Dr LIM - 2002-08-14
Come this weekend, you will have been in government for a year.
Members interjecting.
Dr LIM: Congratulations to the government for being able to hang on for a year!
Members interjecting.
Dr LIM: But you are still no closer to fulfilling the Chief Minister’s taxi reform plan that you promised at the election. Minister, in July a Darwin taxi company, Ashmanor Proprietary Limited, went into voluntary liquidation with debts of around $110 000. Can the minister please tell me were the nine taxi plates handed in, hence reducing the taxi fleet, or are they still operating? If so, under which taxi company’s badge? Is the licence still held and being operated by a business which has gone into liquidation?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, we have not provided a paper for commercial vehicles yet for the simple reason that they have done such a good job of ruining it, it will take us a long time to fix it. But it will be fixed.
The member for Greatorex stood up here yesterday made comments about the licence in Alice Springs and the licence in Darwin, but obviously he does not know much about the legislation and how it operates. Nobody owns a licence; the licence is owned by the government. You borrowed in excess of $20m to buy back the licences and we have to pay for the next 10 years. That was a clever idea: getting a really good industry, borrow $20m, ruin the industry and we have to pay for the next 10 years. Not only that, you managed to create such a mess, they took you to court in Tennant Creek and Gove and they won. Now we have to pay compensation.
Now, let me tell you about that particular case …
Dr LIM: A point of order, Madam Speaker! My question was asking the minister to tell me what happened to the nine plates that were handed in, whether they are still operating and under whose badge.
Mr VATSKALIS: You just said it!
Dr Lim: Answer the question.
Mr VATSKALIS: You asked the question. You just said what happened to the nine licenses that were handed in!
Dr Lim: That’s right.
Mr VATSKALIS: You just answered the question! They were handed in. The licences belong to the government. If the taxi company came and put them on the counter, we take them back. Nobody can touch these licences. The company went into liquidation, they can lose all their assets, but nobody can touch the licences. They belong to the government.
Dr Lim: Are they still operating?
Mr VATSKALIS: You just said yourself, they were handed in. I cannot see the need to answer any further, Madam Speaker. What is the point? He asks the question, he knows the answer, he answered it himself. The licence was handed in. End of story.
Mr STIRLING (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Question Paper.
Members interjecting.
Dr LIM: Congratulations to the government for being able to hang on for a year!
Members interjecting.
Dr LIM: But you are still no closer to fulfilling the Chief Minister’s taxi reform plan that you promised at the election. Minister, in July a Darwin taxi company, Ashmanor Proprietary Limited, went into voluntary liquidation with debts of around $110 000. Can the minister please tell me were the nine taxi plates handed in, hence reducing the taxi fleet, or are they still operating? If so, under which taxi company’s badge? Is the licence still held and being operated by a business which has gone into liquidation?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, we have not provided a paper for commercial vehicles yet for the simple reason that they have done such a good job of ruining it, it will take us a long time to fix it. But it will be fixed.
The member for Greatorex stood up here yesterday made comments about the licence in Alice Springs and the licence in Darwin, but obviously he does not know much about the legislation and how it operates. Nobody owns a licence; the licence is owned by the government. You borrowed in excess of $20m to buy back the licences and we have to pay for the next 10 years. That was a clever idea: getting a really good industry, borrow $20m, ruin the industry and we have to pay for the next 10 years. Not only that, you managed to create such a mess, they took you to court in Tennant Creek and Gove and they won. Now we have to pay compensation.
Now, let me tell you about that particular case …
Dr LIM: A point of order, Madam Speaker! My question was asking the minister to tell me what happened to the nine plates that were handed in, whether they are still operating and under whose badge.
Mr VATSKALIS: You just said it!
Dr Lim: Answer the question.
Mr VATSKALIS: You asked the question. You just said what happened to the nine licenses that were handed in!
Dr Lim: That’s right.
Mr VATSKALIS: You just answered the question! They were handed in. The licences belong to the government. If the taxi company came and put them on the counter, we take them back. Nobody can touch these licences. The company went into liquidation, they can lose all their assets, but nobody can touch the licences. They belong to the government.
Dr Lim: Are they still operating?
Mr VATSKALIS: You just said yourself, they were handed in. I cannot see the need to answer any further, Madam Speaker. What is the point? He asks the question, he knows the answer, he answered it himself. The licence was handed in. End of story.
Mr STIRLING (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016