2014-10-23
DEBATES – Thursday 23 October 2014
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it is with great regret that I advise the Assembly fatal shootings have occurred at the Parliament of Canada, Ottawa. On your behalf, I will be writing to the presiding officers to express sympathy and support for all members, staff and officers in both Houses. I trust you will join me in condemning the disgraceful attack on the democratic seat of government in Canada.
Honourable members, we have already made contact with the Clerk’s office and the Speaker’s office in Canada and sent them our best wishes on behalf of all members. They have thanked us for that because the Canadian parliament precinct is still in lockdown.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister)(by leave): Madam Speaker, my thoughts, and this government’s thoughts and prayers, go out to our colleagues in the Canadian parliament today as they deal with the overnight attack on the country’s highest institution.
This attack on a sister parliament on the other side of the world is nothing short of an attack on democracy itself. Canada, a country which shares similar values to Australia and the Northern Territory, was under attack today. Parliaments are a place for open and free debate not gunfire. This incident is nothing short of an attack on democracy itself and should be condemned in the strongest terms.
The details are still unclear, but we know a gunman attacked a parliament building overnight. Shortly after, a soldier was shot dead at a nearby war memorial forcing the capital of Ottawa into lockdown. We understand the gunman was shot dead by the parliament’s Sergeant-at-Arms, who has been hailed a hero by MPs caught in the building as dozens of shots were fired.
Vision of the attack is chilling and disturbing. Those who question recent increases in Australian security measures should look no further than this incident to understand why it was necessary. It is a sad reality that Australia’s willingness to stand up for the most vulnerable and oppressed around the world makes it a target for extremists. This could happen anywhere which is why, at the most recent Council of Australian Governments meeting, I joined fellow state, territory and federal leaders in committing to taking all necessary steps to protect the Australian community from homegrown terrorism.
Leaders discussed both the issues of extremism and terrorism. We affirmed our commitment to work together to strengthen engagement with Australian communities and community leaders to counter radicalisation and reduce the influence of Australians returning from fighting with terrorist organisations abroad.
I want Territorians to know I am working closely with our law enforcement agencies to ensure the community is protected and is offered the best possible protection from any future risks.
In response to raising the national terrorism public alert level from medium to high in September, authorities have assessed security settings and procedures and increased protection for key assets where necessary. Our security plans are continually assessed, monitored and updated and appropriate steps are being taken to respond to changes to the threat level in the Northern Territory on a regular basis.
The Northern Territory participates in and contributes to national counter-terrorism strategies and arrangements and is well practised in specific counter-terrorism plans and procedures.
I have said before I want Territorians to be alert to the risks, to be vigilant but not alarmed. The last thing I want is for the Northern Territory and Territorians to lose that laid back spirit. Balancing the measures of risk versus reward of an open lifestyle is a challenge. We have to protect ourselves but we also want an open environment for all to enjoy.
The Territory is a multicultural environment, a multicultural society that welcomes people from all around the world. Recent events should not allow that to change. I want Territorians to know we continue to assess our risks. What occurred in Ottawa overnight is disturbing. We will make sure we manage the level of risk as best we can, ensuring all protections are put in place for Territorians while balancing that with the open and free lifestyle we appreciate in the Northern Territory.
Ms LAWRIE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, thank you for raising this very shocking incident. The incident in Ottawa was truly a despicable attack on democracy. We hear reports that a soldier has lost his life in the shooting at a nearby war memorial.
The gunman then went on to attack parliament buildings, where we hear reports a parliamentary staff member was wounded prior to the parliament’s Sergeant-at-Arms shooting the gunman dead before he could take any more lives.
A Canadian member of parliament, speaking on ABC radio today, mentioned the important public nature of their parliament on the hill. He spoke about how Canadians value Parliament Hill as critical to their democracy, a place that is frequented by the public, whether for protests about public policy issues or as an open space. Our condolences go to the Canadian people, the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, and the family of the deceased soldier.
As we heard, Australia is on high alert. Extra security measures have already been put in place across our parliaments, including the Legislative Assembly under your diligence, Madam Speaker. US President Obama has offered assistance to Canada after the tragic shooting, saying it has reinforced the need for vigilance.
We share many values with Canadians; the value of democracy is fundamental to us all. We share their resolve not to have our foundations torn asunder by such horrendous actions. We send our strength, resilience and empathy to them for what they are going through. We also send our compassion for the people whose lives have been so terribly altered by the tragic shooting and the invasion.
We are fortunate in the Northern Territory to have a harmonious and peaceful society, but I was a member of this Chamber when it was invaded in the past. I know the shock that occurs at that moment. There were scuffles with no weapons involved, but it ensured charges were laid against those who intruded on this Chamber.
We hold our democratic systems so fundamentally dear to the way of our Australian life. The opposition joins with all members of this parliament in standing strong and sending a clear message that we will do everything to enshrine democracy. We hope the parliament in Ottawa is protected henceforth.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, honourable members. We will send a copy, with a covering letter, to both presiding officers expressing our thoughts on what has happened and hoping they continue to have a safe and secure parliament.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of a Year 7 class from Taminmin College, those exceptionally bright and clever students from the rural area. Welcome to Parliament House and I hope you enjoy your time here.
Ms LAWRIE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I move that this House censures the Chief Minister for:
covering up the illegal activities of Foundation 51 by shutting down the inquiry moved by this parliament
lying to Territorians and the people of Casuarina about your real intentions to sell off TIO and privatise the port and Power and Water assets
covering up the dodgy $1m and bank guarantee deal with the Tiwi Land Council.
You lied about how you became Chief Minister, even at the beginning of your role as the con man, so aptly described by the Independent member for Nelson today. That is exactly what you are. Even at the outset, when you knifed Terry Mills – he was elected Chief Minister, not you; you have not been tested at the polls.
Terry Mills was elected Chief Minister and you lied about that. You pretended and lied your way through that sorry, disgusting saga. Whilst you were crunching numbers and sharpening the knife to take down Terry Mills, you pretended you were not. It was one lie after another. That is you, isn’t it? That is the sick person you are. There is no decency, honesty or integrity. You were quite comfortable, as the con man, to ensure political donations, slushed through Foundation 51, saw their way into the coffers of the CLP election campaign.
You will not even be honest about the four-wheel drive you drove during the 2012 campaign. Who lent you that? Who donated that to you during the campaign and why have you not declared it? It is because you do not uphold the law. You show contempt for the law of the Northern Territory and as information and evidence comes to light you cover it up. That is all you can do. You have covered the illegal activities of Foundation 51 by brutally and disgracefully crunching through the political donations inquiry debated in this Chamber yesterday. If you have nothing to hide why not hold an inquiry? If you have a problem with the 20-year time frame, why not hold an inquiry examining four years? If you have nothing to hide why not establish an independent commission against corruption, as Labor said it will? That is not your style because you are the con man, you are happy to lie.
You will probably have your mate, Dave Tollner, contribute to this debate on your behalf. He spoke yesterday on rescinding the motion relating to political donations, as well as on radio this morning, because Dave is making a comeback and you are happy to lie about that too. You were happy to lie about your role in exposing him and his homophobic slur. You are happy to lie to your colleagues about keeping a Cabinet spot open for Dave’s return ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order Madam Speaker! I have been tolerant until now, but the censure motion does not cover any of these matters in relation to the allegation of lying. The censure motion specifically makes an allegation in relation to TIO and the port.
Ms Lawrie: Lying to Territorians.
Mr ELFERINK: Yes, but the censure motion is very specific. If she is to make accusations of lying could she restrict them to TIO and privatising the port rather than drawing the bow she currently is to go to any number of places.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, although it is a censure motion the language still needs to be tempered. However, there has always been quite a lot of latitude as to where members can go with a censure motion. I caution the Opposition Leader to be careful with her language.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, I appreciate that because we know when the member for Fong Lim leaps to his feet and starts a rant and rave he will use language that is not tempered. He will throw a bucket because that is all he can do. There is no substance to what he does. He was on radio this morning talking about the relationship between unions and Labor. It is all declared on the electoral return, and that is the point. The law exists. If you take a donation, declare it.
Member for Arafura, you voiced concern that Foundation 51 spent $35 000 on your election campaign. Why has that not been declared? At least the member for Arafura is fessing up. The member for Fong Lim is not. Other CLP members of this Chamber will not. That is why you are so busy covering up an inquiry into political donations.
They keep treating Territorians as fools saying, ‘If you want an inquiry into political donations what is wrong with the work of the Australian Electoral Commission or the Northern Territory Electoral Commission because they are fine and august bodies and have a three-person review team?’
The New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry into Eight by Five, a similar parallel slush fund of the Liberals in New South Wales, is also subject to the Australian Electoral Commission and the New South Wales Electoral Commission. However, they realise the powers of inquiry to investigate, call witnesses and draw on evidence are far greater than those commissions are able to achieve. That is the point.
So much has come to light regarding the slush fund Foundation 51. E-mails leaked establish direct links between the Foundation 51 slush fund and the CLP. The director, Graeme Lewis, has admitted Terry Mills, when Chief Minister, had a directorial role. The member for Fong Lim admitted in this Chamber Foundation 51 was set up by Terry Mills. The e-mails leaked show Graeme Lewis, director of Foundation 51, has had many conversations with the current Chief Minister. He has, obviously, assumed that directorial role. E -mails leaked show Graeme Lewis ran his Foundation 51 draft media release past the current Chief Minister, the member for Braitling, in May this year. There are direct links.
If you go to the Foundation 51 website, a couple of clicks and who appears on the screen? The Chief Minister, member for Braitling, Adam Giles – direct links. Yet, time and time again in this Chamber the Chief Minister has covered up and lied about that direct link. He says there is no direct link but it is established in leaked e-mails. How can Territorians trust someone who is prepared to lie to them in parliament?
How curious is it that after the Casuarina by-election up pops a media release from the Chief Minister about the potential sale of TIO? There is a website the spin machine cranked up and people are invited to suggest what they want to see built. The Chief Minister, in parliament this week, admitted Cabinet has been considering the sale of TIO since March this year. How many times this year has that been denied? It is disgraceful. You cannot even make the most fundamental processes of your decision-making an honest conversation with Territorians.
Your intention to sell TIO is about pork barrelling. We know that and Territorians can see it. It is about having an injection of cash for a spending spree hence the ‘Give us Your Suggestions’ shopping list on the TIO sale website.
What is the effect? What is the impact on Territorians? I am a survivor of Cyclone Tracy, Madam Speaker, as are you. It takes someone to go through a natural disaster to understand the importance of insurance.
After a natural disaster like the Queensland floods private insurance companies hung people out to dry. Families and businesses went to the wall while the private insurers quibbled and squibbed on insurance payouts. They were not occurring in a timely manner and there has been an inquiry into that. Little wonder federal MP, Warren Entsch, recommended a TIO model across northern Australia citing investors need the confidence of such a model to invest in the northern zone. Sadly, we are subject to cyclones and flood.
I challenge you, Chief Minister, if it is such a great idea, if it so popular, why not have a meeting with the residents of the storm surge zone in Rapid Creek and hear what they have to say about it? They will be unable to get comparable insurance. Why not have a meeting in Katherine with the local member and residents and ask them about the sale of TIO. You will not get their agreement because they have been through a flood disaster and know the importance of timely insurance payouts. Insurance premiums in Queensland rose by about $5000 as a result of Cyclone Yasi.
That is what you are doing to Territorians. You are selling us out, exposing us and making us vulnerable in times of a natural disaster because you want a cash grab and you cannot be honest with Territorians around the sale. You say it will still be TIO. No, if someone buys it, it is not TIO. You say jobs will be safe. Anyone who purchases a business makes their own decision about staffing. We know 250-odd people at TIO have their livelihoods at stake. You do not care about that because there is some cash to grab from the sale of TIO.
About 50 employees have not been consulted on the decision to sell/lease the port. Have you met with the 100-odd businesses across the port? You are looking at selling/leasing the port when you do not have any understanding of the commercial impact that will have on businesses or what will happen to freight costs.
Oil and gas companies, in their submission on developing the north, have said quite categorically not to sell the port as it would be bad for their business.
We have the Chief Minister, the con man, pretending it is a good thing to do but industry and businesses are saying it is the wrong thing. You are giving no voice to the consumers, the mums and dads, whose cost of living will escalate with higher freight costs that will then be passed on, let alone giving a voice to the workers at the port, who will be trimmed down in numbers, whittled away as we have seen under the CLP already.
We have not forgotten the maintenance workers who have already been sacked from the port. I know you have con man; they are not in your sphere and you do not care.
In regard to Power and Water assets, you were pretty keen to make sure you fattened that, split it and prepared it for sale. There will be no honesty from the con man about what assets retail generation – you cannot get an honest answer out of them around any gas deal done with the new generator setting up at Weddell.
Secrecy and cover-up is how this con man operates, the man who was not elected to be Chief Minister. Little wonder people are so dismayed at what they see in politics these days when that is what we experience. ‘He gets his hands dirty’, was his response to questions around the Tiwi Islands $1m payment. Very dirty, very grubby. I do not know if you will read it because you like to operate on, ‘If I don’t see it, I don’t hear it and I don’t know it’, but con man, Chief Minister …
Mrs FINOCCHIARO: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 62. The Opposition Leader continues to call the Chief Minister a con man, which I find not only offensive but also very unbecoming of the leader. I ask that she withdraw all instances of con man, which she has used on several occasions.
Ms Walker: It is true, he is.
Mrs FINOCCHIARO: I ask the member for Nhulunbuy to withdraw that as well.
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, I remind you that you are censuring the government. Again, could you temper your words and not refer to individuals using derogatory language.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, I am censuring the Chief Minister specifically. I moved to suspend so much of standing orders as would prevent this House from censuring the Chief Minister. That is why I am directly ...
Madam SPEAKER: I still ask that you not refer to the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, regardless of political colour, as a con man.
Ms LAWRIE: Yes, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of another Year 7 class from Taminmin College, another group of bright, exceptional, clever and talented people from the rural area. Welcome to Parliament House and I hope you enjoy your time here.
Members: Hear, hear!
Ms LAWRIE: I refer you to the Amos Aikman article in The Australian, ‘Haze over Tiwi Land Deal’. We get it. You rushed in a day before your meeting with the Independent member for Nelson to discuss getting out of the political donations inquiry because you were always going to drop that, weren’t you? You needed to cover it up because you are the recipient. It was brought forward a day early because we would continue to question you on the Tiwi Land Council payment of $1m.
I will quote from that article in The Australian dated 23 October 2014 for the Parliamentary Record:
Elsewhere the article says:
They are just some excerpts. We have seen, in the culture of cover-up by the Chief Minister, that he will not answer the most basic questions about the payment of $1m to the Tiwi Land Council. In answers to the Assembly and the media, he said it was a loan, yet the documents obtained under freedom of information laws describe the $1m as an up-front payment.
The documents obtained under freedom of information laws require $1m to be repaid if, after six months, leases are not registered and executed. The leases have not been registered and executed. We are 14 months down the track so where is the $1m? The Chief Minister of cover-up will not tell anyone. He will not answer a simple question as to expenditure of public funds and the location of money that should have been returned to the public coffers by now.
The Chief Minister of cover-up will not answer whether there has been a bank guarantee in addition to the $1m? Has there been a bank guarantee of $2.8m? Chief Minister of cover-up, if there is a bank guarantee and it is not for $2.8m how much is it for?
We are talking about the expenditure of public funds. These are not your funds, and this is not a Foundation 51 slush fund you can rinse through to do your dodgy deals with. I have never witnessed a government instruct a corporation – the government-owned Land Development Corporation – to pay $1m for nothing because that is what you have. There are talks, not leases.
Senator Nigel Scullion is moving around the Northern Territory trying to get 99-year leases signed …
Mr GILES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Can the Opposition Leader explain whether the $1m loan from her government to the Tiwi shire was ever repaid?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order, Chief Minister. Opposition Leader, you have the call.
Ms LAWRIE: Touching a point. Come in, spinner. Senator Nigel Scullion is going around the Northern Territory trying to get 99-year leases signed. He is in negotiations and has some memorandums of understanding signed – Yirrkala, Gunbalanya – but he has not paid $1m just to talk. You have, Chief Minister of cover-up. What is going on? Was there a bank demand, as you expressed concern about in an e-mail? Is this $1m going to prop up a bank demand? That is your e-mail, Chief Minister of cover-up. Could you explain to Territorians what happened because it is not your money, Chief Minister of cover-up; it is public funds.
The Auditor-General expressed concern about any commercial return for this expenditure of public funds by the Land Development Corporation. The Land Development Corporation handed over the funding before it had Cabinet approval. That never occurred in government previously. You usually require a Cabinet decision for expenditure.
Who instructed John Coleman, Chief Executive of the Land Development Corporation, to instruct the Chief Financial Officer of the Land Development Corporation to hand over $1m before receiving Cabinet approval? Who gave that instruction? Was it the Chief Minister of cover-up? He said his hands were dirty on this one. Thank God we have the Auditor-General in the Northern Territory because we have referred this dodgy deal to the Auditor-General.
Yesterday we had the government scrambling to rush through changes to the Land Development Corporation to remove oversight and scrutiny of the board. What further deals do you have planned for the Land Development Corporation to fork out taxpayer funds? This is not about regional economic development. We are not talking about Northern Territory public servants who are flying to the Tiwi Islands testing soil samples to assist with the forestry project. We are not talking about the $6.8m from the Aboriginal Benefits Account announced yesterday for equipment to assist with the forestry project. At least the federal government got some plant equipment for its expenditure, not nothing for $1m and an undisclosed bank guarantee.
I know the rant and rave from the CLP member for Fong Lim will be about how bad Labor is, what it will and will not do and all that. This is about the government of the day. This is about the Chief Minister of the day and what he covers up ...
Mr Giles: It is about you and your poor performance, Leader of the Opposition.
Ms LAWRIE: He is a little obsessed with me; I get that. He does not like to be held to account, ever! He just wants to spend taxpayers’ money as he sees fit and not answer any questions on it.
This Tiwi deal stinks. We are still waiting for more outstanding FOI documents. We will pursue this. As I said, we have referred it to the Auditor-General. It is the style of cover-up that is at the bottom of the illegal activities undertaken by the Chief Minister of cover-up.
I refer to today’s editorial in the NT News: ‘CLP chooses coward’s way’:
It is a bitter pill for Territorians to swallow when the government does not support democracy and hides from inquiries into political donations that would get to the bottom of the links between the slush fund and how much money has been funnelled in, who paid the money, and whether there have been any political favours as a consequence.
Labor will provide an independent commission against corruption. We are fine with being scrutinised. Harold Nelson Holdings, a property trust, is declared on returns as is any union funding. We have no problem at all, and that is why we supported the inquiry when the Independent member for Nelson put the vote to this Chamber. That is why we fought against your Attorney-General’s motion yesterday, Chief Minister for cover-up. Yes, you had him do the dirty work on the day. We want transparency and accountability to return to government in the Northern Territory, but while you are Chief Minister for cover-up that will not happen. That is why we are censuring you, Chief Minister.
Mr TOLLNER (Fong Lim): Madam Speaker, I am keen to speak on this motion because this has backfired on the Opposition Leader. Today she has laid herself bare as a person of moral turpitude prepared to say and do whatever she likes in order to score a political point.
The Opposition Leader comes in with a nasal whine and a mud gun fully loaded and starts firing mud all over the Chamber taking us all down to the muck. This is no way to support democracy or our parliamentary system in the Northern Territory, and the Opposition Leader has shown herself to completely disregard the standing of this place.
I will go through the Opposition Leader’s motion. The first point she makes is, ‘Covering up the illegal activities of Foundation 51’. There has been no suggestion of illegal activities in Foundation 51 but the Opposition Leader says illegal activities are happening. She is quite prepared to smear the good name of our former Chief Minister, Terry Mills, a person of very high morals and ethics. You could say a lot of things about Terry Mills, but to suggest he is dishonest in any way is extremely disturbing and wrong.
Foundation 51 is not a slush fund, it is a think tank. It was set up to provide a service to business people and encourage political debate, bring speakers to the Northern Territory and do market research for business people which, sometimes, was shared with the Country Liberals. There is nothing illegal in that.
My concern is about how things are funded, and it is interesting to hear the Opposition Leader say, ‘We declare everything’. What about the truckload of ETU members flown from interstate for the Blain by-election who were standing at polling booths handing out how-to-vote cards. Some of them were quite prepared to say they would not have been there unless they were being paid. That may well be an ETU decision to fly people north and pay them to hand out how-to-vote cards for Labor, but that is never declared by the Labor Party.
There is no doubt work has to be done to make some things more transparent, but to suggest they are illegal is complete bunkum.
The Opposition Leader mentioned the four-wheel drive the Chief Minister had during the 2012 election campaign which I was very involved in. I asked the Chief Minister about the four-wheel drive everyone was talking about; he hired a four-wheel drive. I cannot see anything illegal in hiring a four-wheel drive; I have done it myself, oddly enough. I imagine other members in this Chamber have hired four-wheel drives – I see the Minister for Transport has. As Minister for Transport you might think someone would be happy to lend him one, but even he hires four-wheel drives. Evidently the Opposition Leader has seen something dodgy.
The Leader of the Opposition’s second point is, ‘Lying to Territorians and the people of Casuarina about his real intentions to sell off the Territory Insurance Office, privatise the port, and Power and Water assets’. The Opposition Leader, with her nasal whine and crocodile tears, says, ‘What will you say to the people of Rapid Creek and Casuarina?’ In the event of a disaster, a large part of the bill will fall to the NT government because TIO is currently struggling to get re-insurance and the government is backing it. This was identified by former Chief Minister, Paul Henderson, when he recommended government consider selling the asset because it cannot afford to risk retaining TIO.
As far as premiums go, as the market changes no doubt people will be asked to pay more in premiums. People in Rapid Creek, unless we consider selling TIO, will be paying much higher premiums. Similarly, the situation in Katherine is people will be unable to insure their houses because the price of insurance will be so incredibly high. The only way of insuring these places is for government to provide a subsidy, and the question is where that subsidy will come from. It is great for the Opposition Leader to whine and carry on. She had no problem whacking it all on the credit card and, after six years of the Opposition Leader, we were staring down the barrel of $5.5bn worth of debt.
If that is the way the Opposition Leader thinks the Territory should be run indefinitely that is her business, but people on this side of the Chamber believe fiscal responsibility is important in running government. A range of insurers now provide flood and storm surge insurance, and selling TIO will enable the government to provide assistance and subsidies to areas in the Territory that could not otherwise afford insurance cover. There are some very good reasons for that.
The Opposition Leader attempted to talk about the $1m dodgy deal with the Tiwi Land Council. What a smear on the Tiwi Land Council to suggest it is not discussing things with traditional owners. It is a statutory obligation and what land councils do. Land councils are set up to determine who traditional owners are and make sure they are consulted when these things are proposed. To say there was no consultation is a smear on the Tiwi Land Council. The least the Opposition Leader could do is call CEO, Mr Hicks, and perhaps Chair, Gibson Farmer Illortaminni, to apologise. She could say, ‘I didn’t mean to bring disrepute to your name by suggesting you don’t talk to your own people’, because that is what it is.
A loan of $1m to the Tiwi Land Council in the hope of achieving a long-term lease for future economic development on the Tiwi Islands is a good thing, and most thinking people would realise that.
The Opposition Leader wants to be hard and fast on time frames saying Labor would have something done within six months. ‘It is now 14 months, nothing has happened. What will you do?’ We can take the $1m back, but I understand the Tiwi Land Council is still consulting with traditional owners. They are still looking at some of the proposals put forward, and it is only fair to give them time. How this compares with Labor and its $8m commitment to a Jetstar hub – did they get $8m from Jetstar after it failed to establish a hub in the Northern Territory? Labor will conveniently overlook that but try to suggest some type of illegal activity. To suggest the Tiwi Islands deal should be fed into an inquiry on political donations is rot.
Any inquiry proposed by the member for Nelson would not have looked at land councils; it was all about political donations. Government giving a loan to a land council would not fall into the terms of reference, but the Opposition Leader is quite happy to throw mud all around the place using her mud gun.
Members opposite, the Opposition Leader is alone in throwing this dirt. I have been in government for two years and get on very well with and like a number of you. However, the Leader of the Opposition has a personal smear agenda. The rest of the opposition – whilst you have not publicly decried her for it – has not engaged in the same tactic.
The Opposition Leader has brought this parliament into disrepute. She makes mindless allegations, all cooked up with self-righteousness, in a whiny voice, suggesting we are all corrupt. We refer to each other as honourable members for a reason. It is about the dignity of parliament ...
Ms Walker interjecting.
Mr TOLLNER: I know you are laughing. You say, ‘Dave is not bad at throwing mud around’, and you are right. I am very good at throwing a bit of mud around, but at some point we must consider what is right for this parliament, democracy in the Territory and how we can restore confidence in our parliamentary system.
What is lacking in the Northern Territory – and one of the greatest problems we have – is a lack of confidence in our parliamentary system …
Members interjecting.
Mr TOLLNER: You can laugh, but when you throw mud left, right and centre, denigrate public servants, denigrate fine, upstanding people in the community, denigrate former Chief Ministers suggesting they are involved in criminal conduct – the allegation was Terry Mills is involved in criminal conduct – it does nothing to further democracy in the Territory or lift confidence in the parliament, it just puts a pox on us all.
The Leader of the Opposition has that agenda. I listen to Question Time and the Chief Minister is dead right when he says the Opposition Leader comes in with nothing but smear and will never argue policy. We would love to debate TIO but you tied it in with criminality – lying about TIO. Let us debate the merits of retaining or selling TIO ...
Ms Fyles: Ask Territorians.
Mr TOLLNER: I am not talking about asking Territorians, I am talking about a sensible debate here. You seem unable to do that; you just want to throw mud. You do not all want to throw mud, just the Leader of the Opposition.
I was prompted to join this debate because I am sick of listening to the turpid Opposition Leader and the way she is prepared to cover us all with bile and bring this House down. It is not on.
The opposition has acted on a number of things. The classic was Norm McCleary and the e-mail to Peter Maley saying he wanted to donate $10 000 in exchange for documents that could not be legally obtained. His great bitch was we never acted illegally. However, if you trace Norm McCleary’s real concerns you see a much different story.
Norm McCleary is better known as the midnight pegger. He is well-known to a few people in this House, mainly those on the other side of the Chamber. Norm McCleary tried to get his hands on the Angela Pamela site in 2008, was denied it and was not happy about it. His view was the former government conspired to make sure he did not gain access to that lease. Norm McCleary had his grievances aired in court. The court found he was an unreliable witness and threw the case out. He appealed the decision and it was thrown out a second time.
Norm McCleary, however, was of the view there had been a little conspiring in the background and Jenny Blokland, the magistrate presiding over his case, had been got at by the Labor government through her husband, Jamie Gallacher, who was then chief of staff to the Chief Minister. He is also of the view Trevor Riley had been got at by the former government in order to throw his case out of the Supreme Court. It is his assertion Jenny Blokland was made a judge and Trevor Riley was made Chief Justice because of that.
I do not want to denigrate Mr McCleary, but I cannot for the life of me imagine Jenny Blokland, Trevor Riley, Jamie Gallacher, Paul Henderson, the former Mines minister, Kon Vatskalis, and his chief of staff at the time, the now member for Fannie Bay, were all involved in a giant conspiracy to deny Mr McCleary his rights. In fact, I think Mr McCleary got it all wrong. That is his fundamental bitch.
We now find the Labor Party, instead of distancing itself from the man who made these allegations, clutching onto his e-mails and running to the media saying, ‘Look, dodgy deals with the CLP’. The Labor Party has to be digging the bottom of the barrel if it thinks this bloke is credible when it comes to illegal activity. I do not believe Jenny Blokland was got at by the Labor Party, nor do I believe Chief Justice Trevor Riley was got at by the Labor Party. They are admirable and honourable people doing a good job.
The Labor Party wants to use this person to support a case for an inquiry. It is complete and utter madness. When you look at this stuff about inquiries there is nothing, but they want to spend – the Chief Minister said this morning – $80m of taxpayers’ money running this witch hunt. It is nuts.
It is interesting the former member for Casuarina resigned when he did. I think part of the reason was he could not countenance the Labor Party relying on Mr McCleary as a credible witness when it came to political donations. My God, how low can you go? That is the bottom of the barrel. This person’s main allegation is about you guys, your party, your former government and you trot him out like he is an expert. My God, how pathetic!
Members opposite, I ask that sooner or later you show you are not part of the muckraking the Opposition Leader is. Throwing mud and bile around does nothing to further democracy or confidence in the parliament. It is completely off, Madam Speaker.
During a radio interview this morning someone called in to say, ‘TIO made a profit of $90m last year. It is a fat organisation and can afford to subsidise people’. It did not make a profit of $90m. It was closer to $10m and it is the first time in 10 years the organisation has made a profit.
Chairman, Bruce Carter, his board, and CEO Richard Harding have done a fantastic job managing TIO. Mr Harding has said it will be difficult to provide that service into the future without significant government contributions. It would be wonderful if our books were balanced and we had money in the bank. You would happily say, ‘Yes, we are prepared to pour a few more million a year into TIO’. However, we were staring down the barrel of $5.5bn worth of debt. Money is a little scarce and this is the last remaining government owned insurance business in the country. Why would government be in the business of insurance? It is not something it is expert at ...
Ms Fyles: The federal government recommended it be expanded
Mr TOLLNER: Really! Who was that?
Mr McCarthy: Warren Entsch.
Mr TOLLNER: Warren Entsch is not the federal government. The federal government is the executive of government.
Mr McCarthy: He is a National MP.
Mr TOLLNER: He is not in the National Party. That is another one you have made up, member for Barkly. He is a Liberal with a country seat. You might think he is a National Party member, but you guys are telling the story. You seem to think it is a federal government policy; it is not. I have heard Joe Hockey talk about asset recycling but the facts do not matter to you guys, they just get in the way of a good story.
You say Mr Lewis is a criminal and should be locked up, Mr Mills is a criminal and should be locked up, Gary Barnes and John Coleman are criminals and should be locked up and the Chief Minister is a criminal and should be locked up. Is there anyone you think not a criminal and should not be locked up?
Ms Walker: Have an inquiry and we will find out. What happened to the political donations inquiry?
Mr TOLLNER: Your view is to have an inquiry to see how much more bile can be thrown around and see how far you can sink the government in mud. However, while you are sinking us in mud, you are also sinking yourselves and it is time to get out of that. It is time to start …
Mr McCarthy: At the end of the day there will be an inquiry, you know that.
Mr TOLLNER: Pigs will fly too. Member for Barkly, I appreciate your sincerity. You truly believe there will be an inquiry but you are being a little nave. Why, in more than a decade of Labor governments, did we not see an inquiry?
The member for Barkly assures us there will be an inquiry under a Labor government. Well, there was not. After 27 years of CLP government you could have said, ‘We will get to the bottom of how they managed it. We will check every donation.’ You did not. During 13 years of Labor you sat on your hands and did nothing. All of a sudden the turpid Opposition Leader decides to throw mud around and bing, a light bulb goes off: we will have an inquiry. How pathetic.
This should not be a censure of the Chief Minister. It is full of misrepresentations and I have highlighted them ...
Mr Giles: Spelling mistakes too.
Mr TOLLNER: I will not talk about spelling mistakes; I am not the best speller myself.
Reading the motion, you can see many things are bundled up, put into a big package of mud and thrown into the middle of the Chamber. It is high time, as a parliament, we started having some respect for the institution we serve.
That is the parliament, and we will never have that respect for this institution whilst we have a turpid Opposition Leader prepared to cast aspersions about everybody in her sight. That is wrong. She will not walk outside and repeat much of what she has said; she will leave it here.
Whilst that might suit her politically, it does not suit the rest of us. I encourage the other side to take a stand and I give you that opportunity now. I move that all words in the motion after the word ‘censures’ first appearing, be replaced with, ‘the Leader of the Opposition for recklessly, intentionally and indifferently bringing this House into disrepute, for misrepresenting circumstances, naming and demeaning public servants, and lying to Territorians for political motives’.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Speaker, I am speaking to the amended motion. I must do it now because, once again, we have a cover-up. The member for Fong Lim does not want to hear me speak on the motion and is twisting and turning the situation to prevent it. I do not agree with his amendment to the motion, because we are talking about the Chief Minister. I will deal with the member for Fong Lim and the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister is the highest member of government in the Northern Territory. I regularly say that because I regularly talk to people about government in the Northern Territory, including school students. I acknowledge our Chief Minister as the highest delegate of government in the Northern Territory. However, having been a teacher for over 30 years I feel compelled to write a letter to parents because it has gone way too far. In the letter to parents I will quote an old saying, ‘You have to have a good memory to be a liar’. Chief Minister, you have entered into so many scams, twists and turns, saying this and that and you are now starting to unravel. Help me out here. What can I tell my family, friends, the constituents I represent and the students I regularly talk to and work with in class? I do my best to keep this as a balanced story.
This week in parliament would be one of the most radical desertions of democracy I have witnessed in my brief time as a member. This week has been one episode after another of what is unravelling and what the government does not want in the public arena – it wants things covered up.
I talk to my sons. One son calls regularly and loves to talk politics and I try to give him a balanced story. I have a younger son still at home who has lots of mates around. He is regularly challenged about politics because his father is a member of parliament. I try to give him a balanced story as well, but under the rule of Chief Minister, Hon Adam Giles, and this CLP government, there are far more questions than answers. It has reached a point where Territorians have hit the wall.
Chief Minister, this is a censure about what you do, but it is also very much about how you do it. The member for Fong Lim has tried to craft this around two aspects, and I will deal with those shortly. Chief Minister, I will give you a brief example of trying to strike some balance, and an example of where you are not showing the necessary leadership. This is a very personal example.
The Chief Minister attended the Tennant Creek Show this year and, remarkably, under windscreen wipers in the public car park, seditious information appeared in a leaflet trying to smear my name and character – the Chief Minister is in town. Constituents brought these seditious leaflets to me and asked a number of questions. Did the Chief Minister put these under my windscreen wiper? Who produced these? Who paid for them? What is the objective of this sedition? I said I was not sure if the Chief Minister put them there or not. I know why the Chief Minister would try to smear my name and dishonour my character, because he is living in fear because he is not honest with Territorians and I continually comment on what I see as justified criticism in debate challenging him, his government and his policy.
That was very interesting. However, what really hurt in a personal sense was while this secretive act to smear my name and character was going on in the Tennant Creek car park – and I daresay, member for Fong Lim, it was not Labor Party people doing it – the question remains was it the Chief Minister, because it was the first time I had seen him in Tennant Creek for a long time?
I received an e-mail from a concerned constituent which said, ‘Dear Gerry McCarthy, I was very disappointed that the Chief Minister did not take the time to visit the tri-service stand at the Tennant Creek Show on 11 July 2014 being the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services. I was informed by my unit officer that he was going to be present and present me with the Volunteer Award at the show as I was unable to attend the reception dinner in Alice Springs on 16 May 2014.
The award was the very important 2014 Northern Territory Volunteer of the Year Award, and the recipient was a constituent of the Barkly. The constituent was to be recognised and awarded in Alice Springs; however, was unable to attend that ceremony. It was therefore arranged for the Chief Minister to present the award at the show in Tennant Creek but he did not have the integrity to turn up and present it. Yet, suddenly, there is smear and sedition in formation appearing in the car park at the Tennant Creek Show.
I question the Chief Minister’s honesty and integrity on a personal level. I deal with his political attacks, but on a personal level there is a lot to be answered. Chief Minister, if you or your staff are interested in that constituent’s details to correct that major blunder and complete display of bad manners I will supply that. I encourage you to make contact and acknowledge that great volunteer. Chief Minister, I will be looking forward to picking up the phone when you call, maybe.
This censure is all about the CLP government led by a Chief Minister who continually searches for ways to twist and turn the semantics in debate. We all acknowledge his performance in twisting semantics and being consistently careless with the truth is of a high level. He is the quintessential political performer: able to grab the media headlines but seriously lacking substance. This censure is about him lacking honesty. It has become apparent so much is involved in this it is getting a little confused, the Chief Minister is jumping from one answer to another and Territorians are starting to question what is really going on.
If the Chief Minister thinks it is just coming from me he is mistaken. Constituents in Tennant Creek, my son’s mates in the back yard, colleagues of mine and the Northern Territory public are asking about it. The rest of the government can put their heads in the sand, but this is beyond a joke.
If we look at the Hansard record in years to come of what took place this week in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly – as I pay my respects to Hansard and acknowledge the incredible historical record it produces which will be part of our future – it will be available for research and will determine a lot about our society at this point. It will note a week in parliament of dodgy cover-ups and a litany of events where there was a complete smokescreen with every trick in the book, from parliamentary processes to media events, to complete and utter desperate attempts to cover it up.
Debate suspended.
The Assembly suspended.
Continued from earlier this day.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Speaker, I was trying to have a serious conversation with the Chief Minister about representing him as our highest leader in the Northern Territory – our Chief Minister – and how that is challenging in the community, the constituency and definitely within this House. I do that regularly. However, the synopsis this morning dealt with constituents questioning a Chief Minister who was possibly lurking in the public car park at the Tennant Creek show putting seditious leaflets under windscreen wipers while not attending a ceremony to award a community volunteer, while having responsibility for Police, Fire and Emergency Services – the Chief Minister is consistently careless with the truth in this House and is the master of semantic manipulation with the media. The Chief Minister is in complete denial.
Chief Minister, you do not have to listen to me. I have picked up one of your psychological traits: you do not like listening to me. Whenever I speak your first reaction is to turn to the closest colleague to make a derogatory remark and then you normally remove yourself from any opportunity of confrontation in debate. To me, that goes back to the wild west of Sydney and says perhaps you have a guilty conscience. That is your business; you can deal with it.
You do not want to listen to me or what I have to say, so let us turn this debate into what the public is learning about. I am not the only one trying to deconstruct these events and make some sense of your leadership and your government. There is a lot of talk in the community, and the Leader of the Opposition read onto the record today’s editorial in the NT News; ‘CLP chooses coward’s way’.
This is in relation to the Foundation 51 inquiry, but not necessarily Foundation 51. It is about all political donations, and that was lost in the debate because there was a hasty move to cover it up and get rid of it. When the Independent member brought a motion forward, which was passed through parliamentary processes and would have been of great benefit to everybody, for some reason – that lends to another old saying, ‘What do you have to hide?’ – it was shut down. The public is now deconstructing what the issue is all about, and a celebrated newspaper in the Northern Territory headed it with ‘CLP chooses coward’s way’.
There are many questions for constituents. Why would the government, led by the Chief Minister, do it? How does it relate to the Casuarina by-election? Were we being duped? Was this a double cover-up? Was it meant to be out of the public domain before the Casuarina by-election? Did it come back in an act of deceit after the Casuarina by-election? People would have had an opportunity to make their decision on real issues regarding political donations, on the sale of public assets, on any land deals or any other issues the government has been ducking and weaving about at that by-election.
People will question this, and deservedly so, because you are leading the pack and your stamp is first and foremost. You are the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.
In comment going further afield – not only do you represent the Northern Territory, you represent us in the national context – an article in The Australian by Neda Vanovac dated 22 October said:
The story goes on. There are far more questions than answers and far more questions about the Chief Minister, which is why this censure motion is before the House.
The Land Development Corporation board and the legislative instrument created and pushed through this parliament yesterday was interesting in approach and outcome. We debated this thoroughly, and government numbers were used to have the legislation pass through the parliamentary process. However, in the discussion a master manipulator of semantics turned the debate into the opposition attacking public servants. It is a cheap shot and a desperate attempt. Chief Minister, you are a master manipulator of semantics and no doubt a celebrated media performer. You can become that if you are consistently careless with the truth. If you tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth it is a far more difficult exercise.
In regard to the cheap shot attacking public servants I will repeat my concerns, having had the privilege to work with the LDC. You are compromising senior accountable public figures. The e-mail trail and evidence all suggest a total compromise of public servants. I am sure, if I had the opportunity on neutral ground to speak with those public servants I had the privilege of working with, they would articulate those concerns. They like a government that is open, transparent and accountable to the processes agreed upon by Northern Territory law. There seems to be a lot of fudging going on. We bring it out in the open, we talk about it, but government numbers are able to cover it up.
The LDC is linked to an economic development opportunity you present for the Tiwi Islands. The master manipulator of semantics comes back with, ‘The Territory Labor opposition is against economic development for Aboriginal people’. What a load of rot! I have spent more than half my life in this business and will continue, but I make sure it is appropriate and up-front.
I informed the House regularly of a seven-year campaign against a nuclear waste dump on Muckaty Station because my position was it would be open, accountable, fully consultative and acknowledge the rights of the traditional owners opposed to it who could speak for that country.
Guess what, Chief Minister? The Supreme Court threw that case out and Muckaty was withdrawn because we remained open, accountable and transparent. We remained consistent in our argument and told the truth in the Supreme Court. That body can make decisions for all Territorians.
Articulation of this issue has gone way beyond the boundaries of the Northern Territory. The Chief Minister is definitely in the national media and enjoys it. It would be good for Australians to deconstruct this story. We have the leader of the CLP, the Chief Minister, slagging off an opposition in a desperate attempt to create a racial argument that we are against economic development for Aboriginal people.
Let us see what they are talking about in The Australian, which has an articulate audience across the country. I quote from an Amos Aikman article titled ‘Islanders have doubts about land council’s pact with Darwin’ dated 23 October 2014.
The article goes on to say:
It sure does when you find out this deal could be ripping off traditional owners. You could get access to land worth four times the amount you have taken from the Land Development Corporation till, avoiding appropriate and proper processes. The Tiwi Islanders need to stop the bus and question the integrity and objectives of the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. What are his real objectives?
I quote further from the article:
That paints another picture of the grand deal for the Tiwi people, Chief Minister, the deal you put together and cooked up payment for. We need to question what this deal will really deliver.
The article from The Australian goes on to say:
How many? Two dozen; let us say 24. Let us say a significant group of traditional owners have recorded, for the public record, their shock and surprise at not being consulted by the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, the leader of the Country Liberal Party.
I quote further:
The Chief Minister knows that. I have had seven years on the Muckaty campaign. You should have picked up the phone. I could have spoken about appropriate protocols in consultations with traditional owners, Chief Minister. They wrote to the Tiwi Land Council and the government:
Further:
That makes sense to me. Quoting further:
It is interesting that the Chief Minister continues to champion himself. Good on him. Let us deconstruct the deal because it does not look so straight anymore. No wonder the Labor opposition is calling for some level of inquiry into these matters. This week has seen a litany of cover-ups and will go down in history. This week will be a good research project using Hansard as a record, all laid down by the Chief Minister, the most senior officer in the government of the Northern Territory.
The article makes an interesting point and I quote again:
That is an interesting deal, Chief Minister:
I find that interesting. There was a deal, and I hope the member for Arafura knows this and questions the Chief Minister. The deal was not a simple 10 000 ha of land on the Tiwi Islands – the master manipulator of semantics – this was a smorgasbord of Tiwi traditional country. This was $1m out of the till of the Land Development Corporation with a legislative instrument raced into parliament to cover the tracks and avoid further issues because that is a cashed up organisation – assets and cash. That is a cash register you cannot keep your fingers out of.
This is a smorgasbord of Tiwi traditional country. Who would be interested in a smorgasbord of Tiwi traditional country? Developers, of course. Chief Minister, no doubt you will be championing the cause for the developers and select traditional owners. You will be in the middle making sure nobody is ripped off. Let us hear about it, Chief Minister, because it looks like there has been no consultation. It looks like a dodgy deal well and truly outside what you informed parliament of.
The member for Fong Lim is attempting to amend the motion, which reflects another cover-up. You guys will do anything to not engage in debate. You use derogatory terms to run us down, but obviously we are hitting targets because you pack up and run every time. The member for Fong Lim hit it on the head when he said this creates a lack of confidence in our parliamentary system.
Chief Minister, you are the leader of the Country Liberal Party, the most senior officer in government. You, and your Country Liberal Party government, have dragged all politicians through the mud this week. You have dragged me through the mud, and I will go back to my boy and his mates and have to answer questions about politics. Chief Minister, what will I tell them? Should I become the master manipulator of spin or should I tell them the truth? Should there be an open and accountable inquiry into the matters raised this week, or should we just brush it under the carpet with a, ‘just trust me’? Should I be an honest, open and accountable Territorian for the people or should I be self-interested and run deals for myself and my own survival?
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I am happy to speak to both motions.
Member for Barkly, you could start by telling your kids the same thing you said in the open speed limit debate: ‘Do I tell my sons coming across from Queensland to go as fast as they like’, or that you said you would never speed then were caught doing 149 km/h down the Stuart Highway in a 130 km/h zone ...
Mr McCarthy: Thank God for the coppers who booked me.
Mr GILES: I thank the member for Fong Lim for the amendment to the motion. He raised a number of important points. I am, however, disappointed he pointed out the bleeding obvious to those on this side of the Chamber: the Labor opposition is in such dire straits that members have lowered themselves to not only the point of extinction, but to little other than slagging people off openly in the Chamber with nothing more than vitriolic personal attacks without a policy base.
This comes most recently from the member for Barkly, the bloke who likes to take stress leave from a government job while he campaigns then make accusations about all of us. The member for Fong Lim managed to point out a range of things the opposition is presenting to debate in the Northern Territory. You do not have to go far to see how backed into a corner they are right now.
There is little public debate in the Chamber from the opposition and little public debate outside. It is all about attacking public servants, politicians or organisations. Political debate in the Territory has reached a low not seen in any other jurisdiction.
During the lunch break I watched Question Time from Canberra. I saw the way the federal opposition and Coalition government perform. I wish in the Northern Territory both sides of the Chamber could perform in the same way. During Question Time today we spoke about a range of things. Off the top of my head, one was about more airlines for the Northern Territory. Over the last few days we have described how we are giving more independence to schools through independent public schools and global school budgets, business confidence being up by 33% in the Territory and talking about some of the things which mean a lot to Territorians.
Instead, all I have heard from the opposition is vitriol, accusations, assertions and innuendo. There are many derogatory statements and I sit back laughing. Yesterday, when you attacked public servants, I mentioned to the Attorney-General how appalling it was to see public servants named in this Chamber, but it was great to see how bad Labor was that it had to do it. I think it is fantastic you are that bad because we get on, do our job, govern and you are in such dire straits.
Member for Barkly, as deputy leader you have hitched yourself to the Leader of the Opposition and her antics. To the other six members of your team, start looking at a different approach to business ...
Ms Fyles: You cannot even add up.
Mr GILES: I beg your pardon? What was that? I cannot add up. You have eight people on your side of the Chamber. I spoke about two and there are six left. I know your English is bad, but that is maths, member for Nightcliff. Yes, you have just realised your folly, good job.
It is strange you have to personally attack people in such an outrageous way. Anybody with high morals and standards would not do that, not in a democracy. Today we saw a terrorist in Ottawa, Canada, attack democracy in a nation friendly to Australia and the Northern Territory. The attacks on democracy are appalling, but the way you perform in a democracy is a shame. If Australians saw your performance they would hang their head in shame ...
Ms Walker: Read what they are writing about you, Adam. Read the editorial.
Mr GILES: We saw some of the – do you ever shut up, member from Nhulunbuy?
Ms Fyles: A point of order Madam Speaker! Standing Order 62: offensive
Mr GILES: You are offensive.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: If Australians saw the way you perform in the Chamber, even schoolchildren in your electorate, they would be ashamed. It is disgraceful. It is fantastic to see Labor disintegrating. I normally would not give my observations, but considering the member for Fong Lim has given his thoughts I will give mine. Any intelligent opposition party would see the failures of the Opposition Leader and the deputy leader and remove them. However, given the Labor structure and how it does what the union says, the brother boys in the back room say, ‘Don’t remove her yet; leave her there to do herself in and cause more harm for the opposition. We will get her later.’ The other six are twiddling their thumbs thinking that is good because none have the cajewels to take the job. She is leading you down the garden path, not providing good representation for the opposition.
This brings us all down because we are not debating sensible topics. One sensible topic to discuss would be TIO. Do you think we could have a sensible debate about TIO and how we could support it going forward? No, it is just populist agenda. No one on that side will talk about the real issues with TIO. Member for Casuarina, come for a briefing and I will give you examples of the problems.
We should be able to discuss what is going on, but you are running a negative, populist campaign. I will wait to see what the member for Nelson does: whether he has a good look at TIO or jumps on board that negative, populist campaign.
In regard to TIO, there are serious issues about how we move forward and support TIO to grow, expand and prosper so it remains a part of the Territory. We want to provide certainty to Territorians that the ‘T’ in TIO will remain and provide that level of security, that people who work for TIO remain its best asset and that flood and cyclone cover remain an important backbone of the insurance industry going forward. If we decide to sell TIO we want the opportunity to realise the asset value and put it back into community and economic infrastructure to support Territorians and growth of the Territory.
Do you think we could have a debate in this Chamber on how that could be done or where the funds should go? No, we cannot. We are abused and called names the Labor Party does not have the backbone to describe in public because they would be sued up hill and down dale because they cannot prove any of it. They come into coward’s castle. The member for Barkly is a coward; he does not have the gumption to repeat things outside. I challenge you to make those accusations outside ...
Mr McCarthy: Let’s talk about it the car park not out the front.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! ‘Let’s talk about it in the car park’ sounds like a threat. The member for Barkly should withdraw threats of violence against the Chief Minister.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order, member for Port Darwin. I recall ‘take it outside’ mentioned in Question Time this morning. Member for Barkly, temper your comments, please.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, I heard your call on that. It is even worse than the comments made today. To be threatened with being taken to the car park is an outrage. It is disgusting. This bloke has lost control and should not be in this place.
Mr Chandler: He is like a union thug.
Mr GILES: Like a union thug. That is appalling. He should be named and kicked out.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 62.
Madam SPEAKER: Withdraw that, Chief Minister.
Mr GILES: I withdraw. The member for Barkly should not make comments like that in this Chamber. He has completely lost control.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member for Barkly made the same comment the member for Braitling did this morning about saying things outside the Chamber. It is the same point.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Sit down. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: You are making it up again, member for Fannie Bay. That was not said; I did not hear it. I did not say it.
Mr Gunner: You said, ‘Go outside and say it’.
Mr GILES: I said ‘Go outside and make the comments’, not ‘take me outside and flog me in the car park’.
Mr McCarthy: I never said that. I said come outside and call me a coward.
Mr GILES: Member for Barkly, man up and be a proper politician in this Chamber.
Let me come back to TIO. You have to be an opposition which can have a proper, authentic and mature debate about this. It is the same with the port. When you look at the motion that was changed yesterday – if we cannot afford to conduct a 20-year inquiry so we can only look at four years’ of electoral returns, receipts or documents, of course we have to change it. If we want to negotiate a process to do that we should be able to. I am surprised the opposition and the Independent do not want an inquiry. We will hold that inquiry.
Moving to the amendment the member for Fong Lim put forward, that all words after ‘censures’ first appears be replaced with ‘the Leader of the Opposition for recklessly, intentionally and indifferently bringing this House into disrepute for misrepresenting circumstances, naming and demeaning public servants and lying to Territorians for her own political motives’ is fully supported.
She has undoubtedly brought the level of debate and democracy in the Northern Territory down by continuing to play the man not the ball. It is her modus operandi and I do not think it will change. I am looking forward to the day she is no longer in that position and we can raise the level of debate. Sure, we will disagree on things, but personal attacks and being threatened with violence by the member for Barkly is outrageous ...
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! That is misleading; it did not happen.
Mr GILES: It happened. He said it; it is on Hansard.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, you have the call. It is not a point of order.
Mr McCarthy: It is your interpretation, Adam. You called me a coward and I said, ‘Let’s talk about it’.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Barkly, cease interjecting please.
Mr GILES: Now he is backing …
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please pause. Member for Barkly, I remind you that you are still on a warning.
Mr GILES: I know what being offered out is all about, member for Barkly. You did it but will not even man up to it ...
Mr McCarthy: I know what calling me a coward means too.
Mr GILES: The Leader of the Opposition is denigrating parliament. She has been doing it for about six months, with more and more vitriolic personal attacks. We can handle it. To me it is funny because it is a serious sign of the denigration of the Labor Party. I keep making jokes about the member for Fannie Bay taking over the leadership role. The member for Fannie Bay could debate TIO. I know the member for Nelson can as he understands the issues. We might disagree on a response to the issues, but if we could debate it that would be good.
I am asking for legislation to be drawn up for Cabinet to consider the potential sale of TIO. If we want a public discussion it might go out, but it will not be debated by this Chamber because you do not want to talk about it. We will have to discuss it with the electorate. If we decide to draw up the legislation we will have to discuss it publicly, not in this Chamber, because we do not get a sensible and mature debate here.
Discussions about Medibank Private being privatised, Qantas, Telstra or any other public asset, national or state – people debate the merits of it and the best way to do it. Here, as soon as you talk about it you are accused of being corrupt and every name under the sun. Take some lessons from your leaders in other parts of the country. Privatisation of Medibank Private is being discussed now. Do you hear vitriol from Bill Shorten? There is no way a real leader would speak like that.
However, the remaining six blindly follow this appalling personal approach. I do not want to give you a lesson because it is fantastic you are going that way. We all have broad shoulders. We left last night on top of the world, thinking how bad you were getting and what a rabble you are. It is great news. It is appalling that you attack public servants, but it shows the rest of the Territory how low you will go and how much you are falling apart.
The Leader of the Opposition should be censured for bringing us into disrepute. Every time we talk about ourselves Territorians say, ‘What the bloody hell are they doing in parliament? We elect these people, why are they not doing things for us?’
Instead of talking about the pros and cons of different policies, different policy approaches or different agendas, you call people corrupt. You call for inquiries, you talk about political donations and you talk about yourself all the time. We do not want to talk about ourselves; we want to talk about policy. We want to talk about TIO. We want to talk about how we grow northern Australia and how the port fits into that, and what economic infrastructure we would want to put proceeds of TIO into? How much should be economic and how much should be community? The economic gets a 15% return to asset recycling, the community element does not. What should it be? Should we invest in health, education, roads, bridges or telecommunications? These are serious questions, but currently only 14 people are debating with the public how to take that forward.
It would be good if 25 people were having a mature debate. We do not want a populist debate, one abusing and cussing at people or threatening to take them outside and flog them, member for Barkly. A mature debate would be really sensible. It would be how we could drive change in the Northern Territory. The debate we could have on TIO could be replicated to other things such as amendments to the Pastoral Land Act where we will see agribusiness and horticulture develop. We could talk sensibly about water licensing rather than being accused of being corrupt.
We could talk about lands and planning instead of saying we are taking dollars off developers. You cannot talk about these things. We do the job, and the most challenging part of our job these days is sitting in parliament listening to Labor because they waste time when we could be working at building the Territory for a better future. Rather than debating a better future for the Territory we do it, because you will not have the debate.
Undoubtedly, sometime today one of you will criticise someone, abuse them, throw a tirade or threaten to punch them out, like the member for Barkly. That will happen again because you will not rise above it. The Leader of the Opposition is backed into a corner going nowhere with no policy. You are blindly walking into the corner behind her and that is a shame for people who live in Fannie Bay, Wanguri, Nightcliff, Johnston or Casuarina. From a democratic point of view that is really disappointing. I anticipate that will happen again. Shame on you, Leader of the Opposition. You were in government for eleven-and-a-half years and you come from a political family. You behaviour, professionalism and performance in parliament should be better. You know about it and throw it out, or you have no values in that regard. For that reason the amendment to the censure motion should be supported.
I come back to attack. You can attack us as much as you want, but when you start attacking public servants, calling on politicians to break the law and go into departments and sack people you have gone a bridge too far, apart from threatening to punch people out in the car park, member for Barkly. You should not be …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Chief Minister is continuing to mislead the House about the member for Barkly’s interjection.
Madam SPEAKER: No, it is not a point of order. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: Attacking the civil service in the Northern Territory and calling for the chief to break the Public Sector Employment and Management Act and sack people it appalling. As shadow Police minister and shadow Attorney-General, member for Fannie Bay, how can you call for the breach of a law? How can you call for a politician to sack people? That is outrageous and will not happen on my watch. It will not happen on this government’s watch. There is no way we will intervene in that. We set the policy agenda and the public service is doing a bloody good job. Look at the police; crime is going down. Look at justice and the way we are prosecuting. Look at corrections, the reduction in prisoner numbers and the prisoners who are working. They are fantastic outcomes ...
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, there is nothing like a good old censure to encourage debate because there are some issues here worth debating. Sometimes I might be a sad politician, but sometimes I think we should have a mini estimates every six months to give us a chance to look at issues in depth. Generally speaking, even though we debate them, we are limited in the investigation processes needed to get down to the nitty gritty.
The Chief Minister has raised a number of issues and I would like to deal with them in order. In relation to the inquiry, I would like to get a few things on the record. The inquiry into political donations was passed by this parliament on 20 August 2014. It was initially brought to parliament on 13 May 2014. Six items were included in the motion:
I have been discussing this with the Chief Minister and was due to meet with him today. I met with the Chief Minister in relation to TIO and the inquiry was discussed. He said it would not be under the Inquiries Act rather the Department of the Chief Minister or the PAC. I said I considered that unacceptable because it is too close to politicians. There was not much more discussion.
I e-mailed the Chief Minister last Thursday asking if it was okay if I said he and I supported the inquiry because I was being asked by people and the media. I had no response to that, which was two days before the by-election. Around 1 pm yesterday Mr Kelly gave me a document the government wanted me to support which said:
I sent an e-mail:
I expected negotiations in good faith. Because these negotiations were held with me alone – I do not have staff to attend negotiations. I sent an e-mail to the Chief Minister on Tuesday asking if Colin McDonald could attend to support me and consider the legal implications. I do not know if that scared someone off, but between that e-mail and today someone decided they were not interested in that meeting, which I thought would be part of the negotiations. Those negotiations could have been around whether an inquiry went through the Inquiries Act or not. That could have been negotiated, but I had to respond to a letter in 15 minutes. It was not a face to face meeting.
The important parts of the proposed inquiry were deleted – the parts about Harold Nelson Holdings, Foundation 51 and other third parties. Whether political donors could have an influence on government policy was also deleted. When the minister said I dug my heels in – I was told, ‘We will discuss this at half past and want your answer’. That is a bit rough, and I was not about to start negotiating in letters between the government and myself through Ron Kelly.
I wanted a more mature approach to negotiations, because up to then they had been very short. I had spoken to both the Leader of the Opposition and the leader of PUP about it going through DCM or the PAC. Everybody said they believed it should be through the Inquiries Act. That is not to say, after negotiation – it would have been better to have something than nothing at all. The something I was to get from this was impotent.
This is a lightweight inquiry that could be conducted by a law student at CDU as a thesis. The guts of this inquiry involved looking at the history of political donations, whether there had been any influence on government policies or whether other bodies had been used to divert funds so donors could not be recognised as giving money to a political party. That is where it is at the moment.
I feel let down because if this is the motion the government wanted why not give it to me weeks ago? We could have negotiated it then or I could have said, ‘The ball is in your court, you wear it’. You could have passed a motion which included Foundation 51 and the possible influence of political donors. If you believed those things were important you could have put them in your inquiry. I would have given you 7.5/10, now I give you 1/10 for trying. The inquiry is a sham.
I raised the issue of Frank McGuiness, the retired Auditor-General because I thought he would have good investigative skills. Part of my original motion was to look at numbers, which is why the previous Auditor-General would be a good person. He could have a lawyer or someone similar help with some of the legal aspects.
This was not a government idea but now it is using Frank McGuiness to look at legislation. I do not believe he needs to be employed for that purpose. He was the Auditor-General and is good at looking at where money goes. This inquiry will not probe into where money goes so why have Frank McGuiness on it? I also knew he would get support from both sides of parliament because he was such a fair Auditor-General.
I say publicly to Frank I do not support this motion and feel he is being put on the spot. His qualifications should not be used for this. This is a downgrade and not something for a man with his great reputation.
In relation to the Tiwi money – I asked questions in the last estimates. I get confused with this. I will not go into The Australian article, but if I want to lease a block of land I ask someone. I check which block of land, how much I need, if the land is suitable and come up with an offer to lease it. It appears we have given $1m for 10 000 ha without understanding what the money is for.
I will read from the Chief Minister’s statement in estimates this year regarding the payment:
There has been discussion about whether it is fully supported and that area needs to be looked at.
The Chief Minister also said:
The Tiwi Shire Council does not get a look in. The government is keen to talk to the Tiwi Land Council and loathe to talk to the Tiwi Shire Council. My understanding is hardly anyone from the government has visited Tiwi Shire Council. Government is always pleased to pat the Tiwi Land Council on the back, but never so enthusiast when it comes to the Tiwi Shire Council.
I understand appropriate land has not been properly identified. What they want to use the land for has been identified, but the member for Barkly mentioned an arrangement I have not heard of.
The Chief Minister then mentioned subleasing.
The Chief Minister said the money was to facilitate the lease. Does that mean the lease, or does it mean to facilitate the lease? I would like the Chief Minister to explain exactly what the arrangement was. Was it to pay for a lease that has not been sorted out, or simply to facilitate the lease? I asked that during the estimates and was short on getting an answer. At that time I said:
This is not about not supporting Tiwi ventures. I lived on Bathurst Island long enough to see plenty of Tiwi ventures, but if you are giving money it does not matter if you are Tiwi or non-Tiwi, it has to be accounted for in the correct way. We cannot blame certain Aboriginal bodies in the Northern Territory for going bung, like the association at Maningrida or the problems on Groote Eylandt some years ago, probably from mismanagement. If there are issues in relation to government money and we question that, it should not be seen as a race issue but whether the processes are open, transparent and done the right way. Some people will move in that direction, but regardless of where the money is going it has to be accounted for correctly.
In relation to TIO, I will read some CLP media releases from 2005. This was from Dr Richard Lim:
I quoted a 2006 article from Terry Mills the other day:
I am happy to have a mature debate about it, but I also understand when people said they did not want to sell TIO was when it was not making much money – probably making a loss. It is now making a substantial profit yet we have the same argument. If I changed the name on that to CLP it could be the same argument we have today.
Back in 2006, 15 000 people did not want TIO to go. People might have different views now but I am not getting that feedback. It is not about populism because it is not getting rid of a failed company. This is a profitable company – profit in banking, profit in insurance, profit in MACA and something people like.
I have heard the Chief Minister’s argument before. Treasury economic rationalists were pushing this before. The onus is on the government, if it believes it has a good case, to convince 15 000 people because you are trying to get rid of a profitable company. Yes, the argument about risk was put forward in 2006 and TIO has survived.
I need to be convinced this is more than economic rationalism. The government understands people like TIO. It is a community organisation people belong to, feel very much part of and you have to take that into account as part of the TIO debate. If you do not bring people along you will not win this argument.
The Assembly divided:
Motion agreed to.
Motion, as amended, agreed to.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to provide an additional mechanism for the termination of unit plans under the Unit Titles Act and the unit titles schemes under the Unit Title Schemes Act. By way of shorthand, I will refer in this speech to these plans and schemes as unit titles developments. The broad scope of the legislation is as follows.
Firstly, it includes a new act to be called the Termination of Units Plans and Unit Title Schemes Act – nearly all provisions dealing with the termination of unit titles developments. These current provisions in the Unit Title Schemes Act and Unit Titles Act will be repealed. The only exception will be terminations that occur on the part of the amalgamation of developments in accordance with Section 72 of the Unit Title Schemes Act.
Secondly, it provides that terminations can occur by way of agreement of all of the unit owners in the development.
Thirdly, it provides in respect of large developments having ten or more units for a process under Part 4 whereby the majority of owners can, in specified circumstances, resolve that the development be terminated.
Fourthly, it provides for terminations by order of the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal for small developments having less than ten units, or as part of the consequence of the failed process under Part 4.
Fifthly, it provides for new principles to be applied when the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal is considering applications for termination or when dealing with appeals arising from the majority-based decision-making processes.
The bill’s main purpose is that of providing new processes for terminating schemes based around the proponents of the termination having a prescribed level of support from other owners. It leaves in place the current provisions that permit owners to reach unanimous agreement without any need to comply with this new process. The focus of the legislation is that of the termination of units’ schemes. The aim is to ensure unit owners know what is likely to happen if they agree to a termination. However, the legislation does not attempt to provide for rights and responsibilities post-determination.
Whilst the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal will have limited powers to deal with post-termination issues in considering whether to improve a termination, the legislation does not provide for any specific controls over post-termination redevelopments.
These kinds of proceedings in the Supreme Court have not taken place either in the Northern Territory or under equivalent legislation in other jurisdiction. The likely reason is that the current legislation, both here and elsewhere, is very open-ended as to how the court might deal with the application. It is generally considered that the courts will tend to maintain the status quo in protecting home ownership rather than addressing issues of having regard to the disadvantages to other owners of not proceeding with termination.
The difference between clause 7 and the current provisions of the Unit Title Scheme Act and the Unit Titles Act is that the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal, rather than the Supreme Court, will have jurisdiction.
Terminations resulting from majority-based decision-making – Part 4: the major reform in the bill is that of the providing in Part 4 for the termination of units’ developments based around a consultation process involving the proponent of termination and the owners of units.
The majority voting process can only occur for developments that are of a specified age, with the required level of support for termination varying depending on the age of the development. The relevant levels of support are set out in the definition of required percentage, as is contained in clause 4. A units’ development must be at least 15 years of age before Part 4 applies. The required percentages to support a termination under Part 4 are as follows:
95% for a development aged 15 or more years but less than 20 years
90% for a development aged 20 or more years but less than 30 years, and
80% for a development aged 30 years or more.
Obviously, there is no science in determining these periods or percentages. It is a matter of legislative judgment based around submissions made in the course of consultations on these proposals and the likely factual needs. The government is aware that in places such as Singapore the periods are much shorter and the percentages are lower.
The government is also aware that professional organisations such as the Property Council have suggested shorter periods and lower percentages. Nonetheless, the government considers these periods will meet all likely requirements in the Northern Territory. The developments in the Northern Territory likely to be in need of redevelopment are those involving buildings constructed before 1990.
In developing the bill one of the issues was how to determine the age of a development. This involved a choice having to be made between the actual age of the building or the time which the development came into the scope of the Unit Titles Act or the Unit Title Schemes Act. Clause 4(2) deals with this issue. It considers that the prime fact regarding the age of the development is the date on which one of the buildings forming part of the unit development can be proven to have been substantially completed. If that fact cannot be proven, the date is the date on which the occupancy was first permitted under the Building Act. If that fact is also not available, the final default date for the age of the building is any other relevant information contained in the register of administrative information maintained by the Registrar-General, under section 38 of the Land Title Act. If there is no evidence about the age of the buildings, the age of the development is deemed to be determined by reference to the date on which the unit development was registered by the Registrar-General. Similarly for unit developments for which there are no buildings.
The processes under Part 4 are, in summary, the proponent of a termination must, under clause 9(1), provide the information required by clause 9(2) to the schemes supervisor. The schemes supervisor is an independent statutory officer appointed under section 99 of the Unit Title Schemes Act. The schemes supervisor must, under clause 10, assess whether the application for termination complies with clause 9(2). The required information includes the name of the proponent, an explanation of the termination process, details of any redevelopment of the land following termination and disclosure of proposed arrangements between the proponent and others concerning the development.
If the application complies with clause 9(2) the proponent must, in accordance with clause 11(2), as soon as practicable after receiving the schemes supervisor’s approval certificate, serve it on the body corporate for the development. The body corporate must then arrange a meeting of the body corporate to consider the proposed termination. This meeting must be held not earlier than three months after the service and no later than 12 months. It is critical that unit owners have sufficient time to consider the detail of the proposal, but not too long a period of time.
If the resolution is passed by a required majority, the body corporate must serve copies of the resolution on each unit owner and mortgagee. An owner of a unit who has not supported the termination resolution can respond to the document served under clause 11(1) by supporting the termination, selling the unit to anyone, selling the unit to the proponent in accordance with clause 13 or appealing to the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal against the proposed termination in accordance with clause 15(2)(a). The non-supporters include owners who did not indicate a position one way or another at the meeting conducted by the body corporate as, for example, might be the case for owners who did not attend the meeting. These non-supporting owners have 182 days – six months – in which to make that decision. Whilst this seems a long period of time, it has been determined as a policy having regard to working out what is a fair period of time for the owner forced to sell up and leave his or her home.
The legislation provides an option for the compulsory sale of units. However, any transfer of unit also involves the terms and conditions regarding the sale, for example, as to the time of settlement and vacant possession. In this case there could also be special conditions such as making the sale conditional on the termination going ahead. It is proposed that the regulations and the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal provide various rules regarding the terms and conditions on which an objecting owner is obliged to sell their unit to the proponent. If a proponent does not achieve the required percentage support, the proponent has a right to apply to the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal for an order for termination.
Clause 12 sets out a statutory scheme for the sale of units by objecting owners. In brief, the price is set by an independent valuer appointed under the auspices of the schemes supervisor and the relevant professional organisation. If either the proponent or unit owner disagrees with the independent valuation, they have a right of appeal to the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Clause 17 sets out the principles which the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and also the Supreme Court, must apply when dealing with appeals by an objecting owner. For the purposes of determining the amount of compensation for objecting owners, compensation is determined as if the sale was compulsory. Owners in residence will be entitled to compensation for solatium and with the compensation to be based on expert advice provided by a single valuer appointed by the relevant professional organisation as prescribed by regulation.
After a successful resolution is made under Part 4, notice must be provided to the Registrar-General for the purposes of a recording being made under section 38 of the Land Title Act. From the time notice is given to the Registrar-General, an owner who gave support for a unit and any other subsequent owner of that unit is bound to maintain that support – it becomes binding for a period of 12 months. If there is a change of ownership before the section 38 recording, the new owner is treated as if they are an objecting owner.
Approval by Tribunal: clauses 16 and 17 of the bill provide that the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal can approve the termination of a unit titles development following an application under clause 16(1) – small developments – or clause 16(2) – large developments. These provisions replace section 14(1) and (3) of the Unit Title Schemes Act and section 95 of the Unit Titles Act. The main difference between clauses 16 and 17 and the current provision relates to the basis on which a decision is made regarding the application for termination. Under the current provisions, the basis for the Supreme Court’s decision is that approval can only be given if the court considers it just and equitable to so.
Under the new provisions there are three main factors and four secondary factors. The main factors are that:
1. ‘it is just an equitable to do so’ – clause 17(1)(a)
2. ‘any objection … by an owner of a unit is unreasonable’ – clause 17(1)(b), and
3. termination ‘is otherwise necessary … taking into account any factors prescribed by regulations’ – clause 17(1)(c).
The four other factors that must also be considered are:
1. the extent to which an owner would suffer consequences if the termination were ordered – clause 17(2)(a)
2. the extent to which an owner would suffer adverse consequence if the termination was not ordered – clause 17(2)(b)
3. the financial benefits and risks of the termination and, if applicable, any proposed redevelopment – clause 17(2)(c), and
4. whether an order other than termination would be more appropriate – clause 17(2)(d) – for example, an order requiring owners of units to contribute to repairs and maintenance.
I draw attention to a number of other provisions.
Clause14 of the bill provides for limits on the number of occasions a proposed termination can be formally put to members of the body corporate. In brief, a second application cannot be made until six months after the first Part 4 resolution.
Tenants have no formal role in terminations but the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal will have the power to terminate tenancies and provide for the payment of compensation to a tenant or unit owner. This policy position has been adopted on the basis that terminations relate to ownership rather than occupation. It will be up to the unit owners to arrange for termination of tenancies. In other words, a tenancy will not terminate simply because the units’ scheme has been terminated. However, the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal has been given the power to order a termination of a tenancy and to award compensation to a tenant – clause 17(4)(f) – and, if appropriate, the objecting owner of the unit.
Under section 15(b) of the Unit Title Schemes Act the underpinning legal document – the management module – could include a scheme for a termination of schemes once they reach 20 years of age if there is 90% support for the termination. Given there is now to be a statutory right of termination, there does not appear to be any need to retain this provision. There also appears to be no need for any transitional provisions that save the operation of the provision. Accordingly, the bill provides for the repeal of section 15(b) with no transitional provisions.
The bill provides for consequential amendments to the Land Title Act, Unit Titles Act, the Unit Title Schemes Act, Real Property (Unit Titles) Act and the Real Property (Unit Titles) Regulations.
Part 6 provides that a termination takes effect when the relevant documents are lodged with, and registered by, the Registrar-General. These documents cannot be lodged or registered until such time as the period for appeal has expired or any decision regarding an appeal has been made.
The bill also provides for transitional provisions. If any termination is in process under the Unit Title Schemes Act or the Unit Titles Act at the date of commencement it will continue to be covered by those acts as if this act, and the amendments, had not commenced.
This proposed legislation is necessarily complex given it deals with, in effect, the potential compulsory acquisition of privately owned property by private sector interests. The legislation sets out a framework that, for developers, will be complicated and expensive. They will not lightly commence action under the legislation. It is assumed that, in practice, unit owners and developers will negotiate outcomes having regard to the legislative framework.
It is proposed that this legislation commence on 1 January 2015. For the purpose of ensuring this date is met, it is provided for in clause 2 of the bill. In order to ensure there can be comprehensive consideration of firm legislative proposals, I released a consultation draft of this bill as early as possible but with a view to the bill be introduced in October and debated in the November 2014 sittings of parliament.
My plan is that the bill be subject to extensive consultation, with there being a clear understanding to introduce the committee stage amendments in November 2014 if problematic matters relating to the drafting or policy or detail are identified. I fully anticipate there will be some changes.
This bill is innovative for Australia insofar that the Northern Territory government is the first government to introduce legislation on this matter despite the widespread view that something needs to be done. I note the New South Wales government is also formally reviewing the law and is actively also developing legislation as part of a major review of New South Wales strata title laws.
I commend the bill to honourable members, and table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr GILES (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to provide additional operational powers for the Northern Territory Police Force and authorised Commonwealth law enforcement and intelligence agencies to conduct cross border operations and investigations. This bill is based on the model law developed by the national Joint Working Group of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General and the Australasian Police Ministers’ Council. The working group was chaired by the Commonwealth and included representatives from law enforcement and justice agencies from each jurisdiction.
With mutual recognition of model law in corresponding jurisdictions, law enforcement agencies are able to undertake covert investigations across national borders for the investigation of serious offences. These investigative powers are necessary to disrupt organised criminal networks such as drug cartels and motorcycle gangs that could otherwise operate with relative ease across jurisdictional borders.
Adoption of the model law, as modified for other authorised Commonwealth law enforcement and intelligence agencies, enhances the Northern Territory Police Force capacity for a coordinated and collaborative response to cross border operations in the investigation of serious crimes in the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory joins other jurisdictions such as Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, with the inclusion of Commonwealth intelligence agencies such as the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, in the acquisition and cancellation of evidence of assumed identities.
The bill is divided into three parts: controlled operations, assumed identities and witness identity protection. A fourth area of the model law relating to surveillance devices has previously been enacted in the Northern Territory by the Surveillance Devices Act of 2007. Before explaining the detail of the bill I will briefly describe each of these areas.
A controlled operation is an undercover law enforcement operation that authorises a law enforcement officer to engage in what would otherwise be unlawful conduct for the purpose of obtaining evidence of a serious criminal offence. An assumed identity is a false identity that protects an authorised officer or civilian who is engaging in investigating criminal activity or conducting intelligence or security activities. Witness identity protection provides for the protection of the true identity of a covert operative and of protected witnesses who give evidence in court.
I will now provide further detail of the operative provisions from within the bill.
Controlled operation: the bill sets out a detailed and rigorous process for the authorisation of a controlled operation. A controlled operation may only be authorised by the chief officer of a law enforcement agency, being the Northern Territory Police Force or the Australian Crime Commission.
The controlled operation may be undertaken for criminal offences that attract a penalty of a maximum term of imprisonment of three years or more, or for an offence that is prescribed by regulation. The chief officer must be satisfied of a number of key protective measures, including the nature and extent of the suspected criminal activity is such as to justify the conduct of the controlled operation in the Territory, that any unlawful conduct involved in conducting the operation will be limited to the maximum event consistent with conducting an effective controlled operation, and that any conduct will not seriously endanger the health or safety of any person, or cause death or serious injury to any person or involve the commission of a sexual offence.
Participating law enforcement officers are indemnified in authorising operations against civil liability in respect of the conduct of the operations. However, there is no protection from criminal responsibility if the participant intentionally induces a person to commit an offence that the person would not otherwise have intended to commit.
If a third party suffers loss or serious damage to property as a direct result of the authorised operation, they are entitled to compensation for such loss or damage. The provision is limited to cases where the loss or damage did not occur as a direct result of the claimant engaging in criminal activity.
The bill also provides for mutual recognition of corresponding state and territory-controlled operational laws to facilitate cross border operations. For example, an authority issued in Victoria will have the same effect and provide the same protections in the Northern Territory as if it was issued in the Northern Territory. In the same way, other jurisdictions will mutually recognise the Northern Territory authorities when the Northern Territory Police Force crosses the border into their jurisdictions.
The bill sets out the record keeping requirements of all controlled operations, including a general register. Within two months after the completion of an authorised operation, the principal law enforcement officer is required to give a report to the chief officer. The chief officer is required to submit a report to the Ombudsman every six months in relation to authorised operations conducted during the previous six months.
The bill creates an oversight role for the Ombudsman to inspect the records of a law enforcement agency at least once every 12 months. The Ombudsman is also required to prepare and submit a report on the work and activities under the bill for the preceding 12 months. A copy of each report is to be given to the minister and the chief officer, with a further requirement for the minister to table the report before the Legislative Assembly.
The bill creates an offence for unauthorised disclosure of information relating to an authorised operation. Penalties for the base offence, relating to the fact of disclosure, attracts up to 12 months imprisonment. Offences relating to an unauthorised disclosure that endangers the health or safety of any person or prejudices the effective conduct of an investigation or intelligence gathering in relation to criminal activity attract a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
Assumed identity: the assumed identity provisions of the bill provide for the lawful acquisition and use of assumed identities, including mutual recognition, of things done in relation to assumed identities under corresponding laws. The assumed identity powers will protect an undercover operative engaged in investigating crimes and infiltrating organised crime groups. By way of example, undercover operatives need supporting documents to prove and verify their assumed identity. The bill allows for the creation of evidence of an assumed identity such as a birth certificate. The bill sets out a formal application process to ensure assumed identities are only granted in appropriate circumstances. An authorised officer must apply in writing to the chief officer for authorisation for the law enforcement officer or any other person to acquire an assumed identity and use an assumed identity.
The chief officer, when making a determination on whether to grant an authority to assume and use an identity, must be satisfied on reasonable grounds that the assumed identity is necessary for an investigation or intelligence gathering in relation to criminal activity, the risk of abuse of the assumed identity by the authorised person is minimal, and if the application is for authorisation of an assumed identity for a person who is not a lawful enforcement officer, that it will be impossible or impracticable in the circumstances for a law enforcement officer to acquire or use the assumed identity for the purpose sought.
