2015-11-19
Madam Speaker Purick took the Chair at 10 am.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of the Darwin High School Senior Intensive English Unit, accompanied by Peter Stretton. On behalf of honourable members, welcome to Parliament House.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have circulated the 2015 Members’ Survey. I ask that all members complete the survey so I can return them to the Table Office before today’s adjournment if that is possible.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it has been brought to my attention that during the debate on Tuesday there may have been rules breached in the parliament, notably, people in the media gallery taking photos of the Chamber and things of that nature. They were extraordinary events. If members have concerns about anything untoward which has taken place, please write to me. I assure you that breaches will not be tolerated. If anyone has any concerns please let me know and I will ensure it does not happen again.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of the bill is to make special provisions in connection with the North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline project. This project is a major infrastructure project that represents a significant investment in the Northern Territory’s energy sector that will support the development of both onshore and offshore gas resources.
The North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline project involves the construction and operation of an underground gas pipeline and associated infrastructure. The pipeline will be approximately 630 km in length and will allow the transport of gas from Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory to Mount Isa in Queensland.
Major projects such as the North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline project are all expected to operate within the Territory’s existing laws. However, there are circumstances where it is necessary to modify the Territory’s laws to enable the project to be constructed and operated in the most practical way. Where this is required the approach has been to identify and clearly set out in legislation the modifications to existing Territory laws.
Following consultation between the Territory and Jemena Northern Gas Pipeline Pty Ltd and its legal advisers, I am pleased to report that only a handful of modifications have been found necessary to support the project.
The bill requires that applications made by Jemena Northern Gas Pipeline Pty Ltd to ministers, government agencies, statutory corporations and local government councils related to the project must be given priority.
The bill creates statutory rights in relation to road and waterway crossings. These rights are required to maintain continuity of the pipeline corridor. The rights are exercisable with the relevant minister’s consent with conditions, after which the North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline may be constructed and operated. The grant of these rights may be subject to conditions concerning matters such as safety and construction.
The bill creates a mechanism to enable authority certificates issued under the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act in connection with the North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline to be relied upon by project participants, including contractors subject to the same conditions, whether the project participants were the applicant or not.
Jemena Northern Gas Pipeline Pty Ltd is negotiating with owners of the land comprising the pipeline corridor. The tenure being negotiated on parts of the pipeline corridor contained within the pastoral lease is an easement. The bill makes it clear that an easement in gross may be granted over pastoral land. The easement, when granted, will be subject to the law of the Property Act.
Finally, the bill provides that the pipeline corridor is exempt from the subdivision requirements of the Planning Act.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and table the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent the North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline (Special Provisions) Bill 2015 (Serial 143) passing through all stages during the December sittings.
The main reason for doing this is that the legislation has precedence, most notably for INPEX and its project, the railway line and the Bonaparte gas pipeline. This legislation provides certainty to investors and still complies with all laws within the Territory, as well as requirements at Territory and federal environmental levels.
With the time frame we are working on to have construction completed by the end of 2018, and gas flow through by 1 January 2019, we need to work quickly. Clearly, the 30-day time frame for passing legislation, from when it is introduced to passing, would mean it would not be passed until February.
I had an opportunity to provide a briefing to the member for Nelson, and the Chief of Staff for the Leader of the Opposition was afforded some communication in this regard. The legislation only came into my hands yesterday, which is one of the reasons it was not sent around sooner.
This is about providing certainty to industry and companies, while adhering to government laws, but allowing for construction activities to get on and build the pipeline.
Mr GUNNER (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I thank the Chief Minister and his office for the provision of advice on why urgency was needed in this instance. As Territorians know, we support the North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline, and we understand the need for commercial certainty and a delivery date.
There are similarities with the discussions and decisions we made during the delivery of the Ichthys project. There is a significant difference between 1 December and mid-February. When you look at the time frames for what we are discussing, that would be a significant difference and a hardship to the project.
We make decisions on a case-by-case basis when it comes to discussions on urgency in this House. In this instance, we are very happy to support the urgency request. I again thank the Chief Minister and his office for the advice we have received.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I thank the opposition members for their support in this regard. This is not ‘gotcha’ legislation; this is about certainty for the Northern Territory. It is a sensible approach that will give indicators to the rest of the country that the Northern Territory is a safe place to make investments in something provided certainty by government, particularly for this significant legislation and project.
I afford the opportunity to every member of parliament, if they would like to contact me, to have a briefing on what this is all about. I will make all of our staff, as well as departmental staff, available to provide a briefing in that regard. Should anybody wish to have a chat with Jemena I am happy to arrange those conversations so they can talk to you about their project.
I bumped into the member for Barkly crossing the floor the other day and said if he would like more information about the pipeline I am more than happy to provide that. I know there is a big meeting in Tennant Creek on Friday at Battery Hill where there will be project proponents briefing the local community, the Chamber of Commerce, potential contractors, potential staff and Indigenous organisations about the benefits and opportunities coming up. I will not be able to make it; I am not sure if the member for Barkly can make it.
Madam Speaker, I commend this bill to the House and look forward to further debate in December.
Motion agreed to.
Continued from 26 August 2015.
Mr GUNNER (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I thank the Treasurer for bringing the legislation before the House. I indicate that the opposition will be supporting this bill.
The bill proposes amendments to the Superannuation Act and NTGPASS rules. The amendments will empower the Commissioner for Superannuation to transfer adherent or retained NTGPASS accounts to a chosen successor fund. A key provision is that adherent members will not be able to stay with NTGPASS.
The trustees of NTGPASS and the receiving fund need to be satisfied that the transfer is in the member’s best interest. If they are not satisfied with the chosen successor fund, adherent members can nominate an alternative fund. Once the adherent accounts are transferred to the successor fund, the transferred members will have access to a range of services not offered by NTGPASS. The bill does not close NTGPASS for active members.
NTGPASS adherents or retained members have largely resigned or retired from the NT Public Service and crystallised the Territory-funded defined benefit. Two-thirds of the group no longer reside or work in the Territory. I understand the government has consulted broadly with effective members of the scheme and with the CPSU, which is a sensible approach.
It would be remiss of me to not briefly mention the historical role of the Labor Party and the broader labour movement in the creation of compulsory superannuation in this country. I am sure even the Treasurer, who has worked in the industry, would acknowledge what an outstanding success compulsory super has been for everyday mum and dad retirees, but also for the broader economic strength and resilience of this country. It should serve as a reminder that we need to think big with creativity, imagination and courage to secure the long-term prosperity I am sure all members of this House want to create.
Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, once again, I thank the Treasurer for this bill. I am sure I have repeated many of the things he said in his second reading. I commend the bill to the House.
Mr TOLLNER (Treasurer): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his support of this bill. I spoke to the Leader of the Opposition about it and made personal contact with member representatives of NTGPASS, explaining what was being put forward and that this is a considerable opportunity for retained members of the fund to access better services that are beyond the ability of the Northern Territory Government and Public Authority Superannuation Scheme to deliver. In that regard I am very happy for the support of the opposition on this bill.
It was an interesting discussion. It is worth mentioning that after speaking to the member representatives of NTGPASS, they consulted with their relevant union organisations and the like. I was contacted by phone and this person – I will not name him – said to me, ‘Dave, I have raised it with everybody concerned. They are all supportive of it. They are not necessarily sure what it means. The fact is we know you, and we know you stand up for members of superannuation funds. We trust you when it comes to making sure members’ interests are looked after and we are happy to take your guidance on this.’ I found that rather flattering, but it is good legislation.
Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I thank the opposition for its support.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Mr TOLLNER (Treasurer)(by leave): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third.
Continued from 26 August 2015.
Mr GUNNER (Opposition Leader): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I thank the government for bringing this bill before the Assembly. I indicate that the opposition will support it.
The bill provides for the members of the Assembly to nominate complying self-managed superannuation funds for employer and employee contributions. It will allow members the flexibility to choose a product suitable to their circumstances.
NT public service employees have had the ability to nominate a self-managed superannuation fund since 2004 under the Superannuation Act. A number of state jurisdictions have enacted provisions similar to those contained in this bill. I trust the members of the Assembly will take the appropriate advice before nominating a self-managed fund.
Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, these are sensible amendments and the opposition supports them.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, today I speak not just as the member for Goyder but also with the knowledge I have from my role as Speaker about the origins of this legislation, which will bring members into line with the rest of the community concerning their ability to hold superannuation in self-managed superannuation funds.
It is not well known in the community at large that the generous defined benefit superannuation scheme which previously applied to members of the Legislative Assembly was closed to new members 10 years ago. Many people in the community have a misapprehension that all members in the Assembly will receive a golden parachute if they lose their seat in the Assembly. This is not correct. Except for two members elected prior to 2005, this is not the case. Just like any other Territorian, members have to contribute to their superannuation schemes if they want to top up the compulsory contribution of 9.5% required by federal law.
Considering members are now treated just like any other Territorian, it came as a surprise to a number of newly-elected members to be advised by the Clerk of the Assembly that they could not hold superannuation from their compulsory contributions in a self-managed superannuation fund.
The act being amended in the Assembly today expressly prohibited it, which required the Clerk to enforce it. The Clerk brought this to my attention as Speaker. I subsequently wrote to the government suggesting it consider an amendment on the basis that there is no good policy rationale and the change will cement members of the Assembly as being totally aligned with other Territorians in their contributions and ability to choose an approach to their retirement planning through either an established superannuation scheme or through a self-managed scheme.
On that basis I am pleased to support the legislation before the Assembly today. On the passage of this bill and its enactment into law, it will be even more apparent that members, just like everyone else, have to manage their affairs to ensure they can retire either on their departure from the Assembly or from a subsequent occupation.
Mr TOLLNER (Treasurer): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I thank again the opposition and other members supporting this legislation. In particular, I urge members to heed the advice of the Opposition Leader, who said he is happy to support this, but urges members to seriously seek financial advice before entering into a self-managed super fund. That is sage advice, Leader of the Opposition. There are differences in operating your own superannuation fund – certain complexities and the like. I am not giving financial advice but it is not an easy thing to manage your own super fund.
I go further than the Opposition Leader did and suggest that members should, if they are operating a self-managed superannuation fund, take advice from the Clerk in relation to how their investments are declared. Of course, with a regular retail or industry fund, there is very little say where money is directly invested. In many regards, those investments are very much at arm’s length of the member. With a self-managed super fund, members could find themselves in certain circumstances with conflicts and the like when making direct investments that should be declared to the parliament.
Madam Speaker, having said that, on this side of the House we believe in personal choice and that people should be able to make their own decisions about their own investments. For that reason I commend the bill to the House.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Mr TOLLNER (Treasurer)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
Mr STYLES (Business): Madam Speaker, the Country Liberals government is pursuing a vision for the Territory with an economy, lifestyle and environment that is the envy of the nation.
We recognise that an innovative, dynamic, skilled and responsive local business community is vital to ensuring economic growth. The private sector is the engine of economic growth and local businesses are central to our economic activity.
This year we celebrated the 21st year of October Business Month, a Country Liberals government initiative that, apart from acknowledging the significance of local businesses, delivered an exciting range of events that provided professional development opportunities, encouraged networking and provided owners new ideas to inspire and grow their businesses.
October Business Month, as we know it today, spans across 31 days delivering across all regions of the Territory. It has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1994 when originally known as Small Business Month where 699 people attended 12 organised events, including the launch of International Business Week, leadership seminars and a weekend focusing on women in business. The then Country Liberals government, through its Department of Industries and Development, saw that as a part of its work with both established and prospective business operators, the promotion of an entire month for business people would be beneficial to a fast-growing Northern Territory economy.
The Country Liberals government based the event on the belief that businesses and individuals, not government, are the true creators of wealth and employment in the Northern Territory and around the world, and that businesses, however small, are the driver of the nation’s economy, underpinning growth and innovation and providing jobs for all Australians.
As the Territory’s Business minister, I am proud of October Business Month and the work of my department in delivering such a mammoth event in support of local business. October Business Month gives Territory businesses access to top-class speakers and events, which otherwise might not have visited the Territory because of our size and distance from other states. Big names in business, industry leaders and inspirational individuals make their way to Darwin and our regional centres throughout the month. October Business Month has now become a feast of inspirational, educational and professional development events, supporting local business to advance and compete in the ever-changing business world.
There is no doubt this Country Liberals government initiative was visionary and has stood the test of time. Territorians have voted with their feet in support of October Business Month with a record this year of 9332 people attending 183 events. It has been a brilliant year for October Business Month, with the Country Liberals government putting a strong focus on women in leadership, Indigenous business, finance, marketing, social media, business technology and business in Asia.
On 1 October Ruslan Kogan, founder and CEO of Kogan.com, officially opened the month of events in Alice Springs and then Darwin. Ruslan shared his start-up story and how he has become one of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs. He grew his company into a multinational consumer electronics and online retail business with millions of customers. In nine years the company has gone from garage to global, becoming one of the most efficient retailers in the world. Ruslan shared his story to help inspire budding business entrepreneurs.
Founding RedBalloon in 2001, Naomi Simson became one of Australia’s tech success stories. From an idea and persistence, RedBalloon.com has now sold more than two-and-a-half million experiences. Some of those in Darwin and the Top End include exploring Darwin’s natural harbour, with experiences such as sailing, fishing and jet boating, or for those seeking more of an adrenalin rush, hot laps in a V8 race car. Naomi shared her trials and tribulations as an entrepreneur, speaker, director, chair, mother, author, blogger, innovator and now TV personality as a shark on Shark Tank Australia. Getting an insight into what it was like for Naomi working with big brands such as IBM, Apple, KPMG and Ansett Airlines – all of which influenced who she is today – was a real pleasure to those in the audience at the Darwin Convention Centre. Naomi is committed to making the world a better place by sharing tips on happiness and business lessons, and advice to those on their own career journey, entrepreneurial or not.
October Business Month provides a platform for Territorians to network and meet industry icons. A very vibrant Lisa Messenger, game-changing Editor-in-Chief of Collective magazine, and owner and creative director of the Messenger Group, is one of those icons. Collective magazine is a top-10-selling magazine in Australia which distributes to 21 countries worldwide. Lisa has worked globally in events, sponsorship, marketing, PR and publishing. She has authored more than 17 books and is a regular commenter on business, entrepreneurialism and property. She has also sat on a number of boards, including the Australian Businesswomen’s Network and Publishers Australia.
Lisa is a three-time finalist in the Telstra Businesswoman of the Year Awards, and won Alumni of the Year for Southern Cross University. She trekked across India raising money for charity, has ridden camels in the Sahara just for fun and has laughed her way through communal showers in the Costa Rican jungle in the name of personal development. Lisa is a great example of utilising passion to challenge individuals and corporations to change the way they think, take them out of their comfort zone and prove there is more than one way to do anything. This is a skill she encourages and her entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, innovation and living life to the absolute max is evidence of her success. I am told that most mornings she wakes up and pinches herself as to how incredible her life is, but she is also acutely aware and honest about life’s bumps and tumbles along the way. Lisa is a serial entrepreneur, an avid traveller and, like Territorians, has a fascination for continual growth.
High-calibre keynote presenters continued through October Business Month with David De Garis, NAB’s Director and Senior Economist providing an outlook for the Territory and what these factors mean for the economy and businesses to a small group in Nhulunbuy.
Industry icon renowned chef and restaurateur Matt Moran took to the kitchen at Wharf One Food & Wine, and provided an exclusive industry master class for a small eager crowd on 21 October with some of the NT’s leading head chefs and restaurant owners. The food was true to his paddock-to-the-plate style, embracing delicious, honest food using locally-sourced Territory produce.
Matt also joined hundreds of NT business leaders at the Darwin Gala Business Dinner where he spoke from a base of personal experience and knowledge. Matt’s story – from a simple background, his journey to success and his pitfalls and triumphs along the way – was motivating and inspiring.
Four-time Olympic Gold medallist and businessman Stephen Bradbury brought a fresh and uniquely Australian feel to Tennant Creek and Alice Springs keynote events. His start-up story was truly inspiring.
Our final presenter, Carolyn Creswell, founder of Carman’s, inspired audiences in Darwin, proving that you can run a multinational business and still love what you do and have a genuine work/life balance. Carolyn’s determination has seen Carman’s build a strong following in more than 32 countries around the world. As a proud mother, Carolyn spoke about the importance of producing nourishing foods for herself and her family, and how she applies this philosophy to every Carman’s product. Carman’s celebrated its 22nd birthday this year, proving her business model success.
Those exceptional keynote speakers led a month-long program of world-class presentations, workshops and seminars, professional development programs, training, business dinners and networking opportunities, all of which were of low cost or free, to support the Northern Territory business community.
For 21 years October Business Month has supported small- and medium-size businesses to gain a competitive advantage through expanding their networks and deepening their business acumen to accelerate business growth to the next level.
As I said previously, it was a Country Liberals government’s vision that OBM would help encourage Territory business growth, capacity and capability through opportunities for professional development, innovative management ideas and networking opportunities across a host of industries.
Territory business people take advantage of the professional development opportunities and attended as many OBM events as possible this year. With more than 9000 Territorians attending, I argue it is achieving its vision.
October Business Month relies on the extensive support and active involvement of the business community through partnerships with local and national business sectors, industry associations and other government agencies to deliver more than 183 events across all regions of the Northern Territory. This support ensures a comprehensive program of events that suit existing businesses, entrepreneurs, start-ups, export-ready businesses or not-for-profit organisations, whatever the industry sector.
Asian engagement has been a key theme for 2015, complementing the ongoing government policy of planning for the future of northern Australia.
The turnout for these events has been quite astounding. Highlight events include renowned motivational business speaker, Li Cunxin, commonly known Mao’s Last Dancer, talking about winning international businesses for the Northern Territory. His forum showcased services available to Territory business communities under the Invest NT and Trade Support Scheme, while delivering a thought-provoking and insightful account of his life. Li Cunxin is a remarkable man with a remarkable story. He has published an incredible book about his extraordinary life.
We were lucky enough to hear Li recount his determination, perseverance, vision, courage, hard work and, in particular, the sacred family values and integrity he learnt in poverty-stricken China, which has driven him to become one of the best dancers in the world. He told of how the sixth of seven sons born to peasants grew up worshipping Mao Se Tung before defecting to the United States. His heartfelt account inspired all in the audience and is proof that it is possible to overcome life’s toughest challenges and create something better for yourself.
Hundreds of delegates gathered in Alice Springs for the 7th Indigenous Economic Development Forum. The two-day forum is one of the largest Aboriginal economic development-focused forums in Australia and gives Aboriginal people in business the opportunity to develop new skills and network. In his opening address, the Chief Minister, Adam Giles, stressed the importance of Aboriginal business and employment in the Territory, especially in relation to the Developing the North agenda.
The forum also heard a powerful keynote speech from Robert Louis of the Westbank First Nation, Canada, who spoke of Indigenous economic development in his country. People from across the Northern Territory as far as Wadeye, the Tiwi Islands and Arnhem Land travelled to the Red Centre to attend the forum, a key event in the October Business Month calendar.
I take this opportunity to thank all those involved in the organisation and presentation of October Business Month over the past 21 years. I recognise the hard work by the public servants in my Department of Business and others, and the vast array of presenters, keynote speakers, attendees who showed up in their thousands and the sponsors who hosted the events across the Territory.
As Business minister, I make this pledge to local businesses: the Country Liberals government will ensure October Business Month continues to deliver innovative ideas and educational business development options and opportunities to meet others seeking to establish and grow their companies here. Our success in developing the north depends on all of the above. It gives me great confidence that we have a vibrant business community that is forward-looking, which puts us in a great position for future growth. For our part, we will work hard to continue to stimulate the economy of the Northern Territory. This is what Country Liberals do and it is their way.
On behalf of the Northern Territory government, I thank the 2015 OBM sponsors for their generous support and commitment to the local business community. It is through this valued sponsorship that the program is a success today. Our platinum sponsors were the National Australia Bank, Area9 and Charles Darwin University. Our gold sponsors were Paspalis and Sensis. Our silver sponsors included Merit Chartered Accountants, PwC’s Indigenous Consulting, the Institute of Public Accountants and Darwin Corporate Park. Our media and major in-kind sponsors were Hot 100, Mix 104.9, Southern Cross Television, Territory Q magazine, the Darwin Convention Centre, Sun 969, 8HA radio and the NT News.
Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the statement.
Mr GUNNER (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I welcome the statement from the minister on October Business Month. I believe this is a good statement which acknowledges the work done by the many staff, businesses and others in this month of showcasing Territory business.
Labor is a big supporter of the October Business Month program and the work that has to happen through the year to make sure these commitments can happen around the Territory. It is a fantastic opportunity to talk to business. The concept of October Business Month is a very good one which we acted on in government to expand and grow, and I endorse the efforts of the minister to do the same.
We need to evaluate the work we do and look critically at what has to be changed and what more could be done. After every October Business Month we think about how we can better engage with and talk to business. That is one of the great advantages of October Business Month. I spoke with many people in the business community, as you do during the year, but OBM draws them together to hot spots to have conversations. I will spend time today canvassing my responses to the issues raised with me during this month.
Labor strongly supports the growth and expansion of business across the Northern Territory. We view economic and population growth and development through the prism of creating jobs. Having a job gives us all a chance to live decent lives, and provides a reason for our children to stay and develop their lives here. Creating jobs drives population growth as well as our development. It is critical to make sure we can deliver good services, so we have to a focus on how we create those jobs. It needs to be at the centre of government. I believe the majority of jobs need to be created through the expansion and creativity of the private sector.
You have to consider how government can support and underpin the growth and talent of the private sector. That is what a future Labor government would do, as I believe previous Labor governments have done. We will do so by providing certainty in government and policy, transparency in our relationships, investment that leverages more investment and a dedication to a coordinated promotion and marketing of the Territory that will chase major projects and markets for existing industry. I intend to unleash and embrace the innovation and emerging technologies we have in this world, and the creativity of the Territory’s own private and public sector, to do that.
Over the last three years certainty has not been a word you would use to describe anything done by this government. It has been quite a shameful episode in the Territory’s history. We have seen 20 Cabinet reshuffles in three years and policies have been made on the run through endless thought bubbles. We need stability and certainty in government. Proper process requires good consultation and policy testing, and we are committed to this. I do not believe government should go through 180 turns. It annoys me when a new government comes in and changes something simply because the other mob did it.
To build certainty for business, a Labor government will publish a rolling 10-year infrastructure program. That program will be designed to show businesses the work coming forward to allow them to plan for future works, but also to make their own investment decisions knowing what government will do and when.
Labor will invest in an extensive infrastructure program because construction creates jobs in the Territory, and key infrastructure investments can leverage private sector investments and expansions, jobs and population growth if you get it right. It is critical that we get that right.
We will be a well-planned, big-picture government. I want to provide certainty and growth to our capital city. I am prepared to give certainty to the Darwin city centre by backing the City of Darwin CBD master plan. I am a pro-CBD person. A CBD must be the crux of any city and help shape its character. We need to consolidate and develop the CBD in Darwin and work with Palmerston to consolidate and properly grow its CBD.
I support urban infill, with proper thought applied to community services, community space and transport with the proposed development of Berrimah Farm. With the creation of village nodes and consolidated commercial and residential development along the Stuart Highway through that growth corridor, we can let the rural area be rural.
That is why, if given the gift of government, over the course of its first term, a Labor government will put all the planning in place to allow those investments and that expansion to happen. Over the course of a second term we will put infrastructure in place for an expansion to Weddell in case that is needed to turn land off rapidly. We have to have learnt our lessons from that housing crunch, and we have always have to make sure any future government, whether it is Labor or CLP, has that capacity to turn off land to meet the demand pressures in the Northern Territory. We have to plan for the future. It may be a future government that benefits from decisions a Labor government makes, but you do that when you work in the best interests of the Territory.
Our economy does not centre on Darwin and Palmerston alone. Our regional centres require certainty as well. I have always believed that Alice Springs is uniquely placed to dominate national thinking as the inland capital of our country and to be a destination in its own right. We need to make sure we invest in Alice Springs with those ideas at the forefront of our minds. Especially as someone who was born in Alice Springs, I feel it has sadly often been defined more by its negatives than its positives. There is a lot to be positive about with Alice Springs, and we should embrace the positive sides of our Territory. Tennant Creek should be our future Mount Isa. With the pipeline that will connect Tennant Creek to Mount Isa, I believe Tennant Creek is well placed to be the mining and mining services centre of the Territory.
Katherine has many options going forward, but Defence figures largely in its future. We are committed to expansion, where possible, of the Defence presence to the north, as I am a supporter of the United States’ pivot to Asia.
I congratulate the Master Builders Association and several key construction companies who have established a plan for local industry involvement and expansion of the Defence presence. It is the type of forethought and planning that should be done by a government. The private sector has given government a comprehensive lesson on how planning should be done. Its presentation is very impressive and will be a key part in keeping those Defence investments in the Northern Territory local as much as possible.
Keeping it as local as possible should be a key theme of government. Government’s procurement program should be focused on building local capacity and employing locals. I will be providing detail on how we intend to tackle this issue in the future.
A key factor in promoting certainty and expanding jobs will be through our support for small business. Labor will ensure the infrastructure spend by government includes strong levels of repairs and maintenance, minor capital works expenses and contract sizes that allow small to medium businesses to get their share and be competitive in that space. We need to work with small and medium businesses well in advance of major projects and prepare them for their role. That is crucial. If you have a 10-year plan you can see what is coming up and make sure you work early with business so it can have the capability. You never say that local business is not good enough. If you do not think they can get there, give them the information and advice well in advance so they can have the capability and competency to get that work. Make sure we give local business every opportunity to get their share. That is why we need to help build the capacity of local business.
For over a decade the government has run small business productivity and support programs, which are strongly supported by Labor and will continue. They get a very good airing during October Business Month. However, it is now time to work with businesses to see if these programs are the right ones, what else is needed and who should be responsible for the delivery and coordination of this program. There is always room to have conversation between government and business. Where business can do business, let business do it. Let us have a conversation with them about some of the capacity and see if we can work with them and shift things over. It is always timely to have those conversations.
There is increasingly a need for programs that foster innovation in small to medium businesses. Our review of these programs will be done with small businesses and will go beyond information by survey. We will talk with businesses about what they want. Labor also wants the views of small business on whether this program should be funded and delivered through peak bodies such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Master Builders, the Housing Industry Association or the Property Council. There is a range of good private sector peak bodies which are capable of delivering things well-tuned to their membership.
In addition to certainty, consultation is critical. Consultation relationships in government must be transparent and be of a widely-spread group. I want to ensure all business has a level playing field; there will be no favoured circle under a Labor government. I believe the Labor government’s Business Round Tables were a very useful mechanism for getting people together to discuss business issues. Going back in time to when Clare Martin was Chief Minister and introduced that, I thought it was an excellent and important consultative mechanism.
Governments and oppositions should not, and cannot, act in a bubble. They must take advice, listen and learn from what is happening on the ground. The best way to do that is to make sure you are open to all opinions and as available and accessible as possible. You have to trust people; in trusting them they will then trust you back. Trust is at the heart of consultation.
I have said we will invest in infrastructure to create jobs. Our investment will be aimed at leveraging private sector growth. We will, as a government, continue to expand and develop the oil and gas industry, bearing in mind at all times that we must protect the environment. We have worked very well with INPEX and ConocoPhillips, and have good relationships; we can be trusted to get that balance right.
I will continue to push for diversification and strengthening of the different sectors. The tourism, primary industry, international education and defence industries all continue to have strong support of government. We have a good opportunity to diversify, and the government is doing some good work in that space, but a Labor government can provide stability, certainty and trust. We can get that right faster because trust is critical when you work with communities and business communities.
Labor will reinstate the Team NT approach that was pioneered by my mentor, Clare Martin. The team will work to me – if I am ever given the gift of being Chief Minister – and my senior ministers, with Territorians from across political lines as well as the business and community sector. It will be charged with the responsibility of promoting the Territory to Australia and the regions. One of its first tasks will be to help stem the flow of Territorians leaving us for life interstate. We have a significant concern about population numbers, losing over 3500 Territorians last year in interstate migration. That is very concerning and should be ringing alarm bells. We have to make sure we address that loss of talent and skills. It is one of the greatest threats to our economic and social future, and it affects our economy across the board. We must get population retention right.
It is critical that ministers and members of the public sector travel, but travel needs to be open, transparent, tested prior to departure and reported on when ministers travel overseas. We have to get that right and we have a very good policy in that space. It is important to be transparent.
I have always believed the future of the Territory requires innovation. It is very much how we built the Territory. The can-do attitude was very much about innovation, thinking creatively to solve problems that were often created by remoteness and distance. We have challenges with climate, long distances and isolation, and we need to make sure we harness what is a strength. It can be seen as a problem and a challenge, but it also provides opportunity. We need to look at the technology that exists around the world and how we can embrace it.
The accelerating explosion of digital technologies is producing profound changes and no sector of the community, economy or business will be untouched by this revolution. The march of the much more sophisticated, powerful and cheaper digital technologies is inevitable. Technology can conquer distance. We have to be thinking very creatively about how we access this. Utilising technology well will lead to a healthier, smarter and more prosperous society. It is the key to creating a fairer and more harmonious community and protecting our unique natural assets.
When it comes to technology, it can confound the tyranny of distance if we get it right. It can deliver world-class health and educational services at a fraction of the current cost. It can create new industries. It can supercharge the ones we already excel in. A failure to embrace this juggernaut and change will guarantee lower growth, employment and wages, and less opportunity. We have to get it right when it comes to the new world and new technologies. That means we have to be a creator and not just a consumer of the technologies.
There are many disruptive technologies around today that will change our future, but there are three we can see right now that are impacting: driverless cars; Tesla batteries; and 3D printing. South Australia is taking a lead on this already. It has held a global conference on driverless cars and is trialling driverless cars on the road. It is embracing this and working out what it means for them. We have to think about this because it will demand new planning arrangements and have other impacts. They are coming. If you want to be ahead of the curve, you have to be planning ahead of the curve. You have to be thinking about it before it hits.
There is massive conversation amongst the business community and in the general community about the storage of power. There are more companies than Tesla doing it, but Tesla is the one getting the headlines. It will cause us to completely rethink our attitudes to power, which we have to be thinking about now.
More than anything else, you can see exactly how 3D printing will change the Territory. Necessity is the mother of invention. Our remote communities can become the front line of innovation and technology. If we get 3D printing right and out there, and allow free innovation and imagination, we will find some amazing solutions and ideas come forward from our remote communities. It is very pleasing to see the Arnhem Land Progress Association embracing that already. We need to be thinking about our approach to 3D printing and manufacturing down the line.
It is a matter of urgency that we think about our innovations, proposed solutions and what we export to the world. We have that capacity to connect with intellectual property and embrace it. We need to discover how we adapt these technologies and innovations into our society as a matter of urgency.
To do that we need a cultural evidence-based policy, a public service genuinely independent and free to provide fearless advice, a reform to government to make it open, flexible and responsive to the needs of Territorians through the use of digital technologies, a clear whole-of-government ICT strategy and a procurement policy around that which backs locals and fosters innovation and creativity partnerships with the university, business, the arts sector and the community, and which thinks and creates to make sure we get innovation hubs going, and going well. We have to find a way. There are plenty of different models around the world we can look at. Let us make them Territory models. You have to try different models. Let us get it right around innovation hubs and get people thinking creatively.
We have to get our grant schemes around innovation and start-up right. We have to make sure we are fostering local solutions and local ways of embracing technology and change. In order to do that, it is important that Territory Labor adopts the same position that federal Labor has taken with introducing coding of Territory primary and secondary schools. Let us make sure we are a forward-thinking, future-thinking government that is embracing the change that is coming. Let us be a well-planned, big-picture government. Let us give the Territory community and the business community stability and certainty.
These are the clear messages I heard through October Business Month: stability; certainty; trust; and openness and transparency. That certainty and consistency of message you hear from all members of government, all levels of government, means you know the road and what the decisions are. That certainty is missing at the moment. We can see that every day through feedback. People who have to engage at a business level with government say the certainty is simply lacking. I heard that message very strongly through October Business Month from all levels of business across the Northern Territory. I can say very safely that we will offer that certainty and stability.
October Business Month was a fantastic month. It is a fantastic opportunity to talk to business, and the department and staff do it really well. It is an excellent program up and down the track. It is a great initiative to bring business together. Obviously, we have chances to talk to business all year but October Business Month provides focus and hot spots, for want of a better word, of gatherings where you have opportunities to talk to business people. It was good to get that clear and consistent message about what business wants with stronger certainty, stability and trust. We will deliver those qualities.
Madam Speaker, I commend this statement to the House.
Mr CHANDLER (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Madam Speaker, I thank the Minister for Business for making this statement today on October Business Month. October Business Month was started under the previous CLP government, was carried through by Labor and has been picked up and continued by the Country Liberals government.
I commend the minister that 9332 people attended October Business Month this year. I recall that when I was the Minister for Business we were talking about the future of OBM and how we needed to ensure this program grew. As the member for Fannie Bay just said, it is an ideal time, not only for businesses to come together and to talk about what they are dealing with or working on, but to showcase what they do. It gives the government a fantastic opportunity to talk one-on-one with businesses at these events. It brings businesses together, and you see connections and networks made like no other time through the year. It is a wonderful program, and I commend it to the House.
I listened to the member for Fannie Bay talk about October Business Month and what they would do as a government. Before I go through the facts and figures of the Department of Infrastructure, I need to mention the amount of work this Country Liberals government is doing behind the scenes and very publicly, because these are the very businesses that are affected by how much government can influence business in the Northern Territory.
Before I talk about the things going on in this government, I have to tell you that I am always amazed at the Labor members’ ability to sell a message, to talk and say the right things, as the member for Fannie Bay just did. Any one of the government members at the moment could have read that speech because they are exactly the things we are working on. A speech like that, which is just a string of motherhood statements about working better with business, improving relationships with businesses, strengthening this, and working with that – all these things are exactly what goes on behind the scenes.
He mentioned driverless cars, for instance, and how we have to embrace this technology. In Adelaide last week at the Transport Ministers’ meeting, this was front and centre. This government is writing to a number of businesses to offer the Northern Territory as a place to do this business. What the member for Fannie Bay talks about doing should they form a government, we are already doing. We agree that you have to be ahead of the game, but there is a big difference between motherhood statements talking about what you should be doing and doing it.
History will tell that this government, in just over three years of being in government, has turned the Territory around remarkably well. We have come from a Territory with a financial situation that was bordering on bankruptcy. Had we continued on the same journey where the former Labor government had taken the Northern Territory finances, we would be bankrupt today. But where are we?
We listened to the Treasurer yesterday as he presented the TAFR. Look at the remarkable turnaround that has occurred under this government in three years. Measure that against the first three years of the Labor government when they took over from the CLP. They talked then about inheriting a $100m debt, which was a travesty. We can argue the points about accounting, but there is a big difference in a $100m debt to the proposed debt of $5.5bn we inherited from the Labor government. History will judge this government as remarkable for turning around, in three short years, the finances of the Territory by becoming an austerity government.
People need to be clear about this; there has been a lot of pain in the community. This government has had to do a lot of things in the last few years and Territorians have felt that pain. This government did not create the debt or the situation that needed to be addressed. If Territorians need to blame anybody they need to blame the former Labor government. If we went to a Labor government that is exactly where we would be heading again: back into debt, back into a situation where Territorians are left to pick up the pieces and suffer the pain of the bad management of a Labor government. The truth is in three years a Country Liberals government has been able to turn the situation around by doing the things that needed to be done, not just talking about them as the member for Fannie Bay did.
It was a great statement, member for Fannie Bay, but where is the detail behind how you would do it? In this House we often hear from the opposition, and every time we come into this Chamber it is like the old saying ‘an empty vessel is the loudest’. An empty vessel makes a lot of noise. That is what they are because they can talk the talk. But look at the facts. They left the Northern Territory in a terrible position that this Country Liberals government, under Chief Minister Adam Giles, has turned around in three years.
Capital works this year by the Department of Infrastructure is $1.517bn …
Mr Styles: Extraordinary!
Mr CHANDLER: Extraordinary. Why? Because we have gone from a government on an austerity budget and turned it to a prosperity government. Territorians will benefit for many years to come because of decisions made by this government which we had to make to right the ship.
When we hold October Business Month and have the opportunity to talk to businesses, they are talking about prosperity. They can smell it, they can feel it, and there is excitement in the air because of what we have created. We have moved on from a government with all its eggs in one basket, which was INPEX. It is fantastic what INPEX has done for the economy of the Northern Territory. However, the previous government focused on one thing and there was no diversity in the economy and no thought about widening the scope of the foundation we need. We need to have a diverse economy and that is why this Country Liberals government has diversified the economy to the point where we have a strengthened economy going forward.
We made the hard decisions that needed to be made to bring the budget back into the position it is today. Labor members would love to get their hands on Treasury because they know what we have created over the last three years. There is excitement in the air and people can smell the difference that has been created under this government. It is exciting and people are excited; businesses we spoke to in October Business Month know the difference.
This year alone there is capital works of $1.25bn, minor new works of $50m and $170m in repairs and maintenance. I mention that because that money is going into the economy, into small, medium and large businesses across the Northern Territory. These are real and tangible products of this government.
In the 2015-16 capital works and minor new works budget, there is $1.309bn in capital works, and $170m in repairs and maintenance. We know the $170m in repairs and maintenance goes to many of the smaller businesses across the Territory that struggle from time to time. This government is focusing on such a large budget to make sure we have the money going to the right places.
I put to bed what many people in the Northern Territory think: that many of the contracts that are awarded go to interstate companies. Mind you, in the Northern Territory we welcome interstate companies coming to the Northern Territory because sometimes it helps our local businesses sharpen their pencils. It is government money that has to be spent wisely. When you have competition pressure in the marketplace when businesses are tendering for work, the pressure of interstate businesses coming in ensures we are getting the best bang for buck in the Northern Territory.
In public tenders and quotations awarded in Tier 3, 4 and 5, from 1 January to 31 October 2015, of the 156 tenders and quotations awarded, 153 of them were for local Northern Territory companies and three went to interstate companies. That is 98.08%. The value was $287.804m worth of work which went to Northern Territory companies.
What is more exciting – you can make motherhood statements all you like – is what this government has achieved which we should be proud of: maximising Indigenous employment. As of 31 October 2015, I tell you proudly we have gone from having 90 Indigenous workers working within awarded contracts in 2014-15 to 234 Indigenous workers in 2015-16. That has been in the last three months. It is a remarkable turnaround and a quality program we have working in Infrastructure to ensure companies tendering for work provide real employment opportunities – not just motherhood statements, but real jobs – for Indigenous people in the Northern Territory.
Annual Indigenous employment hours worked in 2014-15 was 14 297 hours. That has jumped to 50 710 hours already in the last three months of the year. That is a remarkable turnaround. As of 31 October 2015 the Department of Infrastructure has expended $218m on capital works, minor new works, repairs and maintenance and recoverable works. This is just this financial year alone.
Major projects include the Tiger Brennan Drive upgrade. Most people coming in from the Palmerston and rural areas will see that work being done every day, at a cost of $88m. It is achieving over 20% Indigenous employment, which is a fantastic outcome, because of a focus and a program introduced by this government. As of 31 October 2015, the project had expended $53.5m of the total budget of $88m.
As I spoke about before regarding the Indigenous employment provisional sum, the participation in construction project policy applies to all construction tenders over $500 000. The policy introduced an Indigenous employment provisional sum item to stimulate Indigenous employment, and I have already told you how successful that program has been. It is not a motherhood statement, not an idea and not just a talked about concept, but a real program delivering real results for Indigenous people. In excess of 50 000 hours have been worked by Indigenous employees on Department of Infrastructure construction projects this financial year alone. In excess of $4.5m has been expended on Indigenous employment since implementation.
Why do I talk about it? Because we have just had a statement on October Business Month. Indigenous people in the Northern Territory make up a large percentage of our population base, but never before have we seen a program by any Northern Territory government – in particular a Labor government, which for many years just talked about doing good things for Indigenous people. We are introducing and have introduced programs that are making a huge difference for Indigenous people.
In regard to civil services, on 2 September 2015, Port Keats Road design and construct Yellow Creek Crossing contract was awarded to AllanKing & Sons Constructions Pty Ltd for $6.34m. On 16 September, Roper Highway and the Wilton River high level bridge crossings and road upgrade were awarded to Sitzlers for $43m. On 25 September, the Elrundie Avenue/Bonson Terrace intersection upgrade was released for public tender. The contract is expected to be awarded in November this year. On 5 October, the Palmerston Lambrick Avenue cycle way between the Roystonea Avenue and Howard Springs lights was awarded to Alan Birch Transport Pty Ltd for $962 000. On 8 October, the Ringwood Road chain for 4.7 km upgrade and seal was released to public tender and design and construct contracts.
This list goes on and on about real jobs and work that has been tendered out by this government to stimulate local work, employing locals ...
Ms Fyles: Oh, it must be an election year.
Mr CHANDLER: We can listen to the rot and rhetoric Labor is so good at talking, but these are real facts and figures that show that real work is going on. We are stimulating the economy through providing projects to local companies. I could go on about all these other projects that have been awarded to different local companies worth millions and millions of dollars and providing jobs.
