2008-09-09
ASSEMBLY CONVENED
The Eleventh Assembly convened on Tuesday, 9 September 2008, pursuant to notice by His Honour the Administrator.
OPENING OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE ELEVENTH ASSEMBLY
The Serjeant-at-Arms conducted the Administrator of the Northern Territory, Hon Tom Pauling AO QC and Mrs Tessa Pauling into the Chamber.
His Honour the ADMINISTRATOR: Members of the Legislative Assembly and guests, please be seated.
Members of the Legislative Assembly, pursuant to section 22 of the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978 of the Commonwealth, I appointed 10 am on Tuesday, 9 September 2008, as the day for the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory of Australia to assemble for the dispatch of business, and required all members of the Legislative Assembly to give their attendance in the Legislative Assembly Chamber.
I declare open this First Session of the Eleventh Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory.
National Anthem
The Darwin Chorale sang the National Anthem.
The CLERK: On behalf of members and guests, I extend our thanks to the Darwin Chorale.
Welcome to Country
The CLERK: Honourable members and guests, I welcome Koolpinyah Barnes, senior Larrakia elder, to present a Welcome to Country, accompanied by the Kenbi Dancers.
Mr BARNES (Larrakia Elder): Honourable guests, I am here to speak to you and welcome you on behalf of my people, the Larrakia people. I have been given this authority in two ways: one from my uncle who has now passed away some time ago - he anointed me in the traditional way and gave me the right to speak; the other way is in a document that has been signed by senior Larrakia people saying that I can speak on behalf of the Larrakia, and speak on matters of law in relation to Larrakia. They did that because they knew of that original arrangement with my uncle.
This uncle lived on the Esplanade in the early days under one of the banyan trees. He was there with his brother-in-law, his wife, and his brother-in-law’s wife, and the children. In the old days, this was referred to as the King’s Camp. Of course, the Larrakia do not have kings, but it was a name that was given to the people. Other Larrakia lived on the beach. If you look at some of the historical documents you will see some of those people in groups being handed out blankets on blanket day. That conjures up all sorts of thoughts about things that used to happen in America, but it was a generous thing to do for the people who were living in the long grass, although there were houses down there.
I am going to say this man’s name because he has been gone for a very long time, and that name has been cleared through ceremony – I organised that ceremony. The reason I say his name is because he is mentioned by Douglas Lockwood in his book about the bombing of Darwin. That man’s name is Mungguloo, my uncle, Ungyah, my mother’s brother. He is my uncle on my mother’s side. Some people know what that means. In his book, Douglas Lockwood talked about this man organising the Aboriginal people in Darwin so that he could place them in a safe place during that bombing.
My uncle also taught me many things over a three-year period. He showed me where the springs are around Darwin where you can get water; he taught me about the law; he taught me some things that are not done today because our law – that is, the Larrakia law – only exists with me now and it is not going to pass on. We have new laws which are made in this parliament and they are good laws. They take the place of the social security that we had before. They take the place of the protection of people against violence, and it makes sure that everybody is looked after. That is the purpose of these laws. That was the purpose of the Larrakia laws in the old days.
Our ceremonies were held where the Army is now. I am still the custodian of that place. I am the senior custodian. The other three custodians have passed away. I have to think seriously about what happens next to look after that place.
My uncle started to teach me language. I asked him that question about welcoming people and he said: ‘Well, not everybody was welcome. If they came across your borders, some people got speared’. But others came across for marriage purposes, and we had ceremonies with them. For that reason, we are related to many people who were from across our borders. We are related to people in the Tiwi Islands, the Wulna people across the Adelaide River, and the Malingin further over that way. We are related to the Wadjigan people and others from the area out that way. Some of these people are living at Belyuen. So, these people have come here and escorted me in here today are a very important part of our Larrakia history. They lived over there, many of them, especially the Wadjigan, for over 200 years in that area - quite a long time. These are the descendants of the people from that area. It is a very important association with the Larrakia.
In asking my uncle how to welcome people, he said: ‘My auntie and my uncle taught me’. (Speaks in language), which means ‘I see, you been come’. (Speaks in language), ‘Why did you come to see me?’ So then start the introductions. People have to talk about their dreamings and where they might fit within the society, and so on. But the statement had been made: ‘Gwalwa Daraniki, this is my land’.
My name is Koolpinyah. This is the name my uncle gave me. You might remember an old man who used to get around town wearing a cowboy hat. He introduced me to somebody one day, and he said: ‘Here is a man who has been named after a butcher shop’, because Koolpinyah Station had a butcher shop in town and he thought that is where the name came from. Of course it is a lot more serious than that. These names may have outside meanings and inside meanings. Inside meanings are never told to anybody.
(Speaks in language). My dreamings are the frogs and the Rainbow Serpent.
If you welcome people in, then you must sit down and have that communication with them; learn from them and be friendly with them. (Speaks in language), which is ‘Sit down together and learn from each other’. You have to end that conversation in the way Larrakia end, to say (Speaks in language), ‘That is good and that is finished’.
Welcome to Larrakia land.
The CLERK: On behalf of members and guests, I thank Koolpinyah Barnes and his countrymen for their presentation.
ADMINISTRATION OF OATHS AND AFFIRMATIONS
His Honour the ADMINISTRATOR: Members of the Legislative Assembly, pursuant to section 13 of the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978 of the Commonwealth, it is, amongst other things, enacted that every member of the Legislative Assembly shall, before taking his or her seat, make and subscribe before the Administrator, or a person authorised by the Administrator, an oath or affirmation of allegiance in the form in Schedule 2 of the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978, or an oath or affirmation of office in the form in Schedule 3 of that act.
