Mr LANHUPUY - 1995-08-22
In a joint press release with Katherine combined Aboriginal organisations, the former Minister for Lands, Housing and Local Government said that he was pleased with the logical manner in which the working party was addressing the housing problem. He said that, now that agreement had been reached on housing needs, the next step would be to release the base data to the general public for comment. After 10 months of what has been described as
Page 752
`constructive discussions over the future of the Aboriginal living areas in Katherine' involving the former minister, could the present minister tell the House why, since he has taken over the portfolio, the talks have been described as having been taken back to square one?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I think the first part of the member for Arnhem's question related to why the base data - that is, the report - has not been released. He may well ask. I can only assume that the member is speaking of the report that was prepared by the Town Camps Advisory Committee and the base data that was provided by a consultant by the name of Wigley, I think.
A member interjecting.
Mr REED: That is the information to which he refers. As the member for Katherine, I tried for a year to obtain a copy of the report, but I was not able to do so. I believe the Katherine Town Council had difficulty obtaining a copy of it in the first instance. I am aware of a couple of versions of it, and the difficulty that other people have experienced in trying to obtain it - not from the government, but from the Town Camps Advisory Committee which has been very reluctant to release the document.
I am pleased to say that, following a meeting on 20 July with the Town Camps Working Committee, which was attended by a member of my staff, Stephen Dunham, it was announced that the document would be made available. Indeed, as recently as early last week, I wrote to the chairman of the committee asking whether the report had been released, because I had not heard that it had. Subsequently, I was advised by Mr Wes Miller, the chairman, that the report had been released. I am pleased that that is finally the case because it will afford to the people of Katherine and the broader region an opportunity to see the information it contains.
This report is a very important document. One page contains a flow chart that displays the processes which were to be followed. They were put in place by the previous minister. It details also the responsibilities of the various groups in progressing this important matter. I suggest that the member for Arnhem look at that flow chart, because specific requirements had to be met in terms of pursuing this matter and ensuring that some very important considerations were taken into account.
Where do I stand in relation to this? A look at the flow chart shows that we are at step 2, from memory, which is that the report be released. It has taken an extraordinarily long time to get this far. In the meantime, other matters have come to the fore. For example, 36 serviced sites have been identified in Katherine on which houses could be built for Aboriginal people. It was only following the last meeting that I learnt that the association had been sitting on $300 000 for the best part of 12 months - and to do what? To build houses! If it had a real interest in solving these problems - that is, in providing housing for Aboriginal people - it would spend the money instead of sitting on it and arguing about matters that are best construed as trying to promote a particular political cause. That came to the fore recently with the announcement that a Mr Ah Kit is to be the Labor Party candidate for Arnhem once the current member for Arnhem announces his resignation from this House. It is most unfortunate that this issue has been embroiled in what could only be described as a political
Page 753
argument. One of the main proponents of the whole deal, a Mr Pearce, is president of the ALP's Katherine branch or, if not the president, the secretary.
Mr Ede: So, any time anybody from the Labor Party stands up and fights for the people, you can throw them ...
Mr REED: The Leader of the Opposition says that any time anyone from the Labor Party does something, we will have a go at them. My word, aren't we sensitive today!
Mr Ede interjecting.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: It does not stop the Leader of the Opposition from getting up in this House and casting aspersions on people who have done something for the CLP.
Mr Ede interjecting.
Members interjecting.
Mr POOLE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The member knows full well he cannot make aspersions with regard to that and I ask that he withdraw.
Mr SPEAKER: Yet again, I have to advise the member for Wanguri that he cannot accuse a member of this House of lying unless he moves a substantive motion.
Mr BAILEY: Mr Speaker, may I speak to the point of order?
Mr SPEAKER: No, the member may not. I have ruled on it and the member will withdraw the remark.
Mr BAILEY: I did not say that he lied. I withdraw the remark.
Mr REED: I am not saying anything here that is not public information. The views of Mr Pearce are well known through his letters to the editor, and other activities that he pursues as a member of a political party.
Mr Ede: As is his right.
Mr Stone: I am glad you have clarified that.
Mr REED: As the Leader of the Opposition says, it is his right. I do not have a particular concern about that, but I become concerned when it starts to impinge on events. This issue is too important for it to become mixed up in local politics or other similar issues.
