2013-12-03
Madam Speaker Purick took the Chair at 10 am.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of Year 10 students from Palmerston Senior College accompanied by Fran Davies and Veronica Hempel. On behalf of honourable members, welcome to Parliament House and I hope you enjoy your time and your tour here.
Members: Hear, hear!
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Madam Speaker, I move that this House censure the Chief Minister for abject bungling of the Nhulunbuy crisis which has devastating consequences for thousands of Territorians
This is perhaps the most important issue a member for Nhulunbuy will ever raise in the Northern Territory parliament. It is about the future of a community, a region, my home, the home of more than 4000 people and a wider region of around 10 000. It is about the significant social and economic impacts that will be felt Territory-wide and, indeed, to the economy of the nation. It is about keeping 1400 Territorians in employment, keeping $500m flowing into the economy and ensuring 4000 people in the town have a future which, from Friday, they will not.
Nhulunbuy is in crisis; we have known that for months. Workers at the refinery, their families, the shopkeepers who sell them groceries, public servants based in town and people who bought homes and invested in the community all had their worst fears realised on Friday. Let us be very clear: Nhulunbuy is in crisis because of decisions taken by the Chief Minister. Let us be very clear: he has bungled this crisis. Jobs, families and small businesses are affected and, without a doubt, public services in key areas, particularly around education and health, are affected.
Residents are feeling completely abandoned by the CLP government and are asking why they are rolling over and letting Rio Tinto mothball the refinery. Rio says it is answerable to shareholders. Chief Minister, you are answerable to your shareholders, the Territorians, families and businesses, the people of Nhulunbuy, both Yolngu and Ngapaki. We might not be on the Stuart Highway, we are in a region, and you have abandoned your shareholders.
The pace of this closure is brutal compared to industry shutdowns we have seen in other places, such as the motor vehicle manufacturing regions of Geelong and Broadmeadows, where Ford closed its plants, and Newcastle, where they have closed steelworks. However, they have handled it entirely differently.
By Christmas people will be losing their jobs and midway through next year some 1100 people will be out of work. However, Chief Minister Adam Giles refuses to step up to his responsibilities as Chief Minister, as leader of the Northern Territory. In any other jurisdiction, the government would oppose the changes and the proposal from Rio Tinto because of the negative social and economic impacts on the community.
Any other jurisdiction would have done that social and economic impact analysis. In any other jurisdiction, the government would work with the federal government to set out a pathway for the future. There would be structural adjustment packages over a period of time to ensure the viability of the local economy, not to mention the contribution it makes to the Territory, continues. But, no, not from this callous, uncaring Chief Minister who seems intent on seeing Nhulunbuy close.
This is a disaster! The Australian Emergency Management Institute recognises major industrial failures and closures as disasters. The Chief Minister has done no planning for this disaster, and people in Nhulunbuy are bearing the brunt of this.
Rio Tinto has a licence to mine the high-grade ore based on refining the bauxite to alumina, and governments are not holding Rio to that obligation to refine. They appear to be rolling over at the expense of jobs and regional economic development. Why, I and Nhulunbuy people ask, is the Chief Minister not standing up to Rio Tinto and challenging it on the obligations under its lease to not just mine bauxite, but to refine it and produce alumina? He is not prepared to stand up to Rio Tinto, or for jobs and the future of an entire community and region that depends on it.
Why has a longer transition period not been negotiated, given there has been no planning for the sustainable future of the region, despite the year of uncertainty the community has been living with? I have been calling for an economic and social impact analysis for many months now. It is appalling and disgraceful that the CLP government has failed to deliver this fundamental requirement. Everyone is looking for information on which to base crucial decisions about their lives, futures and commitments, yet in that space there is a complete void.
The government needs to immediately establish the Nhulunbuy reference group, which I suggested and proposed at Friday’s public meeting, so we can pursue a better outcome for residents to ensure their voices are heard. I sent a proposal through to officers in DCM following a briefing yesterday, with a proposal as to who those stakeholders might include.
The problem is the Chief Minister is clearly not up to the job, and it is not just me who says that.
There is endless, growing commentary on the impact the curtailment of refinery operations will have, and growing commentary and anger directed fairly and squarely, not only at Rio Tinto, but at the government for its failure to stand up for Territorians.
What impact will the loss of 1100 jobs have, and a town which will shrink from 4000 people to 1500? This quote, from the owner of the Walkabout Lodge, Mr John Tourish, in the NT News on 27 November sums it up. John has considerable investments in the community and says:
The history of the mining operations there, and the establishment of what, at the time, was the biggest project in Australia’s history after the Snowy Mountains scheme, is well documented. I have spoken about it on a number of occasions on the floor of this House. We are also aware that following Nabalco having been granted a lease, it committed to building a township, port facility, mine and, in building that township, they built every service you would expect: hospital, schools, police station, fire station, swimming pool and every house there. More houses have been built since, but they set up the infrastructure. The agreement was they establish a town, and, in spite of that agreement, what we see now – it suited governments at the time – is this government, members opposite, walking away from a commitment which existed for more than 40 years.
Gove has a significant place in the history of the Territory, indeed, the history of the nation when it comes to land rights. It is well documented that Nabalco was challenged in the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory by the traditional owners, who did not want mining on their land. Sadly, that challenge was lost and mining proceeded. However, we have a generation of Indigenous people who have seen and worked with mining and recognise the economic benefits it delivers. Traditional owner and senior man of the Gumatj clan, Galarrwuy Yunupingu, said in an article in The Australian last Friday:
I have lived and worked in Nhulunbuy for over 20 years. I met my husband there, I married there and my three children were born and raised there. I worked as a high school teacher in Nhulunbuy and was employed for more than 10 years in the community relations role, one of the best jobs I ever had, with the Gove operations during the years of Nabalco, Alcan and the G3 expansion project, and for a few months with Rio Tinto Alcan. I understand how crucial the refinery is to the town. I have worked there and lived in the community. I know a great many people, I know how the mining company works, and I understand better than anyone on that side how crucial the refinery and jobs are.
However, we woke on Friday to the company saying:
The Chief Minister said for months the ball was in Rio Tinto’s court. He will say today, I am sure, the strong Australian dollar and the low world price of alumina and diesel fuel are the reasons Rio has decided to mothball the refinery. However, he cannot back away from the instrumental role he has played in bungling, compromising and wrecking the future of Nhulunbuy.
In October 2012 the company announced a strategic review of its operations. I said the then Chief Minister and CLP government had to do everything in their capacity to keep the mine open. I said the Chief Minister needed to work very closely with the government and other stakeholders to secure gas for Gove. I remember the day of that announcement. Parliament was sitting and I took a phone call from then site manager, Frank Wilsdon, breaking the news to me.
Back then I also said the mine was vital to Nhulunbuy and the region’s future, and Chief Minister Mills needed to do everything to secure early gas for the pipeline to keep viable the town, business owners and the entire Northern Territory economy. A total of $500m is what the operations at Gove represent to the Territory economy. I said back then I would do all in my power to continue to fight for the people of Gove, and I restate that.
By the time we reached mid-December the former Chief Minister had missed his own self-imposed deadline to update the people of Nhulunbuy about their future, and families faced Christmas and New Year with uncertainly. It was a very tough time.
Then, in late January, the Chief Minister’s overdue announcement was bereft of anything resembling a solution. He said he was making significant progress, leaving no stone unturned, and working around the clock to ensure the refinery would remain open.
In February we finally got security; the Chief Minister secured a gas deal. He issued a media release. He put out two releases and I would like to read them. One was from …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nhulunbuy, please pause.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of Year 10 students from Palmerston Senior College accompanied by Antonie Snyman and Daniel Kubski. On behalf of honourable members, welcome to Parliament House and I hope you enjoy your time here.
Members: Hear, hear!
Ms WALKER: Thank you, Madam Speaker. We had a media release on 11 February …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nhulunbuy, can you also seek leave to table.
Ms WALKER: I seek leave to table the media releases.
Leave granted.
Ms WALKER: On 11 February, ‘Territory government supplies gas to Gove,’ and on 13 February, ‘Done deal to secure the future of Gove’. There is no misunderstanding what the words mean, ‘Done deal to secure the future of Gove’. Pacific Aluminium, as they were then, put out similar media and, on the strength of that certainty, people made decisions about their lives. They had certainty, and the future of Gove was secured. People reinvested in their businesses. People who may have thought about leaving the community decided to stay. Do not underestimate how crucial that announcement in February was to the commitment people made to Gove – to invest and stay, and to ramp up their mortgages on the strength they had certainty.
You can understand why, on 26 July, when Chief Minister Giles put out a media release on a public holiday – yes, it was a public holiday in Nhulunbuy, not just Darwin – that the deal was off, there was not 300 PJ of gas. ‘Sorry, you can have 175 and it is a win/win, a good deal.’ Nobody but the Chief Minister and the members opposite see that as a good deal. It put in jeopardy everything that had been secured in February, and was something nobody was expecting, not even the Gove operations. I know for a fact the mining company had no heads up from the government that it was making this announcement, none whatsoever. I wonder if members of Cabinet were even aware the Chief Minister would make that announcement.
However, as is the modus operandi of the Chief Minister, he blames everyone else. He accepts no responsibility and blames everybody else, and, as a result of that decision, left people deeply in shock.
In July the Leader of the Opposition and I called on the Chief Minister to disclose his due diligence which said why this was not viable, why he was not prepared to take a calculated, manageable risk, as the former Chief Minister was, to release 300 PJ of gas – not to give it away, but to sell it.
The Leader of the Opposition and I received a briefing. We requested a full copy of the report. We were only ever provided with the Executive Summary from Doug McTaggart, Galibier Partners. We were not provided with access to the authors of the report, only public servants. What were they hiding? What were they shielding from us to not allow us to see the full report, nor have access to the report’s authors?
Then, three days after the disastrous announcement of 26 July, on 29 July, the federal Coalition stepped in. Ian Macfarlane flew into Nhulunbuy. The member for Namatjira bailed out of that meeting, ‘Whoa, I am not going there. You deal with the anger there, given you broke the deal.’ The Deputy Chief Minister was sent with Ian Macfarlane, the now federal minister, who said to us, ‘We will save your town. Vote for a Coalition government and Tony Abbott will save your town.’ People remember those words.
In July we called on the CLP to undertake, again, an extensive independent social and economic impact analysis of what their broken deal would mean, but they did not. They still have not and we are not convinced a report even exists. We are still waiting to see the analysis of the social and economic impacts for Nhulunbuy from this chaotic and entirely dysfunctional government.
However, the bungling did not stop there. After reneging on Terry Mills’ deal in July, the Chief Minister revealed in September that the 195 PJ offer of gas to Gove had been cut to 175 PJ. In what must be one of the strangest and most ill-informed claims of all time, the Chief Minister, on 11 September, claimed – I quote from his media statement:
The Chief Minister needs to buy a new calculator if he believes 175 PJ is bigger and better than 195 PJ. This constant changing and deal breaking sends a terrible message to industry and investors. It says the Northern Territory government, and the Chief Minister, cannot be trusted. ‘Do not do business here because we will renege on your deal, we cannot be trusted.’ It also shows he treated the people of Nhulunbuy with utter contempt. The future of the town is in jeopardy and he does not care.
Before the federal election, minister Macfarlane, from opposition, promised a federal Coalition would work with the Northern Territory government and Rio to ensure a long-term solution to keep the Pacific Aluminium Gove refinery open, including support for a plan to underwrite the cost of the gas pipeline. The Chief Minister welcomed that commitment and said it:
That was from a media release on 29 July. How short-lived that reassurance has been!
In September, Pacific Aluminium announced to employees that review option of potential curtailment of production at the refinery was, again, considered. This internal memo said:
By calling it his latest proposal, the company was in no doubt about who was calling the shots and who was reneging on previous deals. It was probably around that time the Chief Minister lashed out at the company very publically in his own media release and accused it of scaring its employees. It is extraordinary the Chief Minister would choose to offer commentary via a public media release on an internal communication from the site manager to his employees – to slap them on the wrist and say, ‘You are scaring your employees’. The reality was – and this has come home to roost – the Chief Minister had been scaring everyone. The Chief Minister scared everybody because we cannot trust him. He has policy on the run, chops and changes deals, makes commitments then backflips on them. It is symptomatic of a chaotic and dysfunctional government.
The Chief Minister has created uncertainty and plunged the community into the crisis we see. During that period we saw personal attacks on anyone who spoke up for the community, me in particular. That has been the immediate action from this very arrogant Chief Minister on every occasion. Rather than explain his decision to renege on former Chief Minister Mills’ deal, he simply chooses to call people names. He comes in, swaggers on his feet, ‘Look at me, aren’t I great?’ What a clown he is! Rather than rolling up his sleeves and doing his homework to find a solution, the Chief Minister has blamed everyone but himself for a decision he made. No one but the Chief Minister has plunged Nhulunbuy into this crisis. It is thanks to his incompetence.
Finally, in this long chronology of the gas to Gove saga, on 30 September, after months of invitations and calls from me for the Chief Minister, or any CLP minister, to visit Nhulunbuy, the bandwagon rolled into town. The federal Resources minister arrived in town. Limited invitations were circulated and, as such, there were probably only 60 or 70 people at the meeting. He was there to say, ‘I wanted to tell you face to face the gas is available, 300 PJ of gas’. That was great news. People did not cheer and clap, they were a little sceptical. Sitting alongside him was the Chief Minister, who no doubt had been summoned by the federal minister – this was two weeks after the federal election – to get his backside to Gove. The federal minister told us even the Chief Minister did not know about this and had been given a briefing in the car as they drove from the airport. Extraordinary!
The Chief Minister was quite clearly uncomfortable in front of the 70 people who managed to get a seat at the meeting. He sat mute for most of the time, while the federal minister announced 300 PJ of available gas. It was also described as ‘Adam’s gas’. If it was Adam’s gas, why didn’t Adam know about it? Based on what people were told, they made decisions about their lives and livelihoods. We have had this saga, this circus of backflips which has left people in the mess they are in.
That brings us to the events of the past week, one which has seen a shambles in the Giles Cabinet – a week where it seems everybody who lives in Australia was aware of an imminent announcement of mothballing except, of course, the Chief Minister and some members of his Cabinet. On Wednesday, the Attorney-General said at an interview – this was before any announcement on Friday:
The Attorney-General announced the closure ahead of anybody else, when his own Chief Minister was saying he did not know about it. Truly, what goes on over there? On 29 November the announcement was finally made. In a statement, the company said:
Understandably, that announcement has not been well received in Nhulunbuy. At the beginning of that week I called on the Chief Minister, once again, ahead of any announcement, to visit Nhulunbuy, and he said he would come on Friday. That was great news; we were pleased to hear that. The problem was he said it on the floor of the House but nobody back home seemed to know about it. My office was inundated with people wanting to know, when, where and how to get there? Will it be a public meeting? Every other meeting the government had held with Rio Tinto had been closed – invitation only. The Chamber of Commerce – which has a wide stakeholder e-mail distribution list – in the absence of finding official information flagging a public meeting with the Chief Minister present, chose to send a media release across its distribution network from the Chief Minister titled, ‘Labor Disinterest A Disgrace’ on 27 November.
I was shocked when I saw that. I thought, what Chief Minister sends this trash out, this grubby stuff to let people in a community despairing about their future know he is coming to talk to them? The Chamber of Commerce told me they had no other information so they sent that out. As a result, distraught as I was to see my name and the mudslinging that went with this nonsense, I issued a follow-up release and the Chamber of Commerce – thank you – circulated it.
This backfired on you, Chief Minister. I cannot tell you how many conversations I had over the weekend with people saying, ‘Lynne, what kind of Chief Minister invites the community to a meeting with a slag off release like this. We know you as our local member, we know you stood up for us, and he sends this out as official information.’ Seriously! We know your communications are pretty ordinary, but that was a disaster and shameful as well.
Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister made brief comment on Friday:
Thanks very much, Prime Minister. Where is our government in this picture? Who are you sending here? Why did he not have someone on a plane on Friday to sit with the Chief Minister and Rio Tinto and talk about its structural adjustment packages the body of work done to date with the Northern Territory government and Rio Tinto? Nothing!
In contrast to that, what did the Chief Minister say on 29 November? I quote:
Well, good on you. It is laughable that the Chief Minister can say, with a straight face, he will be holding anyone to their commitment, especially after all the backflips on commitments he has made. Talk about passing the buck to Rio Tinto. ‘Well, nothing to do with me.’ We heard one of his ministers say that in Question Time last week. That might be the mantra on that side. If you do not know, just say, ‘Well, nothing to do with me’.
What about jobs? Public employment jobs are going from March and teacher jobs from July. What certainty does that provide to a community? He will not step up and keep schools open for a full year like Nhulunbuy Christian College is doing. This government is doing nothing. It is scrambling for detail with no economic and social impact analysis, and no structural adjustment packages. This government needs to step up and be answerable to the people of Nhulunbuy and explain how its bungling has cost 1100 jobs and the loss of $500m to the Territory economy, not to mention the number of businesses and homeowners who face such an uncertain future.
Shame on you, Chief Minister! Shame on the CLP government for your abject failure to the people of Nhulunbuy and the wider region, and the irreparable damage you are doing to the Northern Territory.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to speak after that tirade of abuse. Where do I start? The member for Nhulunbuy has not been involved in this debate for long. The issue of the refinery goes back to the start of the last term of government, when the refinery and the company, Rio, were looking for solutions to reduce the cost structure at Gove.
On four occasions that refinery sought to have gas provided to it to deliver solutions to reduce fuel costs. It also sought to receive coal, something the former Labor government, because of its environmental credentials with the Greens, was not keen to support.
What was done by the former Labor government to respond to these issues around energy? The Leader of the Opposition was recently quoted as saying the former Labor government was never asked for support or assistance with gas, despite the fact the former Chief Minister offered four years of gas or around 120 PJ.
It is disappointing that the member for Nhulunbuy has not wanted to be part of the process. She has only twice sought a brief on what is happening and has not actively sought to become part of the solution to some of these issues.
It is true there was an offer of gas provided to Rio Tinto of – not 300 PJ – up to 300 PJ of gas by the former Chief Minister, the member for Blain. That offer was never taken up by Rio. Despite the fact everyone is saying a deal was done, Rio never signed up on the offer. Despite what Rio or Pacific Aluminium might have said, the offer was never taken up, and we received some indication of that. The offer was never taken up when the member for Blain was Chief Minister, and correspondence shows that.
One of the issues around that was – only one – the price point for gas of up to 300 PJ. The price point was around market price points, and that was a challenge for Rio. We worked out another option to reduce the price. Part of the reason the offer was reduced was to get it at cost price delivered to Mataranka, where the future pipeline would have been built, which would have had transportation costs of gas on top of that. It was at cost price. We were virtually giving away Territory assets to help sustain the refinery.
There have been many conversations and negotiations around that offer over a long period of time. That offer was not taken up either. An option was put to Rio, amongst many options, of a swap deal of energy, which included us doing some buy-back of diesel in combination with gas. That offer was knocked back as well. No offer by the CLP government – since 25 August last year – has been accepted by Rio. All this stuff about us reneging on a deal – there was no reneging and no deal agreed to by Rio Tinto. If it had signed up to a deal we would have been happy. We all wanted the pipeline to go ahead, the refinery to continue and development for the Territory to go ahead.
Yes, there were many people lining up to access gas. ERA has, for a long time, been trying to get access to Santos gas. I begged, borrowed and stole from Santos and said, ‘Keep this gas for Gove. Keep it for Rio, keep it for the refinery.’ They honoured that commitment. They wanted to do a deal with ERA, but made sure they kept their word to me that they would send it to Gove. That gas was on the table until Friday morning when Rio announced it would not pursue it
Santos is disappointed as well because there are other commercial outcomes they could have worked with. They will now pursue other matters.
Let me make it clear once again: there was never any deal agreed to between Rio Tinto and the Northern Territory government, despite numerous offers we put to them.
The member for Nhulunbuy said there was never a Cabinet decision. Whoever is informing you is misinformed because Cabinet, in June, decided to revise the offer. The source of your information is completely wrong.
We continued trying to solve the issue for Rio Tinto, the refinery and the people of Gove. There was serious consideration around whether we should announce the revised offer. However, in the interests of letting people know what we were doing, I made the call that we should let people know, which is what we did. Since that point in time, the member for Nhulunbuy, the Leader of the Opposition and many Labor members have talked about reneging on the deal. There was no reneging on a deal. We have always tried to solve the problem. If the truth be known, the secondary offer would have been cheaper for Rio Tinto than the first one because the gas price was substantially cheaper.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of Year 7, 8 and 9 students from Sanderson Middle School, accompanied by Laura Stephensen. Welcome to Parliament House. I hope you enjoy your time here and your tour.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr GILES: Welcome to parliament. I hope you are enjoying the debate.
My colleague, the member for Fong Lim, has just handed me correspondence dated 13 July 2012, about a month before the deal on the Stella Maris was done. This letter is from then Chief Minister Paul Henderson to Sandeep Biswas, Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Aluminium. The letter flies in the face of what the Leader of the Opposition previously said:
That is not an offer, it is ‘may’:
Despite Rio asking for 10 years, the former Labor government offered four years of gas. This is despite the fact Rio is a public company and should be able to enter into commercial operations on its own but came to government for assistance.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I ask that the Chief Minister table the letter.
Mr GILES: I will table it. I am reading the letter.
Madam SPEAKER: It is being read into Hansard.
Mr GILES:
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Page 2 has not been read into Hansard. Why will he not table the letter?
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, do you wish to table the letter?
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, I am reading from the letter. I would like to finish reading it.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you. That is a no.
Mr GILES:
That is something we negotiated through.
It was between 72 and 78 PJ …
The point of that letter is Rio asked for 10 years’ worth of gas despite being a publicly listed corporation. They should be able to find their own gas supplies, like other companies do. They came to government for support seeking 10 years’ worth of gas. The former Labor government offered four years, and put in the clause they expected to have a swap gas arrangement where gas comes back to the Northern Territory.
The offer the member for Blain made, the former Chief Minister, was up to 300 PJ of gas to be negotiated. That offer was not accepted. Part of that non-acceptance had to do with the pricing structure at market prices. As I said, we provided all the gas we could, through a due diligence process, at cost price, which, without going into commercial considerations, is the cheapest gas in the country on offer. We also offered to have a swap arrangement with the price of diesel, measuring diesel as a petajoule of energy, so we could provide a cost effective model for diesel rates. That was knocked back too.
A range of offers was put up and all knocked back. I know this decision has significantly affected the community of Gove, and will continue to do so. However, it needs to be pointed out that while the member for Nhulunbuy, the Labor opposition and Paul Howes, who I believe is here on a fishing trip and has decided to get involved in the union movement, played politics rather than trying to meet the needs of the community – members of the Gove community may be unhappy with me and the government, but both I and the member for Blain had our shoulders to the wheel trying to solve this problem with Rio. We have been worked to the grindstone.
We have people to build the pipeline, the easement is clear, we have people to finance the pipeline, we have a guarantee from the federal government about transportation costs of gas, we have a guarantee from ENI it will supply the gas, we have a guarantee they will divert the gas to Katherine, and we have a guarantee from Santos.
Let me tell you how far we went offering this gas. Many people would not understand this – I will not be making my statement today, I will make it on Thursday probably and have more detail – but the Northern Territory government has contracted 37 PJ of gas per annum. This year we will use approximately – depending on how hot it is and how much air conditioning people use and all those things – 24 PJ, which means 13 PJ is spare. Next year there will be approximately 12.5 PJ of gas spare which we can use on the back end of our contract.
If you look at the two years of gas which will not be used – let us say 25 PJ – because had the refinery continued under gas it would not have started until 2015, possibly 2016. What we needed to do with that gas, because you can only put so much gas down a pipeline, is store it and try to front end the deal before they got a long-term contractual arrangement. We had to work out a way of getting them the gas and how we get it out of the ground and hold it before the refinery starts so we can front end the gas deal for them. We had an indicative agreement for either one of these options, and were working to see whether we could pipe the gas from Blacktip, through Wadeye, through to Katherine, down to Alice Springs, across to Mereenie, and put it underground in the Santos site where they currently get gas from – store it underground to help with this process. Another option we were considering was whether we could store it in Darwin with ConocoPhillips. That is the extent we went to for this.
The member for Nhulunbuy would not know this, because she did not get a briefing on any of this information.
Up until around two weeks ago, when we were advised of the desire not to take up the offer, we still thought the gas offer would be taken up. We still had people working on the pipeline looking at how much it would cost, which country we would get the pipes from and how we would transport them here. We were working on all this then Rio, a publicly listed company, made a corporate decision to shut the refinery. Instead of working out ways to respond, all we have is politics from the member from Nhulunbuy, as we have been through the whole process, without getting a briefing. She is still playing that today. ‘What about me on a committee?’ What about the other 3999 people living in the region? They might be unhappy with us because the member for Nhulunbuy has played a golden game of politics, but we have been working tirelessly to solve this issue.
There have been questions about the operation of the refinery and its requirements. During Question Time I said there have been four pieces of correspondence on that component alone. I might table them on Thursday.
That correspondence asked how the corporation will comply with its lease obligations. I am happy to read out one which was sent last Thursday night …
Ms Lawrie: We were told it was sent last Wednesday.
Mr GILES: I believe I said it was last Thursday. If it was last Wednesday, I correct the record. It was last Thursday ...
Ms Lawrie: We were told last Wednesday in the briefing that, evidently, we did not get.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, Opposition Leader!
Mr GILES: Maybe it was Wednesday, I think it was Thursday. Either way, one day in between. It said:
To date, I have not received a response to that letter. It is asking how they will comply with the conditions of the lease and whether they would consider putting the refinery up for sale to see if someone else could take over. Many people have asked what will happen with the ongoing operation of bauxite extraction should the refinery close, and whether we have been pursuing sale of the refinery. The answer is yes, we have. In that letter we clearly asked for them to consider sale and testing the market.
However, the other component is how they comply with the conditions of the lease. A range of work is going on behind the scenes in that regard. If anyone in Labor, possibly the member for Barkly who seems interested in this subject, wants a confidential briefing, I am happy to provide one about how some of those negotiations are going. There are significant issues with those components of the lease.
One of the areas we are looking at is the financial viability of the refinery, and I understand the global implications of the production of alumina. I am aware of what is occurring in China, the immediate increase in capacity in China, the future increase in capacity in China, the downward pressure that is putting on the price of alumina in a global market, and how, no matter how much the refinery can improve its productivity – as I know it has – the cost structure just cannot get below the price to make a quid on the world market, particularly in the face of China. That is proving a devastating problem and was a major part of the consideration for Rio.
We find ourselves in the position where the decision has been made and no one is happy about it, least of all the people who put a lot of hard work and effort into trying to provide solutions for the refinery. We were prepared, on this side of the Chamber, to look at taking the town on as a going concern as part of the Northern Territory.
As we know, Nhulunbuy is a mining town completely owned by the mine. The lease incorporates the township. They run the power, water and sewerage. There is no local government. They have the Nhulunbuy Corporation …
Ms Walker: They would be a little offended by no local government.
Mr GILES: They have local government in the region but not in the township. It is a mining town, but we wondered how we could take it over. Would that work as a model to reduce costs for Rio Tinto on top of the offer of gas, underwriting transportation costs, getting someone to pay for the pipeline, selling off government assets at cost price in the gas we have – the indignation of the member for Nhulunbuy to talk about us not doing anything, all the other references she made, and casting aspersions on this side of the Chamber when we have worked tirelessly to fix this. There has been no bungling. We had people all around the country trying to solve this problem on behalf of Rio and work out ways to reduce their costs.
The sad part in all this – my colleagues on this side will agree – is we have had no support. You do not always expect support from the opposition, but we have had no support from the opposition or the local member to find solutions for Rio Tinto or the people of Nhulunbuy, and they have known about this since 2008. They knew this was an issue; correspondence has been flowing backwards and forwards. I read the letter from the former Chief Minister with a reduced offer of swap gas, or exchange gas as we call it. They knew about this and have not taken it as a going concern.
This is the number one issue in Nhulunbuy and has been for many years. That is why I was surprised to receive a copy of the member for Nhulunbuy’s election commitments recently. You would think, if this was the highest priority for the local member in going to an election, she would have said her number one election commitment was fighting for the jobs of Rio Tinto and Nhulunbuy and finding a gas solution.
Let me run through her commitments to the electorate. A vote for Lynne Walker will deliver:
And, best of all, coming in before the jobs of the people at Gove was:
A ride on mower! I am sure it is very important. I have played at Gove Country Golf Club many times but would have thought the number one issue was jobs for the residents of Gove. There is not one mention of that there, and this has been in the former Labor government’s bailiwick for years. They talk about the operational lease for the township and the mining lease, and we are currently getting legal advice on what can be done. The member for Nhulunbuy will not attend a confidential briefing ...
Ms Walker: You are only getting it now?
Mr GILES: No, we have had it for a long time. Why have you not had any?
Ms Walker: We have. You are the government.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr GILES: Very good point, but I am happy to offer the member for Barkly, who was present on Friday, a confidential briefing if he would like to know the advice we have. The member for Barkly seems to be much more interested than the Leader of the Opposition, who could not be bothered turning up in Gove on Friday. I am unsure why. Obviously she had more pressing issues than the fact 2700 people will probably leave Nhulunbuy ...
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Why did he not bring the Tourism minister if we are talking about buffaloes? Why was the Treasurer not there?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Sit down.
Mr GILES: The feigned indignation from the Leader of the Opposition – at least the Deputy Leader turned up in Nhulunbuy and heard the concerns of people. I would like to know your reason for not turning up when it was such devastating news for the people of Nhulunbuy.
Let me point to another important element in this debate. The opposition and the current chief fisherman, Paul Howes, keep pointing to me and the government regarding our response, how we have worked through this and how we play politics despite, the fact they say it is about the people. They play the politics. It is important to remember ...
Ms Walker interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Nhulunbuy!
Mr GILES: It is important to remember …
Ms Walker interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr GILES: I tried not to laugh at the member for Nhulunbuy for as long as I could.
It is important to remember that Rio Tinto decided to curtail the refinery, not the Northern Territory government. We did not want it curtailed. You keep pointing at us when we are trying to get Rio to provide the biggest package possible to support the local people. You keep playing politics. You can play politics all you want, but you are doing a disservice to your community. I know that, you know that.
We want the best response possible for the people of Nhulunbuy and the east Arnhem region. Rio Tinto must front up and provide that response, and must detail all the information it has. While you play politics and have a shot at Tony Abbott, you are taking your eye off the game and letting the people of Nhulunbuy down. That is disgraceful, and I do not support this censure.
Ms LAWRIE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, what a disgraceful contribution from the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory to a dire crisis in the township of Nhulunbuy and the northeast Arnhem Land region.
We will ensure the residents of Nhulunbuy get a copy of that contribution. We will get it out amongst the networks because they could have heard his plans and actions to stand up to this Rio Tinto decision to curtail the refinery, despite the minerals lease that requires them to have it operable. Instead, we heard vindictive bile after vindictive bile attacking the member for Nhulunbuy who has consistently stood up for her community. It was a disgrace to listen to the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory who, instead of leading and providing some sense of hope for reasonable and well-thought through actions, made a nasty attack. Little wonder he is depicted as a little boy in cartoons in the newspaper. Little wonder the people of the region have no trust in him. We know the trust issue goes back to that fateful Darwin public holiday in July when he announced they were reneging on the gas to Gove offer of 300 PJ of gas to convert the energy source to gas from heavy fuel.
We hear the member for Braitling talk about the member for Blain’s – as it was not a deal. We saw the member for Nhulunbuy table in parliament the media release issued by the then Chief Minister before he was removed unceremoniously while on a trade mission to Japan, another highly damaging diplomatic incident for the Territory. The media release is headed, ‘Done deal to secure the future of Gove’ and says:
The tragedy is that did not happen because there was a change of Chief Minister. The member for Blain was unceremoniously knifed while on a trade mission to Japan, and the incoming Chief Minister, the member for Braitling, did not stick to that commitment and follow through on finalising the arrangements for release of gas. Instead, he completely reneged on that deal.
We know Rio Tinto has decided to curtail the refinery, saying it was a commercial decision. They have looked at the alumina market and the bringing on of a significant quantum of alumina production in China, both currently under way and projected. I think it is 500 million tonnes per annum increase in China already, with a projected 12 million tonnes per annum coming through I am advised by Rio – largely China. Rio said it did not think it was viable to operate the refinery going forward because of the millions of tonnes per annum coming out of China. They say, out of that decision, they will curtail the refinery.
The genuine issue we are challenging the government on, and where we have seen significant bungling and mishandling by the Chief Minister, is the minerals lease in place which requires the refinery to be operable. Yet the Chief Minister sat on the stage on Friday, did not give that information to the audience, did not say they will do everything they can, as the duly elected government, to stand up for what they need in the town and the region to keep the refinery open. He simply rolled over to the Rio Tinto decision to curtail the refinery.
If you are on the ground, such as the members for Nhulunbuy and Barkly are, our Deputy Leader and shadow for Resources, shadow for Regional Economic Development, quite appropriately were on Friday, you would hear the talk from the people who work at the refinery, the people whose jobs will be lost. They say this curtailment, this mothballing as described by the Attorney-General, does not provide, ultimately, the turn-on capacity.
The notion that curtailment means it will sit there mothballed and, at some unknown time in the future – because China is producing another 12 million tonnes per annum of alumina based on the Rio Tinto advice, which went to its economic reasoning for shutdown – somehow, magically, the alumina prices will improve, the Chinese production will not meet their its own needs and someone will press the ‘go’ button on that refinery again.
Chief Minister, the people of the region do not believe that. They do not believe you. They do not trust that. Given the fundamental breach in trust it begs the question: if it is not able to be turned on in the future because it is not operable, it is simply water going through the refinery to keep it turning over, what is that about? Is that about the fact Rio Tinto is being let off the hook for the very serious environmental requirements and concerns around the highly contaminated red mud sitting in the ponds? Is it that the job of decommissioning a plant of that size and nature would provide jobs and economic stimulus in and of itself in the region?
If there is not a genuine commitment to future operation of the refinery, which we are hearing on the ground does not exist, Rio Tinto is being let off the hook for its responsibilities by the Northern Territory government. We have seen it let off the hook in the curtailment. The Chief Minister sat on the stage at the town hall meeting and not once said, ‘By the way, as your Chief Minister, I will hold Rio Tinto to account for the requirement under the mineral lease to have the refinery operable’. That was not said, that was not pursued; he was rolling over.
The great tragedy in this is the way the government has rolled over to the announcement of the time frame. Yesterday, when the member for Nhulunbuy and I attended a briefing given by officers of the Department of the Chief Minister and the Chief of Staff for the Chief Minister, we asked, ‘What is the eight months? When did the clock start ticking on the eight months? Does it include the two months of the planning phase kicking into six months of curtailment, or is it eight months plus the two months of planning?’
They were unable to answer that question. They responded, ‘We do not know. We are waiting to get the final Gantt chart with a time line back from Rio Tinto.’ How can the announcement of curtailment of a refinery have occurred and the government of the day is waiting for time lines from Rio Tinto? How are we in the situation where the government of the day is accepting Rio Tinto sets the time lines?
BHP, with its steelworks closure in Newcastle, did not close because it was making a profit. It closed because it was not economically viable. It had the same economic viability arguments we have here. Did the New South Wales government of the day sit on its hands and say, ‘That is okay BHP, you set the time lines’. No! That community had in excess of two years to go through a structural adjustment phase. There is a lot written on this, and I urge the government to read it. It certainly showed that, with appropriate planning and implementation, structural adjustment can achieve the outcome we are all looking for, which is alternative economic stimulus, alternative jobs. In Newcastle, for example, some 1200 direct jobs were created out of those alternative industries and about 195 part-time jobs.
However, it takes time to do that work properly. It takes time to have the opportunity to properly adjust a town and region to alternative employment. Rio Tinto has not given that community that time, and we are not seeing the Northern Territory government fighting and demanding that amount of time as a minimum. What people in industry downturn phases recognise is there are usually years of negotiations leading up to when the clock of the announcement and the downturn starts. We have not seen that here. We have seen the Chief Minister bury his head in the sand pretending he has no responsibility in this and it is all the responsibility of Rio Tinto.
Therein lies the censure, Chief Minister. You have personally bungled this. You have not accepted your responsibility, as Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, any step of the way. From the way you treated the reneging of the deal that Terry Mills had struck, to the way you have treated the months of uncertainty arising from that reneging in July, you have been a disgrace. It is a complete abrogation of your duties and responsibilities as the Northern Territory Chief Minister. You have not even sought to understand the complexities of what structural adjustment phases and periods are, what should occur, and to have the contingency planning in place for that. Surely, the moment you reneged in July, you must have realised you jeopardised the entire conversion to gas project and those contingencies should have been put in place then. The social and economic impact analysis should have commenced then, even though any sensible government worth its salt would have had it almost finalised in the first phase of the crisis, which was from October to February 2012-13.
Debate suspended.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it is with deep regret I advise of the death of Mr Brian Manning, a great and true Territorian.
I advise honourable members of the presence in the gallery of Ms Mila Manning, Mr Brian Manning Jnr, Ms Anna Kwan with grandchildren Jasper Manning and Coco Manning, Ms Louisa Manning-Watson and Mr Glen Watson, grandchildren Tre Manning-Watson, Kayden Manning-Watson, Beau Manning-Watson, Cheley Watson and Jaz Watson. Also Ms Linda Elmer, Ms April Elmer, Mr Robert Maxell, Ms Bonnie Doctor, Mr Kerry Gibbs and Mrs Sue Gibbs, Mr Daniel Hyland and Ms Dawn Lawrie, previous member of this parliament. Welcome one and all.
Ms LAWRIE (Opposition Leader)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that this Assembly express its condolences at the passing of Mr Brian Manning, a Territory trade unionist and anti-discrimination campaigner. We offer our deepest sympathy to his family and friends.
I, too, acknowledge the presence in the gallery today of family and friends, including Brian Manning’s partner, Mila, his children Linda, Brian Jnr, Louisa and John, their partners, and the grandchildren.
In acknowledging and paying our respects to this extraordinary Territorian in this condolence motion, I also acknowledge that we do so on the land of the Larrakia people. This is especially relevant as part of today’s condolence motion because Brian Manning typifies the many Territorians who came here from a different place, but, being from a difference place, were newcomers who quickly came to understand the Northern Territory is a strong Indigenous landscape, a place where it is still relatively easy to recognise and get to know Indigenous Territorians who call this place their traditional home. They are people with a long and proud history and a great story to share, if only we will open our hearts and minds to their story and history. Brian Manning was such a man, who opened his heart and mind and became a loyal friend and supporter of so many Indigenous Territorians.
Brian was born in 1932 in the Wide Bay Burnett region of Queensland and moved to Darwin in 1956 as a young 24-year-old.
By his own account, a formative experience was an early friendship with an Indigenous man from Galiwinku, who introduced Brian to his culture and history, but also the discrimination suffered by Indigenous people as wards of the state.
In particular, Brian quickly became aware of the double standards of the time in pay and working conditions for Indigenous labour. In 1959, Brian sought to join a movement that supported workers and sought change and relief from the injustices he saw each day. He joined the Communist Party of Australia. He was impressed by their support for Indigenous rights, especially their support for the rights of Indigenous workers.
To him, the CPA at the time had grasped this as an issue more than any other political party and it was a movement he wished to be part of. He quickly became involved in the leadership of the CPA in the Northern Territory, and in 1961 he attended the 19th National Congress of the CPA, where he spoke about the situation of the Indigenous people of the Northern Territory. He was a man before his time.
He met other activists supporting Indigenous people in other parts of Australia, and, becoming more informed of their work, he returned to Darwin and, with fellow CPA member George Gibbs, helped establish the Northern Territory Council for Aboriginal Rights.
Well ahead of the times, he worked to ensure that the constitution for the group required that people of Aboriginal descent made up 75% of the executive, thus giving him the confidence of the numbers in their leadership and in providing direction for the new council.
Philip Rogers, of I, the Aboriginal fame, emerged as a new council president and it quickly went on to develop an active agenda for change. The council became an active organisation involved in the Labor movement, and at the 1964 May Day march they organised for more than 400 Indigenous workers, family and friends to march with placards demanding equal work, equal rights, equal pay.
Work of the council focused on countering discrimination in the day-to-day lives of Indigenous Territorians: working to remove discrimination in access by Aboriginal people to licensed venues and access to public transport, and to remove discrimination in access to government services; campaigning for award wages for Indigenous workers; improving and opening up employment opportunities for Indigenous people on the railways and the Darwin wharf; assisting Aboriginal people to lodge claims and take legal action relating to discrimination and to have their voice heard; demonstrating against the mandatory gaoling of Aboriginal people with citizenship status who shared alcohol with relatives who were still wards of the state. They also worked to tackle the issue of book up, an arrangement where employers kept a book of an employee’s debt to the employer, with settlement of debt and release of any remaining wages at the end of employment.
In 1964, Brian became involved in the campaign of the Australian Workers Union, the ACTU and the North Australian Workers Union NAWU, who were negotiating, unsuccessfully at first, with the NT pastoralists for full pay and conditions for Indigenous stock workers. In June 1966, the Gurindji people started their historic walk-off from Vesteys pastoral property at Wave Hill as part their campaign for better living and working conditions.
During this time, Brian and other colleagues working on the Darwin wharf organised supplies and other support for the striking workers, led by Vincent Lingiari, and famously ferried the supplies to the workers, who were camping at Wattie Creek, making at least 15 trips back and forth from Darwin in Brian’s now infamous red J Series Bedford truck, working with fellow unionists Paul Patten, Barry Reed, Nick Pagonis, Jack Phillips and George Gibbs. It is a truck that has now received proper recognition and is heritage listed as part of the Territory’s great, rich cultural history.
As we know, this strike action and the support from the council and the union movement helped pave the way for Aboriginal land rights. These rights have come to mean so much to so many people in the Northern Territory and are so much a part of our day-to-day life.
Brian’s mighty Bedford truck also featured in another important part of his life, the period when Brian became involved in supporting the people of Timor-Leste in their quest for freedom. The old Bedford was employed, transporting a public, but illegal, radio, Charlie India Echo Tango, to assist FRETILIN members in Timor-Leste communicate with their external leadership and the media during the Indonesian occupation of Timor-Leste.
Working with great Territory characters such as Jim Bowditch and Rob Wesley-Smith, who I acknowledge is here in the gallery, to support the people of Timor-Leste. Brian’s activities helped to provide a cover for more secret, covert radio communications occurring at the time. Once again, Brian was central to a campaign supporting those seeking recognition and a fair go in the face of repression and discrimination.
Brian’s support of this was well known with his work acknowledged and applauded by over 700 delegates to the 2011 FRETILIN congress. Today, Brian’s son, Brian Jnr, is working with others to have his dad’s old truck restored, a right and proper recognition of his father’s role in supporting these causes and in these significant parts of Territory history.
In 2010, Brian won the Australian Senior of the Year and Darwin Citizen of the Year Awards. Typically, he accepted the prizes wearing his Morning Star tie, a sign of his continuing support for Indigenous Papuans seeking independence for West Papua. Brian was, indeed, a proud and great unionist, a member and senior official of the Waterside Section of the North Australian Workers Union, a co-founder of the Northern Territory Trades and Labor Council, and a staunch life member of the Maritime Union of Australia.
Thomas Mayer, the now secretary in the Territory of the MUA, recently spoke of Brian and his work mentoring another generation of union workers. He described Brian as a supreme mentor and a pillar of support to the new leadership of the MUA. I will quote from Thomas Mayer:
Brian’s work with Indigenous people and unions will forever be a part of our Australian and Territory history. His support and kindness to all he helped will never be forgotten.
There is another side to Brian that I hope we do not forget too quickly: that love of jazz and his incredible skills with the trumpet and sax.
One can well imagine the balmy nights in Darwin as he relaxed playing his music. Certainly, his musical skills were well and truly employed as part of May Day celebrations in Darwin, and there are so many stories from the old Workers Club.
We did, indeed, lose a great Territorian on 3 November, but Brian Manning has left a great legacy for all Territorians. It was fitting that his service was held at the wharf, and it was beautiful to watch the celebration of his life fully participated in by his family. What struck me incredibly deeply that day was the strength of the bond of love Brian had with his family, and the love his family have, enduringly, through the generations, for Brian as a great patriarch, a great man and a great Territorian.
In this I am comforted that the legacy of Brian Manning truly does live on through his children, his 11 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He truly has left a great legacy of a life that was committed to fighting discrimination and supporting workers in pursuing their rights.
I have known him for decades. He has always had an incredible gentleness about him. I remember him from when I was a child, and I have known him as an adult, both in and out of my parliamentary roles. I have always been struck by his gentleness and his extraordinary knowledge of the Territory’s great labour history – labour in the sense of the worker. I have deeply admired the work he has done and was passionately committed to in pursuing Indigenous rights and freedoms, and the rights and freedoms of the people of Timor-Leste.
Vale, Brian Manning. My deepest condolences to his family. But I know he is, through his family, truly enriching the lives of people in the Territory. Thank you for being here today and giving us the opportunity to truly recognise the great Brian Manning in this parliament.
Mr TOLLNER (Deputy Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for bringing this motion forward.
I wish to recognise in this condolence motion the contribution made to society in the Northern Territory by a noted champion of the communist left, Brian Manning. In fact, in the last 50 years if there was a cause clbre of the communists then you would find Brian Manning involved in it. A staunch trade unionist and proud wharfie, he was anti-uranium mining and anti-American, and no side of politics was immune from his passion and beliefs. He described former Labor Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, as a traitor to Australian independence for her failure to speak out against the US-Darwin Marines rotation. Brian was pro-left, a PLO supporter, a liberationist, probably in his day a great supporter of the falling dominoes for socialist glory theories across Southeast Asia.
While this side of the House may have been at odds with his political philosophy and the way in which those ideas might be championed by members of the left on the other side, or the real left wing, as it is now known in Australia, the Greens, we recognise he had a single-minded passionate commitment to his cause. As politicians, we should admire someone who demonstrates the courage of their convictions and is prepared to tell it exactly how they see it.
In some cases, Brian’s call for change was the right one, like equality for Indigenous people – his support for the Wave Hill walk off is well documented – and the rights of workers to a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. He was also passionate in his support of FRETILIN in East Timor. As the Opposition Leader said, he used his truck to erect an antenna to establish communications with FRETILIN in the early days of the Indonesian invasion.
Brian was actively opposed to Australia’s implementation of the White Australia Policy in the 1960s to stop the deportation of indentured labour from the pearling industry. Brian was, of course, the 2000 Northern Territory Senior Citizen of the Year. He was a devoted family man, a muso and, by all accounts, quite something on the dance floor.
To the family he leaves behind, his name will be part of the story that is the Northern Territory we live in. We cannot always choose those heroes who represent us, but with Brian Manning, the hero of the left, a small part of this country has spoken through him.
Mr VOWLES (Johnston): Madam Speaker, I pay tribute to a true activist, Territorian and advocate for change, Mr Brian Manning.
Whenever Brian Manning is remembered there always follows an extensive account of great achievements that changed the lives of many for the better, and rarely is one account identical to the last. This is a testament to his long life as an activist for social change, and reflects a determination to bring people together rather than divide them.
Brian’s lifetime of work made real differences to today. Many of our young people would not have full appreciation of just how far we have come in recognising Aboriginal people. Today things are different. Only the other day we saw one of our own, Jessica Mauboy, an Indigenous woman, receive a national award for excellence in her field as the Best Female Artist at the ARIAs, but things were not always this way.
My mum told me how significant it was when Aboriginal people gained the right to vote when she was only a child. This was a time when there was segregation between white and black, and Aboriginal people had limited rights. She was living in these conditions of limited rights at Bagot community. Mum told me many times that in those days long ago, when she was a child, she can remember everyone had to get dressed up in flash clothes, hat, high heel shoes for the women, men in their best clothes always with a white long-sleeved shirt and black trousers just to go to vote, and remembers always seeing Brian there with the unions to greet everybody and tell them how to vote.
Many people in this Chamber today might be aware that many people used to frequent the old Workers Club in Cavenagh Street, the old Buff Club and the Parap Hotel. At all three places Brian and others in the union movement would do their best to be there to catch up with members for a cold beer after they had a hot day on the wharf or worked on the roads.
He spent most of his time at the Workers Club as it was central to town and workers, and central to the way Brian did things. If you want to represent people’s views you need to listen and then fight for their rights. It has been the passion and dedication of people like Brian that helped bring about change.
It was Brian’s selflessness and belief in doing what was right that drew him to join the only political party that had an Aboriginal policy, the Communist Party. Brian was forward thinking and believed it was people who make a difference. In history, I am always blown away by those who stand up for the right of others. Brian had nothing personal to gain by changing the position of Aboriginal people of our society, especially in regard to wages and working conditions. He was just a person who stood up for what he believed in and took it upon himself to make wrongs right. By showing the populous position of governments of the day, he became instrumental to a movement that began shrugging off the crippling conditions of generations past.
Milestones like the establishment of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Rights Council and FRETILIN take their rightful place in our history due, in no small part, to Brian. He served on the executive of the North Australian Workers Union and was co-founder of the NT Trades and Labour Council. He urged the unions to address equal pay in the pastoral industry and supported the historic Gurindji walk-off of Wave Hill Station in 1966. This campaign challenged the Australian Labor movement to address its indifferent and, sometimes, openly hostile attitudes to the rights and conditions of Aboriginal people. Brian famously transported supplies to the camps in the bed of the Victoria River and, later, Wattie Creek. I was privileged to attend the 45th anniversary in 2011 and camp in Wattie Creek, a truly special moment for me.
Brian was also a man for the people, and his advocacy for public works and equal freedoms continued well into his 80s. It was his voluntary work as the Chair of the Darwin Port Welfare Committee that saw the relocation and refurbishment of the Darwin Seafarer’s Centre. On the 40th anniversary of the Wave Hill walk off, Brian gave a speech detailing the events of the nine-year struggle that ended in a small parcel of Gurindji land being given to the people. He told of loading three ton of supplies onto the Bedford truck for the drive into Wattie Creek and how, in those days, Aborigines were bound to employers by a system of institutionalised poverty. He recounted how Tom Fisher, the manager of Wave Hill Station overlooked a 10 000-year-old track record to express doubt that ‘the natives could handle land if they were given it’.
Brian described the welfare control at the time as ‘… absolute, enshrined in draconian legislation which became a model for South African apartheid’.
Brian Manning was a man who worked for the betterment of all people, not for a term, not for 10 years, but a lifetime. My favourite anecdote from his recollection of events at Wave Hill was when he told of old man Uncle Dexter Daniels, a Roper River man on the rights council who became the champion of the Wave Hill walk off. He told how, whenever he and Uncle travelled spreading the word of the strike, they would find groups of every country ready to join the movement. They were simply waiting for Dexter to arrive in Manning’s Bedford truck and show them the way.
To Brian Manning’s family and friends, I am deeply sorry for your loss of a great man. The part he played in the Territory’s history is one you can always be immensely proud of. I personally will never forget what he did for Aboriginal people. Vale, Brian Manning, you will be remembered forever.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Madam Speaker, I briefly add my voice to this motion of condolence. My condolences definitely go to the family and friends of Brian Manning, a man who did something so many people do not do in this day and age.
Whether you are a committed communist or not is not the issue of this condolence motion. What is at the heart of this condolence motion – and I have heard it from the member for Johnston, the Leader of the Opposition and the Deputy Chief Minister today – is that Brian Manning was a man of passion; he was driven. I and members of this House may not agree with his world view – clearly, the man was a committed communist – but he came out of a time when I can genuinely believe and understand where communism, as a thought process in the west, had its roots. I have met many of that ilk over the years, and I have always had enormous respect for them, not because I agreed with their politics necessarily, but because they gave a rat’s backside about what they were talking about. They cared. They passionately cared about what they saw happening in the world.
I recall having regular conversations with one of this ilk in Alice Springs over many years, who confidently told me in the mid-1980s that it would not be long before Soviet style communism would take over the world. We had our disputes at the time, but there was no doubt about that man’s passion, and there is no doubt about Brian Manning’s passion in this space. I would rather deal with a passionate communist than an indifferent person, because one of the great things that I believe has driven the world, particularly since World War II, and in a micro way has replicated itself here in the Northern Territory, is that World War II produced people who cared about our political systems.
Both my parents were subject to the shortcomings or failures of politics as a result of World War II and suffered as a result of them. A whole generation of people grew up after that time, caring about our political processes because they did not want to go down that path again. Whatever conclusions people came up with, I recall these people being passionate and committed people in our community, and Brian Manning was no exception to this.
What we unfortunately see in our community today is so many people not understanding the lessons of World War II. Brian Manning, if memory serves me, was born in 1932. This placed him in that post-World War II period where politics mattered. What I take away from people such as Brian Manning is that politics continues to matter. It is as important today as it has ever been. Unfortunately, from time to time, apathy bubbles to the surface because we have become so used to the products of a stable political system, avoiding things like wars, certainly within this country. It was always recognised in the Territory community that if you were a passionate person, no matter what your cause, no matter what side of politics you were on, you were respected by everybody across the spectrum of society. I continue to maintain that respect.
I knew of Brian Manning in only the most peripheral sense, but what I am speaking to today is not so much the man himself but what he stood for. His passion, his love for his community, and that deserves the endorsement of every person in this House as being a worthwhile and valuable contribution to the people of the Northern Territory.
When he drove NT-registered 29776 – an old, busted-backside Bedford truck – to the Gurindji people and delivered supplies to them, he was a man who was engaging and becoming involved in the community through what he believed was the right thing to do. I appreciate and understand what he was trying to do. In fact, I agree with him, because I believe separating people by virtue of their race is wrong. I have seen that played out in places like South Africa. I was in South Africa during their last apartheid election and it offended me when I saw it.
I believe in freedom and I believe that Brian Manning believed in freedom. Perhaps the definition of freedom I have is different to his, but, nevertheless, it is borne out of a simple desire to see people live in peace and in a good, safe and harmonious world. For that, I can only praise and champion Brian Manning in this, his condolence motion.
My deepest sympathy to his family, and I thank Brian Manning for his passion and his love for the people of the Northern Territory.
Mr GUNNER (Fannie Bay): Madam Speaker, not only was Brian Manning an indelible part of the story of the Northern Territory, he was a great teller of the stories of those parts of our history he contributed to. Some years ago, he supplied a major oral history of his life to the National Library of Australia’s Oral History Collection. More recently, he gave a long series of interviews to Aboriginal artist, Brenda Croft, and it is anticipated these will provide lively accounts for researchers, as well as ordinary Territorians. Ms Croft, an old friend of Brian’s and a member of the Gurindji, Malngin and Mudpurra groups, I understand is determined that Brian’s stories be told into the future. I look forward to the work she produces.
He lived a rich and varied life in the Territory and we have heard much about that in the course of this condolence motion. While others have spoken of his time in the Territory, I would like to speak about what made the man, from a dirt poor childhood living on the fringes of a tiny Queensland town to his life as an advocate of human rights in the Territory and overseas.
I thank Chips Mackinolty for his help in putting my words together. They can only provide a glimpse into the life of Brian.
Brian was a man very much born on the wrong side of the tracks in Mundubbera, 270 km northwest of Brisbane in country Queensland. His father, William, he described as not very well educated, though he could read and write. His mother Lily, he said, was quite cultured and a very talented pianist. Life was hard, according to Brian, slap bang in the middle of a depression.
That was in 1939. In 1941, Brian’s mother decided to move to Brisbane to be closer to her husband who, although unfit for combat, served as an army cook. In Brian’s words:
Madam Speaker, I think that is surely an understatement.
Brian did his schooling at Taringa State School, an education much interrupted by having to look after the family. At 16 he got a job as a junior clerk at Caltex for 3 six shillings a week. He was fired after being told to wear a suit in the office, cheekily demanding a response that the company would first need to buy him a suit as he could not afford one.
It would not be the first time he would argue for work clothing allowances with the bosses. He then found a job at Peters Ice Cream, where his younger brother, Jack, worked for 20 a week as a driver. However, he was relegated to the office for only 5 a week. He soon left that job and told future employers he was a 20-year-old rather than a 17-year old, which ensured his salary as a shop assistant, his next job, increased to around 18 a week.
For the next half a dozen years or so Brian worked many jobs between Brisbane and Mundubbera: carpenter, spray painter, panel beater, all learnt on-the-job in the era of few apprenticeships and formal qualifications.
It was as a spray painter, in Mundubbera of all places, that he first met Sam Brent a member of the Communist Party, who worked as a boilermaker in the Navy during the war. It was Sam who helped Brian get to Darwin in 1956 to begin a new chapter in his life and the beginning of his Territory life.
Brian had a double life during this time as a dancer and a musician. In Brisbane, he and a mate attended dancing classes and as he said:
By the time he got back to Mundubbera he was an accomplished dancer and a self-taught saxophone player. He started playing successfully at dances with his sister Margaret on piano, and a mate on drums, but ran into the problem that very few people could dance so he decided to have a dance class at the local RSL hall. To his shock, 200 kids turned up to the first lesson. As he told it:
His sister did not believe him. After a while he got sick of teaching and stopped, but was recruited one more time:
Which he did, to great success:
The idea of a man just starting to be interested in the works of Karl Marx, and who would later be reviled as a member of the Communist Party, being first recruited by the Mundubbera Country Women’s Association to help with a debutante ball is surely one of the sweetest memories we can hold of this extraordinary man.
Brian went on to continue playing music in Darwin for many years, only quitting professionally as he thought it would be seen as moonlighting if he were to do it while employed as a union official, though he played for occasional benefits such as for the victims of the Italian earthquake in 1980.
Before closing I would like to touch on two events in his life after he arrived here and two of the principles Brian always stood by. They are no small things and are the principles all Territorians should hold dear.
The first was his fundamental opposition to racism. The White Australia Policy that was still with us in the early 1960s led to the campaign to prevent the deportation of two Malaysian men from Darwin. The campaign was largely instigated by him, with the backing of the NT News editor, Jim Bowditch. It quickly gathered massive support among the people of the Territory, including, among others, Bernie Kilgariff, later to be a CLP senator, Dick Ward, and Dawn Lawrie, later to be an Independent member of this Assembly.
The second was absolute commitment to political freedom. After 1967 congress of his party, and following the Prague Spring the following year, he stood rock solid in opposing the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. He did that at some personal cost, as the majority of the waterside workers around the country fell into line with Moscow.
Brian was not some narrow ideologue, but a passionate defender of human rights, themes that he would take up later that year with his support for the Gurindji strikers, and less than a decade later in defence of the people of East Timor.
Madam Speaker, as a small footnote to history, the Malaysians were hidden from police raids in the Darwin rural area. As the Darwin rural area hosted the illegal radio links with the East Timorese resistance, you and the member for Nelson share a geographical link with the life’s work of this former Senior Territorian of the Year.
Brian Manning did not come from a background of privilege, but we can agree he enriched the lives of many Territorians over the 56 years he lived here. Vale Brian. His passion and legacy will live on with his family and friends.
Mrs PRICE (Community Services): Madam Speaker, firstly, I offer my condolences to Mr Manning’s family and his friends who are here in the House.
The previous members have already covered a great deal of Mr Manning’s life, from his arrival in Darwin in 1956. Whilst I did not agree with his flavour of politics, it was clear Mr Manning’s deep passions were to improve the life of my people. This deep passion started almost immediately after his arrival when he became friends with a Yolngu man from Galiwinku who drew Mr Manning’s attention to the extent of discrimination suffered by Aboriginal people, especially with regard to wages.
Mr Manning did not only just talk the talk, he walked the walk. His deep passion for the discrimination he heard of and observed pushed him into action. His first key action was his involvement in the formation of the Northern Territory Council for Aboriginal Rights in the 1960s. The council confronted discrimination whenever it emerged, whether it was the right to be served in a hotel, or the right to sit anywhere in a picture theatre.
NTCAR demonstrated against the mandatory gaoling of Aboriginal citizens for sharing alcohol with relatives who were wards of the state. It assisted Aboriginal employees to obtain award wages in the railways and on the wharf. In 1966, the Gurindji walk off became the focus of activity, with the NTCAR providing support for striking workers and publicity about the issue. In 1976, the council was wound up as a result of Whitlam government initiatives.
Mr Manning played an important supportive role in the Wave Hill walk off in1966 when about 200 Gurindji Aboriginal workers walked off the site and commenced a nine-year action to improve the rights and working conditions of Aboriginal people.
