Mr MILLS - 2007-08-22
Are there any specific obligations, by legislation or by agreement, which will be placed upon indigenous organisations for funding under your proposed Closing the Gap plan? What actions or proposals are in place to ensure development on Aboriginal land?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the second part of the question – what …?
Mr MILLS: What actions or proposals are in place to ensure development on Aboriginal land? Are there any specific obligations being placed on recipients?
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, I spoke in this House yesterday about the key elements in achieving our targets in Closing the Gap, in protecting children, in seeing that the opportunities for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children are the same by 2030, and recognised the key role of Aboriginal people in making those changes. I said that I was disappointed that the report did not focus on this. I know the opposition dismisses all the report and say that the authors are entirely wrong, and that the Opposition Leader says she has it right because she understands the causes of child sexual abuse. She says it is not to do with the lack of housing, or alcohol. Despite a substantial report with documentation, research and evidence, the Opposition Leader says: ‘Rubbish! Not to do with housing and overcrowding’.
Major-General David Chalmers, who is a key part of the federal government’s task force focused on preventing child abuse, in his first response, said one of the key things we have to deal with is housing; that is absolutely critical. Also …
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! To assist the Chief Minister, because there was some difficulty with the question as I delivered it, and the question has in no way been answered. I asked the Chief Minister to describe the specific obligations, by legislation or agreement, that are in place with regard to this program - anything specific at all. Just to help you.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Blain, resume your seat. Chief Minister, continue to answer the question.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, to ensure that we can get change, we will be developing very specific arrangements with communities. That work is being done. Everyone in this House would like to think that, when dollars are being spent, that we are going to get the results we need to get. In relation to what government is doing, there is no doubt. We have a raft of legislation coming into place. You need that framework, that direction, and that prescriptiveness on many occasions. However, unless we are going to see the important things like children going to school in the bush, we are not going to see the change we need to have happen.
Only two weeks ago I was at Garma, where a remote learning partnership was signed with Yirrkala School and this government. That has very specific targets in it. It is a very strong mutual responsibility agreement that says …
Mr Mills: That is the sort of stuff we are after.
Ms MARTIN: This is the first of 15 to be rolled out, and we will be escalating that roll out.
Mr Mills: You are on good ground now, go for it. This is the sort of thing we are after.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Blain, you have asked ...
Mr Mills: This is what we are after.
Ms Carney: We would just like some answers.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Stirling: You are not a principal now.
Madam SPEAKER: Deputy Chief Minister, cease interjecting. Member for Blain, you have asked the Chief Minister a question. I have taken points of order on this a couple of times from you. I ask you to listen to the Chief Minister give her response. I do not want to have to warn you again.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, this is a five-year remote learning partnership; the first one signed with Yirrkala. The community has signed up to those targets. We will be working with that community. It will be rolled out through DEET into 15 more communities. That is an example of ensuring that, when we are talking about children going to school, children getting outcomes in the educational system, we are going to lock it in with each community.
With dealing with alcohol, of course we are going to be prescriptive. We are going to be much tougher on supply, we will have inspectors and compliance in place. Policing will be very much focused on targeting alcohol. We are being very prescriptive about that. However, finally, it is going to be up to people to say, ‘I am going to drink less’. The same relates to gambling and the impact of gambling. We will see some very tough approaches to gambling. Part of why children get neglected is that you have families who are gambling.
There are many different ways of tackling this. Some of the partnership models are in place now, and we will be developing further models so that we ensure the significant funds we are expending are going to make a difference on the ground. It is about partnerships - and I say that word all the time. There are different ways through this package that government is taking. Some, of course, are prescriptive with legislation and demands, but others will be working in a partnership with communities to ensure we both understand the roles that have to happen.
Madam Speaker, even though the member for Blain glowers at me across the Chamber, we are targeting and dealing with a problem that, very sadly, under 27 years of the CLP, was not touched. We are now dealing with the neglect of a generation from a government who was in power for 27 years.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the second part of the question – what …?
Mr MILLS: What actions or proposals are in place to ensure development on Aboriginal land? Are there any specific obligations being placed on recipients?
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, I spoke in this House yesterday about the key elements in achieving our targets in Closing the Gap, in protecting children, in seeing that the opportunities for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children are the same by 2030, and recognised the key role of Aboriginal people in making those changes. I said that I was disappointed that the report did not focus on this. I know the opposition dismisses all the report and say that the authors are entirely wrong, and that the Opposition Leader says she has it right because she understands the causes of child sexual abuse. She says it is not to do with the lack of housing, or alcohol. Despite a substantial report with documentation, research and evidence, the Opposition Leader says: ‘Rubbish! Not to do with housing and overcrowding’.
Major-General David Chalmers, who is a key part of the federal government’s task force focused on preventing child abuse, in his first response, said one of the key things we have to deal with is housing; that is absolutely critical. Also …
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! To assist the Chief Minister, because there was some difficulty with the question as I delivered it, and the question has in no way been answered. I asked the Chief Minister to describe the specific obligations, by legislation or agreement, that are in place with regard to this program - anything specific at all. Just to help you.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Blain, resume your seat. Chief Minister, continue to answer the question.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, to ensure that we can get change, we will be developing very specific arrangements with communities. That work is being done. Everyone in this House would like to think that, when dollars are being spent, that we are going to get the results we need to get. In relation to what government is doing, there is no doubt. We have a raft of legislation coming into place. You need that framework, that direction, and that prescriptiveness on many occasions. However, unless we are going to see the important things like children going to school in the bush, we are not going to see the change we need to have happen.
Only two weeks ago I was at Garma, where a remote learning partnership was signed with Yirrkala School and this government. That has very specific targets in it. It is a very strong mutual responsibility agreement that says …
Mr Mills: That is the sort of stuff we are after.
Ms MARTIN: This is the first of 15 to be rolled out, and we will be escalating that roll out.
Mr Mills: You are on good ground now, go for it. This is the sort of thing we are after.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Blain, you have asked ...
Mr Mills: This is what we are after.
Ms Carney: We would just like some answers.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Stirling: You are not a principal now.
Madam SPEAKER: Deputy Chief Minister, cease interjecting. Member for Blain, you have asked the Chief Minister a question. I have taken points of order on this a couple of times from you. I ask you to listen to the Chief Minister give her response. I do not want to have to warn you again.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, this is a five-year remote learning partnership; the first one signed with Yirrkala. The community has signed up to those targets. We will be working with that community. It will be rolled out through DEET into 15 more communities. That is an example of ensuring that, when we are talking about children going to school, children getting outcomes in the educational system, we are going to lock it in with each community.
With dealing with alcohol, of course we are going to be prescriptive. We are going to be much tougher on supply, we will have inspectors and compliance in place. Policing will be very much focused on targeting alcohol. We are being very prescriptive about that. However, finally, it is going to be up to people to say, ‘I am going to drink less’. The same relates to gambling and the impact of gambling. We will see some very tough approaches to gambling. Part of why children get neglected is that you have families who are gambling.
There are many different ways of tackling this. Some of the partnership models are in place now, and we will be developing further models so that we ensure the significant funds we are expending are going to make a difference on the ground. It is about partnerships - and I say that word all the time. There are different ways through this package that government is taking. Some, of course, are prescriptive with legislation and demands, but others will be working in a partnership with communities to ensure we both understand the roles that have to happen.
Madam Speaker, even though the member for Blain glowers at me across the Chamber, we are targeting and dealing with a problem that, very sadly, under 27 years of the CLP, was not touched. We are now dealing with the neglect of a generation from a government who was in power for 27 years.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016