Mr EDE - 1996-02-22
The Country Liberal Party's Northern Territory candidate for the federal election was heard Territory-wide on ABC radio stating confidently that John Howard's budget cuts will be across the country and that Australia needs them. Does the Chief Minister agree with the Country Liberal Party candidate that the Territory needs cuts to the federal funding it receives? If so, which of the following budget cuts, proposed by the Coalition, does the Chief Minister think will be good for the Territory? Cuts to Northern Territory University's cooperative research with Indonesia on the trochus shell? Cuts to the programs designed to enhance the quality of teaching at the university? Cuts to the industry extension program at the Centre for Energy Studies? Cuts to the funding for liaison officers to assist those people with disabilities who study at the university? Cuts to the curriculum of Australian indigenous languages study? Cuts in the provision of 144 prevocational training places? Or could it possibly be cuts to the university's training program for the mining industry? These are all cuts that are proposed. Which are the cuts that the Chief Minister, together with the Country Liberal Party candidate, thinks we deserve and need? It could be cuts to Batchelor College's construction and automotive industry training program, or what about cuts to the child- care training program at Casuarina Senior College? Perhaps it is cuts to the program for retail training of senior students at Darwin schools. It may be that he agrees with the Country Liberal Party's candidate for the Territory ...
Mr COULTER: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The Leader of the Opposition has made his point.
Members interjecting.
Mr Speaker: Order!
Mr Coulter: Let us hope that the cuts are not as severe as those the federal Labor government has been inflicting on us over the last 13 years.
Mr EDE: Mr Speaker, which cuts does the Chief Minister support? That is my question. I have given him a list of cuts that the Coalition is proposing. There are many more. Which does he think that we need, as his candidate says?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I am very pleased that the Leader of the Opposition has asked me this question. This morning, when I started to read my daily newspaper, I was confronted by reports of Warren Snowdon, the Territory's federal member, saying that it is terrible and that 10 000 positions will be lost throughout Australia under the Coalition. It is all terrible because John Howard intends to do something about the bloated bureaucracy in Canberra. Warren Snowdon was bleeding all over the floor for Canberra. We know him to be Canberra's man in the Territory. We know that he carries the mantle for Canberra in the Territory. He has failed miserably in representing the Territory in Canberra.
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I am delighted to hear members of the ALP in the Territory at least mouthing the platitudes of standing up for the university. Welcome aboard! Where were you when we were establishing Northern Territory University? Where were you when the Territory government was being forced to pay ...
Members interjecting.
Mr Speaker: Order!
Mr STONE: ... both the recurrent and the capital funding necessary to provide Territorians with a university? I know members opposite are embarrassed. They should hang their heads in shame. To this very day, Territory taxpayers are still paying recurrent and capital contributions to the university. This is the only part of Australia where the people have to do that. Why?
Mr Bell: Because you would not cooperate.
Mr STONE: The member for MacDonnell says that we would not cooperate. Labor did not offer any support for the university. It opposed the university. At no time did it go in to bat for a university for Territory students. Labor did not care that our young people had to go south to attend university. At no time did members opposite stand up and support the contribution of an establishment gift for our university. They sat on their hands in silence. They were an absolute disgrace when it came to supporting the government in the fight for a university. It is all documented. They did nothing. If it had not been for a CLP government, Territorians would not have a university today. They know that is the truth. They know ...
Mr EDE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I ask that the Chief Minister answer the question. He is talking about ancient history. This happened long before he came to the Territory. All I have asked is that he tell us which of the cuts proposed by Johnny Howard for our university he supports. The Country Liberal Party candidate says that he supports them.
Mr SPEAKER: The Chief Minister has the opportunity to answer.
Mr STONE: They are embarrassed, Mr Speaker, and they should be embarrassed. As a former Minister for Education, I know the history and I know the role that they played in undermining higher education for our kids in the Territory.
