Mr BELL - 1996-02-28
When he backed down on the decision to relocate the Gove Hospital maternity ward, was the Chief Minister aware that his own Minister for Health Services had twice made public statements reinforcing the original relocation decision? If the Chief Minister was aware of the Minister for Health Services' repeated statements, were the Chief Minister's actions designed to be a deliberate demonstration of no confidence in his minister or, given that the Chief Minister's intervention occurred just 2 days after the calling of the federal election, should this action be construed as a political ploy? If this is so, and given the Minister for Health Services' strong support for the decision to relocate this ward, repeated both in print and on the radio, how can the people of Nhulunbuy have any confidence that he will not revert to the relocation plan as soon as the federal election is out of the way?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I am somewhat surprised to receive this question from the member for MacDonnell. I would have thought the member for Nhulunbuy, as a local member vitally concerned about his constituency, would have been prepared to stand up for the people of Nhulunbuy, but we have not heard a peep from him. We are in the second week of the sittings and we have not heard a word from him.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for MacDonnell has asked a question of the Chief Minister. Please let us hear the answer in silence.
Mr STONE: I have been waiting for the question from the member for Nhulunbuy, but obviously he is totally uninterested in his own electorate.
Coming back to the question from the member from MacDonnell, I would have expected him to have jumped to his feet and given some praise. As I have said, I am not backward in giving praise. I have often commented on the good performance of Senator Bob Collins. I have been fair. I would have expected the member for MacDonnell to say that it is great that our system is small enough for there to be an opportunity for ministers and the Chief Minister to respond, and respond quickly, to local needs. It was a very good example of a government
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with its finger on the pulse. It was a good example of an open government that is very transparent in all its dealings with Territorians. We are not an arrogant government. We are prepared to change our minds. It is a shame that the member for MacDonnell walked out of the Chamber part-way through my answer. I thought he would have been more interested than that.
Mr BAILEY: A point of order Mr Speaker! The Chief Minister knows that he is not permitted to refer to the presence or otherwise of members.
Mr SPEAKER: That is correct.
Mr Bell: You do not have too many arguments.
Mr STONE: Welcome back. You are not fair dinkum. You asked the question and then, in full view of everybody, you did what you just did. It is very hard to take you seriously. I know you are happy this morning because you have probably seen your leadership aspirations improve a little. I would have thought they were at a bit of a high last week.
Mr Bell: You are still not answering the question.
Mr STONE: He did not do very well, did he? I could see you sitting back there thinking that it was only a matter of time.
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: Mr Speaker, if you push all the right buttons, you can get them all going like a flock of galahs.
I would have expected the member for MacDonnell to have conceded that this is an example of open and transparent government, of a government that is prepared to listen to the people, of a government that is prepared to listen carefully to the representations of the advisory council and of a government that is prepared to take a decision in the interests of the people of Nhulunbuy. The people of Nhulunbuy can sleep soundly at night in the knowledge that that decision will not be reversed and in the knowledge that they have a Chief Minister who listens to their concerns and who is prepared to act on their representations. I do not recall receiving any representation from the member for Nhulunbuy. I might be doing him a disservice here, but I do not recall him ever coming to me.
Mr Stirling: I did not write to you.
Mr STONE: Obviously, you were not that interested in the problem.
Mr Stirling: I wrote to the minister.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
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Mr STONE: Mr Speaker, I had a phone call from the ordinary folk of Nhulunbuy who asked me to revisit the matter, but not a word from the member for Nhulunbuy. He did not come near me. However, I am pleased that I was able to intervene. This open and transparent government responded to the people. The decision will not be reversed.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I am somewhat surprised to receive this question from the member for MacDonnell. I would have thought the member for Nhulunbuy, as a local member vitally concerned about his constituency, would have been prepared to stand up for the people of Nhulunbuy, but we have not heard a peep from him. We are in the second week of the sittings and we have not heard a word from him.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for MacDonnell has asked a question of the Chief Minister. Please let us hear the answer in silence.
Mr STONE: I have been waiting for the question from the member for Nhulunbuy, but obviously he is totally uninterested in his own electorate.
Coming back to the question from the member from MacDonnell, I would have expected him to have jumped to his feet and given some praise. As I have said, I am not backward in giving praise. I have often commented on the good performance of Senator Bob Collins. I have been fair. I would have expected the member for MacDonnell to say that it is great that our system is small enough for there to be an opportunity for ministers and the Chief Minister to respond, and respond quickly, to local needs. It was a very good example of a government
Page 1242
with its finger on the pulse. It was a good example of an open government that is very transparent in all its dealings with Territorians. We are not an arrogant government. We are prepared to change our minds. It is a shame that the member for MacDonnell walked out of the Chamber part-way through my answer. I thought he would have been more interested than that.
Mr BAILEY: A point of order Mr Speaker! The Chief Minister knows that he is not permitted to refer to the presence or otherwise of members.
Mr SPEAKER: That is correct.
Mr Bell: You do not have too many arguments.
Mr STONE: Welcome back. You are not fair dinkum. You asked the question and then, in full view of everybody, you did what you just did. It is very hard to take you seriously. I know you are happy this morning because you have probably seen your leadership aspirations improve a little. I would have thought they were at a bit of a high last week.
Mr Bell: You are still not answering the question.
Mr STONE: He did not do very well, did he? I could see you sitting back there thinking that it was only a matter of time.
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: Mr Speaker, if you push all the right buttons, you can get them all going like a flock of galahs.
I would have expected the member for MacDonnell to have conceded that this is an example of open and transparent government, of a government that is prepared to listen to the people, of a government that is prepared to listen carefully to the representations of the advisory council and of a government that is prepared to take a decision in the interests of the people of Nhulunbuy. The people of Nhulunbuy can sleep soundly at night in the knowledge that that decision will not be reversed and in the knowledge that they have a Chief Minister who listens to their concerns and who is prepared to act on their representations. I do not recall receiving any representation from the member for Nhulunbuy. I might be doing him a disservice here, but I do not recall him ever coming to me.
Mr Stirling: I did not write to you.
Mr STONE: Obviously, you were not that interested in the problem.
Mr Stirling: I wrote to the minister.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
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Mr STONE: Mr Speaker, I had a phone call from the ordinary folk of Nhulunbuy who asked me to revisit the matter, but not a word from the member for Nhulunbuy. He did not come near me. However, I am pleased that I was able to intervene. This open and transparent government responded to the people. The decision will not be reversed.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016