At the paediatric wards and the negative pressure room refurbishment of Royal Darwin Hospital, Sitzlers commenced demolition of asbestos materials within the ward and will commence masonry demolition by 13 November 2015. There is Allied Health Stage 2 at Royal Darwin Hospital with a $40m capital improvement project, including Royal Darwin Hospital high voltage infrastructure and associated works, and the Royal Darwin Hospital master plan.
The construction contract is well down the road of constructing the Palmerston hospital ...
Mr Wood interjecting.
Mr CHANDLER: People might laugh and joke about holes in the ground and so forth – all part of a job to build a new hospital. The reality is …
Ms Walker: It is in the ground and is filled in.
Mr CHANDLER: They are laughing at this. What I laughed about is the fact that when that concrete was poured it was still more work than the previous government had done in nearly 12 years of government in building a Palmerston hospital. The only thing they built at Palmerston in the last 12 years of government was what you would call a chook pen. It was a great big fence around a site, a couple of brand-new pieces of rock-moving equipment – a backhoe I think they moved into there at one stage to take some photos ….
Ms Walker: It would have been built by now and operating.
Mr CHANDLER: All they did was provide a fence for their former candidate for Brennan to put his corflute signs all the way around. We counted about 200 signs around that fence at one stage. That was a stunt.
The difference is we have a government that has been working behind the scenes to get the right hospital in place which will provide for the long-term benefits of not only people in Palmerston but the entire rural area. We took a hospital that would have been constructed under Labor of around 50 or 60 beds, I think it was, to a hospital of 116 beds and moved it, to be honest, into a far better position …
Mr Wood interjecting.
Mr CHANDLER: You will argue whether Palmerston is a rural area – all rhetoric. Let us not talk about lines in the sand. Let us talk about a better positioned hospital that will cater for the needs of not only Palmerston residents but also rural residents, who are just as important. They will have better access to better services at a better hospital put together by this government, which is working with business every day. Labor members hate the fact that this government has been as successful as it has been ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77 I move an extension of time for the minister.
Motion agreed to.
Mr CHANDLER: I will not keep you for much longer but I have page after page of things this government have done that is stimulating the economy. Those things have taken this government from an austerity government to a prosperity government. I am excited; I can feel it. The community and I know what is happening out there. Ask the businesses that attended October Business Month functions what work is going on and how we are stimulating the economy. For what reason? To create jobs and make sure people have a future in the Northern Territory.
We do not just talk about it or come up with the motherhood statements. We are not as good at advertising as the Labor government has been in the past. The Labor opposition is good at that today …
Members interjecting.
Mr CHANDLER: They get hot under the collar because they do not like what they see. They do not like to see success. They like to keep the community as little mushrooms so they can control them. They do not like success. They do not like anything we are doing in education, giving autonomy and decision-making back to where it should be. They do not like that businesses are successful today because we are stimulating the economy. Why? Because now we have the money to do that due to very good decisions ...
Ms Walker: Because you sold off public assets.
Mr CHANDLER: No. I tell you where we are going here. They do not like the approach of this government because it has had to make some tough decisions over the years. Territorians have borne some pain delivered to them not by this government but the former Labor government that was like me in a lolly shop: out of control.
They have no idea when it comes to understanding economics. They do not understand how to operate a government with a long-term future because they are too interested in shining the baubles and making sure people are lost in the gloss. This is a government that is getting on and providing infrastructure for a Northern Territory not just for my children but my children’s children. This is a government that is focused on a long-term program and building the north. We are focused on turning this Territory into something. We on this side know the potential of the Northern Territory.
If we have to go back to being led by a Labor government, God help us because we will be back in debt. It will take another conservative government to come in, make tough decisions and get us out of debt again. Look at history …
Mr Westra van Holthe: That is the cycle.
Mr CHANDLER: It is a cycle, is it not? They can spin it any way they want. I listened intently to the Leader of the Opposition. He said all the right words. It was a beautiful statement but it was not backed up with how they would govern. Looking at history, we know how they did it. Half of those members over there were advisers to the former government and provided the advice that put them in the hole we had to fill for them. You want to talk about a hole at the Palmerston hospital? How about the hole that was the Territory budget? That was a $5.5bn hole. The work of this Country Liberals government has turned the Northern Territory around. They are working hard because they want the Treasury benches. They know the position the government and Treasury are in today and they would love to get their greedy little hands on it.
Territorians are smarter than that and can see the potential of this government. It is not just talk or rhetoric; it is get on with it. The dynamo this government is, is spinning so fast that a few have probably fallen off because they could not hold on to what is happening in the Northern Territory. I am excited because I know the potential of this team and of the Northern Territory. You have to have a government that has the courage to hang on and make the right decisions to ensure the Territory goes forward.
Madam Speaker, I commend this statement to the House. I commend the Minister for Business for being engaged with our Asian neighbours and the business community, and for driving forward the economy of the Northern Territory.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I was not intending to speak on this, but having listened to the minister, I thought I should. Good news stories are great but they need a touch of reality. Guess which company that has been serving the Territory for many years had an auction on the weekend? Steelcon, one of our biggest companies. It has gone. Why has it gone? Because a lot of middle businesses are going broke.
I was doorknocking in the Thorngate Road industrial area recently and came across a supplier who told me 40 companies had been to the Chamber of Commerce recently, saying they were basically right on the soles of their feet in relation to remaining in business. I spoke to someone from a construction company that builds and maintains houses in Arnhem Land, and they put 35 people off the other day. There is no work.
It is fine to say some businesses are doing well, but some businesses are struggling. That is not coming from me. Sometimes people should drive around the industrial area and see who is struggling. Where is Richard’s Crane Hire now which had set up in the industrial area at Berrimah? Gone. Jake’s Steel & Welding is struggling to get work.
This is where the government loses the plot. The minister said it is great because interstate companies provide competition. That may be the case, but the one big issue the government forgets is that local companies sometimes might be dearer, but they have families in the Territory. When we are looking at contracts we need to make sure value is given to keeping families in the Northern Territory. Local businesses provide the fabric of our society. If those local businesses close or leave town you have to ask whether something is wrong. They may not be able to compete. I have heard stories of companies wanting to get into the Northern Territory that cut the guts out of the contract. In fact, I heard of one company that cut it so much it tried to get steel from interstate but it was not up to the standard required. They had to ask local steel companies for their prices, and you know what they said.
Yes, it is good that the government tries to stimulate business but it is not always the case. There is one construction company in Arnhem Land – this is the complaint I received – that is supported 25% by Indigenous Business Australia and is competing with Territory contractors. I would like to know how a government organisation funded by the taxpayers can be part of a company that competes with private companies? Is that a level playing field? I am not sure. The minister should be asking if contractors are working on the same level and whether it is fair that somebody is partly subsidised to operate in the Northern Territory.
The minister mentioned a range of companies doing work in the Northern Territory. I wrote to the minister asking for a list. No doubt many Northern Territory companies have contracts, which is good. The other question I asked in my written question, which was not answered, was whether I could be given a list of the subcontractors. Probably what I should have also asked is whether I could get a list of the suppliers of the materials. Are companies buying from local suppliers or are they going south? Suppliers will go broke as well. If people are not buying steel or furnishings from local companies but sourcing it from down south, that will have an effect.
Yes, the main company might be fine, but the other people who depend on that company buying their goods and services might be struggling. I went past Steelcon the other day during the big storm, and there is a piece of Darwin history gone. It is a company that has been around for many years in the construction business of the Northern Territory. I did not hear anything mentioned about it. The government members need to get out of the air conditioned motor cars and walk the businesses in East Arm, Berrimah, 11 Mile and Holtze, and talk to people to see how they are going.
Yes, you will get some good news stories. No doubt some people have done very well out of INPEX being in the Northern Territory, especially the service industries and the pubs. The pubs are rubbing their hands with glee that the government decided to double the number of pokies. Yes, that is good business. The pokies that were 1c in Howard Springs Tavern are now 10c and 20c. It is good for business, but whether it is good for society is another matter.
It is good for the government to make a statement, but it is funny that I am continually asked by people on the ground, ‘What is happening. Why is my business going broke? Why am I putting people off?’ It is good the government can make statements about how many contracts it has and that some will be awarded to local companies, but have you looked at the local companies that are missing out?
The minister also mentioned the Indigenous employment program, which came to my attention recently. He made a statement that the previous government did not do anything. That is wrong because SIHIP had a program of employing Aboriginal people. We need to get some things correct. That does not mean SIHIP was a success when it employed Aboriginal people. The key question you have to ask – which I would have loved to have asked the minister – is that you can employ 200 people, but are they the same 200 people six months down the track?
Employment is about training and giving people skills for future jobs. You do not want 100 of those 200 people only working for one week. When you give statistics do not do what the Labor federal government did when it won the award for Aboriginal employment on SIHIP. What they did not say was that only a small percentage of Aboriginal people worked more than six months. If you are fair dinkum about Aboriginal employment, you must make sure there are proper outcomes, not pretend outcomes written on a bit of paper.
The issue of Aboriginal employment is important, but if you have employment out bush and you want more people to be employed, you need to give figures for the numbers out bush as well. The Tiger Brennan Drive upgrade is an urban contract and I believe most Indigenous employment on that contract would be local, which is fair enough. I am not saying that should not happen, but you have the highest unemployment out bush.
I would have liked some of those figures the minister gave us analysed a bit more. I have some concerns about some of the contracts out bush. I raised those in written questions and the answers have raised more questions, especially when you see two contracts come in for the same number of houses and they are $3m apart. Have there been a lot of requests for adjustments to the contract? It seems strange you can have one contract for a batch of houses from one company and another one for 20 houses from another contractor and there is a $3m difference. It seems a big difference between the contracts.
There obviously is business out there. As I said, the pubs are doing pretty well. Much of that is to do with the FIFO people. I presume the hire car people are doing very well with the number of four-wheel drives travelling around with reflective stripes and flags on the top. Thrifty must be very happy that INPEX came to town. We have all learnt since how to reverse into car parks. Obviously there is some benefit for the government in the form of motor registration and those types of things. The food industry and clothing industry have also had benefits with safety clothes, etcetera, through INPEX being here.
But what will happen to businesses once INPEX is finished? What are the government’s plans for business when INPEX folds up? It probably has three more years and will be on a declining curve. I have told the Chief Minister – I do not think it is any secret – that to build Weddell will be the next best project but it will not be as big as INPEX. It is a good project and if done right, we could lead the world in good design for tropical cities. We would not have to put the pressure that has been put on the rural area to become a pseudo-Weddell.
What is the next plan to make sure businesses will continue in the Northern Territory once INPEX goes? That is a fair question the government needs to answer. Does it have some plans in mind of how to maintain as much of the workforce as possible? Naturally there will be a big reduction in the workforce because INPEX has up to about 8000 workers this year. There is not the need for that number of workers in the Northern Territory, so they will obviously go to other projects somewhere in Australia or the world. We still have our local businesses that need to be supported. That is probably the biggest thing that can come out of today’s discussion.
I am interested to hear what the Minister for Business has to say about that and what he has heard in relation to many of these middle-size companies struggling. Sometimes you come across people by accident. To some extent that is what I did the other day. I was at a manufacturing site, The Big Shed, where there are only a couple of people working. I sat down with the manager of the site plus a steel supplier. They are the ones who told me there had been a meeting at the Chamber of Commerce where about 40 companies had said they are in dire straits if something does not happen. Has that message gone to the Minister for Business, or is it not proper to pass some sad stories on when the government does not want to talk about sad stories but only good stories? There is nothing wrong with good stories, but if people are going broke while you are putting ads in the paper about the good stories, then you will be seen to be hypocritical.
On the issue of the hospital, I find it amazing that government could waste money filling in a hole. People see through that as – a bit like what happened the other night in here – a waste of time, money and effort. They would like to be told when the hospital is finished, not when you have dug a hole in the ground. It is not like a church where you have to bless a certain rock and consecrate the church before you start. I see things being constructed. Houses are constructed. Someone comes and puts the sewerage and water systems in the ground, then the water. That is put in the ground first because it has to come up through the floor. I did not see any of that. Then you lay out the floor, fill it in with arc mesh and all sorts of things, and then fill it with concrete. Then you have the base for your building. We got a hole in the ground.
I went there on the Sunday to see where it was. There were four panels of security fence across a track telling me to keep out. Keep out of what? The other side of nowhere? It was an infinite site. Instead of doing those sorts of things, which Natasha Griggs called an orchestrated stunt, government would be better to concentrate on a progress report. It does not cost money to do that. They could then tell us what stage the government is at with the hospital. People want the hospital to be built. The best thing to do is to say, ‘Yes, we are now pouring the floor for the hospital and that will be completed’. If you give a staged report, you say, ‘Okay, we have now finished the road into the hospital’ or ‘We have finished the car park’ or ‘We have done the first floor’, etcetera. That is the sort of thing people expect the government to do.
Forget about that, because the hole is a repeat of what we saw before with a helicopter and a bulldozer. People saw that as a joke and it cost taxpayers money ...
Mr Elferink: Well, that is not true.
Mr WOOD: Well, they did. It cost money to have a helicopter and get a bulldozer. The road was going to be built anyway, and you brought a bulldozer in for half a day …
Mr Elferink: I was on site on Sunday, and I can tell you works are going well.
Mr WOOD: That is fine. Why did Natasha Griggs call it an orchestrated stunt?
Mr Elferink: I have no idea. She is not correct.
Mr WOOD: I am glad work is being done on that hospital but why do it that way? It might sound great to you; you have the media there. I understand that, but people see through it, especially when you find out it has been covered up – not in the criminal way, but covered up by soil ...
Mr Elferink: Now I will have to respond to you.
Mr WOOD: Good, because I had a question which might never get to you. Why did the minister do that? That is a reasonable question ...
Mr Elferink: And you will get an answer.
Mr WOOD: Okay, that is good. Why did the minister dig a hole and put concrete in it?
Mr Elferink: Because it is part of the hospital.
Mr WOOD: I understand that ...
Mr Westra van Holthe: It is a foundation, Gerry.
Mr WOOD: I understand that, but why make a big deal about it? Why not just say the hospital is starting? You covered it up. That is what makes people go, ‘Oh, right. Why did you not put some security fencing around it like a normal construction site?’ Because I drove down there ...
Mr Elferink: Because I am not an engineer, Gerry.
Mr WOOD: I know, but …
Mr Elferink: I was told it was safer to do it that way. I accepted that from the people who are building the hospital.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WOOD: That is right.
Mr Elferink: And that is the point to make.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! You will have your time, honourable members.
Mr WOOD: There are four panels across a track, with a sign that says ‘Keep out’. The other side of that …
Mr Elferink: Well, that is not true.
Mr WOOD: I was there; I have the photos. I was there on the Sunday looking for the hole. I thought, ‘I did not see this. I was not invited to the hole; I will go and have a look.’ Certain people had told me that the rods, if they are for a stairwell, are the wrong size. I went to get a photo. I could not find them. There were four panels across the road saying, ‘Keep Out’. The other side of those panels went to the end of the earth. Not really, it went to Howard Springs. There was no boundary past that. It just said, ‘Keep Out’. I am not sure which parts I should keep out of. It was peculiar.
I am happy for the minister to explain. It would be good. Why was a hole dug? Why was it filled in? Why did you not wait until construction got going? Your advisers must have had rocks in their heads and some of those rocks must have gone in the hole later. It would have been a lot better for the government to do it a different way.
I thank the minister for his statement. I am interested to hear if he has heard that some businesses in the Northern Territory are struggling. Has he the same information I have been given? If so, has he analysed and investigated why those companies are struggling? I say again that I believe when governments let contracts, especially for long-term local companies, they should have a column which says ‘social’, meaning the social impact of keeping those companies operating in the Northern Territory. That is important.
When I was in Canada I looked on their website for contracts. Local gets a bit extra for being very local, as we could do for being Territorian and Australian. We need to make sure that although big companies can cut the price on local companies, the local companies are recognised as part of our community and we need to retain them and their families to make sure Northern Territory businesses survive. It is not always easy to make those decisions, but that side of the contracts should be recognised when the government makes a decision.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Deputy Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I congratulate the member for Nelson, a bloke who said he would not speak then used his full 20 minutes ...
Mr Elferink: He warmed to his topic.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: He warmed to his topic, picking up on the interjection from the member for Port Darwin.
The member for Nelson raised a few things I am sure the Minister for Business will cover when he wraps this. I will touch on a few of those things then talk about October Business Month generally, particularly in the Katherine context.
The member for Port Darwin has restrained himself and decided not to respond to some of the things the member for Nelson said about the hospital, but there are a few things I will say.
The first real cross-Chamber exchange over the hospital came when the Minister for Infrastructure started speaking about the hospital and what has occurred under the CLP government. It was interesting. There is an old saying that the guilty are those who protest too much. What we heard as soon as the member for Brennan started talking about the hospital was a ramble of protest from the member for Nhulunbuy, trying to defend the indefensible, which was little or no work – the fence that was put up – by the former Labor government which was supposed to have represented the start of something new for Palmerston hospital. I remember driving past that fence in my days in opposition when the Labor Party was in power and thinking that if ever there was a political stunt around Palmerston hospital, that was it.
The Labor government had an amazing skill of promoting nothing and making something of it. It convinced the Territory population that it had done something, when they had done nothing. The Palmerston hospital site was a classic example. ‘Look at us! Look at us!’, they said, ‘We have started the hospital. We have a temporary fence up around the site.’
The member for Nhulunbuy protested further by saying the hospital would have been completed and operational by now had the Labor government still been in power. I doubt that sincerely, given their record for not achieving anything during the 11 years they were in power.
What did they achieve? The member for Brennan put it quite nicely: a massive debt legacy. The Territory was heading toward bankruptcy under the Labor government and if they are ever in power again, without a doubt we will be heading down the same path. The member for Brennan was quite right to also say it is part of a cycle. It is a well-known political cycle in Australia that when left-wing governments are in power they spend like drunken sailors and put not only state jurisdictions into debt but the nation. The conservatives have to fix all the debt legacy problems left by Labor governments.
I refer to what the member for Nelson said about the hospital and the hole in the ground. The concrete poured in that event was, in fact, a real piece of concrete …
Members interjecting.
Mr Vowles: You said it with a straight face!
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: I am happy to be considered a part-time comedian …
A member: It is a footing.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: It is a footing. I will give myself a bit of qualification ...
Members interjecting.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: I would like to continue uninterrupted if possible, if the members opposite would stop interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Keep the noise down.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: I do not know the background of all members of the opposition. I do not know if any have ever worked a single day in the construction industry. Would that be a fair call? I am probably right. I have worked in the construction industry. One of the first jobs I ever had, coming out of high school and after spending some time at university, was working on construction sites. They were land release subdivisions on the Gold Coast in the suburbs behind Burleigh Heads in Queensland. I have some experience in construction. I also built my house in Alice Springs. For many years, on and off, my dad was a builder. As children, young adults and teenagers, we used to help him at his construction business, so I have a bit of an idea.
For the edification for those opposite, when you pour concrete into the ground for a footing it is a part of the construction. That is the simple fact of the matter. What the managing contractor decided to do after that concrete was poured was a matter for them. They figured it was safer for them to backfill on top of the concrete. It is not uncommon to backfill recently-poured concrete because concrete cures at a particular rate. All concrete is different. There are different types of concrete for different purposes. You guys might not know that, but you are happy to make political capital out of something that would be the inconvenient truth, if you knew something about it.
Apart from the safety reasons, it is possible the contractor backfilled to slow the rate of curing of the concrete because slowly-cured concrete cures harder. That is possible and it was their decision to make.
Moving on to the next thing beyond that, the public of the Northern Territory generally wants to know what the government is up to. They do not want to know what we are doing internally, or about infighting or anything like that. They do not want to know about Delia Lawrie becoming an Independent to the Labor Party, or the lack of support for the current Leader of the Opposition in amongst your ranks. They want to know what the Territory government is doing. It is not uncommon for the government to hold media conferences and events to inform people of what is going on ...
Ms Fyles: That they are digging a hole to fill it back up again.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Fair dinkum! The Labor government used to do it all the time. I give you a classic example of the media stunts the Labor Party used to pull. When we were in opposition, many times we accused the Labor government of governing by glossy brochure. It used to produce all these glossy brochures on a regular basis, slip them into people’s letterboxes and put them in the post. Despite the fact it was doing very little, it had people convinced it was doing something. That was an ongoing political stunt perpetrated by the Labor Party when it was in government.
We take journalists out and show them the site – get them involved in doing these types of things. It is a normal part of the process to let people know. The media got onto this and thought it would be great to belt the government up because the footing that was poured was then backfilled for safety or whatever reasons the contractor decided to do it.
Enough about the hospital. I know a little about this; it is happening. The roadworks around the intersection have been going on for some time. The the civil contracting groundwork has started on the hospital. It will come out of the ground and will be on time. The Minister for Health has told this House many times, and the media, that it is progressing according to plan.
I will go back to some other …
Members interjecting.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: They love talking about that. It comes back to what I said before: lots of interjections from members opposite, but remember those who doth protest too much –trying to steer the conversation away from something that is going well, that will be successfully implemented under this government, which you guys could not manage to pull off in your time. You can criticise us all you like, but at the end of the day we will get the Palmerston hospital built where the Labor Party could not. It is as simple as that.
I want to pick up on a few further things the member for Nelson mentioned in his contribution. The government realises that INPEX will come off the boil, so to speak, in the number of people it employs as it progresses through its various stages of completion. That is why the government is working desperately hard on the next big projects.
It was heartening to be a part of this government when the Chief Minister announced on Tuesday the NEGI, the North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline project. That is a project, obviously not in Darwin, that shows this government is thinking about the next big thing for the Territory. We know the gas industry in the Northern Territory will be the economic powerhouse for our jurisdiction, and may well make us one of the largest gas producers, in time, in this nation. In order to do that we need the necessary infrastructure in place. The NEGI is part of that, of course.
In answer to the member for Nelson’s question, yes, of course we are thinking about post-INPEX, as opposed to the former Labor government, which was a one-trick pony when it came to the economy. It had no idea, no clue and no vision about what would occur post-INPEX.
I daresay there would be nothing like the North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline project on the agenda for the Northern Territory had the Labor government been re-elected in 2012. It was a government that was lacking in vision and a forward strategic plan for the Territory in how it would use its power as government to support an economy that should have been growing. Now, under this government, it is growing and doing extraordinarily well with the lowest unemployment in the nation, the highest participation rate and an economy that is seen as going extraordinarily well.
The other thing the member for Nelson talked about was local businesses struggling despite the fact that in general terms the economy of the Territory is doing well. Yes, member for Nelson, I acknowledge – and I am sure the Minister for Business would also acknowledge – that not all businesses are doing well and going gangbusters. I can think of a couple of local companies and businesses in Katherine that are not going as well as some others.
Sometimes businesses are subject to the cycles of not only the macro-economy, but various smaller sectors of the economy. In the case of Katherine, I can fairly safely say that those businesses are struggling as a result of a couple of things that have happened in our local economy. One of those is the downturn in the iron ore industry, which resulted in a number of small iron ore mines closing down around the Katherine region. That has had an impact on local businesses. A downturn in the general situation of those hard commodities mined in the greater Katherine region, aside from iron ore, is affecting small business.
Even something as simple as the cucumber green mottle mosaic virus is affecting our local melon growers. That is a $60m industry and a lot of money not being spent in the Katherine economy.
Then the law and order policies we introduced with TBLs, the temporary beat locations, has seen a complete change in the demographics of Katherine, particularly visible on the main street. That has also had an impact on some small businesses in town. That all said, the government makes no apologies for the introduction of the TBLs. It has made an enormous difference to the township of Katherine, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek. We do not resile from the fact that assaults, domestic violence, hospital presentations and police calls to violent offending are down. St John Ambulance is about as half as busy. We make no apologies for that.
I suggest to those businesses affected that they look at their business models. Businesses in the Territory are tough and resilient. That is particularly true of those in Katherine. I am sure many of them have survived by being adaptable. They need to make sure their business model is contemporary and suits the environment in which they have to operate.
The October Business Month is a fantastic event. It was an initiative of the CLP government 21 years ago, and we are going from strength to strength. October Business Month for my electorate in Katherine is extremely important. It not only brings many businesses together for networking but provides 31 days full of all sorts of events like free workshops.
Our October Business Month dinner in Katherine is famous and legendary across the Territory. It is one of the best-attended OBM dinners, if not the best attended. It always sells out. I give credit to the local staff of the Department of Business in Katherine – Morag, Roz and Andrew – for the hard work they put in to making October Business Month in Katherine a screaming success. Many other people in the Department of Business work very hard making sure October Business Month is a success. I have had interactions with a number of those people over the years in their preparations for OBM.
The October Business Month initiative is something we wish to continue. The Country Liberals government is very proud to support business. It is not the only way we support businesses across the Territory. Diversifying our economy has been a catchcry of this government for a very long time. Diversification across the pastoral sector is a great example of how diversifying our economy works.
Diversifying our live cattle markets across southeast Asia is something this government has worked exceedingly hard on over the past three years. It is another example of how diversifying our economy will help small businesses in our jurisdiction.
I commend the Minister for Business for bringing this statement to the House and the member for Brennan for his contribution. He is very passionate about supporting small business across the Northern Territory. This Country Liberals government is the only government that can support businesses in the Northern Territory in the manner they deserve.
Simply put, you would not trust Labor to run small business in the Territory. I mentioned before that I do not think any of the current crop of Labor politicians have ever worked in the construction sector. I am pretty sure none of them have ever worked in small business either ...
Mr Vowles interjecting.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: I apologise, perhaps the member for Johnston has worked in the construction industry. I do not think any of them have been involved in small business so they do not get small business ...
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable member, your time has expired.
Debate suspended.
The Assembly suspended.
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I present a petition not conforming with standing orders from 511 petitioners relating to unsuitable prisoners in Datjala work camp in Nhulunbuy. I move that the petition be read.
Motion agreed to; petition read:
Mr BARRETT (Blain): Madam Speaker, today I table the ‘Ice’ Select Committee report Breaking the Ice: Inquiry into ‘ice’ use in the Northern Territory.
Crystal methamphetamine, colloquially known as ice, is a particularly insidious drug. The committee found that ice is an emerging issue of concern that has a devastating impact on families, friends and communities. However, reports of an ice epidemic sweeping across the Northern Territory are somewhat misleading. The rates of methamphetamine use over the past five years have remained relatively stable both nationally and in the Territory at approximately 2.1% of the population. What is particularly concerning is that ice, the most potent and harmful form of methamphetamine, is fast becoming the drug of choice among methamphetamine users.
While ice is prevalent in urban and regional areas of the Northern Territory, there is no evidence of widespread use in our remote communities. It is critical that we do not allow ice to take hold in these communities.
Determining accurate prevalence rates, however, is hampered by inconsistent terminology used in data collection, and the absence of an efficient means of collating, analysing and sharing data across government and non-government agencies.
Ice can cause serious harms to the user. The adverse physical effects of ice include weight loss, dermatological problems, neurotoxicity, reduced immunity, elevated blood pressure, damage to teeth and gums, cardiovascular problems and kidney problems. Long-term use can also result in psychological, cognitive and neurological issues such as depression, impaired memory and concentration, psychosis, violence and erratic behaviour.
As mentioned previously, the harm caused by ice is not limited to the user. The ripple effects of ice use can have a devastating impact on family, friends and the community. As the community heard, ice can lead to problems with interpersonal relationships, domestic violence, child neglect, financial issues, increased reliance on welfare support and involvement in criminal activity.
Given that substance abuse is a factor in many instances of domestic violence, child neglect and abuse, it was particularly concerning to hear that the relationship between child protection services and drug and alcohol agencies is not yet well developed in the Northern Territory, and that he Department of Children and Families’ community care information system lacks the facility to record specific information about parental drug use or what impact this may have had on a substantiation of harm
It raises serious questions as to the effectiveness of departmental practices and procedures, and the department’s capacity to ensure that children and families are provided with an appropriate level of support.
Consequently, the committee has recommended an independent review and an evaluation be undertaken as soon as is practicable.
There was a considerable level of agreement amongst service providers, community and industry representatives regarding the need for a strategic framework to coordinate responses to the misuse of both licit and illicit substances as a matter of priority.
The committee has recommended the development and implementation of a Northern Territory drug strategy based on the national model which espouses a harm-minimisation approach, incorporating three central and equally important pillars of demand reduction, supply reduction and harm reduction.
The committee identified a number of areas the strategy needs to address, including security of funding for drug services; development of educational resources; accessibility and currency of information and resources on departmental websites; availability and promotion of family support services; after-hours access to sterile injecting equipment; and responsible reporting guidelines for media outlets.
While there is a wide range of initiatives already in place that seeks to reduce the demand, supply and harms associated with illicit drug use, evidence received by the committee led it to make a number of recommendations that it believes will lead to improvements in these areas. For example, it is well recognised that the promotion of healthy lifestyles through school-based drug education and positive youth development programs is an effective means of reducing demand by preventing the uptake and delaying the onset of drug use.
However, the committee heard there is considerable variability in the content, delivery and evaluation of these types of programs across schools. The committee believes it would be beneficial to review and evaluate drug education and positive youth development initiatives currently offered in government and non-government schools to ensure the currency and accuracy of information provided.
While preventing illicit drug use is the ultimate goal, it is recognised that treatment services are critical for those who have succumbed to the use of ice. To reduce the bottleneck in the continuum of care, the committee has recommended that additional funding be allocated to increase the availability of detoxification services, particularly for young people under the age of 18 years.
Ensuring adequate detoxification, rehabilitation and forensic mental health services are made available in each of the Territory’s adult correctional facilities and youth detention centres is also a priority.
Reducing the manufacture and supply of ice can be facilitated by mandating real-time, online recording of pseudoephedrine sales in pharmacies to assist police in the detection of clandestine laboratories.
It was also evident from the public forums the committee held that the police service needs to increase its public engagement strategies, including promotion of Crime Stoppers, since many members of the community are reticent about informing police about drug users, drug dealers and drug houses.
To assist police in determining the geographical distribution of ice and other illicit substances, the committee has recommended that the government undertake a trial of waste-water analysis to more accurately assess the extent of criminal offending relating to ice use.
The committee also recommended introduction of mandatory alcohol and drug testing of individuals arrested for offences involving violence. In conjunction with legislation currently before the Assembly regarding the introduction of random drug testing of drivers and declared drug detection areas, these recommendations will better equip police to tackle ice and other illicit drugs that have such a negative impact on our community.
During the course of the inquiry it became apparent that frontline workers across a range of professions lacked the confidence to identify and respond to ice use, given the propensity of ice users to experience psychotic episodes and display aggressive and violent behaviour. It is imperative that we ensure frontline workers are provided with an appropriate level of training, including information about ice and its effects, de-escalation techniques and workplace health and safety measures.
While it is clear that the Northern Territory needs to ensure that it is well-equipped to manage the impact of ice and other illicit substances as they emerge, witnesses impressed on the committee the importance of not losing sight of the fact that the abuse of alcohol is a far greater problem in the Territory, and that strategies to address ice should not be implemented at the expense of alcohol-related harm initiatives.
Madam Speaker, I thank the staff who work for the Legislative Assembly for all the work that went into putting together this report. I believe it is in excess of 30 000 words. I thank other members of parliament who contributed positively and effectively into this report and the recommendations and findings of this committee. I appreciate the collegiality in which we have worked together. I have a great respect for the input each of them have had and I thank them for the quality of the work they have done and the manner in which they have conducted themselves.
Mr BARRETT (Blain): Madam Speaker, I move that the report be printed and seek leave to continue my remarks at a later time.
Motion agreed to; report printed.
Leave granted.
Continued from earlier this day.
Mrs PRICE (Local Government and Community Services): Madam Speaker, I attended the launch breakfast of October Business Month in Alice Springs at the convention centre. I heard the inspirational story of Ruslan Kogan and how he started one of Australia’s largest e-commerce businesses. He spoke of the challenges he faced when he tried to create an online business selling televisions. He talked about how he needed to take responsibility for himself and his own happiness, and, finally, of the need to solve problems one at a time.
One of the things that resonated with me was that he grew up in public housing. As Minister for Housing, it reminds me that some of our tenants have enormous potential. All Territorians have potential and this government is about unlocking our potential. This week we have seen the Chief Minister and the Giles Country Liberals government unlock the potential of our gas industry with the pipeline.
One part of the Territory that has a great deal of potential is our remote communities. Our remote communities have an enormous potential for economic development for business and enterprise. Our government attempts to make it much easier for businesses to occur on communities. We are working to cut red tape to make it easier for our people to start their own businesses. For example, in Parks and Wildlife we have introduced online applications for tour operators and are looking at other opportunities for economic development in parks.
This Giles government will explore new governance and management options for Kakadu and Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Parks, addressing the economic disparity for local people in some of the most iconic sites in Australia.
My Departments of Local Government and Community Services and the Department of Housing work to encourage and develop Indigenous business enterprises. My Department of Local Government and Community Services funds 36 service provider organisations across the Territory, of which 28 are Indigenous organisations, to deliver repairs and maintenance services to homelands. Many local jobs are created because of our support for these organisations.
My Department of Housing has strong Indigenous employment in remote repairs and maintenance and tenancy management. These businesses have secured 62% Indigenous employment for repairs and maintenance, and 72% for tenancy management. These are local jobs for local people in their local communities. We are encouraging local jobs for Indigenous people.
The Giles government has recently established the Office of Aboriginal Affairs, where for the first time we have a remote procurement policy. Some contracts awarded under this policy were for the upgrade of houses in Docker River. I recently visited Docker River and the local people performing the upgrades on their own homes. That is what the Country Liberals is all about: local jobs for local people in their own country.
Aboriginal Bush Traders operating from the Lyons Cottage is a social enterprise initiated by Ironbark Aboriginal Corporation, set up to support local art and community development programs, Indigenous business and employment and training outcomes. I recently toured the operation, which has a retail art centre and art store which sells art, music, books, craft and much more, purchased directly from local artists, Indigenous business owners and community centres. It is 100% not for profit. It held a sundowner for October Business Month with keynote speakers, including the CEO, talking about supporting sustainable social enterprise and strong economic futures for Aboriginal people in the Top End. On the same night it launched Moydra Designs in the retail store. It is great to see enterprise occurring in the Northern Territory, especially with Aboriginal people.
October Business Month had a strong focus on women in leadership and Indigenous business. Hundreds, including me, attended the Indigenous Economic Forum. This enabled a focus on realising the potential of our remote communities. It enabled Indigenous businesses to connect with each other, network and renew the focus on Indigenous economic development.
The Chief Minister announced that Umbakumba, Bulman, Weemol, Minyerri, Yarralin, Belyuen, Manyallaluk and Titjikala will be connected to mobile phone services over the next three years. This provides great connectedness for our remote communities. It helps us unlock their potential and provides them with a range of possibilities, including business opportunities.
The Country Liberals is doing a lot to promote business in remote areas. Since August 2012, the Northern Territory government’s Department of Business’ Indigenous Workforce Participation Initiatives Program has achieved 424 job outcomes and 263 workforce participation outcomes. After three years of operation, the Northern Territory government’s Stronger Futures local jobs traineeship program continues to achieve an outstanding employment retention rate of 77%. Some 170 trainees commenced with 131 still employed. Over half of all employees have been in their jobs for at least 18 months or longer. Under the Business in the Bush and Indigenous Workforce Participation Initiatives Programs, the Department of Business will be calling a public grant funding round this month for employment initiatives and projects to commence in 2016. The focus of the upcoming grant round is to track projects that can deliver sustainable jobs and/or labour coordination and mobility, as well as enable initiatives that may require additional resources to maximise outcomes.
This year the Northern Territory government’s Business Growth program grant budget for 2015-16 increased to over $1m, which has expanded the services offered and opened the criteria to include not-for-profit organisations and Indigenous enterprises throughout the Territory. As of 30 September 2015, 46 businesses received over $200 000, and we have committed to support a further 98 businesses to the value of over $600 000. The Indigenous Business Development Program grant budget in 2015-16 increased up to $1m, supporting small to medium Indigenous enterprises throughout the Territory. As of 30 September this year, nine entities received grant funding of almost $220 000 and we have committed to supporting a further 13 entities to the value of $243 000.
Northern Territory government Business Development Officers have commenced a program of Introduction to Business workshop delivery to each of the identified 13 champion communities and regions. As of the beginning of this month, more than 50 individuals have advanced business concepts through attending workshops in Mutitjulu, Hermannsburg, Yuendumu, Ali Curung, Ngukurr and Numbulwar.
We have great potential in the Northern Territory, and this government is committed to unlocking the Territory’s potential. Our remote Territorians have great opportunities in business, and the Country Liberals are working to make it easier for Indigenous Territorians to access the benefits of free enterprise and business.
Yesterday the Chief Minister, the member for Arafura and I sat with a bunch of rangers from Maningrida and Galiwinku who were keen to hear about how they will be able to build economic development in their communities with what they have.
Madam Speaker, we, as Aboriginal people, own our land, and there is potential there if we can give Aboriginal people in remote communities a chance to achieve what they really want to see happening for the future of their children. This government is listening to every one of them and we want to help them. We want to make sure they get what every other Australian has. For us, because we own our land, we should be able to decide on what is best for our people and grab the chance of the economic benefits like every other Australian.
Mr KURRUPUWU (Arafura): Madam Speaker, in the statement delivered by the minister regarding October Business Month, it was great to hear what excellent things are being done by the Giles government in the business sector.
However, I take this opportunity to talk about the Tiwi Islands and the work being done by the Tiwi people to deliver their own business on the islands.
One of the best business opportunities on the Tiwi Islands is tourism. We have seen a significant increase in the number of tourists coming to the island, thanks to the affordable and regular Tiwi Ferry. This has meant an increase in visitors to the art and culture centre in Wurrumiyanga and also the Patakajiyali Museum on Bathurst Island.
Of course we cannot forget the great fishing that the Tiwi Islands have to offer. One local business taking advantage of this great fishing is Tiwi Islands Adventures. It does an excellent job of showcasing this great fishing with visits to three fishing lodges spread across the island for extended fishing and cultural tourism stays. This is just one of the tourist-related businesses that are being created.
We also have the Tiwi forest project, which has already started harvesting and creating jobs for locals. I am told that in the next few weeks we will see the first shipload of Tiwi Island woodchips leaving Port Melville, an awesome achievement by the Tiwi people.
With the Giles government’s record investment in Tiwi Islands roads announced in this year’s budget, local people are looking at the opportunity to launch a new business in a civil industry as well.
Another project starting to take hold on the Tiwi Island is oysters. Trials are being undertaken to see if farming oysters on the Tiwi Islands could create a viable business. I look forward to the day when the tourists at a six-star hotel in Darwin are paying top dollar to eat fresh Tiwi Islands oysters. I have tried some of the oysters from the trial and they are simply the best.
These are just some of the many great things being done on the Tiwi Islands by locals when it comes to business.
I also take this opportunity to thank Murray MacAllister from the Department of Business for all the work he has done in helping the Tiwi people set up businesses, as well as mentoring them. The work Murray has done for the business centre at Wurrumiyanga and through the department’s programs, such as Business in the Bush and Start.Run.Grow, is vital to the success of Tiwi businesses.
The Tiwi people continue to invest in their own future and the Giles government continues to work in partnership with them to support them in creating new businesses, jobs and brighter futures for themselves. I commend the minister and his department for their continuing hard work in helping to develop bush businesses.
Madam Speaker, I commend the statement to the House.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I thank the most recent speaker, the member for Arafura, who spoke about what is happening in his electorate on the Tiwi Islands and the mainland. He said in the next few weeks there will be the commencement of the woodchip industry on the island, with the timber chopped down, milled, put on trucks, driven on the Pickertaramoor Road to Port Melville, put onto a ship controlled by Mitsui, one of the largest Japanese companies, and then sold on the international market.
That is one of the best achievements in this three years of government. I do not know every land council in the nation or their trading environments, but to see an Aboriginal community of the Tiwi Islands – the traditional owners and residents – undertake and orchestrate an economic business transaction with one of the world’s leading companies shows how far we have gone.
This would not have been possible if Labor was in government for two reasons: (1) they would not have the economic or business nuance on how to make the connections and get the deal done and (2) because Labor, in its last term of government, fought the forestry project and wanted it stopped.
The member for Arafura has spoken passionately about what it will mean for his people. He knows we are trying to assist communities such as those at Minjilang, Oenpelli and Maningrida, and the outstations, to advance their opportunities into the future. We are working with many communities in his electorate and others to see how we can drive economic reform.
This is partly what October Business Month is about: getting businesses from all over the Territory to come together in an exchange to learn and celebrate successes, harness new ideas and take them back to their businesses to see how they can learn, grow and prosper in the future. A strong business sector, particularly a strong small business sector, is so important for the Northern Territory, because 95% of all businesses in the Territory are small businesses. It is the small businesses which employ people. We should celebrate that.