RETURN TO WRIT
The Clerk laid on the Table the return to writ for the election of members of the Legislative Assembly elected on 9 August 2008.
The following members named in the returns made and subscribed the oaths or affirmations required by law.
Electorate Member
Arafura Marion Rose SCRYMGOUR
Araluen Jodeen Terese CARNEY
- Arnhem Malarndirri Barbara Anne McCARTHY
Blain Terrance Kennedy MILLS
Braitling Adam Graham GILES
Brennan Peter Glen CHANDLER
Casuarina Konstantine VATSKALIS
Daly Daniel Robert KNIGHT
Drysdale Ross Oscar Charles BOHLIN
- Fannie Bay Michael Patrick Francis GUNNER
Goyder Kezia Dorcas Tibisay PURICK
Greatorex Matthew Escott CONLAN
Johnston Christopher Bruce BURNS
Karama Delia Phoebe LAWRIE
- Katherine Willem Rudolf WESTRA van HOLTHE
Nelson Gerard Vincent WOOD
Nhulunbuy Lynne Michele WALKER
Nightcliff Jane Lesley AAGAARD
Port Darwin Johan Wessel ELFERINK
Sanderson Peter Donald STYLES
Stuart Karl Rio HAMPTON
Wanguri Paul Raymond HENDERSON
ELECTION OF SPEAKER
His Honour the ADMINISTRATOR: Members of the Legislative Assembly, it is now necessary that a Speaker be chosen. You, members of the Legislative Assembly, will now proceed to choose some proper person to be your Speaker. Following the presentation of your Speaker to me this day, I shall address the Assembly declaring the causes for calling the Assembly together.
His Honour the Administrator, escorted by the Serjeant-at-Arms, withdrew from the Chamber.
The CLERK: Members and guests, please be seated.
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Mr Clerk, I propose to the Assembly that the honourable member for Nightcliff, Mrs Jane Aagaard, be the Speaker of this Assembly. The member for Nightcliff, ladies and gentlemen, is respected, I believe, by all members of the parliament on both sides of the Chamber as a fair, honest and dependable parliamentarian. I would like to speak to those three words I have chosen.
In speaking to the word ‘fairness’, we all know that this Chamber is a House of deliberation and debate where we make the laws for the people of the Northern Territory. There is debate in this Chamber which is conducted passionately by all members who are elected to this Chamber representing our constituents. We bring our beliefs and the views of our constituents to the Chamber, and the views of our political parties. The views of the Independent member of the parliament are passionately held and debate is passionate in this Chamber. I believe that the member for Nightcliff treats all members of parliament in a fair way.
In speaking to the word ‘honest’, this is also a Chamber where all of us take an allegiance to speak the truth in this Chamber. It is a tough job being Speaker, and I know that the Speaker has to deal with all members of parliament in a whole range of circumstances: business relating to business of the Chamber; issues in relation to members’ electorates; and personal issues that members of this parliament may have from time to time that impact on their capacity to uphold their duties as members of this Assembly. I know that the member for Nightcliff is absolutely honest in the advice that she gives members of the Chamber.
The third word I used was ‘dependable’. The Speaker’s job is not just the role in regard to this Assembly and its business; it is about the role of being the Speaker and all of the extraneous roles that the Speaker has in meeting dignitaries from around Australia and the world. In the last session of parliament, the member for Nightcliff was absolutely dependable on all of those occasions.
It is important for the Speaker to have empathy with members – each and every one of us. This is a small Assembly, with 25 members, but the Speaker does have empathy with individual members. The member for Nightcliff has demonstrated that people can come to her, seek advice, and have absolute confidence with regard to the issues that are raised.
The member for Nightcliff has been an accomplished and dedicated Speaker in the last session of parliament and, I trust, has the confidence of honourable members to continue in this role. The member for Nightcliff has proven to have a comprehensive understanding of the workings of the Assembly, and of the standing orders of the Assembly – the standing orders that guide debate and the business of the House. Her commitment to the role of Speaker is second to none.
The member for Nightcliff has truly made it a parliament of the people. In regard to my nomination today, I believe the greatest accomplishment of the member for Nightcliff in the last session of parliament was an absolute drive, determination and commitment to make this a parliament of the people; to encourage the constituency of the Northern Territory to come to parliament to hear debate. The member for Nightcliff was working all the time in identifying specific community groups and inviting them and members of the public to the parliament, as well as schoolchildren and seniors. There was hardly ever a conversation I had with the member for Nightcliff where she was not talking about how to open this parliament up and make it a parliament for the people of the Northern Territory.
It was demoralising sometimes when we had very important debates here in regard to the future of the Northern Territory and there was no one in the galleries. The member for Nightcliff’s commitment to making it a parliament of the people really shows the importance of this nomination.
I am very proud today to propose and nominate Jane Aagaard, the member for Nightcliff, as Speaker of the Northern Territory Assembly.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr MILLS (Opposition Leader): Mr Clerk, without any hesitation, we welcome this nomination. I hereby second the nomination, and look forward to working under the member for Nightcliff as the adjudicator of this fine parliament.
Mrs AAGAARD (Nightcliff): I accept the nomination.
The CLERK: Is there any further proposal? There being no further proposal, the time for proposals has expired.
