Mr MITCHELL - 1997-02-19
I have a good news story. Recently, there has been great news in the media about a major Territory mining operation. Can the minister advise on this success story?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I am very pleased to be able to give another example of a great success story in the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory's own Henry Walker Group has announced a record profit ...
Mr Bell: Hear, hear!
Mr MANZIE: The member would certainly welcome that. As we know, he holds a massive number of shares. I will come back to him in a minute.
I was very pleased to hear that the Henry Walker Group had posted a record $10.8m profit. Henry Walker certainly is an icon Territory company. It had very small beginnings in the Territory and has now become a major player on the national and the international scene. This type of success story is typical of what occurs in the Territory because of the policies of this government. Even the member for MacDonnell agrees with that. On Thursday 21 August, he said: `Sensible modern government works alongside dynamic private enterprise like the Henry Walker Group and I believe that we should be proud of the achievements of that company'.
The Henry Walker Group is expected to achieve a target of $500m total gross revenue this year. The first half-year revenue of $258m was 29% higher than the $199m achieved in the same period in the previous year. This profit has set a new company record. Shareholders'
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equity has increased by 13% to $122m and the dividend per share has increased by 27% I table a press announcement reporting that and an article from the NT News of 14 February.
We heard the member for MacDonnell make quite a bit of noise about this. Members will recall that the member for MacDonnell admitted last year that he held a large parcel of shares in Henry Walker, but he has forgotten. He does not want to talk about it.
Mr BELL: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I am very happy to talk about it, as I was happy to talk about it at the time. However, this answer is being broadcast. If the member for Sander wishes to use a term such as `admitted', with the implication that there was some fault, he is obliged to move a substantive motion. I am immensely proud of being involved with a successful Territory-based public company.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I ask the minister to make it clear that he is not casting any aspersions that the member tried to hide ...
Mr MANZIE: Speaking to the point of order ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have ruled on the point of order. I believe that you should make it clear that there was no attempt on the member's part to hide that information.
Mr MANZIE: Mr Speaker, the member interjected and made it plain that ...
Members interjecting.
Mr MANZIE: Under the rules of debate, and in terms of answering the question ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member has identified his shareholdings in his returns to the Assembly. As such, there cannot be any reflection on his action in that regard.
Mr MANZIE: Mr Speaker, I am glad that the member has finally written that down in his pecuniary interests return. It is late and ...
Mr BELL: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I am not prepared to put up with a sustained attack on myself and my family with the clear imputation that I have done anything other than comply - and rather more carefully than some ministers in the government - with both the letter and the spirit of the Legislative Assembly (Register of Members' Interests) Act. I suspect that the member for Sanderson does not understand that act.
Mr SPEAKER: I do not believe there is a point of order on this occasion, but I ask the minister not to reflect at all on the member's actions in relation to the register.
Mr MANZIE: Mr Speaker, I shall not refer further to his failure to list those, but I think it is important ...
Page 1909
Mr BELL: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The minister is simply compounding the offence.
Mr SPEAKER: Will the minister please refrain from making any further comment in that regard.
Mr MANZIE: Mr Speaker, I withdraw any reference to his absent-mindedness and his forgetfulness. I think that should be quite clear. A comment in relation to the member for MacDonnell's outburst this morning is relevant because the idea of having lists of members' interests in a record ...
Mr BAILEY: A point of order, Mr Speaker! While you have ruled in the past that you have no ability to direct a member to answer a question, what the minister is referring to now in relation to members' interests was not within the question. You should direct that he stay within the bounds of the question even if he does not answer it.
Mr SPEAKER: There is no point of order. As I understand it, the minister was referring to an interjection from across the Chamber and he is entitled to do that. However, I ask the minister to get on with his answer to the question and to refrain from moving too far from the topic.
Mr MANZIE: Mr Speaker, I will close by giving notice that I will be asking the member for MacDonnell to explain to this House why he used the adjournment debate on 24 August, when he was a shareholder and he had not listed those shares, to give a speech in the House on the success of Henry Walker and encouraged people to become involved with it. In fact, he used his position in this House to better his own shareholdings ...
Mr BELL: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I think the member for Sanderson needs to be named. He is simply flouting your rulings. Bring on the debate by all means.
Mr Manzie: I have given notice.
Mr SPEAKER: I regret that, because I was in discussion with the Clerk, I did not pick up the comments. However, I again ask the minister to refrain from going beyond the parameters of the question.
