Mr WOOD - 2013-02-21
Last year I attended a meeting with you at Ludmilla Primary School which was organised by your federal member, Natasha Griggs. The reason for the meeting was to push to save the houses at Eaton on the RAAF Base. You once had a ‘Save Eaton’ sticker on your computer. Today’s paper says the Department of Defence will demolish those houses.
Considering you were once very vocal about saving these houses and are, quite rightly, very vocal about the high cost of housing in Darwin, and considering Yilli Rreung would be willing to take the houses for an affordable project, what will you do, along with your federal colleagues, to stop the scandalous demolition of these houses just because they do not come up to the five-star standard of Defence?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. I acknowledge the member for Nelson has been a tireless supporter of saving those houses on the RAAF Base: 395 houses earmarked for destruction by the Gillard Labor government in Canberra.
The situation has been exacerbated by the previous Labor government of the Northern Territory supporting this wanton public vandalism of public assets. It would cost $1bn to replace that asset and the former government did not give a fig about the future of those houses. The federal member for Solomon, Natasha Griggs, has made an enormous effort to save the houses on the RAAF Base. She has a commitment from the federal Coalition that those houses can be saved and the suburb utilised by Territorians.
This government supports her fight and, in this regard, also supports the member for Nelson. Good on you, member for Nelson. It seems practically everyone in this House knows the importance of those houses apart from members on the other side, who are quite prepared to see those houses destroyed.
The best thing we can do, as a government, to ensure those houses are not destroyed is get rid of the Gillard government in Canberra and promote a Coalition government because we have a commitment on the books that those houses will be saved. Three-hundred-and-ninety-five houses, an entire suburb, cannot disappear simply because the former government refused to fight against their comrades in Canberra. The decision the Gillard government has made on this is a disgrace. We will fight it all the way to the next election.
Considering you were once very vocal about saving these houses and are, quite rightly, very vocal about the high cost of housing in Darwin, and considering Yilli Rreung would be willing to take the houses for an affordable project, what will you do, along with your federal colleagues, to stop the scandalous demolition of these houses just because they do not come up to the five-star standard of Defence?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. I acknowledge the member for Nelson has been a tireless supporter of saving those houses on the RAAF Base: 395 houses earmarked for destruction by the Gillard Labor government in Canberra.
The situation has been exacerbated by the previous Labor government of the Northern Territory supporting this wanton public vandalism of public assets. It would cost $1bn to replace that asset and the former government did not give a fig about the future of those houses. The federal member for Solomon, Natasha Griggs, has made an enormous effort to save the houses on the RAAF Base. She has a commitment from the federal Coalition that those houses can be saved and the suburb utilised by Territorians.
This government supports her fight and, in this regard, also supports the member for Nelson. Good on you, member for Nelson. It seems practically everyone in this House knows the importance of those houses apart from members on the other side, who are quite prepared to see those houses destroyed.
The best thing we can do, as a government, to ensure those houses are not destroyed is get rid of the Gillard government in Canberra and promote a Coalition government because we have a commitment on the books that those houses will be saved. Three-hundred-and-ninety-five houses, an entire suburb, cannot disappear simply because the former government refused to fight against their comrades in Canberra. The decision the Gillard government has made on this is a disgrace. We will fight it all the way to the next election.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016