Mr MILLS - 2011-03-30
Just over a week ago, Tony Abbott, federal Opposition Leader, made the courageous call for a second wave of direct action to address the rising levels of social dysfunction in towns like Alice Springs and others across the Northern Territory. Rather than accept Tony Abbott’s call on face value as a very genuine and heartfelt concern for generations of Indigenous Territorians, you called it crass politics aimed at embarrassing the Territory government ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr MILLS: ... ahead of these sittings. Get over yourselves!
Why are you so critical of calls for greater federal government involvement in addressing serious social problems in Alice Springs? Or are you concerned that such an intervention will expose, just like the Little Children are Sacred report, how little your government has done to address these problems?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, come in spinner, again. Tony Abbott very clearly said in his letter to the Prime Minister that unrestricted access to alcohol is the problem.
That is what Tony Abbott said to the Prime Minister: unrestricted access to alcohol. We have subsequently informed, comprehensively, not only the Prime Minister but the Minister for Indigenous Affairs about the legislation we are introducing today to tackle what Tony Abbott himself says is the problem. His party, which is represented in the Northern Territory, supports more access to alcohol. More access to alcohol is what the opposition supports, whereas Tony Abbott says unrestricted access to alcohol is the major problem.
What we do not support is another intervention in the Northern Territory, which is what Tony Abbott was suggesting is required. If anyone believes the intervention imposed on the Northern Territory has fixed all the problems - yes, it did a great deal of good. However, one of the things it did show was that Commonwealth governments in the future can never walk away from the disadvantage in the Territory and more funding needs to come from Canberra to deal with that disadvantage.
What the intervention showed was, if you do not involve, engage and have Aboriginal people at the table as part of the decision-making process so people own the decisions being made on their behalf, nothing will change - and nothing has changed on the conservative side of politics. They believe in imposing change with a top-down approach. There was nothing Tony Abbott took to the last federal election that committed anything to the Northern Territory – zero to the Northern Territory. Look at what the current Commonwealth government is committing to Alice Springs - $150m to transform Alice Springs and to turn those hellholes that were the town camps into suburbs in Alice Springs.
Tony Abbott has hit the nail on the head when he said unrestricted access to alcohol is a problem. The Leader of the Opposition wants to pour more grog on the problem. ...
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! To assist you in giving a more accurate response, I ask if you have read that letter.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, that is not a point of order. Leader of the Opposition, resume your seat.
Mr HENDERSON: Of course I have read Tony Abbott’s letter. Very clearly he says the major problem is unrestricted access to alcohol. We are going to close that unrestricted access. The challenge for the opposition, if they are serious, as opposed to being shock jocks whipping up adversity in this town, is to back our reforms, turn off the tap to problem drinkers, assist us in closing down ...
Madam SPEAKER: Put that down, member for Greatorex!
Mr HENDERSON: ... the animal bars, and not do the bidding of a small group of people with vested interests in selling alcohol in this town ...
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr MILLS: ... ahead of these sittings. Get over yourselves!
Why are you so critical of calls for greater federal government involvement in addressing serious social problems in Alice Springs? Or are you concerned that such an intervention will expose, just like the Little Children are Sacred report, how little your government has done to address these problems?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, come in spinner, again. Tony Abbott very clearly said in his letter to the Prime Minister that unrestricted access to alcohol is the problem.
That is what Tony Abbott said to the Prime Minister: unrestricted access to alcohol. We have subsequently informed, comprehensively, not only the Prime Minister but the Minister for Indigenous Affairs about the legislation we are introducing today to tackle what Tony Abbott himself says is the problem. His party, which is represented in the Northern Territory, supports more access to alcohol. More access to alcohol is what the opposition supports, whereas Tony Abbott says unrestricted access to alcohol is the major problem.
What we do not support is another intervention in the Northern Territory, which is what Tony Abbott was suggesting is required. If anyone believes the intervention imposed on the Northern Territory has fixed all the problems - yes, it did a great deal of good. However, one of the things it did show was that Commonwealth governments in the future can never walk away from the disadvantage in the Territory and more funding needs to come from Canberra to deal with that disadvantage.
What the intervention showed was, if you do not involve, engage and have Aboriginal people at the table as part of the decision-making process so people own the decisions being made on their behalf, nothing will change - and nothing has changed on the conservative side of politics. They believe in imposing change with a top-down approach. There was nothing Tony Abbott took to the last federal election that committed anything to the Northern Territory – zero to the Northern Territory. Look at what the current Commonwealth government is committing to Alice Springs - $150m to transform Alice Springs and to turn those hellholes that were the town camps into suburbs in Alice Springs.
Tony Abbott has hit the nail on the head when he said unrestricted access to alcohol is a problem. The Leader of the Opposition wants to pour more grog on the problem. ...
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! To assist you in giving a more accurate response, I ask if you have read that letter.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, that is not a point of order. Leader of the Opposition, resume your seat.
Mr HENDERSON: Of course I have read Tony Abbott’s letter. Very clearly he says the major problem is unrestricted access to alcohol. We are going to close that unrestricted access. The challenge for the opposition, if they are serious, as opposed to being shock jocks whipping up adversity in this town, is to back our reforms, turn off the tap to problem drinkers, assist us in closing down ...
Madam SPEAKER: Put that down, member for Greatorex!
Mr HENDERSON: ... the animal bars, and not do the bidding of a small group of people with vested interests in selling alcohol in this town ...
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016