We all know about Wave Hill and Vincent Lingiari’s role in that action. We remember his famous petition on behalf of the Gurindji people to the Governor General, Hon R G Lord Casey, asking that their Gurindji land be returned to them so they could establish their own cattle station. That incident is credited with the birth of the lands right movement. Clearly, Mr Manning had some involvement in it.
However, it was not always just about his passion for Aboriginal activism. Mr Manning was well renowned for his amateur radio set which he used to monitor issues in the Southeast Asian region, especially East Timor. Mr Manning recalled an interview in 2010 with Crikey’s Bob Glossop about how he was listening to events in East Timor unfold in 1977. Mr Manning was a strong supporter of the nation’s independence movement and, no doubt, would have been very pleased at East Timor’s successful struggle for independence
Mr Manning was also a staunch union man, co-founding the Northern Territory Trades and Labour Council, now known as Unions NT, which was established in 1973. Mr Manning then turned his focus to workers’ rights and issues, but he never gave up his passion for Aboriginal activism.
In 2003, Mr Manning gave the 6th Vincent Lingiari Memorial Lecture in which he recounted his experiences supporting the strikers and the journey towards land rights, and fair working conditions and pay for Aboriginal people.
Mr Manning also cared about his local community. In recognition of this and his lifetime of fighting for social justice, Mr Manning was named Senior Territorian of the Year. I am advised that when he accepted his NT prize he continued in his passion for standing up for disadvantaged people by wearing a Morning Star tie in support of the West Papuans’ struggle for independence. He was further recognised by becoming a Territory finalist for Australian Senior of the Year in 2010.
One of his more recent achievements was the relocation and refurbishment of the Seafarer’s Centre at Port Darwin. Mr Manning was voluntary Chair of the Darwin Port Welfare Committee. He and the committee saw that the old centre required significant upgrades and set about lobbying a range of sponsors to upgrade the centre. This included the generosity of the International Transport Workers Federation, which contributed nearly $150 000, and the Darwin Port Corporation, which also provided financial and logistical support. The result of Mr Manning and the committee’s hard work is a new facility based on the wharf which provides recreation facilities for over 200 maritime workers, including computers with Internet access, free WiFi, a pay phone, a free pool table, a television, a DVD player and a canteen.
It is reported that although he was too sick to attend the grand opening, Mr Manning said he was very proud of the work he had done with the voluntary committee in creating somewhere safe for visiting seafarers to recuperate.
In a condolence motion, it is common for speakers to say nice things about how they knew that person; unfortunately, I did not know Mr Manning. However, I turn to his peers, who have plenty to say about Mr Manning, and in paying tribute to him, I would particularly like to quote National Secretary, Paddy Crumlin. Paddy said that:
Ms ANDERSON (Namatjira): Madam Speaker, I wish to pass on my condolences to the family and friends of Mr Manning in the Chamber this afternoon, and to speak on behalf of Aboriginal people. Many Aboriginal people knew Mr Manning and I wish to put on the public record, so his family and friends can hear, how grateful and honoured, and what a privilege it was from an Aboriginal point of view – the struggles and the fights he took on, not just on behalf of Aboriginal people. He saw the need for humans to be protected, and saw that people had rights and had to be treated the same way.
He was a real hero and a true Territorian. He may have come to the Northern Territory from somewhere else, but we all have the privilege and honour of claiming him as a Territorian, and it really is an honour to claim him as a Territorian.
I thank him for stopping our people lining up at ration depots; I thank him for fighting for equal wages, recognising we had rights as well: not just human rights, but political rights, rights to vote, rights to work, rights to equal pay. As the member for Johnston stated, the things Brian Manning did for Indigenous Territorians were really emotional. Terrible things happened to our grandfathers and parents, and we should never allow the ugliness and racism this man fought against to return to our thoughts, any public debate we may have or any policy we initiate, as governments moving all Territorians forward.
He definitely educated many Aboriginal people. If you look at the results of election after election, the things that have happened in the past have put that hope and fire in the belly of many Aboriginal people, and given them the strength to start fighting themselves for the things Mr Manning fought for and represented on behalf of people who were struggling in the Northern Territory – the ugliness he saw when he came in here, the ugliness of racism, of people not being allowed to do things the way they wanted to, people being mistreated, people not being paid properly, and being part of the process of the assimilation policy that lined our parents and our grandparents up at ration depots. As a child, I lined up at ration depots at Hermannsburg, Papunya and Haasts Bluff. I would not want my children to continue to line up at ration depots.
We take this opportunity to the family and friends of Mr Manning, because he really was a great man, and he goes down in Territory history. He has educated many people. Just look at the results of the last Territory election. The privilege and honour bestowed upon us on this side of the House has definitely come from the Indigenous people this man fought for. I take this opportunity to thank you.
Madam SPEAKER: I also extend my condolences and sympathies to the family of the late Mr Brian Manning Snr, and to family and colleagues who are here, on his departing. I extend my sincere sympathies to you on what clearly is a great loss, not only to you but to the Northern Territory.
Motion agreed to.
Members stood for one minute’s silence as a mark of respect.
Madam SPEAKER: I thank honourable members for their contribution to the motion. I invite the family and friends of the late Mr Brian Manning Snr to afternoon tea in the Main Hall.
MOTION
Proposed Censure of Chief Minister
Continued from earlier this day.
Ms LAWRIE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, we resume the censure against the Chief Minister for his bungling of the Nhulunbuy crisis. It has caused enormous devastation in that magnificent community.
The real concern, which we have placed on the record, is the Chief Minister made no moves – despite ripping apart the deal done by Terry Mills causing sovereign risk and showing you simply could not trust the Chief Minister, the member for Braitling. That really threw the community into a significant crisis back in July and, despite doing all that, he clearly did not ensure the government he is supposedly leading went into contingency planning because they do not have a social and economic impact analysis.
We were advised in a briefing yesterday by Northern Territory officials that the Commonwealth is revising its social and economic impact anaysis and it is imminent. We were advised in the briefing by officials that Rio Tinto will release their social and economic impact analysis possibly as early as today with a time line on the curtailment, but there is no social and economic impact analysis we could be provided with by the Territory government because we have been watching them scramble. To scramble at every step of the way is not the behaviour you would expect from a government which created the uncertainty back in July, yet that is what we are witnessing.
The opposition, in briefing yesterday – I and the member for Nhulunbuy – pursued questioning around the mineral lease, the Gove agreement, Special Mineral Lease 11, which has a requirement for Rio Tinto to maintain, in operable condition, the refinery. At no stage prior to the opposition and members of the Nhulunbuy community raising this concern has the Chief Minister expressed he had been pursuing with Rio an explanation of how it would meet its lease conditions. It was raised today in the Chief Minister’s response to the opposition.
The problem is it has been wanting leadership. He has not led; he has followed in Rio Tinto’s path. He has rolled over to its time lines around curtailment and has not shared genuinely, publicly, with Territorians the actions which ought to be taken by a government to pursue the rights and future prosperity of the people in Nhulunbuy and the region.
As Dave Mitchell very publicly said at the Friday town hall meeting, Adam Giles was killing off the goose that laid the golden egg. Everyone in that community is furious with Adam Giles. They made decisions back in February to invest further in their community based on the deal said to have been done by the then Chief Minister, Terry Mills. The CLP has a great deal of responsibility here. They provided confidence to the community back in February that a deal was being done. As stated in the then Chief Minister’s press release:
People believed them and made investment decisions. Now, when you would expect the government to be publicly advocating against Rio’s decision to curtail because of the 1100 jobs alone, plus the indirect jobs that will be lost, plus the $400m to $500m contribution to the economy, the 1% to 2% reduction in GSP that will result from such a catastrophic decision, there has been no public move by the government to say to Rio Tinto, ‘No, we don’t accept your time lines. By the way, we have leverage through the lease and you will behave in the corporately responsible manner we would expect.’
As we have seen and heard in debate, elsewhere in Australia where there is a disaster such as a major industrial shutdown it is a minimum of two years. However, this government, under Chief Minister Adam Giles, has rolled over to a decision by the company to walk away in just eight months. It is not good enough and is certainly bungling by Adam Giles. We now hear in response to the censure motion that the Chief Minister will not be making his statement today, that he will probably bring it on Thursday with ‘more detail in it’.
If you ever wanted to witness policy and decision-making on the run, it was today in this censure. He said the member for Nhulunbuy had not received any briefings. I sat alongside the member for Nhulunbuy at two briefings. Not only is he making up things as he goes, he has completely ignored the fact the member for Nhulunbuy has constructively, every step of the way, received as much information as she can. I know, as I sat there with her, how difficult that has been at times. When you seek documents they are withheld from you.
Even today, when the Chief Minister was asked to table the four letters of correspondence he, presumably, sent to Rio Tinto – because he told us today he did – he would not table them. ‘Maybe we might get to see them on Thursday,’ was his response, even though we received a commitment yesterday from his officials that we would receive a copy of the 2011 Gove agreement Special Mineral Lease 11 so we could see for ourselves the ‘maintain in operable condition’ clause, it was not met as a commitment. We did not receive it last night as was indicated. We did not receive it this morning. When we got the call to go to the Department of the Chief Minister to receive it; we got the 1968 agreement. We already had the 1968 agreement and were seeking the 2011 agreement. My staff were advised the Department of the Chief Minister had to get approval from the department of Mines to provide us with that lease.
Does anyone know what anyone else in government is doing? It is a shambles. The problem is, this shambles is having a catastrophic impact on the people of Nhulunbuy and the region. Go in to bat for Territorians instead of wanting to blame everyone else. Step up; stop rolling over to Rio Tinto on the curtailment views and the time line. Hire the experts who should have been hired in July, get your economic and social impact analysis done, and argue for a structural adjustment package. In other regions those packages run to the vicinity of $50m, and we are not hearing a cent of lobbying from this government.
Adam Giles is a disgrace!
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Madam Speaker, one could be forgiven for thinking the Labor opposition, which currently has a motion before this House to, essentially, bring this government to a shuddering halt and drag it down out of government – which is the serious implication of this motion – is being a little disingenuous.
Let us begin by remembering a censure motion is designed to, effectively, bring down a government. It is not just a motion to say ‘you naughty folks’; it is a motion to bring down a government. If it was supported by this House, it would put the opposition on a path to move a motion of no confidence and bring us back to a general election, or them to form government with a majority of members on this floor. That is how serious this motion is.
It was brought on straight after Question Time. Clearly, the members thought, ‘This is the time to bring it on’. It is curious that the opposition peppered Question Time with questions on a number of things. If they were serious about bringing down the government of the Northern Territory, and genuinely believed they could do so by virtue of this motion, they would not have peppered Question Time with questions relating to desperate issues; they would have focused Question Time exclusively on the one issue that would bring down the government.
The member for Nhulunbuy fired off this censure motion. We, as a government, had advised the members opposite the night before we would make a ministerial statement as the first order of business, such is the courtesy they require us to extend to them, and it is what we do as a matter of course. They thought, ‘Well, let’s take control of that debate and bring that motion on first so it appears we have control of the debate over Rio Tinto,’ when they were fully aware they would have this debate almost immediately after Question Time. What you have is an exercise in playing dress ups and, bully for you, you get the first chance to speak and bring on a motion.
Whilst they decide to bring down the government of the Northern Territory, they proceeded down a path of saying, ‘Immediately after lunch what we will do …’ – I note we broke for lunch. ‘We are trying to bring down the government of the Northern Territory, but we must have lunch first.’
Immediately after lunch, a condolence motion was brought forward. Condolence motions tend to have a certain element of precedence in the House, but not subject to a censure motion. If one observes Standing Order 92, it can be seen it is a matter of courtesy to move a condolence motion first.
The genuine attack by the Labor opposition on this government goes as follows: ‘You have stuffed up the Rio Tinto thing so badly you no longer deserve to be a government. We will ask a couple of questions in Question Time then speak about other issues during Question Time. We will then launch into the censure motion, despite the fact we know we will be talking about this issue immediately anyhow. We will break for lunch whilst trying to bring down the government. Following lunch, we will have a condolence motion rather than pursue this attempt to bring down the government. We will finish, after the condolence motion, our attempt to bring down the government.’
It does not sound like a committed attack because it is not. Posturing is what we are seeing from the members opposite because they are frustrated by the one great truth: Rio Tinto stated publicly it is responsible for the decision. It determined to pull the pin on the refinery and it, essentially, will shut down its running operations. It is Rio Tinto, which said, ‘This is our decision,’ and the decision was commercial.
The opposition would like us to impose ourselves on Rio Tinto. They are using a number of arguments to do so, but let us talk about a reference made by the member for Nhulunbuy when she brought this matter on. The reference she made to Rio Tinto was, ‘They are trying to protect their shareholders and, Chief Minister, you must protect your shareholders’.
Too right Rio Tinto must protect its shareholders because it is a legal requirement of this country that Rio Tinto protects its shareholders. I draw members’ attention to Ford’s Principles of Corporations Law, 12th Edition, page 381, where it states the statutory business judgment rule. It says:
A board of a company does not own the company, but operates on behalf of the owners of the company. In this case, it is the shareholders.
It is unusual for a board to make decisions which operate outside the interests of the shareholders. It says:
The refinery at Gove was predicated on a number of assumptions which were, amongst others, based on the price alumina was getting on the international market pre-global financial crisis and the price of energy. If memory serves me, the decision by Alcan to build the refinery was also based on an ability to obtain other sources of energy, such as coal, or gas from New Guinea. One was not permitted to go ahead, and gas from New Guinea did not stack up.
As a consequence, the refinery was required to continue operating on fuel oil, an expensive option. Of course, with the demand on resources starting to drop in the late 1990s, in part because of the global financial crisis, the world found itself in a new environment where fuel remained expensive and the price of alumina went down. All this is publicly available information.
Reaching that position, Rio Tinto approached the Northern Territory government saying, ‘This is an emergency problem’. When I say some time ago, it was when these guys across the Chamber were in power. With this emerging and obvious problem, what did the members opposite do when in government? The short answer is: nothing. They gave very little comfort to Rio Tinto, made no attempt to deal with this issue and thought, ‘We will deal with it after the election because we will win the next election’. Here is the rub: they did not win the election. They found themselves in opposition, and one of the most immediate and pressing issues facing the new Northern Territory government was the problem facing the refinery.
The opposition’s argument is entirely based on the fact there was a settled and secured deal between the Northern Territory government and Rio Tinto. Things were looking up. There was an offer of 300 PJ at the time, and several press releases were issued within a few days of each other by the former Chief Minister, Mr Mills. It is clear from the February press release that no deal had been signed. Indeed, the second last paragraph said:
Rio Tinto made some sort of commitment to the Northern Territory government at the time because a press release a few days later said:
Of course that announcement was welcomed at the time, but it was well-understood and well-known that was not a final sealed deal. Much is made of the title in that media release, but the substance of it makes it clear there was no finalised deal at that point. I quote:
There was no finalised deal because parties to that arrangement had not signed off on the final arrangement.
As time passed, the Northern Territory saw a change of leadership and a new structure was in place in relation to Rio Tinto. By the time that negotiation process was over, there was sufficient gas for purpose available to Rio Tinto.
At this point, I ask honourable members to cast their minds back to what I said at the outset in relation to shareholders. The decision before Rio Tinto was whether or not, now they had sufficient gas, they would proceed with the refinery, and they said no. That was not based on the negotiation process. Negotiations happen in business on a regular basis and are a normal part of the business arrangement, and negotiators on both sides change position from time to time. The important thing in that process was the outcome, which was sufficient gas was being offered to Rio Tinto.
However, times have moved on, prices change, markets change, company expectations change, and Rio Tinto has finally made an announcement consistent with its duty to its shareholders, and I understand that.
I also hear the comment that the Northern Territory government has shareholders, and we do. In fact every jurisdiction has shareholders, and this is the illusion to the voting public. I hear that argument but, as controversial as it may seem for some in this House, the shareholding arrangements of the government are not dissimilar to the shareholding arrangements of a company in the sense we have to operate for the true welfare of our shareholders, or in this case the people of the Northern Territory. Whilst I have deep sympathy for the trauma caused to the people of Nhulunbuy, we also have to remain mindful that we have a duty to the people of the Northern Territory.
The members opposite would argue we have to continue pouring resources into the Nhulunbuy area as though it is the only area in the Northern Territory; that is the expectation members opposite are pursuing. In reality, we have to address it in a manner that works, as far as possible, for the interests of the people in Nhulunbuy and the people of the Northern Territory as a whole. That means we have to also work with Rio Tinto, and we place a great burden on Rio Tinto to say it also has to stump up. We have made no secret of the fact we expect Rio Tinto to stump up. However, it is pointless to argue we have to work independently of Rio Tinto and do all the things members opposite want. It would not be productive if we were working at counter purpose to Rio Tinto and expending money in ways not leading to the best possible outcome for people in the Nhulunbuy area.
I also turn my attention to the last bastion of defence in the member’s censure motion, the lease arrangements. In the last year or so this government has written four times reminding Rio Tinto of its obligations under the lease, and we are awaiting Rio Tinto’s response with bated breath. What I would not counsel, or expect the Chief Minister to do at any stage, is launch into a public fight with Rio Tinto about this until we have determined what the ground looks like. I will leave that matter and its advancement to the Chief Minister, who will report to this House later this week.
The censure motion’s execution was, at best, pedestrian and, at worst, awful. It was done with passion and desire nowhere near the requisite anger to suggest to members in this House a government should fall over it, which is, essentially, what they are arguing. As far as we on this side are concerned, there is nothing to support this motion of censure. It has not been well-executed or well-argued. It is more about the political positioning of the members opposite than the needs and desires of the people of the Northern Territory and, in this case, Nhulunbuy.
Madam Speaker, if the members opposite were serious it would be much less about posturing and what position they could have on a committee and much more about the true welfare of the people of the Northern Territory. This motion is not supported.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, originally I was not intending to speak on this censure motion, but when I discovered we may not have the statement I thought I would put my two bob’s worth in now.
As an outsider looking in, I do not want to say too much about this. You must always be very careful you do not make grand statements about a place you only visited a number of times. I have had an interest in Nhulunbuy, especially in local government days.
I will speak more as someone who has watched this debate through the newspapers and listened to political comment. Even though we have a great deal of rhetoric and a censure motion, we can easily dwell on the past. I think of a certain Rio manager, Mr Tom Albanese, who was sacked. He fell on his sword because he spent a great deal of Rio’s money purchasing the Alcan division. That cost a large amount of their profits because it happened just before the global economic crisis.
The article which gives the exact amount they spent on the alumina refinery is in the Hellenic Shipping News, of all things, and says:
There were also some underlying issues about the profitability of what was happening at Nhulunbuy, probably long before the concerns we are dealing with today came to the surface.
I also believe – and I take what the member for Port Darwin said – we are here for the welfare of the people of the Northern Territory. Perhaps it is an opportunity for us to say, ‘Things are not good, but can we work together as a group to see what we can salvage from this serious situation at Nhulunbuy?’ We know at least 1000 workers will lose their jobs over the next eight months, but what has not emerged is that many people dependent on mine workers will lose their jobs. There will be the tyre fitters, electricians, the lawn mowing people, and all those service industries that earn their keep servicing the mine workers – the small industries and shops in a town that size. They will have an uncertain future when 1000 workers and their families are removed from the community.
I was interested in the recent radio comments from the chairman of INPEX that there was a possibility workers on the INPEX project – a lot of the workers have probably tried to get away from this – being able to fly to Darwin from Gove and stay at the workers camp at Howard Springs if there are positions available for them.
I understand by next year the INPEX village will have close to 3500 workers. If there is an opportunity, through Sean Kildare and INPEX, to provide at least some lifeline to those workers who may wish to stay in the Northern Territory – many people living in Nhulunbuy love being there and love living in the Northern Territory – it would be good. It would allow them to work on the INPEX project and keep their families in Nhulunbuy. Many families have two people working, and if there are cutbacks in teaching or health it may not be possible to survive there with only one working.
They were also talking about tourism. One of the new tourism groups did not necessarily see it as a good idea to open Nhulunbuy up for tourism. They did not want a huge number of tourists in Nhulunbuy. They were looking at more specialised tourism for people who wanted to experience Yolngu culture amongst people living on homelands. I can understand that people who can afford it would appreciate having the opportunity to learn about Yolngu culture firsthand.
If we are realistic about tourism, we will not make a big dent in the economy relying on the top of the market. There is scope for grey nomads and people of that economic level who would like to visit places like Nhulunbuy and enjoy the beautiful beaches, perhaps go fishing and include a cultural experience as well. This would have to be at a price that was not prohibitive.
I do not want to speak as the know-all from outside, but it is a great place to fish; you do not need to be an outsider to know that. It has beautiful beaches and beautiful scenery. The scenery alone is worth seeing. If people are looking at the tourist angle, it would be great for those who could afford it to learn from people who live in the area. It is a special experience which may not be affordable for everyone.
That does not mean people are running all over the place. It could be controlled and offer tours and have Aboriginal people running fishing ventures. I presume there are already fishing charter companies there. Of course, that will not happen unless the road was of a standard which would allow people to travel through easily. If you opened up the road it would open opportunities for communities on the road, like Bulman and Barunga, to provide services for people travelling, whether it is motels, a roadhouse and those types of things.
Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done. I do not know how many more rivers need to be crossed.
A major issue I might talk about later is ownership of the road. If any work is to be done on the road I believe it needs approval from traditional owners. Talking to contractors, I understand there are some practical issues with that. It is not quite a case of, ‘Let’s bituminise the road,’ which would be expensive in the first place, but other issues need overcoming.
The disappointing thing about gas not going out there is it was not just for Nhulunbuy. There were opportunities for communities along the way to move off diesel, which is regarded as the more polluting form of energy for many communities. Many of them run off diesel generators, some have diesel generators and solar. Gas created an opportunity for those communities to be taken off that form of energy and put onto a cleaner form.
Even though we are talking about the loss of 1000 jobs, there are other downsides to this serious situation. The member for Nhulunbuy, regardless of all the insults across the floor, has done a great job in opposition. It is not too hard, even in my job, to have a great deal of influence on big decisions when not in government. Sometimes you have to make a noise. Sometimes that is the only way to bring to the government’s attention that things are not going well.
Even though there has been some friction, I hope the Chief Minister, although he did not give a straight answer – if you do not have the member for Nhulunbuy on the committee you are not working for the welfare of the people of the Northern Territory. People in Nhulunbuy are people of the Northern Territory, and I get tired of seeing the odd SMS saying, ‘Too bad, that is life. Mining towns close down. You are on a good wicket.’
These people are Territorians who have lived in the Territory for a long time and love the Northern Territory. It could easily happen to others. We have quite a number of mines in the Northern Territory. If McArthur River closed, as it did several years ago when there was legal action against it – that hurt the community severely. Let us not start picking on the people of Nhulunbuy with, ‘I am okay, too bad for you’.
If INPEX closed tomorrow and the Commonwealth government decided to shift all the soldiers south, Darwin would go back to being a country town. We rely on a lot of outside influence to ensure the city of Darwin continues as it is today.
Although I will not be voting on this motion, this gives me the opportunity to say the people with the power and ability to bring everyone together to work through this for the best possible solution for the people of Nhulunbuy should be the ones speaking up now.
I am not a Nhulunbian, if that is what you call them …
A member: A Govite.
Mr WOOD: A Govite sounds like someone from Slovakia, but there were comments and people heard them. They were joking comments not said to hurt, but they were hurting. When some of these issues came up there was a play on words about the name. Those little things do not need to be said when a community is in trouble.
The past is the past, and you will not change anything if you hammer it forever and a day. Now is the time to work together to bury the hatchet and get the best solution for the people of Nhulunbuy. It is not only the people of Nhulunbuy; East Arnhem Shire surrounds that area. What effect will that have on East Arnhem Shire as well as the services it provides? It is based in Nhulunbuy and provides services for the community in that region.
Many negative spin offs will occur from the loss of jobs in Nhulunbuy. We should take a big deep breath, see if we can work together and get the politics out because there is no politics in this. This is people’s job, their community, their family, there are schools and hospitals, a lot of people, and this is the Territory. If you want to be blunt, the Territory’s economy will have a downside as well.
I hope those knowledgeable about matters in Nhulunbuy and who know people know what can be done. I hope the federal government will be positive about this as well.
I recently asked – I did not get the greatest answer in the world – about the money Tasmanians are receiving – I think $3500 – to help the unemployed. In the statement the Assistant Minister for Employment said, in response to a question from the member for Bass, there was also assistance for workers to travel to jobs throughout Tasmania. Obviously, they want employment and will pay for people to travel to where the jobs are. I am not saying they had to move home, but there is a Commonwealth government program to assist where unemployment is a major problem. Nhulunbuy will have a major unemployment problem so I see a role for the Commonwealth. I hope our federal members, especially those in government, will be working hard to introduce a similar program to that in Tasmania which could be applied for the workers of the Northern Territory. That would be a positive outcome as well.
I will leave it at that. At this stage the contribution we need to make is one of unity rather than disunity because the people of Nhulunbuy and the surrounding area deserve that. Thank you.
The Assembly divided:
Ayes 8 Noes 15
Motion negatived.
Continued from 9 October 2013.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Speaker, the Territory Labor opposition will not be opposing this bill. It will, once again, be presenting a clear alternative for the minister to consider.
I thank the minister’s staff for arranging my briefing. It is very clear this amendment converts fees and charges via regulations; therefore, it will be easier to administer. They will have the flow-on effect of increasing under a regulation as opposed to the more complex legislative instrument of the act.
It was also cited that there has been no increase in fees since 1983, the fees in the Territory are low, with Western Australia and South Australia used as comparative jurisdictions, and there was no real opposition from industry.
It was good to talk to the departmental officials about other areas and relationships with this legislation, the discussion around onshore pipelines and offshore pipelines, and the opportunities for the Northern Territory. Once again, the Territory opposition puts the case forward from many industry stakeholders who talk about an environment around providing incentives and an environment simply focused on revenue and charges. With the opportunities coming online in the Northern Territory, particularly in relation to offshore and onshore oil and gas exploration, and the potential for the pipeline grid that will not only provide energy for the Northern Territory but also the opportunity to become a real stakeholder in supplying energy to that hungry east coast market, the whole focus should be on supporting exploration, supporting industry and providing a secure environment that welcomes and provides incentives for exploration, That will, in turn, deliver production and those important projects.
This is pretty straightforward – a simple amendment. We offer our alternative on behalf of a number of stakeholders who have wished to have their views heard in this debate. It was interesting to talk to those stakeholders about the unique nature of the Territory and doing business in the Territory. They represent big industry, in many cases shareholders, and they represent profits for those shareholders. However, the challenges around doing business in the Territory relating to climatic conditions, remoteness, the intricacies of access to land and the extra costs incurred when working in frontier country need to be acknowledged in regard to governments providing a balance. I have made that point in previous debates, and we will continue to make the point as the Territory opposition. However, not wishing to go against the amendment bill, we do not have a problem with its passage through this House.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I also support the bill put forward by the minister for Energy and other things.
I understand why this amendment has been put forward and, thanks to the staff of the Assembly, I found the original second reading speech of Mr Tuxworth, the Minister for Mines and Energy at that time. As we know, he was eventually the Chief Minister then no longer the Chief Minister. It was interesting to read the purpose of this legislation in regard to permits and licences. He also stated that provision was made to prevent the development of a monopoly situation by requirement of a licensee to transport energy producing hydrocarbons owned by other persons.
When it was set up in 1981 it was to provide the correct inspection and safety measures, regulations, and who would own the pipeline.
I am aware the legislation talks about taking the fees out of the bill and putting them into the regulations. My question for the minister in relation to movement of the charges is: why was the formula not moved out because the formula could be changed? The formula seems to have been left in the bill and the charges put into the regulations. I gather the reason those charges were put into the regulations was it makes it much easier for the minister to adjust them rather than changing the act. I noted, when reading the bill, the formula that allows you to come up with that fee is still within the act. It is only a minor thing, but it just …
Mr Westra van Holthe: What section, Gerry?
Mr WOOD: I do not have it in front of me; I just have a note. It must be in relation to clause 6, which relates to section 30, which is amended. Perhaps I have it wrong, but I understood the fee moves out of the legislation. I do not know if you have clause 7 there or whether that puts the formula – it does not, it just says a fee of $25.
It was a technical question. I did not go for a briefing on this because I did not have any major concerns.
Mr Westra van Holthe: I have an answer for you.
Mr WOOD: Okay. This is an important piece of legislation which is probably due for an upgrade. I was wondering why we charged a fee. It is a pipeline, why charge a fee? Of course, there is a fair bit of administration in relation to this. Maybe I should mention something that was in Mr Tuxworth’s second reading speech:
It says one of the reasons for fees is they are related to administrative costs incurred. Perhaps the minister might explain what the administrative costs are in relation to gas pipelines in the Northern Territory.
Apart from that, I do not have any major concerns. With the increasing possibility of gas onshore we will either get more pipelines or this pipeline will get more use, but it is very important for the development of the Northern Territory.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, thank you to the members opposite and the member for Nelson for their support of this bill. It is a simple amendment to the act which facilitates the removal of any reference to licence fees from the act and places them in the regulations. The reason is that any changes to the licence fees have to go through a process under the act which makes it far more difficult to achieve. In regulations the fees are easy to achieve. It is also brings this legislation into line with other legislation in the Northern Territory where fees are generally prescribed through the regulations.
In answer to the question from the member for Nelson with respect to the formula listed under section 30 of the current act, in the amendment, member for Nelson, the reference is that under clause 6 – section 30(1), omitting all the words after ‘a licence fee’ – a licence fee appears in the top of that section on the second line, after which the reference is to the formula, the $100 fee, and the formula for prescribing a fee. That whole section is removed so there is no further reference to a formula in the act.
In administration of the pipeline I would need some further information from the department. Considering it in the time I have had, there would be administrative matters around the title over which pipelines run. There is constantly interaction between the department and the operators of pipelines, so there are some ongoing administrative tasks with a pipeline, even though it is built and in situ. Those would be the types of administrative tasks covered through the collection of fees.
The changes proposed and the fees that will apply in the future will bring the Northern Territory closer in line with the fee structure of other states in Australia; it gives us some parity with the other states. We are very cognisant of the Northern Territory maintaining its competitive edge with our fee structures, but also the way we approach the oil and gas sector as a whole. Our mantra about being open for business is the case, and we will not detract from that by the imposition of any fees which would take us seriously out of line with competing jurisdictions.
I hope that satisfies the member for Nelson. I thank the opposition and the member for Nelson for their input this afternoon. These changes will make life easier for the regulator, being the Department of Mines and Energy.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Mines and Energy) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
Continued from 10 October 2013.
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Madam Speaker, I speak on behalf of the opposition in relation to the Community Housing Providers (National Uniform Legislation) Bill and say at the outset we support this important bill. I will be brief in my remarks in relation to this bill. I thank the Housing minister and his office for providing me with a briefing a few weeks ago.
This bill is a body of work which has been in progress since agreement by COAG in 2011, and it recognises the importance of growing the community housing sector as part of the reform agenda set out in the National Affordable Housing Agreement.
I had the Housing portfolio as a shadow responsibility for a few months after the election. The member for Wanguri joined us in February and took on the portfolio, and it has returned to me in recent weeks. I am very happy to have it back as one of my responsibilities, recognising it is a key area not just for this jurisdiction, but governments around the country. I also recognise home ownership is becoming incredibly hard for people. It is important, therefore, to grow not just public affordable sector, but to also support community housing, recognising they are not-for-profit providers, charitable organisations whose principal priority is the management and development of long-term rental housing for those on low to moderate incomes. We should also recognise that our community housing sector addresses the issue of community members who are dealing with housing stress by providing affordable rental housing. This then creates opportunities to keep people out of poverty, on a pathway to economic participation and, potentially, through the community housing sector, to eventually provide people with the opportunity to enter into the affordable housing market.
I understand in the Northern Territory there are some 20 providers of community housing. I confess I am not familiar with all of them, but am familiar with the work Yilli Rreung does in Darwin. It does a fantastic job in providing affordable housing for families doing it really tough. We know access to affordable housing in the Northern Territory is a real challenge, and that challenge is growing. People are under enormous pressure with rising costs associated with power and water charges. Accommodation in the private market in Darwin is beyond too many people. For that reason, we see those who can leave the Territory, but those who cannot need access to community housing.
My understanding is this national uniform legislation creates a registration process: a regulatory system to keep an eye on this sector. In the registration process there are three tiers associated with the size of the service a provider is providing to tenants. One of the positives – I am sure there are many positives in this bill – is a registration process which goes across borders. This means once you are registered in one jurisdiction – this applies to the larger providers – that registration is recognised across borders.
When the former government attracted Venture Housing to the Northern Territory as a community housing sector provider, it had to go through a registration process. Under this new national uniform legislation a provider only has to go through the registration process once, and that has to be a bonus.
I understand a trial is operating in New South Wales, the biggest provider of community housing. The community housing provider sector looks after some 29 000 social and affordable housing tenancies in New South Wales, a huge proportion of social housing.
Anything that makes it easier to attract the larger players into this sector has to be a bonus. I recognise there was a consultation process in the Northern Territory. I did not attend these consultations – they were held some time ago – but I believe they were held in Darwin and Alice Springs, and stakeholders who attended the briefings welcomed this national uniform legislation.
Madam Speaker, whether you are the minister or the shadow, you are on the mailing list for all these organisations. I look forward to catching up with NT Shelter and NTCOSS in the next few weeks. I note, the pre-budget submission put in by NTCOSS for 2014, as they do each year to the government of the day, highlights housing and the role of the not-for-profit sector in supporting the development of community housing. They made specific reference in their document to the fact the government has highlighted it in its Framing the Future blueprint. We hope the Northern Territory government, as previous governments have done, continues to support this sector, recognising we have a growing number of people looking for support here. Therefore, supporting and growing this sector to support the tenants who need it is critical. If this bill goes some way to achieving that, members on this side welcome that.
Mr CONLAN (Housing): Madam Speaker, I will be quick in wrapping this up. This bill has support of both sides of the House and has done since its introduction at COAG in 2011. It is critical in bringing our community housing sector up to a national standard and that is all this bill seeks to do. It is to provide a set of national standards and guidelines for community housing providers in the Territory. They play a vital and critical role, on behalf of the Northern Territory government, in our community housing sector. It is a bit of a no-brainer. It is good that support was forthcoming from this government when in opposition, and it is good to see it has the support of the previous government, now in opposition.
I appreciate the support, the comments, and I thank the opposition for its support. I thank the office for pulling the bill together.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I seek leave to overcome the no repeat rule contained in Standing Order 134 and to immediately move a motion to require the Assembly reverse the decision of 27 November 2013 to permit the passage of the Local Government Amendment (Restructuring Bill) 2013 (Serial 60) through all stages in this sittings of the Assembly.
Leave denied.
The Assembly divided:
Ayes 9 Noes 15
Mr Westra van Holthe
Motion negatived.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
A Road Map for the Future
Mr STYLES (Transport): Madam Speaker, the Country Liberal government has declared the Territory is open for business. Everyone knows the three most important things about property are location, location and location. If you travel four hours south from Darwin by air, you will reach all six mainland capital cities, 20 major trading ports, 23 international airports and just under 23 000 000 people. However, if you travel the same distance north you reach eight international capital cities, 36 major trading ports, 69 international airports and 485 000 000 people. That is over 20 times Australia’s population.
The equation is simple. Proximity to Asia, which is already the world’s biggest and fastest growing regional economy, is the Territory’s greatest advantage and makes us unique in the Australian economy. If we are to achieve our goals of economic and social development, we have to maximise our trade, with the priority of Japan, China and Indonesia, and foster and develop the emerging markets of Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
The Territory also has significant natural advantages relating to agriculture, mineral and energy resources, and tourism. We have to expand the current trade sectors for oil and gas, mining and live cattle.
We have to develop the agricultural, international education and training sectors, and we have to foster tourism development based on our unique cultural and physical environment. I see transport as a key enabler for achieving the Country Liberals’ vision for the Territory to become Australia’s trading route and logistics hub into Asia.
I was pleased to read a speech given by the Commonwealth Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Hon Warren Truss MP, at the Sustainable Economic Growth for Regional Australia national conference in October this year.
Mr Truss described the new Australian government’s vision as remote Australia needs to be, and will be, front and centre in the national consciousness. This vision is based on driving real competitive advantage and productivity improvements through public and private investment. Central to the vision is a commitment to deliver a fairer share to those who live outside the capital cities. They are committed to improving social and community infrastructure, supporting small business and entrepreneurship and facilitating access to education regardless of where you live.
There are many governance challenges in remote Australia, and the Giles government is working on a number of ways to make improvements. This is not only an issue for the Northern Territory, as approximately 85% of the Australian land mass can be considered remote from centres of economic and political decision-making.
Conversely, 85% of the Australian population lives within 50 km of the coastline, predominantly the eastern seaboard and, whether we like it or not, they have the most political clout. Mr Truss appropriately acknowledges that regional Australia makes up a significant contribution to the national economy. He has committed that regional Australia will be at the heart of the Australian government’s decision-making by considering the economic, environmental and social impacts of policy decisions on regional areas.
We will work in close partnership with the Australian government as we open up northern Australia with its vast untapped resources to create a stronger and more prosperous Australia. Both levels of government realise that unlocking the potential in northern Australia will require a solid policy platform and effective collaboration between governments and industry.
Alice Springs Transport Infrastructure and Services Forum: I am pleased to advise the Assembly that at the recent Standing Council on Transport and Infrastructure meeting, all ministers unanimously agreed with the Northern Territory’s proposal to hold a remote and regional transport and infrastructure services forum in Alice Springs in May next year to coincide with the next Infrastructure and Transport ministers meeting.
The forum will be attended by the Deputy Prime Minister, ministers, senior government officials and industry and community organisations. It will firmly place remote and regional transport issues on the national agenda. Issues to be discussed at the forum will include transport infrastructure. We must acknowledge that the economic and social development of regional and remote Australia requires substantial investment in transport infrastructure. Remote infrastructure project proposals need to be assessed on social as well as economic benefit criteria.
A more appropriate funding framework is needed urgently to ensure investment in roads, rail, aviation and port facilities drive growth in northern Australia. We will continue to grow transport services not just in Darwin and Alice Springs, but in our regional areas, providing sustainable growth and new business opportunities in remote communities.
Closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage will not be achieved unless we tackle these services and issues head on with real jobs, access to basic services and economic independence and the fundamental drivers of change. A licence is more than an approval to drive for an Aboriginal Australian living in remote Australia; it is a passport to success through jobs.
This government is committed to investing in inter- and intra-community transport services because we know these services will improve the lives of Aboriginal Australians by providing access to health and other government services, transporting children to school and their parents to work every day and decreasing the over-representation of Aboriginal Australians in road trauma.
Regulation: there is an urgent need to simplify regulation at the state and national level to minimise the compliance burden on businesses and increase economic productivity and participation in remote Australia. There will be little economic advancement in remote Australia without such reform.
Supporting the development of economical transport and freight routes through remote parts of the Territory will keep remote communities alive. It will only happen if we create a better balance between the regulatory burden we place on the transport providers and the maintenance of transport safety.
Governance: a one-size-fits-all approach to reform is unlikely to meet the needs of remote and regional Australia where communities have different challenges. All levels of government need to work together with industry and the community to create policy settings that promote economic investment and social development in remote areas.
The outcome of the Alice Springs forum will be a commitment by all governments to a national, regional and remote transport infrastructure and services delivery underpinned by integrated place-based community plans.
The white paper on developing northern Australia: I welcome the Australian government’s commitment to a white paper on developing northern Australia. The Australian government has raised the prospect that by 2030 Northern Australia could drive growth by developing a food bowl, including premium produce which could help to double Australia’s agricultural output, growing the tourist economy in the north to two million international tourists annually and building an energy export industry worth $150bn to the economy, with a major focus on clean and efficient energy providing major increases to resource exports.
There are also opportunities to leverage some of Australia’s broader strengths within the regions, including establishing a world-class medical centre of excellence in the north, creating an educational hub with world-class vocational and higher education campuses in selected areas, and growing Australia’s export of technical skills related to resources and agriculture into a $7bn a year industry.
I look forward to the Territory’s input into the Australian government’s white paper, particularly to ensure appropriate investment is made in transport planning, infrastructure, logistics and services to our mutual goal of developing northern Australia. Our work in the remote and regional transport infrastructure and services forum will provide valuable input into this process.
I move to the Framing the Future policy. The Northern Territory government’s Framing the Future policy provides a blueprint for the continued strengthening of the Territory’s economy, environment, culture and society. To enable the Territory to achieve the objectives in this blueprint and reach its full and economic growth potential, we require sustainable, reliable and safe transport infrastructure and services which meet industry and community needs.
The government’s vision for Darwin and the Territory to become Australia’s trading route and logistics hub into Asia is dependent upon access to appropriate transport infrastructure. Without good transport systems and reliable supply chains, people cannot easily access and participate in society and take up new opportunities. In the same way, the contribution of business and industry to the growth and wealth of the Territory and Territorians cannot be maximised.
I move to the Integrated Transport Planning and Investment Roadmap. The Country Liberals government has achieved great results for Territorians in its first year in government and will continue to deliver the must-needed reforms to stimulate the economy and build a strong future for all Territorians. From an internal Northern Territory government perspective, we need to create a system to ensure targeted, evidence-based strategic transport infrastructure planning is undertaken. The planning needs to be well coordinated across government agencies and to include input from end users, including our major industry groups.
Today, I am announcing the commencement of a consultation process across transport industries and other key stakeholders that will articulate our long-term vision and result in a road map for the development of transport infrastructure, services and safety across the Territory.
The Northern Territory government has a clear commitment to take action to build the Territory into a significant transport and logistics hub through to 2030 for the benefit of all Territorians and, of course, Australia as a whole. To ensure this commitment translates into real action, there is a need for a realistic long-term plan for developing the Territory’s transport infrastructure and services, roads and bridges, ports and barge landings, railways, airports and aerodromes to ensure transport provides the necessary foundations to drive economic growth.
The Northern Territory is over 1.3 million square kilometres, or 17.5% of the Australian land mass. We have a population of approximately 220 000, with most resident in the greater Darwin area and Alice Springs. The remainder, including 75% of our Aboriginal population, live in sparsely populated regional and remote areas. The Territory is, therefore, heavily reliant on the Australian government to co-fund infrastructure investment. Increased Commonwealth funding is required to support economically and socially targeted infrastructure such as our national highway system and port development. A critical step in this process is the need for collaboration between government and major industry and community stakeholders to determine priorities. It also includes the need for collaborative infrastructure funding, construction, and implementation through partnerships in the infrastructure improvement process. To guide long-term transport, planning and investment, the Northern Territory government will develop a high level road map for integrated transport planning and investment, in consultation with industry and the community.
This road map will practically and realistically define the Territory’s transport infrastructure and service needs and priorities, bottlenecks and barriers. It will determine where we need to invest in the future and how projects can best be funded and delivered.
Core to this government’s transport plan are three clear transport priorities in the areas of:
2. transforming our transport services
The Northern Territory Integrated Transport Planning and Investment Roadmap will provide a framework to support these priorities. Over the next 12 months, we will use the road map to develop clear, long-term strategies on the key areas of land freight network protection, freight and logistics industry requirements, including for the maritime and the aviation sectors, a road and bridge infrastructure provision and passenger transport service and infrastructure needs, including aviation, public transport and commercial passenger vehicle requirements.
The Department of Transport and I will lead discussions with a range of stakeholders to ensure the road map for the future accurately captures the key issues which impact on transport providers and users. We will need to engage with public transport users as well as members of the tourism, heavy vehicle, construction and resource industries. We will take written and online submissions, and hold face-to-face meetings and ensure we engage with regional parts of the Territory.
I will now summarise what we have achieved to date and what we plan to do into the future to create a transport sector which facilitates economic and social growth for all Territorians.
The first is strategic planning to enable infrastructure and major projects. The greater Darwin transport planning, one of the first initiatives of the Country Liberals government, was to set up the NT Planning Commission to have a centralised, strategic planning role. The planning commission is currently preparing a greater Darwin land use plan which will incorporate key regional transport issues, including road, rail, ports, airports, ferries and public transport.
My Department of Transport has undertaken a comprehensive transport study for the greater Darwin region, including the development of a multimodal travel demand model. My department will work closely with the Planning Commission to ensure the outcome of both their respective works are truly integrated land use and transport strategies to facilitate economic and social development of the Northern Territory. This will mean we can better plan road infrastructure upgrades and public transport improvements in Darwin and make better evidence-based investment and timing decisions.
In Katherine, the Planning Commission is developing a land use plan which will consider the planned regional transport hub to service Ord River proposals and the region’s pastoral, mining and horticultural industries.
I move to freight and logistics. The Australian government has worked with all jurisdictions, including the Northern Territory Department of Transport, to develop the national land freight strategy. As part of this work we have identified the priority corridors for future development and improvement, including the Stuart, Victoria and Barkly Highways, as well as the Arnhem, Roper, Carpentaria, Plenty, Sandover and Lasseter Highways and the Tanami Road.
Much has already been achieved with our freight routes, including upgrades to Tiger Brennan Drive and access to our port via Berrimah Road. We have also, in partnership with INPEX, upgraded the Arnhem Highway and Stuart Highway intersections and Jenkins Road to assist in the safe transport of rock associated with the INPEX development.
Upgrading the Territory’s major freight corridors will open up development opportunities relating to mining, agriculture, tourism and live cattle exports.
My Department of Transport is currently developing a Northern Territory freight and logistic strategy which will identify industry needs and start protecting and developing our important transport and infrastructure corridors, areas and facilities for long-term planning purposes.
Observing the issues being faced by our interstate colleagues as they try to establish rail and road corridors through congested urban centres has provided the Territory with an important message about the importance of protecting our urban corridors and planning strategically for future development of our transport systems.
I now move to roads. Roads are essential to the economic and social development of the Territory. The Northern Territory government is responsible for 22 000 km of the Territory’s vast 36 000 km of road networks. Seventy-six per cent of this network is unsealed.
The Territory’s regional road network requires significant upgrading to improve accessibility, reduce the cost of doing business and promote economic and social development. With such an extensive percentage of the network being unsealed, we are starting from a very low infrastructure base when we plan any upgrading or improvement works.
The condition of our roads and the availability of year-round access significantly impacts on the Territory’s key industries and delivery of important services. The poor quality of our roads, many of which are closed for months during the Wet Season, restrict heavy vehicle access, impeding business efficiencies and profitability. However, the economic benefits of roads are only one aspect. Roads also contribute to the social cohesion of communities, in particular those in remote and regional areas. They enable people to connect and are essential for transiting people to a better life, including employment, appropriate education and health services.
One of the biggest challenges when upgrading and maintaining road networks and building bridges is making the dollar stretch further. As an indicator of costs, upgrading a rural arterial road from unsealed to a good gravel standard can cost up to $300 000 per kilometre, and strengthening and widening national highway pavements can cost up to $900 000 per kilometre.
Significantly, the costs of repairing and maintaining the road network have steadily increased over the years, and, as the Territory network continues to expand, this will increase further. Commonwealth funding is increasingly difficult to obtain when projects are subject to economic benefit cost analysis. This type of analysis leans towards high volume road projects and has limited scope to consider regional and remote issues which, in their early stages, are focused on achieving economic growth through the creation of social development opportunities.
The Northern Territory government is working closely with our federal colleagues to resolve the issues we are facing in competing for funding to enable the Territory’s needs to be assessed on a more level playing field. I welcome minister Truss’s comment to negotiate five-year infrastructure plans with each jurisdiction, particularly given the Australian government’s focus on developing Northern Australia.
I will be strongly advocating for Australian government funding to assist us in achieving our economic and social development goals. I have also asked my Department of Transport to assist with pulling together a Territory roads and bridges strategy which will focus on the future prioritised development of these vital transport assets and deal with the challenges we face in managing and upgrading the network which I have outlined today.
I move to infrastructure to support resource development. The Northern Territory government has recently been provided with $1.2m in funding from the Australian government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund to undertake a Territory-wide planning study which will determine what infrastructure is required to support resource-related economic development throughout the regional areas of the Northern Territory. The study will focus on identifying general community infrastructure needs such as housing, schools, health centres, trade training centres etcetera, utility infrastructure needs such as power, water, waste water and telecommunications, and transport infrastructure needs across the entire logistics supply chain, including roads, bridges, ports, rail and aerodromes.
The outcome of the study due to be completed in 2014 will be the development of a prioritised program of recommended regional infrastructure works. This information will assist with making better use of available funding in delivering infrastructure which is essential to support the future resource sector and developing regional communities. Importantly, industry will be closely consulted in developing the prioritised programs of works.
I now move to the key strategic infrastructure of ports, rail and aerodromes. The Territory’s ports provide export infrastructure critical to our future economic growth and development. The port of Darwin has a diverse shipping trade, including containerised traffic, bulk materials and liquids, liquefied natural gas, live cattle, cruise ship and Navy visits, and a coastal barge trade supplying remote communities and offshore petroleum support. Our Marine Supply Base is under construction adjacent to the East Arm Wharf, which will form a key link in the logistics chain, servicing offshore oil and gas platforms.
The other significant ports of Gove, Groote Eylandt and Bing Bong support exports from world-class mining and mineral processing projects along with some processing imports and fuel.
We know existing port facilities, processes and regulation needs modernising. We also need a strategic approach to the development of a second port and associated industrial estate in the Top End to service growth in bulk minerals and petroleum and gas production.
The Department of the Chief Minister is leading work on the long-term proposal for a second port in the Territory. My Department of Transport is leading work on creating an appropriate regulatory regime for ports across the Northern Territory. We require appropriately regulated world-class port facilities to help grow the Territory as a freight gateway to Asia.
I move to the north south rail line, a key piece of infrastructure for the development of the Territory. Bulk minerals now account for the majority of tonnage carried on the Alice Springs to Darwin rail line. Further investment opportunities are envisaged which will see further growth in the carriage of bulk minerals and containerised goods. However, this increase in demand will be restricted in future years by track constraints. The growth in bulk minerals rail carriage will only come from increasing the capacity on the existing rail. It may also come from investment in new railway lines connecting the existing rail infrastructure to new resource projects and new resource hubs, such as Mt Isa, the Ord River Scheme and the new port, once developed.
I move to aerodromes and barge landings. Many may not be aware that the Northern Territory government maintains 69 remote aerodromes and 14 barge landings. Neither the Northern Territory nor the Australian government is prepared to invest in major capital works without securing appropriate land tenure. This is an issue of significance, with many aerodromes and barge landings on Aboriginal land. The vital importance of transport infrastructure to the wellbeing and development of remote Territorians is recognised. For some Territorians, the local aerodrome may be the only point of access to medical and other vital services during the Wet Season when local roads are flooded. As such, we are investing future tenure leasing maintenance and management options to ensure these assets are operated securely into the future.
This includes ensuring the federal Civil Aviation Safety Authority and Office of Transport Security regulatory requirements are met. It should be noted that repairs and maintenance on these assets is ongoing and has not been affected by land tenure issues.
The effect of development, management, expansion, maintenance and regulation of world-class ports, rail, aerodromes and barge landings are key drivers in the development of northern Australia. I therefore look forward to discussing our needs with the new Australian government as part of both the remote transport forum and the white paper on developing northern Australia.
I move to the transport and logistics industry workforce. I make special mention today of the Territory’s transport and logistics industry and the contribution of its operators and workforce to our economy and lifestyle. In the Territory, over 6500 people are directly employed in the transport and logistics industry across all areas. Transport workers provide a supporting role for all other industry sectors of the community. Transport also has a huge variety of occupations to offer, including in areas of engineering, tourism, warehousing logistics, information technology and administration, as well as the traditional transport occupations we all recognise, such as truck, train, bus and taxi drivers, and aviation and marine pilots and their crews.
If you take into account those indirectly employed in transport jobs in other major industries such as the construction and resource areas, the transport and logistics industry has over 12 000 employees. This is a big sector and represents a significant workforce. With freight and passenger demand expected to increase significantly in coming years, we need to ensure we have enough people with the right skills and experience to meet future challenges and an increasing freight task.
Earlier this month I was pleased to launch the Northern Territory’s transport and logistics industry We Carry the Territory campaign. The campaign aims to raise community awareness of the contribution of this important industry to the Territory and the diversity of employment opportunities and career options it has to offer. The event, at the beginning of November, was great and I look forward to many more.
I look forward to continuing to work with the Northern Territory Transport and Logistics Workforce advisory group and promoting career opportunities within the transport sector. Workforce challenges will be incorporated in the freight and logistics strategy being developed by my Department of Transport.
I now move to transforming our transport services. Of course, streamlining motor vehicle registration services is one of those. The Country Liberals government has introduced some major reforms to Motor Vehicle Registry and has made inroads into reducing waiting times, cutting red tape and making a real effort to streamline processes. Motor Vehicle Registry Goyder Road is now open on Saturday mornings and processes approximately 200 transactions every Saturday. We have also introduced a 10-year driver’s licence, removed the need for registration stickers for light vehicles, and adjusted eyesight and vehicle test requirements.
A raft of further service improvements is in the pipeline. This includes future provision for some services through Australia Post retail outlets and other technological and shopfront enhancements. These enhancements will improve customer service by providing more service delivery options to customers, thereby reducing waiting times and lines at motor vehicle registries. Our objective is simple: we need to minimise the need to attend Motor Vehicle Registry to undertake transactions. This will be achieved by better use of technology, including upgrade of the Motor Vehicle Registry computer system, MOVERS, improved Internet and phone pay systems and services through third party providers, including Australia Post and authorised inspectors. Territorians have already proved to be keen adopters of new technology, with online and phone transactions now accounting for over 40% of licence and registration renewals.
Improved passenger transport: the Northern Territory government operates a modern and efficient transport network in Darwin and Alice Springs, with 5.5 million boardings per year on the Darwin bus network alone. Planning for new suburbs includes public transport. This has resulted in new services commencing in July this year to the suburbs of Muirhead, Lyons and Zuccoli. The Department of Transport is planning for the long-term development of the public transport networks in Darwin and Alice Springs to support the growth of these centres.
Public transport use is being encouraged through initiatives such as the provision of WiFi on some buses and at bus interchanges. A new passenger data collection and ticketing system will be implemented across the network in 2014, which will enable enhanced ticketing options to be provided to customers, as well as providing evidence-based data to allow government to move to more effectively plan bus services to meet demand.
The provision of ferry services has taken a big leap forward with the recent announcement of SeaLink Travel Group as the new provider for the Mandorah Ferry Service. In addition, Tiwi Island residents can now travel to and from Darwin by ferry with the commencement of a new trial service which has the capacity of up to 160 passengers. Government has committed to a 12-month trial so we can seriously assess the use of this service through both the Wet and Dry Seasons, and the commercial potential for meeting commuting and tourism demands on the islands. While it is early days, the service is already carrying over 500 local travellers, workers, and tourists between Darwin and the Tiwis on three return services a week.
It is important that public transport services, including school student services, are well-managed and constantly reviewed to ensure the most efficient and effective services are delivered for the public. The contribution of public transport to the social, environmental, safety, economic wellbeing and the general liveability of our community cannot be underestimated.
I move to improved commercial passenger vehicle services: the commercial passenger sector is vital and provides much-needed transport options for Territorians, whether through taxis, mini-buses or private hire cars. The Country Liberals government has implemented commercial passenger vehicle reforms, including converting all peak-period taxi licences to full licences, reviewing operations in Nhulunbuy and Alice Springs, and improving accessibility for people in wheelchairs through increasing the lift incentive and reviewing wheelchair space areas. We will continue to review and improve taxi services and standards to meet the changing needs and expectations of passengers and industry.
I move to the extension of the remote bus trial program. I am pleased to advise that the Territory government has provided $1.2m to enable the successful remote bus trials program to continue for a further three years. The trial bus services operate from Katherine to Borroloola and Numbulwar, from Alice Springs to Santa Teresa, Titjikala, Areyonga, Elliott and Nyirripi, and also include a service which operates along the Gove peninsula connecting Yirrkala, Nhulunbuy, Ski Beach and Wallaby Beach. The initial two-year trial program, commenced in 2011, has proven to be very successful. Over 32 000 passengers have been carried in the Gove area, over 11 000 passengers in the Alice Springs region and over 13 000 in the Katherine region.
The program provides grant funding to commercial operators to enable regular passenger bus services to operate in some remote communities. The services provide an important connection to larger service hubs and access to services such as health and education, as well as other opportunities.
I move to Darwin as a northern Australia aviation hub. I am pleased to advise that the aviation service development function has returned to the Department of Transport from the Department of Business. This function involves the Northern Territory government working closely with airports and airlines to build sustainable air services for the Northern Territory. This task is critical for facilitating air travel for Territory residents and national and international visitors to support the Territory’s tourism industry, a vital part of our economy.
Improving access to the Territory is vital to realising our vision of a strong economy. In recent months we have seen some inroads into this area with Tigerair flying from Melbourne and Sydney to Alice Springs, more Airnorth flights between Darwin and Townsville, Jetstar flying direct from Sydney to Uluru and more services from Darwin to Adelaide. These new services add to the existing flights already offered by Qantas and Virgin Australia.
In addition to existing international services to Darwin through SilkAir, Jetstar and Airnorth, the new international services include AirAsia, Philippine Airlines and now Malaysia Airlines, which has returned to our skies after a decade, with four direct flights to Kuala Lumpur each week. These services add an additional 1300 seats a week in and out of Darwin and will further strengthen the NT’s engagement with the Asian region as well as economic and community ties with Malaysia. Now we have these improved services we need to ensure they remain sustainable and grow over time.
My Department of Transport will lead the development of an aviation industry and services strategy to ensure we are positioned as the north Australian aviation hub and gateway to Asia and beyond. Appropriate aviation infrastructure and services are essential to us realising our goal of developing northern Australia.
Developing active transport options: active transport includes all forms of transport which involve some level of physical activity, such as cycling, walking and public transport. Active transport has the potential to provide multiple positive outcomes. It has health and environmental benefits and, importantly, contributes to making our communities more liveable by reducing traffic and parking problems. The Department of Transport is promoting active transport through a range of initiatives, and there is great potential to build on existing levels of active transport in the Territory.
The recently released State of Australian Cities Report 2013 confirms that 8.6% of Darwin commuters walked or rode a bicycle to work, which is more than any other major capital city. Alice Springs has the highest rate compared with other regional centres around Australia. The NT government manages and maintains an extensive arterial cycle path network in major centres across the Territory. The Australian Bicycle Council’s 2013 Cycling Participation Survey shows levels of cycling in the Territory are consistently higher than other states and territories.
Ongoing development of our cycle path network in recent years, such as the 5.6 km extension of the Stuart Highway cycle path to the north of Katherine and the 5.4 km path from Palmerston to Howard Springs, will continue to increase levels of cycling across the Territory. This is good for the environment, our health and our communities. This year, a new cycling and walking path map for Darwin was developed to encourage bus/bike travel. The new map has been included in the most recent version of the Darwin bus guide.
Combining short cycle trips with public transport journeys is also supported by the provision of secure bicycle enclosures at most major bus interchanges in the Darwin region, including Casuarina and Palmerston, and the park and ride facilities at Coolalinga and Humpty Doo.
I move to improving transport safety. Road safety is everyone’s responsibility. Reducing the risk of death or injury on Territory roads is a major challenge and a priority of the Country Liberals government. Whilst the individual number of deaths changes from year to year, on average 50 people die on our roads each year and around 500 people are seriously injured or require hospitalisation.
Road user behaviours, such as drink-driving and not wearing seat belts, continue to be the major contributors to the Territory fatality rate being over three times the national average. The nature of the road safety problem in the Territory is complex and closely linked to high levels of disadvantage and a sparsely populated, large geographical land mass.
Changing road user attitudes and behaviours through targeted enforcement, education and awareness activities will continue. New road safety legislation is being specifically developed to tackle motorists who repeatedly break the law. Vehicles will be forfeited and impounded for repeat drink-driver and unregistered and unlicensed driving offences. This legislation is expected to be introduced in 2014. We will continue to adopt a safe systems approach to road safety and work with our partners, including the Territory Insurance Office, the Automobile Association of the NT and the community, to make the Territory’s roads safer for drivers, riders, passengers and pedestrians.
Expanding and extending DriveSafe NT Remote Program: for remote Territorians, a licence is more than an approval to drive; it helps you get a job. It allows you to access government and non-government services, including health and education. It links you to social events and regional centres. It is of great concern to the Country Liberals government that Aboriginal Territorians represent 50% of our fatalities, yet make up only 30% of our population. Another serious concern is too many Aboriginal people are getting caught in the justice system because they do not have a licence. Almost 50% of court cases in remote communities are for driving-related offences.
