Mr ADAMSON - 1996-08-13
The Territory has 4 Olympians of whom we are all, no doubt, very proud. Territorians will have an opportunity soon to acknowledge the efforts and the achievements of Olympians Nova Peris, Ian Vander-Wal, Kerry Dienelt and James Swan who represented us so well. Can the Chief Minister advise us of the arrangements and the scope of acknowledgment?
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I am pleased to advise that the Northern Territory government has made arrangements to have a parade through the streets of Darwin for our Territory Olympians: hockey gold medallist Nova Peris, softball bronze medallist, Kerry Dienelt, boxer James Swan, and swimmer Ian Vander-Wal. The parade, with the help of the Darwin City Council and Festival of Darwin parade organisers, will take place on Saturday 24 August at noon. I hope Territorians will be out in force to celebrate and applaud the outstanding achievement of these 4 young Territorians. Later that evening, a civic reception will be held in their honour and they will receive further recognition for their achievements by the government and the Darwin City Council.
I thank the NT News for the role that it has played in helping to organise the event. The local newspaper helped me to liaise with the Territory athletes while in Atlanta and helped make it possible to put in place a suitable and appropriate means of honouring our athletes. I will talk about that tomorrow. However, I am somewhat bewildered and surprised at members opposite who were left with the running of this issue. The member for Fannie Bay can chuckle.
Ms Martin: You stole our motion.
Mr STONE: You surrendered it, and that needs to be put on the public record.
Mr Bailey: Call the numbers, Shane.
Mr STONE: We have the numbers. There is nothing to stop you from introducing the motion. In fact, when I was advised that the Leader of the Opposition wanted to introduce a motion, I wanted to let her run it. She wrote a letter to me in which she stated:
On Tuesday 13 August 1996, the first day of the August parliamentary sittings, I shall be giving notice of a
motion along the following lines: `The parliament of the Northern Territory recognises the dedication of our
Olympians and Paralympians and congratulates them on their efforts and success at the Centennial Games of
the 26th Olympiad, held at Atlanta, Georgia, and the parliament calls on the Northern Territory government
in conjunction with the Darwin City Council to hold a celebration honouring our Olympians and Paralympians,
including the holding of a parade of honour through the streets of Darwin and a presentation to them of keys to
the Territory's capital city'.
I believe that this motion should be discussed and passed at the earliest opportunity at the start of our
parliamentary session. I seek your support for discussion of my motion on Tuesday 13 August 1996.
I thought it was okay that the opposition had got in first. I said that we should not be cute about it and play politics, but let the opposition run the motion. I would have liked to have added an amendment, which I hoped would have been accepted, that also acknowledged the role of the Northern Territory police officers who were there. I am sure we could have negotiated that.
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In a subsequent letter from the Leader of the Opposition, which was received on 9 August, some 3 days later, she stated:
I am pleased that your government is following my suggestions regarding the holding of celebrations for
the Territory's Olympians and Paralympians but had you read my letter to the Chief Minister properly you
would have noticed that I wish to have the motion debated on Tuesday 13 August 1996, congratulating
them on their success. You have failed to indicate whether you will support that motion. I shall
therefore proceed to move that motion on the morning of 13 August, and seek urgency for its discussion.
On the news last night, she said she no longer wanted to do it, that she would do it in an adjournment debate. In addition, she has been telling the media that she would only take 10 minutes anyway.
Mrs Hickey: Very disappointing.
Mr STONE: You are all very disappointing. We are absolutely staggered that you pulled that stunt and tried to politicise the entire event.
Mr Ah Kit: You stole our thunder again.
Mr STONE: Stole your thunder? You did not even move the motion after having stated, in 2 letters to us, that you would do so.
Mr Bailey: You said that you would not allow it to be brought on until next Wednesday.
Mr STONE: That is absolutely untrue.
Mr Bailey: Talk to the Leader of Government Business!
Mr STONE: You were told that, if you wanted to introduce it today, you could do it first thing. We have had an illustration that you were prepared to run other matters. You took 20 minutes burbling on about a matter of privilege. The member for Arnhem can laugh, but he knows I am right. You wasted 20 minutes on that when you could have run the motion. We would have supported it. We now have had this absolutely disgraceful performance by the Leader of the Opposition who timidly wimped out last night. She said that she would raise it in an adjournment debate. Let me tell Territorians that I have a higher regard for our Olympians than to push them to the back of the program for the day - in the adjournment debate. This matter will be debated tomorrow, and I hope it will be done in a very constructive and bipartisan way.
