Mr WOOD - 2010-08-12
This morning the CLP claimed the Building the Education Revolution program was a waste of money. If Tony Abbott and the Liberals scrap the BER program, with the CLP cheering on, what will be the impact on Territory schools, both public and private?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Fannie Bay for his important question. I am astounded that the Leader of the Opposition, as a former school principal, would deny kids better classrooms, and deny Territorians a job. That is the position he takes on this issue. He is more interested in supporting his mate, Tony Abbott, in the current election campaign. He is kicking schools in the head and he is smearing Territory businesses with his comments today.
Mr MILLS: A point of order Madam Speaker. I find that offensive and ask the member to withdraw that. ‘Kicking schools in the head’, is inappropriate and offensive.
Madam SPEAKER: Please withdraw that expression please.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, I will withdraw those comments. I will say he is more interested in supporting Tony Abbott than supporting Territory schools and supporting Territory business.
This program has delivered value for money across the Northern Territory. I have not been to one school in the Northern Territory that has not been ecstatic about this program. If you look at the comments that he made today, and look at his media release, he does nothing but bag this program. The Member for Fong Lim called it a waste of money. In the Leader of the Opposition’s media release today, he said:
Quite often I say that the Leader of the Opposition needs to get out more and talk to Territory business. I urge you to pick up the phone to Graham Kemp from the Master Builders Association after Question Time today, and ask him whether he thinks this program has been rolled-out at a glacial pace and has missed its intended mark of boosting the economy and keeping people in jobs.
I have spoken to Graham Kemp on a number of occasions and we have done a media conference with him. I quote from Channel 9 on 25 July 2010 where Graham Kemp said: ‘We have been able to hold the construction industry intact in the Northern Territory to be ready for the bigger projects when they come on’. If you hear the rest of his comments he said the Territory would have gone backwards without the BER. We would have lost skilled trades interstate and we would not have been able to bring them back.
The Leader of the Opposition is just doing Tony Abbott’s bidding here in the Northern Territory. Is he also going to pick up the phone to the principal of the Kintore special needs school in Katherine and say they should not have received the $200 000 in funding that was not spent at Kalkaringi School? Should that money have gone back to Canberra? The Leader of the Opposition has always opposed this project. He continues to oppose this project and 101 schools are in real risk of not having it delivered.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Fannie Bay for his important question. I am astounded that the Leader of the Opposition, as a former school principal, would deny kids better classrooms, and deny Territorians a job. That is the position he takes on this issue. He is more interested in supporting his mate, Tony Abbott, in the current election campaign. He is kicking schools in the head and he is smearing Territory businesses with his comments today.
Mr MILLS: A point of order Madam Speaker. I find that offensive and ask the member to withdraw that. ‘Kicking schools in the head’, is inappropriate and offensive.
Madam SPEAKER: Please withdraw that expression please.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, I will withdraw those comments. I will say he is more interested in supporting Tony Abbott than supporting Territory schools and supporting Territory business.
This program has delivered value for money across the Northern Territory. I have not been to one school in the Northern Territory that has not been ecstatic about this program. If you look at the comments that he made today, and look at his media release, he does nothing but bag this program. The Member for Fong Lim called it a waste of money. In the Leader of the Opposition’s media release today, he said:
- … the glacial pace at which the scheme has been rolled out in the Territory means it has missed its intended function of boosting the economy during the global financial crisis.
Quite often I say that the Leader of the Opposition needs to get out more and talk to Territory business. I urge you to pick up the phone to Graham Kemp from the Master Builders Association after Question Time today, and ask him whether he thinks this program has been rolled-out at a glacial pace and has missed its intended mark of boosting the economy and keeping people in jobs.
I have spoken to Graham Kemp on a number of occasions and we have done a media conference with him. I quote from Channel 9 on 25 July 2010 where Graham Kemp said: ‘We have been able to hold the construction industry intact in the Northern Territory to be ready for the bigger projects when they come on’. If you hear the rest of his comments he said the Territory would have gone backwards without the BER. We would have lost skilled trades interstate and we would not have been able to bring them back.
The Leader of the Opposition is just doing Tony Abbott’s bidding here in the Northern Territory. Is he also going to pick up the phone to the principal of the Kintore special needs school in Katherine and say they should not have received the $200 000 in funding that was not spent at Kalkaringi School? Should that money have gone back to Canberra? The Leader of the Opposition has always opposed this project. He continues to oppose this project and 101 schools are in real risk of not having it delivered.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016