Mr EDE - 1995-02-28
Last year, when the nation's leaders were in Darwin for their meeting, the Chief Minister failed to obtain backing for Territory statehood. At the next meeting, in Melbourne, the leaders rejected his motion that they support statehood and instead supported the idea of a committee. Last week, the Chief Minister went again to meet the Premiers. Is the fact that statehood is not mentioned in the Leaders' Forum's latest communiqu evidence that the Chief Minister has failed us on this vital issue or will he confirm that statehood for the Territory was on the meeting agenda and he did not even raise it? Should Territorians draw the obvious conclusion that the Chief Minister is incapable of adequately representing the Territory at these forums?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I can inform the Leader of the Opposition that he is guilty of not tracking carefully the progress of representations made federally on statehood otherwise he would not have made the absurd statement that he has just made. He should be aware of that because I reported to this Assembly, and it is recorded in the Hansard, the achievement of agreement at the November meeting of the Leaders' Forum by the states and the other territory in Australia to support a Commonwealth/state committee to examine statehood for the Northern Territory. I reported that to this Assembly in December. The matter was left to be raised at the COAG meeting in the debate on what has become known as the Kirner report - the report to COAG on appropriate ways in which this country can celebrate the centenary in 2001. The honourable member is wrong. The subject of statehood for the Northern Territory was not on the agenda of the Leaders' Forum ...
Mr Ede: It wasn't on it?
Mr PERRON: It was not on the agenda.
Mr Ede: That is not my advice.
Mr PERRON: Mr Speaker, I do not know where he obtained the impression that it was. Certainly, I did not seek to have it placed on the agenda because of the achievement of state support last November, and I point out that it was the first time in history that that has ever been achieved. Why would I have wanted to raise the matter further in what was a busy agenda of national issues when I had achieved what I believed was a significant step forward in obtaining the support of the states for the proposed committee?
The next challenge is to persuade the Prime Minister to agree to discuss the centenary committee's report. We are aware that the Prime Minister has tried hard to have that committee not include a reference to the Northern Territory and statehood in its report. Fortunately, some strongly independent state members of that committee insisted that it be included because it was the committee's finding that it should be included. The Prime Minister then ensured successfully that it was not debated at the Darwin COAG meeting. The issue was listed for noting, but not for discussion. I am pleased to say that the Premiers believed that the
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report should not be simply noted, but discussed. I am hopeful that it will be discussed at the next COAG meeting, thereby giving us an opportunity to raise with the Prime Minister, notwithstanding his reluctance to address the issue, the matter of a Commonwealth/state working party committee on statehood for the Northern Territory. I am sure it will be something of a battle because he is a formidable opponent. If he does not want to debate something, he is very good at ensuring that it is not debated. The prime agenda item of all states is roles and responsibilities of the respective tiers of government. He has successfully avoided discussion of that item or shoved it off to working parties for the last couple of years at least. It is still the prime objective of all states, including Labor states, and has been ever since the Special Premiers Conferences began in Brisbane under Prime Minister Hawke several years ago.
The Leader of the Opposition is not keeping up with events in relation to statehood. He ought to be lobbying hard in Canberra for the Territory to have its views on statehood heard.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I can inform the Leader of the Opposition that he is guilty of not tracking carefully the progress of representations made federally on statehood otherwise he would not have made the absurd statement that he has just made. He should be aware of that because I reported to this Assembly, and it is recorded in the Hansard, the achievement of agreement at the November meeting of the Leaders' Forum by the states and the other territory in Australia to support a Commonwealth/state committee to examine statehood for the Northern Territory. I reported that to this Assembly in December. The matter was left to be raised at the COAG meeting in the debate on what has become known as the Kirner report - the report to COAG on appropriate ways in which this country can celebrate the centenary in 2001. The honourable member is wrong. The subject of statehood for the Northern Territory was not on the agenda of the Leaders' Forum ...
Mr Ede: It wasn't on it?
Mr PERRON: It was not on the agenda.
Mr Ede: That is not my advice.
Mr PERRON: Mr Speaker, I do not know where he obtained the impression that it was. Certainly, I did not seek to have it placed on the agenda because of the achievement of state support last November, and I point out that it was the first time in history that that has ever been achieved. Why would I have wanted to raise the matter further in what was a busy agenda of national issues when I had achieved what I believed was a significant step forward in obtaining the support of the states for the proposed committee?
The next challenge is to persuade the Prime Minister to agree to discuss the centenary committee's report. We are aware that the Prime Minister has tried hard to have that committee not include a reference to the Northern Territory and statehood in its report. Fortunately, some strongly independent state members of that committee insisted that it be included because it was the committee's finding that it should be included. The Prime Minister then ensured successfully that it was not debated at the Darwin COAG meeting. The issue was listed for noting, but not for discussion. I am pleased to say that the Premiers believed that the
Page 449
report should not be simply noted, but discussed. I am hopeful that it will be discussed at the next COAG meeting, thereby giving us an opportunity to raise with the Prime Minister, notwithstanding his reluctance to address the issue, the matter of a Commonwealth/state working party committee on statehood for the Northern Territory. I am sure it will be something of a battle because he is a formidable opponent. If he does not want to debate something, he is very good at ensuring that it is not debated. The prime agenda item of all states is roles and responsibilities of the respective tiers of government. He has successfully avoided discussion of that item or shoved it off to working parties for the last couple of years at least. It is still the prime objective of all states, including Labor states, and has been ever since the Special Premiers Conferences began in Brisbane under Prime Minister Hawke several years ago.
The Leader of the Opposition is not keeping up with events in relation to statehood. He ought to be lobbying hard in Canberra for the Territory to have its views on statehood heard.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016