I declare the honourable member for Nightcliff elected as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in accordance with standing orders.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Please be seated. Honourable members, I thank you for the high honour that you have bestowed on me. I thank the Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition for their very kind words. I can only say it is a great honour to be the Speaker. It is a very unusual privilege to be re-elected as the Speaker. In Australian history, there are only a few Speakers who have been nominated by the government and seconded by the opposition in any House, let alone in two consecutive Assemblies. I thank honourable members for this great honour today.
I make the commitment as well to be as independent as I can in this job. In many ways, whilst I am a member of the Labor Party, it is possible to be an independent Speaker. I worked very hard in the last Assembly to ensure that I was as independent as possible. I make that commitment to you today that I will continue in that way.
PRESENTATION OF SPEAKER TO ADMINISTRATOR
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I am informed that it is the intention of His Honour the Administrator to attend at the Office of the Speaker. It is my intention to present myself to him there as the choice of the Assembly as Speaker. I invite honourable members to accompany me to present myself to His Honour the Administrator.
The sitting of the Assembly is suspended until the ringing of the bells.
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The sitting suspended.
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The sitting suspended.
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Madam Speaker Aagaard resumed the Chair.
COMMISSION TO ADMINISTER OATHS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have to report that, accompanied by honourable members, I presented myself to His Honour the Administrator as the choice of the Assembly for its Speaker, and His Honour was pleased to congratulate me.
I inform honourable members that I have received from His Honour the Administrator a commission to administer to honourable members the oaths or affirmations of allegiance and of office. I table the commission. The Clerk will now read the commission.
The Clerk read the commission.
ATTENDANCE OF ADMINISTRATOR
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I am pleased to inform the Assembly that His Honour the Administrator will attend the Assembly immediately to declare the causes of the calling of the Assembly together.
Serjeant-at-Arms, please inform His Honour that the Assembly is ready to receive him.
His Honour the Administrator took the Chair.
ADMINISTRATOR’S ADDRESS
His Honour the ADMINISTRATOR: Madam Speaker, honourable members, on 9 August 2008, the people of the Northern Territory elected the Labor Party into office for an historic third term. My government recognises that the people of the Territory have placed in their hands a mandate to govern in the best interests of the future of the Territory and all Territorians.
The Territory today is a different place from 10 years ago and, as we enter the second decade of the century, the Territory is changing and growing at a pace unprecedented in our history. My government believes that it is imperative that it plans, acts and secures the future for all Territorians, regardless of their political persuasions, their geographic location, or the circumstances of birth.
To achieve these goals, my government will be committed to the following key priority areas: securing the future for the Territory and managing and expanding its growth; investing in our regional areas to develop and strengthen economic and social capacity; protecting our environment and our natural assets; continuing our long-term investment to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage; and protecting our people and our quality of life. Above all else, to achieve these goals, my government will listen, plan and act.
The Territory continues to enjoy significant growth in private sector investments in major projects in the Territory. My government will continue to work hard to secure for the Territory the INPEX natural gas project. This project is a transformational injection into the economic base of the Territory. ACIL Tasman have forecast that if the INPEX project proceeds in the Territory, it will inject $50bn into the Territory economy over 20 years from the start of site work in 2010. The benefits identified by ACIL Tasman will flow through to small business and a range of industries including manufacturing, maintenance, transport, training, office equipment and accommodation.
Territorians will also benefit in this time from the establishment of a new international aircraft hub by Jetstar. This hub presents great opportunities for Territorians to travel into our neighbouring Asian nations and to expand the return tourism to our own community. Throughout the Territory, major resource projects are getting under way and we are seeing the ongoing progress of the Darwin Waterfront. My government will continue to work assertively through the Major Projects Task Force to gain these projects for Territorians. This coordinated approach has proven to be successful. It enables consideration of projects from a whole-of-government view, pulling together all administrative, regulatory and environmental requirements. It is the intention of my government to take a stronger whole-of-government approach to fundamental growth issues over the next four years.
Ongoing economic growth, particularly in the resources sector, has justified this government’s commitment to invest $100m over the next three years to upgrade and expand the East Arm Port.
To promote employment, my government has committed a further cut in payroll tax from 5.9% to 5.5%, which will save businesses $10m per year; and to invest a record $3.5bn in infrastructure spending from this financial year forward over the next term.
Over the next four years, my government will work to ensure the benefits of this growth and expansion are enjoyed by people across the Territory. To ensure that our workforce benefits the government will continue its heavy investment in training. Over the next four years the government will commence the training of 10 000 new apprentices and trainees, and will double its efforts in preparing students for work and building the skills of existing employees. The government will sharpen its efforts to attract people from interstate and overseas to live in the Territory. A Workforce Growth NT Unit will be established in Department of Business and Employment to coordinate the government’s effort.
The government will ensure that small business also benefits from major projects and economic expansion. The government recognises that small business is the backbone of our economy and a major employer of our fellow Territorians.
Record levels of growth and expansion have seen the housing market in the Territory tighten. Over the next four years, the government is determined to have a housing market that gives all Territorians an opportunity to buy or rent at their level of affordability. To achieve this, my government has set into place a sustainable and responsible land release program and will be delivering an affordable housing policy for all Territorians.
The government recognises the importance of the development of our regions. For this reason, the Department of Regional Development, Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources has been established, bringing together the development and management of the Territory’s major resource industries, primary industry, fisheries and resources, with the responsibility for regional and Indigenous economic development. This bringing together recognises the crucial importance of these industries, which are all located in regional areas, in creating the wealth and opportunities to generate lasting economic benefits for not only the Territory as a whole, but also our regional towns and communities.
