Mr CONLAN - 2009-11-24
Labor has had eight long years to address the shocking rate of increase in crime in Alice Springs; eight years to address land release shortages in Alice Springs; traffic hazards; Aboriginal disadvantage; poor services in health; and some of the worst education standards in the country. They found money for a wave pool in Darwin, a $500 000 booze-up for the opening of the Convention Centre, $500 000 of taxpayers’ money squandered, and also for football matches and the like.
Could you please tell us why it is so hard for you to provide the services that are so desperately needed for the people of Alice Springs, such as more police on the beat, land for residential housing, and sufficient alcohol rehabilitation facilities? Why must the people of Alice Springs continue to put up with the increase in violent crime because of the haphazard approach by this government?
Madam SPEAKER: That is a very long question with an extremely long preamble.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I acknowledge the question from the former shock jock from 8HA. He thought he was back on the radio station again. He probably was not listening, because he is used to talking, to the comprehensive answers I had given previously regarding additional government investments.
The core of this question keeps coming back to violent crime. I again point out that you need a sophisticated whole-of-government approach to deal with antisocial behaviour issues and violent crime issues. There is substantial progress being made in these areas. The only policy response the CLP has is more grog. More grog is their policy response; more grog is going to fix the problem. That is the policy position of the opposition. It is populist and it is not evidence-based in any sense of the imagination at all.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Araluen! Member for Greatorex!
Mr HENDERSON: It is irresponsible and in absolute contravention of all the evidence base from the Menzies School of Health Research. I back the Menzies School of Health Research in doing evidence-based research …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I have listened carefully to the Chief Minister and he is quoting evidence which he is withholding. When do we get to see the Police Annual Report?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, there is no point of order. Resume your seat.
Mr HENDERSON: What I can say to that point of order is: come in, spinner. It is quite obvious that the Country Liberals’ party room is adopting a Country Liberals’ policy position to open up the rivers of grog in Alice Springs. Not one of them has read the Menzies School of Health Research evaluation …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr HENDERSON: … on the alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs and the impact of those restrictions. If they have read it, they certainly have not understood it, because …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr HENDERSON: If they have read it, they have not understood it.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Chief Minister, please pause. Honourable members, I remind you of Standing Order 51: ‘No member may converse aloud or make any noise or disturbance which …’
Ms Carney interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, I am speaking. I will start again:
Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr HENDERSON: Thank you, Madam Speaker. If they have read it, they have not understood it. Nowhere in that report does it say that you will make further progress in reducing alcohol-related harm in Alice Springs by opening up the sale of alcohol for an extra four hours a day and increasing the amount of alcohol consumed in Alice Springs. Nowhere in that report is that observation made, nor can the observation be derived in any way whatsoever.
In regard to the health issues, as I have said, a 50% increase in nursing staff, and a 47% increase in doctors.
He talked about the wave pool; we have invested in new aquatic facilities in Alice Springs for the benefit of people in Central Australia; new sporting facilities at Traeger Park and, in regard to land release, we have a policy of negotiating native title claims with the traditional owners - not compulsory acquisition, tying it up in the courts for years. Yes, land release does need to be accelerated significantly; we acknowledge that. We had good meetings with Lhere Artepe yesterday regarding Mt Johns Valley, and the Planning minister has further advice of the next step in releasing land at AZRI.
One thing is absolutely certain: if you go back to the bad old ways of litigation, compulsory acquisition, it will tie you up in the courts forever.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I draw your attention to page 553 of the House of Representatives Practice. The question was about violent crime in the Northern Territory. Why is the Chief Minister referring to native title deals in his answer?
Dr Burns interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Leader of Government Business, cease interjecting. Member for Port Darwin, there is no point of order. I will remind you, it was an extremely long question with many aspects to it. It was not just about crime.
Mr HENDERSON: It is quite obvious, so tedious was the question asked by the member for Greatorex, the member for Port Darwin could not even be bothered to listen to it.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr HENDERSON: The very long question from the member for Greatorex certainly did go to issues of land release, did go to issues of funding for health services, sporting facilities and a whole range of issues. Obviously, the member for Port Darwin had turned off and ceased listening to his colleague’s question.
Going back to the core of violence, that is abhorrent. As I have said in the parliament in Darwin, one of the most traumatic moments of my time as Police minister was sitting with members of the Domestic Violence Prevention Unit in Alice Springs going through a photograph portfolio of women in Alice Springs who had their faces smashed to a pulp - there was page after page of photographs - and talking to those Domestic Violence Officers and police who have to deal with this each and every day. All those photographs, which were so horrifying, left an indelible mark on me. They were fuelled by alcohol-related rage and the only policy response from the opposition is to pour more grog on to the problem.