I recently gave a speech at the opening of the H105 Mitchell Hotel and Apartments. I said that developers these days, including in the Northern Territory, are often attacked, particularly by Labor, because they see developers as nasty people. Developers create jobs. I reflected at the opening of H105 on the types of jobs that have been created there, whether they are excavators, scaffolders, concreters, chippies, tilers, painters, hotel room cleaners, front door staff, waiters, bar staff or managers. If it was not for the proponents of that building, hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs would not have been available in that construction. There are jobs in construction and ongoing jobs – different dynamics, forms and sizes. We should be celebrating that. That is the environment we offer in the Territory. It is something that is at risk if a Labor government ever came to power.
Yes, the Tiwi Islands development is one of the biggest successes of government, but there is a massive selection. The deal for the Darwin port is ground-breaking for the future of the Northern Territory. I measure three great things: the formation of self-government; the development of Darwin as an offshore LNG supply base in the 1990s – I think it was 1998 when INPEX was first given its lease in the Browse Basin, plus, before that, for Darwin LNG – and now the port.
The port is one of the missing pieces of the logistical architecture. Yes, we have roads from south to the north. Yes, we have rail from south to the north. We have roads that connect Western Australia to Queensland. The port is important because that is our connection to the rest of the world. While we have the largest international airport in northern Australia and a massive and diverse university in Charles Darwin University, the port will connect us to the rest of the world, particularly to Asia. We all know the changing dynamics in Asia. By 2050, 60% of the world’s population will live in Asia’s climatic zone. More people live in the Asian region than outside it. The port connects us.
It is not just about a place for ships to berth, refuel, unload and offload; it is what you get into and take off the ship. The bigger the port, the bigger the ships and the more cargo that comes in, and the cheaper it is to load and unload, which means cheaper goods and services. That is a good thing. The bigger the port, the bigger the ships, the bigger the opportunity to get things onto the ships, which means as we develop our agriculture, horticulture and all the agribusiness sectors, despite what we have now, in the future we will have larger infrastructure to facilitate those trades.
Whether it is Legune Station with sea farms or Humpty Doo Barramundi, which is looking to expand, they produce jobs because they are developing. That is great. These are some of the experiences we heard of in October Business Month.
But as important as that port deal is, another deal announced this week, the North East Gas Interconnector, is something that will change the landscape of the nation. I say the nation because there is much talk, which we all know about, of how Western Australia’s iron ore industry carried Australia in many ways, particularly through royalties.
If we get the environmental formula and the framework settings right, the gas industry can do much for the Northern Territory, particularly the downstream gas industry with manufacturing and the thousands of jobs it will create, knowing that all the royalties from onshore gas will now be going to VET and higher education. We will have the smartest state, which will be the best resourced with the best access, with the most jobs growing, and we will be the people underpinning the growth in our nation’s economy. That is what is changing here.
I talk a lot about infrastructure – roads, bridges and telecommunications. They are like veins running through the Territory. Too much of the Northern Territory is closed to communities and business. It is closed because of lack of road access or because of parts of the year when water cuts people off. Roads, bridges and telecommunications connect people, business and economies. That is why we are putting $7m into the Tanami Highway this year. That $7m does not sound like a lot, but for every year, for as long as I can remember, $2m went into the Tanami, which is about 3.5 km of road. We have increased it to $7m and are looking at increasing it again next year, because the more road we build towards the Tanami Desert along the Tanami Highway gives more access for new mines to open up – gold mines in particular – which creates jobs for the Warlpiri who live at Yuendumu, Yuelamu, Lajamanu or Papunya.
The $10m we put into the Santa Teresa Road built a bridge which now means the community of Santa Teresa will not get cut off any time of the year except by a one-in-100-year flood. It will be fully accessible. We have improved the amenity so it is safer for people to drive and to come in and get goods and services, go to a job, then go back home.
The Plenty Highway and the straight road combine to make the Outback Highway between Western Australia and Queensland. It is the longest inland freeway we know of. It is a very difficult road to travel. The last estimate I saw two years ago was it would cost about $512m to fully dual seal that road. We do not have $512m spare to put into that road, but we are working with the federal government on a 50:50 funding solution of $22.5m each for a $45m road package to improve the Plenty Highway by sealing as much as possible. That work is starting now. That is one of the important arteries of the Northern Territory.
I spoke about the Tiwi Islands. There is $33m going towards the Pickertaramoor road. We have seen the building of the bridge over the Daly to support and improve access for the residents through the Daly River region to Palumpa, Peppimenarti, Wadeye, Woodycupaldiya, Emu Point and many other outstations. We are upgrading the road between Palumpa and Peppimenarti and working on Saddle Rail Creek on the Port Keats Road to connect people, but also to open up options for farming and business. I know those on Elizabeth Downs Station are looking forward to it so they can get tourists on ‘Lizzy Downs’, the big cattle station, and then employ local Aboriginal people for some of the cultural and fishing elements, which is a great opportunity. That is where we are driving reforms and change.
A major road in the Northern Territory which has very poor access is the Central Arnhem Highway, which runs from south of Katherine up to Nhulunbuy. It represents a very big problem for connecting those who want to drive there because of the lack of river crossings. There are the Wilton and Roper Rivers, which we are looking to build bridges across now. That will help to open up country. We are upgrading the Buntine and Carpentaria Highways. There is $11m going to the top road between Cahill’s Crossing and Oenpelli. This is building infrastructure.
Last year we spent more than $6m in a joint partnership with Telstra, 50:50, putting telecommunications into communities. Telecommunications connect people. Mobile phones allow people to talk to loved ones but they are also good for learning, whether it is simple text messages, accessing the Internet for news or using those ADSL services for educational purposes.
Communities such as Alpara, Papunya and Peppimenarti now have access to these services as 16 communities were connected last time in a $6m deal. But right now we have $42m rolling out access to more communities in the Territory. By the time that $42m is spent, the two major communities that will not have mobile phone access will be Docker River and Lake Nash, but I am working on a program on how we can get money for those two.
Communities such as Docker River, Imanpa, Finke, Titjikala, Wallace Rockhole, Yuelamu – all in Central Australia – will now have access. Bulman, Weemol, Umbakumba and Minjilang, are communities that will get mobile phone technology, 3G and ADSL2+. Communities like Timber Creek which already have mobile phones will be given ADSL2+. We are all connected with the world; we can all work in a business environment and be connected with one another. This is what building infrastructure is all about.
This is the big picture which is building the infrastructure to open up the country and encourage communities – whether they are Indigenous, non-Indigenous, regional, remote, or urban – to get people working. That is business. The more people working, the better the Territory will be. We already have the lowest unemployment rate in the country. We have the highest labour force participation rate, which was 76.3% the last time I checked. That figure represents people who are in a job, looking for a job, or in training. The rest of our nation sits at about 62%. So if you want a job in the Northern Territory, you get one. That is what it is like.
We have more work to do in the bush creating those economies, but the infrastructure will help do that. That is the big picture. We put that in conjunction with what others are doing and dovetail it. We started the north Australia agenda with our North Australia Development Office. The federal government has now come on board with its north Australia approach. We work in unison, which is a great approach.
Andrew Robb has been doing a lot of hard work on the Korean, Japanese and China free trade agreements. The Trans-Pacific Partnership has over 20 nations coming together to break down tariffs and open up business opportunities so mango growers in the Northern Territory can sell mangoes into America. People do not put enough emphasis on what these large agreements do.
Yes, the Japanese FTA means you will be able to buy cheaper cars in Australia, which is good, but we export some products. Humpty Doo Barramundi will now be able to export barramundi into more markets than ever before, which means more jobs at Humpty Doo Barramundi. The Seafarms Group is looking at 100 000 tonnes of tiger prawns being grown and exported each year in its $1.45bn tiger prawn project. They will travel along the Victoria Highway up the Stuart Highway to the port, which will expand with more reefer and refrigeration points, onto bigger ships and head out into the wild yonder of the world market. This is what it is about. The FTA allows that to happen.
They are some of the things that are at risk if a Labor government came to office, because we know that in 2012 when we took office the Territory was nearly bankrupt. That is not a political line; that is a fact. There was $5.5bn worth of debt. The Territory’s budget each year was $5.5bn when we came to office. Our debt was as much as our income. The debt to equity ratio was forecast to get to 98%.
The Treasurer released the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report yesterday, showing an equity-to-debt ratio of 32%. What a tremendous turnaround. The $5.5bn has come down by $2.9bn. Those numbers are very hard to understand in anyone’s language so let me put it down per capita: $2900m divided by 250 000 people in the Northern Territory – there are about 245 000 but we will go on 250 000 – equals $11 600 per person of debt savings, which is every man, woman and child, and probably every tourist. That is an amazing achievement and turnaround in three years.
People talk about trust. Let me tell you about trust. Would anybody trust Labor to manage our economy? Could you trust Labor not to get into that debt position? Could you trust Labor not to bring about that deficit? Who brought petrol prices down? It was the Country Liberals. Petrol prices are now the lowest in the country. Labor drove them up when in office, we drove them down. Labor drove house prices up and we drove them down. Next week we will be announcing how we are driving down electricity prices. Would you trust Labor to reduce petrol prices or keep them low? No way. Would you trust Labor to keep house prices down? Absolutely not. Has Labor ever reduced electricity prices in any term of government? In eleven-and-a-half years electricity prices never went down. Why would you risk going to Labor? You cannot trust them. We know how they performed last time. You cannot take the risk ...
Mr CHANDLER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77 I ask for an extension of time for the member.
Motion agreed to.
Mr GILES: Thank you very much, Minister for Infrastructure, for the 10-minute extension.
I say again that you could not trust Labor. If it was your money you would not give it to Labor to manage, so why would you expect government to give money to Labor? They messed it up last time. All the improvements I spoke about across the length and breadth of the Northern Territory that we have been making – and they are just a slither – have been done in three years. Imagine what could be done in the next four-year term.
Electricity prices will be the lowest in the nation over the next four-year term. Access to VET and higher education will be the best in the country. We will continue to be the best-performing government in Australia financially. We will continue to erode debt and reduce surpluses. We will continue with job growth.
These are things Labor cannot promise. It has already committed to not having an onshore gas industry. That is an industry it will not support. The member for Nightcliff is talking about buying the port back, putting the government into debt, which would be at least $600m or $700m.
We will put $100m of the port money towards a ship lift facility. We will leverage it up as a major project. A ship lift probably costs around $400m or $500m. We will put $100m in and attract the private sector, as we did with the gas pipeline. That will produce up to 4500 jobs. Labor has said no to 4500 jobs, plus $600m or $700m debt, because it will buy the port back. That is economic suicide; nobody would do that.
I go back to the point of October Business Month. In its 21st year, it had the highest number of participants and was widely successful, and celebrated across the Northern Territory. I thank the staff in the Department of Business who worked tirelessly to ensure OBM was seamless and successful, and everybody had a great time. They did not just look after Territorians and business; they also looked after the guests who came in. It was a stressful time with a very busy agenda, so thanks to the Department of Business.
To the Chamber of Commerce and the many industry stakeholders and players who participated, thank you very much. Your interest and participation was welcomed. It was exciting and it added a great deal of value.
I tell those people who attended, the business staff and employees, that while there is a Country Liberals government in the Northern Territory, jobs and the Country Liberals will be friends. Jobs are not friends of Labor unless they involve unions. But the Country Liberals will be your friends.
Labor, where are your policies? Where is your economic plan? Where is your economic strategy? Opposition Leader, come out of hiding and say something. Stop living a small-target strategy. Do not be a coward; be a man. Have a voice. I know you are being manipulated by the member for Karama and other people who have their hands up her back and your back. You sit in this position as a weak Opposition Leader because the member for Karama, who is now an Independent, is still pulling the strings. Not only do you not have policies, an economic plan or an agenda, you do not even have the floor. We know what the member for Karama is doing; she is working with the other Independents who are about to announce their campaign on 29 November.
You see a vibrant coalition opportunity, member for Karama. You still think you can be the Chief Minister. You are tying the heels of the Leader of the Opposition together. Not only does he not have a voice on policy, framework or leadership, he cannot walk because the member for Karama is holding him back. His feet are tied together; he cannot move to the left or the right. We all know what the member for Karama is doing, corralling a coalition of Independents, trying to form a coalition with Labor …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 67: digression. I am not sure what this has to do with the October Business Month statement.
Madam SPEAKER: There is a reasonable amount of latitude.
Mr GILES: The member for Karama has hobbled the Leader of the Opposition, and unfortunately the other Labor members cannot see it. When she launches – you watch. They will launch the Independents’ campaign on 29 November; that will be the first. You watch, they will do it here at Parliament House. Then she will seek to go to an election and will want to form a partnership with Labor, but on the proviso that she is Chief Minister. That is what she is working on. But the worst part about all of these things …
Ms Fyles: You are so focused on us.
Ms Moss interjecting.
Mr GILES: Excuse me, members for Nightcliff and Casuarina, I have given you the courtesy all week of not interrupting either of you. Try to lift the standards of debate. If you do not like the message …
Ms Fyles interjecting.
Mr GILES: The worst part is not only does Labor not have an economic plan, narrative, framework or plan for building jobs, the ex-Leader of the Opposition, the want-to-be Chief Minister who is really a member of the Labor Party, is trying to corral other Independents in and she does not have a plan either.
Look at the other side. The only former ministers over there are the members for Karama and Barkly. The people in charge of Labor have never even held office. Would you really risk the Northern Territory government being run by a person with a learner plate on their forehead? Would you risk that? That is the challenge for the Territory ...
Ms Fyles: Clare Martin had not been a minister. Terry Mills had not been a minister. They were elected by the people, unlike you.
Mr GILES: All we have is personal attacks by the member for Nightcliff. It shows the shallowness of your debate. You come in here screeching and screaming like every other day.
I ask you, what is your economic narrative? I do not think the member for Casuarina has ever had a real job in her life ...
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Offensive.
Mr GILES: What is offensive? You scream at me.
Ms FYLES: Standing Order 67.
Madam SPEAKER: Withdraw.
Mr GILES: I withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, Chief Minister.
Mr GILES: One of the important parts of life is having a job in the private sector and understanding what real work is – private sector, non-government sector, public sector – but you must have a job. That is one of the fundamental areas of vacancy.
I invite the Leader of the Opposition to come forward with a plan. Do not hide under a rock and play small-target strategy; come up here and tell us what you are all about.
To the Minister for Business, my colleague, the member for Sanderson, congratulations. You have delivered one of, if not the best, October Business Months. I know you did not do it on your own; the Department of Business and everybody else helped you. Congratulations and on behalf of Territory businesses, thank you. To the staff who work at those businesses, thank you. To all of those in the Northern Territory – whether working in the public sector, the private sector or the non-government sector – I ask you this question: would you risk the plan being rolled out across the Northern Territory on an opposition Labor Party which does not have a strategy? Would you risk it with the Independents who cause nothing but chaos? I do not think anyone would put this in their hands.
Debate adjourned.
MOTION
Adopt Report – Standing Orders
Continued from 25 August 2015.
Ms FYLES (Nightcliff): Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of Government Business for bringing this on at this opportunity and not earlier today. Obviously this document has had a great deal of work done on it over a long period of time. The review and the development was very time intensive. It is appropriate to acknowledge the staff who have contributed to the review and the report. On behalf of the opposition members and all members, thank you for your efforts and work.
The standing orders are the rules under which our parliament functions. They are the written rules by which we conduct our business. This week it has been more evident than ever how important these standing orders are. They were developed over a long time, and provide us with guidance in this House. It is a very thick document, so we have obviously been working at it for a long time and a lot of effort has gone into it.
I acknowledge I will be moving an amendment in committee stage. We recently had …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! There is no committee stage. This is simply adopting the report. However, I would accept an amendment off the floor of the House to amend the standing orders while we are doing this business here.
Madam SPEAKER: Okay. Thank you.
Ms FYLES: Should I do that now or at the end of my speech?
Mr Elferink: Whenever you like.
Ms FYLES: Okay. Thank you to the Leader of Government Business for correcting me on the process. We want to acknowledge in our amendment that we have had a recent change to the standing orders which ensures that ministerial statements are provided to non-government members – the Independents and the opposition – by 5 pm of the afternoon before the statement. It was a long-standing convention, but the Chief Minister and his government stopped that, which was disappointing because it did not allow those non-government members any opportunity to review ministerial statements or do some research.
I appreciate the Leader of Government Business’ indication that he will accept that amendment so we can continue receiving those ministerial statements the evening before they are presented in the House. It is very important we have that in the standing orders because we have a very secretive government now and we need to have information to hold them to account.
In Question Time, typically, the Chief Minister …
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member for Nightcliff made an offensive comment. I would like her to withdraw it.
Ms FYLES: I should say, ‘Toughen up, princess!’, but I will withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Withdraw, thank you.
Ms FYLES: I withdraw, Madam Speaker.
We have a Chief Minister and ministers who avoid answering direct questions, particularly when questions point to government mismanagement and chaos. The allocations of water licences, ministerial travel and projects such as Richardson Park and the Palmerston hospital are examples of the CLP’s approach to Question Time.
We believe having ministerial statements in the standing orders is very important, considering the CLP’s attitude towards accountability and parliamentary reform. It was shocking to see their crude attempt to get rid of the Speaker earlier this week. We saw unprecedented events in this parliament simply because the government did not like being held to account for misleading and untrue taxpayer-funded political advertisements.
The advertisements were breaches of this parliament’s Powers and Privileges Act. Who was responsible and is accountable for that? It appears that Mr No One, the minister for nobody, has been left to take the blame, even though the Chief Minister admitted the advertisements were conceived, authorised and designed in his office.
When the Speaker of this House took the justifiable step of holding the government to account for a misleading attack on the members, what was the Chief Minister’s response? Did he say he would change the standing orders to make government more accountable to the parliament and the people it represents? Did he say the advertisements were wrong? No. His response was to launch an attack on our Speaker. We have seen that in today’s Northern Territory News. So much for the government’s newfound commitment to accountability in the parliament.
While we are talking about accountability and why it is so important to have that in our parliament with our standing orders, recently we asked some questions in relation to ministerial travel. I will read from the response we were given. It was a query to the Chief Minister about ministerial overseas travel costs. We asked the question:
The response we received from our unaccountable Chief Minister was:
The Chief Minister, though, stopped and refused to read out answers that were in front of him. The answer went on:
We have a Chief Minister and ministers who do not get it. Their contempt for public accountability is offensive to Territorians. If they took the time to talk to real Territorians they would hear that, but they simply refuse to change.
By contrast, the opposition has a firm public commitment to being open and accountable, including reform of Question Time and Estimates Committee processes to strengthen the independence of the Speaker. We spoke at length on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, Madam Speaker, about how we felt your guidance in this House was very fair and independent.
The opposition supports the adoption of the new standing orders, but we have a qualification that we will be moving the amendment. The Leader of Government Business has indicated he will support that because this document was prepared before standing orders needed to come into place. The previous Chief Minister provided statement documents the night before but this government changed a long-standing convention.
We have also sought advice but understand that the adoption of these standing orders will not impact on the current structure of the Public Accounts Committee.
Madam Speaker, this is a detailed document that will guide this House. The changes to standing orders are fairly routine. They will provide us with a document to guide the running of this parliament for you to refer to in allowing debates to occur in the Northern Territory.
I will seek advice from the Leader of Government Business when I have concluded my remarks. I believe the member for Nelson has remarks …
Mr Elferink: Can I just be reassured that the amendment you are about to move has been produced by the Clerk’s office in accordance with the proper vetting process? It is not just something you guys have scratched out?
Ms FYLES: No, it is not something I prepared at lunchtime. It was prepared in accordance with the Clerk’s office process.
Mr Elferink: I will take that on face value because if they have done that we can presume it has been done properly and we are happy to take the amendment in advance.
Ms FYLES: Thank you. The attendants have the copies ready.
Madam Speaker, I move the following amendment:
After the word ‘adopted’ insert:
And, that the Assembly adopt a new Sessional Order as of 1 December which will:
1. suspend the operation of Standing Order 117 and
2. order that when a ministerial statement may be made, a minister may make a statement on:
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I was not expecting this today but I thank the Clerk especially, and the staff who have done a lot of work to bring these new standing orders to parliament. It is a pretty big job to change the standing orders. It is not an easy job and I imagine the Clerk, at times, was frustrated with committee members who were a bit reluctant to say they had read it all in one hit, because it is not exactly bedtime reading.
The good thing about it is we have brought it to a much more readable type of standing orders. The Clerk has made sure the language is more applicable, modern and understandable for people who pick up the document.
I do not have the examples in front of me, but some of the language used in the present standing orders can be a little cumbersome and out of date. The changes to make the standing orders more logical in the way they are set out were important. Again, I thank the Clerk for his hard work in making those changes, which was not easy, so the committee was able to approve those changes.
We know standing orders are extremely important; you only have to sit here at Question Time to find that out. You even need standing orders to try to get rid of the person who makes the decisions about standing orders. Luckily we have standing orders; that person was re-elected because of the way the standing orders are framed. It is good to have secret ballots for voting.
What we have before us will be a set of standing orders that will hopefully stand the test of time for a number of years. I do not wish it on any Standing Orders Committee to change standing orders too often, because it is a large amount of work anyone who wishes to go down that path would have to carry out.
Madam Speaker, I support the standing orders recommended today. I once again thank the Clerk for all the work he has done and other members of the Legislative Assembly who have been part of the committee. As a member of the committee, I would have done 1% of the work and the Clerk and his helpers would have done about 99% of the work. So once again thank you for that. I support the new standing orders.
Mr HIGGINS (Sport and Recreation): Madam Speaker, I was thrust on to the Standing Orders Committee not long after being elected to this parliament. I found that role was a good opportunity to learn the standing orders and procedures. As the Deputy Speaker at the time, I found that very helpful.
I agree with the member for Nelson regarding the amount of work the Clerk has done. The member for Nelson takes credit for 1% of the work and gives the Clerk credit for 99% of the work, but I take some credit for a percentage of the work. The Clerk probably did 98%, the member for Nelson 1% and I did1%.
Hopefully, the new standing orders are much clearer and easier to follow. Everyone in this House – after the goings on this week and issues raised – should take the opportunity to have a good read of the standing orders over the next week so they get a clear understanding not just of the standing orders, but the procedures around them. They are: what are we trying to achieve; why are we here; and how do those standing orders help us?
They are a bit like operating procedures. The expression RTFM has always been used when we get appliances; it stands for ‘read the full manual’. That is a bit like this House. If people want to operate here they should have a complete understanding of the manual.
It is very hard reading, as I have read them a couple of times, but I encourage everyone to read them so if we have a repeat of the processes that happened here during the week, everyone will have a complete understanding of what the steps are and what is happening.
I hope the standing orders will eventually be made available to some of our media people so they also have a very clear understanding. I know the Speaker spends much time trying to explain to people outside of this House what the standing orders mean. But they also should be reading those before they even get a pass to come into this House and report on it.
Madam Speaker, I have a very strong view that the rewrite of these standing orders is way overdue. I also express my thanks to the Clerk for the amount of work he and his staff have done in getting these to the state they are now.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, the problem of being a dinosaur is that I am so used to the old system that I have to work my way through a new document which I am frantically reading at the moment. I am looking for, let us say for argument’s sake, the standing order on digression. However, I cannot find it. The old standing order on digression was Standing Order 67, which I can instantly lay my hands on. I suppose what you get when you become an old dinosaur, as I have in this place – I have been here since 1997 – is that …
Ms Walker: You had a bit of a break for a few years.
Ms Fyles: You had a little rest.
Mr ELFERINK: Yes, I did. But I have been jammed in this building since 1997.
Ms Fyles: I am sure you can retire. Is that why the family is here?
Mr ELFERINK: Sorry?
Ms Fyles: They have come in to see your retirement?
Mr ELFERINK: Yes, they have. That is exactly what I am about to announce. If you would allow me my digression, then that is exactly what I am about to talk about. I seek the indulgence of members, if they could allow me to digress from the subject so I might talk about what I will announce here today.
Madam Speaker, I advised the Chief Minister at about 8 am this morning that it was my intention to not recontest the seat of Port Darwin at the next Northern Territory election. My reason for this is that maybe I have turned into a dinosaur. But I was very careful to pen an e-mail to my colleagues this morning which I signed a short time ago. I would like the liberty of reading this e-mail out. It says:
Since that time – 1986 was when I had my last alcoholic drink – I have stepped forward through life and found it to be the most wonderful, splendid and exhilarating rollercoaster ride it could possibly be. There are some still pretty black depths; there are still some amazing highs. Even after I gave up the grog all those years ago, life did not necessarily become easy or simple. I do not expect that life will be easy and simple going forward. But life is a continuum; it is a journey. It is a place where you travel and enjoy all the exhilaration that comes with it. You build relationships, you lose them, you make things happen in life, and you propel yourself forward with enthusiasm, lust and drive. That is what I try to do. Am I particularly good at it? No. Sometimes I screw up monumentally, as I have done in this job, as all of us will do at some point or another because that is what life is about. The day I walk across a swimming pool will be the day that I come here and try to tell everybody how to live their lives.
I was always attracted to the Liberal side of politics because I am extremely attracted to the notion of liberalism. When I say that, I am not talking about its modern American context; I am talking about its very dry, John Stuart Mill, late 19th century context, particularly as expressed in America. It is the idea that a human being can be free, unencumbered by the state putting its claws into him or her, so long as that human being acts lawfully and in accordance with the laws created through a democratic process.
I still stridently believe in those principles, and will continue to, I suspect, for a very long time to come. The more the state intervenes, the less I see evidence of the state being successful. With passive welfare, those sorts of things, I just shake my head in disbelief. We spend so many billions of dollars on welfare-driven outcomes, and continue to struggle for results.
That was really the philosophy behind the Sentenced to a Job program. It was about enabling people to regain their dignity through effort and their own labours. It is a philosophy that has found its way into so many of my policies, and I am proud of the work I have done.
The NTCAT is not very politically sexy, but it has been one of the most fundamental reforms in the Northern Territory’s judicial history. The reforms of the local courts – barely anybody noticed but it was a bucket-load of work. There were a number of other reforms, such as the building of the new Supreme Court in Alice Springs and making certain the Palmerston hospital will be built on time. Frankly, simply by changing it from a PPP to get it developed as a design and construct model was fulfilling. When the project manager was in, my work was over. I have had tutelage over some 70 pieces of separate legislation, some easy, some hard.
I have continued to work on behalf of the people of the Northern Territory with passion. I love working for the people of the Northern Territory, and will continue to do so, in whatever fashion the Chief Minister asks me to. From now until the next Territory election, I remain faithful to the principles of the CLP.
I place on the record my admiration for this Chief Minister’s vision, not the least of which we have seen in the last few days with the announcement of the pipeline to Queensland. That is passion and drive. That is why I support this Chief Minister and this government. I will continue to do so proudly because of the manifold things we have achieved. But, that is this government, this parliament and this jurisdiction, and all of that is bigger than yours truly.
My wife and I have discussed this over some time – hello, Dee. In that letter I made the observation that I will always work – and have worked – for the true welfare of the people of the Northern Territory. In that letter I made the observation – and I will make it again – not today folks, not today. Today I work for the true welfare of the Elferink household. I am not gone yet, but when my wife and I finally made this decision last night, the yippies and the yakkai-ing down the corridor were impossible to restrain. The neighbour may have known before anybody else that I was intending to do this.
Ladies and gentlemen of this parliament, whilst we bicker, fight and do all the things we do to each other, please let us never lose sight of why the bloody hell we are here. It is easy to do; I am as guilty as anybody else.
That being the case, I am supposed to talk about the amendment to standing orders.
Madam SPEAKER: I thought you had, honourable member.
Mr ELFERINK: I was using that as an example of digression, Madam Speaker.
Ms Fyles: Standing Order 67: digression.
Mr ELFERINK: I could not find it in the new standing orders. It bloody well better be there.
I thank honourable members for not calling me up on digression. Of course we accept the amendment to the motion.
I thank all my colleagues very much, particularly the CLP guys. They have had to put up with my eccentricity and weirdness and all that ...
Mr Barrett: There will be a bit more of that.
Mr ELFERINK: Yes, there is a bit more of that to come.
If I was to be asked today who would form the far better government of the Northern Territory I would without hesitation say a Country Liberals government.
Amendment agreed to.
Motion agreed to; report, as amended, adopted.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, following the Auditor-General’s report on recommendations into members’ fuel cards – as you know a quarterly report is tabled in the parliament – I submit the third quarterly report for 2015 on use by members who elect to be supplied with a government supplied motor vehicle, fuel and associated matters with electorate vehicles.
Mr HIGGINS (Environment): Madam Speaker, I am pleased to table the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority (the NT EPA), Annual Report for 2015-16.
This is the third annual report of the NT EPA. The report demonstrates the ongoing commitment of the NT EPA to improving waste and pollution management in the Territory, and displays an increase in commitment to protecting the natural and environmental values for which the Territory is known.
The report describes the performance of the NT EPA’s functions during the 2014-15 year, in line with its strategic plan. Its key objectives include: the delivery of a storm water strategy for the Darwin Harbour region which provides a basis for improving management of the quality of storm water entering Darwin Harbour; and the rollout of an erosion and sediment control campaign where the NT EPA undertook activities to increase awareness and improve erosion and sediment control practices on building and development sites. Included in this were compliance audits of the premises.
The NT EPA has continued work relating to assessment of environmental impacts of proposals in the Northern Territory. During 2014-15 the NT EPA received 48 projects for consideration under the Environmental Assessment Act, with seven projects requiring assessment at the level of an environmental impact statement.
The development of the NT EPA’s first compliance activity plan in January 2015 …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Daly, can you pause for a moment? Perhaps honourable members might like to go into the lobby with Mr Elferink’s family so we can hear the member speaking.
Mr HIGGINS: With the development of the NT EPA’s first compliance activity plan in January 2015 to June 2016, in the first six months of the plan 23, height inspections were conducted on building sites against an expected 20 inspections to 30 June 2016. The high number of height inspections is attributed to the NT EPA’s erosion and sediment control campaign for building and development sites.
Operation of the 24-hour pollution hotline, which provides an opportunity for the Northern Territory community to report environmental pollution problems and concerns, and receives notifications from industry, exceeded expectations with 304 calls received in the first six months of 2015. This averaged over 11 calls per week. The community plays a critical role, and I encourage use of the 24-hour pollution hotline. I am very sorry to say I encouraged my wife to do that, and she is very active on this hotline.
The development and implementation of an online system, known as the NT EPA online, for environmental protection licences (EPLs) issued under the Waste Management and Pollution Control Act streamlines processes and ensures an integrated and efficient process for proponents. It is anticipated that further development of the online system will include other licences and approvals issued by the NT EPA.
With the continued administration of the Environmental Grants program, a range of environmental projects were supported which addressed the environmental themes of waste. A total of $623 580 in grant funding was provided for 31 projects, comprising five schools projects, 23 community projects and five operational grants.
Adding to its busy work plan, the NT EPA members also met formally seven times in Darwin and Alice Springs with various site visits. The establishment of a strong, transparent and independent NT EPA by this government, as well as the activities of the NT EPA, aligns with the Territory government’s Framing the Future blueprint – specifically the balanced environment, strong society and prosperous economy objectives.
As well as all of this, I highlight that yesterday we released the Hawke report into the regulatory framework that surrounds all of this in the Northern Territory. In the report three options were put forward to improve this regulation. I will touch a bit on the time frames with that. Over the next couple of months, up until late February, presentations will be made to anyone who would like one to get a brief on the report and have some input into how we will consult over the ensuing eight or nine months after that, through to about September 2016. Changes to legislation would then be required and probably would not be implemented until about January 2017.
The final recommendation was to go to option two of the three options, which would take another couple of years.
I highlight today that I have been advised that Hon Greg Hunt, the federal Minister for the Environment, issued a media release today. I will mention two quotes from it:
MOTION
Print Paper – Northern Territory
Mr HIGGINS (Environment): Madam Speaker, I move that the report be printed.
Motion agreed to; report printed.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
I will save valediction for the member for Port Darwin for another day.
I advise the House about an issue of considerable concern to the Northern Territory government and to me. It is, in my opinion, one of the biggest issues facing the Northern Territory, but most people would not be aware of it.
For many years, backpackers have been the backbone of the Northern Territory tourism industry, both as tourists and as valuable workers, mainly in the hospitality industry. But the Northern Territory’s backpacker industry is telling me that Darwin faces a particularly grim forecast. The industry says that occupancy rates in backpacker accommodation are down by about 20% and the average length of stay is also down significantly on previous years.
On top of this is the hit to the hospitality venues, which is twofold. A drop in backpacker numbers also sees a drop in patronage and expenditure at restaurants, cafs, hotels, pubs and clubs. The Australian Hospitality Association says most hospitality traders in Darwin are trading at 20% or 30% down on the previous year.
Equally worrying is the fact that there a lot fewer backpackers to work in Darwin’s hospitality industry. The AHA reports that one popular CBD pub said they have never experienced such a shortage of backpackers applying for jobs in their 20 years of managing the venue.
Apparently, backpackers are favouring New Zealand and Canada over Australia and the Northern Territory. The view within industry is that this backpacker tourism and working holidaymaker migration will only get worse. I am told that the Irish market in particular has plummeted by more than 50%, and that segment is having a big effect on the Northern Territory.
There are many other countries where changes are occurring for their travel plans. The Department of Immigration figures show that in 2013-14 the number of 417 visas granted dropped by nearly 20 000, from 249 231 to 229 378. In 2014-15 it dropped again to 214 830. Big declines were also seen in the number of second year 417 visas applied for by people from Taiwan, down 20.5%, and South Korea, down 14.8%.
I called a meeting with key tourism and backpacking industry people last month to better understand the issues facing the industry and to help come up with marketing solutions with Tourism NT. Tourism NT, the AHA and the backpacker industry provided me with the following picture, and it does not make for a good read.
The data that Tourism Research Australia collects for the international youth market – that is 15- to 29-year-olds – shows visitor nights by these travellers were down 30% for Darwin for the last financial year. Further analysis showed that nights spent at international youth backpacker establishments was down 37%, while the only sector to see growth from this segment was from private accommodation. The average length of stay for the youth market was down to 14 nights from 21 nights.
A job placement business says its backpacker membership is down 40% on last year’s figures. Inquiries for work in the hospitality industry are down 70% at one popular CBD hotel. In previous years it was not uncommon for that business to get 15 to 20 applicants a day, but they are now lucky to see a handful each week. Another business is reporting that working holidaymakers are asking to be paid in cash. Another is saying that there is a big drop in the traditional markets of UK and Ireland, along with the French and Italians.
Many backpackers left the Top End earlier this year. In Alice Springs a reduction in backpacker numbers has also led to the closure of a number of backpacker establishments, including the long-running Toddy’s Backpackers earlier this year.
It is not all doom and gloom for the tourism industry. The tourism industry is up, but the drop in backpackers numbers is a concern. There are, of course, a range of reasons for this. I will focus on one area of greatest common agreement amongst key industry players. Many are laying a lot of the blame on federal government fees and upcoming changes to income tax and residency rules for working holidaymakers. According to the federal budget papers, the changes are set to net Canberra an extra $540m in revenue over the forward estimates.
I am the last person to begrudge a government seeking extra revenue to repay inherited Labor debt, but this may be a short-sighted way of achieving that goal and may result in a net loss. In fact, some 2015-16 federal government initiatives appear at odds with the white paper initiatives that are focused on the development of northern Australia.
Of course, there are also other issues at play here such as airfares, Airbnb and improving economic conditions in source countries such as Ireland, to name a few. But fees, taxes and visas seem to be a consistent and concerning theme at the moment with the latest figures showing 10% fewer working holidaymaker visa holders in Australia, compared with the same time last year. This is not just about the Territory.
Australia is currently around three times the price of Canada for a working holidaymaker visa. Australia charges $440, while the fee in Canada is $150. Canada also has other advantages over Australia. In Canada the age criteria for a working holidaymaker visa is 18 to 35 years, which is five years more than Australia. Further, in Canada under the working holidaymaker visa, you are eligible to work and holiday for up to 24 months – one application, one cost. Under Australian conditions it is 12 months and then you need to apply for a second visa and meet eligibility criteria, that is, have worked 88 days in a specified industry in a specified job in a specified location. This means two applications, two lots of costs and a range of criteria.
I suggest a cost increase in the working holidaymaker fee has definitely had an impact on Australia’s competitive position as a destination of choice for working holidaymakers. It is outstanding that while competitor destinations such as Canada are reducing the cost of working holidaymaker visa fees, Australia is increasing the cost to come here under the guise of cost recovery. It is a false economy by the federal government.
Additionally, the impact of the changes to the tax-free threshold for working holidaymaker visa holders from the 1 July 2016 will further erode Australia’s competitive position for working holidaymakers. Local industry feedback all over the place suggests paying 32.5% tax from the first dollar earned instead of having the $18 000 tax-free threshold will create a disincentive for working holiday visitors coming to the Territory, which our tourism and hospitality industries have come to rely on as a source of essential seasonal labour supply. This tax change message, even though it does not start until July next year, appears to be already out on the backpacker social media channels and is not helping.
Working holidaymakers are entitled to a refund of the superannuation contributions paid by their employer when they leave the country. However, the refund is now subject to a tax deduction of 35%.
Another example I heard recently related to methods being used by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection when monitoring sponsored overseas workers in the hospitality sector. Their recent random inspections have led to the prohibition of many industry players being able to engage in the employment of working holidaymakers, simply because a hospitality manager happened to pick up some plates off a table at the end of a shift. Now they are being banned because they are not allowed to pick up plates as working holidaymakers. It is completely outrageous.
However, whilst this example is causing great concern, I have asked the Minister for Business, Mr Peter Styles, to write to federal Immigration minister Peter Dutton, placing the significant concerns of the NT government on the record and demanding there be changes to the way policy is being implemented, monitored and measured, as well as the other policy parameters.
On the positive side, there are some changes the federal government should be commended for. They include:
changes to the working holidaymaker and work and holiday visa holders program which will allow the ability to work up to 12 months with one employer if the individual works in a high-demand sector – including tourism and hospitality – in the north. This is up from six months at present
new arrangements for the work and holiday visa in northern Australia scheduled to commence on 1 July 2016 will apply to the tourism and hospitality industry, as well as the agriculture sector, which will allow these visa holders to apply for a second visa. This will create a new opportunity for this much smaller cohort to apply for a second visa not currently available to them.
These changes have the potential to give northern Australia an edge in marketing to this cohort and will be reflected in future international workforce attraction activities by the NT government. These are good initiatives, but more needs to be done.
Madam Speaker, I have a few more pages and I am mindful of the time. I can table these notes which I have presented to you for incorporation into Hansard. I am at the whim of the Chamber.
Madam SPEAKER: I am comfortable. I have read the notes and it is suitable to incorporate them into Hansard.
Ms LAWRIE (Nightcliff): Madam Speaker, I give my sincere and deepest thanks to a remarkable Territorian who I have had the pleasure of working with for seven-and-a-half years. I speak of my former electorate officer, Kerry Wetherall, who has taken a leap of faith, a career change, and has been accepted and is currently undergoing training as an Aboriginal Community Police Officer. Kerry, I believe, will not only make an exceptional and outstanding ACPO, but I hope she will go on in her career to become a fully-sworn police officer. I have given her the challenge of becoming the first Indigenous Police Commissioner in the Northern Territory.
I met Kerry about a decade ago when she was a young single mother. She was a parent on the Karama school council. I watched this dynamic, intelligent and insightful young woman pour her passion into improving the educational outcomes for the children of Karama school. She has enormous compassion as well.
I started to pursue her for the position of electorate officer in my Karama office. She gave me a merry dance for a few years because she was enjoying running Softball NT. She particularly enjoyed the travel to remote communities that being the coordinator of Softball NT afforded her. She had the two loves of her life going on in softball and the sporting festivities – namely softball – in remote communities.
Persistence sometimes pays off and after a couple of years she finally gave in and came to work with me at the Karama office. Kerry has been my solid rock through an incredibly tough past seven-and-a-half years, because for all that time I was either a minister, a very senior minister or the Leader of the Opposition. Only at the very end did I have the joy of becoming a full-time local member again when I stepped down from being Leader of the Opposition. Kerry and I had a very brief time fully immersed together in the office.
As a rock she did everything for me and with me, but most importantly to me, she did everything for the people of Karama and Malak. We get such a variety of issues through the door, and Kerry dealt with them in her calm and confident manner. She knows it is important to me that we treat everyone with the same level of dignity and decency when they walk through the door of the Karama office. We have many mental health clients there, many people coming in and out of the electorate due to residents living in public housing, and people travelling in from remote communities. I like to think we are a very open and welcoming office for all the clients who often are shunned in government buildings. The way you treat people – if you are really kind, generous, caring and take on board their needs and try to do something about it – you get back in spades.
Kerry had a great way of assisting and working with people all those years in the office. She learnt so much; she also taught me so much. When I say she was my rock, for the majority of that time I was a single mum and Kerry was a single mum. Kerry has four kids she raises as a single mum, but in addition she has three foster children she has had for years, particularly the little ones, Maxina and Bettina, since babies. She has had Douglas since he was primary school age and he is now senior school age. Her own beautiful four children are JiaLi, Serena, Tristan and Naomi. Naomi has a daughter, beautiful little Samara, and it is has been great to see that gorgeous family growing up over the past decade.
