Mr WOOD - 2012-02-21
I wonder who slashed the native plants on Tiger Brennan Drive recently!
My question is again about lease payments for local government facilities on Aboriginal land. Last week, you said:
First, isn’t providing government services to communities such as aged care centres, schools, women’s centres, health clinics, training centres, barge landings, airstrips and football ovals a sign of respect?
Second, why is it respectful for the government to pay peppercorn rental for public housing on Aboriginal land, but it is now disrespectful if local government or an Aboriginal resource association wants to build a public facility on the same land and ask for the same peppercorn rental?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. Across the Northern Territory the shires are preparing for a new way of doing business with the land councils. Let me say to this House, that it is not a new concept for the land councils to invest their royalty towards wanting to improve conditions. The Anindilyakwa Land Council has been doing it for quite some time. In fact, they contributed to the $20m road project between Angurugu and Umbakumba as part of the rental that is paid to the ALC. It is not a new and fearful opportunity that we are embarking on in the Northern Territory. This is about a new way of doing business across all forms of government, and local government is very much preparing for that.
What is happening with the shires is that the councils have engaged a single lawyer to undertake negotiations with land councils. Let me repeat to this House: Aboriginal land is private land. Under the Constitution, the 1901 Constitution we are all governed by, any government that takes private land has to look at just compensation. The Northern Territory Henderson Labor government has done exactly that, made an incredibly historic decision ...
Mr WOOD: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Relevance: the question was in relation to why it is okay for peppercorn rental to be paid for public houses, but it is not okay for local government asking to do the same thing.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, if you can come to the point please.
Ms McCARTHY: I am answering the question, Madam Speaker. This is a very important issue that cannot be explained in just three minutes. Clearly, this is about engaging with ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Ms McCARTHY: ... and we hear the member for Fong Lim - all he thinks about is that these communities are hellholes. That is what the CLP is about: that is what it is focused on. It does not want to see these places grow, it does not want to see the rental ...
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I know this is not my question, but relevance. Honestly, the question was about peppercorn rental payments. I also would like to know the answer to it, if the minister can provide it.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, can you come to the question, please.
Ms McCARTHY: Madam Speaker, the member for Katherine knows the answer. He, thankfully, for the first time – he does it in Tourism -he actually got a briefing on this! So guess what, Madam Speaker? The member for Katherine already knows the answer to this question.
I am not sure why the member for Fong Lim would want to know, because he considers them all hellholes across the Northern Territory. The CLP’s policy is to move all Aboriginal people back on to the Stuart Highway, forget about investing in the infrastructure that is necessary after the decades of underspending …
Mr GILES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I think the minister confuses their shire and homeland policies …
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Resume your seat, member for Braitling.
Mr GILES: … that are moving people into the northern suburbs of Darwin.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Braitling!
My question is again about lease payments for local government facilities on Aboriginal land. Last week, you said:
- We recognise the shires now have the responsibility of doing business directly with the land councils. I, and this government, believe it is important that relationship now begins. It is a relationship that has not been a top priority, and it now needs to be because it is about respect.
First, isn’t providing government services to communities such as aged care centres, schools, women’s centres, health clinics, training centres, barge landings, airstrips and football ovals a sign of respect?
Second, why is it respectful for the government to pay peppercorn rental for public housing on Aboriginal land, but it is now disrespectful if local government or an Aboriginal resource association wants to build a public facility on the same land and ask for the same peppercorn rental?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. Across the Northern Territory the shires are preparing for a new way of doing business with the land councils. Let me say to this House, that it is not a new concept for the land councils to invest their royalty towards wanting to improve conditions. The Anindilyakwa Land Council has been doing it for quite some time. In fact, they contributed to the $20m road project between Angurugu and Umbakumba as part of the rental that is paid to the ALC. It is not a new and fearful opportunity that we are embarking on in the Northern Territory. This is about a new way of doing business across all forms of government, and local government is very much preparing for that.
What is happening with the shires is that the councils have engaged a single lawyer to undertake negotiations with land councils. Let me repeat to this House: Aboriginal land is private land. Under the Constitution, the 1901 Constitution we are all governed by, any government that takes private land has to look at just compensation. The Northern Territory Henderson Labor government has done exactly that, made an incredibly historic decision ...
Mr WOOD: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Relevance: the question was in relation to why it is okay for peppercorn rental to be paid for public houses, but it is not okay for local government asking to do the same thing.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, if you can come to the point please.
Ms McCARTHY: I am answering the question, Madam Speaker. This is a very important issue that cannot be explained in just three minutes. Clearly, this is about engaging with ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Ms McCARTHY: ... and we hear the member for Fong Lim - all he thinks about is that these communities are hellholes. That is what the CLP is about: that is what it is focused on. It does not want to see these places grow, it does not want to see the rental ...
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I know this is not my question, but relevance. Honestly, the question was about peppercorn rental payments. I also would like to know the answer to it, if the minister can provide it.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, can you come to the question, please.
Ms McCARTHY: Madam Speaker, the member for Katherine knows the answer. He, thankfully, for the first time – he does it in Tourism -he actually got a briefing on this! So guess what, Madam Speaker? The member for Katherine already knows the answer to this question.
I am not sure why the member for Fong Lim would want to know, because he considers them all hellholes across the Northern Territory. The CLP’s policy is to move all Aboriginal people back on to the Stuart Highway, forget about investing in the infrastructure that is necessary after the decades of underspending …
Mr GILES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I think the minister confuses their shire and homeland policies …
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Resume your seat, member for Braitling.
Mr GILES: … that are moving people into the northern suburbs of Darwin.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Braitling!
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016