Ms WALKER - 2009-06-09
On Friday, 12 June, the Chief Minister and the Minister for Indigenous Policy will be in Alice Springs handing back land to traditional owners. They will also meet with the federal Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, on a proposed acquisition of town camp leases in Alice Springs. Can the Chief Minister update the House on the Territory government’s position on compulsory acquisition of the town camp leases in Alice Springs, and what will he be telling minister Macklin?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nhulunbuy for a very important question. It is a question that should have been addressed many, many years ago. My government and the Australian government will not allow Territory families, Territorians living in those town camps …
Mr Tollner interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: I am absolutely appalled, Madam Speaker, that the member for Fong Lim finds this amusing - absolutely appalled
Mr Tollner interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: If he has any leadership aspirations at all …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: You were being absolutely offensive …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: … absolutely offensive to everyone who lives in Alice Springs. If he does not think this is an important issue, sitting there chortling away on the backbench, it is outrageous. We will not allow Territory families to continue to suffer in poverty, fear, and violence in those town camps.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr HENDERSON: Enough is enough. I am determined to take action with the Commonwealth government. Those families should be protected and given a strong future; a strong future for the 2500 people who live in those camps. We support the compulsory acquisition of the town camp land to ensure that …
Mr Tollner: You have had eight years to acquire those camps.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: Thank you Madam Speaker. … to support the acquisition, to ensure that $125m-worth of funding for housing and alcohol rehabilitation services is freed up for the benefit of those Territorians and the whole community of Alice Springs and Central Australia.
We had strong legal advice - we have been working through this for some time now - that showed the acquisition had to happen through the Commonwealth auspices to enable it to happen quickly. Under Territory legislation, the action would have required 18 months to two years’ notice. My Cabinet colleagues, my parliamentary colleagues and I determined that we were not going to wait 18 months to two years whilst we worked through our processes under our legislation. I have been speaking to Jenny Macklin, the federal minister responsible, for some time now and I am very pleased that the Australian government is taking this particular policy initiative.
On Friday, the Minister for Indigenous Policy and I will be in Alice Springs handing back land to traditional owners under the parks arrangement, another area where we stand totally at opposite ends of the political spectrum to those members who sit opposite. The ownership of the parks by traditional owners has been, and continues to be, vigorously opposed by the CLP. They have opposed that legislation in this parliament. They ran scurrilous, misleading, and offensive petitions around Alice Springs and other parts of the Northern Territory, opposing traditional owners having ownership and management responsibilities in partnership with government for those parks. That is an outrageous position. They were misleading petitions that were circulated and presented to this parliament. We will be handing back those parks to the traditional owners.
In regard to Tangentyere Council, if it wishes to sign an agreement to lease the land back to the Commonwealth and to the Territory, and Territory Housing, and agree to the Territory Housing model, then this can happen without compulsory acquisition, but it is under our terms that that will be negotiated ….
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: If Tangentyere Council sticks to its current course, then we will proceed, hand-in-hand with the Commonwealth, to acquire that land and to implement the real improvements to the lives of those families who live in those town camps which can no longer be accepted in the Northern Territory.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nhulunbuy for a very important question. It is a question that should have been addressed many, many years ago. My government and the Australian government will not allow Territory families, Territorians living in those town camps …
Mr Tollner interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: I am absolutely appalled, Madam Speaker, that the member for Fong Lim finds this amusing - absolutely appalled
Mr Tollner interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: If he has any leadership aspirations at all …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: You were being absolutely offensive …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: … absolutely offensive to everyone who lives in Alice Springs. If he does not think this is an important issue, sitting there chortling away on the backbench, it is outrageous. We will not allow Territory families to continue to suffer in poverty, fear, and violence in those town camps.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr HENDERSON: Enough is enough. I am determined to take action with the Commonwealth government. Those families should be protected and given a strong future; a strong future for the 2500 people who live in those camps. We support the compulsory acquisition of the town camp land to ensure that …
Mr Tollner: You have had eight years to acquire those camps.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: Thank you Madam Speaker. … to support the acquisition, to ensure that $125m-worth of funding for housing and alcohol rehabilitation services is freed up for the benefit of those Territorians and the whole community of Alice Springs and Central Australia.
We had strong legal advice - we have been working through this for some time now - that showed the acquisition had to happen through the Commonwealth auspices to enable it to happen quickly. Under Territory legislation, the action would have required 18 months to two years’ notice. My Cabinet colleagues, my parliamentary colleagues and I determined that we were not going to wait 18 months to two years whilst we worked through our processes under our legislation. I have been speaking to Jenny Macklin, the federal minister responsible, for some time now and I am very pleased that the Australian government is taking this particular policy initiative.
On Friday, the Minister for Indigenous Policy and I will be in Alice Springs handing back land to traditional owners under the parks arrangement, another area where we stand totally at opposite ends of the political spectrum to those members who sit opposite. The ownership of the parks by traditional owners has been, and continues to be, vigorously opposed by the CLP. They have opposed that legislation in this parliament. They ran scurrilous, misleading, and offensive petitions around Alice Springs and other parts of the Northern Territory, opposing traditional owners having ownership and management responsibilities in partnership with government for those parks. That is an outrageous position. They were misleading petitions that were circulated and presented to this parliament. We will be handing back those parks to the traditional owners.
In regard to Tangentyere Council, if it wishes to sign an agreement to lease the land back to the Commonwealth and to the Territory, and Territory Housing, and agree to the Territory Housing model, then this can happen without compulsory acquisition, but it is under our terms that that will be negotiated ….
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: If Tangentyere Council sticks to its current course, then we will proceed, hand-in-hand with the Commonwealth, to acquire that land and to implement the real improvements to the lives of those families who live in those town camps which can no longer be accepted in the Northern Territory.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016