The bill enables the creation of fictitious documentation to support an assumed identity. The bill provides that the chief officer of a government issuing agency such as a motor vehicle registry who receives a request to produce, for example, a driver’s licence, must comply with that request. The chief officer of a non-government issuing agency such as a financial institution who receives a request, for example, to produce a credit card, may comply with the request but is not obliged to comply. The chief officer or an officer of an issuing agency will be protected from any civil or criminal liability for assisting in the creation of fictitious documentation for an authorised assumed identity.
Given the fundamental importance of a fictitious birth certificate or marriage certificate to support an authorised assumed identity, the Supreme Court may order the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages to make a fictitious entry to the register under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act.
An entry must be cancelled by the Supreme Court on application by the chief officer. The chief officer of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is also authorised to make an application to the Supreme Court in respect of an entry or cancellation of evidence of an assumed identity in the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Although the bill offers protection from criminal and civil liability for authorised persons, it also ensures that a person using an assumed identity is not immune from certain liabilities simply because they have an assumed identity. For example, if a law enforcement officer using a fictitious driver’s licence commits a traffic offence the officer will still be liable for the traffic offence. Likewise, authorised officers are not excused from criminal or civil liability if they engage in conduct that requires a qualification and the person does not have that qualification. For example, an authorised person may have the assumed identity of an electrician. This does not permit the person to perform electrical work unless the person is qualified to be an electrician.
In the same vein as the controlled operations provision, the bill requires the chief officer to cause appropriate records to be kept in respect of the use of assumed identity powers and sets out the detail of what these records must include.
At the end of each financial year the chief officer must submit a report to the minister. The minister is required to table the report in the Legislative Assembly. The chief officer must arrange for the records for each authority to be audited at least once every six months while the authority is in force, and at least once in the six months after cancellation or expiry of the authority. The results of an audit are to be reported to the chief officer.
The bill similarly provides for offences against the unauthorised disclosure of information that reveals or may reveal an assumed identity with penalties ranging from 12 months up to ten years’ imprisonment where such a disclosure may endanger safety or prejudice an investigation. There are exceptions to unauthorised disclosure where disclosure is required for the administration of the bill for legal proceedings arising out of the operation of the bill, or where the person is authorised by law.
A person is also authorised to disclose information in certain circumstances, including for the purpose of reporting to an appropriate authority or to a government agency for the purposes of a law enforcement operation.
Witness identity protection: the witness identity protection provisions go hand-in-hand with the control operations and assumed identity provisions within the bill. The bill empowers the chief officer to give a witness identity protection certificate in relation to a court proceeding when satisfied that the disclosure of the true identity of a witness may endanger the safety of the witness or another person or may prejudice an investigation.
The effect of such a certificate is to enable an operative to give evidence under his or her assumed name or court name, excuse an operative from stating his or her real name or address during the proceedings and may prevent the asking of any questions that may lead to the disclosure of the operative’s real identity or address.
The chief officer must ensure the certificate records information relevant to the credibility of the evidence being given by the witness. This is done by making sure the chief officer states whether the operative has been convicted or found guilty of an offence, whether there are any charges pending against the operative and, if the cooperative is a law enforcement officer, whether the officer has been found guilty of professional misconduct, whether any allegation of misconduct is pending and whether a court has made any adverse comment regarding the operative’s credibility. This is provided due to the difficulty for an accused in challenging the credibility of the witness without the real identity of the witness being revealed.
The bill also provides for the protection of civil witnesses in the Territory witness protection program under the Witness Protection (Northern Territory) Act. Under this division of the bill, the chief officer must give a non-disclosure certificate for the protected persons in relation to the proceeding. Similarly, the certificate must be filed with the court where the protected person is required to give evidence and must also detail any offences of the protected person. Like the witness identity protection provisions, a non-disclosure certificate must not state any information that discloses, or is likely to disclose, a protected person’s true identity or where they live.
This bill is a powerful statement of the government’s commitment to fight serious and organised criminal activity and, where relevant, national security. The bill increases the capability of police to pursue and apprehend those organised, and involved in, criminal enterprises.
I commend the bill to honourable members, and table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
Mr GILES (Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the two bills titled Licensing (Director-General) Bill 2014 (Serial 102) and Licensing (Repeals and Consequential Amendments) Bill 2014 (Serial 103) together be debated and in one motion put in regard to the second readings, the committee report stages and the third reading of the bills, and be considered separately in the committee of the whole.
Motion agreed to.
Bill presented and read a first time
Mr GILES (Business): Madam Speaker, I move that these two bills be now read a second time. The purpose of these bills is to establish a new decision-making framework for a range of licences currently approved by the Northern Territory Licensing Commission. The Licensing Director-General Bill 2014 will repeal the Northern Territory Licensing Commission Act and establish the position of Director-General of Licensing, which will be a person appointed by the minister. The Director-General of Licensing will be vested with all decision-making powers and functions currently sitting with the Northern Territory Licensing Commission and the Director and Deputy Directors of Licensing.
Currently the Northern Territory Licensing Commission makes decisions under a range of acts including the Liquor Act, the Gaming Machine Act, the Prostitution Regulation Act, the Kava Management Act, the Gaming Control Act, the Tobacco Control Act, the Totalisator Licensing and Regulation Act and the Private Security Act and related regulations.
While the commission is the primary decision-maker, the Director of Licensing, which is a position also created under the Northern Territory Licensing Commission Act, has responsibility for some matters and in some instances is required to refer the matter to the Licensing Commission. While it is possible for the Licensing Commission to delegate some of its functions to the Director of Licensing, and in some instances this is done and expedites matters, not all decision-making functions are delegated.
In practice, the commission meets approximately 10 times a year to consider applications under the various acts or to consider disciplinary matters that may come before it. The process of referral from the Director of Licensing to the Licensing Commission can make for a lengthy application process which can result in competitive disadvantage to business and serve as a discentive to broaden business opportunities.
We are about removing red tape. In addition, decisions of the Licensing Commission, in some circumstances, are required to be made by way of a three member panel hearing. The hearing process can become expensive for applicants as they retain legal counsel to represent them, often being protracted with hearings not held for a number of weeks, if not months. It can then take some time for the commission to reach and deliver a decision in relation to that application or disciplinary matter.
The current process for reviewing a decision of the Northern Territory Licensing Commission is contained within the Northern Territory Licensing Commission Act. Essentially, an affected person applies to the Licensing Commission for a review of the Licensing Commission’s own decision. While different members are appointed to hear the review, the process does not represent as an independent transparent review process and does not build confidence in the businesses that may seek to access it.
The new position of Director-General of Licensing will be responsible for making decisions currently made by the Licensing Commission without the need for a hearing.
The probity and other requirements that must be met for licences and the matters to be considered before executing a power under the acts, including the power to issue a licence, have not been changed by these reforms. Further, the processes that currently exist in community and stakeholder consultation, including police, local government authorities and members of the community, will continue to apply.
While the framework for decision-making may have changed the critical matters to be taken into account have not, nor have the objectives of the various acts. This will ensure the Director-General has access to a range of relevant information that allows decisions to be made in the public interest. In addition to powers enabling the Director-General of Licensing to access information and consult broadly in the decision-making process, this position will also be able to issue guidelines under the various licensing acts.
These guidelines will provide clear information to the public on how the various licensing acts will be administered and how decisions will be made. This will assist with creating an efficient and transparent decision-making framework. The power and functions of the Director-General of Licensing will be able to be delegated, and the Licencing (Director-General) Bill 2014 establishes an internal review process for delegated decisions.
This internal review process will provide an opportunity for the Director-General of Licensing to scrutinise decisions made by delegates and ensure not only the integrity of the decisions, but also that delegates are complying with the guidelines issued by the Director-General of Licensing under the various licensing acts.
The new framework will also transfer review jurisdictions to the newly established Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which will create an independent review option for affected persons of reviewable decisions. Given the internal review process for any delegated decisions, it is anticipated there will be a decrease in affected persons seeking review of the reviewable decisions. However, if this is not the case, the new Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal will offer a cost-effective option for affected persons.
Limited consultation has occurred with industry groups, and will continue to occur to assist business to understand the new framework. I would, however, like to take the opportunity to encourage industry to raise concerns they may have with the proposed framework prior to the November Legislative Assembly sittings to enable consideration of any necessary amendments.
I commend the bills to honourable members, and table the explanatory statements to accompany the bills.
Debate adjourned.
Continued from 20 August 2014.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Speaker, the opposition supports this bill.
The Superannuation Legislation Amendment and Repeal Bill 2014 repeals the Unclaimed Superannuation Benefits Act, amends the Superannuation Act, the Superannuation Regulations, the Legislative Assembly Members’ Superannuation Fund Act, the Administrators Pensions Act, the Northern Territory Government and Public Authorities’ Superannuation Scheme Rules and the Northern Territory Supplementary Superannuation Scheme Instrument. In effect, this legislation modernises the Superannuation Act and allows the transfer of unclaimed superannuation from the Northern Territory to the Commonwealth. This is in line with every other Australian jurisdiction.
Much of this legislation simply makes the language and purpose contemporary. There does not appear to be any problem with this legislation and the Northern Territory opposition supports the purpose of the bill to: repeal the Unclaimed Superannuation Benefits Act along with transferring management of unclaimed and lost members’ superannuation benefits to the Commonwealth; allow the Superannuation Trustee Board to form committees incorporating all the relevant scheme funds it administers; ensure the Superannuation Trustee Board-related fees can be proportionately levied across the relevant scheme funds it administers; ensure the Northern Territory Government and Public Authorities’ Superannuation Scheme members working for public authorities are adequately captured for membership purposes; remove the Northern Territory Government Death and Invalidity Scheme anticipatory payment; remove NTGPASS entrant medical declaration provisions; broaden the NTGPASS and the NTSSS interpretation of the dependant to include interdependency of relationship; increase the NTGPASS payment threshold without the grant of probate; replace the current Superannuation Review Board with an appropriate external administrative tribunal process and introduce the same review mechanism across the superannuation legislative framework except for the Supreme Court Judges Pension Scheme; the ability to comply with Commonwealth taxation measures; allow the release of superannuation money for members of the Territory defined benefit schemes except members of the Supreme Court Judges Pension Scheme; meet a superannuation taxation liability or allow a refund of excess concessional contributions made by NTGPASS members; and close the NTGPASS account-based pension product and transfer pension accounts to a successor fund on just terms.
Two questions asked during the Territory opposition debate involved anticipatory benefits and claims by Legislative Assembly members who may suffer ill health after leaving parliament. Anticipatory payments are made to alleviate financial hardship if a member’s salary is suspended or reduced due to a member’s incapacity whilst undergoing an assessment for invalidity retirement.
From an administrative perspective, the assessment of an anticipatory benefit claim is both complex and time consuming. Since only one payment has ever been approved to date, the intention is to no longer offer this type of benefit for efficiency reasons. In addition, there are more appropriate ways of dealing with these situations through employment measures such as granting additional sick leave. Given only one payment has ever been made, what is the harm in keeping this provision? Perhaps the minister could give us with his thoughts on that.
Clause 72 inserts a new section 27B, Claims for benefits – this is under the Legislative Assembly Members’ Superannuation Fund Act. Clause 27B(2) says a claim for a benefit due to ill health under section 22 of the scheme must be made within two years from ceasing to be a member of the Legislative Assembly. Is there a need for a sunset provision in that part of the bill?
Madam Speaker, other than that it was a productive discussion on this side. We support the government in its intention, and we have no problem with the passage of this legislation through the House.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I support the Superannuation Legislation Amendment and Repeal Bill. I would like to thank the department for its in-depth briefing. I have notes all over the place from my briefing so I will read from the briefing paper into Hansard. It would save me trying to pick up on what I wrote.
This is an area some people love and others find mysterious. One reason for the bill is to repeal the existing NT Unclaimed Superannuation Benefits Act, which will allow the government to opt into the Commonwealth scheme whereby all unclaimed superannuation is sent to the ATO. Individuals can access tools such as SuperSeeker using their TFN to find lost accounts. It is a good idea to join the national scheme.
The second reason is to amend the Superannuation Act, the Legislative Assembly Members Superannuation Fund Act, the Administrators Pensions Act, the NTGPASS rules and the NTSSS Instrument in order to modernise governance arrangements for the Superannuation Trustee Board such as apportioning board management costs across the scheme funds and creating committees for risk and audit, insert time lines for making an application for a benefit and seeking review of a decision and opt into the NTCAT rather than continuing with the Superannuation Review Board. Obviously that is something the government is doing across many agencies.
It will also comply with the NT Criminal Code Act for penalty offences and update confidentiality provisions, facilitate members’ requests to release money to the ATO to meet a tax liability such as division 293 or excess contributions tax, increase the threshold to release superannuation funds in advance of the grant of probate to meet funeral expenses and broaden the definition of dependent. The bill also provides a legal basis for closure of the NTGPASS account-based pension product facilitating the successful fund transfer to AustralianSuper. The administrative and legal processes required to facilitate the transfer have commenced and will be completed by early 2015.
I understand there have been discussions with people affected by that. Not many people have objected to the changes and, obviously, those negotiations would be continuing or there would be provisions for those people.
As with many things, we have to update and become more efficient because that is the way governments have to operate to get best value for taxpayers’ money. One way this can happen is by streamlining some of the processes within government.
I thank the government for bringing this forward, and the department for giving me a pretty good idea of what this bill is about.
Mr BARRETT (Blain): Madam Speaker, I might be able to provide some information to the member for Nelson about that, having worked in this industry. It was a few years ago now and I might be a little rusty, but I understand a few things about superannuation and how it works.
In 1992 the Keating Labor government introduced the compulsory superannuation guarantee system as part of a major reform addressing Australia’s retirement income policy. It was calculated that Australia, along with many other western nations, would experience a major demographic shift in the coming decades resulting in an anticipated increase in age pension payments placing an unaffordable strain on the Australian economy.
This, in itself, was pretty visionary because recent instances, particularly in southern European countries, have highlighted the fact that if nations do not take this seriously and do not start preparing for these contingencies they will find themselves in trouble, particularly when investment decisions are made and money that should be funding retirement pensions suddenly goes missing through global financial crisis type events. What do they then do? How do they then fund those requirements in an ageing population?
I remember the Prime Minister of Greenland being front and centre during the GFC and acknowledging they had lost so much money through what were supposed to be AAA-rated securities at the time that they did not have enough money to fund not only pensioners, but to move forward.
It was fantastic the Labor government did that. It was really visionary. It started addressing the problem before it became insurmountable. The proposed solution was a three pillars approach to retirement income. First, a safety net consisting of a means tested government aged pension system would come into place, but private savings generating through compulsory contributions to superannuation were to fund retirement and voluntary savings on top of this were also encouraged through various means. This was done mostly through tax incentives so people would build upon their superannuation and, therefore, the liability for covering people in their old age would not fall to the rest of the population, particularly given the skewing towards an aged population was coming about.
Right now there is more than $1.6 trillion in superannuation assets. That is a truckload of money, especially when you are looking at the context and size of Australia. Coming from an equities and securities background, this really changes a lot of things in Australia.
Most people in this House would have shares in BHP; you might not even know you do. Most people with a super fund not taking the cash option would have some type of security which would ordinarily be fully paid shares. Each year many funds go through the Australian stock exchange and other securities in Australian markets.
This is good because the assets going to these areas provide businesses in Australia the funding pool and access to capital they need to conduct more business, improve business and improve innovation. It has changed the way of accessing capital in Australia and has been a fantastic result for Australian companies.
Compulsory superannuation, in combination with buoyant economic growth, has turned Australia into a shareholder society where most workers are now indirect investors in the stock market. Consequently, a lively personal investment marketplace has developed and many Australians take a large interest in investment topics. Many television shows talk about these things and lots of people watch them.
Several other things were done. Incentives for people to put more money into super – ‘If you put extra money in we will decrease the income tax’. The amount of money people were putting into super increased, which increased the amount of assets people had going into retirement. This ensured people were not just getting by on a meagre pension, but were able to live quite a comfortable lifestyle.
Franking credits was another one. This meant if companies had already paid tax and you received fully franked dividends, you would not be charged tax on the entire amount of the dividend – the Australian Tax Office would see you have already, in essence, paid a percentage of tax, being a 30% company tax rate. This was fantastic given the tax rate in superannuation funds is 15, which means many superannuation funds get a rebate and there is more money going back into the fund.
Since 1992 there has been an evolution in what super was about and what it did. Initially employers set up funds, particularly large corporations and governments, and people would pay money in. They were similar to a pension fund but run by the corporation. The public sector certainly did this.
Statutory-based defined benefit schemes: a defined benefit pension plan is where an employer promises a specified monthly benefit on retirement which is predetermined by a formula based on the employee’s earnings history, tenure of service and age rather than depending directly on individual investment returns. This creates some risks – particularly shown by what happened in Iceland – when people are making investment decisions and corporations are making promises on returns.
Funds going into those returns are subject to market forces and moving markets. We have seen this evolve and people are effectively looking after their own funds. They are making contributions and their employers are making contributions. Together they make an investment decision, which could include a balanced super fund or an aggressive one. It could also be a self-managed super fund where people say, ‘I would like this many BHP shares’ or ‘I would like this many cash securities’.
Some people find this really boring; I love this stuff. Where is the member for Nelson? I thought he wanted to know about super.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Blain, please withdraw that comment.
Mr BARRETT: I withdraw. Account-based pensions are another one. An account-based pension is where a regular income is received in retirement but is generally funded from savings a person has made through employment. Providers of these schemes tend to be large corporations. The Northern Territory government has been doing this. Now accumulation funds are the norm, this is the type of scheme most of us have.
This bill deals with redundancies in the act. It is necessary to update how superannuation has changed over time and to bring it in line with what is happening now.
Unclaimed super benefits: the changes allow unclaimed super to be administered by the Commonwealth. Given the transient nature of people in the Northern Territory this is a good thing. It is easy for people to log on to the Commonwealth site and find their lost super. If they have worked in several states they would have to find it through state and territory mechanisms. Transfer to the Commonwealth is a good thing and I support it.
Referral to NTCAT – those looking for judgments regarding grievances – is, again, another example of the fantastic work the Attorney-General’s department has done on this to provide a one-stop shop and lessen the complexity of dealing with grievance issues in the public sector. Most of this bill is a clean-up of old and redundant legislation that needs to be compliant with best practice.
It would be good if the Chief Minister could explain the LAMS Act, and provide us with information on how many members are still in old and dated schemes.
I support this bill and thank the Chief Minister for bringing it to the House.
Mr GILES (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I thank the opposition for its support and the member for Nelson for his contribution. I know he received a briefing, but I am not sure if the opposition did – no, they did not. The member for Blain received a briefing, and I thank him for his contribution.
I have a few comments to make which should cover most things. Regarding the LAMS Act, I might take some advice in regard to your last question. There will be some slight amendments, which I tabled yesterday – a couple of small clauses I will be seeking to take through the committee stage process.
In summary, the bill repeals the Unclaimed Superannuation Benefits Act and makes amendments to the Superannuation Act, the Superannuation Regulations, the Legislative Assembly Members’ Superannuation Fund Act, the Administrators Pensions Act, the Northern Territory Government and Public Authorities’ Superannuation Scheme rules and the Northern Territory Supplementary Superannuation Scheme Instrument to implement a wide-ranging reform agenda across the superannuation legislative framework, excluding the Supreme Court (Judges Pensions) Act at this stage.
The Territory schemes are statutory-based defined benefits schemes, as opposed to standard industry accumulation type schemes such as AustralianSuper created under a trust structure. This means the majority of a member’s benefits upon retirement are formula-based rather than an accumulation of contribution plus investment earnings over a period of time.
Defined benefit schemes are complex and technical in their administration. A key objective of this bill is to continue restructuring and modernising the Northern Territory superannuation legislative framework to achieve sustainable and cost-effective administration without affecting member entitlements. Another objective is to pursue flexibility within the legislative framework to respond more readily to ongoing Commonwealth superannuation reforms which are not easily applied to defined benefit schemes.
I acknowledge the comments from the member for Nelson about the difficulty in getting his head around some of this complex information.
The bill repeals the Unclaimed Superannuation Benefits Act to allow the transfer of unclaimed and lost member superannuation benefits to the Commonwealth. This move will provide members of relevant Territory-defined benefits schemes a greater opportunity to be reunited with their unclaimed and lost superannuation into the future.
The bill also enhances the current governance arrangements by allowing the Superannuation Trustee Board to establish specialised committees to consider specific issues in the management of funds and schemes under its control. The STB oversees the Northern Territory Government and Public Authorities’ Superannuation Scheme, the Legislative Assembly Members’ Superannuation Scheme and the Northern Territory Police Supplementary Benefit Scheme. Use of the committee structure is in line with industry best practice and Commonwealth stronger super reforms.
Other governance reforms will allow STB management costs to be apportioned across the relevant schemes rather than a cost borne by the Northern Territory.
The bill also undertakes a number of benefit reforms to the Northern Territory Government and Public Authorities’ Superannuation Scheme, or NTGPASS, and the Northern Territory Government Death and Invalidity Scheme, NTGDIS. These include:
removing of entrant provisions and rules for NTGPASS members to allow further streamlining and equality of membership between NTGPASS and NTGDIS
removal of the NTGDIS anticipatory benefit payment which is now considered redundant.
revising the NTGPASS definition of invalidity retirement benefit to be consistent with NTGDIS
the interpretation of dependant is broadened for NTGPASS and NTSSS to include interdependency of relationship which better reflects modern ways people interact and support one another in society, for example, two elderly siblings with adult children of their own living in a mutual care arrangement.
I commend the former Treasurer, the member for Fong Lim, in bringing this legislative amendment into parliament. He had the foresight to make these changes, particularly in the area of dependants, which is very important for modern times in the Northern Territory and reflective of the society we now live in.
The revised definition of a public authority ensures NTGPASS members working for public authorities are more adequately captured for membership purposes.
The bill inserts appropriate time lines across the superannuation legislative framework, except the Supreme Court Judges Pension Scheme, of course, for making an application for a benefit and when seeking a review of a decision. The bill also inserts appropriate time lines for making an application for an administrative review to an appropriate external administrative tribunal, being the Northern Territory CAT, as referred to by the member for Nelson, once operational.
The Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal, NTCAT as we call it, will provide a one-stop shop expert approach to a merit review of bureaucratic decision-making. It will be a centralised tribunal and will allow aggrieved members wishing to challenge an administrative decision to do so in a simple, transparent, direct and inexpensive way. It is all part of the Country Liberals government cutting red tape and getting on with business.
This bill also closes NTGPASS account-based pension products and facilities and transfers pension members to a successor fund that is equivalent or superior to the current pension product. The closure of the NTGPASS pension has become necessary due to the modest take-up rates since its opening in 2008, with around 200 account holders and $100m under management. Without economies of scale to offset the cost of the NTGPASS pension there is no financial reason to continue when there are superior products operating within the marketplace.
The bill inserts a framework across the superannuation legislation, except the Supreme Court Judges Pension Scheme, to facilitate requests to release money from a superannuation account for the purpose of meeting or avoiding a personal tax liability upon assessment by the Australia Taxation Office.
The first to be prescribed in the Superannuation Regulations is to allow the release of excess concessional superannuation contributions which exceed cap limits. Concessional contributions are those made by a member on top of their employer contributions, with contributions amounts in a financial year capped.
The second to be prescribed is Division 293 tax, where an additional 15% tax is to be applied to an individual’s superannuation contribution when their total income threshold, including superannuation contributions, exceeds $300 000.
The bill converts penalty offences in compliance with Part 2AA of the Criminal Code Act principles of criminal responsibility and extends across the superannuation legislative framework – except the Supreme Court Judges Pension Scheme as I have repeatedly said – updated confidentially of information provisions. This is to afford better protection to members of schemes with regard to the use of confidential superannuation information.
Consultation was undertaken with public sector employee representatives of Unions NT and the Northern Territory Police Association. The reforms were well received by these stakeholders. The member for Nelson mentioned one or two people who may have showed concern, but they were well received by these associations and they completely understand the reasons for the closure and transfer of the NTGPASS account-based pension product to a successor fund.
Progress of the reform package will be relayed to members of the various schemes via annual reporting such as reports to members and the annual report. Members will also be informed through the Northern Territory Superannuation Office website.
There is unlikely to be any negative feedback to the reform package as members’ entitlements are generally not affected. In most cases entitlements are enhanced, with the right to review decision-making and broadening the dependent definition.
Some negative feedback has been received from members since closing the NTGPASS pension product to new members from 1 April 2014. It is anticipated this will diminish when members see a comparison of features between the closed NTGPASS pension product and the successor fund. The Superannuation Trustee Board was consulted on the breadth of the reform package and indicated it provides support.
Formal communication with the Commonwealth Assistant Treasurer will commence regarding the transfer of unclaimed and lost member superannuation benefits to the Commonwealth upon the bill being introduced in the Legislative Assembly. The relevant Territory schemes will be required to be prescribed in the Commonwealth Superannuation Unclaimed Money and Lost Members Regulations. The experience of other jurisdictions that have already opted in indicates a time line of between 12 to 18 months is likely for this to occur.
The member for Blain raised a query and I might get some information during the committee stage process on how many people are on the LAM scheme. I commend the bill and will be seeking committee stage amendments.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
In committee:
Clause 1 agreed to.
Clause 2:
Mr GILES: Mr Chair, I invite defeat of clause 2 by amendment 25.1 which was circulated yesterday.
Clause 2 defeated.
New clause 2:
Mr GILES: Mr Chair, I move amendment 25.2 which inserts:
2 Commencement
Amendment agreed to.
Clause 2, as amended, agreed to.
Clauses 3 to 89, by leave, taken together and agreed to.
Part 5:
Mr GILES: Mr Chair, I move amendment 25.3 which inserts after Part 5:
90 Expiry of Act
Amendment agreed to.
Part 5, as amended, agreed to.
Remainder of the bill, by leave, taken as a whole and agreed to.
Bill reported with amendments; report adopted.
Mr GILES (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
I thank the opposition and the member for Nelson for their support. I also thank the members for Nelson and Blain for receiving a briefing on this. This is a complex matter – many changes in a large document – for what can generally be described as small amendments with a lot of changes,
Member for Blain, I appreciate the hard work you put into that and the research you undertook, your knowledge of the area and for adding a valuable contribution to this debate. You continue to excel as parliamentary secretary. The level of work you are doing for business is fantastic, despite this being a Treasury matter. It is good for you to get on top of that now.
I have received an answer to the question you asked about how many people are active in LAMS. There are 38 participating members. They are members of parliament who continued on a pension scheme after they left parliament.
As most people would know, around 2004 there were changes to superannuation schemes for politicians around the country. The change in the Northern Territory meant pensions were slowly removed for new politicians after that time.
It does not matter who you talk to in the general public, everyone thinks politicians receive a pension. However, for anyone elected after a certain date in 2004 that is not the case. It does not matter how many times you tell people, everyone thinks you do. There are 38 participating LAMS members and two active members: the members for Nelson and Karama. The member for Casuarina may have been an active member, but now he has left he will be a participating member. Gerry and Delia are the only two active members in the LAMS scheme. That probably answers your question.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
Continued from 27 August 2014.
Mr GUNNER (Fannie Bay): Madam Speaker, the opposition supports this bill.
This legislation seems complicated, which it is, but it has a simple intent. The bill is not necessarily a policy change, but it closes a loophole in the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act as identified in a 2010 Supreme Court case.
The bill widens the provisions under which property can be forfeited. As the Attorney-General described in the second reading speech:
The legislation provides leased property to be considered for property substitution. Simply put, the bill means whether a property involved in a crime is owned or leased a financial penalty can be applied. A lease cannot currently be considered for property substitution under the act. If someone owns a property but is leasing it out and it is used in a crime without their knowledge, it would be extremely unjust if that property could be forfeited under the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act. This somewhat unintended consequence creates an incentive to use a leased property in a crime rather than one owned because it cannot be forfeited.
Perhaps the best way to explain why the change is required is to briefly outline the case which led to the loophole being discovered, and retrace the footsteps of the Attorney-General. He explained this in a detailed manner during his introductory remarks. Briefly, an individual was convicted of growing cannabis on a leased property. Because they did not own the property it could not be considered for property substitution. The lease is a property right and has a value. This bill means the value of the lease is now applicable for substitution – cash, other property, a car etcetera of the same value could be forfeited. This bill means someone can be financially penalised for the value of the lease they own. A lease is a property right, and in this case the court found the value of the lease was worth $10 000. Under the changes to the act, the Director of Public Prosecutions could seek forfeiture and property substitution for $10 000.
Property law can be a complex beast, and so are the forfeiture laws. In a different debate the other day we had a long speech from the Attorney-General. This simple attempt requires many clauses to ensure the loophole is successfully closed and other problems are not created. I will not go through all the clauses.
The opposition supports the concept of criminal property forfeiture and the existing legislation, so we are completely comfortable with a bill to close a loophole. We support a process whereby the loopholes are identified and amendments are designed to deal with them. This feels like one of those classic second readers of the shadow Attorney-General where you summarise what the Attorney-General said and agree with it. We, in this case, agree with what the Attorney-General is doing.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I also join the loophole closers association, as mentioned by the member for Fannie Bay. I thank the department for its briefing. I will not go through the technical details; I know you are trying to avoid people getting away with not paying the price …
Mr Elferink: This is a lease not a shield.
Mr WOOD: That is right. … where, if they owned a property, they would forfeit that property if they used it to grow illicit crops.
Much of this relates to the change of one word in section 81(2), moving from ‘may’ to ‘must’. Section 81(2) says the court may declare a property of equivalent value be substituted if the court is satisfied of certain matters. This means the court has the discretion to make the substitution declaration, even where it is satisfied the Director of Public Prosecutions has made out the case. By changing that one word discretion goes, and the judge will have to find a property – if there is a property – at least of equivalent value.
This has always been an interesting act. People have come to see me, in times gone by, who have not been growing tomatoes. They have been growing something else and have been caught …
Mr Westra van Holthe: Without the fruit on them.
Mr WOOD: Yes. Perhaps we need a mosaic virus for certain crops to put people out of business. It is funny how some crops do not seem to get diseases, and the ones you want to grow seem to cop everything. People who have grown a quantity of marijuana – generally marijuana – have come to see me as they are about to lose their home. The issue is not they should not be punished, but the punishment should fit the crime.
There is punishment for growing the crop. You can go to gaol or be fined for growing the crop. There is also another punishment, which is forfeiture of your property. One part of the law usually sentences you according to your guilt – how much you have grown etcetera – if you have done it before or how many people it influenced. The other part is the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act where, because you have grown something illegal, you can lose your property. There is no sympathy for the person who grows a small quantity; they can lose a similar amount of property as someone who has grown a massive amount. I will not say it is unfair because I have no sympathy for people who grow drugs. However, if the punishment is to fit the crime, sometimes it is uneven in the way forfeiture is carried out.
Be that as it may, I have no sympathy for people who grow drugs and cause pain and suffering. I raise it as a technical issue rather than one I am overly concerned about. From a legal perspective it seemed slightly imbalanced in the way matters were adjudicated. I will not talk to the person in the street about it; it is in the second reading. Simply put, you cannot get away with using someone else’s property to grow a crop, you will lose something. This ensures people cannot get around the law. I support the legislation.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Primary Industry and Fisheries): Madam Speaker, I support the Criminal Property Forfeiture Amendment Bill which will act as the Robin Hood to those who profit from crime. These amendments will make our legislation some of the toughest property forfeiture laws in the country. I am proud to serve in a government working towards this type of initiative.
The proposed amendments to the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act will ensure, when an offender commits an offence using property they do not own, the Northern Territory government may seize the offender’s assets to the value of that property. The change comes following a Northern Territory Supreme Court case of the Director of Public Prosecutions v Green. The defendant successfully argued the value of a rural property owned by an innocent third party and leased, which was used by the offender to grow hydroponic cannabis, could not be substituted with forfeited property to the same value owned by the offender. This means if an offender sells drugs from a $30 000 hire care, the Northern Territory government will recover that value of the offender’s personal property even if it has no connection to the offending.
For too long people have profited off the misery of the disadvantaged and not paid their full debt to society. We will not have criminals serve prison sentences then return to the profit of their crime, their stashes of cash, their luxury cars and their expensive boats. This government will make them pay the price commensurate to the crime they have committed. As the Attorney-General so eloquently said in a media release dated today:
I fully endorse the words of the Attorney-General. In my policing days I saw too many occasions where proceeds of crime funded expensive toys, assets and lifestyles. I know of one occasion where a house was purchased with the proceeds of the sale of drugs over a long period of time. Of course, proceeds of crime have funded cars, holidays, boats, not to mention lavish lifestyles. The toughest forfeiture of proceeds of crime legislation in the country will redress the appalling situation whereby criminals live the life of Riley whilst profiteering from the misery of others.
The Country Liberals tough law and order approach has resulted in almost $4.2m in property forfeited in 2012-13 and 2013-14. This is compared to $1.2m in the previous two financial years under the former Labor government. This government puts the victim’s interest ahead of the criminals. This government will punish drug dealers and others where it hurts most, in their wallets.
I commend this bill to the House and thank the Attorney-General for bringing on this much-needed reform.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Madam Speaker, I thank all members for supporting this commonsense amendment. When the issue was raised with me and I read the second reading speech, I had to hold it up to the light. I read it and read it again, and I struggled to get my head around the issue because of its technical nature
One of my shortcomings, being a …
Mr Wood: What? Shortcomings?
Mr ELFERINK: I have many of them, one is my humility.
One of my many shortcomings is I tend to think in pictures, which is why written documents often frustrate me, particularly when they deal with technical legal issues. That is surprising if you consider my chosen fields of study.
In my mental picture I would like honourable members to imagine a pantomime and that the judge is the audience sitting in the crowd. You will have the two usual characters, the innocent maiden wearing a wonderful white dress, while skulking around at the back of the stage is the villain wearing a top hat, twirling a moustache and wearing a black cape against the red curtains in the background.
The legislation is designed so the judge can always see the villain. No matter where the judge is sitting in the audience, the villain is there to be observed by the judge. There are, of course, in our community many more fair maidens than judges. The fair maiden in this case is the innocent third party property owner. They have, quite unbeknown to them, involved their property by way of lease or some other arrangement, with the villain. You can never blame the innocent third party for the conduct of the villain and, unfortunately, sometimes villains will take advantage of the fair maiden. What happens when you have discretion – when the villain of the piece hides behind the petticoat of the maiden the audience may choose not to see the villain, which is pretty much what happened in this instance.
If you read the script of the show, as expressed through the act, we can clearly see the intent of the parliament is to make sure the judge, no matter where he is sitting in the audience, is able to see the villain at all times ...
Mr Conlan: Who is wearing the petticoat?
Mr ELFERINK: The innocent one, the fair maiden. All we are doing today is discreetly tucking the petticoat of the fair maiden aside so the villain will always be apparent to the judge and rule accordingly. Today we are making sure the villain will always be seen by the judge. For that reason, all members understand what we are attempting to do. I thank honourable members for their support, and I thank the House for its unanimity of purpose in protecting Territorians.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to: bill read a third time.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, whilst there is no issue before the Chair, I move that, pursuant to Standing Order 89, the routine of business be reordered so at the conclusion of considering Order of the Day No 2 the Assembly immediately considers ministerial statements, and that at the conclusion of ministerial statements the Assembly resumes consideration of Orders of the Day, followed by papers and committee reports. This is, as discussed with members opposite, to enable the ministerial statement which was circulated last night to come on now and then we will go down the Notice Paper.
Motion agreed to.
Mr STYLES (Transport): Madam Speaker, today I talk about the great work the Department of Transport has done, and to acknowledge the staff of the department and their achievements in a wide range of groundbreaking administrative reforms and significant transport improvement initiatives.
Transport and its associated industries play a key role in the economic and social development of the Northern Territory. The department has a broad gambit of responsibility from the Motor Vehicle Registry, public transport, to road network management, road safety initiatives, transport assets and everything in between.
In the last year the department has undertaken significant work aimed at improving the effectiveness and efficiency of how the department operates and to improve the way it delivers services to the people of the Northern Territory.
As minister I am pleased to report that activities of my department clearly reflect the view that we are here to serve the Northern Territory community. Today, I will be speaking about a range of these reforms and will commence by speaking at some length about one of the initiatives.
The Motor Vehicle Registry kick-started the 2013-14 financial year by launching its streamlined services to reduce wait times, improve efficiency and lengthen the period of validity of many services, while still keeping Territorians safe on our roads.
From 1 July 2013, customers have been able to access a broad range of services online, over the phone or through Australia Post outlets. This has greatly helped to efficiently service the rapid increase in transaction demand.
The department has also upgraded its call centre service by allocating calls through regional offices in Nhulunbuy, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine, freeing up staff at busier offices to attend front counters and improve wait times.
An increase in positive feedback over the past year shows new MVR initiatives have improved the quality of customer service at the counter. Its annual customer survey, held at the end of February 2014, found more than 98% of customers reported being happy with the service they received.
Some of the written feedback customers have given over the past six months includes:
‘I arrived and was called up quickly. Really appreciated the service.’
‘I compliment staff on courtesy and exemplary service in a very efficient and quick manner’.
A further comment said:
‘Received brilliant customer service, very professional and proficient. A credit to your organisation.’
Other comments included:
‘I got fantastic service every contact. The changes you have made are like a breath of fresh air. Very happy with the new MVR.’
‘Very quick and great service’.
‘Just completed registration renewal online and found the process worked very efficiently and quickly’.
‘So nice to see something this good in either government or private. Well done MVR.’
‘Helpful and made the whole experience pleasant. I was the only customer waiting so I did not have to do my Sudoku puzzles. Well done.’
‘Great service, friendly, hassle free, very informative, wait time excellent.’
‘Came in to renew my licence as I needed a new photo. Was greeted at the door, given correct ticket, waited five minutes, served by a very friendly and organised staff member. Excellent, well organised and efficient service. Very much exceeded my expectations. Thank you.’
‘Never anywhere in Australia have I received such a high standard of service as I and my partner received today on transferring vehicle and licence from interstate. Wonderful experience. Thanks.’
I have more to read out because staff at the MVR and the people who have organised this need to hear these compliments and read about their efforts in Hansard:
‘I have been doing business at Goyder Road since 1971 and never had such fast, pleasant and efficient service. Congratulations to those responsible for the improvements and to the staff who have clearly responded in such a positive manner. For an organisation that has copped so much bagging in the past, the operation is a credit to you all.’
Other reforms implemented at the Motor Vehicle Registry during 2013-14 include:
removing registration stickers for light vehicles while continuing to provide courtesy renewal notices reminding customers to renew their registration
providing access to simple renewals through Australia Post outlets
an eyesight test is now only required when applying for your first licence, at age 70, then annually
a new 10-year driver’s licence is available in addition to one-, two- and five-year options.
The reforms have reduced average wait times at three Darwin MVR offices from 24 minutes in July 2012 to less than 10 minutes in July 2014. Average wait times remain under 10 minutes at all three Darwin offices despite an increase in transaction numbers in July 2014. MVR will continue to match peak times and areas of customer demand in order to maintain the department’s target of 10-minute average wait times at MVR offices.
The free NT Rego mobile app was launched in August 2013. The app allows MVR transactions on smartphones and tablets. From August 2013 to June 2014 the following download statistics were recorded for the free NT Rego app: on iPhone, 11 600 installs – that is 69% of the total – and Android, 5100 installs, which equates to 31% of installs, with a total of 16 700 installs.
At June 2014, approximately 7190 Australia Post transactions had been undertaken since 12 August 2013, including more than 5710 registration renewals, 1300 licence renewals and 180 changes of address.
In July this year I announced the introduction of a new public bus operator to operate in the greater Darwin area. The company, Transit Systems, is a very experienced national and international bus operator. Improving public transport systems is a key component of the Northern Territory government’s strategic priorities as an enabler of economic and social development. As part of the commitment, the Northern Territory government is modernising the bus system with the introduction of an electronic ticketing system.
The Department of Transport is developing and testing a new smart card system that will make the public transport experience easier, faster and more convenient and provide real travel data enabling better planning for public transport services. The NT government provided $1m initially and $700 000 ongoing to fund the ticketing system with field testing currently occurring on two buses on the public network. The ticketing system is expected to be fully operational on the Darwin and Alice Springs bus networks in December 2014.
On 22 May 2014, the Northern Territory Department of Transport hosted a highly successful National Remote and Regional Transport Infrastructure and Services Forum in Alice Springs. The forum saw 120 industry, government and community representatives from around Australia agree to address the unique transport issues faced in remote and regional Australia across the priority areas of infrastructure, services and regulation.
The forum confirmed that remote and regional areas drive economic growth in Australia as a whole and require targeted approaches to transport infrastructure investment, service delivery and regulation to improve productivity and unlock economic growth.
A major outcome from the forum is the Transport and Infrastructure Council, comprising Transport and Infrastructure ministers, has agreed that outcomes from the forum will form the basis of the development of a national remote and regional transport study. The strategy will take full account of the key issues and possible solutions identified to resolve the significant transport challenges faced in remote and regional Australia.
The council also recognised the enormous and ongoing economic contribution made by remote and regional Australia for the benefit of all Australians, and the significant and distinctive challenges in remote and regional Australia that require flexible application of national approaches. The Northern Territory, through the Department of Transport, is now leading development of the strategy in collaboration with Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, the Australian government and in consultation with stakeholders.
A website has been launched on the Department of Transport Internet site that includes outcomes of the forum and provides a mechanism to provide comments on the outcomes of the forum. Comments were due by 2 October 2014.
Another groundbreaking activity under way is the Regional Infrastructure Study. The Regional Infrastructure Study is a first of its kind study of remote infrastructure needs across the Territory. It is a significant piece of work being led by the Department of Transport, which has demonstrated a collaborative approach across government to develop a 30-year overarching infrastructure plan for the Territory. This project has undertaken extensive consultation throughout regional and remote communities to seek real input into what communities see as their priorities, what needs to done and how projects might be prioritised. The results of this comprehensive project are expected to be considered by the government before the end of the year and are feeding into the Australian government’s developing northern Australia white paper process.
Given the innovative work described today it is no wonder these activities have won awards. For example, the awards won by the Northern Territory government at the recent Engineering Excellence Awards held on 26 September 2014. I was at those awards and was proud government departments won some of the prestigious awards.
Projects awarded were:
the supply and installation of the pontoon and gangway at the Cullen Bay Ferry Terminal for an Engineering Excellence Award – Highly Commended
the Stuart Highway/Howard Springs Road/Lambrick Avenue intersection upgrades and duplication of the Howard Springs Road between the Stuart Highway and Whitewood Road received a President’s Award.
Both the Department of Infrastructure and Department of Transport are to be congratulated for the outstanding work they have done to ensure final outcomes are achieved and delivered as expected.
Underpinning much of the reform work happening is the establishment of the roadmap for future integrated transport planning and investment framework. This framework will guide the development of the Territory’s transport infrastructure and services to drive economic growth and social development. The Department of Transport is now focused on progressing the strategies and reviews that are key elements of this framework. These include the aviation industry and services strategy. An issues paper was released on 13 August 2014 and comments closed on 24 September 2014. A review of the responses received is currently under way and comments received will be taken into account during development of the final strategy.
The roads and bridges strategy is at the planning stage with a scope currently being finalised. The scope will be informed by consultation on the road map framework and the Regional Infrastructure Study.
The maritime industry review includes a review of recreational vessel regulations and safety standards, as well as supporting the review of the national domestic commercial vessel regulatory and service delivery framework currently being undertaken by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. These reviews are aimed at streamlining processes and reducing red tape within the industry. Consultation on the recreational vessel regulations is being finalised and work on the national domestic commercial vessel regulatory and service delivery framework is being progressed through the Australian government.
A position paper on the commercial passenger vehicle industry is currently being finalised for consideration by government and is expected to be issued before the end of the year.
Further reforms of Motor Vehicle Registry services are also on the agenda, which aim to improve the customer experience.
Work on the Darwin regional transport plan is progressing. The Darwin regional transport model is currently being updated to reflect the revised land use planning strategies following the release of the Draft Darwin Regional Land Use Plan. The updated model results will inform the preparation of the transport plan.
The scoping of a freight and logistics strategy is under way, with the final strategy expected to be delivered in late 2015. Finally, the public transport strategy will be developed in the latter part of 2014 and early 2015 for completion in early 2016.
These areas are all major bodies of work in themselves but only represent part of the work of the department. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the departmental staff for the great work they do, often in very challenging time frames.
Public servants play a critical role in delivering on the government of the day’s policy agenda. I publicly acknowledge and thank all the staff in my department. They provide high quality work which ultimately delivers improvements to the Northern Territory and its residents as well as contributing to economic development.
Madam Speaker, I commend the statement to the Legislative Assembly and move that the Assembly take note of the statement.
Ms LAWRIE (Opposition Leader): Mr Deputy Speaker, transport is such a critically important part of our economy. Transport has a highly transactional nature to it, and its importance is often underestimated. Every day Territorians interact with the transport system, whether driving on our roads, catching public transport or managing their licences and vehicle registration. Transport and infrastructure play a critical role in our economic and social development.
It is extraordinary that we have a statement from the Minister for Transport and Minister for Infrastructure today and, in speaking about the achievements across the portfolios, he has not mentioned infrastructure funding we need to build and upgrade the roads of our transport system. The statement makes reference to attempts at new studies but no reference to funding, not one word. That is because we know, as does the construction sector, that this government and this minister are failing abysmally to deliver for the Territory.
It is a point of commentary in the industry that every ribbon-cutting event the minister and his CLP government attend has been a Labor-legacy project. The minister has not yet grasped that his key job is to fight for funding for the Territory to deliver new and upgraded infrastructure across roads, ports and community infrastructure. Instead, he has the department running around in circles developing one strategy after the other when the work has already been done.
The Labor government developed a 10-year infrastructure plan and a 10-year road strategy. Both plans were developed after extensive consultation with a wide range of industries, the tourism sector, the NT Cattlemen’s Association and the Transport Association of Australia to name a few. Of course, we included all Territorians.
These plans were released as recently as 2012. The CLP simply had to deliver. Instead, it restarted the process announcing a plethora of reviews and strategies which, two years into their term, are still ongoing. This also follows extensive work, done in partnership with the Queensland and Western Australian governments, the Labor government undertook on joint submissions to the federal government and Infrastructure Australia for strategic roads and infrastructure funding to facilitate economic development in the north. The CLP inherited a considerably-funded forward works program courtesy of the Labor government to attract Commonwealth funding to the Territory. We locked in a deal for the $103m investment to duplicate Tiger Brennan Drive. Of course, the CLP will now attempt to claim that.
We worked hard and strategically to secure Commonwealth funding, opening up new funding envelopes for community, tourism and beef roads. We secured a $90m funding injection from the Commonwealth under a new regional roads productivity package in 2012, added to with $16m of Territory funds. The six regional roads targeted included: the Roper Highway for causeways and associated works, targeted strengthening and widening; the Port Keats Road for targeted sealing and flood immunity improvements; the Santa Teresa Way to upgrade the gravel condition of priority sections; the Central Arnhem Road for construction of a new bridge over Rocky Bottom Creek; the Buntine Highway to target strengthening, widening and sealing works; and the important Arnhem Link Road to upgrade the gravel condition of priority sections.
These packages have all been adopted holus-bolus by the CLP and simply rebranded. It is clear if we had not done the work to leverage the funding those projects would never have been considered. The CLP certainly had no plan to secure the necessary funding. The CLP is quite happy to coast off the back of Labor projects, from roads infrastructure to significant private projects such as the Ichthys INPEX Total project, without delivering new stimulus for jobs and business growth. Promised works on airstrips, barge landings and roads across the Top End were pushed back yet again or cut from the program.
The CLP’s focus on northern development amounts to some glossy advertising and a $6m office in Darwin but no funding for roads or bridges. We have also witnessed the CLP abandon Labor’s Integrated Regional Transport Strategy my colleague, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, delivered for bus services in the bush and funding for barge landing upgrades.
Civil contractors across the Territory are hurting as you have stripped away repairs and maintenance funding from our roads budget. Work for our construction sector has shrunk under this government, with infrastructure spending slashed too soon. People in the bush know your rhetoric about infrastructure does not match the reality of what is happening under the CLP.
There was no mention in the statement of the ferry service, which is also an important transport link for Territorians. The minister was silent on this, much like he has been in dealing with the business operators affected by the CLP’s handling of the ferry tender.
Harbour cruise operators are being pushed out of business because a government-subsidised ferry service is targeting the harbour cruise market. SeaLink is subsidised to operate the Tiwi Islands and Mandorah ferry services, and it has shocked local tourism operators that it has moved into the harbour cruise market at dramatically lower prices than local businesses.
These businesses are doing it tough. They met with you, Minister for Transport, and you have ignored their pleas to review the SeaLink contract. You have not answered their question about legal advice on whether the taxpayer-funded subsidy for ferry services to the Tiwi Islands and Mandorah is being used in an anti-competitive way to undercut existing local businesses.
The CLP is developing a record for ignoring businesses who have already invested in the Territory and developing the north, and this now includes our harbour cruise operators. Our small harbour cruise operators are worried the subsidy from the Northern Territory government is helping SeaLink provide tourism services at a competitive advantage and will force them out of business. The Minister for Transport should put in place an independent review of this and make the findings public.
I congratulate staff at the MVR for the improvements they are leading in customer service. It is a busy frontline service and the staff work hard to respond to inquiries and process transactions. Ongoing improvements over the years to service standards and facilities at the MVR have borne fruit. Congratulations to staff for the development of new ways to interact with the MVR. However, I am concerned that the minister is not listening to public concerns about abolishing registration stickers.
The sticker provides a readily accessible reminder for vehicle owners. While online and mobile applications are great and the recent development of mobile application technology provides an excellent new platform for information exchange and online transactions, we know not every demographic is comfortable using this technology. Consumers should be given the choice. There is significant disquiet in our community about the loss of registration stickers. While reminder letters are sent, that is not a perfect system.
Again, consumers should be given a choice to maintain a sticker on their vehicle if that is what works for them. People are particularly concerned that removing this readily accessible and constant reminder mechanism is unfair when the repercussions of driving uninsured, even when unintended, are severe, even more so under this government’s fines increases.
In the recent Casuarina by-election campaign issues at Casuarina bus interchange were again highlighted in public debate. I congratulate the member for Casuarina for her advocacy on behalf of constituents, and commuters more broadly.
Having spoken to bus drivers and patrons of the interchange, it was identified that a number of measures could easily be put in place to improve safety for drivers and passengers.
The opposition proposed a number of measures the government could adopt, particularly reversing the cuts to the Transport Division that has seen the passenger ban system shelved because there is not enough staff to manage it. This means passengers and drivers are being subjected to troublesome passengers who in the past were banned, which puts safety at risk because of CLP funding cuts. Improving the complaint system and reinstating passenger bans should be addressed as a priority. With extra resources, transit safety officers could be utilised to help stop drunks boarding buses rather than getting them off buses once they have boarded.
Our taxi industry has a raft of concerns; it would take a separate ministerial conversation around that. However, I welcome the comment that the position paper on the commercial passenger vehicle industry will be finalised before the end of the year. We are keen to see the detail of that.
Having held the Transport and Infrastructure portfolios myself in the past, I recognise we had the opportunity to work with talented and committed Territorians who wanted to see progress across the Territory. It is pleasing to see staff recognised for their talents. Congratulations to Sumesh Dhir for being recognised in the engineering awards, having received a Highly Commended Award for Professional Engineer of the Year in the People in Engineering Category. It was a delight to be there that evening.
It is also pleasing to see government projects – under Labor – in planning and funding regimes come to fruition and recognised for engineering excellence awards. I acknowledge the work of the many staff who design and project manage Infrastructure. Congratulations to those involved in the pontoon at the Cullen Bay Ferry Terminal and the Stuart Highway/Howard Springs/Lambrick Avenue intersection in the Nelson electorate.
Transport and infrastructure are key to the engine room of economic development. I am deeply concerned the focus of the current minister is one of grandstanding, chest beating and cutting ribbons of Labor-funded projects rather than delivering additional funding to our transport and infrastructure systems.
Get on with the job of securing funding out of Canberra; it has the capacity to invest in infrastructure. We had an opportunity previously where we would, with some Territory funding, leverage significant additional Commonwealth funding into the Northern Territory’s infrastructure, particularly road systems.
An example of that is in the period I had the opportunity to be Treasurer and Infrastructure minister. At that time we leveraged an extra $400m in roads funding from then Commonwealth minister Anthony Albanese. We took him across the regional areas of the Northern Territory to show him 24% of our road network was sealed. It will take billions of dollars to seal the outstanding network. Working with industry – whether it is the ATA, cattlemen, tourism or community sectors – to identify key strategic roads was the approach we took, hence the 10-year infrastructure plan and the 10-year roads plan.
It sounds like you have simply torn all that work up. We engaged technical expertise, in our co-submissions with Queensland and Western Australia to Infrastructure Australia, to look at priority infrastructure for the Top End and northern Australia. You have obviously torn that work up as well. That was done by experts within the public service and private consultants. It was not drawn up on the desk of a Labor minister, so I cannot understand why you have ditched that expert advice. You have chosen to and are starting from scratch. That has put us two years behind the eight ball already, and I am concerned we will lose another two years if you do not focus on the work already done, the analysis that exists and start to focus your energies on leveraging all-important Commonwealth funding.
In relation to the Chief Minister’s rhetoric, I now have people asking me about a dirty port. It is sad that when we have the opportunity of an external port for our great city of Darwin, which opportunity delves straight into both Defence and heavy industrial needs, they now refer to it as a dirty port because that was the language of the Chief Minister.
No, Chief Minister, it is an external port. We all aspire to see critical funding for this. It would require significant partnerships with the Commonwealth, particularly in the area of Defence, but also with the industrialists looking at the potential for heavy industry.
I note the government has torn up the environmental impact assessments on Glyde Point, ignored the opportunities of Gunn Point for an external port and is solely focused on Glyde Point. Again, it seems we have gone back to the 1990s and ignored the expert evidence gathered for over a decade to show Gunn Point is not only a better external port in approaches and less environmental impact, it is also closer to existing strategic industry therefore less expensive to build connecting infrastructure to.
It seems many of your decisions are ideologically driven rather than based on feasibility and information. There is still opportunity to get some expert advice on Glyde Point verses Gunn Point and take another view on it.
The critical infrastructure of the existing port is now on the block for sale. The government uses the language of lease. It is not a lease if it is a long lease; it is the same as a sale. I cannot begin to imagine why the government would be doing that without understanding the critical oil and gas industry is saying not to do it, it would be the worst outcome for developing the north, and they are the large industry. Our small- and medium-sized businesses will say the same thing because they know commercial rates across the wharf would put enormous costs onto their businesses and, in many cases, close them.
Proceed with caution with your grand ideas, get some detailed information and consult with businesses directly. That would be in the better interest of Territorians rather than a quick cash grab.
I note there are infrastructure opportunities across the Territory. I have not spoken about regional infrastructure opportunities.
I want to comment on the bizarre rhetoric from the Chief Minister this week regarding regional economic development, particularly the Tiwi Islands. I was pleased to see, through the Aboriginal Benefits Account, a contribution of $6m for forestry equipment to help with the woodchip industry. That is well spent. However, I was not pleased to see $1m disappear into a bank account with no outcome for it. That is the stark difference where we get bang for buck. An amount of $1m spent on a road on the Tiwi Islands would have gone a lot further than disappearing into a bank account. That is why we are asking questions and some serious answers are required.
It is great to see the Stuart Highway project south of Alice Springs. Obviously there is some significant commitment in infrastructure in and around Central Australia. I recognise the Outback Way was topped up with some additional funding recently, and I hope that goes into critical areas of the Outback Way. We know $20m, when road sealing costs $1m a kilometre in rough terms, only gets you so far hence the enormity of the task ahead.
Listen to the experts and strategically focus the investment based on the different sectors of our economy identifying those strategic beef, tourism, mining and community roads with the approach Labor took. If you want to tear that up and set different priorities that is the purview of being in government, but I cannot understand why you would find a road more significant than roads prioritised on community, beef, mining and tourism.
It is a shame this statement omitted anything about funding for infrastructure. I hope in wrapping up the minister turns his attention to it. As I said, transport is a highly transactional area for the community.
One thing I was most proud of in the Labor government was recognition of the need for a bus service across remote and regional Northern Territory. I could not understand why, under the decades of CLP, it was viewed as not necessary. If you can provide affordable access to Territorians, regardless of where they live, you are assisting with access to critical services such as health and education, being able to get into Katherine from outlying remote communities, do the shopping at a reasonable price and get back out on a bus. These are life transforming opportunities.
I note the member for Arafura has announced publicly there will be a bus service for the Tiwi Islands as a result of his return to the CLP. I assume that will be on Bathurst Island, but I hope the bus service will be for both Bathurst and Melville Islands. I wish you all the best in that endeavour. Anything we can do to improve remote and regional transport is a fantastic outcome for Territorians.
Thank you, minister, for the opportunity to contribute to this statement. There are many areas we could talk more about, but I have touched on some of the key issues.
Mr KURRUPUWU (Arafura): Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the Transport and Infrastructure minister for bringing this statement to the House. As the minister outlined, the Country Liberal government is committed to road safety and upgrading the infrastructure in regional and remote communities.
About 28% of the Northern Territory population is Indigenous, yet they make up around 50% of road fatalities. In remote communities some of the most common factors in fatal car accidents are drink-driving, overloading of vehicles and not wearing seatbelts.
Another issue is the low number of people in remote communities with a licence. The DriveSafe NT remote program has been successful in getting remote Indigenous people a licence to drive, and has made a positive difference in the bush by ensuring people go to the right driver education and licensing programs to make sure they are safer on our roads.
One of the positive sides of this program is the increase in the number of people with evidence of their identity. Many remote Indigenous people have no photo identification. The program has assisted people to obtain that. While driver education and licensing plays a significant role in road safety, the condition of roads is just as important.
In 2014-2015 the Country Liberals committed nearly $6m in funding for infrastructure in my electorate of Arafura including: $500 000 on construction of guardrails on bridges at Wildman River, Wildman River East and the Arnhem Highway; $500 000 in routine maintenance such as potholes, patching and drainage amenities on the Arnhem Highway; $700 000 on resealing sections of the Arnhem Highway; $150 000 on routine maintenance of the Kakadu Highway; $90 000 on routine maintenance of the Oenpelli Road; $400 000 on pavement repairs on the Oenpelli Road; $60 000 on Jim Jim Road maintenance; and $150 000 on the Maningrida access road. The boost to local jobs and the economy this project will bring is great.
We are coming into the buildup and soon the Wet Season. Many of the access roads to communities and homelands in my electorate will be cut off. This has a serious impact on people living there. It is during the Wet Season that our barge landing really becomes a lifeline, so it is great to see, along with the funding for the roads I just mentioned, funding for barge landings. This includes $2m for the Wurrumiyanga barge landing upgrade, $1.5m for freight handling facilities at Maningrida and $300 000 for upgrading the barge landing to accommodate larger barges.
On top of that good news the Giles government has announced a $30m roads package to fund projects across the Northern Territory. I am happy to say some of this money will go towards upgrading the Pirlangimpi to Pickertaramoor access road. Because of the Labor deficit and neglect, this government cannot afford to fix every road right now. As a member of government, I will make sure people on the Tiwi Islands and in west Arnhem get a fair share.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for his summary of infrastructure on Melville and Bathurst Island. I would like to know more about the upgrade of the road from Three Ways to Pickertaramoor. Hopefully I can get some more detail from the member on that. I have been contacted several times to ensure there will be an open tender for the project. I hope the Tiwi council gets a chance to work on that as roads are its responsibility. I might catch up with you later to see what is happening there.
I thank the minister for his statement. There are some good news stories, and it is good to hear Motor Vehicle Registry is making people happy. In times past MVR copped a lot of flak, especially on a Friday night. For instance, you would never go to Palmerston Motor Vehicle Registry to change your registration on a Friday night because the queue was nearly out of the door. It is good to hear there have been some improvements. The government should be congratulated for that.
Minister, I have referred someone to your department about a constant issue: Gunn Point Road. Unfortunately, Gunn Point Road does not always receive high priority because not a lot of people live there. The road is used a lot by fishers and anyone going to Gunn Point beach. There is also Leaders Creek fishing resort and Saltwater Arm, so many people go there. Also, trucks collect extractive mining material from the area and Koolpinyah Station is there too.
The gentleman who rang me said at least three cars had run off the road when he was there recently. The corrugations are really bad. He lives at Tree point and travels every weekend and said the road has not been graded for the last three months. I thought it would be graded about every six weeks. I am visiting this weekend to deliver my newsletter so I will check it out. I raise that for you to check. This person was concerned about the safety of the road.
You are putting a lot of effort into Tiger Brennan Drive, but we sometimes forget the Stuart Highway is very well used. Coming from Darwin through the Pinelands/Holtze area at 4.30 pm the dual carriageway heading toward Palmerston is packed. On one side of the highway there are three lanes – from the Palmerston end through to the McMillans Road turnoff there are three lanes. Perhaps the government could consider another lane in the reverse direction, so we have three lanes on the way back. It is great to see Tiger Brennan Drive being upgraded, but many people do not use Tiger Brennan Drive because they work in Berrimah so do not go that way, they work this side of Winnellie, or they work in the northern suburbs. Minister, has your department done some assessment of traffic flow, especially peak hour traffic flow, on that road because there are long queues on that section?
You told me there is no bus to the prison, but I would like you to consider a trial. It would not be a bus service just to the prison; many routes could be developed. It would be good if the government promoted the public bus service in order to get cars off the road. We have the park and ride system at Coolalinga and Humpty Doo, both used reasonably well. The Coolalinga one is used more than the Humpty Doo one. Promoting the public bus service, especially for regular commuters, is a great alternative to driving a car through peak hour traffic each day.
I am promoting a new bus service to the prison because one already goes to the 15 Mile community from Palmerston. It would be a matter of turning left, dropping people off who work at the INPEX village and allowing people who work at the prison, and visitors, to be dropped off. It could even take people to Howard Springs Nature Park. We already take people to Crocodylus Park – buses drive in there – and we take people to the waterfront. Knowing how popular Howard Springs Nature Park is at the moment, it is a way of making it more popular. I am sure the Minister for Parks and Wildlife would agree it has been upgraded a lot. Credit is due to the previous government for spending the money. I give credit to the present government for putting the shade over the rock pool. It is a very popular spot and we could include an extended bus service to pick up a range of passengers for different places. It could then come back through the Howard Springs area and take people to Palmerston. It is not that far, and a two-year trial would give people a chance to see if it is worthwhile.
We do not have a great bus service facility in the rural area. In the morning three buses go to Palmerston but nothing comes back until the afternoon. One bus service during the middle of the day goes through Noonamah from Virginia, but there is no regular bus service. Unless there is a regular bus service people will not use buses.
Minister, you mentioned in the Estimates Committee there will be money for the rail trail – the bicycle path from Howard Springs to Coolalinga. That money is for design, and I wonder why we spend so much money on design. The railway was built in 1880 and is a straight line; you know that is where it will go. If a bridge is missing you may need guidelines for the replacement bridge. If you could give us an update on the timetable for the extended bicycle path it would be great.
The other issue is water use. Minister, I raised in parliament the beautiful section of road around Tipperary Waters. I also raised it with the minister because we have been debating the amount of water Darwin is using. I mentioned evaporation and other things. It looks nice, and gardening is probably a bit like art – depends on your taste – but lots of Tiger Brennan Drive has been developed using native plants. Around the Tiger Brennan flyover near Palmerston, on very difficult soils, are native plants that do not require any water. At times they require maintenance or replacement, but they basically operate without any water. It is a pity we cannot go down that path. I accept there is a place for lawns and nice gardens, but we can be clever if we want to promote wise water use, and one way is gardens that do not need water.
An example is the median strip on Howard Springs Road – the area that won an award at the Excellence Awards. That median strip was put in by Greening Australia, has no irrigation and has survived one of the longest Dry Seasons. I put some plants in around some of the arches put up for advertising – native plants were planted in January this year, were mulched, had no irrigation, are in tough country and are all surviving.
It can be done and gardens can look nice. Grevilleas have beautiful flowers, acacias have lovely flowers. Other plants are coming on the market through some clever people in Greening Australia and the Top End Native Plant Society, and other groups promote using native plants. There is a place for greenery, but government departments should work together if they are promoting water use.
Minister, I have travelled through the open speed limit area a couple of times recently. I do not go that fast; I am happy with my speed. Once you start getting over 130 km/h your fuel bill goes up considerably ...
Mrs Finocchiaro: Fuel is so cheap now!
Mr WOOD: Not at Dunmarra. I will give you the invoice. My problem is roads need upgrading: the Gunn Point Road, the Port Keats Road, the Roper Highway and the Central Arnhem Road. I travelled to Gove about three months ago and that road is a shocker in places, in other parts not too bad. We seem to have our priorities wrong. You have spent a lot of money upgrading the Stuart Highway for the open speed limit. That is great for people with an old Monaro and plenty of money in their pocket to spend on fuel, but were government priorities right? Would it have been better to seal dirt roads?
Moving out from Bulman, putting more bitumen there or widening the Roper Highway would have been great. Continue sealing the Daly River Road or upgrade the Gunn Point Road. There is a cattle station there, a lot of extractive mining, and a lot of tourists and locals go fishing yet, at times, it is one of the worst roads and is very close to Darwin. Do we have our priorities right?
Minister, I will not argue the toss on whether open speed limits are good or bad; however, I find it a little strange some sections of the road say, ‘Unfenced road – watch out for animals’. It seems the wrong road for full steam ahead. If a section of road has an open speed limit make sure part of the expenditure is fencing properties.
I nearly hit a big pig in Adelaide River the other night. It was about 9 pm, the pig was black and the bitumen was black. I was doing about 110 km/h out of Adelaide River. How I missed it, I do not know. If I were to hit that at a high speed, boy! There would be no car left. When you have an open speed limit and a sign showing cattle and an unfenced road, I am not sure it makes sense.
I put some of those matters to you, minister, as constructive criticism. Our job is to say how we feel about things. I congratulate the people who put together the Howard Springs/Lambrick Avenue intersection, although it was one of the longest contracts. The traffic flow – I thank the previous Labor minister for the work he did to get that off the ground – has made a difference.
I would sit on the corner counting cars, and I think he knows that. There would be cars from the Howard Springs/Stuart Highway turn-off past the Whitewood Road turn-off and cars nearly around to the Lutheran school. Now the flow of traffic is much smoother and I do not get complaints. It has been a great change and an important improvement for traffic flow in the area.
I congratulate the previous government, but I congratulate the contractors and the people who designed the road because it can take all the traffic it gets now.
Thank you, minister for bringing forward your statement today.
Mrs FINOCCHIARO (Drysdale): Mr Deputy Speaker, I join my colleagues in supporting the Minister for Transport’s statement. I know he has been looking forward to bringing this statement to the House and updating the parliament and the people of the Northern Territory on what has been happening in this portfolio.
I want to take the House through some of the areas where transport has assisted the lives of Palmerston residents, my core focus. I will start with the Tiger Brennan duplication. Recently we saw BMD Constructions awarded a contract for the next stage, which is Berrimah Road right through to Woolner Road.
That is an exciting next step and something the people of Palmerston have been wanting for a long time. I am reliably informed that we should see approximately 200 people, and I am sure most of them will be Territorians, employed to deliver this project which includes over 9 km of road.
When I had my briefing on the duplication of the next stage of Tiger Brennan, I was heartened to hear the core focus of the team – hats off to the department – will be doing the duplication with enough distance from the existing road that it will cause minimal disruption to traffic.
Obviously we want our roads upgraded and improvements made, but when the witches hats are out we get a little cranky. The poor contractors are damned if they do, damned if they don’t. In this situation we will avoid most of that.
Once construction starts it should have minimal impact to the existing lanes of Tiger Brennan, and that includes the fact contractors will tackle the intersections which will inevitably have to be constructed in the last stages. The idea is the dual lanes will be built and traffic can be diverted onto the new section of the road while the intersection is being upgraded. That is fantastic, hats off to the department.
Minister, I know you have been sitting down for the last month or so with BMD and the team to nut out all the finer planning details and I hope that process has gone well. Motorists are looking forward to minimal disruption and dual lanes by 2016.
The benefits are a safer and more efficient drive for motorists travelling from Palmerston and the rural area into the city every day. Palmerston residents deserve better access into Darwin city. We have been waiting for that for a long time. I remember when Wishart Road was the exciting back road, as we called it. The new Tiger Brennan Drive will relieve pressure on our arterial roads, including the Stuart Highway, which is still very heavily used. It means Palmerston motorists travelling into Darwin of a morning and night will be spending less time in their car and more time at home with their family doing what they love to do.
The cost of this project is quite large, and we have heard the minister talk about the Tiger Brennan duplication before. It is a jointly-funded exercise between the Northern Territory and Australian governments. I thank the Deputy Prime Minister, Warren Truss for opening the Dinah Beach to Woolner Road section of Tiger Brennan. We look forward to perhaps seeing him open the new stage of the road in June – weather permitting – 2016.
The Temple Terrace and Stuart Highway intersection is another exciting project coming up. The member for Nelson will watch this one eagerly, as will many rural residents. It affects rural residents more than those in Palmerston; however, it is significant to our government’s commitment to the Palmerston hospital.
On 18 September the tender was released for the $6.5m redevelopment of that intersection which, of course, will be where access to Palmerston Regional Hospital is created. This is an important investment for our community which shows our government is forward thinking, carrying out planning and getting the right stages happening. We cannot build a hospital without the right infrastructure, and that is what this government is doing. It is a tribute to the Minister for Transport for getting that moving as soon as possible.
People say the Stuart Highway should have an overpass, which the Minister for Transport would love. However, there is a giant debt pyramid which goes up and up. I cannot do it as well as my colleague, but there is a large debt pyramid which means we cannot build the overpass we would love to. Unfortunately, we are left with a Labor debt legacy which does not allow us to do things we want to, and that is a shame. The intersection will be fantastic, but the debt pyramid gets in the way of progress in the Northern Territory.
Palmerston Regional Hospital will be the hallmark of our team. The Palmerston members of parliament – me and the members for Blain and Brennan – and Natasha Griggs, our federal member for Solomon, are very eager for this project. We are happy the Department of Health conducted consultation around development of this intersection, and the Department of Transport is making it happen. The tender closed on 15 October, so we should see things move along fairly quickly.
There are also planned upgrades for Temple Terrace and Roystonea Avenue. People in Palmerston are crying out for this intersection to be upgraded; we have such a large number of cars going through it at any one time. Palmerston has outgrown that infrastructure and everyone is looking forward to the day it is fixed. Our government committed to this in the 2014-15 budget, with $5.5m allocated. That funding will see the duplication of Roystonea down to Gurd Street, which is the entrance to Palmerston Medical Centre. It will also improve the road capacity, increase safety and reduce queuing, which is currently significant. We have queues backing up on Roystonea Avenue right down to Terry Drive, which must be 1 km away.
Palmerston has outgrown that infrastructure, but I am not concerned. We are on to it, have allocated the money, planning will take place and works will be completed by January 2016. The work will cause a few traffic headaches because of how many cars travel through that intersection and how significant it is in Palmerston, but the department will do its best to make that as streamlined as possible. I thank them for their commitment to Palmerston in that regard.
I wanted to touch on the Black Spot Programme. This program is aimed at reducing crashes on our nation’s roads. Of course, we all do everything we can to ensure our communities are safe places. That means we have a significant commitment to ensuring our road infrastructure is safe and workable. The Black Spot Programme gives members of the community, and members of parliament, the opportunity to identify areas that might need some funding, assistance and traffic mitigation in order to make them safer places.
I have been out with my colleague, Natasha Griggs, federal member for Solomon, looking at Wishart Road and Woodlake Boulevard, which is a constant source of concern to constituents, particularly in the Wet Season with traffic trying to come out of Woodlake Boulevard on to Wishart Road.
We have seen a few crashes at Essington Avenue and Temple Terrace in the last few months, which is always terrible. The issue there is traffic coming down the hill on Temple Terrace at 80 km/h and people pulling out of Essington Avenue. This causes some concerns for residents.
Another location is University Avenue and Frances Drive, which is basically in front of McDonald’s near my office. There were two crashes at that intersection last week. That is a hot spot I have my eye on. Tilston Avenue and Elrundie Avenue – with the sheer volume of traffic now moving on Elrundie Avenue funnelling down to Bellamack and other new suburbs is becoming quite a hot spot.
They are all things I have my eye on. I am sure with the minister’s and department’s help, and the Black Spot Programme, we can work through some of them into the future.
I commend the minister on the new footpath on Roystonea Avenue. At the university lights there is now a very wide, large footpath that can take cyclists and pedestrians down the side of Roystonea Avenue virtually to the intersection to turn off to Palmerston Water Park and the new suburb of Durack Heights in my electorate. This is an excellent initiative. It was just shy of $150 000. I thank Mac Constructions for doing such a nice job of that. I had a look during the construction phase; they were kind enough to let me on site. That is an excellent investment in our community.
Palmerston, in some spots, is a little hotchpotch. This is another key traffic lane and connecter area serving Palmerston residents well. Mums and prams, people riding their bikes to work or people walking to catch the bus can now do so in relative shade and absolute safety. That is an excellent result.
I also congratulate and thank the minister for heeding the lobbying of my constituents to have a signalised pedestrian crossing on Temple Terrace at the Coles intersection down from the Ampol service station. Construction of that was completed earlier in the year. Initially, pedestrians and vehicles were not used to, or familiar with, the signalised crossing so we had some education issues. However, the department has been good in remedying that and getting public education out. We now have some fantastic stickers on the poles reminding pedestrians not just to walk across the road, but to press the button and wait for the green man. Over time, the community has learnt it is now a signalised crossing, and it is working well to protect pedestrians and cyclists as they move through our beautiful city.
That work costs around $250 000, which is significant and part of a broader program in Palmerston to look at intersections and pedestrian traffic flow. Palmerston is a little difficult because we have large roundabouts which cause issues with pedestrian flow, but we are working on that. I am pleased with that signalised crossing.
The minister has made a large commitment to CCTV at our bus depot, and enhancing the security and safety at our bus depots in general. We now have police monitoring the CCTV, and we have additional training for our bus drivers and security staff working at bus depots. We have taken a number of measures to enhance security in and around our bus depots. I commend Palmerston police, who do an excellent job in patrolling the bus depot, particularly after school hours and at times when there is very high traffic to make sure everyone is behaving the way they should. It is good to see enhanced security and resources being poured into the Palmerston bus depot.
One concern probably touches on the member for Nelson’s electorate as well, but at the moment if you have children at both Good Shepherd campuses – one at the junior school in Gray and one at the senior school in Howard Springs – students at the junior school have to miss part of their school day so they can get on a bus, travel to the senior school then catch the connecting government bus back to either the Howard Springs or Palmerston bus depot where they can then catch the public bus home. I am working with parents at Good Shepherd and with the school. Obviously they would like to see an adjustment in the time public buses leave Howard Springs and Palmerston bus depots. It is a complex and difficult situation for the department. Moving bus times has a tremendous flow-on effect, so we need to look at it holistically. I appreciate it cannot be resolved overnight, but I look forward to working with the minister to find a better resolution for students at Good Shepherd.
I want to thank Hector the Cat, who came to Durack last week to help launch safety awareness around Durack on Wheels. For those who do not know, Durack on Wheels is a wonderful community afternoon where kids on any form of wheels – scooters, roller blades, bicycles – all line up and race around Durack Lakes. Palmerston police were there with radar guns zapping the kids letting them know their speed. Hector was there in good form making sure the kids were wearing their helmet, behaving appropriately and doing the right thing.
Those are some of the ways the Department of Transport is making life in Palmerston a little better. I encourage the minister to continue fighting for the people of Palmerston. We have a large, growing population in the Top End and we want, deserve and need infrastructure which supports our growth and our Palmerston way of life.
I commend the statement to the House, and thank the minister for bringing the statement.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the minister for bringing his statement to the House and for the opportunity to provide some constructive criticism and lobbying for the electorate and Central Australia. I hope the minister takes this contribution in good faith, unlike the Chief Minister, who reverted to personal attacks, including calling me a coward.
Minister, I was very pleased to see the improvements in Motor Vehicle Registry, that high transaction area of government business. Being a regular commuter to the great city of Darwin over the last six years, I have noticed an increase in road traffic and transport logistics. It is good to see the Northern Territory government is keeping pace with new innovations in delivering motor vehicle registry services. I use the opportunity in any transport debate to lobby for remote area motor vehicle registry services in Borroloola.
Minister, you have heard this before. I have lobbied you, and it is a perfect pilot study to look at Borroloola as a regional centre, as a growth town, and see how you can test the systems in a remote area then refine them for roll out in other areas. Borroloola always amazes me because this is a regular conversation relating to the 2012 election, where a contract was signed in Borroloola.
I will quote from the 2014 Estimates Committee Response to Written Questions from Hon Adam Giles, MLA, Chief Minister. These questions were put together by the Territory opposition on progress of implementation of all signed written contracts within Northern Territory communities.
One election commitment for Borroloola was a government business centre. I quote:
The progress report is:
That is not quite fulfilling the election commitment for Borroloola. When I saw that high profile media event on television I thought the previous Chief Minister, Terry Mills, must not have travelled any further than the airport. If he had he would have seen a brand new purpose-built Centrelink building on Robinson Road.
If you go to Borroloola now, minister, you will see the Mabunji Aboriginal Resource Centre has delivered an extensive upgrade to the Malandari store complex, creating a nice CBD shopping centre precinct with office space available. There is a post office, and I will continue to lobby the minister for a pilot study to deliver Motor Vehicle Registry services in Borroloola.
The statement mentioned initiatives around the use of Australia Post services and online services, but I would like to see some education and awareness for people in the bush on how to access those services.
People continually ask me about Motor Vehicle Registry services. I remind them there are other access points, but minister you should know, and I know, a special cohort in the bush still like to operate in the bush and if we want to encourage them to access these new services we need education around that.
What the constituents want, and what would be the best outcome, is to go into bat in the Cabinet room to deliver remote Motor Vehicle Registry in Borroloola. It would be a great research project to design, modify and analyse how to do this in the future for people in the bush.
Minister, the feedback from Motor Vehicle Registry customers was interesting. I was disappointed the statement did not talk about the Integrated Regional Transport Strategy, basically a public transport strategy from the bush, for the bush, delivered by private industry.
These initiatives established under the previous Labor government are now quite successful businesses operating throughout the regions. I would like to lobby the Country Liberal government to announce some route services and some new infrastructure, because we proved these models are economically viable.
We have also proven these services improve access for rural and remote residents not only for social purposes but also for cultural, medical, educational and for connections with the Department of Justice.
