Mr McADAM - 2002-08-21
Can the minister summarise how this budget will impact on Central Australia, including Alice Springs and Tennant Creek?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question because it is, indeed, a really important area of our budget to look at how it impacts on the various regions around the Territory.
I am proud to say that the first budget from our government delivers very strongly to the regions. We have delivered significant funding throughout the Territory regional areas. We have not fallen into the trap of centralising our effort to Darwin. We want to make sure that every Territorian has full access to the benefits of our better approach to budgeting.
In the areas that we give precedence to - education, training and health, improved community safety, and the stimulation of regional economy - Central Australia and Alice Springs have done very well out of this budget. We can also point proudly to the remote communities, and also to Tennant Creek, as having significant initiatives funded within the budget.
In terms of the impact on the construction industry, a lot of these remote programs, when put together with the programs based in the urban centres of Central Australia, will give ongoing work to our construction industry and ensure that we do not lose capacity out of our region. Some of the Tennant Creek-based projects, such as the new school at Papunya; the Nyingkka Nyunyu Cultural Centre in Tennant Creek; the renal unit in Tennant Creek; the health centre extensions at Yuendumu; the new police station at Kintore; and a range of other construction works.
We have even looked after Macdonnell so that the member over there can sit very comfortably. We have allocated $1.5m to repairs and maintenance in the region’s parks and reserves. In Alice Springs itself: $768 000 to the Alice Springs Hospital; further work on Gillen House in Alice Springs, an over $2m project; $250 000 on upgrades for the Araluen Cultural Centre; the first $800 000 of a $5m commitment to Traeger Park, and we will be continuing that on.
Dr Lim: Where? Where is it?
Dr TOYNE: Go and have a look at the hockey field, member for Greatorex …
Dr Lim: That was two years old.
Dr TOYNE: There is quite a lot of work going on down there at the moment, if you have not noticed. The Lovegrove retardation basin at $880 000 – that is a major initiative towards the mitigation of flooding in the township, and will certainly protect a lot of the houses in that area of town.
In addition to the direct funding from our budget, at the old gaol site we will be seeing health accommodation units put in there very shortly as the arrangements over the land are concluded and planning issues are dealt with. Papunya, Hermannsberg, Docker River are receiving $1.7m boost to their essential services …
Members interjecting.
Dr TOYNE: We are looking after Macdonnell, don’t you worry about that. There is $15m on new works and maintenance in the region’s roads, including my favourite topic - we all have our favourite roads and mine is the Tanami Road. A $1.5m kick-off for that, and we will be following up with another $5m behind that, according to the promises we made in our election.
You can see that we have continued support for tourism, with the Holiday Centre going to Alice Springs, and continued work on the attraction of international tourism to Central Australia, as my colleague, the Tourism Minister pointed out earlier. CATIA and Tennant Creek Regional Tourism Association will be continue to have funding support.
Another of our favourite and high priority projects is Desert Knowledge, and we will be putting $300 000 to Desert Knowledge Australia. We are staging the Desert Knowledge Symposium Outback Expo, and it will not be long before you see some construction work going on in the Desert People’s Centre, the way things are progressing. So Central Australia, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs have done well out of this budget, and we will follow with even more between now and the end of this term of government.
Mr STIRLING (Leader of Government Business): I would ask that further questions be placed on the Question Paper, Madam Speaker.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question because it is, indeed, a really important area of our budget to look at how it impacts on the various regions around the Territory.
I am proud to say that the first budget from our government delivers very strongly to the regions. We have delivered significant funding throughout the Territory regional areas. We have not fallen into the trap of centralising our effort to Darwin. We want to make sure that every Territorian has full access to the benefits of our better approach to budgeting.
In the areas that we give precedence to - education, training and health, improved community safety, and the stimulation of regional economy - Central Australia and Alice Springs have done very well out of this budget. We can also point proudly to the remote communities, and also to Tennant Creek, as having significant initiatives funded within the budget.
In terms of the impact on the construction industry, a lot of these remote programs, when put together with the programs based in the urban centres of Central Australia, will give ongoing work to our construction industry and ensure that we do not lose capacity out of our region. Some of the Tennant Creek-based projects, such as the new school at Papunya; the Nyingkka Nyunyu Cultural Centre in Tennant Creek; the renal unit in Tennant Creek; the health centre extensions at Yuendumu; the new police station at Kintore; and a range of other construction works.
We have even looked after Macdonnell so that the member over there can sit very comfortably. We have allocated $1.5m to repairs and maintenance in the region’s parks and reserves. In Alice Springs itself: $768 000 to the Alice Springs Hospital; further work on Gillen House in Alice Springs, an over $2m project; $250 000 on upgrades for the Araluen Cultural Centre; the first $800 000 of a $5m commitment to Traeger Park, and we will be continuing that on.
Dr Lim: Where? Where is it?
Dr TOYNE: Go and have a look at the hockey field, member for Greatorex …
Dr Lim: That was two years old.
Dr TOYNE: There is quite a lot of work going on down there at the moment, if you have not noticed. The Lovegrove retardation basin at $880 000 – that is a major initiative towards the mitigation of flooding in the township, and will certainly protect a lot of the houses in that area of town.
In addition to the direct funding from our budget, at the old gaol site we will be seeing health accommodation units put in there very shortly as the arrangements over the land are concluded and planning issues are dealt with. Papunya, Hermannsberg, Docker River are receiving $1.7m boost to their essential services …
Members interjecting.
Dr TOYNE: We are looking after Macdonnell, don’t you worry about that. There is $15m on new works and maintenance in the region’s roads, including my favourite topic - we all have our favourite roads and mine is the Tanami Road. A $1.5m kick-off for that, and we will be following up with another $5m behind that, according to the promises we made in our election.
You can see that we have continued support for tourism, with the Holiday Centre going to Alice Springs, and continued work on the attraction of international tourism to Central Australia, as my colleague, the Tourism Minister pointed out earlier. CATIA and Tennant Creek Regional Tourism Association will be continue to have funding support.
Another of our favourite and high priority projects is Desert Knowledge, and we will be putting $300 000 to Desert Knowledge Australia. We are staging the Desert Knowledge Symposium Outback Expo, and it will not be long before you see some construction work going on in the Desert People’s Centre, the way things are progressing. So Central Australia, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs have done well out of this budget, and we will follow with even more between now and the end of this term of government.
Mr STIRLING (Leader of Government Business): I would ask that further questions be placed on the Question Paper, Madam Speaker.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016