Ms FYLES - 2016-05-26
Earlier today in this House you said:
Will you now apologise to Territorians for your outrageous slur? Do your comments, once and for all, not prove you are not fit to be Chief Minister?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her question. If you took offence to that I apologise, member for Nightcliff. If anybody took offence to my comments I apologise and withdraw them. I am happy to do that.
It is not unfair and unreasonable for me to point out some of your inadequacies as a member of parliament wanting to be a minister. If I can word that better I am happy to do that. That is fair and reasonable.
There have been a number of performances to date, inside and outside this Chamber, where you have sought to represent yourself as a politician in a shadow portfolio role, and you have done a terrible job. I am happy to say that on a regular basis.
In regard to people with a disability in our community, it is a terrible tragedy for many people living with a disability or who have a loved one who has a disability. It is challenging to families and individuals. That is why I was happy, with my colleagues, particularly the Minister for Health and Disability Services, to sign the NDIS several weeks ago. People in the community with a disability deserve better services from government nationwide, and that is why I was keen to sign it.
Two of the very important things we have done since coming to government are to put a lot of money into mental health and into disability. We saw in the budget, this week alone, additional money going towards disability and mental health services.
You would have seen that the title of our budget is Community. Prosperity. Territory. We always talk about jobs and building businesses, and everybody in the Territory knows the Country Liberals are the best to run the economy and for job growth. We are also the best for environmental protection, but we do not always talk about community.
I have told a few people over the last few weeks to look at what we have done from a community point of view. We have Henbury School up and running – a $33m special school – we have Palmerston special school being built. We have put money towards McKillop school at Palmerston. We have put $10m towards Carpentaria Disability Services, which will be a $30m development supporting people with a disability and their families, the community and the broader service hub.
We have a boarding facility going ahead at Nhulunbuy, which will help kids in remote parts of the Northern Territory.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110: relevance. Will the minister, without qualification, apologise for his offensive comments.
Mr GILES: I have done that. I did not qualify it; I apologised, and I apologise again.
We have also, in our three-and-a-half years, begun building a 116-bed Palmerston hospital. We are putting $64m into refurbishing the RDH, and there is $16m in this budget alone for the Alice Springs Hospital.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
- We have the dyslexic member for Nightcliff. Let us hope she is not the Education minister.
Will you now apologise to Territorians for your outrageous slur? Do your comments, once and for all, not prove you are not fit to be Chief Minister?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her question. If you took offence to that I apologise, member for Nightcliff. If anybody took offence to my comments I apologise and withdraw them. I am happy to do that.
It is not unfair and unreasonable for me to point out some of your inadequacies as a member of parliament wanting to be a minister. If I can word that better I am happy to do that. That is fair and reasonable.
There have been a number of performances to date, inside and outside this Chamber, where you have sought to represent yourself as a politician in a shadow portfolio role, and you have done a terrible job. I am happy to say that on a regular basis.
In regard to people with a disability in our community, it is a terrible tragedy for many people living with a disability or who have a loved one who has a disability. It is challenging to families and individuals. That is why I was happy, with my colleagues, particularly the Minister for Health and Disability Services, to sign the NDIS several weeks ago. People in the community with a disability deserve better services from government nationwide, and that is why I was keen to sign it.
Two of the very important things we have done since coming to government are to put a lot of money into mental health and into disability. We saw in the budget, this week alone, additional money going towards disability and mental health services.
You would have seen that the title of our budget is Community. Prosperity. Territory. We always talk about jobs and building businesses, and everybody in the Territory knows the Country Liberals are the best to run the economy and for job growth. We are also the best for environmental protection, but we do not always talk about community.
I have told a few people over the last few weeks to look at what we have done from a community point of view. We have Henbury School up and running – a $33m special school – we have Palmerston special school being built. We have put money towards McKillop school at Palmerston. We have put $10m towards Carpentaria Disability Services, which will be a $30m development supporting people with a disability and their families, the community and the broader service hub.
We have a boarding facility going ahead at Nhulunbuy, which will help kids in remote parts of the Northern Territory.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 110: relevance. Will the minister, without qualification, apologise for his offensive comments.
Mr GILES: I have done that. I did not qualify it; I apologised, and I apologise again.
We have also, in our three-and-a-half years, begun building a 116-bed Palmerston hospital. We are putting $64m into refurbishing the RDH, and there is $16m in this budget alone for the Alice Springs Hospital.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016