Mr RIOLI - 1995-10-10
When the Chief Minister is explaining to the ethnic community of the Territory why he was prepared to use John Ah Kit's mixed racial heritage as a tool against him in the recent Arnhem campaign, will he also advise them whether he has similar problems with people of Anglo, Melanesian or Eurasian heritage or is it only people like myself whom he finds objectionable?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the question from the member for Arafura presupposes that somehow I was running around the Arnhem electorate denigrating ...
Mr Bailey: You said it in your Katherine launch speech. It was on TV. Go and look at what you said.
Mr STONE: ... and I assume that he is not levelling that allegation at me when he asks that question. If, in fact, he is saying that I should not have referred to our candidates as `traditional Aboriginal people', I make no apology for that because that is precisely what they are. He is being a little precious and cute in pretending that somehow calling a person a blackfella, a whitefella or a yellafella is in some way taboo and that those terms are not used in
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general conversation, not only in town but also in the communities. Have we reached the point where we are so politically correct that only that lot opposite have a ...
Mr Bailey: It is the way you use it.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: ... mortgage on the way that they talk about these matters?
The facts are that we ran traditional ...
Mr Bailey: A racist campaign.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: Obviously, you did not take your tablets this morning. I reckon you go off medication when we start a sittings. You are okay in between sittings.
The simple facts are that we ran traditional people in a seat where the constituents are largely traditional Aboriginal people. We wanted to give the electors of Arnhem an opportunity to send one of their own into this Chamber to represent their aspirations, their dreams and their goals in government. Somehow, that makes us racists. We do not apologise for attempting to promote as strongly as we could the aspirations of traditional Aboriginal people in the Arnhem electorate. What really hurts members opposite is that we have achieved our best result ever in Arnhem, and we did it ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would the Chief Minister please resume his seat. There is far too much noise on the opposition benches. I ask opposition members to remain reasonably silent while the question is being answered.
Mr STONE: We did it with the help of traditional Aboriginal people in that electorate who got out on the ground and supported us against the Labor Party. That is the message that members opposite still have not understood.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the question from the member for Arafura presupposes that somehow I was running around the Arnhem electorate denigrating ...
Mr Bailey: You said it in your Katherine launch speech. It was on TV. Go and look at what you said.
Mr STONE: ... and I assume that he is not levelling that allegation at me when he asks that question. If, in fact, he is saying that I should not have referred to our candidates as `traditional Aboriginal people', I make no apology for that because that is precisely what they are. He is being a little precious and cute in pretending that somehow calling a person a blackfella, a whitefella or a yellafella is in some way taboo and that those terms are not used in
Page 829
general conversation, not only in town but also in the communities. Have we reached the point where we are so politically correct that only that lot opposite have a ...
Mr Bailey: It is the way you use it.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: ... mortgage on the way that they talk about these matters?
The facts are that we ran traditional ...
Mr Bailey: A racist campaign.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: Obviously, you did not take your tablets this morning. I reckon you go off medication when we start a sittings. You are okay in between sittings.
The simple facts are that we ran traditional people in a seat where the constituents are largely traditional Aboriginal people. We wanted to give the electors of Arnhem an opportunity to send one of their own into this Chamber to represent their aspirations, their dreams and their goals in government. Somehow, that makes us racists. We do not apologise for attempting to promote as strongly as we could the aspirations of traditional Aboriginal people in the Arnhem electorate. What really hurts members opposite is that we have achieved our best result ever in Arnhem, and we did it ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would the Chief Minister please resume his seat. There is far too much noise on the opposition benches. I ask opposition members to remain reasonably silent while the question is being answered.
Mr STONE: We did it with the help of traditional Aboriginal people in that electorate who got out on the ground and supported us against the Labor Party. That is the message that members opposite still have not understood.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016