About 82% of all NT prisoners are Aboriginal Australians, and driving offenders make up about 25% of the prison population. On average, 32% of fatalities each year involve an unlicensed driver. The innovative DriveSafe NT Remote Program is changing the way we deliver driver training and licensing services in remote communities. Since the program began in April 2012, nearly 2000 driving licences have been provided, with more than 1000 people being issued a learner licence and more than 300 of those obtaining their provisional licence.
Due to the huge success of the program, additional funding of $4.5m over three years has been approved to extend and expand the program. This will ensure it is delivered to as many remote communities as possible through building suitable partnerships with local organisations.
I move to national regulation. I recently represented the Territory at my first Standing Council on Transport and Infrastructure meeting. From a national reform viewpoint, a major item on the transport agenda has been the move to single national regulators for marine and rail safety and heavy vehicles.
I am pleased to advise that both the national rail and marine regulators are currently operating in the Territory with us delivering both of these reforms on time. However, the previous Labor government was quick to sign up to the national Heavy Vehicle Regulatory Reform without any detail on the benefit to the Territory. The heavy vehicle regulator’s economic report identifies that the Northern Territory could benefit as little as $1.3m over 22 years. We already have a completely open access regime for heavy vehicles with no last mile issues and some of the highest productivity vehicles operating on our network.
Industry has also raised concerns about the national fatigue management regime, which is very prescriptive rather than taking a risk-based approach. This makes it completely unworkable in remote Australia.
Our transport inspectors, including our 384 private sector authorised inspectors, do a remarkable job of working with police across the Territory, ensuring our roads are kept safe for everyone. A total of 7670 vehicles were checked by transport inspectors throughout the Territory from 1 July to 31 October 2013. Of these, 951 have been warned by inspectors and 280 have been breached.
Transport inspectors have participated in 21 joint campaigns with police checking 668 vehicles, issuing 33 defect notices and 71 warnings since 1 July. The collaborative Territory approach to the regulation of heavy vehicles provides a sensible balance between industry demands and safety requirements.
The Country Liberals government has listened to local industry, which supports the continuation of local regulation of heavy vehicles. I, therefore, advised my counterparts that the Northern Territory will continue to support implementation of the national regulatory reform on the understanding we will not commence the national heavy vehicle law and will not proceed to full implementation until the benefits to remote Australia are clearly demonstrated.
I will continue to advocate in the national arena for reforms which benefit the Territory. We have too often allowed ourselves to be captured in the one-size-fits-all approach to national reforms. I will work hard to ensure remote and regional transport issues remain on the national reform agenda and front-of-mind for all transport ministers.
I move to reframing the Department of Transport. Since the Country Liberals government came to office in August 2012, the Department of Transport has been undertaking a fundamental review of its operations, expanding and streamlining its services, delivery capacity, reducing red tape and the burden of compliance, and simplifying its business processes.
Historically, the Department of Transport has operated primarily as a service delivery agency. In the future the department will focus its resources on the delivery of strategic transport policy advice to government and management of service delivery through service providers. The department will focus on evidence-based policy driving strategic development of ports, road, rail and air transport with an emphasis on logistics, freight and passenger transport.
The department refocusing is all about delivering the reforms I have outlined today to ensure the transport sector is ready and able to support the economic and social growth of the Territory, and provide the greatest possible potential for all Territorians to participate and benefit from this growth.
In conclusion, I restate that the Territory is open for business. We have achieved a lot in our first year of government, but we have a long way to go. We need to ensure we have appropriate transport planning and infrastructure, and investment in transport infrastructure, logistics and services to facilitate the economic and social development of the Territory.
Without investment in transport we will not achieve our goals. I look forward to working with the new Australian government, the transport and logistics industries, and the community to continue delivering transport reforms to assist in our goal of economic and social development and inclusion for all Territorians.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the statement.
Mr VATSKALIS (Casuarina): Mr Deputy Speaker, that was an ambitious statement, an attempt to be more than it is. The minister spoke about Asian trade routes, agriculture, planning, resources, and thinly linked them to this portfolio. I quote my colleague, the member for Greatorex, who calls these statements pieces of puff pastry: talks about everything but says nothing. The statement should be renamed A Road Map to Nowhere. The statement sounds like an appeal by the minister to his colleagues, ‘Please give me more money. We need money to do something with infrastructure and transport,’ rather than what he has done for the Territory and for transport.
As I read through the statement last night it struck me that many of the things the minister mentions are either core government business or were started by the previous Labor government. There is nothing really new here other than opening MVR on Saturday, WiFi on buses and $1 for the pensioners to go on a bus – very popular.
He has not done much. There are statements about things to be done, what he wants to do, many forums and consultations, but he has not said he has done anything because he has not.
The minister mentioned talking to the federal government. Of course, he should be talking to the federal government. We did. You and future governments should talk to the federal government. After all, much of the funding for roads comes from the federal government. For example, the funding for Tiger Brennan Drive was an important joint project from both governments when Labor was in power. I hope the CLP will do something similar now it is in power and its colleagues are in power in Canberra.
The Chief Minister, when Minster for Transport, was planning to take $10m in Commonwealth funds earmarked for the Katherine bypass until the council intervened and objected to it. This has not been delivered yet. Minister, what are you doing about it?
The minister bragged about bringing a standing council to Alice next year. Well done. That will be good for tourism as well. However, at the same time he has cut funding on school bus runs to town camps which were federally funded under the national Engaging Urban Students program. Is not getting kids safely to school a fundamental part of increasing school attendance?
Senator Scullion has confirmed your government still has the money so why have you scrapped the service? You have to provide that answer to the people of Alice Springs. While on that point, what are you doing to refresh Commonwealth partnership agreements for ongoing funding?
The minister tried to assert himself with comments about the north Australia white paper and the Framing the Future policy. Thank you, minister, we can read them, but what you are doing? We did not see anything in your statement. You have not told us what you have done – nothing at all.
Labor upgraded and developed the East Arm Wharf, built a new cruise ship terminal and started construction of the Marine Supply Base, the one your Renewable Management Board wanted knocked on the head. Thank God somebody had some brains and your government said it was not a good idea. We also started negotiations to upgrade the port in general to open Darwin up to Asia. I agree with you and am glad you have repeated what I said: to our south we have about 23 million clients, to our north more than a billion. We are closer to Southeast Asia than to Canberra.
You have no new projects. You want to privatise the port, and the only idea you came up with is a dirty port at Glyde Point – wrong name and wrong location for a port.
Seven pages into your statement you reach your big announcement: commencement of a consultation process for an integrated transport planning and investment road map – planning for the future of transport 2030. We are close to 2014. This consultation will probably take another year or so. That will be halfway through 2015, and 2016 sees an election. Do you really believe you will deliver that in time, or will you rush it just before the election to show you have done something?
Considering you are carrying on the good work of the previous government, why not look at the Labor government’s 10-year road strategy and 10-year transport strategy? It will save you, and us in parliament, time and effort because everything is there. In the past I looked at work undertaken by previous CLP governments. Some of it was very good and we adopted it. We changed it, but we adopted it. Some of it was not according to our policy and we rejected it. Public servants already know about these strategies. I strongly encourage you to talk to them, pick up the good points, pick up the ones you agree with, and the rest is up to you.
You talked about the Greater Darwin Region Land Use Plan, another Labor government initiative. You claim credit for the upgrades as a result of INPEX coming to Darwin. INPEX came to town because the Labor government urged it to come here instead of going to Western Australia.
Then came the real doozy! The regional road network excuses abound in the 11th paragraph: Why do we have so many unsealed roads which are so expensive to maintain. The reason is previous CLP government’s, trying to appease voters in rural and remote areas, kept constructing roads. They opened roads with no money to maintain or seal them. They kept roads going to nowhere, from east to west, with no plans. You will have to do something about these roads because they service the mining industry, Aboriginal communities and the pastoral industry.
We provide many live cattle exports to Indonesia, most of which are for religious celebrations in Indonesia, such as Ramadan. Ramadan is based on a lunar year and is a movable feast every year. Currently, Ramadan moves away from the Dry Season to the Wet Season, so there will be a time in the next five or six years when Ramadan will be in the middle of the Wet Season and we will be required to provide live cattle to Indonesia. We will have to muster and transport them in the worst season in the Territory: the Wet Season.
Guess what will happen to the roads? First, they will be ruined. Second, if you do nothing no one will be able to transport live cattle because the roads will be impassable. You know that, and I am sure the Cattlemen’s Association has already spoken to you about that because it used to chew my ear about it.
With mining roads, the Tanami Highway is a long and difficult highway. We spent $27m in upgrades to roads in the bush in 2012-13. How much have you spent on the Tanami Highway? How many kilometres of Tanami Highway have you sealed in the past 18 months? I doubt you have done any.
We worked with the Anindilyakwa Land Council to deliver an all-weather access road connecting Umbakumba, Angurugu and Alyangula. That is a small example of getting on with the job of delivering for the bush. What have you done so far? How many unsealed roads have you sealed? How many new roads have been delivered in the bush? Have you done the road to Port Keats? That is a broken election promise. Instead, you cut 50% of the funding for upgrading unsealed roads.
Tiwi, West Arnhem, East Arnhem shires and Coomalie Council miss out on extra local government roads funding. You have failed to deliver any funding for improvements to roads on Melville Island.
Consideration of transport issues has been specifically excluded from the Indigenous education review – not interested in helping bush kids access education. There is an uncertain future for bush buses connecting our bush towns with larger centres. Under Labor, 20 000 people used bush buses in remote areas. A significant number are under threat from you.
Bess Price stated in her media release of 10 October that she is passionate about working with communities to improve living conditions, and she gave examples of work. All the projects she named were planned and funded by the Labor government.
The real test will be in future years, when she and other bush MLAs have to fight Dave Tollner for money for infrastructure and services in the bush. You might as well join them, because you have to fight for money from Treasury for the roads. I am aware how difficult it is and how the Treasurer will make your life hard.
Then there is the clumsy handling of open speed limits. You stalled on making a decision by commissioning reports, and when you got the reports did not release them. Why? Because the reports do not say what you wanted to hear; they are critical and do not encourage open speed limits. You then allowed 200 km of the Stuart Highway to have open speed limits. This was a dismissal of criticism from trauma surgeons and others about the introduction of open speed limits. You then commissioned another report. I wonder if we will see this report or, like the others, it will stay in your drawer.
The worst crime of all is managing a $294m roads program but only spending $183m. That is on page 6 of the 2012-13 Department of Transport annual report. You had $300m to spend on roads and have spent $183m. How can you tell us what you are doing for transport when you cannot even manage to spend the money you have in your budget on roads?
You then talk about ports and aerodromes, an area where the Labor government took great pride, with $60m committed in our last budget for remote airstrips and barge landings in our coastal communities.
We trialled the Tiwi ferry. It was rubbished by your colleagues in the CLP, but has been quickly reinstated because of pressure from people on the Tiwi Islands who want better access.
Next was the jewel in the crown: MVR. You tout streamlining the Saturday service and sticker free registration. These are all nice things, but you failed to mention increasing light vehicle registration, with fees up by 50 to 100%, and seeking to charge a counter transaction fee for attending MVR offices. I am talking about MVR because I am aware you are trying to improve the service.
I will give you an example. Two years ago, on Christmas Eve, I received a fine at the airport from an Australian federal police officer because he looked at my registration and said, ‘Sir, your registration expired yesterday’. I replied, ‘What are you talking about? I haven’t received any notification.’ I explained I had chosen the e-mail notification service to receive my registration. I did not receive an e-mail and spoke to MVR, which told me they send e-mails but never check, as you can with e-mail software, if they are received. When they did not receive any notification they failed to notify me I had to register my car. I have now opted for snail mail. You have to ensure when MVR sends e-mails to people to renew their registration that a mechanism notifies MVR if they have not received it to prevent a fine. I have had a number of complaints from people who have had the same experience.
I recently heard about – you might want to investigate – the small number of driving instructors at MVR. Because a significant number of people from other states are trying to get their licences there is a backlog. I have been advised that MVR instructors have been asked to pass as many people as possible. I am not alleging they are doing anything illegal, but when you put pressure on instructors to pass as many people as possible, it is likely they do not have the time required to conduct a full driving test for everyone. Perhaps some people are not up to scratch but manage to fall through the cracks because of pressure on driving instructors. That would be unfortunate for the instructors and the general public.
I move to bus services, probably one of the meanest things you have done since coming to government. You scrapped free travel for seniors then had the temerity to boast about running the bus service as a revenue raiser. You charged seniors $1, yet you did no cost benefit analysis to determine any change. Why? We try to keep seniors in the Territory. By their own admission they receive more benefits in the Territory than anywhere else, but what did we do? You charged $1 for the bus, increased Power and Water, and you wonder why people are leaving the Territory.
Since the minister likes to link transport to every portfolio under the sun, how about this: scrapping the BDR has caused mayhem at our bus interchanges. Take a trip to Casuarina bus interchange. When I and the member for Fannie Bay made noises about the problems at Casuarina Square the Chief Minister said, ‘There are programs running there,’ yet he could not name one. A week later he said, ‘We have Project Studebaker in Casuarina to look after the area’. We do not have to argue about the issues at Casuarina. You should know about them because you have safety officers. You opposed them when we wanted to introduce them on public transport. There are not many. The pressure has increased but the numbers have stayed the same.
As for taxis, we are now coming to the festive season and many people go out drinking. The last thing we need is for people to drink and drive, as we saw recently with someone unconscious at the wheel. Can taxis pick up people late at night? My understanding is the booking register is not working. You should be asking the industry about that. You should be examining the industry in order to improve taxi security. We have taxi drivers complaining all the time about assaults. It is disgusting that people trying to make a living as a taxi driver are being assaulted, yet we cannot make arrests or find perpetrators for many different reasons.
Overall, it is a blunt statement, a puff pastry. There is nothing to inspire any confidence in this government. We do not know what the minister has really done. You will do things, you will have forums, you will consult, but what have you done? You have been in government for 18 months. You had a budget. You could not spend your budget and cannot say, ‘I have done this in 18 months. I sealed a kilometre in Tanami. I spent so much money doing that on cattle roads.’ There is nothing in your statement. You tell us how close to the edge we are. We know. You tell us you will have a forum in Alice Springs. Excellent! I congratulate you, especially if you bring the federal government. At the end of the day, these guys have the money and their choice is always for the biggest electorate down south rather than the Territory. We saw that time after time when in government, and you will also see it.
It is a disappointing statement. I was hoping you could do better. You better talk to the public servants who had input into this statement. Next time they should write a statement with facts and figures of what has happened rather than aspirational targets.
Ms FINOCCHIARO (Drysdale): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the minister’s statement. I commend the minister and the Department of Transport for the excellent work being done in the Northern Territory, despite the comments of the member for Casuarina. It was very telling the way the Labor Party would roll out public servants and let them take the fall for the failures of the miserable former Labor government. That is something our government is not doing, and the Minister for Transport is proud of his departmental staff and the excellent work they are doing.
One area I would like to speak about in particular in response to the statement is road safety, something that affects everybody in our community. We are all road users, from the time we are born and leave the hospital right up until old age. Our whole life is spent on and around roads. Many Territorians have, unfortunately, been affected by road trauma, whether it is the death or serious injury of a loved one or a close friend. The sad truth is, on average, one person dies every week in the Northern Territory – a life lost every seven days. Not everyone dies in traffic crashes, with a staggering 10 people seriously injured every week. Again, every seven days, 10 people require hospitalisation due to being involved in a crash. They are horrific and extremely scary statistics.
The Northern Territory, for various and complex reasons, has a yearly road toll vastly higher than most comparable jurisdictions. Per 100 000 people every year, 6.1 lives are lost Australia-wide. State by state, the ACT records the lowest rate of 4.0, while Western Australia sits at 8.4. Looking globally, the World Health Organisation reports that in Japan per 100 000 people only 5 road deaths occur a year. The USA figure stands at 13.9 road deaths, while India is higher at 16.8. Thailand, a nation known for its congested and hazardous road networks, records 19.6 deaths per 100 000 people every year.
As a stand-alone jurisdiction the Northern Territory, located in one of the most modern and wealthy countries on the planet, records 21.3 deaths every year per 100 000 people. Strikingly, the Northern Territory’s road toll per capita is worse than India and Thailand. Our rate of road trauma and misery means we are closer to Zambia and Venezuela than to Tasmania and Queensland. These are frightening statistics and the government is working hard to bring these figures down, as the minister said in his statement.
One of the major contributors to the death and destruction on our roads is alcohol. Driving under the influence of alcohol is a recipe for disaster as alcohol impairs all those fundamental skills needed for driving: coordination; alertness; vision; reaction times; judgment of speed and distances. Alcohol also inhibits our inhibitions and encourages behaviours we would not normally undertake, such as trying to beat a red light, failing to give way or showing off with burnouts and time trial races. When we consider the psychological, emotional and physical effects of consuming alcohol, it is no surprise alcohol is involved in half of all road fatalities. Think about it in simple terms, for every two lives taken on our roads one was lost with the mixing of alcohol and driving being a major factor.
During the upcoming festive season, police will actively target those individuals who put themselves and the community at risk by drink-driving. Removing drink drivers from Territory roads is an important strategy for combatting the number of people killed because of the mixing of alcohol and driving. However, we all know the prevention of this illegal and dangerous behaviour is just as important as catching the drink drivers. One such program aimed at keeping people safe and lowering the number of deaths and serious injury caused by drink-driving is the Who’s your Sober Bob? campaign.
I want to outline this amazing campaign as I feel it is a worthwhile effort made by the program’s partners to help reduce drink-driving in our community. The programs partners include the Department of Transport; the Australian Hotels Association Northern Territory; TIO; Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services; and RADD, or Recording Artists Athletes & Actors against Drink Driving.
I would also like to say a special thank you to all the licensed premises across the Northern Territory that assist in promoting Sober Bob to their patrons.
On 31 October I met with Nick Papandonakis and Jenny Malone from the Department of Transport’s Road Safety team and learnt about the innovative and clever ways Sober Bob is promoted to Territorians.
On 15 November, the Chief Minister launched this campaign in the Smith Street Mall with the help of V8 Supercar driver, Jason Bright, the Northern Territory road safety ambassador and a keen advocate of road safety in general.
With the festive season upon us, with Christmas parties and work functions occurring across the Northern Territory, it is the perfect time to spread the message of Who’s your Sober Bob? The Sober Bob campaign is conducted annually with the aim of reducing the number of people who drink alcohol then get behind the wheel of a vehicle. A Sober Bob is a person who has not been consuming alcohol and can help you get home after you have been drinking.
The key messages of the campaign are: think about who your Sober Bob is; Sober Bob can be anyone, it can be your parents, a taxi driver, your spouse, your neighbour or a bus driver; Sober Bobs are all around us and sometimes all it takes is to identify one and then ask; plan how you will get home before you head out. Decision-making skills are often thrown out the window on a big night, so have a plan in place before you commence drinking. Whatever you do, do not drink and drive. Drinking and driving is not an option. Far too many people still think it is okay to drink and drive if they live close by and do not feel intoxicated or forgot to bring money for a taxi. Have a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C, and do not touch your car keys.
Sober Bob promoters provide merchandise, display posters, and run advertisements on numerous ATMs, Facebook, in the Auto Press magazine and even on the sides of buses. Merchandise packs have been delivered to 11 Palmerston licensed premises, including Cazalys Palmerston Club, Palmerston Golf & Country Club, Palmerston Sports Club, Palmerston Tavern, the Arch Rival Bar & Restaurant, Gray Supermarket, Moulden Five Star Handy Market, Liquorland Palmerston, BWS Palmerston, Pit Lane Liquor and Woodroffe Fresh Food Supermarket. Additionally, there are seven ATMs in the Palmerston region which will be advertising the Sober Bob message through this festive season. These locations are Gray Supermarket, Palmerston Sports Club, Cazalys Palmerston Club, Palmerston Golf & Country Club, Caltex Palmerston, FDS Robertson Barracks, and BP Palms.
Along with Sober Bob designated driver messages, the Northern Territory government is helping people get home a lot more safely by providing free buses so everyone can safely attend their New Year’s Eve celebrations. Buses will operate from 7 pm on 31 December to 6.30 am on 1 January. Departing from Darwin, Casuarina and Palmerston interchanges, buses will be picking up and dropping off at all stops along the route. Using the bus is smart, as it will almost eliminate the chance of someone drink-driving if their car is at home. With 68 free trips scheduled on New Year’s Eve, with the array of taxis and mini-buses, with loving friends and family willing to come and pick you up, what is the excuse for drink-driving on New Year’s Eve?
Indeed, Christmas and the New Year period is a time for celebration and being with those important people in your life. Today, I ask Territorians to look after themselves, their family and their friends. Alcohol is, unnecessarily, a leading contributor to people dying on our roads. I ask everyone here and at home ‘who is your Sober Bob?’
I also want to comment on some of the initiatives the minister has been taking hold of in Palmerston and some of the things we are looking forward to in the future. Tiger Brennan Drive is something I spoke about in my maiden speech. The duplication of that road is critical to Palmerston and rural area residents. We need major arterial roads taking us into and out of the city in the morning and at night. Thankfully, the Northern Territory government is paying for the duplication of Tiger Brennan Drive from Woolner Road to Dinah Beach Road, and that construction is well and truly under way. Personally and professionally, I look forward to the completion of that project. It is very exciting and has been an extremely long time coming. Palmerston residents very much appreciate it.
As a local member in Palmerston, I have my eye firmly watching the lovely Natasha Griggs, our member for Solomon who, during the federal campaign, was able to seal a commitment from the now federal government to duplicate the final component of Tiger Brennan Drive from Woolner Road to Berrimah Road. That stretch of Tiger Brennan Drive is arguably the worst. Lucky last, it will be duplicated, and that will be an amazing project. I am looking forward to that coming online as it is something we desperately need. The bottlenecks in that area are getting worse. If you leave home at the wrong time you will know all about it.
I thank the minister, he cares about Palmerston. Someone from the northern suburbs proudly caring about Palmerston always makes me feel good about life. There is a friendly rivalry between the northern suburbs and Palmerston. I am glad the minister has visited Palmerston and enjoyed the opportunities there. I am aware the minister will be making an announcement this weekend about a set of pedestrian lights which will be installed in Palmerston on a major arterial road, something I have worked closely with the minister on. I thank him for listening to the concerns of my constituents and realising it was important to do. There are many exciting things happening and I defend the minister from the comments of the member for Casuarina, who had many negative things to say and plenty of stones to throw, but as they say, glass houses.
The minister came to Palmerston and launched the MVR iPhone App, which was excellent. We went to McDonalds, had a coffee and spoke to the locals. Everyone was pleased we were launching this initiative. We spoke to people in the MVR and they were really receptive to the minister being in Palmerston and the MVR iPhone app.
The minister’s visit gave me an opportunity to go for a drive with him. We looked at some of the key areas in Palmerston city that are now, after 11 years of Labor neglect – we always knew Labor hated Alice Springs, but boy, did they hate Palmerston. In 11 years they gave us a broken water park. Thank you very much for that, I salute you.
The minister and I have an extremely big job identifying the key infrastructure upgrades we need for Palmerston, let alone realising them. Not only did they invest in nothing in Palmerston for 11 years but a broken water park, what did they leave us with, minister? I believe it was a $5.5bn debt. Not only do we have enormous need, we have zilch to pay for it. When the member for Casuarina asks how many kilometres of the Tanami we have fixed, he knows the answer and knows why.
During my drive around with the minister, I took him to the Temple Terrace and Roystonea Avenue intersection, which is the largest traffic light intersection in Palmerston. Since the extension of Roystonea Avenue down to Lambrick it has become extremely busy. I am aware the member for Brennan is passionate about this area as it borders our electorates. We have a vested interest in this intersection and, as Palmerston moves south and Johnston is really coming along, we have Zuccoli coming online. It is amazing the growth happening down there! With Bellamack, we see a lot of traffic coming through the CBD, up Roystonea Avenue, not to mention Temple Terrace brings in a lot of traffic from the Stuart Highway with Army and Defence personnel heading out towards Robertson Barracks and everyone wanting to get out of Palmerston in the morning. It is a big intersection and, undoubtedly, something we need to look at.
We are extremely restricted in our resources but acutely conscious of the importance of these upgrades, particularly at the end of Temple Terrace. By the end of our term, we will see significant construction relating to Palmerston hospital. As that project develops and grows, I am sure we will see a greater demand on Temple Terrace. For our future planning, we need to be looking at the role Temple Terrace, as attached to the Stuart Highway, as it hits the Roystonea intersection and how that will all meld into the broader Palmerston transport infrastructure plan. I thank the minister for taking the time to come with me to see firsthand the issues we are having in Palmerston after 11 years of Labor neglect.
There are many exciting things happening in Palmerston and in my electorate. There is Durack Heights, the CIR development – that is coming on line really quickly, and as part of the planning for that development we will have a one way exit on to Woodlake Boulevard into Durack, and both entrance and exit points on to Roystonea Avenue at the top. That is a large project. There will be a number of stages and, by the time we see completion of that development, we will need to consider whether or not those currently projected exit and entry points are suitable. If traffic is exiting onto Roystonea Avenue there is no full left hand lane for that traffic to easily flow on to and they will have to wait for lights to change, merging, and as a result congestion could eventuate there. That is in the long term, but our government is looking forward and planning for the future. We are not waiting for the immediate need to arise when you are left carrying the baby and there is nothing you can do about it because the demand is already there. That is something we are acutely conscious of and will watch with interest.
Constituents in my electorate of Durack are really concerned about Woodlake Boulevard. This is not a Northern Territory government road, but it is worth mentioning because we are talking about transport. I am told by a constituent that Woodlake Boulevard was built 1 m too narrow. When cars park on either side of the road, particularly around the school zone, it becomes very difficult for cars to pass in between. It is certainly difficult for buses. The 60 km/h speed limit is of concern to residents and they believe there should be some traffic mitigation put in on that road as it is the only arterial road for the entire suburb of Durack. I have written to the City of Palmerston on a number of occasions outlining this concern. I have spoken and written to the Police Commissioner about it, and the Police Commissioner responded very well. They increased patrols on Woodlake Boulevard, catching people who were speeding and doing the wrong thing to act as a deterrent.
The Woodlake Boulevard issue will not go away and it would be reasonable to assume the demand on that road will only increase with the development of Durack Heights. It is an issue I am conscious of, and which the minister is concerned about, and I will continue to plead with the City of Palmerston about it. There have been accidents on Woodlake Boulevard and it would be a horrendous tragedy if something happened which could have been avoided.
When the minister came to Palmerston I took him to the roundabouts at the Woolworths and Coles intersections. Debate in Palmerston goes back a long way. People say, ‘Woolies and Oasis should never have been there’. I see the member for Nelson is nodding enthusiastically. There has always been a lot of debate about how Palmerston was planned and it is quite disjointed, but we have what we have. I have many concerned constituents talking to me about how difficult Palmerston is to walk around, particularly between the two shopping centres. I have been working with the City of Palmerston on that. The minister has come up with a wonderful step forward which we will be announcing shortly.
Mr Wood: The tunnel.
Ms FINOCCHIARO: A tunnel? I pick up on the member for Nelson’s interjection. He would like to see a tunnel. I do not think that is the announcement, but wait and see. The City of Palmerston has explained to me that the Palmerston walkability index is very low when compared to other capital cities. When I first heard about this …
Mr STYLES: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77, I seek an extension for the member.
Motion agreed to.
Ms FINOCCHIARO: Thank you very much, minister. I know you are very eager to hear what I have to say about your statement. I know the member for Nelson is glad I have an extension.
When I first heard about the walkability index and that Palmerston did not have good walkability, I had never heard of it. As someone who drives a vehicle, I had never considered the impact on those people who walk regularly, use mobility scooters, are mobility impaired or who do not have a vehicle. A lot of people in Palmerston utilise our footpaths and, at present, some of our CBD networking is not happening. There is a footpath to a certain point then it simply disappears, or you have to negotiate complex and dangerous roundabout situations like the Woolies and Coles negotiation points. It is great the minister is chipping away at that. The City of Palmerston has been working with the Road Network Division for years to sort this out and, thanks to the minister, we are finally seeing some results on the ground. I commend him for acceleration of that project.
In closing, I want to commend the minister. You can achieve a lot when you work collaboratively with your colleagues and people in the department. I have big plans for Palmerston, but we all have big plans for our electorates. The member for Arnhem could have 50 roads in her electorate and it still would not be enough. We all want something for the people in our communities and, unfortunately, the Labor legacy we are left with means we will all have to suffer as a result of it, but we are taking steps in the right direction and that is the important thing. It is always one foot in front of the other moving forward not backwards, and we are trying hard to plan for the future so these mistakes, poor management and lack of infrastructure and planning do not happen again.
I reinforce the Sober Bob message. It is very important we heed the terrible statistics on Northern Territory roads. We need to ensure this holiday season is a safe one and it is our responsibility, as members of Palmerston – parliament – I just love Palmerston so much I think we are all members for Palmerston! We should all promote and push that message to the licenced operators in our communities and ensure we have those posters up in our electorate offices and get as much merchandise as is available. The Department of Transport is fantastic with key rings, wristbands and things like that. I encourage all members to touch base with the Department of Transport and get a Sober Bob pack and really roll that message out so we can, hopefully, see less fatalities this year and safer driving behaviours on our roads.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend the minister for his statement.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her contribution. I live next to Palmerston so I take an interest. I know we are in a political debate but it would be – not everything the previous government did was bad. You would not have Tiger Brennan Drive, you would not have the duplication of the Howard Springs Road, and you would not have a whole series of passing lanes.
Mr Styles: What about …
Mr WOOD: I am not going crook at you, minister. Sometimes statements are made as if all bad came from one government and all good will come from the next government. Sometimes the balance needs to be there. Workability – it was an interesting statement.
If you had been involved in the Weddell planning, which I gather the government has shelved, one of the interesting things from that is Palmerston is a bit like some of the older suburbs of Darwin with cul-de-sacs. There is a move to go back to the old rectangular subdivision design because they looked at how many litres of fuel were required for someone to get a litre of milk. That was a good way to see whether a city has been designed to reduce the amount of traffic or the distance people have to travel. I was interested in that.
The other thing you mentioned, member for Drysdale, was the size of roads in Palmerston. One of the biggest bugbears for me is how Palmerston council allowed it. The internal roads are their requirement, and when Delfin first came to Palmerston the theory was you park on the nature strip, which ruins a street. The street should be a landscape and two cars should be able to park there and the rubbish truck fit in between. You raised a good point. Unfortunately, in the way some of Palmerston was been built the developer won and the community lost. If there was a minimum width size for suburbs – we are trying to have that in Litchfield and some of the urban development at Coolalinga – it would be 8 m wide bitumen so you have room for a vehicle to pass through.
I hope your solution is not to get rid of the roundabout opposite Coles, because we have another roundabout opposite KFC. Sometimes traffic cannot get out of there when the lights are red. Although some people have trouble with roundabouts I like them. That is a beautiful roundabout, it is well-landscaped ...
Ms Finocchiaro: Until they knocked all the trees down.
Mr WOOD: Yes, I know. They should clear underneath so you can see and leave the trees there.
I thank the member for Drysdale for her contribution, notwithstanding the great contribution from the Minister for Transport. He might feel upstaged.
I have some comments on roads. I will concentrate on a few areas which need attention from the government. One issue which has not come up for some time is the agreement by the previous government to hand over roads to local government authorities. It was a big issue for the previous government and there was much discussion on it. The councils did not want to take over roads they did not have money to maintain. I wonder if the minister can update us on whether discussion is still occurring between local government and his department on that.
Many promises were made when local government was being amalgamated, and one was to ask the Commonwealth government for a bucket of money similar to that given to South Australia to maintain the Pitjantjatjara homelands. That never occurred. The promise was a sweetener for councils to join local government. Has anything happened in that area because, unless councils get more money, they cannot maintain many of the roads …
Ms Finocchiaro: Unless they re-prioritise.
Mr WOOD: No, in that case you have not been out bush. Do you know how many roads were to be handed over? These are long, gravel roads. They are a big expense for councils and, unless the money comes with the handing over – councils are basically unviable at the moment – they will not have the money to maintain them.
I previously raised the issue of private and public roads. This is an issue in relation to roads to Nhulunbuy and Maningrida. I am unsure what money is used to maintain those roads but, generally speaking, only a council can maintain a public road, unless the Commonwealth government specifically provides money for private roads to be maintained.
One issue not considered in any detail is growth towns. What do you call them now? They have a new name, as you always have to have a new brand. The government has a new term and they are large remote towns or something. If you want to connect them and say they will be like any town in the Territory, the road connecting them would need to be a public road.
At what stage is the government looking at leasing those roads from traditional owners, or purchasing them if that is possible? Where are those issues today? A contractor who knows about one of the bridges told me the cost of a bridge was nearly double because of work which should have been done in relation to the set down area for concrete. Several matters which needed to be worked out with the land council were not and, by the time everything was sorted, the contract nearly doubled.
He also mentioned gravel. In some places contractors are required to pay an exorbitant amount for gravel, yet they are working on the road to a community. They should pay for gravel, but there tends to be a monopoly when it comes to, ‘You buy gravel at this price’. Of course, those costs add to the cost of the road being built for the community.
I think he was working on the Central Arnhem Road and said another issue was run-off or cut-offs for drainage on a new road. They had about 140 cut-offs to do and when they started were told, ‘You can’t do them because the road reserve is only this wide, and you have to get permission from traditional owners to run further than the boundaries of the road’. It must have been a very narrow road reserve.
From a practical perspective, some contractors are finding it difficult and it either holds up construction of the road or makes it more expensive. These issues have been around for some time but have never been sorted out.
The government has made an announcement regarding the new Palmerston hospital. What plans are there for an access road running off Temple Terrace? Is it possible that road – if it is to be built – would be extended to Willard Road, which is the road to the prison? This would allow access from Palmerston to the prison without going along Howard Springs Road. It would also allow other things to happen. I have spoken to the Minister for Lands, Planning and the Environment about opening some rural blocks as there is now town water in the area. It will also allow, if required, access to the hospital for prisoners as it is not too far away, although they have their own medical centre on site.
I would like to know what stage planning of that road is at and whether the option of bringing Tulagi and Thorngate Roads in at Temple Terrace intersection can be looked at. There is an enormous queue of traffic going to Robertson Barracks every morning. I do not know how many times the right hand slip lane has been lengthened. You can tell by the number of trees that are no longer there that it has been extended several times. At 7.30 am there is a long row of cars heading towards Robertson Barracks. It may be possible for Tulagi Road to swing behind Finlay’s and connect as one intersection. That has been an ongoing issue.
The other issue is barge landings. Over the years I have been contacted by barge operators concerned about ownership of barge landings, whether it is on Aboriginal land or controlled by a traditional owner who says only one company can use them. I believe that was the issue at Gove, where only one company could use the barge landing. This meant people in communities were held to ransom by the cost of their food and materials coming in by barge because one company had the monopoly.
I am aware one company was looking at approval for a landing at Yirrkala but believe that did not happen. The only other time people get relief is when the Central Arnhem Land Road is open and they receive food and goods by road. There were issues about traditional owners charging a company based on a formula for landing goods at their community. This seemed to work against the community because the cost would be passed on to it. There is nothing wrong with a barge landing fee for maintenance work, but if it is because someone says, ‘I am a TO and will charge you,’ and does not maintain it – he owns the land and you may need a lease, but those extra costs are passed on to the community the barge is serving. That has been an issue for quite some time. I am unsure if there are negotiations for uniformity in how barge landings are handled.
The public bus service is important. I hope the department will put up the sign it took down after the election which advertised a $2 trip from Coolalinga to Darwin. I do not care what else it says, but if it could go up with the price it would promote the bus service. If you stand at the corner of Girraween Road and the Stuart Highway in the morning you will see how many people travel to town by car, yet we have this you beaut express bus service. Quite a few people use it, but I hope that sign goes up again so we can promote use of public buses, especially for people travelling a long distance. I am not sure what the cost is now; it may have gone up. Whatever it is, it is cheap considering you can travel 40 km, or if you go from Humpty Doo, 50 km for $3. Previously people could purchase a weekly concession ticket. You can travel to the city in a better state of mind than driving, and it saves vehicle costs.
Is there any planning for a bus service past INPEX, to the prison, coming back through, for example, the Howard Springs area, which does not have a regular bus service? It has a 3 am and a 3 pm service. The bus only goes one way, and numbers drop when school holidays finish. We do not have a Sunday bus service. I had a phone call recently from someone saying if you do not have a vehicle you cannot move on Sunday.
You mentioned licences. Perhaps the minister for Corrections can tell us, but I thought there was an excellent program designed for people to get their licence while in prison. The member for Barkly says it might be cut, which would be disappointing. It might help the issue you raised in your statement about people being picked up for not having a licence. Perhaps it is something you could look at again.
Minister, I support much of your statement. I would like to see the greater Darwin plan. I do not mind the roads going through but am interested to see the size of the blocks.
It is good to get a statement about transport from the government occasionally. I raise these issues as ones not looked at in the statement and put them forward as a positive reply.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Mr Deputy Speaker, it is an honour to talk about transport in the Northern Territory As a bush member, someone who has lived in the scrub and someone who did 300 000 km in four years representing the Barkly in the Northern Territory, it is a huge issue.
Listening to the member for Drysdale’s contribution, I commend her advertising the Sober Bob campaign. However, the saying that came to mind was, ‘Youth is wasted on the young,’ when the member for Drysdale said the only thing the Labor government delivered for Palmerston was a broken water park. What a disgrace!
Member for Drysdale, a monumental amount of work was undertaken by the Labor government between 2008 and 2012 for the people of Palmerston. For nearly four of those years I was privileged to be the minister delivering close to $50m worth of infrastructure for sport and recreation in Palmerston. That does not count the new subdivisions of Johnston, the extension to Bellamack or the master plan suburb of Zuccoli. That is unbelievable when you stack it up.
As someone coming from the bush and a Cabinet minister, it was difficult dealing with my own constituents and explaining the massive infrastructure investment going to Palmerston. I used the socio-geographic knowledge I had and the opportunities the department provided in briefings. I had that debate with my constituents in Barkly – why hundreds of millions of dollars was going into the greater Darwin area focused on Palmerston as the fastest growing city in Australia between 2008 and 2012. It probably still has that title.
As the founder, coordinator and coach of the Tennant Creek Junior Rugby League Development Project, we would celebrate our connections with Alice Springs, Katherine, Darwin, Palmerston and Gove. We loved, every year, coming to the big end of the Territory and playing the best in the Territory. We celebrated running on to a ground like Richardson Park. For kids in Tennant Creek, the pinnacle of their sporting year was playing rugby league on the big ground at Richardson Park.
As the Minister for Construction and Infrastructure I was able to work with the department and the civil and civic construction industry of the Northern Territory to deliver a brand new stadium in Palmerston for rugby league. Most of the other sport and recreation projects I had to explain to the bush, aggregating around $50m, were combination sporting initiatives in partnership with local schools and the Palmerston City Council and well-planned, well-thought out and well-delivered infrastructure across that city, but the rugby league ground was the best.
I remember Palmerston Raiders congratulating the Labor government for that purpose-built infrastructure. I wish I could get the Tennant Creek kids back up here for a game against Palmerston on that incredible rugby league field. I will put it out on the broadcast to Joey McCarthy in Tennant Creek, ‘Listen mate, 2014 is the year we will get a team back up here’. I will invite the member for Drysdale to stand on the sideline when the Tennant Creek kids play the Raiders on that brand spanking new stadium, to support rugby league.
What a disgrace, as a new member of parliament, to talk a lot of rot when you really need to read the minister’s statement and conduct an informed debate.
The minister has brought this statement to the House, which is very much a collage of the previous government’s initiatives and some of the major infrastructure projects carried over with the new government. The government has been in the saddle for 15 months so it better starting coming up with some new stories; it is definitely running out of old stories. When we saw the infrastructure budget slashed by $64m in the 2013-14 budget, their first real budget, which complemented a slashing and burning in the earlier mini-budget, we were not seeing a lot of new initiatives. We expect to and look forward to it, just like the good people of Palmerston.
A good compilation of initiatives have crossed over, and anybody who understands construction and infrastructure on the last frontier in northern Australia realises the revote component, realises the constraints around country and climate, and that many of these major projects go from one year to the next to deliver.
The member for Drysdale spoke about Tiger Brennan. There was no mention of $110m major – the core of that whole road transport infrastructure project with the bridges, the flyovers, and the new traffic management strategies, nor the flyover that links the East Arm logistics precinct back to Berrimah Road to connect with the Tiger Brennan major interpass. There was mention of the duplication between Woolner Road and Dinah Beach Road, and nobody is denying that.
I would like to enlighten the member for Drysdale that the marine muds the duplication will traverse are very tricky for construction and infrastructure. All that clean fill you saw stored under the tarps with that ventilation for a period of just over 12 months was about ensuring the substructure for the duplication works does not become a disaster for the future. That is why there was a 12-month gap where the fill was stored and compacting nicely to provide that important geotechnical base for the substructure of what will be the duplication of Tiger Brennan and will provide the advantages the member mentioned.
It was great and a real honour to come back into town and see that work continuing. I commend the government for the appropriation of around $13m for that next section, which was part of the planning from the previous Labor government. I commend the Liberals for continuing that. It is important to give credit where credit is due.
There was no mention in the minister’s statement of the driver offender program that was a partnership between Transport and Corrections in another plank of the new era in Corrections. The minister might not be aware it was not only a program, it was important infrastructure to be built on the grounds of the Alice Springs correctional facility which would take the offender out of the traditional gaol environment and put them in a purpose-built offender driver training centre. It was scrapped in the cuts imposed by the CLP when it took government. However, it is an important plank. I give credit to the minister taking notes through this debate, taking on new ideas and going back to Cabinet and continuing with programs to support outcomes in the motor traffic area, particularly with road safety.
With about 82% of the Northern Territory prison population being Aboriginal, and numbers rising considerably now with minimum mandatory sentencing, about 60% are in gaol for traffic-related offences. It is so important to deal with that. I can remember the member for Port Darwin, the now Minister for Correctional Services, taking me to task, calling it soft on crime and how dare I bring in a program where offenders will be re-licensed, re-trained, matched with jobs and supported through a process of regaining their licence while working on the job while an inmate of the Northern Territory Corrections system.
That was a good project. The infrastructure to support that normalised that person’s life, and provided them with stimulation and inspiration to get out and do better. It matched them up to what the member for Port Darwin calls his Sentenced to a Job program, which is, I was pleased to hear recently from Corrections officers, a continuation of what the Labor government did. It needs to be revisited minister, because of DriveSafe NT. Congratulations to the department and all those constituents who participated in that program and will continue to, including young people from the Barkly. It is an extension of educational awareness and new era initiatives in Correctional Services. It will deliver results and needs to be brought back on for budget appropriation.
What I interrogated in an appropriation in the 2013-14 budget with the previous minister for Transport was money for the Integrated Regional Transport Strategy. Through the budget and estimates process there was nothing – zilch. However, the minister – congratulations – issued a media release appropriating over $1m to continue the Integrated Regional Transport Strategy in relation to remote bus trials. Thank you very much, minister. It is another great initiative in delivering road safety and what are, effectively, the first public bus services in regional remote Northern Territory to support Territory families. It is fantastic. I do not know where that money came from. It was not appropriated in any budget output, so I presume it was Cabinet on the run. Good work, minister. I am not sure how you got it, but we appreciate it. Bodhi Bus and Centre Bush Bus, both doing an incredible amount of work developing a very effective model in regional remote transport, deserve that support to continue. I did not see it in the media release, but I expect to see you give details on new routes, extension of routes, safety and what over $1m will be appropriated for.
Regarding barge landings, the previous minister was interrogated through the estimates process about the need for budget appropriation around barge landings, which had all been cut bar Nguiu. I was on Nguiu recently and did not see much change there but, no doubt, there was an appropriation. I had a fantastic visit to Ramingining where I was able to have a dialogue about 27 new houses being built. Also, $5m was appropriated to the barge landing access road, but nothing for the barge landing. They were all Labor government projects and, unfortunately, two are going ahead and the third one has been cut, which was money for the barge landing. The people of Ramingining were asking questions, and that needs to be revisited across our Top End coastal communities in regard to budget appropriation around barge landings.
It was unfortunate to hear, when talking to the residents of Ramingining about road safety, how busy that town will become with the heavy vehicles moving around, not only on the top track of the Central Arnhem Road, but around Ramingining itself. I was talking to residents about the new housing construction, the barge landing upgrade, the barge landing road upgrade and the opportunities for jobs, and we hear people are living in tents. The opposition informed the government a good strategy was rolled out under the previous SIHIP, where new houses were constructed and became transient accommodation while other houses were being constructed.
You have to learn lessons all the way, and it is important for this government to take on good ideas and implement them.
I was a little disappointed to see only one paragraph on the heavy vehicle national uniform legislation. The minister said he attended one meeting of the national council. I attended those meetings over four years and it was a bipartisan approach. Minister, you are not doing justice to industry or road safety by completely ignoring fatigue management in the Northern Territory. I recommend you have some serious conversations with the Northern Territory Road Transport Association. They guided me, as minister, through that process, and it was to be a positive outcome where the Northern Territory Road Transport Association and the Northern Territory government would support heavy vehicle operators in the Northern Territory. This is the roughly 93% of heavy vehicle movements which do not leave Territory borders and how they will develop their fatigue management systems. It is so important and was bipartisan across the country. The Liberals were always a bit more problematic, but I hope that work continues because it is so important in the composite road safety program needed across the Northern Territory and this country.
The minister would probably be aware, doing the kilometres he does, of all the truck rest area: all the roadside fatigue management areas for heavy vehicles being constructed. It is about the last of the work happening on the Stuart, Barkly and Carpentaria Highways and in the tablelands. I have only been on the Victoria Highway once this year. It is about the last of the major work happening, and shows that really important initiative of providing safety across the board for all Territory road users.
There is the issue of $10m for Katherine to provide a heavy vehicle bypass. I worked closely with the Katherine community. They had ideas, I had ideas and the department had ideas. My government colleagues had ideas, the federal government had ideas, Warren Snowdon had ideas, and we were fusing those together to deliver that important infrastructure for Katherine. It seems to have dropped off the radar. Your mate, Mr Abbott, in Canberra, definitely has it in the bank account somewhere, and the good people of Katherine would be very interested to know where that money is and when it will be appropriated. It is not only in regard to the economic stimulus of their civil industry around that, but also the best outcomes for heavy vehicle management in Katherine.
When we talk about managing roads infrastructure, there is the issue of the Transport minister of the Northern Territory opening speed limits on the 200 km stretch of road 30 km south of Barrow Creek to what will be the existing 110 area in the lead-up to the Tanami Highway. I have written to the minister. I spent two days on that section doing some survey work and have written a three to four page letter asking the minister to look at the road geometry and the constraints in that area: the roadside stops, the heavy vehicle rest areas, the other areas like Burt Creek and Harry Creek, the lack of shoulders and drop off points. There are poor visibility areas and undulating terrain where nanna and pop will be coming out with a caravan and the brand new Landcruiser just after breakfast, with the possibility of a Commodore CSV or some other high performance vehicle doing in excess of 200 km/h from the other direction. Unless the minister is prepared to change his mind before then, I would not like to be the Minister for Transport waking up after February 2014. This government really needs a reality check. It is a really bad call and I would not like to have that on my shoulders knowing I could wake up to serious road fatalities because of a political decision. I have called for major roads transport infrastructure to be initiated in that 200 km section before the tourist season starts next year.
Mr STYLES (Transport): Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker …
Mr McCarthy: Bring it on, minister.
Mr STYLES: The member for Barkly seems to be a bit excited. Chill pills are available upstairs if you need them, member for Barkly.
Ms Walker: Grow up! He is passionate.
Mr STYLES: I pick up on the interjection from the member for Nhulunbuy. You think you are the only passionate people. We are passionate about this statement. I will respond to the member for Casuarina, who appears to have completely missed the point of the comments.
The main focus of this statement is establishing a clear vision for the future of transport in the Northern Territory. While we have some achievements of note, this statement is not about the government patting itself on the back. It is about undertaking serious planning and laying the foundations for the Northern Territory of the future. It is about working in partnership with all levels of government and industry to prioritise infrastructure investment, transport services and legislative reforms to deliver economic and social development for all Territorians. It is about a strategy for the future, not a pat on the back for the past.
Comments were made by the member for Casuarina in relation to inspectors and people at MVR regarding driver’s licences. He did not allege anything illegal but said instructors may have been instructed to pass people. I do not know how the member for Casuarina defines illegal, but if someone is instructed to pass a person who has not passed a driving test, that is illegal. He made that allegation and I would like to correct the member for Casuarina. There are no driving instructors at Motor Vehicle Registry, only licence testers. Sadly, the former government left Motor Vehicle Registry severely under-resourced. Motor Vehicle Registry services grew by an average of 5% per year for many years with no associated increase in resources. That led to an increase in wait times and frustration for business and the community.
We all know the reason for the shortage, and I refer to these graphs for the benefit of those watching. It is called pyramid of debt and you can see it clearly. When the ALP is in government debt increases. If you look at Labor federally, you wonder why they are short on money for roads. Just look at it. The blue bit is about debt going down, then there is a change of government. Mr Rudd gets in, Ms Gillard takes over, and we see the pyramid rise and an antenna on top of the pyramid. It is a graphic display of how Labor ran us into $5.5bn worth of debt. Despite this, in our first weeks of office we successfully negotiated with the staff of Motor Vehicle Registry to open on Saturdays, which has resulted in at least 200 additional transactions each week.
Moreover, since then we have reduced the requirement for Territorians to visit Motor Vehicle Registry offices, improved online access to services, released the MVR mobile app and commenced the delivery of Motor Vehicle Registry services through Australia Post. That is quite an achievement. We were left with businesses and the community extremely frustrated because they would not put any resources in or come up with new ideas on how to do business. We are fortunate we had a change of government and are now able to support people.
In relation to what the member for Nelson said, I am reliably informed by staff at the Department of Transport that the licence program in prisons is intact and will not be cut.
The member for Barkly said we did not do much. When we came to government we had a federal Labor government busy building debt, not infrastructure. Again, I refer to the graph. Everyone can clearly see that not only was there a debt, but look at the debt in the last year of government. That is when we came in. The federal government was spending money like a one-armed paper hanger and what came our way? Where were the funds to build roads? I did not see any. All I saw was removal of $237m from our budget for the Nation Building Program. I went to Canberra – the member for Barkly might note this – to see Mr Albanese, who was then minister for Transport and asked what happened to our $237m. He said, ‘You did not apply for it?’ I said, ‘You will find we did’. He said, ‘You did not apply for it’.
I then phoned the department, which sent me the documents in relation to the application. That was an interesting conversation and I will leave you, and all the people listening to this presentation, to make up your own mind as to what happened in that conversation. When you say, member for Barkly, we slashed the budget infrastructure. Where is the $237m your people gave us then took away? The ALP Indian givers in Canberra gave it to us then took it away. They give us $237m then said, ‘We forgot to give it’. What a bunch of Indian givers.
The infrastructure budget has been slashed. Here is your mate’s problem in Canberra, the antenna on top of the pyramid, then we come back to the Territory government. What do we have? We have more antennas on more pyramids. It is disgraceful. You wonder why we are $5.5bn in debt and say, ‘You slashed $64m’. Your mates in Canberra slashed $237m, yet we found money in our budget to help the bush and help develop economic sustainable infrastructure for the Northern Territory.
Member for Barkly you were talking about fatigue management and how irresponsible we are. We have a fatigue management system which suits the Northern Territory. Sadly, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has done no work. I asked the chair of the board, ‘What are you doing about it?’ He said, ‘We might try something’. For 18 months we have been asking them to come up with a program to after the Northern Territory. You said you have been to a few, but I went to my first one and stood up for the Territory saying, ‘We won’t do this because it is not good for the Territory!’ Western Australia has similar problems to us ...
Mr McCarthy: What will you do?
Mr STYLES: They did not even sign it. Until the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator does something for the Territory we will not implement this. We will implement some of the ideas. The Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association, the Australian Transport Association and commercial operators look at this and are frightened because the rules and regulations they want to impose are great on the eastern seaboard but no good for regional and remote Australia. We do not want to make it harder for regional and remote Australians to make a quid. We do not want to put cattlemen in more difficulty after you guys canned the live cattle trade. You guys did nothing to support us when we tried to have that overturned. You are a disgrace …
Ms Walker: Rubbish! We took a delegation to Canberra, we went overseas. Come on.
Mr STYLES: You did nothing!
This is not about what should or could have happened; this is about what will happen. The Country Liberals government has a plan ...
Mr McCarthy: What will happen?
Mr STYLES: I heard the interjection from the member for Barkly. He says, ‘This isn’t going to work, that will work’. We have a plan to help develop all the Territory, especially regional and remote areas and communities, have sustainable economic development. To do that, you need a decent plan. We have the plan, you just heard it. I am proud to say we will deliver on it.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Mr CHANDLER (Lands, Planning and the Environment): Mr Deputy Speaker, I table the inaugural annual report of the Northern Territory Planning Commission.
The Planning Commission was established to drive strategic land use planning and guide the Territory to long-term growth. Effective planning must consider the wellbeing of the community, with areas providing access to jobs, transport, schools and open spaces.
The Planning Act outlines the responsibilities of the Planning Commission. The primary role is to prepare integrated strategic plans, guidelines and assessment criteria for inclusion in the NT Planning Scheme. The secondary role of the commission is to advise on significant development proposals which may significantly impact on the strategic planning of the Territory, the natural environment or existing neighbouring amenity.
The Planning Commission has provided a report on its performance against its functions during the 2012-13 year, and I will now report to the House on the key achievements of the commission during its first six months of operation. These include the prompt establishment of the Planning Commission and progress to land use planning, both in Tennant Creek and the major urban centres across the Northern Territory.
The commission has made a concerted effort to engage with local communities, stakeholders and agencies during development of regional land use plans and planning policy. The progress made by the commission to develop strategic land use plans and planning policy would not have been possible without valuable input from the community. Key achievements in the first six months are outstanding.
The government committed to establishing a Planning Commission for the Northern Territory to properly plan for the Territory’s future growth. Demand for land across the industrial, commercial and residential sectors is strong, creating a need for strategic land use planning as the Territory continues its robust growth.
Research was conducted on planning commission models both overseas and in other Australian jurisdictions. It was discovered that all Australian states and territories have established planning commissions or similar bodies that perform both statutory and policy functions. A model was subsequently developed to best suit the Territory’s needs.
Legislation to create a Planning Commission in the Northern Territory was achieved through an amendment to the Planning Act. The Planning Amendment Bill was debated and passed through the Legislative Assembly in November 2012, after which sections 50A to 50D and 81A to 81ZA were incorporated into the Planning Act.
The establishment of the NT Planning Commission not only delivers an election commitment from this government to properly plan for the Territory’s growth, but it puts the Territory on the front foot with other Australian states and territories.
Commission members are appointed for two-year terms with provision for re-appointment. Their remuneration is consistent with the Assembly under the Assembly Members and Statutory Officers (Remuneration and Other Entitlements) Act. The chairs of the Development Consent Authority, the Environment Protection Authority and the Heritage Council provide valuable input on environmental planning and heritage matters in order to inform future land use plans across the Territory. These chairs provide continuity to the long-term strategic planning as their term remains until they vacate their positions under the respective legislation. The diversity of professional expertise on the Planning Commission ensures strategic land use plans are comprehensive and capture complimentary insights and knowledge. In addition, the Planning Commission is required to have a representative of the Local Government Association and up to five other members. These members are appointed from across the Territory, providing representation for the Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs regions with backgrounds in engineering, accounting and commercial fields.
Key achievements: Tennant Creek Land Use Framework. A major achievement of the Planning Commission during the reporting period was the inclusion of the Tennant Creek Land Use Framework and Planning Principles into the Northern Territory Planning Scheme. Prior to the Planning Commission being established, consultation had occurred in 2009 to explore strategic land use planning for Tennant Creek. The Planning Commission considered the outcomes of this consultation process and reviewed previous work done by the Department of Lands, Planning and the Environment. Input was received from the Barkly Shire Council through a project advisory group that identified long-term directions for the town’s growth for residential, commercial and industrial uses and highlighted a need to protect possible water supply sources.
The Planning Commission provided the Barkly Shire Council with another opportunity to look at the Tennant Creek Land Use Framework before the Commission endorsed it. A draft land use framework and planning principles were placed on public exhibition in 2012 and, subsequently, included in the Northern Territory Planning Scheme through gazettal on 26 June 2013. The NT Planning Scheme now provides Tennant Creek with development options, including urban infill and subdivisions at Tennant Creek east. The scheme also affirms the location of the existing business hub on Paterson Street, preserves the rural character of small lots of rural subdivisions south of the town, provides areas for future industrial development west of the town, and protects the Kelly Well and Cabbage Gum bore fields from inappropriate land use and development.
Moving on to other key achievements – NT work program primary role, strategic land use planning. During the reporting period the Planning Commission focused on its primary role of developing integrated strategic land use plans in the Tennant Creek, Katherine, Alice Springs and Knuckey and Ironstone Lagoon localities, along with developing an urban densification strategy. During development of these land use plans, the commission considered issues including demography; climate; socioeconomic factors and strategic locations for community purposes, including schools, community halls or health services, land suitable for use as rural and urban residential, commercial or industrial land, existing and future infrastructure needs, including transport corridors, power, water and sewer, considerations around mangoes, biting insects, storm water, flooding, noise, heritage sites and protected flora and fauna.
The government is then provided with a draft land use plan to consider placing on formal exhibition. Subject to a successful exhibition process, the government will then be approached to include the land use plan within the Northern Territory Planning Scheme.
Talking about the Greater Darwin Regional Land Use Plan, significant progress has been made in developing a regional land use plan for Darwin that will include the areas of Berrimah, Palmerston, East Arm, Litchfield, Cox Peninsula, Coomalie and Finniss. Currently, the Northern Territory Planning Scheme includes high level land use frameworks for the Darwin, Coomalie and Finniss regions, but no land use plan for the Darwin region.
Planning concepts and land use objectives were last reviewed over 10 years ago. Following a review of previous reports and studies conducted, the commission noted that future growth areas in the Darwin region are well understood through earlier investigations conducted to inform previous concept plans for areas including Palmerston East, Weddell, Gunn Point and Cox Peninsula. New growth areas, including inner urban and rural activity centres, will be identified for their potential to support future land needs. These areas will be more thoroughly investigated in lower level plans, like area plans and master plans. It is hoped a Greater Darwin Regional Land Use Plan will not only be more suited to today’s needs, but will include a vision for the future to provide guidance on land use suitability for industry and the community.
The commission remains in close consultation with the City of Darwin and consultants who are developing a Darwin CBD master plan that will identify the Darwin CBD as the primary commercial centre of the region, promote a mixed-use environment, and prioritise movement networks in and out of the CBD due to links between the Darwin CBD master plan and the Greater Darwin Regional Land Use Plan.
Similarly, close consultation will occur with consultants responsible for developing the Palmerston CBD master plan. At present, a briefing paper is out for public comment to flesh out issues surrounding the future land use in the Darwin region, and further opportunities to comment will be provided in 2014. The next step will be to release a draft plan that visually identifies proposed land uses for public comment.
Knuckey and Ironstone Lagoons locality: in February 2013 I requested that the Planning Commission investigate issues associated with development around Knuckey and Ironstone Lagoons in order to develop an area plan. Advice on the constraints surrounding the area was received, and by the end of the reporting period the commission had released a discussion paper seeking public comment on future development of the area. In addition, the chairman conducted a radio interview to further spread the word that public opinion was sought.
Berrimah Farm: on 7 June I requested an integrated strategic plan for the Berrimah Farm site suitable for inclusion into the Northern Territory Planning Scheme. At the end of the reporting period the commission had commenced research into the constraints in the land, location of service infrastructure, and advice on the outcome of previous stakeholder consultation.
Katherine region: the commission is also progressing development of a land use plan for Katherine. A comprehensive community engagement process is under way with early input sought from the three local government councils in the region: Katherine, Victoria Daly and Roper Gulf. Amendments were made to the consultation paper prior to its public release to take into account stakeholder comments. Her Worship the Mayor of Katherine, Mrs Fay Miller, was kind enough to participate in a media event with the chairman to jointly release the consultation paper. Close consultation gives the community confidence their views are being considered.