Could you please tell us why it is so hard for you to provide the services that are so desperately needed for the people of Alice Springs, such as more police on the beat, land for residential housing, and sufficient alcohol rehabilitation facilities? Why must the people of Alice Springs continue to put up with the increase in violent crime because of the haphazard approach by this government?
Madam SPEAKER: That is a very long question with an extremely long preamble.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I acknowledge the question from the former shock jock from 8HA. He thought he was back on the radio station again. He probably was not listening, because he is used to talking, to the comprehensive answers I had given previously regarding additional government investments.
The core of this question keeps coming back to violent crime. I again point out that you need a sophisticated whole-of-government approach to deal with antisocial behaviour issues and violent crime issues. There is substantial progress being made in these areas. The only policy response the CLP has is more grog. More grog is their policy response; more grog is going to fix the problem. That is the policy position of the opposition. It is populist and it is not evidence-based in any sense of the imagination at all.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Araluen! Member for Greatorex!
Mr HENDERSON: It is irresponsible and in absolute contravention of all the evidence base from the Menzies School of Health Research. I back the Menzies School of Health Research in doing evidence-based research …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I have listened carefully to the Chief Minister and he is quoting evidence which he is withholding. When do we get to see the Police Annual Report?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, there is no point of order. Resume your seat.
Mr HENDERSON: What I can say to that point of order is: come in, spinner. It is quite obvious that the Country Liberals’ party room is adopting a Country Liberals’ policy position to open up the rivers of grog in Alice Springs. Not one of them has read the Menzies School of Health Research evaluation …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr HENDERSON: … on the alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs and the impact of those restrictions. If they have read it, they certainly have not understood it, because …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr HENDERSON: If they have read it, they have not understood it.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Chief Minister, please pause. Honourable members, I remind you of Standing Order 51: ‘No member may converse aloud or make any noise or disturbance which …’
Ms Carney interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, I am speaking. I will start again:
- No Member may converse aloud or make any noise or disturbance, which in the opinion of the Speaker is designed to interrupt or has the effect of interrupting a Member speaking.
Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr HENDERSON: Thank you, Madam Speaker. If they have read it, they have not understood it. Nowhere in that report does it say that you will make further progress in reducing alcohol-related harm in Alice Springs by opening up the sale of alcohol for an extra four hours a day and increasing the amount of alcohol consumed in Alice Springs. Nowhere in that report is that observation made, nor can the observation be derived in any way whatsoever.
In regard to the health issues, as I have said, a 50% increase in nursing staff, and a 47% increase in doctors.
He talked about the wave pool; we have invested in new aquatic facilities in Alice Springs for the benefit of people in Central Australia; new sporting facilities at Traeger Park and, in regard to land release, we have a policy of negotiating native title claims with the traditional owners - not compulsory acquisition, tying it up in the courts for years. Yes, land release does need to be accelerated significantly; we acknowledge that. We had good meetings with Lhere Artepe yesterday regarding Mt Johns Valley, and the Planning minister has further advice of the next step in releasing land at AZRI.
One thing is absolutely certain: if you go back to the bad old ways of litigation, compulsory acquisition, it will tie you up in the courts forever.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I draw your attention to page 553 of the House of Representatives Practice. The question was about violent crime in the Northern Territory. Why is the Chief Minister referring to native title deals in his answer?
Dr Burns interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Leader of Government Business, cease interjecting. Member for Port Darwin, there is no point of order. I will remind you, it was an extremely long question with many aspects to it. It was not just about crime.
Mr HENDERSON: It is quite obvious, so tedious was the question asked by the member for Greatorex, the member for Port Darwin could not even be bothered to listen to it.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr HENDERSON: The very long question from the member for Greatorex certainly did go to issues of land release, did go to issues of funding for health services, sporting facilities and a whole range of issues. Obviously, the member for Port Darwin had turned off and ceased listening to his colleague’s question.
Going back to the core of violence, that is abhorrent. As I have said in the parliament in Darwin, one of the most traumatic moments of my time as Police minister was sitting with members of the Domestic Violence Prevention Unit in Alice Springs going through a photograph portfolio of women in Alice Springs who had their faces smashed to a pulp - there was page after page of photographs - and talking to those Domestic Violence Officers and police who have to deal with this each and every day. All those photographs, which were so horrifying, left an indelible mark on me. They were fuelled by alcohol-related rage and the only policy response from the opposition is to pour more grog on to the problem.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016