Mr BALDWIN - 1996-02-22
Members would be aware that, late last year, an area was gazetted by the minister for a new town at Douglas/Daly. Since that time, I have been canvassing local residents and Territorians generally for an appropriate name for the new town. What progress has been made on recommendations for a new name for this town?
Mr Ede: Reedy Creek.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, once again the Leader of the Opposition displays the flippancy he adopts towards issues of some interest to people in the Northern Territory.
Mr Ede: `A rose by any other name would smell as sweet'.
Mr REED: He has no interest. That is a further illustration. I am pleased he is doing it because the people in the gallery and the people listening to the broadcast will hear how flippantly and how irresponsibly the Leader of the Opposition approaches his job.
The government considers the development of a new town in the Territory to be a pretty significant event. It is particularly significant to the people of the Douglas/Daly region who were very poorly represented by their previous Labor representative, Mr Cartwright. We never heard from him about the concerns of the people in his electorate. The very strong representation that the people of the electorate of Victoria River receive from their current member contrasts very starkly with the inactivity and lack of support provided by Mr Cartwright when he was the member. In the pursuit, firstly, of the gazettal of a town site in the Douglas/Daly region, the current member for Victoria River has represented his constituents in that area very well. Following the gazettal of the town site last year, he has pursued with his constituents the matter of a name for that site. There are 2 main suggestions from the people of the region: Oolloo and Fleming. The Place Names Committee has considered the suggestions put forward and has recommended to me - and the government will approve it - the name of Fleming for the new town in the Douglas/Daly region.
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Mr Ede interjecting.
Mr REED: One would think that the Leader of the Opposition would have a little more respect for the pioneers of our agricultural industry in the Northern Territory. The name `Fleming' has been recommended, and approved, in recognition of the first settlers in the locality, Jim and Mike Fleming, who came from the Illawarra district of New South Wales. Jim came first to the Territory in the 1870s to work on the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line. Later, he worked as a teamster, carting goods from Burketown to Katherine over the Gulf Coast road. His brother, Mick, followed in the 1880s and took up land in the Victoria River area which he called Illawarra. In the early 1900s, the brothers settled in the Douglas/Daly Rivers area, Jim calling his property Oolloo whilst Mike called his Douglas. With the death of Jim in 1927, Mike took over Oolloo and merged the 2 properties, calling the combined property Oolloo. I think it is a fine tribute to these 2 farming pioneers of the region and their contribution to the development of the Northern Territory that they will be recognised through the name bestowed on this new township. In itself, that will illustrate another stage in the development of agriculture in the Northern Territory.
The town site has been surveyed. Within the site, the rural residential area, the refuse dump, service and industrial areas, roads and other features of the town have been surveyed. I think we can look forward to some progress in that area with the development of a new town in the Northern Territory to serve a very important and a very productive agricultural area.
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Mr Ede: Reedy Creek.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, once again the Leader of the Opposition displays the flippancy he adopts towards issues of some interest to people in the Northern Territory.
Mr Ede: `A rose by any other name would smell as sweet'.
Mr REED: He has no interest. That is a further illustration. I am pleased he is doing it because the people in the gallery and the people listening to the broadcast will hear how flippantly and how irresponsibly the Leader of the Opposition approaches his job.
The government considers the development of a new town in the Territory to be a pretty significant event. It is particularly significant to the people of the Douglas/Daly region who were very poorly represented by their previous Labor representative, Mr Cartwright. We never heard from him about the concerns of the people in his electorate. The very strong representation that the people of the electorate of Victoria River receive from their current member contrasts very starkly with the inactivity and lack of support provided by Mr Cartwright when he was the member. In the pursuit, firstly, of the gazettal of a town site in the Douglas/Daly region, the current member for Victoria River has represented his constituents in that area very well. Following the gazettal of the town site last year, he has pursued with his constituents the matter of a name for that site. There are 2 main suggestions from the people of the region: Oolloo and Fleming. The Place Names Committee has considered the suggestions put forward and has recommended to me - and the government will approve it - the name of Fleming for the new town in the Douglas/Daly region.
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Mr Ede interjecting.
Mr REED: One would think that the Leader of the Opposition would have a little more respect for the pioneers of our agricultural industry in the Northern Territory. The name `Fleming' has been recommended, and approved, in recognition of the first settlers in the locality, Jim and Mike Fleming, who came from the Illawarra district of New South Wales. Jim came first to the Territory in the 1870s to work on the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line. Later, he worked as a teamster, carting goods from Burketown to Katherine over the Gulf Coast road. His brother, Mick, followed in the 1880s and took up land in the Victoria River area which he called Illawarra. In the early 1900s, the brothers settled in the Douglas/Daly Rivers area, Jim calling his property Oolloo whilst Mike called his Douglas. With the death of Jim in 1927, Mike took over Oolloo and merged the 2 properties, calling the combined property Oolloo. I think it is a fine tribute to these 2 farming pioneers of the region and their contribution to the development of the Northern Territory that they will be recognised through the name bestowed on this new township. In itself, that will illustrate another stage in the development of agriculture in the Northern Territory.
The town site has been surveyed. Within the site, the rural residential area, the refuse dump, service and industrial areas, roads and other features of the town have been surveyed. I think we can look forward to some progress in that area with the development of a new town in the Northern Territory to serve a very important and a very productive agricultural area.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016