Mrs HICKEY - 1995-11-30
My question is directed to the Chief Minister in his role as minister responsible for women's affairs. The Chief Minister has talked about his commitment to women who are survivors of domestic violence. Why is it then that, despite repeated invitations and requests
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from Dawn House, the women's refuge, extended for well over a month now, the Chief Minister has refused to visit and to see at first-hand the conditions at Dawn House?
ANSWER
That simply is not true, Mr Speaker.
Mrs Hickey: They say it is.
Mr STONE: It is a shame that the member for Barkly did not apprise herself of the facts. I have indicated that I will visit Dawn House when I am able to do so. I receive many invitations and I am genuinely running - the member for Fannie Bay may smile, but the reality is that many demands are made on my time to visit places and meet people. In due course, I will be happy to take up that invitation.
A point the member for Barkly did not make to members is that my chief of staff said that she would visit Dawn House, in a preliminary way, to enable us at least to commence discussions with a view to considering the funding that it is seeking. She is the appropriate person, because she is the liaison officer between my office and the Office of Women's Affairs, and effectively has the ministerial carriage of women's affairs in my office. However, when she organised to go there and made the necessary phone calls, she was told that it was not really convenient.
I suggest to the member for Barkly that she not come into this Chamber and tell only tell half the story ...
Mrs Hickey: They want to see you.
Mr STONE: I do not know whether the people at Dawn House would thank you for raising the matter in this way. If it was designed to embarrass me, you have missed out. If it was designed to cause mischief, you have succeeded.
Mr Bailey: You would not be embarrassed by anything.
Mr STONE: In the spirit of Christmas, if you really were carrying that message, why couldn't you come across and say to me: `Shane, I think it would be really good if you could ...
Mr Stirling: Here we go!
Mr STONE: Why not try to deal with issues of this kind in a cooperative way? Often, the member for Nelson will say: `Minister, what about this?' She gets results.
The member for Barkly has told only half the story. Did she know that my chief of staff was to visit Dawn House and that her visit was cancelled at the last moment?
Mrs Hickey: They want to see you.
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Mr STONE: Obviously, you did know, but you decided you would not tell the Territory public that you had the whole story. This is from the woman who stood behind the report that said domestic violence was the norm in indigenous communities.
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: When she was nailed for it, she said: `Come on, Bridget. Out you go. You go and tell them'.
Mr EDE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The Chief Minister knows that he cannot make totally untruthful allegations like that. The member for Barkly made a personal explanation about that whole situation. He cannot now deny what was said in that explanation and make those allegations.
Mr Stone: We have never accepted her personal explanation.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I ask the Chief Minister to withdraw any inference that the member for Barkly has done the wrong thing. I also ask the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw his comment that that is a lie.
Mr EDE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker.
Mr STONE: Mr Speaker, I withdraw.
Ms Martin: When do you intend to visit?
Mr STONE: They keep interjecting: `When do you intend to visit'. I have indicated that I will visit, but I have to say that I become a little disappointed when the officer, who is the person who would advise me on this issue, goes to a great deal of trouble to arrange to visit and then is told, at short notice, that it is not convenient. We cannot operate in that way.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr STONE: As I said, this is one of the problems for the Labor Party in the Territory. It only ever tells Territorians half the story.
Ms Martin: We know the story.
Mr Ede: If we tell the full story, we are sued.
Mr STONE: The member for Arnhem can change ...
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: ... in the course of these sittings ...
Ms Martin interjecting.
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Mr STONE: Obviously truth is a rare commodity on that side of the House. If they intend to come into this Chamber and make allegations like that, at least let them tell the whole story, not only selected parts of it.
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Page 1108
from Dawn House, the women's refuge, extended for well over a month now, the Chief Minister has refused to visit and to see at first-hand the conditions at Dawn House?
ANSWER
That simply is not true, Mr Speaker.
Mrs Hickey: They say it is.
Mr STONE: It is a shame that the member for Barkly did not apprise herself of the facts. I have indicated that I will visit Dawn House when I am able to do so. I receive many invitations and I am genuinely running - the member for Fannie Bay may smile, but the reality is that many demands are made on my time to visit places and meet people. In due course, I will be happy to take up that invitation.
A point the member for Barkly did not make to members is that my chief of staff said that she would visit Dawn House, in a preliminary way, to enable us at least to commence discussions with a view to considering the funding that it is seeking. She is the appropriate person, because she is the liaison officer between my office and the Office of Women's Affairs, and effectively has the ministerial carriage of women's affairs in my office. However, when she organised to go there and made the necessary phone calls, she was told that it was not really convenient.
I suggest to the member for Barkly that she not come into this Chamber and tell only tell half the story ...
Mrs Hickey: They want to see you.
Mr STONE: I do not know whether the people at Dawn House would thank you for raising the matter in this way. If it was designed to embarrass me, you have missed out. If it was designed to cause mischief, you have succeeded.
Mr Bailey: You would not be embarrassed by anything.
Mr STONE: In the spirit of Christmas, if you really were carrying that message, why couldn't you come across and say to me: `Shane, I think it would be really good if you could ...
Mr Stirling: Here we go!
Mr STONE: Why not try to deal with issues of this kind in a cooperative way? Often, the member for Nelson will say: `Minister, what about this?' She gets results.
The member for Barkly has told only half the story. Did she know that my chief of staff was to visit Dawn House and that her visit was cancelled at the last moment?
Mrs Hickey: They want to see you.
Page 1109
Mr STONE: Obviously, you did know, but you decided you would not tell the Territory public that you had the whole story. This is from the woman who stood behind the report that said domestic violence was the norm in indigenous communities.
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: When she was nailed for it, she said: `Come on, Bridget. Out you go. You go and tell them'.
Mr EDE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The Chief Minister knows that he cannot make totally untruthful allegations like that. The member for Barkly made a personal explanation about that whole situation. He cannot now deny what was said in that explanation and make those allegations.
Mr Stone: We have never accepted her personal explanation.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I ask the Chief Minister to withdraw any inference that the member for Barkly has done the wrong thing. I also ask the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw his comment that that is a lie.
Mr EDE: I withdraw, Mr Speaker.
Mr STONE: Mr Speaker, I withdraw.
Ms Martin: When do you intend to visit?
Mr STONE: They keep interjecting: `When do you intend to visit'. I have indicated that I will visit, but I have to say that I become a little disappointed when the officer, who is the person who would advise me on this issue, goes to a great deal of trouble to arrange to visit and then is told, at short notice, that it is not convenient. We cannot operate in that way.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr STONE: As I said, this is one of the problems for the Labor Party in the Territory. It only ever tells Territorians half the story.
Ms Martin: We know the story.
Mr Ede: If we tell the full story, we are sued.
Mr STONE: The member for Arnhem can change ...
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: ... in the course of these sittings ...
Ms Martin interjecting.
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Mr STONE: Obviously truth is a rare commodity on that side of the House. If they intend to come into this Chamber and make allegations like that, at least let them tell the whole story, not only selected parts of it.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016