Mr CONLAN - 2011-03-29
I have had several constituents call into my office and drop off this taxpayer-funded flyer which lobbed in their letterboxes last week - once again, full of motherhood statements, sentiments, and promises of meetings and workshops. I could not help think that we have heard it all before - summits, forums, workshops, talkfests, gabfests. We have had the Alice in 10, Moving Alice Ahead Plan, the Alice Springs Transformation Plan, and the new community development - let us look like we are doing something to deal with our serious PR problems plan.
When will you and the Labor Party learn that it is not words – motherhood statements like this - that these people in Alice Springs are looking for? They are looking for some real action. When will you step up and provide some real action for the people of Alice Springs?
ANSWER
Dear oh dear, Madam Speaker, it is obvious the member for Greatorex did not listen to the answer to the last question he asked. Significant action is taking place. I have stood here and said what the government is doing and I can go through the list again.
What I am very pleased to see happening in Alice Springs is the community coming together. The member for Greatorex may deride meetings and forums, he may feel that he is the person who has the answers to all the solutions so there is no point consulting with anyone, even though he spent half-an-hour here this morning with not one single initiative to deal with the issues in Alice Springs.
I support the community coming together. We held a forum and a meeting with Indigenous leaders, the Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Central Australia, a number of the shires, the Action for Alice group, and the Mayor of Alice Springs. They all agreed that community forums focus on what the community is going to do to improve situations for young people in Alice Springs, the issues of alcohol in Alice Springs, and the issue of urban drift in Alice Springs. That came from the community. Yet, the member for Greatorex derides them. The member for Greatorex says you have no voice and you should have no voice, and any forums that will be held are going to be a waste of time.
I do not hold that view. I hold the view that most good initiatives come from the people, the community, and we have an absolute responsibility to engage. I do not shy away from this at all.
I bet there will be one solution that will not come forward from those meetings and forums and that is four more hours of grog every day being a solution to the problems of Alice Springs. The people in Alice Springs will have an opportunity when we debate the legislation here to see whether the opposition members are serious, or they just want to play to small, vested interests in Alice Springs on the crucial issues around alcohol.
We will continue to engage the community. We will continue to work with the community. We will continue to work with good people in Alice Springs.
Is the member for Greatorex deriding the Mayor of Alice Springs for getting people together to talk about issues? I thought that was a great initiative. I spoke to the mayor today and committed to working with him on the council’s issues. I believe in people coming together and working on solutions for this community.
The government will continue to act. As I said, a new juvenile detention facility opened today, new breach of bail, more police, and better lighting in Alice Springs. The youth hub that I visited yesterday was absolutely fantastic. We will continue to work with Alice Springs, not trash the reputation of Alice Springs like the opposition does.
When will you and the Labor Party learn that it is not words – motherhood statements like this - that these people in Alice Springs are looking for? They are looking for some real action. When will you step up and provide some real action for the people of Alice Springs?
ANSWER
Dear oh dear, Madam Speaker, it is obvious the member for Greatorex did not listen to the answer to the last question he asked. Significant action is taking place. I have stood here and said what the government is doing and I can go through the list again.
What I am very pleased to see happening in Alice Springs is the community coming together. The member for Greatorex may deride meetings and forums, he may feel that he is the person who has the answers to all the solutions so there is no point consulting with anyone, even though he spent half-an-hour here this morning with not one single initiative to deal with the issues in Alice Springs.
I support the community coming together. We held a forum and a meeting with Indigenous leaders, the Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Central Australia, a number of the shires, the Action for Alice group, and the Mayor of Alice Springs. They all agreed that community forums focus on what the community is going to do to improve situations for young people in Alice Springs, the issues of alcohol in Alice Springs, and the issue of urban drift in Alice Springs. That came from the community. Yet, the member for Greatorex derides them. The member for Greatorex says you have no voice and you should have no voice, and any forums that will be held are going to be a waste of time.
I do not hold that view. I hold the view that most good initiatives come from the people, the community, and we have an absolute responsibility to engage. I do not shy away from this at all.
I bet there will be one solution that will not come forward from those meetings and forums and that is four more hours of grog every day being a solution to the problems of Alice Springs. The people in Alice Springs will have an opportunity when we debate the legislation here to see whether the opposition members are serious, or they just want to play to small, vested interests in Alice Springs on the crucial issues around alcohol.
We will continue to engage the community. We will continue to work with the community. We will continue to work with good people in Alice Springs.
Is the member for Greatorex deriding the Mayor of Alice Springs for getting people together to talk about issues? I thought that was a great initiative. I spoke to the mayor today and committed to working with him on the council’s issues. I believe in people coming together and working on solutions for this community.
The government will continue to act. As I said, a new juvenile detention facility opened today, new breach of bail, more police, and better lighting in Alice Springs. The youth hub that I visited yesterday was absolutely fantastic. We will continue to work with Alice Springs, not trash the reputation of Alice Springs like the opposition does.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016