Ms SCRYMGOUR - 2003-06-18
We on this side know that airstrips provide an essential component of the transport infrastructure for many of our remote communities. Can you please advise the House of initiatives in the budget to increase the number of airstrips which are servicing isolated communities?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for her question. The Martin Labor government continues to invest in infrastructure in the bush. The 2003-04 budget provides $48m for Indigenous Essential Services. This is $10m more than was spent on this program under the previous CLP government.
I am pleased to advise the House that this year’s budget also provides funding for the expansion of airstrip maintenance services to include seven additional community airstrips under this program. The additional communities that will be included in the program this year are: in the Central Australian region, Ampilatwatja; east of Katherine, Wugularr, also known as Beswick; down to the centre, Engawala; Manyallaluk, which is Eva Valley, again east of Katherine; the Pigeon Hole community in the Victoria River region; and Rittarangu and Robinson River in the member for Barkly’s region. There is further good news for these communities as normal airstrip maintenance work is often contracted to the local communities .
In addition, the government continues to meet its election commitments in regards to sealing of airstrips in the bush. Airstrips which are included in the 2003-04 sealing program are Kintore, Gapuwiyak, Pirlangimpi, Kalkarindji, Lajamanu, Ramingining, Bulman and Minyerri. It is planned to have capital committed to all of these projects by the end of the 2003-04 financial year. This is a big improvement on what funds were being provided for the bush in respect of airstrips, not only the maintenance, but also the bituminising of some of these airstrips.
In one year, we found that there was one particular airstrip only that the CLP decided to fund, and I am grateful that they did because that was at Numbulwar in my electorate of Arnhem. However, to know also that that was the only one airstrip throughout the whole of the Northern Territory just shows that the CLP did not care about Territorians who lived outside the major centres …
Mr Dunham: Rubbish, rubbish!
Mr AH KIT: You know that that is a fact of life. That is in your record, the record that is coming back to haunt you. You have allowed a situation to develop that we have to pick up on, and we will pick up on it in a responsible manner. What we have seen in respect of the infrastructure into the bush has been next to none in terms of what you were able to do. You stand condemned because you have allowed these assets to be run down; just about everything that you touched, you allowed assets and infrastructure to be run down. This Martin Labor government is a progressive government, moving forward to pick up all Territorians and to make sure that we include them in the planning for essential services, housing, infrastructure, airstrips, barge landings, etcetera, throughout the Northern Territory.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for her question. The Martin Labor government continues to invest in infrastructure in the bush. The 2003-04 budget provides $48m for Indigenous Essential Services. This is $10m more than was spent on this program under the previous CLP government.
I am pleased to advise the House that this year’s budget also provides funding for the expansion of airstrip maintenance services to include seven additional community airstrips under this program. The additional communities that will be included in the program this year are: in the Central Australian region, Ampilatwatja; east of Katherine, Wugularr, also known as Beswick; down to the centre, Engawala; Manyallaluk, which is Eva Valley, again east of Katherine; the Pigeon Hole community in the Victoria River region; and Rittarangu and Robinson River in the member for Barkly’s region. There is further good news for these communities as normal airstrip maintenance work is often contracted to the local communities .
In addition, the government continues to meet its election commitments in regards to sealing of airstrips in the bush. Airstrips which are included in the 2003-04 sealing program are Kintore, Gapuwiyak, Pirlangimpi, Kalkarindji, Lajamanu, Ramingining, Bulman and Minyerri. It is planned to have capital committed to all of these projects by the end of the 2003-04 financial year. This is a big improvement on what funds were being provided for the bush in respect of airstrips, not only the maintenance, but also the bituminising of some of these airstrips.
In one year, we found that there was one particular airstrip only that the CLP decided to fund, and I am grateful that they did because that was at Numbulwar in my electorate of Arnhem. However, to know also that that was the only one airstrip throughout the whole of the Northern Territory just shows that the CLP did not care about Territorians who lived outside the major centres …
Mr Dunham: Rubbish, rubbish!
Mr AH KIT: You know that that is a fact of life. That is in your record, the record that is coming back to haunt you. You have allowed a situation to develop that we have to pick up on, and we will pick up on it in a responsible manner. What we have seen in respect of the infrastructure into the bush has been next to none in terms of what you were able to do. You stand condemned because you have allowed these assets to be run down; just about everything that you touched, you allowed assets and infrastructure to be run down. This Martin Labor government is a progressive government, moving forward to pick up all Territorians and to make sure that we include them in the planning for essential services, housing, infrastructure, airstrips, barge landings, etcetera, throughout the Northern Territory.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016