Ms WALKER - 2014-05-07
In April this year you told a LGANT local government conference in Katherine you were offering LGANT the opportunity to take on greater responsibilities. You said you were keen to:
In June last year, the Department of Local Government and Regions had a modest workforce of 44 full-time employees across the Territory, overseeing annual grant funding of over $74m. We have now heard you plan to outsource many of the functions and jobs within the Department of Local Government and Regions to LGANT and merge the department with the Department of Community Services.
How many Territorians will lose their jobs as a result of your plan to slash the Department of Local Government and Regions? How many Territorians currently working within the Department of Community Services will also lose their jobs?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nhulunbuy for her very important question. The Giles Country Liberals government is very proud of the changes being made to local government. The member for Nhulunbuy would understand the last election was largely fought on local government. Labor had its toxic shires in place. People felt disenfranchised; they had lost their voice and had no say.
In that campaign the Chief Minister said we would restore people’s voices. We would give them a say and let them determine how things are managed in their local areas, rather than the top-down approach the previous Labor government operated on. Devolving responsibility for decisions in local government to LGANT is part of the Country Liberals’ plan to restore the voice of the people, especially those in the bush. It is about giving local government and regional councils the ability to start managing more of their own affairs.
I cannot understand why anyone would be opposed to that, apart from a socialist opposition that believes in the total control of everything around it. On this side of the Chamber we believe in allowing local government to make decisions which affect it. We are not backing away from the decision to hand more responsibility and devolve some authority to the local government association which, oddly enough, member for Nhulunbuy, represents local government in the Northern Territory.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question was how many jobs would be lost from the department of Local Government and the Department of Community Services?
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, if you can get to the point.
Mr TOLLNER: Yes, of course, Madam Speaker. I know the point is they are trying to beat up this issue that there are 11 000 public servants who have lost their jobs and there is another 20% to go. There is nothing to see here in that regard.
Whilst Labor tries to put the fear of God into everybody that will all lose their jobs, it is not happening. I would like to see some of our local government employees go to LGANT, if it is an option and if they want to. If they do not, there are jobs for them within the Northern Territory government. No one will lose their jobs.
This is not about whether people lose jobs, this about giving people a voice in the bush, something the previous government was not interested in.
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a specific question and he has not answered it. He has admitted that jobs will be gone, how many?
Mr TOLLNER: They are clearly not interested in the answer and want to beat up some story that thousands of people are losing their jobs around the Territory, which is not happening. We are supporting local government.
- … enable local government to essentially manage itself.
In June last year, the Department of Local Government and Regions had a modest workforce of 44 full-time employees across the Territory, overseeing annual grant funding of over $74m. We have now heard you plan to outsource many of the functions and jobs within the Department of Local Government and Regions to LGANT and merge the department with the Department of Community Services.
How many Territorians will lose their jobs as a result of your plan to slash the Department of Local Government and Regions? How many Territorians currently working within the Department of Community Services will also lose their jobs?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nhulunbuy for her very important question. The Giles Country Liberals government is very proud of the changes being made to local government. The member for Nhulunbuy would understand the last election was largely fought on local government. Labor had its toxic shires in place. People felt disenfranchised; they had lost their voice and had no say.
In that campaign the Chief Minister said we would restore people’s voices. We would give them a say and let them determine how things are managed in their local areas, rather than the top-down approach the previous Labor government operated on. Devolving responsibility for decisions in local government to LGANT is part of the Country Liberals’ plan to restore the voice of the people, especially those in the bush. It is about giving local government and regional councils the ability to start managing more of their own affairs.
I cannot understand why anyone would be opposed to that, apart from a socialist opposition that believes in the total control of everything around it. On this side of the Chamber we believe in allowing local government to make decisions which affect it. We are not backing away from the decision to hand more responsibility and devolve some authority to the local government association which, oddly enough, member for Nhulunbuy, represents local government in the Northern Territory.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question was how many jobs would be lost from the department of Local Government and the Department of Community Services?
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, if you can get to the point.
Mr TOLLNER: Yes, of course, Madam Speaker. I know the point is they are trying to beat up this issue that there are 11 000 public servants who have lost their jobs and there is another 20% to go. There is nothing to see here in that regard.
Whilst Labor tries to put the fear of God into everybody that will all lose their jobs, it is not happening. I would like to see some of our local government employees go to LGANT, if it is an option and if they want to. If they do not, there are jobs for them within the Northern Territory government. No one will lose their jobs.
This is not about whether people lose jobs, this about giving people a voice in the bush, something the previous government was not interested in.
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. It was a specific question and he has not answered it. He has admitted that jobs will be gone, how many?
Mr TOLLNER: They are clearly not interested in the answer and want to beat up some story that thousands of people are losing their jobs around the Territory, which is not happening. We are supporting local government.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016