I look forward to any new initiatives because those bush bus networks are definitely working. They represent great economic development opportunities that can be inclusive of Indigenous people living in regional or remote areas, and they also add an important element of community safety where regional and remote residents can come into towns and major centres and get home again safely. Minister, the stats were steadily increasing in that area and they stack up economically.
The Leader of the Opposition gave the minister some very good tips on lobbying federal counterparts. I took that advice from the Leader of the Opposition when she was Treasurer in the former Labor government. She made some very important connections for me. I travelled to ministerial council meetings on transport and used those connections. Having the advantage of a federal Labor government, and at that stage a Territory Labor government, translated into some significant investment.
On one trip a conversation with minister Albanese at a ministerial council on transport meeting turned into successful negotiations which delivered the Berrimah rail overpass connecting Berrimah Road to the East Arm logistics precinct and the maritime supply area and port. That is one example of how to do business in Canberra, and I hope you take it in good faith. The Leader of the Opposition gave you some great advice. You have a Liberal Coalition government in Canberra and you guys are the Liberals in the Northern Territory, so let us hope we can make the connections.
At a recent regional economic development conference I attended, the Deputy Prime Minister outlined mega infrastructure grant funding for regional Australia. We are talking large figures like $6.7bn for the Bruce Highway in Queensland, $5.6bn for the Pacific Highway duplication in New South Wales and $3bn for an east west link in Victoria. In the Territory the figure is $700m, so there is a lot of room to move. With the emphasis on development of northern Australia it is a hard job, but you have to be in there pitching and fighting for the Territory.
When those large infrastructure budget announcements were made in Alice Springs to a national cohort of regional and remote area delegates, it was concerning that the Northern Territory saw $20m from the federal government emerge for the Outback Way tourist road. We know, as the Leader of the Opposition said, $20m is a difficult spend because it does not go far in the bush.
Minister, big money is being splashed around. I wish you luck and offer any support necessary to get our fair share. It also comes with an element of managing existing funds so while you are on the hunt for new money, there is the important matter of managing the existing budget and priority areas. The member for Nelson touched on the election promise from the Country Liberal Party, where we now have the roll out of that promise with open speed limit sections of road.
The second section, where we are probably now pushing over a $5m investment – when you give to priority policies like Labor’s beef, mining, community and tourism policies, you will see that money could be allocated far more equitably into roads that carry a high productivity level.
I will go to the Sandover Highway. The minister has recent correspondence from me on this area. The 2012-13 NT Pastoral Land Board report shows, across most of the central Australia regions right up into the gulf region, below average rainfalls. However, we have seen an escalation in heavy vehicle traffic, exploration programs with major exploration rigs, community travel and mobility across our regional and remote communities. If the system is not maintained and suffers cuts in minor new works and urgent minor repairs, these existing road transport infrastructure networks will degrade. We are seeing, across Central Australia into the Barkly, the degradation of road surfaces and the creation of major bulldust patches. This affects the heavy vehicle industry, the communities and is very serious. Once this effect starts to multiply across the networks it becomes very expensive to do anything. Ancillary problems then arise with side tracks and people continually pushing out further and eroding our important rangeland. When you cut funds in minor new works and urgent minor repairs in the roads network, you are pressured even more to look at those priorities.
I will mention the open speed limit sections. I went through those sections recently, and have spoken to people in Tennant Creek. There was a comment about the reflective signs. It does not matter how fast you are travelling, the copious reflective signs along the highway in the open speed limit section are a visual impairment. You need to go there, minister, and use spotlights or high beam. You should look at them. They are there for road safety purposes, but at night they probably have the reverse effect.
In regard to the aviation industry and services strategy, you issued a media release and have raised some expectations in the bush about a regional air link. People remember the milk run. I was in Darwin recently supporting the successful Labor candidate, now the member for Casuarina, and met many people from the big end of town. It was great to catch up with a gentleman who has invested significantly in Tennant Creek and is very proud of his investments. He talks to me from time to time about his investments.
He was very disappointed to see the Hardy Aviation Tennant Creek service has disappeared and wanted to lobby me to get it back. I had to explain to him, clearly and honestly, I thanked Hardy Aviation from the bottom of my heart because it was the first company to jump back into the regional air link commercial venture. They did it because there was a heightened level of activity in the region; there was work going on. There were minor new works projects, lots of urgent minor repairs projects, and lots of new infrastructure projects.
Many public servants needed to travel. We changed the model of public servant travel from inefficient road travel to Darwin to a regional air link. That service went from two days a week to three days a week. Hardy Aviation operated that service on a marginal basis, but persevered with it. From 2009 to 2012 we saw economic benefits for the regions improve, with much more travel.
A cut in public service travel would have a direct impact on that, and that is what we have seen from the Country Liberal Party government with its efficiency dividends. It hurts local business in Tennant Creek when we do not see public servant travel. It also affects service delivery when we need high-level public servants travelling into the region doing business with us, understanding our needs and working with their departments.
Once again, minister, to establish regional air link connections we need customers. The customers, at the moment, are suffering a very high cost of living impost in the regional areas. Not too many people in Tennant Creek can afford a plane ticket. If you have a good spread of economic activity occurring across the regions and a good spread of public servants travelling, you can start to compensate with additional seats through the Patient Assistance Travel Scheme and through health referrals into the major hospitals and major centres. The Department of Justice, for instance, started to use those services. We saw something I have not seen in Tennant Creek for a long time – since about 2004 – that regional air link established.
Minister, the people of Central Australia and the Barkly will support you in the endeavour. There is some constructive advice on how to do it. If you want to spin it the other way, there is some advice of how you will not achieve it if the priority spend and comprehensive balance across the regions is challenged.
I would like to thank all members of the Department of Transport. I have great memories of working with that department. I look forward to bumping into people from time to time, some in Alice Springs and some in Darwin. It is great to hear of the good news and hard work that goes on in a sector critical to the development of northern Australia. As department officials and members of this House know, in developing northern Australia you cannot get away from the important transport and transport infrastructure logistics and investment needed. To achieve that, minister, there is a baseline of trying to change some of the ideologies in Canberra.
It is a tough job minister, but get in their boots and all, get your hands dirty like the Chief Ministers says, and we wish you the best. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in the debate.
Mrs PRICE (Community Services): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I thank the minister for his statement to the House.
As a bush MLA I can tell you that transport is a key connector for our communities. From hunting to ceremonies, education, health, shopping, sport to economic development opportunities such as mining or pastoral or cattle industries, transport is the enabler of all these activities.
We in this House all know the challenges faced with transport in the bush. These include the development and maintenance of appropriate transport infrastructure, year round access, environmental challenges and service delivery.
Firstly, one of the major challenges all governments face is providing appropriate transport infrastructure. I support the Chief Minister’s vision of developing the north, yet if we are to realise the economic and social opportunities that could flow you need supporting transport infrastructure. That is where this government gets it. We understand that bush infrastructure is vital to unlocking the opportunities waiting for us. Mining, cattle, pastoral, produce and tourism are some of the opportunities waiting for us.
The Granites gold mine has been operating in the Tanami since the 1980s, and the major road to the mine is the Tanami. I know the Tanami well because I have driven on it for many years. It has changed in my lifetime, but needs more work because at times it becomes bad because of corrugations. That hinders the supply trucks going out there – every day 10 trucks use that road.
In the Wet Season the road get so boggy the trucks do not make it. The road is sometimes cut so the supply trucks have to wait for a week, maybe two weeks, to get supplies to the mine site.
This hinders community people as well because it is their main way of getting into Alice Springs. It is the main road in or out of communities. It puts a lot of pressure on our government, and everybody else, to make sure these roads are functioning properly and are fixed so trucks and everybody else has access to where they need to go.
Newmont operates the Granites gold mine, but locals also use the road to get to Yuendumu, Nyirripi, Lajamanu and Balgo and roads maintenance is a big issue for bush communities.
A lot of damage is done to trucks by driving on the corrugated road. Huge trucks pull over and cannot move. They have been over the road so many times and the corrugations are so bad the trucks are wrecked. The supplies are delayed for a fortnight – somebody has to fix the truck and make sure the diesel, cyanide or whatever else gets to the mine.
Over 60 pastoral stations run cattle in my electorate, ranging from Ban Ban Springs in the north to Aileron and Napperby Stations in the south, to Newry Station near the WA border. These stations total 180 000 km2 or nearly 50% of my electorate’s 384 000 km2. That is nearly three times the size of Tasmania, three quarters of Victoria or 75 times the size of ACT.
The middle of the year is when the pastoral stations have their cattle muster. They rely on the roads to get cattle from A to B so families can survive. The roads I am talking about are the Buntine, Buchanan, Tanami and the ones up north as well – the Stuart plateau. These roads are very important. For them it is about getting cattle to market, getting supplies, going shopping, getting kids to school and social interaction.
The produce farms in my electorate rely on the roads infrastructure. These people’s lives depend on it, and tourists use these roads. They use the Tanami, the Mereenie Loop Road – another road when there are so many tourists the road is corrugated and you cannot drive on it.
Tourists use the Buchanan, the Buntine and the Victoria Highways. It is important for the Territory to make sure our roads are up to standard so tourists come to the Northern Territory and spend money and enjoy what we have.
Tourists visit Gregory National Park, Nitmiluk, Keep River, Fish River and Mataranka. Not only tourists want to access those places, locals want to as well. Parks employ local people who rely on road access. The roads need to be upgraded because there might be accidents and people need to get there as quickly as possible.
This government understands roads are the arteries of economic and social development of the Territory. In my electorate of Stuart this government has over $20m in capital works road projects planned or under way. There is over $1m for minor new works projects and over $8m for repairs and maintenance work. In June the $1m strengthening project of four bridges on the Buntine Highway was completed. The Buntine Highway is a vital link for the cattle and pastoral industries. This was a jointly funded Australian and Northern Territory government project. The Northern Territory provided funding of $325 000, with the Australian government providing $775 000. These bridges are important for cattle train access to properties so bigger trucks can be used to get more cattle to market all year round.
In August, a $3.5m upgrade project at Sandy Creek Crossing on the Victoria Highway was completed. This project was funded through the national highway flood immunity program. The upgrades will give better year round access to the northern Australia link. These upgrades help the transport industry, tourists and locals by providing improved flood immunity.
Works are under way on the Tanami Highway, including construction and sealing of 7 km of road around the 171 km mark. These works will provide a safer, smoother journey for users of that road and are part of our ongoing commitment to continue sealing the Tanami. I look forward to the day the entire road is sealed.
The great work does not stop there, with plenty of upcoming projects. Firstly, there is the multimillion dollar strengthening and widening project for the Buntine Highway, which will improve safety for road users. I am told the tender is expected to be released next month, with works to commence in the new year. We have the pavement strengthening and widening project on the Victoria Highway at West Baines stage 3. The tender has closed and is being assessed.
Finally, one project I have fought hard for is the upgrading of the Lajamanu road from Kalkarindji to Lajamanu. This is a $2m Northern Territory government stand-alone project to upgrade various sections of road. Tenders will go out next year, and I am hoping works will commence shortly thereafter.
However, it is not just safe transport infrastructure that is important; we also need safe drivers. It is impossible to have an MVR office with driving instructors in every community. Sadly, our remote driving statistics are not the best and we lose way too many remote Territorians, especially young ones, to motor vehicle accidents on bush roads. Not wearing seatbelts, grog, speeding vehicles and sometimes roads are also factors in crashes. However, the main factor is the person behind the wheel. Whilst government has a role to play in ensuring drivers are appropriately qualified and experienced, we all, as drivers, need to take greater responsibility when driving.
With regard to the government’s role, delivery of road safety messages and driver training in regional and remote areas is often very difficult, expensive and timely. To address these difficulties, some out-of-the-box thinking was required to develop a framework to deliver these vital services in the most effective way possible.
The Territory developed the award-winning DriveSafe NT Remote program. Again, the Northern Territory leads the way in Australia. This program has been very successful in getting remote Indigenous people licensed and in making a difference in the bush. I give credit where it is due – this program was commenced under the former Labor government. However, the Giles government realised the value of the program, picked it up, funded it and expanded it.
The Chief Minister, the former Minister for Transport, recognised the true value of the program and persuaded his Cabinet colleagues to continue funding support for the program. The Chief Minister realised the social and economic values of making sure Aboriginal people had the same level of access to driver licensing so we could reduce the number of crash-related deaths.
Nationally, a low level of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote communities hold licences. Added to this are low levels of compliance with vehicle registration requirements, very high levels of traffic-related offences and unpaid fines which often result in imprisonment.
Most significantly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are overrepresented in the statistics for vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities. A licence is more than approval to drive; it is a passport to opportunity. A driver’s licence joins economic and social participation together and, in addition, is an important identity document.
The DriveSafe NT Remote team is located in the Department of Transport, and staff worked closely with local community partners in flexible ways to establish this program on a sustainable basis.
What began as a $3m two-year trial program, jointly funded by the Commonwealth government, TIO and the Department of Transport, has from February 2014 been fully funded by the Northern Territory government to continue for a further three years. The program has been hugely successful and has exceeded all expectations. It is amazing the number of people who have been assisted across all areas of the program to get birth certificates, obtain a learner’s permit, undertake driving lessons and, ultimately, get a licence.
The program is now being delivered in 44 remote communities in just over two years. There are 1940 Territorians located in these communities now driving safely, legally and insured on our roads. This is a win for all, especially remote communities across the Northern Territory. Well done and thank you, Minister for Transport, and also the staff in your department.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend this statement to the House.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Mr Deputy Speaker, I also comment on the statement before the House today.
I was reading some old Parliamentary Records the other day. One of my shortcomings when I sit in this House listening to debates is I drag old Parliamentary Records out. I wish I could find it again, because one statistic leapt out at me from a 1973 Parliamentary Record. It was a question on notice. I am frustrated I cannot lay my hands on it because it said the number of people who died on Territory roads that year, if I remember correctly, was 57.
I took the trouble, while listening to the Minister for Community Services, to look up the five-year statistics surrounding motor vehicle fatalities from the period 2009 to 2014. It is pleasing to note that, whilst the population of the Northern Territory has more than doubled since 1973, not a single year during that time produced a road toll total of 57. In fact, the five-year average was 42.5, which means there are today, despite the fact we have substantially more than doubled our population in the last 41 years, less fatalities on our roads then in the 1970s.
I am sure the member for Nelson will remember the days when the roads were rougher and tougher, narrow, seatbelts were optional …
Mr Wood: Spear grass to the edge.
Mr ELFERINK: Yes, spear grass to the edge and drink-driving was considered standard behaviour. There were buffaloes, pigs, kangaroos and the hub of the steering wheel poking into the driver’s cabinet rather than concave. That meant if you were not wearing a seatbelt and your car suddenly stopped, your chest would hit the steering wheel and you would have a flail chest, which is where your sternum floats free of the ribs. Car design has changed.
It is a ghastly thought to have today. We now wear seatbelts and try to drink and drive less. I am not always convinced we are doing a great job, but I suspect we are. Transport has also improved and whilst it still has a long way to go, and we do not celebrate deaths, we should at least be grateful there are fewer deaths on our roads.
I want to touch on comments from the member for Barkly when talking about Hardy Aviation not going back to Tennant Creek because government is not spending enough there. One of the reasons government went to Tennant Creek more – the member for Barkly touched on it himself – was because the Justice department, police and other organisations had to get there more regularly. We go there because the crime rate in Barkly is through the roof.
If I understand the member for Barkly correctly, other public servants should go because police and courts are not going to the area much. Why? Because there has been a two-third reduction in crimes of violence in Barkly. That is unheard of and is because of the Northern Territory government’s alcohol policy.
The answer from the member in relation to the Barkly is, ‘My God, the place is looking clean and tidy because of the Barkly Work Camp’. People are now working in the community on a regular basis. Crime has gone down so there is a reduced requirement for public servants to travel there. Now, of course, it is the government’s fault because public servants are not travelling to the area. The answer for the member for Barkly is to send other public servants there but to do what? To sit in the corner? Perhaps we could get rid of the dialysis machines from the Barkly and people would have to travel to Alice Springs more regularly. Perhaps that is a solution for the member for Barkly.
The irritating thing is the member for Barkly thinks government spending is the only solution for the Barkly. This means the government has to spend money to rescue Tennant Creek, and moving public servants through Tennant Creek is the way to secure its future. That shows such a thunderous and astonishing lack of imagination from the member for Barkly, who resides in Tennant Creek. It is a case of government fixing it; that is the answer. If not enough people are going to the Barkly it is government’s responsibility to fix it.
The people who run Bluestone Motor Inn, Eldorado, or any of the motels there try hard to make sure their businesses work. What leaves me totally bereft is when there is an opportunity for regional employment in the area, generated by sources outside Northern Territory government expenditure, and the member for Barkly digs his heels in and says, ‘Hell no, we won’t have that’. I refer expressly to Muckaty.
The thing the member for Barkly says is so bad for the Barkly, where jobs could be provided for the Aboriginal people he represents, should be abandoned because it is wrong. It is evil, wicked, horrible and the untruths he was spreading about it yesterday left me aghast. Completely enveloped in dishonesty, he misrepresents what this facility was to be and, in the process, casts into the four winds jobs for people in his electorate which would have been paid for by sources outside the Barkly. He thinks that is a win for the people of Barkly. He thinks he has achieved a great result. The man is an economic and social vandal. I cannot believe a guy who would actively campaign against jobs on a medium- to low-level waste facility. It is the same waste we currently keep in the basement of Royal Darwin Hospital.
He campaigns so people in his electorate will never have those jobs because his sense of moral righteousness and moral indignation means those people – his guidance should protect those people from anything like direction in their life.
You guys are the most paternalist morons that have ever crawled into this parliament. I get so frustrated with the politics of the left. Whatever you do, make sure you are looking after Aboriginal people, but never let them make a decision for themselves because you know best. That is what we have heard from the member for Barkly.
I was talking about my frustration when reading through the earlier Parliamentary Record. I found something else amongst questions asked in 1973 worth noting. Question 1517 from Mr MacFarlane to Mr Hart was:
The answer from Mr Hart was:
This meant up until 1973 it was possible for an Aboriginal person – Aboriginal people were asking for leases on Aboriginal reserve land so they could – I presume Mr Duncan Yapanara, wanted to do something constructive with that land and build a future for himself.
The left wing then would have been Jim Cairns, the Deputy Prime Minister. The then Deputy Prime Minister, left wing Jim Cairns, said, ‘No, we’re not giving them leases; we will give their lands back’, and gave them their lands in the form of inalienable freehold title a few years later.
The problem was the condescending process of creating a form of inalienable collective title. That means you end up with situations like Muckaty, where somebody wants to stick their head up and say, ‘I’m going to have a go’ and everybody else says, ‘No, you’re not, and we will fight you in the courts’. When the fight ends up in the courts the respondent has no choice but to throw his hands up and say, ‘I cannot do it; it’s too hard. It is too hard to advance myself, not as an Aboriginal person, but as a human being who wants some dignity in their life.’
Who is championing the cause of that repression? Is it the member for Barkly? To hear the member for Barkly speak in this House in condescending terms towards Aboriginal people sickens me to the stomach.
Mr STYLES (Transport): Mr Deputy Speaker, there are obviously no further contributions from the other side so I will respond to the comments made.
It is not often I agree with the Leader of the Opposition, but when she said transport is a broad portfolio she was correct. It encompasses a wide range of service delivery from government and private enterprise.
So much needs to be done; we would love to be doing things. The member for Karama spoke about Labor’s 10-year plan for this and that. I have a Hansard rush and also some information I would like to refer.
As the member for Drysdale said, we would love to do lots of things. Bridges, roads and infrastructure are economic enablers and things that will get Aboriginal people out of poverty in the bush. You must have economic stimulation. It appears many on the other side do not grasp that, and I struggle to understand. I listen to them and wonder if they understand this, and sadly I do not think they do. They want to go back to the same policies and level of service that lead us to the position we see in this….
Ms Walker: Here we go.
Mr STYLES: They try to laugh this off. People listen to these debates for various reasons. The member for Johnston is burying his head in his hands and I do not blame him; he must be ashamed. He comes in on the back of his former colleagues who ran this place …
Mr Vowles: It took three minutes to bring that up.
Mr STYLES: Look at it, member for Johnston, no wonder you bury your head in your hands. Where is the debt level going? If you cannot understand this you need to do Economics 101. Talk to your mother, because she could probably teach you more about economics than you will ever know. It is a disgraceful increase in the level of debt. Who was responsible for this pyramid of debt? It was the Leader of the Opposition.
We would love to generate economic growth by increasing government spending, but when you put everything on the bank card you have to pay it off some time. It is like the Pied Piper – I do not know if you were told the nursery rhyme about the Pied Piper – but someone, somewhere has to pay the piper. Sadly for the Northern Territory, member for Johnston, your side of politics ran the MasterCard up as you can see by these debt levels ...
Mr Vowles: Rego, seniors getting on the bus.
Mr STYLES: It is a bit cute that they scream and shout. It is real; you cannot get away from these debt levels. It is fact, it is on the record and you cannot get away from it. However, those on the other side – I do not blame them for burying their head in their hands – do not seem to understand somewhere, sometime someone has to pay debt back.
On this side of the House we are far better at this. If you look at …
Mr Wood: Not another one.
Mr STYLES: They laugh …
Mr Westra van Holthe: It is a nervous laugh.
Mr STYLES: It is a nervous laugh because they have nowhere to go, and let us look at why. We have been very successful. During Question Time today the deputy or Opposition Leader said the Chief Minister had been to Canberra and got no money. That is misleading. The Chief Minister and I have been to Canberra and received money – the Outback Way, the roads package of $77m, with another $20m here. They are not big figures, but the federal government has a massive problem too. The reason you cannot ask the federal Treasurer for a stack of money for economic development – they say they understand then they show you another graph. Look at this one ...
Mr Wood: Not another one.
Mr STYLES: Here is the pyramid. There you go, member for Nelson. They are pyramids of debt. Look at the Rudd/Gillard debt; it is vertical. There is a bit of a bump but then it is vertical. That is why the federal government has issues funding infrastructure across Australia. When you have a problem like that you can do what the Labor Party did and say, ‘This is terrible, we will borrow some more money’, or you can achieve responsible economic development by recycling assets. Today’s question is all about what assets can be recycled.
The Leader of the Opposition, in her contribution to debate, said the CLP focus on northern development amounts to glossy brochures and a $6m office in Darwin but no funding for roads or bridges. How absurd is that? You only have to look at our last budget – a record budget for roads and bridges. I cannot believe someone would be so irresponsible and say there is no money for roads and bridges when it is there, with a record spend on roads.
In your electorate, Mr Deputy Speaker, numerous things are happening on the Port Keats Road. Work is being undertaken on the Arnhem Highway. We are looking at roads on the Tiwi Islands. It is all about economic development for the bush, but it is challenging and difficult. The government is looking at a different way of contributing to the economic development, not only of the Territory, but for Aboriginal people in the Territory.
We, on this side of the House, support Aboriginal people in their goals, aspirations and dreams to be economically viable, to contribute to their communities, to have jobs and for their kids and grandkids to have a bright economic future. That is what the member for Arafura talks about in this Chamber and at our wing meetings. He is after economic development for his children, his grandchildren and everyone else’s grandchildren, particularly on the Tiwi Islands, at Maningrida and communities surrounding Maningrida ...
Mr Kurrupuwu: Get away from welfare.
Mr STYLES: He wants to get them off welfare. What is the best thing you can do …
Mr Elferink: Get them a job.
Mr STYLES: Get them a job. That is the best thing you can do for anyone. The member for Arafura and I were having a discussion two days ago about when he was a boy. He said people worked and were paid then along came a former Prime Minister of Australia – who sadly passed away recently – who organised welfare. He said everyone sat down and did nothing, and that has been the scourge of Aboriginal people. Since that time, the average age of survival for Aboriginal people has gone backwards.
He said when he was a boy he saw Aboriginal people aged 90 or even 100. He said in the same families people are now dying much younger. Why? Because they sat down and changed their lifestyle. In effect, that has not helped Aboriginal people, it has hindered them. I go to presentations in the Chamber in recent days about what it does to have a job and what economic development can do for people. The people in this Chamber have all benefited from economic development.
If you study Economics 101 – I have used this before and, more recently, my colleague, the member for Port Darwin, did in relation to economic development. Look at a night photo of North Korea. You can google it on your computer now. Google North Korea at night then South Korea with the lights on. It is fantastic. It looks bright, there is activity, social interaction at night, industry happening and people are creating wealth and generating economic development. Across the border in North Korea, there are half a dozen little dots. That is it – no lights on, no economic development and people are starving.
If you translate that to Australia and some of our rural, regional and remote areas, the same problem exists. There is no economic development. In this House we look at transport infrastructure and roads and bridges on the Tiwi Islands. Yet when we do a deal to get economic development happening what happens? The opposition bags us. They criticise us for helping Aboriginal people help themselves.
If you want to lift people out of poverty you have to give them a job. All the welfare in the world will not help. This government is creating infrastructure because roads and bridges are the economic enablers to giving people jobs. Whether it is the Tiwi Islands, at Santa Teresa or Wadeye, we need to create jobs. There are lots of jobs, but we need economic activity there. We need to get people in, people out, and we need road reserves removed from the land trusts and are negotiating that. We need township leases and we need houses. We are doing a lot of work on the Victoria Highway, apart from all the good things in transport I mentioned in my statement.
We are working on roads and bridges, and are on the Buntine Highway getting cattle in. The member for Katherine, in Question Time, said we will reach half a million cattle this year. Is that correct, member for Katherine?
Mr Westra van Holthe: Half a million going out this year.
Mr STYLES: Half a million head of cattle going out this year, what a fantastic effort. This is about economic development. This is what we on this side of the House do. The other side of the House spent money with not much result. Crime was increasing, unemployment increasing and not a great deal was happening. I feel sorry for the other side because now crime is going down and the economy is going up ...
Mr Wood: I am going home.
Mr STYLES: I will deal with some of the member for Nelson’s issues shortly. He might be interested in the answers. Look at people on the other side. They are a sad lot with their head in their hands, like the member for Johnston. It is a shame they do not do Economics 101 or read the budget papers. The Opposition Leader makes claims as if it were really happening.
Without using words I cannot in the Chamber ...
Mr Elferink: Yes, you can. You can say ‘liar’ now because nobody will pull you up.
Mr STYLES: That is true. Funding for roads and bridges is in print and you say there is no funding. That is misleading.
I have the Hansard where the Leader of the Opposition said:
The government went to an open and transparent tender process to get services for Mandorah and the Tiwi Islands.
Dealing with the Tiwi Islands, the member for Arafura said in this House he wants economic development on the Tiwi Islands. We spoke about the land and getting people there – the timber industry and Mitsui coming in, Ezion is building a big port, there is economic activity now and it is increasing. We are interested in supporting the Tiwi Islands because they are leading the way in economic development and showing other communities if you work with people and the government you can have economic activity. That is jobs for your children, jobs for your grandchildren and sustainable economic growth for the Tiwi people.
I have looked at some roads and at the town site. A number of us saw the need for a service. The government drew up tender documents and had about seven operators from here and interstate – we looked at the best deal for the Northern Territory.
That is what the taxpayer expects. They expect us to be responsible with their money and to get the best deal for government. They do not expect – here is my graph again – us to rack the debt up without any economic development to pay for it because eventually you have to.
The tender board recommended SeaLink be the successful tenderer. We had to look at getting a service to the Tiwi Islands so people could get there for medical reasons, for family visits or to come to town to shop. Certain criteria had to be met for a certain number of trips at certain times of the day. They provided that in the tender.
We have a community service obligation at Mandorah to bring young children across to attend school. It is part of the school bus network, but we use the ferry for part of it. The children are collected from the ferry terminal at Cullen Bay and delivered to various schools. We want a service in the morning and the afternoon, and that was in the tender documents.
The Solicitor for the Northern Territory was consulted in relation to the tenders. SeaLink provided that service, and was providing a lunchtime service to Mandorah jetty so people could enjoy lunch at the fabulous Mandorah Hotel, which sadly is no longer there.
They are contracted to provide a service to Mandorah in the morning and evening and one to the Tiwi Islands.
The Mandorah Hotel has been demolished so they are free of any contractual arrangements, and they were approached by the big red bus company. That company approached boat operators to do a deal for a quick tour of the harbour that would fit in with their bus timetable. The big red bus company has a tight schedule; it has a set route and needed to do business with someone. SeaLink obviously did the deal. That service has recently closed because they were only carrying about eight to 10 passengers per day.
In a recent meeting with Department of Transport officials, operators of pearling luggers and other vessels – a number of large vessels as well – I was instructed by some of the pearling …
Mr CONLAN: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77, I seek an extension of time for the member for Sanderson.
Motion agreed to.
Mr Wood: I am still waiting for the road report.
Mr STYLES: We have another 10 minutes to get to that, member for Nelson …
Mr Wood: Do you have any graphs for me?
Mr STYLES: The smaller operators said it was taking 80% of their business. There were eight people, although I hope that was not the target market the rest of the operators were looking at because obviously there is not much there.
The Leader of the Opposition said, ‘This is not fair’. If I said to her, ‘What if you had someone work in your office in the morning’ – she wants a part-time person. She says ‘I would like you to do this in my office in the morning for a number of hours, and then I want you to come in late in the afternoon to do this. You are contracted to do a service in the morning and contracted to do a service in the afternoon.’ Opposition Leader, do you think it fair to say to that person, ‘I am contracting you to work for this time in the morning, this time in the afternoon, but you cannot work in between’. I am sure if you tried to do that without paying someone or without contracting them for that time you would have the union up in arms saying, ‘How dare you say that person cannot have a second, third or fourth job’.
Some people work in different jobs throughout the day; that is how they earn their income. To restrict someone from earning an income is not fair. If a person had a lunchtime job and someone said, ‘You can’t compete against me because you have a morning job and an afternoon job. You can’t work a lunchtime job because you are being paid by the Leader of the Opposition and receiving a government subsidy in the morning and afternoon.’
If you want SeaLink, or any company in that situation, to be exclusive they will give you a price for that. Maybe that is what the opposition wants and maybe what it did in government. Maybe all those exclusive contracts or the way it did business – perhaps Labor ended up with a debt pyramid because it was not effective or efficient. It is Economics 101 that you cannot, if people are contracted to do things, prevent them from doing things at any other time of the day or week. That is unless you contract and pay them to sit around doing nothing. That seems to be the way the opposition works. It is happy to pay people to do nothing. That is what it wants Aboriginal people to do – ‘Sit down, do nothing and we will pay you’. It does not work. The real world does not work like that, and when you look at the pyramid of debt – you can find pyramids going all the way back. When Labor is in government debt skyrockets ...
Mr Wood: Is that upside down?
Mr STYLES: There you go.
Mr Wood: That is a big improvement.
Mr STYLES: That is a better picture, member for Nelson.
That is why you end up with these graphs. The other side does not work on economic rationalism, it keeps spending. It is very good and very experienced at it.
In relation to SeaLink, I have listened to them. We are working with operators to form a policy and do what we can to work around this. I am working with my colleague, the member for Greatorex, on a strategy to help people work in that area.
There are two entirely different products. There are smaller operators who look at a romantic cruise on a pearl lugger in the evening or at lunchtime. Not everyone wants to get on the red bus, not everyone wants to go on a pearl lugger or a vessel named Charles Darwin. I attended a function on that boat recently. It is a fine vessel but not everybody wants to go on it; there are options.
I spoke to my colleague, the member for Brennan, recently about land prices. When Labor was in power land was $300 000 a block at Palmerston. You can now get a block in Palmerston for $160 000. They are not as big, but you can have a starter home.
Mr Wood interjecting.
Mr STYLES: You well may laugh. The first home I bought, member for Nelson, was a transportable box. It was a little bigger than a shoebox but better than living in a hole in the road ...
Mr Wood: You must have been a very small person.
Mr STYLES: You knew I would say that. Only a month or two ago I googled it on a street search. The poinciana tree I planted is doing really well, but it is still a little house. That is what we started in, and I was happy to start in that house. Why? Because I bought it, I was paying for it and I got into the market. This is what happens.
We are working with operators to help them increase their custom.
I will go to other points the member for Nelson raised. Yes, there is an increased level of traffic on Gunn Point Road, member for Nelson. I have visited some of the residents and have reduced the speed limits. We have spoken to operators there. I am happy to have a conversation with you soon about some of your concerns. I appreciate they are real concerns for you and your constituents. Let us look at that.
In relation to traffic flow through the 11 Mile where three lanes versus two, it It is a matter of costs and traffic flows. We can look at what traffic is using that, but it is about spreading the dollars around.
The Leader of the Opposition said various roads need work and asked why we were not spending money on sections where the open speed limit applies. In fact, some of the strengthening and widening of the Stuart Highway is on open speed limit sections. It had to be done. If you drive down that way stop at the roadhouses and speak to people there, especially at Aileron, because that area was done first. They are very pleased. They say anecdotal evidence from truckies and tourists is the road is fantastic. We put some more cat’s eyes – the raised pavement reflectors – on the road, and some of the truckies say it is like an airstrip and you cannot miss the road.
You asked about fencing and traffic. I have always encouraged people to drive to the conditions of the road, their car, their level of experience, the time of day and whether it is wet or dry. At night we all have to slow down. It is a decision you hope everyone on the road makes. You would realise there is stock around. You would know, member for Nelson, having driven country roads much of your life, dusk and dawn are particularly dangerous times on the road, which is why most people want to be off the road. With an open speed limit on the road to Tennant Creek – some people travelled above the previous 130 km/h speed limit. I imagine people in this House have done it. I have done more than 130 km/h, but it was not ‘full steam ahead’. One has to take things into consideration.
We are looking at bicycle paths through Palmerston and the rail trail, and I will discuss that with you when I am finished.
We answered a question about water use on swamp lilies during Question Time. Everyone thinks it is great. When they get waterlogged in the Wet Season they do not rot; they keep growing. Yes, they need a lot of water in the Dry Season to survive. A lot of research went into that and beautification is needed.
Work is happening on the Roads to Recovery – the Roper and Arnhem Highways – as we speak. Grading is being done, and a range of things have happened. We have about 32 000 km of roads in the Northern Territory, about 22 000 km are in unincorporated areas and we have to maintain them. We are heading toward 250 000 people in the Northern Territory with a budget less than that of Brisbane City Council. It is a challenge, and with the debt levels we have an even greater challenge. We still found money to increase spending on roads, bridges and transport and infrastructure development for economic growth for all Territorians.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Continued from 22 August 2014.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Land Resource Management): Mr Deputy Speaker, I continue my remarks in relation to the tabling of the 2010-11 and 2011-12 Northern Territory’s Pastoral Land Board Annual Reports. Since delivering the tabling speech for these annual reports, I am pleased to report the Northern Territory Pastoral Land Board has celebrated the significant milestone of its 100th meeting.
First established 12 years ago on Friday 29 May 1992, the board has racked up considerable achievements to ensure the health, economic viability and sustainability of our pastoral lands.
The Country Liberals government values the pastoral industry and is committed to ensuring its growth and success. As such, we greatly value the work of the board in monitoring our pastoral estate in order to provide an accurate assessment of land condition so our pastoral industry can continue to thrive.
When the Country Liberals came to government in 2012 it was deeply concerning for me, as Minister for Land Resource Management, to learn that insufficient funding over several years had left this board constrained in its ability to undertake reporting functions.
In May 2013 this government announced an additional $500 000 funding to support the NT Pastoral Land Board and the Rangelands Management program. As a direct result, the increased funding has supported our pastoral industry by providing extension services which are not only undertaking monitoring and pastoral infrastructure mapping updates, but also working to re-establish relationships with managers and the pastoral industry.
I am pleased to learn a review of the Rangeland Management program reporting requirements for rangeland monitoring has resulted in changes to the methodology used to determine the land condition of the pastoral estate. This has resulted in the development and introduction of an integrated monitoring program around ground-based measured photo point sites with satellite data to provide information of changes in land cover to deliver whole of NT reporting of change in land cover and land.
The integrated program is nationally recognised and will enable the NT to report on land condition using national standards. The NT will also be able to provide information and advice comparable to other rangeland-dominated states which contributes to measured data for national reporting.
Also, the integrated program will provide consistent, measured and objective data which will enable the Pastoral Land Board to fulfil statutory reporting under the Pastoral Land Act. Implementation of the integrated program is well under way; however, it will take several years to fully implement across the NT. Importantly, it will achieve the establishment and collection of ground validation sites and development and production of satellite-based products for whole of Territory reporting.
In the 2012-13 field season rangeland monitoring increased by a staggering 600% to 323 sites on 29 pastoral properties compared to only 52 sites across three properties in 2011-12. Those statistics, in themselves, tell the story of the previous government’s lack of interest in anything related to improving, monitoring, looking after and caring for our rangelands and our pastoral estate. In fact, the previous government should be ashamed for allowing the NT Pastoral Land Board and the monitoring program to degrade to the point it did prior to the 2012 election.
This field season, rangeland monitoring officers have visited and inspected 31 properties across a number of pastoral districts in the Territory.
I commend the current NT Pastoral Land Board, in particular Chairman Richard Galton, for the work he has done on amendments to the Pastoral Land Act passed into legislation earlier this year for non-pastoral use activities. Territory pastoralists now have a greater opportunity to diversify and generate alternate income through non-pastoral use activities. A number of non-pastoral use applications are currently being assessed for activities such as tourism, horticulture, forestry and even broad scale agricultural activities.
I congratulate the Northern Territory Pastoral Land Board on reaching the significant milestone of its 100th meeting. I am confident it will continue its good work in ensuring the health, economic viability and sustainability of the Northern Territory’s pastoral estate.
I pay tribute to the former and current NT Pastoral Land Board chairpersons for their valuable contribution to the Northern Territory’s pastoral interests. I thank them for their commitment and contribution to ensuring the health and prosperity of the pastoral lands of the Northern Territory. They are: Noel Buntine, David Wilcox, John Dyer, Laurence Ah Toy, Jim Forward, Anthony Young and the current Chair Richard Galton.
I formally praise pastoralist Steven Craig of Mistake Creek Station. Since his appointment to the board in June 2002, Steve has attended 52 out of 100 board meetings. I applaud Steve for his dedicated commitment to the maintenance and, where possible, improvement of the condition of the Territory’s pastoral land. Congratulations Steve.
It is people like Steven Craig who are so representative of the pastoralists of the Northern Territory: resilient, passionate and hard-working people used to dealing with adverse climatic conditions, tough times and, sadly, the lame decisions of government from time to time. I am sure you realise I am referring to the live cattle suspension of 2011.
The NT Pastoral Land Board is doing a fantastic job. I am delighted I was able to join them for dinner in Alice Springs a few months ago to help celebrate their 100th meeting. I look forward to their continued good work and to them continuing the care and maintenance of our pastoral estate.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Land Resource Management): Mr Deputy Speaker, I moved that the paper be noted.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Mr Deputy Speaker, I remember when the Minister for Land Resource Management started this contribution to debate on 22 August 2013. I have a great interest in this area and am spokesperson for the Territory Opposition.
The NT Pastoral Land Board oversees and monitors the use and management of pastoral leases in the Northern Territory. I have some great memories of living on cattle stations and raising a family.
The 2010-11 annual report of the NT Pastoral Land Board notes the impact of federal decisions on the live export industry and the challenges to maintain business-as-usual activities. The Territory opposition acknowledges that.
The former Territory government responded swiftly and appropriately when the former Chief Minister announced pastoral rent payments would be frozen by the government to ease pressure on Territorians affected by the live cattle ban.
Under the plan, Territory pastoral properties with a financial turnover of up to $10m that relied on the live cattle export market had their pastoral rent frozen by the Northern Territory government to support families and industry.
Against this backdrop, the 2010-11 annual report highlights improvement in the land condition in the Roper pastoral district. I am pleased about that because the Roper pastoral district forms part of the electorate of Barkly and is a great area I visit and travel through.
In 1993-94, 41% of sites were rated good compared to 61% in 2010-11. That is a great result for pastoralists in the area. It is pleasing to see the great work of pastoralists in that region and across the Northern Territory being recognised in the 2010-11 report and subsequent reports. We celebrate that in this House.
I was surprised to hear the comments from the Minister for Land Resource Management in August 2013 criticising the level of funding and resources, and he raised that again tonight. I looked at that because the opposition needs good policy and needs to examine statements from ministers. From the blustering I heard from the minister in debate, I thought monitoring had been extended to huge tracts across the Territory. It was interesting to hear what the minister said on 23 October 2014. What does the 2012-13 annual report of the department say? We will compare the department’s report and the minister’s speech.
In 2012-13 the percentage of the Territory’s land capability and resources assessed was 4.9%. I looked at what would be estimated for 2013-14 and it was 5%. That represented an increase of 0.1%. It is always good to compare the minister’s speech to the department’s statistics. However, we should not be surprised by that, and it suggests doing your research and examining the CLP’s budget for 2013-14. I agree with the minister, whilst it highlights $500 000 to support the NT Pastoral Land Board and the Rangelands Management program, the budget also includes a significant cut in the rangelands output. Once again, it represents significant savage cuts across the board to deliver efficiency dividends. There is a cut from $14.204m in 2012-13 to $9.34m in 2013-14. Therefore, looking at budget books to assess the minister’s speech, we see a cut of about one-third, or almost $5m, out of the CLP budget to manage the Territory’s rangelands.
The minister said a lot in his speech, but you need to look at the data presented by the department to get the real picture. The opposition can then work through how we will deliver policy in this area.
I remember the minister talking about emerging opportunities in Vietnam. After that speech a nervous wait took place for accreditation to ensure the welfare of animals in this new market. It is good to hear the minister has visited, and this week he spoke about emerging opportunities. The Territory opposition celebrates that.
We have not heard much on the buffalo front. The minister recently spoke about aerial survey work which identified up to 200 000 head of buffalo across the Top End. It would be good to hear more about that. With rangeland management, you have some significant challenges in development of that industry. At the moment you are looking at a wild catch. There are all sorts of challenges with that. As we domesticate buffalo in the Northern Territory it will certainly add significant challenges for the management of rangelands, particularly in the Top End around the wetlands.
I will use this opportunity to read into Hansard a good news story and will explain why this is so important. This information is from the ABC Rural website. The story is by Caddie Brain and is called ‘Fishing in the desert for jobs’:
That was first posted on Thursday, 27 February 2014 on the ABC Rural website. I know that family, the guys in the contract mustering crew and many of the women who have been working on that new research project.
That represents something I would like the government to look at: people working on country. I am not focused on six security guards watching a gate on a nuclear waste dump, but on real jobs on real country. I believe this is a time for investment because there is a labour shortage in the industry. The last five years of my teaching career I spent running an alternative education program dealing with juvenile diversion kids. We were straightening them out and putting them through a formal accredited rural ops program at Certificate II level at the Charles Darwin University Campus at Katherine, then pushing them out into industry to work on the stations.
I know there is a real labour shortage in this industry. As we look at development of northern Australia, when we assess the minister’s statistics about the increase in live exports and the potential for future increases the labour force, logically, should come from the country where production is under way. The pastoral community wants to engage community people. They want to re-engage Indigenous youth who have been separated from that industry, in some cases, for three generations.
At Corella Creek it not so because they are much more engaged in living on a homeland surrounded by one of the biggest and best cattle stations in the world. They have a good relationship with their neighbours, and have been able to translate this into real employment in contract mustering.
Yesterday I was talking to a gentleman consulting for Indigenous Business Australia. He has picked up a couple of Barkly residents who have drifted across the Queensland border. He operates out of Cairns, lives in Brisbane, but trains people in Mount Isa. Thank heavens he got my contact details from a couple of ex-students who are now undergoing business training – accredited certificates to be assessed for loans from Indigenous Business Australia. He presented four names to me which all represent a similar case study to Corella. They have all grown up in the industry, have all had contact as adults working in industry but now they want to run their own business.
They articulate clearly they do not want to go back into the pastoral sector on wages; they want to run contract mustering teams. I will be privileged to speak to the regional representative from Indigenous Business Australia as a referee for these guys. They are also interested in my stories about knowing these guys since they were little kids, knowing their families well and knowing the environment that is potentially the workplace they can operate their businesses in. In turn, they can engage further youth in training. When we get some of our troubled youth out of Tennant Creek and back into industry, training and employment it will be a serious outcome for community safety as opposed to the current situation we are dealing with.
Max Priest and his company have started to pick up contracts managing weeds. Minister, you would know from your experience with the pastoral sector that weeds are choking the water supplies. On the tablelands, the Victoria River district and to some degree into the gulf country, weeds have become a problem for water supplies. It is now a priority to get this under control. It makes sense for Max Priest and his company to undertake accredited training in handling and managing chemicals and then conduct weed management programs on stations where they are contract mustering.
This is another element of real jobs delivering real outcomes. Once again, it is not six security guards standing outside a gate on a nuclear waste dump, but businesses moving around the Northern Territory working in the pastoral sector in partnership with some of the biggest agricultural companies in the world ...
Mr Elferink: You are now the judge of somebody’s job. You are the gatekeeper of other people’s employment. You are a disgrace.
Mr McCARTHY: That is what I call economic development. I can be attacked personally and criticised all you like, but I am trying to influence the minister, among these rude interjections and personal attacks from the member for Port Darwin, who twists the semantics because suddenly he is into nuclear waste. He is an Australian into nuclear waste …
Mr Elferink: You are anti-jobs.
Mr McCARTHY: Bring it on! Say what you like.
Mr Elferink: You are anti-jobs. There was an opportunity and you …
Mr McCARTHY: Here we go. Wind it up, member for Port Darwin.
Mr Elferink: … whinged about the fact there is no work.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: A bit of order please.
Mr Elferink: You spat on people’s right to get a job.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin!
Mr McCARTHY: Put it on the record, mate.
Minister, I am trying to influence you to look at the opportunities for employment and training, and that is a brilliant example. It is not only contract mustering and cattle management, but into the weeds sector.
There are also important research opportunities with other members of the community researching fish species in Lake George and Lake Sylvester. These are massive lakes on Brunette Downs and I remember seeing them nearly dry and seeing them flooded. This research potential goes to the bigger picture of real employment and real jobs and being able to share the wealth of the corporate sector.
That goes into the bigger picture of carbon trading schemes and is a perfect model of the rangers in west Arnhem Land and the West Arnhem Land Fire Abatement Project.
We have libs moving away from that, away from renewable energies, away from carbon trading opportunities, away from serious income streams that will deliver the money they tell us they do not have.
Listening to the member for Sanderson, you guys must be flat broke. However, when we hear about all the money being spent – the guy over there misses a plane. That is a serious dollar value when we are trying to deliver regional air links.
At estimates the Chief Minister could not account for $30 000 for tickets purchased in Vietnam to come home on a private jet. I still have not heard the end of that story. There was $87 000 for private jet charter, but what about redeeming $30 000 worth of tickets. The answer at estimates was, ‘No, a couple of officers stayed behind and flew home’. There were certainly other tickets. I am not sure where that cash ended up, but Hardy Aviation would look forward to using it ...
Mr Elferink: They would love to fly there if people had jobs. Unfortunately, you hate people with jobs.
Mr McCARTHY: Bring it on, John. Long John, bring it on.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Barkly, please refer to people by their electorate name.
Mr McCARTHY: Minister, I am trying to influence your thinking and we have the peanut gallery interjecting. Is this is a credible government? No. The finger waving, the name calling and the personal attacks – the Chief Minister even called me a coward today …
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I am becoming tired of this. I will send a few people out for a while. This is a place of debate, not yelling, screaming and denigrating people.
Member for Barkly, you have the call.
Mr McCARTHY: Minister I hope I have influenced your thinking at that higher level. We are all in this together.
The corporate sector will provide the cash for this to happen across the Territory. I believe we all understand, if we are looking at new innovations, there is nothing more government can do. We have to look at new, innovative ways to fund this and it is about Indigenous people working on country.
I will continue to lobby for this. It means an acknowledgement and acceptance of certain policy areas. It also means working hand-in-hand with Indigenous people and Indigenous science. It represents valuing and acknowledging Indigenous scientific and land management practices over thousands of years. This is a good area, minister for you to be involved in. I look forward to being involved in that area as well.
I also mention the degradation of road transport infrastructure. The latest NT Pastoral Land Board report, which we will presumably debate shortly, shows a below average rainfall from the Roper Gulf Region right through. There have been several dry years, and with a corresponding cut in minor new works and repairs and maintenance budgets, there is some serious degradation. You have to go there to experience it, and I have not seen major connecting networks this bad for about 20 years. It is getting out of control.
The relationship between the NT Pastoral Land Board and rangelands management is once these major bulldust tracks form vehicle traffic will take alternative routes. It is frightening to see the amount of degradation that is pushed further and further into the rangelands. Community traffic uses conventional vehicles, there is heavy vehicle traffic as well, and when you multiply this effect along 700 km of the Sandover Highway some serious destruction is caused to rangelands imperative to production of good livestock. It is like a chain reaction.
That means the open grade and maintenance grade – the traditional budget expenditure stories we hear – everybody appreciates that, but it is about prioritising your spend. It is about looking at a broader picture across the Northern Territory, and feeding the regional economy with taxpayer dollars is a great way to stimulate and build the economy. In the Australian context we are an emerging economy.
Minister, I ask you to liaise with the Minister for Infrastructure and get some up-to-date information and reports – I am a regular letter writer – from the pastoral sector in order to investigate these critical areas which need to be dealt with from existing resources. The scale at which this is happening is quite alarming. I am reporting from areas in Stuart, Namatjira and the Barkly. The members for Namatjira and Arnhem have reported similar occurrences during their travels into northeast Arnhem Land, where I will be heading shortly. I am also hearing reports from the Victoria River district.
This relates to climatic cycles, but it also relates to good, targeted government spending. There is opportunity to deliver better returns if government looks closer and accepts the knowledge from locals and of departments.
Minister, thank you for the opportunity to contribute. I have now learnt to compare annual reports to ministerial statements, look at the figures and see the real picture. If you want to develop good policy you must double check. We found that with this statement.
I would also like to share in the minister’s acknowledgement of the NT Pastoral Land Board and his enthusiasm for the sector. I have a long association with the pastoral sector in the Northern Territory. In this period in history, with flippant comments about people sitting down, we can revisit what will be a sustainable, exciting and important method of economic development. It is about getting people employed on the land, avoiding the traps, pitfalls, and other distractions of the urban areas that come with that and building the pastoral sector in this new era of growing the north.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I will say a few words about the NT Pastoral Land Board’s reports. This debate commenced on 22 August 2013. Also, we do not have this year’s annual report so it is like going back in time to debate these issues.
The 2010-11 annual report noted the number of properties monitored had decreased. In 2008-09 it was 22, in 2009-10 it was 18, and in 2010-11 it was 25. I know the Chair was concerned about that. In 2012-13 there were 29 properties, so it has not gone up much. We will not know if there has been an increase until we receive the latest NT Pastoral Land Board report.
Believe it or not, I have one pastoral property in my electorate, Koolpinyah Station. Unfortunately, it struggles because many people use the area around it. People break through fences to shoot cattle and that concerns the owners, who have done a lot of work to keep people off the property. They are in a unique position because they intermingle with the rural area of Darwin. Many people from the more urban areas of Darwin travel up Gunn Point Road past this property. They have had some difficult times keeping their pastoral property free from people trespassing. It is often a battle.
The minister mentioned record rates of live cattle exports. I do not know if all those cattle come from the Northern Territory. The minister was probably referring to the number of cattle going through Darwin port. Is production keeping up with demand in the Northern Territory? In the process of trying to get more cattle, is there a reduction in the pasture condition over pastoral properties in the Northern Territory? If so, how is that monitored?
The NT Pastoral Land Board looks at stocking rates and pasture conditions. As the minister said, it has an integrated monitoring program at the moment which can use satellite equipment to help monitor areas. Is there a temptation to work properties harder than they should be to keep up with the demand required from Indonesia and other overseas countries?
In the report there is mention of carbon farming. Where is that at present? When first introduced that was something pastoral properties could consider. Does the government support carbon farming?
The 2012-13 annual report, under ‘Sustainable Grazing Practices’, says:
How is that going? Obviously, pastoralists are looking at alternative ways to create an income. This government has introduced legislation to give pastoralists more opportunities to use their property. How many pastoral properties have taken up those opportunities, and what opportunities are they.
There has been a move to tourism. One owner mentioned on the radio – I think it was Gilnockie Station – was looking at a site for nuclear waste. I am not sure if it was a serious request, but it shows you that properties, under the changes, can look at other ways to use their pastoral lease. It will be interesting to see if non-pastoral use applications increase with the new legislation.
Another issue is land clearing. In the 2012-13 report 18 126 ha was cleared at Tipperary. How is that land being used? In the late 1960s a lot of land was cleared at Tipperary, and perhaps the land mentioned in the report was cleared some time ago. If that amount of land was cleared has it come into production? That is a large amount of land to be developed.
The annual report has a section on feral animals and a section on weeds, but you will not find buffel grass or gamba. That highlights the clash between the environment and the need for food production. Buffel grass is very important for Centralian pastoralists, and many pastorals in the north swear by gamba grass, but both grasses are highly flammable, create a lot of heat and are difficult to control when there is fire around. It would be good to get a report on Top End control over the use of gamba grass and whether it is successful. Gamba is limited in where it can be grown, and I would like to know where it is at now.
The report has an interesting section on feral animals. It says if the Territory is to keep the camel population static in the southern Tanami region we have to remove 2400 camels annually. Does the Territory have a program to maintain those numbers because camels breed quickly? Do we want the camel population to get out of hand? A program to cull a large number of camels finished in 2013. Is there another program to keep the camel population at a reasonable level?
I am glad this has come on today. Sometimes we only talk about the pastoral industry in short statements referring to how many cattle are being sent overseas, but there are many opportunities in the pastoral area.
The member for Barkly mentioned young blokes going to school at Charles Darwin campus in Katherine. I understand Mataranka Station is not being used by Charles Darwin University anymore so what is the future of Mataranka Station? Will it be another cattle station raising income for the university? Will it be used for training? What is the university’s intention in relation to Mataranka Station?
It had a colourful history since the university took it over. I have a soft spot for it because my daughter trained as a ringer through Mataranka Station. When she finished she was employed at Wave Hill, Cattle Creek, Oban Station just south of Mount Isa and then Kidman Springs.
I considered Mataranka Station to be an important part of the pastoral industry’s growth, especially for young people looking for jobs. If it has closed and Charles Darwin University Campus or Katherine Campus – I prefer Katherine Rural College – is it doing the same work Mataranka station did over the last few years. Perhaps the minister can answer those questions in his response.
I hope the new report comes out; today’s discussion would have been much more relevant. We could have compared three years’ of reports and it would have been a good focus for discussion. I do not know when the report is due.
I congratulate the board on having its 100th meeting. I congratulate all chairs of the board. I remember meeting Anthony Young, who had concerns about funding and how many places he could visit.
It is interesting to see the Chair, Richard Galton – it is funny how people turn up. One minute they are dropped from their job when a new government takes over, next minute they turn up somewhere else.
Andrew Macrides is another example. He was not the most popular person in the world when this government was attacking Power and Water, but then he turns up dealing with NTCAT, the new administrative tribunal, and is greatly praised.
Mr Galton lost his previous job and is now in charge of the NT Pastoral Land Board. Those two good people worked hard for the Territory, sometimes came under criticism and had to deal with a change in government. However, it is good to see both still active in the public service working for the benefit of the Territory. I have known both men, not as close friends, but have dealt with them through my job as a member of parliament. I have always found them approachable and knowledgeable about their job. I appreciate what they do.
I thank the minister for bringing the NT Pastoral Land Board reports through. Hopefully, the next one comes out soon and we can discuss it in the year it is reporting on.
Motion agreed to; paper noted.
Continued from 19 March 2014.
Mrs FINOCCHIARO (Drysdale): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Minister for Parks and Wildlife’s statement. I would like to focus on the wonderful work the Territory Wildlife Park does. I note the topic of the statement is, ‘Building the Contribution of Parks and Wildlife to the Territory’ and what a wonderful contribution the Territory Wildlife Park has made over the last 25 years.
It seems remarkable that the Territory Wildlife Park has been around for 25 years; it makes me feel old. I remember the early days of the Territory Wildlife Park and how exciting it was. We would pack a picnic, pack an esky, drive out to Berry Springs, go to the wildlife park and have a great picnic lunch on the grassed area next to the kiosk. We would pop into Berry Springs for a swim on the way home and grab an ice-cream from the Rainbow Caf, which is now the Crazy Acres and doing very well – best of luck to Karen with that enterprise, but I digress.
The wildlife park is such an important part – if you have grown up in the Territory in the last 25 years, at some point you must have been to the wildlife park. It must be an affectionate part of your childhood memories.
On 18 October 2014 the wildlife park celebrated its 25th birthday, so congratulations to all staff and Shael Martin, Director of the Territory Wildlife Park. The member for Daly was there helping visitors, wildlife park staff and volunteers celebrate in a huge way. The wildlife park is in his electorate, and he is fiercely proud to have such a wonderful facility so closely located to the hub of Berry Springs.
Another thing which makes the wildlife park so wonderful is it is far, but not too far. It is about 20 or 30 minutes out of Palmerston, and a little more from Darwin. Looking back over 25 years – the wildlife park has a huge array of wildlife. We have red-collared lorikeets, sugar gliders, emus, wedge-tailed eagles, rare albino carpet pythons, barking owls and baby death adders. You name it, the wildlife park has it. Of course, there are also the cute suspects such as kangaroos and largetooth sawfish. The wildlife park has changed over the last 25 years. It started as a beautiful park where you could hop on the train or walk around, you would look at the bentang and you could go to the wetlands. You could look at the magpie geese, and then we developed the billabong with barramundi in it and the stingray. The wildlife park is now highly sophisticated in its offerings.
The member for Daly and my colleague, the Minister for Parks and Wildlife, recently launched a new educational program the wildlife park is running. This shows not only how important the wildlife park is to our community, but how much more important we can make it and how diverse its offerings are. It is not just a tourist destination or a destination for families on the weekend.
The program launched is called ‘Growing Green Kids NT’, an initiative and partnership between Berry Springs Primary School and the Territory Wildlife Park. Essentially, Berry Springs School Council has established ‘Growing Green Kids NT’ as a registered business. They have a wonderful market produce garden and a classroom-sized chicken coop at the school. Kids are encouraged to participate in educational programs using maths, science and biological knowledge to look after the market produce garden and, of course, the chickens. As a result Year 6 students, who this program is targeted at, are producing fruits, vegetables, poultry and meats to sell at the wildlife park canteen, which is an excellent result for the school council, the students and the wildlife park. That is just one example of the excellent work the Territory Wildlife Park is doing.
Of course, the wildlife park is involved in raising awareness about wildlife. It played a special role in this year’s National Threatened Species Day, which is held on 7 September to commemorate the death of the last Tasmanian Tiger at Hobart Zoo in 1936.
The wildlife park played a significant role. It was part of the team that went to the waterfront to hold a pop-up zoo aimed at raising awareness of children and adults alike about threatened species across the world. For any school which requested a threatened species presentation by staff of the wildlife park, the wildlife park was able to offer exciting interactive activities including hands-on animal encounters with threatened species, a threatened species adventure trail and a quiz booklet amongst other things. Again, you can see the diversity and skill of the staff at the wildlife park, but also its offerings to our community.
There are many other things the wildlife park has been involved in, including the ethical adventures program, or volunteerism as it is called. It also facilitated a range of filming crews from the United States, the UK and Japan. It is expanding on what the park has to offer from a tourism perspective, and recently won a grant to develop the woodland walk to turn it into an interactive wallaby and wallaroo experience. That is an exciting new exhibit which, hopefully, will open early next year.
There is also the Oolloo Sandbar, which I spoke about earlier. This is relatively new and offers a different experience at the park.
There are many other things at the Territory Wildlife Park I would like to talk about, the least of which is a toad bust. I am a massive toad bust fan; I run toad busts in my electorate. Palmerston people love catching toads. As it turns out, other Territorians like catching toads so the wildlife park, as part of its conservation effort and awareness effort teaching young people about biodiversity and all those important elements of our environment, holds free toad busts. The next one is on 28 November, which happens to clash with one of my toad busts. If you live in Driver come to the Driver toad bust, not the wildlife park toad bust. Everyone else can go to the Territory Wildlife Park toad bust from 7 pm. They make it a lot of fun. There is the awareness and educational side, but there are also hot dogs, icy poles and all sorts of other good things.
The Territory Wildlife Park also offers twilight tours which are completely different. They have the nocturnal house experience in the evening which would have a completely different spin on things. They are holding a spooky Halloween twilight night on 31 October – obviously for Halloween. They are just a few of the wonderful things happening at the wildlife park.
Congratulations to the park for its conservation efforts and for turning 25 this year. I trust you will stay in the good hands of the Minister for Parks and Wildlife and we can enjoy the wildlife park for many years to come.
Mrs PRICE (Parks and Wildlife): Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank all members for their contributions.
It is exciting to see so many people interested in the future of our parks and the contribution they make to the Northern Territory, not only towards tourism but the economy, society and the environment.
First, I turn to the member for Nhulunbuy’s contribution. Her passion for our parks is undeniable though, sadly, her contribution was, at times, misguided. The member raised a point about consultation around development of our master plans. I can advise the member the commission consults widely in development of our plans. I note there was no specific session for Nhulunbuy. However, this is understandable given the closest park is 500 km away from her electorate. However, I have passed the member’s feedback to the commission and agree that all Territorians should be encouraged to have their say about strategies.
During her contribution the member also raised a query with regard to this government’s plans to development the Territory Wildlife Park and the Alice Springs Desert Park. First, at least this side has a plan for our parks. The member for Karama and the Labor Party let both parks deteriorate to such an extent they were bleeding money and were ghost towns. Staff morale was lower than visitor numbers. Since this government took over the reins, I am pleased to advise this government has reinvigorated both parks. We are seeing improvements in both budgetary and visitor numbers in our wildlife park and the Alice Springs Desert Park.
I am pleased to announce that under my watch the Alice Springs Desert Park made a profit in the last financial year compared to a $393 000 loss under Labor. That is a 106% improvement. The wildlife park also improved its budgetary position by 67% in the last financial year compared to when Labor was in government.
Turning to visitor numbers, the wildlife park has recorded its first increase in visitors in many years, with an 11% increase in visitor numbers under this government. The Alice Springs Desert Park has seen a 15% increase in visitor numbers under this government’s watch. These are fantastic results and a huge turnaround from the plunge we saw under Labor because it did not care about our great parks. Labor left them to waste away and fall into disrepair.
My colleagues and I worked tirelessly to turn this around, and together with the Minister for Tourism’s excellent campaign ‘Do the NT’, we are now seeing real results.
Of course there are plans for both parks. After all, this government has a plan for the Territory. Those plans will be rolled out in due course.
Turning to joint management agreements, I acknowledge Labor introduced them. I do not believe I said otherwise. However, joint management agreements under this government will always be better managed because at our core is a passion to realise economic opportunities for all Territorians not keep them in the dark and bonded to welfare. I want joint management agreements which lead to real jobs, real opportunities and real development not glossy brochures and media opportunities like Labor had. My commitment to working with the joint management agreements boards speaks for itself. I have already been to a number of JMA board meetings, and am looking forward to working with those boards in the future for the development and improvement of our parks.
Member for Nhulunbuy, you spoke about the disallowed plans of management for Mary River and Litchfield Park. My colleague, the member for Greatorex, the former minister, previously informed the House of the reasons for the disallowance. Those issues have been debated enough and members can refer to Hansard to see what individual and government views were.
Plans of management are important documents which set the direction for management of a park and are usually in force for at least 10 years. Each plan describes the natural and cultural values of the park, and how those values are to be protected whilst encouraging and providing safe and enriching experiences for visitors.
The Mary River National Park attracts about 20 000 visitors per year. It contains some of the most popular recreational fishing sites in the Territory, spectacular Top End wetland and floodplains scenery and some of the best wildlife viewing of birdlife and crocodiles in the Territory. Boating and four-wheel driving are so popular. The park is not Aboriginal land; however, it is jointly managed with traditional owners under the terms of an Indigenous Land Use Agreement and a joint management plan upon one becoming operational.
The Mary River National Park Draft Joint Management Plan was prepared without consultation with tourism operators who have invested in and operate in the park. Tourism is an important economic driver for the Territory. We all know the Leader of the Opposition hates tourists; on this side we love them. They bring money, jobs and economic opportunities. The Mary River plan was disallowed to enable consultation with key tourism operators. Given the member for Nhulunbuy’s comments regarding appropriate consultations, I am sure she would agree with what the previous minister did.
Turning to the member’s comments regarding the Litchfield National Park master plan, it is important to get it right. The park is a major Top End tourist destination for interstate and international visitors. It is one of the Northern Territory’s most iconic parks renowned for its spectacular waterfalls, safe swimming and spectacular rugged landscapes. It is also a popular playground for residents of Darwin and the Top End.
When the Litchfield National Park Draft Plan of Management was released for public comment it attracted a number of submissions regarding antisocial behaviour. The former minister quite rightly decided the plan should be disallowed, with the opportunity to further consult with the community regarding antisocial behaviour.
Those consultations have occurred and the plan has been amended to better describe management actions that will be implemented to reduce, or hopefully remove, antisocial behaviours from this iconic park. The plan will be introduced shortly.
Additionally, the recent antisocial behaviour campaign over the Easter/Anzac Day weekend, combined with new glass restrictions, proved a real success. Amazing feedback was received about both these operations and how they have made Litchfield more family- and user-friendly. It is a great outcome.
Litchfield Park is important to tourism businesses and antisocial behaviour has the potential to impact on these businesses. I hope the issue is clarified.
In regard to Dhimurru Rangers, I advise one position was based within the Laynhapuy Indigenous protected area working with Yirralka Rangers while the other worked with the Dhimurru Rangers within the Dhimurru Indigenous protected area.
The position with Yirralka Rangers was arranged in 2007 under a partnership agreement between the Northern Territory of Australia and Laynhapuy Homelands Association Incorporated. The agreement expired in 2011.
The position with Dhimurru Rangers was arranged in 2003 through a partnership agreement which was renewed until 2012. In November 2002, the commission entered into the Dhimurru Indigenous Protected Area management agreement where the commission agreed to provide certain services for the 21-year term. These will continue to be provided; however, without a full-time on site ranger being stationed in Nhulunbuy.
Both Laynhapuy Homelands Association Incorporated and the Dhimurru Land Management Aboriginal Corporation were advised of this decision and discussions took place. The commission advised it would be favourable to continue providing rangers on a secondment arrangement if alternative funding could be found by the organisations.
The commission has provided a proposal to the Dhimurru Land Management Aboriginal Corporation on how it intends to meet its obligations under the Indigenous protected area management agreement. The commission was advised the Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation Incorporated had agreed to the proposal, with amendments.
Senior staff of the commission and the Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation Incorporated met on 15 October 2013 where the changes were negotiated. A formal remote service delivery model was finalised by the commission late last year.
With regard to the member for Nhulunbuy’s query about the review of remote ranger stations and parks, the outcome was government would continue existing remote ranger services. This is a great result for all Territorians, especially our remote rangers.
With regard to the member’s comments about development proposals as part of our EOI process, appropriate consultations with the community, landowners, land councils and joint management boards will take place if, and when, any proposals are received and are being considered.
It was great to hear the shadow minister, in her contribution, mention she has visited our parks and contributed to the local economy. I strongly urge all members, their families, and Territorians to also do this and spend locally.
Turning to the issue of bio and cultural diversity, I agree with the member for Nhulunbuy that these values should be sensitively managed and promoted, along with the activities and opportunities our parks and reserves present. The commission works closely with my colleague, the Minister for Land Resource Management’s department to ensure biodiversity is carefully managed in our parks and reserves, and, where appropriate, promoted as an attraction. The commission actively undertakes biodiversity protection works in the park. For example, it has carried out the breeding of cane toad resistant quolls and feral animal management to protect flora and fauna. These programs are showing significant results in dealing with threats to our fauna.
Turning to the member’s comments about resource extraction in our parks and reserves, this is another typical, desperate Labor scare campaign to trick Territorians and traditional landowners into believing this government is trying to plunder our parks and reserves. This is not the case. Any exploration permit applications for resources in parks must be referred to me for consideration prior to any approvals. If a park is joint managed any application is also referred to the relevant management board of which land councils and local traditional owners are a part.
A board provides its comments to me as the responsible minister, and I can then request appropriate protection conditions for the park or reserve environment. The provisions in place are the same as those in place under Labor. They provide appropriate frameworks for any developments within our parks and reserves. This was scaremongering by the member. Isn’t it amazing how quickly they forget how they operated when in government?
Turning to something more positive, I thank the member for Daly for his contribution. He has one of our more iconic and visited parks in his electorate: Litchfield National Park. I was proud to table the new management plan for the park. This plan is a contemporary framework for how parks, traditional owners and users work together to protect the natural beauty and attractions in the park, balanced with sensitive development that leads to jobs, upgraded infrastructure and economic opportunities. It was great to give the member for Daly a briefing on this new plan, and also talk about the opportunities Litchfield holds for the Territory.
The member for Daly asked when the Litchfield Park loop road would be completed. I agree that completion of the Litchfield Park loop road is a priority as it will allow an excellent tourist drive and give Territorians quicker access to the new Cascade Falls area.
Completion of this road will boost accessibility to the park, especially access to Wangi, and will reduce travel time by almost half. This makes those famous waterfalls and swimming areas more accessible to the niche cruise ship market. A sealed road would also greatly benefit local businesses, schools and communities living along the road in having year round access. I understand the real issue is the need for a new bridge across the Finniss River requiring realignment.
This requires new land, and government is holding protracted negotiations with traditional owners. I offer my support to the Minister for Transport to resolve this issue so we can complete the loop.
I note the member for Daly’s comments regarding the wildlife park and agree there are plenty of ways we can improve accessibility as well as the attractions. I am sure the member is keen to be part of that process, being a proud local member. There is much more to do, but at least the journey has started and the train is heading in the right direction.
Talking about more work to do, I am also looking forward to working with the member for Daly and traditional owners to identify and work towards creating a park or reserve within the Wadeye area. There are incredibly beautiful areas hidden away there, and any proposal will be sensitively handled with local traditional owners and residents. Thank you, member for Daly, for your contribution. It was good to hear you attended the 25th anniversary celebration. It was great to hear 2000 people turned up at the wildlife park.
I turn to the member for Nelson’s electorate and his concerns regarding Gunn Point and Tree Point Conservation Area. Gunn Point is vacant Crown land and has already been identified as a possible location for our next port.
With regard to Tree Point, I can advise the member that Tree Point is already a protected reserve and rangers attend regularly to check on its condition. It requires some TLC, member for Nelson, and I will be looking into that on a priority needs basis.
I have also noted your comments with regard to Melacca Swamp. Melacca Swamp is included in the Adelaide River plan of management, which outlines how it fits with Parks and Wildlife’s future plans. It is 2315 ha of freehold land acquired on 25 March 1986 and declared as a Schedule 3 park under the Parks and Reserves (Framework for the Future) Act on 19 January 2011. The Adelaide River floodplain, including Melacca Swamp, reliably provides some of the best nesting habitat in the Northern Territory for magpie geese. While most of the significant nesting areas occur outside the boundaries, the reserve provides essential Dry Season habitat for the geese.
Melacca Swamp contains some of the best on-park breeding sites for saltwater crocodiles recorded in the Top End, and is one of the highest density breeding areas for this species. Permits are issued to allow the collection of crocodile eggs for commercial purposes within Melacca Swamp. Access is currently restricted to scientific research ...
Mrs FINOCCHIARO: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77, I seek an extension of time for the minister.
Motion agreed to.
Mrs PRICE: Thank you … organised groups with permits and licensed operators collecting crocodile eggs. No visitor facilities are provided in these areas, nor are there any plans to do so in the near future.
Member for Nelson, regarding your comments about the Litchfield loop road, I outlined that earlier in my contribution.
Moving forward, I thank the former member for Casuarina and the member for Goyder for their contributions. Their suggestions regarding use of prisoners to assist with maintaining the hunting areas is a good one, and I have raised the issue with the Attorney-General seeking his approval for prisoners to assist rangers to keep our parks clean and work with various hunting organisations.
I have noted their concerns about new hunting areas and assure them any site selection will be sensitively managed. Of course, any new location would have to go through a declaration process and be appropriately managed with signage. Also, I undertake that local and nearby residents will be consulted during any selection process.
Regarding the member for Goyder’s queries about Freds Pass Reserve, this is not managed by the commission. I apologise, but I am unable to assist.
I note most members queried increasing the number of safe swimming areas across the Top End. I will ask the commission to investigate potential options closer to Darwin. I know the commission is working on a croc-proof fence for Berry Springs to extend the swimming period. The fence will be similar to that constructed at Wangi Falls, which also extends the swimming period and gives greater peace of mind to our visitors and locals.
Turning to what is available within a 50 km radius we have Charles Darwin, Adelaide River, Holmes Jungle, Fogg Dam, Windows on the Wetlands, Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Howard Springs, Berry Springs and Manton Dam to name a few. I agree, member for Goyder, we could do much more at those locations. This is why I am looking, within an expression of interest framework, for someone willing to partner with this government and invest in better infrastructure.
I note the member for Goyder’s concern regarding the old military airstrips in Snake Creek. I agree and share those concerns and hope my colleague, the minister for Lands, Planning and the Environment, is listening as this falls within his portfolio.
Concerning gold fossicking, I am happy to entertain requests from relevant organisations about this in our parks and reserves. Any requests will have to address conservation of water quality, land access, tenure obviously, but I am sure we can work together to address this issue.
Turning to the member for Sanderson’s contribution, I thank him for his comprehensive outline of infrastructure strategies and development in the Northern Territory. I look forward to working with him to deliver my commission’s capital works, minor new works and repairs and maintenance program in an efficient and cost-effective manner, keeping our parks in the best condition we can with the limited funding we have thanks to those opposite.
Minister, I look forward to discussing the Litchfield Park loop road with you. I am sure we can get that project moving again.
The member for Greatorex and Minister for Tourism, and previous minister for Parks and Wildlife’s contribution eloquently outlined the strong linkages between Parks and Wildlife and Tourism NT. He outlined how they need each other to guarantee success for the Territory and contribute to the economy. I am sure he did not mind me co-opting the ‘Do the NT’ slogan to include, ‘Do the NT Parks’. I look forward to working with him to deliver real outcomes in parks which value-add to his portfolio of Tourism through increased visitor numbers, more jobs for Territorians and for the Territory economy.
This government has reinvigorated both parks. I have to repeat these amazing figures: Alice Springs Desert Park made a profit in the last financial year compared with its $393 000 loss under Labor. That is a 106% improvement. The wildlife park improved its budgetary position by 67% in the last financial year compared to when Labor was in government.
Turning again to visitor numbers, the wildlife park has recorded its first increase in visitors in many years, with an 11% increase in visitor numbers under this government. The Alice Springs Desert Park has seen a 15% increase in visitor numbers under this government’s watch. My colleagues and I have worked tirelessly to turn this around. Together with the Minister for Tourism’s excellent campaign ‘Do the NT’, we are now seeing real results. There is much more to do, but at least the journey has started and the train is heading in the right direction.
It was also great to have the contribution of the member for Brennan, the Minister for Lands, Planning and the Environment, who shared his experiences from his time as shadow minister for Parks and Wildlife.
Talking about great contributions, I also wish to thank the member for Katherine, the Minister for Land Resource Management, for his great contribution, especially from his perspective as a local member. He is so lucky living in close proximity to the magnificent Nitmiluk National Park, including the world famous Katherine Gorge. I am lucky to be the local member for that part of the Territory as well.
It is fantastic to see one statement evoke so many passionate contributions from my colleagues and those opposite. Our parks are being used more frequently. We know visitation by Territorians is increasing, and we know over 60% of visitors to the Northern Territory visit our parks and reserves. We also know appreciation for our spectacular biodiversity and natural assets is growing as more people realise the true value of our magnificent natural environment. This is, in large part, due to the significant effort the Parks and Wildlife Commission invest in engaging the local community and visitors.
I am also pleased to inform the House of the recent good news about visitor numbers to the George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens. This government has a strong focus on improving access and opportunities in our parks and reserves and this framework is working very well in the botanical gardens, with initiatives like Eva’s Caf, which has been in operation since 1 April 2014. This new business has generated additional revenue for parks by lease payments and has developed a sizeable client base.
Segway Tour Sales and Leasing NT commenced segway tours within the gardens on 3 September 2014. The business has been gradually expanding with more people booking tours or taking up the opportunity to experience their first segway ride.
The monthly Etsy Pop-up Market held on a Sunday from April to September near the Gardens Road entrance provides local producers of high quality art, craft and produce with a new outlet for their merchandise. The markets increased during the first season of operation from 12 to 31 store holders, and visitor numbers increased accordingly.
The Kids Holiday Fun Week in the Botanic Gardens in April 2014 provided a variety of school holiday activities for young children and families. In excess of 2000 people attended the five-day program.
The Friends of the Botanic Gardens group have sponsored new acquisitions. These include five locally produced ironwood and wrought iron decorative bench seats, a large 5 m replica python, life size bronze sculptures of a frill-necked lizard and a water monitor and a recycled iron sculpture of a fresh water crocodile.
These initiatives have seen visitors to the garden increase by 40% during the peak season of April to September, compared with the five-year average for that period. This is a fantastic result. This proves we can increase economic opportunities in our parks and reserves while maintaining the vital conservation roles, despite the cheeky cries from those opposite.
I thank all members for their contributions. I remind each and every member of this House, and all Territorians, to get out amongst our parks and reserves and enjoy them. I want to thank the commission personally because our rangers who work in these parks and reserves do a great job and I give full credit to all of them.
Buy and stay local and contribute to the Northern Territory economy.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Continued from 20 August 2014.
Mr BARRETT (Blain): Mr Deputy Speaker, in my short time as a member I have learnt a lot about what the economy was like and some of the decision-making processes prior to us taking government. They say nothing in life is completely useless; sometimes you can use things as a good example of what not to do. In light of that, a report was recently released stating five out of eight indicators show the Northern Territory economy is doing really well.
Business confidence is good, and I see that when I go to October Business Month events. When I speak to business people and get down to the nuts and bolts of what they are doing, they want the government to provide the services and do it well. Many things we have done over the last two years have put us in a position to do that.
Palmerston Regional Hospital was an election commitment and an issue during the Blain by-election. I am pleased to see things are moving ahead. I had the pleasure to be on site with the Minister for Health to see the land being cleared for roads etcetera going in to the area. It is great to see construction and civil engineering work has started on the intersection that will form that process in Holtze.
In regard to Indigenous development, in my role as parliament secretary I have seen what is happening and am very excited about it.
