Mr ADAMSON - 1994-08-23
I refer to the Darwin retirement village project and what appear to be attempts by the member for Wanguri to tarnish the merits of the Masonic Homes venture. Will the minister shed some more light on this project and put to bed the mischief-making complaints of the member for Wanguri?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I was a little disappointed by the comments that were attributed to the member for Wanguri about the proposed Masonic Homes retirement village. At one point, the member suggested that the government should come clean. That is a great catchcry of
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opposition members who try to impute some kind of wrongdoing to the government in its endeavours to encourage development in the Territory, particularly development of this kind.
For the public record, the simple facts are that freehold title in the Tiwi Primary School was given to Northern Territory University in exchange for a project that was estimated at about $3m by the Vice-Chancellor on 16 August 1994 on the 8DDD radio. The university forwent that particular capital works project in exchange for the Tiwi school. Masonic Homes subsequently identified land that is adjacent to the Tiwi school as appropriate for this development ...
Mr Bailey: It is on the Tiwi school land. It is adjacent to the building, but it is part of the same block.
Mr STONE: To pick up the interjection, it is adjacent to the buildings. There had to be some offset for the simple reason that the university had forgone a $3m capital works project. It was agreed at $1m. In fact, if I recall rightly, on the radio program, Kevin Naughton even put it to the Vice-Chancellor of NTU that the government had gained the better part of the deal, and he agreed.
For this project, the Northern Territory government is providing land in exchange for development. That is not an uncommon strategy for a government to employ. The member for Wanguri shakes his head, and I guess it is a consequence of his never having been in government and therefore having no understanding of what is done by all state and territory governments ...
Mr Bailey: For one development - $1m.
Mr STONE: He says $1m and it is $1m and, in exchange for that, Territorians will obtain a $4.5m to $5m retirement village.
Mr Bailey: For those who can afford to buy units for $180 000 to $200 000 ...
Mr STONE: It has been clearly established that there is a need for this type of facility. It will stop Territorians ...
Mr Bailey: ... when we have people in Housing Commission houses who are waiting for years.
Mr STONE: It will stop Territorians, who can afford to buy into a retirement village, going to the Gold Coast. One would have thought that the honourable member would support this type of initiative.
Mr Ede: They are pretty good at subsidising the rich up here. It is like Cullen Bay.
Mr STONE: I pick up the interjection from the Leader of the Opposition who says that the government is good at subsidising the rich. If that is the way in which he wants to describe long-serving Territorians, who have invested all their money in the Territory and who
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want to stay here in their retirement rather than go to Queensland, then I am sure they will be amused to hear that that is what he thinks of them.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I was a little disappointed by the comments that were attributed to the member for Wanguri about the proposed Masonic Homes retirement village. At one point, the member suggested that the government should come clean. That is a great catchcry of
Page 51
opposition members who try to impute some kind of wrongdoing to the government in its endeavours to encourage development in the Territory, particularly development of this kind.
For the public record, the simple facts are that freehold title in the Tiwi Primary School was given to Northern Territory University in exchange for a project that was estimated at about $3m by the Vice-Chancellor on 16 August 1994 on the 8DDD radio. The university forwent that particular capital works project in exchange for the Tiwi school. Masonic Homes subsequently identified land that is adjacent to the Tiwi school as appropriate for this development ...
Mr Bailey: It is on the Tiwi school land. It is adjacent to the building, but it is part of the same block.
Mr STONE: To pick up the interjection, it is adjacent to the buildings. There had to be some offset for the simple reason that the university had forgone a $3m capital works project. It was agreed at $1m. In fact, if I recall rightly, on the radio program, Kevin Naughton even put it to the Vice-Chancellor of NTU that the government had gained the better part of the deal, and he agreed.
For this project, the Northern Territory government is providing land in exchange for development. That is not an uncommon strategy for a government to employ. The member for Wanguri shakes his head, and I guess it is a consequence of his never having been in government and therefore having no understanding of what is done by all state and territory governments ...
Mr Bailey: For one development - $1m.
Mr STONE: He says $1m and it is $1m and, in exchange for that, Territorians will obtain a $4.5m to $5m retirement village.
Mr Bailey: For those who can afford to buy units for $180 000 to $200 000 ...
Mr STONE: It has been clearly established that there is a need for this type of facility. It will stop Territorians ...
Mr Bailey: ... when we have people in Housing Commission houses who are waiting for years.
Mr STONE: It will stop Territorians, who can afford to buy into a retirement village, going to the Gold Coast. One would have thought that the honourable member would support this type of initiative.
Mr Ede: They are pretty good at subsidising the rich up here. It is like Cullen Bay.
Mr STONE: I pick up the interjection from the Leader of the Opposition who says that the government is good at subsidising the rich. If that is the way in which he wants to describe long-serving Territorians, who have invested all their money in the Territory and who
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want to stay here in their retirement rather than go to Queensland, then I am sure they will be amused to hear that that is what he thinks of them.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016