We have done it tough on campaigns together with my three kids – plus I had a fourth one for quite a few years – and Kerry’s seven. It is safe to say our campaigns were filled with the noise of lots of children. Her kids have camped at my place and my kids have camped at her place. She likes to tease me because I always had a rule when my kids camped at her place: they were not allowed to play with the incredibly large snake Kerry had. I would be travelling and she would send me photos of my kids with this ridiculously large snake draped around their shoulders just to freak me out.
She came to functions and events with me because, as a single woman, I often needed an escort to a multitude of events on weekends, Friday and Saturday nights. Kerry was always by my side at those events. I was so proud to have her as my partner at those events because she knew her job was to make sure she engaged with the partners and spouses of my guests so they would feel included rather than ignored and left out of the dinner table conversation. Kerry did it so well that the wives of some of the great industrial leaders across the Territory think the world of her, as do many of the businessmen she came to know well over the years by being my escort and partner at events.
She has always underestimated her talents. She has an incredible array of talents. One of the things I was determined to do with her while she working with me was encourage her. Part of that encouragement was to ensure Kerry did the national Indigenous leadership program. I thank the former Clerk of the Assembly, Mr Ian McNeill, for allowing Kerry to go through that program as part of employment study entitlements through the Legislative Assembly to support professional development. Thank you, Ian, for your great support with that.
Part of that program was block releases to go down south to attend forums and workshops and be trained. She travelled across the Territory as a part of the program. She had to do a couple of practical projects to graduate from the program. I am talking quite a few years ago now, probably about six years ago.
One of the practical projects we decided on, working and nutting out together what she could do, was to create a girls program at Sanderson Middle School. At the time, Clontarf existed; we had boys’ programs across the Territory schools but no girls’ programs. Kerry knew the young Indigenous girls at Sanderson. Her eldest, Naomi, was there at the time. They all said, ‘It is not fair; the boys have this program, but the girls do not have a program.’ We nutted out how to create the girls’ program at Sanderson Middle School.
We could not get any funding out of the Education department, so I got agreement from the minister at the time for us to do a trial. I also got agreement from the Assembly at the time so Kerry could, as a part of the professional development program, be released from my Karama office one day a week and be at Sanderson Middle School to run the program. The program trial would be evaluated independently and a report would go to the national leadership program.
That happened, and that year proved the girls flourished under a girls’ program. It led to the evidence that helped us successfully argue to get girls’ programs funded across some of our Territory schools.
Kerry, quite frankly, without that pioneering work you were prepared to do, we would have waited for many more years to get the girls’ programs funded at our schools. We know from the DVD that was made of the girls who went through that program as part of the reporting that it was genuinely life changing for them. Many of them said, ‘I would have had a baby by 15 if I had not done that program’.
Kerry, as deeply sad as I was to contemplate working in Karama without you by my side, I am equally excited for you for the opportunity you now have to fly. You have helped me fly; you have been my rock and you have kept me happy and laughing through the insanity and the crazy work hours I have had. We have a deep and enduring friendship. She still partners me at functions even now she has left the office, so that does not change. A bit has changed in that she is not working with me every day.
Thank you for helping me fly, Kerry Wetherall. You are an exceptional person, and I will watch so proudly when you fly as an ACPO and then fly into those stripes of being a police officer. Thank you, Kerry Wetherall.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I will read a letter from some constituents of mine from Knuckey Lagoon. I think this is the letter published in the NT News on 3 November. It was addressed to the Minister for Lands and Planning, Mr David Tollner MLA:
I ask the Chief Minister, as Minister for Indigenous Affairs in the Northern Territory, what happened to the reports the government was doing in relation to the future of Knuckey Lagoon and the 15 Mile? It was split between the Minister for community affairs, I think it was, now Local Government, and the Minister for Lands and Planning. We did not get a response and the lack of that response is shown in the desperation of these people at Knuckey Lagoon.
These people do not own their own houses; they are leased to Yilli Rreung. The houses are on Aboriginal Development Foundation land. There is no democratic committee in these communities. There are good people who are said to be the leaders on each community but none have been democratically elected by the community. There has been serious violence and a number of suicides on this community.
This community is not out bush; it is five minutes from Karama shopping centre. It could be anywhere until a plane flies over and you realise it is next to Darwin airport.
The government needs to take some decisive action. I know there are issues about a perpetual lease but why should these people not have the right to own their own house if they wish? They were the questions I asked two years ago at least, and of the previous government. Now you are seeing it come from the people themselves. There is a real issue that needs to be sorted. People are starting to become dejected about being given the opportunities to take control over their own lives, to own their own house, form a community where people who represent them are democratically elected and where they also have the right to say the area is not for certain people so they do not have people coming into that community who do not get permission to enter. That is one of the major problems.
Some of these areas have a tradition, from many years ago, of people coming in and staying. One Mile Dam, which is also an issue that needs to be looked at carefully, was visited by people from Belyuen. My wife’s family lived there. That was one of the traditional places they went to.
The Knuckey Lagoon community has many people – not exclusively – who come from the areas around the Daly and Adelaide Rivers. A number of the young boys I used to look after would stay there when they left Daly River. The 15 Mile community has Maningrida people from Jabiru. Now people drift into all these places, but there are major social problems on those communities.
There are people who are trying to do their best to raise their family and get their kids to school, but some of these communities are dysfunctional. You only have to go there and look at the amount of cans littering these places. There is a major problem with alcohol in these communities, so much so some of the houses have signs on them saying, ‘This is an alcohol-free house’, which must be hard to enforce.
The government should listen to the people of Knuckey Lagoon and say, ‘This is what we are going to do. We, at the very least, should talk to the people.’ I am not saying we bring something from the top down. What you need to do is talk to these people who have written this letter – sit down amongst those people and work through the issues from the bottom up. You need a solution that is driven by those people but helped by the government.
Why do people have to continue to live in third-world conditions at the 15 Mile 100 m away from the suburb of Johnston, with all the flashest houses in the world just across the road and the wall to block it from the Palmerston residents’ view? How can we say it is fine?
I have been to open days at Knuckey Lagoon and could not believe the number of organisations that turned up. But does anything change? Nothing. It is time for decisive action. We now have a Minister for Indigenous Affairs, the Chief Minister. He needs to take control of this issue and do something positive for the people of Knuckey Lagoon and the 15 Mile.
Mrs FINOCCHIARO (Drysdale): Madam Speaker, tonight I give my sincerest and most heartfelt thanks to the amazing staff who work at the Darwin Private Hospital Jabiru Ward.
Seven weeks ago today my husband Sam and I were very surprised to end up in the Jabiru Ward of Darwin Private Hospital five weeks earlier than we expected. It was a pleasant and exciting surprise, but a surprise nonetheless. We were greeted by many friendly and some familiar faces, which made our journey to parenthood a warm and comforting one.
Sam and I thank Marie, a wonderful midwife and family friend, for looking after us on Wednesday night as we puzzled our way through tests and more questions being raised than answered. On Thursday morning we were greeted by midwife Dee, who I know for her hard work and commitment to the Palmerston Football Club, of which I am patron. It made all the difference to me having you there by my side and your advice and skill was hugely important to Sam and me.
As the day progressed we said goodbye to Dee and hello to midwife Alex, who took the baton. Alex did her very best at letting me sneak off the monitors against the doctor’s orders, but she always managed to coax me back and make me feel happy about it. By the end of the day I was greeted by what felt like a million midwives all scrubbed up and ready for action. I wish I could remember some of your names and faces, but by that stage things really were a whirlwind and a blur.
Off to the theatre we went ready to meet our new baby. I will never forget lying there listening to Peter, the anaesthetist, and Alex and the other midwives squabbling over what song we should play when the baby was born. Soon enough, as the clock struck 5.49 pm, little Isla Grace Finocchiaro-Burke was brought into this world, and it was the most exciting and amazing moment of our lives.
I especially thank Elsa in recovery who took such wonderful care of me post-op. I just wanted to go to sleep but bless her, she kept waving those little ice cubes all over me to make sure I was getting my feeling back. ‘Please Elsa, let me sleep.’ I felt very comfortable and safe in your care and for that I thank you.
We were so fortunate to have Chris, who I have known for years through SIDS and Kids, working in the special care nursery that day. It meant I could rest knowing that Isla had the very best of care.
Over the course of the nine days we were in hospital we had the very best of care. It felt more like living in a dormitory with friends and family than being in a hospital. We had the most wonderful time and Isla and I received first-class care. I say a special thank you to midwife Barb, who looked after me for most of the nine days. She would come in and run through the mandatory list of questions and then we would sit and have a chat. Barb also took my desperate and frightened call when Isla got a temperature when we were first at home. She helped calm me down when, as a new mum, I felt scared for my baby daughter.
Marilyn, Trudy and Chris in the special care nursery were Isla’s angels. These three amazing, completely different women carried out the majority of care for Isla. As it turned out, Marilyn and I had a connection as she had cared for one of my cousins some 20-plus years ago when he was in the special care nursery. I never had to worry about Isla being in the nursery and, in fact, I loved spending time in there chatting to the midwives and getting as much advice and information as I could. I was like a sponge absorbing what collectively would be more than 100 years of mothering, nurturing and midwifery knowledge.
I thank all of the midwifery staff who I spent varying degrees of time with, but all of whom were kind, friendly and endlessly helpful. Sam and I thank Dee, Barb, Marie, Marilyn, Alex, Stacey, Cheryl, Kara, Angela, Kelly, Lindsay, Kelly, Pauline, Joy, Trudy, Cess, Retha, Matt, Chris, Amanda, Gretel and Julie.
I cannot forget to mention the amazing support staff to the ward, which includes catering staff, housekeeping staff and patient services. We ate the most delicious food over those nine days and looked forward to every meal time without fail. We had the most immaculately kept room and patient support all served up with the biggest smiles and friendly faces. A huge thank you to Gazalla and Karen, Marlin, Anna, Amy, Jess, Georgina, Michael, Trang, Tess, Jess and Cearene for providing that support service to the ward.
A further friendly face was Julie, who is the mother of one of my husband’s groomsmen, Adam. She is also the manager of the maternity ward and runs the most beautiful team of people. Julie, you must be doing something right because the ward had an amazing feel and good culture.
I am happy to report that seven weeks on Isla is doing very well and I am slowly getting the hang of being a mum. This week has been a challenge and a new adventure for us, being in parliament, but given we are in adjournment on Thursday evening, we have survived and done very well.
A big thank you to my mum for helping me out this week. Without you all the wheels would have fallen off.
To the Jabiru Ward, without your initial support I would not be as confident as I am now, so thank you. At some time in the future we will be back.
I also thank my work experience student, Liam Mulvahil. Liam is a student from MacKillop College. When I signed him up to be my work experience student we had not anticipated little Isla would want to come into the world so soon. Poor Liam did not get to spend any time with me because he was my work experience student just two weeks after Isla was born when we had only been at home a handful of days. But I made sure he was very well looked after. My electorate officer, Angie, did a wonderful job shepherding him to the number of activities we very quickly organised for Liam to make sure he had a fulfilling and action-packed time in the electorate office. We wanted to give him as broad an experience as and as many different interactions as possible.
I am pleased to report that Liam attended the Palmerston Seniors Advisory Meeting, which was run by the City of Palmerston. It is collectively made up of approximately 20 high-profile senior contributors in Palmerston and the rural area. It is a very lengthy meeting that discusses a number of serious issues relating to seniors in Palmerston and the rural area. No doubt Liam would have learnt something different as he would never have been to a meeting of that sort before. I am sure he gained a greater understanding of how a local member can contribute in those types of forums.
He also had the opportunity to spend time with my colleague, minister Chandler. I thank him very much for taking Liam under his wing on that day. Minister Chandler took Liam to Riding for the Disabled, which is a wonderful organisation in Marlow Lagoon, providing support and education to disabled riders. It has a beautiful paddock and horses, and all sorts of different activities. I am sure Liam would have enjoyed that immensely. Minister Chandler also took Liam to the Palmerston 50+ Club, which is a wonderful casual social club for people over the age of 50 at Gray Community Hall. It would have been enjoyable, and no doubt he would have had the privilege and opportunity to enjoy some of Cath’s morning tea.
Liam was also able to attend the Youth Advisory Meeting with minister Elferink. I thank minister Elferink for spending time with Liam. Liam also attended a dementia-friendly communities meeting. All the Palmerston MLA offices are dementia-friendly spaces and I am part of the dementia-friendly communities committee, making Palmerston a dementia-friendly place. Liam had the opportunity to engage with the information session that occurred.
My colleague, the member for Blain, Nathan Barrett, also spent time with Liam and I thank him for that. I also thank the Chief Minister, who spent about half a day with Liam. They took part in various activities, including attending Palmerston Senior College and the Special Education Centre. They paid a visit to Ausdesigns in Yarrawonga, which is run by Helping People Achieve. They visited the Palmerston Men’s Shed, attended Durack Primary School and a Palmerston Combined Probus Club meeting, as well as attending the concrete pour at the Palmerston hospital, which I made a great deal of effort to get to. I am sure that part of Liam’s week will be immortalised in history as one of those interesting activities he attended. It was probably a little insight into the life of a politician and the things we go to, and what happens afterwards.
Liam is very intelligent, efficient, punctual and well-dressed and he took on every task he was given. I have known Liam since he was a little boy because his mother was my Year 6 and Year 7 teacher at Sacred Heart Primary School. Now she is the Principal at Sacred Heart Primary School, and Liam’s dad is Kevin Mulvahil from AACo.
Liam, you did very well. I wish I could have spent more time with you. I have spent time with you over the years. You are growing into a wonderful young man, someone your parents are very proud of, and rightly so. If there is anything I can do for you in the future, my door is always open. I hope you got good marks for your work experience. In my and Angie’s eyes you got 10 out of 10. Well done, mate, and I will see you at MacKillop College sometime soon.
Mrs PRICE (Stuart): Madam Speaker, as we are near the end of 2015 I reflect on some good news stories in my electorate of Stuart. As a traditional owner of a beautiful part of my electorate it is always satisfying to contribute to the function and the future of it. When I came into this position I took great pride in being able to represent all people who elected me, not only blackfellas and Yapa, but Kurraya and Balanda who gave me this opportunity.
Recently I visited Camfield Station in the northwestern region of my electorate to catch up with constituents. There I met people from working cattle stations across the Top End. It was so lovely to take the time to sit around and listen to the challenges and successes they experienced. People such as John and Susan Stafford form Camfield Station and Carley Bidstrup from Montejinni Station are some of the most hard-working and friendly people you could meet anywhere – they care.
My parents worked on stations with people like them. Life was hard for everyone then but I never heard them complain. Now I am starting to see more of our young people working as proudly as our old people used to.
In late October I attended the Indigenous Business Forum in Alice Springs, which gave me confidence for the future. I met young Aboriginal entrepreneurs with ideas and motivation, like Daniel Johns from Timber Creek who has set up a private enterprise, Bradshaw & Timber Creek Contracting and Resource Company Pty Ltd. That is a successful business and he is doing great things. Dan has been mentored by Greg Kimpton and John Janson and their families, who have worked with Aboriginal people all their lives. Dan has become a leader in his community and a mentor to other Aboriginal people who want to get involved with business. The Bradshaw company employs a team of Aboriginal people from the local area on large contracts, which are increasing in time. This is one example of Ngariman people working alongside Balanda or Kurraya to get the work done. These are not training jobs anymore; they are real jobs with real futures. Working together we are getting the job done.
Policies are instrumental in raising the bar. Through the Office of Aboriginal Affairs the remote contracting policy is instrumental in achieving this. The policy stipulates that a 30% Aboriginal employment rate is required to be met on all Department of Infrastructure contracts over $500 000, and 70% of smaller contracts in remote communities. This is across any Northern Territory government agency, meaning works such as essential services, housing and civil works are going to local Aboriginal people and their businesses. This is ensuring people like Dan can start to grow their businesses and be leaders of our future.
I was pleased to see a result of this recently also in the electorate of Namatjira at Docker River where Anangu were working on the housing upgrades. This is the point of difference when now we are seeing local people engaged in work instead of the workforce being brought in from outside. Local jobs for local people is an achievement of this government for which I am extremely proud. These policies are reflective of the changing times and we are starting to see the rewards in our communities across the Territory.
Even when I go to the Top End communities I meet all of these enthusiastic young Aboriginal people, young rangers, young fellas who are working in Warruwi with the repairs and maintenance on the houses who are so proud to see me when I tell them I am a minister in this government. They look at their hands and my hands and they tell me, ‘You, me, same’. They tell me, ‘We see you all the time on TV, now we see you alive. It is really good and I want a photo with you.’ That gives me a thrill to connect with the people out bush and encourage these people, whether they are in Warruwi, Santa Teresa, Robinson River, Borroloola, Weemol – anywhere. I want to see Aboriginal people working, holding down jobs, because it gives them pride. I encourage them.
One individual achievement I acknowledge is the win for the CLC ranger and master cat tracker from my region, Christine Michaels-Ellis. Christine, who was working as a support worker for the environment and native wildlife officers, won the Award for Outstanding Frontline Achievement. The Ranger of the Year is part of the Parks and Wildlife NT Ranger Awards. I add that Christine comes from Nyirripi . I have been in the Tanami country tracking cats with my family. It is a big thrill going out on country and doing that. Christine is another example of a proud and motivated Warlpiri woman achieving great things for the Territory.
These achievements of individuals in my electorate show me optimism is entering our communities and lifting the spirits of people. I see communities starting to take charge of their destinies, and individuals working together to make changes. People are speaking up. As a minister of this CLP government and the member for Stuart, I am listening.
This year in the seat of Stuart we have achieved a great deal, including:
the grants to regional councils helping communities with equipment to manage their council capital works, for example, the much-needed cattle grids at Yarralin and Yuendumu
support of the Territory Tidy Towns Awards with winners across the electorate of Stuart in Kalkarindji, Pine Creek, Daguragu and Yarralin showing the pride people have for their towns. Congratulations to Mount Liebig for taking out overall winner, which was a great win for our neighbours
a tourism grant for Mataranka Roadhouse to upgrade its facilities
finance for morgues with $5m towards the upgrade of 16 morgues and construction of four new ones. These are much-needed resources for all remote communities
the Telstra rollout across remote Australia, which will also assist many communities in the electorate of Stuart – another great achievement of this government
the launch of the remote engagement coordination strategy and the remote procurement policy
upgrades to all the houses in Nyirripi with 43 houses completed and 12 already handed back. I will be there tomorrow handing out awards to people who have been looking after their houses. It will be great to be back in my electorate, especially in that part of the country.
In closing, I commemorate my old brother-in-law, Teddy Egan Jangala, who was posthumously awarded the highest police honour, the Valour Medal for Bravery for his work as a tracker in 1967 when I was only seven years old. This has made his family immensely proud. Many from my community have worked with the police – my uncle Gavin’s older brother, Andrew Spencer, my cousin Roy Curtis Tjupurrula, my brother-in-law, Thomas Rice Jangala. Many others have worked with them for most of their lives. I am proud that when my father was a young man he helped track down a man wanted for murder.
I thank the Northern Territory Police for honouring the work of Aboriginal trackers and Aboriginal Community Police Officers. I also thank them for the hard, difficult and often unappreciated work they do protecting our communities.
Madam Speaker, these are good news stories from the past, present and future. It is our job, as members of parliament, to keep those positive stories alive.
Ms MOSS (Casuarina): Madam Speaker, I place on the record my congratulations to the member for Drysdale – it was lovely to hear her news – and Sam on the arrival of baby Isla, who is very sweet. It has been lovely to meet her. That was lovely news.
This evening, first of all, I raise some issues around my electorate, then I will talk about some of the positive things that have happened in the youth area over the last six weeks or so.
I have spoken briefly in this House before about the volatile substance misuse workshop which was held in my office in response to some issues raised by stakeholders in the local business and retail precinct. It went exceptionally well. I have been very pleased since to see a number of partnerships formed by the people who were at that meeting, including between one of our local youth services, The SHAK, and some of our biggest retailers around Casuarina. It is uplifting to see people willing to partner in that way and give back to programs that are making a difference to young people in need around the northern suburbs.
We have some exciting things happening around our business and retail precinct. Anybody who lives in the northern suburbs will not have missed all the work happening at Casuarina Square. It will be a bit dangerous to have a chocolate caf over the road from my office but I am willing to deal with it and I will let you know how that goes.
In April there was a relaunch of The SHAK. It is a very well-respected organisation that has gone through different iterations over the last few years. The member for Blain was at that launch and a media release was issued by the Minister for Young Territorians and the member for Blain about working with local Casuarina businesses on a range of issues that have been raised by business and retail stakeholders in the area to do with antisocial behaviour and young people.
The media release dated 24 April said:
An e-mail was issued in July asking people to attend a meeting to discuss some of the issues raised. Those issues were around volatile substance misuse – which was at a height at that time – property crime around our business and retail precinct, public intoxication and camping and public amenities in the area. I believe that meeting was held on or around 23 July. I asked to attend that meeting but was told repeatedly by the minister’s office that it was a closed meeting and I could not. I was disappointed about that.
I understand that at that business meeting local stakeholders were given the undertaking that the meetings would occur on a six-week basis and that subgroups would form to address some of the issues raised. The Minister for Business can correct me if I am wrong, but I do not believe that group has met again since July. It should have met at least twice by now. This is a plea to the Minister for Business and Minister for Young Territorians to follow up on those issues with those local businesses.
We have a range of issues around antisocial behaviour in our business precinct, particularly with alcohol use and public intoxication. Defecation is still occurring around our Casuarina children’s centre and the staff there are having to deal with that on pretty much a nightly basis. Any assistance you could provide them would be greatly appreciated. I am enjoying working with the business community on a range of issues.
I move to some of the great things that have been happening with young people in our community. Madam Speaker I do not need to tell you the Commonwealth Youth Parliament was in our Chamber two weeks ago. There were about 55 young people from across Commonwealth nations in this House debating. It was amusing, fun and a great experience for everyone involved. They undertook a range of activities from learning about the legislative process in the Northern Territory, how committees work – they had a mock committee with people from CDU and some of our local law firms who gave evidence. Thank you to the people who participated in that mock committee. They learnt about dealing with the media. I believe Alyssa Betts, one of our local reporters, was part of that session. Thank you to Alyssa. We heard from a range of local members from across Commonwealth nations about what it means to be a local member.
It was a great pleasure to participate in that program as a mentor. The other mentors were Akierra Missick, Deputy Premier of the Turk and Caicos Islands; Rebecca White from Tasmania; Drew Smith from Scotland; Gavin Schuker from Britain; and Gareth Ward from the New South Wales parliament. We all had a great time.
We probably were a little too much into the debate at times and were called strangers on the floor of the House at one point, but there was a great debate on a human rights bill. There was a vote of no confidence and a government walk-out at one stage; they really got into it.
I was mentoring the Independents Betty-May Bibi, Marcellus Baxter Enlanga – who joined a party – and Clare McCorkindale, and we gained an Independent, Garrick Garvey, on the last day. It was a pleasure to get to know those young people and hear their stories. They represented Australia, New Zealand and other countries.
The Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Minister, Cassandra Attwood and Andrew Newton, changed roles mid-program when the government lost the vote of no confidence. They provided excellent leadership to their groups and should be very proud of their performance throughout the week.
A massive thank you and acknowledgement to Ben Harris, our Serjeant-at-Arms; Michael Tatham; and Karen Parker in Parliamentary Education. I really do not want to miss anybody so I thank everybody involved with bringing the program to the Northern Territory, including all the CPA staff who came and participated throughout the week. It was good fun.
Thank you for your hospitality also, Madam Speaker. I know those young people enjoyed themselves.
Over the weekend I had the opportunity to meet with Kaleidoscope participants from Multicultural Youth NT. Kaleidoscope is an annual youth leadership summit held in Darwin. I was pleased to provide some support to that this year. They go on a retreat for a few days with mentors from Multicultural Youth NT, who are renowned for their excellent work and advocacy for other young people. They talked to me about the projects they are looking to get off the ground.
Those projects range from issues about climate change, drug and alcohol-free activities for young people, greater access to theatre and music programs in Palmerston for young people and a body image project and how we can get body image workshops in schools, which is an issue that is close to my heart. It was lovely to hear from them about some of the things they would like to see in their community. I have opened my door to them and I hope others do as well. They are inspiring young people who are contributing so much to our community.
I also take the opportunity to talk about the Midnight Basketball Darwin competition which has been held in Marrara over the last six weeks. It is an eight-week program run by the City of Darwin. There are around 50 young people involved in that program. They currently have a waiting list because of how many young people are interested in joining that program, which they have found out about through word of mouth.
It gives young people, especially those at risk, something to do on a Saturday night. They are enjoying the program. There is a no-workshop, no-jump policy, so they go through a range of workshops with local stakeholders, including police and community services. They talk about a range of important topics over the course of the eight weeks.
There are brilliant young people engaged in the program. I congratulate Richelle Hedstrom, Brittany Ward and Freya Bundey from Red Cross, who have put an enormous amount of time into running the program. I hope to see it expanded. It would be great to see that program in Palmerston and to keep it going in the northern suburbs.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Katherine): Madam Speaker, tonight I talk about the Country Liberals government’s commitment to connecting regional centres across the Northern Territory. For some time, the Transport minister, Peter Chandler, and I have been discussing the need for a regional air route. We have worked hard behind the scenes to make this dream a reality. In fact, it was the opposition – and I would be hazarding a guess that it was 2010 – which began a conversation with Airnorth to look at the possibility of re-establishing what was colloquially known as the milk run. It is wonderful to see it finally come to fruition.
Last month, on 19 October, minister Chandler and I were thrilled to be seated on the inaugural – as they now call it Centre run – Airnorth flight between Darwin and Katherine and all points beyond, including Tennant Creek and Alice Springs. This service is committed to connecting all Territorians, looping between Darwin, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs and back again later that day.
Getting this service off the ground was not an easy feat, but I am pleased we were able to go through a positive negotiation process with Territory-owned and operated business Airnorth. I commend my colleague, minister Chandler, on his tireless efforts in making this happen.
The Country Liberals government has made no secret of its commitment to developing the north. It is the only way we will see the Territory reach its full potential in the future. This new air service is another sign of that commitment. By partnering with Airnorth to deliver this air service, we are connecting Territory businesses with the outside world. The feedback from business operators in my electorate of Katherine has been overwhelming.
We are also connecting people, making it easier for them to get in and out of our regional centres. That is an important consideration for people who are considering a permanent move to somewhere like Katherine, making it a much more attractive place to live.
Then there is the connection to tourism. This new air service is making our major tourist attractions more easily accessible to everyone. Places like the magnificent Nitmiluk National Park, Mataranka thermal pools and the majestic scenery of the Victoria River region are a few examples of those, or the – I have to get the pronunciation right, the member for Barkly might help me here …
Mr McCarthy: Nyinkka Nyunyu.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: … Nyinkka Nyunyu – thank you, member for Barkly – in Tennant Creek, one of Australia’s finest cultural centres.
Then there is Alice Springs, famous for its traditional art and natural wonders, including the stunning Larapinta Trail and the MacDonnell Ranges which surround it.
In the first two weeks of the service operating, 278 passengers took advantage of the new Centre run route. That was a great outcome for the people of the Northern Territory. This route will be trialled over a two-year period with the aim of a permanent service once the viability has been tested. I encourage Territorians and visitors to make the most of this service and ensure it has wings for many years to come.
Airnorth has committed to operating the service on Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week. That service departs from Darwin at 7.30 am, arrives in Katherine at 8.15 am, and then goes on to Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, returning in the same day, arrives back in Katherine a bit before 4 pm, if my memory serves me right, and then continues on to Darwin. It is quite easy, particularly for visitors to Katherine, to come down just for the day. They can be in town by 8.30 am if the flight lands at 8.15 am, with 15 minutes into town. They can do a day’s work there and be back at the airport in the afternoon in time to catch the flight back to Darwin.
Travelling in the other direction from Katherine to Darwin, one of the most convenient aspects of this service is that you could spend a weekend in Darwin – escape from Katherine and do what many people do, a bit of shopping over the weekend or take advantage of the attractions of Darwin and the night life – leaving on Friday afternoon, then be back in Katherine landing at 8.15 am on Monday morning, ready for work later that morning. If you were an 8.30 am or 9 am starter on the Monday, then you could most certainly be back in time for work.
I am very pleased to inform the House that I have already used this service several times. Aside from being extremely convenient, Airnorth also provides the very best of service, making it a quick and enjoyable journey. It is only 45 minutes between Darwin and Katherine.
It is important that I also mention affordability. The flight from Darwin to Katherine costs as little as $149 one way. That is pretty darn competitive, considering the cost of running a vehicle if you are going to drive between Katherine and Darwin. Then there is also the time factor – a three-hour drive versus a 45-minute flight plus a little lead-in time either way.
Airnorth’s commitment to keeping prices low means this service is accessible to the vast majority of Territorians. I am not sure what the other fares are, but they are available to be viewed on the website. A number of people I know in Katherine have used the service to travel south as well, to get to Tennant Creek and Alice Springs because it is, for them, one of the most convenient ways to do so.
I am terribly proud to be part of the government that has delivered this great service to the Northern Territory. I encourage people to use this service. At the time of announcing the commencement of the service, we made no bones about the fact that government is subsidising this service for a trial period. That came with the further advice that the cost to government could be significantly reduced if many people use the service. That translates to more bums on seats on this service will mean the government has to subsidise it less. I hope the service gets to a point where it will be viable and stand on its own two feet.
It is heading in the right direction. I travelled on the service from Darwin to Katherine a couple of weeks ago and noted that the service was about two-thirds full, which I thought was a pretty good effort. It was a 30-seater aircraft. To have two-thirds of the seats taken on that flight was a pretty good achievement. It probably bodes well for the future of that service and its viability.
Madam Speaker, again I thank the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, minister Chandler, for his support. I would be right if I said the previous ministers for Transport – I think minister Styles and the Chief Minister – have also had a hand in getting this service up and running. As the member for Katherine I appreciate the efforts of my ministerial colleagues in making this happen. I am extremely proud to be, as I said, a part of a government that has brought this milk run service back. It is good to see that after so many years it is flying again.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Speaker, traditionally we define 1 December as the start of summer. If anybody was in the Barkly last week in 41 and 42 you would have had a hard time convincing Territorians summer is not already with us. With summer we see the activity at night in our regional towns across the Territory.
The first part of this adjournment is another appeal to the Chief Minister for some support with youth services in Tennant Creek. The Chief Minister knows this story very well and understands it from the perspective of Alice Springs. I raise it with the Chief Minister and the important staff he has listening to this broadcast, because there was a promise, going back to February 2015. Tennant Creek was promised $525 000 to support youth services.
We have realised $40 000 of that money and we thank you for that. It has been allocated to the Barkly Regional Council, which is making some repairs to the Youthlink youth services building in the Purkiss Reserve, the youth, sport and recreation reserve.
I have been asking over a number of months now for the balance of those funds to be released. It is interesting to note that in October 2015 in a media release from the Chief Minister, you allocated $951 000 in funding to Alice Springs Youth & Community Care Centre Inc. I know the YMCA in Katherine has received over $500 000. Now is the time for Tennant Creek.
We recently opened our new swimming pool, which complements the Purkiss Reserve sport and recreation precinct. We have a swimming pool, a Youthlinks Building, basketball courts, a gym and an AFL ground that is lit. Much of this co-funded infrastructure, for the member for Stuart, has related to previous governments which were Labor governments. We have some very good infrastructure to work with.
The remaining balance of $485 000 would go a long way to support activity plans of our youth leadership group in Tennant Creek. It would go a long way to support a holiday activity program that is normally coordinated by the Aboriginal organisations and the Barkly Regional Council. We have some very dedicated officers in the Barkly Regional Council who are keen to support youth programs. We have a very generous volunteer base.
That money release to the Barkly Regional Council to support the human resources – to start to look at employing youth workers and to buy in youth services, particularly youth mentors, artists, dancers, performers, athletes, role models – would go a long way to addressing what has already been emerging as a problem with antisocial behaviour at night on our streets in Tennant Creek. A number of business owners have challenged me recently and I said I would contact you via the opportunity in adjournment because I know your staff are monitoring these broadcasts upstairs. I have also supplied copies of your media releases, previous parliamentary Hansard transcripts – and your address as we know where you live – and those business people will be contacting you also to reinforce what the local member is saying.
It would be great news if we could see the release of that meagre $485 000. I reiterate that it is perfect timing. This youth leadership group in Tennant Creek, in partnership with our youth officers and youth workers, could put together significant programs over the coming months, utilising that sport and recreational infrastructure precinct and getting kids active and involved, and providing meaningful activities. As the locals say, ‘to wear them out, make them tired so they head home and go to sleep’. That is an important request.
Chief Minister, I have made this request numerous times now. We have not heard from you but it would be great if we did. You can forget about me and go directly to the Barkly Regional Council, the Tennant Creek youth leadership group, and those funds will enhance their ideas and support them for the oncoming summer months, which you understand are the very challenging months in our regional towns and remote communities throughout the Territory.
To the Minister for Infrastructure, Hon Peter Chandler, there is another call for the Sandover Highway. My lobbying for the Sandover goes back a long way. I can compare the budget for the Sandover with a previous Labor government. However, let us move on as you are now in charge of a budget that, for all intents and purposes, you are crowing is in surplus. There are lots of cash reserves and you have an infrastructure fund. We hear about other major arterial roads and their upgrades. The Sandover Highway now needs some serious attention. I have been contacted recently by the pastoral community. Once again I provided them with your details, and I have encouraged them to back me and communicate with you directly.
I acknowledge the department. Thank you very much because some of my lobbying has secured some very important work resealing some serious bulldust sections on the far northeastern end of the Sandover close to the Queensland border around the remote town of Alpurrurulam. It was great to see that work completed because there were very dangerous sections of road.
There is considerable work going on around Annitowa Swamp, and I thank the minister for that flood immunity work. But the critical section is between Alpara and the Plenty Highway. The pastoral community, which no doubt will be contacting you, is now faced with increased charges to freight stock because the trucks refuse to use the Sandover Highway.
Many of those in our export industry with cattle going south from high-productivity areas are now faced with transport operators that are going further up the Stuart Highway, coming in through Ali Curung and down through Murray Downs to access that part of the Sandover. That is creating considerable increases to their freight costs. That is important dollars off their bottom line and they are now very concerned. There are also families and pastoral residents travelling to access services in town who are incurring considerable damage to vehicles.
We recently witnessed a grader and a maintenance grade start well and truly way behind program time. Normally I would expect to see three graders in a full maintenance grade operation. This year it has been very late. It seems to be very under-resourced. The pastoral community, the Aboriginal communities, the tourism industry and the beef cattle industry all share the concerns. We acknowledge your road infrastructure investment across the Territory, but you cannot ignore other high-productivity assets that deliver considerable dollars and safety for Territory residents.
Finally, I have corresponded with the Minister for Housing. It was interesting to hear her talking of her recent visit to Elliott. I will not go through the infrastructure and services that were delivered in Elliott in my four years as a previous minister and in my time as the member for Barkly, but one area I will fess up to is I was unable to solve the housing issue.
The minister visited Elliott and gave a short synopsis of the reaction she received. l will give you the other side of that. I was there very recently. The minister has offered $3m for housing repairs. That is money most welcome, and I acknowledge that. However, the hook is she is offering $3m for the Elliott community to set up an Aboriginal corporation.
I have painstakingly gone through what this means in reality with some of the leaders in Elliott who understand the constraints around setting up an Aboriginal corporation with $3m, then inheriting a housing repairs and maintenance legacy which will go into tens of millions of dollars.
May I ask that the offer of the $3m be directed through the Barkly Regional Council to be delivered on the ground by locals? There are some very talented local people experienced in housing repairs in Elliott already. They have a plan to buy in contractors to make safe the electrical and plumbing for the accredited outcomes, and it would seriously get the project moving.
Madam Speaker, we have great concerns about the minister’s rather disingenuous offer of $3m attached to forming an Aboriginal corporation that she knows would consume those funds, leaving an unfair housing legacy from her government for the good people of Elliott.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of the Darwin High School Senior Intensive English Unit, accompanied by Peter Stretton. On behalf of honourable members, welcome to Parliament House.
Members: Hear, hear!
STATEMENTS BY SPEAKER
Members’ Survey
Members’ Survey
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have circulated the 2015 Members’ Survey. I ask that all members complete the survey so I can return them to the Table Office before today’s adjournment if that is possible.
Conduct of Media in Press Gallery
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it has been brought to my attention that during the debate on Tuesday there may have been rules breached in the parliament, notably, people in the media gallery taking photos of the Chamber and things of that nature. They were extraordinary events. If members have concerns about anything untoward which has taken place, please write to me. I assure you that breaches will not be tolerated. If anyone has any concerns please let me know and I will ensure it does not happen again.
NORTH EAST GAS INTERCONNECTOR PIPELINE (SPECIAL PROVISIONS) BILL
(Serial 143)
(Serial 143)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of the bill is to make special provisions in connection with the North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline project. This project is a major infrastructure project that represents a significant investment in the Northern Territory’s energy sector that will support the development of both onshore and offshore gas resources.
The North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline project involves the construction and operation of an underground gas pipeline and associated infrastructure. The pipeline will be approximately 630 km in length and will allow the transport of gas from Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory to Mount Isa in Queensland.
Major projects such as the North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline project are all expected to operate within the Territory’s existing laws. However, there are circumstances where it is necessary to modify the Territory’s laws to enable the project to be constructed and operated in the most practical way. Where this is required the approach has been to identify and clearly set out in legislation the modifications to existing Territory laws.
Following consultation between the Territory and Jemena Northern Gas Pipeline Pty Ltd and its legal advisers, I am pleased to report that only a handful of modifications have been found necessary to support the project.
The bill requires that applications made by Jemena Northern Gas Pipeline Pty Ltd to ministers, government agencies, statutory corporations and local government councils related to the project must be given priority.
The bill creates statutory rights in relation to road and waterway crossings. These rights are required to maintain continuity of the pipeline corridor. The rights are exercisable with the relevant minister’s consent with conditions, after which the North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline may be constructed and operated. The grant of these rights may be subject to conditions concerning matters such as safety and construction.
The bill creates a mechanism to enable authority certificates issued under the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act in connection with the North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline to be relied upon by project participants, including contractors subject to the same conditions, whether the project participants were the applicant or not.
Jemena Northern Gas Pipeline Pty Ltd is negotiating with owners of the land comprising the pipeline corridor. The tenure being negotiated on parts of the pipeline corridor contained within the pastoral lease is an easement. The bill makes it clear that an easement in gross may be granted over pastoral land. The easement, when granted, will be subject to the law of the Property Act.
Finally, the bill provides that the pipeline corridor is exempt from the subdivision requirements of the Planning Act.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and table the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS
Pass Bill through All Stages
Pass Bill through All Stages
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent the North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline (Special Provisions) Bill 2015 (Serial 143) passing through all stages during the December sittings.
The main reason for doing this is that the legislation has precedence, most notably for INPEX and its project, the railway line and the Bonaparte gas pipeline. This legislation provides certainty to investors and still complies with all laws within the Territory, as well as requirements at Territory and federal environmental levels.
With the time frame we are working on to have construction completed by the end of 2018, and gas flow through by 1 January 2019, we need to work quickly. Clearly, the 30-day time frame for passing legislation, from when it is introduced to passing, would mean it would not be passed until February.
I had an opportunity to provide a briefing to the member for Nelson, and the Chief of Staff for the Leader of the Opposition was afforded some communication in this regard. The legislation only came into my hands yesterday, which is one of the reasons it was not sent around sooner.
This is about providing certainty to industry and companies, while adhering to government laws, but allowing for construction activities to get on and build the pipeline.
Mr GUNNER (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I thank the Chief Minister and his office for the provision of advice on why urgency was needed in this instance. As Territorians know, we support the North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline, and we understand the need for commercial certainty and a delivery date.
There are similarities with the discussions and decisions we made during the delivery of the Ichthys project. There is a significant difference between 1 December and mid-February. When you look at the time frames for what we are discussing, that would be a significant difference and a hardship to the project.
We make decisions on a case-by-case basis when it comes to discussions on urgency in this House. In this instance, we are very happy to support the urgency request. I again thank the Chief Minister and his office for the advice we have received.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I thank the opposition members for their support in this regard. This is not ‘gotcha’ legislation; this is about certainty for the Northern Territory. It is a sensible approach that will give indicators to the rest of the country that the Northern Territory is a safe place to make investments in something provided certainty by government, particularly for this significant legislation and project.
I afford the opportunity to every member of parliament, if they would like to contact me, to have a briefing on what this is all about. I will make all of our staff, as well as departmental staff, available to provide a briefing in that regard. Should anybody wish to have a chat with Jemena I am happy to arrange those conversations so they can talk to you about their project.
