions NT.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. I am talking about education, parents, teachers, students …
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Nightcliff. The Chief Minister has answered the question.
Mr GILES: This whole deal of the Unions NT and Stella Maris reminds me of Centenary House in Canberra.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was very specific to schools and we would like the Chief Minister to talk about cuts to education.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. The Chief Minister has the call.
Mr GILES: This question is actually about unions and the union education campaign which is trying to stir everybody up. Let us talk about a dodgy deal with the unions when the former Lands and Planning minister offered up a $3m asset to Unions NT for nick – a $442 transfer fee to get the documents signed and handed over. That is what a dodgy deal is.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question went to education. Here is the Stella Maris submission from Unions NT. It was not dodgy it was historic …
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, there is not point of order. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, the plan was to move Unions NT into a free building so it could rent the Unions NT building to other government departments, no doubt, just like Centenary House in Canberra – the unions can raise money. This is a stinky, dodgy deal done by the former Labor government.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was very specific about cuts in schools. The Chief Minister is not talking about education and the harm to our children and our schools.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, if you could keep your comments to education generally.
Mr GILES: Could you imagine how much more money would have been in the education budget if Stella Maris was rented out at value? But, no, a dodgy deal for Labor mates – Labor and the unions in the thick of it doing a dodgy deal around the Stella Maris.
I know I cannot use the name Gerry Obeid, but the linkages between these two stink.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please withdraw those comments.
Mr GILES: I withdraw, Madam Speaker.
But I will talk about the hypocrisy here. We are being fully transparent on Rio Tinto and what is happening with education, but we have Labor leading with their chins about the lack of transparency over Stella Maris.
We are not running away from what we are doing. We are providing direction for the Northern Territory to try to get the best educational outcomes for our kids in the future so they are nation leaders in performance on industry around agribusiness, food production, oil and gas, and engineering.
We want the best for our kids and we are working to get that. It is not the best when Labor does dodgy deals with the unions, for no money, on Territory assets. That does not get an outcome for Territorians. The member for Barkly should explain his actions and apologise to Territorians for ripping off $3m in assets that would have escalated to $6m over the term of the agreements. If you want more money in Education stop giving away. That is an absolute disgrace and it stinks of what happened in New South Wales.
Will you tell the House what special deals you have done over some schools while other still face drastic cuts?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, there are no special deals in any school. There is a formula applied. The Minister for Education has applied that formula, thank you very much.
But I can tell you all about special deals done by the former Labor government - by Gerry Obeid with his union mates.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a very direct question: why are some schools being drastically cut and others not?
Madam SPEAKER: The Chief Minister has answered the question.
Mr GILES: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. That was not the question. You had the question at the end and I answered it. I said there are no special deals, full stop. There is a formula applied by the Education department, outlined by the Minister for Education. If you want to talk about special deals, let us talk about the Stella Maris and what you did with Unions NT.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. I am talking about education, parents, teachers, students …
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Nightcliff. The Chief Minister has answered the question.
Mr GILES: This whole deal of the Unions NT and Stella Maris reminds me of Centenary House in Canberra.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was very specific to schools and we would like the Chief Minister to talk about cuts to education.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. The Chief Minister has the call.
Mr GILES: This question is actually about unions and the union education campaign which is trying to stir everybody up. Let us talk about a dodgy deal with the unions when the former Lands and Planning minister offered up a $3m asset to Unions NT for nick – a $442 transfer fee to get the documents signed and handed over. That is what a dodgy deal is.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question went to education. Here is the Stella Maris submission from Unions NT. It was not dodgy it was historic …
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, there is not point of order. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, the plan was to move Unions NT into a free building so it could rent the Unions NT building to other government departments, no doubt, just like Centenary House in Canberra – the unions can raise money. This is a stinky, dodgy deal done by the former Labor government.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was very specific about cuts in schools. The Chief Minister is not talking about education and the harm to our children and our schools.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, if you could keep your comments to education generally.
Mr GILES: Could you imagine how much more money would have been in the education budget if Stella Maris was rented out at value? But, no, a dodgy deal for Labor mates – Labor and the unions in the thick of it doing a dodgy deal around the Stella Maris.
I know I cannot use the name Gerry Obeid, but the linkages between these two stink.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please withdraw those comments.
Mr GILES: I withdraw, Madam Speaker.
But I will talk about the hypocrisy here. We are being fully transparent on Rio Tinto and what is happening with education, but we have Labor leading with their chins about the lack of transparency over Stella Maris.
We are not running away from what we are doing. We are providing direction for the Northern Territory to try to get the best educational outcomes for our kids in the future so they are nation leaders in performance on industry around agribusiness, food production, oil and gas, and engineering.
We want the best for our kids and we are working to get that. It is not the best when Labor does dodgy deals with the unions, for no money, on Territory assets. That does not get an outcome for Territorians. The member for Barkly should explain his actions and apologise to Territorians for ripping off $3m in assets that would have escalated to $6m over the term of the agreements. If you want more money in Education stop giving away. That is an absolute disgrace and it stinks of what happened in New South Wales.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016