This is a further demonstration of how disorganised members opposite are. It demonstrates that no one is in charge and no one opposite knows what is going on. I hope that members opposite will be able to make a decent contribution tomorrow to the motion applauding our Territory Olympians.
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Page 1461
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I am pleased to advise that the Northern Territory government has made arrangements to have a parade through the streets of Darwin for our Territory Olympians: hockey gold medallist Nova Peris, softball bronze medallist, Kerry Dienelt, boxer James Swan, and swimmer Ian Vander-Wal. The parade, with the help of the Darwin City Council and Festival of Darwin parade organisers, will take place on Saturday 24 August at noon. I hope Territorians will be out in force to celebrate and applaud the outstanding achievement of these 4 young Territorians. Later that evening, a civic reception will be held in their honour and they will receive further recognition for their achievements by the government and the Darwin City Council.
I thank the NT News for the role that it has played in helping to organise the event. The local newspaper helped me to liaise with the Territory athletes while in Atlanta and helped make it possible to put in place a suitable and appropriate means of honouring our athletes. I will talk about that tomorrow. However, I am somewhat bewildered and surprised at members opposite who were left with the running of this issue. The member for Fannie Bay can chuckle.
Ms Martin: You stole our motion.
Mr STONE: You surrendered it, and that needs to be put on the public record.
Mr Bailey: Call the numbers, Shane.
Mr STONE: We have the numbers. There is nothing to stop you from introducing the motion. In fact, when I was advised that the Leader of the Opposition wanted to introduce a motion, I wanted to let her run it. She wrote a letter to me in which she stated:
On Tuesday 13 August 1996, the first day of the August parliamentary sittings, I shall be giving notice of a
motion along the following lines: `The parliament of the Northern Territory recognises the dedication of our
Olympians and Paralympians and congratulates them on their efforts and success at the Centennial Games of
the 26th Olympiad, held at Atlanta, Georgia, and the parliament calls on the Northern Territory government
in conjunction with the Darwin City Council to hold a celebration honouring our Olympians and Paralympians,
including the holding of a parade of honour through the streets of Darwin and a presentation to them of keys to
the Territory's capital city'.
I believe that this motion should be discussed and passed at the earliest opportunity at the start of our
parliamentary session. I seek your support for discussion of my motion on Tuesday 13 August 1996.
I thought it was okay that the opposition had got in first. I said that we should not be cute about it and play politics, but let the opposition run the motion. I would have liked to have added an amendment, which I hoped would have been accepted, that also acknowledged the role of the Northern Territory police officers who were there. I am sure we could have negotiated that.
Page 1462
In a subsequent letter from the Leader of the Opposition, which was received on 9 August, some 3 days later, she stated:
I am pleased that your government is following my suggestions regarding the holding of celebrations for
the Territory's Olympians and Paralympians but had you read my letter to the Chief Minister properly you
would have noticed that I wish to have the motion debated on Tuesday 13 August 1996, congratulating
them on their success. You have failed to indicate whether you will support that motion. I shall
therefore proceed to move that motion on the morning of 13 August, and seek urgency for its discussion.
On the news last night, she said she no longer wanted to do it, that she would do it in an adjournment debate. In addition, she has been telling the media that she would only take 10 minutes anyway.
Mrs Hickey: Very disappointing.
Mr STONE: You are all very disappointing. We are absolutely staggered that you pulled that stunt and tried to politicise the entire event.
Mr Ah Kit: You stole our thunder again.
Mr STONE: Stole your thunder? You did not even move the motion after having stated, in 2 letters to us, that you would do so.
Mr Bailey: You said that you would not allow it to be brought on until next Wednesday.
Mr STONE: That is absolutely untrue.
Mr Bailey: Talk to the Leader of Government Business!
Mr STONE: You were told that, if you wanted to introduce it today, you could do it first thing. We have had an illustration that you were prepared to run other matters. You took 20 minutes burbling on about a matter of privilege. The member for Arnhem can laugh, but he knows I am right. You wasted 20 minutes on that when you could have run the motion. We would have supported it. We now have had this absolutely disgraceful performance by the Leader of the Opposition who timidly wimped out last night. She said that she would raise it in an adjournment debate. Let me tell Territorians that I have a higher regard for our Olympians than to push them to the back of the program for the day - in the adjournment debate. This matter will be debated tomorrow, and I hope it will be done in a very constructive and bipartisan way.
This is a further demonstration of how disorganised members opposite are. It demonstrates that no one is in charge and no one opposite knows what is going on. I hope that members opposite will be able to make a decent contribution tomorrow to the motion applauding our Territory Olympians.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016