Mr ADAMSON - 1994-11-23
The minister will recall that last month the Leader of the Opposition was unsuccessful in his bid to overturn the 3-mine uranium policy. Notwithstanding his original support for the mining industry, it appears now that the Leader of the Opposition is attempting to woo back the support of the Green movement by making politically opportunistic attacks on the uranium industry.
Mr Ede: What? Where did you get that from?
Mr ADAMSON: Has the Leader of the Opposition provided the government with any legitimate proposals to improve what is happening at the Territory's only uranium mine?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is interesting to hear the Leader of the Opposition interject, 'What?'. The reason is because he changes his mind in relation to either his party's policies or his own personal views about important matters such as uranium mining so frequently that he does not know what his own views are.
Mr Ede: I am famous for it!
Mr REED: They vary virtually on a day-to-day basis. I will quote what he said most recently about uranium mining but, first, I remind members about the Leader of the Opposition's attempt to recover from his disastrous election result. The situation is that, whereas the previous Leader of the Opposition went from 7 to 9 seats and was sacked immediately, this Leader of the Opposition went from 9 to 7 seats and they have kept him on - and now he is paying for it. He is paying for it because of his inconsistent approach.
In the lead-up to the ALP's Hobart conference, the Leader of the Opposition, in a very gung-ho way, was courting the mining fraternity right across the country. I give him credit at least for the fact that he opposed the Left faction in his own party to do it and indeed ditched the crazy environmental policies that his party has adhered to so stringently
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in years past for a more rational approach to attempt to gain some benefits for the Northern Territory. His intention was to attempt to get rid of the nonsensical 3-mine policy, to open up some of our uranium deposits and to create some jobs for Territorians and some economic development. It was a laudable approach and, indeed, not a bad performance on the part of the Leader of the Opposition. Unfortunately, we had the Ede show, which presented one point of view, the Collins show from Senator Collins, and the federal member for the Northern Territory, Hon Warren Snowdon, which presented a different point of view. Three members of the Labor Party represented the Territory in Hobart. Of course, there were also a couple of union representatives who were totally opposed to everything the other 3 said. They all cancelled each other out and that is precisely why the Territory got nowhere in this show of attempting to get another uranium mine up and running.
Mr Ede: You do not have a clue! Why don't you talk about something that you know something about?
Mr REED: Having failed in his theatrical attempt to woo the mining companies in an attempt to gain a little credibility, the Leader of the Opposition recognised more recently that no one loved him. The mining companies failed to speak to him because of his dismal failure in Hobart. Of course, the Greens had abandoned him absolutely because he had the temerity to show a little commonsense and attempt to get some uranium mining going.
What happened? The Leader of the Opposition met with the Northern Territory Environment Centre. In fact, I believe it may have been more than the Leader of the Opposition. I have an idea that the caucus met with the Northern Territory Environment Centre to consider these matters in relation to the Environment Centre's concerns about the Labor Party's move to support uranium mining. While this question was being asked, the Leader of the Opposition interjected, 'What?' That is what the mining companies want to know. On an ABC Radio broadcast on 9 November 1994, the Leader of the Opposition was quoted as having said: 'Responsible safeguards for industry can be developed'. That was after the meeting with caucus and the Northern Territory Environment Centre when he realised that he had no friends in the mining community and decided to establish some friendships with the Environment Centre. He said: 'Responsible safeguards for industry can be developed'. Of course, he was talking about the uranium industry. I want to ask, on behalf of the uranium industry and on behalf of the mining industry in the Northern Territory, what problems the Leader of the Opposition perceives in relation to mining, particularly of uranium.
Mr Ede interjecting.
Mr REED: Why does the Leader of the Opposition believe that reasonable safeguards have to be put in place for uranium mining in the Northern Territory ...
Mr Ede: It is written in our platform.
Mr REED: ... particularly in light of the awards that have been won by the Ranger uranium mine in respect of mine safety and the practice of surveying the ...
Mr Stirling: Do you think that an underground mine is just the same?
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Mr REED: In respect of his courting the mining industry one month and courting the Environment Centre the next month because he is running out of friends, he must recognise that he is running out of credibility. Now that he has finished courting both parties involved in this process, I want him to tell the mining industry in the Northern Territory what he sees as the failures in that industry, particularly as they relate to uranium, and what safeguards he believes should be put in place to address those needs.
We all know that Jeff Kelland is a member of the Leader of the Opposition's staff in fact.
Mr Ede: Who?
Mr REED: He was another Left delegate. He works out of your office.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: He works out of the member for the Northern Territory's office also.
Mr Ede: In your dreams!