Growing up in the Northern Territory, teaching at Kormilda College and visiting many communities, I have seen the effects of welfare, the decay in those places and the mess it causes in people’s lives. I am proud to be part of a government that is starting to work through those issues and look at what projects need to be created in communities. They are starting to work with departments to see how the construction pieces will be laid out over time to build capacity in Indigenous communities and businesses. It is about people taking control of infrastructure building and working with each other, and this government, to create meaningful employment for Indigenous people on country. It is also about breaking the cycle of dependence on welfare and seeing a return of pride in who people are and what they are doing. To see Indigenous people gainfully employed through the generations will be a great thing.
I also had the pleasure to be involved with NTETA. The Department of Business has been instructed to reinstate the NTETA board, and that has been done. That was part of an election commitment, the legislation is being worked on and there is a time line to get that working. It is fantastic because it means businesses in the Northern Territory again having a voice in what is happening with training and employment. They are able to voice their concerns when educational providers and RTOs are not providing the right service, are doing it at the wrong time, or are not working with the business community to create a win/win result. We have seen some good outcomes from that.
People on the board are solid Territorians from Alice Springs to Darwin across the gamut of businesses. Those people are keen and understand the role they have on the NTETA board is to realign what is happening in training and employment in the Northern Territory. It is about seeing businesses understand and work with RTOs to get exactly what they want and need for their business.
In the last few years there has been a real push to be proud of the Northern Territory, and we see that in the Territory Day initiative. I am a proud Territorian, as I imagine most people in the Chamber are, but something was lacking. I am happy to say this government is focusing on that. I am trying to get everybody on the same page to look above issues and see how we might all work together. If we are working on projects that are good for the Northern Territory it will unite us and carry us further. I have adopted that model in many things I do in my electorate and will talk about that soon.
We have seen Power and Water re-rate an asset which was previously marked down because cash flows did not support it. This type of accounting is tricky to understand, but because of this government’s initiatives the cash flow is supporting the infrastructure assets and they are gaining in value as part of the business. Re-rating of assets has changed the debt to equity ratio for Power and Water, which is fantastic. When we look at it in a metric of business health, it makes the business look healthier than it was.
We also see Power and Water’s cash flow is much stronger than it was due to the initiatives this government has put in place.
One of the biggest things we inherited was a blown-out cost of living. We said we would work on this and it is great to see this has happened on a couple of fronts, the first being land release. In the Blain electorate 1700 blocks have been released in the last stage of Zuccoli. This is fantastic for keeping downward pressure on the cost of land and, therefore, the cost of housing and rent in the Northern Territory.
We have also seen, in the last few months, a focus on fuel. The fuel summit highlighted the issues. Around 2012 the difference charged at the terminal gate price to the retail end blew out significantly from a 9c margin to 30c or 40c. We isolated the problem. We called it for what it is and put a lot of pressure on fuel companies. I am proud that through the efforts of this government and industry, that has come down. At a bowser today, with a fuel discount, people can purchase unleaded petrol in the low 150s, which is fantastic to see.
That is important for the Northern Territory economy because it helps small businesses – the plumber driving to someone’s house to work, the electrician going from place to place doing jobs, and the firms that rely on transport. These businesses now face lower costs meaning they, hopefully, will pass those savings on to the rest of the economy. It will be fantastic to see the cost of living pressure ease for people in the Northern Territory. We see that particularly with families. The amount of money we spend on fuel is a large bite of our income, and this reduction will help mums and dads.
We also have the Sport Voucher Scheme. I have been proud to take my kids to gymnastics over the last few weeks. That takes the pressure off parents, particularly in my area, who want their kids to be active and play sports. Often those costs are prohibitive. Kids in the community who usually do not get the opportunity to play sport are now able to participate.
It is also fantastic for clubs in the area because of the increased interest due to the vouchers. It is great to see more people being active.
The Department of Business is reducing red tape. The reduction focus is part of what is happening nationally. I am fortunate to be representing the Chief Minister at a COAG meeting tomorrow. What the states and territories are doing to reduce red tape is on the agenda.
This government has rolled out many things which help improve business; however, it does not stop there. I recently had discussions with people about licensing of hotels, and one manager said it is quite complex in the Northern Territory. If you own a hotel with accommodation you need a separate licence for food. If you have seafood, it is a completely different licence. If you are serving alcohol you need a different licence. If you have accommodation you need a different licence. If you have gaming in your hotel you need a different licence, and if it is keno it is a different licence. We need to look at this process. Instead of somebody paying five or six times a year, we need structured plans so people are paying for their licenses in one place at one time, with the possibility of extending time frames so it becomes less of an imposition for businesses. They want the service to enable them to do what they need to. For business, sometimes the best thing a government can do is get out of the way.
My local area of Blain is exciting at the moment. Lots of development is happening, lots of houses are being built with much excitement. A total of 1700 new blocks are being released in Zuccoli, which is in the electorate of Blain. It is fantastic to see because young families are able to move in and there are land size and accommodation options available. We are seeing a change from what we inherited to what we want in the future: options for younger people and people moving to the Northern Territory to put their roots down and be part of the fabric of the Northern Territory.
A lot of infill development is happening in Moulden. Two areas are under way at the moment, with one pretty much done and dusted and the developers starting the building process. It will be great to see some high quality dwellings which might change the tenor of the suburb. More private dwellings in that area will lift the tenor. I hope that will make other people proud of their gardens and make the place more attractive.
Palmerston Crocs rugby team has been struggling for a while with oval issues. This government has made promises and is working with people in the community to make it a better place. We are working with the club to help it better manage its facilities and see it use the facility in a more community appropriate way. The club has around 500 members, and it is great to see so many people interested in sports there. We want to see fantastic facilities where families can get their children involved in sport.
In Woodroffe there is land zoned for community purpose and we are working with a couple of options: either a doctor’s surgery or daycare centre. Either community service in the area would help families. There are a lot of children in these suburbs and I spend a lot of time at their schools. They are great children and it will be good to see either of those things help families in the area.
Another community development project happening in the area is a school military unit adoption. A lot of military units served here during World War II which probably no longer exist, for example anti-aircraft artillery units with their own unit colours and insignias. They do not usually shoot artillery aeroplanes anymore, so it is highly unlikely those units will exist again. As members of those units age and begin to pass away – there are not many left and they wonder if their unit colours and insignias will end up in a room at the War Memorial in Canberra and no one will ever see them again.
We are working with the RSL, local military and families in the areas – there are many military families in the area – to honour and respect the units that served here during World War II. We have worked with a historian and the military to have houses from schools in the electorate adopt the units.
On the 100th anniversary of Anzac Day students from those houses will lay wreaths not just to remember all people from all wars and the ANZAC tradition of the Gallipoli landing, but also these units. They will lay wreaths on behalf of the units that will now be remembered through time, particularly in Darwin, for their service and the great things they did in Darwin during World War II to protect us during a national crisis.
I am proud of a lot of things this government is doing: land release, the hospital, infrastructure, areas for new schools and a special needs school in the Bellamack area. So much is happening it blows my mind.
The Department of Business is streamlining things and updating old legislation. This government is doing great things and moving forward in leaps and bounds. In regard to the midterm report, I give this government an A+.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Mr Deputy Speaker, the CLP midterm report was originally dropped on the opposition benches at 8 am. It reminded me that statements were delivered the night before to give adequate time to do proper and appropriate research. However, the member for Nhulunbuy sent a statement on Nhulunbuy to her constituents for some thorough and appropriate research. That was communicated to the government the following day and, shock horror, we were suddenly treated like early childhood students and were punished.
These very important ministerial statements are given to the opposition around 8.30 am. The Chief Minister was one of the first to start the trend of not giving the opposition a chance to do any research and comment on this. ‘Let us try to keep them well and truly in the dark’. When I read the note I had written myself that morning I was obviously rather displeased, but we move on and will do the best we can.
‘The Chief Minister talks about outstanding achievements of his Country Liberal Party government but he sneaks in a statement on the morning of the debate’ – I do not remember writing that but it is my handwriting – ‘allowing for no research, stifling debate, no transparency, no accountability’. I must have been in an interesting mood when I was scribing those notes.
I was obviously looking at the statement delivered at 8 am. The section relating to growing the north was about developing northern Australia. An interesting comparison was what the Chief Minister was saying about growing northern Australia and a budget appropriation in 2014-15 of $400 000 to Ord River Stage 2.
So, $400 000 in a budget of about $5.5bn was allocated to Ord River Stage 2 on the Northern Territory side of the border for nation building infrastructure.
From memory, at estimates I was told there was possibly 14 000 ha of arable land so I started to prosecute returns for investment. There was 14 000 ha of arable land, massive infrastructure requirements and only a $400 000 appropriation by the government. The Chief Minister, talking this up big time in his statement, then remembered there was almost $400 000 in the same budget appropriated by the CLP to the Alice Springs Golf Club. That was an interesting comparison in the Chief Minister’s report card – $400 000 for nation building infrastructure with the Ord Stage 2, and $400 000 to the Alice Springs Golf Club.
There you go, Chief Minister, on that report card the member for Blain gives you an A+. I bet the Alice Springs Golf Club gives you a high distinction, but I am not sure what the agricultural and pastoral sectors of the Northern Territory give you. I remember asking pastoralists, ‘What would $400 000 get you in the Ord River expansion?’ A wily old pastoralist’s response was, ‘Some expensive suits’. That really sums it up, and the member for Blain gives that an A+. Good work, member for Blain; I will not score it as highly as an A+. Nation building infrastructure worth $400 000 really cuts it, but $400 000 for the Alice Springs Golf Club does not. The Chief Minister thinks it does, and it is his report card.
The Chief Minister moved $33m into the Chief Minister’s department in 2014. That is an interesting comparison: $400 000 to a golf club, $400 000 to nation building infrastructure and $33m to the Chief Minister’s department. We have been trying to track that ever since. The Chief Minister has obviously run out of cash, because now he has his fingers in the till of the Land Development Corporation. He is on the search in other areas, like selling public assets. Of course, this did not appear in the statement as it was delivered some time ago.
There was a corresponding increase in advisory staff with the $33m appropriation. We have seen the major advertising campaigns across television, radio, newspapers and the Internet. You can track where that $33m has been spent – $400 000 for the Ord River Stage 2. A spend of $33m is a regular feature on prime time television and radio, and you see the results of that expenditure. At one stage the Chief Minister was talking about – before the report card – how we have to have a conversation. That is a very expensive conversation, but it is important to acknowledge the money is being expended in other areas, for example, to establish the Office of Asian Engagement, Trade and Investment. That is very good and scores highly. We are investing $3.75m to promote international trade and Asian engagement to create more investment opportunities for the Northern Territory. We are not sure about expenditure on the creative advertising campaign, but about $29.25m is floating around in the coffers somewhere. I would like to know what that is being spent on.
The Northern Australia Development Office has been created. I met with some stakeholders in education awareness and developing policy there. Close to $4m was appropriated for that office and there is a very impressive video screen, one of the biggest video screens I have seen. Chief Minister, I was distracted – it is a modern office with breakout rooms and a coffee machine. It is very comfortable and well appointed, but this big screen was a major distraction. You could not fit another CLP or federal Liberal coalition member in any of the slides. They rolled continually on the loop. You were all slotted into thematic slides and the loop ran and ran. It became a distraction. Perhaps you want to look at that and perhaps change the slides or look at it again; it could be done better. It is a report card and I could give the score, but I score the video screen highly because it was a monster.
The Chief Minister spoke a lot about urban areas and what the Country Liberal Party is doing about the cost of living. I go back to constituents I represent who are talking about power cards that once kept the fridge going for four days but now only last for two days. That is a food security and a biosecurity issue. People in remote areas of the Barkly are articulating this political discourse around the cost of living.
The men, of course, talk about how $30 at the station would get them a jerry can of fuel. A jerry can of fuel, as members would know, is 20 L. They tell me now it only gets them half a jerry can of fuel. We are talking about remote stores and remote cattle stations. That is an articulation of cost of living increases in the bush.
Motor vehicle registration is something I regularly talk about because I advise people of the dangers of driving unregistered. That is not being articulated so much with the constituents because – I am only guessing – of those increases and the cost of living pressures. There are, possibly, many motor vehicles going unregistered. We all know the serious consequences and risks to operating unregistered motor vehicles on Territory roads.
Chief Minister, I encourage you to look at the cost of living areas in the bush.
In the health sector – I remember this well – the Chief Minister leaned into the microphone and said, ‘We have opened a new $3.7m emergency department in Tennant Creek and a new GP service at Tennant Creek Hospital’. I thank the Minister for Health for the GP service, but as far as a $3.7m new emergency ward – Chief Minister, you can tell your story; it is on your report card.
On my report card I remember working with the Department of Construction and Infrastructure in the design phase and getting the funding and the successful Cabinet submission. The only thing that got in the way was an election. You won, we lost, and now you have the gall to lean into a microphone and claim that on your report card. However, we will share it together. Let us be fair because it is all about the good people of Tennant Creek and the region. It was designed and delivered well, and is a fantastic addition to our hospital. Chief Minister, it is on your report card so good on you, you can take all the credit.
In education, the Country Liberals have committed $40.5m to implement recommendations from the Wilson Indigenous education review. One of the recommendations related to boarding facilities. If I go back to the contracts signed in the bush – I will go back to the Borroloola contract – a section talked about a retail centre, a recreation and cultural centre and the government business centre all being built by the Country Liberal government before 2016. It also mentioned a boarding facility.
The response received at estimates to written question 161-05 from the Chief Minister in relation to the boarding facility said:
Regarding the progress report on the signed deal for the glossy contract, the answer was:
Chief Minister, nothing is happening at Borroloola with regard to a boarding facility. In the dire financial circumstances you continually remind us we are in, you have appropriated $40.5m across the Northern Territory. I look forward to the outcomes. Your score on that report card is a resubmit.
In the arts, it was concerning to see the Country Liberal Party government ripped $1.5m out of the arts budget for community arts organisations. These are the grassroots of our culture and heritage and a $1.5m cut, associated with significant cuts and a change in policy from the federal government, creates problems.
Let us localise that on the Chief Minister’s report card and talk about what the Auditor-General says in regard to the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory. I am taking this from the Auditor-General’s report of August 2014, page 25:
Core functions are data collection, the physical care of collections, stocktaking of collections, offsite storage, the loans, the valuations and the MAGNT digital collections. This is of great concern to our cultural institutions yet the minister, I remember, wanted to know the point of an artist painting a picture if there was nowhere to hang it? He made a big point about the Country Liberal Party investing in our institutions. I did some research and what the Auditor-General said is the exact opposite.
There have been major cuts in the critical institution, the custodian of our cultural heritage, the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, and significant cuts to the grassroots organisations that are the engine room of our culture and our heritage. This is of great concern to me, being the previous Arts minister, seeing the potential economic drivers.
I will give an example of that because the Auditor-General, in the same report of August 2014, page 33 says something very interesting:
He goes on to say:
That is an important point and very relevant; that is how to work with creativity. That comment resonated with me because it reflected that stimulus period of economic development that was taking place – that record infrastructure delivery over two budgets that was stepping up the pace and providing lots of innovative work for our scientists associated with our cultural institution. I have noted that. That is good for policy development and something I will be discussing with the Labor Caucus.
In regard to the construction and infrastructure budget, there has been a two-year delay in the program and massive revote. The Leader of the Opposition identified projects. In my electorate there are many examples. On the report card, Canteen Creek had an airstrip as part of the Regional Integrated Transport Strategy. That has now gone. There was $2.5m taken off and now, two years into your half-term report card, it still has not been delivered. There is a revote appropriation floating around for $2.5m; however, I am concerned construction costs under our escalating CPI, just as one base indicator, have really blown that budget.
I doubt you can deliver Canteen Creek airstrip for $2.5m as work has not started. I am concerned the two-year delay, directly related to your Renewal Management Board – the old guard who produced the report we never saw. We saw a printout, and I remember being a bit cheeky by saying I had seen a better financial statement from Tennant Creek High School AGM than what the government spent $6m on with the Renewal Management Board. I am still being cheeky about it now.
There are increased construction costs relating to a two-year delay in delivery of the clinic at Elliott, the clinic at Robinson River, the overnight police accommodation and the Canteen Creek airstrip. I am concerned your revote will fall short of delivering that infrastructure. I cannot give you a pass on that, Chief Minister, because nothing has happened. That is something I continually explain to my constituents.
My last concern relates to the Land Development Corporation and a question around $1m. I have said enough about that $1m over the last few days and frankly, Chief Minister, you have said enough as well.
I look forward to your wrap and the opportunity to participate in debate again at some stage.
Mrs FINOCCHIARO (Drysdale): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s midterm report. We are a little over half way through this four-year term and have already achieved so much.
The Country Liberals team has worked hard to find a balance between repairing the budget mess and addressing the rising cost of living. One example of this is the brilliant work to lower the cost of fuel for Territorians. With unleaded petrol in Darwin selling at around 154.9 per litre, it is clear the government’s work in recent weeks had a significant impact on the cost of fuel.
Palmerston residents are already noticing real savings of between $10 and $20 per tank. These savings can make a big difference for many families and are part of our commitment to address the cost of living.
A key to our government’s policies is to help the area grow in a sustainable and responsible way, encourage economic activity, secure our unique Territory lifestyle and create jobs for the future.
As a member of the strong Palmerston team I, along with the members for Blain and Brennan and the federal member for Solomon, understand the Palmerston region is growing. We have been doing all we can to ensure Palmerston continues to be a safe, affordable and enjoyable place for families and all Territorians to live, work and play.
I will outline some of the achievements this government has accomplished in only two years. When people look back on this government’s record and achievements, one of the greatest they will see is a bigger and better Palmerston Regional Hospital. Palmerston residents are excited about the early site works that have recently commenced for construction of Palmerston hospital.
I do not normally spend time dwelling on the previous decade of neglect under Labor as it gets quite scary. However, forgetting the economic recklessness of the Opposition Leader, and Labor’s endemic culture of ignoring problems in the hope they would go away, the previous government simply considered Palmerston an inconvenience – out of sight, out of mind.
This government does not treat Palmerston and rural residents that way. We recognise the potential value of all Northern Territory communities and know when a community needs vital infrastructure such as a real hospital.
Recently contractors started clearing land to enable access to the site. I admit, I took a deep breath and said almost with disbelief, ‘This is really happening. Finally, Palmerston and rural people will have their hospital.’
Palmerston residents and I have reason to be cautious about the announcement the hospital is under way. After all, we suffered through the former Labor government’s incompetence for eleven-and-a-half years. I was bemused to hear the Labor leader and failed former Deputy Chief Minister at the last sittings question us about the site clearing. She asked if we were ‘for real’.
Opposition Leader, what a hypocrite you are. You dare come into this House and throw criticism like that. Let me remind your evidently limited memory of you and your Labor government’s legacy on this issue. Eleven years of promises, 11 years of waiting then, prior to the 2012 general election, you erected an enormous and expensive temporary fence around an unsuitably small block in a bad location. You went to local businesses I know well, hired a couple of bulldozers and drove them around shifting dirt. Opposition Leader, are you for real?
We have commenced significant headworks. A major new intersection is under way, our site to sustain the next 50 years of health needs and growth has been selected, and all of this in two-and-a-half years. I wish, Opposition Leader, you had been even half as real as we are during your eleven-and-a-half years. Palmerston would have had a hospital in 2008, and we would not be in the budget mess we are. Thanks for your advice, but I will continue to work closely with the Minister for Health in regard to this project. I am grateful for her work and that of her department in making this dream become a reality.
The next step in the dream is very close, with a $6.5m upgrade of the Temple Terrace/Stuart Highway intersection to cater for our growing region. This government is taking a measured and considered approach to getting the hospital built. An operational and integral part of this is making sure the surrounding infrastructure is sound. The upgrade is important to improve safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, as well as to improve traffic flow as this area can become very congested. I look forward to progress of the hospital and the improvements to the Temple Terrace/Stuart Highway intersection.
Our government has been working hard to deliver affordable housing for Palmerston residents. There is a stark contrast between this government and the previous one in that we do not pretend we know what people want. We listen to the community then formulate and implement effective policies. It will come as a great surprise to the opposition, but the community want and expect more than expensive, glossy water parks. A great example of this relates to a huge issue for Palmerston families: the cost of rent. People tell me rent payments are a massive burden on their families, and extremely high rent costs in the area have been an issue for years.
To help tackle the cost of living you need to deal with skyrocketing rent prices head on. One way to offer affordable housing is through this government’s scheme to build 125 new homes worth $49m and rent them out at no more than 30% of the tenant’s income. Not everyone is eligible for Territory Housing, and those same people often cannot afford rent in the private market. This initiative goes some way to finding a middle ground and offering Territorians a better deal on their rent.
Over Easter this year I was overjoyed to welcome a new Drysdale constituent into one of the nine new apartments constructed in Driver. These new apartments in my electorate were constructed and will be managed by Venture Housing, the Territory’s affordable housing rental company.
This clever scheme is part of our Real Housing for Growth strategy, and I commend the work of both the Minister for Lands, Planning and the Environment and the Minister for Housing for working tirelessly to provide the affordable homes we need. Your work is making a real change to people’s lives, giving them opportunities that were non-existent under Labor.
It is no secret I am a fan of gardening, and certainly a huge fan of the Public Housing Garden Competition. For the last two years I have had the honour of presenting the Public Housing Garden Competition award Territory Housing celebrates each year. The competition encourages Territory Housing residents to grow a variety of edible, ornamental and floral plants which help beautify public housing residences.
Last year, the category for most productive garden was removed from the competition. This category allowed judging based on how productive a garden is: what produce it generates and how it contributes to household grocery supplies. I was disappointed about this and raised my concerns with the minister. The latest news is the category has been reinstated, which is an amazing outcome for residents who grow their own produce. I thank the Minister for Housing for listening to the community and bringing the category back so more Territory Housing residents can participate in this great competition.
Drysdale residents have a knack for gardening, and this is shown by the awards some of the Territory Housing tenants have won over the past two years. In 2012 Loretta Collins received the encouragement award in the Most Productive Garden category, while Val Miller also received an encouragement award for her garden in the Best Unit Garden category. Also in 2012 Florence Poole’s garden in Driver was highly commended in the Best House Garden category. I am thrilled to congratulate Thu Thi Pham, who has has won Best House Garden in both 2012 and 2013.
Another way our government is driving down the cost of living is by expediting land release. If there is one achievement all Territorians are incredibly proud of, it is our unprecedented land release program. The Minister for Lands, Planning and the Environment is bringing hope to families across the Northern Territory with his aggressive land release schedule. The 11 years of mismanagement by the former Labor government left the Northern Territory in a serious housing crisis. No one doubts this fact. Labor stifled development due to lack of an effective housing policy. Even Labor’s members would agree, albeit behind closed doors no doubt.
We see it as our duty, as a matter of urgency, to relieve the pressure on families and fix this mess. We are opening up numerous areas of land to allow properties to be built. Our agenda is simple: our communities are choking under high purchase and rent prices, and in order to relieve this pressure we are releasing land to help rebalance supply and demand. We envisage 6500 new dwellings being built over the next 10 years thanks to our ambitious Bringing on Territory Land Release program. Land at Holtze and Berrimah Farm will provide vital parcels needed to cater for our growing Top End. The development at Zuccoli has been remarkable. We have recently seen the very last parcel of Zuccoli release for expressions of interest – another feather in the cap of the Country Liberals government. If you add up all the land release by our government, nearly 6000 dwellings could be constructed on it. When I heard that statistic I was blown away.
It is no wonder we hear nothing from the opposition about our land release program. We have been kicking goals for two years while Labor’s decade of indecision resulted in the housing shortage we are busy alleviating.
Another impressive point to outline is our goal to make an average block of land in the new stages of Zuccoli cost between $160 000 and $180 000. Land in Palmerston has not been affordable for a long time. This is a blessing for young people and young families buying their first home.
We cannot forget the launch of the Lifestyle Homes display village at the Heights in Durack, where house and land packages starting at $495 000 are helping Territorians get into the market and create a home they can call their own. Offering more affordable land to Territorians is something I am proud of, and our team will push on with our ambitious land release program despite the negativity of those opposite.
August 2014 marked a great occasion with our government announcing development of the $300m Gateway Shopping Centre to be built in Palmerston. I was on hand to witness the Chief Minister turn the first sod. This is an exciting project and has everyone in my community talking. The Coombes Property Group has been given development approval for this massive project which is expected to provide employment for up to 3000 people through the construction process and subsequent operation of the centre. This significant announcement is the second major announcement from the Country Liberals team in recent times relating to major projects in Palmerston.
The $50m Palmerston Hotel is another sensational development planned for Palmerston, part of Stage 1 of the great Maluka Views development. I am already receiving comments from residents who are thrilled about the idea of a large shopping centre being built in our great city along with a large hotel.
Our vision for Palmerston includes a new major shopping centre, a new large hotel, a new hospital, four new suburbs and plans for two new schools. It is definitely an exciting time to be in Palmerston.
Without doubt, one of our other greatest legacies would be the duplication of Tiger Brennan Drive. The Australian government has contributed $70m to help upgrade Tiger Brennan Drive. From the outset, I thank the federal member for Solomon, Natasha Griggs, and Deputy Prime Minister and federal Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Hon Warren Truss, for their commitment to Darwin and Palmerston. Having forward thinking Liberal counterparts at a federal level helps when you want to build the future, as the Country Liberals are doing.
Recently the Tiger Brennan Drive section of Woolner Road and Dinah Beach Road has been made into dual lanes. This was followed up with the announcement the managing contract for the remainder of the duplication has been awarded to BMD Constructions. I am sure my fellow members have already used this new stretch of road and have seen how great it is. The next duplication stage will see 9 km of road developed and will bring much relief to motorists. I have heard from several people that leaving the city in the afternoon is now much easier thanks to the first duplication. I can only imagine the relief when the entire duplication is complete in 2016.
All these upgrades will make motorists happier; there is no question about that. A total of 18 000 vehicles use that road every day, so it is an example of a great project finally being delivered that will affect thousands of Territorians, most of whom live in Palmerston.
At the other end of Palmerston, as part of the 2014-15 budget, our government will install five CCTV cameras at the Elizabeth River Boat Ramp to increase security for everyone who uses the facility. The Palmerston Game Fishing Club and other associations are very pleased with this budget promise.
I am also pleased to report completion of the two shade sails to help keep Palmerston families out of the sun when fishing from the jetty. I inspected the completed structures and met some of the local fishermen already using the shelter who found it to be very relieving from the sun’s rays. I would like to thank the minister for Fisheries and his team for delivering this great project, also the Minister for Infrastructure.
Our Minister for Infrastructure is also the Minister for Transport so he is very busy but still has time to listen to the community. The people of Palmerston said the zebra crossing on Temple Terrace was not safe. The installation of a signalised pedestrian crossing is another fine example of a project already completed in our first years of government. Many locals lobbied me to get something done about the original crossing, so I am proud the lights have been completed and the crossing is fully functional and making a difference.
On a different note, the Territory continues to welcome the United States Marines personnel who rotate through the Top End as part of the partnership between our two countries in the areas of Defence and regional security, as well as the important role of helping with disaster and humanitarian efforts. The Marines strengthen our ties with America and also provide an economic boost to the region with retail trade, transport and recreation identified as the major beneficiaries. The Marines are a welcome addition to our community and I am pleased to have facilitated a partnership between the US Marines and Gray Primary School. The Marines offered to work with students from Years 3, 4 and 5 in order to improve reading, writing and mathematics. There are great relationships forming between the Marines and the students, and I am looking forward to welcoming next year’s rotation to Palmerston.
Earlier this year we heard the great news about the expansion of the Rosebery preschool which, in effect, doubles its capacity. A similar expansion has been undertaken at Durack Primary School, with its preschool getting much needed upgrades to accommodate the growing region. The work at Durack Primary School, costing $1m, has been very well received by staff and parents. Everyone knows land is an issue for Durack Primary School because it is on quite a constricted block, but some good plans were made for the project and I am pleased to see an extension to the preschool. The upgrades include a playroom, bathroom, storeroom, a quiet room and a new plant room. The verandah has also been expanded by 70 m. Work was carried out around the building’s drainage system. Further, to accommodate this extension the structural roof line has been extended meaning the preschool will be a larger, well-built facility that will last for decades to come.
Sport is a major component of our Northern Territory lifestyle and I work very hard with my community to support sporting and recreational clubs. Building on our list of achievements, it is important to outline another election commitment well under way. Thanks to this government, Satellite City BMX Club is the beneficiary of $300 000 in capital works executed in April last year for minor new works.
I inspected the facility and can report this grant will go a long way to improving things for the club. It was identified work was needed on the starters hill, the track required upgrades and there was a real need to build a new clubhouse and canteen with better toilet amenities. Club officials have expressed sheer delight at the upgrades to the Satellite City BMX track and say things are going nicely. I am sure the final developed facility in Palmerston will serve members and riders for many years to come.
While on the subject of sport and recreation, I cannot go further without commending the Sport Voucher Scheme, which has now grown bigger thanks to the additional $5m announced on budget night. We all want children to be as healthy and happy as they can, and participating in sport is such a significant aspect of a young person’s life. However, the issue many families in my electorate faced was the cost of sport, given registration fees and equipment could tally hundreds of dollars. With several kids the price is even higher.
Offering some financial support to parents to help pay for their child’s sport is another way we are reducing the cost of living. Each child is eligible for a total of $200 per year to undertake sport and recreational activities as well as artistic or cultural pursuits. This definitely takes some of the pressure off mums and dads and gets more kids into physical, recreational and cultural activities.
There are other great benefits as well. I have spoken to sporting clubs in Palmerston who rave about these vouchers. Having more children taking up these activities helps sustain the clubs and provides a boost in participation and, potentially, a bigger revenue stream.
Developing a passion for sport at an early age and creating healthy exercise habits are keys to addressing our nation’s obesity problem. Instead of burdening the healthcare system in the future with weight-related issues, it would be better to prevent obesity and save countless dollars in the process.
I was proud to advocate for the expansion of the scheme to include non-traditional sports such as SAM’s Dance Studio. I was approached with concerns that children could not use the vouchers to participate in dance training, so I took the matter up with the minister and he was very receptive to my suggestions for improvement.
As well as SAM’s Dance Studio, Gray Primary School contacted me to see if the vouchers could be used by students for their swimming program. Again the minister was very receptive to this. It is fantastic to see the scheme has now expanded to accommodate both types of activity. I see these vouchers as a terrific investment and actively promote them to all parents.
I was thrilled to see the Learn to Swim Voucher for toddlers introduced by our government as a way for parents to save money on swimming lessons and give their children the vital skills needed to stay safe around water.
All kids under five who have completed the government’s Water Safety Awareness Program and have not enrolled for preschool or school are eligible to use these vouchers for swimming lessons.
Mr GILES: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77, I request an extension of time for my colleague to complete her remarks.
Mrs FINOCCHIARO: Thank you. So, $200 a year is available for toddlers to learn swimming skills to help prevent drowning, a shocking and sad cause of death that too often hits our community hard.
Getting children into sport and recreation and learn to swim lessons has been welcomed by Territorians, with 38 000 vouchers redeemed already, a remarkable statistic.
Sometimes the little things can make a huge difference in an electorate, and Community Benefit Fund grants are an example of this. Drysdale loves the Community Benefit Fund.
As local members we often receive requests for funding or someone comes to us with a clever idea, but these requests or ideas often fall outside the realm of established grant programs. The Community Benefit Fund can help by giving community groups money to complete their project or get their ideas off the ground, all of which have a positive impact on the wider public.
Some recent beneficiaries of Community Benefit Fund grants are: the Top End Radio Controlled Car Association, which received $4812 to install a timing system for their remote control car racing; Palmerston Cricket Club received $5000 for upgrades to their nets; SIDS and Kids NT received a Holden station wagon to help deliver services and programs and continue fundraising to support those affected by the death of a child; Palmerston Men’s Shed received $4868 to purchase a lathe; Palmerston Rugby Union Club received $5000 to replace their air conditioner; Palmerston and Rural Seniors Week Committee received $5000 to host a free sunset cruise during Seniors Week; and Palmerston Ballet School received $5000 towards their ballet performance of Cinderella.
On 12 May 2014 I joined the Minister for Children and Families, the member for Blain and staff from Somerville Community Services to officially open stage 2 of Palmerston Community Care Centre. This was another election commitment delivered to Palmerston, with the Northern Territory government investing $2m towards the centre’s construction.
The facility provides important services such as family and support counselling, financial counselling and can assist people to manage their money better. People from all walks of life go through some hard times in their lives so it is vital for organisations like Somerville to be supported.
Palmerston and the outlying regions are growing rapidly, so our government knew Palmerston Community Care Centre would play a vital role now and into the future. Somerville recently hosted a community barbeque during Anti Poverty Week to raise awareness for those less fortunate, and I was lucky enough to help out at this successful event.
I contacted Ruth Rogerson from Somerville to offer my assistance. I was more than happy to lend them my tent and help feed the hordes of hungry bellies that strolled past. Well done to Ruth and the rest of the team for facilitating such a worthwhile and fun event, and a big thank you to Karlie for putting up with me making lolly covered cookies.
On a sadder note, I would like to pass on my sincere condolences to friends and family of Margaret Somerville who passed away on 30 July this year. Somerville Community Services is named after Margaret, who famously assisted in evacuating nearly 100 Indigenous children from an orphanage on Crocker Island to prevent it being bombed by the Japanese Air Force. Margaret’s subsequent actions, sometimes dubbed the ‘Croker Island Exodus’, where she was pivotal in guiding these children overland for 44 days and 5000 km, earned her the title of Member of the Order of the British Empire. She was also the first Australian woman presented with the Battle for Australia medallion. The survivors of this trek have previously detailed how Margaret and fellow missionaries defied orders to leave the children on the island; they stuck by the kids in their care. We have lost a truly courageous woman, but her story and memory will live on for years to come.
One of the largest flaws of the previous Labor government was the lack of developing industry or any economic activity in remote areas of the Northern Territory. The bush realised it had missed out on a decade of growth and business opportunities, which is a huge part of why people voted for us in 2012 and entrusted this government with bringing economic simulation to Indigenous communities.
A small but promising area I am following closely is the Indigenous art sphere. This year our government supported a group of Aboriginal artists from Desart to travel to Korea through an art exchange. The artists visited the country to raise awareness of the extraordinary product Central Australian Indigenous art is. Amongst the activities, artist and Desart CEO Philip Watkins gave several presentations promoting Aboriginal art and culture from the Central Australian region. Asia is developing an emerging market for Indigenous art, particularly China and Korea, so it is vital to help organisations succeed where we can.
The government provided well-received financial assistance and advice on exporting to such a potential market. Philip has already identified outcomes reached from this exchange, which include forming strong relationships with private and public galleries in Korea. This has already led to the establishment of an Aboriginal artwork and photography exhibition called ‘True Outback’. This is exciting news, and I look forward to hearing how it went after it opens in Seoul. Desart has connected some private collectors with two Central Australian art centres and, hopefully, this will amount to some transactions.
Around $40 000 of sales, which is a huge amount, has been reached thanks to the promotion of Aboriginal art through two exhibitions. Future exchanges have been discussed between the Arts Council Korea and Desart, and this government is keen to hear more about it. There is an increased market awareness of Northern Territory Indigenous art, and it is hoped the flow-on effects result in many more sales to the Korean population. Initiatives like this can go a long way to breaking into new markets or strengthening existing ones.
Let us not forget the impact this is having on Territory artists, who are growing personally and professionally from such an experience. Feedback obtained from one of the artists is heartwarming and very encouraging. Otto Sims from Yuendumu said:
Amongst all the progressive and innovative thinking led by this government, it is important to remember the past. This will be done when we commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I. The Chief Minister and I announced $4.5m for various programs and events that will run until late 2018. A major item in this program is the Anzac Spirit Study Tour to take a group of students to Gallipoli for them to participate in the Anzac Cove commemorations. In June we announced Anzac centenary grants to support organisations that wish to hold their own events to commemorate this important part of our history.
Another exciting event will be the historic Borella Ride, a re-enactment of Albert Borella’s amazing trek between Tennant Creek and Darwin to enlist to fight in World War I. Albert is the only Territorian to receive the Victoria Cross, and we were pleased to announce in August that Albert’s grandson, Richard Borella, will partake in the re-enactment that will visit major centres such as Tennant Creek, Elliott, Katherine and Darwin, whilst also stopping at smaller locations like Dunmarra and Daly Waters. I had the pleasure of meeting Richard, Rowan and Mary Borella during their visit to Darwin in August. They were as excited about the Borella Ride as we are. There is a long list of initiatives, and I encourage everyone to visit the Northern Territory Anzac Centenary website to find out more.
Finally, the YMCA in Palmerston does a fantastic job of providing a centre for young people to hang out in a safe and enjoyable environment. However, the pool tables were in complete disarray and we made sure the minister for Sport, Recreation and Racing was aware of this. Thankfully, he was able to secure a $22 000 grant for the YMCA to fix the ripped pool table covers so everyone could enjoy them once again. I thank him for that support.
Mr Deputy Speaker, these are some of the memorable achievements that have occurred in the two years we have been in government. I am exceedingly proud to be part of such a strong Country Liberals team fighting for the people of the Northern Territory and, in particular, the people of Palmerston. I commend this statement to the House.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Mr Deputy Speaker, I will sum up on the midterm statement of the Country Liberals government. I pay credit to the member for Drysdale for her contribution. She was the last member to contribute and I listened to her entire speech. What an outstanding effort Lia is doing in the seat of Drysdale and as parliamentary secretary for me, Chief Minister, supporting a range of things including the 40-year anniversary of Cyclone Tracy and the Anzacs.
I also thank my colleagues for doing a tremendous job with the Country Liberals team, particularly for Territorians. I thank and acknowledge key staff, without naming people, who have helped drive change and performance of government to date. Many key people in bureaucracy, led by the CEO of the Chief Minister’s department, Gary Barnes, Under Treasurer, Jodie Ryan and a range of other CEOs are all performing fantastically with a solid public service behind them. As Chief Minister, I say thank you very much for your hard work.
There is no doubt in the two years since 25 August 2012 there have been many political ups and downs. Most notably are the change of Chief Minister, a couple of reshuffles and portfolio changes. Media and opposition like to make light of that, as they should; that is how things work in politics. For all the trials and tribulations, from a political setting look at our performance.
I was discussing with the member for Blain, the parliamentary secretary for Business, what the member for Drysdale said about petrol prices – down to 154.9c. I said, ‘That can’t be. Yesterday it was 157c’. It is 154.9c, and if you have a Shop A Docket you can get it for 150.9c. Who would have thought that two months ago? Who would have thought in 2005, with the Parry report undertaken by the previous Labor government – where no action was taken? Who would have thought that in 2011, when the now Opposition Leader was Treasurer and prices started to spike – they have gone down since 2011? Who would have that thought when Dr Harry, the Country Liberals candidate for Casuarina raised the issue of petrol prices, got government’s attention as a good candidate does, and we took action? Who would have thought it would come down that much?
We said we wanted competition and leadership in price setting, and that has occurred. It may be temporary, it may be long-term or midterm, but government is determined to see change in that area. It has happened recently and is a fantastic outcome.
Look at our efforts around alcohol consumption in our two-year term. People said we would not drive down alcohol consumption in the Northern Territory. It is the lowest since the 1990s. The Minister for Health, the member for Araluen, in trying conditions, stood against a screaming and petulant opposition. They were demanding no alcohol mandatory treatment and opposed alcohol protection orders. The decried the temporary Beat locations, particularly in Alice Springs and Tennant Creek, and in Katherine on some occasions. They said it was not fair. They indicated it was racist but see what is happening. We have the lowest alcohol consumption since the 1990s. New figures will come out soon to show even lower consumption. We have the lowest crime figures since the 1990s and they are reducing by levels unheard of in the Territory’s history.
When we came to government not enough land was being released, not enough units or houses were being built and prices were going through the roof. We undertook a rapid land release process. A total of 5000 blocks have already been released in the Northern Territory under the Country Liberals government and price pressures, according to real estate agents, are coming down. We are escalating Kilgariff, rolling out Zuccoli, releasing more land in the northern suburbs, supporting infill development – 5000 blocks to date.
In this year’s budget $130m went towards commercial and industrial residential land release strategies – $85m for residential and $50m for industrial. That is amazing and will see 6500 blocks of land released across the Territory in urban, regional and remote centres. Kalkarindji will see land release. How good is that?
I have just been advised by my colleague, the member for Blain, that E10 fuel is now selling for 149.9c on Daly Street. Did you think you would see that? Success has many champions and everyone will say it was this person, that person, me, them or everyone else who solved that problem. It was a combination of a candidate for the Country Liberals who raised the issue, a government which responded, pressure by media, politicians who led and an industry that responded. It was a team effort, and if 149.9c is any result it is a good one.
In regard to debt, we came in with $5.5bn worth of debt. It is interesting to deconstruct that debt to see where it came from and when. My colleague, the Minister for Transport and Minister for Infrastructure, likes to hold up his pyramid of debt which indicates debt levels, the cycle of debt – this will be a lesson for the member for Casuarina, the only Labor member in the Chamber tonight. Member for Casuarina, I note your colleagues do not want to hear the good news of government, but this is government net debt. You will see the red is Labor, the blue is Liberal and the red is Labor.
The thing about Labor, the mob you signed up to – I know Delia and the others are not here, but member for Casuarina this is a good chance to explain this. When Labor is in debt goes up, when the Liberals are in it goes down. We saved money, Labor comes in and debt goes up again.
They say recessions are cyclical. It would seem when Labor is in government recession and debt occurs, and when Liberals are in government it disappears. I understand the challenge.
You can see, member for Casuarina – I know your colleagues do not want to be here, but this is non-financial public sector net debt. It tracks along very well from 1990 to 2001, Labor comes in and it increases a little then it continues, then it gets to the point when Delia becomes Treasurer and it is obvious to see …
Mr VOWLES: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! He needs to refer to the member for Karama by her proper title.
Mr GILES: Sorry, Ms Delia Lawrie becomes Treasurer and the debt level goes straight …
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, the Leader of the Opposition. Chief Minister, it should be member for.
Mr GILES: The Leader of the Opposition comes in and the debt level goes up. Many people would contribute this to Paul Henderson, former Chief Minister, but Delia put that up ...
Mr VOWLES: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker!
Mr GILES: Sorry, Leader of the Opposition I should say. It was Delia’s debt, deficit and deceit model during the last five years. That is what drove it up.
One of the challenges we had was the $5.5bn debt. We had enormous deficits and enormous debts and, for the member for Johnston’s benefit, there is a difference between deficit and debt and we have had trouble with both since 25 August 2012.
We worked hard to get the deficit under control. We have a fiscal strategy – unlike the former Labor government, particularly the then Treasurer now Leader of the Opposition, the member for Karama – of balancing the budget by 2017-18 and are well on track to an operating surplus. I will be interested in the next TAFR so we can gauge where we are.
Of course, some of those figures will be a little misguided because of the delay in the 30-year $1.8bn prison running a few months behind schedule thanks to the contracting efforts of the former Treasurer now Leader of the Opposition. Let us wait for the TAFR and you will see the Country Liberals government has performed quite well.
You will see the $5.5bn debt slowly but surely being eroded saving interest repayments so we can spend on important community things like the environment, social infrastructure like schools, cultural institutions like arts and museums, or economic building infrastructure such as roads, bridges and ports. You can see a common theme over the two years of crime and debt going down.
The third pillar we have been working on is the strength of the economy. In the CommSec report released recently, of eight key indicators from around the nation the Northern Territory is leading five including economic growth, construction, construction purchases, retail spending and unemployment. It shows labour force participation statistics far exceeding the rest of the nation and having a high level of employment balanced against unemployment in the correlation of those figures.
Economic growth is continuing, but when we came to government – this is a very important point – there was a major project, INPEX, and I give credit to both Clare and Paul for their work in getting that project. It is now my job as Chief Minister, and this government’s job, to deliver the next phase, which is getting the project to the point where it is producing gas at the back end of 2016.
I acknowledge that, but you have to look beyond that and see where the other projects are in the pipeline and what is coming next. The projects are already coming. The live cattle trade has been re-established and is bigger than ever. We are now getting into agribusiness and horticulture, tourism is picking up like never before, and Virgin has just announced it is returning to the Territory with a bigger and better footprint.
We are seeing the economic activity that will happen with Palmerston hospital. I have already spoken of the land release strategy, our investment in homelands and other community services and the biggest infrastructure program the Territory has ever seen. It continues to roll out and get bigger and better and the economy is going from strength to strength.
However, it is important to not just focus on ourselves. I am keen to talk about Territorians and what is happening across the Territory. It is not just about our side of the Chamber; we have to look at what is happening on the other side.
The other side of the Chamber has lost 25% of its members in two years, albeit they only have eight and have lost two, but they were the two most experienced members. Of course, the long-term member for Karama is still there, the one who managed to get the Territory into so much debt singlehandedly. She is guiding a party which, after two years in opposition, does not have a policy. They have a mode of operation which seems to be followed on a regular basis: attack the person. It is not play the game or the ball, but attack the person.
No matter what happens in this Chamber or in public – this is a good lesson for you, member for Casuarina – get into the policy and have a proper debate. Do not abuse or attack people like the stressed out member for Barkly, who threatens to beat people up in the car park when he does not get his own way. Perhaps he needs another six months’ leave on a taxpayer funded budget. Perhaps he needs to calm down and not threaten people on the floor of parliament. That is an example of what happens on the other side.
Labor is disjointed, has no unity, no common theme and cannot find a leader. The member for Karama wants to be leader but the other seven members do not want that. She has managed to cajole the member for Nightcliff, who sits behind her squawking and yelling on a regular basis. The member for Nhulunbuy screams and cries loudly all the time. The member for Johnston is a good bloke. If he could manage to get the members for Wanguri and Fannie Bay – he does not like the member for Barkly. He cringes every time Gerry runs a stressful rant across the Chamber. We all laugh when the member for Barkly speaks because the member for Johnston cringes, ‘I’ll be on camera while the member for Barkly talks rubbish for the next 20 minutes’. I know you are laughing right now, member for Johnston because you know it is true. I hope you did not back this bloke to be deputy Opposition Leader because you must be sorry now.
Member for Johnston, you have had two years of pain sitting in that chair. You are a good bloke, and a fun character, but you are stuck with it. Perhaps you should swap seats with the member for Casuarina so she can see what the member for Barkly is like, and you can both sit at the back and chat. You might meet the members for Fannie Bay and Wanguri, form a pact then you could run a leadership spill. Perhaps you should be leader, member for Johnston. That would be fantastic and we could enjoy what happens in the Chamber rather than being abused and threatened with violence by the member for Barkly, who seems to be so stressed he cannot do his job.
Talking about stress, the member for Karama is a bit stressed out too. She was slamming doors and having hissy fits last night because the legislation around the Land Development Corporation did not go her way. You need to watch out for that door; you do not want it slammed as you walk out, member for Johnston. It is a fiery Leader of the Opposition you have. One is slamming doors and the other threatening to beat people up in the car park.
It is no wonder there are tears of laughter coming from your eyes. You know how bad the member for Barkly is. Someone give this man a box of Kleenex. Come on member for Casuarina, surely you have a tissue. He is crying from laughing so much. Do you know what the funny part is? Every time Delia leaves the room Michael Gunner does the numbers. We laugh about it on a regular basis. Delia leaves and Michael talks to the members for Nhulunbuy and Nightcliff, or he works the room a little and does not hide it. The member for Johnston is calling to the member for Fannie Bay, ‘Have a quick chat while Delia is not in the room’ …
Mr VOWLES: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! There has been a lot of leeway, and as much as it is entertaining for his side of the House, could we get back to the statement please?
Mr GILES: You are laughing more than anyone else.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please refrain from using people’s names; use their title, thank you.
Mrs FINOCCHIARO: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77, I seek an extension of time for the Chief Minister.
Motion agreed to.
Mr GILES: Sometimes in this Chamber it is hard for people to say yes or no – the ayes have it, the noes have it – it is hard. On my extension there was only one aye. Should the Chief Minister have another 10 minutes? Who said aye? The member for Johnston. He wants another 10 minutes of how bad the Labor Party is.
We acknowledge we have had political ups and downs over the last few years, but we are performing as a government, albeit supported by fantastic staff and bureaucracy within the Northern Territory government. Eight people on that side have done little over the last two years. You have no policy and are stuck behind the member for Barkly. Between now and the next sittings I will get you a screwdriver. Do you know how you change the seats here? It is very simple. You just need a Phillips-head screwdriver to undo the nameplate, move it to the next table and you can sit behind someone else.
The question is: who would you sit behind? You would not move to the right because you do not want to sit behind the member for Karama. You cannot move to the left – the member for Casuarina has just as many giggles on her face as you do, member for Johnston. We cannot put you there. Perhaps we should bring you forward and send the cranky ones to the back. The first policy from the Labor Party could be if you threaten to beat people up in the car park because you are so stressed you go to the back. You should put the member for Barkly at the back and you come to the front. At least we can see you laughing and smiling all the time. That way the members for Karama and Nightcliff would be sitting behind you.
On television, when the member for Karama is talking the member for Nightcliff is pulling all those faces. That is what it would be if you were in the front and the member for Barkly was behind. You could see the steam coming from his ears, the hair going curly and him pumping the desk. It would be fantastic. Sorry, someone get him another tissue ...
Mr Vowles: Oh, mate, I am not well.
Mr GILES: Someone get the member for Johnston another tissue, Mr Deputy Speaker.
I might have made a point. Yes, we have had our ups and downs on this side of the Chamber, but government is going well,
You see that at Daly Street United – thanks very much, David for being a price leader with 149.9c for E10 RON 95 premium unleaded fuel. That is a fantastic outcome.
One of the challenges for government is how to work with industry to make it last longer. I imagine it cannot remain at a 149c for too long, but being a price leader it is one of the competitive cycles you move into. We will continue with the things we are doing to make sure petrol prices are in a more malleable or competitive environment. We will continue to make tough decisions when we need to, cop the criticism when we get it wrong and feel the pain when we are in the middle of making those decisions. However, we expect a competent opposition to hold us to account on policy, democracy and debate, not to abuse us or call us names. What happened in this Chamber today was a disgrace for democracy, a disgrace for the Chamber and a disgrace for the Northern Territory.
It is hard not to go to those depths and play the same game, but we have to rise above it and we always try to. I thank the team on this side – all 14 of us, including you, Mr Deputy Speaker. We are a fantastic team. It is hard to build a good team. We have a great team and will continue to grow and prosper and, most importantly, represent the interests of Territorians and make sure our kids have jobs and futures, and their kids have jobs and futures.
We will always protect our environment and our lifestyle and do the tough things we need to do in government, such as make a decision on TIO. It will not be easy, but we will have to make the decision. We know we will cop abuse and swearing from the opposition. We know we will probably cop it from the member for Nelson, but we will make the tough necessary decisions to make sure TIO stays in the Territory, the ‘T’ in TIO always remains ‘the Territory’ and TIO never dies. That is what we will do.
I thank all those who participated in the debate. I thank the member for Johnston for his jovial response and good humour during this debate. Next time we have a similar debate I will bring in that cute fluffy Shar-Pei dog and some Kleenex. You can cuddle up to her and wipe you tears away on the fur of the dog. You will love that.
You should have been born a Liberal. You would not have to put up with the cranky pants sitting in front of you – both of them. You must be disappointed. You must go home at night so irate. You will go home tonight smiling and thinking, ‘Why wasn’t I born a Liberal?’ You will cuddle up to the little Shar-Pei dog. I commend the statement to the House.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I table three travel reports from the members for Nhulunbuy, Fannie Bay and Namatjira, pursuant to clause 4.12 of the Remuneration Tribunal Determination.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
It is with great regret that I acknowledge the life and work of Barbara Bradshaw nee Tully who passed away recently after a long and courageous battle with cancer. I acknowledge the presence of Robert Bradshaw, Barbara’s husband, in the gallery today.
Prior to her untimely passing, Barbara was a long time Darwin resident coming to the Territory in 1982, and a well-respected and dedicated member of the Territory’s legal profession. She was formerly a long-term employee of the Department of Law, which is now the Department of Attorney-General and Justice, where she was at various times a policy lawyer, the Deputy Master of the Supreme Court, Registrar of Companies, Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commissioner and Registrar of Credit Unions and Building Societies.
Outside the public sector, Barbara also served as the general manager of the Traditional Credit Union. In this role she showed not only a passion for helping Indigenous people in remote areas to access banking services, but also a wider passion for improving the situation of Indigenous people in remote areas more generally, such as the availability of fairly priced, healthy food in communities.
Barbara was also well known for her capacity for hard work, supportive leadership and sound policy advice. She was instrumental in shaping significant legislative reforms, many of which continue to impact on the Territory and legal profession today and will continue to do so into the future. Her most recent professional role was as Director of Legislative Reform at the Department of Children and Families. Barbara also oversaw the transition, in 1986, of the NT from the out-dated Companies Act from the 1960s to the modern national companies and securities scheme.
From 2003 to 2011, Barb served as CEO of the Law Society of the NT. In this role she provided much guidance and support to practitioners and the community, and was instrumental in the development of the national legal practitioner regulation reforms. It was in these circumstances that I first had dealings with Barbara as an adviser to the Leader of the Opposition after I came to Darwin, returning from Alice Springs after eight years in the Legislative Assembly there. She was kind, considerate, thoughtful and listened at all times to what I had to say and gave guidance and represented the needs and expectations of the Law Society.
Barbara always had the interests of smaller jurisdictions, particularly the Northern Territory, at heart and always strove to make sure the push for national consistency did not come at the expense of the Territory. She was highly regarded as a source of reliable and sound policy input at the national level. In addition, she was an accessible and supportive mentor to many young lawyers.
As you can see from this long list of achievements, Mrs Bradshaw’s professional contribution to the Territory, particularly to the Territory legal and financial regulation and statute book, has been significant.
In her personal life, she was a devoted and loving mother to her daughter Mary, a loving wife to her husband Robert, and trusted and loyal friend to many. She loved nothing better than catching up with good friends and colleagues over lunch. She was a passionate supporter of the provision of cancer services to Territorians in the Territory and held the role of President of the Northern Territory Breast Cancer Voice Incorporated and lobbied strong and hard for the Alan Walker Cancer Care Centre.
Barb was many things. She was clever, funny, tenacious, eccentric and loyal. She will be sadly missed by her many friends and her colleagues in Darwin and across Australia, including in her hometown of Bathurst. Many Territorians and former Territorians made their way to Bathurst for her recent funeral and to celebrate her life.
Barbara is survived by her husband Robert, her daughter Mary and her mother Judith Tully. Our thoughts and our prayers are with them.
I could not imagine what it is to lose a loved one to cancer, particularly one I spent so many years with. The thought of losing my wife leaves me almost struggling for breath. My deep and heartfelt commiserations go to Robert and his family. and I will remember Barbara and Robert and the family members in my prayers. God rest her soul.
Mr GILES (Braitling): Mr Deputy Speaker, it is with sadness I note the death of John Tye affectionately known as Bubba. John Tye was born in Darwin in 1951, the second son of Mavis and George Tye.
He has an older brother, Arthur, younger twin brothers, Barry and Phillip, and sisters Shirley and Jennie. Bubba’s father died when he was only 12 and that placed enormous financial pressure on his family. He was forced to leave school at an early age and got a job at an abattoir past Berrimah.
Bubba was known for his competitive nature in almost everything he tried and as a bit of a larrikin who loved a drink with his mates. Bubba was an outstanding sportsman, playing basketball for Pioneers and rugby league for Berrimah, but it was Aussie Rules where he truly excelled.
Bubba began his Aussie Rules career when he was only seven years old with the Darwin Football Club Colts. He played his first A-grade game aged 16 and became known for amazing talents on a wet ground. Giving the eulogy at Bubba’s funeral, close friend and former coach Bob Elix described Bubba’s football prowess as something mere mortals could only envy.
In the words of respected sports journalist Dennis Booth, Bubba was:
In 1974 Bubba captained the Northern Territory side in an historic win against Queensland in Brisbane. In all, he played 138 games for Nightcliff Tigers and 129 for Darwin Football Club. Bubba won the Nichols Medal in 1979 and, in 1990, a special NTFL panel named him the best player since Cyclone Tracy.
Collingwood tried to recruit him in his heyday but as the story goes, he was being interviewed by a tetotalling Tom Hafey at a bar in Darwin in the early hours of the morning when a very merry Bubba fell off a bar stool, effectively ending the interview and ending any chance of ever playing for Collingwood. He played for Norwood in the SANFL, but only lasted a season because he was terribly homesick.
His prowess on the football field was matched by his love of fishing. Friends say Bubba was well-known for his many creative fishing skills, some of which were considered even legal. He was a generous man who loved nothing more than to take the southerners out fishing and show them his Territory.
He worked as a driver for the Northern Territory government for a while, driving ministers to various functions then driving them home afterwards. A friend recounted a story about Bubba and a former minister at a Darwin Cup event, when after an hour or so the minister turned to Bubba and said, ‘It’s time to go’, to which Bubba responded, ‘I’m too drunk, you better drive me home’, so the minister drove him home. I suspect, but do not know, that might have been former Deputy Chief Minister Barry Coulter, who spoke about Bubba’s fantastic driving skills as being more of a job sharing arrangement than a career in itself.
In 1997 Bubba moved to Mandorah to enjoy a peaceful life fishing, crabbing and spending time with his many mates. Friends say one thing that set Bubba apart from many others was his nature and generosity of spirit. He was a character, a sportsman, fisherman, father and Territory legend. Our thoughts are with his family, son Shannon and daughter Cara.
Mr BARRETT (Blain): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s adjournment speech on Bubba. I worked with him at Patrick Stevedoring for a few years and knew him as one of the most colourful characters I have ever met.
He often spoke to me about how good he was at football. We would joke about it, and it was not until he had passed away and I heard all the things others said that I realised how good he was at the game.
He was definitely a generous caring guy in his own way. He was often pretty cranky, and I have some funny stories about him. I can remember him working in the rain at 4 am putting cattle on a boat and talking about all kinds of crazy things. He said one time he was fishing on a barra vessel on the Roper River and the net became stuck in the propeller. Somebody had to jump over the side and cut the net away. If you know anything about the Northern Territory you know there are lots of large crocodiles in that river. He said it was pretty scary. The crocodiles would follow the boats around because of the fish cleaning etcetera. I recall Bubba saying it was the scariest thing he had ever done. He sat on the back of the boat, drank a couple of cans of liquid courage, jumped over the side, held his breath, cut the net away and lived to tell the story.
He was one of the most colourful guys I have ever met. My condolences go to his son, Shannon and the family. All the guys who work at East Arm Wharf will remember him fondly. May he rest in peace.
Mrs LAMBLEY (Araluen): Mr Deputy Speaker, the Country Liberals government is considering the possible regulation of electronic cigarettes. We are not considering banning electronic cigarettes, but whether we should tighten regulations around the product and whether electronic cigarettes should be subject to the same regulations as tobacco cigarettes, particularly to protect children.
Electronic cigarettes containing nicotine are already banned under Territory poisons and dangerous drugs legislation, including the supply, possession and use of nicotine electronic cigarettes for all ages, including those under 18. However, there are currently no regulations on the supply or use of electronic cigarettes which do not contain nicotine. Anyone can buy them, including children. There is evidence both the nicotine and nicotine-free e-cigarettes are currently readily available throughout the Northern Territory.
Electronic cigarettes have been identified for sale in a number of retail outlets in the Northern Territory, including service stations, tobacconists and speciality stores. On the surface it is practically impossible to tell the difference between e-cigarettes which contain nicotine and those which are nicotine-free.
Unless the product packaging accurately identifies whether or not the product contains nicotine, the only way to differentiate between them is through an expensive chemical testing process.
Within the health sector, there is a strong belief the promotion, sale and use of products which resembles cigarettes contradict anti-smoking strategies, especially in the eyes of children. The Australian Medical Association NT believes e-cigarettes should not be marketed to anyone for recreational use. Doctors do not want e-cigarettes to serve as a gateway to smoking or nicotine addiction for new smokers, particularly children and young people. The AMA NT says there is currently insufficient evidence on the comparative risks or benefits of e-cigarettes. While the AMA supports access to safe and effective smoking cessation options, it believes more evidence and research is required to establish the risks and benefits of e-cigarettes and, therefore, e-cigarettes should be subject to the same comprehensive ban on advertising that applies to tobacco products.
As a result of the unknown health risks, the majority of Australian jurisdictions are considering regulations for the supply and use of electronic cigarettes within tobacco legislation. The NT does not have a policy position on electronic cigarettes, so this Country Liberals government thought it was time to conduct some research and let the public know this issue is under consideration. I emphasise it is not the intention of this government to ban e-cigarettes.
Ms MOSS (Casuarina): Mr Deputy Speaker, I acknowledge some of our local multicultural groups who have celebrated a number of events recently.
I have had the privilege to attend many events organised by hard-working committees and volunteers across the Darwin area, and I extend my deepest congratulations and gratitude to them all for being so welcoming. These opportunities to share, learn and celebrate together are an important part of Territory life, and to fostering strong and lasting relationships.
In August, the Filipino-Australian Association of the Northern Territory held its 18th annual Barrio Fiesta which I attended with the Leader of the Opposition. The event showcased the talents and contributions of the Filipino community and included dance and the Megaworld Voice Competition. Philippine Navy officers and families also contributed to performances on the night, and I congratulate Mr Oscar Parian and the committee on the organisation of the evening.
In September, the Chung Wah Society celebrated the beautiful Moon Festival. It was a wonderful night for families and friends to come together, and included the Jade Dragons Chinese dance troupe and the children’s parade of handmade lanterns, of which there were many.
At the Darwin Malayalee Association Onam celebrations, alongside the Leader of the Opposition, I joined the community to enjoy the celebrations, ceremony and wonderful performances. This was my first time attending the Onam celebrations, and to be so welcomed as part of their proceedings was an honour. Thank you to Tomy Jacob and the committee, and congratulations on a successful night.
After meeting committee members when doorknocking, I was pleased to attend the Dashain celebrations organised by the Nepalese Association of the NT. This was a beautiful and joyful event for the longest festival celebrated with ceremony and dance in Nepal.
It was also a pleasure to attend the Indian Cultural Society event for Navratri. This was a vibrant evening of celebration to mark the end of the festival held at Marrara Indoor Stadium. It was incredible to watch the dancing and enjoy supper with members of that community. I commend President Mr Alex Mohan and the committee.
The Leader of the Opposition, the member for Wanguri and I attended the Islamic Society of Darwin’s Eid celebrations and welcoming of Imam Daud Likangala Dlongolo. The celebration was well attended and reflected on themes relevant to all of us: peace, solidarity and community. Student groups played a huge role performing a number of songs, and it was great to see the community hall. It was a touching evening and a pleasure to attend.
Later that evening, the Fiji Association NT held its Fiji celebrations and the food, performance and hospitality were wonderful. Participation from all age groups was a lovely thing to witness and dancing continued well into the evening.
It has been a privilege to attend these events over the last six weeks. The concentration of that many multicultural events in that short space of time speaks for our beautiful multicultural community. Territory Labor is proud of its support of our multicultural communities which contribute enormously to the Territory we love. I am pleased to speak about them tonight.
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Mr Deputy Speaker, tonight I talk about a number of great achievements in Nhulunbuy.
The 2014 Gove AFL grand final was held on 13 September at Hindle Oval, Nhulunbuy. The final was a hard and fast match played between Gopu and Nguykal. Both teams performed outstandingly, but in the end Nguykal claimed the flag for the second year in a row defeating Gopu by 13 points with a final score of 60:47. It was an excellent day with entertaining commentary from our community radio station Gove FM by Rob Stewart, Hamish Simpson and Shane Guiney, better known as Shiney.
Referees Joshua James and Paul Asmussen were flown over from Darwin, and many thanks to AFL NT for its support. In fact, they flew referees out the week before. I give a huge thanks to Fiona Djerrkura and her partner Jerry, who managed the scoreboard on the day and throughout most of the season. The match manager on the day, also over from Darwin, was Darryl Griffiths from AFL NT.
Second placed team for the season, Gopu, was coached by Thomas Amagula and managed by Binmila Yunupingu. The players voted best on ground from this team, Gopu, in the final were Marshall Gurruwiwi, Cedrick Marika, captain, Russel Gurruwiwi, Malakai Wunungmurra, Merryl Gurruwiwi and Donga Maymuru. The rest of the team for Gopu was made up of Sid B Yunupingu, Nathan Thorne, Jeremy Yunupingu, Kevin Austral, Jay Marika, Gapirri Yunupingu, Sean Yunupingu, Carlos Gurruwiwi, Sebastian Yunupingu, Samuel Munyarryan, Datji Munungurr, Gavin Wunungmurra, Balumba Gondara, Wilo Purantatameri, Micah Pascoe, Stanley and Phillip Purantatameri and Clayton Yunupingu.
The premiership winning team, Nguykal, was coached by Mungurra Maymuru. Voted best on ground from this team were Matt Kidner, Nathan Djerrkura – Nathan plays for Territory Thunder – Rob Clements, director of the Clontarf Academy at Yirrkala School, Ricardo Munungurr, Caine Atkinson and Marcus Lacey, with Matt Houston being named as the Billy Buckle medallist. Matt Houston, God love him, went down just a few minutes before the end of the game with an injury and was taken off in an ambulance and medivaced to Darwin. Thankfully, all is good with Matt. He was incredibly disappointed not to be on the ground for the final minutes of the game.
Other players on the Nguykal team were Christopher Munungurr, Boaz Wanambi, Jamie Wunungmurra, Daryl Lacey, Dhangatji Munungurr, Ngalkin Munungurr, Gurrina Munungurr, Paul Augustin, Gatha Munungurr, Muzza Marika, Tony Wanambi, Bawakarri Wunungmurra, Tyson Wangurra, Damien Djerrkura and Yirrmal Marika. Yirrmal came all the way from Melbourne to play that game, and what a great game he had. Also, we had Ben Wheatley, Harry Walker and VJ Saffi.
The 2014 season was a huge success and GAFL has managed to achieve a number of objectives during the 2014 season including all players being registered on SportingPulse, three out of the four Gove sides travelling to Gapuwiyak to play, Gapuwiyak travelling to Nhulunbuy for all games and making the finals – keep in mind the trip from Gapuwiyak to Nhulunbuy is around two-and-a-half hours on the Central Arnhem Road, so it is a few hours of travel. Also, all teams had the opportunity to play home games at their respective communities. The other really important objective achieved during the season was 12 Indigenous umpires officiating games throughout the year, more than half for the first time.
GAFL has named the following as their major sponsors: Gumatj Corporation, Miwatj Health, me as local member and Rio Tinto Alcan. I would like to congratulate all the umpires and administrators involved and the GAFL clubs of Baywara, Djarrak, Gapuwiyak, Gopu and Nguykal for being part of making 2014 another successful year.
It is sad that this year the Walkabout Cats football team basically went under. It was predominantly a team made up of fellows from Rio Tinto, but they had a number of local Yolngu blokes on their team as well. They simply could not raise the team because of the downturn in Nhulunbuy and the number of people who have left.
A huge thanks to Mick Montague, our NT AFL development officer in Nhulunbuy. He can also be credited with getting the Gapuwiyak team into the competition a couple of years ago when he resided there and was an NT AFL development officer. All power to Mick, who nearly singlehandedly keeps the competition alive.
I place on the record the Nhulunbuy Christian College’s 15th birthday party and open day celebrations. This was held in Nhulunbuy on a Saturday morning. Kylie Farnsworth, a long-serving and talented art teacher, was the open day coordinator and the celebration was a huge success.
A list of events took place during the hours it was open on the Saturday morning. We had a violin recital, a gymnastic performance, dancing displays, a jumping castle, cake cutting, face painting, student displays of artwork and the school displayed enormous generosity during the day.
It used this open day as a fundraiser for the School of St Yared in Ethiopia, and all funds raised went to supporting children at that school. Former Nhulunbuy Christian College Principal Steve Venour and his wife Sally are currently working and living in Ethiopia with their two girls.
The day also included a detailed and interesting library exhibition of Nhulunbuy Christian College’s history put together by Kylie Farnsworth. Nhulunbuy Christian College began in about 1997 following negotiation with community and a bit of lobbying with Christian Schools Australia, and in that day it was Nabalco.
The school first opened its doors in 1999 with 29 students, two classrooms, one teacher and a principal. Student enrolments peaked this year at 203, and approximately 180 students are predicted for the commencement of 2015. That is phenomenal and includes students from Transition through to Year 9.
Nhulunbuy Christian College has thanked the following for their sponsorship and support, obviously acknowledging the school community, the parents and students, but also Woolworths, Airnorth, the Gove Community Garden, Nhulunbuy Library, Gove Peninsula Festival, Gove FM, Arafura Times and I was once again pleased to be a sponsor of the event knowing my financial contribution went directly to the School of St Yared in Ethiopia.
I place on the record the Shepherdson College 40th anniversary of bilingual education celebration held at Galiwinku on Elcho Island, to the north of my electorate. Shepherdson College celebrated 40 years of bilingual education on 29 August, which was the Friday after the last sittings.
Unfortunately I was unable to attend this landmark event; however, an achievement of this significance needs to be placed on the record. I was delighted that in my absence the Opposition Leader, Delia Lawrie was able to attend, along with the member for Nightcliff, Natasha Fyles.
The day was emceed by Mavis Gamambarr, with Welcome to Country performed by Danny Djapala, Richard Gandhuwuy and Geoffrey Garrawurra. Speakers on the day included Peter Hilbig, Shepherdson College director, who has done an awesome job in the time he has been there.
Speakers also included Valerie Bulkunu, a current teacher at Shepherdson College, Joanne Garngulkpuy, who is associated with Yalu and is also a former Shepherdson teacher. She is the Yalu founding member and continues to do great work in Yalu. There was also Daisy Nyarrwanyarrwa, former teacher, literacy worker and community liaison officer, and Dorothy Gapany, a former teacher, assistant teacher and Families as First Teachers educator.
In addition to guest speakers, the day included a presentation on the Literacy Production Centre past, present and future. There were classroom visits, a family and community barbeque, a discussion forum on bilingual education with the student leadership group involved, a history workshop made up of four groups each investigating bilingual education at Shepherdson College from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s or the 2000s. The day concluded with a school dinner for past and current staff and invited guests, followed by the coming together of the history workshop where they shared stories about the decades.
I was also pleased to provide sponsorship to help stage the celebration, and I congratulate the community of Galiwinku and Shepherdson College on this milestone.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
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Madam Speaker Purick took the Chair at 10 am.STATEMENT BY SPEAKER
Attack on Parliament House, Ottawa
Attack on Parliament House, Ottawa
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it is with great regret that I advise the Assembly fatal shootings have occurred at the Parliament of Canada, Ottawa. On your behalf, I will be writing to the presiding officers to express sympathy and support for all members, staff and officers in both Houses. I trust you will join me in condemning the disgraceful attack on the democratic seat of government in Canada.
Honourable members, we have already made contact with the Clerk’s office and the Speaker’s office in Canada and sent them our best wishes on behalf of all members. They have thanked us for that because the Canadian parliament precinct is still in lockdown.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister)(by leave): Madam Speaker, my thoughts, and this government’s thoughts and prayers, go out to our colleagues in the Canadian parliament today as they deal with the overnight attack on the country’s highest institution.
This attack on a sister parliament on the other side of the world is nothing short of an attack on democracy itself. Canada, a country which shares similar values to Australia and the Northern Territory, was under attack today. Parliaments are a place for open and free debate not gunfire. This incident is nothing short of an attack on democracy itself and should be condemned in the strongest terms.
The details are still unclear, but we know a gunman attacked a parliament building overnight. Shortly after, a soldier was shot dead at a nearby war memorial forcing the capital of Ottawa into lockdown. We understand the gunman was shot dead by the parliament’s Sergeant-at-Arms, who has been hailed a hero by MPs caught in the building as dozens of shots were fired.
Vision of the attack is chilling and disturbing. Those who question recent increases in Australian security measures should look no further than this incident to understand why it was necessary. It is a sad reality that Australia’s willingness to stand up for the most vulnerable and oppressed around the world makes it a target for extremists. This could happen anywhere which is why, at the most recent Council of Australian Governments meeting, I joined fellow state, territory and federal leaders in committing to taking all necessary steps to protect the Australian community from homegrown terrorism.
Leaders discussed both the issues of extremism and terrorism. We affirmed our commitment to work together to strengthen engagement with Australian communities and community leaders to counter radicalisation and reduce the influence of Australians returning from fighting with terrorist organisations abroad.
I want Territorians to know I am working closely with our law enforcement agencies to ensure the community is protected and is offered the best possible protection from any future risks.
In response to raising the national terrorism public alert level from medium to high in September, authorities have assessed security settings and procedures and increased protection for key assets where necessary. Our security plans are continually assessed, monitored and updated and appropriate steps are being taken to respond to changes to the threat level in the Northern Territory on a regular basis.
The Northern Territory participates in and contributes to national counter-terrorism strategies and arrangements and is well practised in specific counter-terrorism plans and procedures.
I have said before I want Territorians to be alert to the risks, to be vigilant but not alarmed. The last thing I want is for the Northern Territory and Territorians to lose that laid back spirit. Balancing the measures of risk versus reward of an open lifestyle is a challenge. We have to protect ourselves but we also want an open environment for all to enjoy.
The Territory is a multicultural environment, a multicultural society that welcomes people from all around the world. Recent events should not allow that to change. I want Territorians to know we continue to assess our risks. What occurred in Ottawa overnight is disturbing. We will make sure we manage the level of risk as best we can, ensuring all protections are put in place for Territorians while balancing that with the open and free lifestyle we appreciate in the Northern Territory.
Ms LAWRIE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, thank you for raising this very shocking incident. The incident in Ottawa was truly a despicable attack on democracy. We hear reports that a soldier has lost his life in the shooting at a nearby war memorial.
The gunman then went on to attack parliament buildings, where we hear reports a parliamentary staff member was wounded prior to the parliament’s Sergeant-at-Arms shooting the gunman dead before he could take any more lives.
A Canadian member of parliament, speaking on ABC radio today, mentioned the important public nature of their parliament on the hill. He spoke about how Canadians value Parliament Hill as critical to their democracy, a place that is frequented by the public, whether for protests about public policy issues or as an open space. Our condolences go to the Canadian people, the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, and the family of the deceased soldier.
As we heard, Australia is on high alert. Extra security measures have already been put in place across our parliaments, including the Legislative Assembly under your diligence, Madam Speaker. US President Obama has offered assistance to Canada after the tragic shooting, saying it has reinforced the need for vigilance.
We share many values with Canadians; the value of democracy is fundamental to us all. We share their resolve not to have our foundations torn asunder by such horrendous actions. We send our strength, resilience and empathy to them for what they are going through. We also send our compassion for the people whose lives have been so terribly altered by the tragic shooting and the invasion.
We are fortunate in the Northern Territory to have a harmonious and peaceful society, but I was a member of this Chamber when it was invaded in the past. I know the shock that occurs at that moment. There were scuffles with no weapons involved, but it ensured charges were laid against those who intruded on this Chamber.
We hold our democratic systems so fundamentally dear to the way of our Australian life. The opposition joins with all members of this parliament in standing strong and sending a clear message that we will do everything to enshrine democracy. We hope the parliament in Ottawa is protected henceforth.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, honourable members. We will send a copy, with a covering letter, to both presiding officers expressing our thoughts on what has happened and hoping they continue to have a safe and secure parliament.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of a Year 7 class from Taminmin College, those exceptionally bright and clever students from the rural area. Welcome to Parliament House and I hope you enjoy your time here.
MOTION
Proposed Censure of Chief Minister
Proposed Censure of Chief Minister
Ms LAWRIE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I move that this House censures the Chief Minister for:
covering up the illegal activities of Foundation 51 by shutting down the inquiry moved by this parliament
lying to Territorians and the people of Casuarina about your real intentions to sell off TIO and privatise the port and Power and Water assets
covering up the dodgy $1m and bank guarantee deal with the Tiwi Land Council.
You lied about how you became Chief Minister, even at the beginning of your role as the con man, so aptly described by the Independent member for Nelson today. That is exactly what you are. Even at the outset, when you knifed Terry Mills – he was elected Chief Minister, not you; you have not been tested at the polls.
Terry Mills was elected Chief Minister and you lied about that. You pretended and lied your way through that sorry, disgusting saga. Whilst you were crunching numbers and sharpening the knife to take down Terry Mills, you pretended you were not. It was one lie after another. That is you, isn’t it? That is the sick person you are. There is no decency, honesty or integrity. You were quite comfortable, as the con man, to ensure political donations, slushed through Foundation 51, saw their way into the coffers of the CLP election campaign.
You will not even be honest about the four-wheel drive you drove during the 2012 campaign. Who lent you that? Who donated that to you during the campaign and why have you not declared it? It is because you do not uphold the law. You show contempt for the law of the Northern Territory and as information and evidence comes to light you cover it up. That is all you can do. You have covered the illegal activities of Foundation 51 by brutally and disgracefully crunching through the political donations inquiry debated in this Chamber yesterday. If you have nothing to hide why not hold an inquiry? If you have a problem with the 20-year time frame, why not hold an inquiry examining four years? If you have nothing to hide why not establish an independent commission against corruption, as Labor said it will? That is not your style because you are the con man, you are happy to lie.
You will probably have your mate, Dave Tollner, contribute to this debate on your behalf. He spoke yesterday on rescinding the motion relating to political donations, as well as on radio this morning, because Dave is making a comeback and you are happy to lie about that too. You were happy to lie about your role in exposing him and his homophobic slur. You are happy to lie to your colleagues about keeping a Cabinet spot open for Dave’s return ...
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order Madam Speaker! I have been tolerant until now, but the censure motion does not cover any of these matters in relation to the allegation of lying. The censure motion specifically makes an allegation in relation to TIO and the port.
Ms Lawrie: Lying to Territorians.
Mr ELFERINK: Yes, but the censure motion is very specific. If she is to make accusations of lying could she restrict them to TIO and privatising the port rather than drawing the bow she currently is to go to any number of places.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, although it is a censure motion the language still needs to be tempered. However, there has always been quite a lot of latitude as to where members can go with a censure motion. I caution the Opposition Leader to be careful with her language.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, I appreciate that because we know when the member for Fong Lim leaps to his feet and starts a rant and rave he will use language that is not tempered. He will throw a bucket because that is all he can do. There is no substance to what he does. He was on radio this morning talking about the relationship between unions and Labor. It is all declared on the electoral return, and that is the point. The law exists. If you take a donation, declare it.
Member for Arafura, you voiced concern that Foundation 51 spent $35 000 on your election campaign. Why has that not been declared? At least the member for Arafura is fessing up. The member for Fong Lim is not. Other CLP members of this Chamber will not. That is why you are so busy covering up an inquiry into political donations.
They keep treating Territorians as fools saying, ‘If you want an inquiry into political donations what is wrong with the work of the Australian Electoral Commission or the Northern Territory Electoral Commission because they are fine and august bodies and have a three-person review team?’