In Alice Springs the commission is reviewing development provisions and planning controls in the CBD, including building heights, car parking and building design. To assist in learning about stimulating economic growth and identifying infrastructure needs for Alice Springs, the chairman, Gary Nairn, attended a workshop held by the UDIA, Urban Development Institute of Australia, in November 2012. The commission is now considering outcomes of previous studies and audits conducted, and a discussion paper will be released to seek input from the public and interested stakeholders.
Urban densification strategy: consistent with the government’s Framing the Future vision to achieve an environment that is well-managed, the Planning Commission is also developing an urban densification strategy. Issues to be considered include infill, urban growth boundaries and greenfield and brownfield locations. Government architect, Mr Lawrence Nield, presented a paper on the rationale behind urban densification at a stakeholder’s workshop in June 2013. Outcomes of the workshop include settling of the principles for the strategy and endorsement of the content of a public consultation paper. Consideration will be given to previous work undertaken in relation to rural activity centres.
Secondary role – significant developments: a secondary role of the Planning Commission is to provide advice on projects identified as requiring a development permit and that may significantly impact on the natural environment or existing amenity of adjoining land. The definition is broad enough to enable me to form an opinion about whether the proposed development may be significant to future land use and development in the Territory. Two significant development proposals were referred to the Planning Commission during the reporting period.
The first Hughes and Noonamah district centres: in relation to the development proposal for a district centre to serve a population of over 30 000 near Noonamah and the Hughes airstrip, the Planning Commission has assessed the proposal as having merit and has recommended proponents proceed with preparing a master plan. Currently, the proponents are working closely with the Department of Lands, Planning and the Environment, stakeholder agencies and the commission to progress the proposal through a strategic projects group. The strategic projects group provides an avenue for the developer and services agencies to explore issues and find solutions.
Nightcliff Island – very topical: a proposal to develop an island off the Nightcliff foreshore was referred to the commission to consider in the context of a land use plan for the Darwin region and prepare a significant development report. At the end of the 2012-13 reporting period, the commission had noted the development proposal was only at the concept plan stage and more information was required before a proper assessment could be made or a significant development report drafted.
The old Darwin Hospital and Flagstaff Hill Park sites: on 18 April, I requested that the Planning Commission review the concept plan for the old Darwin Hospital site and the Flagstaff Hill master plan and report back to me. Granted, I should acknowledge the significant consultation process conducted by the Territory’s previous government. The Planning Commission is considering a community consultation approach to finalise master planning and development options for these sites. A workshop was conducted where various options were reviewed, and the commission is considering two options of a concept plan and design principles.
Community engagement: government intentionally included community engagement at an early stage in the planning process. Listening to the community, industry bodies, and representative groups from the outset of the planning process contributes to achieving the Territory’s vision for a sustainable, well-managed environment which balances use with protection. The comprehensive effort to engage with the community, industry and other stakeholder groups is seen as yet another highlight of the work of the Planning Commission this year. The commission will determine the most appropriate method and extent of consultation required for each plan. Opportunities to comment occur through various community engagement methods, including land use forums, meetings with the chairman, stakeholder workshops, information displays at major community events, or by submitting comments to the commission through its website.
The commission publicly responds to community or stakeholder issues by placing a summary document outlining government’s response to the issues raised on the Planning Commission website. This is an open and accountable way of doing business.
To date, the local community and stakeholder groups have been very well represented and have actively sought information on the commission through its website. In the three months from March 1 to June 2013, the Planning Commission website had been viewed 2951 times, or about 24 visits a day. To raise awareness of the Planning Commission’s functions, the Chairman, Gary Nairn, engaged with 135 stakeholders during the six-month reporting period to inform government agencies, industry, environmental and community groups.
The following methods of engagement were used: four media releases sought public comment on future land use in Katherine, and Knuckey and Ironstone Lagoon localities. Another explained the significant developments, and one announced the first meeting of the commission. Newspaper advertisements were also regularly published in the Katherine, and Knuckey and Ironstone Lagoon localities. There were eight presentations to Northern Territory government departments, including Power and Water Corporation, Transport, Chief Minister’s, Housing, and the Solicitor for the Northern Territory. There were thirteen presentations and face-to-face meetings with peak industry community groups, including the Chamber of Commerce, Property Council, Engineers Australia, the Urban Development Institute of Australia, a European union delegation, Institute of Architects, Land Development Corporation, Housing Industry Association, Northern Land Council, the Environment Centre and Cool Mob. There were four site visits to Katherine, Darwin rural area, Knuckey and Ironstone Lagoons and Berrimah Farm. There were nine face-to-face meetings with local government, including the Local Government Association of the Northern Territory and councils such as Roper Gulf, Victoria Daly, Katherine, Darwin, Litchfield, Palmerston, Coomalie, Wagait, Alice Springs and MacDonnell. There were nine face-to-face meetings with members of the Legislative Assembly, including the members for Braitling, Nightcliff, Port Darwin, Brennan, Daly, Drysdale, Goyder, Nelson and Fong Lim.
In conclusion, major inroads have been made on land use planning which could not have been achieved without the valued assistance of the executive and planners within the Department of Lands, Planning and the Environment.
I extend my appreciation to the hard-working commission, members and administrative staff who have shown substantial commitment over the past year. The Planning Commission will continue to shape strategic planning frameworks that support economic and population growth in the Northern Territory and reflect the community’s aspirations for land use into the future.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I table the 2012-13 annual report of the Northern Territory Planning Commission. This is all in six months.
Ms LEE (Arnhem): Mr Deputy Speaker, I table the Subordinate Legislation and Publications Committee Report entitled Report of Ministerial Correspondence on Subordinate Legislation and Publications: May 2013 – November 2013, No 2 of 2013.
Ms LEE (Arnhem): Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the report be printed.
Motion agreed to.
Ms LEE (Arnhem): Mr Deputy Speaker, it has long been the practice of the Subordinate Legislation and Publications Committee to raise with ministers questions and issues arising from its examination of subordinate legislation tabled in the Assembly. Rules, regulations and by-laws affect people in their day-to-day lives, and it is important the Assembly maintains a sufficient level of public scrutiny to ensure they keep within the purpose and intention of the laws under which they are made and do not unduly affect people’s rights.
Over the six-month period covered by this report, the committee examined 31 pieces of subordinate legislation. As part of that scrutiny, the committee wrote to responsible ministers raising issues and questions on concerns it had with four regulations. This report places those letters on the public record and allows interested persons to seek clarification regarding the intended operation of the regulations or undertakings to correct any errors provided by ministers.
In addition to its examination of subordinate legislation, the committee is also responsible for monitoring the legislative reporting requirements of government entities. For example, under the Public Sector Employment and Management Act and the Financial Management Act, all Northern Territory government departments must present annual reports and audited financial statements to the appropriate minister for tabling in the Assembly. Independent officers such as the Auditor-General, the Ombudsman, the Information Commissioner, statutory authorities, government-owned corporations and a number of other regulatory bodies are also required to submit annual reports, audited financial statements and inquiry reports to the Speaker or relevant minister for tabling, pursuant to their respective enabling legislation.
Of the 103 government entities the committee currently monitors, there has been one occasion where the committee has had to follow up on an outstanding report with a minister.
On behalf of the committee, I thank ministers for their responsiveness in addressing the committee’s queries. I also acknowledge the significant contribution made by its independent legal counsel, Professor Ned Aughterson, and thank him for his diligent work in advising the committee.
I also thank the members of the committee for their efforts and bipartisan approach in seeking to ensure a high standard of rules and regulations in the Northern Territory, and compliance with their legislative reporting requirements.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend this report to this House and move that the report be noted.
Motion agreed to; report noted.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Tonight I share with the House and place on the record my thanks to a lady I have known for a number of years, Louise de Bomford. As the parent of young children, I first met her as manager of the Mitchell Street Child Care Centre. I have found her to be an utterly cheerful person with a splendid disposition and somebody who brought great love, compassion and joy into the realm of childcare.
She did her schooling in Tasmania; however, work circumstances forced her to move to Jabiru, of all places, in the mid-1990s, and by 2000 she was in Darwin working at the Mitchell Street Child Care Centre. She has now worked there for about 13 years and is on her way out the door.
She has always demonstrated a great passion for the work she does, and this is reflected in the ongoing commitment she made to the Mitchell Street Child Care Centre. I was president and treasurer of the centre at various times. I witnessed Louise de Bomford take this childcare centre from something which required a lot of attention to a financially strong childcare centre which was envied in Darwin. She is now moving on to pursue her ambition of running her own private childcare centre, and I wish her the very best. She will be launching La Creche on The Avenue in early 2014. I know she feels very sad moving on from Mitchell Street Child Care Centre, but she is moving to run her own business. I have always admired people who take risks.
The new childcare centre will have the best facilities, and she will endeavour to make the kids’ experience at La Creche on The Avenue equal to or better than that kids have enjoyed at the Mitchell Street Child Care Centre. I have always enjoyed working with Louise, have always had enormous respect and regard for her capacity as a manager, and I do not doubt the risk she is taking in going out on her own will be well rewarded. She has an excellent, well-deserved reputation in Darwin. As a former parent of a child attending the centre, a committee member, local member of parliament and as the Attorney-General, I wish her the very best into the future.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Mr Deputy Speaker, tonight, I wish to talk on the year that has passed, albeit briefly. I want to talk about what it has involved as a local member first and foremost, to acknowledge people who have played a role in my work and experiences, and to highlight some of the issues facing the rural area.
Being a local member is one of the easiest jobs around and one of the most difficult. It has a huge level of entertainment and happiness, and a road train of sadness and loss. Over the year I have met some delightful people and have witnessed actions that make me wonder how some people can live with themselves. Over the last 12 months I have gained knowledge on a range of matters I was not previously familiar with, been enlightened by some fascinating facts, and fought battles on behalf of people in the rural area. There have been highs and lows, some wins and losses, and some issues are ongoing and will require more work on my behalf to achieve a successful outcome.
As I look around the Chamber I see one other member, the member for Nelson, who resides in the greater rural area of Darwin. All other members either live in an urban place or another town, such as Katherine or Nhulunbuy. In government, the only member who lives in the rural area is me. As a consequence, I take my job of representing rural residents very seriously and use all items of war at my disposal so the views of the rural people are not overlooked, but heard. I work hard at engaging the people and assisting them when and where I can. Sometimes that puts me at odds with my colleagues, but as the member for Katherine said only last week, our side of the Chamber is open to diverging views and debate on any subject. That is what happens, in my case, on key issues impacting the rural area.
My colleagues know I will not sit quietly if I know a pending decision by government will detrimentally impact on my electorate. They know I want the best for the rural community and will not stop at securing the best possible future for everyone who chooses to take up a rural lifestyle. I thank my colleagues, especially the ministers who have visited the electorate over the last year, particularly the Chief Minister, Adam Giles, who accompanied me on several occasions to inspect problem road areas. He also paid a visit to the banana farm, as well as the barramundi farm at Middle Point not so long ago.
Minister Chandler knows only too well the issues with planning in the rural area, plus the impact of the education cuts and program at the moment, yet he continues to respond when and where he can to my concerns and those of the schools. Minister Bess Price recently visited the parks in my electorate and met with rangers, local residents, the Friends of Fogg Dam and made a couple of courtesy calls on the way home. Her visit was very much appreciated by the residents and rangers, particularly at Fogg Dam.
Over the year, I have had the pleasure of attending the schools in my electorate, watching all manner of sporting events, cooking sausages, patting horses, presenting prizes, opening exhibitions, riding on the back of Harley Davidson bikes around the town, catching snakes, kissing chooks back to life and fielding many inquiries about the one-eared dog that sometimes resides in my electorate office.
Many people come to the office, mostly with inquiries, but often just for a chat. They eat my salty plums, take my lollies, enjoy the many cups of tea and special coffee we have, read the print off of my newspapers, and I would not have it any other way. The horse people use the meeting rooms at the back and drive Trish O’Hehir, my electorate officer, and I to despair as they frequently set off the alarm by turning on the switch then stopping in the middle of the room to chat some more.
We collect and wash jars and bottles then give them to people in the electorate who make jams and chutneys and perhaps sell them at the markets. We collect egg cartons and give them to egg growers. We shred all our waste paper and give it to lovely Margaret and Rob Davidson in Trippe Road for their poultry pens and garden. Dogs are frequent visitors to my office, and often people drop by and ask if I can mind their dog as they want to pop to the supermarket. We offer a dog minding service. No, they do not make a mess. As you know, Mr Deputy Speaker, rural dogs are well behaved and well mannered. Like many electorate offices, we field some very unusual inquiries, but some leave me bemused.
I cannot change or influence the airline schedules. I do not know why the Army changed their tank designs, and I know weather patterns are changing, but I do not think it is the Country Liberals government’s fault.
On the downside, the year has brought sadness with the loss of loved ones. I pay tribute to Rhonda Franklin, who lost her battle with motor neuron disease, and Pat Hastie, who had Alzheimer’s and passed away after she got lost in the local scrub. Rose Petty, who owned the Oasis Caravan Park with her husband, Gary, recently died from cancer. She will be sadly missed by her family and the many frequent travellers who stayed at the van park. I said goodbye to Terry Bradford, a remarkable woman who passed away at the ripe old age of 94. She was a tremendous character and one of the first people I met when I was elected into this role. There have been some who have died as a result of suicide, particularly young people in the rural area. This continues to be a major issue facing our community and I applaud the Police Commissioner, John McRoberts, for his work on addressing the issue. Any life is one we should not lose. I have indicated to Mr McRoberts I ‘may’ abseil down a building with him if it helps raise awareness and saves someone’s life.
As Speaker, it has been an interesting year in the Chamber. There is some misunderstanding about the Speaker’s role, given it is not in the limelight or public space. Part of my task is to enlighten people, including members, on the role of the Speaker. I am keen to ensure parliament is an open establishment and I encourage all in the community to visit or seek information.
I express my sincere appreciation to the Clerk, Michael Tatham, for his ongoing support and advice, and the new Deputy Clerk, Marianne Conaty. Thank you to my office staff, Martine Smith and Cheryl Owens, for their support and understanding of a Speaker who brings all manner of issues and items into the office. I could not work as well as I do without your commitment and dedication. I extend my appreciation to all Legislative Assembly staff in committees, Hansard, building services, the parliamentary library, security, IT, the drivers, member’s services and education for your dedication and support to all members and to the parliament. You are a strong and professional team and I thank you.
In my electorate I acknowledge the assistance of my able-bodied, one eared, sulky American Staffordshire Terrier, Musket, who often frequents the office and helps lots of young children relax and smile. Musket loves people, hates little snotty, hairy things that walk past the office, and is generally a well-behaved dog. She adds to the overall security of the office, as only a really stupid person would want to cause harm when they look at her face. As my mother often says, ‘Only a mother could love that face’.
In my electorate office, the world would not turn at all if it were not for my electorate officer, Trish O’Hehir. Trish, thank you for doing what you do so well. You are an important part of the office and the rural area. Your knowledge of people, issues and personalities cannot and should not be underestimated. What you do benefits so many families and individuals. I have often seen this firsthand. I know you enrich them and help them deal with the issues of the day, whether they are small or large. Thank you so very much.
My best wishes to all members, staff of the Legislative Assembly, the building occupants, the parliamentary library, parliamentary counsel, NT library, Karen Sheldon Catering and the gift shop staff. Best wishes for the festive season.
Ms FYLES (Nightcliff): Mr Deputy Speaker, one element of being a local member of parliament I particularly enjoy is the opportunity to meet people in my neighbourhood who I would not normally meet. The opportunity to share in their lives is something I treasure, and I thank my community for allowing me to do so.
Tonight I speak about a Territorian who made a wonderful impact not only in our community of Nightcliff, but across the whole Territory. George Dunne was born in Bondi, Sydney in 1943, the eldest of 10 children. He married Rhonda in 1967. George was passionate about tourism but family was his world. George and Rhonda were proud parents to five daughters, Learne, Rachel, Erin, Joanne and Sharon. George was also a grandfather to 11. Sadly, George passed away earlier this year.
George made a big impact on the Territory, particularly in tourism. His career in tourism began in New South Wales, where he worked his way up to the position of tourism manager of the Murray region and also the Orana region based in Dubbo. He also played a key role in the Newell Highway, the longest highway in New South Wales.
In 1980, George and Rhonda made the decision to join the newly established Northern Territory Tourism Commission and move the family to Darwin. His wife, Rhonda, fondly remembers arriving in Darwin with the family only for George to set out on a long familiarisation trip across the Territory, leaving Rhonda and the girls to set up home. She was quickly welcomed into our community.
George held the position of research and marketing manager for five years before being made regional director of the Tourist Commission in 1985. George held this position until 1998, when he was appointed ministerial advisor to the then Tourism minister and Chief Minister, Shane Stone.
At George’s funeral in June this year, I was overwhelmed by the number and mix of people attending to pay their respects. George’s daughters best told their father’s story and shared with us his personality and love of the Territory. One story they shared which has stuck with me was when they headed out camping. It was a Friday evening and they were all piled into a red jeep – Rhonda, George, the five girls and the camping supplies. They arrived at the campsite and, much to the amusement of fellow campers, were setting up their tent in the dark. Rhonda said George was never very good at setting up tents but George was adamant they must camp; they must explore their Territory.
George was an active executive member of the then Darwin Regional Tourism Association, now Tourism Top End, for 17 years. George was the recipient of the 1991 Brolga Award for the most outstanding contribution by an individual to the tourism industry. In 1997, George received the Public Service Medal in the Australia Day Honours List. In 2008 he was awarded the Minister for Tourism’s perpetual trophy at the Brolga Northern Territory Tourism Awards. This award acknowledges outstanding commitment, dedication – both personally and professionally – by an individual over many years to the Northern Territory tourism industry. George was a very worthy winner of this award.
I would like to read some of George’s lengthy tourism involvement into the Parliamentary Record. George had representation on the Northern Territory Tourism Advisory Council; the Kakadu Advisory Committee; and the Territory Wildlife Park Steering Committee; was Vice Chairman of the PATA NT Chapter; a Federal Airports Corporation Advisory Council member; a founding member of the Fishing Tour Operators Association; and had a long association with the Brolga Tourism Awards spanning more than 20 years.
George was a highly respected Northern Territory and Australian tourism awards judge.
In recognition of George Dunne’s contribution to the tourism industry, both here and on the national stage, a category at the Brolga Awards was renamed the George Dunne Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual. I know his wife Rhonda, who attended the awards ceremony in Alice Springs only a few weeks ago, was immensely proud to present the award this year and was honoured by the tribute slide show for George.
Speaking to those in the tourism industry who had worked with George, they explained it simply: George had a passion for tourism and loved the Territory. This passion shone through in his many roles. He loved sharing his love of the Territory with people from other places. He worked hard to understand all the views in tourism and our community. He saw tourism as a way to connect people. He worked for a succession of ministers and government, and was a champion for tourism. Even when semi-retired, he participated through the Brolga Awards, ensuring people who deserved it won recognition in the industry. He never stopped his work of strengthening the Territory tourism industry, although I am sure his lovely wife, Rhonda, sometimes wished he would just a little.
George, along with Rhonda, was also passionate about disability support services. He helped open Henbury School in the early 1980s and served as a school council Chairperson at Henbury School. He was a member at the Northern Territory Carers Board and of the Integrated disAbility Action board. He also served as a member of Ludmilla Special School, which changed its name to Nemarluk School in 1994. He served on the council as secretary.
Rhonda said George was her letter writer and together they were a team. George was also a member of Nightcliff Sports Club.
Although George lived in Darwin for many years, he kept in regular contact with his friends from Sydney, particularly his rugby league mates, who he caught up with every year for 46 years. He was always interested in people’s thoughts, how they were and how their family was.
George Dunne was a genuine, caring and passionate Territorian and, as a parliament, we pay our respects and offer our thoughts to his family and friends. I personally offer my sincere thoughts and sympathy to Rhonda and George’s family and friends.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Mrs LAMBLEY (Araluen): Madam Speaker, tonight I give my season’s greetings and acknowledge the very special people who have contributed to my life this year and made what has been a rather difficult year much easier.
The last 12 months for me has been a year of great highs and lows, a veritable roller coaster ride. Professionally, I started the year, as you will remember, as Deputy Chief Minister and Treasurer, wondering how I would survive with two teenagers, a wonderful but demanding husband, two sick elderly parents, and a very demanding job taking up my every waking minute and being away from home most days of the week.
I started the year like this and persisted until March, when I stepped down from the position of Deputy Chief Minister and gladly accepted the role of Minister for Health. Health, for me, is a perfect fit. I have worked in many hospitals and community health services in Australia and overseas. Working as the Minister for Health is a joy. The good people who work in the health industry humble me at every turn. They expect very little, and their achievements are generally understated and largely unrecognised.
During this tumultuous year, I lost both my parents, Max and Pam Priestley, who were incredible people, married for 52 years. It is a wonderful thing to know your parents have had such long and happy lives. I acknowledge that my good friend and colleague, Willem Westra van Holthe, also lost both his parents this year. For all people in this Chamber, and throughout the Territory, who have lost people, my heart goes out to you.
On a brighter note, we have made some unbelievable achievements, particularly in the area of health. One of our greatest achievements, particularly in my wonderful electorate of Araluen, is in the area of law and order. I know there has been much push back on the vigilant work of the police in Alice Springs policing our bottle shops. The end result is less grog being sold to people who have nowhere to drink it – that is the bottom line. The statistics already indicate there is less crime and antisocial behaviour on our streets, which is fantastic news. People in Alice Springs are seeing and experiencing it, and this is something we should be proud of.
The roll-out of mandatory alcohol treatment is something we should also be very proud of, taking into care the most disadvantaged alcohol-affected people in our community. It is changing their lives and the nature of our community.
I need to thank many people. The fabulous team of people I have collected on level five – Alex, Anthony, Georgia, Belinda, Esther and Alana, who is working for us as a DLO – are incredible people. They are so loyal. People on the other side of the Chamber will remember, from when they were ministers, how these people can make or break you. I am delighted to have such a wonderful group of committed, loyal people around me who have been quite extraordinary over the last 12 months, which has been, as I said, a very difficult year.
I thank my colleagues in the Country Liberals. Sixteen people make up our team, a large group of people from very diverse and broad backgrounds. I have some good friends in these 16 people – people I can trust and confide in, and who I really like. It is a joy to work with such wonderful people.
My electorate officer, Carley Plume, is an extraordinary woman and my rock. I never see her, but I talk to her regularly. She makes me laugh, she pulls me into order. She is bossy, fun, hard-working, committed, and I do not know what I would do without her. We also get assistance from Michelle and Trudy at times, and they are also fantastic people.
My community of Alice Springs does not see me very often. I come home every weekend. The people in my electorate, my constituents, stop me in Woolies, Coles, or if I am watching cricket or netball or whatever the kids are doing – chasing them around on the weekend. You have been very patient. In the past 12 months I have spent very little time in my electorate. I miss you, and I will endeavour to spend more time in my electorate of Araluen in 2014.
To Craig Lambley, my husband, and my children, Alice Lambley and Harry Lambley – once again, my absolute rocks. I do not know what I would do without you.
My year has been a little different from the experiences of other ministers. I have not travelled extensively overseas like many of my colleagues. I have concentrated my efforts on visiting most of the health services in the Northern Territory. There are many health services, as the member for Casuarina can attest to, and I have tried hard to visit as many as I can. I am just past the halfway mark, and an enormous amount of effort has gone into many trips. In the coming year I will definitely get to the other half and tick off the remote clinics I have not yet been to and the non-government organisations we fund. I am committed to doing that. It is very important, as a minister, to see the people who work for the department you represent. It is essential you are more than just a signature at the bottom of a briefing or letter.
My goal over the next 12 months is to live by my values. As a politician, you can get awfully caught up in things that are not reflective of who you are as a person. The pursuit of truth and honesty, for me, is what keeps me here. If I lose those things I have nothing and am no one. If I can maintain my honesty, truth and respect for people, and all those good things we bring to the job so innocently and not lose sight of what really matters, I feel I will be doing a good job. On top of that, I will be working hard and will remain committed, as I have been since becoming a member of parliament.
I look forward to the year ahead and am very glad to leave this one behind. It has not been too bad, but I could think of more positive things to have experienced over the last 12 months. There is a lot to look forward to in the year ahead. I wish you all a peaceful, restful and safe festive season.
Finally, I want to acknowledge the poor people of Gove. My heart goes out to each and every one of you. It must be a crushing time. God bless you.
Mr VATSKALIS (Casuarina): Madam Speaker, it is the end of the year and, as the member for Araluen said, it can be an exciting year and it can be a sad year. My heart goes out to her and Willem on losing their parents. Most of us came from somewhere else and some have parents further away than others. It is easy, if your parents are in Australia, to catch a plane and be there in four hours. Some of us would need a whole day of travel if something went wrong, and may not have the chance to say goodbye.
Madam Speaker, it is Christmas, time for reflection. It has been an interesting year and I predict it will be more interesting next year. I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year – buy a front loader! I would also like to wish Delia and my team a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. We work very closely together and, guys, in two-and-a-half years we will be back again.
I thank the government, because never in my 20 years in the Territory have I seen a political party politicise people in the Territory so much in such a short period of time. However, you have your family – Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Try to avoid arguments, especially the Minister for Education. I remember when I was the minister and there was a dispute with teachers – very interesting times at the dinner table with my wife, who was a teacher. There were times when we would sit quietly not talking to each other, and I bet you are experiencing the same with your family.
My constituents are fantastic people and pop into my office all the time. My office is very central – close to the bus stop, the medical centre and Casuarina Shopping Square. I get a lot of people from other electorates because I am part of an ethnic group and quite a few people come to me because I understand what they say and speak their language. I am lucky, my electorate officer, Debbie Rowland, has been with me since 2002 or 2003. She knows everybody and everybody knows her. She also knows people in the public service. My biggest thanks go to her husband, Ted. He supports her to be in my office and do the job she does. I am very proud of her daughters, Simone and Candice. Simone is studying to be a doctor after obtaining a pharmacy degree, and Candice is a very young physiotherapist and in charge of just about a ward at Royal Darwin Hospital.
This has been a relaxed year for me and has given me the opportunity to do things I have not done before: stay home, not travel, study. I never imagined, after 16 or 17 years, I would go back to university to study languages. I am pleased to say I am studying Mandarin for a Diploma of Languages.
I take the opportunity to thank my wife Amy and my sons Alexander, Michael and Kevin. Amy is a lecturer in Mandarin at the university, a very good lecturer because, in four months, I can read and write characters, something I did not believe I could do. Currently, she is in China with a group of students from CDU studying Mandarin. Kevin is the young one at Dripstone, while Michael studies computers at Murdoch University, and Alexander announced recently he has a full-time permanent job as a teacher at Ellenbrook High School. He was very happy about that because, unfortunately, the Western Australian government is following the example of our government and has cut 2500 teacher and teacher aide positions in Western Australia, which is sad.
Talking about education, I have four fantastic schools in my electorate: Dripstone Middle School, Nakara, Alawa and Nemarluk School. Nemarluk School is a special school and I am proud to have supported it from the beginning when there was a reaction from some residents to the proposed site. I made the decision if I was to lose my seat because I supported Nemarluk so be it, I would go proud. This year I will not have a party in my electorate office but will donate the money to Nemarluk School for the students’ lunch.
My sincere thanks go to my school principals, Brendan Wessely, Robyn Thorpe, Lorraine Hodgson and Jodie Green, and all the teachers at Dripstone; they are doing a fantastic job. This time of year we have the graduations, and I will spend quite a bit of time speaking to students and teachers and congratulating them as the Year 6 graduates move to middle school.
One of my favourite moments in 2013 was a fantastic day with the member for Wanguri at Casuarina pool. We had a big barbecue and hundreds of people came along and had a great time. The kids had face painting and we had special coffee produced by a local entrepreneur.
I have a very good relationship with Casuarina Police Station and thank them very much for their prompt response when called. I thank them for their recent operation in Casuarina to address some of the antisocial behaviour.
I was honoured to be invited, once again, to be patron of the Darwin Surf Life Saving Club at Casuarina, Nungalinya College Language Teachers Association, and vice-patron of Surf Life Saving for 2014. It is great to help the people who need you most. I know politicians are fair game. Apparently we do nothing, sit here not working, are paid too much, should not have a family life, and all the things you hear and read in the newspaper. However, the people who come to us when they are at their wits end want a solution and expect us to help, and we help them most of the time.
We do not do it for the thanks, it is because we put our hand up to do something for the community and we might change things. As you continue you find things are not as you originally thought, but we still try to do the right thing.
Cultural groups in Darwin – Darwin is the most multicultural city in Australia – from the Glenti to the Italian festival to the Indonesian festivals. When the need arises somewhere, like the recent cyclone in the Philippines, we get together and help out, and that is fantastic.
I say thanks very much to all the people in the Assembly, from the person who changes the light globes in my office to the person in Hansard trying to decipher my accent. They do a really good job, as do the drivers, clerks and the people who support us. Somebody presses the button and somebody turns up to find out what you want.
I thank my family, now I have time to spend with them. My son, Alexander, might come up at Christmas. It will be a wet Christmas in Darwin I hope. Most of us will be here because Darwin is the best place to spend Christmas. Merry Christmas to you all.
Ms FINOCCHIARO (Drysdale): Madam Speaker, I would like to reflect on the 2013 year. It has been varied, exciting and, like the member for Araluen said, has had both good and bad moments, but I will not dwell on those this evening.
I have been fortunate to have fortnightly radio interviews with Pete Davies. I wanted to thank Pete and Nick, who produces the 360 Show for Pete, for letting me come on board and talk about what is happening in Palmerston. It is really refreshing that Pete is genuinely interested in what is happening in Palmerston and considers it important that listeners have the opportunity to hear from a local member what is happening on the ground. So often politicians from both persuasions, and the Independent member, are faced with media and there is always an angle coming. Pete is a real gentleman and has let me spread good news, and for that I am eternally grateful. I look forward to 2014 together.
I have also been fortunate to have a number of Palmerston schools visit the Assembly. At the end of last year I sat with Parliamentary Education and learnt about the programs. I was thrilled and intrigued by the whole process and took away a pile of the packs given to the schools and hand delivered them. I emphasised to my school principals, ‘Please get on board with Parliamentary Education Services. They can visit your school or you can come here. You are more than welcome during sittings.’ I love to see the kids in the gallery, as do we all. We had a number of schools come through, including Sacred Heart, Kormilda and Palmerston Senior College, just to name a few.
Several months ago I had the privilege of collecting bags of the most amazing hand knitted stuffed toys and took them to the paediatric ward at Royal Darwin Hospital. A constituent in my electorate has been knitting these amazing stuffed toys for years, and she does it out of the goodness of her heart. She is an unsung hero in our community. I would say her name and praise her more loudly but she would kill me if I named her publicly so I will not. They are amazing and another big bag is waiting for me. As we get closer to Christmas I can deliver them. The looks on the children’s faces, and, when I put the photos on Facebook, the reaction from parents whose children have been recipients of these wonderful toys – there was an outpouring of thanks to her. I cannot praise or thank her enough. As always, I encourage people to drop off balls of wool, pillow stuffing or anything like that so she can continue with this amazing work. She says it is to keep her fingers busy, but she is a true champion, a true hero in our community, and we all love her dearly for it.
I had quite a few wins this year. In politics, especially as a government backbencher, you can get a lot of small runs on the board and achieve a lot of small things for people. They might seems small when you compare them to building major infrastructure, but when you get something done for someone that has been affecting their daily life – it could just be the pothole, the street light, the unmown grass – it means the world to those people because it is something they face every day.
The mini-budget anticipated a $20 MVR fee and there was an outpouring of anger from my community. They were disgusted by that policy decision. I worked closely with the Minister for Transport at the time, the Chief Minister, and he heeded the concerns of my constituents and the charge never came into force. I was pleased to have saved pain for Territorians by working calmly and quietly behind the scenes with the minister. I thank him for taking notice of what I had to say.
I also worked closely with Casuarina shopping centre. Many of my constituents are mobility impaired. I worked with Casuarina shopping centre to purchase a mobility scooter which they now lease to anyone who is mobility impaired. Someone who is currently in a motorised mobility scooter can get in a taxi at home, go to Casuarina shopping centre and the mobility scooter will be waiting for them. They can do their shopping, and staff will then pick up the scooter from the taxi rank and off they go. That was fantastic.
I am also proud of facilitating a partnership between the US Marines and Gray Primary School. There is now a memorandum of understanding in place. The Marines, during the duration of their stay in the Territory this year, attended Gray Primary School every Friday. That meant the world to the Year 5 students who interacted with the Marines in various sport and literacy activities. It was very special, and I look forward to seeing what next year can bring.
In politics, you get some opportunities to travel around the Northern Territory. I have been to Tennant Creek, Katherine, Alice Springs and everywhere in between. It is always lovely to get out to those areas. As a kid, our holidays always revolved around driving trips, so I am very familiar with that stretch of Stuart Highway. However, it is nice to be there in a different capacity and chat with the petrol station owners and the shop owners and see how they are going. My experience is that they are grateful for that contact.
This year I was, and still am, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, which has been exciting and hugely challenging. Obviously it was my first estimates experience, point blank. I was chairing the whole exercise. I got good feedback from constituents, which is the main thing. From what they could hear on radio, they were happy with how estimates went. I am looking forward to next year now I know what estimates is all about.
I try hard to get involved with everything the City of Palmerston is doing. I sit on the Palmerston Regional Safe Communities Committee and the Palmerston Seniors Advisory Group. Both are hugely rewarding, present great opportunities for my constituents and are a pleasure to be involved in.
I thank SIDS and Kids. I have been on the SIDS and Kids committee for about six years now. SIDS and Kids has three main core events each year: Walk to Remember, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, and Red Nose Day. Those activities take a huge amount of work for a volunteer committee. SIDS and Kids NT does not get any government funding and the volunteers work so hard. I have never seen a group of people work as hard as they do. They provide 24-hour grievance support to anyone who has lost a child under the age of 18 – from conception to 18 – which is quite remarkable.
In saying that, I very much thank Fiona and Deb, who are stalwarts of SIDS and Kids, Delma, Christina, Chris, Craig, Danny, Cassandra, Kelly, Nicky, Natasha, Julie, Ferdis, Sue and Shelley. If I have missed anyone, you can wrap me over the knuckles. I thank you all; you do an amazing job and are an incredibly important organisation in our community.
I have also worked very closely this year with the Durack Residents Group, a group which came together over concerns about the CIC development for Durack Heights. I thank Kevin Kennedy and Geoff Smith particularly, and the City of Palmerston. When elected I had an opportunity to act as a circuit breaker in negotiations between the Durack Residents Group and CIC. I am pleased to have helped facilitate positive conversation. CIC conceded, City of Palmerston conceded, the Durack Residents Group conceded, and we now have a solution for the urban regeneration zone that is suitable to all parties. That was a good deal to broker.
I also sit on the Duke of Edinburgh Northern Territory Committee and it is an amazing group of people. I would like to thank our passionate staff Lydia, Ashlee, Karina and Kath. You are amazing, we love you, and we could not do anything without you. We know you have a tough job and we probably do not praise you enough. I know you try very hard to get us all in the room together at one time, and that presents its own difficulties, but thank you very much for everything you do. I also thank Jeff, Steve, Lee, Gemma, Don and Alan, my colleagues on the committee, and all our volunteers and coordinators. Without our coordinators we are nothing, so we thank you very much for the energy and passion you pour into our young people. We see real results in the community through Duke of Edinburgh and want to enhance those in 2014.
Mr CHANDLER (Brennan): Madam Speaker, I wish to say a few thanks before we enter into a period of the year I, and so many, love so much. First, to my electorate, the wonderful residents of Brennan who continue to show their support, thank you. It is for you I do this job and I appreciate the relationship we have, which includes you keeping me on track and ensuring needs and issues are acted on. I sincerely wish you a safe and happy Christmas. If travelling, drive or fly safely. I will be in the electorate office over the Christmas and New Year period so pop in if I can help.
To the Calder Branch of the County Liberals, who are having their Christmas party tonight, this is to you – cheers! To all the County Liberals members and supporters, thank you very much for a fantastic year. To my electorate officer, Ben, thank you for the dignity you bring to the office. I recently mentioned that I am often advised in the aisle of a local supermarket what you have been up to and what you have done for people. To me, that is the mark of a good electorate officer, when people just walk up to you and thank you for what your electorate officer has done. Thank you, Ben. To you and your family, please have a fantastic Christmas.
I would also like to acknowledge my last electorate officer, Marlise, who was with us this time last year. Earlier this year she left with her husband to settle in Perth. Marlise was also a fantastic electorate officer and I wish her all the very best for a safe and happy Christmas.
Also to you, Madam Speaker, Parliament House staff, and, of course, members and all my colleagues in the Chamber. We should be thanking so many people who work for us and there are lots of names to remember. To my ministerial office staff, Lawson, Kerry, Alyce, Nicky, Renee, Russell and Lorne, and last but not least Jarrad – where would I be without Jarrad? He is probably upstairs at the moment digging another hole.
Lawson seems to be able to cut through and provide clear, strategic and concise advice. As a senior advisor, that is exactly what you need in this job. Kerry, my personal assistant, is always keeping me out of trouble, making the correct bookings, fixing things up, and doing things you do not realise until they are done. To Alyce, who is moving on shortly, all the best for the future.
To Nicky and Renee, the two bubbles in the office, the bright sparks with such great personalities who provide a wonderful environment to work in. Russell, you have provided so much education advice for so many. You have gone through a few ministers since the Country Liberals have taken government, but you have steered the course and provided damn good advice for each of the ministers, including me, and your network within the department truly amazes me.
Lorne provides another level of advice, something every person in parliament should have, and he can cut through to the coalface. He can provide you with the advice required from an electorate point of view. No matter what the issue is or the decision you have made or are about to make, someone who can give you advice fiercely and freely is someone I rely on because it keeps me close to the coalface.
Jarred, who has come on board in recent times, provides fantastic advice when it comes to dealing with the media and has a great network. Thank you for your hard work.
I also thank other fantastic staff who, through portfolio reshuffles, have assisted in the office. A special mention to Noelene Swanson, who helped build a solid foundation in the ministerial office and ensured it was a place of hard work, and she led with an iron fist. It was not only a place of work, but somewhere people felt welcome and valued.
I must give a big thank you and wish each and every one a Merry Christmas. To all the staff on the fifth floor, thank you for your assistance this year. We are all a team and it is imperative we work together. Everyone has their own focus and needs, and their own ministers, but, as a team, we do a pretty good job.
To John Coleman and his fantastic team at Lands and Planning – that team is amazing in what it can do. To Bill Freeland and the EPA team, I wish you a Merry Christmas.
To Ken Davies, a true gentleman of the public service, and all who assist Ken in the role of transforming our education system to be the best in the country, a big thank you. It is not an easy challenge to implement reform and drive change, particularly in an environment where rotten rumour is spread across the community. Thank you for your dedication to education and for taking on the challenge with courage and determination. I hope you have a little respite over Christmas.
Madam Speaker, to you, the parliamentary staff – people working in the library, Hansard and all who work in Parliament House, thank you and I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas.
I cannot forget the drivers who take us everywhere, pick us up, and listen – I apologise for the banter we often have and, sometimes, the dribble at the end of the night they are subjected to. Thank you very much for always getting us home safely.
To the Chief Minister, ministers, backbenchers and all my parliamentary colleagues, including Gerry, who sits between the opposing parties, have a great Christmas, stay safe, and ensure you spend some quality time with your loved ones.
To my family, the ones often forgotten in this job or, conversely and unfortunately, embroiled in everything we do, thank you. To my mum and dad, Joyce, and my beautiful wife, Robyn, Brandon, Jackson, Gabrielle and little Harrison, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Again, I thank you and love you dearly for all the support you give me every day. To my beautiful god-daughter Addison, please have a beautiful Christmas. Knowing your mum and dad as well as I do, I do not think they will let you down.
In conclusion, it has been a tough year. Some very hard decisions have had to be made, but I will not waiver in my resolve to improve education outcomes in the Northern Territory, to work with business and developers to speed up land release in residential and commercial land developments, and to work towards land solutions to ensure we can stimulate economies in our rural and remote regions.
There is much to do. I am often reminded of the saying: the size of the mop and the time it takes to clean the mess is always determined by the size of the mess. When you take over from previous governments – as the member for Nelson said earlier, governments do not do everything wrong. In opposition I said many times the government did not do everything wrong. We often have different ideologies and philosophies on things, but I am sure everyone in this Chamber is here for the right reasons and is trying to do the best for the Northern Territory.
Merry Christmas to all. May you stay safe and spend time with your loved ones over this very special time.
Mr KURRUPUWU (Arafura): Madam Speaker, I speak of my visit to Maningrida. In October 2013 I visited Maningrida for five days, from 28 October to 1 November. The purpose of my visit was to attend a funeral ceremony, to meet with constituents and to attend the 2013 annual general meeting of Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation on 29 October. All these reasons for me to stay at Maningrida at that time were important to me as the member for Arafura.
I was particularly keen to hear from the Maningrida community its concerns about the financial situation Bawinanga was in. In 2012, members of Bawinanga were concerned the corporation was being poorly managed, so they requested the Office of the Register of Indigenous Corporations, ORIC, to place Bawinanga under special administration. ORIC placed Bawinanga under special administration on 30 October 2012 and appointed a special administrator. Bawinanga owed certain government agencies about $5.4m, mostly in grants that were spent on projects other than the purpose of those grants. The government agencies agreed to write off most of this debt. The special administrator also found that for Bawinanga to survive it needed to pay its other creditors about $4m.
Bawinanga currently receives $15m of its income from government grants from some 20 agencies and has a turnover of $40m per year. It runs the supermarket, a workshop, a takeaway shop, an art gallery in Darwin, does road grading, engages in education and childcare and has a housing division. It employs 150 people and has another 700 involved in the work for the dole Remote Jobs and Communities Program.
Bawinanga won a $30m contract in May 2013 to enable the Remote Jobs and Communities Program to continue for a further five years. Bawinanga also provides a number of other important services, including a ranger program overseeing 12 000 km of country; its Air Bawinanga which serves remote locations and outstations, a women’s centre; a night patrol; an aged care program; a money management service; and a funeral fund.
There was a genuine concern in the Maningrida community that Bawinanga assets such as the supermarket, workshop, plant and equipment, together with some housing, would be sold at below current value, which would only partly pay the $4m debt owed to creditors. The sale of these community assets would be a huge loss to Bawinanga and the Maningrida community.
At the Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation Annual General Meeting on 29 October 2013, it was obvious members of the corporation were determined the organisation survives and returns to prosperity. The members do not believe they were responsible for the dire financial situation of Bawinanga.
I was pleased to see the determination of the members when they decided to accept an interest only loan of $3.5m from the Maningrida Progress Association for five years. This loan will significantly assist Bawinanga to pay its creditors and continue with its current operations. I congratulate the members and wish all of them success in their future endeavours for Bawinanga.
I wish to place on record my sincere thanks to Mr Peter Anderson, Mr David Bond, Mr Matti Ryan and Morris Geinbaraba for their courtesy and the assistance they provided me during my visit to Maningrida. It was a pleasure for me to again visit the great community of Maningrida. Thank you.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Speaker, good news stories from the Barkly.
Barkly teachers praised on World Teachers’ Day: teachers, principals and school leaders in schools around the Barkly were celebrated at World Teachers’ Day last month. A celebration was held at Battery Hill on 25 October, where awards were presented to several of the best in the Barkly.
Tennant Creek High School Principal Maisie Floyd received the Secondary Principal of the Year Award, while Candice Belbin, also from the high school, was named Support Staff Member of the Year. Shaun Clancy from Ali Curung received the Excellence in Teaching for Leadership in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Award, while Early Childhood Teacher of the Year went to Doris Johnson from Barkly Education. Primary Teacher of the Year Award went to Robert Anita from Canteen Creek School, and Secondary Teacher of the Year Award went to Emma Watkins from Elliott School.
World Teachers’ Day was inaugurated on 5 October 1994 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, to commemorate the 1966 joint signing of the UNESCO/ILO, International Labour Organisation, recommendation concerning the status of teachers. Celebrated in over 100 countries, World Teachers’ Day acknowledges the efforts of teachers in an increasingly complex, multicultural and technological society. It is a day on which students, parents and community members can demonstrate their appreciation of the contribution teachers have made to their community. Each year, the Department of Education coordinates annual World Teachers’ Day functions in Darwin, Nhulunbuy, Katherine, Tennant Creek, and Alice Springs to recognise the extraordinary contributions teachers in the Northern Territory make to their communities.
Young Authors praised: four Year 7 students from Tennant Creek High School have been walking in the footsteps of notable authors. As part of the recent Young Territory Author Awards, Liam Fitzgerald, Noa Brittain, Doreena Hansen and Sarina Roland created and designed their own books. While the Tennant students missed out on the top prize, Noa Brittain was named as the Barkly region winner for her work Golden Yellow.
The Young Territory Author Awards are an annual writing competition where entrants under the age of 18 write and produce their own books. The aim of the collection, which is housed at Casuarina Library, is to provide an avenue through which young Territory authors are able to share their writings and have them recognised as pieces of literary worth.
Student scoops top award: Tennant Creek student, Laura Wright, recently won the Northern Territory Board of Studies Award for Academic Excellence. She received the award for the top overall achiever in the final year of secondary school at the awards function at Tennant Creek High School. The coveted $1500 Lions bursary was amongst the prizes Laura received.
Ordinary people doing extraordinary things: the Tennant Creek Volunteer Association won the Northern Territory Resilient Australia Award earlier this month. The award was for the development of an innovative mobile multi-agency radio communications platform which has greatly improved community safety and resilience in the Barkly region.
Karl Herzog, President of the Tennant Creek Volunteer Association, said the project was developed to provide a mobile/portable radio communications platform that can be deployed throughout the Barkly region during major disaster and emergency events. Previously, during land search operations, it was found searchers and their forward command post could not communicate with light aircraft during a search. There was also no capacity to communicate with non-emergency services personnel who were assisting in an operation.
The development of this innovative design now allows for a central communications point for land and air search, flooding, bushfires, and other operations. The system also provides cross-agencies/responders radio capabilities allowing communications across various commercial HF, UHF, VHF and citizen band frequency utilised by NT government agencies, aircraft, private enterprise and the general public. Already the system has provided police and other emergency service providers with a radio communications capability to respond to community safety events.
The Tennant Creek Volunteer Unit, which is under the control of the Northern Territory Emergency Services Southern Region, has around 10 dedicated members trained in a variety of emergency skills. Three of these members have also received national medals for their outstanding dedication and commitment to Northern Territory Emergency Services. The Tennant Creek Volunteer Association has also been nominated for the National Resilient Australia Awards which are to be held in Canberra on 5 December.
Mr STYLES (Sanderson): Madam Speaker, sadly I will speak for only for 10 minutes. There are so many people to thank I could go on for hours. I sincerely thank the people in my electorate for the ongoing support for me and my electorate officers. The support, care and concern for what we are doing are enormous. I would like the personally thank the supermarkets. Some people may not be aware that every Saturday morning I am at one of my supermarkets. I have four in my electorate, and I move my mobile office around and, by the courtesy of the people who own those supermarkets, I set up camp outside. I am there so all residents of the suburb can contact their local member on Saturdays.
I have a big thank you to my good friend, Scotty, at Wulagi Supermarket. Scotty is my litmus test. If I am not doing a good job he will ring to tell me, and that comes from people who talk to him about some of the issues in Wulagi. To Leo at Anula shops, thanks for your ongoing support. I share the space out the front with my very good friend Hingston Wong, from Hingston Chinese Restaurant and Takeaway. Also, the coffee is supplied by Infocus, which is gratefully accepted and thank you for last year’s performance. To my friend Tim at Wagaman shops, your ongoing support and the coffee on Saturday mornings is gratefully accepted.
I have four schools in my electorate and one outside, where many students from the caravan parks in my electorate attend. First, I acknowledge Wagaman Primary School Principal, Michele Cody; Anula Principal, Kerry Hudson; Wulagi Principal, Susan Kilgour; Sanderson Principal, Liz Veel’ and the one outside my electorate, Malak Primary School and Principal, Peter Swan. I sincerely thank you all for your ongoing support and acceptance of the fact I cannot be at every school council meeting, although my electorate officer, Vanessa McCall, represents me then.
To the people who support me – the CLP – I would like to thank Victoria Mencshelyi at the secretariat and Ross Connolly, president, for their ongoing commitment to our members, my colleagues and the CLP team. Also, particular thanks to my good mate of 25 years, Ron Baker, former Assistant Principal at Nightcliff High School. Ron, your commitment during the election is legendary amongst all people in the Territory and your ute – for those who do not know, Ron Baker is a mate with a ute, and everyone needs a mate with a ute. Ron, you are my mate with a ute and you could not ask for a better or more loyal friend. Your ute is seen everywhere during election campaigns. Thank you very much, and to Rosie Baker, his wife, who puts up with Ron being out so much helping me.
To my good friend, John Moyle – for those who may not know, John Moyle is a legend in my electorate and is like my surrogate grandfather. John is out there every day, except Tuesday, because he is a volunteer guide at the Darwin Military Museum on Tuesdays, but every other day he is at the front of my office raising thousands and thousands of dollars for charity. He is a legend and does a fabulous job. Every Saturday morning he helps me set up. We sit there, have great chats, he talks to people, and he is also at the Sunday morning barbecues we have around the electorate. I must say happy birthday to John. In about one month he turns 95, fit as a fiddle, sharp as a tack, and is with me every weekend at the shops doing a great job for the community. I wish him a very Merry Christmas and, as usual John, a very happy birthday.
I acknowledge my electorate officer. We have had Vanessa just on 12 months now. Sadly, my previous electorate officer’s husband was transferred to Alice Springs and, of course, she followed him. I wish Dee Davies, my former electorate officer, a very Merry Christmas. Vanessa McCall gave a speech at a function recently for electorate officers and said when she went into the job she was not sure exactly what was happening and had no idea what she was getting into. That proved to be a challenge for Vanessa. However, she has risen to the challenge and done a fantastic job.
I also thank my part-time electorate officer, Jan Sporn, who worked with Vanessa. Jan is in the older generation category but is a fantastic person with lots of experience as an electorate officer. She has shared her experience in a marvellous way with Vanessa, and we have all watched Vanessa go from someone who was not quite sure what she was doing to someone who is beaming out there now.
I place on the record for Vanessa that I am astounded at how many people say what a fantastic person she is. It is easy to say things like that, but it is real. People comment to me, and that is the judge of a great electorate officer and someone you can work with as a team. You work there on your own much of the time. You function well, you do things, and people love you. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. When I cannot be there, it is so important for me, as local member, to know I have someone there I can trust, who is a loyal friend and will do a great job making sure people’s concerns in the electorate of Sanderson are well catered for. Thank you Vanessa, and thank you Jan for all your work. Also, Beryl Warne, who does such a great job when the others cannot be there.
I thank my colleagues, especially the Chief Minister for promoting me in March this year. That was a great choice, Chief Minister, and I thank you for it. I work with a fantastic and enthusiastic team of people who put credibility into the phrase ‘we are open for business’.
Time does not permit me to continue, but I thank the staff in my office: Libby, my PA, and Rachel and Jo before her. Rachel and Jo both moved on to promotions, but thank you very much. Vicky replaced Jennifer, who moved on to a promotion. Jennifer, you were great. Vicky, you are great as well. Of course, Karen Young, my transport DLO does a fantastic job. To Nathan, my senior admin officer and chief of staff – thanks Nathan for the commitment and extra time you put in. To Nativity for your work and to my ever-faithful media officer, Lucy Buhr, you are legends. Of course, to Bec who keeps it all going in the office, I thank all you guys very much.
To my daughter Kristy and her children Telicia and Dakota, thank you for your ongoing support. To my son Adam and his wife Cassie who are about to have their first child – I am looking forward to that – and to my other son Damien, Maree and their kids, Chloe and Madison and number three on the way. I am about to have two extra grandkids. Thank you for your ongoing and undying support. To all my family – I have my sister and my bother-in-law up now – thank you very much for your ongoing support.
To my CEOs, Claire Gardiner-Barnes, Dave McHugh, Al Wagner formerly, and Gary Barnes, I thank you guys for helping me get through some difficult situations as a new minister and for your ongoing support.
Madam Speaker, I saved the best for last, my rock and absolute support, my wife, Linda. We have been married just over 18 months now after 18 years together. It has been an absolute pleasure. I cannot express in words how much I love you and appreciate the support you have always given me and, I imagine, always will.
Thank you and Merry Christmas to you all.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of Year 10 students from Palmerston Senior College accompanied by Fran Davies and Veronica Hempel. On behalf of honourable members, welcome to Parliament House and I hope you enjoy your time and your tour here.
Members: Hear, hear!
MOTION
Proposed Censure of Chief Minister
Proposed Censure of Chief Minister
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Madam Speaker, I move that this House censure the Chief Minister for abject bungling of the Nhulunbuy crisis which has devastating consequences for thousands of Territorians
This is perhaps the most important issue a member for Nhulunbuy will ever raise in the Northern Territory parliament. It is about the future of a community, a region, my home, the home of more than 4000 people and a wider region of around 10 000. It is about the significant social and economic impacts that will be felt Territory-wide and, indeed, to the economy of the nation. It is about keeping 1400 Territorians in employment, keeping $500m flowing into the economy and ensuring 4000 people in the town have a future which, from Friday, they will not.
Nhulunbuy is in crisis; we have known that for months. Workers at the refinery, their families, the shopkeepers who sell them groceries, public servants based in town and people who bought homes and invested in the community all had their worst fears realised on Friday. Let us be very clear: Nhulunbuy is in crisis because of decisions taken by the Chief Minister. Let us be very clear: he has bungled this crisis. Jobs, families and small businesses are affected and, without a doubt, public services in key areas, particularly around education and health, are affected.
Residents are feeling completely abandoned by the CLP government and are asking why they are rolling over and letting Rio Tinto mothball the refinery. Rio says it is answerable to shareholders. Chief Minister, you are answerable to your shareholders, the Territorians, families and businesses, the people of Nhulunbuy, both Yolngu and Ngapaki. We might not be on the Stuart Highway, we are in a region, and you have abandoned your shareholders.
The pace of this closure is brutal compared to industry shutdowns we have seen in other places, such as the motor vehicle manufacturing regions of Geelong and Broadmeadows, where Ford closed its plants, and Newcastle, where they have closed steelworks. However, they have handled it entirely differently.
By Christmas people will be losing their jobs and midway through next year some 1100 people will be out of work. However, Chief Minister Adam Giles refuses to step up to his responsibilities as Chief Minister, as leader of the Northern Territory. In any other jurisdiction, the government would oppose the changes and the proposal from Rio Tinto because of the negative social and economic impacts on the community.
Any other jurisdiction would have done that social and economic impact analysis. In any other jurisdiction, the government would work with the federal government to set out a pathway for the future. There would be structural adjustment packages over a period of time to ensure the viability of the local economy, not to mention the contribution it makes to the Territory, continues. But, no, not from this callous, uncaring Chief Minister who seems intent on seeing Nhulunbuy close.
This is a disaster! The Australian Emergency Management Institute recognises major industrial failures and closures as disasters. The Chief Minister has done no planning for this disaster, and people in Nhulunbuy are bearing the brunt of this.
Rio Tinto has a licence to mine the high-grade ore based on refining the bauxite to alumina, and governments are not holding Rio to that obligation to refine. They appear to be rolling over at the expense of jobs and regional economic development. Why, I and Nhulunbuy people ask, is the Chief Minister not standing up to Rio Tinto and challenging it on the obligations under its lease to not just mine bauxite, but to refine it and produce alumina? He is not prepared to stand up to Rio Tinto, or for jobs and the future of an entire community and region that depends on it.
Why has a longer transition period not been negotiated, given there has been no planning for the sustainable future of the region, despite the year of uncertainty the community has been living with? I have been calling for an economic and social impact analysis for many months now. It is appalling and disgraceful that the CLP government has failed to deliver this fundamental requirement. Everyone is looking for information on which to base crucial decisions about their lives, futures and commitments, yet in that space there is a complete void.
The government needs to immediately establish the Nhulunbuy reference group, which I suggested and proposed at Friday’s public meeting, so we can pursue a better outcome for residents to ensure their voices are heard. I sent a proposal through to officers in DCM following a briefing yesterday, with a proposal as to who those stakeholders might include.
The problem is the Chief Minister is clearly not up to the job, and it is not just me who says that.
There is endless, growing commentary on the impact the curtailment of refinery operations will have, and growing commentary and anger directed fairly and squarely, not only at Rio Tinto, but at the government for its failure to stand up for Territorians.
What impact will the loss of 1100 jobs have, and a town which will shrink from 4000 people to 1500? This quote, from the owner of the Walkabout Lodge, Mr John Tourish, in the NT News on 27 November sums it up. John has considerable investments in the community and says:
- This will pull the fabric of the community apart. It’s like a slow, strangling death.
The history of the mining operations there, and the establishment of what, at the time, was the biggest project in Australia’s history after the Snowy Mountains scheme, is well documented. I have spoken about it on a number of occasions on the floor of this House. We are also aware that following Nabalco having been granted a lease, it committed to building a township, port facility, mine and, in building that township, they built every service you would expect: hospital, schools, police station, fire station, swimming pool and every house there. More houses have been built since, but they set up the infrastructure. The agreement was they establish a town, and, in spite of that agreement, what we see now – it suited governments at the time – is this government, members opposite, walking away from a commitment which existed for more than 40 years.
Gove has a significant place in the history of the Territory, indeed, the history of the nation when it comes to land rights. It is well documented that Nabalco was challenged in the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory by the traditional owners, who did not want mining on their land. Sadly, that challenge was lost and mining proceeded. However, we have a generation of Indigenous people who have seen and worked with mining and recognise the economic benefits it delivers. Traditional owner and senior man of the Gumatj clan, Galarrwuy Yunupingu, said in an article in The Australian last Friday:
- This is not good; this is sad news.
I have lived and worked in Nhulunbuy for over 20 years. I met my husband there, I married there and my three children were born and raised there. I worked as a high school teacher in Nhulunbuy and was employed for more than 10 years in the community relations role, one of the best jobs I ever had, with the Gove operations during the years of Nabalco, Alcan and the G3 expansion project, and for a few months with Rio Tinto Alcan. I understand how crucial the refinery is to the town. I have worked there and lived in the community. I know a great many people, I know how the mining company works, and I understand better than anyone on that side how crucial the refinery and jobs are.
However, we woke on Friday to the company saying:
- Rio Tinto will now work on the scope and phased timing of suspension and prepare for all potential outcomes over coming months.
The Chief Minister said for months the ball was in Rio Tinto’s court. He will say today, I am sure, the strong Australian dollar and the low world price of alumina and diesel fuel are the reasons Rio has decided to mothball the refinery. However, he cannot back away from the instrumental role he has played in bungling, compromising and wrecking the future of Nhulunbuy.
In October 2012 the company announced a strategic review of its operations. I said the then Chief Minister and CLP government had to do everything in their capacity to keep the mine open. I said the Chief Minister needed to work very closely with the government and other stakeholders to secure gas for Gove. I remember the day of that announcement. Parliament was sitting and I took a phone call from then site manager, Frank Wilsdon, breaking the news to me.
Back then I also said the mine was vital to Nhulunbuy and the region’s future, and Chief Minister Mills needed to do everything to secure early gas for the pipeline to keep viable the town, business owners and the entire Northern Territory economy. A total of $500m is what the operations at Gove represent to the Territory economy. I said back then I would do all in my power to continue to fight for the people of Gove, and I restate that.
By the time we reached mid-December the former Chief Minister had missed his own self-imposed deadline to update the people of Nhulunbuy about their future, and families faced Christmas and New Year with uncertainly. It was a very tough time.
Then, in late January, the Chief Minister’s overdue announcement was bereft of anything resembling a solution. He said he was making significant progress, leaving no stone unturned, and working around the clock to ensure the refinery would remain open.
In February we finally got security; the Chief Minister secured a gas deal. He issued a media release. He put out two releases and I would like to read them. One was from …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nhulunbuy, please pause.
________________
Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of Year 10 students from Palmerston Senior College accompanied by Antonie Snyman and Daniel Kubski. On behalf of honourable members, welcome to Parliament House and I hope you enjoy your time here.
Members: Hear, hear!
________________
Ms WALKER: Thank you, Madam Speaker. We had a media release on 11 February …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nhulunbuy, can you also seek leave to table.
Ms WALKER: I seek leave to table the media releases.
Leave granted.