Mr MANZIE: I table the Hansard record of the adjournment debate, Mr Speaker.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I am very pleased to be able to give another example of a great success story in the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory's own Henry Walker Group has announced a record profit ...
Mr Bell: Hear, hear!
Mr MANZIE: The member would certainly welcome that. As we know, he holds a massive number of shares. I will come back to him in a minute.
I was very pleased to hear that the Henry Walker Group had posted a record $10.8m profit. Henry Walker certainly is an icon Territory company. It had very small beginnings in the Territory and has now become a major player on the national and the international scene. This type of success story is typical of what occurs in the Territory because of the policies of this government. Even the member for MacDonnell agrees with that. On Thursday 21 August, he said: `Sensible modern government works alongside dynamic private enterprise like the Henry Walker Group and I believe that we should be proud of the achievements of that company'.
The Henry Walker Group is expected to achieve a target of $500m total gross revenue this year. The first half-year revenue of $258m was 29% higher than the $199m achieved in the same period in the previous year. This profit has set a new company record. Shareholders'
Page 1908
equity has increased by 13% to $122m and the dividend per share has increased by 27% I table a press announcement reporting that and an article from the NT News of 14 February.
We heard the member for MacDonnell make quite a bit of noise about this. Members will recall that the member for MacDonnell admitted last year that he held a large parcel of shares in Henry Walker, but he has forgotten. He does not want to talk about it.
Mr BELL: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I am very happy to talk about it, as I was happy to talk about it at the time. However, this answer is being broadcast. If the member for Sander wishes to use a term such as `admitted', with the implication that there was some fault, he is obliged to move a substantive motion. I am immensely proud of being involved with a successful Territory-based public company.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I ask the minister to make it clear that he is not casting any aspersions that the member tried to hide ...
Mr MANZIE: Speaking to the point of order ...
Mr SPEAKER: Order! I have ruled on the point of order. I believe that you should make it clear that there was no attempt on the member's part to hide that information.
Mr MANZIE: Mr Speaker, the member interjected and made it plain that ...
Members interjecting.
Mr MANZIE: Under the rules of debate, and in terms of answering the question ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member has identified his shareholdings in his returns to the Assembly. As such, there cannot be any reflection on his action in that regard.
Mr MANZIE: Mr Speaker, I am glad that the member has finally written that down in his pecuniary interests return. It is late and ...
Mr BELL: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I am not prepared to put up with a sustained attack on myself and my family with the clear imputation that I have done anything other than comply - and rather more carefully than some ministers in the government - with both the letter and the spirit of the Legislative Assembly (Register of Members' Interests) Act. I suspect that the member for Sanderson does not understand that act.
Mr SPEAKER: I do not believe there is a point of order on this occasion, but I ask the minister not to reflect at all on the member's actions in relation to the register.
Mr MANZIE: Mr Speaker, I shall not refer further to his failure to list those, but I think it is important ...
Page 1909
Mr BELL: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The minister is simply compounding the offence.
Mr SPEAKER: Will the minister please refrain from making any further comment in that regard.
Mr MANZIE: Mr Speaker, I withdraw any reference to his absent-mindedness and his forgetfulness. I think that should be quite clear. A comment in relation to the member for MacDonnell's outburst this morning is relevant because the idea of having lists of members' interests in a record ...
Mr BAILEY: A point of order, Mr Speaker! While you have ruled in the past that you have no ability to direct a member to answer a question, what the minister is referring to now in relation to members' interests was not within the question. You should direct that he stay within the bounds of the question even if he does not answer it.
Mr SPEAKER: There is no point of order. As I understand it, the minister was referring to an interjection from across the Chamber and he is entitled to do that. However, I ask the minister to get on with his answer to the question and to refrain from moving too far from the topic.
Mr MANZIE: Mr Speaker, I will close by giving notice that I will be asking the member for MacDonnell to explain to this House why he used the adjournment debate on 24 August, when he was a shareholder and he had not listed those shares, to give a speech in the House on the success of Henry Walker and encouraged people to become involved with it. In fact, he used his position in this House to better his own shareholdings ...
Mr BELL: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I think the member for Sanderson needs to be named. He is simply flouting your rulings. Bring on the debate by all means.
Mr Manzie: I have given notice.
Mr SPEAKER: I regret that, because I was in discussion with the Clerk, I did not pick up the comments. However, I again ask the minister to refrain from going beyond the parameters of the question.
Mr MANZIE: I table the Hansard record of the adjournment debate, Mr Speaker.
Page 1910
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016