The New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry into Eight by Five, a similar parallel slush fund of the Liberals in New South Wales, is also subject to the Australian Electoral Commission and the New South Wales Electoral Commission. However, they realise the powers of inquiry to investigate, call witnesses and draw on evidence are far greater than those commissions are able to achieve. That is the point.
So much has come to light regarding the slush fund Foundation 51. E-mails leaked establish direct links between the Foundation 51 slush fund and the CLP. The director, Graeme Lewis, has admitted Terry Mills, when Chief Minister, had a directorial role. The member for Fong Lim admitted in this Chamber Foundation 51 was set up by Terry Mills. The e-mails leaked show Graeme Lewis, director of Foundation 51, has had many conversations with the current Chief Minister. He has, obviously, assumed that directorial role. E -mails leaked show Graeme Lewis ran his Foundation 51 draft media release past the current Chief Minister, the member for Braitling, in May this year. There are direct links.
If you go to the Foundation 51 website, a couple of clicks and who appears on the screen? The Chief Minister, member for Braitling, Adam Giles – direct links. Yet, time and time again in this Chamber the Chief Minister has covered up and lied about that direct link. He says there is no direct link but it is established in leaked e-mails. How can Territorians trust someone who is prepared to lie to them in parliament?
How curious is it that after the Casuarina by-election up pops a media release from the Chief Minister about the potential sale of TIO? There is a website the spin machine cranked up and people are invited to suggest what they want to see built. The Chief Minister, in parliament this week, admitted Cabinet has been considering the sale of TIO since March this year. How many times this year has that been denied? It is disgraceful. You cannot even make the most fundamental processes of your decision-making an honest conversation with Territorians.
Your intention to sell TIO is about pork barrelling. We know that and Territorians can see it. It is about having an injection of cash for a spending spree hence the ‘Give us Your Suggestions’ shopping list on the TIO sale website.
What is the effect? What is the impact on Territorians? I am a survivor of Cyclone Tracy, Madam Speaker, as are you. It takes someone to go through a natural disaster to understand the importance of insurance.
After a natural disaster like the Queensland floods private insurance companies hung people out to dry. Families and businesses went to the wall while the private insurers quibbled and squibbed on insurance payouts. They were not occurring in a timely manner and there has been an inquiry into that. Little wonder federal MP, Warren Entsch, recommended a TIO model across northern Australia citing investors need the confidence of such a model to invest in the northern zone. Sadly, we are subject to cyclones and flood.
I challenge you, Chief Minister, if it is such a great idea, if it so popular, why not have a meeting with the residents of the storm surge zone in Rapid Creek and hear what they have to say about it? They will be unable to get comparable insurance. Why not have a meeting in Katherine with the local member and residents and ask them about the sale of TIO. You will not get their agreement because they have been through a flood disaster and know the importance of timely insurance payouts. Insurance premiums in Queensland rose by about $5000 as a result of Cyclone Yasi.
That is what you are doing to Territorians. You are selling us out, exposing us and making us vulnerable in times of a natural disaster because you want a cash grab and you cannot be honest with Territorians around the sale. You say it will still be TIO. No, if someone buys it, it is not TIO. You say jobs will be safe. Anyone who purchases a business makes their own decision about staffing. We know 250-odd people at TIO have their livelihoods at stake. You do not care about that because there is some cash to grab from the sale of TIO.
About 50 employees have not been consulted on the decision to sell/lease the port. Have you met with the 100-odd businesses across the port? You are looking at selling/leasing the port when you do not have any understanding of the commercial impact that will have on businesses or what will happen to freight costs.
Oil and gas companies, in their submission on developing the north, have said quite categorically not to sell the port as it would be bad for their business.
We have the Chief Minister, the con man, pretending it is a good thing to do but industry and businesses are saying it is the wrong thing. You are giving no voice to the consumers, the mums and dads, whose cost of living will escalate with higher freight costs that will then be passed on, let alone giving a voice to the workers at the port, who will be trimmed down in numbers, whittled away as we have seen under the CLP already.
We have not forgotten the maintenance workers who have already been sacked from the port. I know you have con man; they are not in your sphere and you do not care.
In regard to Power and Water assets, you were pretty keen to make sure you fattened that, split it and prepared it for sale. There will be no honesty from the con man about what assets retail generation – you cannot get an honest answer out of them around any gas deal done with the new generator setting up at Weddell.
Secrecy and cover-up is how this con man operates, the man who was not elected to be Chief Minister. Little wonder people are so dismayed at what they see in politics these days when that is what we experience. ‘He gets his hands dirty’, was his response to questions around the Tiwi Islands $1m payment. Very dirty, very grubby. I do not know if you will read it because you like to operate on, ‘If I don’t see it, I don’t hear it and I don’t know it’, but con man, Chief Minister …
Mrs FINOCCHIARO: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 62. The Opposition Leader continues to call the Chief Minister a con man, which I find not only offensive but also very unbecoming of the leader. I ask that she withdraw all instances of con man, which she has used on several occasions.
Ms Walker: It is true, he is.
Mrs FINOCCHIARO: I ask the member for Nhulunbuy to withdraw that as well.
Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader, I remind you that you are censuring the government. Again, could you temper your words and not refer to individuals using derogatory language.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Speaker, I am censuring the Chief Minister specifically. I moved to suspend so much of standing orders as would prevent this House from censuring the Chief Minister. That is why I am directly ...
Madam SPEAKER: I still ask that you not refer to the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, regardless of political colour, as a con man.
Ms LAWRIE: Yes, Madam Speaker.
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of another Year 7 class from Taminmin College, another group of bright, exceptional, clever and talented people from the rural area. Welcome to Parliament House and I hope you enjoy your time here.
Members: Hear, hear!
____________________
Ms LAWRIE: I refer you to the Amos Aikman article in The Australian, ‘Haze over Tiwi Land Deal’. We get it. You rushed in a day before your meeting with the Independent member for Nelson to discuss getting out of the political donations inquiry because you were always going to drop that, weren’t you? You needed to cover it up because you are the recipient. It was brought forward a day early because we would continue to question you on the Tiwi Land Council payment of $1m.
I will quote from that article in The Australian dated 23 October 2014 for the Parliamentary Record:
- The Tiwi Land Council has propelled Tiwi Islanders into a series of ambitious development projects that are now years behind schedule and have yet to deliver promised jobs and revenue. As disappointment has grown, so too has the volume of complaints alleging financial mismanagement, opaque dealings and manipulation of Tiwi leaders by TLC executives and other managers. Calls for an inquiry remain unmet.
The Territory government has become embroiled in the saga through a secretive deal under which it rushed $1 million to a TLC-linked company in return for the promise of rent-free 99-year leases over 10 040 ha of prime Tiwi land ...
… Little would be publicly known about this arrangement if it were not for The Australian’s reporting. The deal has since foundered amid anger over ongoing problems with existing projects and lack of consultation.
Elsewhere the article says:
- Many locals were doubtful. About two dozen concerned traditional owners vented their ‘shock and surprise’ at not being consulted. ‘This proposed deal is so large it requires substantial traditional owner consultation’, they wrote to the TLC and the government. ‘It is not a matter for the directors of the trustee to make this decision for or on behalf of the whole traditional family groups without proper consultation’.
- Almost 200 pages of documents relating to the Tiwi deal, obtained largely under Freedom of Information laws, strongly suggest it was assembled in a matter of days, by staff with little knowledge of Tiwi affairs and with only the barest minimum of consultation with Tiwi people.
The first mention of leasing from the documents obtained under FoI arises with what Giles refers to as, ‘my two cents worth’ in an email to staff six days before the deal was signed. On August 21 last year, it still existed in dot-point form only. The actual document was written and inked on August 22 last year, a day on which internal correspondence shows government advisers scrambling to establish basic facts, such as what leases existed on the Tiwi Islands already. The three-page deal was sent to Hicks before 6 pm that evening and returned with approval about three hours later. No evidence has yet emerged that anyone besides Hicks and TLC chairman Gibson Farmer Illortaminni saw it before it was signed.
According to the documents, the $1m payment from the Land Development Corporation to Tiwi Resources, a company nominated by the TLC, was approved on August 27 last year. Neither party was a signatory to the leasing agreement, which granted the government the right to choose 10 040 ha of land on the Tiwi Islands, subject to TLC approval, and then to subdivide and sublease it at will, under ‘broadly defined’ terms.
They are just some excerpts. We have seen, in the culture of cover-up by the Chief Minister, that he will not answer the most basic questions about the payment of $1m to the Tiwi Land Council. In answers to the Assembly and the media, he said it was a loan, yet the documents obtained under freedom of information laws describe the $1m as an up-front payment.
The documents obtained under freedom of information laws require $1m to be repaid if, after six months, leases are not registered and executed. The leases have not been registered and executed. We are 14 months down the track so where is the $1m? The Chief Minister of cover-up will not tell anyone. He will not answer a simple question as to expenditure of public funds and the location of money that should have been returned to the public coffers by now.
The Chief Minister of cover-up will not answer whether there has been a bank guarantee in addition to the $1m? Has there been a bank guarantee of $2.8m? Chief Minister of cover-up, if there is a bank guarantee and it is not for $2.8m how much is it for?
We are talking about the expenditure of public funds. These are not your funds, and this is not a Foundation 51 slush fund you can rinse through to do your dodgy deals with. I have never witnessed a government instruct a corporation – the government-owned Land Development Corporation – to pay $1m for nothing because that is what you have. There are talks, not leases.
Senator Nigel Scullion is moving around the Northern Territory trying to get 99-year leases signed …
Mr GILES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Can the Opposition Leader explain whether the $1m loan from her government to the Tiwi shire was ever repaid?
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order, Chief Minister. Opposition Leader, you have the call.
Ms LAWRIE: Touching a point. Come in, spinner. Senator Nigel Scullion is going around the Northern Territory trying to get 99-year leases signed. He is in negotiations and has some memorandums of understanding signed – Yirrkala, Gunbalanya – but he has not paid $1m just to talk. You have, Chief Minister of cover-up. What is going on? Was there a bank demand, as you expressed concern about in an e-mail? Is this $1m going to prop up a bank demand? That is your e-mail, Chief Minister of cover-up. Could you explain to Territorians what happened because it is not your money, Chief Minister of cover-up; it is public funds.
The Auditor-General expressed concern about any commercial return for this expenditure of public funds by the Land Development Corporation. The Land Development Corporation handed over the funding before it had Cabinet approval. That never occurred in government previously. You usually require a Cabinet decision for expenditure.
Who instructed John Coleman, Chief Executive of the Land Development Corporation, to instruct the Chief Financial Officer of the Land Development Corporation to hand over $1m before receiving Cabinet approval? Who gave that instruction? Was it the Chief Minister of cover-up? He said his hands were dirty on this one. Thank God we have the Auditor-General in the Northern Territory because we have referred this dodgy deal to the Auditor-General.
Yesterday we had the government scrambling to rush through changes to the Land Development Corporation to remove oversight and scrutiny of the board. What further deals do you have planned for the Land Development Corporation to fork out taxpayer funds? This is not about regional economic development. We are not talking about Northern Territory public servants who are flying to the Tiwi Islands testing soil samples to assist with the forestry project. We are not talking about the $6.8m from the Aboriginal Benefits Account announced yesterday for equipment to assist with the forestry project. At least the federal government got some plant equipment for its expenditure, not nothing for $1m and an undisclosed bank guarantee.
I know the rant and rave from the CLP member for Fong Lim will be about how bad Labor is, what it will and will not do and all that. This is about the government of the day. This is about the Chief Minister of the day and what he covers up ...
Mr Giles: It is about you and your poor performance, Leader of the Opposition.
Ms LAWRIE: He is a little obsessed with me; I get that. He does not like to be held to account, ever! He just wants to spend taxpayers’ money as he sees fit and not answer any questions on it.
This Tiwi deal stinks. We are still waiting for more outstanding FOI documents. We will pursue this. As I said, we have referred it to the Auditor-General. It is the style of cover-up that is at the bottom of the illegal activities undertaken by the Chief Minister of cover-up.
I refer to today’s editorial in the NT News: ‘CLP chooses coward’s way’:
- The CLP Government has backflipped on the political donation public inquiry and will now attempt to weather the storm of public outrage.
Better this than have to sit for what could have been months of testimony and evidence brought up through a real investigation into how far political donations go and what donors get for their money, the Country Liberals decided.
That could have placed them well into the run-up to the next general election and explaining things like Foundation 51 in that climate could get a little tricky.
So, now it will be a nothing investigation into what our laws are around political donations and what laws others are using – well short of what is required at this point.
With discussions across the country around political donations, there was only one way to clear the air around accusations of slush funds and illegal donations here. As Independent MLA Gerry Wood pointed out, the Government just missed that opportunity.
No matter what spin the Government tries to put on it, hiding from true public scrutiny is a cowardly way out.
We may never know how far down the rabbit hole these donations go or how that affects the overall health of democracy in the Northern Territory.
- Mr Wood is right to feel betrayed by the Government, which strung him along until after the Casuarina by-election before letting him know they were killing his call for the inquiry. We are all disappointed by the Government’s decision.
Mr Wood said yesterday he was giving up on Parliament for the day to go home and enjoy a cold iced coffee.
We suggest the same or something a little stronger to swallow this pill.
It is a bitter pill for Territorians to swallow when the government does not support democracy and hides from inquiries into political donations that would get to the bottom of the links between the slush fund and how much money has been funnelled in, who paid the money, and whether there have been any political favours as a consequence.
Labor will provide an independent commission against corruption. We are fine with being scrutinised. Harold Nelson Holdings, a property trust, is declared on returns as is any union funding. We have no problem at all, and that is why we supported the inquiry when the Independent member for Nelson put the vote to this Chamber. That is why we fought against your Attorney-General’s motion yesterday, Chief Minister for cover-up. Yes, you had him do the dirty work on the day. We want transparency and accountability to return to government in the Northern Territory, but while you are Chief Minister for cover-up that will not happen. That is why we are censuring you, Chief Minister.
Mr TOLLNER (Fong Lim): Madam Speaker, I am keen to speak on this motion because this has backfired on the Opposition Leader. Today she has laid herself bare as a person of moral turpitude prepared to say and do whatever she likes in order to score a political point.
The Opposition Leader comes in with a nasal whine and a mud gun fully loaded and starts firing mud all over the Chamber taking us all down to the muck. This is no way to support democracy or our parliamentary system in the Northern Territory, and the Opposition Leader has shown herself to completely disregard the standing of this place.
I will go through the Opposition Leader’s motion. The first point she makes is, ‘Covering up the illegal activities of Foundation 51’. There has been no suggestion of illegal activities in Foundation 51 but the Opposition Leader says illegal activities are happening. She is quite prepared to smear the good name of our former Chief Minister, Terry Mills, a person of very high morals and ethics. You could say a lot of things about Terry Mills, but to suggest he is dishonest in any way is extremely disturbing and wrong.
Foundation 51 is not a slush fund, it is a think tank. It was set up to provide a service to business people and encourage political debate, bring speakers to the Northern Territory and do market research for business people which, sometimes, was shared with the Country Liberals. There is nothing illegal in that.
My concern is about how things are funded, and it is interesting to hear the Opposition Leader say, ‘We declare everything’. What about the truckload of ETU members flown from interstate for the Blain by-election who were standing at polling booths handing out how-to-vote cards. Some of them were quite prepared to say they would not have been there unless they were being paid. That may well be an ETU decision to fly people north and pay them to hand out how-to-vote cards for Labor, but that is never declared by the Labor Party.
There is no doubt work has to be done to make some things more transparent, but to suggest they are illegal is complete bunkum.
The Opposition Leader mentioned the four-wheel drive the Chief Minister had during the 2012 election campaign which I was very involved in. I asked the Chief Minister about the four-wheel drive everyone was talking about; he hired a four-wheel drive. I cannot see anything illegal in hiring a four-wheel drive; I have done it myself, oddly enough. I imagine other members in this Chamber have hired four-wheel drives – I see the Minister for Transport has. As Minister for Transport you might think someone would be happy to lend him one, but even he hires four-wheel drives. Evidently the Opposition Leader has seen something dodgy.
The Leader of the Opposition’s second point is, ‘Lying to Territorians and the people of Casuarina about his real intentions to sell off the Territory Insurance Office, privatise the port, and Power and Water assets’. The Opposition Leader, with her nasal whine and crocodile tears, says, ‘What will you say to the people of Rapid Creek and Casuarina?’ In the event of a disaster, a large part of the bill will fall to the NT government because TIO is currently struggling to get re-insurance and the government is backing it. This was identified by former Chief Minister, Paul Henderson, when he recommended government consider selling the asset because it cannot afford to risk retaining TIO.
As far as premiums go, as the market changes no doubt people will be asked to pay more in premiums. People in Rapid Creek, unless we consider selling TIO, will be paying much higher premiums. Similarly, the situation in Katherine is people will be unable to insure their houses because the price of insurance will be so incredibly high. The only way of insuring these places is for government to provide a subsidy, and the question is where that subsidy will come from. It is great for the Opposition Leader to whine and carry on. She had no problem whacking it all on the credit card and, after six years of the Opposition Leader, we were staring down the barrel of $5.5bn worth of debt.
If that is the way the Opposition Leader thinks the Territory should be run indefinitely that is her business, but people on this side of the Chamber believe fiscal responsibility is important in running government. A range of insurers now provide flood and storm surge insurance, and selling TIO will enable the government to provide assistance and subsidies to areas in the Territory that could not otherwise afford insurance cover. There are some very good reasons for that.
The Opposition Leader attempted to talk about the $1m dodgy deal with the Tiwi Land Council. What a smear on the Tiwi Land Council to suggest it is not discussing things with traditional owners. It is a statutory obligation and what land councils do. Land councils are set up to determine who traditional owners are and make sure they are consulted when these things are proposed. To say there was no consultation is a smear on the Tiwi Land Council. The least the Opposition Leader could do is call CEO, Mr Hicks, and perhaps Chair, Gibson Farmer Illortaminni, to apologise. She could say, ‘I didn’t mean to bring disrepute to your name by suggesting you don’t talk to your own people’, because that is what it is.
A loan of $1m to the Tiwi Land Council in the hope of achieving a long-term lease for future economic development on the Tiwi Islands is a good thing, and most thinking people would realise that.
The Opposition Leader wants to be hard and fast on time frames saying Labor would have something done within six months. ‘It is now 14 months, nothing has happened. What will you do?’ We can take the $1m back, but I understand the Tiwi Land Council is still consulting with traditional owners. They are still looking at some of the proposals put forward, and it is only fair to give them time. How this compares with Labor and its $8m commitment to a Jetstar hub – did they get $8m from Jetstar after it failed to establish a hub in the Northern Territory? Labor will conveniently overlook that but try to suggest some type of illegal activity. To suggest the Tiwi Islands deal should be fed into an inquiry on political donations is rot.
Any inquiry proposed by the member for Nelson would not have looked at land councils; it was all about political donations. Government giving a loan to a land council would not fall into the terms of reference, but the Opposition Leader is quite happy to throw mud all around the place using her mud gun.
Members opposite, the Opposition Leader is alone in throwing this dirt. I have been in government for two years and get on very well with and like a number of you. However, the Leader of the Opposition has a personal smear agenda. The rest of the opposition – whilst you have not publicly decried her for it – has not engaged in the same tactic.
The Opposition Leader has brought this parliament into disrepute. She makes mindless allegations, all cooked up with self-righteousness, in a whiny voice, suggesting we are all corrupt. We refer to each other as honourable members for a reason. It is about the dignity of parliament ...
Ms Walker interjecting.
Mr TOLLNER: I know you are laughing. You say, ‘Dave is not bad at throwing mud around’, and you are right. I am very good at throwing a bit of mud around, but at some point we must consider what is right for this parliament, democracy in the Territory and how we can restore confidence in our parliamentary system.
What is lacking in the Northern Territory – and one of the greatest problems we have – is a lack of confidence in our parliamentary system …
Members interjecting.
Mr TOLLNER: You can laugh, but when you throw mud left, right and centre, denigrate public servants, denigrate fine, upstanding people in the community, denigrate former Chief Ministers suggesting they are involved in criminal conduct – the allegation was Terry Mills is involved in criminal conduct – it does nothing to further democracy in the Territory or lift confidence in the parliament, it just puts a pox on us all.
The Leader of the Opposition has that agenda. I listen to Question Time and the Chief Minister is dead right when he says the Opposition Leader comes in with nothing but smear and will never argue policy. We would love to debate TIO but you tied it in with criminality – lying about TIO. Let us debate the merits of retaining or selling TIO ...
Ms Fyles: Ask Territorians.
Mr TOLLNER: I am not talking about asking Territorians, I am talking about a sensible debate here. You seem unable to do that; you just want to throw mud. You do not all want to throw mud, just the Leader of the Opposition.
I was prompted to join this debate because I am sick of listening to the turpid Opposition Leader and the way she is prepared to cover us all with bile and bring this House down. It is not on.
The opposition has acted on a number of things. The classic was Norm McCleary and the e-mail to Peter Maley saying he wanted to donate $10 000 in exchange for documents that could not be legally obtained. His great bitch was we never acted illegally. However, if you trace Norm McCleary’s real concerns you see a much different story.
Norm McCleary is better known as the midnight pegger. He is well-known to a few people in this House, mainly those on the other side of the Chamber. Norm McCleary tried to get his hands on the Angela Pamela site in 2008, was denied it and was not happy about it. His view was the former government conspired to make sure he did not gain access to that lease. Norm McCleary had his grievances aired in court. The court found he was an unreliable witness and threw the case out. He appealed the decision and it was thrown out a second time.
Norm McCleary, however, was of the view there had been a little conspiring in the background and Jenny Blokland, the magistrate presiding over his case, had been got at by the Labor government through her husband, Jamie Gallacher, who was then chief of staff to the Chief Minister. He is also of the view Trevor Riley had been got at by the former government in order to throw his case out of the Supreme Court. It is his assertion Jenny Blokland was made a judge and Trevor Riley was made Chief Justice because of that.
I do not want to denigrate Mr McCleary, but I cannot for the life of me imagine Jenny Blokland, Trevor Riley, Jamie Gallacher, Paul Henderson, the former Mines minister, Kon Vatskalis, and his chief of staff at the time, the now member for Fannie Bay, were all involved in a giant conspiracy to deny Mr McCleary his rights. In fact, I think Mr McCleary got it all wrong. That is his fundamental bitch.
We now find the Labor Party, instead of distancing itself from the man who made these allegations, clutching onto his e-mails and running to the media saying, ‘Look, dodgy deals with the CLP’. The Labor Party has to be digging the bottom of the barrel if it thinks this bloke is credible when it comes to illegal activity. I do not believe Jenny Blokland was got at by the Labor Party, nor do I believe Chief Justice Trevor Riley was got at by the Labor Party. They are admirable and honourable people doing a good job.
The Labor Party wants to use this person to support a case for an inquiry. It is complete and utter madness. When you look at this stuff about inquiries there is nothing, but they want to spend – the Chief Minister said this morning – $80m of taxpayers’ money running this witch hunt. It is nuts.
It is interesting the former member for Casuarina resigned when he did. I think part of the reason was he could not countenance the Labor Party relying on Mr McCleary as a credible witness when it came to political donations. My God, how low can you go? That is the bottom of the barrel. This person’s main allegation is about you guys, your party, your former government and you trot him out like he is an expert. My God, how pathetic!
Members opposite, I ask that sooner or later you show you are not part of the muckraking the Opposition Leader is. Throwing mud and bile around does nothing to further democracy or confidence in the parliament. It is completely off, Madam Speaker.
During a radio interview this morning someone called in to say, ‘TIO made a profit of $90m last year. It is a fat organisation and can afford to subsidise people’. It did not make a profit of $90m. It was closer to $10m and it is the first time in 10 years the organisation has made a profit.
Chairman, Bruce Carter, his board, and CEO Richard Harding have done a fantastic job managing TIO. Mr Harding has said it will be difficult to provide that service into the future without significant government contributions. It would be wonderful if our books were balanced and we had money in the bank. You would happily say, ‘Yes, we are prepared to pour a few more million a year into TIO’. However, we were staring down the barrel of $5.5bn worth of debt. Money is a little scarce and this is the last remaining government owned insurance business in the country. Why would government be in the business of insurance? It is not something it is expert at ...
Ms Fyles: The federal government recommended it be expanded
Mr TOLLNER: Really! Who was that?
Mr McCarthy: Warren Entsch.
Mr TOLLNER: Warren Entsch is not the federal government. The federal government is the executive of government.
Mr McCarthy: He is a National MP.
Mr TOLLNER: He is not in the National Party. That is another one you have made up, member for Barkly. He is a Liberal with a country seat. You might think he is a National Party member, but you guys are telling the story. You seem to think it is a federal government policy; it is not. I have heard Joe Hockey talk about asset recycling but the facts do not matter to you guys, they just get in the way of a good story.
You say Mr Lewis is a criminal and should be locked up, Mr Mills is a criminal and should be locked up, Gary Barnes and John Coleman are criminals and should be locked up and the Chief Minister is a criminal and should be locked up. Is there anyone you think not a criminal and should not be locked up?
Ms Walker: Have an inquiry and we will find out. What happened to the political donations inquiry?
Mr TOLLNER: Your view is to have an inquiry to see how much more bile can be thrown around and see how far you can sink the government in mud. However, while you are sinking us in mud, you are also sinking yourselves and it is time to get out of that. It is time to start …
Mr McCarthy: At the end of the day there will be an inquiry, you know that.
Mr TOLLNER: Pigs will fly too. Member for Barkly, I appreciate your sincerity. You truly believe there will be an inquiry but you are being a little nave. Why, in more than a decade of Labor governments, did we not see an inquiry?
The member for Barkly assures us there will be an inquiry under a Labor government. Well, there was not. After 27 years of CLP government you could have said, ‘We will get to the bottom of how they managed it. We will check every donation.’ You did not. During 13 years of Labor you sat on your hands and did nothing. All of a sudden the turpid Opposition Leader decides to throw mud around and bing, a light bulb goes off: we will have an inquiry. How pathetic.
This should not be a censure of the Chief Minister. It is full of misrepresentations and I have highlighted them ...
Mr Giles: Spelling mistakes too.
Mr TOLLNER: I will not talk about spelling mistakes; I am not the best speller myself.
Reading the motion, you can see many things are bundled up, put into a big package of mud and thrown into the middle of the Chamber. It is high time, as a parliament, we started having some respect for the institution we serve.
That is the parliament, and we will never have that respect for this institution whilst we have a turpid Opposition Leader prepared to cast aspersions about everybody in her sight. That is wrong. She will not walk outside and repeat much of what she has said; she will leave it here.
Whilst that might suit her politically, it does not suit the rest of us. I encourage the other side to take a stand and I give you that opportunity now. I move that all words in the motion after the word ‘censures’ first appearing, be replaced with, ‘the Leader of the Opposition for recklessly, intentionally and indifferently bringing this House into disrepute, for misrepresenting circumstances, naming and demeaning public servants, and lying to Territorians for political motives’.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Speaker, I am speaking to the amended motion. I must do it now because, once again, we have a cover-up. The member for Fong Lim does not want to hear me speak on the motion and is twisting and turning the situation to prevent it. I do not agree with his amendment to the motion, because we are talking about the Chief Minister. I will deal with the member for Fong Lim and the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister is the highest member of government in the Northern Territory. I regularly say that because I regularly talk to people about government in the Northern Territory, including school students. I acknowledge our Chief Minister as the highest delegate of government in the Northern Territory. However, having been a teacher for over 30 years I feel compelled to write a letter to parents because it has gone way too far. In the letter to parents I will quote an old saying, ‘You have to have a good memory to be a liar’. Chief Minister, you have entered into so many scams, twists and turns, saying this and that and you are now starting to unravel. Help me out here. What can I tell my family, friends, the constituents I represent and the students I regularly talk to and work with in class? I do my best to keep this as a balanced story.
This week in parliament would be one of the most radical desertions of democracy I have witnessed in my brief time as a member. This week has been one episode after another of what is unravelling and what the government does not want in the public arena – it wants things covered up.
I talk to my sons. One son calls regularly and loves to talk politics and I try to give him a balanced story. I have a younger son still at home who has lots of mates around. He is regularly challenged about politics because his father is a member of parliament. I try to give him a balanced story as well, but under the rule of Chief Minister, Hon Adam Giles, and this CLP government, there are far more questions than answers. It has reached a point where Territorians have hit the wall.
Chief Minister, this is a censure about what you do, but it is also very much about how you do it. The member for Fong Lim has tried to craft this around two aspects, and I will deal with those shortly. Chief Minister, I will give you a brief example of trying to strike some balance, and an example of where you are not showing the necessary leadership. This is a very personal example.
The Chief Minister attended the Tennant Creek Show this year and, remarkably, under windscreen wipers in the public car park, seditious information appeared in a leaflet trying to smear my name and character – the Chief Minister is in town. Constituents brought these seditious leaflets to me and asked a number of questions. Did the Chief Minister put these under my windscreen wiper? Who produced these? Who paid for them? What is the objective of this sedition? I said I was not sure if the Chief Minister put them there or not. I know why the Chief Minister would try to smear my name and dishonour my character, because he is living in fear because he is not honest with Territorians and I continually comment on what I see as justified criticism in debate challenging him, his government and his policy.
That was very interesting. However, what really hurt in a personal sense was while this secretive act to smear my name and character was going on in the Tennant Creek car park – and I daresay, member for Fong Lim, it was not Labor Party people doing it – the question remains was it the Chief Minister, because it was the first time I had seen him in Tennant Creek for a long time?
I received an e-mail from a concerned constituent which said, ‘Dear Gerry McCarthy, I was very disappointed that the Chief Minister did not take the time to visit the tri-service stand at the Tennant Creek Show on 11 July 2014 being the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services. I was informed by my unit officer that he was going to be present and present me with the Volunteer Award at the show as I was unable to attend the reception dinner in Alice Springs on 16 May 2014.
The award was the very important 2014 Northern Territory Volunteer of the Year Award, and the recipient was a constituent of the Barkly. The constituent was to be recognised and awarded in Alice Springs; however, was unable to attend that ceremony. It was therefore arranged for the Chief Minister to present the award at the show in Tennant Creek but he did not have the integrity to turn up and present it. Yet, suddenly, there is smear and sedition in formation appearing in the car park at the Tennant Creek Show.
I question the Chief Minister’s honesty and integrity on a personal level. I deal with his political attacks, but on a personal level there is a lot to be answered. Chief Minister, if you or your staff are interested in that constituent’s details to correct that major blunder and complete display of bad manners I will supply that. I encourage you to make contact and acknowledge that great volunteer. Chief Minister, I will be looking forward to picking up the phone when you call, maybe.
This censure is all about the CLP government led by a Chief Minister who continually searches for ways to twist and turn the semantics in debate. We all acknowledge his performance in twisting semantics and being consistently careless with the truth is of a high level. He is the quintessential political performer: able to grab the media headlines but seriously lacking substance. This censure is about him lacking honesty. It has become apparent so much is involved in this it is getting a little confused, the Chief Minister is jumping from one answer to another and Territorians are starting to question what is really going on.
If the Chief Minister thinks it is just coming from me he is mistaken. Constituents in Tennant Creek, my son’s mates in the back yard, colleagues of mine and the Northern Territory public are asking about it. The rest of the government can put their heads in the sand, but this is beyond a joke.
If we look at the Hansard record in years to come of what took place this week in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly – as I pay my respects to Hansard and acknowledge the incredible historical record it produces which will be part of our future – it will be available for research and will determine a lot about our society at this point. It will note a week in parliament of dodgy cover-ups and a litany of events where there was a complete smokescreen with every trick in the book, from parliamentary processes to media events, to complete and utter desperate attempts to cover it up.
Debate suspended.
The Assembly suspended.
MOTION
Proposed Censure of Chief Minister
Proposed Censure of Chief Minister
Continued from earlier this day.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Speaker, I was trying to have a serious conversation with the Chief Minister about representing him as our highest leader in the Northern Territory – our Chief Minister – and how that is challenging in the community, the constituency and definitely within this House. I do that regularly. However, the synopsis this morning dealt with constituents questioning a Chief Minister who was possibly lurking in the public car park at the Tennant Creek show putting seditious leaflets under windscreen wipers while not attending a ceremony to award a community volunteer, while having responsibility for Police, Fire and Emergency Services – the Chief Minister is consistently careless with the truth in this House and is the master of semantic manipulation with the media. The Chief Minister is in complete denial.
Chief Minister, you do not have to listen to me. I have picked up one of your psychological traits: you do not like listening to me. Whenever I speak your first reaction is to turn to the closest colleague to make a derogatory remark and then you normally remove yourself from any opportunity of confrontation in debate. To me, that goes back to the wild west of Sydney and says perhaps you have a guilty conscience. That is your business; you can deal with it.
You do not want to listen to me or what I have to say, so let us turn this debate into what the public is learning about. I am not the only one trying to deconstruct these events and make some sense of your leadership and your government. There is a lot of talk in the community, and the Leader of the Opposition read onto the record today’s editorial in the NT News; ‘CLP chooses coward’s way’.
This is in relation to the Foundation 51 inquiry, but not necessarily Foundation 51. It is about all political donations, and that was lost in the debate because there was a hasty move to cover it up and get rid of it. When the Independent member brought a motion forward, which was passed through parliamentary processes and would have been of great benefit to everybody, for some reason – that lends to another old saying, ‘What do you have to hide?’ – it was shut down. The public is now deconstructing what the issue is all about, and a celebrated newspaper in the Northern Territory headed it with ‘CLP chooses coward’s way’.
There are many questions for constituents. Why would the government, led by the Chief Minister, do it? How does it relate to the Casuarina by-election? Were we being duped? Was this a double cover-up? Was it meant to be out of the public domain before the Casuarina by-election? Did it come back in an act of deceit after the Casuarina by-election? People would have had an opportunity to make their decision on real issues regarding political donations, on the sale of public assets, on any land deals or any other issues the government has been ducking and weaving about at that by-election.
People will question this, and deservedly so, because you are leading the pack and your stamp is first and foremost. You are the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.
In comment going further afield – not only do you represent the Northern Territory, you represent us in the national context – an article in The Australian by Neda Vanovac dated 22 October said:
- A wide-ranging inquiry into political donations promised by the Northern Territory government has been dumped for a narrower one in focus, much to the outrage of the opposition.
The NT’s only independent member Gerry Wood succeeded in August in passing a motion to hold an inquiry to examine donations over the past 20 years.
Chief Minister Adam Giles later confirmed it would go ahead but on Wednesday Attorney-General John Elferink said the timeframe involved made the proposed inquiry ‘effectively unworkable’.
The story goes on. There are far more questions than answers and far more questions about the Chief Minister, which is why this censure motion is before the House.
The Land Development Corporation board and the legislative instrument created and pushed through this parliament yesterday was interesting in approach and outcome. We debated this thoroughly, and government numbers were used to have the legislation pass through the parliamentary process. However, in the discussion a master manipulator of semantics turned the debate into the opposition attacking public servants. It is a cheap shot and a desperate attempt. Chief Minister, you are a master manipulator of semantics and no doubt a celebrated media performer. You can become that if you are consistently careless with the truth. If you tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth it is a far more difficult exercise.
In regard to the cheap shot attacking public servants I will repeat my concerns, having had the privilege to work with the LDC. You are compromising senior accountable public figures. The e-mail trail and evidence all suggest a total compromise of public servants. I am sure, if I had the opportunity on neutral ground to speak with those public servants I had the privilege of working with, they would articulate those concerns. They like a government that is open, transparent and accountable to the processes agreed upon by Northern Territory law. There seems to be a lot of fudging going on. We bring it out in the open, we talk about it, but government numbers are able to cover it up.
The LDC is linked to an economic development opportunity you present for the Tiwi Islands. The master manipulator of semantics comes back with, ‘The Territory Labor opposition is against economic development for Aboriginal people’. What a load of rot! I have spent more than half my life in this business and will continue, but I make sure it is appropriate and up-front.
I informed the House regularly of a seven-year campaign against a nuclear waste dump on Muckaty Station because my position was it would be open, accountable, fully consultative and acknowledge the rights of the traditional owners opposed to it who could speak for that country.
Guess what, Chief Minister? The Supreme Court threw that case out and Muckaty was withdrawn because we remained open, accountable and transparent. We remained consistent in our argument and told the truth in the Supreme Court. That body can make decisions for all Territorians.
Articulation of this issue has gone way beyond the boundaries of the Northern Territory. The Chief Minister is definitely in the national media and enjoys it. It would be good for Australians to deconstruct this story. We have the leader of the CLP, the Chief Minister, slagging off an opposition in a desperate attempt to create a racial argument that we are against economic development for Aboriginal people.
Let us see what they are talking about in The Australian, which has an articulate audience across the country. I quote from an Amos Aikman article titled ‘Islanders have doubts about land council’s pact with Darwin’ dated 23 October 2014.
- The Territory government has become embroiled in the saga through a secretive deal under which it rushed $1m to the TLC-linked company in return for the promise of rent-free 99-year leases over 10 040 ha of prime Tiwi land. Internal government correspondence suggests the government knew the land could be worth as much as four times what it paid, even before development.
The article goes on to say:
- Documents strongly suggest it was actually a hastily cobbled-together bailout package with economic development tacked on as an afterthought. The revelations raise serious questions about the Territory government’s Indigenous economic development strategy.
It sure does when you find out this deal could be ripping off traditional owners. You could get access to land worth four times the amount you have taken from the Land Development Corporation till, avoiding appropriate and proper processes. The Tiwi Islanders need to stop the bus and question the integrity and objectives of the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. What are his real objectives?
I quote further from the article:
- On 31 August last year, this newspaper made public the first details of a scheme under which the government would take control of large tracts of Tiwi land for free, then lease them to developers. At the time it was not clear why, if the Tiwi Islanders favour outside investment and the market was ready, a government middle man was deemed necessary. It also was not clear how Tiwi Islanders could be assured of receiving a benefit for the use of their land. Nonetheless, Tiwi managers favoured the plan while government MPs fretted privately about whether Tiwi Islanders were being ‘ripped off’.
That paints another picture of the grand deal for the Tiwi people, Chief Minister, the deal you put together and cooked up payment for. We need to question what this deal will really deliver.
The article from The Australian goes on to say:
- About two dozen concerned traditional owners vented their ‘shock and surprise’ at not being consulted.
How many? Two dozen; let us say 24. Let us say a significant group of traditional owners have recorded, for the public record, their shock and surprise at not being consulted by the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, the leader of the Country Liberal Party.
I quote further:
- ‘This proposed deal is so large it requires substantial traditional owner consultation’ …
The Chief Minister knows that. I have had seven years on the Muckaty campaign. You should have picked up the phone. I could have spoken about appropriate protocols in consultations with traditional owners, Chief Minister. They wrote to the Tiwi Land Council and the government:
Further:
- ‘It is not a matter for the directors of the trustee to make this decision for or on behalf of the whole traditional family groups without proper consultation.’
That makes sense to me. Quoting further:
- Responding to criticism of his government’s performance, Giles has tried to position himself as a champion of Indigenous leaders.
It is interesting that the Chief Minister continues to champion himself. Good on him. Let us deconstruct the deal because it does not look so straight anymore. No wonder the Labor opposition is calling for some level of inquiry into these matters. This week has seen a litany of cover-ups and will go down in history. This week will be a good research project using Hansard as a record, all laid down by the Chief Minister, the most senior officer in the government of the Northern Territory.
The article makes an interesting point and I quote again:
- According to the documents, the $1m payment from the Land Development Corporation to Tiwi Resources, a company nominated by the TLC, was approved on 27 August last year. Neither party was a signatory to the leasing agreement, which granted the government the right to choose 10 040 ha of land on the Tiwi Islands, subject to TLC approval, and then to subdivide and sublease it at will, under ‘broadly defined’ terms.
That is an interesting deal, Chief Minister:
- Advice provided by the Territory Valuer-General shows the government knew it was getting an exceptionally good deal. According to the advice, $1m should have acquired 20 000 ha of bush or 15 ha to 20 ha of higher value land. The government actually got the right to select 10 000 ha of bush and 40 ha of mixed higher value land, including prime beachfront, residential and industrial areas, worth, by inference perhaps $4m.
I find that interesting. There was a deal, and I hope the member for Arafura knows this and questions the Chief Minister. The deal was not a simple 10 000 ha of land on the Tiwi Islands – the master manipulator of semantics – this was a smorgasbord of Tiwi traditional country. This was $1m out of the till of the Land Development Corporation with a legislative instrument raced into parliament to cover the tracks and avoid further issues because that is a cashed up organisation – assets and cash. That is a cash register you cannot keep your fingers out of.
This is a smorgasbord of Tiwi traditional country. Who would be interested in a smorgasbord of Tiwi traditional country? Developers, of course. Chief Minister, no doubt you will be championing the cause for the developers and select traditional owners. You will be in the middle making sure nobody is ripped off. Let us hear about it, Chief Minister, because it looks like there has been no consultation. It looks like a dodgy deal well and truly outside what you informed parliament of.
The member for Fong Lim is attempting to amend the motion, which reflects another cover-up. You guys will do anything to not engage in debate. You use derogatory terms to run us down, but obviously we are hitting targets because you pack up and run every time. The member for Fong Lim hit it on the head when he said this creates a lack of confidence in our parliamentary system.
Chief Minister, you are the leader of the Country Liberal Party, the most senior officer in government. You, and your Country Liberal Party government, have dragged all politicians through the mud this week. You have dragged me through the mud, and I will go back to my boy and his mates and have to answer questions about politics. Chief Minister, what will I tell them? Should I become the master manipulator of spin or should I tell them the truth? Should there be an open and accountable inquiry into the matters raised this week, or should we just brush it under the carpet with a, ‘just trust me’? Should I be an honest, open and accountable Territorian for the people or should I be self-interested and run deals for myself and my own survival?
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I am happy to speak to both motions.
Member for Barkly, you could start by telling your kids the same thing you said in the open speed limit debate: ‘Do I tell my sons coming across from Queensland to go as fast as they like’, or that you said you would never speed then were caught doing 149 km/h down the Stuart Highway in a 130 km/h zone ...
Mr McCarthy: Thank God for the coppers who booked me.
Mr GILES: I thank the member for Fong Lim for the amendment to the motion. He raised a number of important points. I am, however, disappointed he pointed out the bleeding obvious to those on this side of the Chamber: the Labor opposition is in such dire straits that members have lowered themselves to not only the point of extinction, but to little other than slagging people off openly in the Chamber with nothing more than vitriolic personal attacks without a policy base.
This comes most recently from the member for Barkly, the bloke who likes to take stress leave from a government job while he campaigns then make accusations about all of us. The member for Fong Lim managed to point out a range of things the opposition is presenting to debate in the Northern Territory. You do not have to go far to see how backed into a corner they are right now.
There is little public debate in the Chamber from the opposition and little public debate outside. It is all about attacking public servants, politicians or organisations. Political debate in the Territory has reached a low not seen in any other jurisdiction.
During the lunch break I watched Question Time from Canberra. I saw the way the federal opposition and Coalition government perform. I wish in the Northern Territory both sides of the Chamber could perform in the same way. During Question Time today we spoke about a range of things. Off the top of my head, one was about more airlines for the Northern Territory. Over the last few days we have described how we are giving more independence to schools through independent public schools and global school budgets, business confidence being up by 33% in the Territory and talking about some of the things which mean a lot to Territorians.
Instead, all I have heard from the opposition is vitriol, accusations, assertions and innuendo. There are many derogatory statements and I sit back laughing. Yesterday, when you attacked public servants, I mentioned to the Attorney-General how appalling it was to see public servants named in this Chamber, but it was great to see how bad Labor was that it had to do it. I think it is fantastic you are that bad because we get on, do our job, govern and you are in such dire straits.
Member for Barkly, as deputy leader you have hitched yourself to the Leader of the Opposition and her antics. To the other six members of your team, start looking at a different approach to business ...
Ms Fyles: You cannot even add up.
Mr GILES: I beg your pardon? What was that? I cannot add up. You have eight people on your side of the Chamber. I spoke about two and there are six left. I know your English is bad, but that is maths, member for Nightcliff. Yes, you have just realised your folly, good job.
It is strange you have to personally attack people in such an outrageous way. Anybody with high morals and standards would not do that, not in a democracy. Today we saw a terrorist in Ottawa, Canada, attack democracy in a nation friendly to Australia and the Northern Territory. The attacks on democracy are appalling, but the way you perform in a democracy is a shame. If Australians saw your performance they would hang their head in shame ...
Ms Walker: Read what they are writing about you, Adam. Read the editorial.
Mr GILES: We saw some of the – do you ever shut up, member from Nhulunbuy?
Ms Fyles: A point of order Madam Speaker! Standing Order 62: offensive
Mr GILES: You are offensive.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.
Mr GILES: If Australians saw the way you perform in the Chamber, even schoolchildren in your electorate, they would be ashamed. It is disgraceful. It is fantastic to see Labor disintegrating. I normally would not give my observations, but considering the member for Fong Lim has given his thoughts I will give mine. Any intelligent opposition party would see the failures of the Opposition Leader and the deputy leader and remove them. However, given the Labor structure and how it does what the union says, the brother boys in the back room say, ‘Don’t remove her yet; leave her there to do herself in and cause more harm for the opposition. We will get her later.’ The other six are twiddling their thumbs thinking that is good because none have the cajewels to take the job. She is leading you down the garden path, not providing good representation for the opposition.
This brings us all down because we are not debating sensible topics. One sensible topic to discuss would be TIO. Do you think we could have a sensible debate about TIO and how we could support it going forward? No, it is just populist agenda. No one on that side will talk about the real issues with TIO. Member for Casuarina, come for a briefing and I will give you examples of the problems.
We should be able to discuss what is going on, but you are running a negative, populist campaign. I will wait to see what the member for Nelson does: whether he has a good look at TIO or jumps on board that negative, populist campaign.
In regard to TIO, there are serious issues about how we move forward and support TIO to grow, expand and prosper so it remains a part of the Territory. We want to provide certainty to Territorians that the ‘T’ in TIO will remain and provide that level of security, that people who work for TIO remain its best asset and that flood and cyclone cover remain an important backbone of the insurance industry going forward. If we decide to sell TIO we want the opportunity to realise the asset value and put it back into community and economic infrastructure to support Territorians and growth of the Territory.
Do you think we could have a debate in this Chamber on how that could be done or where the funds should go? No, we cannot. We are abused and called names the Labor Party does not have the backbone to describe in public because they would be sued up hill and down dale because they cannot prove any of it. They come into coward’s castle. The member for Barkly is a coward; he does not have the gumption to repeat things outside. I challenge you to make those accusations outside ...
Mr McCarthy: Let’s talk about it the car park not out the front.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! ‘Let’s talk about it in the car park’ sounds like a threat. The member for Barkly should withdraw threats of violence against the Chief Minister.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order, member for Port Darwin. I recall ‘take it outside’ mentioned in Question Time this morning. Member for Barkly, temper your comments, please.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, I heard your call on that. It is even worse than the comments made today. To be threatened with being taken to the car park is an outrage. It is disgusting. This bloke has lost control and should not be in this place.
Mr Chandler: He is like a union thug.
Mr GILES: Like a union thug. That is appalling. He should be named and kicked out.
Ms FYLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 62.
Madam SPEAKER: Withdraw that, Chief Minister.
Mr GILES: I withdraw. The member for Barkly should not make comments like that in this Chamber. He has completely lost control.
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member for Barkly made the same comment the member for Braitling did this morning about saying things outside the Chamber. It is the same point.
Madam SPEAKER: It is not a point of order. Sit down. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: You are making it up again, member for Fannie Bay. That was not said; I did not hear it. I did not say it.
Mr Gunner: You said, ‘Go outside and say it’.
Mr GILES: I said ‘Go outside and make the comments’, not ‘take me outside and flog me in the car park’.
Mr McCarthy: I never said that. I said come outside and call me a coward.
Mr GILES: Member for Barkly, man up and be a proper politician in this Chamber.
Let me come back to TIO. You have to be an opposition which can have a proper, authentic and mature debate about this. It is the same with the port. When you look at the motion that was changed yesterday – if we cannot afford to conduct a 20-year inquiry so we can only look at four years’ of electoral returns, receipts or documents, of course we have to change it. If we want to negotiate a process to do that we should be able to. I am surprised the opposition and the Independent do not want an inquiry. We will hold that inquiry.
Moving to the amendment the member for Fong Lim put forward, that all words after ‘censures’ first appears be replaced with ‘the Leader of the Opposition for recklessly, intentionally and indifferently bringing this House into disrepute for misrepresenting circumstances, naming and demeaning public servants and lying to Territorians for her own political motives’ is fully supported.
She has undoubtedly brought the level of debate and democracy in the Northern Territory down by continuing to play the man not the ball. It is her modus operandi and I do not think it will change. I am looking forward to the day she is no longer in that position and we can raise the level of debate. Sure, we will disagree on things, but personal attacks and being threatened with violence by the member for Barkly is outrageous ...
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! That is misleading; it did not happen.
Mr GILES: It happened. He said it; it is on Hansard.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, you have the call. It is not a point of order.
Mr McCarthy: It is your interpretation, Adam. You called me a coward and I said, ‘Let’s talk about it’.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Barkly, cease interjecting please.
Mr GILES: Now he is backing …
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please pause. Member for Barkly, I remind you that you are still on a warning.
Mr GILES: I know what being offered out is all about, member for Barkly. You did it but will not even man up to it ...
Mr McCarthy: I know what calling me a coward means too.
Mr GILES: The Leader of the Opposition is denigrating parliament. She has been doing it for about six months, with more and more vitriolic personal attacks. We can handle it. To me it is funny because it is a serious sign of the denigration of the Labor Party. I keep making jokes about the member for Fannie Bay taking over the leadership role. The member for Fannie Bay could debate TIO. I know the member for Nelson can as he understands the issues. We might disagree on a response to the issues, but if we could debate it that would be good.
I am asking for legislation to be drawn up for Cabinet to consider the potential sale of TIO. If we want a public discussion it might go out, but it will not be debated by this Chamber because you do not want to talk about it. We will have to discuss it with the electorate. If we decide to draw up the legislation we will have to discuss it publicly, not in this Chamber, because we do not get a sensible and mature debate here.
Discussions about Medibank Private being privatised, Qantas, Telstra or any other public asset, national or state – people debate the merits of it and the best way to do it. Here, as soon as you talk about it you are accused of being corrupt and every name under the sun. Take some lessons from your leaders in other parts of the country. Privatisation of Medibank Private is being discussed now. Do you hear vitriol from Bill Shorten? There is no way a real leader would speak like that.
However, the remaining six blindly follow this appalling personal approach. I do not want to give you a lesson because it is fantastic you are going that way. We all have broad shoulders. We left last night on top of the world, thinking how bad you were getting and what a rabble you are. It is great news. It is appalling that you attack public servants, but it shows the rest of the Territory how low you will go and how much you are falling apart.
The Leader of the Opposition should be censured for bringing us into disrepute. Every time we talk about ourselves Territorians say, ‘What the bloody hell are they doing in parliament? We elect these people, why are they not doing things for us?’
Instead of talking about the pros and cons of different policies, different policy approaches or different agendas, you call people corrupt. You call for inquiries, you talk about political donations and you talk about yourself all the time. We do not want to talk about ourselves; we want to talk about policy. We want to talk about TIO. We want to talk about how we grow northern Australia and how the port fits into that, and what economic infrastructure we would want to put proceeds of TIO into? How much should be economic and how much should be community? The economic gets a 15% return to asset recycling, the community element does not. What should it be? Should we invest in health, education, roads, bridges or telecommunications? These are serious questions, but currently only 14 people are debating with the public how to take that forward.
It would be good if 25 people were having a mature debate. We do not want a populist debate, one abusing and cussing at people or threatening to take them outside and flog them, member for Barkly. A mature debate would be really sensible. It would be how we could drive change in the Northern Territory. The debate we could have on TIO could be replicated to other things such as amendments to the Pastoral Land Act where we will see agribusiness and horticulture develop. We could talk sensibly about water licensing rather than being accused of being corrupt.
We could talk about lands and planning instead of saying we are taking dollars off developers. You cannot talk about these things. We do the job, and the most challenging part of our job these days is sitting in parliament listening to Labor because they waste time when we could be working at building the Territory for a better future. Rather than debating a better future for the Territory we do it, because you will not have the debate.
Undoubtedly, sometime today one of you will criticise someone, abuse them, throw a tirade or threaten to punch them out, like the member for Barkly. That will happen again because you will not rise above it. The Leader of the Opposition is backed into a corner going nowhere with no policy. You are blindly walking into the corner behind her and that is a shame for people who live in Fannie Bay, Wanguri, Nightcliff, Johnston or Casuarina. From a democratic point of view that is really disappointing. I anticipate that will happen again. Shame on you, Leader of the Opposition. You were in government for eleven-and-a-half years and you come from a political family. You behaviour, professionalism and performance in parliament should be better. You know about it and throw it out, or you have no values in that regard. For that reason the amendment to the censure motion should be supported.
I come back to attack. You can attack us as much as you want, but when you start attacking public servants, calling on politicians to break the law and go into departments and sack people you have gone a bridge too far, apart from threatening to punch people out in the car park, member for Barkly. You should not be …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Chief Minister is continuing to mislead the House about the member for Barkly’s interjection.
Madam SPEAKER: No, it is not a point of order. Chief Minister, you have the call.
Mr GILES: Attacking the civil service in the Northern Territory and calling for the chief to break the Public Sector Employment and Management Act and sack people it appalling. As shadow Police minister and shadow Attorney-General, member for Fannie Bay, how can you call for the breach of a law? How can you call for a politician to sack people? That is outrageous and will not happen on my watch. It will not happen on this government’s watch. There is no way we will intervene in that. We set the policy agenda and the public service is doing a bloody good job. Look at the police; crime is going down. Look at justice and the way we are prosecuting. Look at corrections, the reduction in prisoner numbers and the prisoners who are working. They are fantastic outcomes ...
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, there is nothing like a good old censure to encourage debate because there are some issues here worth debating. Sometimes I might be a sad politician, but sometimes I think we should have a mini estimates every six months to give us a chance to look at issues in depth. Generally speaking, even though we debate them, we are limited in the investigation processes needed to get down to the nitty gritty.
The Chief Minister has raised a number of issues and I would like to deal with them in order. In relation to the inquiry, I would like to get a few things on the record. The inquiry into political donations was passed by this parliament on 20 August 2014. It was initially brought to parliament on 13 May 2014. Six items were included in the motion:
- 1. all existing legislation and any other relevant legislation relating to political donations
- 3. the role of politically allied companies, such as Harold Nelson Holdings and Foundation 51, and any other third parties to see if they are being used as fronts to avoid the disclosure of political donations
4. the transparency and accountability of existing funding regimes
- 5. other jurisdictions and their practices in relation to political donations
I have been discussing this with the Chief Minister and was due to meet with him today. I met with the Chief Minister in relation to TIO and the inquiry was discussed. He said it would not be under the Inquiries Act rather the Department of the Chief Minister or the PAC. I said I considered that unacceptable because it is too close to politicians. There was not much more discussion.
I e-mailed the Chief Minister last Thursday asking if it was okay if I said he and I supported the inquiry because I was being asked by people and the media. I had no response to that, which was two days before the by-election. Around 1 pm yesterday Mr Kelly gave me a document the government wanted me to support which said:
- 1. Parliament rescinds the motion of Mr Wood of 20 August 2014 under the Inquiries Act relating to political donations, and
2. that the following motion be agreed to:
- That the government establishes an inquiry outside of the Inquiries Act, administered by the Department of the Chief Minister, to investigate all aspects of political donations in the NT.
- 1. all existing legislation and any other relevant legislation relating to political donations;
- 2. other jurisdictions and their practices in relation to political donations;
- 3. the administration of public election funding models in other jurisdictions; and
- 4. consult with the Australian Electoral Commission and the Northern Territory Electoral Commission with regard to their inquiries into political donations.
I sent an e-mail:
- Hi Ron
I will not be supporting that motion, no surprise. Please remove my name from the motion. It should go through the Inquiries Act so that it can be seen at arm’s length from the politicians.
If you are going to go ahead with this motion then clause 4 needs to have, consult and investigate political donations especially in relation to Foundation 51 and Harold Nelson Holdings. There also needs to be a clause 5 which says, ‘investigate if there is any correlation between political donors and government policies or decisions which favoured those donors’.
- To say I am extremely disappointed at this motion is an understatement.
I expected negotiations in good faith. Because these negotiations were held with me alone – I do not have staff to attend negotiations. I sent an e-mail to the Chief Minister on Tuesday asking if Colin McDonald could attend to support me and consider the legal implications. I do not know if that scared someone off, but between that e-mail and today someone decided they were not interested in that meeting, which I thought would be part of the negotiations. Those negotiations could have been around whether an inquiry went through the Inquiries Act or not. That could have been negotiated, but I had to respond to a letter in 15 minutes. It was not a face to face meeting.
The important parts of the proposed inquiry were deleted – the parts about Harold Nelson Holdings, Foundation 51 and other third parties. Whether political donors could have an influence on government policy was also deleted. When the minister said I dug my heels in – I was told, ‘We will discuss this at half past and want your answer’. That is a bit rough, and I was not about to start negotiating in letters between the government and myself through Ron Kelly.
I wanted a more mature approach to negotiations, because up to then they had been very short. I had spoken to both the Leader of the Opposition and the leader of PUP about it going through DCM or the PAC. Everybody said they believed it should be through the Inquiries Act. That is not to say, after negotiation – it would have been better to have something than nothing at all. The something I was to get from this was impotent.
This is a lightweight inquiry that could be conducted by a law student at CDU as a thesis. The guts of this inquiry involved looking at the history of political donations, whether there had been any influence on government policies or whether other bodies had been used to divert funds so donors could not be recognised as giving money to a political party. That is where it is at the moment.
I feel let down because if this is the motion the government wanted why not give it to me weeks ago? We could have negotiated it then or I could have said, ‘The ball is in your court, you wear it’. You could have passed a motion which included Foundation 51 and the possible influence of political donors. If you believed those things were important you could have put them in your inquiry. I would have given you 7.5/10, now I give you 1/10 for trying. The inquiry is a sham.
I raised the issue of Frank McGuiness, the retired Auditor-General because I thought he would have good investigative skills. Part of my original motion was to look at numbers, which is why the previous Auditor-General would be a good person. He could have a lawyer or someone similar help with some of the legal aspects.
This was not a government idea but now it is using Frank McGuiness to look at legislation. I do not believe he needs to be employed for that purpose. He was the Auditor-General and is good at looking at where money goes. This inquiry will not probe into where money goes so why have Frank McGuiness on it? I also knew he would get support from both sides of parliament because he was such a fair Auditor-General.
I say publicly to Frank I do not support this motion and feel he is being put on the spot. His qualifications should not be used for this. This is a downgrade and not something for a man with his great reputation.
In relation to the Tiwi money – I asked questions in the last estimates. I get confused with this. I will not go into The Australian article, but if I want to lease a block of land I ask someone. I check which block of land, how much I need, if the land is suitable and come up with an offer to lease it. It appears we have given $1m for 10 000 ha without understanding what the money is for.
I will read from the Chief Minister’s statement in estimates this year regarding the payment:
- This payment was made to Tiwi Resources, the entity nominated by the Tiwi Land Council. This payment demonstrates a commitment to working with the Tiwi to develop their lands for their economic future and is conditional upon consent as per the provisions of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. The purpose of this project is to progress commercial development on the Tiwi Islands in a manner that is supported by traditional owners for job creation and economic development benefiting Tiwi Island residents.
There has been discussion about whether it is fully supported and that area needs to be looked at.
The Chief Minister also said:
- The Land Development Corporation is working with the Tiwi Land Council, traditional owners and affected Aboriginal Tiwi Islanders …
The Tiwi Shire Council does not get a look in. The government is keen to talk to the Tiwi Land Council and loathe to talk to the Tiwi Shire Council. My understanding is hardly anyone from the government has visited Tiwi Shire Council. Government is always pleased to pat the Tiwi Land Council on the back, but never so enthusiast when it comes to the Tiwi Shire Council.
- Should appropriate lands be identified, the Land Development Corporation will lease those lands on the Tiwis for 99 years ...
I understand appropriate land has not been properly identified. What they want to use the land for has been identified, but the member for Barkly mentioned an arrangement I have not heard of.
The Chief Minister then mentioned subleasing.
The Chief Minister said the money was to facilitate the lease. Does that mean the lease, or does it mean to facilitate the lease? I would like the Chief Minister to explain exactly what the arrangement was. Was it to pay for a lease that has not been sorted out, or simply to facilitate the lease? I asked that during the estimates and was short on getting an answer. At that time I said:
- I put on the record I am very concerned that we are spending $1m of taxpayers’ money without having good work done at the beginning of this project.
This is not about not supporting Tiwi ventures. I lived on Bathurst Island long enough to see plenty of Tiwi ventures, but if you are giving money it does not matter if you are Tiwi or non-Tiwi, it has to be accounted for in the correct way. We cannot blame certain Aboriginal bodies in the Northern Territory for going bung, like the association at Maningrida or the problems on Groote Eylandt some years ago, probably from mismanagement. If there are issues in relation to government money and we question that, it should not be seen as a race issue but whether the processes are open, transparent and done the right way. Some people will move in that direction, but regardless of where the money is going it has to be accounted for correctly.
In relation to TIO, I will read some CLP media releases from 2005. This was from Dr Richard Lim:
- ‘I have been told by some senior TIO officers that the sale by the Government is almost a certainty, in spite of the fact that Territorians are totally opposed to the sale of the TIO into private hands’, Dr Lim said.
The Martin Labor Government’s intention to sell off the TIO is contrary to ALP’s policy of public ownership of assets, yet this government, with its absolute power is throwing its policies out the window.
The Northern Territory has unique circumstances which is why the TIO was set up in the first place. The TIO is different to other commercial insurers as it provides for things that no other company will provide.
It is plainly misleading for the government to say that it will put into the contract of sale that a privately owned TIO will provide flood and cyclone insurance.
That does not prevent the company that owns the TIO to put high premiums on flood and cyclone insurance so that it is not affordable by the average Territorian – with the net effect there will be no flood and cyclone insurance for Territorians.
I quoted a 2006 article from Terry Mills the other day:
- Mr Mills said that despite the Chief Minister’s firm assurance that plenty of other insurance companies offer flood and storm surge protection they do not.
He said it was wrong to claim that because the TIO is Government owned the next cyclone or flood could expose the NT economy to unacceptable risk.
‘If it cost $7m to settle claims resulting from Cyclone Ingrid and 10 times that amount to settle claims from the Katherine floods, then another cyclone across Darwin or Palmerston could break the bank! Wrong! Insurance companies manage risk by sharing it around; they reinsure that risk,’ Mr Mills said.
- While many millions of dollars are paid out in claims it only costs TIO $1 million for each cyclone because they carefully and comprehensively reinsure their risk.
Why is there all this deception? Is it to mask the Government’s real intent; to sell TIO to provide a one off cash injection! A short term gain for long term loss!
The CLP stands firmly opposed to the sale of TIO and will fight to see it retained.
I am happy to have a mature debate about it, but I also understand when people said they did not want to sell TIO was when it was not making much money – probably making a loss. It is now making a substantial profit yet we have the same argument. If I changed the name on that to CLP it could be the same argument we have today.
Back in 2006, 15 000 people did not want TIO to go. People might have different views now but I am not getting that feedback. It is not about populism because it is not getting rid of a failed company. This is a profitable company – profit in banking, profit in insurance, profit in MACA and something people like.
I have heard the Chief Minister’s argument before. Treasury economic rationalists were pushing this before. The onus is on the government, if it believes it has a good case, to convince 15 000 people because you are trying to get rid of a profitable company. Yes, the argument about risk was put forward in 2006 and TIO has survived.
I need to be convinced this is more than economic rationalism. The government understands people like TIO. It is a community organisation people belong to, feel very much part of and you have to take that into account as part of the TIO debate. If you do not bring people along you will not win this argument.
The Assembly divided:
- Ayes 13 Noes 9
- Mr Barrett Ms Anderson
Mr Chandler Ms Fyles
Mr Conlan Mr Gunner
Mr Elferink Ms Lawrie
Mrs Finocchiaro Mr McCarthy
Mr Giles Ms Manison
Mr Higgins Ms Moss
Mr Kurrupuwu Mr Vowles
Mrs Lambley Ms Walker
Mrs Price
Mr Styles
Mr Tollner
Mr Westra van Holthe
Motion agreed to.
Motion, as amended, agreed to.
TERMINATION OF UNITS PLANS AND UNIT TITLE SCHEMES BILL
(Serial 104)
(Serial 104)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to provide an additional mechanism for the termination of unit plans under the Unit Titles Act and the unit titles schemes under the Unit Title Schemes Act. By way of shorthand, I will refer in this speech to these plans and schemes as unit titles developments. The broad scope of the legislation is as follows.
Firstly, it includes a new act to be called the Termination of Units Plans and Unit Title Schemes Act – nearly all provisions dealing with the termination of unit titles developments. These current provisions in the Unit Title Schemes Act and Unit Titles Act will be repealed. The only exception will be terminations that occur on the part of the amalgamation of developments in accordance with Section 72 of the Unit Title Schemes Act.
Secondly, it provides that terminations can occur by way of agreement of all of the unit owners in the development.
Thirdly, it provides in respect of large developments having ten or more units for a process under Part 4 whereby the majority of owners can, in specified circumstances, resolve that the development be terminated.
Fourthly, it provides for terminations by order of the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal for small developments having less than ten units, or as part of the consequence of the failed process under Part 4.
Fifthly, it provides for new principles to be applied when the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal is considering applications for termination or when dealing with appeals arising from the majority-based decision-making processes.
The bill’s main purpose is that of providing new processes for terminating schemes based around the proponents of the termination having a prescribed level of support from other owners. It leaves in place the current provisions that permit owners to reach unanimous agreement without any need to comply with this new process. The focus of the legislation is that of the termination of units’ schemes. The aim is to ensure unit owners know what is likely to happen if they agree to a termination. However, the legislation does not attempt to provide for rights and responsibilities post-determination.
Whilst the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal will have limited powers to deal with post-termination issues in considering whether to improve a termination, the legislation does not provide for any specific controls over post-termination redevelopments.
These kinds of proceedings in the Supreme Court have not taken place either in the Northern Territory or under equivalent legislation in other jurisdiction. The likely reason is that the current legislation, both here and elsewhere, is very open-ended as to how the court might deal with the application. It is generally considered that the courts will tend to maintain the status quo in protecting home ownership rather than addressing issues of having regard to the disadvantages to other owners of not proceeding with termination.
The difference between clause 7 and the current provisions of the Unit Title Scheme Act and the Unit Titles Act is that the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal, rather than the Supreme Court, will have jurisdiction.
Terminations resulting from majority-based decision-making – Part 4: the major reform in the bill is that of the providing in Part 4 for the termination of units’ developments based around a consultation process involving the proponent of termination and the owners of units.
The majority voting process can only occur for developments that are of a specified age, with the required level of support for termination varying depending on the age of the development. The relevant levels of support are set out in the definition of required percentage, as is contained in clause 4. A units’ development must be at least 15 years of age before Part 4 applies. The required percentages to support a termination under Part 4 are as follows:
95% for a development aged 15 or more years but less than 20 years
90% for a development aged 20 or more years but less than 30 years, and
80% for a development aged 30 years or more.
Obviously, there is no science in determining these periods or percentages. It is a matter of legislative judgment based around submissions made in the course of consultations on these proposals and the likely factual needs. The government is aware that in places such as Singapore the periods are much shorter and the percentages are lower.
The government is also aware that professional organisations such as the Property Council have suggested shorter periods and lower percentages. Nonetheless, the government considers these periods will meet all likely requirements in the Northern Territory. The developments in the Northern Territory likely to be in need of redevelopment are those involving buildings constructed before 1990.
In developing the bill one of the issues was how to determine the age of a development. This involved a choice having to be made between the actual age of the building or the time which the development came into the scope of the Unit Titles Act or the Unit Title Schemes Act. Clause 4(2) deals with this issue. It considers that the prime fact regarding the age of the development is the date on which one of the buildings forming part of the unit development can be proven to have been substantially completed. If that fact cannot be proven, the date is the date on which the occupancy was first permitted under the Building Act. If that fact is also not available, the final default date for the age of the building is any other relevant information contained in the register of administrative information maintained by the Registrar-General, under section 38 of the Land Title Act. If there is no evidence about the age of the buildings, the age of the development is deemed to be determined by reference to the date on which the unit development was registered by the Registrar-General. Similarly for unit developments for which there are no buildings.
The processes under Part 4 are, in summary, the proponent of a termination must, under clause 9(1), provide the information required by clause 9(2) to the schemes supervisor. The schemes supervisor is an independent statutory officer appointed under section 99 of the Unit Title Schemes Act. The schemes supervisor must, under clause 10, assess whether the application for termination complies with clause 9(2). The required information includes the name of the proponent, an explanation of the termination process, details of any redevelopment of the land following termination and disclosure of proposed arrangements between the proponent and others concerning the development.
If the application complies with clause 9(2) the proponent must, in accordance with clause 11(2), as soon as practicable after receiving the schemes supervisor’s approval certificate, serve it on the body corporate for the development. The body corporate must then arrange a meeting of the body corporate to consider the proposed termination. This meeting must be held not earlier than three months after the service and no later than 12 months. It is critical that unit owners have sufficient time to consider the detail of the proposal, but not too long a period of time.
If the resolution is passed by a required majority, the body corporate must serve copies of the resolution on each unit owner and mortgagee. An owner of a unit who has not supported the termination resolution can respond to the document served under clause 11(1) by supporting the termination, selling the unit to anyone, selling the unit to the proponent in accordance with clause 13 or appealing to the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal against the proposed termination in accordance with clause 15(2)(a). The non-supporters include owners who did not indicate a position one way or another at the meeting conducted by the body corporate as, for example, might be the case for owners who did not attend the meeting. These non-supporting owners have 182 days – six months – in which to make that decision. Whilst this seems a long period of time, it has been determined as a policy having regard to working out what is a fair period of time for the owner forced to sell up and leave his or her home.
The legislation provides an option for the compulsory sale of units. However, any transfer of unit also involves the terms and conditions regarding the sale, for example, as to the time of settlement and vacant possession. In this case there could also be special conditions such as making the sale conditional on the termination going ahead. It is proposed that the regulations and the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal provide various rules regarding the terms and conditions on which an objecting owner is obliged to sell their unit to the proponent. If a proponent does not achieve the required percentage support, the proponent has a right to apply to the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal for an order for termination.
Clause 12 sets out a statutory scheme for the sale of units by objecting owners. In brief, the price is set by an independent valuer appointed under the auspices of the schemes supervisor and the relevant professional organisation. If either the proponent or unit owner disagrees with the independent valuation, they have a right of appeal to the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Clause 17 sets out the principles which the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and also the Supreme Court, must apply when dealing with appeals by an objecting owner. For the purposes of determining the amount of compensation for objecting owners, compensation is determined as if the sale was compulsory. Owners in residence will be entitled to compensation for solatium and with the compensation to be based on expert advice provided by a single valuer appointed by the relevant professional organisation as prescribed by regulation.
After a successful resolution is made under Part 4, notice must be provided to the Registrar-General for the purposes of a recording being made under section 38 of the Land Title Act. From the time notice is given to the Registrar-General, an owner who gave support for a unit and any other subsequent owner of that unit is bound to maintain that support – it becomes binding for a period of 12 months. If there is a change of ownership before the section 38 recording, the new owner is treated as if they are an objecting owner.
Approval by Tribunal: clauses 16 and 17 of the bill provide that the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal can approve the termination of a unit titles development following an application under clause 16(1) – small developments – or clause 16(2) – large developments. These provisions replace section 14(1) and (3) of the Unit Title Schemes Act and section 95 of the Unit Titles Act. The main difference between clauses 16 and 17 and the current provision relates to the basis on which a decision is made regarding the application for termination. Under the current provisions, the basis for the Supreme Court’s decision is that approval can only be given if the court considers it just and equitable to so.
Under the new provisions there are three main factors and four secondary factors. The main factors are that:
1. ‘it is just an equitable to do so’ – clause 17(1)(a)
2. ‘any objection … by an owner of a unit is unreasonable’ – clause 17(1)(b), and
3. termination ‘is otherwise necessary … taking into account any factors prescribed by regulations’ – clause 17(1)(c).
The four other factors that must also be considered are:
1. the extent to which an owner would suffer consequences if the termination were ordered – clause 17(2)(a)
2. the extent to which an owner would suffer adverse consequence if the termination was not ordered – clause 17(2)(b)
3. the financial benefits and risks of the termination and, if applicable, any proposed redevelopment – clause 17(2)(c), and
4. whether an order other than termination would be more appropriate – clause 17(2)(d) – for example, an order requiring owners of units to contribute to repairs and maintenance.
I draw attention to a number of other provisions.
Clause14 of the bill provides for limits on the number of occasions a proposed termination can be formally put to members of the body corporate. In brief, a second application cannot be made until six months after the first Part 4 resolution.
Tenants have no formal role in terminations but the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal will have the power to terminate tenancies and provide for the payment of compensation to a tenant or unit owner. This policy position has been adopted on the basis that terminations relate to ownership rather than occupation. It will be up to the unit owners to arrange for termination of tenancies. In other words, a tenancy will not terminate simply because the units’ scheme has been terminated. However, the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal has been given the power to order a termination of a tenancy and to award compensation to a tenant – clause 17(4)(f) – and, if appropriate, the objecting owner of the unit.
Under section 15(b) of the Unit Title Schemes Act the underpinning legal document – the management module – could include a scheme for a termination of schemes once they reach 20 years of age if there is 90% support for the termination. Given there is now to be a statutory right of termination, there does not appear to be any need to retain this provision. There also appears to be no need for any transitional provisions that save the operation of the provision. Accordingly, the bill provides for the repeal of section 15(b) with no transitional provisions.
The bill provides for consequential amendments to the Land Title Act, Unit Titles Act, the Unit Title Schemes Act, Real Property (Unit Titles) Act and the Real Property (Unit Titles) Regulations.
Part 6 provides that a termination takes effect when the relevant documents are lodged with, and registered by, the Registrar-General. These documents cannot be lodged or registered until such time as the period for appeal has expired or any decision regarding an appeal has been made.
The bill also provides for transitional provisions. If any termination is in process under the Unit Title Schemes Act or the Unit Titles Act at the date of commencement it will continue to be covered by those acts as if this act, and the amendments, had not commenced.
This proposed legislation is necessarily complex given it deals with, in effect, the potential compulsory acquisition of privately owned property by private sector interests. The legislation sets out a framework that, for developers, will be complicated and expensive. They will not lightly commence action under the legislation. It is assumed that, in practice, unit owners and developers will negotiate outcomes having regard to the legislative framework.
It is proposed that this legislation commence on 1 January 2015. For the purpose of ensuring this date is met, it is provided for in clause 2 of the bill. In order to ensure there can be comprehensive consideration of firm legislative proposals, I released a consultation draft of this bill as early as possible but with a view to the bill be introduced in October and debated in the November 2014 sittings of parliament.
My plan is that the bill be subject to extensive consultation, with there being a clear understanding to introduce the committee stage amendments in November 2014 if problematic matters relating to the drafting or policy or detail are identified. I fully anticipate there will be some changes.
This bill is innovative for Australia insofar that the Northern Territory government is the first government to introduce legislation on this matter despite the widespread view that something needs to be done. I note the New South Wales government is also formally reviewing the law and is actively also developing legislation as part of a major review of New South Wales strata title laws.
I commend the bill to honourable members, and table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
POLICE (SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE AND OTHER POWERS) BILL
(Serial 100)
(Serial 100)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr GILES (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to provide additional operational powers for the Northern Territory Police Force and authorised Commonwealth law enforcement and intelligence agencies to conduct cross border operations and investigations. This bill is based on the model law developed by the national Joint Working Group of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General and the Australasian Police Ministers’ Council. The working group was chaired by the Commonwealth and included representatives from law enforcement and justice agencies from each jurisdiction.
With mutual recognition of model law in corresponding jurisdictions, law enforcement agencies are able to undertake covert investigations across national borders for the investigation of serious offences. These investigative powers are necessary to disrupt organised criminal networks such as drug cartels and motorcycle gangs that could otherwise operate with relative ease across jurisdictional borders.
Adoption of the model law, as modified for other authorised Commonwealth law enforcement and intelligence agencies, enhances the Northern Territory Police Force capacity for a coordinated and collaborative response to cross border operations in the investigation of serious crimes in the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory joins other jurisdictions such as Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, with the inclusion of Commonwealth intelligence agencies such as the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, in the acquisition and cancellation of evidence of assumed identities.
The bill is divided into three parts: controlled operations, assumed identities and witness identity protection. A fourth area of the model law relating to surveillance devices has previously been enacted in the Northern Territory by the Surveillance Devices Act of 2007. Before explaining the detail of the bill I will briefly describe each of these areas.
A controlled operation is an undercover law enforcement operation that authorises a law enforcement officer to engage in what would otherwise be unlawful conduct for the purpose of obtaining evidence of a serious criminal offence. An assumed identity is a false identity that protects an authorised officer or civilian who is engaging in investigating criminal activity or conducting intelligence or security activities. Witness identity protection provides for the protection of the true identity of a covert operative and of protected witnesses who give evidence in court.
I will now provide further detail of the operative provisions from within the bill.
Controlled operation: the bill sets out a detailed and rigorous process for the authorisation of a controlled operation. A controlled operation may only be authorised by the chief officer of a law enforcement agency, being the Northern Territory Police Force or the Australian Crime Commission.
The controlled operation may be undertaken for criminal offences that attract a penalty of a maximum term of imprisonment of three years or more, or for an offence that is prescribed by regulation. The chief officer must be satisfied of a number of key protective measures, including the nature and extent of the suspected criminal activity is such as to justify the conduct of the controlled operation in the Territory, that any unlawful conduct involved in conducting the operation will be limited to the maximum event consistent with conducting an effective controlled operation, and that any conduct will not seriously endanger the health or safety of any person, or cause death or serious injury to any person or involve the commission of a sexual offence.
Participating law enforcement officers are indemnified in authorising operations against civil liability in respect of the conduct of the operations. However, there is no protection from criminal responsibility if the participant intentionally induces a person to commit an offence that the person would not otherwise have intended to commit.
If a third party suffers loss or serious damage to property as a direct result of the authorised operation, they are entitled to compensation for such loss or damage. The provision is limited to cases where the loss or damage did not occur as a direct result of the claimant engaging in criminal activity.
The bill also provides for mutual recognition of corresponding state and territory-controlled operational laws to facilitate cross border operations. For example, an authority issued in Victoria will have the same effect and provide the same protections in the Northern Territory as if it was issued in the Northern Territory. In the same way, other jurisdictions will mutually recognise the Northern Territory authorities when the Northern Territory Police Force crosses the border into their jurisdictions.