Ms WALKER: On 11 February, ‘Territory government supplies gas to Gove,’ and on 13 February, ‘Done deal to secure the future of Gove’. There is no misunderstanding what the words mean, ‘Done deal to secure the future of Gove’. Pacific Aluminium, as they were then, put out similar media and, on the strength of that certainty, people made decisions about their lives. They had certainty, and the future of Gove was secured. People reinvested in their businesses. People who may have thought about leaving the community decided to stay. Do not underestimate how crucial that announcement in February was to the commitment people made to Gove – to invest and stay, and to ramp up their mortgages on the strength they had certainty.
You can understand why, on 26 July, when Chief Minister Giles put out a media release on a public holiday – yes, it was a public holiday in Nhulunbuy, not just Darwin – that the deal was off, there was not 300 PJ of gas. ‘Sorry, you can have 175 and it is a win/win, a good deal.’ Nobody but the Chief Minister and the members opposite see that as a good deal. It put in jeopardy everything that had been secured in February, and was something nobody was expecting, not even the Gove operations. I know for a fact the mining company had no heads up from the government that it was making this announcement, none whatsoever. I wonder if members of Cabinet were even aware the Chief Minister would make that announcement.
However, as is the modus operandi of the Chief Minister, he blames everyone else. He accepts no responsibility and blames everybody else, and, as a result of that decision, left people deeply in shock.
In July the Leader of the Opposition and I called on the Chief Minister to disclose his due diligence which said why this was not viable, why he was not prepared to take a calculated, manageable risk, as the former Chief Minister was, to release 300 PJ of gas – not to give it away, but to sell it.
The Leader of the Opposition and I received a briefing. We requested a full copy of the report. We were only ever provided with the Executive Summary from Doug McTaggart, Galibier Partners. We were not provided with access to the authors of the report, only public servants. What were they hiding? What were they shielding from us to not allow us to see the full report, nor have access to the report’s authors?
Then, three days after the disastrous announcement of 26 July, on 29 July, the federal Coalition stepped in. Ian Macfarlane flew into Nhulunbuy. The member for Namatjira bailed out of that meeting, ‘Whoa, I am not going there. You deal with the anger there, given you broke the deal.’ The Deputy Chief Minister was sent with Ian Macfarlane, the now federal minister, who said to us, ‘We will save your town. Vote for a Coalition government and Tony Abbott will save your town.’ People remember those words.
In July we called on the CLP to undertake, again, an extensive independent social and economic impact analysis of what their broken deal would mean, but they did not. They still have not and we are not convinced a report even exists. We are still waiting to see the analysis of the social and economic impacts for Nhulunbuy from this chaotic and entirely dysfunctional government.
However, the bungling did not stop there. After reneging on Terry Mills’ deal in July, the Chief Minister revealed in September that the 195 PJ offer of gas to Gove had been cut to 175 PJ. In what must be one of the strangest and most ill-informed claims of all time, the Chief Minister, on 11 September, claimed – I quote from his media statement:
- … the 175 PJ gas offer that is now on the table for Gove is an even better offer.
The Chief Minister needs to buy a new calculator if he believes 175 PJ is bigger and better than 195 PJ. This constant changing and deal breaking sends a terrible message to industry and investors. It says the Northern Territory government, and the Chief Minister, cannot be trusted. ‘Do not do business here because we will renege on your deal, we cannot be trusted.’ It also shows he treated the people of Nhulunbuy with utter contempt. The future of the town is in jeopardy and he does not care.
Before the federal election, minister Macfarlane, from opposition, promised a federal Coalition would work with the Northern Territory government and Rio to ensure a long-term solution to keep the Pacific Aluminium Gove refinery open, including support for a plan to underwrite the cost of the gas pipeline. The Chief Minister welcomed that commitment and said it:
- … offers certainty to the people of Gove. It should reassure Gove residents that the gas offer that is now on the table is a viable solution to the town’s energy needs.
That was from a media release on 29 July. How short-lived that reassurance has been!
In September, Pacific Aluminium announced to employees that review option of potential curtailment of production at the refinery was, again, considered. This internal memo said:
- I would like to provide you with an update of the gas to Gove project following a meeting held this week with the Chief Minister to discuss his latest gas supply proposal.
By calling it his latest proposal, the company was in no doubt about who was calling the shots and who was reneging on previous deals. It was probably around that time the Chief Minister lashed out at the company very publically in his own media release and accused it of scaring its employees. It is extraordinary the Chief Minister would choose to offer commentary via a public media release on an internal communication from the site manager to his employees – to slap them on the wrist and say, ‘You are scaring your employees’. The reality was – and this has come home to roost – the Chief Minister had been scaring everyone. The Chief Minister scared everybody because we cannot trust him. He has policy on the run, chops and changes deals, makes commitments then backflips on them. It is symptomatic of a chaotic and dysfunctional government.
The Chief Minister has created uncertainty and plunged the community into the crisis we see. During that period we saw personal attacks on anyone who spoke up for the community, me in particular. That has been the immediate action from this very arrogant Chief Minister on every occasion. Rather than explain his decision to renege on former Chief Minister Mills’ deal, he simply chooses to call people names. He comes in, swaggers on his feet, ‘Look at me, aren’t I great?’ What a clown he is! Rather than rolling up his sleeves and doing his homework to find a solution, the Chief Minister has blamed everyone but himself for a decision he made. No one but the Chief Minister has plunged Nhulunbuy into this crisis. It is thanks to his incompetence.
Finally, in this long chronology of the gas to Gove saga, on 30 September, after months of invitations and calls from me for the Chief Minister, or any CLP minister, to visit Nhulunbuy, the bandwagon rolled into town. The federal Resources minister arrived in town. Limited invitations were circulated and, as such, there were probably only 60 or 70 people at the meeting. He was there to say, ‘I wanted to tell you face to face the gas is available, 300 PJ of gas’. That was great news. People did not cheer and clap, they were a little sceptical. Sitting alongside him was the Chief Minister, who no doubt had been summoned by the federal minister – this was two weeks after the federal election – to get his backside to Gove. The federal minister told us even the Chief Minister did not know about this and had been given a briefing in the car as they drove from the airport. Extraordinary!
The Chief Minister was quite clearly uncomfortable in front of the 70 people who managed to get a seat at the meeting. He sat mute for most of the time, while the federal minister announced 300 PJ of available gas. It was also described as ‘Adam’s gas’. If it was Adam’s gas, why didn’t Adam know about it? Based on what people were told, they made decisions about their lives and livelihoods. We have had this saga, this circus of backflips which has left people in the mess they are in.
That brings us to the events of the past week, one which has seen a shambles in the Giles Cabinet – a week where it seems everybody who lives in Australia was aware of an imminent announcement of mothballing except, of course, the Chief Minister and some members of his Cabinet. On Wednesday, the Attorney-General said at an interview – this was before any announcement on Friday:
- At the moment it’s going to be mothballed, for all intents and purposes that’s closed for functional reasons.
- I think that’s the stuff I’ve seen publicly pretty strongly indicated that – it’s clear that’s what the people of Nhulunbuy think and that’s what everybody else thinks.
The Attorney-General announced the closure ahead of anybody else, when his own Chief Minister was saying he did not know about it. Truly, what goes on over there? On 29 November the announcement was finally made. In a statement, the company said:
- Rio Tinto will move to suspend alumina production at Gove and focus on its bauxite operations after determining the refinery is no longer a viable business in the current market environment.
Rio Tinto will now work on the scope and phased timing of suspension and prepare for all potential outcomes over coming months.
Understandably, that announcement has not been well received in Nhulunbuy. At the beginning of that week I called on the Chief Minister, once again, ahead of any announcement, to visit Nhulunbuy, and he said he would come on Friday. That was great news; we were pleased to hear that. The problem was he said it on the floor of the House but nobody back home seemed to know about it. My office was inundated with people wanting to know, when, where and how to get there? Will it be a public meeting? Every other meeting the government had held with Rio Tinto had been closed – invitation only. The Chamber of Commerce – which has a wide stakeholder e-mail distribution list – in the absence of finding official information flagging a public meeting with the Chief Minister present, chose to send a media release across its distribution network from the Chief Minister titled, ‘Labor Disinterest A Disgrace’ on 27 November.
I was shocked when I saw that. I thought, what Chief Minister sends this trash out, this grubby stuff to let people in a community despairing about their future know he is coming to talk to them? The Chamber of Commerce told me they had no other information so they sent that out. As a result, distraught as I was to see my name and the mudslinging that went with this nonsense, I issued a follow-up release and the Chamber of Commerce – thank you – circulated it.
This backfired on you, Chief Minister. I cannot tell you how many conversations I had over the weekend with people saying, ‘Lynne, what kind of Chief Minister invites the community to a meeting with a slag off release like this. We know you as our local member, we know you stood up for us, and he sends this out as official information.’ Seriously! We know your communications are pretty ordinary, but that was a disaster and shameful as well.
Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister made brief comment on Friday:
- The people who I feel very sorry for are those who have bought homes and businesses in Gove on the expectation of a very vibrant, ongoing, continuing economy and who are now in a very difficult position.
I think these are the people Rio does have a moral debt to, if not necessarily a legal debt.
Thanks very much, Prime Minister. Where is our government in this picture? Who are you sending here? Why did he not have someone on a plane on Friday to sit with the Chief Minister and Rio Tinto and talk about its structural adjustment packages the body of work done to date with the Northern Territory government and Rio Tinto? Nothing!
In contrast to that, what did the Chief Minister say on 29 November? I quote:
- Now is the time to look to the future and I have secured an assurance from Rio Tinto that they will be making the continuation of a viable Gove community and economy a priority.
I will be holding them to that commitment.
Well, good on you. It is laughable that the Chief Minister can say, with a straight face, he will be holding anyone to their commitment, especially after all the backflips on commitments he has made. Talk about passing the buck to Rio Tinto. ‘Well, nothing to do with me.’ We heard one of his ministers say that in Question Time last week. That might be the mantra on that side. If you do not know, just say, ‘Well, nothing to do with me’.
What about jobs? Public employment jobs are going from March and teacher jobs from July. What certainty does that provide to a community? He will not step up and keep schools open for a full year like Nhulunbuy Christian College is doing. This government is doing nothing. It is scrambling for detail with no economic and social impact analysis, and no structural adjustment packages. This government needs to step up and be answerable to the people of Nhulunbuy and explain how its bungling has cost 1100 jobs and the loss of $500m to the Territory economy, not to mention the number of businesses and homeowners who face such an uncertain future.
Shame on you, Chief Minister! Shame on the CLP government for your abject failure to the people of Nhulunbuy and the wider region, and the irreparable damage you are doing to the Northern Territory.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to speak after that tirade of abuse. Where do I start? The member for Nhulunbuy has not been involved in this debate for long. The issue of the refinery goes back to the start of the last term of government, when the refinery and the company, Rio, were looking for solutions to reduce the cost structure at Gove.
On four occasions that refinery sought to have gas provided to it to deliver solutions to reduce fuel costs. It also sought to receive coal, something the former Labor government, because of its environmental credentials with the Greens, was not keen to support.
What was done by the former Labor government to respond to these issues around energy? The Leader of the Opposition was recently quoted as saying the former Labor government was never asked for support or assistance with gas, despite the fact the former Chief Minister offered four years of gas or around 120 PJ.
It is disappointing that the member for Nhulunbuy has not wanted to be part of the process. She has only twice sought a brief on what is happening and has not actively sought to become part of the solution to some of these issues.
It is true there was an offer of gas provided to Rio Tinto of – not 300 PJ – up to 300 PJ of gas by the former Chief Minister, the member for Blain. That offer was never taken up by Rio. Despite the fact everyone is saying a deal was done, Rio never signed up on the offer. Despite what Rio or Pacific Aluminium might have said, the offer was never taken up, and we received some indication of that. The offer was never taken up when the member for Blain was Chief Minister, and correspondence shows that.
One of the issues around that was – only one – the price point for gas of up to 300 PJ. The price point was around market price points, and that was a challenge for Rio. We worked out another option to reduce the price. Part of the reason the offer was reduced was to get it at cost price delivered to Mataranka, where the future pipeline would have been built, which would have had transportation costs of gas on top of that. It was at cost price. We were virtually giving away Territory assets to help sustain the refinery.
There have been many conversations and negotiations around that offer over a long period of time. That offer was not taken up either. An option was put to Rio, amongst many options, of a swap deal of energy, which included us doing some buy-back of diesel in combination with gas. That offer was knocked back as well. No offer by the CLP government – since 25 August last year – has been accepted by Rio. All this stuff about us reneging on a deal – there was no reneging and no deal agreed to by Rio Tinto. If it had signed up to a deal we would have been happy. We all wanted the pipeline to go ahead, the refinery to continue and development for the Territory to go ahead.
Yes, there were many people lining up to access gas. ERA has, for a long time, been trying to get access to Santos gas. I begged, borrowed and stole from Santos and said, ‘Keep this gas for Gove. Keep it for Rio, keep it for the refinery.’ They honoured that commitment. They wanted to do a deal with ERA, but made sure they kept their word to me that they would send it to Gove. That gas was on the table until Friday morning when Rio announced it would not pursue it
Santos is disappointed as well because there are other commercial outcomes they could have worked with. They will now pursue other matters.
Let me make it clear once again: there was never any deal agreed to between Rio Tinto and the Northern Territory government, despite numerous offers we put to them.
The member for Nhulunbuy said there was never a Cabinet decision. Whoever is informing you is misinformed because Cabinet, in June, decided to revise the offer. The source of your information is completely wrong.
We continued trying to solve the issue for Rio Tinto, the refinery and the people of Gove. There was serious consideration around whether we should announce the revised offer. However, in the interests of letting people know what we were doing, I made the call that we should let people know, which is what we did. Since that point in time, the member for Nhulunbuy, the Leader of the Opposition and many Labor members have talked about reneging on the deal. There was no reneging on a deal. We have always tried to solve the problem. If the truth be known, the secondary offer would have been cheaper for Rio Tinto than the first one because the gas price was substantially cheaper.
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of Year 7, 8 and 9 students from Sanderson Middle School, accompanied by Laura Stephensen. Welcome to Parliament House. I hope you enjoy your time here and your tour.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Mr GILES: Welcome to parliament. I hope you are enjoying the debate.
My colleague, the member for Fong Lim, has just handed me correspondence dated 13 July 2012, about a month before the deal on the Stella Maris was done. This letter is from then Chief Minister Paul Henderson to Sandeep Biswas, Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Aluminium. The letter flies in the face of what the Leader of the Opposition previously said:
- You have advised that Pacific Aluminium is currently posting significant losses in its Gove operations, and while you are making large operational savings you have advised that without changing your energy source to gas your board may consider closing the refinery.
Under these circumstances, you have asked the Northern Territory to consider directing Power and Water Corporation to provide Pacific Aluminium with gas over a 10-year period. You advise that this may enable you to secure backing for a new pipeline, negotiate tariffs on new and existing pipelines, and would provide sufficient time for you to contract for a long-term gas supply to commence as soon as possible before the end of the 10-year period.
The operation of the mine and plant at Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory provides a significant economic benefit to the region, is a significant source of employment at Gove, and is of significant importance to Indigenous people in the area who have only recently concluded an agreement for continuation of mining and processing activities.
I therefore support your efforts to identify a way to keep the mine and plant operating in a sustainable way.
- To that end the Northern Territory may consider providing …
That is not an offer, it is ‘may’:
- … some assistance by allowing the purchase of gas from the Power and Water Corporation’s existing contracted reserves to enable the refinery to convert to gas, although the amount of gas currently available for purchase cannot provide you with a full 10-year supply, but may provide up to four years’ supply.
Despite Rio asking for 10 years, the former Labor government offered four years of gas. This is despite the fact Rio is a public company and should be able to enter into commercial operations on its own but came to government for assistance.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I ask that the Chief Minister table the letter.
Mr GILES: I will table it. I am reading the letter.
Madam SPEAKER: It is being read into Hansard.
Mr GILES:
- I am also happy to continue to provide assistance …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Page 2 has not been read into Hansard. Why will he not table the letter?
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, do you wish to table the letter?
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, I am reading from the letter. I would like to finish reading it.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you. That is a no.
Mr GILES:
- I am also happy to continue to provide assistance for you to seek to have discussions with both ENI and Santos to secure an alternative gas supply, including the existing gas in the Mereenie field …
That is something we negotiated through.
- … our advice is that there may be as much as three years’ supply at Mereenie ...
It was between 72 and 78 PJ …
Again, I understand that the amount of gas that may be available will need to be supplemented to achieve your 10-year target. Further gas from the reserves under the existing Power and Water Corporation contract sufficient to make up the full 10 years you have requested could be made available on the basis that you have secured a heads of agreement with a gas supplier to deliver an agreed volume, understanding that this will be conditional on successful exploration, this heads of agreement is matched by heads of agreement with the Northern Territory that would allow any additional Power and Water Corporation gas to be swapped back at no additional cost to ensure adequate gas for the Power and Water Corporation’s ongoing need.
- We also reach a shared understanding and agreement concerning the following matters: the status of the proposed pipeline to take gas to Gove, including the tenure arrangements; your proposed time frame for constructing the pipeline; your proposed time frame for transition to gas and the steps involved; confirmation of the long-term gas requirements for operation of the refinery, the mine and the town; the process and timing to go to the market to seek a long-term supply of gas; and in particular, whether this likely time frame supports your request for a 10-year supply of gas; the capacity of existing pipelines to transport the required quantity of gas; and whether there would need to be any further agreements with traditional owners and the pipeline owners in order for gas from the Power and Water Corporation’s existing contract, and the gas in the Mereenie field, to be transported to your plant in Gove.
To this end, I propose establishment of a small, high-level working group made up of your nominated officers from Pacific Aluminium and senior Northern Territory government staff to facilitate and monitor the progress of the above items and to advise both parties accordingly, targeting completion of the above within the next three months.
As before, I would like to repeat the offer of my support in this matter, where appropriate, in discussions with the federal government.
The point of that letter is Rio asked for 10 years’ worth of gas despite being a publicly listed corporation. They should be able to find their own gas supplies, like other companies do. They came to government for support seeking 10 years’ worth of gas. The former Labor government offered four years, and put in the clause they expected to have a swap gas arrangement where gas comes back to the Northern Territory.
The offer the member for Blain made, the former Chief Minister, was up to 300 PJ of gas to be negotiated. That offer was not accepted. Part of that non-acceptance had to do with the pricing structure at market prices. As I said, we provided all the gas we could, through a due diligence process, at cost price, which, without going into commercial considerations, is the cheapest gas in the country on offer. We also offered to have a swap arrangement with the price of diesel, measuring diesel as a petajoule of energy, so we could provide a cost effective model for diesel rates. That was knocked back too.
A range of offers was put up and all knocked back. I know this decision has significantly affected the community of Gove, and will continue to do so. However, it needs to be pointed out that while the member for Nhulunbuy, the Labor opposition and Paul Howes, who I believe is here on a fishing trip and has decided to get involved in the union movement, played politics rather than trying to meet the needs of the community – members of the Gove community may be unhappy with me and the government, but both I and the member for Blain had our shoulders to the wheel trying to solve this problem with Rio. We have been worked to the grindstone.
We have people to build the pipeline, the easement is clear, we have people to finance the pipeline, we have a guarantee from the federal government about transportation costs of gas, we have a guarantee from ENI it will supply the gas, we have a guarantee they will divert the gas to Katherine, and we have a guarantee from Santos.
Let me tell you how far we went offering this gas. Many people would not understand this – I will not be making my statement today, I will make it on Thursday probably and have more detail – but the Northern Territory government has contracted 37 PJ of gas per annum. This year we will use approximately – depending on how hot it is and how much air conditioning people use and all those things – 24 PJ, which means 13 PJ is spare. Next year there will be approximately 12.5 PJ of gas spare which we can use on the back end of our contract.
If you look at the two years of gas which will not be used – let us say 25 PJ – because had the refinery continued under gas it would not have started until 2015, possibly 2016. What we needed to do with that gas, because you can only put so much gas down a pipeline, is store it and try to front end the deal before they got a long-term contractual arrangement. We had to work out a way of getting them the gas and how we get it out of the ground and hold it before the refinery starts so we can front end the gas deal for them. We had an indicative agreement for either one of these options, and were working to see whether we could pipe the gas from Blacktip, through Wadeye, through to Katherine, down to Alice Springs, across to Mereenie, and put it underground in the Santos site where they currently get gas from – store it underground to help with this process. Another option we were considering was whether we could store it in Darwin with ConocoPhillips. That is the extent we went to for this.
The member for Nhulunbuy would not know this, because she did not get a briefing on any of this information.
Up until around two weeks ago, when we were advised of the desire not to take up the offer, we still thought the gas offer would be taken up. We still had people working on the pipeline looking at how much it would cost, which country we would get the pipes from and how we would transport them here. We were working on all this then Rio, a publicly listed company, made a corporate decision to shut the refinery. Instead of working out ways to respond, all we have is politics from the member from Nhulunbuy, as we have been through the whole process, without getting a briefing. She is still playing that today. ‘What about me on a committee?’ What about the other 3999 people living in the region? They might be unhappy with us because the member for Nhulunbuy has played a golden game of politics, but we have been working tirelessly to solve this issue.
There have been questions about the operation of the refinery and its requirements. During Question Time I said there have been four pieces of correspondence on that component alone. I might table them on Thursday.
That correspondence asked how the corporation will comply with its lease obligations. I am happy to read out one which was sent last Thursday night …
Ms Lawrie: We were told it was sent last Wednesday.
Mr GILES: I believe I said it was last Thursday. If it was last Wednesday, I correct the record. It was last Thursday ...
Ms Lawrie: We were told last Wednesday in the briefing that, evidently, we did not get.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, Opposition Leader!
Mr GILES: Maybe it was Wednesday, I think it was Thursday. Either way, one day in between. It said:
- Mr Walsh
On 25 November 2013, Mr David Peever, Managing Director Rio Tinto Australia and other Rio Tinto executives updated my Cabinet on the work you have been undertaking in the lead-up to a decision on the future of the refinery.
The Northern Territory government notes that Mr Peever has indicated, in the strongest terms, that any decision of the Rio Tinto Board is not linked with the withdrawal of the former Chief Minister’s conditional offer to supply gas following the Northern Territory government’s due diligence process, or the subsequent gas proposals put by the Northern Territory and Australian governments.
However, the Northern Territory government is disappointed that the message from Mr Peever is that the Rio Tinto Board decision, which we understand may be tomorrow, is likely to be to suspend production at the refinery.
The Northern Territory government has previously sent out, in a letter to Mr Peever of 15 November 2012, a number of issues that must be addressed as part of any decision to suspend production at the refinery.
No response to that letter has been received. Of particular importance is how you will comply with the Gove agreement which requires you to maintain the refinery in an operable condition, and Special Mineral Lease 11, which requires you to maintain, manage, and operate the refinery.
While you have provided some financial information and a view of the aluminium industry and market, I and my colleagues would need to be convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that the refinery is not sustainable and at the only option is to suspend production.
It is important that when making your decision you and your board members understand that in the absence of any information about how you intend to comply with your obligations under the Gove agreement and Special Mineral Lease 11, and without a more detailed understanding of the financial position of the refinery and associated operations, the Northern Territory government is not in a position to provide any assurance that the suspension of production at the refinery would comply with the Gove agreement, Special Mineral Lease 11, and the existing bauxite export approval.
In our view, one way to test the economic feasibility of the bauxite mine and refinery is to offer them for sale to the market as a going concern. There may be parties willing to purchase the bauxite mine or refinery separately from the rest of Pacific Aluminium. In our view, this approach would best be done with the refinery fully operational. I await your response.
To date, I have not received a response to that letter. It is asking how they will comply with the conditions of the lease and whether they would consider putting the refinery up for sale to see if someone else could take over. Many people have asked what will happen with the ongoing operation of bauxite extraction should the refinery close, and whether we have been pursuing sale of the refinery. The answer is yes, we have. In that letter we clearly asked for them to consider sale and testing the market.
However, the other component is how they comply with the conditions of the lease. A range of work is going on behind the scenes in that regard. If anyone in Labor, possibly the member for Barkly who seems interested in this subject, wants a confidential briefing, I am happy to provide one about how some of those negotiations are going. There are significant issues with those components of the lease.
One of the areas we are looking at is the financial viability of the refinery, and I understand the global implications of the production of alumina. I am aware of what is occurring in China, the immediate increase in capacity in China, the future increase in capacity in China, the downward pressure that is putting on the price of alumina in a global market, and how, no matter how much the refinery can improve its productivity – as I know it has – the cost structure just cannot get below the price to make a quid on the world market, particularly in the face of China. That is proving a devastating problem and was a major part of the consideration for Rio.
We find ourselves in the position where the decision has been made and no one is happy about it, least of all the people who put a lot of hard work and effort into trying to provide solutions for the refinery. We were prepared, on this side of the Chamber, to look at taking the town on as a going concern as part of the Northern Territory.
As we know, Nhulunbuy is a mining town completely owned by the mine. The lease incorporates the township. They run the power, water and sewerage. There is no local government. They have the Nhulunbuy Corporation …
Ms Walker: They would be a little offended by no local government.
Mr GILES: They have local government in the region but not in the township. It is a mining town, but we wondered how we could take it over. Would that work as a model to reduce costs for Rio Tinto on top of the offer of gas, underwriting transportation costs, getting someone to pay for the pipeline, selling off government assets at cost price in the gas we have – the indignation of the member for Nhulunbuy to talk about us not doing anything, all the other references she made, and casting aspersions on this side of the Chamber when we have worked tirelessly to fix this. There has been no bungling. We had people all around the country trying to solve this problem on behalf of Rio and work out ways to reduce their costs.
The sad part in all this – my colleagues on this side will agree – is we have had no support. You do not always expect support from the opposition, but we have had no support from the opposition or the local member to find solutions for Rio Tinto or the people of Nhulunbuy, and they have known about this since 2008. They knew this was an issue; correspondence has been flowing backwards and forwards. I read the letter from the former Chief Minister with a reduced offer of swap gas, or exchange gas as we call it. They knew about this and have not taken it as a going concern.
This is the number one issue in Nhulunbuy and has been for many years. That is why I was surprised to receive a copy of the member for Nhulunbuy’s election commitments recently. You would think, if this was the highest priority for the local member in going to an election, she would have said her number one election commitment was fighting for the jobs of Rio Tinto and Nhulunbuy and finding a gas solution.
Let me run through her commitments to the electorate. A vote for Lynne Walker will deliver:
- … further upgrade to the Central Arnhem Road at Rocky Bottom Creek; bus service extension to wetlands; $1.5m for a Trade Training Centre at Yirrkala; repairs to lights at Yirrkala Oval; double back to school voucher, $150 per child; $200 childcare voucher; a boat ramp upgrade and pontoon …
And, best of all, coming in before the jobs of the people at Gove was:
- … a ride on mower for the Gove golf club.
A ride on mower! I am sure it is very important. I have played at Gove Country Golf Club many times but would have thought the number one issue was jobs for the residents of Gove. There is not one mention of that there, and this has been in the former Labor government’s bailiwick for years. They talk about the operational lease for the township and the mining lease, and we are currently getting legal advice on what can be done. The member for Nhulunbuy will not attend a confidential briefing ...
Ms Walker: You are only getting it now?
Mr GILES: No, we have had it for a long time. Why have you not had any?
Ms Walker: We have. You are the government.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr GILES: Very good point, but I am happy to offer the member for Barkly, who was present on Friday, a confidential briefing if he would like to know the advice we have. The member for Barkly seems to be much more interested than the Leader of the Opposition, who could not be bothered turning up in Gove on Friday. I am unsure why. Obviously she had more pressing issues than the fact 2700 people will probably leave Nhulunbuy ...
Ms WALKER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Why did he not bring the Tourism minister if we are talking about buffaloes? Why was the Treasurer not there?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Sit down.
Mr GILES: The feigned indignation from the Leader of the Opposition – at least the Deputy Leader turned up in Nhulunbuy and heard the concerns of people. I would like to know your reason for not turning up when it was such devastating news for the people of Nhulunbuy.
Let me point to another important element in this debate. The opposition and the current chief fisherman, Paul Howes, keep pointing to me and the government regarding our response, how we have worked through this and how we play politics despite, the fact they say it is about the people. They play the politics. It is important to remember ...
Ms Walker interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Nhulunbuy!
Mr GILES: It is important to remember …
Ms Walker interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr GILES: I tried not to laugh at the member for Nhulunbuy for as long as I could.
It is important to remember that Rio Tinto decided to curtail the refinery, not the Northern Territory government. We did not want it curtailed. You keep pointing at us when we are trying to get Rio to provide the biggest package possible to support the local people. You keep playing politics. You can play politics all you want, but you are doing a disservice to your community. I know that, you know that.
We want the best response possible for the people of Nhulunbuy and the east Arnhem region. Rio Tinto must front up and provide that response, and must detail all the information it has. While you play politics and have a shot at Tony Abbott, you are taking your eye off the game and letting the people of Nhulunbuy down. That is disgraceful, and I do not support this censure.
Ms LAWRIE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, what a disgraceful contribution from the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory to a dire crisis in the township of Nhulunbuy and the northeast Arnhem Land region.
We will ensure the residents of Nhulunbuy get a copy of that contribution. We will get it out amongst the networks because they could have heard his plans and actions to stand up to this Rio Tinto decision to curtail the refinery, despite the minerals lease that requires them to have it operable. Instead, we heard vindictive bile after vindictive bile attacking the member for Nhulunbuy who has consistently stood up for her community. It was a disgrace to listen to the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory who, instead of leading and providing some sense of hope for reasonable and well-thought through actions, made a nasty attack. Little wonder he is depicted as a little boy in cartoons in the newspaper. Little wonder the people of the region have no trust in him. We know the trust issue goes back to that fateful Darwin public holiday in July when he announced they were reneging on the gas to Gove offer of 300 PJ of gas to convert the energy source to gas from heavy fuel.
We hear the member for Braitling talk about the member for Blain’s – as it was not a deal. We saw the member for Nhulunbuy table in parliament the media release issued by the then Chief Minister before he was removed unceremoniously while on a trade mission to Japan, another highly damaging diplomatic incident for the Territory. The media release is headed, ‘Done deal to secure the future of Gove’ and says:
- The Northern Territory Government welcomes today’s announcement by Rio Tinto to keep the alumina refinery in Gove open.
- Commitment by Rio Tinto to continue operating the refinery follows this week’s decision by the Northern Territory Government to supply enough gas to keep the operation open for ten years.
Chief Minister, Terry Mills, said his Government will now proceed to finalise the necessary documents and formalise the arrangements for the release of gas as soon as possible.
The tragedy is that did not happen because there was a change of Chief Minister. The member for Blain was unceremoniously knifed while on a trade mission to Japan, and the incoming Chief Minister, the member for Braitling, did not stick to that commitment and follow through on finalising the arrangements for release of gas. Instead, he completely reneged on that deal.
We know Rio Tinto has decided to curtail the refinery, saying it was a commercial decision. They have looked at the alumina market and the bringing on of a significant quantum of alumina production in China, both currently under way and projected. I think it is 500 million tonnes per annum increase in China already, with a projected 12 million tonnes per annum coming through I am advised by Rio – largely China. Rio said it did not think it was viable to operate the refinery going forward because of the millions of tonnes per annum coming out of China. They say, out of that decision, they will curtail the refinery.
The genuine issue we are challenging the government on, and where we have seen significant bungling and mishandling by the Chief Minister, is the minerals lease in place which requires the refinery to be operable. Yet the Chief Minister sat on the stage on Friday, did not give that information to the audience, did not say they will do everything they can, as the duly elected government, to stand up for what they need in the town and the region to keep the refinery open. He simply rolled over to the Rio Tinto decision to curtail the refinery.
If you are on the ground, such as the members for Nhulunbuy and Barkly are, our Deputy Leader and shadow for Resources, shadow for Regional Economic Development, quite appropriately were on Friday, you would hear the talk from the people who work at the refinery, the people whose jobs will be lost. They say this curtailment, this mothballing as described by the Attorney-General, does not provide, ultimately, the turn-on capacity.
The notion that curtailment means it will sit there mothballed and, at some unknown time in the future – because China is producing another 12 million tonnes per annum of alumina based on the Rio Tinto advice, which went to its economic reasoning for shutdown – somehow, magically, the alumina prices will improve, the Chinese production will not meet their its own needs and someone will press the ‘go’ button on that refinery again.
Chief Minister, the people of the region do not believe that. They do not believe you. They do not trust that. Given the fundamental breach in trust it begs the question: if it is not able to be turned on in the future because it is not operable, it is simply water going through the refinery to keep it turning over, what is that about? Is that about the fact Rio Tinto is being let off the hook for the very serious environmental requirements and concerns around the highly contaminated red mud sitting in the ponds? Is it that the job of decommissioning a plant of that size and nature would provide jobs and economic stimulus in and of itself in the region?
If there is not a genuine commitment to future operation of the refinery, which we are hearing on the ground does not exist, Rio Tinto is being let off the hook for its responsibilities by the Northern Territory government. We have seen it let off the hook in the curtailment. The Chief Minister sat on the stage at the town hall meeting and not once said, ‘By the way, as your Chief Minister, I will hold Rio Tinto to account for the requirement under the mineral lease to have the refinery operable’. That was not said, that was not pursued; he was rolling over.
The great tragedy in this is the way the government has rolled over to the announcement of the time frame. Yesterday, when the member for Nhulunbuy and I attended a briefing given by officers of the Department of the Chief Minister and the Chief of Staff for the Chief Minister, we asked, ‘What is the eight months? When did the clock start ticking on the eight months? Does it include the two months of the planning phase kicking into six months of curtailment, or is it eight months plus the two months of planning?’
They were unable to answer that question. They responded, ‘We do not know. We are waiting to get the final Gantt chart with a time line back from Rio Tinto.’ How can the announcement of curtailment of a refinery have occurred and the government of the day is waiting for time lines from Rio Tinto? How are we in the situation where the government of the day is accepting Rio Tinto sets the time lines?
BHP, with its steelworks closure in Newcastle, did not close because it was making a profit. It closed because it was not economically viable. It had the same economic viability arguments we have here. Did the New South Wales government of the day sit on its hands and say, ‘That is okay BHP, you set the time lines’. No! That community had in excess of two years to go through a structural adjustment phase. There is a lot written on this, and I urge the government to read it. It certainly showed that, with appropriate planning and implementation, structural adjustment can achieve the outcome we are all looking for, which is alternative economic stimulus, alternative jobs. In Newcastle, for example, some 1200 direct jobs were created out of those alternative industries and about 195 part-time jobs.
However, it takes time to do that work properly. It takes time to have the opportunity to properly adjust a town and region to alternative employment. Rio Tinto has not given that community that time, and we are not seeing the Northern Territory government fighting and demanding that amount of time as a minimum. What people in industry downturn phases recognise is there are usually years of negotiations leading up to when the clock of the announcement and the downturn starts. We have not seen that here. We have seen the Chief Minister bury his head in the sand pretending he has no responsibility in this and it is all the responsibility of Rio Tinto.
Therein lies the censure, Chief Minister. You have personally bungled this. You have not accepted your responsibility, as Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, any step of the way. From the way you treated the reneging of the deal that Terry Mills had struck, to the way you have treated the months of uncertainty arising from that reneging in July, you have been a disgrace. It is a complete abrogation of your duties and responsibilities as the Northern Territory Chief Minister. You have not even sought to understand the complexities of what structural adjustment phases and periods are, what should occur, and to have the contingency planning in place for that. Surely, the moment you reneged in July, you must have realised you jeopardised the entire conversion to gas project and those contingencies should have been put in place then. The social and economic impact analysis should have commenced then, even though any sensible government worth its salt would have had it almost finalised in the first phase of the crisis, which was from October to February 2012-13.
Debate suspended.
STATEMENT BY SPEAKER
Death of Mr Brian Manning
Death of Mr Brian Manning
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it is with deep regret I advise of the death of Mr Brian Manning, a great and true Territorian.
I advise honourable members of the presence in the gallery of Ms Mila Manning, Mr Brian Manning Jnr, Ms Anna Kwan with grandchildren Jasper Manning and Coco Manning, Ms Louisa Manning-Watson and Mr Glen Watson, grandchildren Tre Manning-Watson, Kayden Manning-Watson, Beau Manning-Watson, Cheley Watson and Jaz Watson. Also Ms Linda Elmer, Ms April Elmer, Mr Robert Maxell, Ms Bonnie Doctor, Mr Kerry Gibbs and Mrs Sue Gibbs, Mr Daniel Hyland and Ms Dawn Lawrie, previous member of this parliament. Welcome one and all.
CONDOLENCE MOTION
Mr Brian Manning
Mr Brian Manning
Ms LAWRIE (Opposition Leader)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that this Assembly express its condolences at the passing of Mr Brian Manning, a Territory trade unionist and anti-discrimination campaigner. We offer our deepest sympathy to his family and friends.
I, too, acknowledge the presence in the gallery today of family and friends, including Brian Manning’s partner, Mila, his children Linda, Brian Jnr, Louisa and John, their partners, and the grandchildren.
In acknowledging and paying our respects to this extraordinary Territorian in this condolence motion, I also acknowledge that we do so on the land of the Larrakia people. This is especially relevant as part of today’s condolence motion because Brian Manning typifies the many Territorians who came here from a different place, but, being from a difference place, were newcomers who quickly came to understand the Northern Territory is a strong Indigenous landscape, a place where it is still relatively easy to recognise and get to know Indigenous Territorians who call this place their traditional home. They are people with a long and proud history and a great story to share, if only we will open our hearts and minds to their story and history. Brian Manning was such a man, who opened his heart and mind and became a loyal friend and supporter of so many Indigenous Territorians.
Brian was born in 1932 in the Wide Bay Burnett region of Queensland and moved to Darwin in 1956 as a young 24-year-old.
By his own account, a formative experience was an early friendship with an Indigenous man from Galiwinku, who introduced Brian to his culture and history, but also the discrimination suffered by Indigenous people as wards of the state.
In particular, Brian quickly became aware of the double standards of the time in pay and working conditions for Indigenous labour. In 1959, Brian sought to join a movement that supported workers and sought change and relief from the injustices he saw each day. He joined the Communist Party of Australia. He was impressed by their support for Indigenous rights, especially their support for the rights of Indigenous workers.
To him, the CPA at the time had grasped this as an issue more than any other political party and it was a movement he wished to be part of. He quickly became involved in the leadership of the CPA in the Northern Territory, and in 1961 he attended the 19th National Congress of the CPA, where he spoke about the situation of the Indigenous people of the Northern Territory. He was a man before his time.
He met other activists supporting Indigenous people in other parts of Australia, and, becoming more informed of their work, he returned to Darwin and, with fellow CPA member George Gibbs, helped establish the Northern Territory Council for Aboriginal Rights.
Well ahead of the times, he worked to ensure that the constitution for the group required that people of Aboriginal descent made up 75% of the executive, thus giving him the confidence of the numbers in their leadership and in providing direction for the new council.
Philip Rogers, of I, the Aboriginal fame, emerged as a new council president and it quickly went on to develop an active agenda for change. The council became an active organisation involved in the Labor movement, and at the 1964 May Day march they organised for more than 400 Indigenous workers, family and friends to march with placards demanding equal work, equal rights, equal pay.
Work of the council focused on countering discrimination in the day-to-day lives of Indigenous Territorians: working to remove discrimination in access by Aboriginal people to licensed venues and access to public transport, and to remove discrimination in access to government services; campaigning for award wages for Indigenous workers; improving and opening up employment opportunities for Indigenous people on the railways and the Darwin wharf; assisting Aboriginal people to lodge claims and take legal action relating to discrimination and to have their voice heard; demonstrating against the mandatory gaoling of Aboriginal people with citizenship status who shared alcohol with relatives who were still wards of the state. They also worked to tackle the issue of book up, an arrangement where employers kept a book of an employee’s debt to the employer, with settlement of debt and release of any remaining wages at the end of employment.
In 1964, Brian became involved in the campaign of the Australian Workers Union, the ACTU and the North Australian Workers Union NAWU, who were negotiating, unsuccessfully at first, with the NT pastoralists for full pay and conditions for Indigenous stock workers. In June 1966, the Gurindji people started their historic walk-off from Vesteys pastoral property at Wave Hill as part their campaign for better living and working conditions.
During this time, Brian and other colleagues working on the Darwin wharf organised supplies and other support for the striking workers, led by Vincent Lingiari, and famously ferried the supplies to the workers, who were camping at Wattie Creek, making at least 15 trips back and forth from Darwin in Brian’s now infamous red J Series Bedford truck, working with fellow unionists Paul Patten, Barry Reed, Nick Pagonis, Jack Phillips and George Gibbs. It is a truck that has now received proper recognition and is heritage listed as part of the Territory’s great, rich cultural history.
As we know, this strike action and the support from the council and the union movement helped pave the way for Aboriginal land rights. These rights have come to mean so much to so many people in the Northern Territory and are so much a part of our day-to-day life.
Brian’s mighty Bedford truck also featured in another important part of his life, the period when Brian became involved in supporting the people of Timor-Leste in their quest for freedom. The old Bedford was employed, transporting a public, but illegal, radio, Charlie India Echo Tango, to assist FRETILIN members in Timor-Leste communicate with their external leadership and the media during the Indonesian occupation of Timor-Leste.
Working with great Territory characters such as Jim Bowditch and Rob Wesley-Smith, who I acknowledge is here in the gallery, to support the people of Timor-Leste. Brian’s activities helped to provide a cover for more secret, covert radio communications occurring at the time. Once again, Brian was central to a campaign supporting those seeking recognition and a fair go in the face of repression and discrimination.
Brian’s support of this was well known with his work acknowledged and applauded by over 700 delegates to the 2011 FRETILIN congress. Today, Brian’s son, Brian Jnr, is working with others to have his dad’s old truck restored, a right and proper recognition of his father’s role in supporting these causes and in these significant parts of Territory history.
In 2010, Brian won the Australian Senior of the Year and Darwin Citizen of the Year Awards. Typically, he accepted the prizes wearing his Morning Star tie, a sign of his continuing support for Indigenous Papuans seeking independence for West Papua. Brian was, indeed, a proud and great unionist, a member and senior official of the Waterside Section of the North Australian Workers Union, a co-founder of the Northern Territory Trades and Labor Council, and a staunch life member of the Maritime Union of Australia.
Thomas Mayer, the now secretary in the Territory of the MUA, recently spoke of Brian and his work mentoring another generation of union workers. He described Brian as a supreme mentor and a pillar of support to the new leadership of the MUA. I will quote from Thomas Mayer:
When I first became an official, I knew where to go to learn the lay of the land both politically and practically.
- He never once tried to tell me what I should do, but his grasp on history and his no-nonsense approach have guided me since.
Brian’s work with Indigenous people and unions will forever be a part of our Australian and Territory history. His support and kindness to all he helped will never be forgotten.
There is another side to Brian that I hope we do not forget too quickly: that love of jazz and his incredible skills with the trumpet and sax.
One can well imagine the balmy nights in Darwin as he relaxed playing his music. Certainly, his musical skills were well and truly employed as part of May Day celebrations in Darwin, and there are so many stories from the old Workers Club.
We did, indeed, lose a great Territorian on 3 November, but Brian Manning has left a great legacy for all Territorians. It was fitting that his service was held at the wharf, and it was beautiful to watch the celebration of his life fully participated in by his family. What struck me incredibly deeply that day was the strength of the bond of love Brian had with his family, and the love his family have, enduringly, through the generations, for Brian as a great patriarch, a great man and a great Territorian.
In this I am comforted that the legacy of Brian Manning truly does live on through his children, his 11 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He truly has left a great legacy of a life that was committed to fighting discrimination and supporting workers in pursuing their rights.
I have known him for decades. He has always had an incredible gentleness about him. I remember him from when I was a child, and I have known him as an adult, both in and out of my parliamentary roles. I have always been struck by his gentleness and his extraordinary knowledge of the Territory’s great labour history – labour in the sense of the worker. I have deeply admired the work he has done and was passionately committed to in pursuing Indigenous rights and freedoms, and the rights and freedoms of the people of Timor-Leste.
Vale, Brian Manning. My deepest condolences to his family. But I know he is, through his family, truly enriching the lives of people in the Territory. Thank you for being here today and giving us the opportunity to truly recognise the great Brian Manning in this parliament.
Mr TOLLNER (Deputy Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for bringing this motion forward.
I wish to recognise in this condolence motion the contribution made to society in the Northern Territory by a noted champion of the communist left, Brian Manning. In fact, in the last 50 years if there was a cause clbre of the communists then you would find Brian Manning involved in it. A staunch trade unionist and proud wharfie, he was anti-uranium mining and anti-American, and no side of politics was immune from his passion and beliefs. He described former Labor Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, as a traitor to Australian independence for her failure to speak out against the US-Darwin Marines rotation. Brian was pro-left, a PLO supporter, a liberationist, probably in his day a great supporter of the falling dominoes for socialist glory theories across Southeast Asia.
While this side of the House may have been at odds with his political philosophy and the way in which those ideas might be championed by members of the left on the other side, or the real left wing, as it is now known in Australia, the Greens, we recognise he had a single-minded passionate commitment to his cause. As politicians, we should admire someone who demonstrates the courage of their convictions and is prepared to tell it exactly how they see it.
In some cases, Brian’s call for change was the right one, like equality for Indigenous people – his support for the Wave Hill walk off is well documented – and the rights of workers to a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. He was also passionate in his support of FRETILIN in East Timor. As the Opposition Leader said, he used his truck to erect an antenna to establish communications with FRETILIN in the early days of the Indonesian invasion.
Brian was actively opposed to Australia’s implementation of the White Australia Policy in the 1960s to stop the deportation of indentured labour from the pearling industry. Brian was, of course, the 2000 Northern Territory Senior Citizen of the Year. He was a devoted family man, a muso and, by all accounts, quite something on the dance floor.
To the family he leaves behind, his name will be part of the story that is the Northern Territory we live in. We cannot always choose those heroes who represent us, but with Brian Manning, the hero of the left, a small part of this country has spoken through him.
Mr VOWLES (Johnston): Madam Speaker, I pay tribute to a true activist, Territorian and advocate for change, Mr Brian Manning.
Whenever Brian Manning is remembered there always follows an extensive account of great achievements that changed the lives of many for the better, and rarely is one account identical to the last. This is a testament to his long life as an activist for social change, and reflects a determination to bring people together rather than divide them.
Brian’s lifetime of work made real differences to today. Many of our young people would not have full appreciation of just how far we have come in recognising Aboriginal people. Today things are different. Only the other day we saw one of our own, Jessica Mauboy, an Indigenous woman, receive a national award for excellence in her field as the Best Female Artist at the ARIAs, but things were not always this way.
My mum told me how significant it was when Aboriginal people gained the right to vote when she was only a child. This was a time when there was segregation between white and black, and Aboriginal people had limited rights. She was living in these conditions of limited rights at Bagot community. Mum told me many times that in those days long ago, when she was a child, she can remember everyone had to get dressed up in flash clothes, hat, high heel shoes for the women, men in their best clothes always with a white long-sleeved shirt and black trousers just to go to vote, and remembers always seeing Brian there with the unions to greet everybody and tell them how to vote.
Many people in this Chamber today might be aware that many people used to frequent the old Workers Club in Cavenagh Street, the old Buff Club and the Parap Hotel. At all three places Brian and others in the union movement would do their best to be there to catch up with members for a cold beer after they had a hot day on the wharf or worked on the roads.
He spent most of his time at the Workers Club as it was central to town and workers, and central to the way Brian did things. If you want to represent people’s views you need to listen and then fight for their rights. It has been the passion and dedication of people like Brian that helped bring about change.
It was Brian’s selflessness and belief in doing what was right that drew him to join the only political party that had an Aboriginal policy, the Communist Party. Brian was forward thinking and believed it was people who make a difference. In history, I am always blown away by those who stand up for the right of others. Brian had nothing personal to gain by changing the position of Aboriginal people of our society, especially in regard to wages and working conditions. He was just a person who stood up for what he believed in and took it upon himself to make wrongs right. By showing the populous position of governments of the day, he became instrumental to a movement that began shrugging off the crippling conditions of generations past.
Milestones like the establishment of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Rights Council and FRETILIN take their rightful place in our history due, in no small part, to Brian. He served on the executive of the North Australian Workers Union and was co-founder of the NT Trades and Labour Council. He urged the unions to address equal pay in the pastoral industry and supported the historic Gurindji walk-off of Wave Hill Station in 1966. This campaign challenged the Australian Labor movement to address its indifferent and, sometimes, openly hostile attitudes to the rights and conditions of Aboriginal people. Brian famously transported supplies to the camps in the bed of the Victoria River and, later, Wattie Creek. I was privileged to attend the 45th anniversary in 2011 and camp in Wattie Creek, a truly special moment for me.
Brian was also a man for the people, and his advocacy for public works and equal freedoms continued well into his 80s. It was his voluntary work as the Chair of the Darwin Port Welfare Committee that saw the relocation and refurbishment of the Darwin Seafarer’s Centre. On the 40th anniversary of the Wave Hill walk off, Brian gave a speech detailing the events of the nine-year struggle that ended in a small parcel of Gurindji land being given to the people. He told of loading three ton of supplies onto the Bedford truck for the drive into Wattie Creek and how, in those days, Aborigines were bound to employers by a system of institutionalised poverty. He recounted how Tom Fisher, the manager of Wave Hill Station overlooked a 10 000-year-old track record to express doubt that ‘the natives could handle land if they were given it’.
Brian described the welfare control at the time as ‘… absolute, enshrined in draconian legislation which became a model for South African apartheid’.
Brian Manning was a man who worked for the betterment of all people, not for a term, not for 10 years, but a lifetime. My favourite anecdote from his recollection of events at Wave Hill was when he told of old man Uncle Dexter Daniels, a Roper River man on the rights council who became the champion of the Wave Hill walk off. He told how, whenever he and Uncle travelled spreading the word of the strike, they would find groups of every country ready to join the movement. They were simply waiting for Dexter to arrive in Manning’s Bedford truck and show them the way.
To Brian Manning’s family and friends, I am deeply sorry for your loss of a great man. The part he played in the Territory’s history is one you can always be immensely proud of. I personally will never forget what he did for Aboriginal people. Vale, Brian Manning, you will be remembered forever.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Madam Speaker, I briefly add my voice to this motion of condolence. My condolences definitely go to the family and friends of Brian Manning, a man who did something so many people do not do in this day and age.
Whether you are a committed communist or not is not the issue of this condolence motion. What is at the heart of this condolence motion – and I have heard it from the member for Johnston, the Leader of the Opposition and the Deputy Chief Minister today – is that Brian Manning was a man of passion; he was driven. I and members of this House may not agree with his world view – clearly, the man was a committed communist – but he came out of a time when I can genuinely believe and understand where communism, as a thought process in the west, had its roots. I have met many of that ilk over the years, and I have always had enormous respect for them, not because I agreed with their politics necessarily, but because they gave a rat’s backside about what they were talking about. They cared. They passionately cared about what they saw happening in the world.
I recall having regular conversations with one of this ilk in Alice Springs over many years, who confidently told me in the mid-1980s that it would not be long before Soviet style communism would take over the world. We had our disputes at the time, but there was no doubt about that man’s passion, and there is no doubt about Brian Manning’s passion in this space. I would rather deal with a passionate communist than an indifferent person, because one of the great things that I believe has driven the world, particularly since World War II, and in a micro way has replicated itself here in the Northern Territory, is that World War II produced people who cared about our political systems.
Both my parents were subject to the shortcomings or failures of politics as a result of World War II and suffered as a result of them. A whole generation of people grew up after that time, caring about our political processes because they did not want to go down that path again. Whatever conclusions people came up with, I recall these people being passionate and committed people in our community, and Brian Manning was no exception to this.
What we unfortunately see in our community today is so many people not understanding the lessons of World War II. Brian Manning, if memory serves me, was born in 1932. This placed him in that post-World War II period where politics mattered. What I take away from people such as Brian Manning is that politics continues to matter. It is as important today as it has ever been. Unfortunately, from time to time, apathy bubbles to the surface because we have become so used to the products of a stable political system, avoiding things like wars, certainly within this country. It was always recognised in the Territory community that if you were a passionate person, no matter what your cause, no matter what side of politics you were on, you were respected by everybody across the spectrum of society. I continue to maintain that respect.
I knew of Brian Manning in only the most peripheral sense, but what I am speaking to today is not so much the man himself but what he stood for. His passion, his love for his community, and that deserves the endorsement of every person in this House as being a worthwhile and valuable contribution to the people of the Northern Territory.
When he drove NT-registered 29776 – an old, busted-backside Bedford truck – to the Gurindji people and delivered supplies to them, he was a man who was engaging and becoming involved in the community through what he believed was the right thing to do. I appreciate and understand what he was trying to do. In fact, I agree with him, because I believe separating people by virtue of their race is wrong. I have seen that played out in places like South Africa. I was in South Africa during their last apartheid election and it offended me when I saw it.
I believe in freedom and I believe that Brian Manning believed in freedom. Perhaps the definition of freedom I have is different to his, but, nevertheless, it is borne out of a simple desire to see people live in peace and in a good, safe and harmonious world. For that, I can only praise and champion Brian Manning in this, his condolence motion.
My deepest sympathy to his family, and I thank Brian Manning for his passion and his love for the people of the Northern Territory.
Mr GUNNER (Fannie Bay): Madam Speaker, not only was Brian Manning an indelible part of the story of the Northern Territory, he was a great teller of the stories of those parts of our history he contributed to. Some years ago, he supplied a major oral history of his life to the National Library of Australia’s Oral History Collection. More recently, he gave a long series of interviews to Aboriginal artist, Brenda Croft, and it is anticipated these will provide lively accounts for researchers, as well as ordinary Territorians. Ms Croft, an old friend of Brian’s and a member of the Gurindji, Malngin and Mudpurra groups, I understand is determined that Brian’s stories be told into the future. I look forward to the work she produces.
He lived a rich and varied life in the Territory and we have heard much about that in the course of this condolence motion. While others have spoken of his time in the Territory, I would like to speak about what made the man, from a dirt poor childhood living on the fringes of a tiny Queensland town to his life as an advocate of human rights in the Territory and overseas.
I thank Chips Mackinolty for his help in putting my words together. They can only provide a glimpse into the life of Brian.
Brian was a man very much born on the wrong side of the tracks in Mundubbera, 270 km northwest of Brisbane in country Queensland. His father, William, he described as not very well educated, though he could read and write. His mother Lily, he said, was quite cultured and a very talented pianist. Life was hard, according to Brian, slap bang in the middle of a depression.
- … in Mundubbera we weren’t a part of the upper set. We were really fringe dwellers because our family were dirt poor.
My parents were dirt poor. My first recollections as a child was living rough with some Hessian around some poles whilst my father was Bigelow Bashing, or clearing a patch of five acres of land where he’d cleared, ploughed with a single furrowed horse drawn plough and planted five acres of cotton on a share farm basis, from which he got a first year dividend of 90 pounds with which he built a very modest little one bed-roomed house out of corrugated iron and timber floor, timber floor
- My father had built this house on land that belonged to the Schaeffers … they had a dairy and then there was a small paddock where they kept a few cows and they planted potatoes and stuff. And then they had a little dairy that supplied milk to Mundubbera, to the little township.
I recall at the early days walking barefoot in winter up through the bloody prickles and the stinging nettles to get a billy of milk from the dairy, stepping, standing in wet cow dung to keep my feet warm, all of those little things.
Eventually my father managed to get a driver’s licence by borrowing a car, and nearly wrecking it, but he managed to get a licence. And he got a job on the council. The other thing that he used to do was, he was a member of the local Light Horse Brigade and they used to practice tent pegging in the stock ground in front of our house. So when the war started, he volunteered and he went to Brisbane.
That was in 1939. In 1941, Brian’s mother decided to move to Brisbane to be closer to her husband who, although unfit for combat, served as an army cook. In Brian’s words:
- His experience in cooking was in the bush, boiling a bit of corn beef in the billy … but he knew how to crack an egg and he became very good as a cook, in fact a mid chef.
- One night I could hear my mother calling out … ‘Come quick.’ So I woke up and came out. And she said, ‘Brian, you’ll have to call an ambulance, I’ll have to go to hospital.’
I’d never used the telephone. I remember going down to the phone … And I called, I think it was Triple 0 or something. There was a legend up on the board, up on the wall, and I got the ambulance and I said, ‘My mother will have to go to hospital.’ And I told them as much as I could. And they said, ‘Well, what’s the address?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know’. I didn’t even know the address. They said, ‘Well you’re in a phone box are you?’ I said, ‘Yes’. They said, ‘What is the number in the phone box?’ So I gave them the number of the phone box and they said, ‘Wait there, we’ll come and pick you up’. So they picked me up. By this time my mother was drifting into unconsciousness, and they took her away.
And the next thing I knew was about six weeks later we got rounded up by the police, because as it turned out, my mother was gravely ill. She’d lapsed into a coma. And it wasn’t until she came out of the coma that she enquired, she said, ‘How are my children?’ And the hospital said, ‘Have you got children?’ She said, ‘Yes, who’s looking after them?’ So we all got rounded up by a bunch of detectives.
And they took us to the Wooloowin State (Children’s) Home where I only stayed a week because by the time a week was up, they considered my mother could go home.
- I was bloody glad to get out of the place. It was a horrible place. Imagine waking children up at four o’clock in the morning, every morning and cold shower … I really identified with Oliver Twist, you know, at meal times ... you know, this old lady setting up a big cauldron of stew and doling it out. And if you wanted some more, you had to go up and ask, and they’d look at you.
And anyway, I was glad to get home … (with) my mother in bed. When she felt strong enough we went down to the Post Office to collect our Army allotments that hadn’t been collected and pay all the bills that I’d run up for food. Because one of the first things that she did when she arrived was established accounts. That’s what you did in those days. So we had an account at the Grocer, and we had an account at the Bakers, an account at the Butchers. So of course I used to just go down and buy stuff and book it down, and nobody questioned me about it but I became a cook, and that’s where I learnt my cooking skills. By the time my mother had come back, she was absolutely astounded that I could knock up a macaroni cheese …
And after about the first week I got this brainwave, mum’s recipe book. She had a recipe book in the drawer and all I had to do was read the recipe books, go and buy the ingredients and cook stuff up. We had some successes and some duds but we ate it all.
So they were difficult periods but I think that experience, for me, sort of is the period when I started to grow up.
Madam Speaker, I think that is surely an understatement.
Brian did his schooling at Taringa State School, an education much interrupted by having to look after the family. At 16 he got a job as a junior clerk at Caltex for 3 six shillings a week. He was fired after being told to wear a suit in the office, cheekily demanding a response that the company would first need to buy him a suit as he could not afford one.
It would not be the first time he would argue for work clothing allowances with the bosses. He then found a job at Peters Ice Cream, where his younger brother, Jack, worked for 20 a week as a driver. However, he was relegated to the office for only 5 a week. He soon left that job and told future employers he was a 20-year-old rather than a 17-year old, which ensured his salary as a shop assistant, his next job, increased to around 18 a week.
For the next half a dozen years or so Brian worked many jobs between Brisbane and Mundubbera: carpenter, spray painter, panel beater, all learnt on-the-job in the era of few apprenticeships and formal qualifications.
- I developed skills as a carpenter … I never did an apprenticeship. I was just taught by other carpenters and I was fortunate in Brisbane to be an offsider of a Master Builder who didn’t want a labourer, he wanted somebody who could use a hammer and a saw, and he taught me all the fundamentals, how to read a framing square, how to even hold a hammer. When I first rocked up, he said, ‘Get rid of that bloody toy’. I had a 16 ounce hammer and he gave me a 24 ounce hammer. He said, ‘And don’t choke it up there, you hold it back here at the end of the handle’.
It was as a spray painter, in Mundubbera of all places, that he first met Sam Brent a member of the Communist Party, who worked as a boilermaker in the Navy during the war. It was Sam who helped Brian get to Darwin in 1956 to begin a new chapter in his life and the beginning of his Territory life.
Brian had a double life during this time as a dancer and a musician. In Brisbane, he and a mate attended dancing classes and as he said:
- I was one of those young people who were looking to meet girls and had my eye on somebody and so you’d go to the parish dance. And I couldn’t dance. So you’d be standing by the door.
By the time he got back to Mundubbera he was an accomplished dancer and a self-taught saxophone player. He started playing successfully at dances with his sister Margaret on piano, and a mate on drums, but ran into the problem that very few people could dance so he decided to have a dance class at the local RSL hall. To his shock, 200 kids turned up to the first lesson. As he told it:
- Well honestly, it (was) just so bloody rewarding. I’d never really envisaged just what this was going to look like in six months’ time. But as it happened, the next time my sister and I played at the bloody Shire Hall, there was nobody standing in the doorway’. She said, ‘They’re all dancing’. I said, ‘Yeah, I taught them’.