To improve coordination of these important functions, leadership of the Primary Industry and Regional Development functions, as well as the office of the Chief Executive of the Department of Regional Development, Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources, will be moved to Alice Springs.
The significant investments by the Australian government in regional towns and communities, particularly in respect of housing, provide an excellent opportunity for Territorians to strengthen economic participation and to develop local jobs and communities. Getting people into jobs and opening up greater opportunities for growth will be a core focus of our regional development plans.
My government is preparing land release plans for each regional centre. The government will, over the next four years, establish regional job hubs in Nhulunbuy and Tennant Creek in order to coordinate the work of the Northern Territory and federal government agencies, local businesses, and training providers to match employees and training to real job opportunities in the regions. This will also link with programs for the training of Indigenous people, particularly in the delivery of government services in remote areas.
My government will continue its strong commitment to protect the Territory’s unique environment. In doing so, the government will bring together landholders - from pastoralists through to Indigenous traditional owners - to be part of a grand plan protecting the biodiversity of the Territory: the Arafura to Alice EcoLinks. This ambitious program will see the establishment of a clear path of wildlife protection from one end of the Territory to the other as a continuous string of biodiversity and habitat protection.
My government views climate change as a threat to the future of the Territory. We will fight that threat with all the vigour available to us. We will work closely with the national government to continue efforts now under way to ensure that this nation is leading the world in our response to this 21st century scourge. My government will support individuals making efforts to combat climate change and preserving our natural resources. A new $500 water tank rebate will be introduced for Centralians, expanding upon the successful NT Waterwise Central Australia Rebate Scheme. Annual funding for the Northern Territory Environment Centre will be boosted by $120 000 per year, together with the doubling of the Arid Land Environment Centre’s funding to $70 000.
Over the next four years, every effort will continue to provide world-class national parks. Integral to this effort will be my government’s determination to provide an ongoing source of employment to Indigenous people whose knowledge of the land and our parks is unsurpassed.
My government will continue to oppose mining at Koongarra and a nuclear waste dump in the Territory.
My government believes that the program of initiatives aimed at closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage that it began in 2007, is one of the most important tasks over the next term of office. Its aim is that every child born in the Territory by 2027 will have the same opportunity in life to do as well as they can. This 20-year intergenerational plan will see an additional $300m invested in lifting outcomes in health, education, housing, the safety of children, and employment of Indigenous people in its first five years. It is the largest social spending program of its kind in the Territory’s history, and it will be carefully monitored and benchmarked in an open and transparent way to ensure real outcomes are being achieved.
My government will also deliver a $246m program over the next four years to provide significant upgrades to 85 primary, middle and senior schools, community education centres, and homeland centres. A key plank for that commitment is that every one of the government’s 74 primary schools and large group schools will receive a $300 000 upgrade over the next four years.
A new $11.7m program will improve Indigenous literacy and numeracy by helping families give their young children the best possible start in life under the Families as First Teachers Program. Over five years, this will employ 20 early childhood educators, provide learning resources such as books, and cover other costs such as transport and accommodation. The early childhood educators will be deployed in remote Indigenous communities across the Territory with the Warlpiri Triangle, Borroloola, Maningrida, Yirrkala, Wadeye, Ali Curung, Ngukurr, Hermannsburg and the Tiwi Islands being the likely locations for them.
A $45m, 10-year Heart Health Plan will see expanded cardiac rehabilitation services, and deliver specialist equipment and major equipment upgrades to both Royal Darwin and Alice Springs Hospitals. My government will improve the delivery of health services to the people of Palmerston and the rural areas. In cooperation with the federal government, a new super clinic will provide fundamental health services in that area.
My government accepts, as a fundamental responsibility, the duty to protect the Territory’s citizens. Antisocial behaviour, violence and youth crime is of concern to all Territorians. To tackle these problems, the government is taking action on both the commission of crime and the underlying causes of crime. The government has introduced a tough regime of penalties for those who commit crime and this regime will be constantly reviewed for its effectiveness. The government will ensure that those who commit serious, unprovoked violence will go to gaol, and that the reporting of incidents of domestic violence is mandatory.
A CCTV network will be established in key Darwin locations, including the Darwin CBD, Casuarina Shopping Centre and Palmerston Shopping Centre. This network will be extended to other locations such as the Parap Shopping Village over the next four years. New facilities will be established to support the police beats, which will deliver extra police resources at shopping centres to enable faster response times and deliver important intelligence to other policing. The first of these police beats will be established this financial year at Casuarina Shopping Centre, the Territory’s busiest shopping centre. Over the next four years, additional police beats will be established in the Alice Springs CBD, Parap Shopping Village, Palmerston Shopping Centre and Karama Shopping Centre.
In tackling the underlying causes of crime, the government is tackling alcohol abuse and family and community breakdown. The abuse of alcohol and substances is at the core of much of the antisocial behaviour and violence that occurs in the community. The government will implement its parental responsibility orders and will work with families to prevent children from slipping into a life of antisocial behaviour and crime. Youth rehabilitation camps will be a priority of government.
