Mrs HICKEY - 1996-10-16
Under pressure yesterday, the Chief Minister claimed he had only ever been involved with one decision involving Telstra. The fact is the Chief Minister is involved regularly in negotiations with Telstra and its competitors. In the last election campaign, the Country Liberal Party promised to `form a strategic alliance with a major international telecommunications company for cooperative ventures in Asia and to include an operational presence in Darwin'. On 21 June 1995, the Chief Minister told the Assembly that he had had `long discussion with Telstra and Optus on this matter'. He said this matter would be the subject of a Cabinet submission. Telstra states the gift of travel to Atlanta was to strengthen the relationship between itself and a number of its most important clients. It said: `The Northern Territory government is one such client and Mr Stone, as the Chief Minister, is a key figure in our business dealings with that client'. In other words, there was a commercial relationship and that offer was made `in an attempt to ensure Telstra continues to provide its services to your government'. It is clear that Telstra regards its gift differently from the way the Chief Minister portrays it. Will the Chief Minister concede that, in all matters related to telecommunications, he is tainted and a liability to Territorians?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, that was written by Kim Beazley for Kim Beazley in Canberra. Let me just take the Leader of the Opposition on a bit of a walk to demonstrate to her how stupid her proposition is.
Mr Bell interjecting.
Mr STONE: The member for MacDonnell cannot help himself. He interjects. He is not prepared to give any member on this side an opportunity to be heard.
Let me take the Leader of the Opposition for a bit of a walk. The Northern Territory government is one of the most important clients of Ansett. Does it follow therefore that no minister or member of government should accept an invitation to go to the corporate box at the football as a guest of Ansett? Does it follow that Shell, which is in the process of developing major infrastructure in the Territory, should never invite Northern Territory government ministers to dinner to talk about projects? The problem with this, and I could give many examples, is that the Leader of the Opposition has never been in government and she subscribes the worst possible motives to people. She comes in here with these conspiracy theories and insults me by suggesting that I could be bought with an airline ticket.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr STONE: Here we go. The member for Wanguri cannot help himself and is in over the top.
They insult not only our intelligence but also the intelligence of Territorians if they do not understand that government ministers of all political colours, whether they be CLP in the
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Territory or Labor ministers in New South Wales, are in regular dialogue with major corporate entities in this way. The important consideration in all of this is that I was up-front and made the declaration publicly before I went to Atlanta - indeed, even before I accepted the offer. Does it not carry any weight in the mind of the Leader of the Opposition that I made no attempt to hide anything? It is not as though she trapezed in here, caught me out and was able to say that I did not tell anyone. In fact, I told the world. Her credibility seems really to be at risk, given that I had told the world and that I had held a media conference and afforded everybody the opportunity to ask questions at that time, including providing an opportunity for the Leader of the Opposition to comment.
Is it wrong for a minister of this government to accept an invitation from either the South Australian or Victorian governments to attend the Grand Prix? Would that be considered corrupt? Was it corrupt that I was given tickets to the grand final of the AFL, together with airline tickets, which I did not use but which I passed to someone in the Territory who is not terribly well at the moment? I gave that person the use of those tickets to attend his first-ever grand final. Was that corrupt? If this is the sort of government that Territory Labor would bring to the Territory in the unhappy event that anyone were ever silly enough to vote for it, quite clearly members opposite would become tangled up, not in a matter of weeks but in a matter of days.
I was up-front. Do not worry about the letter that the Leader of the Opposition received from the other person way down the chain at Telstra. Look at the letter from the managing director of Telstra.
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr STONE: Why not be a little honest? If you really want to put the truth on the table and come clean, why not approach the managing director of Telstra and ask him, ask the man at the top, or is that a little too hard for you?
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: Given ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: If this is the big strategy for today, if this is the big tactic, stop pussyfooting around, bring on the censure motion and let us debate it. Put it on the table. Do not waste the time of the Assembly because I can assure you that I will not dignify your stupid questions with detailed answers beyond this point.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, that was written by Kim Beazley for Kim Beazley in Canberra. Let me just take the Leader of the Opposition on a bit of a walk to demonstrate to her how stupid her proposition is.
Mr Bell interjecting.
Mr STONE: The member for MacDonnell cannot help himself. He interjects. He is not prepared to give any member on this side an opportunity to be heard.
Let me take the Leader of the Opposition for a bit of a walk. The Northern Territory government is one of the most important clients of Ansett. Does it follow therefore that no minister or member of government should accept an invitation to go to the corporate box at the football as a guest of Ansett? Does it follow that Shell, which is in the process of developing major infrastructure in the Territory, should never invite Northern Territory government ministers to dinner to talk about projects? The problem with this, and I could give many examples, is that the Leader of the Opposition has never been in government and she subscribes the worst possible motives to people. She comes in here with these conspiracy theories and insults me by suggesting that I could be bought with an airline ticket.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr STONE: Here we go. The member for Wanguri cannot help himself and is in over the top.
They insult not only our intelligence but also the intelligence of Territorians if they do not understand that government ministers of all political colours, whether they be CLP in the
Page 1695
Territory or Labor ministers in New South Wales, are in regular dialogue with major corporate entities in this way. The important consideration in all of this is that I was up-front and made the declaration publicly before I went to Atlanta - indeed, even before I accepted the offer. Does it not carry any weight in the mind of the Leader of the Opposition that I made no attempt to hide anything? It is not as though she trapezed in here, caught me out and was able to say that I did not tell anyone. In fact, I told the world. Her credibility seems really to be at risk, given that I had told the world and that I had held a media conference and afforded everybody the opportunity to ask questions at that time, including providing an opportunity for the Leader of the Opposition to comment.
Is it wrong for a minister of this government to accept an invitation from either the South Australian or Victorian governments to attend the Grand Prix? Would that be considered corrupt? Was it corrupt that I was given tickets to the grand final of the AFL, together with airline tickets, which I did not use but which I passed to someone in the Territory who is not terribly well at the moment? I gave that person the use of those tickets to attend his first-ever grand final. Was that corrupt? If this is the sort of government that Territory Labor would bring to the Territory in the unhappy event that anyone were ever silly enough to vote for it, quite clearly members opposite would become tangled up, not in a matter of weeks but in a matter of days.
I was up-front. Do not worry about the letter that the Leader of the Opposition received from the other person way down the chain at Telstra. Look at the letter from the managing director of Telstra.
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr STONE: Why not be a little honest? If you really want to put the truth on the table and come clean, why not approach the managing director of Telstra and ask him, ask the man at the top, or is that a little too hard for you?
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: Given ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STONE: If this is the big strategy for today, if this is the big tactic, stop pussyfooting around, bring on the censure motion and let us debate it. Put it on the table. Do not waste the time of the Assembly because I can assure you that I will not dignify your stupid questions with detailed answers beyond this point.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016