Mrs HICKEY - 1996-05-23
Only 12 months ago, he boasted that, under his regime, ministers would perform or else they would be out. I draw his attention to the minister sitting behind him, the member for Leanyer. Does the Chief Minister accept the following as the member for Leanyer's record? That record is: the complete bungling of the teachers' dispute; the bungling of matters at Gove District Hospital, where the Chief Minister came in and overruled him; the blowing to pieces of the budget at Royal Darwin Hospital, where the waiting lists are the longest in the nation; the information technology bungle in the Health Services Department, to the extent that people may have died as a result of system inefficiencies; and the affair of the one-way bus tickets for methadone patients. Will the Chief Minister now undertake, on the anniversary of his first year in office, a much-needed reshuffle of his Cabinet and use the opportunity to dump the incompetent minister sitting behind him?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this is the Leader of the Opposition's big day. This is it! She has been here for 2 weeks. She has fire in the belly. No more Mrs Nice Guy. Last week, we waited to see this for 3 sitting days, but the boys club opposite was running the show. The boys club talks over the top of her all the time. They tell her what to do. We thought that perhaps it would happen this week, and here we go - this is the big day! We were all sitting here waiting to see what she would do. Will she finally assert her position and say that she is in charge over there? What a disappointment! She has to take her lead from the local newspaper. This is the most creative tactic that she can come up with.
I wonder whether she would have asked the question if the editorial had not expressed a point of view. I speculate about what she would have been on her feet asking. There was nothing yesterday. I do not think I had a question from her yesterday. It was extraordinary! The former Chief Minister was in the Speaker's gallery. He said to me: 'What a blessed life you have! I cannot recall a day when the Chief Minister did not receive a question from the opposition, particularly from the Leader of the Opposition'. Today she is saved because the NT News editorial has told her what to do. If this is the leadership that Territorians can expect from the new Leader of the Opposition, they are justified in shaking their heads and declaring themselves disappointed, because this is the best they have.
Mr Bailey: Fly south for the summer, Mr Finch!
Mr STONE: I hear the member for Wanguri. That is the boys club over there. They interject over the top and shout down their own leader. They persist in interfering in the way that she is trying to establish her new leadership. Observe the dynamics of it. She is off to one side over there, and the boys club is over here. The previous Leader of the Opposition has not quite let go of the reins of power. I know, it is like a drug. He has been up the front there, and now he is at the back.
Members interjecting.
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Mr STONE: Let me say this, in relation to ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would the honourable Chief Minister resume his seat. I have tolerated enough interjection from the opposition benches already this morning. Members of the opposition are inviting the Chief Minister's response, through their interjections. I ask that they keep interjections to a minimum. As I mentioned yesterday, I do not mind short, sharp interjections, but this continuing barrage across the Chamber is not on.
Mr STONE: Thank you, Mr Speaker.
I am pleased to say ...
Mr Ede interjecting.
Mr STONE: It is good to see that the member for Stuart has retained his sense of humour, despite all that has occurred.
Mr Ede: I never lost it. I am happy. You do not look so happy.
Mr STONE: You are going off to grow nuts. That is why you are happy.
The member for Leanyer has one of the most difficult portfolio areas. It is very easy for people who have never been in government, who have never had the hands-on experience and who have no comprehension of some of the complexities of the issues, to make the strident criticism and allegations that they do.
Ms Martin: They are accurate, though.
Mr STONE: I dispute that. The member for Fannie Bay is the person who issued a media release saying she had put a list of questions on notice and that, as a result, the government would be made accountable. She was going to bring it to heel! Then she discovered that she had never actually sent the questions. She forgot to post the letter! Do not talk to me about getting things wrong. She ought to be embarrassed. She is as incompetent as the rest of them.
Let me make it very clear that Minister Finch has my complete confidence as a politician and as a minister in my government.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this is the Leader of the Opposition's big day. This is it! She has been here for 2 weeks. She has fire in the belly. No more Mrs Nice Guy. Last week, we waited to see this for 3 sitting days, but the boys club opposite was running the show. The boys club talks over the top of her all the time. They tell her what to do. We thought that perhaps it would happen this week, and here we go - this is the big day! We were all sitting here waiting to see what she would do. Will she finally assert her position and say that she is in charge over there? What a disappointment! She has to take her lead from the local newspaper. This is the most creative tactic that she can come up with.
I wonder whether she would have asked the question if the editorial had not expressed a point of view. I speculate about what she would have been on her feet asking. There was nothing yesterday. I do not think I had a question from her yesterday. It was extraordinary! The former Chief Minister was in the Speaker's gallery. He said to me: 'What a blessed life you have! I cannot recall a day when the Chief Minister did not receive a question from the opposition, particularly from the Leader of the Opposition'. Today she is saved because the NT News editorial has told her what to do. If this is the leadership that Territorians can expect from the new Leader of the Opposition, they are justified in shaking their heads and declaring themselves disappointed, because this is the best they have.
Mr Bailey: Fly south for the summer, Mr Finch!
Mr STONE: I hear the member for Wanguri. That is the boys club over there. They interject over the top and shout down their own leader. They persist in interfering in the way that she is trying to establish her new leadership. Observe the dynamics of it. She is off to one side over there, and the boys club is over here. The previous Leader of the Opposition has not quite let go of the reins of power. I know, it is like a drug. He has been up the front there, and now he is at the back.
Members interjecting.
Page 1410
Mr STONE: Let me say this, in relation to ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Would the honourable Chief Minister resume his seat. I have tolerated enough interjection from the opposition benches already this morning. Members of the opposition are inviting the Chief Minister's response, through their interjections. I ask that they keep interjections to a minimum. As I mentioned yesterday, I do not mind short, sharp interjections, but this continuing barrage across the Chamber is not on.
Mr STONE: Thank you, Mr Speaker.
I am pleased to say ...
Mr Ede interjecting.
Mr STONE: It is good to see that the member for Stuart has retained his sense of humour, despite all that has occurred.
Mr Ede: I never lost it. I am happy. You do not look so happy.
Mr STONE: You are going off to grow nuts. That is why you are happy.
The member for Leanyer has one of the most difficult portfolio areas. It is very easy for people who have never been in government, who have never had the hands-on experience and who have no comprehension of some of the complexities of the issues, to make the strident criticism and allegations that they do.
Ms Martin: They are accurate, though.
Mr STONE: I dispute that. The member for Fannie Bay is the person who issued a media release saying she had put a list of questions on notice and that, as a result, the government would be made accountable. She was going to bring it to heel! Then she discovered that she had never actually sent the questions. She forgot to post the letter! Do not talk to me about getting things wrong. She ought to be embarrassed. She is as incompetent as the rest of them.
Let me make it very clear that Minister Finch has my complete confidence as a politician and as a minister in my government.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016