My government is very aware of its responsibility to enhance the Territory lifestyle. We have a lifestyle across the Territory that makes this a unique place to live and work. It is an openness, a sense of freedom and a ‘can do’ willingness to take a chance that the older states and territories of Australia have slowly lost. The government will take action across the board to ensure that this lifestyle is protected and enhanced. Recreational fishing will be a beneficiary of improved infrastructure and access over the next four years. To protect fishing stocks, the government will buy back commercial barramundi licences. My government is also committed to negotiating a practical and workable outcome in the light of the High Court decision in the Blue Mud Bay case, an outcome which resulted in all participants being winners from this decision.
We will continue to provide record funding in the arts and cultural affairs. One exciting investment will be carrying out the necessary conservation, research and consultation work on the Papunya Tula collection of boards. These 220 boards, acquired by Dr Colin Jack-Hinton from the first three consignments from Papunya in the early 1970s, will then be available to be seen as a collection by the public for the first time in exhibitions here in the Territory, nationally and internationally.
New funding of $150 000 a year will be made available by my government for the first regular Indigenous music touring circuit, which will give employment, as well as life skills, as musicians on the road, to a significant number of Aboriginal performers and technicians throughout the Territory.
The government is justly proud of its record of bringing major events and international class sport to the Territory. Over the next term, a strong commitment remains to continuing these efforts, to allow Territorians to be part of leading international entertainment and sporting events. $22m will be invested to build a new international sporting complex in Palmerston.
My government is committed to governing in the interests of the Territory based on the philosophy of a fair go for all. The role of parliament in a parliamentary democracy is a paramount one. It is a place where representatives of the people can freely talk, discuss and debate issues that important to the future of the Northern Territory. It has played this role throughout the 30 years of self-government. This government is committed to strengthening parliamentary democracy and will work with all Territorians towards achieving statehood.
In conclusion, honourable members, the task you have before you over the next four years is an important one. Territorians expect you to represent them and be attentive to their issues. They expect you to govern in their interests and in the interests of future generations.
I wish you well in these important deliberations.
Members: Hear, hear!
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His Honour the Administrator was led from the Chamber by the Serjeant-at-Arms.
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Madam Speaker read Prayers.
GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I advise honourable members that, on 18 August 2008, His Honour the Administrator made the following appointments of ministers of the Northern Territory:
- Paul Raymond Henderson – Chief Minister; Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services; Minister for Major Projects, Trade and Economic Development; Minister for Climate Change; Minister for Territory-Federal Relations; and Minister for Multicultural Affairs.
- Marion Rose Scrymgour – Deputy Chief Minister; Minister for Education and Training; Minister for Indigenous Policy; and Minister for Arts and Museums.
- Delia Phoebe Lawrie – Treasurer; Minister for Planning and Lands; and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.
- Christopher Bruce Burns – Minister for Justice and Attorney-General; Minister for Health; Minister for Racing, Gaming and Licensing; and Minister for Alcohol Policy.
- Konstantine Vatskalis – Minister for Business and Employment; Minister for Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources; Minister for Tourism; Minister for Asian Relations; and Minister for Defence Support.
- Daniel Robert Knight – Minister for Housing; Minister for Local Government; Minister for Essential Services; and Minister for Public Employment.
- Malarndirri Barbara Anne McCarthy – Minister for Children and Families; Minister for Child Protection; Minister for Statehood; Minister for Senior Territorians; Minister for Young Territorians; Minister for Women’s Policy; and Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Multicultural Affairs.
- Alison Anderson – Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage; Minister for Parks and Wildlife; and Minister for Central Australia.
- Karl Rio Hampton – Minister for Regional Development; Minister for Sport and Recreation; Minister for Information, Communications and Technology Policy; and Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Major Projects and Economic Development.
I also advise that the member for Karama, Ms Lawrie, is the Leader of Government Business; and the member for Fannie Bay, Mr Gunner, is the Government Whip.
Madam Speaker, I table a copy of the Administrative Arrangements Order made by His Honour the Administrator on 18 August 2008 to complement the new ministerial appointments.
OPPOSITION OFFICE HOLDERS
Mr MILLS (Opposition Leader)(by leave): Madam Speaker, the portfolio responsibilities for opposition members are as follows:
- Terrance Kennedy Mills, member for Blain: Leader of the Opposition; Shadow for Police Fire and Emergency Services; Education and Training; Territory/Federal Relations; Climate Change; and Asian Relations.
- Kezia Dorcas Tibisay Purick, member for Goyder: Deputy Leader of the Opposition; Shadow for Major Projects, Trade and Economic Development; Planning and Lands; Housing; Statehood; and Women’s Policy.
- Jodeen Terese Carney, member for Araluen: Opposition Whip; Shadow for Attorney-General and Justice; Children and Families; and Childhood Protection.
- Johan Wessel Elferink, member for Port Darwin: Manager of Opposition Business; Shadow Treasurer; Public Employment; and Essential Services.
- Matthew Escott Conlan, member for Greatorex: Shadow for Health; Central Australia; and Alcohol Policy.
- David William Tollner, member for Fong Lim: Shadow for Business and Employment; Tourism; and Defence Support.
- Adam Graham Giles, member for Braitling: Shadow for Indigenous Affairs; Infrastructure and Transport; and Regional Development.
Willem Rudolf Westra van Holthe, member for Katherine: Shadow for Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources; and Local Government;
Peter Donald Styles, member for Sanderson: Shadow for Young Territorians; Seniors; Multicultural Affairs; Racing, Gaming and Licensing; and Assisting on Disability Services.
Peter Glen Chandler, member for Brennan: Shadow for Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage; Parks and Wildlife; and Assisting the Leader of the Opposition on Education.