I bumped into the member for Barkly crossing the floor the other day and said if he would like more information about the pipeline I am more than happy to provide that. I know there is a big meeting in Tennant Creek on Friday at Battery Hill where there will be project proponents briefing the local community, the Chamber of Commerce, potential contractors, potential staff and Indigenous organisations about the benefits and opportunities coming up. I will not be able to make it; I am not sure if the member for Barkly can make it.
Madam Speaker, I commend this bill to the House and look forward to further debate in December.
Motion agreed to.
SUPERANNUATION LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 132)
(Serial 132)
Continued from 26 August 2015.
Mr GUNNER (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I thank the Treasurer for bringing the legislation before the House. I indicate that the opposition will be supporting this bill.
The bill proposes amendments to the Superannuation Act and NTGPASS rules. The amendments will empower the Commissioner for Superannuation to transfer adherent or retained NTGPASS accounts to a chosen successor fund. A key provision is that adherent members will not be able to stay with NTGPASS.
The trustees of NTGPASS and the receiving fund need to be satisfied that the transfer is in the member’s best interest. If they are not satisfied with the chosen successor fund, adherent members can nominate an alternative fund. Once the adherent accounts are transferred to the successor fund, the transferred members will have access to a range of services not offered by NTGPASS. The bill does not close NTGPASS for active members.
NTGPASS adherents or retained members have largely resigned or retired from the NT Public Service and crystallised the Territory-funded defined benefit. Two-thirds of the group no longer reside or work in the Territory. I understand the government has consulted broadly with effective members of the scheme and with the CPSU, which is a sensible approach.
It would be remiss of me to not briefly mention the historical role of the Labor Party and the broader labour movement in the creation of compulsory superannuation in this country. I am sure even the Treasurer, who has worked in the industry, would acknowledge what an outstanding success compulsory super has been for everyday mum and dad retirees, but also for the broader economic strength and resilience of this country. It should serve as a reminder that we need to think big with creativity, imagination and courage to secure the long-term prosperity I am sure all members of this House want to create.
Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, once again, I thank the Treasurer for this bill. I am sure I have repeated many of the things he said in his second reading. I commend the bill to the House.
Mr TOLLNER (Treasurer): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his support of this bill. I spoke to the Leader of the Opposition about it and made personal contact with member representatives of NTGPASS, explaining what was being put forward and that this is a considerable opportunity for retained members of the fund to access better services that are beyond the ability of the Northern Territory Government and Public Authority Superannuation Scheme to deliver. In that regard I am very happy for the support of the opposition on this bill.
It was an interesting discussion. It is worth mentioning that after speaking to the member representatives of NTGPASS, they consulted with their relevant union organisations and the like. I was contacted by phone and this person – I will not name him – said to me, ‘Dave, I have raised it with everybody concerned. They are all supportive of it. They are not necessarily sure what it means. The fact is we know you, and we know you stand up for members of superannuation funds. We trust you when it comes to making sure members’ interests are looked after and we are happy to take your guidance on this.’ I found that rather flattering, but it is good legislation.
Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I thank the opposition for its support.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Mr TOLLNER (Treasurer)(by leave): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third.
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY MEMBERS’ SUPERANNUATION CONTRIBUTIONS AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 133)
(Serial 133)
Continued from 26 August 2015.
Mr GUNNER (Opposition Leader): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I thank the government for bringing this bill before the Assembly. I indicate that the opposition will support it.
The bill provides for the members of the Assembly to nominate complying self-managed superannuation funds for employer and employee contributions. It will allow members the flexibility to choose a product suitable to their circumstances.
NT public service employees have had the ability to nominate a self-managed superannuation fund since 2004 under the Superannuation Act. A number of state jurisdictions have enacted provisions similar to those contained in this bill. I trust the members of the Assembly will take the appropriate advice before nominating a self-managed fund.
Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, these are sensible amendments and the opposition supports them.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, today I speak not just as the member for Goyder but also with the knowledge I have from my role as Speaker about the origins of this legislation, which will bring members into line with the rest of the community concerning their ability to hold superannuation in self-managed superannuation funds.
It is not well known in the community at large that the generous defined benefit superannuation scheme which previously applied to members of the Legislative Assembly was closed to new members 10 years ago. Many people in the community have a misapprehension that all members in the Assembly will receive a golden parachute if they lose their seat in the Assembly. This is not correct. Except for two members elected prior to 2005, this is not the case. Just like any other Territorian, members have to contribute to their superannuation schemes if they want to top up the compulsory contribution of 9.5% required by federal law.
Considering members are now treated just like any other Territorian, it came as a surprise to a number of newly-elected members to be advised by the Clerk of the Assembly that they could not hold superannuation from their compulsory contributions in a self-managed superannuation fund.
The act being amended in the Assembly today expressly prohibited it, which required the Clerk to enforce it. The Clerk brought this to my attention as Speaker. I subsequently wrote to the government suggesting it consider an amendment on the basis that there is no good policy rationale and the change will cement members of the Assembly as being totally aligned with other Territorians in their contributions and ability to choose an approach to their retirement planning through either an established superannuation scheme or through a self-managed scheme.
On that basis I am pleased to support the legislation before the Assembly today. On the passage of this bill and its enactment into law, it will be even more apparent that members, just like everyone else, have to manage their affairs to ensure they can retire either on their departure from the Assembly or from a subsequent occupation.
Mr TOLLNER (Treasurer): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I thank again the opposition and other members supporting this legislation. In particular, I urge members to heed the advice of the Opposition Leader, who said he is happy to support this, but urges members to seriously seek financial advice before entering into a self-managed super fund. That is sage advice, Leader of the Opposition. There are differences in operating your own superannuation fund – certain complexities and the like. I am not giving financial advice but it is not an easy thing to manage your own super fund.
I go further than the Opposition Leader did and suggest that members should, if they are operating a self-managed superannuation fund, take advice from the Clerk in relation to how their investments are declared. Of course, with a regular retail or industry fund, there is very little say where money is directly invested. In many regards, those investments are very much at arm’s length of the member. With a self-managed super fund, members could find themselves in certain circumstances with conflicts and the like when making direct investments that should be declared to the parliament.
Madam Speaker, having said that, on this side of the House we believe in personal choice and that people should be able to make their own decisions about their own investments. For that reason I commend the bill to the House.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Mr TOLLNER (Treasurer)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
October Business Month
October Business Month
Mr STYLES (Business): Madam Speaker, the Country Liberals government is pursuing a vision for the Territory with an economy, lifestyle and environment that is the envy of the nation.
We recognise that an innovative, dynamic, skilled and responsive local business community is vital to ensuring economic growth. The private sector is the engine of economic growth and local businesses are central to our economic activity.
This year we celebrated the 21st year of October Business Month, a Country Liberals government initiative that, apart from acknowledging the significance of local businesses, delivered an exciting range of events that provided professional development opportunities, encouraged networking and provided owners new ideas to inspire and grow their businesses.
October Business Month, as we know it today, spans across 31 days delivering across all regions of the Territory. It has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1994 when originally known as Small Business Month where 699 people attended 12 organised events, including the launch of International Business Week, leadership seminars and a weekend focusing on women in business. The then Country Liberals government, through its Department of Industries and Development, saw that as a part of its work with both established and prospective business operators, the promotion of an entire month for business people would be beneficial to a fast-growing Northern Territory economy.
The Country Liberals government based the event on the belief that businesses and individuals, not government, are the true creators of wealth and employment in the Northern Territory and around the world, and that businesses, however small, are the driver of the nation’s economy, underpinning growth and innovation and providing jobs for all Australians.
As the Territory’s Business minister, I am proud of October Business Month and the work of my department in delivering such a mammoth event in support of local business. October Business Month gives Territory businesses access to top-class speakers and events, which otherwise might not have visited the Territory because of our size and distance from other states. Big names in business, industry leaders and inspirational individuals make their way to Darwin and our regional centres throughout the month. October Business Month has now become a feast of inspirational, educational and professional development events, supporting local business to advance and compete in the ever-changing business world.
There is no doubt this Country Liberals government initiative was visionary and has stood the test of time. Territorians have voted with their feet in support of October Business Month with a record this year of 9332 people attending 183 events. It has been a brilliant year for October Business Month, with the Country Liberals government putting a strong focus on women in leadership, Indigenous business, finance, marketing, social media, business technology and business in Asia.
On 1 October Ruslan Kogan, founder and CEO of Kogan.com, officially opened the month of events in Alice Springs and then Darwin. Ruslan shared his start-up story and how he has become one of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs. He grew his company into a multinational consumer electronics and online retail business with millions of customers. In nine years the company has gone from garage to global, becoming one of the most efficient retailers in the world. Ruslan shared his story to help inspire budding business entrepreneurs.
Founding RedBalloon in 2001, Naomi Simson became one of Australia’s tech success stories. From an idea and persistence, RedBalloon.com has now sold more than two-and-a-half million experiences. Some of those in Darwin and the Top End include exploring Darwin’s natural harbour, with experiences such as sailing, fishing and jet boating, or for those seeking more of an adrenalin rush, hot laps in a V8 race car. Naomi shared her trials and tribulations as an entrepreneur, speaker, director, chair, mother, author, blogger, innovator and now TV personality as a shark on Shark Tank Australia. Getting an insight into what it was like for Naomi working with big brands such as IBM, Apple, KPMG and Ansett Airlines – all of which influenced who she is today – was a real pleasure to those in the audience at the Darwin Convention Centre. Naomi is committed to making the world a better place by sharing tips on happiness and business lessons, and advice to those on their own career journey, entrepreneurial or not.
October Business Month provides a platform for Territorians to network and meet industry icons. A very vibrant Lisa Messenger, game-changing Editor-in-Chief of Collective magazine, and owner and creative director of the Messenger Group, is one of those icons. Collective magazine is a top-10-selling magazine in Australia which distributes to 21 countries worldwide. Lisa has worked globally in events, sponsorship, marketing, PR and publishing. She has authored more than 17 books and is a regular commenter on business, entrepreneurialism and property. She has also sat on a number of boards, including the Australian Businesswomen’s Network and Publishers Australia.
Lisa is a three-time finalist in the Telstra Businesswoman of the Year Awards, and won Alumni of the Year for Southern Cross University. She trekked across India raising money for charity, has ridden camels in the Sahara just for fun and has laughed her way through communal showers in the Costa Rican jungle in the name of personal development. Lisa is a great example of utilising passion to challenge individuals and corporations to change the way they think, take them out of their comfort zone and prove there is more than one way to do anything. This is a skill she encourages and her entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, innovation and living life to the absolute max is evidence of her success. I am told that most mornings she wakes up and pinches herself as to how incredible her life is, but she is also acutely aware and honest about life’s bumps and tumbles along the way. Lisa is a serial entrepreneur, an avid traveller and, like Territorians, has a fascination for continual growth.
High-calibre keynote presenters continued through October Business Month with David De Garis, NAB’s Director and Senior Economist providing an outlook for the Territory and what these factors mean for the economy and businesses to a small group in Nhulunbuy.
Industry icon renowned chef and restaurateur Matt Moran took to the kitchen at Wharf One Food & Wine, and provided an exclusive industry master class for a small eager crowd on 21 October with some of the NT’s leading head chefs and restaurant owners. The food was true to his paddock-to-the-plate style, embracing delicious, honest food using locally-sourced Territory produce.
Matt also joined hundreds of NT business leaders at the Darwin Gala Business Dinner where he spoke from a base of personal experience and knowledge. Matt’s story – from a simple background, his journey to success and his pitfalls and triumphs along the way – was motivating and inspiring.
Four-time Olympic Gold medallist and businessman Stephen Bradbury brought a fresh and uniquely Australian feel to Tennant Creek and Alice Springs keynote events. His start-up story was truly inspiring.
Our final presenter, Carolyn Creswell, founder of Carman’s, inspired audiences in Darwin, proving that you can run a multinational business and still love what you do and have a genuine work/life balance. Carolyn’s determination has seen Carman’s build a strong following in more than 32 countries around the world. As a proud mother, Carolyn spoke about the importance of producing nourishing foods for herself and her family, and how she applies this philosophy to every Carman’s product. Carman’s celebrated its 22nd birthday this year, proving her business model success.
Those exceptional keynote speakers led a month-long program of world-class presentations, workshops and seminars, professional development programs, training, business dinners and networking opportunities, all of which were of low cost or free, to support the Northern Territory business community.
For 21 years October Business Month has supported small- and medium-size businesses to gain a competitive advantage through expanding their networks and deepening their business acumen to accelerate business growth to the next level.
As I said previously, it was a Country Liberals government’s vision that OBM would help encourage Territory business growth, capacity and capability through opportunities for professional development, innovative management ideas and networking opportunities across a host of industries.
Territory business people take advantage of the professional development opportunities and attended as many OBM events as possible this year. With more than 9000 Territorians attending, I argue it is achieving its vision.
October Business Month relies on the extensive support and active involvement of the business community through partnerships with local and national business sectors, industry associations and other government agencies to deliver more than 183 events across all regions of the Northern Territory. This support ensures a comprehensive program of events that suit existing businesses, entrepreneurs, start-ups, export-ready businesses or not-for-profit organisations, whatever the industry sector.
Asian engagement has been a key theme for 2015, complementing the ongoing government policy of planning for the future of northern Australia.
The turnout for these events has been quite astounding. Highlight events include renowned motivational business speaker, Li Cunxin, commonly known Mao’s Last Dancer, talking about winning international businesses for the Northern Territory. His forum showcased services available to Territory business communities under the Invest NT and Trade Support Scheme, while delivering a thought-provoking and insightful account of his life. Li Cunxin is a remarkable man with a remarkable story. He has published an incredible book about his extraordinary life.
We were lucky enough to hear Li recount his determination, perseverance, vision, courage, hard work and, in particular, the sacred family values and integrity he learnt in poverty-stricken China, which has driven him to become one of the best dancers in the world. He told of how the sixth of seven sons born to peasants grew up worshipping Mao Se Tung before defecting to the United States. His heartfelt account inspired all in the audience and is proof that it is possible to overcome life’s toughest challenges and create something better for yourself.
Hundreds of delegates gathered in Alice Springs for the 7th Indigenous Economic Development Forum. The two-day forum is one of the largest Aboriginal economic development-focused forums in Australia and gives Aboriginal people in business the opportunity to develop new skills and network. In his opening address, the Chief Minister, Adam Giles, stressed the importance of Aboriginal business and employment in the Territory, especially in relation to the Developing the North agenda.
The forum also heard a powerful keynote speech from Robert Louis of the Westbank First Nation, Canada, who spoke of Indigenous economic development in his country. People from across the Northern Territory as far as Wadeye, the Tiwi Islands and Arnhem Land travelled to the Red Centre to attend the forum, a key event in the October Business Month calendar.
I take this opportunity to thank all those involved in the organisation and presentation of October Business Month over the past 21 years. I recognise the hard work by the public servants in my Department of Business and others, and the vast array of presenters, keynote speakers, attendees who showed up in their thousands and the sponsors who hosted the events across the Territory.
As Business minister, I make this pledge to local businesses: the Country Liberals government will ensure October Business Month continues to deliver innovative ideas and educational business development options and opportunities to meet others seeking to establish and grow their companies here. Our success in developing the north depends on all of the above. It gives me great confidence that we have a vibrant business community that is forward-looking, which puts us in a great position for future growth. For our part, we will work hard to continue to stimulate the economy of the Northern Territory. This is what Country Liberals do and it is their way.
On behalf of the Northern Territory government, I thank the 2015 OBM sponsors for their generous support and commitment to the local business community. It is through this valued sponsorship that the program is a success today. Our platinum sponsors were the National Australia Bank, Area9 and Charles Darwin University. Our gold sponsors were Paspalis and Sensis. Our silver sponsors included Merit Chartered Accountants, PwC’s Indigenous Consulting, the Institute of Public Accountants and Darwin Corporate Park. Our media and major in-kind sponsors were Hot 100, Mix 104.9, Southern Cross Television, Territory Q magazine, the Darwin Convention Centre, Sun 969, 8HA radio and the NT News.
Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the statement.
Mr GUNNER (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I welcome the statement from the minister on October Business Month. I believe this is a good statement which acknowledges the work done by the many staff, businesses and others in this month of showcasing Territory business.
Labor is a big supporter of the October Business Month program and the work that has to happen through the year to make sure these commitments can happen around the Territory. It is a fantastic opportunity to talk to business. The concept of October Business Month is a very good one which we acted on in government to expand and grow, and I endorse the efforts of the minister to do the same.
We need to evaluate the work we do and look critically at what has to be changed and what more could be done. After every October Business Month we think about how we can better engage with and talk to business. That is one of the great advantages of October Business Month. I spoke with many people in the business community, as you do during the year, but OBM draws them together to hot spots to have conversations. I will spend time today canvassing my responses to the issues raised with me during this month.
Labor strongly supports the growth and expansion of business across the Northern Territory. We view economic and population growth and development through the prism of creating jobs. Having a job gives us all a chance to live decent lives, and provides a reason for our children to stay and develop their lives here. Creating jobs drives population growth as well as our development. It is critical to make sure we can deliver good services, so we have to a focus on how we create those jobs. It needs to be at the centre of government. I believe the majority of jobs need to be created through the expansion and creativity of the private sector.
You have to consider how government can support and underpin the growth and talent of the private sector. That is what a future Labor government would do, as I believe previous Labor governments have done. We will do so by providing certainty in government and policy, transparency in our relationships, investment that leverages more investment and a dedication to a coordinated promotion and marketing of the Territory that will chase major projects and markets for existing industry. I intend to unleash and embrace the innovation and emerging technologies we have in this world, and the creativity of the Territory’s own private and public sector, to do that.
Over the last three years certainty has not been a word you would use to describe anything done by this government. It has been quite a shameful episode in the Territory’s history. We have seen 20 Cabinet reshuffles in three years and policies have been made on the run through endless thought bubbles. We need stability and certainty in government. Proper process requires good consultation and policy testing, and we are committed to this. I do not believe government should go through 180 turns. It annoys me when a new government comes in and changes something simply because the other mob did it.
To build certainty for business, a Labor government will publish a rolling 10-year infrastructure program. That program will be designed to show businesses the work coming forward to allow them to plan for future works, but also to make their own investment decisions knowing what government will do and when.
Labor will invest in an extensive infrastructure program because construction creates jobs in the Territory, and key infrastructure investments can leverage private sector investments and expansions, jobs and population growth if you get it right. It is critical that we get that right.
We will be a well-planned, big-picture government. I want to provide certainty and growth to our capital city. I am prepared to give certainty to the Darwin city centre by backing the City of Darwin CBD master plan. I am a pro-CBD person. A CBD must be the crux of any city and help shape its character. We need to consolidate and develop the CBD in Darwin and work with Palmerston to consolidate and properly grow its CBD.
I support urban infill, with proper thought applied to community services, community space and transport with the proposed development of Berrimah Farm. With the creation of village nodes and consolidated commercial and residential development along the Stuart Highway through that growth corridor, we can let the rural area be rural.
That is why, if given the gift of government, over the course of its first term, a Labor government will put all the planning in place to allow those investments and that expansion to happen. Over the course of a second term we will put infrastructure in place for an expansion to Weddell in case that is needed to turn land off rapidly. We have to have learnt our lessons from that housing crunch, and we have always have to make sure any future government, whether it is Labor or CLP, has that capacity to turn off land to meet the demand pressures in the Northern Territory. We have to plan for the future. It may be a future government that benefits from decisions a Labor government makes, but you do that when you work in the best interests of the Territory.
Our economy does not centre on Darwin and Palmerston alone. Our regional centres require certainty as well. I have always believed that Alice Springs is uniquely placed to dominate national thinking as the inland capital of our country and to be a destination in its own right. We need to make sure we invest in Alice Springs with those ideas at the forefront of our minds. Especially as someone who was born in Alice Springs, I feel it has sadly often been defined more by its negatives than its positives. There is a lot to be positive about with Alice Springs, and we should embrace the positive sides of our Territory. Tennant Creek should be our future Mount Isa. With the pipeline that will connect Tennant Creek to Mount Isa, I believe Tennant Creek is well placed to be the mining and mining services centre of the Territory.
Katherine has many options going forward, but Defence figures largely in its future. We are committed to expansion, where possible, of the Defence presence to the north, as I am a supporter of the United States’ pivot to Asia.
I congratulate the Master Builders Association and several key construction companies who have established a plan for local industry involvement and expansion of the Defence presence. It is the type of forethought and planning that should be done by a government. The private sector has given government a comprehensive lesson on how planning should be done. Its presentation is very impressive and will be a key part in keeping those Defence investments in the Northern Territory local as much as possible.
Keeping it as local as possible should be a key theme of government. Government’s procurement program should be focused on building local capacity and employing locals. I will be providing detail on how we intend to tackle this issue in the future.
A key factor in promoting certainty and expanding jobs will be through our support for small business. Labor will ensure the infrastructure spend by government includes strong levels of repairs and maintenance, minor capital works expenses and contract sizes that allow small to medium businesses to get their share and be competitive in that space. We need to work with small and medium businesses well in advance of major projects and prepare them for their role. That is crucial. If you have a 10-year plan you can see what is coming up and make sure you work early with business so it can have the capability. You never say that local business is not good enough. If you do not think they can get there, give them the information and advice well in advance so they can have the capability and competency to get that work. Make sure we give local business every opportunity to get their share. That is why we need to help build the capacity of local business.
For over a decade the government has run small business productivity and support programs, which are strongly supported by Labor and will continue. They get a very good airing during October Business Month. However, it is now time to work with businesses to see if these programs are the right ones, what else is needed and who should be responsible for the delivery and coordination of this program. There is always room to have conversation between government and business. Where business can do business, let business do it. Let us have a conversation with them about some of the capacity and see if we can work with them and shift things over. It is always timely to have those conversations.
There is increasingly a need for programs that foster innovation in small to medium businesses. Our review of these programs will be done with small businesses and will go beyond information by survey. We will talk with businesses about what they want. Labor also wants the views of small business on whether this program should be funded and delivered through peak bodies such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Master Builders, the Housing Industry Association or the Property Council. There is a range of good private sector peak bodies which are capable of delivering things well-tuned to their membership.
In addition to certainty, consultation is critical. Consultation relationships in government must be transparent and be of a widely-spread group. I want to ensure all business has a level playing field; there will be no favoured circle under a Labor government. I believe the Labor government’s Business Round Tables were a very useful mechanism for getting people together to discuss business issues. Going back in time to when Clare Martin was Chief Minister and introduced that, I thought it was an excellent and important consultative mechanism.
Governments and oppositions should not, and cannot, act in a bubble. They must take advice, listen and learn from what is happening on the ground. The best way to do that is to make sure you are open to all opinions and as available and accessible as possible. You have to trust people; in trusting them they will then trust you back. Trust is at the heart of consultation.
I have said we will invest in infrastructure to create jobs. Our investment will be aimed at leveraging private sector growth. We will, as a government, continue to expand and develop the oil and gas industry, bearing in mind at all times that we must protect the environment. We have worked very well with INPEX and ConocoPhillips, and have good relationships; we can be trusted to get that balance right.
I will continue to push for diversification and strengthening of the different sectors. The tourism, primary industry, international education and defence industries all continue to have strong support of government. We have a good opportunity to diversify, and the government is doing some good work in that space, but a Labor government can provide stability, certainty and trust. We can get that right faster because trust is critical when you work with communities and business communities.
Labor will reinstate the Team NT approach that was pioneered by my mentor, Clare Martin. The team will work to me – if I am ever given the gift of being Chief Minister – and my senior ministers, with Territorians from across political lines as well as the business and community sector. It will be charged with the responsibility of promoting the Territory to Australia and the regions. One of its first tasks will be to help stem the flow of Territorians leaving us for life interstate. We have a significant concern about population numbers, losing over 3500 Territorians last year in interstate migration. That is very concerning and should be ringing alarm bells. We have to make sure we address that loss of talent and skills. It is one of the greatest threats to our economic and social future, and it affects our economy across the board. We must get population retention right.
It is critical that ministers and members of the public sector travel, but travel needs to be open, transparent, tested prior to departure and reported on when ministers travel overseas. We have to get that right and we have a very good policy in that space. It is important to be transparent.
I have always believed the future of the Territory requires innovation. It is very much how we built the Territory. The can-do attitude was very much about innovation, thinking creatively to solve problems that were often created by remoteness and distance. We have challenges with climate, long distances and isolation, and we need to make sure we harness what is a strength. It can be seen as a problem and a challenge, but it also provides opportunity. We need to look at the technology that exists around the world and how we can embrace it.
The accelerating explosion of digital technologies is producing profound changes and no sector of the community, economy or business will be untouched by this revolution. The march of the much more sophisticated, powerful and cheaper digital technologies is inevitable. Technology can conquer distance. We have to be thinking very creatively about how we access this. Utilising technology well will lead to a healthier, smarter and more prosperous society. It is the key to creating a fairer and more harmonious community and protecting our unique natural assets.
When it comes to technology, it can confound the tyranny of distance if we get it right. It can deliver world-class health and educational services at a fraction of the current cost. It can create new industries. It can supercharge the ones we already excel in. A failure to embrace this juggernaut and change will guarantee lower growth, employment and wages, and less opportunity. We have to get it right when it comes to the new world and new technologies. That means we have to be a creator and not just a consumer of the technologies.
There are many disruptive technologies around today that will change our future, but there are three we can see right now that are impacting: driverless cars; Tesla batteries; and 3D printing. South Australia is taking a lead on this already. It has held a global conference on driverless cars and is trialling driverless cars on the road. It is embracing this and working out what it means for them. We have to think about this because it will demand new planning arrangements and have other impacts. They are coming. If you want to be ahead of the curve, you have to be planning ahead of the curve. You have to be thinking about it before it hits.
There is massive conversation amongst the business community and in the general community about the storage of power. There are more companies than Tesla doing it, but Tesla is the one getting the headlines. It will cause us to completely rethink our attitudes to power, which we have to be thinking about now.
More than anything else, you can see exactly how 3D printing will change the Territory. Necessity is the mother of invention. Our remote communities can become the front line of innovation and technology. If we get 3D printing right and out there, and allow free innovation and imagination, we will find some amazing solutions and ideas come forward from our remote communities. It is very pleasing to see the Arnhem Land Progress Association embracing that already. We need to be thinking about our approach to 3D printing and manufacturing down the line.
It is a matter of urgency that we think about our innovations, proposed solutions and what we export to the world. We have that capacity to connect with intellectual property and embrace it. We need to discover how we adapt these technologies and innovations into our society as a matter of urgency.
To do that we need a cultural evidence-based policy, a public service genuinely independent and free to provide fearless advice, a reform to government to make it open, flexible and responsive to the needs of Territorians through the use of digital technologies, a clear whole-of-government ICT strategy and a procurement policy around that which backs locals and fosters innovation and creativity partnerships with the university, business, the arts sector and the community, and which thinks and creates to make sure we get innovation hubs going, and going well. We have to find a way. There are plenty of different models around the world we can look at. Let us make them Territory models. You have to try different models. Let us get it right around innovation hubs and get people thinking creatively.
We have to get our grant schemes around innovation and start-up right. We have to make sure we are fostering local solutions and local ways of embracing technology and change. In order to do that, it is important that Territory Labor adopts the same position that federal Labor has taken with introducing coding of Territory primary and secondary schools. Let us make sure we are a forward-thinking, future-thinking government that is embracing the change that is coming. Let us be a well-planned, big-picture government. Let us give the Territory community and the business community stability and certainty.
These are the clear messages I heard through October Business Month: stability; certainty; trust; and openness and transparency. That certainty and consistency of message you hear from all members of government, all levels of government, means you know the road and what the decisions are. That certainty is missing at the moment. We can see that every day through feedback. People who have to engage at a business level with government say the certainty is simply lacking. I heard that message very strongly through October Business Month from all levels of business across the Northern Territory. I can say very safely that we will offer that certainty and stability.
October Business Month was a fantastic month. It is a fantastic opportunity to talk to business, and the department and staff do it really well. It is an excellent program up and down the track. It is a great initiative to bring business together. Obviously, we have chances to talk to business all year but October Business Month provides focus and hot spots, for want of a better word, of gatherings where you have opportunities to talk to business people. It was good to get that clear and consistent message about what business wants with stronger certainty, stability and trust. We will deliver those qualities.
Madam Speaker, I commend this statement to the House.
Mr CHANDLER (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Madam Speaker, I thank the Minister for Business for making this statement today on October Business Month. October Business Month was started under the previous CLP government, was carried through by Labor and has been picked up and continued by the Country Liberals government.
I commend the minister that 9332 people attended October Business Month this year. I recall that when I was the Minister for Business we were talking about the future of OBM and how we needed to ensure this program grew. As the member for Fannie Bay just said, it is an ideal time, not only for businesses to come together and to talk about what they are dealing with or working on, but to showcase what they do. It gives the government a fantastic opportunity to talk one-on-one with businesses at these events. It brings businesses together, and you see connections and networks made like no other time through the year. It is a wonderful program, and I commend it to the House.
I listened to the member for Fannie Bay talk about October Business Month and what they would do as a government. Before I go through the facts and figures of the Department of Infrastructure, I need to mention the amount of work this Country Liberals government is doing behind the scenes and very publicly, because these are the very businesses that are affected by how much government can influence business in the Northern Territory.
Before I talk about the things going on in this government, I have to tell you that I am always amazed at the Labor members’ ability to sell a message, to talk and say the right things, as the member for Fannie Bay just did. Any one of the government members at the moment could have read that speech because they are exactly the things we are working on. A speech like that, which is just a string of motherhood statements about working better with business, improving relationships with businesses, strengthening this, and working with that – all these things are exactly what goes on behind the scenes.
He mentioned driverless cars, for instance, and how we have to embrace this technology. In Adelaide last week at the Transport Ministers’ meeting, this was front and centre. This government is writing to a number of businesses to offer the Northern Territory as a place to do this business. What the member for Fannie Bay talks about doing should they form a government, we are already doing. We agree that you have to be ahead of the game, but there is a big difference between motherhood statements talking about what you should be doing and doing it.
History will tell that this government, in just over three years of being in government, has turned the Territory around remarkably well. We have come from a Territory with a financial situation that was bordering on bankruptcy. Had we continued on the same journey where the former Labor government had taken the Northern Territory finances, we would be bankrupt today. But where are we?
We listened to the Treasurer yesterday as he presented the TAFR. Look at the remarkable turnaround that has occurred under this government in three years. Measure that against the first three years of the Labor government when they took over from the CLP. They talked then about inheriting a $100m debt, which was a travesty. We can argue the points about accounting, but there is a big difference in a $100m debt to the proposed debt of $5.5bn we inherited from the Labor government. History will judge this government as remarkable for turning around, in three short years, the finances of the Territory by becoming an austerity government.
People need to be clear about this; there has been a lot of pain in the community. This government has had to do a lot of things in the last few years and Territorians have felt that pain. This government did not create the debt or the situation that needed to be addressed. If Territorians need to blame anybody they need to blame the former Labor government. If we went to a Labor government that is exactly where we would be heading again: back into debt, back into a situation where Territorians are left to pick up the pieces and suffer the pain of the bad management of a Labor government. The truth is in three years a Country Liberals government has been able to turn the situation around by doing the things that needed to be done, not just talking about them as the member for Fannie Bay did.
It was a great statement, member for Fannie Bay, but where is the detail behind how you would do it? In this House we often hear from the opposition, and every time we come into this Chamber it is like the old saying ‘an empty vessel is the loudest’. An empty vessel makes a lot of noise. That is what they are because they can talk the talk. But look at the facts. They left the Northern Territory in a terrible position that this Country Liberals government, under Chief Minister Adam Giles, has turned around in three years.
Capital works this year by the Department of Infrastructure is $1.517bn …
Mr Styles: Extraordinary!
Mr CHANDLER: Extraordinary. Why? Because we have gone from a government on an austerity budget and turned it to a prosperity government. Territorians will benefit for many years to come because of decisions made by this government which we had to make to right the ship.
When we hold October Business Month and have the opportunity to talk to businesses, they are talking about prosperity. They can smell it, they can feel it, and there is excitement in the air because of what we have created. We have moved on from a government with all its eggs in one basket, which was INPEX. It is fantastic what INPEX has done for the economy of the Northern Territory. However, the previous government focused on one thing and there was no diversity in the economy and no thought about widening the scope of the foundation we need. We need to have a diverse economy and that is why this Country Liberals government has diversified the economy to the point where we have a strengthened economy going forward.
We made the hard decisions that needed to be made to bring the budget back into the position it is today. Labor members would love to get their hands on Treasury because they know what we have created over the last three years. There is excitement in the air and people can smell the difference that has been created under this government. It is exciting and people are excited; businesses we spoke to in October Business Month know the difference.
This year alone there is capital works of $1.25bn, minor new works of $50m and $170m in repairs and maintenance. I mention that because that money is going into the economy, into small, medium and large businesses across the Northern Territory. These are real and tangible products of this government.
In the 2015-16 capital works and minor new works budget, there is $1.309bn in capital works, and $170m in repairs and maintenance. We know the $170m in repairs and maintenance goes to many of the smaller businesses across the Territory that struggle from time to time. This government is focusing on such a large budget to make sure we have the money going to the right places.
I put to bed what many people in the Northern Territory think: that many of the contracts that are awarded go to interstate companies. Mind you, in the Northern Territory we welcome interstate companies coming to the Northern Territory because sometimes it helps our local businesses sharpen their pencils. It is government money that has to be spent wisely. When you have competition pressure in the marketplace when businesses are tendering for work, the pressure of interstate businesses coming in ensures we are getting the best bang for buck in the Northern Territory.
In public tenders and quotations awarded in Tier 3, 4 and 5, from 1 January to 31 October 2015, of the 156 tenders and quotations awarded, 153 of them were for local Northern Territory companies and three went to interstate companies. That is 98.08%. The value was $287.804m worth of work which went to Northern Territory companies.
What is more exciting – you can make motherhood statements all you like – is what this government has achieved which we should be proud of: maximising Indigenous employment. As of 31 October 2015, I tell you proudly we have gone from having 90 Indigenous workers working within awarded contracts in 2014-15 to 234 Indigenous workers in 2015-16. That has been in the last three months. It is a remarkable turnaround and a quality program we have working in Infrastructure to ensure companies tendering for work provide real employment opportunities – not just motherhood statements, but real jobs – for Indigenous people in the Northern Territory.
Annual Indigenous employment hours worked in 2014-15 was 14 297 hours. That has jumped to 50 710 hours already in the last three months of the year. That is a remarkable turnaround. As of 31 October 2015 the Department of Infrastructure has expended $218m on capital works, minor new works, repairs and maintenance and recoverable works. This is just this financial year alone.
Major projects include the Tiger Brennan Drive upgrade. Most people coming in from the Palmerston and rural areas will see that work being done every day, at a cost of $88m. It is achieving over 20% Indigenous employment, which is a fantastic outcome, because of a focus and a program introduced by this government. As of 31 October 2015, the project had expended $53.5m of the total budget of $88m.
As I spoke about before regarding the Indigenous employment provisional sum, the participation in construction project policy applies to all construction tenders over $500 000. The policy introduced an Indigenous employment provisional sum item to stimulate Indigenous employment, and I have already told you how successful that program has been. It is not a motherhood statement, not an idea and not just a talked about concept, but a real program delivering real results for Indigenous people. In excess of 50 000 hours have been worked by Indigenous employees on Department of Infrastructure construction projects this financial year alone. In excess of $4.5m has been expended on Indigenous employment since implementation.
Why do I talk about it? Because we have just had a statement on October Business Month. Indigenous people in the Northern Territory make up a large percentage of our population base, but never before have we seen a program by any Northern Territory government – in particular a Labor government, which for many years just talked about doing good things for Indigenous people. We are introducing and have introduced programs that are making a huge difference for Indigenous people.
In regard to civil services, on 2 September 2015, Port Keats Road design and construct Yellow Creek Crossing contract was awarded to AllanKing & Sons Constructions Pty Ltd for $6.34m. On 16 September, Roper Highway and the Wilton River high level bridge crossings and road upgrade were awarded to Sitzlers for $43m. On 25 September, the Elrundie Avenue/Bonson Terrace intersection upgrade was released for public tender. The contract is expected to be awarded in November this year. On 5 October, the Palmerston Lambrick Avenue cycle way between the Roystonea Avenue and Howard Springs lights was awarded to Alan Birch Transport Pty Ltd for $962 000. On 8 October, the Ringwood Road chain for 4.7 km upgrade and seal was released to public tender and design and construct contracts.
This list goes on and on about real jobs and work that has been tendered out by this government to stimulate local work, employing locals ...
Ms Fyles: Oh, it must be an election year.
Mr CHANDLER: We can listen to the rot and rhetoric Labor is so good at talking, but these are real facts and figures that show that real work is going on. We are stimulating the economy through providing projects to local companies. I could go on about all these other projects that have been awarded to different local companies worth millions and millions of dollars and providing jobs.
At the paediatric wards and the negative pressure room refurbishment of Royal Darwin Hospital, Sitzlers commenced demolition of asbestos materials within the ward and will commence masonry demolition by 13 November 2015. There is Allied Health Stage 2 at Royal Darwin Hospital with a $40m capital improvement project, including Royal Darwin Hospital high voltage infrastructure and associated works, and the Royal Darwin Hospital master plan.
The construction contract is well down the road of constructing the Palmerston hospital ...
Mr Wood interjecting.
Mr CHANDLER: People might laugh and joke about holes in the ground and so forth – all part of a job to build a new hospital. The reality is …
Ms Walker: It is in the ground and is filled in.
Mr CHANDLER: They are laughing at this. What I laughed about is the fact that when that concrete was poured it was still more work than the previous government had done in nearly 12 years of government in building a Palmerston hospital. The only thing they built at Palmerston in the last 12 years of government was what you would call a chook pen. It was a great big fence around a site, a couple of brand-new pieces of rock-moving equipment – a backhoe I think they moved into there at one stage to take some photos ….
Ms Walker: It would have been built by now and operating.
Mr CHANDLER: All they did was provide a fence for their former candidate for Brennan to put his corflute signs all the way around. We counted about 200 signs around that fence at one stage. That was a stunt.
The difference is we have a government that has been working behind the scenes to get the right hospital in place which will provide for the long-term benefits of not only people in Palmerston but the entire rural area. We took a hospital that would have been constructed under Labor of around 50 or 60 beds, I think it was, to a hospital of 116 beds and moved it, to be honest, into a far better position …
Mr Wood interjecting.
Mr CHANDLER: You will argue whether Palmerston is a rural area – all rhetoric. Let us not talk about lines in the sand. Let us talk about a better positioned hospital that will cater for the needs of not only Palmerston residents but also rural residents, who are just as important. They will have better access to better services at a better hospital put together by this government, which is working with business every day. Labor members hate the fact that this government has been as successful as it has been ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77 I move an extension of time for the minister.
Motion agreed to.
Mr CHANDLER: I will not keep you for much longer but I have page after page of things this government have done that is stimulating the economy. Those things have taken this government from an austerity government to a prosperity government. I am excited; I can feel it. The community and I know what is happening out there. Ask the businesses that attended October Business Month functions what work is going on and how we are stimulating the economy. For what reason? To create jobs and make sure people have a future in the Northern Territory.
We do not just talk about it or come up with the motherhood statements. We are not as good at advertising as the Labor government has been in the past. The Labor opposition is good at that today …
Members interjecting.
Mr CHANDLER: They get hot under the collar because they do not like what they see. They do not like to see success. They like to keep the community as little mushrooms so they can control them. They do not like success. They do not like anything we are doing in education, giving autonomy and decision-making back to where it should be. They do not like that businesses are successful today because we are stimulating the economy. Why? Because now we have the money to do that due to very good decisions ...
Ms Walker: Because you sold off public assets.
Mr CHANDLER: No. I tell you where we are going here. They do not like the approach of this government because it has had to make some tough decisions over the years. Territorians have borne some pain delivered to them not by this government but the former Labor government that was like me in a lolly shop: out of control.
They have no idea when it comes to understanding economics. They do not understand how to operate a government with a long-term future because they are too interested in shining the baubles and making sure people are lost in the gloss. This is a government that is getting on and providing infrastructure for a Northern Territory not just for my children but my children’s children. This is a government that is focused on a long-term program and building the north. We are focused on turning this Territory into something. We on this side know the potential of the Northern Territory.
If we have to go back to being led by a Labor government, God help us because we will be back in debt. It will take another conservative government to come in, make tough decisions and get us out of debt again. Look at history …
Mr Westra van Holthe: That is the cycle.
Mr CHANDLER: It is a cycle, is it not? They can spin it any way they want. I listened intently to the Leader of the Opposition. He said all the right words. It was a beautiful statement but it was not backed up with how they would govern. Looking at history, we know how they did it. Half of those members over there were advisers to the former government and provided the advice that put them in the hole we had to fill for them. You want to talk about a hole at the Palmerston hospital? How about the hole that was the Territory budget? That was a $5.5bn hole. The work of this Country Liberals government has turned the Northern Territory around. They are working hard because they want the Treasury benches. They know the position the government and Treasury are in today and they would love to get their greedy little hands on it.
