Mr EDE - 1995-02-21
On his return from leave, the Chief Minister was advised that he needed to put an end to leadership speculation and get his government back to work. He held a press conference on 23 January and listed the important issues his government would address this year - the Wran Committee Report, poker machines, the Ord River scheme, the police review, domestic violence initiatives, sexual assault policy and the Living With Alcohol program. A week later, he derailed the whole year's agenda when he announced his euthanasia initiative. Since that time, all we have heard about is death in the community and division in his own ranks. Does he intend to spend the whole of the next 6 months in his new-found capacity as a private member or will he come to his senses and get back to being Chief Minister and running the government?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I would accuse the Leader of the Opposition of a little over-reaction to my announcement that, as the member for Fannie Bay in this Assembly, I would pursue personally a matter which I feel very strongly about - voluntary euthanasia. To suggest that, in doing this, I have somehow derailed the government's agenda for the year is a nonsense.
Mr Ede: No one is doing anything else.
Mr PERRON: The Leader of the Opposition is probably guilty of gaining all of his knowledge from the media, and that is about all. It is true that voluntary euthanasia is a subject that has engrossed the media of late. At times when there is no othernews, it is a subject that the media can always turn to and find someone to say something that will advance the debate a little further. To suggest that, since returning from leave over Christmas, as some of us have, I or my colleagues have spent an inordinate amount of time on this issue is wrong.
I can assure honourable members that that is not the case. Members opposite need not believe me, but Cabinet has been very busy. There is a lengthy agenda of important issues facing the Northern Territory at present. Some of the issues are absolutely crucial - for example, the mess that native title is degenerating into nationally. Native title is consuming very considerable time in the public service and at Cabinet level. I predict that it will continue to consume huge amounts of our time in the forthcoming months and possibly even years. As honourable members are aware, there is a Leaders' Forum meeting on Friday of this week. Unfortunately, I will have to leave the Assembly during the course of Thursday's sitting so that I can meet other state leaders in preparation for our dealings with the Commonwealth at subsequent Premiers Conferences etc.
As has been announced by the media recently, there are very exciting private sector developments in the Northern Territory. These do not simply happen. I can assure members opposite that they are part of the processes of government in developing the Northern Territory economy so that we have jobs in the future for the children of the Northern Territory. In my view, that is what it is all about. Whilst I predict that, in the coming days and months,
Page 411
the subject of voluntary euthanasia will occupy a huge quantity of media space, to interpret that as necessarily detracting from the processes of government would be wrong.
Page 412
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I would accuse the Leader of the Opposition of a little over-reaction to my announcement that, as the member for Fannie Bay in this Assembly, I would pursue personally a matter which I feel very strongly about - voluntary euthanasia. To suggest that, in doing this, I have somehow derailed the government's agenda for the year is a nonsense.
Mr Ede: No one is doing anything else.
Mr PERRON: The Leader of the Opposition is probably guilty of gaining all of his knowledge from the media, and that is about all. It is true that voluntary euthanasia is a subject that has engrossed the media of late. At times when there is no othernews, it is a subject that the media can always turn to and find someone to say something that will advance the debate a little further. To suggest that, since returning from leave over Christmas, as some of us have, I or my colleagues have spent an inordinate amount of time on this issue is wrong.
I can assure honourable members that that is not the case. Members opposite need not believe me, but Cabinet has been very busy. There is a lengthy agenda of important issues facing the Northern Territory at present. Some of the issues are absolutely crucial - for example, the mess that native title is degenerating into nationally. Native title is consuming very considerable time in the public service and at Cabinet level. I predict that it will continue to consume huge amounts of our time in the forthcoming months and possibly even years. As honourable members are aware, there is a Leaders' Forum meeting on Friday of this week. Unfortunately, I will have to leave the Assembly during the course of Thursday's sitting so that I can meet other state leaders in preparation for our dealings with the Commonwealth at subsequent Premiers Conferences etc.
As has been announced by the media recently, there are very exciting private sector developments in the Northern Territory. These do not simply happen. I can assure members opposite that they are part of the processes of government in developing the Northern Territory economy so that we have jobs in the future for the children of the Northern Territory. In my view, that is what it is all about. Whilst I predict that, in the coming days and months,
Page 411
the subject of voluntary euthanasia will occupy a huge quantity of media space, to interpret that as necessarily detracting from the processes of government would be wrong.
Page 412
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016