Ross Oscar Charles Bohlin, member for Drysdale: Shadow for Arts and Museums; Sports and Recreation; and Information, Communications and Technology Policy.
Madam SPEAKER: The sitting of the Assembly is suspended until the ringing of the bells.
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The sitting suspended.
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ELECTION OF DEPUTY SPEAKER AND CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES
The sitting suspended.
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ELECTION OF DEPUTY SPEAKER AND CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it is now necessary for the Assembly to appoint a member to be its Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees.
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I propose to the Assembly for its Chairman of Committees the member for Nhulunbuy, Ms Walker. Whilst being a newly elected member, the member for Nhulunbuy has demonstrated a steadfast commitment and work ethic to her new electorate and I am sure she will carry these same traits into this particular role.
I first met the member for Nhulunbuy some months prior to the election being called in Nhulunbuy. She immediately impressed me with her absolute total commitment to the community of Nhulunbuy. The member has lived in that community for 18 years, was a school teacher and the head of the English faculty at the high school for seven of those years, and has worked with Rio Tinto Alcan heading up the Community Relations division for the past 11 years.
The commitment by the member for Nhulunbuy to her community, the knowledge of that community, the input she has had and the understanding of it, I believe will serve her well in this important role for which she has now been proposed as Chairman of Committees and Deputy Speaker.
Madam Speaker, I believe the member for Nhulunbuy will serve the parliament well in this role. I move that the honourable member for Nhulunbuy be appointed Chairman of Committees of this Assembly.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Deputy Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I second the motion.
Madam SPEAKER: Are there any further proposals for the Deputy Speaker? There being no further proposals, the time for motions has expired. I declare the honourable member for Nhulunbuy, Ms Walker, appointed Chairman of Committees and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly.
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Honourable members, I express my sincere thanks and appreciation for the high honour you have conferred upon me.
Madam SPEAKER: I add my congratulations to you, member for Nhulunbuy, and look forward to working with you in this parliament.
MESSAGE FROM ADMINISTRATOR
Message No 1
Message No 1
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I lay on the table Message No 1 from His Honour the Administrator, advising of his consent to proposed laws passed by the Assembly during the June 2008sittings.
RESIGNATION OF MEMBER
Mrs Fay Miller, former Member for Katherine
Mrs Fay Miller, former Member for Katherine
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I table a letter of resignation from Mrs Fay Miller, resigning from the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly.
WARRANT
Deputy Chairman of Committees
Deputy Chairman of Committees
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 12, I hereby nominate the following members to act as Deputy Chairman of Committees: Mr Gerry McCarthy and Mr Michael Gunner when requested so to do by the Speaker.
Given under my hand this 9th day of September 2008.
RESPONSES TO PETITIONS
The CLERK: Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 100A, I inform honourable members that responses to petition Nos 74 and 76 have been received and circulated to honourable members.
- Petition No 74
Patient Assistance Travel Scheme
Date Presented: 29 April 2008
Presented by: Mr Conlan
Referred To: Minister for Health
Date response due: 21 August 2008
Date response received: 24 June 2008
- Response
- Petition 74 requested that the Northern Territory government continue the availability of the Patient Assistance Travel Scheme, PATS, to cancer sufferers for travel interstate, following the construction of the Radiation Oncology Unit, ROU, in Darwin. Pursuant to Standing Order 100A, I submit this response to Petition 74 for lodgement and presentation to the Assembly.
Both the Australian and NT governments are highly committed to establishing a Radiation Oncology Unit in Darwin, for all Territorians. The viability of the ROU is premised on all Territorians accessing the radiation oncology services it provides. The Barton-Frommer Report, Options for radiation oncology services in Northern Territory (2004), explicitly stated that viability is best assured if all NT cancer patients who travel interstate to use oncology services are treated in Darwin. In 2007-08, the number of oncology patients treated interstate totalled 424. Use of the ROU by all Territorians supports the establishment of local specialist services and builds the capacity for the Territory to deliver an extended range of health services into the future.
If the necessary radiotherapy cannot be provided in Darwin, patients will continue to be supported to access this interstate, with support from PATS. The Northern Territory government cannot extend cross border treatment subsidies for public patients with cancer if treatment can be provided in Darwin. Patients who wish to access facilities interstate will continue to have the option of seeking private treatment.
The PATS guidelines, as currently in place, will apply and support NT patients needing to travel to Darwin for treatment. In 2008-09, the Northern Territory government has injected $2m into the PATS budget to enable the introduction of automatic escort eligibility for patients travelling interstate for surgery and other intensive therapies; an increase in the accommodation allowance from $33 per night to $35 per night for patients and escorts; ground transport allowance of $40 per trip for patients travelling interstate; and a PATS Coordinator position based at Royal Adelaide Hospital to assist Northern Territory patients.
Further enhancements to PATS that will be introduced are recruitment of PATS Coordinators in each NT hospital to provide greater personal assistance to patients; and more assistance for patients travelling from remote areas with the private vehicle allowance payable being increased up to three patients per vehicle.
These changes represent a significant investment in PATS with the intention of supporting all Territorians to receive necessary specialist medical treatment.
- Petition No 76
Against Exploration at the Angela and Pamela Uranium Deposits
Date Presented: 20 June 2008
Presented by: Ms Anderson
Referred To: Minister for Mines and Energy
Date response due: 30 October 2008
Date response received: 5 September 2008
- Response
- Thank you for your letter of 20 June 2008 referring to Petition No 76, which opposes exploration over the Angela and Pamela uranium prospects. Detailed below is my reply.
