Mr MILLS - 2008-06-11
Yesterday, you shamelessly announced that you were spending $500 000 of public money on a party which is an event plainly designed to promote you and the Labor government. You have teachers on strike, a school disrupted by bomb threats and gang activity, ambulances parked in ambulance bays because there are not enough hospital beds, young thugs roaming the streets and citizens viciously assaulted in public. In your eagerness to win the next election, have you completely lost your bearings?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I acknowledge the Leader of the Opposition’s question. The convention centre is a magnificent new asset to the Territory’s tourism industry. It is the jewel in the crown of Darwin’s tourism industry. This has been a convention centre that the tourism industry has called for in the Top End for many years. This is a government that has achieved not only a convention centre for the tourism industry, but the convention centre has been at the heart, at the apex, of delivering a $900m investment to the old Darwin waterfront precinct - a signal that this government is open for business. It is a public/private partnership with the business community, leveraging $900m worth of investment directly into Darwin and the Northern Territory’s economy.
The success of this is already evident, even before the convention centre is officially opened. Twenty-three conventions have already booked. Over 11 000 delegates will to come to Darwin who would not have come before. As Chief Minister, I want the people of Darwin to be ambassadors for our convention centre - every single Territorian to be an ambassador for our tourism industry.
I believe it is vitally important, given that taxpayers have invested in the convention centre, that the people of Darwin and the Northern Territory get an opportunity to come and explore, and see firsthand what has been delivered, because there are no better ambassadors for the Northern Territory than Territorians. We also want to celebrate the fact that this convention centre was built by Territorians - it was built by hundreds of Territory workers. Over $90m has been invested directly into Territory businesses, which have brought this project in ahead of time and on budget. Therefore, I believe it is entirely appropriate that this community gets an opportunity, over five days next week, to come and see for themselves this wonderful new facility. It is not without precedent; we had a community celebration for the Alice Springs to Darwin rail link. There have been community celebrations associated with any number of events over the years in the Northern Territory. This has been budgeted for within the overall scope of the project. I say to the Leader of the Opposition: you can promote tourism and deliver record funding to core areas of services in the Northern Territory.
Since we came to government, we have seen more than 100 extra doctors and 340 extra nurses in our health workforce right across the Northern Territory, and an increase in the budget of 89% since 2001. We have seen 150 extra teachers employed and deployed right across the Northern Territory since we came to government. Of course, we have seen an additional 200 police recruited to our police force, and another 60 in the budget I announced just a few weeks ago.
Madam Speaker, you can have investment in infrastructure, partnerships with business, and record investment in services right across the Northern Territory. This is a can-do government. We are open for business and investment. I am asking all Territorians to be ambassadors for our great tourism industry in the Northern Territory. I believe that we will see many thousands of Territorians come down and visit the fantastic new convention centre in Darwin over the five days next week.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I acknowledge the Leader of the Opposition’s question. The convention centre is a magnificent new asset to the Territory’s tourism industry. It is the jewel in the crown of Darwin’s tourism industry. This has been a convention centre that the tourism industry has called for in the Top End for many years. This is a government that has achieved not only a convention centre for the tourism industry, but the convention centre has been at the heart, at the apex, of delivering a $900m investment to the old Darwin waterfront precinct - a signal that this government is open for business. It is a public/private partnership with the business community, leveraging $900m worth of investment directly into Darwin and the Northern Territory’s economy.
The success of this is already evident, even before the convention centre is officially opened. Twenty-three conventions have already booked. Over 11 000 delegates will to come to Darwin who would not have come before. As Chief Minister, I want the people of Darwin to be ambassadors for our convention centre - every single Territorian to be an ambassador for our tourism industry.
I believe it is vitally important, given that taxpayers have invested in the convention centre, that the people of Darwin and the Northern Territory get an opportunity to come and explore, and see firsthand what has been delivered, because there are no better ambassadors for the Northern Territory than Territorians. We also want to celebrate the fact that this convention centre was built by Territorians - it was built by hundreds of Territory workers. Over $90m has been invested directly into Territory businesses, which have brought this project in ahead of time and on budget. Therefore, I believe it is entirely appropriate that this community gets an opportunity, over five days next week, to come and see for themselves this wonderful new facility. It is not without precedent; we had a community celebration for the Alice Springs to Darwin rail link. There have been community celebrations associated with any number of events over the years in the Northern Territory. This has been budgeted for within the overall scope of the project. I say to the Leader of the Opposition: you can promote tourism and deliver record funding to core areas of services in the Northern Territory.
Since we came to government, we have seen more than 100 extra doctors and 340 extra nurses in our health workforce right across the Northern Territory, and an increase in the budget of 89% since 2001. We have seen 150 extra teachers employed and deployed right across the Northern Territory since we came to government. Of course, we have seen an additional 200 police recruited to our police force, and another 60 in the budget I announced just a few weeks ago.
Madam Speaker, you can have investment in infrastructure, partnerships with business, and record investment in services right across the Northern Territory. This is a can-do government. We are open for business and investment. I am asking all Territorians to be ambassadors for our great tourism industry in the Northern Territory. I believe that we will see many thousands of Territorians come down and visit the fantastic new convention centre in Darwin over the five days next week.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016