Mr ELFERINK - 2003-05-01
Minister, as you are aware, the average price for a block of land in Alice Springs is $103 000. Why then, are you offering a paltry $40 000 to a local family after offering to buy back a block of land from them because of your own self acknowledged sacred sites stuff-up.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question from the member for Macdonnell, and, yes, I did admit that there was a bureaucratic bungle in my office of the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority. However, I said in parliament in Darwin that I would come down and meet with the block owners. I have done that, I have had a chat with them. They worked their way through with the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority, and most of those blocks, as far as I am aware, have authority certificates, which will hold up in a court of law. It is a document saying that they can build what they like on those particular blocks.
However, we do have a Ms Geraghty who has concerns, and it was raised here last night by the member for Macdonnell. I am not sure whether she is a constituent or not, but both she and her partner have legitimate concerns. My response last night was, yes, I will look at it. What the member for Macdonnell does not understand is the correspondence and the cooperation that I, as the Minister for Community Development, need to enter in with the Minister for DIPE. When we talk about land, we talk about land valuations and we begin the process for negotiation because, as I understand it, Ms Geraghty …
Mr Elferink interjecting.
Mr AH KIT: Look, you asked the question, listen to the answer. You might learn something, for goodness sake! You may want to be a minister one day. Look at the member for Greatorex, he was only there for nine months, but he was there.
We are working our way through. There is nothing finalised at this stage. I want to reach a mutual agreement with them. We had a problem - if you understand and listen, you might learn. We had a problem with the developers, Rubinos, who did not make it clear to the people who purchased those blocks that what you have with you is not good enough at this stage. If you want to build, you need to go back to the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority and apply for an Authority certificate. Okay?
So that is what did not happen. When my office of the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority here said that we believe this is clear, it is clear. What we have to understand in this, is that your government - this happened eight or nine years ago, but I am not going to blame you in this particular situation …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question was very straightforward. I want to know why the minister is offering a mere $40 000 for a block that is worth a lot more.
Mr Baldwin interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. The minister is answering the question. Minister, continue and perhaps address the question.
Mr AH KIT: I will pick up the interjection from the former Lands, Planning and Environment minister who said: ‘Give us a commitment, come on.’ What you have to understand is that this government does not operate like you people operated. We are sick and tired of cleaning up the mess that you left us! But we are putting up, and we will do that.
Mr Reed interjecting.
Mr AH KIT: You can say: ‘Come on’. We have seen what you got up to, member for Katherine. You go back to your little bird watching business in Katherine.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, get on with the answer.
Mr AH KIT: Madam Speaker, being a good minister in the Martin Labor government allows me to think laterally, and continue to work out, with DPIE, with my ministerial colleague, Mr Vatskalis, and with Ms Geraghty and her partner, an outcome that is going to be satisfactory to both parties. That is what I am aiming for. It is not good enough for you to come in here and politically muckrake and try and score points because, really, you have made fools of yourselves this week.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question from the member for Macdonnell, and, yes, I did admit that there was a bureaucratic bungle in my office of the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority. However, I said in parliament in Darwin that I would come down and meet with the block owners. I have done that, I have had a chat with them. They worked their way through with the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority, and most of those blocks, as far as I am aware, have authority certificates, which will hold up in a court of law. It is a document saying that they can build what they like on those particular blocks.
However, we do have a Ms Geraghty who has concerns, and it was raised here last night by the member for Macdonnell. I am not sure whether she is a constituent or not, but both she and her partner have legitimate concerns. My response last night was, yes, I will look at it. What the member for Macdonnell does not understand is the correspondence and the cooperation that I, as the Minister for Community Development, need to enter in with the Minister for DIPE. When we talk about land, we talk about land valuations and we begin the process for negotiation because, as I understand it, Ms Geraghty …
Mr Elferink interjecting.
Mr AH KIT: Look, you asked the question, listen to the answer. You might learn something, for goodness sake! You may want to be a minister one day. Look at the member for Greatorex, he was only there for nine months, but he was there.
We are working our way through. There is nothing finalised at this stage. I want to reach a mutual agreement with them. We had a problem - if you understand and listen, you might learn. We had a problem with the developers, Rubinos, who did not make it clear to the people who purchased those blocks that what you have with you is not good enough at this stage. If you want to build, you need to go back to the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority and apply for an Authority certificate. Okay?
So that is what did not happen. When my office of the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority here said that we believe this is clear, it is clear. What we have to understand in this, is that your government - this happened eight or nine years ago, but I am not going to blame you in this particular situation …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The question was very straightforward. I want to know why the minister is offering a mere $40 000 for a block that is worth a lot more.
Mr Baldwin interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. The minister is answering the question. Minister, continue and perhaps address the question.
Mr AH KIT: I will pick up the interjection from the former Lands, Planning and Environment minister who said: ‘Give us a commitment, come on.’ What you have to understand is that this government does not operate like you people operated. We are sick and tired of cleaning up the mess that you left us! But we are putting up, and we will do that.
Mr Reed interjecting.
Mr AH KIT: You can say: ‘Come on’. We have seen what you got up to, member for Katherine. You go back to your little bird watching business in Katherine.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, get on with the answer.
Mr AH KIT: Madam Speaker, being a good minister in the Martin Labor government allows me to think laterally, and continue to work out, with DPIE, with my ministerial colleague, Mr Vatskalis, and with Ms Geraghty and her partner, an outcome that is going to be satisfactory to both parties. That is what I am aiming for. It is not good enough for you to come in here and politically muckrake and try and score points because, really, you have made fools of yourselves this week.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016