The process for submitting objections/comments against Exploration Licence applications is outlined in the Mining Act (section 163). The Mining Act provides persons, other than owners/occupiers of the land and native title claimants, the opportunity to submit comments on the proposed grant.
The formal period for the submission of comments closed on 26 May 2008. While this deadline has passed and therefore the comments in the petition cannot be formally considered under the Mining Act, it is noted that other concerns previously received within this deadline reflect similar comments to those raised in the petition. In accordance with section 20 of the Mining Act, prior to making a final decision in respect of the application, my department is currently reviewing the comments and concerns raised.
It is important to note that the application is for exploration only. Should the applicant wish to undertake mining activities in future, they will be required to apply for a separate mineral lease, which is subject to strict Territory and Commonwealth legislative requirements.
MOTIONS
Sessional Orders – Times of Meeting of the Assembly; Broadcast and Rebroadcast of Assembly Proceedings; Luncheon and Dinner Breaks; and Parliamentary Pairs
Sessional Orders – Times of Meeting of the Assembly; Broadcast and Rebroadcast of Assembly Proceedings; Luncheon and Dinner Breaks; and Parliamentary Pairs
Ms LAWRIE (Leader of Government Business)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move the motions together as circulated to members relating to the meeting times of the Assembly, broadcasting of parliamentary proceedings, luncheon and dinner breaks, and parliamentary pairs.
Motions agreed to.
MOTION
Public Accounts Committee –
Appointment of Membership
Public Accounts Committee –
Appointment of Membership
Ms LAWRIE (Leader of Government Business)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that, notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders, during the present session of the Assembly there be six members appointed to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts: three nominated by the Chief Minister, two nominated by the Leader of the Opposition, and the Independent member; and the following members be appointed to that committee: Mr McCarthy, Ms Walker, Mr Gunner, Mr Elferink, Mr Tollner and Mr Wood, and that the committee shall elect a government member as chairman.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee-
Appointment of Membership
Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee-
Appointment of Membership
Ms LAWRIE (Leader of Government Business)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the following members be appointed to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee: Ms McCarthy, Mrs Aagaard, Mr Gunner, Ms Purick, and Mr Chandler.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee -
Terms of Reference and Continuance of Statehood Steering Committee
Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee -
Terms of Reference and Continuance of Statehood Steering Committee
Ms LAWRIE (Leader of Government Business)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that -
The Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee shall -
(a) any matter concerned with legal or constitutional issues, including law reform, parliamentary reform, administrative law, legislative review and intergovernmental relations;
3. The Northern Territory Statehood Steering Committee continues in existence with the same terms of reference adopted by resolution of the Ninth Assembly on 17 August 2004 and as amended on
24 March 2005.
4. Resolutions or business transacted by the previous Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee are taken to be the resolutions of this committee unless otherwise amended.
5. The Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee shall report to the Assembly as soon as possible after 30 June each year on its activities during the preceding financial year.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Standing Committees - Appointment of Membership
Standing Committees - Appointment of Membership
Ms LAWRIE (Leader of Government Business)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the following further Standing Committees of the Assembly be appointed with the membership below:
House Committee: Mrs Aagaard, Mr McCarthy, Ms Walker, Mr Bohlin, and Mr Westra van Holthe.
Privileges Committee: Dr Burns, Ms Lawrie, Mr Vatskalis, Ms Carney, and Mr Elferink.
Standing Orders Committee: Ms Lawrie, Mrs Aagaard, Mr Gunner, Mr Conlan, and Mr Styles.
Subordinate Legislation and Publications Committee: Mr Gunner, Mr McCarthy, Ms Walker, Mr Giles and Mr Bohlin.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Environment and Sustainable Development Committee -
Establishment, Terms of Reference and Appointment of Membership
Environment and Sustainable Development Committee -
Establishment, Terms of Reference and Appointment of Membership
Ms LAWRIE (Leader of Government Business)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that during the present session of the Assembly –
1. A Sessional Committee to be known as the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee be appointed.
Madam Speaker, I move further that during the present session of the Assembly –
1. The Environment and Sustainable Development Committee shall be empowered, unless otherwise ordered, to inquire into and from time to time report upon
and make recommendations on matters referred to it by the relevant minister or resolution of the Legislative Assembly:
(a) any matter concerned with the environment or how the quality of the environment might be protected and improved; and
2. The committee be empowered to send for persons, papers and records, to sit in public or in private session notwithstanding any adjournment of the Assembly, to
adjourn from place to place and have leave to report from time to time its proceedings and the evidence taken and make such interim recommendations as it may
deem fit, and to publish information pertaining to its activities from time to time;
previous Assemblies;
Hansard be published of such proceedings as to take place in public;
5. The committee have the power to appoint subcommittees consisting of two or more of its members and to refer to any such subcommittee any matter which the committee
is empowered to examine, and that the quorum of a subcommittee shall be two; and
6. The foregoing provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with the standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders.
Motion agreed to.
FORMER SESSIONAL COMMITTEE ON SPORT AND YOUTH
Document to be Tabled and Referred to Ministers
Document to be Tabled and Referred to Ministers
Ms LAWRIE (Leader of Government Business)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that this Assembly authorise the Committee Secretariat of the Assembly to:
(a) produce and publish the minutes of proceedings, all evidentiary materials, submissions received, records and working documents developed for the former
Sessional Committee on Sport and Youth Inquiry into the Delivery of Sporting Programs for the Territory’s Youth during the Tenth Assembly; and
Minister for Education and Training, and the Minister for Young Territorians,
- by the first sitting day in October 2008.