His sister did not believe him. After a while he got sick of teaching and stopped, but was recruited one more time:
- I think it must’ve been a year/18 months later the Country Women’s Association approached me and they said, ‘Mr Manning, I wonder if you would start your dancing classes again’. I said, Oh, I don’t know, I’m thinking of leaving.’ And I was, I was in the process of looking at leaving. She said, ‘We’ve got a batch of debs’, debutantes, that was the thing in the bush towns, girls that were younger but now they were going to be presented.
Which he did, to great success:
- I was absolutely gobsmacked. Here I was, a bloody choreographer. Everybody on that floor was doing this dance as I’d taught them.
The idea of a man just starting to be interested in the works of Karl Marx, and who would later be reviled as a member of the Communist Party, being first recruited by the Mundubbera Country Women’s Association to help with a debutante ball is surely one of the sweetest memories we can hold of this extraordinary man.
Brian went on to continue playing music in Darwin for many years, only quitting professionally as he thought it would be seen as moonlighting if he were to do it while employed as a union official, though he played for occasional benefits such as for the victims of the Italian earthquake in 1980.
Before closing I would like to touch on two events in his life after he arrived here and two of the principles Brian always stood by. They are no small things and are the principles all Territorians should hold dear.
The first was his fundamental opposition to racism. The White Australia Policy that was still with us in the early 1960s led to the campaign to prevent the deportation of two Malaysian men from Darwin. The campaign was largely instigated by him, with the backing of the NT News editor, Jim Bowditch. It quickly gathered massive support among the people of the Territory, including, among others, Bernie Kilgariff, later to be a CLP senator, Dick Ward, and Dawn Lawrie, later to be an Independent member of this Assembly.
The second was absolute commitment to political freedom. After 1967 congress of his party, and following the Prague Spring the following year, he stood rock solid in opposing the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. He did that at some personal cost, as the majority of the waterside workers around the country fell into line with Moscow.
Brian was not some narrow ideologue, but a passionate defender of human rights, themes that he would take up later that year with his support for the Gurindji strikers, and less than a decade later in defence of the people of East Timor.
Madam Speaker, as a small footnote to history, the Malaysians were hidden from police raids in the Darwin rural area. As the Darwin rural area hosted the illegal radio links with the East Timorese resistance, you and the member for Nelson share a geographical link with the life’s work of this former Senior Territorian of the Year.
Brian Manning did not come from a background of privilege, but we can agree he enriched the lives of many Territorians over the 56 years he lived here. Vale Brian. His passion and legacy will live on with his family and friends.
Mrs PRICE (Community Services): Madam Speaker, firstly, I offer my condolences to Mr Manning’s family and his friends who are here in the House.
The previous members have already covered a great deal of Mr Manning’s life, from his arrival in Darwin in 1956. Whilst I did not agree with his flavour of politics, it was clear Mr Manning’s deep passions were to improve the life of my people. This deep passion started almost immediately after his arrival when he became friends with a Yolngu man from Galiwinku who drew Mr Manning’s attention to the extent of discrimination suffered by Aboriginal people, especially with regard to wages.
Mr Manning did not only just talk the talk, he walked the walk. His deep passion for the discrimination he heard of and observed pushed him into action. His first key action was his involvement in the formation of the Northern Territory Council for Aboriginal Rights in the 1960s. The council confronted discrimination whenever it emerged, whether it was the right to be served in a hotel, or the right to sit anywhere in a picture theatre.
NTCAR demonstrated against the mandatory gaoling of Aboriginal citizens for sharing alcohol with relatives who were wards of the state. It assisted Aboriginal employees to obtain award wages in the railways and on the wharf. In 1966, the Gurindji walk off became the focus of activity, with the NTCAR providing support for striking workers and publicity about the issue. In 1976, the council was wound up as a result of Whitlam government initiatives.
Mr Manning played an important supportive role in the Wave Hill walk off in1966 when about 200 Gurindji Aboriginal workers walked off the site and commenced a nine-year action to improve the rights and working conditions of Aboriginal people.
We all know about Wave Hill and Vincent Lingiari’s role in that action. We remember his famous petition on behalf of the Gurindji people to the Governor General, Hon R G Lord Casey, asking that their Gurindji land be returned to them so they could establish their own cattle station. That incident is credited with the birth of the lands right movement. Clearly, Mr Manning had some involvement in it.
However, it was not always just about his passion for Aboriginal activism. Mr Manning was well renowned for his amateur radio set which he used to monitor issues in the Southeast Asian region, especially East Timor. Mr Manning recalled an interview in 2010 with Crikey’s Bob Glossop about how he was listening to events in East Timor unfold in 1977. Mr Manning was a strong supporter of the nation’s independence movement and, no doubt, would have been very pleased at East Timor’s successful struggle for independence
Mr Manning was also a staunch union man, co-founding the Northern Territory Trades and Labour Council, now known as Unions NT, which was established in 1973. Mr Manning then turned his focus to workers’ rights and issues, but he never gave up his passion for Aboriginal activism.
In 2003, Mr Manning gave the 6th Vincent Lingiari Memorial Lecture in which he recounted his experiences supporting the strikers and the journey towards land rights, and fair working conditions and pay for Aboriginal people.
Mr Manning also cared about his local community. In recognition of this and his lifetime of fighting for social justice, Mr Manning was named Senior Territorian of the Year. I am advised that when he accepted his NT prize he continued in his passion for standing up for disadvantaged people by wearing a Morning Star tie in support of the West Papuans’ struggle for independence. He was further recognised by becoming a Territory finalist for Australian Senior of the Year in 2010.
One of his more recent achievements was the relocation and refurbishment of the Seafarer’s Centre at Port Darwin. Mr Manning was voluntary Chair of the Darwin Port Welfare Committee. He and the committee saw that the old centre required significant upgrades and set about lobbying a range of sponsors to upgrade the centre. This included the generosity of the International Transport Workers Federation, which contributed nearly $150 000, and the Darwin Port Corporation, which also provided financial and logistical support. The result of Mr Manning and the committee’s hard work is a new facility based on the wharf which provides recreation facilities for over 200 maritime workers, including computers with Internet access, free WiFi, a pay phone, a free pool table, a television, a DVD player and a canteen.
It is reported that although he was too sick to attend the grand opening, Mr Manning said he was very proud of the work he had done with the voluntary committee in creating somewhere safe for visiting seafarers to recuperate.
In a condolence motion, it is common for speakers to say nice things about how they knew that person; unfortunately, I did not know Mr Manning. However, I turn to his peers, who have plenty to say about Mr Manning, and in paying tribute to him, I would particularly like to quote National Secretary, Paddy Crumlin. Paddy said that:
- His long life as a social, political and industrial activist was punctuated by great achievements that manifestly changed the lives of many people for the better.
Ms ANDERSON (Namatjira): Madam Speaker, I wish to pass on my condolences to the family and friends of Mr Manning in the Chamber this afternoon, and to speak on behalf of Aboriginal people. Many Aboriginal people knew Mr Manning and I wish to put on the public record, so his family and friends can hear, how grateful and honoured, and what a privilege it was from an Aboriginal point of view – the struggles and the fights he took on, not just on behalf of Aboriginal people. He saw the need for humans to be protected, and saw that people had rights and had to be treated the same way.
He was a real hero and a true Territorian. He may have come to the Northern Territory from somewhere else, but we all have the privilege and honour of claiming him as a Territorian, and it really is an honour to claim him as a Territorian.
I thank him for stopping our people lining up at ration depots; I thank him for fighting for equal wages, recognising we had rights as well: not just human rights, but political rights, rights to vote, rights to work, rights to equal pay. As the member for Johnston stated, the things Brian Manning did for Indigenous Territorians were really emotional. Terrible things happened to our grandfathers and parents, and we should never allow the ugliness and racism this man fought against to return to our thoughts, any public debate we may have or any policy we initiate, as governments moving all Territorians forward.
He definitely educated many Aboriginal people. If you look at the results of election after election, the things that have happened in the past have put that hope and fire in the belly of many Aboriginal people, and given them the strength to start fighting themselves for the things Mr Manning fought for and represented on behalf of people who were struggling in the Northern Territory – the ugliness he saw when he came in here, the ugliness of racism, of people not being allowed to do things the way they wanted to, people being mistreated, people not being paid properly, and being part of the process of the assimilation policy that lined our parents and our grandparents up at ration depots. As a child, I lined up at ration depots at Hermannsburg, Papunya and Haasts Bluff. I would not want my children to continue to line up at ration depots.
We take this opportunity to the family and friends of Mr Manning, because he really was a great man, and he goes down in Territory history. He has educated many people. Just look at the results of the last Territory election. The privilege and honour bestowed upon us on this side of the House has definitely come from the Indigenous people this man fought for. I take this opportunity to thank you.
Madam SPEAKER: I also extend my condolences and sympathies to the family of the late Mr Brian Manning Snr, and to family and colleagues who are here, on his departing. I extend my sincere sympathies to you on what clearly is a great loss, not only to you but to the Northern Territory.
Motion agreed to.
Members stood for one minute’s silence as a mark of respect.
Madam SPEAKER: I thank honourable members for their contribution to the motion. I invite the family and friends of the late Mr Brian Manning Snr to afternoon tea in the Main Hall.
MOTION
Proposed Censure of Chief Minister
Continued from earlier this day.
Ms LAWRIE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, we resume the censure against the Chief Minister for his bungling of the Nhulunbuy crisis. It has caused enormous devastation in that magnificent community.
The real concern, which we have placed on the record, is the Chief Minister made no moves – despite ripping apart the deal done by Terry Mills causing sovereign risk and showing you simply could not trust the Chief Minister, the member for Braitling. That really threw the community into a significant crisis back in July and, despite doing all that, he clearly did not ensure the government he is supposedly leading went into contingency planning because they do not have a social and economic impact analysis.
We were advised in a briefing yesterday by Northern Territory officials that the Commonwealth is revising its social and economic impact anaysis and it is imminent. We were advised in the briefing by officials that Rio Tinto will release their social and economic impact analysis possibly as early as today with a time line on the curtailment, but there is no social and economic impact analysis we could be provided with by the Territory government because we have been watching them scramble. To scramble at every step of the way is not the behaviour you would expect from a government which created the uncertainty back in July, yet that is what we are witnessing.
The opposition, in briefing yesterday – I and the member for Nhulunbuy – pursued questioning around the mineral lease, the Gove agreement, Special Mineral Lease 11, which has a requirement for Rio Tinto to maintain, in operable condition, the refinery. At no stage prior to the opposition and members of the Nhulunbuy community raising this concern has the Chief Minister expressed he had been pursuing with Rio an explanation of how it would meet its lease conditions. It was raised today in the Chief Minister’s response to the opposition.
The problem is it has been wanting leadership. He has not led; he has followed in Rio Tinto’s path. He has rolled over to its time lines around curtailment and has not shared genuinely, publicly, with Territorians the actions which ought to be taken by a government to pursue the rights and future prosperity of the people in Nhulunbuy and the region.
As Dave Mitchell very publicly said at the Friday town hall meeting, Adam Giles was killing off the goose that laid the golden egg. Everyone in that community is furious with Adam Giles. They made decisions back in February to invest further in their community based on the deal said to have been done by the then Chief Minister, Terry Mills. The CLP has a great deal of responsibility here. They provided confidence to the community back in February that a deal was being done. As stated in the then Chief Minister’s press release:
- Commitment by Rio Tinto to continue operating the refinery follows this week’s decision by the Northern Territory Government to supply enough gas to keep the operation open for 10 years.
People believed them and made investment decisions. Now, when you would expect the government to be publicly advocating against Rio’s decision to curtail because of the 1100 jobs alone, plus the indirect jobs that will be lost, plus the $400m to $500m contribution to the economy, the 1% to 2% reduction in GSP that will result from such a catastrophic decision, there has been no public move by the government to say to Rio Tinto, ‘No, we don’t accept your time lines. By the way, we have leverage through the lease and you will behave in the corporately responsible manner we would expect.’
As we have seen and heard in debate, elsewhere in Australia where there is a disaster such as a major industrial shutdown it is a minimum of two years. However, this government, under Chief Minister Adam Giles, has rolled over to a decision by the company to walk away in just eight months. It is not good enough and is certainly bungling by Adam Giles. We now hear in response to the censure motion that the Chief Minister will not be making his statement today, that he will probably bring it on Thursday with ‘more detail in it’.
If you ever wanted to witness policy and decision-making on the run, it was today in this censure. He said the member for Nhulunbuy had not received any briefings. I sat alongside the member for Nhulunbuy at two briefings. Not only is he making up things as he goes, he has completely ignored the fact the member for Nhulunbuy has constructively, every step of the way, received as much information as she can. I know, as I sat there with her, how difficult that has been at times. When you seek documents they are withheld from you.
Even today, when the Chief Minister was asked to table the four letters of correspondence he, presumably, sent to Rio Tinto – because he told us today he did – he would not table them. ‘Maybe we might get to see them on Thursday,’ was his response, even though we received a commitment yesterday from his officials that we would receive a copy of the 2011 Gove agreement Special Mineral Lease 11 so we could see for ourselves the ‘maintain in operable condition’ clause, it was not met as a commitment. We did not receive it last night as was indicated. We did not receive it this morning. When we got the call to go to the Department of the Chief Minister to receive it; we got the 1968 agreement. We already had the 1968 agreement and were seeking the 2011 agreement. My staff were advised the Department of the Chief Minister had to get approval from the department of Mines to provide us with that lease.
Does anyone know what anyone else in government is doing? It is a shambles. The problem is, this shambles is having a catastrophic impact on the people of Nhulunbuy and the region. Go in to bat for Territorians instead of wanting to blame everyone else. Step up; stop rolling over to Rio Tinto on the curtailment views and the time line. Hire the experts who should have been hired in July, get your economic and social impact analysis done, and argue for a structural adjustment package. In other regions those packages run to the vicinity of $50m, and we are not hearing a cent of lobbying from this government.
Adam Giles is a disgrace!
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Madam Speaker, one could be forgiven for thinking the Labor opposition, which currently has a motion before this House to, essentially, bring this government to a shuddering halt and drag it down out of government – which is the serious implication of this motion – is being a little disingenuous.
Let us begin by remembering a censure motion is designed to, effectively, bring down a government. It is not just a motion to say ‘you naughty folks’; it is a motion to bring down a government. If it was supported by this House, it would put the opposition on a path to move a motion of no confidence and bring us back to a general election, or them to form government with a majority of members on this floor. That is how serious this motion is.
It was brought on straight after Question Time. Clearly, the members thought, ‘This is the time to bring it on’. It is curious that the opposition peppered Question Time with questions on a number of things. If they were serious about bringing down the government of the Northern Territory, and genuinely believed they could do so by virtue of this motion, they would not have peppered Question Time with questions relating to desperate issues; they would have focused Question Time exclusively on the one issue that would bring down the government.
The member for Nhulunbuy fired off this censure motion. We, as a government, had advised the members opposite the night before we would make a ministerial statement as the first order of business, such is the courtesy they require us to extend to them, and it is what we do as a matter of course. They thought, ‘Well, let’s take control of that debate and bring that motion on first so it appears we have control of the debate over Rio Tinto,’ when they were fully aware they would have this debate almost immediately after Question Time. What you have is an exercise in playing dress ups and, bully for you, you get the first chance to speak and bring on a motion.
Whilst they decide to bring down the government of the Northern Territory, they proceeded down a path of saying, ‘Immediately after lunch what we will do …’ – I note we broke for lunch. ‘We are trying to bring down the government of the Northern Territory, but we must have lunch first.’
Immediately after lunch, a condolence motion was brought forward. Condolence motions tend to have a certain element of precedence in the House, but not subject to a censure motion. If one observes Standing Order 92, it can be seen it is a matter of courtesy to move a condolence motion first.
The genuine attack by the Labor opposition on this government goes as follows: ‘You have stuffed up the Rio Tinto thing so badly you no longer deserve to be a government. We will ask a couple of questions in Question Time then speak about other issues during Question Time. We will then launch into the censure motion, despite the fact we know we will be talking about this issue immediately anyhow. We will break for lunch whilst trying to bring down the government. Following lunch, we will have a condolence motion rather than pursue this attempt to bring down the government. We will finish, after the condolence motion, our attempt to bring down the government.’
It does not sound like a committed attack because it is not. Posturing is what we are seeing from the members opposite because they are frustrated by the one great truth: Rio Tinto stated publicly it is responsible for the decision. It determined to pull the pin on the refinery and it, essentially, will shut down its running operations. It is Rio Tinto, which said, ‘This is our decision,’ and the decision was commercial.
The opposition would like us to impose ourselves on Rio Tinto. They are using a number of arguments to do so, but let us talk about a reference made by the member for Nhulunbuy when she brought this matter on. The reference she made to Rio Tinto was, ‘They are trying to protect their shareholders and, Chief Minister, you must protect your shareholders’.
Too right Rio Tinto must protect its shareholders because it is a legal requirement of this country that Rio Tinto protects its shareholders. I draw members’ attention to Ford’s Principles of Corporations Law, 12th Edition, page 381, where it states the statutory business judgment rule. It says:
- A statutory business judgment rule is contained in section 180(2). This section provides that a director or other officer of a corporation who makes a business judgment is taken to meet the requirements of the statutory duty of care and diligence in section 180(1), and the equivalent duties at common law and in equity, in respect of the judgment …
… rationally believe that the judgment is in the best interests of the corporation.
A board of a company does not own the company, but operates on behalf of the owners of the company. In this case, it is the shareholders.
It is unusual for a board to make decisions which operate outside the interests of the shareholders. It says:
- Section 180(2) further provides that the director’s or officer’s belief that the judgment is in the best interests of the corporation is a rational one unless the belief is one that no reasonable person in their position would hold.
The refinery at Gove was predicated on a number of assumptions which were, amongst others, based on the price alumina was getting on the international market pre-global financial crisis and the price of energy. If memory serves me, the decision by Alcan to build the refinery was also based on an ability to obtain other sources of energy, such as coal, or gas from New Guinea. One was not permitted to go ahead, and gas from New Guinea did not stack up.
As a consequence, the refinery was required to continue operating on fuel oil, an expensive option. Of course, with the demand on resources starting to drop in the late 1990s, in part because of the global financial crisis, the world found itself in a new environment where fuel remained expensive and the price of alumina went down. All this is publicly available information.
Reaching that position, Rio Tinto approached the Northern Territory government saying, ‘This is an emergency problem’. When I say some time ago, it was when these guys across the Chamber were in power. With this emerging and obvious problem, what did the members opposite do when in government? The short answer is: nothing. They gave very little comfort to Rio Tinto, made no attempt to deal with this issue and thought, ‘We will deal with it after the election because we will win the next election’. Here is the rub: they did not win the election. They found themselves in opposition, and one of the most immediate and pressing issues facing the new Northern Territory government was the problem facing the refinery.
The opposition’s argument is entirely based on the fact there was a settled and secured deal between the Northern Territory government and Rio Tinto. Things were looking up. There was an offer of 300 PJ at the time, and several press releases were issued within a few days of each other by the former Chief Minister, Mr Mills. It is clear from the February press release that no deal had been signed. Indeed, the second last paragraph said:
- The Northern Territory government has now guaranteed a gas supply for the Gove refinery, and it is now up to Rio Tinto to make a commitment to keep the operation open.
Rio Tinto made some sort of commitment to the Northern Territory government at the time because a press release a few days later said:
- The Northern Territory Government welcomes today’s announcement by Rio Tinto to keep the alumina refinery in Gove open.
Of course that announcement was welcomed at the time, but it was well-understood and well-known that was not a final sealed deal. Much is made of the title in that media release, but the substance of it makes it clear there was no finalised deal at that point. I quote:
- The Commonwealth Government has shown its support for the Northern Territory Government’s decision to release gas to Rio Tinto, and must follow through on their commitment to underwrite the financing of a gas pipeline to Gove.
There was no finalised deal because parties to that arrangement had not signed off on the final arrangement.
As time passed, the Northern Territory saw a change of leadership and a new structure was in place in relation to Rio Tinto. By the time that negotiation process was over, there was sufficient gas for purpose available to Rio Tinto.
At this point, I ask honourable members to cast their minds back to what I said at the outset in relation to shareholders. The decision before Rio Tinto was whether or not, now they had sufficient gas, they would proceed with the refinery, and they said no. That was not based on the negotiation process. Negotiations happen in business on a regular basis and are a normal part of the business arrangement, and negotiators on both sides change position from time to time. The important thing in that process was the outcome, which was sufficient gas was being offered to Rio Tinto.
However, times have moved on, prices change, markets change, company expectations change, and Rio Tinto has finally made an announcement consistent with its duty to its shareholders, and I understand that.
I also hear the comment that the Northern Territory government has shareholders, and we do. In fact every jurisdiction has shareholders, and this is the illusion to the voting public. I hear that argument but, as controversial as it may seem for some in this House, the shareholding arrangements of the government are not dissimilar to the shareholding arrangements of a company in the sense we have to operate for the true welfare of our shareholders, or in this case the people of the Northern Territory. Whilst I have deep sympathy for the trauma caused to the people of Nhulunbuy, we also have to remain mindful that we have a duty to the people of the Northern Territory.
The members opposite would argue we have to continue pouring resources into the Nhulunbuy area as though it is the only area in the Northern Territory; that is the expectation members opposite are pursuing. In reality, we have to address it in a manner that works, as far as possible, for the interests of the people in Nhulunbuy and the people of the Northern Territory as a whole. That means we have to also work with Rio Tinto, and we place a great burden on Rio Tinto to say it also has to stump up. We have made no secret of the fact we expect Rio Tinto to stump up. However, it is pointless to argue we have to work independently of Rio Tinto and do all the things members opposite want. It would not be productive if we were working at counter purpose to Rio Tinto and expending money in ways not leading to the best possible outcome for people in the Nhulunbuy area.
I also turn my attention to the last bastion of defence in the member’s censure motion, the lease arrangements. In the last year or so this government has written four times reminding Rio Tinto of its obligations under the lease, and we are awaiting Rio Tinto’s response with bated breath. What I would not counsel, or expect the Chief Minister to do at any stage, is launch into a public fight with Rio Tinto about this until we have determined what the ground looks like. I will leave that matter and its advancement to the Chief Minister, who will report to this House later this week.
The censure motion’s execution was, at best, pedestrian and, at worst, awful. It was done with passion and desire nowhere near the requisite anger to suggest to members in this House a government should fall over it, which is, essentially, what they are arguing. As far as we on this side are concerned, there is nothing to support this motion of censure. It has not been well-executed or well-argued. It is more about the political positioning of the members opposite than the needs and desires of the people of the Northern Territory and, in this case, Nhulunbuy.
Madam Speaker, if the members opposite were serious it would be much less about posturing and what position they could have on a committee and much more about the true welfare of the people of the Northern Territory. This motion is not supported.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, originally I was not intending to speak on this censure motion, but when I discovered we may not have the statement I thought I would put my two bob’s worth in now.
As an outsider looking in, I do not want to say too much about this. You must always be very careful you do not make grand statements about a place you only visited a number of times. I have had an interest in Nhulunbuy, especially in local government days.
I will speak more as someone who has watched this debate through the newspapers and listened to political comment. Even though we have a great deal of rhetoric and a censure motion, we can easily dwell on the past. I think of a certain Rio manager, Mr Tom Albanese, who was sacked. He fell on his sword because he spent a great deal of Rio’s money purchasing the Alcan division. That cost a large amount of their profits because it happened just before the global economic crisis.
The article which gives the exact amount they spent on the alumina refinery is in the Hellenic Shipping News, of all things, and says:
- The company’s aluminium assets saw a write-down in the range of $10bn-$11bn. This is largely related to the company’s purchase of Canadian aluminium giant Alcan, in 2007.
There were also some underlying issues about the profitability of what was happening at Nhulunbuy, probably long before the concerns we are dealing with today came to the surface.
I also believe – and I take what the member for Port Darwin said – we are here for the welfare of the people of the Northern Territory. Perhaps it is an opportunity for us to say, ‘Things are not good, but can we work together as a group to see what we can salvage from this serious situation at Nhulunbuy?’ We know at least 1000 workers will lose their jobs over the next eight months, but what has not emerged is that many people dependent on mine workers will lose their jobs. There will be the tyre fitters, electricians, the lawn mowing people, and all those service industries that earn their keep servicing the mine workers – the small industries and shops in a town that size. They will have an uncertain future when 1000 workers and their families are removed from the community.
I was interested in the recent radio comments from the chairman of INPEX that there was a possibility workers on the INPEX project – a lot of the workers have probably tried to get away from this – being able to fly to Darwin from Gove and stay at the workers camp at Howard Springs if there are positions available for them.
I understand by next year the INPEX village will have close to 3500 workers. If there is an opportunity, through Sean Kildare and INPEX, to provide at least some lifeline to those workers who may wish to stay in the Northern Territory – many people living in Nhulunbuy love being there and love living in the Northern Territory – it would be good. It would allow them to work on the INPEX project and keep their families in Nhulunbuy. Many families have two people working, and if there are cutbacks in teaching or health it may not be possible to survive there with only one working.
They were also talking about tourism. One of the new tourism groups did not necessarily see it as a good idea to open Nhulunbuy up for tourism. They did not want a huge number of tourists in Nhulunbuy. They were looking at more specialised tourism for people who wanted to experience Yolngu culture amongst people living on homelands. I can understand that people who can afford it would appreciate having the opportunity to learn about Yolngu culture firsthand.
If we are realistic about tourism, we will not make a big dent in the economy relying on the top of the market. There is scope for grey nomads and people of that economic level who would like to visit places like Nhulunbuy and enjoy the beautiful beaches, perhaps go fishing and include a cultural experience as well. This would have to be at a price that was not prohibitive.
I do not want to speak as the know-all from outside, but it is a great place to fish; you do not need to be an outsider to know that. It has beautiful beaches and beautiful scenery. The scenery alone is worth seeing. If people are looking at the tourist angle, it would be great for those who could afford it to learn from people who live in the area. It is a special experience which may not be affordable for everyone.
That does not mean people are running all over the place. It could be controlled and offer tours and have Aboriginal people running fishing ventures. I presume there are already fishing charter companies there. Of course, that will not happen unless the road was of a standard which would allow people to travel through easily. If you opened up the road it would open opportunities for communities on the road, like Bulman and Barunga, to provide services for people travelling, whether it is motels, a roadhouse and those types of things.
Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done. I do not know how many more rivers need to be crossed.
A major issue I might talk about later is ownership of the road. If any work is to be done on the road I believe it needs approval from traditional owners. Talking to contractors, I understand there are some practical issues with that. It is not quite a case of, ‘Let’s bituminise the road,’ which would be expensive in the first place, but other issues need overcoming.
The disappointing thing about gas not going out there is it was not just for Nhulunbuy. There were opportunities for communities along the way to move off diesel, which is regarded as the more polluting form of energy for many communities. Many of them run off diesel generators, some have diesel generators and solar. Gas created an opportunity for those communities to be taken off that form of energy and put onto a cleaner form.
Even though we are talking about the loss of 1000 jobs, there are other downsides to this serious situation. The member for Nhulunbuy, regardless of all the insults across the floor, has done a great job in opposition. It is not too hard, even in my job, to have a great deal of influence on big decisions when not in government. Sometimes you have to make a noise. Sometimes that is the only way to bring to the government’s attention that things are not going well.
Even though there has been some friction, I hope the Chief Minister, although he did not give a straight answer – if you do not have the member for Nhulunbuy on the committee you are not working for the welfare of the people of the Northern Territory. People in Nhulunbuy are people of the Northern Territory, and I get tired of seeing the odd SMS saying, ‘Too bad, that is life. Mining towns close down. You are on a good wicket.’
These people are Territorians who have lived in the Territory for a long time and love the Northern Territory. It could easily happen to others. We have quite a number of mines in the Northern Territory. If McArthur River closed, as it did several years ago when there was legal action against it – that hurt the community severely. Let us not start picking on the people of Nhulunbuy with, ‘I am okay, too bad for you’.
If INPEX closed tomorrow and the Commonwealth government decided to shift all the soldiers south, Darwin would go back to being a country town. We rely on a lot of outside influence to ensure the city of Darwin continues as it is today.
Although I will not be voting on this motion, this gives me the opportunity to say the people with the power and ability to bring everyone together to work through this for the best possible solution for the people of Nhulunbuy should be the ones speaking up now.
I am not a Nhulunbian, if that is what you call them …
A member: A Govite.
Mr WOOD: A Govite sounds like someone from Slovakia, but there were comments and people heard them. They were joking comments not said to hurt, but they were hurting. When some of these issues came up there was a play on words about the name. Those little things do not need to be said when a community is in trouble.
The past is the past, and you will not change anything if you hammer it forever and a day. Now is the time to work together to bury the hatchet and get the best solution for the people of Nhulunbuy. It is not only the people of Nhulunbuy; East Arnhem Shire surrounds that area. What effect will that have on East Arnhem Shire as well as the services it provides? It is based in Nhulunbuy and provides services for the community in that region.
Many negative spin offs will occur from the loss of jobs in Nhulunbuy. We should take a big deep breath, see if we can work together and get the politics out because there is no politics in this. This is people’s job, their community, their family, there are schools and hospitals, a lot of people, and this is the Territory. If you want to be blunt, the Territory’s economy will have a downside as well.
I hope those knowledgeable about matters in Nhulunbuy and who know people know what can be done. I hope the federal government will be positive about this as well.
I recently asked – I did not get the greatest answer in the world – about the money Tasmanians are receiving – I think $3500 – to help the unemployed. In the statement the Assistant Minister for Employment said, in response to a question from the member for Bass, there was also assistance for workers to travel to jobs throughout Tasmania. Obviously, they want employment and will pay for people to travel to where the jobs are. I am not saying they had to move home, but there is a Commonwealth government program to assist where unemployment is a major problem. Nhulunbuy will have a major unemployment problem so I see a role for the Commonwealth. I hope our federal members, especially those in government, will be working hard to introduce a similar program to that in Tasmania which could be applied for the workers of the Northern Territory. That would be a positive outcome as well.
I will leave it at that. At this stage the contribution we need to make is one of unity rather than disunity because the people of Nhulunbuy and the surrounding area deserve that. Thank you.
The Assembly divided:
Ayes 8 Noes 15
- Ms Fyles Ms Anderson
Mr Gunner Mr Chandler
Ms Lawrie Mr Conlan
Mr McCarthy Mr Elferink
Ms Manison Ms Finocchiaro
Mr Vatskalis Mr Giles
Mr Vowles Mr Higgins
Ms Walker Mr Kurrupuwu
Mrs Lambley
Ms Lee
Mr Mills
Mrs Price
Mr Styles
Mr Tollner
Mr Westra van Holthe
Motion negatived.
ENERGY PIPELINES AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 45)
(Serial 45)
Continued from 9 October 2013.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Speaker, the Territory Labor opposition will not be opposing this bill. It will, once again, be presenting a clear alternative for the minister to consider.
I thank the minister’s staff for arranging my briefing. It is very clear this amendment converts fees and charges via regulations; therefore, it will be easier to administer. They will have the flow-on effect of increasing under a regulation as opposed to the more complex legislative instrument of the act.
It was also cited that there has been no increase in fees since 1983, the fees in the Territory are low, with Western Australia and South Australia used as comparative jurisdictions, and there was no real opposition from industry.
It was good to talk to the departmental officials about other areas and relationships with this legislation, the discussion around onshore pipelines and offshore pipelines, and the opportunities for the Northern Territory. Once again, the Territory opposition puts the case forward from many industry stakeholders who talk about an environment around providing incentives and an environment simply focused on revenue and charges. With the opportunities coming online in the Northern Territory, particularly in relation to offshore and onshore oil and gas exploration, and the potential for the pipeline grid that will not only provide energy for the Northern Territory but also the opportunity to become a real stakeholder in supplying energy to that hungry east coast market, the whole focus should be on supporting exploration, supporting industry and providing a secure environment that welcomes and provides incentives for exploration, That will, in turn, deliver production and those important projects.
This is pretty straightforward – a simple amendment. We offer our alternative on behalf of a number of stakeholders who have wished to have their views heard in this debate. It was interesting to talk to those stakeholders about the unique nature of the Territory and doing business in the Territory. They represent big industry, in many cases shareholders, and they represent profits for those shareholders. However, the challenges around doing business in the Territory relating to climatic conditions, remoteness, the intricacies of access to land and the extra costs incurred when working in frontier country need to be acknowledged in regard to governments providing a balance. I have made that point in previous debates, and we will continue to make the point as the Territory opposition. However, not wishing to go against the amendment bill, we do not have a problem with its passage through this House.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I also support the bill put forward by the minister for Energy and other things.
I understand why this amendment has been put forward and, thanks to the staff of the Assembly, I found the original second reading speech of Mr Tuxworth, the Minister for Mines and Energy at that time. As we know, he was eventually the Chief Minister then no longer the Chief Minister. It was interesting to read the purpose of this legislation in regard to permits and licences. He also stated that provision was made to prevent the development of a monopoly situation by requirement of a licensee to transport energy producing hydrocarbons owned by other persons.
When it was set up in 1981 it was to provide the correct inspection and safety measures, regulations, and who would own the pipeline.
I am aware the legislation talks about taking the fees out of the bill and putting them into the regulations. My question for the minister in relation to movement of the charges is: why was the formula not moved out because the formula could be changed? The formula seems to have been left in the bill and the charges put into the regulations. I gather the reason those charges were put into the regulations was it makes it much easier for the minister to adjust them rather than changing the act. I noted, when reading the bill, the formula that allows you to come up with that fee is still within the act. It is only a minor thing, but it just …
Mr Westra van Holthe: What section, Gerry?
Mr WOOD: I do not have it in front of me; I just have a note. It must be in relation to clause 6, which relates to section 30, which is amended. Perhaps I have it wrong, but I understood the fee moves out of the legislation. I do not know if you have clause 7 there or whether that puts the formula – it does not, it just says a fee of $25.
It was a technical question. I did not go for a briefing on this because I did not have any major concerns.
Mr Westra van Holthe: I have an answer for you.
Mr WOOD: Okay. This is an important piece of legislation which is probably due for an upgrade. I was wondering why we charged a fee. It is a pipeline, why charge a fee? Of course, there is a fair bit of administration in relation to this. Maybe I should mention something that was in Mr Tuxworth’s second reading speech:
- Provision is made for the grant to a licensee of easements or other rights necessary for the construction of the pipeline upon such terms and conditions that the Administrator sees fit. The government thus has the ability to ensure the construction of a pipeline and the power to exercise proper control over its construction, operation and maintenance.
It says one of the reasons for fees is they are related to administrative costs incurred. Perhaps the minister might explain what the administrative costs are in relation to gas pipelines in the Northern Territory.
Apart from that, I do not have any major concerns. With the increasing possibility of gas onshore we will either get more pipelines or this pipeline will get more use, but it is very important for the development of the Northern Territory.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, thank you to the members opposite and the member for Nelson for their support of this bill. It is a simple amendment to the act which facilitates the removal of any reference to licence fees from the act and places them in the regulations. The reason is that any changes to the licence fees have to go through a process under the act which makes it far more difficult to achieve. In regulations the fees are easy to achieve. It is also brings this legislation into line with other legislation in the Northern Territory where fees are generally prescribed through the regulations.
In answer to the question from the member for Nelson with respect to the formula listed under section 30 of the current act, in the amendment, member for Nelson, the reference is that under clause 6 – section 30(1), omitting all the words after ‘a licence fee’ – a licence fee appears in the top of that section on the second line, after which the reference is to the formula, the $100 fee, and the formula for prescribing a fee. That whole section is removed so there is no further reference to a formula in the act.
In administration of the pipeline I would need some further information from the department. Considering it in the time I have had, there would be administrative matters around the title over which pipelines run. There is constantly interaction between the department and the operators of pipelines, so there are some ongoing administrative tasks with a pipeline, even though it is built and in situ. Those would be the types of administrative tasks covered through the collection of fees.
The changes proposed and the fees that will apply in the future will bring the Northern Territory closer in line with the fee structure of other states in Australia; it gives us some parity with the other states. We are very cognisant of the Northern Territory maintaining its competitive edge with our fee structures, but also the way we approach the oil and gas sector as a whole. Our mantra about being open for business is the case, and we will not detract from that by the imposition of any fees which would take us seriously out of line with competing jurisdictions.
I hope that satisfies the member for Nelson. I thank the opposition and the member for Nelson for their input this afternoon. These changes will make life easier for the regulator, being the Department of Mines and Energy.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Mines and Energy) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
COMMUNITY HOUSING PROVIDERS (NATIONAL UNIFORM LEGISLATION) BILL
(Serial 48)
(Serial 48)
Continued from 10 October 2013.
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Madam Speaker, I speak on behalf of the opposition in relation to the Community Housing Providers (National Uniform Legislation) Bill and say at the outset we support this important bill. I will be brief in my remarks in relation to this bill. I thank the Housing minister and his office for providing me with a briefing a few weeks ago.
This bill is a body of work which has been in progress since agreement by COAG in 2011, and it recognises the importance of growing the community housing sector as part of the reform agenda set out in the National Affordable Housing Agreement.
I had the Housing portfolio as a shadow responsibility for a few months after the election. The member for Wanguri joined us in February and took on the portfolio, and it has returned to me in recent weeks. I am very happy to have it back as one of my responsibilities, recognising it is a key area not just for this jurisdiction, but governments around the country. I also recognise home ownership is becoming incredibly hard for people. It is important, therefore, to grow not just public affordable sector, but to also support community housing, recognising they are not-for-profit providers, charitable organisations whose principal priority is the management and development of long-term rental housing for those on low to moderate incomes. We should also recognise that our community housing sector addresses the issue of community members who are dealing with housing stress by providing affordable rental housing. This then creates opportunities to keep people out of poverty, on a pathway to economic participation and, potentially, through the community housing sector, to eventually provide people with the opportunity to enter into the affordable housing market.
I understand in the Northern Territory there are some 20 providers of community housing. I confess I am not familiar with all of them, but am familiar with the work Yilli Rreung does in Darwin. It does a fantastic job in providing affordable housing for families doing it really tough. We know access to affordable housing in the Northern Territory is a real challenge, and that challenge is growing. People are under enormous pressure with rising costs associated with power and water charges. Accommodation in the private market in Darwin is beyond too many people. For that reason, we see those who can leave the Territory, but those who cannot need access to community housing.
My understanding is this national uniform legislation creates a registration process: a regulatory system to keep an eye on this sector. In the registration process there are three tiers associated with the size of the service a provider is providing to tenants. One of the positives – I am sure there are many positives in this bill – is a registration process which goes across borders. This means once you are registered in one jurisdiction – this applies to the larger providers – that registration is recognised across borders.
When the former government attracted Venture Housing to the Northern Territory as a community housing sector provider, it had to go through a registration process. Under this new national uniform legislation a provider only has to go through the registration process once, and that has to be a bonus.
I understand a trial is operating in New South Wales, the biggest provider of community housing. The community housing provider sector looks after some 29 000 social and affordable housing tenancies in New South Wales, a huge proportion of social housing.
Anything that makes it easier to attract the larger players into this sector has to be a bonus. I recognise there was a consultation process in the Northern Territory. I did not attend these consultations – they were held some time ago – but I believe they were held in Darwin and Alice Springs, and stakeholders who attended the briefings welcomed this national uniform legislation.
Madam Speaker, whether you are the minister or the shadow, you are on the mailing list for all these organisations. I look forward to catching up with NT Shelter and NTCOSS in the next few weeks. I note, the pre-budget submission put in by NTCOSS for 2014, as they do each year to the government of the day, highlights housing and the role of the not-for-profit sector in supporting the development of community housing. They made specific reference in their document to the fact the government has highlighted it in its Framing the Future blueprint. We hope the Northern Territory government, as previous governments have done, continues to support this sector, recognising we have a growing number of people looking for support here. Therefore, supporting and growing this sector to support the tenants who need it is critical. If this bill goes some way to achieving that, members on this side welcome that.
Mr CONLAN (Housing): Madam Speaker, I will be quick in wrapping this up. This bill has support of both sides of the House and has done since its introduction at COAG in 2011. It is critical in bringing our community housing sector up to a national standard and that is all this bill seeks to do. It is to provide a set of national standards and guidelines for community housing providers in the Territory. They play a vital and critical role, on behalf of the Northern Territory government, in our community housing sector. It is a bit of a no-brainer. It is good that support was forthcoming from this government when in opposition, and it is good to see it has the support of the previous government, now in opposition.
I appreciate the support, the comments, and I thank the opposition for its support. I thank the office for pulling the bill together.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time
SEEK LEAVE TO MOVE MOTION
Reversal of Local Government Amendment Restructuring Bill
Reversal of Local Government Amendment Restructuring Bill
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I seek leave to overcome the no repeat rule contained in Standing Order 134 and to immediately move a motion to require the Assembly reverse the decision of 27 November 2013 to permit the passage of the Local Government Amendment (Restructuring Bill) 2013 (Serial 60) through all stages in this sittings of the Assembly.
Leave denied.
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS
Move Motion Forthwith
Move Motion Forthwith
The Assembly divided:
Ayes 9 Noes 15
- Ms Fyles Ms Anderson
Mr Gunner Mr Chandler
Ms Lawrie Mr Conlan
Mr McCarthy Mr Elferink
Ms Manison Ms Finocchiaro
Mr Vatskalis Mr Giles
Mr Vowles Mr Higgins
Ms Walker Mr Kurrupuwu
Mr Wood Mrs Lambley
Ms Lee
Mr Mills
Mrs Price
Mr Styles
Mr Westra van Holthe
Motion negatived.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
A Road Map for the Future
Mr STYLES (Transport): Madam Speaker, the Country Liberal government has declared the Territory is open for business. Everyone knows the three most important things about property are location, location and location. If you travel four hours south from Darwin by air, you will reach all six mainland capital cities, 20 major trading ports, 23 international airports and just under 23 000 000 people. However, if you travel the same distance north you reach eight international capital cities, 36 major trading ports, 69 international airports and 485 000 000 people. That is over 20 times Australia’s population.
The equation is simple. Proximity to Asia, which is already the world’s biggest and fastest growing regional economy, is the Territory’s greatest advantage and makes us unique in the Australian economy. If we are to achieve our goals of economic and social development, we have to maximise our trade, with the priority of Japan, China and Indonesia, and foster and develop the emerging markets of Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
The Territory also has significant natural advantages relating to agriculture, mineral and energy resources, and tourism. We have to expand the current trade sectors for oil and gas, mining and live cattle.
We have to develop the agricultural, international education and training sectors, and we have to foster tourism development based on our unique cultural and physical environment. I see transport as a key enabler for achieving the Country Liberals’ vision for the Territory to become Australia’s trading route and logistics hub into Asia.
I was pleased to read a speech given by the Commonwealth Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Hon Warren Truss MP, at the Sustainable Economic Growth for Regional Australia national conference in October this year.
Mr Truss described the new Australian government’s vision as remote Australia needs to be, and will be, front and centre in the national consciousness. This vision is based on driving real competitive advantage and productivity improvements through public and private investment. Central to the vision is a commitment to deliver a fairer share to those who live outside the capital cities. They are committed to improving social and community infrastructure, supporting small business and entrepreneurship and facilitating access to education regardless of where you live.
There are many governance challenges in remote Australia, and the Giles government is working on a number of ways to make improvements. This is not only an issue for the Northern Territory, as approximately 85% of the Australian land mass can be considered remote from centres of economic and political decision-making.
Conversely, 85% of the Australian population lives within 50 km of the coastline, predominantly the eastern seaboard and, whether we like it or not, they have the most political clout. Mr Truss appropriately acknowledges that regional Australia makes up a significant contribution to the national economy. He has committed that regional Australia will be at the heart of the Australian government’s decision-making by considering the economic, environmental and social impacts of policy decisions on regional areas.
We will work in close partnership with the Australian government as we open up northern Australia with its vast untapped resources to create a stronger and more prosperous Australia. Both levels of government realise that unlocking the potential in northern Australia will require a solid policy platform and effective collaboration between governments and industry.
Alice Springs Transport Infrastructure and Services Forum: I am pleased to advise the Assembly that at the recent Standing Council on Transport and Infrastructure meeting, all ministers unanimously agreed with the Northern Territory’s proposal to hold a remote and regional transport and infrastructure services forum in Alice Springs in May next year to coincide with the next Infrastructure and Transport ministers meeting.
The forum will be attended by the Deputy Prime Minister, ministers, senior government officials and industry and community organisations. It will firmly place remote and regional transport issues on the national agenda. Issues to be discussed at the forum will include transport infrastructure. We must acknowledge that the economic and social development of regional and remote Australia requires substantial investment in transport infrastructure. Remote infrastructure project proposals need to be assessed on social as well as economic benefit criteria.
A more appropriate funding framework is needed urgently to ensure investment in roads, rail, aviation and port facilities drive growth in northern Australia. We will continue to grow transport services not just in Darwin and Alice Springs, but in our regional areas, providing sustainable growth and new business opportunities in remote communities.
Closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage will not be achieved unless we tackle these services and issues head on with real jobs, access to basic services and economic independence and the fundamental drivers of change. A licence is more than an approval to drive for an Aboriginal Australian living in remote Australia; it is a passport to success through jobs.
This government is committed to investing in inter- and intra-community transport services because we know these services will improve the lives of Aboriginal Australians by providing access to health and other government services, transporting children to school and their parents to work every day and decreasing the over-representation of Aboriginal Australians in road trauma.
Regulation: there is an urgent need to simplify regulation at the state and national level to minimise the compliance burden on businesses and increase economic productivity and participation in remote Australia. There will be little economic advancement in remote Australia without such reform.
Supporting the development of economical transport and freight routes through remote parts of the Territory will keep remote communities alive. It will only happen if we create a better balance between the regulatory burden we place on the transport providers and the maintenance of transport safety.
Governance: a one-size-fits-all approach to reform is unlikely to meet the needs of remote and regional Australia where communities have different challenges. All levels of government need to work together with industry and the community to create policy settings that promote economic investment and social development in remote areas.
The outcome of the Alice Springs forum will be a commitment by all governments to a national, regional and remote transport infrastructure and services delivery underpinned by integrated place-based community plans.
The white paper on developing northern Australia: I welcome the Australian government’s commitment to a white paper on developing northern Australia. The Australian government has raised the prospect that by 2030 Northern Australia could drive growth by developing a food bowl, including premium produce which could help to double Australia’s agricultural output, growing the tourist economy in the north to two million international tourists annually and building an energy export industry worth $150bn to the economy, with a major focus on clean and efficient energy providing major increases to resource exports.
There are also opportunities to leverage some of Australia’s broader strengths within the regions, including establishing a world-class medical centre of excellence in the north, creating an educational hub with world-class vocational and higher education campuses in selected areas, and growing Australia’s export of technical skills related to resources and agriculture into a $7bn a year industry.
I look forward to the Territory’s input into the Australian government’s white paper, particularly to ensure appropriate investment is made in transport planning, infrastructure, logistics and services to our mutual goal of developing northern Australia. Our work in the remote and regional transport infrastructure and services forum will provide valuable input into this process.
I move to the Framing the Future policy. The Northern Territory government’s Framing the Future policy provides a blueprint for the continued strengthening of the Territory’s economy, environment, culture and society. To enable the Territory to achieve the objectives in this blueprint and reach its full and economic growth potential, we require sustainable, reliable and safe transport infrastructure and services which meet industry and community needs.
The government’s vision for Darwin and the Territory to become Australia’s trading route and logistics hub into Asia is dependent upon access to appropriate transport infrastructure. Without good transport systems and reliable supply chains, people cannot easily access and participate in society and take up new opportunities. In the same way, the contribution of business and industry to the growth and wealth of the Territory and Territorians cannot be maximised.
I move to the Integrated Transport Planning and Investment Roadmap. The Country Liberals government has achieved great results for Territorians in its first year in government and will continue to deliver the must-needed reforms to stimulate the economy and build a strong future for all Territorians. From an internal Northern Territory government perspective, we need to create a system to ensure targeted, evidence-based strategic transport infrastructure planning is undertaken. The planning needs to be well coordinated across government agencies and to include input from end users, including our major industry groups.
Today, I am announcing the commencement of a consultation process across transport industries and other key stakeholders that will articulate our long-term vision and result in a road map for the development of transport infrastructure, services and safety across the Territory.
The Northern Territory government has a clear commitment to take action to build the Territory into a significant transport and logistics hub through to 2030 for the benefit of all Territorians and, of course, Australia as a whole. To ensure this commitment translates into real action, there is a need for a realistic long-term plan for developing the Territory’s transport infrastructure and services, roads and bridges, ports and barge landings, railways, airports and aerodromes to ensure transport provides the necessary foundations to drive economic growth.
The Northern Territory is over 1.3 million square kilometres, or 17.5% of the Australian land mass. We have a population of approximately 220 000, with most resident in the greater Darwin area and Alice Springs. The remainder, including 75% of our Aboriginal population, live in sparsely populated regional and remote areas. The Territory is, therefore, heavily reliant on the Australian government to co-fund infrastructure investment. Increased Commonwealth funding is required to support economically and socially targeted infrastructure such as our national highway system and port development. A critical step in this process is the need for collaboration between government and major industry and community stakeholders to determine priorities. It also includes the need for collaborative infrastructure funding, construction, and implementation through partnerships in the infrastructure improvement process. To guide long-term transport, planning and investment, the Northern Territory government will develop a high level road map for integrated transport planning and investment, in consultation with industry and the community.
This road map will practically and realistically define the Territory’s transport infrastructure and service needs and priorities, bottlenecks and barriers. It will determine where we need to invest in the future and how projects can best be funded and delivered.
Core to this government’s transport plan are three clear transport priorities in the areas of:
2. transforming our transport services
The Northern Territory Integrated Transport Planning and Investment Roadmap will provide a framework to support these priorities. Over the next 12 months, we will use the road map to develop clear, long-term strategies on the key areas of land freight network protection, freight and logistics industry requirements, including for the maritime and the aviation sectors, a road and bridge infrastructure provision and passenger transport service and infrastructure needs, including aviation, public transport and commercial passenger vehicle requirements.
The Department of Transport and I will lead discussions with a range of stakeholders to ensure the road map for the future accurately captures the key issues which impact on transport providers and users. We will need to engage with public transport users as well as members of the tourism, heavy vehicle, construction and resource industries. We will take written and online submissions, and hold face-to-face meetings and ensure we engage with regional parts of the Territory.
I will now summarise what we have achieved to date and what we plan to do into the future to create a transport sector which facilitates economic and social growth for all Territorians.
The first is strategic planning to enable infrastructure and major projects. The greater Darwin transport planning, one of the first initiatives of the Country Liberals government, was to set up the NT Planning Commission to have a centralised, strategic planning role. The planning commission is currently preparing a greater Darwin land use plan which will incorporate key regional transport issues, including road, rail, ports, airports, ferries and public transport.
My Department of Transport has undertaken a comprehensive transport study for the greater Darwin region, including the development of a multimodal travel demand model. My department will work closely with the Planning Commission to ensure the outcome of both their respective works are truly integrated land use and transport strategies to facilitate economic and social development of the Northern Territory. This will mean we can better plan road infrastructure upgrades and public transport improvements in Darwin and make better evidence-based investment and timing decisions.
In Katherine, the Planning Commission is developing a land use plan which will consider the planned regional transport hub to service Ord River proposals and the region’s pastoral, mining and horticultural industries.
I move to freight and logistics. The Australian government has worked with all jurisdictions, including the Northern Territory Department of Transport, to develop the national land freight strategy. As part of this work we have identified the priority corridors for future development and improvement, including the Stuart, Victoria and Barkly Highways, as well as the Arnhem, Roper, Carpentaria, Plenty, Sandover and Lasseter Highways and the Tanami Road.
Much has already been achieved with our freight routes, including upgrades to Tiger Brennan Drive and access to our port via Berrimah Road. We have also, in partnership with INPEX, upgraded the Arnhem Highway and Stuart Highway intersections and Jenkins Road to assist in the safe transport of rock associated with the INPEX development.
Upgrading the Territory’s major freight corridors will open up development opportunities relating to mining, agriculture, tourism and live cattle exports.
My Department of Transport is currently developing a Northern Territory freight and logistic strategy which will identify industry needs and start protecting and developing our important transport and infrastructure corridors, areas and facilities for long-term planning purposes.
Observing the issues being faced by our interstate colleagues as they try to establish rail and road corridors through congested urban centres has provided the Territory with an important message about the importance of protecting our urban corridors and planning strategically for future development of our transport systems.
I now move to roads. Roads are essential to the economic and social development of the Territory. The Northern Territory government is responsible for 22 000 km of the Territory’s vast 36 000 km of road networks. Seventy-six per cent of this network is unsealed.
The Territory’s regional road network requires significant upgrading to improve accessibility, reduce the cost of doing business and promote economic and social development. With such an extensive percentage of the network being unsealed, we are starting from a very low infrastructure base when we plan any upgrading or improvement works.
The condition of our roads and the availability of year-round access significantly impacts on the Territory’s key industries and delivery of important services. The poor quality of our roads, many of which are closed for months during the Wet Season, restrict heavy vehicle access, impeding business efficiencies and profitability. However, the economic benefits of roads are only one aspect. Roads also contribute to the social cohesion of communities, in particular those in remote and regional areas. They enable people to connect and are essential for transiting people to a better life, including employment, appropriate education and health services.
One of the biggest challenges when upgrading and maintaining road networks and building bridges is making the dollar stretch further. As an indicator of costs, upgrading a rural arterial road from unsealed to a good gravel standard can cost up to $300 000 per kilometre, and strengthening and widening national highway pavements can cost up to $900 000 per kilometre.
Significantly, the costs of repairing and maintaining the road network have steadily increased over the years, and, as the Territory network continues to expand, this will increase further. Commonwealth funding is increasingly difficult to obtain when projects are subject to economic benefit cost analysis. This type of analysis leans towards high volume road projects and has limited scope to consider regional and remote issues which, in their early stages, are focused on achieving economic growth through the creation of social development opportunities.
The Northern Territory government is working closely with our federal colleagues to resolve the issues we are facing in competing for funding to enable the Territory’s needs to be assessed on a more level playing field. I welcome minister Truss’s comment to negotiate five-year infrastructure plans with each jurisdiction, particularly given the Australian government’s focus on developing Northern Australia.
I will be strongly advocating for Australian government funding to assist us in achieving our economic and social development goals. I have also asked my Department of Transport to assist with pulling together a Territory roads and bridges strategy which will focus on the future prioritised development of these vital transport assets and deal with the challenges we face in managing and upgrading the network which I have outlined today.
I move to infrastructure to support resource development. The Northern Territory government has recently been provided with $1.2m in funding from the Australian government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund to undertake a Territory-wide planning study which will determine what infrastructure is required to support resource-related economic development throughout the regional areas of the Northern Territory. The study will focus on identifying general community infrastructure needs such as housing, schools, health centres, trade training centres etcetera, utility infrastructure needs such as power, water, waste water and telecommunications, and transport infrastructure needs across the entire logistics supply chain, including roads, bridges, ports, rail and aerodromes.
The outcome of the study due to be completed in 2014 will be the development of a prioritised program of recommended regional infrastructure works. This information will assist with making better use of available funding in delivering infrastructure which is essential to support the future resource sector and developing regional communities. Importantly, industry will be closely consulted in developing the prioritised programs of works.
I now move to the key strategic infrastructure of ports, rail and aerodromes. The Territory’s ports provide export infrastructure critical to our future economic growth and development. The port of Darwin has a diverse shipping trade, including containerised traffic, bulk materials and liquids, liquefied natural gas, live cattle, cruise ship and Navy visits, and a coastal barge trade supplying remote communities and offshore petroleum support. Our Marine Supply Base is under construction adjacent to the East Arm Wharf, which will form a key link in the logistics chain, servicing offshore oil and gas platforms.
The other significant ports of Gove, Groote Eylandt and Bing Bong support exports from world-class mining and mineral processing projects along with some processing imports and fuel.
We know existing port facilities, processes and regulation needs modernising. We also need a strategic approach to the development of a second port and associated industrial estate in the Top End to service growth in bulk minerals and petroleum and gas production.
The Department of the Chief Minister is leading work on the long-term proposal for a second port in the Territory. My Department of Transport is leading work on creating an appropriate regulatory regime for ports across the Northern Territory. We require appropriately regulated world-class port facilities to help grow the Territory as a freight gateway to Asia.
I move to the north south rail line, a key piece of infrastructure for the development of the Territory. Bulk minerals now account for the majority of tonnage carried on the Alice Springs to Darwin rail line. Further investment opportunities are envisaged which will see further growth in the carriage of bulk minerals and containerised goods. However, this increase in demand will be restricted in future years by track constraints. The growth in bulk minerals rail carriage will only come from increasing the capacity on the existing rail. It may also come from investment in new railway lines connecting the existing rail infrastructure to new resource projects and new resource hubs, such as Mt Isa, the Ord River Scheme and the new port, once developed.
I move to aerodromes and barge landings. Many may not be aware that the Northern Territory government maintains 69 remote aerodromes and 14 barge landings. Neither the Northern Territory nor the Australian government is prepared to invest in major capital works without securing appropriate land tenure. This is an issue of significance, with many aerodromes and barge landings on Aboriginal land. The vital importance of transport infrastructure to the wellbeing and development of remote Territorians is recognised. For some Territorians, the local aerodrome may be the only point of access to medical and other vital services during the Wet Season when local roads are flooded. As such, we are investing future tenure leasing maintenance and management options to ensure these assets are operated securely into the future.
This includes ensuring the federal Civil Aviation Safety Authority and Office of Transport Security regulatory requirements are met. It should be noted that repairs and maintenance on these assets is ongoing and has not been affected by land tenure issues.
The effect of development, management, expansion, maintenance and regulation of world-class ports, rail, aerodromes and barge landings are key drivers in the development of northern Australia. I therefore look forward to discussing our needs with the new Australian government as part of both the remote transport forum and the white paper on developing northern Australia.
I move to the transport and logistics industry workforce. I make special mention today of the Territory’s transport and logistics industry and the contribution of its operators and workforce to our economy and lifestyle. In the Territory, over 6500 people are directly employed in the transport and logistics industry across all areas. Transport workers provide a supporting role for all other industry sectors of the community. Transport also has a huge variety of occupations to offer, including in areas of engineering, tourism, warehousing logistics, information technology and administration, as well as the traditional transport occupations we all recognise, such as truck, train, bus and taxi drivers, and aviation and marine pilots and their crews.
If you take into account those indirectly employed in transport jobs in other major industries such as the construction and resource areas, the transport and logistics industry has over 12 000 employees. This is a big sector and represents a significant workforce. With freight and passenger demand expected to increase significantly in coming years, we need to ensure we have enough people with the right skills and experience to meet future challenges and an increasing freight task.
Earlier this month I was pleased to launch the Northern Territory’s transport and logistics industry We Carry the Territory campaign. The campaign aims to raise community awareness of the contribution of this important industry to the Territory and the diversity of employment opportunities and career options it has to offer. The event, at the beginning of November, was great and I look forward to many more.
I look forward to continuing to work with the Northern Territory Transport and Logistics Workforce advisory group and promoting career opportunities within the transport sector. Workforce challenges will be incorporated in the freight and logistics strategy being developed by my Department of Transport.
I now move to transforming our transport services. Of course, streamlining motor vehicle registration services is one of those. The Country Liberals government has introduced some major reforms to Motor Vehicle Registry and has made inroads into reducing waiting times, cutting red tape and making a real effort to streamline processes. Motor Vehicle Registry Goyder Road is now open on Saturday mornings and processes approximately 200 transactions every Saturday. We have also introduced a 10-year driver’s licence, removed the need for registration stickers for light vehicles, and adjusted eyesight and vehicle test requirements.
A raft of further service improvements is in the pipeline. This includes future provision for some services through Australia Post retail outlets and other technological and shopfront enhancements. These enhancements will improve customer service by providing more service delivery options to customers, thereby reducing waiting times and lines at motor vehicle registries. Our objective is simple: we need to minimise the need to attend Motor Vehicle Registry to undertake transactions. This will be achieved by better use of technology, including upgrade of the Motor Vehicle Registry computer system, MOVERS, improved Internet and phone pay systems and services through third party providers, including Australia Post and authorised inspectors. Territorians have already proved to be keen adopters of new technology, with online and phone transactions now accounting for over 40% of licence and registration renewals.