The bill sets out the record keeping requirements of all controlled operations, including a general register. Within two months after the completion of an authorised operation, the principal law enforcement officer is required to give a report to the chief officer. The chief officer is required to submit a report to the Ombudsman every six months in relation to authorised operations conducted during the previous six months.
The bill creates an oversight role for the Ombudsman to inspect the records of a law enforcement agency at least once every 12 months. The Ombudsman is also required to prepare and submit a report on the work and activities under the bill for the preceding 12 months. A copy of each report is to be given to the minister and the chief officer, with a further requirement for the minister to table the report before the Legislative Assembly.
The bill creates an offence for unauthorised disclosure of information relating to an authorised operation. Penalties for the base offence, relating to the fact of disclosure, attracts up to 12 months imprisonment. Offences relating to an unauthorised disclosure that endangers the health or safety of any person or prejudices the effective conduct of an investigation or intelligence gathering in relation to criminal activity attract a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
Assumed identity: the assumed identity provisions of the bill provide for the lawful acquisition and use of assumed identities, including mutual recognition, of things done in relation to assumed identities under corresponding laws. The assumed identity powers will protect an undercover operative engaged in investigating crimes and infiltrating organised crime groups. By way of example, undercover operatives need supporting documents to prove and verify their assumed identity. The bill allows for the creation of evidence of an assumed identity such as a birth certificate. The bill sets out a formal application process to ensure assumed identities are only granted in appropriate circumstances. An authorised officer must apply in writing to the chief officer for authorisation for the law enforcement officer or any other person to acquire an assumed identity and use an assumed identity.
The chief officer, when making a determination on whether to grant an authority to assume and use an identity, must be satisfied on reasonable grounds that the assumed identity is necessary for an investigation or intelligence gathering in relation to criminal activity, the risk of abuse of the assumed identity by the authorised person is minimal, and if the application is for authorisation of an assumed identity for a person who is not a lawful enforcement officer, that it will be impossible or impracticable in the circumstances for a law enforcement officer to acquire or use the assumed identity for the purpose sought.
The bill enables the creation of fictitious documentation to support an assumed identity. The bill provides that the chief officer of a government issuing agency such as a motor vehicle registry who receives a request to produce, for example, a driver’s licence, must comply with that request. The chief officer of a non-government issuing agency such as a financial institution who receives a request, for example, to produce a credit card, may comply with the request but is not obliged to comply. The chief officer or an officer of an issuing agency will be protected from any civil or criminal liability for assisting in the creation of fictitious documentation for an authorised assumed identity.
Given the fundamental importance of a fictitious birth certificate or marriage certificate to support an authorised assumed identity, the Supreme Court may order the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages to make a fictitious entry to the register under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act.
An entry must be cancelled by the Supreme Court on application by the chief officer. The chief officer of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is also authorised to make an application to the Supreme Court in respect of an entry or cancellation of evidence of an assumed identity in the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Although the bill offers protection from criminal and civil liability for authorised persons, it also ensures that a person using an assumed identity is not immune from certain liabilities simply because they have an assumed identity. For example, if a law enforcement officer using a fictitious driver’s licence commits a traffic offence the officer will still be liable for the traffic offence. Likewise, authorised officers are not excused from criminal or civil liability if they engage in conduct that requires a qualification and the person does not have that qualification. For example, an authorised person may have the assumed identity of an electrician. This does not permit the person to perform electrical work unless the person is qualified to be an electrician.
In the same vein as the controlled operations provision, the bill requires the chief officer to cause appropriate records to be kept in respect of the use of assumed identity powers and sets out the detail of what these records must include.
At the end of each financial year the chief officer must submit a report to the minister. The minister is required to table the report in the Legislative Assembly. The chief officer must arrange for the records for each authority to be audited at least once every six months while the authority is in force, and at least once in the six months after cancellation or expiry of the authority. The results of an audit are to be reported to the chief officer.
The bill similarly provides for offences against the unauthorised disclosure of information that reveals or may reveal an assumed identity with penalties ranging from 12 months up to ten years’ imprisonment where such a disclosure may endanger safety or prejudice an investigation. There are exceptions to unauthorised disclosure where disclosure is required for the administration of the bill for legal proceedings arising out of the operation of the bill, or where the person is authorised by law.
A person is also authorised to disclose information in certain circumstances, including for the purpose of reporting to an appropriate authority or to a government agency for the purposes of a law enforcement operation.
Witness identity protection: the witness identity protection provisions go hand-in-hand with the control operations and assumed identity provisions within the bill. The bill empowers the chief officer to give a witness identity protection certificate in relation to a court proceeding when satisfied that the disclosure of the true identity of a witness may endanger the safety of the witness or another person or may prejudice an investigation.
The effect of such a certificate is to enable an operative to give evidence under his or her assumed name or court name, excuse an operative from stating his or her real name or address during the proceedings and may prevent the asking of any questions that may lead to the disclosure of the operative’s real identity or address.
The chief officer must ensure the certificate records information relevant to the credibility of the evidence being given by the witness. This is done by making sure the chief officer states whether the operative has been convicted or found guilty of an offence, whether there are any charges pending against the operative and, if the cooperative is a law enforcement officer, whether the officer has been found guilty of professional misconduct, whether any allegation of misconduct is pending and whether a court has made any adverse comment regarding the operative’s credibility. This is provided due to the difficulty for an accused in challenging the credibility of the witness without the real identity of the witness being revealed.
The bill also provides for the protection of civil witnesses in the Territory witness protection program under the Witness Protection (Northern Territory) Act. Under this division of the bill, the chief officer must give a non-disclosure certificate for the protected persons in relation to the proceeding. Similarly, the certificate must be filed with the court where the protected person is required to give evidence and must also detail any offences of the protected person. Like the witness identity protection provisions, a non-disclosure certificate must not state any information that discloses, or is likely to disclose, a protected person’s true identity or where they live.
This bill is a powerful statement of the government’s commitment to fight serious and organised criminal activity and, where relevant, national security. The bill increases the capability of police to pursue and apprehend those organised, and involved in, criminal enterprises.
I commend the bill to honourable members, and table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
MOTION
Take Two Bills Together
Take Two Bills Together
Mr GILES (Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the two bills titled Licensing (Director-General) Bill 2014 (Serial 102) and Licensing (Repeals and Consequential Amendments) Bill 2014 (Serial 103) together be debated and in one motion put in regard to the second readings, the committee report stages and the third reading of the bills, and be considered separately in the committee of the whole.
Motion agreed to.
LICENSING (DIRECTOR-GENERAL) BILL
(Serial 102)
LICENSING (REPEALS AND CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS) BILL
(Serial 103)
(Serial 102)
LICENSING (REPEALS AND CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS) BILL
(Serial 103)
Bill presented and read a first time
Mr GILES (Business): Madam Speaker, I move that these two bills be now read a second time. The purpose of these bills is to establish a new decision-making framework for a range of licences currently approved by the Northern Territory Licensing Commission. The Licensing Director-General Bill 2014 will repeal the Northern Territory Licensing Commission Act and establish the position of Director-General of Licensing, which will be a person appointed by the minister. The Director-General of Licensing will be vested with all decision-making powers and functions currently sitting with the Northern Territory Licensing Commission and the Director and Deputy Directors of Licensing.
Currently the Northern Territory Licensing Commission makes decisions under a range of acts including the Liquor Act, the Gaming Machine Act, the Prostitution Regulation Act, the Kava Management Act, the Gaming Control Act, the Tobacco Control Act, the Totalisator Licensing and Regulation Act and the Private Security Act and related regulations.
While the commission is the primary decision-maker, the Director of Licensing, which is a position also created under the Northern Territory Licensing Commission Act, has responsibility for some matters and in some instances is required to refer the matter to the Licensing Commission. While it is possible for the Licensing Commission to delegate some of its functions to the Director of Licensing, and in some instances this is done and expedites matters, not all decision-making functions are delegated.
In practice, the commission meets approximately 10 times a year to consider applications under the various acts or to consider disciplinary matters that may come before it. The process of referral from the Director of Licensing to the Licensing Commission can make for a lengthy application process which can result in competitive disadvantage to business and serve as a discentive to broaden business opportunities.
We are about removing red tape. In addition, decisions of the Licensing Commission, in some circumstances, are required to be made by way of a three member panel hearing. The hearing process can become expensive for applicants as they retain legal counsel to represent them, often being protracted with hearings not held for a number of weeks, if not months. It can then take some time for the commission to reach and deliver a decision in relation to that application or disciplinary matter.
The current process for reviewing a decision of the Northern Territory Licensing Commission is contained within the Northern Territory Licensing Commission Act. Essentially, an affected person applies to the Licensing Commission for a review of the Licensing Commission’s own decision. While different members are appointed to hear the review, the process does not represent as an independent transparent review process and does not build confidence in the businesses that may seek to access it.
The new position of Director-General of Licensing will be responsible for making decisions currently made by the Licensing Commission without the need for a hearing.
The probity and other requirements that must be met for licences and the matters to be considered before executing a power under the acts, including the power to issue a licence, have not been changed by these reforms. Further, the processes that currently exist in community and stakeholder consultation, including police, local government authorities and members of the community, will continue to apply.
While the framework for decision-making may have changed the critical matters to be taken into account have not, nor have the objectives of the various acts. This will ensure the Director-General has access to a range of relevant information that allows decisions to be made in the public interest. In addition to powers enabling the Director-General of Licensing to access information and consult broadly in the decision-making process, this position will also be able to issue guidelines under the various licensing acts.
These guidelines will provide clear information to the public on how the various licensing acts will be administered and how decisions will be made. This will assist with creating an efficient and transparent decision-making framework. The power and functions of the Director-General of Licensing will be able to be delegated, and the Licencing (Director-General) Bill 2014 establishes an internal review process for delegated decisions.
This internal review process will provide an opportunity for the Director-General of Licensing to scrutinise decisions made by delegates and ensure not only the integrity of the decisions, but also that delegates are complying with the guidelines issued by the Director-General of Licensing under the various licensing acts.
The new framework will also transfer review jurisdictions to the newly established Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which will create an independent review option for affected persons of reviewable decisions. Given the internal review process for any delegated decisions, it is anticipated there will be a decrease in affected persons seeking review of the reviewable decisions. However, if this is not the case, the new Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal will offer a cost-effective option for affected persons.
Limited consultation has occurred with industry groups, and will continue to occur to assist business to understand the new framework. I would, however, like to take the opportunity to encourage industry to raise concerns they may have with the proposed framework prior to the November Legislative Assembly sittings to enable consideration of any necessary amendments.
I commend the bills to honourable members, and table the explanatory statements to accompany the bills.
Debate adjourned.
SUPERANNUATION LEGISLATION AMENDMENT AND REPEAL BILL
(Serial 89)
(Serial 89)
Continued from 20 August 2014.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Speaker, the opposition supports this bill.
The Superannuation Legislation Amendment and Repeal Bill 2014 repeals the Unclaimed Superannuation Benefits Act, amends the Superannuation Act, the Superannuation Regulations, the Legislative Assembly Members’ Superannuation Fund Act, the Administrators Pensions Act, the Northern Territory Government and Public Authorities’ Superannuation Scheme Rules and the Northern Territory Supplementary Superannuation Scheme Instrument. In effect, this legislation modernises the Superannuation Act and allows the transfer of unclaimed superannuation from the Northern Territory to the Commonwealth. This is in line with every other Australian jurisdiction.
Much of this legislation simply makes the language and purpose contemporary. There does not appear to be any problem with this legislation and the Northern Territory opposition supports the purpose of the bill to: repeal the Unclaimed Superannuation Benefits Act along with transferring management of unclaimed and lost members’ superannuation benefits to the Commonwealth; allow the Superannuation Trustee Board to form committees incorporating all the relevant scheme funds it administers; ensure the Superannuation Trustee Board-related fees can be proportionately levied across the relevant scheme funds it administers; ensure the Northern Territory Government and Public Authorities’ Superannuation Scheme members working for public authorities are adequately captured for membership purposes; remove the Northern Territory Government Death and Invalidity Scheme anticipatory payment; remove NTGPASS entrant medical declaration provisions; broaden the NTGPASS and the NTSSS interpretation of the dependant to include interdependency of relationship; increase the NTGPASS payment threshold without the grant of probate; replace the current Superannuation Review Board with an appropriate external administrative tribunal process and introduce the same review mechanism across the superannuation legislative framework except for the Supreme Court Judges Pension Scheme; the ability to comply with Commonwealth taxation measures; allow the release of superannuation money for members of the Territory defined benefit schemes except members of the Supreme Court Judges Pension Scheme; meet a superannuation taxation liability or allow a refund of excess concessional contributions made by NTGPASS members; and close the NTGPASS account-based pension product and transfer pension accounts to a successor fund on just terms.
Two questions asked during the Territory opposition debate involved anticipatory benefits and claims by Legislative Assembly members who may suffer ill health after leaving parliament. Anticipatory payments are made to alleviate financial hardship if a member’s salary is suspended or reduced due to a member’s incapacity whilst undergoing an assessment for invalidity retirement.
From an administrative perspective, the assessment of an anticipatory benefit claim is both complex and time consuming. Since only one payment has ever been approved to date, the intention is to no longer offer this type of benefit for efficiency reasons. In addition, there are more appropriate ways of dealing with these situations through employment measures such as granting additional sick leave. Given only one payment has ever been made, what is the harm in keeping this provision? Perhaps the minister could give us with his thoughts on that.
Clause 72 inserts a new section 27B, Claims for benefits – this is under the Legislative Assembly Members’ Superannuation Fund Act. Clause 27B(2) says a claim for a benefit due to ill health under section 22 of the scheme must be made within two years from ceasing to be a member of the Legislative Assembly. Is there a need for a sunset provision in that part of the bill?
Madam Speaker, other than that it was a productive discussion on this side. We support the government in its intention, and we have no problem with the passage of this legislation through the House.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I support the Superannuation Legislation Amendment and Repeal Bill. I would like to thank the department for its in-depth briefing. I have notes all over the place from my briefing so I will read from the briefing paper into Hansard. It would save me trying to pick up on what I wrote.
This is an area some people love and others find mysterious. One reason for the bill is to repeal the existing NT Unclaimed Superannuation Benefits Act, which will allow the government to opt into the Commonwealth scheme whereby all unclaimed superannuation is sent to the ATO. Individuals can access tools such as SuperSeeker using their TFN to find lost accounts. It is a good idea to join the national scheme.
The second reason is to amend the Superannuation Act, the Legislative Assembly Members Superannuation Fund Act, the Administrators Pensions Act, the NTGPASS rules and the NTSSS Instrument in order to modernise governance arrangements for the Superannuation Trustee Board such as apportioning board management costs across the scheme funds and creating committees for risk and audit, insert time lines for making an application for a benefit and seeking review of a decision and opt into the NTCAT rather than continuing with the Superannuation Review Board. Obviously that is something the government is doing across many agencies.
It will also comply with the NT Criminal Code Act for penalty offences and update confidentiality provisions, facilitate members’ requests to release money to the ATO to meet a tax liability such as division 293 or excess contributions tax, increase the threshold to release superannuation funds in advance of the grant of probate to meet funeral expenses and broaden the definition of dependent. The bill also provides a legal basis for closure of the NTGPASS account-based pension product facilitating the successful fund transfer to AustralianSuper. The administrative and legal processes required to facilitate the transfer have commenced and will be completed by early 2015.
I understand there have been discussions with people affected by that. Not many people have objected to the changes and, obviously, those negotiations would be continuing or there would be provisions for those people.
As with many things, we have to update and become more efficient because that is the way governments have to operate to get best value for taxpayers’ money. One way this can happen is by streamlining some of the processes within government.
I thank the government for bringing this forward, and the department for giving me a pretty good idea of what this bill is about.
Mr BARRETT (Blain): Madam Speaker, I might be able to provide some information to the member for Nelson about that, having worked in this industry. It was a few years ago now and I might be a little rusty, but I understand a few things about superannuation and how it works.
In 1992 the Keating Labor government introduced the compulsory superannuation guarantee system as part of a major reform addressing Australia’s retirement income policy. It was calculated that Australia, along with many other western nations, would experience a major demographic shift in the coming decades resulting in an anticipated increase in age pension payments placing an unaffordable strain on the Australian economy.
This, in itself, was pretty visionary because recent instances, particularly in southern European countries, have highlighted the fact that if nations do not take this seriously and do not start preparing for these contingencies they will find themselves in trouble, particularly when investment decisions are made and money that should be funding retirement pensions suddenly goes missing through global financial crisis type events. What do they then do? How do they then fund those requirements in an ageing population?
I remember the Prime Minister of Greenland being front and centre during the GFC and acknowledging they had lost so much money through what were supposed to be AAA-rated securities at the time that they did not have enough money to fund not only pensioners, but to move forward.
It was fantastic the Labor government did that. It was really visionary. It started addressing the problem before it became insurmountable. The proposed solution was a three pillars approach to retirement income. First, a safety net consisting of a means tested government aged pension system would come into place, but private savings generating through compulsory contributions to superannuation were to fund retirement and voluntary savings on top of this were also encouraged through various means. This was done mostly through tax incentives so people would build upon their superannuation and, therefore, the liability for covering people in their old age would not fall to the rest of the population, particularly given the skewing towards an aged population was coming about.
Right now there is more than $1.6 trillion in superannuation assets. That is a truckload of money, especially when you are looking at the context and size of Australia. Coming from an equities and securities background, this really changes a lot of things in Australia.
Most people in this House would have shares in BHP; you might not even know you do. Most people with a super fund not taking the cash option would have some type of security which would ordinarily be fully paid shares. Each year many funds go through the Australian stock exchange and other securities in Australian markets.
This is good because the assets going to these areas provide businesses in Australia the funding pool and access to capital they need to conduct more business, improve business and improve innovation. It has changed the way of accessing capital in Australia and has been a fantastic result for Australian companies.
Compulsory superannuation, in combination with buoyant economic growth, has turned Australia into a shareholder society where most workers are now indirect investors in the stock market. Consequently, a lively personal investment marketplace has developed and many Australians take a large interest in investment topics. Many television shows talk about these things and lots of people watch them.
Several other things were done. Incentives for people to put more money into super – ‘If you put extra money in we will decrease the income tax’. The amount of money people were putting into super increased, which increased the amount of assets people had going into retirement. This ensured people were not just getting by on a meagre pension, but were able to live quite a comfortable lifestyle.
Franking credits was another one. This meant if companies had already paid tax and you received fully franked dividends, you would not be charged tax on the entire amount of the dividend – the Australian Tax Office would see you have already, in essence, paid a percentage of tax, being a 30% company tax rate. This was fantastic given the tax rate in superannuation funds is 15, which means many superannuation funds get a rebate and there is more money going back into the fund.
Since 1992 there has been an evolution in what super was about and what it did. Initially employers set up funds, particularly large corporations and governments, and people would pay money in. They were similar to a pension fund but run by the corporation. The public sector certainly did this.
Statutory-based defined benefit schemes: a defined benefit pension plan is where an employer promises a specified monthly benefit on retirement which is predetermined by a formula based on the employee’s earnings history, tenure of service and age rather than depending directly on individual investment returns. This creates some risks – particularly shown by what happened in Iceland – when people are making investment decisions and corporations are making promises on returns.
Funds going into those returns are subject to market forces and moving markets. We have seen this evolve and people are effectively looking after their own funds. They are making contributions and their employers are making contributions. Together they make an investment decision, which could include a balanced super fund or an aggressive one. It could also be a self-managed super fund where people say, ‘I would like this many BHP shares’ or ‘I would like this many cash securities’.
Some people find this really boring; I love this stuff. Where is the member for Nelson? I thought he wanted to know about super.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Blain, please withdraw that comment.
Mr BARRETT: I withdraw. Account-based pensions are another one. An account-based pension is where a regular income is received in retirement but is generally funded from savings a person has made through employment. Providers of these schemes tend to be large corporations. The Northern Territory government has been doing this. Now accumulation funds are the norm, this is the type of scheme most of us have.
This bill deals with redundancies in the act. It is necessary to update how superannuation has changed over time and to bring it in line with what is happening now.
Unclaimed super benefits: the changes allow unclaimed super to be administered by the Commonwealth. Given the transient nature of people in the Northern Territory this is a good thing. It is easy for people to log on to the Commonwealth site and find their lost super. If they have worked in several states they would have to find it through state and territory mechanisms. Transfer to the Commonwealth is a good thing and I support it.
Referral to NTCAT – those looking for judgments regarding grievances – is, again, another example of the fantastic work the Attorney-General’s department has done on this to provide a one-stop shop and lessen the complexity of dealing with grievance issues in the public sector. Most of this bill is a clean-up of old and redundant legislation that needs to be compliant with best practice.
It would be good if the Chief Minister could explain the LAMS Act, and provide us with information on how many members are still in old and dated schemes.
I support this bill and thank the Chief Minister for bringing it to the House.
Mr GILES (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I thank the opposition for its support and the member for Nelson for his contribution. I know he received a briefing, but I am not sure if the opposition did – no, they did not. The member for Blain received a briefing, and I thank him for his contribution.
I have a few comments to make which should cover most things. Regarding the LAMS Act, I might take some advice in regard to your last question. There will be some slight amendments, which I tabled yesterday – a couple of small clauses I will be seeking to take through the committee stage process.
In summary, the bill repeals the Unclaimed Superannuation Benefits Act and makes amendments to the Superannuation Act, the Superannuation Regulations, the Legislative Assembly Members’ Superannuation Fund Act, the Administrators Pensions Act, the Northern Territory Government and Public Authorities’ Superannuation Scheme rules and the Northern Territory Supplementary Superannuation Scheme Instrument to implement a wide-ranging reform agenda across the superannuation legislative framework, excluding the Supreme Court (Judges Pensions) Act at this stage.
The Territory schemes are statutory-based defined benefits schemes, as opposed to standard industry accumulation type schemes such as AustralianSuper created under a trust structure. This means the majority of a member’s benefits upon retirement are formula-based rather than an accumulation of contribution plus investment earnings over a period of time.
Defined benefit schemes are complex and technical in their administration. A key objective of this bill is to continue restructuring and modernising the Northern Territory superannuation legislative framework to achieve sustainable and cost-effective administration without affecting member entitlements. Another objective is to pursue flexibility within the legislative framework to respond more readily to ongoing Commonwealth superannuation reforms which are not easily applied to defined benefit schemes.
I acknowledge the comments from the member for Nelson about the difficulty in getting his head around some of this complex information.
The bill repeals the Unclaimed Superannuation Benefits Act to allow the transfer of unclaimed and lost member superannuation benefits to the Commonwealth. This move will provide members of relevant Territory-defined benefits schemes a greater opportunity to be reunited with their unclaimed and lost superannuation into the future.
The bill also enhances the current governance arrangements by allowing the Superannuation Trustee Board to establish specialised committees to consider specific issues in the management of funds and schemes under its control. The STB oversees the Northern Territory Government and Public Authorities’ Superannuation Scheme, the Legislative Assembly Members’ Superannuation Scheme and the Northern Territory Police Supplementary Benefit Scheme. Use of the committee structure is in line with industry best practice and Commonwealth stronger super reforms.
Other governance reforms will allow STB management costs to be apportioned across the relevant schemes rather than a cost borne by the Northern Territory.
The bill also undertakes a number of benefit reforms to the Northern Territory Government and Public Authorities’ Superannuation Scheme, or NTGPASS, and the Northern Territory Government Death and Invalidity Scheme, NTGDIS. These include:
removing of entrant provisions and rules for NTGPASS members to allow further streamlining and equality of membership between NTGPASS and NTGDIS
removal of the NTGDIS anticipatory benefit payment which is now considered redundant.
revising the NTGPASS definition of invalidity retirement benefit to be consistent with NTGDIS
the interpretation of dependant is broadened for NTGPASS and NTSSS to include interdependency of relationship which better reflects modern ways people interact and support one another in society, for example, two elderly siblings with adult children of their own living in a mutual care arrangement.
I commend the former Treasurer, the member for Fong Lim, in bringing this legislative amendment into parliament. He had the foresight to make these changes, particularly in the area of dependants, which is very important for modern times in the Northern Territory and reflective of the society we now live in.
The revised definition of a public authority ensures NTGPASS members working for public authorities are more adequately captured for membership purposes.
The bill inserts appropriate time lines across the superannuation legislative framework, except the Supreme Court Judges Pension Scheme, of course, for making an application for a benefit and when seeking a review of a decision. The bill also inserts appropriate time lines for making an application for an administrative review to an appropriate external administrative tribunal, being the Northern Territory CAT, as referred to by the member for Nelson, once operational.
The Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal, NTCAT as we call it, will provide a one-stop shop expert approach to a merit review of bureaucratic decision-making. It will be a centralised tribunal and will allow aggrieved members wishing to challenge an administrative decision to do so in a simple, transparent, direct and inexpensive way. It is all part of the Country Liberals government cutting red tape and getting on with business.
This bill also closes NTGPASS account-based pension products and facilities and transfers pension members to a successor fund that is equivalent or superior to the current pension product. The closure of the NTGPASS pension has become necessary due to the modest take-up rates since its opening in 2008, with around 200 account holders and $100m under management. Without economies of scale to offset the cost of the NTGPASS pension there is no financial reason to continue when there are superior products operating within the marketplace.
The bill inserts a framework across the superannuation legislation, except the Supreme Court Judges Pension Scheme, to facilitate requests to release money from a superannuation account for the purpose of meeting or avoiding a personal tax liability upon assessment by the Australia Taxation Office.
The first to be prescribed in the Superannuation Regulations is to allow the release of excess concessional superannuation contributions which exceed cap limits. Concessional contributions are those made by a member on top of their employer contributions, with contributions amounts in a financial year capped.
The second to be prescribed is Division 293 tax, where an additional 15% tax is to be applied to an individual’s superannuation contribution when their total income threshold, including superannuation contributions, exceeds $300 000.
The bill converts penalty offences in compliance with Part 2AA of the Criminal Code Act principles of criminal responsibility and extends across the superannuation legislative framework – except the Supreme Court Judges Pension Scheme as I have repeatedly said – updated confidentially of information provisions. This is to afford better protection to members of schemes with regard to the use of confidential superannuation information.
Consultation was undertaken with public sector employee representatives of Unions NT and the Northern Territory Police Association. The reforms were well received by these stakeholders. The member for Nelson mentioned one or two people who may have showed concern, but they were well received by these associations and they completely understand the reasons for the closure and transfer of the NTGPASS account-based pension product to a successor fund.
Progress of the reform package will be relayed to members of the various schemes via annual reporting such as reports to members and the annual report. Members will also be informed through the Northern Territory Superannuation Office website.
There is unlikely to be any negative feedback to the reform package as members’ entitlements are generally not affected. In most cases entitlements are enhanced, with the right to review decision-making and broadening the dependent definition.
Some negative feedback has been received from members since closing the NTGPASS pension product to new members from 1 April 2014. It is anticipated this will diminish when members see a comparison of features between the closed NTGPASS pension product and the successor fund. The Superannuation Trustee Board was consulted on the breadth of the reform package and indicated it provides support.
Formal communication with the Commonwealth Assistant Treasurer will commence regarding the transfer of unclaimed and lost member superannuation benefits to the Commonwealth upon the bill being introduced in the Legislative Assembly. The relevant Territory schemes will be required to be prescribed in the Commonwealth Superannuation Unclaimed Money and Lost Members Regulations. The experience of other jurisdictions that have already opted in indicates a time line of between 12 to 18 months is likely for this to occur.
The member for Blain raised a query and I might get some information during the committee stage process on how many people are on the LAM scheme. I commend the bill and will be seeking committee stage amendments.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
In committee:
Clause 1 agreed to.
Clause 2:
Mr GILES: Mr Chair, I invite defeat of clause 2 by amendment 25.1 which was circulated yesterday.
Clause 2 defeated.
New clause 2:
Mr GILES: Mr Chair, I move amendment 25.2 which inserts:
2 Commencement
- (1) Parts 1 and 2 commence on the day on which the Administrator’s assent to this act is declared.
(2) The remaining provisions of this act commence on the day fixed by the Administrator by Gazette notice.
Amendment agreed to.
Clause 2, as amended, agreed to.
Clauses 3 to 89, by leave, taken together and agreed to.
Part 5:
Mr GILES: Mr Chair, I move amendment 25.3 which inserts after Part 5:
90 Expiry of Act
Amendment agreed to.
Part 5, as amended, agreed to.
Remainder of the bill, by leave, taken as a whole and agreed to.
Bill reported with amendments; report adopted.
Mr GILES (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
I thank the opposition and the member for Nelson for their support. I also thank the members for Nelson and Blain for receiving a briefing on this. This is a complex matter – many changes in a large document – for what can generally be described as small amendments with a lot of changes,
Member for Blain, I appreciate the hard work you put into that and the research you undertook, your knowledge of the area and for adding a valuable contribution to this debate. You continue to excel as parliamentary secretary. The level of work you are doing for business is fantastic, despite this being a Treasury matter. It is good for you to get on top of that now.
I have received an answer to the question you asked about how many people are active in LAMS. There are 38 participating members. They are members of parliament who continued on a pension scheme after they left parliament.
As most people would know, around 2004 there were changes to superannuation schemes for politicians around the country. The change in the Northern Territory meant pensions were slowly removed for new politicians after that time.
It does not matter who you talk to in the general public, everyone thinks politicians receive a pension. However, for anyone elected after a certain date in 2004 that is not the case. It does not matter how many times you tell people, everyone thinks you do. There are 38 participating LAMS members and two active members: the members for Nelson and Karama. The member for Casuarina may have been an active member, but now he has left he will be a participating member. Gerry and Delia are the only two active members in the LAMS scheme. That probably answers your question.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
CRIMINAL PROPERTY FORFEITURE AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 91)
(Serial 91)
Continued from 27 August 2014.
Mr GUNNER (Fannie Bay): Madam Speaker, the opposition supports this bill.
This legislation seems complicated, which it is, but it has a simple intent. The bill is not necessarily a policy change, but it closes a loophole in the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act as identified in a 2010 Supreme Court case.
The bill widens the provisions under which property can be forfeited. As the Attorney-General described in the second reading speech:
- This bill amends the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act to ensure that crime-used property substitution declarations provisions apply regardless of whether a criminal has a legal or equitable interest in the crime-used property created through an agreement.
The legislation provides leased property to be considered for property substitution. Simply put, the bill means whether a property involved in a crime is owned or leased a financial penalty can be applied. A lease cannot currently be considered for property substitution under the act. If someone owns a property but is leasing it out and it is used in a crime without their knowledge, it would be extremely unjust if that property could be forfeited under the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act. This somewhat unintended consequence creates an incentive to use a leased property in a crime rather than one owned because it cannot be forfeited.
Perhaps the best way to explain why the change is required is to briefly outline the case which led to the loophole being discovered, and retrace the footsteps of the Attorney-General. He explained this in a detailed manner during his introductory remarks. Briefly, an individual was convicted of growing cannabis on a leased property. Because they did not own the property it could not be considered for property substitution. The lease is a property right and has a value. This bill means the value of the lease is now applicable for substitution – cash, other property, a car etcetera of the same value could be forfeited. This bill means someone can be financially penalised for the value of the lease they own. A lease is a property right, and in this case the court found the value of the lease was worth $10 000. Under the changes to the act, the Director of Public Prosecutions could seek forfeiture and property substitution for $10 000.
Property law can be a complex beast, and so are the forfeiture laws. In a different debate the other day we had a long speech from the Attorney-General. This simple attempt requires many clauses to ensure the loophole is successfully closed and other problems are not created. I will not go through all the clauses.
The opposition supports the concept of criminal property forfeiture and the existing legislation, so we are completely comfortable with a bill to close a loophole. We support a process whereby the loopholes are identified and amendments are designed to deal with them. This feels like one of those classic second readers of the shadow Attorney-General where you summarise what the Attorney-General said and agree with it. We, in this case, agree with what the Attorney-General is doing.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I also join the loophole closers association, as mentioned by the member for Fannie Bay. I thank the department for its briefing. I will not go through the technical details; I know you are trying to avoid people getting away with not paying the price …
Mr Elferink: This is a lease not a shield.
Mr WOOD: That is right. … where, if they owned a property, they would forfeit that property if they used it to grow illicit crops.
Much of this relates to the change of one word in section 81(2), moving from ‘may’ to ‘must’. Section 81(2) says the court may declare a property of equivalent value be substituted if the court is satisfied of certain matters. This means the court has the discretion to make the substitution declaration, even where it is satisfied the Director of Public Prosecutions has made out the case. By changing that one word discretion goes, and the judge will have to find a property – if there is a property – at least of equivalent value.
This has always been an interesting act. People have come to see me, in times gone by, who have not been growing tomatoes. They have been growing something else and have been caught …
Mr Westra van Holthe: Without the fruit on them.
Mr WOOD: Yes. Perhaps we need a mosaic virus for certain crops to put people out of business. It is funny how some crops do not seem to get diseases, and the ones you want to grow seem to cop everything. People who have grown a quantity of marijuana – generally marijuana – have come to see me as they are about to lose their home. The issue is not they should not be punished, but the punishment should fit the crime.
There is punishment for growing the crop. You can go to gaol or be fined for growing the crop. There is also another punishment, which is forfeiture of your property. One part of the law usually sentences you according to your guilt – how much you have grown etcetera – if you have done it before or how many people it influenced. The other part is the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act where, because you have grown something illegal, you can lose your property. There is no sympathy for the person who grows a small quantity; they can lose a similar amount of property as someone who has grown a massive amount. I will not say it is unfair because I have no sympathy for people who grow drugs. However, if the punishment is to fit the crime, sometimes it is uneven in the way forfeiture is carried out.
Be that as it may, I have no sympathy for people who grow drugs and cause pain and suffering. I raise it as a technical issue rather than one I am overly concerned about. From a legal perspective it seemed slightly imbalanced in the way matters were adjudicated. I will not talk to the person in the street about it; it is in the second reading. Simply put, you cannot get away with using someone else’s property to grow a crop, you will lose something. This ensures people cannot get around the law. I support the legislation.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Primary Industry and Fisheries): Madam Speaker, I support the Criminal Property Forfeiture Amendment Bill which will act as the Robin Hood to those who profit from crime. These amendments will make our legislation some of the toughest property forfeiture laws in the country. I am proud to serve in a government working towards this type of initiative.
The proposed amendments to the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act will ensure, when an offender commits an offence using property they do not own, the Northern Territory government may seize the offender’s assets to the value of that property. The change comes following a Northern Territory Supreme Court case of the Director of Public Prosecutions v Green. The defendant successfully argued the value of a rural property owned by an innocent third party and leased, which was used by the offender to grow hydroponic cannabis, could not be substituted with forfeited property to the same value owned by the offender. This means if an offender sells drugs from a $30 000 hire care, the Northern Territory government will recover that value of the offender’s personal property even if it has no connection to the offending.
For too long people have profited off the misery of the disadvantaged and not paid their full debt to society. We will not have criminals serve prison sentences then return to the profit of their crime, their stashes of cash, their luxury cars and their expensive boats. This government will make them pay the price commensurate to the crime they have committed. As the Attorney-General so eloquently said in a media release dated today:
- The Northern Territory Government will not stand by and allow drug dealers and other offenders to profit at the expense of the community.
The Northern Territory is the only jurisdiction in the country where a drug trafficker’s property can be seized regardless of whether it was directly derived from proceeds of crime.
There is no sympathy in the community for these offenders and we will make sure that they do not profit from criminal behaviour, even if that means that they lose everything including their house, car, boat and cash.
I fully endorse the words of the Attorney-General. In my policing days I saw too many occasions where proceeds of crime funded expensive toys, assets and lifestyles. I know of one occasion where a house was purchased with the proceeds of the sale of drugs over a long period of time. Of course, proceeds of crime have funded cars, holidays, boats, not to mention lavish lifestyles. The toughest forfeiture of proceeds of crime legislation in the country will redress the appalling situation whereby criminals live the life of Riley whilst profiteering from the misery of others.
The Country Liberals tough law and order approach has resulted in almost $4.2m in property forfeited in 2012-13 and 2013-14. This is compared to $1.2m in the previous two financial years under the former Labor government. This government puts the victim’s interest ahead of the criminals. This government will punish drug dealers and others where it hurts most, in their wallets.
I commend this bill to the House and thank the Attorney-General for bringing on this much-needed reform.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Madam Speaker, I thank all members for supporting this commonsense amendment. When the issue was raised with me and I read the second reading speech, I had to hold it up to the light. I read it and read it again, and I struggled to get my head around the issue because of its technical nature
One of my shortcomings, being a …
Mr Wood: What? Shortcomings?
Mr ELFERINK: I have many of them, one is my humility.
One of my many shortcomings is I tend to think in pictures, which is why written documents often frustrate me, particularly when they deal with technical legal issues. That is surprising if you consider my chosen fields of study.
In my mental picture I would like honourable members to imagine a pantomime and that the judge is the audience sitting in the crowd. You will have the two usual characters, the innocent maiden wearing a wonderful white dress, while skulking around at the back of the stage is the villain wearing a top hat, twirling a moustache and wearing a black cape against the red curtains in the background.
The legislation is designed so the judge can always see the villain. No matter where the judge is sitting in the audience, the villain is there to be observed by the judge. There are, of course, in our community many more fair maidens than judges. The fair maiden in this case is the innocent third party property owner. They have, quite unbeknown to them, involved their property by way of lease or some other arrangement, with the villain. You can never blame the innocent third party for the conduct of the villain and, unfortunately, sometimes villains will take advantage of the fair maiden. What happens when you have discretion – when the villain of the piece hides behind the petticoat of the maiden the audience may choose not to see the villain, which is pretty much what happened in this instance.
If you read the script of the show, as expressed through the act, we can clearly see the intent of the parliament is to make sure the judge, no matter where he is sitting in the audience, is able to see the villain at all times ...
Mr Conlan: Who is wearing the petticoat?
Mr ELFERINK: The innocent one, the fair maiden. All we are doing today is discreetly tucking the petticoat of the fair maiden aside so the villain will always be apparent to the judge and rule accordingly. Today we are making sure the villain will always be seen by the judge. For that reason, all members understand what we are attempting to do. I thank honourable members for their support, and I thank the House for its unanimity of purpose in protecting Territorians.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to: bill read a third time.
REORDER OF BUSINESS
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, whilst there is no issue before the Chair, I move that, pursuant to Standing Order 89, the routine of business be reordered so at the conclusion of considering Order of the Day No 2 the Assembly immediately considers ministerial statements, and that at the conclusion of ministerial statements the Assembly resumes consideration of Orders of the Day, followed by papers and committee reports. This is, as discussed with members opposite, to enable the ministerial statement which was circulated last night to come on now and then we will go down the Notice Paper.
Motion agreed to.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
Achievements in the Transport Portfolio
Achievements in the Transport Portfolio
Mr STYLES (Transport): Madam Speaker, today I talk about the great work the Department of Transport has done, and to acknowledge the staff of the department and their achievements in a wide range of groundbreaking administrative reforms and significant transport improvement initiatives.
Transport and its associated industries play a key role in the economic and social development of the Northern Territory. The department has a broad gambit of responsibility from the Motor Vehicle Registry, public transport, to road network management, road safety initiatives, transport assets and everything in between.
In the last year the department has undertaken significant work aimed at improving the effectiveness and efficiency of how the department operates and to improve the way it delivers services to the people of the Northern Territory.
As minister I am pleased to report that activities of my department clearly reflect the view that we are here to serve the Northern Territory community. Today, I will be speaking about a range of these reforms and will commence by speaking at some length about one of the initiatives.
The Motor Vehicle Registry kick-started the 2013-14 financial year by launching its streamlined services to reduce wait times, improve efficiency and lengthen the period of validity of many services, while still keeping Territorians safe on our roads.
From 1 July 2013, customers have been able to access a broad range of services online, over the phone or through Australia Post outlets. This has greatly helped to efficiently service the rapid increase in transaction demand.
The department has also upgraded its call centre service by allocating calls through regional offices in Nhulunbuy, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine, freeing up staff at busier offices to attend front counters and improve wait times.
An increase in positive feedback over the past year shows new MVR initiatives have improved the quality of customer service at the counter. Its annual customer survey, held at the end of February 2014, found more than 98% of customers reported being happy with the service they received.
Some of the written feedback customers have given over the past six months includes:
‘I arrived and was called up quickly. Really appreciated the service.’
‘I compliment staff on courtesy and exemplary service in a very efficient and quick manner’.
A further comment said:
‘Received brilliant customer service, very professional and proficient. A credit to your organisation.’
Other comments included:
‘I got fantastic service every contact. The changes you have made are like a breath of fresh air. Very happy with the new MVR.’
‘Very quick and great service’.
‘Just completed registration renewal online and found the process worked very efficiently and quickly’.
‘So nice to see something this good in either government or private. Well done MVR.’
‘Helpful and made the whole experience pleasant. I was the only customer waiting so I did not have to do my Sudoku puzzles. Well done.’
‘Great service, friendly, hassle free, very informative, wait time excellent.’
‘Came in to renew my licence as I needed a new photo. Was greeted at the door, given correct ticket, waited five minutes, served by a very friendly and organised staff member. Excellent, well organised and efficient service. Very much exceeded my expectations. Thank you.’
‘Never anywhere in Australia have I received such a high standard of service as I and my partner received today on transferring vehicle and licence from interstate. Wonderful experience. Thanks.’
I have more to read out because staff at the MVR and the people who have organised this need to hear these compliments and read about their efforts in Hansard:
‘I have been doing business at Goyder Road since 1971 and never had such fast, pleasant and efficient service. Congratulations to those responsible for the improvements and to the staff who have clearly responded in such a positive manner. For an organisation that has copped so much bagging in the past, the operation is a credit to you all.’
Other reforms implemented at the Motor Vehicle Registry during 2013-14 include:
removing registration stickers for light vehicles while continuing to provide courtesy renewal notices reminding customers to renew their registration
providing access to simple renewals through Australia Post outlets
an eyesight test is now only required when applying for your first licence, at age 70, then annually
a new 10-year driver’s licence is available in addition to one-, two- and five-year options.
The reforms have reduced average wait times at three Darwin MVR offices from 24 minutes in July 2012 to less than 10 minutes in July 2014. Average wait times remain under 10 minutes at all three Darwin offices despite an increase in transaction numbers in July 2014. MVR will continue to match peak times and areas of customer demand in order to maintain the department’s target of 10-minute average wait times at MVR offices.
The free NT Rego mobile app was launched in August 2013. The app allows MVR transactions on smartphones and tablets. From August 2013 to June 2014 the following download statistics were recorded for the free NT Rego app: on iPhone, 11 600 installs – that is 69% of the total – and Android, 5100 installs, which equates to 31% of installs, with a total of 16 700 installs.
At June 2014, approximately 7190 Australia Post transactions had been undertaken since 12 August 2013, including more than 5710 registration renewals, 1300 licence renewals and 180 changes of address.
In July this year I announced the introduction of a new public bus operator to operate in the greater Darwin area. The company, Transit Systems, is a very experienced national and international bus operator. Improving public transport systems is a key component of the Northern Territory government’s strategic priorities as an enabler of economic and social development. As part of the commitment, the Northern Territory government is modernising the bus system with the introduction of an electronic ticketing system.
The Department of Transport is developing and testing a new smart card system that will make the public transport experience easier, faster and more convenient and provide real travel data enabling better planning for public transport services. The NT government provided $1m initially and $700 000 ongoing to fund the ticketing system with field testing currently occurring on two buses on the public network. The ticketing system is expected to be fully operational on the Darwin and Alice Springs bus networks in December 2014.
On 22 May 2014, the Northern Territory Department of Transport hosted a highly successful National Remote and Regional Transport Infrastructure and Services Forum in Alice Springs. The forum saw 120 industry, government and community representatives from around Australia agree to address the unique transport issues faced in remote and regional Australia across the priority areas of infrastructure, services and regulation.
The forum confirmed that remote and regional areas drive economic growth in Australia as a whole and require targeted approaches to transport infrastructure investment, service delivery and regulation to improve productivity and unlock economic growth.
A major outcome from the forum is the Transport and Infrastructure Council, comprising Transport and Infrastructure ministers, has agreed that outcomes from the forum will form the basis of the development of a national remote and regional transport study. The strategy will take full account of the key issues and possible solutions identified to resolve the significant transport challenges faced in remote and regional Australia.
The council also recognised the enormous and ongoing economic contribution made by remote and regional Australia for the benefit of all Australians, and the significant and distinctive challenges in remote and regional Australia that require flexible application of national approaches. The Northern Territory, through the Department of Transport, is now leading development of the strategy in collaboration with Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, the Australian government and in consultation with stakeholders.
A website has been launched on the Department of Transport Internet site that includes outcomes of the forum and provides a mechanism to provide comments on the outcomes of the forum. Comments were due by 2 October 2014.
Another groundbreaking activity under way is the Regional Infrastructure Study. The Regional Infrastructure Study is a first of its kind study of remote infrastructure needs across the Territory. It is a significant piece of work being led by the Department of Transport, which has demonstrated a collaborative approach across government to develop a 30-year overarching infrastructure plan for the Territory. This project has undertaken extensive consultation throughout regional and remote communities to seek real input into what communities see as their priorities, what needs to done and how projects might be prioritised. The results of this comprehensive project are expected to be considered by the government before the end of the year and are feeding into the Australian government’s developing northern Australia white paper process.
Given the innovative work described today it is no wonder these activities have won awards. For example, the awards won by the Northern Territory government at the recent Engineering Excellence Awards held on 26 September 2014. I was at those awards and was proud government departments won some of the prestigious awards.
Projects awarded were:
the supply and installation of the pontoon and gangway at the Cullen Bay Ferry Terminal for an Engineering Excellence Award – Highly Commended
the Stuart Highway/Howard Springs Road/Lambrick Avenue intersection upgrades and duplication of the Howard Springs Road between the Stuart Highway and Whitewood Road received a President’s Award.
Both the Department of Infrastructure and Department of Transport are to be congratulated for the outstanding work they have done to ensure final outcomes are achieved and delivered as expected.
Underpinning much of the reform work happening is the establishment of the roadmap for future integrated transport planning and investment framework. This framework will guide the development of the Territory’s transport infrastructure and services to drive economic growth and social development. The Department of Transport is now focused on progressing the strategies and reviews that are key elements of this framework. These include the aviation industry and services strategy. An issues paper was released on 13 August 2014 and comments closed on 24 September 2014. A review of the responses received is currently under way and comments received will be taken into account during development of the final strategy.
The roads and bridges strategy is at the planning stage with a scope currently being finalised. The scope will be informed by consultation on the road map framework and the Regional Infrastructure Study.
The maritime industry review includes a review of recreational vessel regulations and safety standards, as well as supporting the review of the national domestic commercial vessel regulatory and service delivery framework currently being undertaken by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. These reviews are aimed at streamlining processes and reducing red tape within the industry. Consultation on the recreational vessel regulations is being finalised and work on the national domestic commercial vessel regulatory and service delivery framework is being progressed through the Australian government.
A position paper on the commercial passenger vehicle industry is currently being finalised for consideration by government and is expected to be issued before the end of the year.
Further reforms of Motor Vehicle Registry services are also on the agenda, which aim to improve the customer experience.
Work on the Darwin regional transport plan is progressing. The Darwin regional transport model is currently being updated to reflect the revised land use planning strategies following the release of the Draft Darwin Regional Land Use Plan. The updated model results will inform the preparation of the transport plan.
The scoping of a freight and logistics strategy is under way, with the final strategy expected to be delivered in late 2015. Finally, the public transport strategy will be developed in the latter part of 2014 and early 2015 for completion in early 2016.
These areas are all major bodies of work in themselves but only represent part of the work of the department. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the departmental staff for the great work they do, often in very challenging time frames.
Public servants play a critical role in delivering on the government of the day’s policy agenda. I publicly acknowledge and thank all the staff in my department. They provide high quality work which ultimately delivers improvements to the Northern Territory and its residents as well as contributing to economic development.
Madam Speaker, I commend the statement to the Legislative Assembly and move that the Assembly take note of the statement.
Ms LAWRIE (Opposition Leader): Mr Deputy Speaker, transport is such a critically important part of our economy. Transport has a highly transactional nature to it, and its importance is often underestimated. Every day Territorians interact with the transport system, whether driving on our roads, catching public transport or managing their licences and vehicle registration. Transport and infrastructure play a critical role in our economic and social development.
It is extraordinary that we have a statement from the Minister for Transport and Minister for Infrastructure today and, in speaking about the achievements across the portfolios, he has not mentioned infrastructure funding we need to build and upgrade the roads of our transport system. The statement makes reference to attempts at new studies but no reference to funding, not one word. That is because we know, as does the construction sector, that this government and this minister are failing abysmally to deliver for the Territory.
It is a point of commentary in the industry that every ribbon-cutting event the minister and his CLP government attend has been a Labor-legacy project. The minister has not yet grasped that his key job is to fight for funding for the Territory to deliver new and upgraded infrastructure across roads, ports and community infrastructure. Instead, he has the department running around in circles developing one strategy after the other when the work has already been done.
The Labor government developed a 10-year infrastructure plan and a 10-year road strategy. Both plans were developed after extensive consultation with a wide range of industries, the tourism sector, the NT Cattlemen’s Association and the Transport Association of Australia to name a few. Of course, we included all Territorians.
These plans were released as recently as 2012. The CLP simply had to deliver. Instead, it restarted the process announcing a plethora of reviews and strategies which, two years into their term, are still ongoing. This also follows extensive work, done in partnership with the Queensland and Western Australian governments, the Labor government undertook on joint submissions to the federal government and Infrastructure Australia for strategic roads and infrastructure funding to facilitate economic development in the north. The CLP inherited a considerably-funded forward works program courtesy of the Labor government to attract Commonwealth funding to the Territory. We locked in a deal for the $103m investment to duplicate Tiger Brennan Drive. Of course, the CLP will now attempt to claim that.
We worked hard and strategically to secure Commonwealth funding, opening up new funding envelopes for community, tourism and beef roads. We secured a $90m funding injection from the Commonwealth under a new regional roads productivity package in 2012, added to with $16m of Territory funds. The six regional roads targeted included: the Roper Highway for causeways and associated works, targeted strengthening and widening; the Port Keats Road for targeted sealing and flood immunity improvements; the Santa Teresa Way to upgrade the gravel condition of priority sections; the Central Arnhem Road for construction of a new bridge over Rocky Bottom Creek; the Buntine Highway to target strengthening, widening and sealing works; and the important Arnhem Link Road to upgrade the gravel condition of priority sections.
These packages have all been adopted holus-bolus by the CLP and simply rebranded. It is clear if we had not done the work to leverage the funding those projects would never have been considered. The CLP certainly had no plan to secure the necessary funding. The CLP is quite happy to coast off the back of Labor projects, from roads infrastructure to significant private projects such as the Ichthys INPEX Total project, without delivering new stimulus for jobs and business growth. Promised works on airstrips, barge landings and roads across the Top End were pushed back yet again or cut from the program.
The CLP’s focus on northern development amounts to some glossy advertising and a $6m office in Darwin but no funding for roads or bridges. We have also witnessed the CLP abandon Labor’s Integrated Regional Transport Strategy my colleague, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, delivered for bus services in the bush and funding for barge landing upgrades.
Civil contractors across the Territory are hurting as you have stripped away repairs and maintenance funding from our roads budget. Work for our construction sector has shrunk under this government, with infrastructure spending slashed too soon. People in the bush know your rhetoric about infrastructure does not match the reality of what is happening under the CLP.
There was no mention in the statement of the ferry service, which is also an important transport link for Territorians. The minister was silent on this, much like he has been in dealing with the business operators affected by the CLP’s handling of the ferry tender.
Harbour cruise operators are being pushed out of business because a government-subsidised ferry service is targeting the harbour cruise market. SeaLink is subsidised to operate the Tiwi Islands and Mandorah ferry services, and it has shocked local tourism operators that it has moved into the harbour cruise market at dramatically lower prices than local businesses.
These businesses are doing it tough. They met with you, Minister for Transport, and you have ignored their pleas to review the SeaLink contract. You have not answered their question about legal advice on whether the taxpayer-funded subsidy for ferry services to the Tiwi Islands and Mandorah is being used in an anti-competitive way to undercut existing local businesses.
The CLP is developing a record for ignoring businesses who have already invested in the Territory and developing the north, and this now includes our harbour cruise operators. Our small harbour cruise operators are worried the subsidy from the Northern Territory government is helping SeaLink provide tourism services at a competitive advantage and will force them out of business. The Minister for Transport should put in place an independent review of this and make the findings public.
I congratulate staff at the MVR for the improvements they are leading in customer service. It is a busy frontline service and the staff work hard to respond to inquiries and process transactions. Ongoing improvements over the years to service standards and facilities at the MVR have borne fruit. Congratulations to staff for the development of new ways to interact with the MVR. However, I am concerned that the minister is not listening to public concerns about abolishing registration stickers.
The sticker provides a readily accessible reminder for vehicle owners. While online and mobile applications are great and the recent development of mobile application technology provides an excellent new platform for information exchange and online transactions, we know not every demographic is comfortable using this technology. Consumers should be given the choice. There is significant disquiet in our community about the loss of registration stickers. While reminder letters are sent, that is not a perfect system.
Again, consumers should be given a choice to maintain a sticker on their vehicle if that is what works for them. People are particularly concerned that removing this readily accessible and constant reminder mechanism is unfair when the repercussions of driving uninsured, even when unintended, are severe, even more so under this government’s fines increases.
In the recent Casuarina by-election campaign issues at Casuarina bus interchange were again highlighted in public debate. I congratulate the member for Casuarina for her advocacy on behalf of constituents, and commuters more broadly.
Having spoken to bus drivers and patrons of the interchange, it was identified that a number of measures could easily be put in place to improve safety for drivers and passengers.
The opposition proposed a number of measures the government could adopt, particularly reversing the cuts to the Transport Division that has seen the passenger ban system shelved because there is not enough staff to manage it. This means passengers and drivers are being subjected to troublesome passengers who in the past were banned, which puts safety at risk because of CLP funding cuts. Improving the complaint system and reinstating passenger bans should be addressed as a priority. With extra resources, transit safety officers could be utilised to help stop drunks boarding buses rather than getting them off buses once they have boarded.
Our taxi industry has a raft of concerns; it would take a separate ministerial conversation around that. However, I welcome the comment that the position paper on the commercial passenger vehicle industry will be finalised before the end of the year. We are keen to see the detail of that.
Having held the Transport and Infrastructure portfolios myself in the past, I recognise we had the opportunity to work with talented and committed Territorians who wanted to see progress across the Territory. It is pleasing to see staff recognised for their talents. Congratulations to Sumesh Dhir for being recognised in the engineering awards, having received a Highly Commended Award for Professional Engineer of the Year in the People in Engineering Category. It was a delight to be there that evening.
It is also pleasing to see government projects – under Labor – in planning and funding regimes come to fruition and recognised for engineering excellence awards. I acknowledge the work of the many staff who design and project manage Infrastructure. Congratulations to those involved in the pontoon at the Cullen Bay Ferry Terminal and the Stuart Highway/Howard Springs/Lambrick Avenue intersection in the Nelson electorate.
Transport and infrastructure are key to the engine room of economic development. I am deeply concerned the focus of the current minister is one of grandstanding, chest beating and cutting ribbons of Labor-funded projects rather than delivering additional funding to our transport and infrastructure systems.
Get on with the job of securing funding out of Canberra; it has the capacity to invest in infrastructure. We had an opportunity previously where we would, with some Territory funding, leverage significant additional Commonwealth funding into the Northern Territory’s infrastructure, particularly road systems.
An example of that is in the period I had the opportunity to be Treasurer and Infrastructure minister. At that time we leveraged an extra $400m in roads funding from then Commonwealth minister Anthony Albanese. We took him across the regional areas of the Northern Territory to show him 24% of our road network was sealed. It will take billions of dollars to seal the outstanding network. Working with industry – whether it is the ATA, cattlemen, tourism or community sectors – to identify key strategic roads was the approach we took, hence the 10-year infrastructure plan and the 10-year roads plan.
It sounds like you have simply torn all that work up. We engaged technical expertise, in our co-submissions with Queensland and Western Australia to Infrastructure Australia, to look at priority infrastructure for the Top End and northern Australia. You have obviously torn that work up as well. That was done by experts within the public service and private consultants. It was not drawn up on the desk of a Labor minister, so I cannot understand why you have ditched that expert advice. You have chosen to and are starting from scratch. That has put us two years behind the eight ball already, and I am concerned we will lose another two years if you do not focus on the work already done, the analysis that exists and start to focus your energies on leveraging all-important Commonwealth funding.
In relation to the Chief Minister’s rhetoric, I now have people asking me about a dirty port. It is sad that when we have the opportunity of an external port for our great city of Darwin, which opportunity delves straight into both Defence and heavy industrial needs, they now refer to it as a dirty port because that was the language of the Chief Minister.
No, Chief Minister, it is an external port. We all aspire to see critical funding for this. It would require significant partnerships with the Commonwealth, particularly in the area of Defence, but also with the industrialists looking at the potential for heavy industry.
I note the government has torn up the environmental impact assessments on Glyde Point, ignored the opportunities of Gunn Point for an external port and is solely focused on Glyde Point. Again, it seems we have gone back to the 1990s and ignored the expert evidence gathered for over a decade to show Gunn Point is not only a better external port in approaches and less environmental impact, it is also closer to existing strategic industry therefore less expensive to build connecting infrastructure to.
It seems many of your decisions are ideologically driven rather than based on feasibility and information. There is still opportunity to get some expert advice on Glyde Point verses Gunn Point and take another view on it.
The critical infrastructure of the existing port is now on the block for sale. The government uses the language of lease. It is not a lease if it is a long lease; it is the same as a sale. I cannot begin to imagine why the government would be doing that without understanding the critical oil and gas industry is saying not to do it, it would be the worst outcome for developing the north, and they are the large industry. Our small- and medium-sized businesses will say the same thing because they know commercial rates across the wharf would put enormous costs onto their businesses and, in many cases, close them.
Proceed with caution with your grand ideas, get some detailed information and consult with businesses directly. That would be in the better interest of Territorians rather than a quick cash grab.
I note there are infrastructure opportunities across the Territory. I have not spoken about regional infrastructure opportunities.
I want to comment on the bizarre rhetoric from the Chief Minister this week regarding regional economic development, particularly the Tiwi Islands. I was pleased to see, through the Aboriginal Benefits Account, a contribution of $6m for forestry equipment to help with the woodchip industry. That is well spent. However, I was not pleased to see $1m disappear into a bank account with no outcome for it. That is the stark difference where we get bang for buck. An amount of $1m spent on a road on the Tiwi Islands would have gone a lot further than disappearing into a bank account. That is why we are asking questions and some serious answers are required.
It is great to see the Stuart Highway project south of Alice Springs. Obviously there is some significant commitment in infrastructure in and around Central Australia. I recognise the Outback Way was topped up with some additional funding recently, and I hope that goes into critical areas of the Outback Way. We know $20m, when road sealing costs $1m a kilometre in rough terms, only gets you so far hence the enormity of the task ahead.
Listen to the experts and strategically focus the investment based on the different sectors of our economy identifying those strategic beef, tourism, mining and community roads with the approach Labor took. If you want to tear that up and set different priorities that is the purview of being in government, but I cannot understand why you would find a road more significant than roads prioritised on community, beef, mining and tourism.
It is a shame this statement omitted anything about funding for infrastructure. I hope in wrapping up the minister turns his attention to it. As I said, transport is a highly transactional area for the community.
One thing I was most proud of in the Labor government was recognition of the need for a bus service across remote and regional Northern Territory. I could not understand why, under the decades of CLP, it was viewed as not necessary. If you can provide affordable access to Territorians, regardless of where they live, you are assisting with access to critical services such as health and education, being able to get into Katherine from outlying remote communities, do the shopping at a reasonable price and get back out on a bus. These are life transforming opportunities.
I note the member for Arafura has announced publicly there will be a bus service for the Tiwi Islands as a result of his return to the CLP. I assume that will be on Bathurst Island, but I hope the bus service will be for both Bathurst and Melville Islands. I wish you all the best in that endeavour. Anything we can do to improve remote and regional transport is a fantastic outcome for Territorians.
Thank you, minister, for the opportunity to contribute to this statement. There are many areas we could talk more about, but I have touched on some of the key issues.
Mr KURRUPUWU (Arafura): Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the Transport and Infrastructure minister for bringing this statement to the House. As the minister outlined, the Country Liberal government is committed to road safety and upgrading the infrastructure in regional and remote communities.
About 28% of the Northern Territory population is Indigenous, yet they make up around 50% of road fatalities. In remote communities some of the most common factors in fatal car accidents are drink-driving, overloading of vehicles and not wearing seatbelts.
Another issue is the low number of people in remote communities with a licence. The DriveSafe NT remote program has been successful in getting remote Indigenous people a licence to drive, and has made a positive difference in the bush by ensuring people go to the right driver education and licensing programs to make sure they are safer on our roads.
One of the positive sides of this program is the increase in the number of people with evidence of their identity. Many remote Indigenous people have no photo identification. The program has assisted people to obtain that. While driver education and licensing plays a significant role in road safety, the condition of roads is just as important.
In 2014-2015 the Country Liberals committed nearly $6m in funding for infrastructure in my electorate of Arafura including: $500 000 on construction of guardrails on bridges at Wildman River, Wildman River East and the Arnhem Highway; $500 000 in routine maintenance such as potholes, patching and drainage amenities on the Arnhem Highway; $700 000 on resealing sections of the Arnhem Highway; $150 000 on routine maintenance of the Kakadu Highway; $90 000 on routine maintenance of the Oenpelli Road; $400 000 on pavement repairs on the Oenpelli Road; $60 000 on Jim Jim Road maintenance; and $150 000 on the Maningrida access road. The boost to local jobs and the economy this project will bring is great.
We are coming into the buildup and soon the Wet Season. Many of the access roads to communities and homelands in my electorate will be cut off. This has a serious impact on people living there. It is during the Wet Season that our barge landing really becomes a lifeline, so it is great to see, along with the funding for the roads I just mentioned, funding for barge landings. This includes $2m for the Wurrumiyanga barge landing upgrade, $1.5m for freight handling facilities at Maningrida and $300 000 for upgrading the barge landing to accommodate larger barges.
On top of that good news the Giles government has announced a $30m roads package to fund projects across the Northern Territory. I am happy to say some of this money will go towards upgrading the Pirlangimpi to Pickertaramoor access road. Because of the Labor deficit and neglect, this government cannot afford to fix every road right now. As a member of government, I will make sure people on the Tiwi Islands and in west Arnhem get a fair share.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for his summary of infrastructure on Melville and Bathurst Island. I would like to know more about the upgrade of the road from Three Ways to Pickertaramoor. Hopefully I can get some more detail from the member on that. I have been contacted several times to ensure there will be an open tender for the project. I hope the Tiwi council gets a chance to work on that as roads are its responsibility. I might catch up with you later to see what is happening there.
I thank the minister for his statement. There are some good news stories, and it is good to hear Motor Vehicle Registry is making people happy. In times past MVR copped a lot of flak, especially on a Friday night. For instance, you would never go to Palmerston Motor Vehicle Registry to change your registration on a Friday night because the queue was nearly out of the door. It is good to hear there have been some improvements. The government should be congratulated for that.
Minister, I have referred someone to your department about a constant issue: Gunn Point Road. Unfortunately, Gunn Point Road does not always receive high priority because not a lot of people live there. The road is used a lot by fishers and anyone going to Gunn Point beach. There is also Leaders Creek fishing resort and Saltwater Arm, so many people go there. Also, trucks collect extractive mining material from the area and Koolpinyah Station is there too.
The gentleman who rang me said at least three cars had run off the road when he was there recently. The corrugations are really bad. He lives at Tree point and travels every weekend and said the road has not been graded for the last three months. I thought it would be graded about every six weeks. I am visiting this weekend to deliver my newsletter so I will check it out. I raise that for you to check. This person was concerned about the safety of the road.
You are putting a lot of effort into Tiger Brennan Drive, but we sometimes forget the Stuart Highway is very well used. Coming from Darwin through the Pinelands/Holtze area at 4.30 pm the dual carriageway heading toward Palmerston is packed. On one side of the highway there are three lanes – from the Palmerston end through to the McMillans Road turnoff there are three lanes. Perhaps the government could consider another lane in the reverse direction, so we have three lanes on the way back. It is great to see Tiger Brennan Drive being upgraded, but many people do not use Tiger Brennan Drive because they work in Berrimah so do not go that way, they work this side of Winnellie, or they work in the northern suburbs. Minister, has your department done some assessment of traffic flow, especially peak hour traffic flow, on that road because there are long queues on that section?
You told me there is no bus to the prison, but I would like you to consider a trial. It would not be a bus service just to the prison; many routes could be developed. It would be good if the government promoted the public bus service in order to get cars off the road. We have the park and ride system at Coolalinga and Humpty Doo, both used reasonably well. The Coolalinga one is used more than the Humpty Doo one. Promoting the public bus service, especially for regular commuters, is a great alternative to driving a car through peak hour traffic each day.
I am promoting a new bus service to the prison because one already goes to the 15 Mile community from Palmerston. It would be a matter of turning left, dropping people off who work at the INPEX village and allowing people who work at the prison, and visitors, to be dropped off. It could even take people to Howard Springs Nature Park. We already take people to Crocodylus Park – buses drive in there – and we take people to the waterfront. Knowing how popular Howard Springs Nature Park is at the moment, it is a way of making it more popular. I am sure the Minister for Parks and Wildlife would agree it has been upgraded a lot. Credit is due to the previous government for spending the money. I give credit to the present government for putting the shade over the rock pool. It is a very popular spot and we could include an extended bus service to pick up a range of passengers for different places. It could then come back through the Howard Springs area and take people to Palmerston. It is not that far, and a two-year trial would give people a chance to see if it is worthwhile.
We do not have a great bus service facility in the rural area. In the morning three buses go to Palmerston but nothing comes back until the afternoon. One bus service during the middle of the day goes through Noonamah from Virginia, but there is no regular bus service. Unless there is a regular bus service people will not use buses.
Minister, you mentioned in the Estimates Committee there will be money for the rail trail – the bicycle path from Howard Springs to Coolalinga. That money is for design, and I wonder why we spend so much money on design. The railway was built in 1880 and is a straight line; you know that is where it will go. If a bridge is missing you may need guidelines for the replacement bridge. If you could give us an update on the timetable for the extended bicycle path it would be great.
The other issue is water use. Minister, I raised in parliament the beautiful section of road around Tipperary Waters. I also raised it with the minister because we have been debating the amount of water Darwin is using. I mentioned evaporation and other things. It looks nice, and gardening is probably a bit like art – depends on your taste – but lots of Tiger Brennan Drive has been developed using native plants. Around the Tiger Brennan flyover near Palmerston, on very difficult soils, are native plants that do not require any water. At times they require maintenance or replacement, but they basically operate without any water. It is a pity we cannot go down that path. I accept there is a place for lawns and nice gardens, but we can be clever if we want to promote wise water use, and one way is gardens that do not need water.
An example is the median strip on Howard Springs Road – the area that won an award at the Excellence Awards. That median strip was put in by Greening Australia, has no irrigation and has survived one of the longest Dry Seasons. I put some plants in around some of the arches put up for advertising – native plants were planted in January this year, were mulched, had no irrigation, are in tough country and are all surviving.
It can be done and gardens can look nice. Grevilleas have beautiful flowers, acacias have lovely flowers. Other plants are coming on the market through some clever people in Greening Australia and the Top End Native Plant Society, and other groups promote using native plants. There is a place for greenery, but government departments should work together if they are promoting water use.
Minister, I have travelled through the open speed limit area a couple of times recently. I do not go that fast; I am happy with my speed. Once you start getting over 130 km/h your fuel bill goes up considerably ...
Mrs Finocchiaro: Fuel is so cheap now!
Mr WOOD: Not at Dunmarra. I will give you the invoice. My problem is roads need upgrading: the Gunn Point Road, the Port Keats Road, the Roper Highway and the Central Arnhem Road. I travelled to Gove about three months ago and that road is a shocker in places, in other parts not too bad. We seem to have our priorities wrong. You have spent a lot of money upgrading the Stuart Highway for the open speed limit. That is great for people with an old Monaro and plenty of money in their pocket to spend on fuel, but were government priorities right? Would it have been better to seal dirt roads?
Moving out from Bulman, putting more bitumen there or widening the Roper Highway would have been great. Continue sealing the Daly River Road or upgrade the Gunn Point Road. There is a cattle station there, a lot of extractive mining, and a lot of tourists and locals go fishing yet, at times, it is one of the worst roads and is very close to Darwin. Do we have our priorities right?
Minister, I will not argue the toss on whether open speed limits are good or bad; however, I find it a little strange some sections of the road say, ‘Unfenced road – watch out for animals’. It seems the wrong road for full steam ahead. If a section of road has an open speed limit make sure part of the expenditure is fencing properties.
I nearly hit a big pig in Adelaide River the other night. It was about 9 pm, the pig was black and the bitumen was black. I was doing about 110 km/h out of Adelaide River. How I missed it, I do not know. If I were to hit that at a high speed, boy! There would be no car left. When you have an open speed limit and a sign showing cattle and an unfenced road, I am not sure it makes sense.
I put some of those matters to you, minister, as constructive criticism. Our job is to say how we feel about things. I congratulate the people who put together the Howard Springs/Lambrick Avenue intersection, although it was one of the longest contracts. The traffic flow – I thank the previous Labor minister for the work he did to get that off the ground – has made a difference.
I would sit on the corner counting cars, and I think he knows that. There would be cars from the Howard Springs/Stuart Highway turn-off past the Whitewood Road turn-off and cars nearly around to the Lutheran school. Now the flow of traffic is much smoother and I do not get complaints. It has been a great change and an important improvement for traffic flow in the area.
I congratulate the previous government, but I congratulate the contractors and the people who designed the road because it can take all the traffic it gets now.
Thank you, minister for bringing forward your statement today.
Mrs FINOCCHIARO (Drysdale): Mr Deputy Speaker, I join my colleagues in supporting the Minister for Transport’s statement. I know he has been looking forward to bringing this statement to the House and updating the parliament and the people of the Northern Territory on what has been happening in this portfolio.
I want to take the House through some of the areas where transport has assisted the lives of Palmerston residents, my core focus. I will start with the Tiger Brennan duplication. Recently we saw BMD Constructions awarded a contract for the next stage, which is Berrimah Road right through to Woolner Road.
That is an exciting next step and something the people of Palmerston have been wanting for a long time. I am reliably informed that we should see approximately 200 people, and I am sure most of them will be Territorians, employed to deliver this project which includes over 9 km of road.
When I had my briefing on the duplication of the next stage of Tiger Brennan, I was heartened to hear the core focus of the team – hats off to the department – will be doing the duplication with enough distance from the existing road that it will cause minimal disruption to traffic.
Obviously we want our roads upgraded and improvements made, but when the witches hats are out we get a little cranky. The poor contractors are damned if they do, damned if they don’t. In this situation we will avoid most of that.
Once construction starts it should have minimal impact to the existing lanes of Tiger Brennan, and that includes the fact contractors will tackle the intersections which will inevitably have to be constructed in the last stages. The idea is the dual lanes will be built and traffic can be diverted onto the new section of the road while the intersection is being upgraded. That is fantastic, hats off to the department.
Minister, I know you have been sitting down for the last month or so with BMD and the team to nut out all the finer planning details and I hope that process has gone well. Motorists are looking forward to minimal disruption and dual lanes by 2016.
The benefits are a safer and more efficient drive for motorists travelling from Palmerston and the rural area into the city every day. Palmerston residents deserve better access into Darwin city. We have been waiting for that for a long time. I remember when Wishart Road was the exciting back road, as we called it. The new Tiger Brennan Drive will relieve pressure on our arterial roads, including the Stuart Highway, which is still very heavily used. It means Palmerston motorists travelling into Darwin of a morning and night will be spending less time in their car and more time at home with their family doing what they love to do.
The cost of this project is quite large, and we have heard the minister talk about the Tiger Brennan duplication before. It is a jointly-funded exercise between the Northern Territory and Australian governments. I thank the Deputy Prime Minister, Warren Truss for opening the Dinah Beach to Woolner Road section of Tiger Brennan. We look forward to perhaps seeing him open the new stage of the road in June – weather permitting – 2016.
The Temple Terrace and Stuart Highway intersection is another exciting project coming up. The member for Nelson will watch this one eagerly, as will many rural residents. It affects rural residents more than those in Palmerston; however, it is significant to our government’s commitment to the Palmerston hospital.
On 18 September the tender was released for the $6.5m redevelopment of that intersection which, of course, will be where access to Palmerston Regional Hospital is created. This is an important investment for our community which shows our government is forward thinking, carrying out planning and getting the right stages happening. We cannot build a hospital without the right infrastructure, and that is what this government is doing. It is a tribute to the Minister for Transport for getting that moving as soon as possible.
People say the Stuart Highway should have an overpass, which the Minister for Transport would love. However, there is a giant debt pyramid which goes up and up. I cannot do it as well as my colleague, but there is a large debt pyramid which means we cannot build the overpass we would love to. Unfortunately, we are left with a Labor debt legacy which does not allow us to do things we want to, and that is a shame. The intersection will be fantastic, but the debt pyramid gets in the way of progress in the Northern Territory.
Palmerston Regional Hospital will be the hallmark of our team. The Palmerston members of parliament – me and the members for Blain and Brennan – and Natasha Griggs, our federal member for Solomon, are very eager for this project. We are happy the Department of Health conducted consultation around development of this intersection, and the Department of Transport is making it happen. The tender closed on 15 October, so we should see things move along fairly quickly.
There are also planned upgrades for Temple Terrace and Roystonea Avenue. People in Palmerston are crying out for this intersection to be upgraded; we have such a large number of cars going through it at any one time. Palmerston has outgrown that infrastructure and everyone is looking forward to the day it is fixed. Our government committed to this in the 2014-15 budget, with $5.5m allocated. That funding will see the duplication of Roystonea down to Gurd Street, which is the entrance to Palmerston Medical Centre. It will also improve the road capacity, increase safety and reduce queuing, which is currently significant. We have queues backing up on Roystonea Avenue right down to Terry Drive, which must be 1 km away.
Palmerston has outgrown that infrastructure, but I am not concerned. We are on to it, have allocated the money, planning will take place and works will be completed by January 2016. The work will cause a few traffic headaches because of how many cars travel through that intersection and how significant it is in Palmerston, but the department will do its best to make that as streamlined as possible. I thank them for their commitment to Palmerston in that regard.
I wanted to touch on the Black Spot Programme. This program is aimed at reducing crashes on our nation’s roads. Of course, we all do everything we can to ensure our communities are safe places. That means we have a significant commitment to ensuring our road infrastructure is safe and workable. The Black Spot Programme gives members of the community, and members of parliament, the opportunity to identify areas that might need some funding, assistance and traffic mitigation in order to make them safer places.
I have been out with my colleague, Natasha Griggs, federal member for Solomon, looking at Wishart Road and Woodlake Boulevard, which is a constant source of concern to constituents, particularly in the Wet Season with traffic trying to come out of Woodlake Boulevard on to Wishart Road.
We have seen a few crashes at Essington Avenue and Temple Terrace in the last few months, which is always terrible. The issue there is traffic coming down the hill on Temple Terrace at 80 km/h and people pulling out of Essington Avenue. This causes some concerns for residents.
Another location is University Avenue and Frances Drive, which is basically in front of McDonald’s near my office. There were two crashes at that intersection last week. That is a hot spot I have my eye on. Tilston Avenue and Elrundie Avenue – with the sheer volume of traffic now moving on Elrundie Avenue funnelling down to Bellamack and other new suburbs is becoming quite a hot spot.
They are all things I have my eye on. I am sure with the minister’s and department’s help, and the Black Spot Programme, we can work through some of them into the future.
I commend the minister on the new footpath on Roystonea Avenue. At the university lights there is now a very wide, large footpath that can take cyclists and pedestrians down the side of Roystonea Avenue virtually to the intersection to turn off to Palmerston Water Park and the new suburb of Durack Heights in my electorate. This is an excellent initiative. It was just shy of $150 000. I thank Mac Constructions for doing such a nice job of that. I had a look during the construction phase; they were kind enough to let me on site. That is an excellent investment in our community.
Palmerston, in some spots, is a little hotchpotch. This is another key traffic lane and connecter area serving Palmerston residents well. Mums and prams, people riding their bikes to work or people walking to catch the bus can now do so in relative shade and absolute safety. That is an excellent result.
I also congratulate and thank the minister for heeding the lobbying of my constituents to have a signalised pedestrian crossing on Temple Terrace at the Coles intersection down from the Ampol service station. Construction of that was completed earlier in the year. Initially, pedestrians and vehicles were not used to, or familiar with, the signalised crossing so we had some education issues. However, the department has been good in remedying that and getting public education out. We now have some fantastic stickers on the poles reminding pedestrians not just to walk across the road, but to press the button and wait for the green man. Over time, the community has learnt it is now a signalised crossing, and it is working well to protect pedestrians and cyclists as they move through our beautiful city.
That work costs around $250 000, which is significant and part of a broader program in Palmerston to look at intersections and pedestrian traffic flow. Palmerston is a little difficult because we have large roundabouts which cause issues with pedestrian flow, but we are working on that. I am pleased with that signalised crossing.
The minister has made a large commitment to CCTV at our bus depot, and enhancing the security and safety at our bus depots in general. We now have police monitoring the CCTV, and we have additional training for our bus drivers and security staff working at bus depots. We have taken a number of measures to enhance security in and around our bus depots. I commend Palmerston police, who do an excellent job in patrolling the bus depot, particularly after school hours and at times when there is very high traffic to make sure everyone is behaving the way they should. It is good to see enhanced security and resources being poured into the Palmerston bus depot.
One concern probably touches on the member for Nelson’s electorate as well, but at the moment if you have children at both Good Shepherd campuses – one at the junior school in Gray and one at the senior school in Howard Springs – students at the junior school have to miss part of their school day so they can get on a bus, travel to the senior school then catch the connecting government bus back to either the Howard Springs or Palmerston bus depot where they can then catch the public bus home. I am working with parents at Good Shepherd and with the school. Obviously they would like to see an adjustment in the time public buses leave Howard Springs and Palmerston bus depots. It is a complex and difficult situation for the department. Moving bus times has a tremendous flow-on effect, so we need to look at it holistically. I appreciate it cannot be resolved overnight, but I look forward to working with the minister to find a better resolution for students at Good Shepherd.
I want to thank Hector the Cat, who came to Durack last week to help launch safety awareness around Durack on Wheels. For those who do not know, Durack on Wheels is a wonderful community afternoon where kids on any form of wheels – scooters, roller blades, bicycles – all line up and race around Durack Lakes. Palmerston police were there with radar guns zapping the kids letting them know their speed. Hector was there in good form making sure the kids were wearing their helmet, behaving appropriately and doing the right thing.
