Ms CARNEY - 2007-04-19
In the last three days, people have stayed away from your government functions in droves ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms CARNEY: Oh, yes, they have. There have been three - you catered for 350 on day one. How many were there? Seventy? You were lucky! People have stayed away from your functions in droves. There have been three protests at the front of Parliament House, including one where you where booed and heckled. Your government has been found wanting in fundamental areas such as a simple thing like providing a reliable telephonic communications system at our local police station. Do you consider this week to be a success for your government? If so, what is your definition of failure?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I believe there is actually a standing order that says it is not appropriate to ask a question where you seek an opinion. That is exactly what the Opposition Leader, has asked for. I am not going to give an opinion on that, that is for the people of Alice Springs ...
Ms Carney interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: I say to the wonderful people of Alice Springs …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Opposition members! Opposition members, cease interjecting!
Ms MARTIN: I say to the community of Alice Springs, it has been a delightful week. It has been a week where we have tackled some important issues for Alice Springs. We have talked about the difficult things that are happening in Alice Springs and what is being done to tackle them. We have also talked about the real positives of Alice Springs: how tourism numbers are growing, there is great investment in the economy and a real buoyancy in the business community. We have talked about a lot of the initiatives taking place that will see great longer-term benefits.
I am delighted. I did not like being booed, and I respect the right of Alice Springs people to do so. I am sure if they want to do it to me again, they will do it again, because that is the kind of people Alice Springs people are – they say what they think. Terrific. I believe we have had a focus on important issues for Alice, and for government that is very important. We have seen some good results from that, which is terrific.
However, what we have also exposed this week is that the members who live here, who say that they have a voice for Alice Springs, do very little. They do not make constructive suggestions about the future of Alice Springs. The Opposition Leader has not contacted me once in over a year about issues to do with Alice Springs – has not asked for one briefing about our alcohol strategy, about what is happening in town camps, and …
Ms Carney interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: … through all that, she has never celebrated the wonderful growth in tourism. We have been talking about the budget which we bring down next month, and there is great news for Alice in it, but not one suggestion coming to us for Alice Springs, either from the Opposition Leader or the member for Greatorex – not one.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Opposition members!
Ms MARTIN: The member for Daly wrote to me, the member for Port Darwin, the member for Macdonnell, the member for Brennan - they all wrote. The member for Nelson wrote to me.
Members interjecting.
Dr LIM: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Chief Minister, please pause.
Ms MARTIN: Nothing from the members for Alice Springs ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! What is your point of order?
Dr LIM: Madam Speaker, the Chief Minister knows full well that I wrote a letter to her just one week ago, from which I received …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr LIM: I am going to demonstrate by saying that, at least in one instance, I wrote to the Chief Minister, and her office sent me an acknowledgement that she received a letter. However, I have yet to receive a response . For the Chief Minister to get up here and say that I have not written to her is a lie.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mr HENDERSON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member for Greatorex well knows he cannot accuse any member of this House of misleading the House unless he does so by way of substantive motion. That is point of order No 1. Point of order No 2 is that he has accused the Chief Minister of lying. Again, he cannot do that unless he does so by way of substantive motion. I ask him to withdraw both remarks.
Ms Carney interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Leader of the Opposition.
Dr LIM: Madam Speaker, may I speak to the point of order?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, very briefly you may.
Dr LIM: Yes, I did write a letter. I wrote a letter to the Minister for Housing, and I copied the letter to the Chief Minister. I …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr LIM: And I copied the letter to the Minister …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, would you please resume your seat.
A member interjecting.
Dr Lim: There you go. See what he just said?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex! There are two points of order before the Chair. The first is from the Leader of Government Business, and the second is from the member for Greatorex.
Member for Greatorex, in relation to the comments that you have made, the Leader of Government Business’s point of order is correct, in fact, and I ask you to withdraw. I also make the point that if you wish to make a personal explanation after Question Time you may approach me to do so.
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Yesterday, I used an offensive word in this Chamber. The word was ‘grub’, which I withdrew. I ask the honourable member who used the word ‘goose’ to also withdraw the word ‘goose’.
Madam SPEAKER: Deputy Chief Minister, please withdraw.
Mr STIRLING: I am happy to withdraw if the member finds it offensive, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, Deputy Chief Minister. Chief Minister, you may continue.