Territorians are smarter than that and can see the potential of this government. It is not just talk or rhetoric; it is get on with it. The dynamo this government is, is spinning so fast that a few have probably fallen off because they could not hold on to what is happening in the Northern Territory. I am excited because I know the potential of this team and of the Northern Territory. You have to have a government that has the courage to hang on and make the right decisions to ensure the Territory goes forward.
Madam Speaker, I commend this statement to the House. I commend the Minister for Business for being engaged with our Asian neighbours and the business community, and for driving forward the economy of the Northern Territory.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I was not intending to speak on this, but having listened to the minister, I thought I should. Good news stories are great but they need a touch of reality. Guess which company that has been serving the Territory for many years had an auction on the weekend? Steelcon, one of our biggest companies. It has gone. Why has it gone? Because a lot of middle businesses are going broke.
I was doorknocking in the Thorngate Road industrial area recently and came across a supplier who told me 40 companies had been to the Chamber of Commerce recently, saying they were basically right on the soles of their feet in relation to remaining in business. I spoke to someone from a construction company that builds and maintains houses in Arnhem Land, and they put 35 people off the other day. There is no work.
It is fine to say some businesses are doing well, but some businesses are struggling. That is not coming from me. Sometimes people should drive around the industrial area and see who is struggling. Where is Richard’s Crane Hire now which had set up in the industrial area at Berrimah? Gone. Jake’s Steel & Welding is struggling to get work.
This is where the government loses the plot. The minister said it is great because interstate companies provide competition. That may be the case, but the one big issue the government forgets is that local companies sometimes might be dearer, but they have families in the Territory. When we are looking at contracts we need to make sure value is given to keeping families in the Northern Territory. Local businesses provide the fabric of our society. If those local businesses close or leave town you have to ask whether something is wrong. They may not be able to compete. I have heard stories of companies wanting to get into the Northern Territory that cut the guts out of the contract. In fact, I heard of one company that cut it so much it tried to get steel from interstate but it was not up to the standard required. They had to ask local steel companies for their prices, and you know what they said.
Yes, it is good that the government tries to stimulate business but it is not always the case. There is one construction company in Arnhem Land – this is the complaint I received – that is supported 25% by Indigenous Business Australia and is competing with Territory contractors. I would like to know how a government organisation funded by the taxpayers can be part of a company that competes with private companies? Is that a level playing field? I am not sure. The minister should be asking if contractors are working on the same level and whether it is fair that somebody is partly subsidised to operate in the Northern Territory.
The minister mentioned a range of companies doing work in the Northern Territory. I wrote to the minister asking for a list. No doubt many Northern Territory companies have contracts, which is good. The other question I asked in my written question, which was not answered, was whether I could be given a list of the subcontractors. Probably what I should have also asked is whether I could get a list of the suppliers of the materials. Are companies buying from local suppliers or are they going south? Suppliers will go broke as well. If people are not buying steel or furnishings from local companies but sourcing it from down south, that will have an effect.
Yes, the main company might be fine, but the other people who depend on that company buying their goods and services might be struggling. I went past Steelcon the other day during the big storm, and there is a piece of Darwin history gone. It is a company that has been around for many years in the construction business of the Northern Territory. I did not hear anything mentioned about it. The government members need to get out of the air conditioned motor cars and walk the businesses in East Arm, Berrimah, 11 Mile and Holtze, and talk to people to see how they are going.
Yes, you will get some good news stories. No doubt some people have done very well out of INPEX being in the Northern Territory, especially the service industries and the pubs. The pubs are rubbing their hands with glee that the government decided to double the number of pokies. Yes, that is good business. The pokies that were 1c in Howard Springs Tavern are now 10c and 20c. It is good for business, but whether it is good for society is another matter.
It is good for the government to make a statement, but it is funny that I am continually asked by people on the ground, ‘What is happening. Why is my business going broke? Why am I putting people off?’ It is good the government can make statements about how many contracts it has and that some will be awarded to local companies, but have you looked at the local companies that are missing out?
The minister also mentioned the Indigenous employment program, which came to my attention recently. He made a statement that the previous government did not do anything. That is wrong because SIHIP had a program of employing Aboriginal people. We need to get some things correct. That does not mean SIHIP was a success when it employed Aboriginal people. The key question you have to ask – which I would have loved to have asked the minister – is that you can employ 200 people, but are they the same 200 people six months down the track?
Employment is about training and giving people skills for future jobs. You do not want 100 of those 200 people only working for one week. When you give statistics do not do what the Labor federal government did when it won the award for Aboriginal employment on SIHIP. What they did not say was that only a small percentage of Aboriginal people worked more than six months. If you are fair dinkum about Aboriginal employment, you must make sure there are proper outcomes, not pretend outcomes written on a bit of paper.
The issue of Aboriginal employment is important, but if you have employment out bush and you want more people to be employed, you need to give figures for the numbers out bush as well. The Tiger Brennan Drive upgrade is an urban contract and I believe most Indigenous employment on that contract would be local, which is fair enough. I am not saying that should not happen, but you have the highest unemployment out bush.
I would have liked some of those figures the minister gave us analysed a bit more. I have some concerns about some of the contracts out bush. I raised those in written questions and the answers have raised more questions, especially when you see two contracts come in for the same number of houses and they are $3m apart. Have there been a lot of requests for adjustments to the contract? It seems strange you can have one contract for a batch of houses from one company and another one for 20 houses from another contractor and there is a $3m difference. It seems a big difference between the contracts.
There obviously is business out there. As I said, the pubs are doing pretty well. Much of that is to do with the FIFO people. I presume the hire car people are doing very well with the number of four-wheel drives travelling around with reflective stripes and flags on the top. Thrifty must be very happy that INPEX came to town. We have all learnt since how to reverse into car parks. Obviously there is some benefit for the government in the form of motor registration and those types of things. The food industry and clothing industry have also had benefits with safety clothes, etcetera, through INPEX being here.
But what will happen to businesses once INPEX is finished? What are the government’s plans for business when INPEX folds up? It probably has three more years and will be on a declining curve. I have told the Chief Minister – I do not think it is any secret – that to build Weddell will be the next best project but it will not be as big as INPEX. It is a good project and if done right, we could lead the world in good design for tropical cities. We would not have to put the pressure that has been put on the rural area to become a pseudo-Weddell.
What is the next plan to make sure businesses will continue in the Northern Territory once INPEX goes? That is a fair question the government needs to answer. Does it have some plans in mind of how to maintain as much of the workforce as possible? Naturally there will be a big reduction in the workforce because INPEX has up to about 8000 workers this year. There is not the need for that number of workers in the Northern Territory, so they will obviously go to other projects somewhere in Australia or the world. We still have our local businesses that need to be supported. That is probably the biggest thing that can come out of today’s discussion.
I am interested to hear what the Minister for Business has to say about that and what he has heard in relation to many of these middle-size companies struggling. Sometimes you come across people by accident. To some extent that is what I did the other day. I was at a manufacturing site, The Big Shed, where there are only a couple of people working. I sat down with the manager of the site plus a steel supplier. They are the ones who told me there had been a meeting at the Chamber of Commerce where about 40 companies had said they are in dire straits if something does not happen. Has that message gone to the Minister for Business, or is it not proper to pass some sad stories on when the government does not want to talk about sad stories but only good stories? There is nothing wrong with good stories, but if people are going broke while you are putting ads in the paper about the good stories, then you will be seen to be hypocritical.
On the issue of the hospital, I find it amazing that government could waste money filling in a hole. People see through that as – a bit like what happened the other night in here – a waste of time, money and effort. They would like to be told when the hospital is finished, not when you have dug a hole in the ground. It is not like a church where you have to bless a certain rock and consecrate the church before you start. I see things being constructed. Houses are constructed. Someone comes and puts the sewerage and water systems in the ground, then the water. That is put in the ground first because it has to come up through the floor. I did not see any of that. Then you lay out the floor, fill it in with arc mesh and all sorts of things, and then fill it with concrete. Then you have the base for your building. We got a hole in the ground.
I went there on the Sunday to see where it was. There were four panels of security fence across a track telling me to keep out. Keep out of what? The other side of nowhere? It was an infinite site. Instead of doing those sorts of things, which Natasha Griggs called an orchestrated stunt, government would be better to concentrate on a progress report. It does not cost money to do that. They could then tell us what stage the government is at with the hospital. People want the hospital to be built. The best thing to do is to say, ‘Yes, we are now pouring the floor for the hospital and that will be completed’. If you give a staged report, you say, ‘Okay, we have now finished the road into the hospital’ or ‘We have finished the car park’ or ‘We have done the first floor’, etcetera. That is the sort of thing people expect the government to do.
Forget about that, because the hole is a repeat of what we saw before with a helicopter and a bulldozer. People saw that as a joke and it cost taxpayers money ...
Mr Elferink: Well, that is not true.
Mr WOOD: Well, they did. It cost money to have a helicopter and get a bulldozer. The road was going to be built anyway, and you brought a bulldozer in for half a day …
Mr Elferink: I was on site on Sunday, and I can tell you works are going well.
Mr WOOD: That is fine. Why did Natasha Griggs call it an orchestrated stunt?
Mr Elferink: I have no idea. She is not correct.
Mr WOOD: I am glad work is being done on that hospital but why do it that way? It might sound great to you; you have the media there. I understand that, but people see through it, especially when you find out it has been covered up – not in the criminal way, but covered up by soil ...
Mr Elferink: Now I will have to respond to you.
Mr WOOD: Good, because I had a question which might never get to you. Why did the minister do that? That is a reasonable question ...
Mr Elferink: And you will get an answer.
Mr WOOD: Okay, that is good. Why did the minister dig a hole and put concrete in it?
Mr Elferink: Because it is part of the hospital.
Mr WOOD: I understand that ...
Mr Westra van Holthe: It is a foundation, Gerry.
Mr WOOD: I understand that, but why make a big deal about it? Why not just say the hospital is starting? You covered it up. That is what makes people go, ‘Oh, right. Why did you not put some security fencing around it like a normal construction site?’ Because I drove down there ...
Mr Elferink: Because I am not an engineer, Gerry.
Mr WOOD: I know, but …
Mr Elferink: I was told it was safer to do it that way. I accepted that from the people who are building the hospital.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WOOD: That is right.
Mr Elferink: And that is the point to make.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! You will have your time, honourable members.
Mr WOOD: There are four panels across a track, with a sign that says ‘Keep out’. The other side of that …
Mr Elferink: Well, that is not true.
Mr WOOD: I was there; I have the photos. I was there on the Sunday looking for the hole. I thought, ‘I did not see this. I was not invited to the hole; I will go and have a look.’ Certain people had told me that the rods, if they are for a stairwell, are the wrong size. I went to get a photo. I could not find them. There were four panels across the road saying, ‘Keep Out’. The other side of those panels went to the end of the earth. Not really, it went to Howard Springs. There was no boundary past that. It just said, ‘Keep Out’. I am not sure which parts I should keep out of. It was peculiar.
I am happy for the minister to explain. It would be good. Why was a hole dug? Why was it filled in? Why did you not wait until construction got going? Your advisers must have had rocks in their heads and some of those rocks must have gone in the hole later. It would have been a lot better for the government to do it a different way.
I thank the minister for his statement. I am interested to hear if he has heard that some businesses in the Northern Territory are struggling. Has he the same information I have been given? If so, has he analysed and investigated why those companies are struggling? I say again that I believe when governments let contracts, especially for long-term local companies, they should have a column which says ‘social’, meaning the social impact of keeping those companies operating in the Northern Territory. That is important.
When I was in Canada I looked on their website for contracts. Local gets a bit extra for being very local, as we could do for being Territorian and Australian. We need to make sure that although big companies can cut the price on local companies, the local companies are recognised as part of our community and we need to retain them and their families to make sure Northern Territory businesses survive. It is not always easy to make those decisions, but that side of the contracts should be recognised when the government makes a decision.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Deputy Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I congratulate the member for Nelson, a bloke who said he would not speak then used his full 20 minutes ...
Mr Elferink: He warmed to his topic.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: He warmed to his topic, picking up on the interjection from the member for Port Darwin.
The member for Nelson raised a few things I am sure the Minister for Business will cover when he wraps this. I will touch on a few of those things then talk about October Business Month generally, particularly in the Katherine context.
The member for Port Darwin has restrained himself and decided not to respond to some of the things the member for Nelson said about the hospital, but there are a few things I will say.
The first real cross-Chamber exchange over the hospital came when the Minister for Infrastructure started speaking about the hospital and what has occurred under the CLP government. It was interesting. There is an old saying that the guilty are those who protest too much. What we heard as soon as the member for Brennan started talking about the hospital was a ramble of protest from the member for Nhulunbuy, trying to defend the indefensible, which was little or no work – the fence that was put up – by the former Labor government which was supposed to have represented the start of something new for Palmerston hospital. I remember driving past that fence in my days in opposition when the Labor Party was in power and thinking that if ever there was a political stunt around Palmerston hospital, that was it.
The Labor government had an amazing skill of promoting nothing and making something of it. It convinced the Territory population that it had done something, when they had done nothing. The Palmerston hospital site was a classic example. ‘Look at us! Look at us!’, they said, ‘We have started the hospital. We have a temporary fence up around the site.’
The member for Nhulunbuy protested further by saying the hospital would have been completed and operational by now had the Labor government still been in power. I doubt that sincerely, given their record for not achieving anything during the 11 years they were in power.
What did they achieve? The member for Brennan put it quite nicely: a massive debt legacy. The Territory was heading toward bankruptcy under the Labor government and if they are ever in power again, without a doubt we will be heading down the same path. The member for Brennan was quite right to also say it is part of a cycle. It is a well-known political cycle in Australia that when left-wing governments are in power they spend like drunken sailors and put not only state jurisdictions into debt but the nation. The conservatives have to fix all the debt legacy problems left by Labor governments.
I refer to what the member for Nelson said about the hospital and the hole in the ground. The concrete poured in that event was, in fact, a real piece of concrete …
Members interjecting.
Mr Vowles: You said it with a straight face!
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: I am happy to be considered a part-time comedian …
A member: It is a footing.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: It is a footing. I will give myself a bit of qualification ...
Members interjecting.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: I would like to continue uninterrupted if possible, if the members opposite would stop interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Keep the noise down.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: I do not know the background of all members of the opposition. I do not know if any have ever worked a single day in the construction industry. Would that be a fair call? I am probably right. I have worked in the construction industry. One of the first jobs I ever had, coming out of high school and after spending some time at university, was working on construction sites. They were land release subdivisions on the Gold Coast in the suburbs behind Burleigh Heads in Queensland. I have some experience in construction. I also built my house in Alice Springs. For many years, on and off, my dad was a builder. As children, young adults and teenagers, we used to help him at his construction business, so I have a bit of an idea.
For the edification for those opposite, when you pour concrete into the ground for a footing it is a part of the construction. That is the simple fact of the matter. What the managing contractor decided to do after that concrete was poured was a matter for them. They figured it was safer for them to backfill on top of the concrete. It is not uncommon to backfill recently-poured concrete because concrete cures at a particular rate. All concrete is different. There are different types of concrete for different purposes. You guys might not know that, but you are happy to make political capital out of something that would be the inconvenient truth, if you knew something about it.
Apart from the safety reasons, it is possible the contractor backfilled to slow the rate of curing of the concrete because slowly-cured concrete cures harder. That is possible and it was their decision to make.
Moving on to the next thing beyond that, the public of the Northern Territory generally wants to know what the government is up to. They do not want to know what we are doing internally, or about infighting or anything like that. They do not want to know about Delia Lawrie becoming an Independent to the Labor Party, or the lack of support for the current Leader of the Opposition in amongst your ranks. They want to know what the Territory government is doing. It is not uncommon for the government to hold media conferences and events to inform people of what is going on ...
Ms Fyles: That they are digging a hole to fill it back up again.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Fair dinkum! The Labor government used to do it all the time. I give you a classic example of the media stunts the Labor Party used to pull. When we were in opposition, many times we accused the Labor government of governing by glossy brochure. It used to produce all these glossy brochures on a regular basis, slip them into people’s letterboxes and put them in the post. Despite the fact it was doing very little, it had people convinced it was doing something. That was an ongoing political stunt perpetrated by the Labor Party when it was in government.
We take journalists out and show them the site – get them involved in doing these types of things. It is a normal part of the process to let people know. The media got onto this and thought it would be great to belt the government up because the footing that was poured was then backfilled for safety or whatever reasons the contractor decided to do it.
Enough about the hospital. I know a little about this; it is happening. The roadworks around the intersection have been going on for some time. The the civil contracting groundwork has started on the hospital. It will come out of the ground and will be on time. The Minister for Health has told this House many times, and the media, that it is progressing according to plan.
I will go back to some other …
Members interjecting.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: They love talking about that. It comes back to what I said before: lots of interjections from members opposite, but remember those who doth protest too much –trying to steer the conversation away from something that is going well, that will be successfully implemented under this government, which you guys could not manage to pull off in your time. You can criticise us all you like, but at the end of the day we will get the Palmerston hospital built where the Labor Party could not. It is as simple as that.
I want to pick up on a few further things the member for Nelson mentioned in his contribution. The government realises that INPEX will come off the boil, so to speak, in the number of people it employs as it progresses through its various stages of completion. That is why the government is working desperately hard on the next big projects.
It was heartening to be a part of this government when the Chief Minister announced on Tuesday the NEGI, the North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline project. That is a project, obviously not in Darwin, that shows this government is thinking about the next big thing for the Territory. We know the gas industry in the Northern Territory will be the economic powerhouse for our jurisdiction, and may well make us one of the largest gas producers, in time, in this nation. In order to do that we need the necessary infrastructure in place. The NEGI is part of that, of course.
In answer to the member for Nelson’s question, yes, of course we are thinking about post-INPEX, as opposed to the former Labor government, which was a one-trick pony when it came to the economy. It had no idea, no clue and no vision about what would occur post-INPEX.
I daresay there would be nothing like the North East Gas Interconnector Pipeline project on the agenda for the Northern Territory had the Labor government been re-elected in 2012. It was a government that was lacking in vision and a forward strategic plan for the Territory in how it would use its power as government to support an economy that should have been growing. Now, under this government, it is growing and doing extraordinarily well with the lowest unemployment in the nation, the highest participation rate and an economy that is seen as going extraordinarily well.
The other thing the member for Nelson talked about was local businesses struggling despite the fact that in general terms the economy of the Territory is doing well. Yes, member for Nelson, I acknowledge – and I am sure the Minister for Business would also acknowledge – that not all businesses are doing well and going gangbusters. I can think of a couple of local companies and businesses in Katherine that are not going as well as some others.
Sometimes businesses are subject to the cycles of not only the macro-economy, but various smaller sectors of the economy. In the case of Katherine, I can fairly safely say that those businesses are struggling as a result of a couple of things that have happened in our local economy. One of those is the downturn in the iron ore industry, which resulted in a number of small iron ore mines closing down around the Katherine region. That has had an impact on local businesses. A downturn in the general situation of those hard commodities mined in the greater Katherine region, aside from iron ore, is affecting small business.
Even something as simple as the cucumber green mottle mosaic virus is affecting our local melon growers. That is a $60m industry and a lot of money not being spent in the Katherine economy.
Then the law and order policies we introduced with TBLs, the temporary beat locations, has seen a complete change in the demographics of Katherine, particularly visible on the main street. That has also had an impact on some small businesses in town. That all said, the government makes no apologies for the introduction of the TBLs. It has made an enormous difference to the township of Katherine, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek. We do not resile from the fact that assaults, domestic violence, hospital presentations and police calls to violent offending are down. St John Ambulance is about as half as busy. We make no apologies for that.
I suggest to those businesses affected that they look at their business models. Businesses in the Territory are tough and resilient. That is particularly true of those in Katherine. I am sure many of them have survived by being adaptable. They need to make sure their business model is contemporary and suits the environment in which they have to operate.
The October Business Month is a fantastic event. It was an initiative of the CLP government 21 years ago, and we are going from strength to strength. October Business Month for my electorate in Katherine is extremely important. It not only brings many businesses together for networking but provides 31 days full of all sorts of events like free workshops.
Our October Business Month dinner in Katherine is famous and legendary across the Territory. It is one of the best-attended OBM dinners, if not the best attended. It always sells out. I give credit to the local staff of the Department of Business in Katherine – Morag, Roz and Andrew – for the hard work they put in to making October Business Month in Katherine a screaming success. Many other people in the Department of Business work very hard making sure October Business Month is a success. I have had interactions with a number of those people over the years in their preparations for OBM.
The October Business Month initiative is something we wish to continue. The Country Liberals government is very proud to support business. It is not the only way we support businesses across the Territory. Diversifying our economy has been a catchcry of this government for a very long time. Diversification across the pastoral sector is a great example of how diversifying our economy works.
Diversifying our live cattle markets across southeast Asia is something this government has worked exceedingly hard on over the past three years. It is another example of how diversifying our economy will help small businesses in our jurisdiction.
I commend the Minister for Business for bringing this statement to the House and the member for Brennan for his contribution. He is very passionate about supporting small business across the Northern Territory. This Country Liberals government is the only government that can support businesses in the Northern Territory in the manner they deserve.
Simply put, you would not trust Labor to run small business in the Territory. I mentioned before that I do not think any of the current crop of Labor politicians have ever worked in the construction sector. I am pretty sure none of them have ever worked in small business either ...
Mr Vowles interjecting.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: I apologise, perhaps the member for Johnston has worked in the construction industry. I do not think any of them have been involved in small business so they do not get small business ...
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable member, your time has expired.
Debate suspended.
The Assembly suspended.
PETITION
Petition No 57 – Unsuitable Prisoners in Datjala Work Camp
Petition No 57 – Unsuitable Prisoners in Datjala Work Camp
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I present a petition not conforming with standing orders from 511 petitioners relating to unsuitable prisoners in Datjala work camp in Nhulunbuy. I move that the petition be read.
Motion agreed to; petition read:
- On 10th November 2015, convicted rapist and murderer Edward Horrell escaped from Datjala Work Camp in Nhulunbuy, 200 m from a local primary school.
The government assures Nhulunbuy residents that ‘no sex offenders or prisoners of public interest are considered for placement’ in the Datjala camp. This promise has been badly broken, resulting in a murderer being on the run in Nhulunbuy for 24 hours.
Placement of sex offenders and murderers in the camp is simply unacceptable, considering it is low-level security.
We, the undersigned, immediately demand the following from the NT government:
1. that Nhulunbuy residents are never endangered like this again.
TABLED PAPER
‘Ice’ Select Committee Report – Breaking the Ice: Inquiry into ‘ice’ use in the Northern Territory
‘Ice’ Select Committee Report – Breaking the Ice: Inquiry into ‘ice’ use in the Northern Territory
Mr BARRETT (Blain): Madam Speaker, today I table the ‘Ice’ Select Committee report Breaking the Ice: Inquiry into ‘ice’ use in the Northern Territory.
Crystal methamphetamine, colloquially known as ice, is a particularly insidious drug. The committee found that ice is an emerging issue of concern that has a devastating impact on families, friends and communities. However, reports of an ice epidemic sweeping across the Northern Territory are somewhat misleading. The rates of methamphetamine use over the past five years have remained relatively stable both nationally and in the Territory at approximately 2.1% of the population. What is particularly concerning is that ice, the most potent and harmful form of methamphetamine, is fast becoming the drug of choice among methamphetamine users.
While ice is prevalent in urban and regional areas of the Northern Territory, there is no evidence of widespread use in our remote communities. It is critical that we do not allow ice to take hold in these communities.
Determining accurate prevalence rates, however, is hampered by inconsistent terminology used in data collection, and the absence of an efficient means of collating, analysing and sharing data across government and non-government agencies.
Ice can cause serious harms to the user. The adverse physical effects of ice include weight loss, dermatological problems, neurotoxicity, reduced immunity, elevated blood pressure, damage to teeth and gums, cardiovascular problems and kidney problems. Long-term use can also result in psychological, cognitive and neurological issues such as depression, impaired memory and concentration, psychosis, violence and erratic behaviour.
As mentioned previously, the harm caused by ice is not limited to the user. The ripple effects of ice use can have a devastating impact on family, friends and the community. As the community heard, ice can lead to problems with interpersonal relationships, domestic violence, child neglect, financial issues, increased reliance on welfare support and involvement in criminal activity.
Given that substance abuse is a factor in many instances of domestic violence, child neglect and abuse, it was particularly concerning to hear that the relationship between child protection services and drug and alcohol agencies is not yet well developed in the Northern Territory, and that he Department of Children and Families’ community care information system lacks the facility to record specific information about parental drug use or what impact this may have had on a substantiation of harm
It raises serious questions as to the effectiveness of departmental practices and procedures, and the department’s capacity to ensure that children and families are provided with an appropriate level of support.
Consequently, the committee has recommended an independent review and an evaluation be undertaken as soon as is practicable.
There was a considerable level of agreement amongst service providers, community and industry representatives regarding the need for a strategic framework to coordinate responses to the misuse of both licit and illicit substances as a matter of priority.
The committee has recommended the development and implementation of a Northern Territory drug strategy based on the national model which espouses a harm-minimisation approach, incorporating three central and equally important pillars of demand reduction, supply reduction and harm reduction.
The committee identified a number of areas the strategy needs to address, including security of funding for drug services; development of educational resources; accessibility and currency of information and resources on departmental websites; availability and promotion of family support services; after-hours access to sterile injecting equipment; and responsible reporting guidelines for media outlets.
While there is a wide range of initiatives already in place that seeks to reduce the demand, supply and harms associated with illicit drug use, evidence received by the committee led it to make a number of recommendations that it believes will lead to improvements in these areas. For example, it is well recognised that the promotion of healthy lifestyles through school-based drug education and positive youth development programs is an effective means of reducing demand by preventing the uptake and delaying the onset of drug use.
However, the committee heard there is considerable variability in the content, delivery and evaluation of these types of programs across schools. The committee believes it would be beneficial to review and evaluate drug education and positive youth development initiatives currently offered in government and non-government schools to ensure the currency and accuracy of information provided.
While preventing illicit drug use is the ultimate goal, it is recognised that treatment services are critical for those who have succumbed to the use of ice. To reduce the bottleneck in the continuum of care, the committee has recommended that additional funding be allocated to increase the availability of detoxification services, particularly for young people under the age of 18 years.
Ensuring adequate detoxification, rehabilitation and forensic mental health services are made available in each of the Territory’s adult correctional facilities and youth detention centres is also a priority.
Reducing the manufacture and supply of ice can be facilitated by mandating real-time, online recording of pseudoephedrine sales in pharmacies to assist police in the detection of clandestine laboratories.
It was also evident from the public forums the committee held that the police service needs to increase its public engagement strategies, including promotion of Crime Stoppers, since many members of the community are reticent about informing police about drug users, drug dealers and drug houses.
To assist police in determining the geographical distribution of ice and other illicit substances, the committee has recommended that the government undertake a trial of waste-water analysis to more accurately assess the extent of criminal offending relating to ice use.
The committee also recommended introduction of mandatory alcohol and drug testing of individuals arrested for offences involving violence. In conjunction with legislation currently before the Assembly regarding the introduction of random drug testing of drivers and declared drug detection areas, these recommendations will better equip police to tackle ice and other illicit drugs that have such a negative impact on our community.
During the course of the inquiry it became apparent that frontline workers across a range of professions lacked the confidence to identify and respond to ice use, given the propensity of ice users to experience psychotic episodes and display aggressive and violent behaviour. It is imperative that we ensure frontline workers are provided with an appropriate level of training, including information about ice and its effects, de-escalation techniques and workplace health and safety measures.
While it is clear that the Northern Territory needs to ensure that it is well-equipped to manage the impact of ice and other illicit substances as they emerge, witnesses impressed on the committee the importance of not losing sight of the fact that the abuse of alcohol is a far greater problem in the Territory, and that strategies to address ice should not be implemented at the expense of alcohol-related harm initiatives.
Madam Speaker, I thank the staff who work for the Legislative Assembly for all the work that went into putting together this report. I believe it is in excess of 30 000 words. I thank other members of parliament who contributed positively and effectively into this report and the recommendations and findings of this committee. I appreciate the collegiality in which we have worked together. I have a great respect for the input each of them have had and I thank them for the quality of the work they have done and the manner in which they have conducted themselves.
MOTION
Print Paper – ‘Ice’ Select Committee Report – Breaking the Ice: Inquiry into ‘ice’ use in the Northern Territory
Print Paper – ‘Ice’ Select Committee Report – Breaking the Ice: Inquiry into ‘ice’ use in the Northern Territory
Mr BARRETT (Blain): Madam Speaker, I move that the report be printed and seek leave to continue my remarks at a later time.
Motion agreed to; report printed.
Leave granted.
MOTION
Note Statement – October Business Month
Note Statement – October Business Month
Continued from earlier this day.
Mrs PRICE (Local Government and Community Services): Madam Speaker, I attended the launch breakfast of October Business Month in Alice Springs at the convention centre. I heard the inspirational story of Ruslan Kogan and how he started one of Australia’s largest e-commerce businesses. He spoke of the challenges he faced when he tried to create an online business selling televisions. He talked about how he needed to take responsibility for himself and his own happiness, and, finally, of the need to solve problems one at a time.
One of the things that resonated with me was that he grew up in public housing. As Minister for Housing, it reminds me that some of our tenants have enormous potential. All Territorians have potential and this government is about unlocking our potential. This week we have seen the Chief Minister and the Giles Country Liberals government unlock the potential of our gas industry with the pipeline.
One part of the Territory that has a great deal of potential is our remote communities. Our remote communities have an enormous potential for economic development for business and enterprise. Our government attempts to make it much easier for businesses to occur on communities. We are working to cut red tape to make it easier for our people to start their own businesses. For example, in Parks and Wildlife we have introduced online applications for tour operators and are looking at other opportunities for economic development in parks.
This Giles government will explore new governance and management options for Kakadu and Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Parks, addressing the economic disparity for local people in some of the most iconic sites in Australia.
My Departments of Local Government and Community Services and the Department of Housing work to encourage and develop Indigenous business enterprises. My Department of Local Government and Community Services funds 36 service provider organisations across the Territory, of which 28 are Indigenous organisations, to deliver repairs and maintenance services to homelands. Many local jobs are created because of our support for these organisations.
My Department of Housing has strong Indigenous employment in remote repairs and maintenance and tenancy management. These businesses have secured 62% Indigenous employment for repairs and maintenance, and 72% for tenancy management. These are local jobs for local people in their local communities. We are encouraging local jobs for Indigenous people.
The Giles government has recently established the Office of Aboriginal Affairs, where for the first time we have a remote procurement policy. Some contracts awarded under this policy were for the upgrade of houses in Docker River. I recently visited Docker River and the local people performing the upgrades on their own homes. That is what the Country Liberals is all about: local jobs for local people in their own country.
Aboriginal Bush Traders operating from the Lyons Cottage is a social enterprise initiated by Ironbark Aboriginal Corporation, set up to support local art and community development programs, Indigenous business and employment and training outcomes. I recently toured the operation, which has a retail art centre and art store which sells art, music, books, craft and much more, purchased directly from local artists, Indigenous business owners and community centres. It is 100% not for profit. It held a sundowner for October Business Month with keynote speakers, including the CEO, talking about supporting sustainable social enterprise and strong economic futures for Aboriginal people in the Top End. On the same night it launched Moydra Designs in the retail store. It is great to see enterprise occurring in the Northern Territory, especially with Aboriginal people.
October Business Month had a strong focus on women in leadership and Indigenous business. Hundreds, including me, attended the Indigenous Economic Forum. This enabled a focus on realising the potential of our remote communities. It enabled Indigenous businesses to connect with each other, network and renew the focus on Indigenous economic development.
The Chief Minister announced that Umbakumba, Bulman, Weemol, Minyerri, Yarralin, Belyuen, Manyallaluk and Titjikala will be connected to mobile phone services over the next three years. This provides great connectedness for our remote communities. It helps us unlock their potential and provides them with a range of possibilities, including business opportunities.
The Country Liberals is doing a lot to promote business in remote areas. Since August 2012, the Northern Territory government’s Department of Business’ Indigenous Workforce Participation Initiatives Program has achieved 424 job outcomes and 263 workforce participation outcomes. After three years of operation, the Northern Territory government’s Stronger Futures local jobs traineeship program continues to achieve an outstanding employment retention rate of 77%. Some 170 trainees commenced with 131 still employed. Over half of all employees have been in their jobs for at least 18 months or longer. Under the Business in the Bush and Indigenous Workforce Participation Initiatives Programs, the Department of Business will be calling a public grant funding round this month for employment initiatives and projects to commence in 2016. The focus of the upcoming grant round is to track projects that can deliver sustainable jobs and/or labour coordination and mobility, as well as enable initiatives that may require additional resources to maximise outcomes.
This year the Northern Territory government’s Business Growth program grant budget for 2015-16 increased to over $1m, which has expanded the services offered and opened the criteria to include not-for-profit organisations and Indigenous enterprises throughout the Territory. As of 30 September 2015, 46 businesses received over $200 000, and we have committed to support a further 98 businesses to the value of over $600 000. The Indigenous Business Development Program grant budget in 2015-16 increased up to $1m, supporting small to medium Indigenous enterprises throughout the Territory. As of 30 September this year, nine entities received grant funding of almost $220 000 and we have committed to supporting a further 13 entities to the value of $243 000.
Northern Territory government Business Development Officers have commenced a program of Introduction to Business workshop delivery to each of the identified 13 champion communities and regions. As of the beginning of this month, more than 50 individuals have advanced business concepts through attending workshops in Mutitjulu, Hermannsburg, Yuendumu, Ali Curung, Ngukurr and Numbulwar.
We have great potential in the Northern Territory, and this government is committed to unlocking the Territory’s potential. Our remote Territorians have great opportunities in business, and the Country Liberals are working to make it easier for Indigenous Territorians to access the benefits of free enterprise and business.
Yesterday the Chief Minister, the member for Arafura and I sat with a bunch of rangers from Maningrida and Galiwinku who were keen to hear about how they will be able to build economic development in their communities with what they have.
Madam Speaker, we, as Aboriginal people, own our land, and there is potential there if we can give Aboriginal people in remote communities a chance to achieve what they really want to see happening for the future of their children. This government is listening to every one of them and we want to help them. We want to make sure they get what every other Australian has. For us, because we own our land, we should be able to decide on what is best for our people and grab the chance of the economic benefits like every other Australian.
Mr KURRUPUWU (Arafura): Madam Speaker, in the statement delivered by the minister regarding October Business Month, it was great to hear what excellent things are being done by the Giles government in the business sector.
However, I take this opportunity to talk about the Tiwi Islands and the work being done by the Tiwi people to deliver their own business on the islands.
One of the best business opportunities on the Tiwi Islands is tourism. We have seen a significant increase in the number of tourists coming to the island, thanks to the affordable and regular Tiwi Ferry. This has meant an increase in visitors to the art and culture centre in Wurrumiyanga and also the Patakajiyali Museum on Bathurst Island.
Of course we cannot forget the great fishing that the Tiwi Islands have to offer. One local business taking advantage of this great fishing is Tiwi Islands Adventures. It does an excellent job of showcasing this great fishing with visits to three fishing lodges spread across the island for extended fishing and cultural tourism stays. This is just one of the tourist-related businesses that are being created.
We also have the Tiwi forest project, which has already started harvesting and creating jobs for locals. I am told that in the next few weeks we will see the first shipload of Tiwi Island woodchips leaving Port Melville, an awesome achievement by the Tiwi people.
With the Giles government’s record investment in Tiwi Islands roads announced in this year’s budget, local people are looking at the opportunity to launch a new business in a civil industry as well.
Another project starting to take hold on the Tiwi Island is oysters. Trials are being undertaken to see if farming oysters on the Tiwi Islands could create a viable business. I look forward to the day when the tourists at a six-star hotel in Darwin are paying top dollar to eat fresh Tiwi Islands oysters. I have tried some of the oysters from the trial and they are simply the best.
These are just some of the many great things being done on the Tiwi Islands by locals when it comes to business.
I also take this opportunity to thank Murray MacAllister from the Department of Business for all the work he has done in helping the Tiwi people set up businesses, as well as mentoring them. The work Murray has done for the business centre at Wurrumiyanga and through the department’s programs, such as Business in the Bush and Start.Run.Grow, is vital to the success of Tiwi businesses.
The Tiwi people continue to invest in their own future and the Giles government continues to work in partnership with them to support them in creating new businesses, jobs and brighter futures for themselves. I commend the minister and his department for their continuing hard work in helping to develop bush businesses.
Madam Speaker, I commend the statement to the House.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I thank the most recent speaker, the member for Arafura, who spoke about what is happening in his electorate on the Tiwi Islands and the mainland. He said in the next few weeks there will be the commencement of the woodchip industry on the island, with the timber chopped down, milled, put on trucks, driven on the Pickertaramoor Road to Port Melville, put onto a ship controlled by Mitsui, one of the largest Japanese companies, and then sold on the international market.
That is one of the best achievements in this three years of government. I do not know every land council in the nation or their trading environments, but to see an Aboriginal community of the Tiwi Islands – the traditional owners and residents – undertake and orchestrate an economic business transaction with one of the world’s leading companies shows how far we have gone.
This would not have been possible if Labor was in government for two reasons: (1) they would not have the economic or business nuance on how to make the connections and get the deal done and (2) because Labor, in its last term of government, fought the forestry project and wanted it stopped.
The member for Arafura has spoken passionately about what it will mean for his people. He knows we are trying to assist communities such as those at Minjilang, Oenpelli and Maningrida, and the outstations, to advance their opportunities into the future. We are working with many communities in his electorate and others to see how we can drive economic reform.
This is partly what October Business Month is about: getting businesses from all over the Territory to come together in an exchange to learn and celebrate successes, harness new ideas and take them back to their businesses to see how they can learn, grow and prosper in the future. A strong business sector, particularly a strong small business sector, is so important for the Northern Territory, because 95% of all businesses in the Territory are small businesses. It is the small businesses which employ people. We should celebrate that.
I recently gave a speech at the opening of the H105 Mitchell Hotel and Apartments. I said that developers these days, including in the Northern Territory, are often attacked, particularly by Labor, because they see developers as nasty people. Developers create jobs. I reflected at the opening of H105 on the types of jobs that have been created there, whether they are excavators, scaffolders, concreters, chippies, tilers, painters, hotel room cleaners, front door staff, waiters, bar staff or managers. If it was not for the proponents of that building, hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs would not have been available in that construction. There are jobs in construction and ongoing jobs – different dynamics, forms and sizes. We should be celebrating that. That is the environment we offer in the Territory. It is something that is at risk if a Labor government ever came to power.
Yes, the Tiwi Islands development is one of the biggest successes of government, but there is a massive selection. The deal for the Darwin port is ground-breaking for the future of the Northern Territory. I measure three great things: the formation of self-government; the development of Darwin as an offshore LNG supply base in the 1990s – I think it was 1998 when INPEX was first given its lease in the Browse Basin, plus, before that, for Darwin LNG – and now the port.
The port is one of the missing pieces of the logistical architecture. Yes, we have roads from south to the north. Yes, we have rail from south to the north. We have roads that connect Western Australia to Queensland. The port is important because that is our connection to the rest of the world. While we have the largest international airport in northern Australia and a massive and diverse university in Charles Darwin University, the port will connect us to the rest of the world, particularly to Asia. We all know the changing dynamics in Asia. By 2050, 60% of the world’s population will live in Asia’s climatic zone. More people live in the Asian region than outside it. The port connects us.
It is not just about a place for ships to berth, refuel, unload and offload; it is what you get into and take off the ship. The bigger the port, the bigger the ships and the more cargo that comes in, and the cheaper it is to load and unload, which means cheaper goods and services. That is a good thing. The bigger the port, the bigger the ships, the bigger the opportunity to get things onto the ships, which means as we develop our agriculture, horticulture and all the agribusiness sectors, despite what we have now, in the future we will have larger infrastructure to facilitate those trades.
Whether it is Legune Station with sea farms or Humpty Doo Barramundi, which is looking to expand, they produce jobs because they are developing. That is great. These are some of the experiences we heard of in October Business Month.
But as important as that port deal is, another deal announced this week, the North East Gas Interconnector, is something that will change the landscape of the nation. I say the nation because there is much talk, which we all know about, of how Western Australia’s iron ore industry carried Australia in many ways, particularly through royalties.
If we get the environmental formula and the framework settings right, the gas industry can do much for the Northern Territory, particularly the downstream gas industry with manufacturing and the thousands of jobs it will create, knowing that all the royalties from onshore gas will now be going to VET and higher education. We will have the smartest state, which will be the best resourced with the best access, with the most jobs growing, and we will be the people underpinning the growth in our nation’s economy. That is what is changing here.