The Leader of the Opposition wants to talk about job losses and funding losses. He had his big opportunity yesterday. I laid the challenge down to the Leader of the Opposition. I told him that, in the ministerial statement I made yesterday, I would be talking about the cuts we had had. I told him I would list them for him and give him details. They included: a $44m loss from the abolition of general-purpose capital grants; a $30m cut through the abolition of the electricity subsidy; a $32m cut in roads funding; a $27m reduction in untied housing assistance; and a $21m cut in special revenue assistance. They were brought by Warren Snowdon and Bob Collins, on behalf of Canberra, to all Territorians. I laid down the challenge to the Leader of the Opposition. I wanted to hear his views on that.
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What did he do? He said nothing. In the newspaper this morning, his federal colleague is reported as saying that he is terribly concerned about the 10 000 jobs that he says will be lost. Do Territorians know that, in the time that Snowdon and Collins have been in government in Canberra, we have lost 2100 Commonwealth positions in the Territory? Including the employees' families, that is almost the equivalent of a Territory electorate that has been wiped out.
Mr Ede: What are you talking about?
Mr STONE: That was 2000 jobs in the Commonwealth Public Service alone. In OTC, 90 jobs have been lost. In Telecom, 20 jobs have been lost. The Casuarina manual exchange centre lost 37 jobs, the Civil Aviation Authority lost 51 jobs, the Darwin Airport weather station saw 12 jobs lost, and Australian Construction Services a further 70 jobs. It is a total of 2100 jobs lost - and that was brought to us by Warren Snowdon and Bob Collins.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: Do members opposite know what the total Commonwealth establishment was in the Territory in December of last year? It was 6126 positions. 2100 is a big slab of jobs and it is many Territorians. Members opposite should not come into this Chamber and peddle misinformation. The opposition has never stood up to Collins or Snowdon. It has allowed those jobs to be thrown out the window. As I said, the equivalent of almost an entire Territory electorate has been wiped out. Those people lost their jobs, and their families have been devastated, yet members opposite have said nothing.
Mr Bailey: What about the ERC cuts? 1500 public service jobs lost, and schools closed down.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: I will pick up the interjection from the member for Wanguri because, notwithstanding that schools were closed, not a single teacher was dismissed from their employment. The Territory is the only place in Australia where these people have been provided with alternative positions. That is the truth: not a single teacher was dismissed. This is the only place in Australia where that happened, and the member for Wanguri knows that is true. We look after our people. We look after Territorians. 2100 jobs have been lost from the Commonwealth service. Do not come in here with your crocodile tears, saying how sorry you feel for the people in Canberra who might lose their jobs.
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Mr COULTER: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The Leader of the Opposition has made his point.
Members interjecting.
Mr Speaker: Order!
Mr Coulter: Let us hope that the cuts are not as severe as those the federal Labor government has been inflicting on us over the last 13 years.
Mr EDE: Mr Speaker, which cuts does the Chief Minister support? That is my question. I have given him a list of cuts that the Coalition is proposing. There are many more. Which does he think that we need, as his candidate says?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I am very pleased that the Leader of the Opposition has asked me this question. This morning, when I started to read my daily newspaper, I was confronted by reports of Warren Snowdon, the Territory's federal member, saying that it is terrible and that 10 000 positions will be lost throughout Australia under the Coalition. It is all terrible because John Howard intends to do something about the bloated bureaucracy in Canberra. Warren Snowdon was bleeding all over the floor for Canberra. We know him to be Canberra's man in the Territory. We know that he carries the mantle for Canberra in the Territory. He has failed miserably in representing the Territory in Canberra.
Page 1192
I am delighted to hear members of the ALP in the Territory at least mouthing the platitudes of standing up for the university. Welcome aboard! Where were you when we were establishing Northern Territory University? Where were you when the Territory government was being forced to pay ...
Members interjecting.
Mr Speaker: Order!