Mr REED: He is a member of the Left faction of your party who also went to Hobart and argued against the proposition that you put to the national Labor Party conference.
Mr Ede: Wrong!
Mr REED: It is time that the Leader of the Opposition came clean with the mining industry. What does he perceive to be the dangers of uranium mining in the Northern Territory? What does he propose in terms of measures that should be put in place to overcome those concerns?
Mr EDE (Opposition Leader): Mr Speaker, in answer to that question, the Minister for Mines and Energy ...
Mr SPEAKER: Are you asking a question?
Mr EDE: Mr Speaker, he asked me a question and I am answering it. It is Question Time and he asked me a question.
If one reads the transcript of that article, it is clear what discussions we had in Canberra, in Hobart and in Darwin. I will talk to any group in this society. It does not matter where they come from or who they are. I will listen to their views and discuss them. The principle in the amendment that I moved in Hobart is the principle that I argued at the meeting. It is the principle that I have taken up with every one of those mining groups and they agree that the parameters should be in place ...
Mr REED: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I believe we have been tolerant. We have provided the Leader of the Opposition with the opportunity ...
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Mr Bailey: You hypocrite! You two-faced hypocrite! You asked a question and you do not want the answer!
Mr HATTON: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The member for Wanguri has just used very unparliamentary language and very loudly.
Mr SPEAKER: I am sorry. I did not hear.
Mr HATTON: That surprises me, Mr Speaker. I thought the whole of the Northern Territory heard. He referred to the Minister for Mines and Energy as a 'hypocrite'.
Mr SPEAKER: I ask the member for Wanguri to withdraw the remark.
Mr BAILEY: Mr Speaker, I withdraw the remark 'two-faced hypocrite'.
Mr SPEAKER: The Minister for Mines and Energy.
Mr REED: Mr Speaker, speaking to my point of order, the specific question that I asked of the Leader of the Opposition was for him to indicate clearly what safeguards he believes should be developed for the uranium mining industry and what concerns he believes need to be addressed by those safeguards. We do not want to hear about the Hobart conference. That is over, and it was a failure. I am interested in his concerns about safeguards that are required in the uranium industry and his explanation as to why he thinks that the mining industry is not safe at present.
Mr EDE: Mr Speaker, the minister's point of order is that I have not answered his question. Obviously, he has not done his homework. If he looks at the uranium section in the current platform ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! In actual effect, the Leader of the Opposition is making a personal explanation. If he wishes to do that later, he may do so.
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Mr Ede: What? Where did you get that from?
Mr ADAMSON: Has the Leader of the Opposition provided the government with any legitimate proposals to improve what is happening at the Territory's only uranium mine?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is interesting to hear the Leader of the Opposition interject, 'What?'. The reason is because he changes his mind in relation to either his party's policies or his own personal views about important matters such as uranium mining so frequently that he does not know what his own views are.
Mr Ede: I am famous for it!
Mr REED: They vary virtually on a day-to-day basis. I will quote what he said most recently about uranium mining but, first, I remind members about the Leader of the Opposition's attempt to recover from his disastrous election result. The situation is that, whereas the previous Leader of the Opposition went from 7 to 9 seats and was sacked immediately, this Leader of the Opposition went from 9 to 7 seats and they have kept him on - and now he is paying for it. He is paying for it because of his inconsistent approach.
In the lead-up to the ALP's Hobart conference, the Leader of the Opposition, in a very gung-ho way, was courting the mining fraternity right across the country. I give him credit at least for the fact that he opposed the Left faction in his own party to do it and indeed ditched the crazy environmental policies that his party has adhered to so stringently
Page 297
in years past for a more rational approach to attempt to gain some benefits for the Northern Territory. His intention was to attempt to get rid of the nonsensical 3-mine policy, to open up some of our uranium deposits and to create some jobs for Territorians and some economic development. It was a laudable approach and, indeed, not a bad performance on the part of the Leader of the Opposition. Unfortunately, we had the Ede show, which presented one point of view, the Collins show from Senator Collins, and the federal member for the Northern Territory, Hon Warren Snowdon, which presented a different point of view. Three members of the Labor Party represented the Territory in Hobart. Of course, there were also a couple of union representatives who were totally opposed to everything the other 3 said. They all cancelled each other out and that is precisely why the Territory got nowhere in this show of attempting to get another uranium mine up and running.
Mr Ede: You do not have a clue! Why don't you talk about something that you know something about?
Mr REED: Having failed in his theatrical attempt to woo the mining companies in an attempt to gain a little credibility, the Leader of the Opposition recognised more recently that no one loved him. The mining companies failed to speak to him because of his dismal failure in Hobart. Of course, the Greens had abandoned him absolutely because he had the temerity to show a little commonsense and attempt to get some uranium mining going.
