Ms CARNEY - 2003-11-27
We all know of the important role the Territory’s 1700 clubs and associations play, many of which are women’s groups. Your government has imposed penalties of up to $22 000 for breaches of the Associations Act. Of the 300 clubs I wrote to about the recent changes, many replied that the new financial penalties would reduce and limit their ability to attract members and office bearers. What can you say to the many thousands of volunteers who will no longer join these clubs or offer themselves as office bearers as a result of your government’s changes?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question. This is important legislation, because it underpins the health and transparency of many clubs and associations around the Territory. In her question, the member for Araluen asserts that we have people who are going to be abandoning clubs based on the new legislation. I would like to see the level of evidence for that. It is disappointing that the member for Araluen is implying in her question that we have one kind of club or association. That is a nonsense. When she talks about the penalties in the bill, she is not reflecting that they are appropriate for how substantial a club is based on what their turnover is. Those penalties and the requirements for accountability are at different levels according to your turnover. If you take a club that has multi-million dollar turnover, then very appropriately …
Ms Carney interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, if the member for Araluen does not want to hear the answer, why is she asking the question? I say to the member for Araluen, there are very different clubs. For example, if you take a club like the Casuarina Club, a very successful club with a multi-million turnover. There are certain requirements that are going to be different in running that club …
Mr Elferink: And the same penalty applies for the bridge club. You were warned about this. You were told it was going to happen and you ignored it.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, I am happy to answer, but what is the point when we have members of the opposition who are not interested in the answer?
Madam SPEAKER: Your choice, Chief Minister. Do you want to continue or not?
Ms MARTIN: Briefly. Again, I say to the member for Araluen that the minister responsible for this legislation is the Minister for Justice. It is appropriate that the question is asked of the appropriate minister, as you did very clearly with the previous question.
There are different requirements according to whether you are on the local family centre club, or whether you are running the Casuarina Club. As the minister said in response to the last question, we are putting extensive funds into education and information for those who are involved in associations. We are not setting people up to fail as has happened so many times. Which member in here does not know of a club in the last 12 to 18 months that has not failed?
It is difficult times for clubs. Our environment has changed. Things like drink driving laws have changed a lot. People are busy, their ability to be involved in clubs has lessened because of the nature of their busy lives. We are assisting those who are, importantly, involved in our clubs and associations by putting funds into helping them be able to meet the requirements of running such a club or association. Appropriately, I pass for further details to the Minister for Justice.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, there will be a certain point in this process where you are going to look like a dill. I will tell you when you are going to start to look like a dill: we passed this act on 15 October this year, and the regulations are now under development. The commencement of the act will be March next year. As I said in debate, when we passed the bill through the House, there is going to be an extensive education and information campaign throughout the Northern Territory for our 1700 associations - small, medium and large.
For the rest of the year, we have committed $230 000 to this campaign, and we will continue to fund it beyond that at an appropriate level. Discussions are being held with the Commonwealth and it is expected they will commit an equivalent amount of money. The development of these training and capacity building programs is well advanced. Negotiations have commenced with the Office of the Registrar of Aboriginal Corporations for a joint delivery of training programs to indigenous communities. Training for management committees, association members, auditors, accountants, financial advisors, and club and association managers is planned for presentation to these specifically targeted groups in all major centres. The training will be in a format designed for each sector. For example, there is an extensive information session for accountants, auditors and professional advisors. There will be sessions for the large associations where there is a professional manager employed, like The Hub at Palmerston, or Darwin Sailing Club, or those types of big organisations.
In addition, there will be training programs for committee members, and for management committees. Because most of the committee members are volunteers, these sessions will be run after hours, perhaps for three hours a night over two nights. Training for committees and management of indigenous associations will be run in regions for a duration of one to three days, depending on individual requirements. We will be running 10 programs in major centres and six in remote centres. All of these sessions will include governance skills, as well as information on legislative responsibilities. In addition, there will be shorter information sessions for committee members on the new act.
That is where the member for Araluen will be seen for what she is - someone who is a political opportunist, who wants to duck in here, while a proper program is being developed to take out to these associations, to give them not only the ability to adapt to the provisions of this new modern and protective act, but also to support them with training and skilling so that they can fully do the work of their associations.
Ms Carney: Yes, sorry I told them about the fines. Sorry I told them the truth.
