Mr AH KIT - 1995-10-10
The Chief Minister has endorsed the tactics of his colleagues, the member for Millner and the member for Victoria River, and that they were in fact following the party line laid out by himself. The Country Liberal Party's `do not vote for the yellafella' campaign raises important issues for all Territorians. Does he concede that his use of race, as the basis on which he believes people should be elected to parliament, confirms his government as the most redneck in Australia? What is the message that he and his colleagues are trying to put across to young Territorians of mixed racial heritage when they tell them that they may be whatever they like in terms of education, but they can never aspire to membership of this parliament as far as the Chief Minister is concerned?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I am not sure what the actual question was. That was more of a speech. I reject the allegation that there was a policy in place by the CLP to promote racist sentiments during the course of the Arnhem by-election campaign.
Mr Stirling: You did it all along.
Mr STONE: This is your most important issue.
Mr Ede: Yes.
Mr Bailey: For a place that is largely made up of people from disparate racial backgrounds, racial disharmony ...
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Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wanguri is warned. With his next outburst, he will be out of the House.
Mr STONE: It is a very selective telling of the story. I wonder how the member for Arnhem reacts when he discovers that his leader, for example, tells 2 tales. He tells one when he is in the bush and another when he is in urban areas. What better example of that is there than the letters that are being sent out by the Leader of the Opposition into urban areas congratulating people on being placed on the electoral roll and telling them that he thinks dearly of their concerns and that he would be interested to hear from them - and there is an attachment: `Issues Survey - tick the box'. When the survey goes into the fashionable Fannie Bay, can you guess what is missing? It is not mining, not the arts and not education. I will tell you what is missing - Aboriginal affairs. This is the selective approach ...
Mr Ede: It goes everywhere.
Mr STONE: These are the very same people who, when advertising in urban areas in the last general election, were very careful to drop off the members for Arnhem and Arafura. They were very careful not to promote that side of their party. This is in your ...
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: Mr Speaker, I table that letter together with the Issues Survey. Aboriginal affairs is conspicuous by its absence. The Leader of the Opposition knows it would not go down well in fashionable Fannie Bay. He talks out of both sides of his mouth. He tells 2 different stories, one when he is in urban areas and another when he is out in the bush.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I am not sure what the actual question was. That was more of a speech. I reject the allegation that there was a policy in place by the CLP to promote racist sentiments during the course of the Arnhem by-election campaign.
Mr Stirling: You did it all along.
Mr STONE: This is your most important issue.
Mr Ede: Yes.
Mr Bailey: For a place that is largely made up of people from disparate racial backgrounds, racial disharmony ...
Page 832
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wanguri is warned. With his next outburst, he will be out of the House.
Mr STONE: It is a very selective telling of the story. I wonder how the member for Arnhem reacts when he discovers that his leader, for example, tells 2 tales. He tells one when he is in the bush and another when he is in urban areas. What better example of that is there than the letters that are being sent out by the Leader of the Opposition into urban areas congratulating people on being placed on the electoral roll and telling them that he thinks dearly of their concerns and that he would be interested to hear from them - and there is an attachment: `Issues Survey - tick the box'. When the survey goes into the fashionable Fannie Bay, can you guess what is missing? It is not mining, not the arts and not education. I will tell you what is missing - Aboriginal affairs. This is the selective approach ...
Mr Ede: It goes everywhere.
Mr STONE: These are the very same people who, when advertising in urban areas in the last general election, were very careful to drop off the members for Arnhem and Arafura. They were very careful not to promote that side of their party. This is in your ...
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: Mr Speaker, I table that letter together with the Issues Survey. Aboriginal affairs is conspicuous by its absence. The Leader of the Opposition knows it would not go down well in fashionable Fannie Bay. He talks out of both sides of his mouth. He tells 2 different stories, one when he is in urban areas and another when he is out in the bush.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016