Ms ANDERSON - 2007-11-27
The federal government’s intervention into remote communities has been active in my electorate. As the new Chief Minister, what approach do you intend to take in addressing this important issue?
Answer
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Macdonnell for her question. As we know, the member for Macdonnell is a passionate advocate for her constituents.
It is vital that we seize this opportunity to work with an incoming Rudd Labor government to make a difference to people’s lives in the bush. We all know the scale and enormity of the problems with service delivery and the lack of housing in the bush. Basic infrastructure needs for many years have been seen to wither away. We all know, with a population of just 204 000 people, we have the lowest taxing capacity of any of the states to raise the revenue to actually start to deal with those problems.
It is only the Commonwealth government of Australia which has the financial capacity to really make a difference. I believe we need to seize that moment. We must build a new relationship based on collaboration and respect. We have to work in partnership. We are not going to agree on everything with a Commonwealth Labor government. We should not let what we disagree on get in the way of working in collaboration and with respect, and moving on with things that we do agree on. I am absolutely convinced, as I said earlier, that we will be able to work with Canberra to significantly improve the lives of indigenous people in the member for Macdonnell’s electorate and so many other electorates throughout the Northern Territory.
Education is the key to that. As Education minister, I am very pleased that an incoming Rudd government has committed an extra 200 teachers to the Northern Territory on an ongoing basis in the bush. We all know that under the current funding formulas that we receive for teachers in remote communities, it does not take into account English as a Second Language and the challenges teachers face. The extra 200 teachers will be important and there are other reforms we can progress as well.
We still disagree with the legislation as it sits before the federal parliament regarding the $100 grog laws. We all agree, and if the opposition were honest with themselves they would also agree, that signing your name on a piece of paper when you buy $100-worth of grog is not going to stop grog running in remote communities. We disagree with that federal legislation.
We disagree on the blanket removal of CDEP in remote communities where there is no labour force and there is no job market. We have to find a better way. We are not saying that the CDEP scheme, as it was, was the best way to get people into the workforce, but the blanket removal, with no consultation with people, is not going to work. The wholesale abolition of the permit system, again, without consultation with indigenous people, is something we need to work further on with an incoming Rudd Labor government.
We have to seize the moment. The future is bright and I am looking forward to meeting the new Prime Minister as soon as possible.
Answer
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Macdonnell for her question. As we know, the member for Macdonnell is a passionate advocate for her constituents.
It is vital that we seize this opportunity to work with an incoming Rudd Labor government to make a difference to people’s lives in the bush. We all know the scale and enormity of the problems with service delivery and the lack of housing in the bush. Basic infrastructure needs for many years have been seen to wither away. We all know, with a population of just 204 000 people, we have the lowest taxing capacity of any of the states to raise the revenue to actually start to deal with those problems.
It is only the Commonwealth government of Australia which has the financial capacity to really make a difference. I believe we need to seize that moment. We must build a new relationship based on collaboration and respect. We have to work in partnership. We are not going to agree on everything with a Commonwealth Labor government. We should not let what we disagree on get in the way of working in collaboration and with respect, and moving on with things that we do agree on. I am absolutely convinced, as I said earlier, that we will be able to work with Canberra to significantly improve the lives of indigenous people in the member for Macdonnell’s electorate and so many other electorates throughout the Northern Territory.
Education is the key to that. As Education minister, I am very pleased that an incoming Rudd government has committed an extra 200 teachers to the Northern Territory on an ongoing basis in the bush. We all know that under the current funding formulas that we receive for teachers in remote communities, it does not take into account English as a Second Language and the challenges teachers face. The extra 200 teachers will be important and there are other reforms we can progress as well.
We still disagree with the legislation as it sits before the federal parliament regarding the $100 grog laws. We all agree, and if the opposition were honest with themselves they would also agree, that signing your name on a piece of paper when you buy $100-worth of grog is not going to stop grog running in remote communities. We disagree with that federal legislation.
We disagree on the blanket removal of CDEP in remote communities where there is no labour force and there is no job market. We have to find a better way. We are not saying that the CDEP scheme, as it was, was the best way to get people into the workforce, but the blanket removal, with no consultation with people, is not going to work. The wholesale abolition of the permit system, again, without consultation with indigenous people, is something we need to work further on with an incoming Rudd Labor government.
We have to seize the moment. The future is bright and I am looking forward to meeting the new Prime Minister as soon as possible.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016