Dr TOYNE: I think the member had better get back into some information here, and provide accurate information instead of picking out areas of penalties that are just going to be used to scare people and basically mislead them as to what we are trying to do here. We are trying to support and strengthen our associations. We will do that, and we will do that in the timeframe I have indicated.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question. This is important legislation, because it underpins the health and transparency of many clubs and associations around the Territory. In her question, the member for Araluen asserts that we have people who are going to be abandoning clubs based on the new legislation. I would like to see the level of evidence for that. It is disappointing that the member for Araluen is implying in her question that we have one kind of club or association. That is a nonsense. When she talks about the penalties in the bill, she is not reflecting that they are appropriate for how substantial a club is based on what their turnover is. Those penalties and the requirements for accountability are at different levels according to your turnover. If you take a club that has multi-million dollar turnover, then very appropriately …
Ms Carney interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, if the member for Araluen does not want to hear the answer, why is she asking the question? I say to the member for Araluen, there are very different clubs. For example, if you take a club like the Casuarina Club, a very successful club with a multi-million turnover. There are certain requirements that are going to be different in running that club …
Mr Elferink: And the same penalty applies for the bridge club. You were warned about this. You were told it was going to happen and you ignored it.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, I am happy to answer, but what is the point when we have members of the opposition who are not interested in the answer?
Madam SPEAKER: Your choice, Chief Minister. Do you want to continue or not?
Ms MARTIN: Briefly. Again, I say to the member for Araluen that the minister responsible for this legislation is the Minister for Justice. It is appropriate that the question is asked of the appropriate minister, as you did very clearly with the previous question.
There are different requirements according to whether you are on the local family centre club, or whether you are running the Casuarina Club. As the minister said in response to the last question, we are putting extensive funds into education and information for those who are involved in associations. We are not setting people up to fail as has happened so many times. Which member in here does not know of a club in the last 12 to 18 months that has not failed?
It is difficult times for clubs. Our environment has changed. Things like drink driving laws have changed a lot. People are busy, their ability to be involved in clubs has lessened because of the nature of their busy lives. We are assisting those who are, importantly, involved in our clubs and associations by putting funds into helping them be able to meet the requirements of running such a club or association. Appropriately, I pass for further details to the Minister for Justice.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, there will be a certain point in this process where you are going to look like a dill. I will tell you when you are going to start to look like a dill: we passed this act on 15 October this year, and the regulations are now under development. The commencement of the act will be March next year. As I said in debate, when we passed the bill through the House, there is going to be an extensive education and information campaign throughout the Northern Territory for our 1700 associations - small, medium and large.
For the rest of the year, we have committed $230 000 to this campaign, and we will continue to fund it beyond that at an appropriate level. Discussions are being held with the Commonwealth and it is expected they will commit an equivalent amount of money. The development of these training and capacity building programs is well advanced. Negotiations have commenced with the Office of the Registrar of Aboriginal Corporations for a joint delivery of training programs to indigenous communities. Training for management committees, association members, auditors, accountants, financial advisors, and club and association managers is planned for presentation to these specifically targeted groups in all major centres. The training will be in a format designed for each sector. For example, there is an extensive information session for accountants, auditors and professional advisors. There will be sessions for the large associations where there is a professional manager employed, like The Hub at Palmerston, or Darwin Sailing Club, or those types of big organisations.
In addition, there will be training programs for committee members, and for management committees. Because most of the committee members are volunteers, these sessions will be run after hours, perhaps for three hours a night over two nights. Training for committees and management of indigenous associations will be run in regions for a duration of one to three days, depending on individual requirements. We will be running 10 programs in major centres and six in remote centres. All of these sessions will include governance skills, as well as information on legislative responsibilities. In addition, there will be shorter information sessions for committee members on the new act.
That is where the member for Araluen will be seen for what she is - someone who is a political opportunist, who wants to duck in here, while a proper program is being developed to take out to these associations, to give them not only the ability to adapt to the provisions of this new modern and protective act, but also to support them with training and skilling so that they can fully do the work of their associations.
Ms Carney: Yes, sorry I told them about the fines. Sorry I told them the truth.
Dr TOYNE: I think the member had better get back into some information here, and provide accurate information instead of picking out areas of penalties that are just going to be used to scare people and basically mislead them as to what we are trying to do here. We are trying to support and strengthen our associations. We will do that, and we will do that in the timeframe I have indicated.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016