Those are some of the ways the Department of Transport is making life in Palmerston a little better. I encourage the minister to continue fighting for the people of Palmerston. We have a large, growing population in the Top End and we want, deserve and need infrastructure which supports our growth and our Palmerston way of life.
I commend the statement to the House, and thank the minister for bringing the statement.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the minister for bringing his statement to the House and for the opportunity to provide some constructive criticism and lobbying for the electorate and Central Australia. I hope the minister takes this contribution in good faith, unlike the Chief Minister, who reverted to personal attacks, including calling me a coward.
Minister, I was very pleased to see the improvements in Motor Vehicle Registry, that high transaction area of government business. Being a regular commuter to the great city of Darwin over the last six years, I have noticed an increase in road traffic and transport logistics. It is good to see the Northern Territory government is keeping pace with new innovations in delivering motor vehicle registry services. I use the opportunity in any transport debate to lobby for remote area motor vehicle registry services in Borroloola.
Minister, you have heard this before. I have lobbied you, and it is a perfect pilot study to look at Borroloola as a regional centre, as a growth town, and see how you can test the systems in a remote area then refine them for roll out in other areas. Borroloola always amazes me because this is a regular conversation relating to the 2012 election, where a contract was signed in Borroloola.
I will quote from the 2014 Estimates Committee Response to Written Questions from Hon Adam Giles, MLA, Chief Minister. These questions were put together by the Territory opposition on progress of implementation of all signed written contracts within Northern Territory communities.
One election commitment for Borroloola was a government business centre. I quote:
- We will establish a Government Business Centre in Borroloola, preferably in partnership with local interests. This will ensure that people living in the region will have access to a wide variety of government services including – Motor Vehicle Registry, Centrelink, local government office, receiver of public monies and potentially land council offices in the future.
The progress report is:
The proposal to build the Borroloola Multi-Purpose Centre by the McArthur River Mine Community Benefit Trust is steadily progressing. The site has been secured and detailed Planning has commenced.
That is not quite fulfilling the election commitment for Borroloola. When I saw that high profile media event on television I thought the previous Chief Minister, Terry Mills, must not have travelled any further than the airport. If he had he would have seen a brand new purpose-built Centrelink building on Robinson Road.
If you go to Borroloola now, minister, you will see the Mabunji Aboriginal Resource Centre has delivered an extensive upgrade to the Malandari store complex, creating a nice CBD shopping centre precinct with office space available. There is a post office, and I will continue to lobby the minister for a pilot study to deliver Motor Vehicle Registry services in Borroloola.
The statement mentioned initiatives around the use of Australia Post services and online services, but I would like to see some education and awareness for people in the bush on how to access those services.
People continually ask me about Motor Vehicle Registry services. I remind them there are other access points, but minister you should know, and I know, a special cohort in the bush still like to operate in the bush and if we want to encourage them to access these new services we need education around that.
What the constituents want, and what would be the best outcome, is to go into bat in the Cabinet room to deliver remote Motor Vehicle Registry in Borroloola. It would be a great research project to design, modify and analyse how to do this in the future for people in the bush.
Minister, the feedback from Motor Vehicle Registry customers was interesting. I was disappointed the statement did not talk about the Integrated Regional Transport Strategy, basically a public transport strategy from the bush, for the bush, delivered by private industry.
These initiatives established under the previous Labor government are now quite successful businesses operating throughout the regions. I would like to lobby the Country Liberal government to announce some route services and some new infrastructure, because we proved these models are economically viable.
We have also proven these services improve access for rural and remote residents not only for social purposes but also for cultural, medical, educational and for connections with the Department of Justice.
I look forward to any new initiatives because those bush bus networks are definitely working. They represent great economic development opportunities that can be inclusive of Indigenous people living in regional or remote areas, and they also add an important element of community safety where regional and remote residents can come into towns and major centres and get home again safely. Minister, the stats were steadily increasing in that area and they stack up economically.
The Leader of the Opposition gave the minister some very good tips on lobbying federal counterparts. I took that advice from the Leader of the Opposition when she was Treasurer in the former Labor government. She made some very important connections for me. I travelled to ministerial council meetings on transport and used those connections. Having the advantage of a federal Labor government, and at that stage a Territory Labor government, translated into some significant investment.
On one trip a conversation with minister Albanese at a ministerial council on transport meeting turned into successful negotiations which delivered the Berrimah rail overpass connecting Berrimah Road to the East Arm logistics precinct and the maritime supply area and port. That is one example of how to do business in Canberra, and I hope you take it in good faith. The Leader of the Opposition gave you some great advice. You have a Liberal Coalition government in Canberra and you guys are the Liberals in the Northern Territory, so let us hope we can make the connections.
At a recent regional economic development conference I attended, the Deputy Prime Minister outlined mega infrastructure grant funding for regional Australia. We are talking large figures like $6.7bn for the Bruce Highway in Queensland, $5.6bn for the Pacific Highway duplication in New South Wales and $3bn for an east west link in Victoria. In the Territory the figure is $700m, so there is a lot of room to move. With the emphasis on development of northern Australia it is a hard job, but you have to be in there pitching and fighting for the Territory.
When those large infrastructure budget announcements were made in Alice Springs to a national cohort of regional and remote area delegates, it was concerning that the Northern Territory saw $20m from the federal government emerge for the Outback Way tourist road. We know, as the Leader of the Opposition said, $20m is a difficult spend because it does not go far in the bush.
Minister, big money is being splashed around. I wish you luck and offer any support necessary to get our fair share. It also comes with an element of managing existing funds so while you are on the hunt for new money, there is the important matter of managing the existing budget and priority areas. The member for Nelson touched on the election promise from the Country Liberal Party, where we now have the roll out of that promise with open speed limit sections of road.
The second section, where we are probably now pushing over a $5m investment – when you give to priority policies like Labor’s beef, mining, community and tourism policies, you will see that money could be allocated far more equitably into roads that carry a high productivity level.
I will go to the Sandover Highway. The minister has recent correspondence from me on this area. The 2012-13 NT Pastoral Land Board report shows, across most of the central Australia regions right up into the gulf region, below average rainfalls. However, we have seen an escalation in heavy vehicle traffic, exploration programs with major exploration rigs, community travel and mobility across our regional and remote communities. If the system is not maintained and suffers cuts in minor new works and urgent minor repairs, these existing road transport infrastructure networks will degrade. We are seeing, across Central Australia into the Barkly, the degradation of road surfaces and the creation of major bulldust patches. This affects the heavy vehicle industry, the communities and is very serious. Once this effect starts to multiply across the networks it becomes very expensive to do anything. Ancillary problems then arise with side tracks and people continually pushing out further and eroding our important rangeland. When you cut funds in minor new works and urgent minor repairs in the roads network, you are pressured even more to look at those priorities.
I will mention the open speed limit sections. I went through those sections recently, and have spoken to people in Tennant Creek. There was a comment about the reflective signs. It does not matter how fast you are travelling, the copious reflective signs along the highway in the open speed limit section are a visual impairment. You need to go there, minister, and use spotlights or high beam. You should look at them. They are there for road safety purposes, but at night they probably have the reverse effect.
In regard to the aviation industry and services strategy, you issued a media release and have raised some expectations in the bush about a regional air link. People remember the milk run. I was in Darwin recently supporting the successful Labor candidate, now the member for Casuarina, and met many people from the big end of town. It was great to catch up with a gentleman who has invested significantly in Tennant Creek and is very proud of his investments. He talks to me from time to time about his investments.
He was very disappointed to see the Hardy Aviation Tennant Creek service has disappeared and wanted to lobby me to get it back. I had to explain to him, clearly and honestly, I thanked Hardy Aviation from the bottom of my heart because it was the first company to jump back into the regional air link commercial venture. They did it because there was a heightened level of activity in the region; there was work going on. There were minor new works projects, lots of urgent minor repairs projects, and lots of new infrastructure projects.
Many public servants needed to travel. We changed the model of public servant travel from inefficient road travel to Darwin to a regional air link. That service went from two days a week to three days a week. Hardy Aviation operated that service on a marginal basis, but persevered with it. From 2009 to 2012 we saw economic benefits for the regions improve, with much more travel.
A cut in public service travel would have a direct impact on that, and that is what we have seen from the Country Liberal Party government with its efficiency dividends. It hurts local business in Tennant Creek when we do not see public servant travel. It also affects service delivery when we need high-level public servants travelling into the region doing business with us, understanding our needs and working with their departments.
Once again, minister, to establish regional air link connections we need customers. The customers, at the moment, are suffering a very high cost of living impost in the regional areas. Not too many people in Tennant Creek can afford a plane ticket. If you have a good spread of economic activity occurring across the regions and a good spread of public servants travelling, you can start to compensate with additional seats through the Patient Assistance Travel Scheme and through health referrals into the major hospitals and major centres. The Department of Justice, for instance, started to use those services. We saw something I have not seen in Tennant Creek for a long time – since about 2004 – that regional air link established.
Minister, the people of Central Australia and the Barkly will support you in the endeavour. There is some constructive advice on how to do it. If you want to spin it the other way, there is some advice of how you will not achieve it if the priority spend and comprehensive balance across the regions is challenged.
I would like to thank all members of the Department of Transport. I have great memories of working with that department. I look forward to bumping into people from time to time, some in Alice Springs and some in Darwin. It is great to hear of the good news and hard work that goes on in a sector critical to the development of northern Australia. As department officials and members of this House know, in developing northern Australia you cannot get away from the important transport and transport infrastructure logistics and investment needed. To achieve that, minister, there is a baseline of trying to change some of the ideologies in Canberra.
It is a tough job minister, but get in their boots and all, get your hands dirty like the Chief Ministers says, and we wish you the best. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in the debate.
Mrs PRICE (Community Services): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I thank the minister for his statement to the House.
As a bush MLA I can tell you that transport is a key connector for our communities. From hunting to ceremonies, education, health, shopping, sport to economic development opportunities such as mining or pastoral or cattle industries, transport is the enabler of all these activities.
We in this House all know the challenges faced with transport in the bush. These include the development and maintenance of appropriate transport infrastructure, year round access, environmental challenges and service delivery.
Firstly, one of the major challenges all governments face is providing appropriate transport infrastructure. I support the Chief Minister’s vision of developing the north, yet if we are to realise the economic and social opportunities that could flow you need supporting transport infrastructure. That is where this government gets it. We understand that bush infrastructure is vital to unlocking the opportunities waiting for us. Mining, cattle, pastoral, produce and tourism are some of the opportunities waiting for us.
The Granites gold mine has been operating in the Tanami since the 1980s, and the major road to the mine is the Tanami. I know the Tanami well because I have driven on it for many years. It has changed in my lifetime, but needs more work because at times it becomes bad because of corrugations. That hinders the supply trucks going out there – every day 10 trucks use that road.
In the Wet Season the road get so boggy the trucks do not make it. The road is sometimes cut so the supply trucks have to wait for a week, maybe two weeks, to get supplies to the mine site.
This hinders community people as well because it is their main way of getting into Alice Springs. It is the main road in or out of communities. It puts a lot of pressure on our government, and everybody else, to make sure these roads are functioning properly and are fixed so trucks and everybody else has access to where they need to go.
Newmont operates the Granites gold mine, but locals also use the road to get to Yuendumu, Nyirripi, Lajamanu and Balgo and roads maintenance is a big issue for bush communities.
A lot of damage is done to trucks by driving on the corrugated road. Huge trucks pull over and cannot move. They have been over the road so many times and the corrugations are so bad the trucks are wrecked. The supplies are delayed for a fortnight – somebody has to fix the truck and make sure the diesel, cyanide or whatever else gets to the mine.
Over 60 pastoral stations run cattle in my electorate, ranging from Ban Ban Springs in the north to Aileron and Napperby Stations in the south, to Newry Station near the WA border. These stations total 180 000 km2 or nearly 50% of my electorate’s 384 000 km2. That is nearly three times the size of Tasmania, three quarters of Victoria or 75 times the size of ACT.
The middle of the year is when the pastoral stations have their cattle muster. They rely on the roads to get cattle from A to B so families can survive. The roads I am talking about are the Buntine, Buchanan, Tanami and the ones up north as well – the Stuart plateau. These roads are very important. For them it is about getting cattle to market, getting supplies, going shopping, getting kids to school and social interaction.
The produce farms in my electorate rely on the roads infrastructure. These people’s lives depend on it, and tourists use these roads. They use the Tanami, the Mereenie Loop Road – another road when there are so many tourists the road is corrugated and you cannot drive on it.
Tourists use the Buchanan, the Buntine and the Victoria Highways. It is important for the Territory to make sure our roads are up to standard so tourists come to the Northern Territory and spend money and enjoy what we have.
Tourists visit Gregory National Park, Nitmiluk, Keep River, Fish River and Mataranka. Not only tourists want to access those places, locals want to as well. Parks employ local people who rely on road access. The roads need to be upgraded because there might be accidents and people need to get there as quickly as possible.
This government understands roads are the arteries of economic and social development of the Territory. In my electorate of Stuart this government has over $20m in capital works road projects planned or under way. There is over $1m for minor new works projects and over $8m for repairs and maintenance work. In June the $1m strengthening project of four bridges on the Buntine Highway was completed. The Buntine Highway is a vital link for the cattle and pastoral industries. This was a jointly funded Australian and Northern Territory government project. The Northern Territory provided funding of $325 000, with the Australian government providing $775 000. These bridges are important for cattle train access to properties so bigger trucks can be used to get more cattle to market all year round.
In August, a $3.5m upgrade project at Sandy Creek Crossing on the Victoria Highway was completed. This project was funded through the national highway flood immunity program. The upgrades will give better year round access to the northern Australia link. These upgrades help the transport industry, tourists and locals by providing improved flood immunity.
Works are under way on the Tanami Highway, including construction and sealing of 7 km of road around the 171 km mark. These works will provide a safer, smoother journey for users of that road and are part of our ongoing commitment to continue sealing the Tanami. I look forward to the day the entire road is sealed.
The great work does not stop there, with plenty of upcoming projects. Firstly, there is the multimillion dollar strengthening and widening project for the Buntine Highway, which will improve safety for road users. I am told the tender is expected to be released next month, with works to commence in the new year. We have the pavement strengthening and widening project on the Victoria Highway at West Baines stage 3. The tender has closed and is being assessed.
Finally, one project I have fought hard for is the upgrading of the Lajamanu road from Kalkarindji to Lajamanu. This is a $2m Northern Territory government stand-alone project to upgrade various sections of road. Tenders will go out next year, and I am hoping works will commence shortly thereafter.
However, it is not just safe transport infrastructure that is important; we also need safe drivers. It is impossible to have an MVR office with driving instructors in every community. Sadly, our remote driving statistics are not the best and we lose way too many remote Territorians, especially young ones, to motor vehicle accidents on bush roads. Not wearing seatbelts, grog, speeding vehicles and sometimes roads are also factors in crashes. However, the main factor is the person behind the wheel. Whilst government has a role to play in ensuring drivers are appropriately qualified and experienced, we all, as drivers, need to take greater responsibility when driving.
With regard to the government’s role, delivery of road safety messages and driver training in regional and remote areas is often very difficult, expensive and timely. To address these difficulties, some out-of-the-box thinking was required to develop a framework to deliver these vital services in the most effective way possible.
The Territory developed the award-winning DriveSafe NT Remote program. Again, the Northern Territory leads the way in Australia. This program has been very successful in getting remote Indigenous people licensed and in making a difference in the bush. I give credit where it is due – this program was commenced under the former Labor government. However, the Giles government realised the value of the program, picked it up, funded it and expanded it.
The Chief Minister, the former Minister for Transport, recognised the true value of the program and persuaded his Cabinet colleagues to continue funding support for the program. The Chief Minister realised the social and economic values of making sure Aboriginal people had the same level of access to driver licensing so we could reduce the number of crash-related deaths.
Nationally, a low level of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote communities hold licences. Added to this are low levels of compliance with vehicle registration requirements, very high levels of traffic-related offences and unpaid fines which often result in imprisonment.
Most significantly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are overrepresented in the statistics for vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities. A licence is more than approval to drive; it is a passport to opportunity. A driver’s licence joins economic and social participation together and, in addition, is an important identity document.
The DriveSafe NT Remote team is located in the Department of Transport, and staff worked closely with local community partners in flexible ways to establish this program on a sustainable basis.
What began as a $3m two-year trial program, jointly funded by the Commonwealth government, TIO and the Department of Transport, has from February 2014 been fully funded by the Northern Territory government to continue for a further three years. The program has been hugely successful and has exceeded all expectations. It is amazing the number of people who have been assisted across all areas of the program to get birth certificates, obtain a learner’s permit, undertake driving lessons and, ultimately, get a licence.
The program is now being delivered in 44 remote communities in just over two years. There are 1940 Territorians located in these communities now driving safely, legally and insured on our roads. This is a win for all, especially remote communities across the Northern Territory. Well done and thank you, Minister for Transport, and also the staff in your department.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend this statement to the House.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Mr Deputy Speaker, I also comment on the statement before the House today.
I was reading some old Parliamentary Records the other day. One of my shortcomings when I sit in this House listening to debates is I drag old Parliamentary Records out. I wish I could find it again, because one statistic leapt out at me from a 1973 Parliamentary Record. It was a question on notice. I am frustrated I cannot lay my hands on it because it said the number of people who died on Territory roads that year, if I remember correctly, was 57.
I took the trouble, while listening to the Minister for Community Services, to look up the five-year statistics surrounding motor vehicle fatalities from the period 2009 to 2014. It is pleasing to note that, whilst the population of the Northern Territory has more than doubled since 1973, not a single year during that time produced a road toll total of 57. In fact, the five-year average was 42.5, which means there are today, despite the fact we have substantially more than doubled our population in the last 41 years, less fatalities on our roads then in the 1970s.
I am sure the member for Nelson will remember the days when the roads were rougher and tougher, narrow, seatbelts were optional …
Mr Wood: Spear grass to the edge.
Mr ELFERINK: Yes, spear grass to the edge and drink-driving was considered standard behaviour. There were buffaloes, pigs, kangaroos and the hub of the steering wheel poking into the driver’s cabinet rather than concave. That meant if you were not wearing a seatbelt and your car suddenly stopped, your chest would hit the steering wheel and you would have a flail chest, which is where your sternum floats free of the ribs. Car design has changed.
It is a ghastly thought to have today. We now wear seatbelts and try to drink and drive less. I am not always convinced we are doing a great job, but I suspect we are. Transport has also improved and whilst it still has a long way to go, and we do not celebrate deaths, we should at least be grateful there are fewer deaths on our roads.
I want to touch on comments from the member for Barkly when talking about Hardy Aviation not going back to Tennant Creek because government is not spending enough there. One of the reasons government went to Tennant Creek more – the member for Barkly touched on it himself – was because the Justice department, police and other organisations had to get there more regularly. We go there because the crime rate in Barkly is through the roof.
If I understand the member for Barkly correctly, other public servants should go because police and courts are not going to the area much. Why? Because there has been a two-third reduction in crimes of violence in Barkly. That is unheard of and is because of the Northern Territory government’s alcohol policy.
The answer from the member in relation to the Barkly is, ‘My God, the place is looking clean and tidy because of the Barkly Work Camp’. People are now working in the community on a regular basis. Crime has gone down so there is a reduced requirement for public servants to travel there. Now, of course, it is the government’s fault because public servants are not travelling to the area. The answer for the member for Barkly is to send other public servants there but to do what? To sit in the corner? Perhaps we could get rid of the dialysis machines from the Barkly and people would have to travel to Alice Springs more regularly. Perhaps that is a solution for the member for Barkly.
The irritating thing is the member for Barkly thinks government spending is the only solution for the Barkly. This means the government has to spend money to rescue Tennant Creek, and moving public servants through Tennant Creek is the way to secure its future. That shows such a thunderous and astonishing lack of imagination from the member for Barkly, who resides in Tennant Creek. It is a case of government fixing it; that is the answer. If not enough people are going to the Barkly it is government’s responsibility to fix it.
The people who run Bluestone Motor Inn, Eldorado, or any of the motels there try hard to make sure their businesses work. What leaves me totally bereft is when there is an opportunity for regional employment in the area, generated by sources outside Northern Territory government expenditure, and the member for Barkly digs his heels in and says, ‘Hell no, we won’t have that’. I refer expressly to Muckaty.
The thing the member for Barkly says is so bad for the Barkly, where jobs could be provided for the Aboriginal people he represents, should be abandoned because it is wrong. It is evil, wicked, horrible and the untruths he was spreading about it yesterday left me aghast. Completely enveloped in dishonesty, he misrepresents what this facility was to be and, in the process, casts into the four winds jobs for people in his electorate which would have been paid for by sources outside the Barkly. He thinks that is a win for the people of Barkly. He thinks he has achieved a great result. The man is an economic and social vandal. I cannot believe a guy who would actively campaign against jobs on a medium- to low-level waste facility. It is the same waste we currently keep in the basement of Royal Darwin Hospital.
He campaigns so people in his electorate will never have those jobs because his sense of moral righteousness and moral indignation means those people – his guidance should protect those people from anything like direction in their life.
You guys are the most paternalist morons that have ever crawled into this parliament. I get so frustrated with the politics of the left. Whatever you do, make sure you are looking after Aboriginal people, but never let them make a decision for themselves because you know best. That is what we have heard from the member for Barkly.
I was talking about my frustration when reading through the earlier Parliamentary Record. I found something else amongst questions asked in 1973 worth noting. Question 1517 from Mr MacFarlane to Mr Hart was:
- Has Aboriginal Duncan Yapanara been given a lease of land in the Arnhem Land reserve?
The answer from Mr Hart was:
- No. As announced by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Government has stopped the granting of any further leases on Aboriginal reserves in the Northern Territory.
This meant up until 1973 it was possible for an Aboriginal person – Aboriginal people were asking for leases on Aboriginal reserve land so they could – I presume Mr Duncan Yapanara, wanted to do something constructive with that land and build a future for himself.
The left wing then would have been Jim Cairns, the Deputy Prime Minister. The then Deputy Prime Minister, left wing Jim Cairns, said, ‘No, we’re not giving them leases; we will give their lands back’, and gave them their lands in the form of inalienable freehold title a few years later.
The problem was the condescending process of creating a form of inalienable collective title. That means you end up with situations like Muckaty, where somebody wants to stick their head up and say, ‘I’m going to have a go’ and everybody else says, ‘No, you’re not, and we will fight you in the courts’. When the fight ends up in the courts the respondent has no choice but to throw his hands up and say, ‘I cannot do it; it’s too hard. It is too hard to advance myself, not as an Aboriginal person, but as a human being who wants some dignity in their life.’
Who is championing the cause of that repression? Is it the member for Barkly? To hear the member for Barkly speak in this House in condescending terms towards Aboriginal people sickens me to the stomach.
Mr STYLES (Transport): Mr Deputy Speaker, there are obviously no further contributions from the other side so I will respond to the comments made.
It is not often I agree with the Leader of the Opposition, but when she said transport is a broad portfolio she was correct. It encompasses a wide range of service delivery from government and private enterprise.
So much needs to be done; we would love to be doing things. The member for Karama spoke about Labor’s 10-year plan for this and that. I have a Hansard rush and also some information I would like to refer.
As the member for Drysdale said, we would love to do lots of things. Bridges, roads and infrastructure are economic enablers and things that will get Aboriginal people out of poverty in the bush. You must have economic stimulation. It appears many on the other side do not grasp that, and I struggle to understand. I listen to them and wonder if they understand this, and sadly I do not think they do. They want to go back to the same policies and level of service that lead us to the position we see in this….
Ms Walker: Here we go.
Mr STYLES: They try to laugh this off. People listen to these debates for various reasons. The member for Johnston is burying his head in his hands and I do not blame him; he must be ashamed. He comes in on the back of his former colleagues who ran this place …
Mr Vowles: It took three minutes to bring that up.
Mr STYLES: Look at it, member for Johnston, no wonder you bury your head in your hands. Where is the debt level going? If you cannot understand this you need to do Economics 101. Talk to your mother, because she could probably teach you more about economics than you will ever know. It is a disgraceful increase in the level of debt. Who was responsible for this pyramid of debt? It was the Leader of the Opposition.
We would love to generate economic growth by increasing government spending, but when you put everything on the bank card you have to pay it off some time. It is like the Pied Piper – I do not know if you were told the nursery rhyme about the Pied Piper – but someone, somewhere has to pay the piper. Sadly for the Northern Territory, member for Johnston, your side of politics ran the MasterCard up as you can see by these debt levels ...
Mr Vowles: Rego, seniors getting on the bus.
Mr STYLES: It is a bit cute that they scream and shout. It is real; you cannot get away from these debt levels. It is fact, it is on the record and you cannot get away from it. However, those on the other side – I do not blame them for burying their head in their hands – do not seem to understand somewhere, sometime someone has to pay debt back.
On this side of the House we are far better at this. If you look at …
Mr Wood: Not another one.
Mr STYLES: They laugh …
Mr Westra van Holthe: It is a nervous laugh.
Mr STYLES: It is a nervous laugh because they have nowhere to go, and let us look at why. We have been very successful. During Question Time today the deputy or Opposition Leader said the Chief Minister had been to Canberra and got no money. That is misleading. The Chief Minister and I have been to Canberra and received money – the Outback Way, the roads package of $77m, with another $20m here. They are not big figures, but the federal government has a massive problem too. The reason you cannot ask the federal Treasurer for a stack of money for economic development – they say they understand then they show you another graph. Look at this one ...
Mr Wood: Not another one.
Mr STYLES: Here is the pyramid. There you go, member for Nelson. They are pyramids of debt. Look at the Rudd/Gillard debt; it is vertical. There is a bit of a bump but then it is vertical. That is why the federal government has issues funding infrastructure across Australia. When you have a problem like that you can do what the Labor Party did and say, ‘This is terrible, we will borrow some more money’, or you can achieve responsible economic development by recycling assets. Today’s question is all about what assets can be recycled.
The Leader of the Opposition, in her contribution to debate, said the CLP focus on northern development amounts to glossy brochures and a $6m office in Darwin but no funding for roads or bridges. How absurd is that? You only have to look at our last budget – a record budget for roads and bridges. I cannot believe someone would be so irresponsible and say there is no money for roads and bridges when it is there, with a record spend on roads.
In your electorate, Mr Deputy Speaker, numerous things are happening on the Port Keats Road. Work is being undertaken on the Arnhem Highway. We are looking at roads on the Tiwi Islands. It is all about economic development for the bush, but it is challenging and difficult. The government is looking at a different way of contributing to the economic development, not only of the Territory, but for Aboriginal people in the Territory.
We, on this side of the House, support Aboriginal people in their goals, aspirations and dreams to be economically viable, to contribute to their communities, to have jobs and for their kids and grandkids to have a bright economic future. That is what the member for Arafura talks about in this Chamber and at our wing meetings. He is after economic development for his children, his grandchildren and everyone else’s grandchildren, particularly on the Tiwi Islands, at Maningrida and communities surrounding Maningrida ...
Mr Kurrupuwu: Get away from welfare.
Mr STYLES: He wants to get them off welfare. What is the best thing you can do …
Mr Elferink: Get them a job.
Mr STYLES: Get them a job. That is the best thing you can do for anyone. The member for Arafura and I were having a discussion two days ago about when he was a boy. He said people worked and were paid then along came a former Prime Minister of Australia – who sadly passed away recently – who organised welfare. He said everyone sat down and did nothing, and that has been the scourge of Aboriginal people. Since that time, the average age of survival for Aboriginal people has gone backwards.
He said when he was a boy he saw Aboriginal people aged 90 or even 100. He said in the same families people are now dying much younger. Why? Because they sat down and changed their lifestyle. In effect, that has not helped Aboriginal people, it has hindered them. I go to presentations in the Chamber in recent days about what it does to have a job and what economic development can do for people. The people in this Chamber have all benefited from economic development.
If you study Economics 101 – I have used this before and, more recently, my colleague, the member for Port Darwin, did in relation to economic development. Look at a night photo of North Korea. You can google it on your computer now. Google North Korea at night then South Korea with the lights on. It is fantastic. It looks bright, there is activity, social interaction at night, industry happening and people are creating wealth and generating economic development. Across the border in North Korea, there are half a dozen little dots. That is it – no lights on, no economic development and people are starving.
If you translate that to Australia and some of our rural, regional and remote areas, the same problem exists. There is no economic development. In this House we look at transport infrastructure and roads and bridges on the Tiwi Islands. Yet when we do a deal to get economic development happening what happens? The opposition bags us. They criticise us for helping Aboriginal people help themselves.
If you want to lift people out of poverty you have to give them a job. All the welfare in the world will not help. This government is creating infrastructure because roads and bridges are the economic enablers to giving people jobs. Whether it is the Tiwi Islands, at Santa Teresa or Wadeye, we need to create jobs. There are lots of jobs, but we need economic activity there. We need to get people in, people out, and we need road reserves removed from the land trusts and are negotiating that. We need township leases and we need houses. We are doing a lot of work on the Victoria Highway, apart from all the good things in transport I mentioned in my statement.
We are working on roads and bridges, and are on the Buntine Highway getting cattle in. The member for Katherine, in Question Time, said we will reach half a million cattle this year. Is that correct, member for Katherine?
Mr Westra van Holthe: Half a million going out this year.
Mr STYLES: Half a million head of cattle going out this year, what a fantastic effort. This is about economic development. This is what we on this side of the House do. The other side of the House spent money with not much result. Crime was increasing, unemployment increasing and not a great deal was happening. I feel sorry for the other side because now crime is going down and the economy is going up ...
Mr Wood: I am going home.
Mr STYLES: I will deal with some of the member for Nelson’s issues shortly. He might be interested in the answers. Look at people on the other side. They are a sad lot with their head in their hands, like the member for Johnston. It is a shame they do not do Economics 101 or read the budget papers. The Opposition Leader makes claims as if it were really happening.
Without using words I cannot in the Chamber ...
Mr Elferink: Yes, you can. You can say ‘liar’ now because nobody will pull you up.
Mr STYLES: That is true. Funding for roads and bridges is in print and you say there is no funding. That is misleading.
I have the Hansard where the Leader of the Opposition said:
- Harbour cruise operators are being pushed out of business because a government-subsidised ferry service is targeting the harbour cruise market. SeaLink is subsidised to operate the Tiwi Islands and Mandorah ferry services, and it has shocked local tourism operators that it has moved into the harbour cruise market at dramatically lower prices than local businesses.
The government went to an open and transparent tender process to get services for Mandorah and the Tiwi Islands.
Dealing with the Tiwi Islands, the member for Arafura said in this House he wants economic development on the Tiwi Islands. We spoke about the land and getting people there – the timber industry and Mitsui coming in, Ezion is building a big port, there is economic activity now and it is increasing. We are interested in supporting the Tiwi Islands because they are leading the way in economic development and showing other communities if you work with people and the government you can have economic activity. That is jobs for your children, jobs for your grandchildren and sustainable economic growth for the Tiwi people.
I have looked at some roads and at the town site. A number of us saw the need for a service. The government drew up tender documents and had about seven operators from here and interstate – we looked at the best deal for the Northern Territory.
That is what the taxpayer expects. They expect us to be responsible with their money and to get the best deal for government. They do not expect – here is my graph again – us to rack the debt up without any economic development to pay for it because eventually you have to.
The tender board recommended SeaLink be the successful tenderer. We had to look at getting a service to the Tiwi Islands so people could get there for medical reasons, for family visits or to come to town to shop. Certain criteria had to be met for a certain number of trips at certain times of the day. They provided that in the tender.
We have a community service obligation at Mandorah to bring young children across to attend school. It is part of the school bus network, but we use the ferry for part of it. The children are collected from the ferry terminal at Cullen Bay and delivered to various schools. We want a service in the morning and the afternoon, and that was in the tender documents.
The Solicitor for the Northern Territory was consulted in relation to the tenders. SeaLink provided that service, and was providing a lunchtime service to Mandorah jetty so people could enjoy lunch at the fabulous Mandorah Hotel, which sadly is no longer there.
They are contracted to provide a service to Mandorah in the morning and evening and one to the Tiwi Islands.
The Mandorah Hotel has been demolished so they are free of any contractual arrangements, and they were approached by the big red bus company. That company approached boat operators to do a deal for a quick tour of the harbour that would fit in with their bus timetable. The big red bus company has a tight schedule; it has a set route and needed to do business with someone. SeaLink obviously did the deal. That service has recently closed because they were only carrying about eight to 10 passengers per day.
In a recent meeting with Department of Transport officials, operators of pearling luggers and other vessels – a number of large vessels as well – I was instructed by some of the pearling …
Mr CONLAN: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77, I seek an extension of time for the member for Sanderson.
Motion agreed to.
Mr Wood: I am still waiting for the road report.
Mr STYLES: We have another 10 minutes to get to that, member for Nelson …
Mr Wood: Do you have any graphs for me?
Mr STYLES: The smaller operators said it was taking 80% of their business. There were eight people, although I hope that was not the target market the rest of the operators were looking at because obviously there is not much there.
The Leader of the Opposition said, ‘This is not fair’. If I said to her, ‘What if you had someone work in your office in the morning’ – she wants a part-time person. She says ‘I would like you to do this in my office in the morning for a number of hours, and then I want you to come in late in the afternoon to do this. You are contracted to do a service in the morning and contracted to do a service in the afternoon.’ Opposition Leader, do you think it fair to say to that person, ‘I am contracting you to work for this time in the morning, this time in the afternoon, but you cannot work in between’. I am sure if you tried to do that without paying someone or without contracting them for that time you would have the union up in arms saying, ‘How dare you say that person cannot have a second, third or fourth job’.
Some people work in different jobs throughout the day; that is how they earn their income. To restrict someone from earning an income is not fair. If a person had a lunchtime job and someone said, ‘You can’t compete against me because you have a morning job and an afternoon job. You can’t work a lunchtime job because you are being paid by the Leader of the Opposition and receiving a government subsidy in the morning and afternoon.’
If you want SeaLink, or any company in that situation, to be exclusive they will give you a price for that. Maybe that is what the opposition wants and maybe what it did in government. Maybe all those exclusive contracts or the way it did business – perhaps Labor ended up with a debt pyramid because it was not effective or efficient. It is Economics 101 that you cannot, if people are contracted to do things, prevent them from doing things at any other time of the day or week. That is unless you contract and pay them to sit around doing nothing. That seems to be the way the opposition works. It is happy to pay people to do nothing. That is what it wants Aboriginal people to do – ‘Sit down, do nothing and we will pay you’. It does not work. The real world does not work like that, and when you look at the pyramid of debt – you can find pyramids going all the way back. When Labor is in government debt skyrockets ...
Mr Wood: Is that upside down?
Mr STYLES: There you go.
Mr Wood: That is a big improvement.
Mr STYLES: That is a better picture, member for Nelson.
That is why you end up with these graphs. The other side does not work on economic rationalism, it keeps spending. It is very good and very experienced at it.
In relation to SeaLink, I have listened to them. We are working with operators to form a policy and do what we can to work around this. I am working with my colleague, the member for Greatorex, on a strategy to help people work in that area.
There are two entirely different products. There are smaller operators who look at a romantic cruise on a pearl lugger in the evening or at lunchtime. Not everyone wants to get on the red bus, not everyone wants to go on a pearl lugger or a vessel named Charles Darwin. I attended a function on that boat recently. It is a fine vessel but not everybody wants to go on it; there are options.
I spoke to my colleague, the member for Brennan, recently about land prices. When Labor was in power land was $300 000 a block at Palmerston. You can now get a block in Palmerston for $160 000. They are not as big, but you can have a starter home.
Mr Wood interjecting.
Mr STYLES: You well may laugh. The first home I bought, member for Nelson, was a transportable box. It was a little bigger than a shoebox but better than living in a hole in the road ...
Mr Wood: You must have been a very small person.
Mr STYLES: You knew I would say that. Only a month or two ago I googled it on a street search. The poinciana tree I planted is doing really well, but it is still a little house. That is what we started in, and I was happy to start in that house. Why? Because I bought it, I was paying for it and I got into the market. This is what happens.
We are working with operators to help them increase their custom.
I will go to other points the member for Nelson raised. Yes, there is an increased level of traffic on Gunn Point Road, member for Nelson. I have visited some of the residents and have reduced the speed limits. We have spoken to operators there. I am happy to have a conversation with you soon about some of your concerns. I appreciate they are real concerns for you and your constituents. Let us look at that.
In relation to traffic flow through the 11 Mile where three lanes versus two, it It is a matter of costs and traffic flows. We can look at what traffic is using that, but it is about spreading the dollars around.
The Leader of the Opposition said various roads need work and asked why we were not spending money on sections where the open speed limit applies. In fact, some of the strengthening and widening of the Stuart Highway is on open speed limit sections. It had to be done. If you drive down that way stop at the roadhouses and speak to people there, especially at Aileron, because that area was done first. They are very pleased. They say anecdotal evidence from truckies and tourists is the road is fantastic. We put some more cat’s eyes – the raised pavement reflectors – on the road, and some of the truckies say it is like an airstrip and you cannot miss the road.
You asked about fencing and traffic. I have always encouraged people to drive to the conditions of the road, their car, their level of experience, the time of day and whether it is wet or dry. At night we all have to slow down. It is a decision you hope everyone on the road makes. You would realise there is stock around. You would know, member for Nelson, having driven country roads much of your life, dusk and dawn are particularly dangerous times on the road, which is why most people want to be off the road. With an open speed limit on the road to Tennant Creek – some people travelled above the previous 130 km/h speed limit. I imagine people in this House have done it. I have done more than 130 km/h, but it was not ‘full steam ahead’. One has to take things into consideration.
We are looking at bicycle paths through Palmerston and the rail trail, and I will discuss that with you when I am finished.
We answered a question about water use on swamp lilies during Question Time. Everyone thinks it is great. When they get waterlogged in the Wet Season they do not rot; they keep growing. Yes, they need a lot of water in the Dry Season to survive. A lot of research went into that and beautification is needed.
Work is happening on the Roads to Recovery – the Roper and Arnhem Highways – as we speak. Grading is being done, and a range of things have happened. We have about 32 000 km of roads in the Northern Territory, about 22 000 km are in unincorporated areas and we have to maintain them. We are heading toward 250 000 people in the Northern Territory with a budget less than that of Brisbane City Council. It is a challenge, and with the debt levels we have an even greater challenge. We still found money to increase spending on roads, bridges and transport and infrastructure development for economic growth for all Territorians.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
TABLED PAPER
Northern Territory’s Pastoral Land Board Annual Reports for 2010-11 and 2011-12
Northern Territory’s Pastoral Land Board Annual Reports for 2010-11 and 2011-12
Continued from 22 August 2014.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Land Resource Management): Mr Deputy Speaker, I continue my remarks in relation to the tabling of the 2010-11 and 2011-12 Northern Territory’s Pastoral Land Board Annual Reports. Since delivering the tabling speech for these annual reports, I am pleased to report the Northern Territory Pastoral Land Board has celebrated the significant milestone of its 100th meeting.
First established 12 years ago on Friday 29 May 1992, the board has racked up considerable achievements to ensure the health, economic viability and sustainability of our pastoral lands.
The Country Liberals government values the pastoral industry and is committed to ensuring its growth and success. As such, we greatly value the work of the board in monitoring our pastoral estate in order to provide an accurate assessment of land condition so our pastoral industry can continue to thrive.
When the Country Liberals came to government in 2012 it was deeply concerning for me, as Minister for Land Resource Management, to learn that insufficient funding over several years had left this board constrained in its ability to undertake reporting functions.
In May 2013 this government announced an additional $500 000 funding to support the NT Pastoral Land Board and the Rangelands Management program. As a direct result, the increased funding has supported our pastoral industry by providing extension services which are not only undertaking monitoring and pastoral infrastructure mapping updates, but also working to re-establish relationships with managers and the pastoral industry.
I am pleased to learn a review of the Rangeland Management program reporting requirements for rangeland monitoring has resulted in changes to the methodology used to determine the land condition of the pastoral estate. This has resulted in the development and introduction of an integrated monitoring program around ground-based measured photo point sites with satellite data to provide information of changes in land cover to deliver whole of NT reporting of change in land cover and land.
The integrated program is nationally recognised and will enable the NT to report on land condition using national standards. The NT will also be able to provide information and advice comparable to other rangeland-dominated states which contributes to measured data for national reporting.
Also, the integrated program will provide consistent, measured and objective data which will enable the Pastoral Land Board to fulfil statutory reporting under the Pastoral Land Act. Implementation of the integrated program is well under way; however, it will take several years to fully implement across the NT. Importantly, it will achieve the establishment and collection of ground validation sites and development and production of satellite-based products for whole of Territory reporting.
In the 2012-13 field season rangeland monitoring increased by a staggering 600% to 323 sites on 29 pastoral properties compared to only 52 sites across three properties in 2011-12. Those statistics, in themselves, tell the story of the previous government’s lack of interest in anything related to improving, monitoring, looking after and caring for our rangelands and our pastoral estate. In fact, the previous government should be ashamed for allowing the NT Pastoral Land Board and the monitoring program to degrade to the point it did prior to the 2012 election.
This field season, rangeland monitoring officers have visited and inspected 31 properties across a number of pastoral districts in the Territory.
I commend the current NT Pastoral Land Board, in particular Chairman Richard Galton, for the work he has done on amendments to the Pastoral Land Act passed into legislation earlier this year for non-pastoral use activities. Territory pastoralists now have a greater opportunity to diversify and generate alternate income through non-pastoral use activities. A number of non-pastoral use applications are currently being assessed for activities such as tourism, horticulture, forestry and even broad scale agricultural activities.
I congratulate the Northern Territory Pastoral Land Board on reaching the significant milestone of its 100th meeting. I am confident it will continue its good work in ensuring the health, economic viability and sustainability of the Northern Territory’s pastoral estate.
I pay tribute to the former and current NT Pastoral Land Board chairpersons for their valuable contribution to the Northern Territory’s pastoral interests. I thank them for their commitment and contribution to ensuring the health and prosperity of the pastoral lands of the Northern Territory. They are: Noel Buntine, David Wilcox, John Dyer, Laurence Ah Toy, Jim Forward, Anthony Young and the current Chair Richard Galton.
I formally praise pastoralist Steven Craig of Mistake Creek Station. Since his appointment to the board in June 2002, Steve has attended 52 out of 100 board meetings. I applaud Steve for his dedicated commitment to the maintenance and, where possible, improvement of the condition of the Territory’s pastoral land. Congratulations Steve.
It is people like Steven Craig who are so representative of the pastoralists of the Northern Territory: resilient, passionate and hard-working people used to dealing with adverse climatic conditions, tough times and, sadly, the lame decisions of government from time to time. I am sure you realise I am referring to the live cattle suspension of 2011.
The NT Pastoral Land Board is doing a fantastic job. I am delighted I was able to join them for dinner in Alice Springs a few months ago to help celebrate their 100th meeting. I look forward to their continued good work and to them continuing the care and maintenance of our pastoral estate.
MOTION
Note Paper – Northern Territory’s Pastoral Land Board Annual Reports
for 2010-11 and 2011-12
Note Paper – Northern Territory’s Pastoral Land Board Annual Reports
for 2010-11 and 2011-12
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Land Resource Management): Mr Deputy Speaker, I moved that the paper be noted.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Mr Deputy Speaker, I remember when the Minister for Land Resource Management started this contribution to debate on 22 August 2013. I have a great interest in this area and am spokesperson for the Territory Opposition.
The NT Pastoral Land Board oversees and monitors the use and management of pastoral leases in the Northern Territory. I have some great memories of living on cattle stations and raising a family.
The 2010-11 annual report of the NT Pastoral Land Board notes the impact of federal decisions on the live export industry and the challenges to maintain business-as-usual activities. The Territory opposition acknowledges that.
The former Territory government responded swiftly and appropriately when the former Chief Minister announced pastoral rent payments would be frozen by the government to ease pressure on Territorians affected by the live cattle ban.
Under the plan, Territory pastoral properties with a financial turnover of up to $10m that relied on the live cattle export market had their pastoral rent frozen by the Northern Territory government to support families and industry.
Against this backdrop, the 2010-11 annual report highlights improvement in the land condition in the Roper pastoral district. I am pleased about that because the Roper pastoral district forms part of the electorate of Barkly and is a great area I visit and travel through.
In 1993-94, 41% of sites were rated good compared to 61% in 2010-11. That is a great result for pastoralists in the area. It is pleasing to see the great work of pastoralists in that region and across the Northern Territory being recognised in the 2010-11 report and subsequent reports. We celebrate that in this House.
I was surprised to hear the comments from the Minister for Land Resource Management in August 2013 criticising the level of funding and resources, and he raised that again tonight. I looked at that because the opposition needs good policy and needs to examine statements from ministers. From the blustering I heard from the minister in debate, I thought monitoring had been extended to huge tracts across the Territory. It was interesting to hear what the minister said on 23 October 2014. What does the 2012-13 annual report of the department say? We will compare the department’s report and the minister’s speech.
In 2012-13 the percentage of the Territory’s land capability and resources assessed was 4.9%. I looked at what would be estimated for 2013-14 and it was 5%. That represented an increase of 0.1%. It is always good to compare the minister’s speech to the department’s statistics. However, we should not be surprised by that, and it suggests doing your research and examining the CLP’s budget for 2013-14. I agree with the minister, whilst it highlights $500 000 to support the NT Pastoral Land Board and the Rangelands Management program, the budget also includes a significant cut in the rangelands output. Once again, it represents significant savage cuts across the board to deliver efficiency dividends. There is a cut from $14.204m in 2012-13 to $9.34m in 2013-14. Therefore, looking at budget books to assess the minister’s speech, we see a cut of about one-third, or almost $5m, out of the CLP budget to manage the Territory’s rangelands.
The minister said a lot in his speech, but you need to look at the data presented by the department to get the real picture. The opposition can then work through how we will deliver policy in this area.
I remember the minister talking about emerging opportunities in Vietnam. After that speech a nervous wait took place for accreditation to ensure the welfare of animals in this new market. It is good to hear the minister has visited, and this week he spoke about emerging opportunities. The Territory opposition celebrates that.
We have not heard much on the buffalo front. The minister recently spoke about aerial survey work which identified up to 200 000 head of buffalo across the Top End. It would be good to hear more about that. With rangeland management, you have some significant challenges in development of that industry. At the moment you are looking at a wild catch. There are all sorts of challenges with that. As we domesticate buffalo in the Northern Territory it will certainly add significant challenges for the management of rangelands, particularly in the Top End around the wetlands.
I will use this opportunity to read into Hansard a good news story and will explain why this is so important. This information is from the ABC Rural website. The story is by Caddie Brain and is called ‘Fishing in the desert for jobs’:
- A remote community in the Barkly region of the Northern Territory has formed its own mustering and land management company to create home-grown jobs.
Corella Creek is an Indigenous community of just 30 people, located about 400 kilometres north east of Tennant Creek.
The company, called MTP Contracting, was formed in 2009 by Maxie and Joy Priest.
Mr Priest had been working on Brunette Downs, a cattle station adjacent to the community, and recognised an opportunity for the men of Corella Creek to begin contract mustering for stations in the region.
‘We started off just mustering and then there was potential for a weeds program,’ he said.
Mr Priest and his team, then began working with the Barkly Landcare and Conservation Association (BLCA) managing weeds like parkinsonia and prickly acacia on nearby stations.
‘We put together another team and worked on Austral Downs, Eva Downs, Kurundi, Beetaloo and Brunette Downs,’ he said.
- ‘That meant we had two contracts going at once.’
Now, MTP Contracting has just won a three-year contract to monitor fish, with the Department of Land Resource Management as part of a larger study.
Funded by Territory Natural Resource Management and facilitated by BLCA, a team of five women will spend three years catching, measuring and recording fish species across the Barkly.
‘We’ve got perch and normally you get black brim around here during the Wet Season,’ said Mr Priest.
I’m not a fisherman, but we’ll have a go.’
Mr Priest says the company has already transformed life at the remote community.
It’s been challenging,’ he said.
‘But there’s not a bloke left in the community, they’re all out working.
- ‘The community’s just so happy that they’ve got sustainable jobs, that they’re able to stay out here with the kids and put them to school.
‘And parents are the role models of their children.
‘Because of the contract they’re seeing men coming back with trucks and unloading their horses.
‘The kids are all dressed up like cowboys now – everybody wants to work!’
That was first posted on Thursday, 27 February 2014 on the ABC Rural website. I know that family, the guys in the contract mustering crew and many of the women who have been working on that new research project.
That represents something I would like the government to look at: people working on country. I am not focused on six security guards watching a gate on a nuclear waste dump, but on real jobs on real country. I believe this is a time for investment because there is a labour shortage in the industry. The last five years of my teaching career I spent running an alternative education program dealing with juvenile diversion kids. We were straightening them out and putting them through a formal accredited rural ops program at Certificate II level at the Charles Darwin University Campus at Katherine, then pushing them out into industry to work on the stations.
I know there is a real labour shortage in this industry. As we look at development of northern Australia, when we assess the minister’s statistics about the increase in live exports and the potential for future increases the labour force, logically, should come from the country where production is under way. The pastoral community wants to engage community people. They want to re-engage Indigenous youth who have been separated from that industry, in some cases, for three generations.
At Corella Creek it not so because they are much more engaged in living on a homeland surrounded by one of the biggest and best cattle stations in the world. They have a good relationship with their neighbours, and have been able to translate this into real employment in contract mustering.
Yesterday I was talking to a gentleman consulting for Indigenous Business Australia. He has picked up a couple of Barkly residents who have drifted across the Queensland border. He operates out of Cairns, lives in Brisbane, but trains people in Mount Isa. Thank heavens he got my contact details from a couple of ex-students who are now undergoing business training – accredited certificates to be assessed for loans from Indigenous Business Australia. He presented four names to me which all represent a similar case study to Corella. They have all grown up in the industry, have all had contact as adults working in industry but now they want to run their own business.
They articulate clearly they do not want to go back into the pastoral sector on wages; they want to run contract mustering teams. I will be privileged to speak to the regional representative from Indigenous Business Australia as a referee for these guys. They are also interested in my stories about knowing these guys since they were little kids, knowing their families well and knowing the environment that is potentially the workplace they can operate their businesses in. In turn, they can engage further youth in training. When we get some of our troubled youth out of Tennant Creek and back into industry, training and employment it will be a serious outcome for community safety as opposed to the current situation we are dealing with.
Max Priest and his company have started to pick up contracts managing weeds. Minister, you would know from your experience with the pastoral sector that weeds are choking the water supplies. On the tablelands, the Victoria River district and to some degree into the gulf country, weeds have become a problem for water supplies. It is now a priority to get this under control. It makes sense for Max Priest and his company to undertake accredited training in handling and managing chemicals and then conduct weed management programs on stations where they are contract mustering.
This is another element of real jobs delivering real outcomes. Once again, it is not six security guards standing outside a gate on a nuclear waste dump, but businesses moving around the Northern Territory working in the pastoral sector in partnership with some of the biggest agricultural companies in the world ...
Mr Elferink: You are now the judge of somebody’s job. You are the gatekeeper of other people’s employment. You are a disgrace.
Mr McCARTHY: That is what I call economic development. I can be attacked personally and criticised all you like, but I am trying to influence the minister, among these rude interjections and personal attacks from the member for Port Darwin, who twists the semantics because suddenly he is into nuclear waste. He is an Australian into nuclear waste …
Mr Elferink: You are anti-jobs.
Mr McCARTHY: Bring it on! Say what you like.
Mr Elferink: You are anti-jobs. There was an opportunity and you …
Mr McCARTHY: Here we go. Wind it up, member for Port Darwin.
Mr Elferink: … whinged about the fact there is no work.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: A bit of order please.
Mr Elferink: You spat on people’s right to get a job.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin!
Mr McCARTHY: Put it on the record, mate.
Minister, I am trying to influence you to look at the opportunities for employment and training, and that is a brilliant example. It is not only contract mustering and cattle management, but into the weeds sector.
There are also important research opportunities with other members of the community researching fish species in Lake George and Lake Sylvester. These are massive lakes on Brunette Downs and I remember seeing them nearly dry and seeing them flooded. This research potential goes to the bigger picture of real employment and real jobs and being able to share the wealth of the corporate sector.
That goes into the bigger picture of carbon trading schemes and is a perfect model of the rangers in west Arnhem Land and the West Arnhem Land Fire Abatement Project.
We have libs moving away from that, away from renewable energies, away from carbon trading opportunities, away from serious income streams that will deliver the money they tell us they do not have.
Listening to the member for Sanderson, you guys must be flat broke. However, when we hear about all the money being spent – the guy over there misses a plane. That is a serious dollar value when we are trying to deliver regional air links.
At estimates the Chief Minister could not account for $30 000 for tickets purchased in Vietnam to come home on a private jet. I still have not heard the end of that story. There was $87 000 for private jet charter, but what about redeeming $30 000 worth of tickets. The answer at estimates was, ‘No, a couple of officers stayed behind and flew home’. There were certainly other tickets. I am not sure where that cash ended up, but Hardy Aviation would look forward to using it ...
Mr Elferink: They would love to fly there if people had jobs. Unfortunately, you hate people with jobs.
Mr McCARTHY: Bring it on, John. Long John, bring it on.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Barkly, please refer to people by their electorate name.
Mr McCARTHY: Minister, I am trying to influence your thinking and we have the peanut gallery interjecting. Is this is a credible government? No. The finger waving, the name calling and the personal attacks – the Chief Minister even called me a coward today …
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I am becoming tired of this. I will send a few people out for a while. This is a place of debate, not yelling, screaming and denigrating people.
Member for Barkly, you have the call.
Mr McCARTHY: Minister I hope I have influenced your thinking at that higher level. We are all in this together.
The corporate sector will provide the cash for this to happen across the Territory. I believe we all understand, if we are looking at new innovations, there is nothing more government can do. We have to look at new, innovative ways to fund this and it is about Indigenous people working on country.
I will continue to lobby for this. It means an acknowledgement and acceptance of certain policy areas. It also means working hand-in-hand with Indigenous people and Indigenous science. It represents valuing and acknowledging Indigenous scientific and land management practices over thousands of years. This is a good area, minister for you to be involved in. I look forward to being involved in that area as well.
I also mention the degradation of road transport infrastructure. The latest NT Pastoral Land Board report, which we will presumably debate shortly, shows a below average rainfall from the Roper Gulf Region right through. There have been several dry years, and with a corresponding cut in minor new works and repairs and maintenance budgets, there is some serious degradation. You have to go there to experience it, and I have not seen major connecting networks this bad for about 20 years. It is getting out of control.
The relationship between the NT Pastoral Land Board and rangelands management is once these major bulldust tracks form vehicle traffic will take alternative routes. It is frightening to see the amount of degradation that is pushed further and further into the rangelands. Community traffic uses conventional vehicles, there is heavy vehicle traffic as well, and when you multiply this effect along 700 km of the Sandover Highway some serious destruction is caused to rangelands imperative to production of good livestock. It is like a chain reaction.
That means the open grade and maintenance grade – the traditional budget expenditure stories we hear – everybody appreciates that, but it is about prioritising your spend. It is about looking at a broader picture across the Northern Territory, and feeding the regional economy with taxpayer dollars is a great way to stimulate and build the economy. In the Australian context we are an emerging economy.
Minister, I ask you to liaise with the Minister for Infrastructure and get some up-to-date information and reports – I am a regular letter writer – from the pastoral sector in order to investigate these critical areas which need to be dealt with from existing resources. The scale at which this is happening is quite alarming. I am reporting from areas in Stuart, Namatjira and the Barkly. The members for Namatjira and Arnhem have reported similar occurrences during their travels into northeast Arnhem Land, where I will be heading shortly. I am also hearing reports from the Victoria River district.
This relates to climatic cycles, but it also relates to good, targeted government spending. There is opportunity to deliver better returns if government looks closer and accepts the knowledge from locals and of departments.
Minister, thank you for the opportunity to contribute. I have now learnt to compare annual reports to ministerial statements, look at the figures and see the real picture. If you want to develop good policy you must double check. We found that with this statement.
I would also like to share in the minister’s acknowledgement of the NT Pastoral Land Board and his enthusiasm for the sector. I have a long association with the pastoral sector in the Northern Territory. In this period in history, with flippant comments about people sitting down, we can revisit what will be a sustainable, exciting and important method of economic development. It is about getting people employed on the land, avoiding the traps, pitfalls, and other distractions of the urban areas that come with that and building the pastoral sector in this new era of growing the north.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I will say a few words about the NT Pastoral Land Board’s reports. This debate commenced on 22 August 2013. Also, we do not have this year’s annual report so it is like going back in time to debate these issues.
The 2010-11 annual report noted the number of properties monitored had decreased. In 2008-09 it was 22, in 2009-10 it was 18, and in 2010-11 it was 25. I know the Chair was concerned about that. In 2012-13 there were 29 properties, so it has not gone up much. We will not know if there has been an increase until we receive the latest NT Pastoral Land Board report.
Believe it or not, I have one pastoral property in my electorate, Koolpinyah Station. Unfortunately, it struggles because many people use the area around it. People break through fences to shoot cattle and that concerns the owners, who have done a lot of work to keep people off the property. They are in a unique position because they intermingle with the rural area of Darwin. Many people from the more urban areas of Darwin travel up Gunn Point Road past this property. They have had some difficult times keeping their pastoral property free from people trespassing. It is often a battle.
The minister mentioned record rates of live cattle exports. I do not know if all those cattle come from the Northern Territory. The minister was probably referring to the number of cattle going through Darwin port. Is production keeping up with demand in the Northern Territory? In the process of trying to get more cattle, is there a reduction in the pasture condition over pastoral properties in the Northern Territory? If so, how is that monitored?
The NT Pastoral Land Board looks at stocking rates and pasture conditions. As the minister said, it has an integrated monitoring program at the moment which can use satellite equipment to help monitor areas. Is there a temptation to work properties harder than they should be to keep up with the demand required from Indonesia and other overseas countries?
In the report there is mention of carbon farming. Where is that at present? When first introduced that was something pastoral properties could consider. Does the government support carbon farming?
The 2012-13 annual report, under ‘Sustainable Grazing Practices’, says:
- In mid-2012, DPIF commenced a three-year project to assess the viability and practicality of integrating ‘carbon farming’ into northern beef enterprises. The project is working with producers in the Barkly, VRD and Douglas Daly to determine what carbon farming options are relevant, how much carbon might be sequestered, how much methane could be abated and how various carbon farming options perform in terms of their potential impact on land condition, animal productivity and economic performance.
How is that going? Obviously, pastoralists are looking at alternative ways to create an income. This government has introduced legislation to give pastoralists more opportunities to use their property. How many pastoral properties have taken up those opportunities, and what opportunities are they.
There has been a move to tourism. One owner mentioned on the radio – I think it was Gilnockie Station – was looking at a site for nuclear waste. I am not sure if it was a serious request, but it shows you that properties, under the changes, can look at other ways to use their pastoral lease. It will be interesting to see if non-pastoral use applications increase with the new legislation.
Another issue is land clearing. In the 2012-13 report 18 126 ha was cleared at Tipperary. How is that land being used? In the late 1960s a lot of land was cleared at Tipperary, and perhaps the land mentioned in the report was cleared some time ago. If that amount of land was cleared has it come into production? That is a large amount of land to be developed.
The annual report has a section on feral animals and a section on weeds, but you will not find buffel grass or gamba. That highlights the clash between the environment and the need for food production. Buffel grass is very important for Centralian pastoralists, and many pastorals in the north swear by gamba grass, but both grasses are highly flammable, create a lot of heat and are difficult to control when there is fire around. It would be good to get a report on Top End control over the use of gamba grass and whether it is successful. Gamba is limited in where it can be grown, and I would like to know where it is at now.
The report has an interesting section on feral animals. It says if the Territory is to keep the camel population static in the southern Tanami region we have to remove 2400 camels annually. Does the Territory have a program to maintain those numbers because camels breed quickly? Do we want the camel population to get out of hand? A program to cull a large number of camels finished in 2013. Is there another program to keep the camel population at a reasonable level?
I am glad this has come on today. Sometimes we only talk about the pastoral industry in short statements referring to how many cattle are being sent overseas, but there are many opportunities in the pastoral area.
The member for Barkly mentioned young blokes going to school at Charles Darwin campus in Katherine. I understand Mataranka Station is not being used by Charles Darwin University anymore so what is the future of Mataranka Station? Will it be another cattle station raising income for the university? Will it be used for training? What is the university’s intention in relation to Mataranka Station?
It had a colourful history since the university took it over. I have a soft spot for it because my daughter trained as a ringer through Mataranka Station. When she finished she was employed at Wave Hill, Cattle Creek, Oban Station just south of Mount Isa and then Kidman Springs.
I considered Mataranka Station to be an important part of the pastoral industry’s growth, especially for young people looking for jobs. If it has closed and Charles Darwin University Campus or Katherine Campus – I prefer Katherine Rural College – is it doing the same work Mataranka station did over the last few years. Perhaps the minister can answer those questions in his response.
I hope the new report comes out; today’s discussion would have been much more relevant. We could have compared three years’ of reports and it would have been a good focus for discussion. I do not know when the report is due.
I congratulate the board on having its 100th meeting. I congratulate all chairs of the board. I remember meeting Anthony Young, who had concerns about funding and how many places he could visit.
It is interesting to see the Chair, Richard Galton – it is funny how people turn up. One minute they are dropped from their job when a new government takes over, next minute they turn up somewhere else.
Andrew Macrides is another example. He was not the most popular person in the world when this government was attacking Power and Water, but then he turns up dealing with NTCAT, the new administrative tribunal, and is greatly praised.
Mr Galton lost his previous job and is now in charge of the NT Pastoral Land Board. Those two good people worked hard for the Territory, sometimes came under criticism and had to deal with a change in government. However, it is good to see both still active in the public service working for the benefit of the Territory. I have known both men, not as close friends, but have dealt with them through my job as a member of parliament. I have always found them approachable and knowledgeable about their job. I appreciate what they do.
I thank the minister for bringing the NT Pastoral Land Board reports through. Hopefully, the next one comes out soon and we can discuss it in the year it is reporting on.
Motion agreed to; paper noted.
MOTION
Note Statement – Building the Contribution of Parks and Wildlife to the Territory
Note Statement – Building the Contribution of Parks and Wildlife to the Territory
Continued from 19 March 2014.
Mrs FINOCCHIARO (Drysdale): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Minister for Parks and Wildlife’s statement. I would like to focus on the wonderful work the Territory Wildlife Park does. I note the topic of the statement is, ‘Building the Contribution of Parks and Wildlife to the Territory’ and what a wonderful contribution the Territory Wildlife Park has made over the last 25 years.
It seems remarkable that the Territory Wildlife Park has been around for 25 years; it makes me feel old. I remember the early days of the Territory Wildlife Park and how exciting it was. We would pack a picnic, pack an esky, drive out to Berry Springs, go to the wildlife park and have a great picnic lunch on the grassed area next to the kiosk. We would pop into Berry Springs for a swim on the way home and grab an ice-cream from the Rainbow Caf, which is now the Crazy Acres and doing very well – best of luck to Karen with that enterprise, but I digress.
The wildlife park is such an important part – if you have grown up in the Territory in the last 25 years, at some point you must have been to the wildlife park. It must be an affectionate part of your childhood memories.
On 18 October 2014 the wildlife park celebrated its 25th birthday, so congratulations to all staff and Shael Martin, Director of the Territory Wildlife Park. The member for Daly was there helping visitors, wildlife park staff and volunteers celebrate in a huge way. The wildlife park is in his electorate, and he is fiercely proud to have such a wonderful facility so closely located to the hub of Berry Springs.
Another thing which makes the wildlife park so wonderful is it is far, but not too far. It is about 20 or 30 minutes out of Palmerston, and a little more from Darwin. Looking back over 25 years – the wildlife park has a huge array of wildlife. We have red-collared lorikeets, sugar gliders, emus, wedge-tailed eagles, rare albino carpet pythons, barking owls and baby death adders. You name it, the wildlife park has it. Of course, there are also the cute suspects such as kangaroos and largetooth sawfish. The wildlife park has changed over the last 25 years. It started as a beautiful park where you could hop on the train or walk around, you would look at the bentang and you could go to the wetlands. You could look at the magpie geese, and then we developed the billabong with barramundi in it and the stingray. The wildlife park is now highly sophisticated in its offerings.
The member for Daly and my colleague, the Minister for Parks and Wildlife, recently launched a new educational program the wildlife park is running. This shows not only how important the wildlife park is to our community, but how much more important we can make it and how diverse its offerings are. It is not just a tourist destination or a destination for families on the weekend.
The program launched is called ‘Growing Green Kids NT’, an initiative and partnership between Berry Springs Primary School and the Territory Wildlife Park. Essentially, Berry Springs School Council has established ‘Growing Green Kids NT’ as a registered business. They have a wonderful market produce garden and a classroom-sized chicken coop at the school. Kids are encouraged to participate in educational programs using maths, science and biological knowledge to look after the market produce garden and, of course, the chickens. As a result Year 6 students, who this program is targeted at, are producing fruits, vegetables, poultry and meats to sell at the wildlife park canteen, which is an excellent result for the school council, the students and the wildlife park. That is just one example of the excellent work the Territory Wildlife Park is doing.
Of course, the wildlife park is involved in raising awareness about wildlife. It played a special role in this year’s National Threatened Species Day, which is held on 7 September to commemorate the death of the last Tasmanian Tiger at Hobart Zoo in 1936.
The wildlife park played a significant role. It was part of the team that went to the waterfront to hold a pop-up zoo aimed at raising awareness of children and adults alike about threatened species across the world. For any school which requested a threatened species presentation by staff of the wildlife park, the wildlife park was able to offer exciting interactive activities including hands-on animal encounters with threatened species, a threatened species adventure trail and a quiz booklet amongst other things. Again, you can see the diversity and skill of the staff at the wildlife park, but also its offerings to our community.
There are many other things the wildlife park has been involved in, including the ethical adventures program, or volunteerism as it is called. It also facilitated a range of filming crews from the United States, the UK and Japan. It is expanding on what the park has to offer from a tourism perspective, and recently won a grant to develop the woodland walk to turn it into an interactive wallaby and wallaroo experience. That is an exciting new exhibit which, hopefully, will open early next year.
There is also the Oolloo Sandbar, which I spoke about earlier. This is relatively new and offers a different experience at the park.
There are many other things at the Territory Wildlife Park I would like to talk about, the least of which is a toad bust. I am a massive toad bust fan; I run toad busts in my electorate. Palmerston people love catching toads. As it turns out, other Territorians like catching toads so the wildlife park, as part of its conservation effort and awareness effort teaching young people about biodiversity and all those important elements of our environment, holds free toad busts. The next one is on 28 November, which happens to clash with one of my toad busts. If you live in Driver come to the Driver toad bust, not the wildlife park toad bust. Everyone else can go to the Territory Wildlife Park toad bust from 7 pm. They make it a lot of fun. There is the awareness and educational side, but there are also hot dogs, icy poles and all sorts of other good things.
The Territory Wildlife Park also offers twilight tours which are completely different. They have the nocturnal house experience in the evening which would have a completely different spin on things. They are holding a spooky Halloween twilight night on 31 October – obviously for Halloween. They are just a few of the wonderful things happening at the wildlife park.
Congratulations to the park for its conservation efforts and for turning 25 this year. I trust you will stay in the good hands of the Minister for Parks and Wildlife and we can enjoy the wildlife park for many years to come.
Mrs PRICE (Parks and Wildlife): Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank all members for their contributions.
It is exciting to see so many people interested in the future of our parks and the contribution they make to the Northern Territory, not only towards tourism but the economy, society and the environment.
First, I turn to the member for Nhulunbuy’s contribution. Her passion for our parks is undeniable though, sadly, her contribution was, at times, misguided. The member raised a point about consultation around development of our master plans. I can advise the member the commission consults widely in development of our plans. I note there was no specific session for Nhulunbuy. However, this is understandable given the closest park is 500 km away from her electorate. However, I have passed the member’s feedback to the commission and agree that all Territorians should be encouraged to have their say about strategies.
During her contribution the member also raised a query with regard to this government’s plans to development the Territory Wildlife Park and the Alice Springs Desert Park. First, at least this side has a plan for our parks. The member for Karama and the Labor Party let both parks deteriorate to such an extent they were bleeding money and were ghost towns. Staff morale was lower than visitor numbers. Since this government took over the reins, I am pleased to advise this government has reinvigorated both parks. We are seeing improvements in both budgetary and visitor numbers in our wildlife park and the Alice Springs Desert Park.
I am pleased to announce that under my watch the Alice Springs Desert Park made a profit in the last financial year compared to a $393 000 loss under Labor. That is a 106% improvement. The wildlife park also improved its budgetary position by 67% in the last financial year compared to when Labor was in government.
Turning to visitor numbers, the wildlife park has recorded its first increase in visitors in many years, with an 11% increase in visitor numbers under this government. The Alice Springs Desert Park has seen a 15% increase in visitor numbers under this government’s watch. These are fantastic results and a huge turnaround from the plunge we saw under Labor because it did not care about our great parks. Labor left them to waste away and fall into disrepair.
My colleagues and I worked tirelessly to turn this around, and together with the Minister for Tourism’s excellent campaign ‘Do the NT’, we are now seeing real results.
Of course there are plans for both parks. After all, this government has a plan for the Territory. Those plans will be rolled out in due course.
Turning to joint management agreements, I acknowledge Labor introduced them. I do not believe I said otherwise. However, joint management agreements under this government will always be better managed because at our core is a passion to realise economic opportunities for all Territorians not keep them in the dark and bonded to welfare. I want joint management agreements which lead to real jobs, real opportunities and real development not glossy brochures and media opportunities like Labor had. My commitment to working with the joint management agreements boards speaks for itself. I have already been to a number of JMA board meetings, and am looking forward to working with those boards in the future for the development and improvement of our parks.
Member for Nhulunbuy, you spoke about the disallowed plans of management for Mary River and Litchfield Park. My colleague, the member for Greatorex, the former minister, previously informed the House of the reasons for the disallowance. Those issues have been debated enough and members can refer to Hansard to see what individual and government views were.
Plans of management are important documents which set the direction for management of a park and are usually in force for at least 10 years. Each plan describes the natural and cultural values of the park, and how those values are to be protected whilst encouraging and providing safe and enriching experiences for visitors.
The Mary River National Park attracts about 20 000 visitors per year. It contains some of the most popular recreational fishing sites in the Territory, spectacular Top End wetland and floodplains scenery and some of the best wildlife viewing of birdlife and crocodiles in the Territory. Boating and four-wheel driving are so popular. The park is not Aboriginal land; however, it is jointly managed with traditional owners under the terms of an Indigenous Land Use Agreement and a joint management plan upon one becoming operational.
The Mary River National Park Draft Joint Management Plan was prepared without consultation with tourism operators who have invested in and operate in the park. Tourism is an important economic driver for the Territory. We all know the Leader of the Opposition hates tourists; on this side we love them. They bring money, jobs and economic opportunities. The Mary River plan was disallowed to enable consultation with key tourism operators. Given the member for Nhulunbuy’s comments regarding appropriate consultations, I am sure she would agree with what the previous minister did.
Turning to the member’s comments regarding the Litchfield National Park master plan, it is important to get it right. The park is a major Top End tourist destination for interstate and international visitors. It is one of the Northern Territory’s most iconic parks renowned for its spectacular waterfalls, safe swimming and spectacular rugged landscapes. It is also a popular playground for residents of Darwin and the Top End.
When the Litchfield National Park Draft Plan of Management was released for public comment it attracted a number of submissions regarding antisocial behaviour. The former minister quite rightly decided the plan should be disallowed, with the opportunity to further consult with the community regarding antisocial behaviour.
Those consultations have occurred and the plan has been amended to better describe management actions that will be implemented to reduce, or hopefully remove, antisocial behaviours from this iconic park. The plan will be introduced shortly.
Additionally, the recent antisocial behaviour campaign over the Easter/Anzac Day weekend, combined with new glass restrictions, proved a real success. Amazing feedback was received about both these operations and how they have made Litchfield more family- and user-friendly. It is a great outcome.
Litchfield Park is important to tourism businesses and antisocial behaviour has the potential to impact on these businesses. I hope the issue is clarified.
In regard to Dhimurru Rangers, I advise one position was based within the Laynhapuy Indigenous protected area working with Yirralka Rangers while the other worked with the Dhimurru Rangers within the Dhimurru Indigenous protected area.
The position with Yirralka Rangers was arranged in 2007 under a partnership agreement between the Northern Territory of Australia and Laynhapuy Homelands Association Incorporated. The agreement expired in 2011.
The position with Dhimurru Rangers was arranged in 2003 through a partnership agreement which was renewed until 2012. In November 2002, the commission entered into the Dhimurru Indigenous Protected Area management agreement where the commission agreed to provide certain services for the 21-year term. These will continue to be provided; however, without a full-time on site ranger being stationed in Nhulunbuy.
Both Laynhapuy Homelands Association Incorporated and the Dhimurru Land Management Aboriginal Corporation were advised of this decision and discussions took place. The commission advised it would be favourable to continue providing rangers on a secondment arrangement if alternative funding could be found by the organisations.
The commission has provided a proposal to the Dhimurru Land Management Aboriginal Corporation on how it intends to meet its obligations under the Indigenous protected area management agreement. The commission was advised the Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation Incorporated had agreed to the proposal, with amendments.
Senior staff of the commission and the Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation Incorporated met on 15 October 2013 where the changes were negotiated. A formal remote service delivery model was finalised by the commission late last year.
With regard to the member for Nhulunbuy’s query about the review of remote ranger stations and parks, the outcome was government would continue existing remote ranger services. This is a great result for all Territorians, especially our remote rangers.
With regard to the member’s comments about development proposals as part of our EOI process, appropriate consultations with the community, landowners, land councils and joint management boards will take place if, and when, any proposals are received and are being considered.
It was great to hear the shadow minister, in her contribution, mention she has visited our parks and contributed to the local economy. I strongly urge all members, their families, and Territorians to also do this and spend locally.
Turning to the issue of bio and cultural diversity, I agree with the member for Nhulunbuy that these values should be sensitively managed and promoted, along with the activities and opportunities our parks and reserves present. The commission works closely with my colleague, the Minister for Land Resource Management’s department to ensure biodiversity is carefully managed in our parks and reserves, and, where appropriate, promoted as an attraction. The commission actively undertakes biodiversity protection works in the park. For example, it has carried out the breeding of cane toad resistant quolls and feral animal management to protect flora and fauna. These programs are showing significant results in dealing with threats to our fauna.
Turning to the member’s comments about resource extraction in our parks and reserves, this is another typical, desperate Labor scare campaign to trick Territorians and traditional landowners into believing this government is trying to plunder our parks and reserves. This is not the case. Any exploration permit applications for resources in parks must be referred to me for consideration prior to any approvals. If a park is joint managed any application is also referred to the relevant management board of which land councils and local traditional owners are a part.
A board provides its comments to me as the responsible minister, and I can then request appropriate protection conditions for the park or reserve environment. The provisions in place are the same as those in place under Labor. They provide appropriate frameworks for any developments within our parks and reserves. This was scaremongering by the member. Isn’t it amazing how quickly they forget how they operated when in government?
Turning to something more positive, I thank the member for Daly for his contribution. He has one of our more iconic and visited parks in his electorate: Litchfield National Park. I was proud to table the new management plan for the park. This plan is a contemporary framework for how parks, traditional owners and users work together to protect the natural beauty and attractions in the park, balanced with sensitive development that leads to jobs, upgraded infrastructure and economic opportunities. It was great to give the member for Daly a briefing on this new plan, and also talk about the opportunities Litchfield holds for the Territory.
The member for Daly asked when the Litchfield Park loop road would be completed. I agree that completion of the Litchfield Park loop road is a priority as it will allow an excellent tourist drive and give Territorians quicker access to the new Cascade Falls area.
Completion of this road will boost accessibility to the park, especially access to Wangi, and will reduce travel time by almost half. This makes those famous waterfalls and swimming areas more accessible to the niche cruise ship market. A sealed road would also greatly benefit local businesses, schools and communities living along the road in having year round access. I understand the real issue is the need for a new bridge across the Finniss River requiring realignment.
This requires new land, and government is holding protracted negotiations with traditional owners. I offer my support to the Minister for Transport to resolve this issue so we can complete the loop.
I note the member for Daly’s comments regarding the wildlife park and agree there are plenty of ways we can improve accessibility as well as the attractions. I am sure the member is keen to be part of that process, being a proud local member. There is much more to do, but at least the journey has started and the train is heading in the right direction.
Talking about more work to do, I am also looking forward to working with the member for Daly and traditional owners to identify and work towards creating a park or reserve within the Wadeye area. There are incredibly beautiful areas hidden away there, and any proposal will be sensitively handled with local traditional owners and residents. Thank you, member for Daly, for your contribution. It was good to hear you attended the 25th anniversary celebration. It was great to hear 2000 people turned up at the wildlife park.
I turn to the member for Nelson’s electorate and his concerns regarding Gunn Point and Tree Point Conservation Area. Gunn Point is vacant Crown land and has already been identified as a possible location for our next port.
With regard to Tree Point, I can advise the member that Tree Point is already a protected reserve and rangers attend regularly to check on its condition. It requires some TLC, member for Nelson, and I will be looking into that on a priority needs basis.
I have also noted your comments with regard to Melacca Swamp. Melacca Swamp is included in the Adelaide River plan of management, which outlines how it fits with Parks and Wildlife’s future plans. It is 2315 ha of freehold land acquired on 25 March 1986 and declared as a Schedule 3 park under the Parks and Reserves (Framework for the Future) Act on 19 January 2011. The Adelaide River floodplain, including Melacca Swamp, reliably provides some of the best nesting habitat in the Northern Territory for magpie geese. While most of the significant nesting areas occur outside the boundaries, the reserve provides essential Dry Season habitat for the geese.
Melacca Swamp contains some of the best on-park breeding sites for saltwater crocodiles recorded in the Top End, and is one of the highest density breeding areas for this species. Permits are issued to allow the collection of crocodile eggs for commercial purposes within Melacca Swamp. Access is currently restricted to scientific research ...
Mrs FINOCCHIARO: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77, I seek an extension of time for the minister.
Motion agreed to.
Mrs PRICE: Thank you … organised groups with permits and licensed operators collecting crocodile eggs. No visitor facilities are provided in these areas, nor are there any plans to do so in the near future.
Member for Nelson, regarding your comments about the Litchfield loop road, I outlined that earlier in my contribution.
Moving forward, I thank the former member for Casuarina and the member for Goyder for their contributions. Their suggestions regarding use of prisoners to assist with maintaining the hunting areas is a good one, and I have raised the issue with the Attorney-General seeking his approval for prisoners to assist rangers to keep our parks clean and work with various hunting organisations.