Improved passenger transport: the Northern Territory government operates a modern and efficient transport network in Darwin and Alice Springs, with 5.5 million boardings per year on the Darwin bus network alone. Planning for new suburbs includes public transport. This has resulted in new services commencing in July this year to the suburbs of Muirhead, Lyons and Zuccoli. The Department of Transport is planning for the long-term development of the public transport networks in Darwin and Alice Springs to support the growth of these centres.
Public transport use is being encouraged through initiatives such as the provision of WiFi on some buses and at bus interchanges. A new passenger data collection and ticketing system will be implemented across the network in 2014, which will enable enhanced ticketing options to be provided to customers, as well as providing evidence-based data to allow government to move to more effectively plan bus services to meet demand.
The provision of ferry services has taken a big leap forward with the recent announcement of SeaLink Travel Group as the new provider for the Mandorah Ferry Service. In addition, Tiwi Island residents can now travel to and from Darwin by ferry with the commencement of a new trial service which has the capacity of up to 160 passengers. Government has committed to a 12-month trial so we can seriously assess the use of this service through both the Wet and Dry Seasons, and the commercial potential for meeting commuting and tourism demands on the islands. While it is early days, the service is already carrying over 500 local travellers, workers, and tourists between Darwin and the Tiwis on three return services a week.
It is important that public transport services, including school student services, are well-managed and constantly reviewed to ensure the most efficient and effective services are delivered for the public. The contribution of public transport to the social, environmental, safety, economic wellbeing and the general liveability of our community cannot be underestimated.
I move to improved commercial passenger vehicle services: the commercial passenger sector is vital and provides much-needed transport options for Territorians, whether through taxis, mini-buses or private hire cars. The Country Liberals government has implemented commercial passenger vehicle reforms, including converting all peak-period taxi licences to full licences, reviewing operations in Nhulunbuy and Alice Springs, and improving accessibility for people in wheelchairs through increasing the lift incentive and reviewing wheelchair space areas. We will continue to review and improve taxi services and standards to meet the changing needs and expectations of passengers and industry.
I move to the extension of the remote bus trial program. I am pleased to advise that the Territory government has provided $1.2m to enable the successful remote bus trials program to continue for a further three years. The trial bus services operate from Katherine to Borroloola and Numbulwar, from Alice Springs to Santa Teresa, Titjikala, Areyonga, Elliott and Nyirripi, and also include a service which operates along the Gove peninsula connecting Yirrkala, Nhulunbuy, Ski Beach and Wallaby Beach. The initial two-year trial program, commenced in 2011, has proven to be very successful. Over 32 000 passengers have been carried in the Gove area, over 11 000 passengers in the Alice Springs region and over 13 000 in the Katherine region.
The program provides grant funding to commercial operators to enable regular passenger bus services to operate in some remote communities. The services provide an important connection to larger service hubs and access to services such as health and education, as well as other opportunities.
I move to Darwin as a northern Australia aviation hub. I am pleased to advise that the aviation service development function has returned to the Department of Transport from the Department of Business. This function involves the Northern Territory government working closely with airports and airlines to build sustainable air services for the Northern Territory. This task is critical for facilitating air travel for Territory residents and national and international visitors to support the Territory’s tourism industry, a vital part of our economy.
Improving access to the Territory is vital to realising our vision of a strong economy. In recent months we have seen some inroads into this area with Tigerair flying from Melbourne and Sydney to Alice Springs, more Airnorth flights between Darwin and Townsville, Jetstar flying direct from Sydney to Uluru and more services from Darwin to Adelaide. These new services add to the existing flights already offered by Qantas and Virgin Australia.
In addition to existing international services to Darwin through SilkAir, Jetstar and Airnorth, the new international services include AirAsia, Philippine Airlines and now Malaysia Airlines, which has returned to our skies after a decade, with four direct flights to Kuala Lumpur each week. These services add an additional 1300 seats a week in and out of Darwin and will further strengthen the NT’s engagement with the Asian region as well as economic and community ties with Malaysia. Now we have these improved services we need to ensure they remain sustainable and grow over time.
My Department of Transport will lead the development of an aviation industry and services strategy to ensure we are positioned as the north Australian aviation hub and gateway to Asia and beyond. Appropriate aviation infrastructure and services are essential to us realising our goal of developing northern Australia.
Developing active transport options: active transport includes all forms of transport which involve some level of physical activity, such as cycling, walking and public transport. Active transport has the potential to provide multiple positive outcomes. It has health and environmental benefits and, importantly, contributes to making our communities more liveable by reducing traffic and parking problems. The Department of Transport is promoting active transport through a range of initiatives, and there is great potential to build on existing levels of active transport in the Territory.
The recently released State of Australian Cities Report 2013 confirms that 8.6% of Darwin commuters walked or rode a bicycle to work, which is more than any other major capital city. Alice Springs has the highest rate compared with other regional centres around Australia. The NT government manages and maintains an extensive arterial cycle path network in major centres across the Territory. The Australian Bicycle Council’s 2013 Cycling Participation Survey shows levels of cycling in the Territory are consistently higher than other states and territories.
Ongoing development of our cycle path network in recent years, such as the 5.6 km extension of the Stuart Highway cycle path to the north of Katherine and the 5.4 km path from Palmerston to Howard Springs, will continue to increase levels of cycling across the Territory. This is good for the environment, our health and our communities. This year, a new cycling and walking path map for Darwin was developed to encourage bus/bike travel. The new map has been included in the most recent version of the Darwin bus guide.
Combining short cycle trips with public transport journeys is also supported by the provision of secure bicycle enclosures at most major bus interchanges in the Darwin region, including Casuarina and Palmerston, and the park and ride facilities at Coolalinga and Humpty Doo.
I move to improving transport safety. Road safety is everyone’s responsibility. Reducing the risk of death or injury on Territory roads is a major challenge and a priority of the Country Liberals government. Whilst the individual number of deaths changes from year to year, on average 50 people die on our roads each year and around 500 people are seriously injured or require hospitalisation.
Road user behaviours, such as drink-driving and not wearing seat belts, continue to be the major contributors to the Territory fatality rate being over three times the national average. The nature of the road safety problem in the Territory is complex and closely linked to high levels of disadvantage and a sparsely populated, large geographical land mass.
Changing road user attitudes and behaviours through targeted enforcement, education and awareness activities will continue. New road safety legislation is being specifically developed to tackle motorists who repeatedly break the law. Vehicles will be forfeited and impounded for repeat drink-driver and unregistered and unlicensed driving offences. This legislation is expected to be introduced in 2014. We will continue to adopt a safe systems approach to road safety and work with our partners, including the Territory Insurance Office, the Automobile Association of the NT and the community, to make the Territory’s roads safer for drivers, riders, passengers and pedestrians.
Expanding and extending DriveSafe NT Remote Program: for remote Territorians, a licence is more than an approval to drive; it helps you get a job. It allows you to access government and non-government services, including health and education. It links you to social events and regional centres. It is of great concern to the Country Liberals government that Aboriginal Territorians represent 50% of our fatalities, yet make up only 30% of our population. Another serious concern is too many Aboriginal people are getting caught in the justice system because they do not have a licence. Almost 50% of court cases in remote communities are for driving-related offences.
About 82% of all NT prisoners are Aboriginal Australians, and driving offenders make up about 25% of the prison population. On average, 32% of fatalities each year involve an unlicensed driver. The innovative DriveSafe NT Remote Program is changing the way we deliver driver training and licensing services in remote communities. Since the program began in April 2012, nearly 2000 driving licences have been provided, with more than 1000 people being issued a learner licence and more than 300 of those obtaining their provisional licence.
Due to the huge success of the program, additional funding of $4.5m over three years has been approved to extend and expand the program. This will ensure it is delivered to as many remote communities as possible through building suitable partnerships with local organisations.
I move to national regulation. I recently represented the Territory at my first Standing Council on Transport and Infrastructure meeting. From a national reform viewpoint, a major item on the transport agenda has been the move to single national regulators for marine and rail safety and heavy vehicles.
I am pleased to advise that both the national rail and marine regulators are currently operating in the Territory with us delivering both of these reforms on time. However, the previous Labor government was quick to sign up to the national Heavy Vehicle Regulatory Reform without any detail on the benefit to the Territory. The heavy vehicle regulator’s economic report identifies that the Northern Territory could benefit as little as $1.3m over 22 years. We already have a completely open access regime for heavy vehicles with no last mile issues and some of the highest productivity vehicles operating on our network.
Industry has also raised concerns about the national fatigue management regime, which is very prescriptive rather than taking a risk-based approach. This makes it completely unworkable in remote Australia.
Our transport inspectors, including our 384 private sector authorised inspectors, do a remarkable job of working with police across the Territory, ensuring our roads are kept safe for everyone. A total of 7670 vehicles were checked by transport inspectors throughout the Territory from 1 July to 31 October 2013. Of these, 951 have been warned by inspectors and 280 have been breached.
Transport inspectors have participated in 21 joint campaigns with police checking 668 vehicles, issuing 33 defect notices and 71 warnings since 1 July. The collaborative Territory approach to the regulation of heavy vehicles provides a sensible balance between industry demands and safety requirements.
The Country Liberals government has listened to local industry, which supports the continuation of local regulation of heavy vehicles. I, therefore, advised my counterparts that the Northern Territory will continue to support implementation of the national regulatory reform on the understanding we will not commence the national heavy vehicle law and will not proceed to full implementation until the benefits to remote Australia are clearly demonstrated.
I will continue to advocate in the national arena for reforms which benefit the Territory. We have too often allowed ourselves to be captured in the one-size-fits-all approach to national reforms. I will work hard to ensure remote and regional transport issues remain on the national reform agenda and front-of-mind for all transport ministers.
I move to reframing the Department of Transport. Since the Country Liberals government came to office in August 2012, the Department of Transport has been undertaking a fundamental review of its operations, expanding and streamlining its services, delivery capacity, reducing red tape and the burden of compliance, and simplifying its business processes.
Historically, the Department of Transport has operated primarily as a service delivery agency. In the future the department will focus its resources on the delivery of strategic transport policy advice to government and management of service delivery through service providers. The department will focus on evidence-based policy driving strategic development of ports, road, rail and air transport with an emphasis on logistics, freight and passenger transport.
The department refocusing is all about delivering the reforms I have outlined today to ensure the transport sector is ready and able to support the economic and social growth of the Territory, and provide the greatest possible potential for all Territorians to participate and benefit from this growth.
In conclusion, I restate that the Territory is open for business. We have achieved a lot in our first year of government, but we have a long way to go. We need to ensure we have appropriate transport planning and infrastructure, and investment in transport infrastructure, logistics and services to facilitate the economic and social development of the Territory.
Without investment in transport we will not achieve our goals. I look forward to working with the new Australian government, the transport and logistics industries, and the community to continue delivering transport reforms to assist in our goal of economic and social development and inclusion for all Territorians.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the statement.
Mr VATSKALIS (Casuarina): Mr Deputy Speaker, that was an ambitious statement, an attempt to be more than it is. The minister spoke about Asian trade routes, agriculture, planning, resources, and thinly linked them to this portfolio. I quote my colleague, the member for Greatorex, who calls these statements pieces of puff pastry: talks about everything but says nothing. The statement should be renamed A Road Map to Nowhere. The statement sounds like an appeal by the minister to his colleagues, ‘Please give me more money. We need money to do something with infrastructure and transport,’ rather than what he has done for the Territory and for transport.
As I read through the statement last night it struck me that many of the things the minister mentions are either core government business or were started by the previous Labor government. There is nothing really new here other than opening MVR on Saturday, WiFi on buses and $1 for the pensioners to go on a bus – very popular.
He has not done much. There are statements about things to be done, what he wants to do, many forums and consultations, but he has not said he has done anything because he has not.
The minister mentioned talking to the federal government. Of course, he should be talking to the federal government. We did. You and future governments should talk to the federal government. After all, much of the funding for roads comes from the federal government. For example, the funding for Tiger Brennan Drive was an important joint project from both governments when Labor was in power. I hope the CLP will do something similar now it is in power and its colleagues are in power in Canberra.
The Chief Minister, when Minster for Transport, was planning to take $10m in Commonwealth funds earmarked for the Katherine bypass until the council intervened and objected to it. This has not been delivered yet. Minister, what are you doing about it?
The minister bragged about bringing a standing council to Alice next year. Well done. That will be good for tourism as well. However, at the same time he has cut funding on school bus runs to town camps which were federally funded under the national Engaging Urban Students program. Is not getting kids safely to school a fundamental part of increasing school attendance?
Senator Scullion has confirmed your government still has the money so why have you scrapped the service? You have to provide that answer to the people of Alice Springs. While on that point, what are you doing to refresh Commonwealth partnership agreements for ongoing funding?
The minister tried to assert himself with comments about the north Australia white paper and the Framing the Future policy. Thank you, minister, we can read them, but what you are doing? We did not see anything in your statement. You have not told us what you have done – nothing at all.
Labor upgraded and developed the East Arm Wharf, built a new cruise ship terminal and started construction of the Marine Supply Base, the one your Renewable Management Board wanted knocked on the head. Thank God somebody had some brains and your government said it was not a good idea. We also started negotiations to upgrade the port in general to open Darwin up to Asia. I agree with you and am glad you have repeated what I said: to our south we have about 23 million clients, to our north more than a billion. We are closer to Southeast Asia than to Canberra.
You have no new projects. You want to privatise the port, and the only idea you came up with is a dirty port at Glyde Point – wrong name and wrong location for a port.
Seven pages into your statement you reach your big announcement: commencement of a consultation process for an integrated transport planning and investment road map – planning for the future of transport 2030. We are close to 2014. This consultation will probably take another year or so. That will be halfway through 2015, and 2016 sees an election. Do you really believe you will deliver that in time, or will you rush it just before the election to show you have done something?
Considering you are carrying on the good work of the previous government, why not look at the Labor government’s 10-year road strategy and 10-year transport strategy? It will save you, and us in parliament, time and effort because everything is there. In the past I looked at work undertaken by previous CLP governments. Some of it was very good and we adopted it. We changed it, but we adopted it. Some of it was not according to our policy and we rejected it. Public servants already know about these strategies. I strongly encourage you to talk to them, pick up the good points, pick up the ones you agree with, and the rest is up to you.
You talked about the Greater Darwin Region Land Use Plan, another Labor government initiative. You claim credit for the upgrades as a result of INPEX coming to Darwin. INPEX came to town because the Labor government urged it to come here instead of going to Western Australia.
Then came the real doozy! The regional road network excuses abound in the 11th paragraph: Why do we have so many unsealed roads which are so expensive to maintain. The reason is previous CLP government’s, trying to appease voters in rural and remote areas, kept constructing roads. They opened roads with no money to maintain or seal them. They kept roads going to nowhere, from east to west, with no plans. You will have to do something about these roads because they service the mining industry, Aboriginal communities and the pastoral industry.
We provide many live cattle exports to Indonesia, most of which are for religious celebrations in Indonesia, such as Ramadan. Ramadan is based on a lunar year and is a movable feast every year. Currently, Ramadan moves away from the Dry Season to the Wet Season, so there will be a time in the next five or six years when Ramadan will be in the middle of the Wet Season and we will be required to provide live cattle to Indonesia. We will have to muster and transport them in the worst season in the Territory: the Wet Season.
Guess what will happen to the roads? First, they will be ruined. Second, if you do nothing no one will be able to transport live cattle because the roads will be impassable. You know that, and I am sure the Cattlemen’s Association has already spoken to you about that because it used to chew my ear about it.
With mining roads, the Tanami Highway is a long and difficult highway. We spent $27m in upgrades to roads in the bush in 2012-13. How much have you spent on the Tanami Highway? How many kilometres of Tanami Highway have you sealed in the past 18 months? I doubt you have done any.
We worked with the Anindilyakwa Land Council to deliver an all-weather access road connecting Umbakumba, Angurugu and Alyangula. That is a small example of getting on with the job of delivering for the bush. What have you done so far? How many unsealed roads have you sealed? How many new roads have been delivered in the bush? Have you done the road to Port Keats? That is a broken election promise. Instead, you cut 50% of the funding for upgrading unsealed roads.
Tiwi, West Arnhem, East Arnhem shires and Coomalie Council miss out on extra local government roads funding. You have failed to deliver any funding for improvements to roads on Melville Island.
Consideration of transport issues has been specifically excluded from the Indigenous education review – not interested in helping bush kids access education. There is an uncertain future for bush buses connecting our bush towns with larger centres. Under Labor, 20 000 people used bush buses in remote areas. A significant number are under threat from you.
Bess Price stated in her media release of 10 October that she is passionate about working with communities to improve living conditions, and she gave examples of work. All the projects she named were planned and funded by the Labor government.
The real test will be in future years, when she and other bush MLAs have to fight Dave Tollner for money for infrastructure and services in the bush. You might as well join them, because you have to fight for money from Treasury for the roads. I am aware how difficult it is and how the Treasurer will make your life hard.
Then there is the clumsy handling of open speed limits. You stalled on making a decision by commissioning reports, and when you got the reports did not release them. Why? Because the reports do not say what you wanted to hear; they are critical and do not encourage open speed limits. You then allowed 200 km of the Stuart Highway to have open speed limits. This was a dismissal of criticism from trauma surgeons and others about the introduction of open speed limits. You then commissioned another report. I wonder if we will see this report or, like the others, it will stay in your drawer.
The worst crime of all is managing a $294m roads program but only spending $183m. That is on page 6 of the 2012-13 Department of Transport annual report. You had $300m to spend on roads and have spent $183m. How can you tell us what you are doing for transport when you cannot even manage to spend the money you have in your budget on roads?
You then talk about ports and aerodromes, an area where the Labor government took great pride, with $60m committed in our last budget for remote airstrips and barge landings in our coastal communities.
We trialled the Tiwi ferry. It was rubbished by your colleagues in the CLP, but has been quickly reinstated because of pressure from people on the Tiwi Islands who want better access.
Next was the jewel in the crown: MVR. You tout streamlining the Saturday service and sticker free registration. These are all nice things, but you failed to mention increasing light vehicle registration, with fees up by 50 to 100%, and seeking to charge a counter transaction fee for attending MVR offices. I am talking about MVR because I am aware you are trying to improve the service.
I will give you an example. Two years ago, on Christmas Eve, I received a fine at the airport from an Australian federal police officer because he looked at my registration and said, ‘Sir, your registration expired yesterday’. I replied, ‘What are you talking about? I haven’t received any notification.’ I explained I had chosen the e-mail notification service to receive my registration. I did not receive an e-mail and spoke to MVR, which told me they send e-mails but never check, as you can with e-mail software, if they are received. When they did not receive any notification they failed to notify me I had to register my car. I have now opted for snail mail. You have to ensure when MVR sends e-mails to people to renew their registration that a mechanism notifies MVR if they have not received it to prevent a fine. I have had a number of complaints from people who have had the same experience.
I recently heard about – you might want to investigate – the small number of driving instructors at MVR. Because a significant number of people from other states are trying to get their licences there is a backlog. I have been advised that MVR instructors have been asked to pass as many people as possible. I am not alleging they are doing anything illegal, but when you put pressure on instructors to pass as many people as possible, it is likely they do not have the time required to conduct a full driving test for everyone. Perhaps some people are not up to scratch but manage to fall through the cracks because of pressure on driving instructors. That would be unfortunate for the instructors and the general public.
I move to bus services, probably one of the meanest things you have done since coming to government. You scrapped free travel for seniors then had the temerity to boast about running the bus service as a revenue raiser. You charged seniors $1, yet you did no cost benefit analysis to determine any change. Why? We try to keep seniors in the Territory. By their own admission they receive more benefits in the Territory than anywhere else, but what did we do? You charged $1 for the bus, increased Power and Water, and you wonder why people are leaving the Territory.
Since the minister likes to link transport to every portfolio under the sun, how about this: scrapping the BDR has caused mayhem at our bus interchanges. Take a trip to Casuarina bus interchange. When I and the member for Fannie Bay made noises about the problems at Casuarina Square the Chief Minister said, ‘There are programs running there,’ yet he could not name one. A week later he said, ‘We have Project Studebaker in Casuarina to look after the area’. We do not have to argue about the issues at Casuarina. You should know about them because you have safety officers. You opposed them when we wanted to introduce them on public transport. There are not many. The pressure has increased but the numbers have stayed the same.
As for taxis, we are now coming to the festive season and many people go out drinking. The last thing we need is for people to drink and drive, as we saw recently with someone unconscious at the wheel. Can taxis pick up people late at night? My understanding is the booking register is not working. You should be asking the industry about that. You should be examining the industry in order to improve taxi security. We have taxi drivers complaining all the time about assaults. It is disgusting that people trying to make a living as a taxi driver are being assaulted, yet we cannot make arrests or find perpetrators for many different reasons.
Overall, it is a blunt statement, a puff pastry. There is nothing to inspire any confidence in this government. We do not know what the minister has really done. You will do things, you will have forums, you will consult, but what have you done? You have been in government for 18 months. You had a budget. You could not spend your budget and cannot say, ‘I have done this in 18 months. I sealed a kilometre in Tanami. I spent so much money doing that on cattle roads.’ There is nothing in your statement. You tell us how close to the edge we are. We know. You tell us you will have a forum in Alice Springs. Excellent! I congratulate you, especially if you bring the federal government. At the end of the day, these guys have the money and their choice is always for the biggest electorate down south rather than the Territory. We saw that time after time when in government, and you will also see it.
It is a disappointing statement. I was hoping you could do better. You better talk to the public servants who had input into this statement. Next time they should write a statement with facts and figures of what has happened rather than aspirational targets.
Ms FINOCCHIARO (Drysdale): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the minister’s statement. I commend the minister and the Department of Transport for the excellent work being done in the Northern Territory, despite the comments of the member for Casuarina. It was very telling the way the Labor Party would roll out public servants and let them take the fall for the failures of the miserable former Labor government. That is something our government is not doing, and the Minister for Transport is proud of his departmental staff and the excellent work they are doing.
One area I would like to speak about in particular in response to the statement is road safety, something that affects everybody in our community. We are all road users, from the time we are born and leave the hospital right up until old age. Our whole life is spent on and around roads. Many Territorians have, unfortunately, been affected by road trauma, whether it is the death or serious injury of a loved one or a close friend. The sad truth is, on average, one person dies every week in the Northern Territory – a life lost every seven days. Not everyone dies in traffic crashes, with a staggering 10 people seriously injured every week. Again, every seven days, 10 people require hospitalisation due to being involved in a crash. They are horrific and extremely scary statistics.
The Northern Territory, for various and complex reasons, has a yearly road toll vastly higher than most comparable jurisdictions. Per 100 000 people every year, 6.1 lives are lost Australia-wide. State by state, the ACT records the lowest rate of 4.0, while Western Australia sits at 8.4. Looking globally, the World Health Organisation reports that in Japan per 100 000 people only 5 road deaths occur a year. The USA figure stands at 13.9 road deaths, while India is higher at 16.8. Thailand, a nation known for its congested and hazardous road networks, records 19.6 deaths per 100 000 people every year.
As a stand-alone jurisdiction the Northern Territory, located in one of the most modern and wealthy countries on the planet, records 21.3 deaths every year per 100 000 people. Strikingly, the Northern Territory’s road toll per capita is worse than India and Thailand. Our rate of road trauma and misery means we are closer to Zambia and Venezuela than to Tasmania and Queensland. These are frightening statistics and the government is working hard to bring these figures down, as the minister said in his statement.
One of the major contributors to the death and destruction on our roads is alcohol. Driving under the influence of alcohol is a recipe for disaster as alcohol impairs all those fundamental skills needed for driving: coordination; alertness; vision; reaction times; judgment of speed and distances. Alcohol also inhibits our inhibitions and encourages behaviours we would not normally undertake, such as trying to beat a red light, failing to give way or showing off with burnouts and time trial races. When we consider the psychological, emotional and physical effects of consuming alcohol, it is no surprise alcohol is involved in half of all road fatalities. Think about it in simple terms, for every two lives taken on our roads one was lost with the mixing of alcohol and driving being a major factor.
During the upcoming festive season, police will actively target those individuals who put themselves and the community at risk by drink-driving. Removing drink drivers from Territory roads is an important strategy for combatting the number of people killed because of the mixing of alcohol and driving. However, we all know the prevention of this illegal and dangerous behaviour is just as important as catching the drink drivers. One such program aimed at keeping people safe and lowering the number of deaths and serious injury caused by drink-driving is the Who’s your Sober Bob? campaign.
I want to outline this amazing campaign as I feel it is a worthwhile effort made by the program’s partners to help reduce drink-driving in our community. The programs partners include the Department of Transport; the Australian Hotels Association Northern Territory; TIO; Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services; and RADD, or Recording Artists Athletes & Actors against Drink Driving.
I would also like to say a special thank you to all the licensed premises across the Northern Territory that assist in promoting Sober Bob to their patrons.
On 31 October I met with Nick Papandonakis and Jenny Malone from the Department of Transport’s Road Safety team and learnt about the innovative and clever ways Sober Bob is promoted to Territorians.
On 15 November, the Chief Minister launched this campaign in the Smith Street Mall with the help of V8 Supercar driver, Jason Bright, the Northern Territory road safety ambassador and a keen advocate of road safety in general.
With the festive season upon us, with Christmas parties and work functions occurring across the Northern Territory, it is the perfect time to spread the message of Who’s your Sober Bob? The Sober Bob campaign is conducted annually with the aim of reducing the number of people who drink alcohol then get behind the wheel of a vehicle. A Sober Bob is a person who has not been consuming alcohol and can help you get home after you have been drinking.
The key messages of the campaign are: think about who your Sober Bob is; Sober Bob can be anyone, it can be your parents, a taxi driver, your spouse, your neighbour or a bus driver; Sober Bobs are all around us and sometimes all it takes is to identify one and then ask; plan how you will get home before you head out. Decision-making skills are often thrown out the window on a big night, so have a plan in place before you commence drinking. Whatever you do, do not drink and drive. Drinking and driving is not an option. Far too many people still think it is okay to drink and drive if they live close by and do not feel intoxicated or forgot to bring money for a taxi. Have a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C, and do not touch your car keys.
Sober Bob promoters provide merchandise, display posters, and run advertisements on numerous ATMs, Facebook, in the Auto Press magazine and even on the sides of buses. Merchandise packs have been delivered to 11 Palmerston licensed premises, including Cazalys Palmerston Club, Palmerston Golf & Country Club, Palmerston Sports Club, Palmerston Tavern, the Arch Rival Bar & Restaurant, Gray Supermarket, Moulden Five Star Handy Market, Liquorland Palmerston, BWS Palmerston, Pit Lane Liquor and Woodroffe Fresh Food Supermarket. Additionally, there are seven ATMs in the Palmerston region which will be advertising the Sober Bob message through this festive season. These locations are Gray Supermarket, Palmerston Sports Club, Cazalys Palmerston Club, Palmerston Golf & Country Club, Caltex Palmerston, FDS Robertson Barracks, and BP Palms.
Along with Sober Bob designated driver messages, the Northern Territory government is helping people get home a lot more safely by providing free buses so everyone can safely attend their New Year’s Eve celebrations. Buses will operate from 7 pm on 31 December to 6.30 am on 1 January. Departing from Darwin, Casuarina and Palmerston interchanges, buses will be picking up and dropping off at all stops along the route. Using the bus is smart, as it will almost eliminate the chance of someone drink-driving if their car is at home. With 68 free trips scheduled on New Year’s Eve, with the array of taxis and mini-buses, with loving friends and family willing to come and pick you up, what is the excuse for drink-driving on New Year’s Eve?
Indeed, Christmas and the New Year period is a time for celebration and being with those important people in your life. Today, I ask Territorians to look after themselves, their family and their friends. Alcohol is, unnecessarily, a leading contributor to people dying on our roads. I ask everyone here and at home ‘who is your Sober Bob?’
I also want to comment on some of the initiatives the minister has been taking hold of in Palmerston and some of the things we are looking forward to in the future. Tiger Brennan Drive is something I spoke about in my maiden speech. The duplication of that road is critical to Palmerston and rural area residents. We need major arterial roads taking us into and out of the city in the morning and at night. Thankfully, the Northern Territory government is paying for the duplication of Tiger Brennan Drive from Woolner Road to Dinah Beach Road, and that construction is well and truly under way. Personally and professionally, I look forward to the completion of that project. It is very exciting and has been an extremely long time coming. Palmerston residents very much appreciate it.
As a local member in Palmerston, I have my eye firmly watching the lovely Natasha Griggs, our member for Solomon who, during the federal campaign, was able to seal a commitment from the now federal government to duplicate the final component of Tiger Brennan Drive from Woolner Road to Berrimah Road. That stretch of Tiger Brennan Drive is arguably the worst. Lucky last, it will be duplicated, and that will be an amazing project. I am looking forward to that coming online as it is something we desperately need. The bottlenecks in that area are getting worse. If you leave home at the wrong time you will know all about it.
I thank the minister, he cares about Palmerston. Someone from the northern suburbs proudly caring about Palmerston always makes me feel good about life. There is a friendly rivalry between the northern suburbs and Palmerston. I am glad the minister has visited Palmerston and enjoyed the opportunities there. I am aware the minister will be making an announcement this weekend about a set of pedestrian lights which will be installed in Palmerston on a major arterial road, something I have worked closely with the minister on. I thank him for listening to the concerns of my constituents and realising it was important to do. There are many exciting things happening and I defend the minister from the comments of the member for Casuarina, who had many negative things to say and plenty of stones to throw, but as they say, glass houses.
The minister came to Palmerston and launched the MVR iPhone App, which was excellent. We went to McDonalds, had a coffee and spoke to the locals. Everyone was pleased we were launching this initiative. We spoke to people in the MVR and they were really receptive to the minister being in Palmerston and the MVR iPhone app.
The minister’s visit gave me an opportunity to go for a drive with him. We looked at some of the key areas in Palmerston city that are now, after 11 years of Labor neglect – we always knew Labor hated Alice Springs, but boy, did they hate Palmerston. In 11 years they gave us a broken water park. Thank you very much for that, I salute you.
The minister and I have an extremely big job identifying the key infrastructure upgrades we need for Palmerston, let alone realising them. Not only did they invest in nothing in Palmerston for 11 years but a broken water park, what did they leave us with, minister? I believe it was a $5.5bn debt. Not only do we have enormous need, we have zilch to pay for it. When the member for Casuarina asks how many kilometres of the Tanami we have fixed, he knows the answer and knows why.
During my drive around with the minister, I took him to the Temple Terrace and Roystonea Avenue intersection, which is the largest traffic light intersection in Palmerston. Since the extension of Roystonea Avenue down to Lambrick it has become extremely busy. I am aware the member for Brennan is passionate about this area as it borders our electorates. We have a vested interest in this intersection and, as Palmerston moves south and Johnston is really coming along, we have Zuccoli coming online. It is amazing the growth happening down there! With Bellamack, we see a lot of traffic coming through the CBD, up Roystonea Avenue, not to mention Temple Terrace brings in a lot of traffic from the Stuart Highway with Army and Defence personnel heading out towards Robertson Barracks and everyone wanting to get out of Palmerston in the morning. It is a big intersection and, undoubtedly, something we need to look at.
We are extremely restricted in our resources but acutely conscious of the importance of these upgrades, particularly at the end of Temple Terrace. By the end of our term, we will see significant construction relating to Palmerston hospital. As that project develops and grows, I am sure we will see a greater demand on Temple Terrace. For our future planning, we need to be looking at the role Temple Terrace, as attached to the Stuart Highway, as it hits the Roystonea intersection and how that will all meld into the broader Palmerston transport infrastructure plan. I thank the minister for taking the time to come with me to see firsthand the issues we are having in Palmerston after 11 years of Labor neglect.
There are many exciting things happening in Palmerston and in my electorate. There is Durack Heights, the CIR development – that is coming on line really quickly, and as part of the planning for that development we will have a one way exit on to Woodlake Boulevard into Durack, and both entrance and exit points on to Roystonea Avenue at the top. That is a large project. There will be a number of stages and, by the time we see completion of that development, we will need to consider whether or not those currently projected exit and entry points are suitable. If traffic is exiting onto Roystonea Avenue there is no full left hand lane for that traffic to easily flow on to and they will have to wait for lights to change, merging, and as a result congestion could eventuate there. That is in the long term, but our government is looking forward and planning for the future. We are not waiting for the immediate need to arise when you are left carrying the baby and there is nothing you can do about it because the demand is already there. That is something we are acutely conscious of and will watch with interest.
Constituents in my electorate of Durack are really concerned about Woodlake Boulevard. This is not a Northern Territory government road, but it is worth mentioning because we are talking about transport. I am told by a constituent that Woodlake Boulevard was built 1 m too narrow. When cars park on either side of the road, particularly around the school zone, it becomes very difficult for cars to pass in between. It is certainly difficult for buses. The 60 km/h speed limit is of concern to residents and they believe there should be some traffic mitigation put in on that road as it is the only arterial road for the entire suburb of Durack. I have written to the City of Palmerston on a number of occasions outlining this concern. I have spoken and written to the Police Commissioner about it, and the Police Commissioner responded very well. They increased patrols on Woodlake Boulevard, catching people who were speeding and doing the wrong thing to act as a deterrent.
The Woodlake Boulevard issue will not go away and it would be reasonable to assume the demand on that road will only increase with the development of Durack Heights. It is an issue I am conscious of, and which the minister is concerned about, and I will continue to plead with the City of Palmerston about it. There have been accidents on Woodlake Boulevard and it would be a horrendous tragedy if something happened which could have been avoided.
When the minister came to Palmerston I took him to the roundabouts at the Woolworths and Coles intersections. Debate in Palmerston goes back a long way. People say, ‘Woolies and Oasis should never have been there’. I see the member for Nelson is nodding enthusiastically. There has always been a lot of debate about how Palmerston was planned and it is quite disjointed, but we have what we have. I have many concerned constituents talking to me about how difficult Palmerston is to walk around, particularly between the two shopping centres. I have been working with the City of Palmerston on that. The minister has come up with a wonderful step forward which we will be announcing shortly.
Mr Wood: The tunnel.
Ms FINOCCHIARO: A tunnel? I pick up on the member for Nelson’s interjection. He would like to see a tunnel. I do not think that is the announcement, but wait and see. The City of Palmerston has explained to me that the Palmerston walkability index is very low when compared to other capital cities. When I first heard about this …
Mr STYLES: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77, I seek an extension for the member.
Motion agreed to.
Ms FINOCCHIARO: Thank you very much, minister. I know you are very eager to hear what I have to say about your statement. I know the member for Nelson is glad I have an extension.
When I first heard about the walkability index and that Palmerston did not have good walkability, I had never heard of it. As someone who drives a vehicle, I had never considered the impact on those people who walk regularly, use mobility scooters, are mobility impaired or who do not have a vehicle. A lot of people in Palmerston utilise our footpaths and, at present, some of our CBD networking is not happening. There is a footpath to a certain point then it simply disappears, or you have to negotiate complex and dangerous roundabout situations like the Woolies and Coles negotiation points. It is great the minister is chipping away at that. The City of Palmerston has been working with the Road Network Division for years to sort this out and, thanks to the minister, we are finally seeing some results on the ground. I commend him for acceleration of that project.
In closing, I want to commend the minister. You can achieve a lot when you work collaboratively with your colleagues and people in the department. I have big plans for Palmerston, but we all have big plans for our electorates. The member for Arnhem could have 50 roads in her electorate and it still would not be enough. We all want something for the people in our communities and, unfortunately, the Labor legacy we are left with means we will all have to suffer as a result of it, but we are taking steps in the right direction and that is the important thing. It is always one foot in front of the other moving forward not backwards, and we are trying hard to plan for the future so these mistakes, poor management and lack of infrastructure and planning do not happen again.
I reinforce the Sober Bob message. It is very important we heed the terrible statistics on Northern Territory roads. We need to ensure this holiday season is a safe one and it is our responsibility, as members of Palmerston – parliament – I just love Palmerston so much I think we are all members for Palmerston! We should all promote and push that message to the licenced operators in our communities and ensure we have those posters up in our electorate offices and get as much merchandise as is available. The Department of Transport is fantastic with key rings, wristbands and things like that. I encourage all members to touch base with the Department of Transport and get a Sober Bob pack and really roll that message out so we can, hopefully, see less fatalities this year and safer driving behaviours on our roads.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend the minister for his statement.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale for her contribution. I live next to Palmerston so I take an interest. I know we are in a political debate but it would be – not everything the previous government did was bad. You would not have Tiger Brennan Drive, you would not have the duplication of the Howard Springs Road, and you would not have a whole series of passing lanes.
Mr Styles: What about …
Mr WOOD: I am not going crook at you, minister. Sometimes statements are made as if all bad came from one government and all good will come from the next government. Sometimes the balance needs to be there. Workability – it was an interesting statement.
If you had been involved in the Weddell planning, which I gather the government has shelved, one of the interesting things from that is Palmerston is a bit like some of the older suburbs of Darwin with cul-de-sacs. There is a move to go back to the old rectangular subdivision design because they looked at how many litres of fuel were required for someone to get a litre of milk. That was a good way to see whether a city has been designed to reduce the amount of traffic or the distance people have to travel. I was interested in that.
The other thing you mentioned, member for Drysdale, was the size of roads in Palmerston. One of the biggest bugbears for me is how Palmerston council allowed it. The internal roads are their requirement, and when Delfin first came to Palmerston the theory was you park on the nature strip, which ruins a street. The street should be a landscape and two cars should be able to park there and the rubbish truck fit in between. You raised a good point. Unfortunately, in the way some of Palmerston was been built the developer won and the community lost. If there was a minimum width size for suburbs – we are trying to have that in Litchfield and some of the urban development at Coolalinga – it would be 8 m wide bitumen so you have room for a vehicle to pass through.
I hope your solution is not to get rid of the roundabout opposite Coles, because we have another roundabout opposite KFC. Sometimes traffic cannot get out of there when the lights are red. Although some people have trouble with roundabouts I like them. That is a beautiful roundabout, it is well-landscaped ...
Ms Finocchiaro: Until they knocked all the trees down.
Mr WOOD: Yes, I know. They should clear underneath so you can see and leave the trees there.
I thank the member for Drysdale for her contribution, notwithstanding the great contribution from the Minister for Transport. He might feel upstaged.
I have some comments on roads. I will concentrate on a few areas which need attention from the government. One issue which has not come up for some time is the agreement by the previous government to hand over roads to local government authorities. It was a big issue for the previous government and there was much discussion on it. The councils did not want to take over roads they did not have money to maintain. I wonder if the minister can update us on whether discussion is still occurring between local government and his department on that.
Many promises were made when local government was being amalgamated, and one was to ask the Commonwealth government for a bucket of money similar to that given to South Australia to maintain the Pitjantjatjara homelands. That never occurred. The promise was a sweetener for councils to join local government. Has anything happened in that area because, unless councils get more money, they cannot maintain many of the roads …
Ms Finocchiaro: Unless they re-prioritise.
Mr WOOD: No, in that case you have not been out bush. Do you know how many roads were to be handed over? These are long, gravel roads. They are a big expense for councils and, unless the money comes with the handing over – councils are basically unviable at the moment – they will not have the money to maintain them.
I previously raised the issue of private and public roads. This is an issue in relation to roads to Nhulunbuy and Maningrida. I am unsure what money is used to maintain those roads but, generally speaking, only a council can maintain a public road, unless the Commonwealth government specifically provides money for private roads to be maintained.
One issue not considered in any detail is growth towns. What do you call them now? They have a new name, as you always have to have a new brand. The government has a new term and they are large remote towns or something. If you want to connect them and say they will be like any town in the Territory, the road connecting them would need to be a public road.
At what stage is the government looking at leasing those roads from traditional owners, or purchasing them if that is possible? Where are those issues today? A contractor who knows about one of the bridges told me the cost of a bridge was nearly double because of work which should have been done in relation to the set down area for concrete. Several matters which needed to be worked out with the land council were not and, by the time everything was sorted, the contract nearly doubled.
He also mentioned gravel. In some places contractors are required to pay an exorbitant amount for gravel, yet they are working on the road to a community. They should pay for gravel, but there tends to be a monopoly when it comes to, ‘You buy gravel at this price’. Of course, those costs add to the cost of the road being built for the community.
I think he was working on the Central Arnhem Road and said another issue was run-off or cut-offs for drainage on a new road. They had about 140 cut-offs to do and when they started were told, ‘You can’t do them because the road reserve is only this wide, and you have to get permission from traditional owners to run further than the boundaries of the road’. It must have been a very narrow road reserve.
From a practical perspective, some contractors are finding it difficult and it either holds up construction of the road or makes it more expensive. These issues have been around for some time but have never been sorted out.
The government has made an announcement regarding the new Palmerston hospital. What plans are there for an access road running off Temple Terrace? Is it possible that road – if it is to be built – would be extended to Willard Road, which is the road to the prison? This would allow access from Palmerston to the prison without going along Howard Springs Road. It would also allow other things to happen. I have spoken to the Minister for Lands, Planning and the Environment about opening some rural blocks as there is now town water in the area. It will also allow, if required, access to the hospital for prisoners as it is not too far away, although they have their own medical centre on site.
I would like to know what stage planning of that road is at and whether the option of bringing Tulagi and Thorngate Roads in at Temple Terrace intersection can be looked at. There is an enormous queue of traffic going to Robertson Barracks every morning. I do not know how many times the right hand slip lane has been lengthened. You can tell by the number of trees that are no longer there that it has been extended several times. At 7.30 am there is a long row of cars heading towards Robertson Barracks. It may be possible for Tulagi Road to swing behind Finlay’s and connect as one intersection. That has been an ongoing issue.
The other issue is barge landings. Over the years I have been contacted by barge operators concerned about ownership of barge landings, whether it is on Aboriginal land or controlled by a traditional owner who says only one company can use them. I believe that was the issue at Gove, where only one company could use the barge landing. This meant people in communities were held to ransom by the cost of their food and materials coming in by barge because one company had the monopoly.
I am aware one company was looking at approval for a landing at Yirrkala but believe that did not happen. The only other time people get relief is when the Central Arnhem Land Road is open and they receive food and goods by road. There were issues about traditional owners charging a company based on a formula for landing goods at their community. This seemed to work against the community because the cost would be passed on to it. There is nothing wrong with a barge landing fee for maintenance work, but if it is because someone says, ‘I am a TO and will charge you,’ and does not maintain it – he owns the land and you may need a lease, but those extra costs are passed on to the community the barge is serving. That has been an issue for quite some time. I am unsure if there are negotiations for uniformity in how barge landings are handled.
The public bus service is important. I hope the department will put up the sign it took down after the election which advertised a $2 trip from Coolalinga to Darwin. I do not care what else it says, but if it could go up with the price it would promote the bus service. If you stand at the corner of Girraween Road and the Stuart Highway in the morning you will see how many people travel to town by car, yet we have this you beaut express bus service. Quite a few people use it, but I hope that sign goes up again so we can promote use of public buses, especially for people travelling a long distance. I am not sure what the cost is now; it may have gone up. Whatever it is, it is cheap considering you can travel 40 km, or if you go from Humpty Doo, 50 km for $3. Previously people could purchase a weekly concession ticket. You can travel to the city in a better state of mind than driving, and it saves vehicle costs.
Is there any planning for a bus service past INPEX, to the prison, coming back through, for example, the Howard Springs area, which does not have a regular bus service? It has a 3 am and a 3 pm service. The bus only goes one way, and numbers drop when school holidays finish. We do not have a Sunday bus service. I had a phone call recently from someone saying if you do not have a vehicle you cannot move on Sunday.
You mentioned licences. Perhaps the minister for Corrections can tell us, but I thought there was an excellent program designed for people to get their licence while in prison. The member for Barkly says it might be cut, which would be disappointing. It might help the issue you raised in your statement about people being picked up for not having a licence. Perhaps it is something you could look at again.
Minister, I support much of your statement. I would like to see the greater Darwin plan. I do not mind the roads going through but am interested to see the size of the blocks.
It is good to get a statement about transport from the government occasionally. I raise these issues as ones not looked at in the statement and put them forward as a positive reply.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Mr Deputy Speaker, it is an honour to talk about transport in the Northern Territory As a bush member, someone who has lived in the scrub and someone who did 300 000 km in four years representing the Barkly in the Northern Territory, it is a huge issue.
Listening to the member for Drysdale’s contribution, I commend her advertising the Sober Bob campaign. However, the saying that came to mind was, ‘Youth is wasted on the young,’ when the member for Drysdale said the only thing the Labor government delivered for Palmerston was a broken water park. What a disgrace!
Member for Drysdale, a monumental amount of work was undertaken by the Labor government between 2008 and 2012 for the people of Palmerston. For nearly four of those years I was privileged to be the minister delivering close to $50m worth of infrastructure for sport and recreation in Palmerston. That does not count the new subdivisions of Johnston, the extension to Bellamack or the master plan suburb of Zuccoli. That is unbelievable when you stack it up.
As someone coming from the bush and a Cabinet minister, it was difficult dealing with my own constituents and explaining the massive infrastructure investment going to Palmerston. I used the socio-geographic knowledge I had and the opportunities the department provided in briefings. I had that debate with my constituents in Barkly – why hundreds of millions of dollars was going into the greater Darwin area focused on Palmerston as the fastest growing city in Australia between 2008 and 2012. It probably still has that title.
As the founder, coordinator and coach of the Tennant Creek Junior Rugby League Development Project, we would celebrate our connections with Alice Springs, Katherine, Darwin, Palmerston and Gove. We loved, every year, coming to the big end of the Territory and playing the best in the Territory. We celebrated running on to a ground like Richardson Park. For kids in Tennant Creek, the pinnacle of their sporting year was playing rugby league on the big ground at Richardson Park.
As the Minister for Construction and Infrastructure I was able to work with the department and the civil and civic construction industry of the Northern Territory to deliver a brand new stadium in Palmerston for rugby league. Most of the other sport and recreation projects I had to explain to the bush, aggregating around $50m, were combination sporting initiatives in partnership with local schools and the Palmerston City Council and well-planned, well-thought out and well-delivered infrastructure across that city, but the rugby league ground was the best.
I remember Palmerston Raiders congratulating the Labor government for that purpose-built infrastructure. I wish I could get the Tennant Creek kids back up here for a game against Palmerston on that incredible rugby league field. I will put it out on the broadcast to Joey McCarthy in Tennant Creek, ‘Listen mate, 2014 is the year we will get a team back up here’. I will invite the member for Drysdale to stand on the sideline when the Tennant Creek kids play the Raiders on that brand spanking new stadium, to support rugby league.
What a disgrace, as a new member of parliament, to talk a lot of rot when you really need to read the minister’s statement and conduct an informed debate.
The minister has brought this statement to the House, which is very much a collage of the previous government’s initiatives and some of the major infrastructure projects carried over with the new government. The government has been in the saddle for 15 months so it better starting coming up with some new stories; it is definitely running out of old stories. When we saw the infrastructure budget slashed by $64m in the 2013-14 budget, their first real budget, which complemented a slashing and burning in the earlier mini-budget, we were not seeing a lot of new initiatives. We expect to and look forward to it, just like the good people of Palmerston.
A good compilation of initiatives have crossed over, and anybody who understands construction and infrastructure on the last frontier in northern Australia realises the revote component, realises the constraints around country and climate, and that many of these major projects go from one year to the next to deliver.
The member for Drysdale spoke about Tiger Brennan. There was no mention of $110m major – the core of that whole road transport infrastructure project with the bridges, the flyovers, and the new traffic management strategies, nor the flyover that links the East Arm logistics precinct back to Berrimah Road to connect with the Tiger Brennan major interpass. There was mention of the duplication between Woolner Road and Dinah Beach Road, and nobody is denying that.
I would like to enlighten the member for Drysdale that the marine muds the duplication will traverse are very tricky for construction and infrastructure. All that clean fill you saw stored under the tarps with that ventilation for a period of just over 12 months was about ensuring the substructure for the duplication works does not become a disaster for the future. That is why there was a 12-month gap where the fill was stored and compacting nicely to provide that important geotechnical base for the substructure of what will be the duplication of Tiger Brennan and will provide the advantages the member mentioned.
It was great and a real honour to come back into town and see that work continuing. I commend the government for the appropriation of around $13m for that next section, which was part of the planning from the previous Labor government. I commend the Liberals for continuing that. It is important to give credit where credit is due.
There was no mention in the minister’s statement of the driver offender program that was a partnership between Transport and Corrections in another plank of the new era in Corrections. The minister might not be aware it was not only a program, it was important infrastructure to be built on the grounds of the Alice Springs correctional facility which would take the offender out of the traditional gaol environment and put them in a purpose-built offender driver training centre. It was scrapped in the cuts imposed by the CLP when it took government. However, it is an important plank. I give credit to the minister taking notes through this debate, taking on new ideas and going back to Cabinet and continuing with programs to support outcomes in the motor traffic area, particularly with road safety.
With about 82% of the Northern Territory prison population being Aboriginal, and numbers rising considerably now with minimum mandatory sentencing, about 60% are in gaol for traffic-related offences. It is so important to deal with that. I can remember the member for Port Darwin, the now Minister for Correctional Services, taking me to task, calling it soft on crime and how dare I bring in a program where offenders will be re-licensed, re-trained, matched with jobs and supported through a process of regaining their licence while working on the job while an inmate of the Northern Territory Corrections system.
That was a good project. The infrastructure to support that normalised that person’s life, and provided them with stimulation and inspiration to get out and do better. It matched them up to what the member for Port Darwin calls his Sentenced to a Job program, which is, I was pleased to hear recently from Corrections officers, a continuation of what the Labor government did. It needs to be revisited minister, because of DriveSafe NT. Congratulations to the department and all those constituents who participated in that program and will continue to, including young people from the Barkly. It is an extension of educational awareness and new era initiatives in Correctional Services. It will deliver results and needs to be brought back on for budget appropriation.
What I interrogated in an appropriation in the 2013-14 budget with the previous minister for Transport was money for the Integrated Regional Transport Strategy. Through the budget and estimates process there was nothing – zilch. However, the minister – congratulations – issued a media release appropriating over $1m to continue the Integrated Regional Transport Strategy in relation to remote bus trials. Thank you very much, minister. It is another great initiative in delivering road safety and what are, effectively, the first public bus services in regional remote Northern Territory to support Territory families. It is fantastic. I do not know where that money came from. It was not appropriated in any budget output, so I presume it was Cabinet on the run. Good work, minister. I am not sure how you got it, but we appreciate it. Bodhi Bus and Centre Bush Bus, both doing an incredible amount of work developing a very effective model in regional remote transport, deserve that support to continue. I did not see it in the media release, but I expect to see you give details on new routes, extension of routes, safety and what over $1m will be appropriated for.
Regarding barge landings, the previous minister was interrogated through the estimates process about the need for budget appropriation around barge landings, which had all been cut bar Nguiu. I was on Nguiu recently and did not see much change there but, no doubt, there was an appropriation. I had a fantastic visit to Ramingining where I was able to have a dialogue about 27 new houses being built. Also, $5m was appropriated to the barge landing access road, but nothing for the barge landing. They were all Labor government projects and, unfortunately, two are going ahead and the third one has been cut, which was money for the barge landing. The people of Ramingining were asking questions, and that needs to be revisited across our Top End coastal communities in regard to budget appropriation around barge landings.
It was unfortunate to hear, when talking to the residents of Ramingining about road safety, how busy that town will become with the heavy vehicles moving around, not only on the top track of the Central Arnhem Road, but around Ramingining itself. I was talking to residents about the new housing construction, the barge landing upgrade, the barge landing road upgrade and the opportunities for jobs, and we hear people are living in tents. The opposition informed the government a good strategy was rolled out under the previous SIHIP, where new houses were constructed and became transient accommodation while other houses were being constructed.
You have to learn lessons all the way, and it is important for this government to take on good ideas and implement them.
I was a little disappointed to see only one paragraph on the heavy vehicle national uniform legislation. The minister said he attended one meeting of the national council. I attended those meetings over four years and it was a bipartisan approach. Minister, you are not doing justice to industry or road safety by completely ignoring fatigue management in the Northern Territory. I recommend you have some serious conversations with the Northern Territory Road Transport Association. They guided me, as minister, through that process, and it was to be a positive outcome where the Northern Territory Road Transport Association and the Northern Territory government would support heavy vehicle operators in the Northern Territory. This is the roughly 93% of heavy vehicle movements which do not leave Territory borders and how they will develop their fatigue management systems. It is so important and was bipartisan across the country. The Liberals were always a bit more problematic, but I hope that work continues because it is so important in the composite road safety program needed across the Northern Territory and this country.
The minister would probably be aware, doing the kilometres he does, of all the truck rest area: all the roadside fatigue management areas for heavy vehicles being constructed. It is about the last of the work happening on the Stuart, Barkly and Carpentaria Highways and in the tablelands. I have only been on the Victoria Highway once this year. It is about the last of the major work happening, and shows that really important initiative of providing safety across the board for all Territory road users.
There is the issue of $10m for Katherine to provide a heavy vehicle bypass. I worked closely with the Katherine community. They had ideas, I had ideas and the department had ideas. My government colleagues had ideas, the federal government had ideas, Warren Snowdon had ideas, and we were fusing those together to deliver that important infrastructure for Katherine. It seems to have dropped off the radar. Your mate, Mr Abbott, in Canberra, definitely has it in the bank account somewhere, and the good people of Katherine would be very interested to know where that money is and when it will be appropriated. It is not only in regard to the economic stimulus of their civil industry around that, but also the best outcomes for heavy vehicle management in Katherine.
When we talk about managing roads infrastructure, there is the issue of the Transport minister of the Northern Territory opening speed limits on the 200 km stretch of road 30 km south of Barrow Creek to what will be the existing 110 area in the lead-up to the Tanami Highway. I have written to the minister. I spent two days on that section doing some survey work and have written a three to four page letter asking the minister to look at the road geometry and the constraints in that area: the roadside stops, the heavy vehicle rest areas, the other areas like Burt Creek and Harry Creek, the lack of shoulders and drop off points. There are poor visibility areas and undulating terrain where nanna and pop will be coming out with a caravan and the brand new Landcruiser just after breakfast, with the possibility of a Commodore CSV or some other high performance vehicle doing in excess of 200 km/h from the other direction. Unless the minister is prepared to change his mind before then, I would not like to be the Minister for Transport waking up after February 2014. This government really needs a reality check. It is a really bad call and I would not like to have that on my shoulders knowing I could wake up to serious road fatalities because of a political decision. I have called for major roads transport infrastructure to be initiated in that 200 km section before the tourist season starts next year.
Mr STYLES (Transport): Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker …
Mr McCarthy: Bring it on, minister.
Mr STYLES: The member for Barkly seems to be a bit excited. Chill pills are available upstairs if you need them, member for Barkly.
Ms Walker: Grow up! He is passionate.
Mr STYLES: I pick up on the interjection from the member for Nhulunbuy. You think you are the only passionate people. We are passionate about this statement. I will respond to the member for Casuarina, who appears to have completely missed the point of the comments.
The main focus of this statement is establishing a clear vision for the future of transport in the Northern Territory. While we have some achievements of note, this statement is not about the government patting itself on the back. It is about undertaking serious planning and laying the foundations for the Northern Territory of the future. It is about working in partnership with all levels of government and industry to prioritise infrastructure investment, transport services and legislative reforms to deliver economic and social development for all Territorians. It is about a strategy for the future, not a pat on the back for the past.
Comments were made by the member for Casuarina in relation to inspectors and people at MVR regarding driver’s licences. He did not allege anything illegal but said instructors may have been instructed to pass people. I do not know how the member for Casuarina defines illegal, but if someone is instructed to pass a person who has not passed a driving test, that is illegal. He made that allegation and I would like to correct the member for Casuarina. There are no driving instructors at Motor Vehicle Registry, only licence testers. Sadly, the former government left Motor Vehicle Registry severely under-resourced. Motor Vehicle Registry services grew by an average of 5% per year for many years with no associated increase in resources. That led to an increase in wait times and frustration for business and the community.
We all know the reason for the shortage, and I refer to these graphs for the benefit of those watching. It is called pyramid of debt and you can see it clearly. When the ALP is in government debt increases. If you look at Labor federally, you wonder why they are short on money for roads. Just look at it. The blue bit is about debt going down, then there is a change of government. Mr Rudd gets in, Ms Gillard takes over, and we see the pyramid rise and an antenna on top of the pyramid. It is a graphic display of how Labor ran us into $5.5bn worth of debt. Despite this, in our first weeks of office we successfully negotiated with the staff of Motor Vehicle Registry to open on Saturdays, which has resulted in at least 200 additional transactions each week.
Moreover, since then we have reduced the requirement for Territorians to visit Motor Vehicle Registry offices, improved online access to services, released the MVR mobile app and commenced the delivery of Motor Vehicle Registry services through Australia Post. That is quite an achievement. We were left with businesses and the community extremely frustrated because they would not put any resources in or come up with new ideas on how to do business. We are fortunate we had a change of government and are now able to support people.
In relation to what the member for Nelson said, I am reliably informed by staff at the Department of Transport that the licence program in prisons is intact and will not be cut.
The member for Barkly said we did not do much. When we came to government we had a federal Labor government busy building debt, not infrastructure. Again, I refer to the graph. Everyone can clearly see that not only was there a debt, but look at the debt in the last year of government. That is when we came in. The federal government was spending money like a one-armed paper hanger and what came our way? Where were the funds to build roads? I did not see any. All I saw was removal of $237m from our budget for the Nation Building Program. I went to Canberra – the member for Barkly might note this – to see Mr Albanese, who was then minister for Transport and asked what happened to our $237m. He said, ‘You did not apply for it?’ I said, ‘You will find we did’. He said, ‘You did not apply for it’.
I then phoned the department, which sent me the documents in relation to the application. That was an interesting conversation and I will leave you, and all the people listening to this presentation, to make up your own mind as to what happened in that conversation. When you say, member for Barkly, we slashed the budget infrastructure. Where is the $237m your people gave us then took away? The ALP Indian givers in Canberra gave it to us then took it away. They give us $237m then said, ‘We forgot to give it’. What a bunch of Indian givers.
The infrastructure budget has been slashed. Here is your mate’s problem in Canberra, the antenna on top of the pyramid, then we come back to the Territory government. What do we have? We have more antennas on more pyramids. It is disgraceful. You wonder why we are $5.5bn in debt and say, ‘You slashed $64m’. Your mates in Canberra slashed $237m, yet we found money in our budget to help the bush and help develop economic sustainable infrastructure for the Northern Territory.
Member for Barkly you were talking about fatigue management and how irresponsible we are. We have a fatigue management system which suits the Northern Territory. Sadly, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has done no work. I asked the chair of the board, ‘What are you doing about it?’ He said, ‘We might try something’. For 18 months we have been asking them to come up with a program to after the Northern Territory. You said you have been to a few, but I went to my first one and stood up for the Territory saying, ‘We won’t do this because it is not good for the Territory!’ Western Australia has similar problems to us ...
Mr McCarthy: What will you do?
Mr STYLES: They did not even sign it. Until the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator does something for the Territory we will not implement this. We will implement some of the ideas. The Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association, the Australian Transport Association and commercial operators look at this and are frightened because the rules and regulations they want to impose are great on the eastern seaboard but no good for regional and remote Australia. We do not want to make it harder for regional and remote Australians to make a quid. We do not want to put cattlemen in more difficulty after you guys canned the live cattle trade. You guys did nothing to support us when we tried to have that overturned. You are a disgrace …
Ms Walker: Rubbish! We took a delegation to Canberra, we went overseas. Come on.
Mr STYLES: You did nothing!
This is not about what should or could have happened; this is about what will happen. The Country Liberals government has a plan ...
Mr McCarthy: What will happen?
Mr STYLES: I heard the interjection from the member for Barkly. He says, ‘This isn’t going to work, that will work’. We have a plan to help develop all the Territory, especially regional and remote areas and communities, have sustainable economic development. To do that, you need a decent plan. We have the plan, you just heard it. I am proud to say we will deliver on it.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
TABLED PAPER
Inaugural Annual Report of the Northern Territory Planning Commission
Inaugural Annual Report of the Northern Territory Planning Commission
Mr CHANDLER (Lands, Planning and the Environment): Mr Deputy Speaker, I table the inaugural annual report of the Northern Territory Planning Commission.
The Planning Commission was established to drive strategic land use planning and guide the Territory to long-term growth. Effective planning must consider the wellbeing of the community, with areas providing access to jobs, transport, schools and open spaces.
The Planning Act outlines the responsibilities of the Planning Commission. The primary role is to prepare integrated strategic plans, guidelines and assessment criteria for inclusion in the NT Planning Scheme. The secondary role of the commission is to advise on significant development proposals which may significantly impact on the strategic planning of the Territory, the natural environment or existing neighbouring amenity.