I talk a lot about infrastructure – roads, bridges and telecommunications. They are like veins running through the Territory. Too much of the Northern Territory is closed to communities and business. It is closed because of lack of road access or because of parts of the year when water cuts people off. Roads, bridges and telecommunications connect people, business and economies. That is why we are putting $7m into the Tanami Highway this year. That $7m does not sound like a lot, but for every year, for as long as I can remember, $2m went into the Tanami, which is about 3.5 km of road. We have increased it to $7m and are looking at increasing it again next year, because the more road we build towards the Tanami Desert along the Tanami Highway gives more access for new mines to open up – gold mines in particular – which creates jobs for the Warlpiri who live at Yuendumu, Yuelamu, Lajamanu or Papunya.
The $10m we put into the Santa Teresa Road built a bridge which now means the community of Santa Teresa will not get cut off any time of the year except by a one-in-100-year flood. It will be fully accessible. We have improved the amenity so it is safer for people to drive and to come in and get goods and services, go to a job, then go back home.
The Plenty Highway and the straight road combine to make the Outback Highway between Western Australia and Queensland. It is the longest inland freeway we know of. It is a very difficult road to travel. The last estimate I saw two years ago was it would cost about $512m to fully dual seal that road. We do not have $512m spare to put into that road, but we are working with the federal government on a 50:50 funding solution of $22.5m each for a $45m road package to improve the Plenty Highway by sealing as much as possible. That work is starting now. That is one of the important arteries of the Northern Territory.
I spoke about the Tiwi Islands. There is $33m going towards the Pickertaramoor road. We have seen the building of the bridge over the Daly to support and improve access for the residents through the Daly River region to Palumpa, Peppimenarti, Wadeye, Woodycupaldiya, Emu Point and many other outstations. We are upgrading the road between Palumpa and Peppimenarti and working on Saddle Rail Creek on the Port Keats Road to connect people, but also to open up options for farming and business. I know those on Elizabeth Downs Station are looking forward to it so they can get tourists on ‘Lizzy Downs’, the big cattle station, and then employ local Aboriginal people for some of the cultural and fishing elements, which is a great opportunity. That is where we are driving reforms and change.
A major road in the Northern Territory which has very poor access is the Central Arnhem Highway, which runs from south of Katherine up to Nhulunbuy. It represents a very big problem for connecting those who want to drive there because of the lack of river crossings. There are the Wilton and Roper Rivers, which we are looking to build bridges across now. That will help to open up country. We are upgrading the Buntine and Carpentaria Highways. There is $11m going to the top road between Cahill’s Crossing and Oenpelli. This is building infrastructure.
Last year we spent more than $6m in a joint partnership with Telstra, 50:50, putting telecommunications into communities. Telecommunications connect people. Mobile phones allow people to talk to loved ones but they are also good for learning, whether it is simple text messages, accessing the Internet for news or using those ADSL services for educational purposes.
Communities such as Alpara, Papunya and Peppimenarti now have access to these services as 16 communities were connected last time in a $6m deal. But right now we have $42m rolling out access to more communities in the Territory. By the time that $42m is spent, the two major communities that will not have mobile phone access will be Docker River and Lake Nash, but I am working on a program on how we can get money for those two.
Communities such as Docker River, Imanpa, Finke, Titjikala, Wallace Rockhole, Yuelamu – all in Central Australia – will now have access. Bulman, Weemol, Umbakumba and Minjilang, are communities that will get mobile phone technology, 3G and ADSL2+. Communities like Timber Creek which already have mobile phones will be given ADSL2+. We are all connected with the world; we can all work in a business environment and be connected with one another. This is what building infrastructure is all about.
This is the big picture which is building the infrastructure to open up the country and encourage communities – whether they are Indigenous, non-Indigenous, regional, remote, or urban – to get people working. That is business. The more people working, the better the Territory will be. We already have the lowest unemployment rate in the country. We have the highest labour force participation rate, which was 76.3% the last time I checked. That figure represents people who are in a job, looking for a job, or in training. The rest of our nation sits at about 62%. So if you want a job in the Northern Territory, you get one. That is what it is like.
We have more work to do in the bush creating those economies, but the infrastructure will help do that. That is the big picture. We put that in conjunction with what others are doing and dovetail it. We started the north Australia agenda with our North Australia Development Office. The federal government has now come on board with its north Australia approach. We work in unison, which is a great approach.
Andrew Robb has been doing a lot of hard work on the Korean, Japanese and China free trade agreements. The Trans-Pacific Partnership has over 20 nations coming together to break down tariffs and open up business opportunities so mango growers in the Northern Territory can sell mangoes into America. People do not put enough emphasis on what these large agreements do.
Yes, the Japanese FTA means you will be able to buy cheaper cars in Australia, which is good, but we export some products. Humpty Doo Barramundi will now be able to export barramundi into more markets than ever before, which means more jobs at Humpty Doo Barramundi. The Seafarms Group is looking at 100 000 tonnes of tiger prawns being grown and exported each year in its $1.45bn tiger prawn project. They will travel along the Victoria Highway up the Stuart Highway to the port, which will expand with more reefer and refrigeration points, onto bigger ships and head out into the wild yonder of the world market. This is what it is about. The FTA allows that to happen.
They are some of the things that are at risk if a Labor government came to office, because we know that in 2012 when we took office the Territory was nearly bankrupt. That is not a political line; that is a fact. There was $5.5bn worth of debt. The Territory’s budget each year was $5.5bn when we came to office. Our debt was as much as our income. The debt to equity ratio was forecast to get to 98%.
The Treasurer released the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report yesterday, showing an equity-to-debt ratio of 32%. What a tremendous turnaround. The $5.5bn has come down by $2.9bn. Those numbers are very hard to understand in anyone’s language so let me put it down per capita: $2900m divided by 250 000 people in the Northern Territory – there are about 245 000 but we will go on 250 000 – equals $11 600 per person of debt savings, which is every man, woman and child, and probably every tourist. That is an amazing achievement and turnaround in three years.
People talk about trust. Let me tell you about trust. Would anybody trust Labor to manage our economy? Could you trust Labor not to get into that debt position? Could you trust Labor not to bring about that deficit? Who brought petrol prices down? It was the Country Liberals. Petrol prices are now the lowest in the country. Labor drove them up when in office, we drove them down. Labor drove house prices up and we drove them down. Next week we will be announcing how we are driving down electricity prices. Would you trust Labor to reduce petrol prices or keep them low? No way. Would you trust Labor to keep house prices down? Absolutely not. Has Labor ever reduced electricity prices in any term of government? In eleven-and-a-half years electricity prices never went down. Why would you risk going to Labor? You cannot trust them. We know how they performed last time. You cannot take the risk ...
Mr CHANDLER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77 I ask for an extension of time for the member.
Motion agreed to.
Mr GILES: Thank you very much, Minister for Infrastructure, for the 10-minute extension.
I say again that you could not trust Labor. If it was your money you would not give it to Labor to manage, so why would you expect government to give money to Labor? They messed it up last time. All the improvements I spoke about across the length and breadth of the Northern Territory that we have been making – and they are just a slither – have been done in three years. Imagine what could be done in the next four-year term.
Electricity prices will be the lowest in the nation over the next four-year term. Access to VET and higher education will be the best in the country. We will continue to be the best-performing government in Australia financially. We will continue to erode debt and reduce surpluses. We will continue with job growth.
These are things Labor cannot promise. It has already committed to not having an onshore gas industry. That is an industry it will not support. The member for Nightcliff is talking about buying the port back, putting the government into debt, which would be at least $600m or $700m.
We will put $100m of the port money towards a ship lift facility. We will leverage it up as a major project. A ship lift probably costs around $400m or $500m. We will put $100m in and attract the private sector, as we did with the gas pipeline. That will produce up to 4500 jobs. Labor has said no to 4500 jobs, plus $600m or $700m debt, because it will buy the port back. That is economic suicide; nobody would do that.
I go back to the point of October Business Month. In its 21st year, it had the highest number of participants and was widely successful, and celebrated across the Northern Territory. I thank the staff in the Department of Business who worked tirelessly to ensure OBM was seamless and successful, and everybody had a great time. They did not just look after Territorians and business; they also looked after the guests who came in. It was a stressful time with a very busy agenda, so thanks to the Department of Business.
To the Chamber of Commerce and the many industry stakeholders and players who participated, thank you very much. Your interest and participation was welcomed. It was exciting and it added a great deal of value.
I tell those people who attended, the business staff and employees, that while there is a Country Liberals government in the Northern Territory, jobs and the Country Liberals will be friends. Jobs are not friends of Labor unless they involve unions. But the Country Liberals will be your friends.
Labor, where are your policies? Where is your economic plan? Where is your economic strategy? Opposition Leader, come out of hiding and say something. Stop living a small-target strategy. Do not be a coward; be a man. Have a voice. I know you are being manipulated by the member for Karama and other people who have their hands up her back and your back. You sit in this position as a weak Opposition Leader because the member for Karama, who is now an Independent, is still pulling the strings. Not only do you not have policies, an economic plan or an agenda, you do not even have the floor. We know what the member for Karama is doing; she is working with the other Independents who are about to announce their campaign on 29 November.
You see a vibrant coalition opportunity, member for Karama. You still think you can be the Chief Minister. You are tying the heels of the Leader of the Opposition together. Not only does he not have a voice on policy, framework or leadership, he cannot walk because the member for Karama is holding him back. His feet are tied together; he cannot move to the left or the right. We all know what the member for Karama is doing, corralling a coalition of Independents, trying to form a coalition with Labor …
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 67: digression. I am not sure what this has to do with the October Business Month statement.
Madam SPEAKER: There is a reasonable amount of latitude.
Mr GILES: The member for Karama has hobbled the Leader of the Opposition, and unfortunately the other Labor members cannot see it. When she launches – you watch. They will launch the Independents’ campaign on 29 November; that will be the first. You watch, they will do it here at Parliament House. Then she will seek to go to an election and will want to form a partnership with Labor, but on the proviso that she is Chief Minister. That is what she is working on. But the worst part about all of these things …
Ms Fyles: You are so focused on us.
Ms Moss interjecting.
Mr GILES: Excuse me, members for Nightcliff and Casuarina, I have given you the courtesy all week of not interrupting either of you. Try to lift the standards of debate. If you do not like the message …
Ms Fyles interjecting.
Mr GILES: The worst part is not only does Labor not have an economic plan, narrative, framework or plan for building jobs, the ex-Leader of the Opposition, the want-to-be Chief Minister who is really a member of the Labor Party, is trying to corral other Independents in and she does not have a plan either.
Look at the other side. The only former ministers over there are the members for Karama and Barkly. The people in charge of Labor have never even held office. Would you really risk the Northern Territory government being run by a person with a learner plate on their forehead? Would you risk that? That is the challenge for the Territory ...
Ms Fyles: Clare Martin had not been a minister. Terry Mills had not been a minister. They were elected by the people, unlike you.
Mr GILES: All we have is personal attacks by the member for Nightcliff. It shows the shallowness of your debate. You come in here screeching and screaming like every other day.
I ask you, what is your economic narrative? I do not think the member for Casuarina has ever had a real job in her life ...
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Offensive.
Mr GILES: What is offensive? You scream at me.
Ms FYLES: Standing Order 67.
Madam SPEAKER: Withdraw.
Mr GILES: I withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, Chief Minister.
Mr GILES: One of the important parts of life is having a job in the private sector and understanding what real work is – private sector, non-government sector, public sector – but you must have a job. That is one of the fundamental areas of vacancy.
I invite the Leader of the Opposition to come forward with a plan. Do not hide under a rock and play small-target strategy; come up here and tell us what you are all about.
To the Minister for Business, my colleague, the member for Sanderson, congratulations. You have delivered one of, if not the best, October Business Months. I know you did not do it on your own; the Department of Business and everybody else helped you. Congratulations and on behalf of Territory businesses, thank you. To the staff who work at those businesses, thank you. To all of those in the Northern Territory – whether working in the public sector, the private sector or the non-government sector – I ask you this question: would you risk the plan being rolled out across the Northern Territory on an opposition Labor Party which does not have a strategy? Would you risk it with the Independents who cause nothing but chaos? I do not think anyone would put this in their hands.
Debate adjourned.
MOTION
Adopt Report – Standing Orders
Continued from 25 August 2015.
Ms FYLES (Nightcliff): Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of Government Business for bringing this on at this opportunity and not earlier today. Obviously this document has had a great deal of work done on it over a long period of time. The review and the development was very time intensive. It is appropriate to acknowledge the staff who have contributed to the review and the report. On behalf of the opposition members and all members, thank you for your efforts and work.
The standing orders are the rules under which our parliament functions. They are the written rules by which we conduct our business. This week it has been more evident than ever how important these standing orders are. They were developed over a long time, and provide us with guidance in this House. It is a very thick document, so we have obviously been working at it for a long time and a lot of effort has gone into it.
I acknowledge I will be moving an amendment in committee stage. We recently had …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! There is no committee stage. This is simply adopting the report. However, I would accept an amendment off the floor of the House to amend the standing orders while we are doing this business here.
Madam SPEAKER: Okay. Thank you.
Ms FYLES: Should I do that now or at the end of my speech?
Mr Elferink: Whenever you like.
Ms FYLES: Okay. Thank you to the Leader of Government Business for correcting me on the process. We want to acknowledge in our amendment that we have had a recent change to the standing orders which ensures that ministerial statements are provided to non-government members – the Independents and the opposition – by 5 pm of the afternoon before the statement. It was a long-standing convention, but the Chief Minister and his government stopped that, which was disappointing because it did not allow those non-government members any opportunity to review ministerial statements or do some research.
I appreciate the Leader of Government Business’ indication that he will accept that amendment so we can continue receiving those ministerial statements the evening before they are presented in the House. It is very important we have that in the standing orders because we have a very secretive government now and we need to have information to hold them to account.
In Question Time, typically, the Chief Minister …
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member for Nightcliff made an offensive comment. I would like her to withdraw it.
Ms FYLES: I should say, ‘Toughen up, princess!’, but I will withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Withdraw, thank you.
Ms FYLES: I withdraw, Madam Speaker.
We have a Chief Minister and ministers who avoid answering direct questions, particularly when questions point to government mismanagement and chaos. The allocations of water licences, ministerial travel and projects such as Richardson Park and the Palmerston hospital are examples of the CLP’s approach to Question Time.
We believe having ministerial statements in the standing orders is very important, considering the CLP’s attitude towards accountability and parliamentary reform. It was shocking to see their crude attempt to get rid of the Speaker earlier this week. We saw unprecedented events in this parliament simply because the government did not like being held to account for misleading and untrue taxpayer-funded political advertisements.
The advertisements were breaches of this parliament’s Powers and Privileges Act. Who was responsible and is accountable for that? It appears that Mr No One, the minister for nobody, has been left to take the blame, even though the Chief Minister admitted the advertisements were conceived, authorised and designed in his office.
When the Speaker of this House took the justifiable step of holding the government to account for a misleading attack on the members, what was the Chief Minister’s response? Did he say he would change the standing orders to make government more accountable to the parliament and the people it represents? Did he say the advertisements were wrong? No. His response was to launch an attack on our Speaker. We have seen that in today’s Northern Territory News. So much for the government’s newfound commitment to accountability in the parliament.
While we are talking about accountability and why it is so important to have that in our parliament with our standing orders, recently we asked some questions in relation to ministerial travel. I will read from the response we were given. It was a query to the Chief Minister about ministerial overseas travel costs. We asked the question:
- For each overseas trip undertaken by ministers in 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 (year to date):
1. what was the itemised break-up costs?
The response we received from our unaccountable Chief Minister was:
- The data requested in this question is considered an onerous imposition on the Department of the Chief Minister. Ministerial travel has been the subject of rigorous interrogation in the estimates process and I refer you to the responses provided previously.
The Chief Minister, though, stopped and refused to read out answers that were in front of him. The answer went on:
- The travel report prepared for the 2014-15 estimates question took department staff six weeks to prepare and reconcile.
- This is not considered to be constructive use of public servants’ time and a waste of taxpayer dollars.
We have a Chief Minister and ministers who do not get it. Their contempt for public accountability is offensive to Territorians. If they took the time to talk to real Territorians they would hear that, but they simply refuse to change.
By contrast, the opposition has a firm public commitment to being open and accountable, including reform of Question Time and Estimates Committee processes to strengthen the independence of the Speaker. We spoke at length on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, Madam Speaker, about how we felt your guidance in this House was very fair and independent.
The opposition supports the adoption of the new standing orders, but we have a qualification that we will be moving the amendment. The Leader of Government Business has indicated he will support that because this document was prepared before standing orders needed to come into place. The previous Chief Minister provided statement documents the night before but this government changed a long-standing convention.
We have also sought advice but understand that the adoption of these standing orders will not impact on the current structure of the Public Accounts Committee.
Madam Speaker, this is a detailed document that will guide this House. The changes to standing orders are fairly routine. They will provide us with a document to guide the running of this parliament for you to refer to in allowing debates to occur in the Northern Territory.
I will seek advice from the Leader of Government Business when I have concluded my remarks. I believe the member for Nelson has remarks …
Mr Elferink: Can I just be reassured that the amendment you are about to move has been produced by the Clerk’s office in accordance with the proper vetting process? It is not just something you guys have scratched out?
Ms FYLES: No, it is not something I prepared at lunchtime. It was prepared in accordance with the Clerk’s office process.
Mr Elferink: I will take that on face value because if they have done that we can presume it has been done properly and we are happy to take the amendment in advance.
Ms FYLES: Thank you. The attendants have the copies ready.
Madam Speaker, I move the following amendment:
After the word ‘adopted’ insert:
And, that the Assembly adopt a new Sessional Order as of 1 December which will:
1. suspend the operation of Standing Order 117 and
2. order that when a ministerial statement may be made, a minister may make a statement on:
- 1. government policy
2. a government decision
3. a government action, or
4. proposed government action
- Such statements when circulated are to be treated with confidence.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I was not expecting this today but I thank the Clerk especially, and the staff who have done a lot of work to bring these new standing orders to parliament. It is a pretty big job to change the standing orders. It is not an easy job and I imagine the Clerk, at times, was frustrated with committee members who were a bit reluctant to say they had read it all in one hit, because it is not exactly bedtime reading.
The good thing about it is we have brought it to a much more readable type of standing orders. The Clerk has made sure the language is more applicable, modern and understandable for people who pick up the document.
I do not have the examples in front of me, but some of the language used in the present standing orders can be a little cumbersome and out of date. The changes to make the standing orders more logical in the way they are set out were important. Again, I thank the Clerk for his hard work in making those changes, which was not easy, so the committee was able to approve those changes.
We know standing orders are extremely important; you only have to sit here at Question Time to find that out. You even need standing orders to try to get rid of the person who makes the decisions about standing orders. Luckily we have standing orders; that person was re-elected because of the way the standing orders are framed. It is good to have secret ballots for voting.
What we have before us will be a set of standing orders that will hopefully stand the test of time for a number of years. I do not wish it on any Standing Orders Committee to change standing orders too often, because it is a large amount of work anyone who wishes to go down that path would have to carry out.
Madam Speaker, I support the standing orders recommended today. I once again thank the Clerk for all the work he has done and other members of the Legislative Assembly who have been part of the committee. As a member of the committee, I would have done 1% of the work and the Clerk and his helpers would have done about 99% of the work. So once again thank you for that. I support the new standing orders.
Mr HIGGINS (Sport and Recreation): Madam Speaker, I was thrust on to the Standing Orders Committee not long after being elected to this parliament. I found that role was a good opportunity to learn the standing orders and procedures. As the Deputy Speaker at the time, I found that very helpful.
I agree with the member for Nelson regarding the amount of work the Clerk has done. The member for Nelson takes credit for 1% of the work and gives the Clerk credit for 99% of the work, but I take some credit for a percentage of the work. The Clerk probably did 98%, the member for Nelson 1% and I did1%.
Hopefully, the new standing orders are much clearer and easier to follow. Everyone in this House – after the goings on this week and issues raised – should take the opportunity to have a good read of the standing orders over the next week so they get a clear understanding not just of the standing orders, but the procedures around them. They are: what are we trying to achieve; why are we here; and how do those standing orders help us?
They are a bit like operating procedures. The expression RTFM has always been used when we get appliances; it stands for ‘read the full manual’. That is a bit like this House. If people want to operate here they should have a complete understanding of the manual.
It is very hard reading, as I have read them a couple of times, but I encourage everyone to read them so if we have a repeat of the processes that happened here during the week, everyone will have a complete understanding of what the steps are and what is happening.
I hope the standing orders will eventually be made available to some of our media people so they also have a very clear understanding. I know the Speaker spends much time trying to explain to people outside of this House what the standing orders mean. But they also should be reading those before they even get a pass to come into this House and report on it.
Madam Speaker, I have a very strong view that the rewrite of these standing orders is way overdue. I also express my thanks to the Clerk for the amount of work he and his staff have done in getting these to the state they are now.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, the problem of being a dinosaur is that I am so used to the old system that I have to work my way through a new document which I am frantically reading at the moment. I am looking for, let us say for argument’s sake, the standing order on digression. However, I cannot find it. The old standing order on digression was Standing Order 67, which I can instantly lay my hands on. I suppose what you get when you become an old dinosaur, as I have in this place – I have been here since 1997 – is that …
Ms Walker: You had a bit of a break for a few years.
Ms Fyles: You had a little rest.
Mr ELFERINK: Yes, I did. But I have been jammed in this building since 1997.
Ms Fyles: I am sure you can retire. Is that why the family is here?
Mr ELFERINK: Sorry?
Ms Fyles: They have come in to see your retirement?
Mr ELFERINK: Yes, they have. That is exactly what I am about to announce. If you would allow me my digression, then that is exactly what I am about to talk about. I seek the indulgence of members, if they could allow me to digress from the subject so I might talk about what I will announce here today.
Madam Speaker, I advised the Chief Minister at about 8 am this morning that it was my intention to not recontest the seat of Port Darwin at the next Northern Territory election. My reason for this is that maybe I have turned into a dinosaur. But I was very careful to pen an e-mail to my colleagues this morning which I signed a short time ago. I would like the liberty of reading this e-mail out. It says:
- Dear colleagues,
Nothing in this announcement should be seen to reflect on the Chief Minister or you as my colleagues or the policy direction of the Northern Territory. We have every right to be proud of our manifold achievements and the direction that we have set for the Northern Territory. Events in recent times have utterly no bearing on this decision.
This decision is entirely personal and in life’s journey it is simply the case that I have dallied in one place for too long. The next adventure awaits. By the next election the parliament will have held me in its walls for 19 years, 16 of which as a serving member.
Please let me place on the record my deep and abiding gratitude to each of you for your companionship on this breathtaking rollercoaster. As you know I have always aspired to be motivated by the notion that everything that I do is for the true welfare of the people of the Northern Territory. Well, today it is not. Today it is for the true welfare of Dee, Elly, Gwenny and John.
Since that time – 1986 was when I had my last alcoholic drink – I have stepped forward through life and found it to be the most wonderful, splendid and exhilarating rollercoaster ride it could possibly be. There are some still pretty black depths; there are still some amazing highs. Even after I gave up the grog all those years ago, life did not necessarily become easy or simple. I do not expect that life will be easy and simple going forward. But life is a continuum; it is a journey. It is a place where you travel and enjoy all the exhilaration that comes with it. You build relationships, you lose them, you make things happen in life, and you propel yourself forward with enthusiasm, lust and drive. That is what I try to do. Am I particularly good at it? No. Sometimes I screw up monumentally, as I have done in this job, as all of us will do at some point or another because that is what life is about. The day I walk across a swimming pool will be the day that I come here and try to tell everybody how to live their lives.
I was always attracted to the Liberal side of politics because I am extremely attracted to the notion of liberalism. When I say that, I am not talking about its modern American context; I am talking about its very dry, John Stuart Mill, late 19th century context, particularly as expressed in America. It is the idea that a human being can be free, unencumbered by the state putting its claws into him or her, so long as that human being acts lawfully and in accordance with the laws created through a democratic process.
I still stridently believe in those principles, and will continue to, I suspect, for a very long time to come. The more the state intervenes, the less I see evidence of the state being successful. With passive welfare, those sorts of things, I just shake my head in disbelief. We spend so many billions of dollars on welfare-driven outcomes, and continue to struggle for results.
That was really the philosophy behind the Sentenced to a Job program. It was about enabling people to regain their dignity through effort and their own labours. It is a philosophy that has found its way into so many of my policies, and I am proud of the work I have done.
The NTCAT is not very politically sexy, but it has been one of the most fundamental reforms in the Northern Territory’s judicial history. The reforms of the local courts – barely anybody noticed but it was a bucket-load of work. There were a number of other reforms, such as the building of the new Supreme Court in Alice Springs and making certain the Palmerston hospital will be built on time. Frankly, simply by changing it from a PPP to get it developed as a design and construct model was fulfilling. When the project manager was in, my work was over. I have had tutelage over some 70 pieces of separate legislation, some easy, some hard.
I have continued to work on behalf of the people of the Northern Territory with passion. I love working for the people of the Northern Territory, and will continue to do so, in whatever fashion the Chief Minister asks me to. From now until the next Territory election, I remain faithful to the principles of the CLP.
I place on the record my admiration for this Chief Minister’s vision, not the least of which we have seen in the last few days with the announcement of the pipeline to Queensland. That is passion and drive. That is why I support this Chief Minister and this government. I will continue to do so proudly because of the manifold things we have achieved. But, that is this government, this parliament and this jurisdiction, and all of that is bigger than yours truly.
My wife and I have discussed this over some time – hello, Dee. In that letter I made the observation that I will always work – and have worked – for the true welfare of the people of the Northern Territory. In that letter I made the observation – and I will make it again – not today folks, not today. Today I work for the true welfare of the Elferink household. I am not gone yet, but when my wife and I finally made this decision last night, the yippies and the yakkai-ing down the corridor were impossible to restrain. The neighbour may have known before anybody else that I was intending to do this.
Ladies and gentlemen of this parliament, whilst we bicker, fight and do all the things we do to each other, please let us never lose sight of why the bloody hell we are here. It is easy to do; I am as guilty as anybody else.
That being the case, I am supposed to talk about the amendment to standing orders.
Madam SPEAKER: I thought you had, honourable member.
Mr ELFERINK: I was using that as an example of digression, Madam Speaker.
Ms Fyles: Standing Order 67: digression.
Mr ELFERINK: I could not find it in the new standing orders. It bloody well better be there.
I thank honourable members for not calling me up on digression. Of course we accept the amendment to the motion.
I thank all my colleagues very much, particularly the CLP guys. They have had to put up with my eccentricity and weirdness and all that ...
Mr Barrett: There will be a bit more of that.
Mr ELFERINK: Yes, there is a bit more of that to come.
If I was to be asked today who would form the far better government of the Northern Territory I would without hesitation say a Country Liberals government.
Amendment agreed to.
Motion agreed to; report, as amended, adopted.
TABLED PAPER
Quarterly Members’ Fuel Transaction Report
Quarterly Members’ Fuel Transaction Report
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, following the Auditor-General’s report on recommendations into members’ fuel cards – as you know a quarterly report is tabled in the parliament – I submit the third quarterly report for 2015 on use by members who elect to be supplied with a government supplied motor vehicle, fuel and associated matters with electorate vehicles.
TABLED PAPER
Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority Annual Report 2015-16
Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority Annual Report 2015-16
Mr HIGGINS (Environment): Madam Speaker, I am pleased to table the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority (the NT EPA), Annual Report for 2015-16.
This is the third annual report of the NT EPA. The report demonstrates the ongoing commitment of the NT EPA to improving waste and pollution management in the Territory, and displays an increase in commitment to protecting the natural and environmental values for which the Territory is known.
The report describes the performance of the NT EPA’s functions during the 2014-15 year, in line with its strategic plan. Its key objectives include: the delivery of a storm water strategy for the Darwin Harbour region which provides a basis for improving management of the quality of storm water entering Darwin Harbour; and the rollout of an erosion and sediment control campaign where the NT EPA undertook activities to increase awareness and improve erosion and sediment control practices on building and development sites. Included in this were compliance audits of the premises.
The NT EPA has continued work relating to assessment of environmental impacts of proposals in the Northern Territory. During 2014-15 the NT EPA received 48 projects for consideration under the Environmental Assessment Act, with seven projects requiring assessment at the level of an environmental impact statement.
The development of the NT EPA’s first compliance activity plan in January 2015 …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Daly, can you pause for a moment? Perhaps honourable members might like to go into the lobby with Mr Elferink’s family so we can hear the member speaking.
Mr HIGGINS: With the development of the NT EPA’s first compliance activity plan in January 2015 to June 2016, in the first six months of the plan 23, height inspections were conducted on building sites against an expected 20 inspections to 30 June 2016. The high number of height inspections is attributed to the NT EPA’s erosion and sediment control campaign for building and development sites.
Operation of the 24-hour pollution hotline, which provides an opportunity for the Northern Territory community to report environmental pollution problems and concerns, and receives notifications from industry, exceeded expectations with 304 calls received in the first six months of 2015. This averaged over 11 calls per week. The community plays a critical role, and I encourage use of the 24-hour pollution hotline. I am very sorry to say I encouraged my wife to do that, and she is very active on this hotline.
The development and implementation of an online system, known as the NT EPA online, for environmental protection licences (EPLs) issued under the Waste Management and Pollution Control Act streamlines processes and ensures an integrated and efficient process for proponents. It is anticipated that further development of the online system will include other licences and approvals issued by the NT EPA.
With the continued administration of the Environmental Grants program, a range of environmental projects were supported which addressed the environmental themes of waste. A total of $623 580 in grant funding was provided for 31 projects, comprising five schools projects, 23 community projects and five operational grants.
Adding to its busy work plan, the NT EPA members also met formally seven times in Darwin and Alice Springs with various site visits. The establishment of a strong, transparent and independent NT EPA by this government, as well as the activities of the NT EPA, aligns with the Territory government’s Framing the Future blueprint – specifically the balanced environment, strong society and prosperous economy objectives.
As well as all of this, I highlight that yesterday we released the Hawke report into the regulatory framework that surrounds all of this in the Northern Territory. In the report three options were put forward to improve this regulation. I will touch a bit on the time frames with that. Over the next couple of months, up until late February, presentations will be made to anyone who would like one to get a brief on the report and have some input into how we will consult over the ensuing eight or nine months after that, through to about September 2016. Changes to legislation would then be required and probably would not be implemented until about January 2017.
The final recommendation was to go to option two of the three options, which would take another couple of years.
I highlight today that I have been advised that Hon Greg Hunt, the federal Minister for the Environment, issued a media release today. I will mention two quotes from it:
- The Australian government congratulates the Northern Territory Government for raising environmental standards as part of their ongoing commitment to reforming the Territory’s environmental regulatory system.
- Under the new system, business will benefit from a simpler and more transparent process, with publicly available assessment and approval policies and procedures, combined with the robust accreditation of government legislation and agency procedures.
MOTION
Print Paper – Northern Territory
Mr HIGGINS (Environment): Madam Speaker, I move that the report be printed.
Motion agreed to; report printed.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
I will save valediction for the member for Port Darwin for another day.
I advise the House about an issue of considerable concern to the Northern Territory government and to me. It is, in my opinion, one of the biggest issues facing the Northern Territory, but most people would not be aware of it.
For many years, backpackers have been the backbone of the Northern Territory tourism industry, both as tourists and as valuable workers, mainly in the hospitality industry. But the Northern Territory’s backpacker industry is telling me that Darwin faces a particularly grim forecast. The industry says that occupancy rates in backpacker accommodation are down by about 20% and the average length of stay is also down significantly on previous years.
On top of this is the hit to the hospitality venues, which is twofold. A drop in backpacker numbers also sees a drop in patronage and expenditure at restaurants, cafs, hotels, pubs and clubs. The Australian Hospitality Association says most hospitality traders in Darwin are trading at 20% or 30% down on the previous year.
Equally worrying is the fact that there a lot fewer backpackers to work in Darwin’s hospitality industry. The AHA reports that one popular CBD pub said they have never experienced such a shortage of backpackers applying for jobs in their 20 years of managing the venue.
Apparently, backpackers are favouring New Zealand and Canada over Australia and the Northern Territory. The view within industry is that this backpacker tourism and working holidaymaker migration will only get worse. I am told that the Irish market in particular has plummeted by more than 50%, and that segment is having a big effect on the Northern Territory.
There are many other countries where changes are occurring for their travel plans. The Department of Immigration figures show that in 2013-14 the number of 417 visas granted dropped by nearly 20 000, from 249 231 to 229 378. In 2014-15 it dropped again to 214 830. Big declines were also seen in the number of second year 417 visas applied for by people from Taiwan, down 20.5%, and South Korea, down 14.8%.
I called a meeting with key tourism and backpacking industry people last month to better understand the issues facing the industry and to help come up with marketing solutions with Tourism NT. Tourism NT, the AHA and the backpacker industry provided me with the following picture, and it does not make for a good read.
The data that Tourism Research Australia collects for the international youth market – that is 15- to 29-year-olds – shows visitor nights by these travellers were down 30% for Darwin for the last financial year. Further analysis showed that nights spent at international youth backpacker establishments was down 37%, while the only sector to see growth from this segment was from private accommodation. The average length of stay for the youth market was down to 14 nights from 21 nights.
A job placement business says its backpacker membership is down 40% on last year’s figures. Inquiries for work in the hospitality industry are down 70% at one popular CBD hotel. In previous years it was not uncommon for that business to get 15 to 20 applicants a day, but they are now lucky to see a handful each week. Another business is reporting that working holidaymakers are asking to be paid in cash. Another is saying that there is a big drop in the traditional markets of UK and Ireland, along with the French and Italians.
Many backpackers left the Top End earlier this year. In Alice Springs a reduction in backpacker numbers has also led to the closure of a number of backpacker establishments, including the long-running Toddy’s Backpackers earlier this year.
It is not all doom and gloom for the tourism industry. The tourism industry is up, but the drop in backpackers numbers is a concern. There are, of course, a range of reasons for this. I will focus on one area of greatest common agreement amongst key industry players. Many are laying a lot of the blame on federal government fees and upcoming changes to income tax and residency rules for working holidaymakers. According to the federal budget papers, the changes are set to net Canberra an extra $540m in revenue over the forward estimates.
I am the last person to begrudge a government seeking extra revenue to repay inherited Labor debt, but this may be a short-sighted way of achieving that goal and may result in a net loss. In fact, some 2015-16 federal government initiatives appear at odds with the white paper initiatives that are focused on the development of northern Australia.
Of course, there are also other issues at play here such as airfares, Airbnb and improving economic conditions in source countries such as Ireland, to name a few. But fees, taxes and visas seem to be a consistent and concerning theme at the moment with the latest figures showing 10% fewer working holidaymaker visa holders in Australia, compared with the same time last year. This is not just about the Territory.
Australia is currently around three times the price of Canada for a working holidaymaker visa. Australia charges $440, while the fee in Canada is $150. Canada also has other advantages over Australia. In Canada the age criteria for a working holidaymaker visa is 18 to 35 years, which is five years more than Australia. Further, in Canada under the working holidaymaker visa, you are eligible to work and holiday for up to 24 months – one application, one cost. Under Australian conditions it is 12 months and then you need to apply for a second visa and meet eligibility criteria, that is, have worked 88 days in a specified industry in a specified job in a specified location. This means two applications, two lots of costs and a range of criteria.
I suggest a cost increase in the working holidaymaker fee has definitely had an impact on Australia’s competitive position as a destination of choice for working holidaymakers. It is outstanding that while competitor destinations such as Canada are reducing the cost of working holidaymaker visa fees, Australia is increasing the cost to come here under the guise of cost recovery. It is a false economy by the federal government.
Additionally, the impact of the changes to the tax-free threshold for working holidaymaker visa holders from the 1 July 2016 will further erode Australia’s competitive position for working holidaymakers. Local industry feedback all over the place suggests paying 32.5% tax from the first dollar earned instead of having the $18 000 tax-free threshold will create a disincentive for working holiday visitors coming to the Territory, which our tourism and hospitality industries have come to rely on as a source of essential seasonal labour supply. This tax change message, even though it does not start until July next year, appears to be already out on the backpacker social media channels and is not helping.
Working holidaymakers are entitled to a refund of the superannuation contributions paid by their employer when they leave the country. However, the refund is now subject to a tax deduction of 35%.
Another example I heard recently related to methods being used by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection when monitoring sponsored overseas workers in the hospitality sector. Their recent random inspections have led to the prohibition of many industry players being able to engage in the employment of working holidaymakers, simply because a hospitality manager happened to pick up some plates off a table at the end of a shift. Now they are being banned because they are not allowed to pick up plates as working holidaymakers. It is completely outrageous.
However, whilst this example is causing great concern, I have asked the Minister for Business, Mr Peter Styles, to write to federal Immigration minister Peter Dutton, placing the significant concerns of the NT government on the record and demanding there be changes to the way policy is being implemented, monitored and measured, as well as the other policy parameters.
On the positive side, there are some changes the federal government should be commended for. They include:
changes to the working holidaymaker and work and holiday visa holders program which will allow the ability to work up to 12 months with one employer if the individual works in a high-demand sector – including tourism and hospitality – in the north. This is up from six months at present
new arrangements for the work and holiday visa in northern Australia scheduled to commence on 1 July 2016 will apply to the tourism and hospitality industry, as well as the agriculture sector, which will allow these visa holders to apply for a second visa. This will create a new opportunity for this much smaller cohort to apply for a second visa not currently available to them.
These changes have the potential to give northern Australia an edge in marketing to this cohort and will be reflected in future international workforce attraction activities by the NT government. These are good initiatives, but more needs to be done.
Madam Speaker, I have a few more pages and I am mindful of the time. I can table these notes which I have presented to you for incorporation into Hansard. I am at the whim of the Chamber.
Madam SPEAKER: I am comfortable. I have read the notes and it is suitable to incorporate them into Hansard.
- I raised the issue in my very first conversation with Malcolm Turnbull after he became Prime Minister in September.
I have since written to him, Minister for Northern Australia Josh Frydenberg and Tourism Minister Senator Richard Colbeck about my concerns regarding issues with the working holidaymaker visa and tax implications for backpackers and the effect they are having on the Northern Territory economy.
I raised the issue again in a face-to-face meeting in my office with Senator Colbeck when he was here in Darwin attending the Northern Australia Investment Forum.
The NT government believes the federal government could implement simple and affordable measures that would go a long way towards reversing the decline.
The NT government is encouraging the federal government to:
simplify the visa application and assessment process for markets that cannot apply online
extend online visa applications to as many nationalities as possible, prioritising the top 10 key tourism markets
allow three-year multiple entry visitor visas
continue to reform the working holidaymaker visa by:
reducing fees for applying for a working holidaymaker visa
reviewing the changes to the tax-free threshold for working holidaymakers, due to come into effect from 1 July 2016
increasing the age limit
allowing multiple applications for individuals.
The Northern Territory government, through Tourism NT, is seizing the initiative with new marketing strategies to make the NT top of mind for the international backpacker market.
These include:
The NT is partnering with the biggest youth tour operator in the world – STA Travel Global in the UK, France and Germany – to promote holidays to the NT for people who have booked to visit Australia enticing them to add-on the NT.
Targeting international travellers already in Australian on the east coast remains a focus. Tourism NT is working with partners including STA Travel, the Website Travel Group, Peterpans Adventure Travel, Backpackers World Travel and HostelWorld.cpm.
Tourism NT will run an NT Youth Adventure Roadshow in Melbourne and Byron Bay in April. The NT roadshow will complement a World Youth Student Educational Exchange event in Sydney which brings international buyers to meet one on one with Australian backpacker sector suppliers.
The NT Adventure Roadshow will coincide with an NT outback pub installation to be set up at Federation Square in April, which will have an added focus on growing the youth market. This installation was in Martin Place earlier this year and was extremely successful in raising the profile of the NT.
As announced at the First Ministers’ Meeting in September this year, we are working with the South Australian Tourism Commission on a joint backpacker marketing activity promoting travel on the Explorer’s Way between Adelaide and Darwin. Each jurisdiction is contributing $50 000.
Working holidaymakers are not a captive market for Australia. Our nation directly competes with other countries such as New Zealand and Canada to attract these young adventurous tourists to our shores.
Earlier this month, Deloitte Access Economics revealed a sobering report into the tourism industry revealing that at least 123 000 workers will be needed across Australia by 2020. This is a clarion call for the Northern Territory, which has the lowest unemployment rate in the country at 4.5% and the nation’s highest participation rate of 75%.
The federal government needs to understand that the NT is more reliant than other areas of Australia on working holidaymakers as both international visitors and a source of workers for seasonal labour needs. Working holidaymakers play a vital role in supplementing our labour force. Further, working holidaymakers are critical for businesses operating in our regional and remote areas,
Any reduction in this source of labour in Australia will be first felt in regional areas of Australia like the Northern Territory.
I am confident that by working together, the Northern Territory government and the federal government will be able to fix these problems.
Ms LAWRIE (Nightcliff): Madam Speaker, I give my sincere and deepest thanks to a remarkable Territorian who I have had the pleasure of working with for seven-and-a-half years. I speak of my former electorate officer, Kerry Wetherall, who has taken a leap of faith, a career change, and has been accepted and is currently undergoing training as an Aboriginal Community Police Officer. Kerry, I believe, will not only make an exceptional and outstanding ACPO, but I hope she will go on in her career to become a fully-sworn police officer. I have given her the challenge of becoming the first Indigenous Police Commissioner in the Northern Territory.