I have noted their concerns about new hunting areas and assure them any site selection will be sensitively managed. Of course, any new location would have to go through a declaration process and be appropriately managed with signage. Also, I undertake that local and nearby residents will be consulted during any selection process.
Regarding the member for Goyder’s queries about Freds Pass Reserve, this is not managed by the commission. I apologise, but I am unable to assist.
I note most members queried increasing the number of safe swimming areas across the Top End. I will ask the commission to investigate potential options closer to Darwin. I know the commission is working on a croc-proof fence for Berry Springs to extend the swimming period. The fence will be similar to that constructed at Wangi Falls, which also extends the swimming period and gives greater peace of mind to our visitors and locals.
Turning to what is available within a 50 km radius we have Charles Darwin, Adelaide River, Holmes Jungle, Fogg Dam, Windows on the Wetlands, Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Howard Springs, Berry Springs and Manton Dam to name a few. I agree, member for Goyder, we could do much more at those locations. This is why I am looking, within an expression of interest framework, for someone willing to partner with this government and invest in better infrastructure.
I note the member for Goyder’s concern regarding the old military airstrips in Snake Creek. I agree and share those concerns and hope my colleague, the minister for Lands, Planning and the Environment, is listening as this falls within his portfolio.
Concerning gold fossicking, I am happy to entertain requests from relevant organisations about this in our parks and reserves. Any requests will have to address conservation of water quality, land access, tenure obviously, but I am sure we can work together to address this issue.
Turning to the member for Sanderson’s contribution, I thank him for his comprehensive outline of infrastructure strategies and development in the Northern Territory. I look forward to working with him to deliver my commission’s capital works, minor new works and repairs and maintenance program in an efficient and cost-effective manner, keeping our parks in the best condition we can with the limited funding we have thanks to those opposite.
Minister, I look forward to discussing the Litchfield Park loop road with you. I am sure we can get that project moving again.
The member for Greatorex and Minister for Tourism, and previous minister for Parks and Wildlife’s contribution eloquently outlined the strong linkages between Parks and Wildlife and Tourism NT. He outlined how they need each other to guarantee success for the Territory and contribute to the economy. I am sure he did not mind me co-opting the ‘Do the NT’ slogan to include, ‘Do the NT Parks’. I look forward to working with him to deliver real outcomes in parks which value-add to his portfolio of Tourism through increased visitor numbers, more jobs for Territorians and for the Territory economy.
This government has reinvigorated both parks. I have to repeat these amazing figures: Alice Springs Desert Park made a profit in the last financial year compared with its $393 000 loss under Labor. That is a 106% improvement. The wildlife park improved its budgetary position by 67% in the last financial year compared to when Labor was in government.
Turning again to visitor numbers, the wildlife park has recorded its first increase in visitors in many years, with an 11% increase in visitor numbers under this government. The Alice Springs Desert Park has seen a 15% increase in visitor numbers under this government’s watch. My colleagues and I have worked tirelessly to turn this around. Together with the Minister for Tourism’s excellent campaign ‘Do the NT’, we are now seeing real results. There is much more to do, but at least the journey has started and the train is heading in the right direction.
It was also great to have the contribution of the member for Brennan, the Minister for Lands, Planning and the Environment, who shared his experiences from his time as shadow minister for Parks and Wildlife.
Talking about great contributions, I also wish to thank the member for Katherine, the Minister for Land Resource Management, for his great contribution, especially from his perspective as a local member. He is so lucky living in close proximity to the magnificent Nitmiluk National Park, including the world famous Katherine Gorge. I am lucky to be the local member for that part of the Territory as well.
It is fantastic to see one statement evoke so many passionate contributions from my colleagues and those opposite. Our parks are being used more frequently. We know visitation by Territorians is increasing, and we know over 60% of visitors to the Northern Territory visit our parks and reserves. We also know appreciation for our spectacular biodiversity and natural assets is growing as more people realise the true value of our magnificent natural environment. This is, in large part, due to the significant effort the Parks and Wildlife Commission invest in engaging the local community and visitors.
I am also pleased to inform the House of the recent good news about visitor numbers to the George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens. This government has a strong focus on improving access and opportunities in our parks and reserves and this framework is working very well in the botanical gardens, with initiatives like Eva’s Caf, which has been in operation since 1 April 2014. This new business has generated additional revenue for parks by lease payments and has developed a sizeable client base.
Segway Tour Sales and Leasing NT commenced segway tours within the gardens on 3 September 2014. The business has been gradually expanding with more people booking tours or taking up the opportunity to experience their first segway ride.
The monthly Etsy Pop-up Market held on a Sunday from April to September near the Gardens Road entrance provides local producers of high quality art, craft and produce with a new outlet for their merchandise. The markets increased during the first season of operation from 12 to 31 store holders, and visitor numbers increased accordingly.
The Kids Holiday Fun Week in the Botanic Gardens in April 2014 provided a variety of school holiday activities for young children and families. In excess of 2000 people attended the five-day program.
The Friends of the Botanic Gardens group have sponsored new acquisitions. These include five locally produced ironwood and wrought iron decorative bench seats, a large 5 m replica python, life size bronze sculptures of a frill-necked lizard and a water monitor and a recycled iron sculpture of a fresh water crocodile.
These initiatives have seen visitors to the garden increase by 40% during the peak season of April to September, compared with the five-year average for that period. This is a fantastic result. This proves we can increase economic opportunities in our parks and reserves while maintaining the vital conservation roles, despite the cheeky cries from those opposite.
I thank all members for their contributions. I remind each and every member of this House, and all Territorians, to get out amongst our parks and reserves and enjoy them. I want to thank the commission personally because our rangers who work in these parks and reserves do a great job and I give full credit to all of them.
Buy and stay local and contribute to the Northern Territory economy.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
MOTION
Note Statement – Midterm Statement
Note Statement – Midterm Statement
Continued from 20 August 2014.
Mr BARRETT (Blain): Mr Deputy Speaker, in my short time as a member I have learnt a lot about what the economy was like and some of the decision-making processes prior to us taking government. They say nothing in life is completely useless; sometimes you can use things as a good example of what not to do. In light of that, a report was recently released stating five out of eight indicators show the Northern Territory economy is doing really well.
Business confidence is good, and I see that when I go to October Business Month events. When I speak to business people and get down to the nuts and bolts of what they are doing, they want the government to provide the services and do it well. Many things we have done over the last two years have put us in a position to do that.
Palmerston Regional Hospital was an election commitment and an issue during the Blain by-election. I am pleased to see things are moving ahead. I had the pleasure to be on site with the Minister for Health to see the land being cleared for roads etcetera going in to the area. It is great to see construction and civil engineering work has started on the intersection that will form that process in Holtze.
In regard to Indigenous development, in my role as parliament secretary I have seen what is happening and am very excited about it.
Growing up in the Northern Territory, teaching at Kormilda College and visiting many communities, I have seen the effects of welfare, the decay in those places and the mess it causes in people’s lives. I am proud to be part of a government that is starting to work through those issues and look at what projects need to be created in communities. They are starting to work with departments to see how the construction pieces will be laid out over time to build capacity in Indigenous communities and businesses. It is about people taking control of infrastructure building and working with each other, and this government, to create meaningful employment for Indigenous people on country. It is also about breaking the cycle of dependence on welfare and seeing a return of pride in who people are and what they are doing. To see Indigenous people gainfully employed through the generations will be a great thing.
I also had the pleasure to be involved with NTETA. The Department of Business has been instructed to reinstate the NTETA board, and that has been done. That was part of an election commitment, the legislation is being worked on and there is a time line to get that working. It is fantastic because it means businesses in the Northern Territory again having a voice in what is happening with training and employment. They are able to voice their concerns when educational providers and RTOs are not providing the right service, are doing it at the wrong time, or are not working with the business community to create a win/win result. We have seen some good outcomes from that.
People on the board are solid Territorians from Alice Springs to Darwin across the gamut of businesses. Those people are keen and understand the role they have on the NTETA board is to realign what is happening in training and employment in the Northern Territory. It is about seeing businesses understand and work with RTOs to get exactly what they want and need for their business.
In the last few years there has been a real push to be proud of the Northern Territory, and we see that in the Territory Day initiative. I am a proud Territorian, as I imagine most people in the Chamber are, but something was lacking. I am happy to say this government is focusing on that. I am trying to get everybody on the same page to look above issues and see how we might all work together. If we are working on projects that are good for the Northern Territory it will unite us and carry us further. I have adopted that model in many things I do in my electorate and will talk about that soon.
We have seen Power and Water re-rate an asset which was previously marked down because cash flows did not support it. This type of accounting is tricky to understand, but because of this government’s initiatives the cash flow is supporting the infrastructure assets and they are gaining in value as part of the business. Re-rating of assets has changed the debt to equity ratio for Power and Water, which is fantastic. When we look at it in a metric of business health, it makes the business look healthier than it was.
We also see Power and Water’s cash flow is much stronger than it was due to the initiatives this government has put in place.
One of the biggest things we inherited was a blown-out cost of living. We said we would work on this and it is great to see this has happened on a couple of fronts, the first being land release. In the Blain electorate 1700 blocks have been released in the last stage of Zuccoli. This is fantastic for keeping downward pressure on the cost of land and, therefore, the cost of housing and rent in the Northern Territory.
We have also seen, in the last few months, a focus on fuel. The fuel summit highlighted the issues. Around 2012 the difference charged at the terminal gate price to the retail end blew out significantly from a 9c margin to 30c or 40c. We isolated the problem. We called it for what it is and put a lot of pressure on fuel companies. I am proud that through the efforts of this government and industry, that has come down. At a bowser today, with a fuel discount, people can purchase unleaded petrol in the low 150s, which is fantastic to see.
That is important for the Northern Territory economy because it helps small businesses – the plumber driving to someone’s house to work, the electrician going from place to place doing jobs, and the firms that rely on transport. These businesses now face lower costs meaning they, hopefully, will pass those savings on to the rest of the economy. It will be fantastic to see the cost of living pressure ease for people in the Northern Territory. We see that particularly with families. The amount of money we spend on fuel is a large bite of our income, and this reduction will help mums and dads.
We also have the Sport Voucher Scheme. I have been proud to take my kids to gymnastics over the last few weeks. That takes the pressure off parents, particularly in my area, who want their kids to be active and play sports. Often those costs are prohibitive. Kids in the community who usually do not get the opportunity to play sport are now able to participate.
It is also fantastic for clubs in the area because of the increased interest due to the vouchers. It is great to see more people being active.
The Department of Business is reducing red tape. The reduction focus is part of what is happening nationally. I am fortunate to be representing the Chief Minister at a COAG meeting tomorrow. What the states and territories are doing to reduce red tape is on the agenda.
This government has rolled out many things which help improve business; however, it does not stop there. I recently had discussions with people about licensing of hotels, and one manager said it is quite complex in the Northern Territory. If you own a hotel with accommodation you need a separate licence for food. If you have seafood, it is a completely different licence. If you are serving alcohol you need a different licence. If you have accommodation you need a different licence. If you have gaming in your hotel you need a different licence, and if it is keno it is a different licence. We need to look at this process. Instead of somebody paying five or six times a year, we need structured plans so people are paying for their licenses in one place at one time, with the possibility of extending time frames so it becomes less of an imposition for businesses. They want the service to enable them to do what they need to. For business, sometimes the best thing a government can do is get out of the way.
My local area of Blain is exciting at the moment. Lots of development is happening, lots of houses are being built with much excitement. A total of 1700 new blocks are being released in Zuccoli, which is in the electorate of Blain. It is fantastic to see because young families are able to move in and there are land size and accommodation options available. We are seeing a change from what we inherited to what we want in the future: options for younger people and people moving to the Northern Territory to put their roots down and be part of the fabric of the Northern Territory.
A lot of infill development is happening in Moulden. Two areas are under way at the moment, with one pretty much done and dusted and the developers starting the building process. It will be great to see some high quality dwellings which might change the tenor of the suburb. More private dwellings in that area will lift the tenor. I hope that will make other people proud of their gardens and make the place more attractive.
Palmerston Crocs rugby team has been struggling for a while with oval issues. This government has made promises and is working with people in the community to make it a better place. We are working with the club to help it better manage its facilities and see it use the facility in a more community appropriate way. The club has around 500 members, and it is great to see so many people interested in sports there. We want to see fantastic facilities where families can get their children involved in sport.
In Woodroffe there is land zoned for community purpose and we are working with a couple of options: either a doctor’s surgery or daycare centre. Either community service in the area would help families. There are a lot of children in these suburbs and I spend a lot of time at their schools. They are great children and it will be good to see either of those things help families in the area.
Another community development project happening in the area is a school military unit adoption. A lot of military units served here during World War II which probably no longer exist, for example anti-aircraft artillery units with their own unit colours and insignias. They do not usually shoot artillery aeroplanes anymore, so it is highly unlikely those units will exist again. As members of those units age and begin to pass away – there are not many left and they wonder if their unit colours and insignias will end up in a room at the War Memorial in Canberra and no one will ever see them again.
We are working with the RSL, local military and families in the areas – there are many military families in the area – to honour and respect the units that served here during World War II. We have worked with a historian and the military to have houses from schools in the electorate adopt the units.
On the 100th anniversary of Anzac Day students from those houses will lay wreaths not just to remember all people from all wars and the ANZAC tradition of the Gallipoli landing, but also these units. They will lay wreaths on behalf of the units that will now be remembered through time, particularly in Darwin, for their service and the great things they did in Darwin during World War II to protect us during a national crisis.
I am proud of a lot of things this government is doing: land release, the hospital, infrastructure, areas for new schools and a special needs school in the Bellamack area. So much is happening it blows my mind.
The Department of Business is streamlining things and updating old legislation. This government is doing great things and moving forward in leaps and bounds. In regard to the midterm report, I give this government an A+.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Mr Deputy Speaker, the CLP midterm report was originally dropped on the opposition benches at 8 am. It reminded me that statements were delivered the night before to give adequate time to do proper and appropriate research. However, the member for Nhulunbuy sent a statement on Nhulunbuy to her constituents for some thorough and appropriate research. That was communicated to the government the following day and, shock horror, we were suddenly treated like early childhood students and were punished.
These very important ministerial statements are given to the opposition around 8.30 am. The Chief Minister was one of the first to start the trend of not giving the opposition a chance to do any research and comment on this. ‘Let us try to keep them well and truly in the dark’. When I read the note I had written myself that morning I was obviously rather displeased, but we move on and will do the best we can.
‘The Chief Minister talks about outstanding achievements of his Country Liberal Party government but he sneaks in a statement on the morning of the debate’ – I do not remember writing that but it is my handwriting – ‘allowing for no research, stifling debate, no transparency, no accountability’. I must have been in an interesting mood when I was scribing those notes.
I was obviously looking at the statement delivered at 8 am. The section relating to growing the north was about developing northern Australia. An interesting comparison was what the Chief Minister was saying about growing northern Australia and a budget appropriation in 2014-15 of $400 000 to Ord River Stage 2.
So, $400 000 in a budget of about $5.5bn was allocated to Ord River Stage 2 on the Northern Territory side of the border for nation building infrastructure.
From memory, at estimates I was told there was possibly 14 000 ha of arable land so I started to prosecute returns for investment. There was 14 000 ha of arable land, massive infrastructure requirements and only a $400 000 appropriation by the government. The Chief Minister, talking this up big time in his statement, then remembered there was almost $400 000 in the same budget appropriated by the CLP to the Alice Springs Golf Club. That was an interesting comparison in the Chief Minister’s report card – $400 000 for nation building infrastructure with the Ord Stage 2, and $400 000 to the Alice Springs Golf Club.
There you go, Chief Minister, on that report card the member for Blain gives you an A+. I bet the Alice Springs Golf Club gives you a high distinction, but I am not sure what the agricultural and pastoral sectors of the Northern Territory give you. I remember asking pastoralists, ‘What would $400 000 get you in the Ord River expansion?’ A wily old pastoralist’s response was, ‘Some expensive suits’. That really sums it up, and the member for Blain gives that an A+. Good work, member for Blain; I will not score it as highly as an A+. Nation building infrastructure worth $400 000 really cuts it, but $400 000 for the Alice Springs Golf Club does not. The Chief Minister thinks it does, and it is his report card.
The Chief Minister moved $33m into the Chief Minister’s department in 2014. That is an interesting comparison: $400 000 to a golf club, $400 000 to nation building infrastructure and $33m to the Chief Minister’s department. We have been trying to track that ever since. The Chief Minister has obviously run out of cash, because now he has his fingers in the till of the Land Development Corporation. He is on the search in other areas, like selling public assets. Of course, this did not appear in the statement as it was delivered some time ago.
There was a corresponding increase in advisory staff with the $33m appropriation. We have seen the major advertising campaigns across television, radio, newspapers and the Internet. You can track where that $33m has been spent – $400 000 for the Ord River Stage 2. A spend of $33m is a regular feature on prime time television and radio, and you see the results of that expenditure. At one stage the Chief Minister was talking about – before the report card – how we have to have a conversation. That is a very expensive conversation, but it is important to acknowledge the money is being expended in other areas, for example, to establish the Office of Asian Engagement, Trade and Investment. That is very good and scores highly. We are investing $3.75m to promote international trade and Asian engagement to create more investment opportunities for the Northern Territory. We are not sure about expenditure on the creative advertising campaign, but about $29.25m is floating around in the coffers somewhere. I would like to know what that is being spent on.
The Northern Australia Development Office has been created. I met with some stakeholders in education awareness and developing policy there. Close to $4m was appropriated for that office and there is a very impressive video screen, one of the biggest video screens I have seen. Chief Minister, I was distracted – it is a modern office with breakout rooms and a coffee machine. It is very comfortable and well appointed, but this big screen was a major distraction. You could not fit another CLP or federal Liberal coalition member in any of the slides. They rolled continually on the loop. You were all slotted into thematic slides and the loop ran and ran. It became a distraction. Perhaps you want to look at that and perhaps change the slides or look at it again; it could be done better. It is a report card and I could give the score, but I score the video screen highly because it was a monster.
The Chief Minister spoke a lot about urban areas and what the Country Liberal Party is doing about the cost of living. I go back to constituents I represent who are talking about power cards that once kept the fridge going for four days but now only last for two days. That is a food security and a biosecurity issue. People in remote areas of the Barkly are articulating this political discourse around the cost of living.
The men, of course, talk about how $30 at the station would get them a jerry can of fuel. A jerry can of fuel, as members would know, is 20 L. They tell me now it only gets them half a jerry can of fuel. We are talking about remote stores and remote cattle stations. That is an articulation of cost of living increases in the bush.
Motor vehicle registration is something I regularly talk about because I advise people of the dangers of driving unregistered. That is not being articulated so much with the constituents because – I am only guessing – of those increases and the cost of living pressures. There are, possibly, many motor vehicles going unregistered. We all know the serious consequences and risks to operating unregistered motor vehicles on Territory roads.
Chief Minister, I encourage you to look at the cost of living areas in the bush.
In the health sector – I remember this well – the Chief Minister leaned into the microphone and said, ‘We have opened a new $3.7m emergency department in Tennant Creek and a new GP service at Tennant Creek Hospital’. I thank the Minister for Health for the GP service, but as far as a $3.7m new emergency ward – Chief Minister, you can tell your story; it is on your report card.
On my report card I remember working with the Department of Construction and Infrastructure in the design phase and getting the funding and the successful Cabinet submission. The only thing that got in the way was an election. You won, we lost, and now you have the gall to lean into a microphone and claim that on your report card. However, we will share it together. Let us be fair because it is all about the good people of Tennant Creek and the region. It was designed and delivered well, and is a fantastic addition to our hospital. Chief Minister, it is on your report card so good on you, you can take all the credit.
In education, the Country Liberals have committed $40.5m to implement recommendations from the Wilson Indigenous education review. One of the recommendations related to boarding facilities. If I go back to the contracts signed in the bush – I will go back to the Borroloola contract – a section talked about a retail centre, a recreation and cultural centre and the government business centre all being built by the Country Liberal government before 2016. It also mentioned a boarding facility.
The response received at estimates to written question 161-05 from the Chief Minister in relation to the boarding facility said:
- We recognise the importance of creating options for kids on outstations and communities to attend school. We understand that there is currently a proposal to establish boarding facilities in Borroloola and we would support an important initiative of this nature.
Regarding the progress report on the signed deal for the glossy contract, the answer was:
- Assistance and support for a school boarding facility in the gulf region is being considered in the context of the Indigenous Education Review.
Chief Minister, nothing is happening at Borroloola with regard to a boarding facility. In the dire financial circumstances you continually remind us we are in, you have appropriated $40.5m across the Northern Territory. I look forward to the outcomes. Your score on that report card is a resubmit.
In the arts, it was concerning to see the Country Liberal Party government ripped $1.5m out of the arts budget for community arts organisations. These are the grassroots of our culture and heritage and a $1.5m cut, associated with significant cuts and a change in policy from the federal government, creates problems.
Let us localise that on the Chief Minister’s report card and talk about what the Auditor-General says in regard to the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory. I am taking this from the Auditor-General’s report of August 2014, page 25:
- Budget constraints that have affected MAGNT over an extended period of time have led to progressive reductions in staff numbers and at the time of review there were vacancies across the curatorial and collections management areas of the organisation. A lack of adequate staff numbers may affect MAGNT’s ability to discharge its core functions.
Core functions are data collection, the physical care of collections, stocktaking of collections, offsite storage, the loans, the valuations and the MAGNT digital collections. This is of great concern to our cultural institutions yet the minister, I remember, wanted to know the point of an artist painting a picture if there was nowhere to hang it? He made a big point about the Country Liberal Party investing in our institutions. I did some research and what the Auditor-General said is the exact opposite.
There have been major cuts in the critical institution, the custodian of our cultural heritage, the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, and significant cuts to the grassroots organisations that are the engine room of our culture and our heritage. This is of great concern to me, being the previous Arts minister, seeing the potential economic drivers.
I will give an example of that because the Auditor-General, in the same report of August 2014, page 33 says something very interesting:
- Expertise of MAGNT staff is called upon by other public sector agencies and by businesses operating in the Territory to assist in identifying different specimens. This area of activity has increased in line with an increase in a number of environmental impact studies and with increased environmental monitoring associated with the level of mining and dredging activity during the last few years.
He goes on to say:
- … there may be opportunities to supplement funds made available by the Legislative Assembly with income derived from the provision of services.
That is an important point and very relevant; that is how to work with creativity. That comment resonated with me because it reflected that stimulus period of economic development that was taking place – that record infrastructure delivery over two budgets that was stepping up the pace and providing lots of innovative work for our scientists associated with our cultural institution. I have noted that. That is good for policy development and something I will be discussing with the Labor Caucus.
In regard to the construction and infrastructure budget, there has been a two-year delay in the program and massive revote. The Leader of the Opposition identified projects. In my electorate there are many examples. On the report card, Canteen Creek had an airstrip as part of the Regional Integrated Transport Strategy. That has now gone. There was $2.5m taken off and now, two years into your half-term report card, it still has not been delivered. There is a revote appropriation floating around for $2.5m; however, I am concerned construction costs under our escalating CPI, just as one base indicator, have really blown that budget.
I doubt you can deliver Canteen Creek airstrip for $2.5m as work has not started. I am concerned the two-year delay, directly related to your Renewal Management Board – the old guard who produced the report we never saw. We saw a printout, and I remember being a bit cheeky by saying I had seen a better financial statement from Tennant Creek High School AGM than what the government spent $6m on with the Renewal Management Board. I am still being cheeky about it now.
There are increased construction costs relating to a two-year delay in delivery of the clinic at Elliott, the clinic at Robinson River, the overnight police accommodation and the Canteen Creek airstrip. I am concerned your revote will fall short of delivering that infrastructure. I cannot give you a pass on that, Chief Minister, because nothing has happened. That is something I continually explain to my constituents.
My last concern relates to the Land Development Corporation and a question around $1m. I have said enough about that $1m over the last few days and frankly, Chief Minister, you have said enough as well.
I look forward to your wrap and the opportunity to participate in debate again at some stage.
Mrs FINOCCHIARO (Drysdale): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s midterm report. We are a little over half way through this four-year term and have already achieved so much.
The Country Liberals team has worked hard to find a balance between repairing the budget mess and addressing the rising cost of living. One example of this is the brilliant work to lower the cost of fuel for Territorians. With unleaded petrol in Darwin selling at around 154.9 per litre, it is clear the government’s work in recent weeks had a significant impact on the cost of fuel.
Palmerston residents are already noticing real savings of between $10 and $20 per tank. These savings can make a big difference for many families and are part of our commitment to address the cost of living.
A key to our government’s policies is to help the area grow in a sustainable and responsible way, encourage economic activity, secure our unique Territory lifestyle and create jobs for the future.
As a member of the strong Palmerston team I, along with the members for Blain and Brennan and the federal member for Solomon, understand the Palmerston region is growing. We have been doing all we can to ensure Palmerston continues to be a safe, affordable and enjoyable place for families and all Territorians to live, work and play.
I will outline some of the achievements this government has accomplished in only two years. When people look back on this government’s record and achievements, one of the greatest they will see is a bigger and better Palmerston Regional Hospital. Palmerston residents are excited about the early site works that have recently commenced for construction of Palmerston hospital.
I do not normally spend time dwelling on the previous decade of neglect under Labor as it gets quite scary. However, forgetting the economic recklessness of the Opposition Leader, and Labor’s endemic culture of ignoring problems in the hope they would go away, the previous government simply considered Palmerston an inconvenience – out of sight, out of mind.
This government does not treat Palmerston and rural residents that way. We recognise the potential value of all Northern Territory communities and know when a community needs vital infrastructure such as a real hospital.
Recently contractors started clearing land to enable access to the site. I admit, I took a deep breath and said almost with disbelief, ‘This is really happening. Finally, Palmerston and rural people will have their hospital.’
Palmerston residents and I have reason to be cautious about the announcement the hospital is under way. After all, we suffered through the former Labor government’s incompetence for eleven-and-a-half years. I was bemused to hear the Labor leader and failed former Deputy Chief Minister at the last sittings question us about the site clearing. She asked if we were ‘for real’.
Opposition Leader, what a hypocrite you are. You dare come into this House and throw criticism like that. Let me remind your evidently limited memory of you and your Labor government’s legacy on this issue. Eleven years of promises, 11 years of waiting then, prior to the 2012 general election, you erected an enormous and expensive temporary fence around an unsuitably small block in a bad location. You went to local businesses I know well, hired a couple of bulldozers and drove them around shifting dirt. Opposition Leader, are you for real?
We have commenced significant headworks. A major new intersection is under way, our site to sustain the next 50 years of health needs and growth has been selected, and all of this in two-and-a-half years. I wish, Opposition Leader, you had been even half as real as we are during your eleven-and-a-half years. Palmerston would have had a hospital in 2008, and we would not be in the budget mess we are. Thanks for your advice, but I will continue to work closely with the Minister for Health in regard to this project. I am grateful for her work and that of her department in making this dream become a reality.
The next step in the dream is very close, with a $6.5m upgrade of the Temple Terrace/Stuart Highway intersection to cater for our growing region. This government is taking a measured and considered approach to getting the hospital built. An operational and integral part of this is making sure the surrounding infrastructure is sound. The upgrade is important to improve safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, as well as to improve traffic flow as this area can become very congested. I look forward to progress of the hospital and the improvements to the Temple Terrace/Stuart Highway intersection.
Our government has been working hard to deliver affordable housing for Palmerston residents. There is a stark contrast between this government and the previous one in that we do not pretend we know what people want. We listen to the community then formulate and implement effective policies. It will come as a great surprise to the opposition, but the community want and expect more than expensive, glossy water parks. A great example of this relates to a huge issue for Palmerston families: the cost of rent. People tell me rent payments are a massive burden on their families, and extremely high rent costs in the area have been an issue for years.
To help tackle the cost of living you need to deal with skyrocketing rent prices head on. One way to offer affordable housing is through this government’s scheme to build 125 new homes worth $49m and rent them out at no more than 30% of the tenant’s income. Not everyone is eligible for Territory Housing, and those same people often cannot afford rent in the private market. This initiative goes some way to finding a middle ground and offering Territorians a better deal on their rent.
Over Easter this year I was overjoyed to welcome a new Drysdale constituent into one of the nine new apartments constructed in Driver. These new apartments in my electorate were constructed and will be managed by Venture Housing, the Territory’s affordable housing rental company.
This clever scheme is part of our Real Housing for Growth strategy, and I commend the work of both the Minister for Lands, Planning and the Environment and the Minister for Housing for working tirelessly to provide the affordable homes we need. Your work is making a real change to people’s lives, giving them opportunities that were non-existent under Labor.
It is no secret I am a fan of gardening, and certainly a huge fan of the Public Housing Garden Competition. For the last two years I have had the honour of presenting the Public Housing Garden Competition award Territory Housing celebrates each year. The competition encourages Territory Housing residents to grow a variety of edible, ornamental and floral plants which help beautify public housing residences.
Last year, the category for most productive garden was removed from the competition. This category allowed judging based on how productive a garden is: what produce it generates and how it contributes to household grocery supplies. I was disappointed about this and raised my concerns with the minister. The latest news is the category has been reinstated, which is an amazing outcome for residents who grow their own produce. I thank the Minister for Housing for listening to the community and bringing the category back so more Territory Housing residents can participate in this great competition.
Drysdale residents have a knack for gardening, and this is shown by the awards some of the Territory Housing tenants have won over the past two years. In 2012 Loretta Collins received the encouragement award in the Most Productive Garden category, while Val Miller also received an encouragement award for her garden in the Best Unit Garden category. Also in 2012 Florence Poole’s garden in Driver was highly commended in the Best House Garden category. I am thrilled to congratulate Thu Thi Pham, who has has won Best House Garden in both 2012 and 2013.
Another way our government is driving down the cost of living is by expediting land release. If there is one achievement all Territorians are incredibly proud of, it is our unprecedented land release program. The Minister for Lands, Planning and the Environment is bringing hope to families across the Northern Territory with his aggressive land release schedule. The 11 years of mismanagement by the former Labor government left the Northern Territory in a serious housing crisis. No one doubts this fact. Labor stifled development due to lack of an effective housing policy. Even Labor’s members would agree, albeit behind closed doors no doubt.
We see it as our duty, as a matter of urgency, to relieve the pressure on families and fix this mess. We are opening up numerous areas of land to allow properties to be built. Our agenda is simple: our communities are choking under high purchase and rent prices, and in order to relieve this pressure we are releasing land to help rebalance supply and demand. We envisage 6500 new dwellings being built over the next 10 years thanks to our ambitious Bringing on Territory Land Release program. Land at Holtze and Berrimah Farm will provide vital parcels needed to cater for our growing Top End. The development at Zuccoli has been remarkable. We have recently seen the very last parcel of Zuccoli release for expressions of interest – another feather in the cap of the Country Liberals government. If you add up all the land release by our government, nearly 6000 dwellings could be constructed on it. When I heard that statistic I was blown away.
It is no wonder we hear nothing from the opposition about our land release program. We have been kicking goals for two years while Labor’s decade of indecision resulted in the housing shortage we are busy alleviating.
Another impressive point to outline is our goal to make an average block of land in the new stages of Zuccoli cost between $160 000 and $180 000. Land in Palmerston has not been affordable for a long time. This is a blessing for young people and young families buying their first home.
We cannot forget the launch of the Lifestyle Homes display village at the Heights in Durack, where house and land packages starting at $495 000 are helping Territorians get into the market and create a home they can call their own. Offering more affordable land to Territorians is something I am proud of, and our team will push on with our ambitious land release program despite the negativity of those opposite.
August 2014 marked a great occasion with our government announcing development of the $300m Gateway Shopping Centre to be built in Palmerston. I was on hand to witness the Chief Minister turn the first sod. This is an exciting project and has everyone in my community talking. The Coombes Property Group has been given development approval for this massive project which is expected to provide employment for up to 3000 people through the construction process and subsequent operation of the centre. This significant announcement is the second major announcement from the Country Liberals team in recent times relating to major projects in Palmerston.
The $50m Palmerston Hotel is another sensational development planned for Palmerston, part of Stage 1 of the great Maluka Views development. I am already receiving comments from residents who are thrilled about the idea of a large shopping centre being built in our great city along with a large hotel.
Our vision for Palmerston includes a new major shopping centre, a new large hotel, a new hospital, four new suburbs and plans for two new schools. It is definitely an exciting time to be in Palmerston.
Without doubt, one of our other greatest legacies would be the duplication of Tiger Brennan Drive. The Australian government has contributed $70m to help upgrade Tiger Brennan Drive. From the outset, I thank the federal member for Solomon, Natasha Griggs, and Deputy Prime Minister and federal Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Hon Warren Truss, for their commitment to Darwin and Palmerston. Having forward thinking Liberal counterparts at a federal level helps when you want to build the future, as the Country Liberals are doing.
Recently the Tiger Brennan Drive section of Woolner Road and Dinah Beach Road has been made into dual lanes. This was followed up with the announcement the managing contract for the remainder of the duplication has been awarded to BMD Constructions. I am sure my fellow members have already used this new stretch of road and have seen how great it is. The next duplication stage will see 9 km of road developed and will bring much relief to motorists. I have heard from several people that leaving the city in the afternoon is now much easier thanks to the first duplication. I can only imagine the relief when the entire duplication is complete in 2016.
All these upgrades will make motorists happier; there is no question about that. A total of 18 000 vehicles use that road every day, so it is an example of a great project finally being delivered that will affect thousands of Territorians, most of whom live in Palmerston.
At the other end of Palmerston, as part of the 2014-15 budget, our government will install five CCTV cameras at the Elizabeth River Boat Ramp to increase security for everyone who uses the facility. The Palmerston Game Fishing Club and other associations are very pleased with this budget promise.
I am also pleased to report completion of the two shade sails to help keep Palmerston families out of the sun when fishing from the jetty. I inspected the completed structures and met some of the local fishermen already using the shelter who found it to be very relieving from the sun’s rays. I would like to thank the minister for Fisheries and his team for delivering this great project, also the Minister for Infrastructure.
Our Minister for Infrastructure is also the Minister for Transport so he is very busy but still has time to listen to the community. The people of Palmerston said the zebra crossing on Temple Terrace was not safe. The installation of a signalised pedestrian crossing is another fine example of a project already completed in our first years of government. Many locals lobbied me to get something done about the original crossing, so I am proud the lights have been completed and the crossing is fully functional and making a difference.
On a different note, the Territory continues to welcome the United States Marines personnel who rotate through the Top End as part of the partnership between our two countries in the areas of Defence and regional security, as well as the important role of helping with disaster and humanitarian efforts. The Marines strengthen our ties with America and also provide an economic boost to the region with retail trade, transport and recreation identified as the major beneficiaries. The Marines are a welcome addition to our community and I am pleased to have facilitated a partnership between the US Marines and Gray Primary School. The Marines offered to work with students from Years 3, 4 and 5 in order to improve reading, writing and mathematics. There are great relationships forming between the Marines and the students, and I am looking forward to welcoming next year’s rotation to Palmerston.
Earlier this year we heard the great news about the expansion of the Rosebery preschool which, in effect, doubles its capacity. A similar expansion has been undertaken at Durack Primary School, with its preschool getting much needed upgrades to accommodate the growing region. The work at Durack Primary School, costing $1m, has been very well received by staff and parents. Everyone knows land is an issue for Durack Primary School because it is on quite a constricted block, but some good plans were made for the project and I am pleased to see an extension to the preschool. The upgrades include a playroom, bathroom, storeroom, a quiet room and a new plant room. The verandah has also been expanded by 70 m. Work was carried out around the building’s drainage system. Further, to accommodate this extension the structural roof line has been extended meaning the preschool will be a larger, well-built facility that will last for decades to come.
Sport is a major component of our Northern Territory lifestyle and I work very hard with my community to support sporting and recreational clubs. Building on our list of achievements, it is important to outline another election commitment well under way. Thanks to this government, Satellite City BMX Club is the beneficiary of $300 000 in capital works executed in April last year for minor new works.
I inspected the facility and can report this grant will go a long way to improving things for the club. It was identified work was needed on the starters hill, the track required upgrades and there was a real need to build a new clubhouse and canteen with better toilet amenities. Club officials have expressed sheer delight at the upgrades to the Satellite City BMX track and say things are going nicely. I am sure the final developed facility in Palmerston will serve members and riders for many years to come.
While on the subject of sport and recreation, I cannot go further without commending the Sport Voucher Scheme, which has now grown bigger thanks to the additional $5m announced on budget night. We all want children to be as healthy and happy as they can, and participating in sport is such a significant aspect of a young person’s life. However, the issue many families in my electorate faced was the cost of sport, given registration fees and equipment could tally hundreds of dollars. With several kids the price is even higher.
Offering some financial support to parents to help pay for their child’s sport is another way we are reducing the cost of living. Each child is eligible for a total of $200 per year to undertake sport and recreational activities as well as artistic or cultural pursuits. This definitely takes some of the pressure off mums and dads and gets more kids into physical, recreational and cultural activities.
There are other great benefits as well. I have spoken to sporting clubs in Palmerston who rave about these vouchers. Having more children taking up these activities helps sustain the clubs and provides a boost in participation and, potentially, a bigger revenue stream.
Developing a passion for sport at an early age and creating healthy exercise habits are keys to addressing our nation’s obesity problem. Instead of burdening the healthcare system in the future with weight-related issues, it would be better to prevent obesity and save countless dollars in the process.
I was proud to advocate for the expansion of the scheme to include non-traditional sports such as SAM’s Dance Studio. I was approached with concerns that children could not use the vouchers to participate in dance training, so I took the matter up with the minister and he was very receptive to my suggestions for improvement.
As well as SAM’s Dance Studio, Gray Primary School contacted me to see if the vouchers could be used by students for their swimming program. Again the minister was very receptive to this. It is fantastic to see the scheme has now expanded to accommodate both types of activity. I see these vouchers as a terrific investment and actively promote them to all parents.
I was thrilled to see the Learn to Swim Voucher for toddlers introduced by our government as a way for parents to save money on swimming lessons and give their children the vital skills needed to stay safe around water.
All kids under five who have completed the government’s Water Safety Awareness Program and have not enrolled for preschool or school are eligible to use these vouchers for swimming lessons.
Mr GILES: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77, I request an extension of time for my colleague to complete her remarks.
Mrs FINOCCHIARO: Thank you. So, $200 a year is available for toddlers to learn swimming skills to help prevent drowning, a shocking and sad cause of death that too often hits our community hard.
Getting children into sport and recreation and learn to swim lessons has been welcomed by Territorians, with 38 000 vouchers redeemed already, a remarkable statistic.
Sometimes the little things can make a huge difference in an electorate, and Community Benefit Fund grants are an example of this. Drysdale loves the Community Benefit Fund.
As local members we often receive requests for funding or someone comes to us with a clever idea, but these requests or ideas often fall outside the realm of established grant programs. The Community Benefit Fund can help by giving community groups money to complete their project or get their ideas off the ground, all of which have a positive impact on the wider public.
Some recent beneficiaries of Community Benefit Fund grants are: the Top End Radio Controlled Car Association, which received $4812 to install a timing system for their remote control car racing; Palmerston Cricket Club received $5000 for upgrades to their nets; SIDS and Kids NT received a Holden station wagon to help deliver services and programs and continue fundraising to support those affected by the death of a child; Palmerston Men’s Shed received $4868 to purchase a lathe; Palmerston Rugby Union Club received $5000 to replace their air conditioner; Palmerston and Rural Seniors Week Committee received $5000 to host a free sunset cruise during Seniors Week; and Palmerston Ballet School received $5000 towards their ballet performance of Cinderella.
On 12 May 2014 I joined the Minister for Children and Families, the member for Blain and staff from Somerville Community Services to officially open stage 2 of Palmerston Community Care Centre. This was another election commitment delivered to Palmerston, with the Northern Territory government investing $2m towards the centre’s construction.
The facility provides important services such as family and support counselling, financial counselling and can assist people to manage their money better. People from all walks of life go through some hard times in their lives so it is vital for organisations like Somerville to be supported.
Palmerston and the outlying regions are growing rapidly, so our government knew Palmerston Community Care Centre would play a vital role now and into the future. Somerville recently hosted a community barbeque during Anti Poverty Week to raise awareness for those less fortunate, and I was lucky enough to help out at this successful event.
I contacted Ruth Rogerson from Somerville to offer my assistance. I was more than happy to lend them my tent and help feed the hordes of hungry bellies that strolled past. Well done to Ruth and the rest of the team for facilitating such a worthwhile and fun event, and a big thank you to Karlie for putting up with me making lolly covered cookies.
On a sadder note, I would like to pass on my sincere condolences to friends and family of Margaret Somerville who passed away on 30 July this year. Somerville Community Services is named after Margaret, who famously assisted in evacuating nearly 100 Indigenous children from an orphanage on Crocker Island to prevent it being bombed by the Japanese Air Force. Margaret’s subsequent actions, sometimes dubbed the ‘Croker Island Exodus’, where she was pivotal in guiding these children overland for 44 days and 5000 km, earned her the title of Member of the Order of the British Empire. She was also the first Australian woman presented with the Battle for Australia medallion. The survivors of this trek have previously detailed how Margaret and fellow missionaries defied orders to leave the children on the island; they stuck by the kids in their care. We have lost a truly courageous woman, but her story and memory will live on for years to come.
One of the largest flaws of the previous Labor government was the lack of developing industry or any economic activity in remote areas of the Northern Territory. The bush realised it had missed out on a decade of growth and business opportunities, which is a huge part of why people voted for us in 2012 and entrusted this government with bringing economic simulation to Indigenous communities.
A small but promising area I am following closely is the Indigenous art sphere. This year our government supported a group of Aboriginal artists from Desart to travel to Korea through an art exchange. The artists visited the country to raise awareness of the extraordinary product Central Australian Indigenous art is. Amongst the activities, artist and Desart CEO Philip Watkins gave several presentations promoting Aboriginal art and culture from the Central Australian region. Asia is developing an emerging market for Indigenous art, particularly China and Korea, so it is vital to help organisations succeed where we can.
The government provided well-received financial assistance and advice on exporting to such a potential market. Philip has already identified outcomes reached from this exchange, which include forming strong relationships with private and public galleries in Korea. This has already led to the establishment of an Aboriginal artwork and photography exhibition called ‘True Outback’. This is exciting news, and I look forward to hearing how it went after it opens in Seoul. Desart has connected some private collectors with two Central Australian art centres and, hopefully, this will amount to some transactions.
Around $40 000 of sales, which is a huge amount, has been reached thanks to the promotion of Aboriginal art through two exhibitions. Future exchanges have been discussed between the Arts Council Korea and Desart, and this government is keen to hear more about it. There is an increased market awareness of Northern Territory Indigenous art, and it is hoped the flow-on effects result in many more sales to the Korean population. Initiatives like this can go a long way to breaking into new markets or strengthening existing ones.
Let us not forget the impact this is having on Territory artists, who are growing personally and professionally from such an experience. Feedback obtained from one of the artists is heartwarming and very encouraging. Otto Sims from Yuendumu said:
- With this exchange program, it has put me at another level, how I want to be as an artist and role model for my community and especially for our younger people back in Yuendumu and young Aboriginal people in Central Australia. If we can do it, others can do it too. One of the important things you have to do when you go on exchange is you need to talk up and share your culture and art. You should not be shy. I was happy to share and talk about my culture and ask questions of their culture and art. I wish all of the artists and Desart well as they push forward and write the next chapter of this magnificent story.
Amongst all the progressive and innovative thinking led by this government, it is important to remember the past. This will be done when we commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I. The Chief Minister and I announced $4.5m for various programs and events that will run until late 2018. A major item in this program is the Anzac Spirit Study Tour to take a group of students to Gallipoli for them to participate in the Anzac Cove commemorations. In June we announced Anzac centenary grants to support organisations that wish to hold their own events to commemorate this important part of our history.
Another exciting event will be the historic Borella Ride, a re-enactment of Albert Borella’s amazing trek between Tennant Creek and Darwin to enlist to fight in World War I. Albert is the only Territorian to receive the Victoria Cross, and we were pleased to announce in August that Albert’s grandson, Richard Borella, will partake in the re-enactment that will visit major centres such as Tennant Creek, Elliott, Katherine and Darwin, whilst also stopping at smaller locations like Dunmarra and Daly Waters. I had the pleasure of meeting Richard, Rowan and Mary Borella during their visit to Darwin in August. They were as excited about the Borella Ride as we are. There is a long list of initiatives, and I encourage everyone to visit the Northern Territory Anzac Centenary website to find out more.
Finally, the YMCA in Palmerston does a fantastic job of providing a centre for young people to hang out in a safe and enjoyable environment. However, the pool tables were in complete disarray and we made sure the minister for Sport, Recreation and Racing was aware of this. Thankfully, he was able to secure a $22 000 grant for the YMCA to fix the ripped pool table covers so everyone could enjoy them once again. I thank him for that support.
Mr Deputy Speaker, these are some of the memorable achievements that have occurred in the two years we have been in government. I am exceedingly proud to be part of such a strong Country Liberals team fighting for the people of the Northern Territory and, in particular, the people of Palmerston. I commend this statement to the House.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Mr Deputy Speaker, I will sum up on the midterm statement of the Country Liberals government. I pay credit to the member for Drysdale for her contribution. She was the last member to contribute and I listened to her entire speech. What an outstanding effort Lia is doing in the seat of Drysdale and as parliamentary secretary for me, Chief Minister, supporting a range of things including the 40-year anniversary of Cyclone Tracy and the Anzacs.
I also thank my colleagues for doing a tremendous job with the Country Liberals team, particularly for Territorians. I thank and acknowledge key staff, without naming people, who have helped drive change and performance of government to date. Many key people in bureaucracy, led by the CEO of the Chief Minister’s department, Gary Barnes, Under Treasurer, Jodie Ryan and a range of other CEOs are all performing fantastically with a solid public service behind them. As Chief Minister, I say thank you very much for your hard work.
There is no doubt in the two years since 25 August 2012 there have been many political ups and downs. Most notably are the change of Chief Minister, a couple of reshuffles and portfolio changes. Media and opposition like to make light of that, as they should; that is how things work in politics. For all the trials and tribulations, from a political setting look at our performance.
I was discussing with the member for Blain, the parliamentary secretary for Business, what the member for Drysdale said about petrol prices – down to 154.9c. I said, ‘That can’t be. Yesterday it was 157c’. It is 154.9c, and if you have a Shop A Docket you can get it for 150.9c. Who would have thought that two months ago? Who would have thought in 2005, with the Parry report undertaken by the previous Labor government – where no action was taken? Who would have thought that in 2011, when the now Opposition Leader was Treasurer and prices started to spike – they have gone down since 2011? Who would have that thought when Dr Harry, the Country Liberals candidate for Casuarina raised the issue of petrol prices, got government’s attention as a good candidate does, and we took action? Who would have thought it would come down that much?
We said we wanted competition and leadership in price setting, and that has occurred. It may be temporary, it may be long-term or midterm, but government is determined to see change in that area. It has happened recently and is a fantastic outcome.
Look at our efforts around alcohol consumption in our two-year term. People said we would not drive down alcohol consumption in the Northern Territory. It is the lowest since the 1990s. The Minister for Health, the member for Araluen, in trying conditions, stood against a screaming and petulant opposition. They were demanding no alcohol mandatory treatment and opposed alcohol protection orders. The decried the temporary Beat locations, particularly in Alice Springs and Tennant Creek, and in Katherine on some occasions. They said it was not fair. They indicated it was racist but see what is happening. We have the lowest alcohol consumption since the 1990s. New figures will come out soon to show even lower consumption. We have the lowest crime figures since the 1990s and they are reducing by levels unheard of in the Territory’s history.
When we came to government not enough land was being released, not enough units or houses were being built and prices were going through the roof. We undertook a rapid land release process. A total of 5000 blocks have already been released in the Northern Territory under the Country Liberals government and price pressures, according to real estate agents, are coming down. We are escalating Kilgariff, rolling out Zuccoli, releasing more land in the northern suburbs, supporting infill development – 5000 blocks to date.
In this year’s budget $130m went towards commercial and industrial residential land release strategies – $85m for residential and $50m for industrial. That is amazing and will see 6500 blocks of land released across the Territory in urban, regional and remote centres. Kalkarindji will see land release. How good is that?
I have just been advised by my colleague, the member for Blain, that E10 fuel is now selling for 149.9c on Daly Street. Did you think you would see that? Success has many champions and everyone will say it was this person, that person, me, them or everyone else who solved that problem. It was a combination of a candidate for the Country Liberals who raised the issue, a government which responded, pressure by media, politicians who led and an industry that responded. It was a team effort, and if 149.9c is any result it is a good one.
In regard to debt, we came in with $5.5bn worth of debt. It is interesting to deconstruct that debt to see where it came from and when. My colleague, the Minister for Transport and Minister for Infrastructure, likes to hold up his pyramid of debt which indicates debt levels, the cycle of debt – this will be a lesson for the member for Casuarina, the only Labor member in the Chamber tonight. Member for Casuarina, I note your colleagues do not want to hear the good news of government, but this is government net debt. You will see the red is Labor, the blue is Liberal and the red is Labor.
The thing about Labor, the mob you signed up to – I know Delia and the others are not here, but member for Casuarina this is a good chance to explain this. When Labor is in debt goes up, when the Liberals are in it goes down. We saved money, Labor comes in and debt goes up again.
They say recessions are cyclical. It would seem when Labor is in government recession and debt occurs, and when Liberals are in government it disappears. I understand the challenge.
You can see, member for Casuarina – I know your colleagues do not want to be here, but this is non-financial public sector net debt. It tracks along very well from 1990 to 2001, Labor comes in and it increases a little then it continues, then it gets to the point when Delia becomes Treasurer and it is obvious to see …
Mr VOWLES: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! He needs to refer to the member for Karama by her proper title.
Mr GILES: Sorry, Ms Delia Lawrie becomes Treasurer and the debt level goes straight …
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, the Leader of the Opposition. Chief Minister, it should be member for.
Mr GILES: The Leader of the Opposition comes in and the debt level goes up. Many people would contribute this to Paul Henderson, former Chief Minister, but Delia put that up ...
Mr VOWLES: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker!
Mr GILES: Sorry, Leader of the Opposition I should say. It was Delia’s debt, deficit and deceit model during the last five years. That is what drove it up.
One of the challenges we had was the $5.5bn debt. We had enormous deficits and enormous debts and, for the member for Johnston’s benefit, there is a difference between deficit and debt and we have had trouble with both since 25 August 2012.
We worked hard to get the deficit under control. We have a fiscal strategy – unlike the former Labor government, particularly the then Treasurer now Leader of the Opposition, the member for Karama – of balancing the budget by 2017-18 and are well on track to an operating surplus. I will be interested in the next TAFR so we can gauge where we are.
Of course, some of those figures will be a little misguided because of the delay in the 30-year $1.8bn prison running a few months behind schedule thanks to the contracting efforts of the former Treasurer now Leader of the Opposition. Let us wait for the TAFR and you will see the Country Liberals government has performed quite well.
You will see the $5.5bn debt slowly but surely being eroded saving interest repayments so we can spend on important community things like the environment, social infrastructure like schools, cultural institutions like arts and museums, or economic building infrastructure such as roads, bridges and ports. You can see a common theme over the two years of crime and debt going down.
The third pillar we have been working on is the strength of the economy. In the CommSec report released recently, of eight key indicators from around the nation the Northern Territory is leading five including economic growth, construction, construction purchases, retail spending and unemployment. It shows labour force participation statistics far exceeding the rest of the nation and having a high level of employment balanced against unemployment in the correlation of those figures.
Economic growth is continuing, but when we came to government – this is a very important point – there was a major project, INPEX, and I give credit to both Clare and Paul for their work in getting that project. It is now my job as Chief Minister, and this government’s job, to deliver the next phase, which is getting the project to the point where it is producing gas at the back end of 2016.
I acknowledge that, but you have to look beyond that and see where the other projects are in the pipeline and what is coming next. The projects are already coming. The live cattle trade has been re-established and is bigger than ever. We are now getting into agribusiness and horticulture, tourism is picking up like never before, and Virgin has just announced it is returning to the Territory with a bigger and better footprint.
We are seeing the economic activity that will happen with Palmerston hospital. I have already spoken of the land release strategy, our investment in homelands and other community services and the biggest infrastructure program the Territory has ever seen. It continues to roll out and get bigger and better and the economy is going from strength to strength.
However, it is important to not just focus on ourselves. I am keen to talk about Territorians and what is happening across the Territory. It is not just about our side of the Chamber; we have to look at what is happening on the other side.
The other side of the Chamber has lost 25% of its members in two years, albeit they only have eight and have lost two, but they were the two most experienced members. Of course, the long-term member for Karama is still there, the one who managed to get the Territory into so much debt singlehandedly. She is guiding a party which, after two years in opposition, does not have a policy. They have a mode of operation which seems to be followed on a regular basis: attack the person. It is not play the game or the ball, but attack the person.
No matter what happens in this Chamber or in public – this is a good lesson for you, member for Casuarina – get into the policy and have a proper debate. Do not abuse or attack people like the stressed out member for Barkly, who threatens to beat people up in the car park when he does not get his own way. Perhaps he needs another six months’ leave on a taxpayer funded budget. Perhaps he needs to calm down and not threaten people on the floor of parliament. That is an example of what happens on the other side.
Labor is disjointed, has no unity, no common theme and cannot find a leader. The member for Karama wants to be leader but the other seven members do not want that. She has managed to cajole the member for Nightcliff, who sits behind her squawking and yelling on a regular basis. The member for Nhulunbuy screams and cries loudly all the time. The member for Johnston is a good bloke. If he could manage to get the members for Wanguri and Fannie Bay – he does not like the member for Barkly. He cringes every time Gerry runs a stressful rant across the Chamber. We all laugh when the member for Barkly speaks because the member for Johnston cringes, ‘I’ll be on camera while the member for Barkly talks rubbish for the next 20 minutes’. I know you are laughing right now, member for Johnston because you know it is true. I hope you did not back this bloke to be deputy Opposition Leader because you must be sorry now.
Member for Johnston, you have had two years of pain sitting in that chair. You are a good bloke, and a fun character, but you are stuck with it. Perhaps you should swap seats with the member for Casuarina so she can see what the member for Barkly is like, and you can both sit at the back and chat. You might meet the members for Fannie Bay and Wanguri, form a pact then you could run a leadership spill. Perhaps you should be leader, member for Johnston. That would be fantastic and we could enjoy what happens in the Chamber rather than being abused and threatened with violence by the member for Barkly, who seems to be so stressed he cannot do his job.
Talking about stress, the member for Karama is a bit stressed out too. She was slamming doors and having hissy fits last night because the legislation around the Land Development Corporation did not go her way. You need to watch out for that door; you do not want it slammed as you walk out, member for Johnston. It is a fiery Leader of the Opposition you have. One is slamming doors and the other threatening to beat people up in the car park.
It is no wonder there are tears of laughter coming from your eyes. You know how bad the member for Barkly is. Someone give this man a box of Kleenex. Come on member for Casuarina, surely you have a tissue. He is crying from laughing so much. Do you know what the funny part is? Every time Delia leaves the room Michael Gunner does the numbers. We laugh about it on a regular basis. Delia leaves and Michael talks to the members for Nhulunbuy and Nightcliff, or he works the room a little and does not hide it. The member for Johnston is calling to the member for Fannie Bay, ‘Have a quick chat while Delia is not in the room’ …
Mr VOWLES: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! There has been a lot of leeway, and as much as it is entertaining for his side of the House, could we get back to the statement please?
Mr GILES: You are laughing more than anyone else.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Chief Minister, please refrain from using people’s names; use their title, thank you.
Mrs FINOCCHIARO: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77, I seek an extension of time for the Chief Minister.
Motion agreed to.
Mr GILES: Sometimes in this Chamber it is hard for people to say yes or no – the ayes have it, the noes have it – it is hard. On my extension there was only one aye. Should the Chief Minister have another 10 minutes? Who said aye? The member for Johnston. He wants another 10 minutes of how bad the Labor Party is.
We acknowledge we have had political ups and downs over the last few years, but we are performing as a government, albeit supported by fantastic staff and bureaucracy within the Northern Territory government. Eight people on that side have done little over the last two years. You have no policy and are stuck behind the member for Barkly. Between now and the next sittings I will get you a screwdriver. Do you know how you change the seats here? It is very simple. You just need a Phillips-head screwdriver to undo the nameplate, move it to the next table and you can sit behind someone else.
The question is: who would you sit behind? You would not move to the right because you do not want to sit behind the member for Karama. You cannot move to the left – the member for Casuarina has just as many giggles on her face as you do, member for Johnston. We cannot put you there. Perhaps we should bring you forward and send the cranky ones to the back. The first policy from the Labor Party could be if you threaten to beat people up in the car park because you are so stressed you go to the back. You should put the member for Barkly at the back and you come to the front. At least we can see you laughing and smiling all the time. That way the members for Karama and Nightcliff would be sitting behind you.
On television, when the member for Karama is talking the member for Nightcliff is pulling all those faces. That is what it would be if you were in the front and the member for Barkly was behind. You could see the steam coming from his ears, the hair going curly and him pumping the desk. It would be fantastic. Sorry, someone get him another tissue ...
Mr Vowles: Oh, mate, I am not well.
Mr GILES: Someone get the member for Johnston another tissue, Mr Deputy Speaker.
I might have made a point. Yes, we have had our ups and downs on this side of the Chamber, but government is going well,
You see that at Daly Street United – thanks very much, David for being a price leader with 149.9c for E10 RON 95 premium unleaded fuel. That is a fantastic outcome.
One of the challenges for government is how to work with industry to make it last longer. I imagine it cannot remain at a 149c for too long, but being a price leader it is one of the competitive cycles you move into. We will continue with the things we are doing to make sure petrol prices are in a more malleable or competitive environment. We will continue to make tough decisions when we need to, cop the criticism when we get it wrong and feel the pain when we are in the middle of making those decisions. However, we expect a competent opposition to hold us to account on policy, democracy and debate, not to abuse us or call us names. What happened in this Chamber today was a disgrace for democracy, a disgrace for the Chamber and a disgrace for the Northern Territory.
It is hard not to go to those depths and play the same game, but we have to rise above it and we always try to. I thank the team on this side – all 14 of us, including you, Mr Deputy Speaker. We are a fantastic team. It is hard to build a good team. We have a great team and will continue to grow and prosper and, most importantly, represent the interests of Territorians and make sure our kids have jobs and futures, and their kids have jobs and futures.
We will always protect our environment and our lifestyle and do the tough things we need to do in government, such as make a decision on TIO. It will not be easy, but we will have to make the decision. We know we will cop abuse and swearing from the opposition. We know we will probably cop it from the member for Nelson, but we will make the tough necessary decisions to make sure TIO stays in the Territory, the ‘T’ in TIO always remains ‘the Territory’ and TIO never dies. That is what we will do.
I thank all those who participated in the debate. I thank the member for Johnston for his jovial response and good humour during this debate. Next time we have a similar debate I will bring in that cute fluffy Shar-Pei dog and some Kleenex. You can cuddle up to her and wipe you tears away on the fur of the dog. You will love that.
You should have been born a Liberal. You would not have to put up with the cranky pants sitting in front of you – both of them. You must be disappointed. You must go home at night so irate. You will go home tonight smiling and thinking, ‘Why wasn’t I born a Liberal?’ You will cuddle up to the little Shar-Pei dog. I commend the statement to the House.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
TABLED PAPERS
Travel Reports – Members for Nhulunbuy, Fannie Bay and Namatjira
Travel Reports – Members for Nhulunbuy, Fannie Bay and Namatjira
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I table three travel reports from the members for Nhulunbuy, Fannie Bay and Namatjira, pursuant to clause 4.12 of the Remuneration Tribunal Determination.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
It is with great regret that I acknowledge the life and work of Barbara Bradshaw nee Tully who passed away recently after a long and courageous battle with cancer. I acknowledge the presence of Robert Bradshaw, Barbara’s husband, in the gallery today.
Prior to her untimely passing, Barbara was a long time Darwin resident coming to the Territory in 1982, and a well-respected and dedicated member of the Territory’s legal profession. She was formerly a long-term employee of the Department of Law, which is now the Department of Attorney-General and Justice, where she was at various times a policy lawyer, the Deputy Master of the Supreme Court, Registrar of Companies, Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commissioner and Registrar of Credit Unions and Building Societies.
Outside the public sector, Barbara also served as the general manager of the Traditional Credit Union. In this role she showed not only a passion for helping Indigenous people in remote areas to access banking services, but also a wider passion for improving the situation of Indigenous people in remote areas more generally, such as the availability of fairly priced, healthy food in communities.
Barbara was also well known for her capacity for hard work, supportive leadership and sound policy advice. She was instrumental in shaping significant legislative reforms, many of which continue to impact on the Territory and legal profession today and will continue to do so into the future. Her most recent professional role was as Director of Legislative Reform at the Department of Children and Families. Barbara also oversaw the transition, in 1986, of the NT from the out-dated Companies Act from the 1960s to the modern national companies and securities scheme.
From 2003 to 2011, Barb served as CEO of the Law Society of the NT. In this role she provided much guidance and support to practitioners and the community, and was instrumental in the development of the national legal practitioner regulation reforms. It was in these circumstances that I first had dealings with Barbara as an adviser to the Leader of the Opposition after I came to Darwin, returning from Alice Springs after eight years in the Legislative Assembly there. She was kind, considerate, thoughtful and listened at all times to what I had to say and gave guidance and represented the needs and expectations of the Law Society.
Barbara always had the interests of smaller jurisdictions, particularly the Northern Territory, at heart and always strove to make sure the push for national consistency did not come at the expense of the Territory. She was highly regarded as a source of reliable and sound policy input at the national level. In addition, she was an accessible and supportive mentor to many young lawyers.
As you can see from this long list of achievements, Mrs Bradshaw’s professional contribution to the Territory, particularly to the Territory legal and financial regulation and statute book, has been significant.
In her personal life, she was a devoted and loving mother to her daughter Mary, a loving wife to her husband Robert, and trusted and loyal friend to many. She loved nothing better than catching up with good friends and colleagues over lunch. She was a passionate supporter of the provision of cancer services to Territorians in the Territory and held the role of President of the Northern Territory Breast Cancer Voice Incorporated and lobbied strong and hard for the Alan Walker Cancer Care Centre.
Barb was many things. She was clever, funny, tenacious, eccentric and loyal. She will be sadly missed by her many friends and her colleagues in Darwin and across Australia, including in her hometown of Bathurst. Many Territorians and former Territorians made their way to Bathurst for her recent funeral and to celebrate her life.
Barbara is survived by her husband Robert, her daughter Mary and her mother Judith Tully. Our thoughts and our prayers are with them.
I could not imagine what it is to lose a loved one to cancer, particularly one I spent so many years with. The thought of losing my wife leaves me almost struggling for breath. My deep and heartfelt commiserations go to Robert and his family. and I will remember Barbara and Robert and the family members in my prayers. God rest her soul.
Mr GILES (Braitling): Mr Deputy Speaker, it is with sadness I note the death of John Tye affectionately known as Bubba. John Tye was born in Darwin in 1951, the second son of Mavis and George Tye.
He has an older brother, Arthur, younger twin brothers, Barry and Phillip, and sisters Shirley and Jennie. Bubba’s father died when he was only 12 and that placed enormous financial pressure on his family. He was forced to leave school at an early age and got a job at an abattoir past Berrimah.
Bubba was known for his competitive nature in almost everything he tried and as a bit of a larrikin who loved a drink with his mates. Bubba was an outstanding sportsman, playing basketball for Pioneers and rugby league for Berrimah, but it was Aussie Rules where he truly excelled.
Bubba began his Aussie Rules career when he was only seven years old with the Darwin Football Club Colts. He played his first A-grade game aged 16 and became known for amazing talents on a wet ground. Giving the eulogy at Bubba’s funeral, close friend and former coach Bob Elix described Bubba’s football prowess as something mere mortals could only envy.
In the words of respected sports journalist Dennis Booth, Bubba was:
- … the greatest footballer in the Northern Territory, he played for Darwin and Nightcliff and flew like an eagle, was as tough as nails when a hip and shoulder had to be given or taken.
He could kick a ball further than his height might have suggested, read the play better than most and was a beautiful mover on his feet.
In 1974 Bubba captained the Northern Territory side in an historic win against Queensland in Brisbane. In all, he played 138 games for Nightcliff Tigers and 129 for Darwin Football Club. Bubba won the Nichols Medal in 1979 and, in 1990, a special NTFL panel named him the best player since Cyclone Tracy.
Collingwood tried to recruit him in his heyday but as the story goes, he was being interviewed by a tetotalling Tom Hafey at a bar in Darwin in the early hours of the morning when a very merry Bubba fell off a bar stool, effectively ending the interview and ending any chance of ever playing for Collingwood. He played for Norwood in the SANFL, but only lasted a season because he was terribly homesick.
His prowess on the football field was matched by his love of fishing. Friends say Bubba was well-known for his many creative fishing skills, some of which were considered even legal. He was a generous man who loved nothing more than to take the southerners out fishing and show them his Territory.
He worked as a driver for the Northern Territory government for a while, driving ministers to various functions then driving them home afterwards. A friend recounted a story about Bubba and a former minister at a Darwin Cup event, when after an hour or so the minister turned to Bubba and said, ‘It’s time to go’, to which Bubba responded, ‘I’m too drunk, you better drive me home’, so the minister drove him home. I suspect, but do not know, that might have been former Deputy Chief Minister Barry Coulter, who spoke about Bubba’s fantastic driving skills as being more of a job sharing arrangement than a career in itself.
In 1997 Bubba moved to Mandorah to enjoy a peaceful life fishing, crabbing and spending time with his many mates. Friends say one thing that set Bubba apart from many others was his nature and generosity of spirit. He was a character, a sportsman, fisherman, father and Territory legend. Our thoughts are with his family, son Shannon and daughter Cara.
Mr BARRETT (Blain): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s adjournment speech on Bubba. I worked with him at Patrick Stevedoring for a few years and knew him as one of the most colourful characters I have ever met.
He often spoke to me about how good he was at football. We would joke about it, and it was not until he had passed away and I heard all the things others said that I realised how good he was at the game.
He was definitely a generous caring guy in his own way. He was often pretty cranky, and I have some funny stories about him. I can remember him working in the rain at 4 am putting cattle on a boat and talking about all kinds of crazy things. He said one time he was fishing on a barra vessel on the Roper River and the net became stuck in the propeller. Somebody had to jump over the side and cut the net away. If you know anything about the Northern Territory you know there are lots of large crocodiles in that river. He said it was pretty scary. The crocodiles would follow the boats around because of the fish cleaning etcetera. I recall Bubba saying it was the scariest thing he had ever done. He sat on the back of the boat, drank a couple of cans of liquid courage, jumped over the side, held his breath, cut the net away and lived to tell the story.
He was one of the most colourful guys I have ever met. My condolences go to his son, Shannon and the family. All the guys who work at East Arm Wharf will remember him fondly. May he rest in peace.
Mrs LAMBLEY (Araluen): Mr Deputy Speaker, the Country Liberals government is considering the possible regulation of electronic cigarettes. We are not considering banning electronic cigarettes, but whether we should tighten regulations around the product and whether electronic cigarettes should be subject to the same regulations as tobacco cigarettes, particularly to protect children.
Electronic cigarettes containing nicotine are already banned under Territory poisons and dangerous drugs legislation, including the supply, possession and use of nicotine electronic cigarettes for all ages, including those under 18. However, there are currently no regulations on the supply or use of electronic cigarettes which do not contain nicotine. Anyone can buy them, including children. There is evidence both the nicotine and nicotine-free e-cigarettes are currently readily available throughout the Northern Territory.
Electronic cigarettes have been identified for sale in a number of retail outlets in the Northern Territory, including service stations, tobacconists and speciality stores. On the surface it is practically impossible to tell the difference between e-cigarettes which contain nicotine and those which are nicotine-free.
Unless the product packaging accurately identifies whether or not the product contains nicotine, the only way to differentiate between them is through an expensive chemical testing process.
Within the health sector, there is a strong belief the promotion, sale and use of products which resembles cigarettes contradict anti-smoking strategies, especially in the eyes of children. The Australian Medical Association NT believes e-cigarettes should not be marketed to anyone for recreational use. Doctors do not want e-cigarettes to serve as a gateway to smoking or nicotine addiction for new smokers, particularly children and young people. The AMA NT says there is currently insufficient evidence on the comparative risks or benefits of e-cigarettes. While the AMA supports access to safe and effective smoking cessation options, it believes more evidence and research is required to establish the risks and benefits of e-cigarettes and, therefore, e-cigarettes should be subject to the same comprehensive ban on advertising that applies to tobacco products.
As a result of the unknown health risks, the majority of Australian jurisdictions are considering regulations for the supply and use of electronic cigarettes within tobacco legislation. The NT does not have a policy position on electronic cigarettes, so this Country Liberals government thought it was time to conduct some research and let the public know this issue is under consideration. I emphasise it is not the intention of this government to ban e-cigarettes.
Ms MOSS (Casuarina): Mr Deputy Speaker, I acknowledge some of our local multicultural groups who have celebrated a number of events recently.
I have had the privilege to attend many events organised by hard-working committees and volunteers across the Darwin area, and I extend my deepest congratulations and gratitude to them all for being so welcoming. These opportunities to share, learn and celebrate together are an important part of Territory life, and to fostering strong and lasting relationships.
In August, the Filipino-Australian Association of the Northern Territory held its 18th annual Barrio Fiesta which I attended with the Leader of the Opposition. The event showcased the talents and contributions of the Filipino community and included dance and the Megaworld Voice Competition. Philippine Navy officers and families also contributed to performances on the night, and I congratulate Mr Oscar Parian and the committee on the organisation of the evening.
In September, the Chung Wah Society celebrated the beautiful Moon Festival. It was a wonderful night for families and friends to come together, and included the Jade Dragons Chinese dance troupe and the children’s parade of handmade lanterns, of which there were many.
At the Darwin Malayalee Association Onam celebrations, alongside the Leader of the Opposition, I joined the community to enjoy the celebrations, ceremony and wonderful performances. This was my first time attending the Onam celebrations, and to be so welcomed as part of their proceedings was an honour. Thank you to Tomy Jacob and the committee, and congratulations on a successful night.
After meeting committee members when doorknocking, I was pleased to attend the Dashain celebrations organised by the Nepalese Association of the NT. This was a beautiful and joyful event for the longest festival celebrated with ceremony and dance in Nepal.
It was also a pleasure to attend the Indian Cultural Society event for Navratri. This was a vibrant evening of celebration to mark the end of the festival held at Marrara Indoor Stadium. It was incredible to watch the dancing and enjoy supper with members of that community. I commend President Mr Alex Mohan and the committee.
The Leader of the Opposition, the member for Wanguri and I attended the Islamic Society of Darwin’s Eid celebrations and welcoming of Imam Daud Likangala Dlongolo. The celebration was well attended and reflected on themes relevant to all of us: peace, solidarity and community. Student groups played a huge role performing a number of songs, and it was great to see the community hall. It was a touching evening and a pleasure to attend.
Later that evening, the Fiji Association NT held its Fiji celebrations and the food, performance and hospitality were wonderful. Participation from all age groups was a lovely thing to witness and dancing continued well into the evening.
It has been a privilege to attend these events over the last six weeks. The concentration of that many multicultural events in that short space of time speaks for our beautiful multicultural community. Territory Labor is proud of its support of our multicultural communities which contribute enormously to the Territory we love. I am pleased to speak about them tonight.
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Mr Deputy Speaker, tonight I talk about a number of great achievements in Nhulunbuy.
The 2014 Gove AFL grand final was held on 13 September at Hindle Oval, Nhulunbuy. The final was a hard and fast match played between Gopu and Nguykal. Both teams performed outstandingly, but in the end Nguykal claimed the flag for the second year in a row defeating Gopu by 13 points with a final score of 60:47. It was an excellent day with entertaining commentary from our community radio station Gove FM by Rob Stewart, Hamish Simpson and Shane Guiney, better known as Shiney.
Referees Joshua James and Paul Asmussen were flown over from Darwin, and many thanks to AFL NT for its support. In fact, they flew referees out the week before. I give a huge thanks to Fiona Djerrkura and her partner Jerry, who managed the scoreboard on the day and throughout most of the season. The match manager on the day, also over from Darwin, was Darryl Griffiths from AFL NT.
Second placed team for the season, Gopu, was coached by Thomas Amagula and managed by Binmila Yunupingu. The players voted best on ground from this team, Gopu, in the final were Marshall Gurruwiwi, Cedrick Marika, captain, Russel Gurruwiwi, Malakai Wunungmurra, Merryl Gurruwiwi and Donga Maymuru. The rest of the team for Gopu was made up of Sid B Yunupingu, Nathan Thorne, Jeremy Yunupingu, Kevin Austral, Jay Marika, Gapirri Yunupingu, Sean Yunupingu, Carlos Gurruwiwi, Sebastian Yunupingu, Samuel Munyarryan, Datji Munungurr, Gavin Wunungmurra, Balumba Gondara, Wilo Purantatameri, Micah Pascoe, Stanley and Phillip Purantatameri and Clayton Yunupingu.
The premiership winning team, Nguykal, was coached by Mungurra Maymuru. Voted best on ground from this team were Matt Kidner, Nathan Djerrkura – Nathan plays for Territory Thunder – Rob Clements, director of the Clontarf Academy at Yirrkala School, Ricardo Munungurr, Caine Atkinson and Marcus Lacey, with Matt Houston being named as the Billy Buckle medallist. Matt Houston, God love him, went down just a few minutes before the end of the game with an injury and was taken off in an ambulance and medivaced to Darwin. Thankfully, all is good with Matt. He was incredibly disappointed not to be on the ground for the final minutes of the game.
Other players on the Nguykal team were Christopher Munungurr, Boaz Wanambi, Jamie Wunungmurra, Daryl Lacey, Dhangatji Munungurr, Ngalkin Munungurr, Gurrina Munungurr, Paul Augustin, Gatha Munungurr, Muzza Marika, Tony Wanambi, Bawakarri Wunungmurra, Tyson Wangurra, Damien Djerrkura and Yirrmal Marika. Yirrmal came all the way from Melbourne to play that game, and what a great game he had. Also, we had Ben Wheatley, Harry Walker and VJ Saffi.
The 2014 season was a huge success and GAFL has managed to achieve a number of objectives during the 2014 season including all players being registered on SportingPulse, three out of the four Gove sides travelling to Gapuwiyak to play, Gapuwiyak travelling to Nhulunbuy for all games and making the finals – keep in mind the trip from Gapuwiyak to Nhulunbuy is around two-and-a-half hours on the Central Arnhem Road, so it is a few hours of travel. Also, all teams had the opportunity to play home games at their respective communities. The other really important objective achieved during the season was 12 Indigenous umpires officiating games throughout the year, more than half for the first time.
GAFL has named the following as their major sponsors: Gumatj Corporation, Miwatj Health, me as local member and Rio Tinto Alcan. I would like to congratulate all the umpires and administrators involved and the GAFL clubs of Baywara, Djarrak, Gapuwiyak, Gopu and Nguykal for being part of making 2014 another successful year.
It is sad that this year the Walkabout Cats football team basically went under. It was predominantly a team made up of fellows from Rio Tinto, but they had a number of local Yolngu blokes on their team as well. They simply could not raise the team because of the downturn in Nhulunbuy and the number of people who have left.
A huge thanks to Mick Montague, our NT AFL development officer in Nhulunbuy. He can also be credited with getting the Gapuwiyak team into the competition a couple of years ago when he resided there and was an NT AFL development officer. All power to Mick, who nearly singlehandedly keeps the competition alive.
I place on the record the Nhulunbuy Christian College’s 15th birthday party and open day celebrations. This was held in Nhulunbuy on a Saturday morning. Kylie Farnsworth, a long-serving and talented art teacher, was the open day coordinator and the celebration was a huge success.
A list of events took place during the hours it was open on the Saturday morning. We had a violin recital, a gymnastic performance, dancing displays, a jumping castle, cake cutting, face painting, student displays of artwork and the school displayed enormous generosity during the day.
It used this open day as a fundraiser for the School of St Yared in Ethiopia, and all funds raised went to supporting children at that school. Former Nhulunbuy Christian College Principal Steve Venour and his wife Sally are currently working and living in Ethiopia with their two girls.
The day also included a detailed and interesting library exhibition of Nhulunbuy Christian College’s history put together by Kylie Farnsworth. Nhulunbuy Christian College began in about 1997 following negotiation with community and a bit of lobbying with Christian Schools Australia, and in that day it was Nabalco.
The school first opened its doors in 1999 with 29 students, two classrooms, one teacher and a principal. Student enrolments peaked this year at 203, and approximately 180 students are predicted for the commencement of 2015. That is phenomenal and includes students from Transition through to Year 9.
Nhulunbuy Christian College has thanked the following for their sponsorship and support, obviously acknowledging the school community, the parents and students, but also Woolworths, Airnorth, the Gove Community Garden, Nhulunbuy Library, Gove Peninsula Festival, Gove FM, Arafura Times and I was once again pleased to be a sponsor of the event knowing my financial contribution went directly to the School of St Yared in Ethiopia.
I place on the record the Shepherdson College 40th anniversary of bilingual education celebration held at Galiwinku on Elcho Island, to the north of my electorate. Shepherdson College celebrated 40 years of bilingual education on 29 August, which was the Friday after the last sittings.
Unfortunately I was unable to attend this landmark event; however, an achievement of this significance needs to be placed on the record. I was delighted that in my absence the Opposition Leader, Delia Lawrie was able to attend, along with the member for Nightcliff, Natasha Fyles.
The day was emceed by Mavis Gamambarr, with Welcome to Country performed by Danny Djapala, Richard Gandhuwuy and Geoffrey Garrawurra. Speakers on the day included Peter Hilbig, Shepherdson College director, who has done an awesome job in the time he has been there.
Speakers also included Valerie Bulkunu, a current teacher at Shepherdson College, Joanne Garngulkpuy, who is associated with Yalu and is also a former Shepherdson teacher. She is the Yalu founding member and continues to do great work in Yalu. There was also Daisy Nyarrwanyarrwa, former teacher, literacy worker and community liaison officer, and Dorothy Gapany, a former teacher, assistant teacher and Families as First Teachers educator.
In addition to guest speakers, the day included a presentation on the Literacy Production Centre past, present and future. There were classroom visits, a family and community barbeque, a discussion forum on bilingual education with the student leadership group involved, a history workshop made up of four groups each investigating bilingual education at Shepherdson College from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s or the 2000s. The day concluded with a school dinner for past and current staff and invited guests, followed by the coming together of the history workshop where they shared stories about the decades.
I was also pleased to provide sponsorship to help stage the celebration, and I congratulate the community of Galiwinku and Shepherdson College on this milestone.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016