The Planning Commission has provided a report on its performance against its functions during the 2012-13 year, and I will now report to the House on the key achievements of the commission during its first six months of operation. These include the prompt establishment of the Planning Commission and progress to land use planning, both in Tennant Creek and the major urban centres across the Northern Territory.
The commission has made a concerted effort to engage with local communities, stakeholders and agencies during development of regional land use plans and planning policy. The progress made by the commission to develop strategic land use plans and planning policy would not have been possible without valuable input from the community. Key achievements in the first six months are outstanding.
The government committed to establishing a Planning Commission for the Northern Territory to properly plan for the Territory’s future growth. Demand for land across the industrial, commercial and residential sectors is strong, creating a need for strategic land use planning as the Territory continues its robust growth.
Research was conducted on planning commission models both overseas and in other Australian jurisdictions. It was discovered that all Australian states and territories have established planning commissions or similar bodies that perform both statutory and policy functions. A model was subsequently developed to best suit the Territory’s needs.
Legislation to create a Planning Commission in the Northern Territory was achieved through an amendment to the Planning Act. The Planning Amendment Bill was debated and passed through the Legislative Assembly in November 2012, after which sections 50A to 50D and 81A to 81ZA were incorporated into the Planning Act.
The establishment of the NT Planning Commission not only delivers an election commitment from this government to properly plan for the Territory’s growth, but it puts the Territory on the front foot with other Australian states and territories.
Commission members are appointed for two-year terms with provision for re-appointment. Their remuneration is consistent with the Assembly under the Assembly Members and Statutory Officers (Remuneration and Other Entitlements) Act. The chairs of the Development Consent Authority, the Environment Protection Authority and the Heritage Council provide valuable input on environmental planning and heritage matters in order to inform future land use plans across the Territory. These chairs provide continuity to the long-term strategic planning as their term remains until they vacate their positions under the respective legislation. The diversity of professional expertise on the Planning Commission ensures strategic land use plans are comprehensive and capture complimentary insights and knowledge. In addition, the Planning Commission is required to have a representative of the Local Government Association and up to five other members. These members are appointed from across the Territory, providing representation for the Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs regions with backgrounds in engineering, accounting and commercial fields.
Key achievements: Tennant Creek Land Use Framework. A major achievement of the Planning Commission during the reporting period was the inclusion of the Tennant Creek Land Use Framework and Planning Principles into the Northern Territory Planning Scheme. Prior to the Planning Commission being established, consultation had occurred in 2009 to explore strategic land use planning for Tennant Creek. The Planning Commission considered the outcomes of this consultation process and reviewed previous work done by the Department of Lands, Planning and the Environment. Input was received from the Barkly Shire Council through a project advisory group that identified long-term directions for the town’s growth for residential, commercial and industrial uses and highlighted a need to protect possible water supply sources.
The Planning Commission provided the Barkly Shire Council with another opportunity to look at the Tennant Creek Land Use Framework before the Commission endorsed it. A draft land use framework and planning principles were placed on public exhibition in 2012 and, subsequently, included in the Northern Territory Planning Scheme through gazettal on 26 June 2013. The NT Planning Scheme now provides Tennant Creek with development options, including urban infill and subdivisions at Tennant Creek east. The scheme also affirms the location of the existing business hub on Paterson Street, preserves the rural character of small lots of rural subdivisions south of the town, provides areas for future industrial development west of the town, and protects the Kelly Well and Cabbage Gum bore fields from inappropriate land use and development.
Moving on to other key achievements – NT work program primary role, strategic land use planning. During the reporting period the Planning Commission focused on its primary role of developing integrated strategic land use plans in the Tennant Creek, Katherine, Alice Springs and Knuckey and Ironstone Lagoon localities, along with developing an urban densification strategy. During development of these land use plans, the commission considered issues including demography; climate; socioeconomic factors and strategic locations for community purposes, including schools, community halls or health services, land suitable for use as rural and urban residential, commercial or industrial land, existing and future infrastructure needs, including transport corridors, power, water and sewer, considerations around mangoes, biting insects, storm water, flooding, noise, heritage sites and protected flora and fauna.
The government is then provided with a draft land use plan to consider placing on formal exhibition. Subject to a successful exhibition process, the government will then be approached to include the land use plan within the Northern Territory Planning Scheme.
Talking about the Greater Darwin Regional Land Use Plan, significant progress has been made in developing a regional land use plan for Darwin that will include the areas of Berrimah, Palmerston, East Arm, Litchfield, Cox Peninsula, Coomalie and Finniss. Currently, the Northern Territory Planning Scheme includes high level land use frameworks for the Darwin, Coomalie and Finniss regions, but no land use plan for the Darwin region.
Planning concepts and land use objectives were last reviewed over 10 years ago. Following a review of previous reports and studies conducted, the commission noted that future growth areas in the Darwin region are well understood through earlier investigations conducted to inform previous concept plans for areas including Palmerston East, Weddell, Gunn Point and Cox Peninsula. New growth areas, including inner urban and rural activity centres, will be identified for their potential to support future land needs. These areas will be more thoroughly investigated in lower level plans, like area plans and master plans. It is hoped a Greater Darwin Regional Land Use Plan will not only be more suited to today’s needs, but will include a vision for the future to provide guidance on land use suitability for industry and the community.
The commission remains in close consultation with the City of Darwin and consultants who are developing a Darwin CBD master plan that will identify the Darwin CBD as the primary commercial centre of the region, promote a mixed-use environment, and prioritise movement networks in and out of the CBD due to links between the Darwin CBD master plan and the Greater Darwin Regional Land Use Plan.
Similarly, close consultation will occur with consultants responsible for developing the Palmerston CBD master plan. At present, a briefing paper is out for public comment to flesh out issues surrounding the future land use in the Darwin region, and further opportunities to comment will be provided in 2014. The next step will be to release a draft plan that visually identifies proposed land uses for public comment.
Knuckey and Ironstone Lagoons locality: in February 2013 I requested that the Planning Commission investigate issues associated with development around Knuckey and Ironstone Lagoons in order to develop an area plan. Advice on the constraints surrounding the area was received, and by the end of the reporting period the commission had released a discussion paper seeking public comment on future development of the area. In addition, the chairman conducted a radio interview to further spread the word that public opinion was sought.
Berrimah Farm: on 7 June I requested an integrated strategic plan for the Berrimah Farm site suitable for inclusion into the Northern Territory Planning Scheme. At the end of the reporting period the commission had commenced research into the constraints in the land, location of service infrastructure, and advice on the outcome of previous stakeholder consultation.
Katherine region: the commission is also progressing development of a land use plan for Katherine. A comprehensive community engagement process is under way with early input sought from the three local government councils in the region: Katherine, Victoria Daly and Roper Gulf. Amendments were made to the consultation paper prior to its public release to take into account stakeholder comments. Her Worship the Mayor of Katherine, Mrs Fay Miller, was kind enough to participate in a media event with the chairman to jointly release the consultation paper. Close consultation gives the community confidence their views are being considered.
In Alice Springs the commission is reviewing development provisions and planning controls in the CBD, including building heights, car parking and building design. To assist in learning about stimulating economic growth and identifying infrastructure needs for Alice Springs, the chairman, Gary Nairn, attended a workshop held by the UDIA, Urban Development Institute of Australia, in November 2012. The commission is now considering outcomes of previous studies and audits conducted, and a discussion paper will be released to seek input from the public and interested stakeholders.
Urban densification strategy: consistent with the government’s Framing the Future vision to achieve an environment that is well-managed, the Planning Commission is also developing an urban densification strategy. Issues to be considered include infill, urban growth boundaries and greenfield and brownfield locations. Government architect, Mr Lawrence Nield, presented a paper on the rationale behind urban densification at a stakeholder’s workshop in June 2013. Outcomes of the workshop include settling of the principles for the strategy and endorsement of the content of a public consultation paper. Consideration will be given to previous work undertaken in relation to rural activity centres.
Secondary role – significant developments: a secondary role of the Planning Commission is to provide advice on projects identified as requiring a development permit and that may significantly impact on the natural environment or existing amenity of adjoining land. The definition is broad enough to enable me to form an opinion about whether the proposed development may be significant to future land use and development in the Territory. Two significant development proposals were referred to the Planning Commission during the reporting period.
The first Hughes and Noonamah district centres: in relation to the development proposal for a district centre to serve a population of over 30 000 near Noonamah and the Hughes airstrip, the Planning Commission has assessed the proposal as having merit and has recommended proponents proceed with preparing a master plan. Currently, the proponents are working closely with the Department of Lands, Planning and the Environment, stakeholder agencies and the commission to progress the proposal through a strategic projects group. The strategic projects group provides an avenue for the developer and services agencies to explore issues and find solutions.
Nightcliff Island – very topical: a proposal to develop an island off the Nightcliff foreshore was referred to the commission to consider in the context of a land use plan for the Darwin region and prepare a significant development report. At the end of the 2012-13 reporting period, the commission had noted the development proposal was only at the concept plan stage and more information was required before a proper assessment could be made or a significant development report drafted.
The old Darwin Hospital and Flagstaff Hill Park sites: on 18 April, I requested that the Planning Commission review the concept plan for the old Darwin Hospital site and the Flagstaff Hill master plan and report back to me. Granted, I should acknowledge the significant consultation process conducted by the Territory’s previous government. The Planning Commission is considering a community consultation approach to finalise master planning and development options for these sites. A workshop was conducted where various options were reviewed, and the commission is considering two options of a concept plan and design principles.
Community engagement: government intentionally included community engagement at an early stage in the planning process. Listening to the community, industry bodies, and representative groups from the outset of the planning process contributes to achieving the Territory’s vision for a sustainable, well-managed environment which balances use with protection. The comprehensive effort to engage with the community, industry and other stakeholder groups is seen as yet another highlight of the work of the Planning Commission this year. The commission will determine the most appropriate method and extent of consultation required for each plan. Opportunities to comment occur through various community engagement methods, including land use forums, meetings with the chairman, stakeholder workshops, information displays at major community events, or by submitting comments to the commission through its website.
The commission publicly responds to community or stakeholder issues by placing a summary document outlining government’s response to the issues raised on the Planning Commission website. This is an open and accountable way of doing business.
To date, the local community and stakeholder groups have been very well represented and have actively sought information on the commission through its website. In the three months from March 1 to June 2013, the Planning Commission website had been viewed 2951 times, or about 24 visits a day. To raise awareness of the Planning Commission’s functions, the Chairman, Gary Nairn, engaged with 135 stakeholders during the six-month reporting period to inform government agencies, industry, environmental and community groups.
The following methods of engagement were used: four media releases sought public comment on future land use in Katherine, and Knuckey and Ironstone Lagoon localities. Another explained the significant developments, and one announced the first meeting of the commission. Newspaper advertisements were also regularly published in the Katherine, and Knuckey and Ironstone Lagoon localities. There were eight presentations to Northern Territory government departments, including Power and Water Corporation, Transport, Chief Minister’s, Housing, and the Solicitor for the Northern Territory. There were thirteen presentations and face-to-face meetings with peak industry community groups, including the Chamber of Commerce, Property Council, Engineers Australia, the Urban Development Institute of Australia, a European union delegation, Institute of Architects, Land Development Corporation, Housing Industry Association, Northern Land Council, the Environment Centre and Cool Mob. There were four site visits to Katherine, Darwin rural area, Knuckey and Ironstone Lagoons and Berrimah Farm. There were nine face-to-face meetings with local government, including the Local Government Association of the Northern Territory and councils such as Roper Gulf, Victoria Daly, Katherine, Darwin, Litchfield, Palmerston, Coomalie, Wagait, Alice Springs and MacDonnell. There were nine face-to-face meetings with members of the Legislative Assembly, including the members for Braitling, Nightcliff, Port Darwin, Brennan, Daly, Drysdale, Goyder, Nelson and Fong Lim.
In conclusion, major inroads have been made on land use planning which could not have been achieved without the valued assistance of the executive and planners within the Department of Lands, Planning and the Environment.
I extend my appreciation to the hard-working commission, members and administrative staff who have shown substantial commitment over the past year. The Planning Commission will continue to shape strategic planning frameworks that support economic and population growth in the Northern Territory and reflect the community’s aspirations for land use into the future.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I table the 2012-13 annual report of the Northern Territory Planning Commission. This is all in six months.
TABLED PAPER
Subordinate Legislation and Publications Committee Report – Report of Ministerial Correspondence on Subordinate Legislation and Publications: May 2013-November 2013, No 2 of 2013
Subordinate Legislation and Publications Committee Report – Report of Ministerial Correspondence on Subordinate Legislation and Publications: May 2013-November 2013, No 2 of 2013
Ms LEE (Arnhem): Mr Deputy Speaker, I table the Subordinate Legislation and Publications Committee Report entitled Report of Ministerial Correspondence on Subordinate Legislation and Publications: May 2013 – November 2013, No 2 of 2013.
MOTION
Print Paper – Report of Ministerial Correspondence on Subordinate Legislation
and Publications: May 2013 – November 2013, No 2 of 2013
Print Paper – Report of Ministerial Correspondence on Subordinate Legislation
and Publications: May 2013 – November 2013, No 2 of 2013
Ms LEE (Arnhem): Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the report be printed.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Note Paper – Report of Ministerial Correspondence on Subordinate Legislation and Publications: May 2013 – November 2013, No 2 of 2013
Note Paper – Report of Ministerial Correspondence on Subordinate Legislation and Publications: May 2013 – November 2013, No 2 of 2013
Ms LEE (Arnhem): Mr Deputy Speaker, it has long been the practice of the Subordinate Legislation and Publications Committee to raise with ministers questions and issues arising from its examination of subordinate legislation tabled in the Assembly. Rules, regulations and by-laws affect people in their day-to-day lives, and it is important the Assembly maintains a sufficient level of public scrutiny to ensure they keep within the purpose and intention of the laws under which they are made and do not unduly affect people’s rights.
Over the six-month period covered by this report, the committee examined 31 pieces of subordinate legislation. As part of that scrutiny, the committee wrote to responsible ministers raising issues and questions on concerns it had with four regulations. This report places those letters on the public record and allows interested persons to seek clarification regarding the intended operation of the regulations or undertakings to correct any errors provided by ministers.
In addition to its examination of subordinate legislation, the committee is also responsible for monitoring the legislative reporting requirements of government entities. For example, under the Public Sector Employment and Management Act and the Financial Management Act, all Northern Territory government departments must present annual reports and audited financial statements to the appropriate minister for tabling in the Assembly. Independent officers such as the Auditor-General, the Ombudsman, the Information Commissioner, statutory authorities, government-owned corporations and a number of other regulatory bodies are also required to submit annual reports, audited financial statements and inquiry reports to the Speaker or relevant minister for tabling, pursuant to their respective enabling legislation.
Of the 103 government entities the committee currently monitors, there has been one occasion where the committee has had to follow up on an outstanding report with a minister.
On behalf of the committee, I thank ministers for their responsiveness in addressing the committee’s queries. I also acknowledge the significant contribution made by its independent legal counsel, Professor Ned Aughterson, and thank him for his diligent work in advising the committee.
I also thank the members of the committee for their efforts and bipartisan approach in seeking to ensure a high standard of rules and regulations in the Northern Territory, and compliance with their legislative reporting requirements.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend this report to this House and move that the report be noted.
Motion agreed to; report noted.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Tonight I share with the House and place on the record my thanks to a lady I have known for a number of years, Louise de Bomford. As the parent of young children, I first met her as manager of the Mitchell Street Child Care Centre. I have found her to be an utterly cheerful person with a splendid disposition and somebody who brought great love, compassion and joy into the realm of childcare.
She did her schooling in Tasmania; however, work circumstances forced her to move to Jabiru, of all places, in the mid-1990s, and by 2000 she was in Darwin working at the Mitchell Street Child Care Centre. She has now worked there for about 13 years and is on her way out the door.
She has always demonstrated a great passion for the work she does, and this is reflected in the ongoing commitment she made to the Mitchell Street Child Care Centre. I was president and treasurer of the centre at various times. I witnessed Louise de Bomford take this childcare centre from something which required a lot of attention to a financially strong childcare centre which was envied in Darwin. She is now moving on to pursue her ambition of running her own private childcare centre, and I wish her the very best. She will be launching La Creche on The Avenue in early 2014. I know she feels very sad moving on from Mitchell Street Child Care Centre, but she is moving to run her own business. I have always admired people who take risks.
The new childcare centre will have the best facilities, and she will endeavour to make the kids’ experience at La Creche on The Avenue equal to or better than that kids have enjoyed at the Mitchell Street Child Care Centre. I have always enjoyed working with Louise, have always had enormous respect and regard for her capacity as a manager, and I do not doubt the risk she is taking in going out on her own will be well rewarded. She has an excellent, well-deserved reputation in Darwin. As a former parent of a child attending the centre, a committee member, local member of parliament and as the Attorney-General, I wish her the very best into the future.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Mr Deputy Speaker, tonight, I wish to talk on the year that has passed, albeit briefly. I want to talk about what it has involved as a local member first and foremost, to acknowledge people who have played a role in my work and experiences, and to highlight some of the issues facing the rural area.
Being a local member is one of the easiest jobs around and one of the most difficult. It has a huge level of entertainment and happiness, and a road train of sadness and loss. Over the year I have met some delightful people and have witnessed actions that make me wonder how some people can live with themselves. Over the last 12 months I have gained knowledge on a range of matters I was not previously familiar with, been enlightened by some fascinating facts, and fought battles on behalf of people in the rural area. There have been highs and lows, some wins and losses, and some issues are ongoing and will require more work on my behalf to achieve a successful outcome.
As I look around the Chamber I see one other member, the member for Nelson, who resides in the greater rural area of Darwin. All other members either live in an urban place or another town, such as Katherine or Nhulunbuy. In government, the only member who lives in the rural area is me. As a consequence, I take my job of representing rural residents very seriously and use all items of war at my disposal so the views of the rural people are not overlooked, but heard. I work hard at engaging the people and assisting them when and where I can. Sometimes that puts me at odds with my colleagues, but as the member for Katherine said only last week, our side of the Chamber is open to diverging views and debate on any subject. That is what happens, in my case, on key issues impacting the rural area.
My colleagues know I will not sit quietly if I know a pending decision by government will detrimentally impact on my electorate. They know I want the best for the rural community and will not stop at securing the best possible future for everyone who chooses to take up a rural lifestyle. I thank my colleagues, especially the ministers who have visited the electorate over the last year, particularly the Chief Minister, Adam Giles, who accompanied me on several occasions to inspect problem road areas. He also paid a visit to the banana farm, as well as the barramundi farm at Middle Point not so long ago.
Minister Chandler knows only too well the issues with planning in the rural area, plus the impact of the education cuts and program at the moment, yet he continues to respond when and where he can to my concerns and those of the schools. Minister Bess Price recently visited the parks in my electorate and met with rangers, local residents, the Friends of Fogg Dam and made a couple of courtesy calls on the way home. Her visit was very much appreciated by the residents and rangers, particularly at Fogg Dam.
Over the year, I have had the pleasure of attending the schools in my electorate, watching all manner of sporting events, cooking sausages, patting horses, presenting prizes, opening exhibitions, riding on the back of Harley Davidson bikes around the town, catching snakes, kissing chooks back to life and fielding many inquiries about the one-eared dog that sometimes resides in my electorate office.
Many people come to the office, mostly with inquiries, but often just for a chat. They eat my salty plums, take my lollies, enjoy the many cups of tea and special coffee we have, read the print off of my newspapers, and I would not have it any other way. The horse people use the meeting rooms at the back and drive Trish O’Hehir, my electorate officer, and I to despair as they frequently set off the alarm by turning on the switch then stopping in the middle of the room to chat some more.
We collect and wash jars and bottles then give them to people in the electorate who make jams and chutneys and perhaps sell them at the markets. We collect egg cartons and give them to egg growers. We shred all our waste paper and give it to lovely Margaret and Rob Davidson in Trippe Road for their poultry pens and garden. Dogs are frequent visitors to my office, and often people drop by and ask if I can mind their dog as they want to pop to the supermarket. We offer a dog minding service. No, they do not make a mess. As you know, Mr Deputy Speaker, rural dogs are well behaved and well mannered. Like many electorate offices, we field some very unusual inquiries, but some leave me bemused.
I cannot change or influence the airline schedules. I do not know why the Army changed their tank designs, and I know weather patterns are changing, but I do not think it is the Country Liberals government’s fault.
On the downside, the year has brought sadness with the loss of loved ones. I pay tribute to Rhonda Franklin, who lost her battle with motor neuron disease, and Pat Hastie, who had Alzheimer’s and passed away after she got lost in the local scrub. Rose Petty, who owned the Oasis Caravan Park with her husband, Gary, recently died from cancer. She will be sadly missed by her family and the many frequent travellers who stayed at the van park. I said goodbye to Terry Bradford, a remarkable woman who passed away at the ripe old age of 94. She was a tremendous character and one of the first people I met when I was elected into this role. There have been some who have died as a result of suicide, particularly young people in the rural area. This continues to be a major issue facing our community and I applaud the Police Commissioner, John McRoberts, for his work on addressing the issue. Any life is one we should not lose. I have indicated to Mr McRoberts I ‘may’ abseil down a building with him if it helps raise awareness and saves someone’s life.
As Speaker, it has been an interesting year in the Chamber. There is some misunderstanding about the Speaker’s role, given it is not in the limelight or public space. Part of my task is to enlighten people, including members, on the role of the Speaker. I am keen to ensure parliament is an open establishment and I encourage all in the community to visit or seek information.
I express my sincere appreciation to the Clerk, Michael Tatham, for his ongoing support and advice, and the new Deputy Clerk, Marianne Conaty. Thank you to my office staff, Martine Smith and Cheryl Owens, for their support and understanding of a Speaker who brings all manner of issues and items into the office. I could not work as well as I do without your commitment and dedication. I extend my appreciation to all Legislative Assembly staff in committees, Hansard, building services, the parliamentary library, security, IT, the drivers, member’s services and education for your dedication and support to all members and to the parliament. You are a strong and professional team and I thank you.
In my electorate I acknowledge the assistance of my able-bodied, one eared, sulky American Staffordshire Terrier, Musket, who often frequents the office and helps lots of young children relax and smile. Musket loves people, hates little snotty, hairy things that walk past the office, and is generally a well-behaved dog. She adds to the overall security of the office, as only a really stupid person would want to cause harm when they look at her face. As my mother often says, ‘Only a mother could love that face’.
In my electorate office, the world would not turn at all if it were not for my electorate officer, Trish O’Hehir. Trish, thank you for doing what you do so well. You are an important part of the office and the rural area. Your knowledge of people, issues and personalities cannot and should not be underestimated. What you do benefits so many families and individuals. I have often seen this firsthand. I know you enrich them and help them deal with the issues of the day, whether they are small or large. Thank you so very much.
My best wishes to all members, staff of the Legislative Assembly, the building occupants, the parliamentary library, parliamentary counsel, NT library, Karen Sheldon Catering and the gift shop staff. Best wishes for the festive season.
Ms FYLES (Nightcliff): Mr Deputy Speaker, one element of being a local member of parliament I particularly enjoy is the opportunity to meet people in my neighbourhood who I would not normally meet. The opportunity to share in their lives is something I treasure, and I thank my community for allowing me to do so.
Tonight I speak about a Territorian who made a wonderful impact not only in our community of Nightcliff, but across the whole Territory. George Dunne was born in Bondi, Sydney in 1943, the eldest of 10 children. He married Rhonda in 1967. George was passionate about tourism but family was his world. George and Rhonda were proud parents to five daughters, Learne, Rachel, Erin, Joanne and Sharon. George was also a grandfather to 11. Sadly, George passed away earlier this year.
George made a big impact on the Territory, particularly in tourism. His career in tourism began in New South Wales, where he worked his way up to the position of tourism manager of the Murray region and also the Orana region based in Dubbo. He also played a key role in the Newell Highway, the longest highway in New South Wales.
In 1980, George and Rhonda made the decision to join the newly established Northern Territory Tourism Commission and move the family to Darwin. His wife, Rhonda, fondly remembers arriving in Darwin with the family only for George to set out on a long familiarisation trip across the Territory, leaving Rhonda and the girls to set up home. She was quickly welcomed into our community.
George held the position of research and marketing manager for five years before being made regional director of the Tourist Commission in 1985. George held this position until 1998, when he was appointed ministerial advisor to the then Tourism minister and Chief Minister, Shane Stone.
At George’s funeral in June this year, I was overwhelmed by the number and mix of people attending to pay their respects. George’s daughters best told their father’s story and shared with us his personality and love of the Territory. One story they shared which has stuck with me was when they headed out camping. It was a Friday evening and they were all piled into a red jeep – Rhonda, George, the five girls and the camping supplies. They arrived at the campsite and, much to the amusement of fellow campers, were setting up their tent in the dark. Rhonda said George was never very good at setting up tents but George was adamant they must camp; they must explore their Territory.
George was an active executive member of the then Darwin Regional Tourism Association, now Tourism Top End, for 17 years. George was the recipient of the 1991 Brolga Award for the most outstanding contribution by an individual to the tourism industry. In 1997, George received the Public Service Medal in the Australia Day Honours List. In 2008 he was awarded the Minister for Tourism’s perpetual trophy at the Brolga Northern Territory Tourism Awards. This award acknowledges outstanding commitment, dedication – both personally and professionally – by an individual over many years to the Northern Territory tourism industry. George was a very worthy winner of this award.
I would like to read some of George’s lengthy tourism involvement into the Parliamentary Record. George had representation on the Northern Territory Tourism Advisory Council; the Kakadu Advisory Committee; and the Territory Wildlife Park Steering Committee; was Vice Chairman of the PATA NT Chapter; a Federal Airports Corporation Advisory Council member; a founding member of the Fishing Tour Operators Association; and had a long association with the Brolga Tourism Awards spanning more than 20 years.
George was a highly respected Northern Territory and Australian tourism awards judge.
In recognition of George Dunne’s contribution to the tourism industry, both here and on the national stage, a category at the Brolga Awards was renamed the George Dunne Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual. I know his wife Rhonda, who attended the awards ceremony in Alice Springs only a few weeks ago, was immensely proud to present the award this year and was honoured by the tribute slide show for George.
Speaking to those in the tourism industry who had worked with George, they explained it simply: George had a passion for tourism and loved the Territory. This passion shone through in his many roles. He loved sharing his love of the Territory with people from other places. He worked hard to understand all the views in tourism and our community. He saw tourism as a way to connect people. He worked for a succession of ministers and government, and was a champion for tourism. Even when semi-retired, he participated through the Brolga Awards, ensuring people who deserved it won recognition in the industry. He never stopped his work of strengthening the Territory tourism industry, although I am sure his lovely wife, Rhonda, sometimes wished he would just a little.
George, along with Rhonda, was also passionate about disability support services. He helped open Henbury School in the early 1980s and served as a school council Chairperson at Henbury School. He was a member at the Northern Territory Carers Board and of the Integrated disAbility Action board. He also served as a member of Ludmilla Special School, which changed its name to Nemarluk School in 1994. He served on the council as secretary.
Rhonda said George was her letter writer and together they were a team. George was also a member of Nightcliff Sports Club.
Although George lived in Darwin for many years, he kept in regular contact with his friends from Sydney, particularly his rugby league mates, who he caught up with every year for 46 years. He was always interested in people’s thoughts, how they were and how their family was.
George Dunne was a genuine, caring and passionate Territorian and, as a parliament, we pay our respects and offer our thoughts to his family and friends. I personally offer my sincere thoughts and sympathy to Rhonda and George’s family and friends.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Mrs LAMBLEY (Araluen): Madam Speaker, tonight I give my season’s greetings and acknowledge the very special people who have contributed to my life this year and made what has been a rather difficult year much easier.
The last 12 months for me has been a year of great highs and lows, a veritable roller coaster ride. Professionally, I started the year, as you will remember, as Deputy Chief Minister and Treasurer, wondering how I would survive with two teenagers, a wonderful but demanding husband, two sick elderly parents, and a very demanding job taking up my every waking minute and being away from home most days of the week.
I started the year like this and persisted until March, when I stepped down from the position of Deputy Chief Minister and gladly accepted the role of Minister for Health. Health, for me, is a perfect fit. I have worked in many hospitals and community health services in Australia and overseas. Working as the Minister for Health is a joy. The good people who work in the health industry humble me at every turn. They expect very little, and their achievements are generally understated and largely unrecognised.
During this tumultuous year, I lost both my parents, Max and Pam Priestley, who were incredible people, married for 52 years. It is a wonderful thing to know your parents have had such long and happy lives. I acknowledge that my good friend and colleague, Willem Westra van Holthe, also lost both his parents this year. For all people in this Chamber, and throughout the Territory, who have lost people, my heart goes out to you.
On a brighter note, we have made some unbelievable achievements, particularly in the area of health. One of our greatest achievements, particularly in my wonderful electorate of Araluen, is in the area of law and order. I know there has been much push back on the vigilant work of the police in Alice Springs policing our bottle shops. The end result is less grog being sold to people who have nowhere to drink it – that is the bottom line. The statistics already indicate there is less crime and antisocial behaviour on our streets, which is fantastic news. People in Alice Springs are seeing and experiencing it, and this is something we should be proud of.
The roll-out of mandatory alcohol treatment is something we should also be very proud of, taking into care the most disadvantaged alcohol-affected people in our community. It is changing their lives and the nature of our community.
I need to thank many people. The fabulous team of people I have collected on level five – Alex, Anthony, Georgia, Belinda, Esther and Alana, who is working for us as a DLO – are incredible people. They are so loyal. People on the other side of the Chamber will remember, from when they were ministers, how these people can make or break you. I am delighted to have such a wonderful group of committed, loyal people around me who have been quite extraordinary over the last 12 months, which has been, as I said, a very difficult year.
I thank my colleagues in the Country Liberals. Sixteen people make up our team, a large group of people from very diverse and broad backgrounds. I have some good friends in these 16 people – people I can trust and confide in, and who I really like. It is a joy to work with such wonderful people.
My electorate officer, Carley Plume, is an extraordinary woman and my rock. I never see her, but I talk to her regularly. She makes me laugh, she pulls me into order. She is bossy, fun, hard-working, committed, and I do not know what I would do without her. We also get assistance from Michelle and Trudy at times, and they are also fantastic people.
My community of Alice Springs does not see me very often. I come home every weekend. The people in my electorate, my constituents, stop me in Woolies, Coles, or if I am watching cricket or netball or whatever the kids are doing – chasing them around on the weekend. You have been very patient. In the past 12 months I have spent very little time in my electorate. I miss you, and I will endeavour to spend more time in my electorate of Araluen in 2014.
To Craig Lambley, my husband, and my children, Alice Lambley and Harry Lambley – once again, my absolute rocks. I do not know what I would do without you.
My year has been a little different from the experiences of other ministers. I have not travelled extensively overseas like many of my colleagues. I have concentrated my efforts on visiting most of the health services in the Northern Territory. There are many health services, as the member for Casuarina can attest to, and I have tried hard to visit as many as I can. I am just past the halfway mark, and an enormous amount of effort has gone into many trips. In the coming year I will definitely get to the other half and tick off the remote clinics I have not yet been to and the non-government organisations we fund. I am committed to doing that. It is very important, as a minister, to see the people who work for the department you represent. It is essential you are more than just a signature at the bottom of a briefing or letter.
My goal over the next 12 months is to live by my values. As a politician, you can get awfully caught up in things that are not reflective of who you are as a person. The pursuit of truth and honesty, for me, is what keeps me here. If I lose those things I have nothing and am no one. If I can maintain my honesty, truth and respect for people, and all those good things we bring to the job so innocently and not lose sight of what really matters, I feel I will be doing a good job. On top of that, I will be working hard and will remain committed, as I have been since becoming a member of parliament.
I look forward to the year ahead and am very glad to leave this one behind. It has not been too bad, but I could think of more positive things to have experienced over the last 12 months. There is a lot to look forward to in the year ahead. I wish you all a peaceful, restful and safe festive season.
Finally, I want to acknowledge the poor people of Gove. My heart goes out to each and every one of you. It must be a crushing time. God bless you.
Mr VATSKALIS (Casuarina): Madam Speaker, it is the end of the year and, as the member for Araluen said, it can be an exciting year and it can be a sad year. My heart goes out to her and Willem on losing their parents. Most of us came from somewhere else and some have parents further away than others. It is easy, if your parents are in Australia, to catch a plane and be there in four hours. Some of us would need a whole day of travel if something went wrong, and may not have the chance to say goodbye.
Madam Speaker, it is Christmas, time for reflection. It has been an interesting year and I predict it will be more interesting next year. I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year – buy a front loader! I would also like to wish Delia and my team a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. We work very closely together and, guys, in two-and-a-half years we will be back again.
I thank the government, because never in my 20 years in the Territory have I seen a political party politicise people in the Territory so much in such a short period of time. However, you have your family – Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Try to avoid arguments, especially the Minister for Education. I remember when I was the minister and there was a dispute with teachers – very interesting times at the dinner table with my wife, who was a teacher. There were times when we would sit quietly not talking to each other, and I bet you are experiencing the same with your family.
My constituents are fantastic people and pop into my office all the time. My office is very central – close to the bus stop, the medical centre and Casuarina Shopping Square. I get a lot of people from other electorates because I am part of an ethnic group and quite a few people come to me because I understand what they say and speak their language. I am lucky, my electorate officer, Debbie Rowland, has been with me since 2002 or 2003. She knows everybody and everybody knows her. She also knows people in the public service. My biggest thanks go to her husband, Ted. He supports her to be in my office and do the job she does. I am very proud of her daughters, Simone and Candice. Simone is studying to be a doctor after obtaining a pharmacy degree, and Candice is a very young physiotherapist and in charge of just about a ward at Royal Darwin Hospital.
This has been a relaxed year for me and has given me the opportunity to do things I have not done before: stay home, not travel, study. I never imagined, after 16 or 17 years, I would go back to university to study languages. I am pleased to say I am studying Mandarin for a Diploma of Languages.
I take the opportunity to thank my wife Amy and my sons Alexander, Michael and Kevin. Amy is a lecturer in Mandarin at the university, a very good lecturer because, in four months, I can read and write characters, something I did not believe I could do. Currently, she is in China with a group of students from CDU studying Mandarin. Kevin is the young one at Dripstone, while Michael studies computers at Murdoch University, and Alexander announced recently he has a full-time permanent job as a teacher at Ellenbrook High School. He was very happy about that because, unfortunately, the Western Australian government is following the example of our government and has cut 2500 teacher and teacher aide positions in Western Australia, which is sad.
Talking about education, I have four fantastic schools in my electorate: Dripstone Middle School, Nakara, Alawa and Nemarluk School. Nemarluk School is a special school and I am proud to have supported it from the beginning when there was a reaction from some residents to the proposed site. I made the decision if I was to lose my seat because I supported Nemarluk so be it, I would go proud. This year I will not have a party in my electorate office but will donate the money to Nemarluk School for the students’ lunch.
My sincere thanks go to my school principals, Brendan Wessely, Robyn Thorpe, Lorraine Hodgson and Jodie Green, and all the teachers at Dripstone; they are doing a fantastic job. This time of year we have the graduations, and I will spend quite a bit of time speaking to students and teachers and congratulating them as the Year 6 graduates move to middle school.
One of my favourite moments in 2013 was a fantastic day with the member for Wanguri at Casuarina pool. We had a big barbecue and hundreds of people came along and had a great time. The kids had face painting and we had special coffee produced by a local entrepreneur.
I have a very good relationship with Casuarina Police Station and thank them very much for their prompt response when called. I thank them for their recent operation in Casuarina to address some of the antisocial behaviour.
I was honoured to be invited, once again, to be patron of the Darwin Surf Life Saving Club at Casuarina, Nungalinya College Language Teachers Association, and vice-patron of Surf Life Saving for 2014. It is great to help the people who need you most. I know politicians are fair game. Apparently we do nothing, sit here not working, are paid too much, should not have a family life, and all the things you hear and read in the newspaper. However, the people who come to us when they are at their wits end want a solution and expect us to help, and we help them most of the time.
We do not do it for the thanks, it is because we put our hand up to do something for the community and we might change things. As you continue you find things are not as you originally thought, but we still try to do the right thing.
Cultural groups in Darwin – Darwin is the most multicultural city in Australia – from the Glenti to the Italian festival to the Indonesian festivals. When the need arises somewhere, like the recent cyclone in the Philippines, we get together and help out, and that is fantastic.
I say thanks very much to all the people in the Assembly, from the person who changes the light globes in my office to the person in Hansard trying to decipher my accent. They do a really good job, as do the drivers, clerks and the people who support us. Somebody presses the button and somebody turns up to find out what you want.
I thank my family, now I have time to spend with them. My son, Alexander, might come up at Christmas. It will be a wet Christmas in Darwin I hope. Most of us will be here because Darwin is the best place to spend Christmas. Merry Christmas to you all.
Ms FINOCCHIARO (Drysdale): Madam Speaker, I would like to reflect on the 2013 year. It has been varied, exciting and, like the member for Araluen said, has had both good and bad moments, but I will not dwell on those this evening.
I have been fortunate to have fortnightly radio interviews with Pete Davies. I wanted to thank Pete and Nick, who produces the 360 Show for Pete, for letting me come on board and talk about what is happening in Palmerston. It is really refreshing that Pete is genuinely interested in what is happening in Palmerston and considers it important that listeners have the opportunity to hear from a local member what is happening on the ground. So often politicians from both persuasions, and the Independent member, are faced with media and there is always an angle coming. Pete is a real gentleman and has let me spread good news, and for that I am eternally grateful. I look forward to 2014 together.
I have also been fortunate to have a number of Palmerston schools visit the Assembly. At the end of last year I sat with Parliamentary Education and learnt about the programs. I was thrilled and intrigued by the whole process and took away a pile of the packs given to the schools and hand delivered them. I emphasised to my school principals, ‘Please get on board with Parliamentary Education Services. They can visit your school or you can come here. You are more than welcome during sittings.’ I love to see the kids in the gallery, as do we all. We had a number of schools come through, including Sacred Heart, Kormilda and Palmerston Senior College, just to name a few.
Several months ago I had the privilege of collecting bags of the most amazing hand knitted stuffed toys and took them to the paediatric ward at Royal Darwin Hospital. A constituent in my electorate has been knitting these amazing stuffed toys for years, and she does it out of the goodness of her heart. She is an unsung hero in our community. I would say her name and praise her more loudly but she would kill me if I named her publicly so I will not. They are amazing and another big bag is waiting for me. As we get closer to Christmas I can deliver them. The looks on the children’s faces, and, when I put the photos on Facebook, the reaction from parents whose children have been recipients of these wonderful toys – there was an outpouring of thanks to her. I cannot praise or thank her enough. As always, I encourage people to drop off balls of wool, pillow stuffing or anything like that so she can continue with this amazing work. She says it is to keep her fingers busy, but she is a true champion, a true hero in our community, and we all love her dearly for it.
I had quite a few wins this year. In politics, especially as a government backbencher, you can get a lot of small runs on the board and achieve a lot of small things for people. They might seems small when you compare them to building major infrastructure, but when you get something done for someone that has been affecting their daily life – it could just be the pothole, the street light, the unmown grass – it means the world to those people because it is something they face every day.
The mini-budget anticipated a $20 MVR fee and there was an outpouring of anger from my community. They were disgusted by that policy decision. I worked closely with the Minister for Transport at the time, the Chief Minister, and he heeded the concerns of my constituents and the charge never came into force. I was pleased to have saved pain for Territorians by working calmly and quietly behind the scenes with the minister. I thank him for taking notice of what I had to say.
I also worked closely with Casuarina shopping centre. Many of my constituents are mobility impaired. I worked with Casuarina shopping centre to purchase a mobility scooter which they now lease to anyone who is mobility impaired. Someone who is currently in a motorised mobility scooter can get in a taxi at home, go to Casuarina shopping centre and the mobility scooter will be waiting for them. They can do their shopping, and staff will then pick up the scooter from the taxi rank and off they go. That was fantastic.
I am also proud of facilitating a partnership between the US Marines and Gray Primary School. There is now a memorandum of understanding in place. The Marines, during the duration of their stay in the Territory this year, attended Gray Primary School every Friday. That meant the world to the Year 5 students who interacted with the Marines in various sport and literacy activities. It was very special, and I look forward to seeing what next year can bring.
In politics, you get some opportunities to travel around the Northern Territory. I have been to Tennant Creek, Katherine, Alice Springs and everywhere in between. It is always lovely to get out to those areas. As a kid, our holidays always revolved around driving trips, so I am very familiar with that stretch of Stuart Highway. However, it is nice to be there in a different capacity and chat with the petrol station owners and the shop owners and see how they are going. My experience is that they are grateful for that contact.
This year I was, and still am, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, which has been exciting and hugely challenging. Obviously it was my first estimates experience, point blank. I was chairing the whole exercise. I got good feedback from constituents, which is the main thing. From what they could hear on radio, they were happy with how estimates went. I am looking forward to next year now I know what estimates is all about.
I try hard to get involved with everything the City of Palmerston is doing. I sit on the Palmerston Regional Safe Communities Committee and the Palmerston Seniors Advisory Group. Both are hugely rewarding, present great opportunities for my constituents and are a pleasure to be involved in.
I thank SIDS and Kids. I have been on the SIDS and Kids committee for about six years now. SIDS and Kids has three main core events each year: Walk to Remember, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, and Red Nose Day. Those activities take a huge amount of work for a volunteer committee. SIDS and Kids NT does not get any government funding and the volunteers work so hard. I have never seen a group of people work as hard as they do. They provide 24-hour grievance support to anyone who has lost a child under the age of 18 – from conception to 18 – which is quite remarkable.
In saying that, I very much thank Fiona and Deb, who are stalwarts of SIDS and Kids, Delma, Christina, Chris, Craig, Danny, Cassandra, Kelly, Nicky, Natasha, Julie, Ferdis, Sue and Shelley. If I have missed anyone, you can wrap me over the knuckles. I thank you all; you do an amazing job and are an incredibly important organisation in our community.
I have also worked very closely this year with the Durack Residents Group, a group which came together over concerns about the CIC development for Durack Heights. I thank Kevin Kennedy and Geoff Smith particularly, and the City of Palmerston. When elected I had an opportunity to act as a circuit breaker in negotiations between the Durack Residents Group and CIC. I am pleased to have helped facilitate positive conversation. CIC conceded, City of Palmerston conceded, the Durack Residents Group conceded, and we now have a solution for the urban regeneration zone that is suitable to all parties. That was a good deal to broker.
I also sit on the Duke of Edinburgh Northern Territory Committee and it is an amazing group of people. I would like to thank our passionate staff Lydia, Ashlee, Karina and Kath. You are amazing, we love you, and we could not do anything without you. We know you have a tough job and we probably do not praise you enough. I know you try very hard to get us all in the room together at one time, and that presents its own difficulties, but thank you very much for everything you do. I also thank Jeff, Steve, Lee, Gemma, Don and Alan, my colleagues on the committee, and all our volunteers and coordinators. Without our coordinators we are nothing, so we thank you very much for the energy and passion you pour into our young people. We see real results in the community through Duke of Edinburgh and want to enhance those in 2014.
Mr CHANDLER (Brennan): Madam Speaker, I wish to say a few thanks before we enter into a period of the year I, and so many, love so much. First, to my electorate, the wonderful residents of Brennan who continue to show their support, thank you. It is for you I do this job and I appreciate the relationship we have, which includes you keeping me on track and ensuring needs and issues are acted on. I sincerely wish you a safe and happy Christmas. If travelling, drive or fly safely. I will be in the electorate office over the Christmas and New Year period so pop in if I can help.
To the Calder Branch of the County Liberals, who are having their Christmas party tonight, this is to you – cheers! To all the County Liberals members and supporters, thank you very much for a fantastic year. To my electorate officer, Ben, thank you for the dignity you bring to the office. I recently mentioned that I am often advised in the aisle of a local supermarket what you have been up to and what you have done for people. To me, that is the mark of a good electorate officer, when people just walk up to you and thank you for what your electorate officer has done. Thank you, Ben. To you and your family, please have a fantastic Christmas.
I would also like to acknowledge my last electorate officer, Marlise, who was with us this time last year. Earlier this year she left with her husband to settle in Perth. Marlise was also a fantastic electorate officer and I wish her all the very best for a safe and happy Christmas.
Also to you, Madam Speaker, Parliament House staff, and, of course, members and all my colleagues in the Chamber. We should be thanking so many people who work for us and there are lots of names to remember. To my ministerial office staff, Lawson, Kerry, Alyce, Nicky, Renee, Russell and Lorne, and last but not least Jarrad – where would I be without Jarrad? He is probably upstairs at the moment digging another hole.
Lawson seems to be able to cut through and provide clear, strategic and concise advice. As a senior advisor, that is exactly what you need in this job. Kerry, my personal assistant, is always keeping me out of trouble, making the correct bookings, fixing things up, and doing things you do not realise until they are done. To Alyce, who is moving on shortly, all the best for the future.
To Nicky and Renee, the two bubbles in the office, the bright sparks with such great personalities who provide a wonderful environment to work in. Russell, you have provided so much education advice for so many. You have gone through a few ministers since the Country Liberals have taken government, but you have steered the course and provided damn good advice for each of the ministers, including me, and your network within the department truly amazes me.
Lorne provides another level of advice, something every person in parliament should have, and he can cut through to the coalface. He can provide you with the advice required from an electorate point of view. No matter what the issue is or the decision you have made or are about to make, someone who can give you advice fiercely and freely is someone I rely on because it keeps me close to the coalface.
Jarred, who has come on board in recent times, provides fantastic advice when it comes to dealing with the media and has a great network. Thank you for your hard work.
I also thank other fantastic staff who, through portfolio reshuffles, have assisted in the office. A special mention to Noelene Swanson, who helped build a solid foundation in the ministerial office and ensured it was a place of hard work, and she led with an iron fist. It was not only a place of work, but somewhere people felt welcome and valued.
I must give a big thank you and wish each and every one a Merry Christmas. To all the staff on the fifth floor, thank you for your assistance this year. We are all a team and it is imperative we work together. Everyone has their own focus and needs, and their own ministers, but, as a team, we do a pretty good job.
To John Coleman and his fantastic team at Lands and Planning – that team is amazing in what it can do. To Bill Freeland and the EPA team, I wish you a Merry Christmas.
To Ken Davies, a true gentleman of the public service, and all who assist Ken in the role of transforming our education system to be the best in the country, a big thank you. It is not an easy challenge to implement reform and drive change, particularly in an environment where rotten rumour is spread across the community. Thank you for your dedication to education and for taking on the challenge with courage and determination. I hope you have a little respite over Christmas.
Madam Speaker, to you, the parliamentary staff – people working in the library, Hansard and all who work in Parliament House, thank you and I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas.
I cannot forget the drivers who take us everywhere, pick us up, and listen – I apologise for the banter we often have and, sometimes, the dribble at the end of the night they are subjected to. Thank you very much for always getting us home safely.
To the Chief Minister, ministers, backbenchers and all my parliamentary colleagues, including Gerry, who sits between the opposing parties, have a great Christmas, stay safe, and ensure you spend some quality time with your loved ones.
To my family, the ones often forgotten in this job or, conversely and unfortunately, embroiled in everything we do, thank you. To my mum and dad, Joyce, and my beautiful wife, Robyn, Brandon, Jackson, Gabrielle and little Harrison, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Again, I thank you and love you dearly for all the support you give me every day. To my beautiful god-daughter Addison, please have a beautiful Christmas. Knowing your mum and dad as well as I do, I do not think they will let you down.
In conclusion, it has been a tough year. Some very hard decisions have had to be made, but I will not waiver in my resolve to improve education outcomes in the Northern Territory, to work with business and developers to speed up land release in residential and commercial land developments, and to work towards land solutions to ensure we can stimulate economies in our rural and remote regions.
There is much to do. I am often reminded of the saying: the size of the mop and the time it takes to clean the mess is always determined by the size of the mess. When you take over from previous governments – as the member for Nelson said earlier, governments do not do everything wrong. In opposition I said many times the government did not do everything wrong. We often have different ideologies and philosophies on things, but I am sure everyone in this Chamber is here for the right reasons and is trying to do the best for the Northern Territory.
Merry Christmas to all. May you stay safe and spend time with your loved ones over this very special time.
Mr KURRUPUWU (Arafura): Madam Speaker, I speak of my visit to Maningrida. In October 2013 I visited Maningrida for five days, from 28 October to 1 November. The purpose of my visit was to attend a funeral ceremony, to meet with constituents and to attend the 2013 annual general meeting of Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation on 29 October. All these reasons for me to stay at Maningrida at that time were important to me as the member for Arafura.
I was particularly keen to hear from the Maningrida community its concerns about the financial situation Bawinanga was in. In 2012, members of Bawinanga were concerned the corporation was being poorly managed, so they requested the Office of the Register of Indigenous Corporations, ORIC, to place Bawinanga under special administration. ORIC placed Bawinanga under special administration on 30 October 2012 and appointed a special administrator. Bawinanga owed certain government agencies about $5.4m, mostly in grants that were spent on projects other than the purpose of those grants. The government agencies agreed to write off most of this debt. The special administrator also found that for Bawinanga to survive it needed to pay its other creditors about $4m.
Bawinanga currently receives $15m of its income from government grants from some 20 agencies and has a turnover of $40m per year. It runs the supermarket, a workshop, a takeaway shop, an art gallery in Darwin, does road grading, engages in education and childcare and has a housing division. It employs 150 people and has another 700 involved in the work for the dole Remote Jobs and Communities Program.
Bawinanga won a $30m contract in May 2013 to enable the Remote Jobs and Communities Program to continue for a further five years. Bawinanga also provides a number of other important services, including a ranger program overseeing 12 000 km of country; its Air Bawinanga which serves remote locations and outstations, a women’s centre; a night patrol; an aged care program; a money management service; and a funeral fund.
There was a genuine concern in the Maningrida community that Bawinanga assets such as the supermarket, workshop, plant and equipment, together with some housing, would be sold at below current value, which would only partly pay the $4m debt owed to creditors. The sale of these community assets would be a huge loss to Bawinanga and the Maningrida community.
At the Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation Annual General Meeting on 29 October 2013, it was obvious members of the corporation were determined the organisation survives and returns to prosperity. The members do not believe they were responsible for the dire financial situation of Bawinanga.
I was pleased to see the determination of the members when they decided to accept an interest only loan of $3.5m from the Maningrida Progress Association for five years. This loan will significantly assist Bawinanga to pay its creditors and continue with its current operations. I congratulate the members and wish all of them success in their future endeavours for Bawinanga.
I wish to place on record my sincere thanks to Mr Peter Anderson, Mr David Bond, Mr Matti Ryan and Morris Geinbaraba for their courtesy and the assistance they provided me during my visit to Maningrida. It was a pleasure for me to again visit the great community of Maningrida. Thank you.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Speaker, good news stories from the Barkly.
Barkly teachers praised on World Teachers’ Day: teachers, principals and school leaders in schools around the Barkly were celebrated at World Teachers’ Day last month. A celebration was held at Battery Hill on 25 October, where awards were presented to several of the best in the Barkly.
Tennant Creek High School Principal Maisie Floyd received the Secondary Principal of the Year Award, while Candice Belbin, also from the high school, was named Support Staff Member of the Year. Shaun Clancy from Ali Curung received the Excellence in Teaching for Leadership in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Award, while Early Childhood Teacher of the Year went to Doris Johnson from Barkly Education. Primary Teacher of the Year Award went to Robert Anita from Canteen Creek School, and Secondary Teacher of the Year Award went to Emma Watkins from Elliott School.
World Teachers’ Day was inaugurated on 5 October 1994 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, to commemorate the 1966 joint signing of the UNESCO/ILO, International Labour Organisation, recommendation concerning the status of teachers. Celebrated in over 100 countries, World Teachers’ Day acknowledges the efforts of teachers in an increasingly complex, multicultural and technological society. It is a day on which students, parents and community members can demonstrate their appreciation of the contribution teachers have made to their community. Each year, the Department of Education coordinates annual World Teachers’ Day functions in Darwin, Nhulunbuy, Katherine, Tennant Creek, and Alice Springs to recognise the extraordinary contributions teachers in the Northern Territory make to their communities.
Young Authors praised: four Year 7 students from Tennant Creek High School have been walking in the footsteps of notable authors. As part of the recent Young Territory Author Awards, Liam Fitzgerald, Noa Brittain, Doreena Hansen and Sarina Roland created and designed their own books. While the Tennant students missed out on the top prize, Noa Brittain was named as the Barkly region winner for her work Golden Yellow.
The Young Territory Author Awards are an annual writing competition where entrants under the age of 18 write and produce their own books. The aim of the collection, which is housed at Casuarina Library, is to provide an avenue through which young Territory authors are able to share their writings and have them recognised as pieces of literary worth.
Student scoops top award: Tennant Creek student, Laura Wright, recently won the Northern Territory Board of Studies Award for Academic Excellence. She received the award for the top overall achiever in the final year of secondary school at the awards function at Tennant Creek High School. The coveted $1500 Lions bursary was amongst the prizes Laura received.
Ordinary people doing extraordinary things: the Tennant Creek Volunteer Association won the Northern Territory Resilient Australia Award earlier this month. The award was for the development of an innovative mobile multi-agency radio communications platform which has greatly improved community safety and resilience in the Barkly region.
Karl Herzog, President of the Tennant Creek Volunteer Association, said the project was developed to provide a mobile/portable radio communications platform that can be deployed throughout the Barkly region during major disaster and emergency events. Previously, during land search operations, it was found searchers and their forward command post could not communicate with light aircraft during a search. There was also no capacity to communicate with non-emergency services personnel who were assisting in an operation.
- There was no channel 5 citizen band repeater to advise the travelling public and contractors of a hazard or disaster such as in a cyanide spill which occurred 130 km north of Tennant Creek a few years back.
- The Tennant Creek Volunteer Association identified this communications gap and came up with a solution.
The development of this innovative design now allows for a central communications point for land and air search, flooding, bushfires, and other operations. The system also provides cross-agencies/responders radio capabilities allowing communications across various commercial HF, UHF, VHF and citizen band frequency utilised by NT government agencies, aircraft, private enterprise and the general public. Already the system has provided police and other emergency service providers with a radio communications capability to respond to community safety events.
The Tennant Creek Volunteer Unit, which is under the control of the Northern Territory Emergency Services Southern Region, has around 10 dedicated members trained in a variety of emergency skills. Three of these members have also received national medals for their outstanding dedication and commitment to Northern Territory Emergency Services. The Tennant Creek Volunteer Association has also been nominated for the National Resilient Australia Awards which are to be held in Canberra on 5 December.
Mr STYLES (Sanderson): Madam Speaker, sadly I will speak for only for 10 minutes. There are so many people to thank I could go on for hours. I sincerely thank the people in my electorate for the ongoing support for me and my electorate officers. The support, care and concern for what we are doing are enormous. I would like the personally thank the supermarkets. Some people may not be aware that every Saturday morning I am at one of my supermarkets. I have four in my electorate, and I move my mobile office around and, by the courtesy of the people who own those supermarkets, I set up camp outside. I am there so all residents of the suburb can contact their local member on Saturdays.
I have a big thank you to my good friend, Scotty, at Wulagi Supermarket. Scotty is my litmus test. If I am not doing a good job he will ring to tell me, and that comes from people who talk to him about some of the issues in Wulagi. To Leo at Anula shops, thanks for your ongoing support. I share the space out the front with my very good friend Hingston Wong, from Hingston Chinese Restaurant and Takeaway. Also, the coffee is supplied by Infocus, which is gratefully accepted and thank you for last year’s performance. To my friend Tim at Wagaman shops, your ongoing support and the coffee on Saturday mornings is gratefully accepted.
I have four schools in my electorate and one outside, where many students from the caravan parks in my electorate attend. First, I acknowledge Wagaman Primary School Principal, Michele Cody; Anula Principal, Kerry Hudson; Wulagi Principal, Susan Kilgour; Sanderson Principal, Liz Veel’ and the one outside my electorate, Malak Primary School and Principal, Peter Swan. I sincerely thank you all for your ongoing support and acceptance of the fact I cannot be at every school council meeting, although my electorate officer, Vanessa McCall, represents me then.
To the people who support me – the CLP – I would like to thank Victoria Mencshelyi at the secretariat and Ross Connolly, president, for their ongoing commitment to our members, my colleagues and the CLP team. Also, particular thanks to my good mate of 25 years, Ron Baker, former Assistant Principal at Nightcliff High School. Ron, your commitment during the election is legendary amongst all people in the Territory and your ute – for those who do not know, Ron Baker is a mate with a ute, and everyone needs a mate with a ute. Ron, you are my mate with a ute and you could not ask for a better or more loyal friend. Your ute is seen everywhere during election campaigns. Thank you very much, and to Rosie Baker, his wife, who puts up with Ron being out so much helping me.
To my good friend, John Moyle – for those who may not know, John Moyle is a legend in my electorate and is like my surrogate grandfather. John is out there every day, except Tuesday, because he is a volunteer guide at the Darwin Military Museum on Tuesdays, but every other day he is at the front of my office raising thousands and thousands of dollars for charity. He is a legend and does a fabulous job. Every Saturday morning he helps me set up. We sit there, have great chats, he talks to people, and he is also at the Sunday morning barbecues we have around the electorate. I must say happy birthday to John. In about one month he turns 95, fit as a fiddle, sharp as a tack, and is with me every weekend at the shops doing a great job for the community. I wish him a very Merry Christmas and, as usual John, a very happy birthday.
I acknowledge my electorate officer. We have had Vanessa just on 12 months now. Sadly, my previous electorate officer’s husband was transferred to Alice Springs and, of course, she followed him. I wish Dee Davies, my former electorate officer, a very Merry Christmas. Vanessa McCall gave a speech at a function recently for electorate officers and said when she went into the job she was not sure exactly what was happening and had no idea what she was getting into. That proved to be a challenge for Vanessa. However, she has risen to the challenge and done a fantastic job.
I also thank my part-time electorate officer, Jan Sporn, who worked with Vanessa. Jan is in the older generation category but is a fantastic person with lots of experience as an electorate officer. She has shared her experience in a marvellous way with Vanessa, and we have all watched Vanessa go from someone who was not quite sure what she was doing to someone who is beaming out there now.
I place on the record for Vanessa that I am astounded at how many people say what a fantastic person she is. It is easy to say things like that, but it is real. People comment to me, and that is the judge of a great electorate officer and someone you can work with as a team. You work there on your own much of the time. You function well, you do things, and people love you. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. When I cannot be there, it is so important for me, as local member, to know I have someone there I can trust, who is a loyal friend and will do a great job making sure people’s concerns in the electorate of Sanderson are well catered for. Thank you Vanessa, and thank you Jan for all your work. Also, Beryl Warne, who does such a great job when the others cannot be there.
I thank my colleagues, especially the Chief Minister for promoting me in March this year. That was a great choice, Chief Minister, and I thank you for it. I work with a fantastic and enthusiastic team of people who put credibility into the phrase ‘we are open for business’.
Time does not permit me to continue, but I thank the staff in my office: Libby, my PA, and Rachel and Jo before her. Rachel and Jo both moved on to promotions, but thank you very much. Vicky replaced Jennifer, who moved on to a promotion. Jennifer, you were great. Vicky, you are great as well. Of course, Karen Young, my transport DLO does a fantastic job. To Nathan, my senior admin officer and chief of staff – thanks Nathan for the commitment and extra time you put in. To Nativity for your work and to my ever-faithful media officer, Lucy Buhr, you are legends. Of course, to Bec who keeps it all going in the office, I thank all you guys very much.
To my daughter Kristy and her children Telicia and Dakota, thank you for your ongoing support. To my son Adam and his wife Cassie who are about to have their first child – I am looking forward to that – and to my other son Damien, Maree and their kids, Chloe and Madison and number three on the way. I am about to have two extra grandkids. Thank you for your ongoing and undying support. To all my family – I have my sister and my bother-in-law up now – thank you very much for your ongoing support.
To my CEOs, Claire Gardiner-Barnes, Dave McHugh, Al Wagner formerly, and Gary Barnes, I thank you guys for helping me get through some difficult situations as a new minister and for your ongoing support.
Madam Speaker, I saved the best for last, my rock and absolute support, my wife, Linda. We have been married just over 18 months now after 18 years together. It has been an absolute pleasure. I cannot express in words how much I love you and appreciate the support you have always given me and, I imagine, always will.
Thank you and Merry Christmas to you all.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016