Mr STONE: ... both the recurrent and the capital funding necessary to provide Territorians with a university? I know members opposite are embarrassed. They should hang their heads in shame. To this very day, Territory taxpayers are still paying recurrent and capital contributions to the university. This is the only part of Australia where the people have to do that. Why?
Mr Bell: Because you would not cooperate.
Mr STONE: The member for MacDonnell says that we would not cooperate. Labor did not offer any support for the university. It opposed the university. At no time did it go in to bat for a university for Territory students. Labor did not care that our young people had to go south to attend university. At no time did members opposite stand up and support the contribution of an establishment gift for our university. They sat on their hands in silence. They were an absolute disgrace when it came to supporting the government in the fight for a university. It is all documented. They did nothing. If it had not been for a CLP government, Territorians would not have a university today. They know that is the truth. They know ...
Mr EDE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! I ask that the Chief Minister answer the question. He is talking about ancient history. This happened long before he came to the Territory. All I have asked is that he tell us which of the cuts proposed by Johnny Howard for our university he supports. The Country Liberal Party candidate says that he supports them.
Mr SPEAKER: The Chief Minister has the opportunity to answer.
Mr STONE: They are embarrassed, Mr Speaker, and they should be embarrassed. As a former Minister for Education, I know the history and I know the role that they played in undermining higher education for our kids in the Territory.
The Leader of the Opposition wants to talk about job losses and funding losses. He had his big opportunity yesterday. I laid the challenge down to the Leader of the Opposition. I told him that, in the ministerial statement I made yesterday, I would be talking about the cuts we had had. I told him I would list them for him and give him details. They included: a $44m loss from the abolition of general-purpose capital grants; a $30m cut through the abolition of the electricity subsidy; a $32m cut in roads funding; a $27m reduction in untied housing assistance; and a $21m cut in special revenue assistance. They were brought by Warren Snowdon and Bob Collins, on behalf of Canberra, to all Territorians. I laid down the challenge to the Leader of the Opposition. I wanted to hear his views on that.
Page 1193
What did he do? He said nothing. In the newspaper this morning, his federal colleague is reported as saying that he is terribly concerned about the 10 000 jobs that he says will be lost. Do Territorians know that, in the time that Snowdon and Collins have been in government in Canberra, we have lost 2100 Commonwealth positions in the Territory? Including the employees' families, that is almost the equivalent of a Territory electorate that has been wiped out.
Mr Ede: What are you talking about?
Mr STONE: That was 2000 jobs in the Commonwealth Public Service alone. In OTC, 90 jobs have been lost. In Telecom, 20 jobs have been lost. The Casuarina manual exchange centre lost 37 jobs, the Civil Aviation Authority lost 51 jobs, the Darwin Airport weather station saw 12 jobs lost, and Australian Construction Services a further 70 jobs. It is a total of 2100 jobs lost - and that was brought to us by Warren Snowdon and Bob Collins.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: Do members opposite know what the total Commonwealth establishment was in the Territory in December of last year? It was 6126 positions. 2100 is a big slab of jobs and it is many Territorians. Members opposite should not come into this Chamber and peddle misinformation. The opposition has never stood up to Collins or Snowdon. It has allowed those jobs to be thrown out the window. As I said, the equivalent of almost an entire Territory electorate has been wiped out. Those people lost their jobs, and their families have been devastated, yet members opposite have said nothing.
Mr Bailey: What about the ERC cuts? 1500 public service jobs lost, and schools closed down.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: I will pick up the interjection from the member for Wanguri because, notwithstanding that schools were closed, not a single teacher was dismissed from their employment. The Territory is the only place in Australia where these people have been provided with alternative positions. That is the truth: not a single teacher was dismissed. This is the only place in Australia where that happened, and the member for Wanguri knows that is true. We look after our people. We look after Territorians. 2100 jobs have been lost from the Commonwealth service. Do not come in here with your crocodile tears, saying how sorry you feel for the people in Canberra who might lose their jobs.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016