Mr ADAMSON - 1996-08-15
In the Leader of the Opposition's budget reply yesterday, she posed a question to the Chief Minister as to whether or not the federal member for the Northern Territory, Nick Dondas, had issued any press releases since his election to the federal House of Representatives. Will the Chief Minister provide her now with relevant details?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this is an important point. Yesterday, both the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Wanguri certainly tried to create the impression that the Territory's federal member, Nick Dondas, has been sitting on his hands. I took it upon myself ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mrs Hickey: That is what everybody tells us.
Mr STONE: I am sure that people listening at home would really like to hear the answer, not the constant interjections from the member for Wanguri or the member for Nhulunbuy.
It is quite clear that the Labor Party has embarked on a campaign of fear and loathing and of gloom and doom. There is no better example than the interview by the Leader of the Opposition on the Morning Program on 19 July, when there was some speculation about whether the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade office would close. The reporter asked this question:
Mrs Hickey, without wanting to make you appear as something of a prophet of doom, I understand, for
instance, that Bob Collins is saying the Department of Foreign Affairs officers in Darwin could be for the
chop. Do you know of anything else that we might lose here in the Territory as a result of the federal
government's cost-cutting push?
Mrs Hickey: Look, I mean, I don't want to be a prophet of doom either, Fred. I am an optimist, and I remain
optimistically certain about the Territory's future. But I think anything is up for grabs with this mob,
frankly.
The Leader of the Opposition had absolutely no basis for believing that the Foreign Affairs and Trade office in Darwin would be closed. The Prime Minister subsequently gave an unequivocal assurance that it would not be closed. However, it is consistent with the way that she goes about bagging the Territory.
I picked up The Australian after our budget was delivered to find these comments which have been made at a time when my government is trying to encourage other Australians to think seriously about coming to the Territory to live. They were made at a time when all other commentators around this nation are singing the praises of the Northern Territory. However,
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our Leader of the Opposition is bagging the Territory in the southern newspapers. This is what she had to say:
The Territory is still the most expensive place to buy groceries, housing costs are high, and average weekly
earnings are falling behind other states.
Is that the kind of effort that we really want from the Leader of the Opposition in southern newspapers? At a time when everyone else is talking up the Territory, Calamity Jane starts stirring up trouble in the south by telling people not to come here. This is the shadow trade and industry minister who is saying these things. To show that she has picked up the lazy and complacent practices of her predecessor, she sought to rely on a list of groceries that was published in The Australian. I suppose she looked at that and thought that it gave her a good opportunity to really bag the Territory. According to the basket of goodies information, we are travelling very badly compared with other places. Unlike the Leader of the Opposition, I took the time to find out the basis of those figures from the ABS. The ABS told me that, to its horror, the information had not been presented correctly. The ABS said that it did not tally the list of items for the very simple reason that it is not necessarily representative of what people buy. It also said the information did not take into account, for example, that a leg of lamb will cost much less in Victoria, where there is a sheep industry, than it will cost in the Territory, where there is no sheep industry. I can give examples of products that are cheaper in the Territory by reason of the fact that the industry is here - for example, mangoes, rambutans and rockmelons.
The Leader of the Opposition seizes on this type of information and runs to the southern media to bag the Territory. It is consistent with her buying tiles from Melbourne at the expense of a local tile shop. She wants to come into this Chamber and bag the Territory's federal member, Nick Dondas. I believe he went to the trouble of counting the number of media releases he has issued in the relatively short time since he was elected.
Ms Martin: It is 6.
Mr STONE: The member for Fannie Bay says that it is 6. It is actually 33. It is many more than the number issued by members opposite. It is time the Leader of the Opposition stopped bagging the Territory and instead stood up for the Territory. It would be a refreshing change.
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: Do not talk about Warren Snowdon. Warren Snowdon was the most abject failure who ever graced the federal parliament, and Territorians sent him packing. Today, he is over in Queensland with Yanner, wreaking havoc on the Queensland economy. All I can say is it might be a misfortune for Queensland, but it is good riddance.
Nick Dondas is an outstanding federal member for the Territory. He is standing up for the Territory and he has achieved a number of important concessions. Members opposite did not applaud his work on the diesel rebate, ensuring that it did not become a casualty in the budget. Nick Dondas can hold his head high as one of the key players in Canberra who
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persuaded the Prime Minister to a different point of view. The Territory is lucky to have Nick Dondas as its federal member.