I have said on a number of occasions that I am yet to be convinced that there is a need for additional town camps at Katherine. A need has been identified for some 71 additional houses for Aboriginal people in Katherine. There are 36 sites available currently. Up to
Page 754
150 have been identified. It seems to me that, at least in the immediate future and for the next few years, and having regard to housing funding that is available, more than enough land is readily available on which to construct houses. Not only that but, for a year, $300 000 has been sitting in the bank unused by these people who purport to be concerned about the provision of Aboriginal housing. Let us stop the local politics and all the hype, and do something for Aboriginal people if we are concerned about the situation. At the same time ...
Mr Bell: If you people would stop kicking them in the guts at every election, it might help a little.
Mr REED: The bitterness of the member for MacDonnell comes to the fore. His mouth will get him into trouble one day. His bitterness does nothing to help progress the matters that the member for Arnhem has raised in good faith in relation to this issue.
Mr Ah Kit's suggestion, which flowed directly from comments I made about matters raised by the member for Arnhem, has not been well received by traditional Aboriginal people in remote communities. His suggestion was that he would like to lodge native title claims over vacant Crown land in Katherine. Indeed, the director of the Northern Land Council, Mr Darryl Pearce, suggested that local business houses in Katherine should be boycotted. If either of those gentlemen think that those comments were well received by Aboriginal people, they are very much mistaken. I have given a commitment to consult about this issue with both the broader community in Katherine and the people on Aboriginal communities who have expressed concern to me personally about the establishment of more town camps in Katherine. They do not see it as being productive in terms of the pursuit of their cultural arrangements.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: The Leader of the Opposition and the member for Barkly shake their heads, say `no' and laugh. However, the fact is that Mr Ah Kit has been trumpeting that the cultural issues at the heart of this matter are most important. That has been very much the thrust of his approach in recent times.
It seems that, when I indicate that I intend to speak to Aboriginal people about it, there is no need for them to be spoken to, because they have nothing to do with it and they do not live in Katherine. We are talking about different language groups and different cultural groups who come from other parts of Katherine. What he is saying is that I should speak only to those Aboriginal people whom he chooses, those who are selected by the working party and the Jawoyn Association. It is a much broader issue than that, and I will take my consultative process to those people who want to contribute to this important debate. We will ensure that the outcome meets the needs of the broader community as opposed to those of a small minority group of people who are, as very vocal townies, if you like, to impose their views on traditional Aboriginal people. I will not tolerate that, nor will I tolerate that group imposing the outcomes that it wants on the broader community of Katherine without first pursuing a full process of consultation.
Page 755
Page 752
`constructive discussions over the future of the Aboriginal living areas in Katherine' involving the former minister, could the present minister tell the House why, since he has taken over the portfolio, the talks have been described as having been taken back to square one?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I think the first part of the member for Arnhem's question related to why the base data - that is, the report - has not been released. He may well ask. I can only assume that the member is speaking of the report that was prepared by the Town Camps Advisory Committee and the base data that was provided by a consultant by the name of Wigley, I think.
A member interjecting.
Mr REED: That is the information to which he refers. As the member for Katherine, I tried for a year to obtain a copy of the report, but I was not able to do so. I believe the Katherine Town Council had difficulty obtaining a copy of it in the first instance. I am aware of a couple of versions of it, and the difficulty that other people have experienced in trying to obtain it - not from the government, but from the Town Camps Advisory Committee which has been very reluctant to release the document.
I am pleased to say that, following a meeting on 20 July with the Town Camps Working Committee, which was attended by a member of my staff, Stephen Dunham, it was announced that the document would be made available. Indeed, as recently as early last week, I wrote to the chairman of the committee asking whether the report had been released, because I had not heard that it had. Subsequently, I was advised by Mr Wes Miller, the chairman, that the report had been released. I am pleased that that is finally the case because it will afford to the people of Katherine and the broader region an opportunity to see the information it contains.
This report is a very important document. One page contains a flow chart that displays the processes which were to be followed. They were put in place by the previous minister. It details also the responsibilities of the various groups in progressing this important matter. I suggest that the member for Arnhem look at that flow chart, because specific requirements had to be met in terms of pursuing this matter and ensuring that some very important considerations were taken into account.