I met Kerry about a decade ago when she was a young single mother. She was a parent on the Karama school council. I watched this dynamic, intelligent and insightful young woman pour her passion into improving the educational outcomes for the children of Karama school. She has enormous compassion as well.
I started to pursue her for the position of electorate officer in my Karama office. She gave me a merry dance for a few years because she was enjoying running Softball NT. She particularly enjoyed the travel to remote communities that being the coordinator of Softball NT afforded her. She had the two loves of her life going on in softball and the sporting festivities – namely softball – in remote communities.
Persistence sometimes pays off and after a couple of years she finally gave in and came to work with me at the Karama office. Kerry has been my solid rock through an incredibly tough past seven-and-a-half years, because for all that time I was either a minister, a very senior minister or the Leader of the Opposition. Only at the very end did I have the joy of becoming a full-time local member again when I stepped down from being Leader of the Opposition. Kerry and I had a very brief time fully immersed together in the office.
As a rock she did everything for me and with me, but most importantly to me, she did everything for the people of Karama and Malak. We get such a variety of issues through the door, and Kerry dealt with them in her calm and confident manner. She knows it is important to me that we treat everyone with the same level of dignity and decency when they walk through the door of the Karama office. We have many mental health clients there, many people coming in and out of the electorate due to residents living in public housing, and people travelling in from remote communities. I like to think we are a very open and welcoming office for all the clients who often are shunned in government buildings. The way you treat people – if you are really kind, generous, caring and take on board their needs and try to do something about it – you get back in spades.
Kerry had a great way of assisting and working with people all those years in the office. She learnt so much; she also taught me so much. When I say she was my rock, for the majority of that time I was a single mum and Kerry was a single mum. Kerry has four kids she raises as a single mum, but in addition she has three foster children she has had for years, particularly the little ones, Maxina and Bettina, since babies. She has had Douglas since he was primary school age and he is now senior school age. Her own beautiful four children are JiaLi, Serena, Tristan and Naomi. Naomi has a daughter, beautiful little Samara, and it is has been great to see that gorgeous family growing up over the past decade.
We have done it tough on campaigns together with my three kids – plus I had a fourth one for quite a few years – and Kerry’s seven. It is safe to say our campaigns were filled with the noise of lots of children. Her kids have camped at my place and my kids have camped at her place. She likes to tease me because I always had a rule when my kids camped at her place: they were not allowed to play with the incredibly large snake Kerry had. I would be travelling and she would send me photos of my kids with this ridiculously large snake draped around their shoulders just to freak me out.
She came to functions and events with me because, as a single woman, I often needed an escort to a multitude of events on weekends, Friday and Saturday nights. Kerry was always by my side at those events. I was so proud to have her as my partner at those events because she knew her job was to make sure she engaged with the partners and spouses of my guests so they would feel included rather than ignored and left out of the dinner table conversation. Kerry did it so well that the wives of some of the great industrial leaders across the Territory think the world of her, as do many of the businessmen she came to know well over the years by being my escort and partner at events.
She has always underestimated her talents. She has an incredible array of talents. One of the things I was determined to do with her while she working with me was encourage her. Part of that encouragement was to ensure Kerry did the national Indigenous leadership program. I thank the former Clerk of the Assembly, Mr Ian McNeill, for allowing Kerry to go through that program as part of employment study entitlements through the Legislative Assembly to support professional development. Thank you, Ian, for your great support with that.
Part of that program was block releases to go down south to attend forums and workshops and be trained. She travelled across the Territory as a part of the program. She had to do a couple of practical projects to graduate from the program. I am talking quite a few years ago now, probably about six years ago.
One of the practical projects we decided on, working and nutting out together what she could do, was to create a girls program at Sanderson Middle School. At the time, Clontarf existed; we had boys’ programs across the Territory schools but no girls’ programs. Kerry knew the young Indigenous girls at Sanderson. Her eldest, Naomi, was there at the time. They all said, ‘It is not fair; the boys have this program, but the girls do not have a program.’ We nutted out how to create the girls’ program at Sanderson Middle School.
We could not get any funding out of the Education department, so I got agreement from the minister at the time for us to do a trial. I also got agreement from the Assembly at the time so Kerry could, as a part of the professional development program, be released from my Karama office one day a week and be at Sanderson Middle School to run the program. The program trial would be evaluated independently and a report would go to the national leadership program.
That happened, and that year proved the girls flourished under a girls’ program. It led to the evidence that helped us successfully argue to get girls’ programs funded across some of our Territory schools.
Kerry, quite frankly, without that pioneering work you were prepared to do, we would have waited for many more years to get the girls’ programs funded at our schools. We know from the DVD that was made of the girls who went through that program as part of the reporting that it was genuinely life changing for them. Many of them said, ‘I would have had a baby by 15 if I had not done that program’.
Kerry, as deeply sad as I was to contemplate working in Karama without you by my side, I am equally excited for you for the opportunity you now have to fly. You have helped me fly; you have been my rock and you have kept me happy and laughing through the insanity and the crazy work hours I have had. We have a deep and enduring friendship. She still partners me at functions even now she has left the office, so that does not change. A bit has changed in that she is not working with me every day.
Thank you for helping me fly, Kerry Wetherall. You are an exceptional person, and I will watch so proudly when you fly as an ACPO and then fly into those stripes of being a police officer. Thank you, Kerry Wetherall.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I will read a letter from some constituents of mine from Knuckey Lagoon. I think this is the letter published in the NT News on 3 November. It was addressed to the Minister for Lands and Planning, Mr David Tollner MLA:
- We are the local residents of the Knuckeys Lagoon community on the 22 ha special purpose lease in Darwin, held for us by the Aboriginal Development Foundation (ADF) since the land was handed over by Marshall Perron in 1979. Many of our relatives who won this land are buried on this block. Before the houses were built on the lease our families lived in tin sheds in the bushland around Berrimah without running water or any other facility.
After the land was given to ADF, roads were put in and houses were built but we began to lose control of our land. Over the years since then the land has been used as a housing area for homeless people from many other NT places, something like Bagot. We do not know these people and there has been violence from outsiders being housed on our lease without anyone asking us.
In September this year your government issued a statement about the Kulaluk lease, which said, ‘Indigenous communities in Darwin will be empowered to take control of their own futures thanks to a landmark agreement with the Northern Territory government’. Although the statement was referring to the Kulaluk lease, we would like to be able to take control of our future too!
The government media release also stated, ‘A memorandum of understanding will enable the Gwalwa Daraniki Association (GDA) to unlock the economic potential of the land it administers’. We would like to ask, why do the Kulaluk leaseholders get preferential treatment? Our block is very valuable and if we had control of it, we could make a lot of improvements. That is what our parents dreamed of back when they were given the land. But at the moment we have less control over our affairs than we did when we were living in tin humpies on vacant land.
In the media release about the Kulaluk lease, Adam Giles said some Kulaluk land will be converted to freehold and held by the GDA for the benefit of its members. Why can’t we at Knuckeys Lagoon have freehold title to our land to be held for the benefit of our members?
Mr Giles also said, ‘For too long governments have been reluctant to hand Indigenous people full control of their own lands. But I believe in giving communities the chance to build a better and brighter future for themselves’. We at Knuckeys Lagoon strongly agree with what Mr Giles said, because for many years we have had no say whatsoever in the future of our lease. Things happen without anyone consulting us. We feel powerless.
Finally, the government statement says that the Lands and Planning minister David Tollner hoped other communities would follow the lead set by the GDA. Why can’t we at Knuckeys Lagoon decide our own futures please, Mr Tollner? Like you said in the statement, ‘It’s time we allowed Territorians to take responsibility for their own futures’.
The government statement ends, ‘I’m sure the Gwalwa Daraniki Association will succeed and inspire other communities to seize the opportunities offered by the Territory government’, said Mr Tollner. Mr Tollner, please then offer us, the local residents of Knuckeys Lagoon, the same opportunities as Kulaluk to do something with our land.
At the moment we are living as helpless tenants of an absentee landlord.
Yours sincerely
- Tanya Stevens, May Stevens, John Petherick, Cherie Bangun, Louise Bangun, Dominic Bishop, Titus Bishop, Marlene Dargie, local residents of Knuckey Lagoon community SPL.
I ask the Chief Minister, as Minister for Indigenous Affairs in the Northern Territory, what happened to the reports the government was doing in relation to the future of Knuckey Lagoon and the 15 Mile? It was split between the Minister for community affairs, I think it was, now Local Government, and the Minister for Lands and Planning. We did not get a response and the lack of that response is shown in the desperation of these people at Knuckey Lagoon.
These people do not own their own houses; they are leased to Yilli Rreung. The houses are on Aboriginal Development Foundation land. There is no democratic committee in these communities. There are good people who are said to be the leaders on each community but none have been democratically elected by the community. There has been serious violence and a number of suicides on this community.
This community is not out bush; it is five minutes from Karama shopping centre. It could be anywhere until a plane flies over and you realise it is next to Darwin airport.
The government needs to take some decisive action. I know there are issues about a perpetual lease but why should these people not have the right to own their own house if they wish? They were the questions I asked two years ago at least, and of the previous government. Now you are seeing it come from the people themselves. There is a real issue that needs to be sorted. People are starting to become dejected about being given the opportunities to take control over their own lives, to own their own house, form a community where people who represent them are democratically elected and where they also have the right to say the area is not for certain people so they do not have people coming into that community who do not get permission to enter. That is one of the major problems.
Some of these areas have a tradition, from many years ago, of people coming in and staying. One Mile Dam, which is also an issue that needs to be looked at carefully, was visited by people from Belyuen. My wife’s family lived there. That was one of the traditional places they went to.
The Knuckey Lagoon community has many people – not exclusively – who come from the areas around the Daly and Adelaide Rivers. A number of the young boys I used to look after would stay there when they left Daly River. The 15 Mile community has Maningrida people from Jabiru. Now people drift into all these places, but there are major social problems on those communities.
There are people who are trying to do their best to raise their family and get their kids to school, but some of these communities are dysfunctional. You only have to go there and look at the amount of cans littering these places. There is a major problem with alcohol in these communities, so much so some of the houses have signs on them saying, ‘This is an alcohol-free house’, which must be hard to enforce.
The government should listen to the people of Knuckey Lagoon and say, ‘This is what we are going to do. We, at the very least, should talk to the people.’ I am not saying we bring something from the top down. What you need to do is talk to these people who have written this letter – sit down amongst those people and work through the issues from the bottom up. You need a solution that is driven by those people but helped by the government.
Why do people have to continue to live in third-world conditions at the 15 Mile 100 m away from the suburb of Johnston, with all the flashest houses in the world just across the road and the wall to block it from the Palmerston residents’ view? How can we say it is fine?
I have been to open days at Knuckey Lagoon and could not believe the number of organisations that turned up. But does anything change? Nothing. It is time for decisive action. We now have a Minister for Indigenous Affairs, the Chief Minister. He needs to take control of this issue and do something positive for the people of Knuckey Lagoon and the 15 Mile.
Mrs FINOCCHIARO (Drysdale): Madam Speaker, tonight I give my sincerest and most heartfelt thanks to the amazing staff who work at the Darwin Private Hospital Jabiru Ward.
Seven weeks ago today my husband Sam and I were very surprised to end up in the Jabiru Ward of Darwin Private Hospital five weeks earlier than we expected. It was a pleasant and exciting surprise, but a surprise nonetheless. We were greeted by many friendly and some familiar faces, which made our journey to parenthood a warm and comforting one.
Sam and I thank Marie, a wonderful midwife and family friend, for looking after us on Wednesday night as we puzzled our way through tests and more questions being raised than answered. On Thursday morning we were greeted by midwife Dee, who I know for her hard work and commitment to the Palmerston Football Club, of which I am patron. It made all the difference to me having you there by my side and your advice and skill was hugely important to Sam and me.
As the day progressed we said goodbye to Dee and hello to midwife Alex, who took the baton. Alex did her very best at letting me sneak off the monitors against the doctor’s orders, but she always managed to coax me back and make me feel happy about it. By the end of the day I was greeted by what felt like a million midwives all scrubbed up and ready for action. I wish I could remember some of your names and faces, but by that stage things really were a whirlwind and a blur.
Off to the theatre we went ready to meet our new baby. I will never forget lying there listening to Peter, the anaesthetist, and Alex and the other midwives squabbling over what song we should play when the baby was born. Soon enough, as the clock struck 5.49 pm, little Isla Grace Finocchiaro-Burke was brought into this world, and it was the most exciting and amazing moment of our lives.
I especially thank Elsa in recovery who took such wonderful care of me post-op. I just wanted to go to sleep but bless her, she kept waving those little ice cubes all over me to make sure I was getting my feeling back. ‘Please Elsa, let me sleep.’ I felt very comfortable and safe in your care and for that I thank you.
We were so fortunate to have Chris, who I have known for years through SIDS and Kids, working in the special care nursery that day. It meant I could rest knowing that Isla had the very best of care.
Over the course of the nine days we were in hospital we had the very best of care. It felt more like living in a dormitory with friends and family than being in a hospital. We had the most wonderful time and Isla and I received first-class care. I say a special thank you to midwife Barb, who looked after me for most of the nine days. She would come in and run through the mandatory list of questions and then we would sit and have a chat. Barb also took my desperate and frightened call when Isla got a temperature when we were first at home. She helped calm me down when, as a new mum, I felt scared for my baby daughter.
Marilyn, Trudy and Chris in the special care nursery were Isla’s angels. These three amazing, completely different women carried out the majority of care for Isla. As it turned out, Marilyn and I had a connection as she had cared for one of my cousins some 20-plus years ago when he was in the special care nursery. I never had to worry about Isla being in the nursery and, in fact, I loved spending time in there chatting to the midwives and getting as much advice and information as I could. I was like a sponge absorbing what collectively would be more than 100 years of mothering, nurturing and midwifery knowledge.
I thank all of the midwifery staff who I spent varying degrees of time with, but all of whom were kind, friendly and endlessly helpful. Sam and I thank Dee, Barb, Marie, Marilyn, Alex, Stacey, Cheryl, Kara, Angela, Kelly, Lindsay, Kelly, Pauline, Joy, Trudy, Cess, Retha, Matt, Chris, Amanda, Gretel and Julie.
I cannot forget to mention the amazing support staff to the ward, which includes catering staff, housekeeping staff and patient services. We ate the most delicious food over those nine days and looked forward to every meal time without fail. We had the most immaculately kept room and patient support all served up with the biggest smiles and friendly faces. A huge thank you to Gazalla and Karen, Marlin, Anna, Amy, Jess, Georgina, Michael, Trang, Tess, Jess and Cearene for providing that support service to the ward.
A further friendly face was Julie, who is the mother of one of my husband’s groomsmen, Adam. She is also the manager of the maternity ward and runs the most beautiful team of people. Julie, you must be doing something right because the ward had an amazing feel and good culture.
I am happy to report that seven weeks on Isla is doing very well and I am slowly getting the hang of being a mum. This week has been a challenge and a new adventure for us, being in parliament, but given we are in adjournment on Thursday evening, we have survived and done very well.
A big thank you to my mum for helping me out this week. Without you all the wheels would have fallen off.
To the Jabiru Ward, without your initial support I would not be as confident as I am now, so thank you. At some time in the future we will be back.
I also thank my work experience student, Liam Mulvahil. Liam is a student from MacKillop College. When I signed him up to be my work experience student we had not anticipated little Isla would want to come into the world so soon. Poor Liam did not get to spend any time with me because he was my work experience student just two weeks after Isla was born when we had only been at home a handful of days. But I made sure he was very well looked after. My electorate officer, Angie, did a wonderful job shepherding him to the number of activities we very quickly organised for Liam to make sure he had a fulfilling and action-packed time in the electorate office. We wanted to give him as broad an experience as and as many different interactions as possible.
I am pleased to report that Liam attended the Palmerston Seniors Advisory Meeting, which was run by the City of Palmerston. It is collectively made up of approximately 20 high-profile senior contributors in Palmerston and the rural area. It is a very lengthy meeting that discusses a number of serious issues relating to seniors in Palmerston and the rural area. No doubt Liam would have learnt something different as he would never have been to a meeting of that sort before. I am sure he gained a greater understanding of how a local member can contribute in those types of forums.
He also had the opportunity to spend time with my colleague, minister Chandler. I thank him very much for taking Liam under his wing on that day. Minister Chandler took Liam to Riding for the Disabled, which is a wonderful organisation in Marlow Lagoon, providing support and education to disabled riders. It has a beautiful paddock and horses, and all sorts of different activities. I am sure Liam would have enjoyed that immensely. Minister Chandler also took Liam to the Palmerston 50+ Club, which is a wonderful casual social club for people over the age of 50 at Gray Community Hall. It would have been enjoyable, and no doubt he would have had the privilege and opportunity to enjoy some of Cath’s morning tea.
Liam was also able to attend the Youth Advisory Meeting with minister Elferink. I thank minister Elferink for spending time with Liam. Liam also attended a dementia-friendly communities meeting. All the Palmerston MLA offices are dementia-friendly spaces and I am part of the dementia-friendly communities committee, making Palmerston a dementia-friendly place. Liam had the opportunity to engage with the information session that occurred.
My colleague, the member for Blain, Nathan Barrett, also spent time with Liam and I thank him for that. I also thank the Chief Minister, who spent about half a day with Liam. They took part in various activities, including attending Palmerston Senior College and the Special Education Centre. They paid a visit to Ausdesigns in Yarrawonga, which is run by Helping People Achieve. They visited the Palmerston Men’s Shed, attended Durack Primary School and a Palmerston Combined Probus Club meeting, as well as attending the concrete pour at the Palmerston hospital, which I made a great deal of effort to get to. I am sure that part of Liam’s week will be immortalised in history as one of those interesting activities he attended. It was probably a little insight into the life of a politician and the things we go to, and what happens afterwards.
Liam is very intelligent, efficient, punctual and well-dressed and he took on every task he was given. I have known Liam since he was a little boy because his mother was my Year 6 and Year 7 teacher at Sacred Heart Primary School. Now she is the Principal at Sacred Heart Primary School, and Liam’s dad is Kevin Mulvahil from AACo.
Liam, you did very well. I wish I could have spent more time with you. I have spent time with you over the years. You are growing into a wonderful young man, someone your parents are very proud of, and rightly so. If there is anything I can do for you in the future, my door is always open. I hope you got good marks for your work experience. In my and Angie’s eyes you got 10 out of 10. Well done, mate, and I will see you at MacKillop College sometime soon.
Mrs PRICE (Stuart): Madam Speaker, as we are near the end of 2015 I reflect on some good news stories in my electorate of Stuart. As a traditional owner of a beautiful part of my electorate it is always satisfying to contribute to the function and the future of it. When I came into this position I took great pride in being able to represent all people who elected me, not only blackfellas and Yapa, but Kurraya and Balanda who gave me this opportunity.
Recently I visited Camfield Station in the northwestern region of my electorate to catch up with constituents. There I met people from working cattle stations across the Top End. It was so lovely to take the time to sit around and listen to the challenges and successes they experienced. People such as John and Susan Stafford form Camfield Station and Carley Bidstrup from Montejinni Station are some of the most hard-working and friendly people you could meet anywhere – they care.
My parents worked on stations with people like them. Life was hard for everyone then but I never heard them complain. Now I am starting to see more of our young people working as proudly as our old people used to.
In late October I attended the Indigenous Business Forum in Alice Springs, which gave me confidence for the future. I met young Aboriginal entrepreneurs with ideas and motivation, like Daniel Johns from Timber Creek who has set up a private enterprise, Bradshaw & Timber Creek Contracting and Resource Company Pty Ltd. That is a successful business and he is doing great things. Dan has been mentored by Greg Kimpton and John Janson and their families, who have worked with Aboriginal people all their lives. Dan has become a leader in his community and a mentor to other Aboriginal people who want to get involved with business. The Bradshaw company employs a team of Aboriginal people from the local area on large contracts, which are increasing in time. This is one example of Ngariman people working alongside Balanda or Kurraya to get the work done. These are not training jobs anymore; they are real jobs with real futures. Working together we are getting the job done.
Policies are instrumental in raising the bar. Through the Office of Aboriginal Affairs the remote contracting policy is instrumental in achieving this. The policy stipulates that a 30% Aboriginal employment rate is required to be met on all Department of Infrastructure contracts over $500 000, and 70% of smaller contracts in remote communities. This is across any Northern Territory government agency, meaning works such as essential services, housing and civil works are going to local Aboriginal people and their businesses. This is ensuring people like Dan can start to grow their businesses and be leaders of our future.
I was pleased to see a result of this recently also in the electorate of Namatjira at Docker River where Anangu were working on the housing upgrades. This is the point of difference when now we are seeing local people engaged in work instead of the workforce being brought in from outside. Local jobs for local people is an achievement of this government for which I am extremely proud. These policies are reflective of the changing times and we are starting to see the rewards in our communities across the Territory.
Even when I go to the Top End communities I meet all of these enthusiastic young Aboriginal people, young rangers, young fellas who are working in Warruwi with the repairs and maintenance on the houses who are so proud to see me when I tell them I am a minister in this government. They look at their hands and my hands and they tell me, ‘You, me, same’. They tell me, ‘We see you all the time on TV, now we see you alive. It is really good and I want a photo with you.’ That gives me a thrill to connect with the people out bush and encourage these people, whether they are in Warruwi, Santa Teresa, Robinson River, Borroloola, Weemol – anywhere. I want to see Aboriginal people working, holding down jobs, because it gives them pride. I encourage them.
One individual achievement I acknowledge is the win for the CLC ranger and master cat tracker from my region, Christine Michaels-Ellis. Christine, who was working as a support worker for the environment and native wildlife officers, won the Award for Outstanding Frontline Achievement. The Ranger of the Year is part of the Parks and Wildlife NT Ranger Awards. I add that Christine comes from Nyirripi . I have been in the Tanami country tracking cats with my family. It is a big thrill going out on country and doing that. Christine is another example of a proud and motivated Warlpiri woman achieving great things for the Territory.
These achievements of individuals in my electorate show me optimism is entering our communities and lifting the spirits of people. I see communities starting to take charge of their destinies, and individuals working together to make changes. People are speaking up. As a minister of this CLP government and the member for Stuart, I am listening.
This year in the seat of Stuart we have achieved a great deal, including:
the grants to regional councils helping communities with equipment to manage their council capital works, for example, the much-needed cattle grids at Yarralin and Yuendumu
support of the Territory Tidy Towns Awards with winners across the electorate of Stuart in Kalkarindji, Pine Creek, Daguragu and Yarralin showing the pride people have for their towns. Congratulations to Mount Liebig for taking out overall winner, which was a great win for our neighbours
a tourism grant for Mataranka Roadhouse to upgrade its facilities
finance for morgues with $5m towards the upgrade of 16 morgues and construction of four new ones. These are much-needed resources for all remote communities
the Telstra rollout across remote Australia, which will also assist many communities in the electorate of Stuart – another great achievement of this government
the launch of the remote engagement coordination strategy and the remote procurement policy
upgrades to all the houses in Nyirripi with 43 houses completed and 12 already handed back. I will be there tomorrow handing out awards to people who have been looking after their houses. It will be great to be back in my electorate, especially in that part of the country.
In closing, I commemorate my old brother-in-law, Teddy Egan Jangala, who was posthumously awarded the highest police honour, the Valour Medal for Bravery for his work as a tracker in 1967 when I was only seven years old. This has made his family immensely proud. Many from my community have worked with the police – my uncle Gavin’s older brother, Andrew Spencer, my cousin Roy Curtis Tjupurrula, my brother-in-law, Thomas Rice Jangala. Many others have worked with them for most of their lives. I am proud that when my father was a young man he helped track down a man wanted for murder.
I thank the Northern Territory Police for honouring the work of Aboriginal trackers and Aboriginal Community Police Officers. I also thank them for the hard, difficult and often unappreciated work they do protecting our communities.
Madam Speaker, these are good news stories from the past, present and future. It is our job, as members of parliament, to keep those positive stories alive.
Ms MOSS (Casuarina): Madam Speaker, I place on the record my congratulations to the member for Drysdale – it was lovely to hear her news – and Sam on the arrival of baby Isla, who is very sweet. It has been lovely to meet her. That was lovely news.
This evening, first of all, I raise some issues around my electorate, then I will talk about some of the positive things that have happened in the youth area over the last six weeks or so.
I have spoken briefly in this House before about the volatile substance misuse workshop which was held in my office in response to some issues raised by stakeholders in the local business and retail precinct. It went exceptionally well. I have been very pleased since to see a number of partnerships formed by the people who were at that meeting, including between one of our local youth services, The SHAK, and some of our biggest retailers around Casuarina. It is uplifting to see people willing to partner in that way and give back to programs that are making a difference to young people in need around the northern suburbs.
We have some exciting things happening around our business and retail precinct. Anybody who lives in the northern suburbs will not have missed all the work happening at Casuarina Square. It will be a bit dangerous to have a chocolate caf over the road from my office but I am willing to deal with it and I will let you know how that goes.
In April there was a relaunch of The SHAK. It is a very well-respected organisation that has gone through different iterations over the last few years. The member for Blain was at that launch and a media release was issued by the Minister for Young Territorians and the member for Blain about working with local Casuarina businesses on a range of issues that have been raised by business and retail stakeholders in the area to do with antisocial behaviour and young people.
The media release dated 24 April said:
- ‘The Casuarina Business community will work with the Northern Territory Government to look at the way social behaviour in the northern suburbs affects the community …
‘I am very pleased plans are under way to work with the business community and the committee will have its first meeting next month.
An e-mail was issued in July asking people to attend a meeting to discuss some of the issues raised. Those issues were around volatile substance misuse – which was at a height at that time – property crime around our business and retail precinct, public intoxication and camping and public amenities in the area. I believe that meeting was held on or around 23 July. I asked to attend that meeting but was told repeatedly by the minister’s office that it was a closed meeting and I could not. I was disappointed about that.
I understand that at that business meeting local stakeholders were given the undertaking that the meetings would occur on a six-week basis and that subgroups would form to address some of the issues raised. The Minister for Business can correct me if I am wrong, but I do not believe that group has met again since July. It should have met at least twice by now. This is a plea to the Minister for Business and Minister for Young Territorians to follow up on those issues with those local businesses.
We have a range of issues around antisocial behaviour in our business precinct, particularly with alcohol use and public intoxication. Defecation is still occurring around our Casuarina children’s centre and the staff there are having to deal with that on pretty much a nightly basis. Any assistance you could provide them would be greatly appreciated. I am enjoying working with the business community on a range of issues.
I move to some of the great things that have been happening with young people in our community. Madam Speaker I do not need to tell you the Commonwealth Youth Parliament was in our Chamber two weeks ago. There were about 55 young people from across Commonwealth nations in this House debating. It was amusing, fun and a great experience for everyone involved. They undertook a range of activities from learning about the legislative process in the Northern Territory, how committees work – they had a mock committee with people from CDU and some of our local law firms who gave evidence. Thank you to the people who participated in that mock committee. They learnt about dealing with the media. I believe Alyssa Betts, one of our local reporters, was part of that session. Thank you to Alyssa. We heard from a range of local members from across Commonwealth nations about what it means to be a local member.
It was a great pleasure to participate in that program as a mentor. The other mentors were Akierra Missick, Deputy Premier of the Turk and Caicos Islands; Rebecca White from Tasmania; Drew Smith from Scotland; Gavin Schuker from Britain; and Gareth Ward from the New South Wales parliament. We all had a great time.
We probably were a little too much into the debate at times and were called strangers on the floor of the House at one point, but there was a great debate on a human rights bill. There was a vote of no confidence and a government walk-out at one stage; they really got into it.
I was mentoring the Independents Betty-May Bibi, Marcellus Baxter Enlanga – who joined a party – and Clare McCorkindale, and we gained an Independent, Garrick Garvey, on the last day. It was a pleasure to get to know those young people and hear their stories. They represented Australia, New Zealand and other countries.
The Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Minister, Cassandra Attwood and Andrew Newton, changed roles mid-program when the government lost the vote of no confidence. They provided excellent leadership to their groups and should be very proud of their performance throughout the week.
A massive thank you and acknowledgement to Ben Harris, our Serjeant-at-Arms; Michael Tatham; and Karen Parker in Parliamentary Education. I really do not want to miss anybody so I thank everybody involved with bringing the program to the Northern Territory, including all the CPA staff who came and participated throughout the week. It was good fun.
Thank you for your hospitality also, Madam Speaker. I know those young people enjoyed themselves.
Over the weekend I had the opportunity to meet with Kaleidoscope participants from Multicultural Youth NT. Kaleidoscope is an annual youth leadership summit held in Darwin. I was pleased to provide some support to that this year. They go on a retreat for a few days with mentors from Multicultural Youth NT, who are renowned for their excellent work and advocacy for other young people. They talked to me about the projects they are looking to get off the ground.
Those projects range from issues about climate change, drug and alcohol-free activities for young people, greater access to theatre and music programs in Palmerston for young people and a body image project and how we can get body image workshops in schools, which is an issue that is close to my heart. It was lovely to hear from them about some of the things they would like to see in their community. I have opened my door to them and I hope others do as well. They are inspiring young people who are contributing so much to our community.
I also take the opportunity to talk about the Midnight Basketball Darwin competition which has been held in Marrara over the last six weeks. It is an eight-week program run by the City of Darwin. There are around 50 young people involved in that program. They currently have a waiting list because of how many young people are interested in joining that program, which they have found out about through word of mouth.
It gives young people, especially those at risk, something to do on a Saturday night. They are enjoying the program. There is a no-workshop, no-jump policy, so they go through a range of workshops with local stakeholders, including police and community services. They talk about a range of important topics over the course of the eight weeks.
There are brilliant young people engaged in the program. I congratulate Richelle Hedstrom, Brittany Ward and Freya Bundey from Red Cross, who have put an enormous amount of time into running the program. I hope to see it expanded. It would be great to see that program in Palmerston and to keep it going in the northern suburbs.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Katherine): Madam Speaker, tonight I talk about the Country Liberals government’s commitment to connecting regional centres across the Northern Territory. For some time, the Transport minister, Peter Chandler, and I have been discussing the need for a regional air route. We have worked hard behind the scenes to make this dream a reality. In fact, it was the opposition – and I would be hazarding a guess that it was 2010 – which began a conversation with Airnorth to look at the possibility of re-establishing what was colloquially known as the milk run. It is wonderful to see it finally come to fruition.
Last month, on 19 October, minister Chandler and I were thrilled to be seated on the inaugural – as they now call it Centre run – Airnorth flight between Darwin and Katherine and all points beyond, including Tennant Creek and Alice Springs. This service is committed to connecting all Territorians, looping between Darwin, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs and back again later that day.
Getting this service off the ground was not an easy feat, but I am pleased we were able to go through a positive negotiation process with Territory-owned and operated business Airnorth. I commend my colleague, minister Chandler, on his tireless efforts in making this happen.
The Country Liberals government has made no secret of its commitment to developing the north. It is the only way we will see the Territory reach its full potential in the future. This new air service is another sign of that commitment. By partnering with Airnorth to deliver this air service, we are connecting Territory businesses with the outside world. The feedback from business operators in my electorate of Katherine has been overwhelming.
We are also connecting people, making it easier for them to get in and out of our regional centres. That is an important consideration for people who are considering a permanent move to somewhere like Katherine, making it a much more attractive place to live.
Then there is the connection to tourism. This new air service is making our major tourist attractions more easily accessible to everyone. Places like the magnificent Nitmiluk National Park, Mataranka thermal pools and the majestic scenery of the Victoria River region are a few examples of those, or the – I have to get the pronunciation right, the member for Barkly might help me here …
Mr McCarthy: Nyinkka Nyunyu.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: … Nyinkka Nyunyu – thank you, member for Barkly – in Tennant Creek, one of Australia’s finest cultural centres.
Then there is Alice Springs, famous for its traditional art and natural wonders, including the stunning Larapinta Trail and the MacDonnell Ranges which surround it.
In the first two weeks of the service operating, 278 passengers took advantage of the new Centre run route. That was a great outcome for the people of the Northern Territory. This route will be trialled over a two-year period with the aim of a permanent service once the viability has been tested. I encourage Territorians and visitors to make the most of this service and ensure it has wings for many years to come.
Airnorth has committed to operating the service on Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week. That service departs from Darwin at 7.30 am, arrives in Katherine at 8.15 am, and then goes on to Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, returning in the same day, arrives back in Katherine a bit before 4 pm, if my memory serves me right, and then continues on to Darwin. It is quite easy, particularly for visitors to Katherine, to come down just for the day. They can be in town by 8.30 am if the flight lands at 8.15 am, with 15 minutes into town. They can do a day’s work there and be back at the airport in the afternoon in time to catch the flight back to Darwin.
Travelling in the other direction from Katherine to Darwin, one of the most convenient aspects of this service is that you could spend a weekend in Darwin – escape from Katherine and do what many people do, a bit of shopping over the weekend or take advantage of the attractions of Darwin and the night life – leaving on Friday afternoon, then be back in Katherine landing at 8.15 am on Monday morning, ready for work later that morning. If you were an 8.30 am or 9 am starter on the Monday, then you could most certainly be back in time for work.
I am very pleased to inform the House that I have already used this service several times. Aside from being extremely convenient, Airnorth also provides the very best of service, making it a quick and enjoyable journey. It is only 45 minutes between Darwin and Katherine.
It is important that I also mention affordability. The flight from Darwin to Katherine costs as little as $149 one way. That is pretty darn competitive, considering the cost of running a vehicle if you are going to drive between Katherine and Darwin. Then there is also the time factor – a three-hour drive versus a 45-minute flight plus a little lead-in time either way.
Airnorth’s commitment to keeping prices low means this service is accessible to the vast majority of Territorians. I am not sure what the other fares are, but they are available to be viewed on the website. A number of people I know in Katherine have used the service to travel south as well, to get to Tennant Creek and Alice Springs because it is, for them, one of the most convenient ways to do so.
I am terribly proud to be part of the government that has delivered this great service to the Northern Territory. I encourage people to use this service. At the time of announcing the commencement of the service, we made no bones about the fact that government is subsidising this service for a trial period. That came with the further advice that the cost to government could be significantly reduced if many people use the service. That translates to more bums on seats on this service will mean the government has to subsidise it less. I hope the service gets to a point where it will be viable and stand on its own two feet.
It is heading in the right direction. I travelled on the service from Darwin to Katherine a couple of weeks ago and noted that the service was about two-thirds full, which I thought was a pretty good effort. It was a 30-seater aircraft. To have two-thirds of the seats taken on that flight was a pretty good achievement. It probably bodes well for the future of that service and its viability.
Madam Speaker, again I thank the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, minister Chandler, for his support. I would be right if I said the previous ministers for Transport – I think minister Styles and the Chief Minister – have also had a hand in getting this service up and running. As the member for Katherine I appreciate the efforts of my ministerial colleagues in making this happen. I am extremely proud to be, as I said, a part of a government that has brought this milk run service back. It is good to see that after so many years it is flying again.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Speaker, traditionally we define 1 December as the start of summer. If anybody was in the Barkly last week in 41 and 42 you would have had a hard time convincing Territorians summer is not already with us. With summer we see the activity at night in our regional towns across the Territory.
The first part of this adjournment is another appeal to the Chief Minister for some support with youth services in Tennant Creek. The Chief Minister knows this story very well and understands it from the perspective of Alice Springs. I raise it with the Chief Minister and the important staff he has listening to this broadcast, because there was a promise, going back to February 2015. Tennant Creek was promised $525 000 to support youth services.
We have realised $40 000 of that money and we thank you for that. It has been allocated to the Barkly Regional Council, which is making some repairs to the Youthlink youth services building in the Purkiss Reserve, the youth, sport and recreation reserve.
I have been asking over a number of months now for the balance of those funds to be released. It is interesting to note that in October 2015 in a media release from the Chief Minister, you allocated $951 000 in funding to Alice Springs Youth & Community Care Centre Inc. I know the YMCA in Katherine has received over $500 000. Now is the time for Tennant Creek.
We recently opened our new swimming pool, which complements the Purkiss Reserve sport and recreation precinct. We have a swimming pool, a Youthlinks Building, basketball courts, a gym and an AFL ground that is lit. Much of this co-funded infrastructure, for the member for Stuart, has related to previous governments which were Labor governments. We have some very good infrastructure to work with.
The remaining balance of $485 000 would go a long way to support activity plans of our youth leadership group in Tennant Creek. It would go a long way to support a holiday activity program that is normally coordinated by the Aboriginal organisations and the Barkly Regional Council. We have some very dedicated officers in the Barkly Regional Council who are keen to support youth programs. We have a very generous volunteer base.
That money release to the Barkly Regional Council to support the human resources – to start to look at employing youth workers and to buy in youth services, particularly youth mentors, artists, dancers, performers, athletes, role models – would go a long way to addressing what has already been emerging as a problem with antisocial behaviour at night on our streets in Tennant Creek. A number of business owners have challenged me recently and I said I would contact you via the opportunity in adjournment because I know your staff are monitoring these broadcasts upstairs. I have also supplied copies of your media releases, previous parliamentary Hansard transcripts – and your address as we know where you live – and those business people will be contacting you also to reinforce what the local member is saying.
It would be great news if we could see the release of that meagre $485 000. I reiterate that it is perfect timing. This youth leadership group in Tennant Creek, in partnership with our youth officers and youth workers, could put together significant programs over the coming months, utilising that sport and recreational infrastructure precinct and getting kids active and involved, and providing meaningful activities. As the locals say, ‘to wear them out, make them tired so they head home and go to sleep’. That is an important request.
Chief Minister, I have made this request numerous times now. We have not heard from you but it would be great if we did. You can forget about me and go directly to the Barkly Regional Council, the Tennant Creek youth leadership group, and those funds will enhance their ideas and support them for the oncoming summer months, which you understand are the very challenging months in our regional towns and remote communities throughout the Territory.
To the Minister for Infrastructure, Hon Peter Chandler, there is another call for the Sandover Highway. My lobbying for the Sandover goes back a long way. I can compare the budget for the Sandover with a previous Labor government. However, let us move on as you are now in charge of a budget that, for all intents and purposes, you are crowing is in surplus. There are lots of cash reserves and you have an infrastructure fund. We hear about other major arterial roads and their upgrades. The Sandover Highway now needs some serious attention. I have been contacted recently by the pastoral community. Once again I provided them with your details, and I have encouraged them to back me and communicate with you directly.
I acknowledge the department. Thank you very much because some of my lobbying has secured some very important work resealing some serious bulldust sections on the far northeastern end of the Sandover close to the Queensland border around the remote town of Alpurrurulam. It was great to see that work completed because there were very dangerous sections of road.
There is considerable work going on around Annitowa Swamp, and I thank the minister for that flood immunity work. But the critical section is between Alpara and the Plenty Highway. The pastoral community, which no doubt will be contacting you, is now faced with increased charges to freight stock because the trucks refuse to use the Sandover Highway.
Many of those in our export industry with cattle going south from high-productivity areas are now faced with transport operators that are going further up the Stuart Highway, coming in through Ali Curung and down through Murray Downs to access that part of the Sandover. That is creating considerable increases to their freight costs. That is important dollars off their bottom line and they are now very concerned. There are also families and pastoral residents travelling to access services in town who are incurring considerable damage to vehicles.
We recently witnessed a grader and a maintenance grade start well and truly way behind program time. Normally I would expect to see three graders in a full maintenance grade operation. This year it has been very late. It seems to be very under-resourced. The pastoral community, the Aboriginal communities, the tourism industry and the beef cattle industry all share the concerns. We acknowledge your road infrastructure investment across the Territory, but you cannot ignore other high-productivity assets that deliver considerable dollars and safety for Territory residents.
Finally, I have corresponded with the Minister for Housing. It was interesting to hear her talking of her recent visit to Elliott. I will not go through the infrastructure and services that were delivered in Elliott in my four years as a previous minister and in my time as the member for Barkly, but one area I will fess up to is I was unable to solve the housing issue.
The minister visited Elliott and gave a short synopsis of the reaction she received. l will give you the other side of that. I was there very recently. The minister has offered $3m for housing repairs. That is money most welcome, and I acknowledge that. However, the hook is she is offering $3m for the Elliott community to set up an Aboriginal corporation.
I have painstakingly gone through what this means in reality with some of the leaders in Elliott who understand the constraints around setting up an Aboriginal corporation with $3m, then inheriting a housing repairs and maintenance legacy which will go into tens of millions of dollars.
May I ask that the offer of the $3m be directed through the Barkly Regional Council to be delivered on the ground by locals? There are some very talented local people experienced in housing repairs in Elliott already. They have a plan to buy in contractors to make safe the electrical and plumbing for the accredited outcomes, and it would seriously get the project moving.
Madam Speaker, we have great concerns about the minister’s rather disingenuous offer of $3m attached to forming an Aboriginal corporation that she knows would consume those funds, leaving an unfair housing legacy from her government for the good people of Elliott.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016