Ms MARTIN: Oh, Madam Speaker!
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms CARNEY: Oh, yes, they have. There have been three - you catered for 350 on day one. How many were there? Seventy? You were lucky! People have stayed away from your functions in droves. There have been three protests at the front of Parliament House, including one where you where booed and heckled. Your government has been found wanting in fundamental areas such as a simple thing like providing a reliable telephonic communications system at our local police station. Do you consider this week to be a success for your government? If so, what is your definition of failure?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I believe there is actually a standing order that says it is not appropriate to ask a question where you seek an opinion. That is exactly what the Opposition Leader, has asked for. I am not going to give an opinion on that, that is for the people of Alice Springs ...
Ms Carney interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: I say to the wonderful people of Alice Springs …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Opposition members! Opposition members, cease interjecting!
Ms MARTIN: I say to the community of Alice Springs, it has been a delightful week. It has been a week where we have tackled some important issues for Alice Springs. We have talked about the difficult things that are happening in Alice Springs and what is being done to tackle them. We have also talked about the real positives of Alice Springs: how tourism numbers are growing, there is great investment in the economy and a real buoyancy in the business community. We have talked about a lot of the initiatives taking place that will see great longer-term benefits.
I am delighted. I did not like being booed, and I respect the right of Alice Springs people to do so. I am sure if they want to do it to me again, they will do it again, because that is the kind of people Alice Springs people are – they say what they think. Terrific. I believe we have had a focus on important issues for Alice, and for government that is very important. We have seen some good results from that, which is terrific.
However, what we have also exposed this week is that the members who live here, who say that they have a voice for Alice Springs, do very little. They do not make constructive suggestions about the future of Alice Springs. The Opposition Leader has not contacted me once in over a year about issues to do with Alice Springs – has not asked for one briefing about our alcohol strategy, about what is happening in town camps, and …
Ms Carney interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: … through all that, she has never celebrated the wonderful growth in tourism. We have been talking about the budget which we bring down next month, and there is great news for Alice in it, but not one suggestion coming to us for Alice Springs, either from the Opposition Leader or the member for Greatorex – not one.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Opposition members!
Ms MARTIN: The member for Daly wrote to me, the member for Port Darwin, the member for Macdonnell, the member for Brennan - they all wrote. The member for Nelson wrote to me.
Members interjecting.
Dr LIM: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Chief Minister, please pause.
Ms MARTIN: Nothing from the members for Alice Springs ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! What is your point of order?
Dr LIM: Madam Speaker, the Chief Minister knows full well that I wrote a letter to her just one week ago, from which I received …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr LIM: I am going to demonstrate by saying that, at least in one instance, I wrote to the Chief Minister, and her office sent me an acknowledgement that she received a letter. However, I have yet to receive a response . For the Chief Minister to get up here and say that I have not written to her is a lie.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Mr HENDERSON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member for Greatorex well knows he cannot accuse any member of this House of misleading the House unless he does so by way of substantive motion. That is point of order No 1. Point of order No 2 is that he has accused the Chief Minister of lying. Again, he cannot do that unless he does so by way of substantive motion. I ask him to withdraw both remarks.
Ms Carney interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Leader of the Opposition.
Dr LIM: Madam Speaker, may I speak to the point of order?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, very briefly you may.
Dr LIM: Yes, I did write a letter. I wrote a letter to the Minister for Housing, and I copied the letter to the Chief Minister. I …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr LIM: And I copied the letter to the Minister …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, would you please resume your seat.
A member interjecting.
Dr Lim: There you go. See what he just said?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex! There are two points of order before the Chair. The first is from the Leader of Government Business, and the second is from the member for Greatorex.
Member for Greatorex, in relation to the comments that you have made, the Leader of Government Business’s point of order is correct, in fact, and I ask you to withdraw. I also make the point that if you wish to make a personal explanation after Question Time you may approach me to do so.
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Yesterday, I used an offensive word in this Chamber. The word was ‘grub’, which I withdrew. I ask the honourable member who used the word ‘goose’ to also withdraw the word ‘goose’.
Madam SPEAKER: Deputy Chief Minister, please withdraw.
Mr STIRLING: I am happy to withdraw if the member finds it offensive, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, Deputy Chief Minister. Chief Minister, you may continue.
Ms MARTIN: Oh, Madam Speaker!
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016