Mr HAMPTON - 2007-02-20
My electorate is the largest in the Territory. As you drive through it on the Stuart Highway you are greeted by signs saying ‘Welcome, you are entering Anmatjere Country’. This area is known as the ‘growing centre’ of Australia. Can the minister please update the House on how we are building partnerships and growing the economy by establishing the Anmatjere Economic Development Committee?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question. I know he is very interested in economic development in his region, not only because of the many things happening with pastoral, mining and tourism activities, but he has been working very closely with his community. I look forward to working with him, because I will be visiting his electorate in the next few days. I will be spending quite a bit of time in the electorate of Stuart talking with people there about economic development.
Our government has engaged our regions through the establishment of economic development committees. We currently have committees in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine, Tiwi Islands, the VRD District, the Gulf and East Arnhem. They are not committees that are nominated and then sit there doing nothing. They are developing economic activity plans. They identify opportunities and my department works very closely with them in order to make these plans a reality.
It is with great pleasure that I advise the House that I have appointed local community leaders, industry and government representatives to the Anmatjere Economic Development Committee. Local community members of the committee are Ms Betty Carter, community leader; Ms Carmel Chalmersli, business leader; Mrs Janet Chisholm, respected community and business operator, Mr Allen Cooney, General Manager of Centrefarm; Mr Greg Dick, business operator, Aileron Road House; Mr Neil Feazey, Chief Executive of Anmatjere Council; Ms Susan Greggery, CEO of Yuelamu Community Council; Mr Andrew O’Bree, Manager of Territory Grapes; and Mr Tony Scrutton, Chairman of Anmatjere Council.
The representatives of the Northern Territory and Australian governments are: Mr John Baskerville, who is well known; Ms Brenda Elferink, who works for my department in Alice Springs; and Mr Ross McDougall from the Australian government. The Chamber of Commerce representative is Mr Damien Ryan, owner and operator of the Alice Springs Camera Shop.
I am delighted and very excited to appoint these people to the committee. I know they have very big plans for the committee. There are many things happening in this area. We have the Ti Tree grape farm, we have opportunities with Pine Hill to be opened and developed. We have significant regional opportunities, and let us not forget the significant mining opportunities we have with Arafura Resources and other prospective mining operations.
We do not pay lip service to the regions. We are working with the regions to develop them because the government has to take a leading role to develop the regions, and we intend to do so. As I said before, the committee has identified opportunities and draft plans. We do not just take these plans and put them on the shelf to collect dust; we make them a reality, we translate these plans into action.
I am looking forward to working very closely with the committee, not only in Anmatjere Country but in other places. I will be visiting and meeting with every economic development committee in the Northern Territory. It is my target to have jobs, jobs, jobs outside Darwin as well as in Darwin.
Mr HENDERSON (Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question. I know he is very interested in economic development in his region, not only because of the many things happening with pastoral, mining and tourism activities, but he has been working very closely with his community. I look forward to working with him, because I will be visiting his electorate in the next few days. I will be spending quite a bit of time in the electorate of Stuart talking with people there about economic development.
Our government has engaged our regions through the establishment of economic development committees. We currently have committees in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine, Tiwi Islands, the VRD District, the Gulf and East Arnhem. They are not committees that are nominated and then sit there doing nothing. They are developing economic activity plans. They identify opportunities and my department works very closely with them in order to make these plans a reality.
It is with great pleasure that I advise the House that I have appointed local community leaders, industry and government representatives to the Anmatjere Economic Development Committee. Local community members of the committee are Ms Betty Carter, community leader; Ms Carmel Chalmersli, business leader; Mrs Janet Chisholm, respected community and business operator, Mr Allen Cooney, General Manager of Centrefarm; Mr Greg Dick, business operator, Aileron Road House; Mr Neil Feazey, Chief Executive of Anmatjere Council; Ms Susan Greggery, CEO of Yuelamu Community Council; Mr Andrew O’Bree, Manager of Territory Grapes; and Mr Tony Scrutton, Chairman of Anmatjere Council.
The representatives of the Northern Territory and Australian governments are: Mr John Baskerville, who is well known; Ms Brenda Elferink, who works for my department in Alice Springs; and Mr Ross McDougall from the Australian government. The Chamber of Commerce representative is Mr Damien Ryan, owner and operator of the Alice Springs Camera Shop.
I am delighted and very excited to appoint these people to the committee. I know they have very big plans for the committee. There are many things happening in this area. We have the Ti Tree grape farm, we have opportunities with Pine Hill to be opened and developed. We have significant regional opportunities, and let us not forget the significant mining opportunities we have with Arafura Resources and other prospective mining operations.
We do not pay lip service to the regions. We are working with the regions to develop them because the government has to take a leading role to develop the regions, and we intend to do so. As I said before, the committee has identified opportunities and draft plans. We do not just take these plans and put them on the shelf to collect dust; we make them a reality, we translate these plans into action.
I am looking forward to working very closely with the committee, not only in Anmatjere Country but in other places. I will be visiting and meeting with every economic development committee in the Northern Territory. It is my target to have jobs, jobs, jobs outside Darwin as well as in Darwin.
Mr HENDERSON (Government Business): Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Written Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016