Page 1499
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, this is an important point. Yesterday, both the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Wanguri certainly tried to create the impression that the Territory's federal member, Nick Dondas, has been sitting on his hands. I took it upon myself ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mrs Hickey: That is what everybody tells us.
Mr STONE: I am sure that people listening at home would really like to hear the answer, not the constant interjections from the member for Wanguri or the member for Nhulunbuy.
It is quite clear that the Labor Party has embarked on a campaign of fear and loathing and of gloom and doom. There is no better example than the interview by the Leader of the Opposition on the Morning Program on 19 July, when there was some speculation about whether the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade office would close. The reporter asked this question:
Mrs Hickey, without wanting to make you appear as something of a prophet of doom, I understand, for
instance, that Bob Collins is saying the Department of Foreign Affairs officers in Darwin could be for the
chop. Do you know of anything else that we might lose here in the Territory as a result of the federal
government's cost-cutting push?
Mrs Hickey: Look, I mean, I don't want to be a prophet of doom either, Fred. I am an optimist, and I remain
optimistically certain about the Territory's future. But I think anything is up for grabs with this mob,
frankly.
The Leader of the Opposition had absolutely no basis for believing that the Foreign Affairs and Trade office in Darwin would be closed. The Prime Minister subsequently gave an unequivocal assurance that it would not be closed. However, it is consistent with the way that she goes about bagging the Territory.
I picked up The Australian after our budget was delivered to find these comments which have been made at a time when my government is trying to encourage other Australians to think seriously about coming to the Territory to live. They were made at a time when all other commentators around this nation are singing the praises of the Northern Territory. However,
Page 1497
our Leader of the Opposition is bagging the Territory in the southern newspapers. This is what she had to say:
The Territory is still the most expensive place to buy groceries, housing costs are high, and average weekly
earnings are falling behind other states.
Is that the kind of effort that we really want from the Leader of the Opposition in southern newspapers? At a time when everyone else is talking up the Territory, Calamity Jane starts stirring up trouble in the south by telling people not to come here. This is the shadow trade and industry minister who is saying these things. To show that she has picked up the lazy and complacent practices of her predecessor, she sought to rely on a list of groceries that was published in The Australian. I suppose she looked at that and thought that it gave her a good opportunity to really bag the Territory. According to the basket of goodies information, we are travelling very badly compared with other places. Unlike the Leader of the Opposition, I took the time to find out the basis of those figures from the ABS. The ABS told me that, to its horror, the information had not been presented correctly. The ABS said that it did not tally the list of items for the very simple reason that it is not necessarily representative of what people buy. It also said the information did not take into account, for example, that a leg of lamb will cost much less in Victoria, where there is a sheep industry, than it will cost in the Territory, where there is no sheep industry. I can give examples of products that are cheaper in the Territory by reason of the fact that the industry is here - for example, mangoes, rambutans and rockmelons.
The Leader of the Opposition seizes on this type of information and runs to the southern media to bag the Territory. It is consistent with her buying tiles from Melbourne at the expense of a local tile shop. She wants to come into this Chamber and bag the Territory's federal member, Nick Dondas. I believe he went to the trouble of counting the number of media releases he has issued in the relatively short time since he was elected.
Ms Martin: It is 6.
Mr STONE: The member for Fannie Bay says that it is 6. It is actually 33. It is many more than the number issued by members opposite. It is time the Leader of the Opposition stopped bagging the Territory and instead stood up for the Territory. It would be a refreshing change.
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: Do not talk about Warren Snowdon. Warren Snowdon was the most abject failure who ever graced the federal parliament, and Territorians sent him packing. Today, he is over in Queensland with Yanner, wreaking havoc on the Queensland economy. All I can say is it might be a misfortune for Queensland, but it is good riddance.
Nick Dondas is an outstanding federal member for the Territory. He is standing up for the Territory and he has achieved a number of important concessions. Members opposite did not applaud his work on the diesel rebate, ensuring that it did not become a casualty in the budget. Nick Dondas can hold his head high as one of the key players in Canberra who
Page 1498
persuaded the Prime Minister to a different point of view. The Territory is lucky to have Nick Dondas as its federal member.
Page 1499
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016