What happened? The Leader of the Opposition met with the Northern Territory Environment Centre. In fact, I believe it may have been more than the Leader of the Opposition. I have an idea that the caucus met with the Northern Territory Environment Centre to consider these matters in relation to the Environment Centre's concerns about the Labor Party's move to support uranium mining. While this question was being asked, the Leader of the Opposition interjected, 'What?' That is what the mining companies want to know. On an ABC Radio broadcast on 9 November 1994, the Leader of the Opposition was quoted as having said: 'Responsible safeguards for industry can be developed'. That was after the meeting with caucus and the Northern Territory Environment Centre when he realised that he had no friends in the mining community and decided to establish some friendships with the Environment Centre. He said: 'Responsible safeguards for industry can be developed'. Of course, he was talking about the uranium industry. I want to ask, on behalf of the uranium industry and on behalf of the mining industry in the Northern Territory, what problems the Leader of the Opposition perceives in relation to mining, particularly of uranium.
Mr Ede interjecting.
Mr REED: Why does the Leader of the Opposition believe that reasonable safeguards have to be put in place for uranium mining in the Northern Territory ...
Mr Ede: It is written in our platform.
Mr REED: ... particularly in light of the awards that have been won by the Ranger uranium mine in respect of mine safety and the practice of surveying the ...
Mr Stirling: Do you think that an underground mine is just the same?
Page 298
Mr REED: In respect of his courting the mining industry one month and courting the Environment Centre the next month because he is running out of friends, he must recognise that he is running out of credibility. Now that he has finished courting both parties involved in this process, I want him to tell the mining industry in the Northern Territory what he sees as the failures in that industry, particularly as they relate to uranium, and what safeguards he believes should be put in place to address those needs.
We all know that Jeff Kelland is a member of the Leader of the Opposition's staff in fact.
Mr Ede: Who?
Mr REED: He was another Left delegate. He works out of your office.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: He works out of the member for the Northern Territory's office also.
Mr Ede: In your dreams!
Mr REED: He is a member of the Left faction of your party who also went to Hobart and argued against the proposition that you put to the national Labor Party conference.
Mr Ede: Wrong!
Mr REED: It is time that the Leader of the Opposition came clean with the mining industry. What does he perceive to be the dangers of uranium mining in the Northern Territory? What does he propose in terms of measures that should be put in place to overcome those concerns?
Mr EDE (Opposition Leader): Mr Speaker, in answer to that question, the Minister for Mines and Energy ...
Mr SPEAKER: Are you asking a question?
Mr EDE: Mr Speaker, he asked me a question and I am answering it. It is Question Time and he asked me a question.
If one reads the transcript of that article, it is clear what discussions we had in Canberra, in Hobart and in Darwin. I will talk to any group in this society. It does not matter where they come from or who they are. I will listen to their views and discuss them. The principle in the amendment that I moved in Hobart is the principle that I argued at the meeting. It is the principle that I have taken up with every one of those mining groups and they agree that the parameters should be in place ...
Mr REED: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I believe we have been tolerant. We have provided the Leader of the Opposition with the opportunity ...
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Mr Bailey: You hypocrite! You two-faced hypocrite! You asked a question and you do not want the answer!
Mr HATTON: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The member for Wanguri has just used very unparliamentary language and very loudly.
Mr SPEAKER: I am sorry. I did not hear.
Mr HATTON: That surprises me, Mr Speaker. I thought the whole of the Northern Territory heard. He referred to the Minister for Mines and Energy as a 'hypocrite'.
Mr SPEAKER: I ask the member for Wanguri to withdraw the remark.
Mr BAILEY: Mr Speaker, I withdraw the remark 'two-faced hypocrite'.
Mr SPEAKER: The Minister for Mines and Energy.
Mr REED: Mr Speaker, speaking to my point of order, the specific question that I asked of the Leader of the Opposition was for him to indicate clearly what safeguards he believes should be developed for the uranium mining industry and what concerns he believes need to be addressed by those safeguards. We do not want to hear about the Hobart conference. That is over, and it was a failure. I am interested in his concerns about safeguards that are required in the uranium industry and his explanation as to why he thinks that the mining industry is not safe at present.
Mr EDE: Mr Speaker, the minister's point of order is that I have not answered his question. Obviously, he has not done his homework. If he looks at the uranium section in the current platform ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! In actual effect, the Leader of the Opposition is making a personal explanation. If he wishes to do that later, he may do so.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016