Where do I stand in relation to this? A look at the flow chart shows that we are at step 2, from memory, which is that the report be released. It has taken an extraordinarily long time to get this far. In the meantime, other matters have come to the fore. For example, 36 serviced sites have been identified in Katherine on which houses could be built for Aboriginal people. It was only following the last meeting that I learnt that the association had been sitting on $300 000 for the best part of 12 months - and to do what? To build houses! If it had a real interest in solving these problems - that is, in providing housing for Aboriginal people - it would spend the money instead of sitting on it and arguing about matters that are best construed as trying to promote a particular political cause. That came to the fore recently with the announcement that a Mr Ah Kit is to be the Labor Party candidate for Arnhem once the current member for Arnhem announces his resignation from this House. It is most unfortunate that this issue has been embroiled in what could only be described as a political
Page 753
argument. One of the main proponents of the whole deal, a Mr Pearce, is president of the ALP's Katherine branch or, if not the president, the secretary.
Mr Ede: So, any time anybody from the Labor Party stands up and fights for the people, you can throw them ...
Mr REED: The Leader of the Opposition says that any time anyone from the Labor Party does something, we will have a go at them. My word, aren't we sensitive today!
Mr Ede interjecting.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: It does not stop the Leader of the Opposition from getting up in this House and casting aspersions on people who have done something for the CLP.
Mr Ede interjecting.
Members interjecting.
Mr POOLE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The member knows full well he cannot make aspersions with regard to that and I ask that he withdraw.
Mr SPEAKER: Yet again, I have to advise the member for Wanguri that he cannot accuse a member of this House of lying unless he moves a substantive motion.
Mr BAILEY: Mr Speaker, may I speak to the point of order?
Mr SPEAKER: No, the member may not. I have ruled on it and the member will withdraw the remark.
Mr BAILEY: I did not say that he lied. I withdraw the remark.
Mr REED: I am not saying anything here that is not public information. The views of Mr Pearce are well known through his letters to the editor, and other activities that he pursues as a member of a political party.
Mr Ede: As is his right.
Mr Stone: I am glad you have clarified that.
Mr REED: As the Leader of the Opposition says, it is his right. I do not have a particular concern about that, but I become concerned when it starts to impinge on events. This issue is too important for it to become mixed up in local politics or other similar issues.
I have said on a number of occasions that I am yet to be convinced that there is a need for additional town camps at Katherine. A need has been identified for some 71 additional houses for Aboriginal people in Katherine. There are 36 sites available currently. Up to
Page 754
150 have been identified. It seems to me that, at least in the immediate future and for the next few years, and having regard to housing funding that is available, more than enough land is readily available on which to construct houses. Not only that but, for a year, $300 000 has been sitting in the bank unused by these people who purport to be concerned about the provision of Aboriginal housing. Let us stop the local politics and all the hype, and do something for Aboriginal people if we are concerned about the situation. At the same time ...
Mr Bell: If you people would stop kicking them in the guts at every election, it might help a little.
Mr REED: The bitterness of the member for MacDonnell comes to the fore. His mouth will get him into trouble one day. His bitterness does nothing to help progress the matters that the member for Arnhem has raised in good faith in relation to this issue.
Mr Ah Kit's suggestion, which flowed directly from comments I made about matters raised by the member for Arnhem, has not been well received by traditional Aboriginal people in remote communities. His suggestion was that he would like to lodge native title claims over vacant Crown land in Katherine. Indeed, the director of the Northern Land Council, Mr Darryl Pearce, suggested that local business houses in Katherine should be boycotted. If either of those gentlemen think that those comments were well received by Aboriginal people, they are very much mistaken. I have given a commitment to consult about this issue with both the broader community in Katherine and the people on Aboriginal communities who have expressed concern to me personally about the establishment of more town camps in Katherine. They do not see it as being productive in terms of the pursuit of their cultural arrangements.
Members interjecting.
Mr REED: The Leader of the Opposition and the member for Barkly shake their heads, say `no' and laugh. However, the fact is that Mr Ah Kit has been trumpeting that the cultural issues at the heart of this matter are most important. That has been very much the thrust of his approach in recent times.
It seems that, when I indicate that I intend to speak to Aboriginal people about it, there is no need for them to be spoken to, because they have nothing to do with it and they do not live in Katherine. We are talking about different language groups and different cultural groups who come from other parts of Katherine. What he is saying is that I should speak only to those Aboriginal people whom he chooses, those who are selected by the working party and the Jawoyn Association. It is a much broader issue than that, and I will take my consultative process to those people who want to contribute to this important debate. We will ensure that the outcome meets the needs of the broader community as opposed to those of a small minority group of people who are, as very vocal townies, if you like, to impose their views on traditional Aboriginal people. I will not tolerate that, nor will I tolerate that group imposing the outcomes that it wants on the broader community of Katherine without first pursuing a full process of consultation.
Page 755
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016