Motion agreed to.
ADDRESS-IN-REPLY
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have to report that I have received from His Honour the Administrator a copy of his speech.
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the following Address-in-Reply be agreed to:
- May it please your Honour, we the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory, in parliament assembled, express our loyalty to the Sovereign, and thank your Honour for the speech you have been pleased to address to the Assembly.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Deputy Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I second the motion.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, we now have the maiden speeches of the new members of parliament. It is the convention that maiden speeches are listened to in silence, with the usual courtesies.
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I recognise family and friends of the member for Nhulunbuy: the member’s husband, Lawrence; children, Zoe, Harry and Patrick; and parents, Dr Dennis Chambers and Mrs Jessie Chambers.
On behalf of honourable members I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Madam Speaker, I congratulate you on your appointment to continue as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
It is indeed an honour to stand here today as the new member for Nhulunbuy. I am humbled by the support I have received in my electorate and recognise that the needs and interests of my constituents are as diverse as they are widespread across East Arnhem Land, from the larger townships of Nhulunbuy, Galiwinku, and Yirrkala, to the small and very isolated homelands and outstations. I am acutely aware that I represent the interests of all constituents in the Nhulunbuy electorate and commit wholeheartedly to being a strong voice and advocate for them in this parliament and government.
I take this opportunity to acknowledge and pay tribute to the former member for Nhulunbuy. I have known Syd Stirling since I arrived in Nhulunbuy in 1990 as a high school teacher, and taught his children. He has given me enormous support and encouragement in my bid to be his successor. In the same way he has given dedicated service to the people of north east Arnhem Land for almost 18 years as local member, and indeed to the people of the Northern Territory.
Members: Hear, hear!
Ms WALKER: He always fought hard for his constituents, and even more so when the Labor government came to power in 2001, and he undertook the very senior roles of Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer and Attorney-General, to name a few.
Syd and I both operate from the same philosophical base of strong Labor values and a genuine sense of dedication and duty to the people of the Nhulunbuy electorate. I have certainly learned a great deal from him, but it is his tenacity and dogged belief in what is right and, more importantly, the ability to stand up and speak out for what is right. I take that on board as a new parliamentarian.
I acknowledge and thank the many people who have supported me to get here: my husband, Lawrence, for his love and unerring support, and also for his encouragement to not only join the Labor Party many years ago, but to put my hand up for pre-selection and for his unshakeable faith in the fact that I could do it; and my children, Zoe, Harry and Patrick for their support and understanding during the busy life I have always had and which is now about to become even busier.
Special thanks to my parents, Dennis and Jessie Chambers, who have travelled from Adelaide to be here today. My mother, in particular, is an absolute diehard Labor stalwart and both Mum and Dad have always instilled in my three sisters and me strong values of social justice, the importance of workers’ rights, and the overarching importance of education, as well as the need to step up and be an active member of the community in which you live. I could not have hoped for better role models or more generous and supportive parents.
I thank my fellow Nhulunbuy/Yirrkala branch members: Keogh, the two Jennys, Rick, Dave, Graeme, Leonie, Laurie, Trevor, Banambi, Denise and Sue for the support with fundraising and the multitude of jobs that go with a campaign. I thank Herc and Helen for their support and say special thanks to my dear friends, Wendy and Andy, who helped in more ways than I can possibly list here. I make special mention and thanks to Labor stalwart, Leon White, from our region, whose assistance during mobile polling, in particular, was invaluable. During our long days together on the mobile polling trail he was my cultural adviser, he was my language tutor and I enjoyed his dry wit, his musings on politics and his very lively intellect.
I thank my former employer, Rio Tinto Alcan, for the amazing opportunities they gave me during 11 years and for their understanding and support with my career move. I thank every person in our community, particularly women, who bestowed their heartfelt congratulations and support on news of my pre-selection and election.
Madam Speaker, to be honest, I never imagined I would find myself here in this role and it is difficult to pinpoint when it exactly was that I aspired to politics. What I can say is that my belief in the Labor Party and what it stands for has always been rock solid.
As a teenager growing up in rural South Australia, in what was a very safe blue ribbon Liberal seat at both state and federal level, I will never forget the day in 1975 when Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was sacked. I was a student in Year 8 at Clare High School at that time and the lesson we received on that day from our Year 8 Social Studies teacher, Dennis Crisp, who happened to be the local Labor candidate, was one I will never forget. In my final year of school I studied Australian history and my history teacher was the next Labor candidate - Alan Reid was his name. He led us through a very memorable year, including, what for me, were two eye opening units of study - the Labor Movement and Aboriginal Australia. In the space of a few months I had learnt about the grassroots establishment and emergence of the Labor Party as well as the impact on Aboriginal society of the colonisation of Australia. Those early influences, as well as my upbringing, instilled in me a strong sense of social justice for all Australians. And here I am, nearly 30 years after completing school, standing on the floor of the Legislative Assembly and as a member of government.
As a local member my allegiance lies not only with the Chief Minister and my Caucus colleagues, but with the people of my electorate, where there is so much do be done. Fifty per cent of the electorate is Indigenous or of Indigenous origin. In my visits to the many communities dotted across north-east Arnhem Land I have, by and large, been warmly greeted by Yolngu people who have spoken with honesty about life in their community, and I have been struck by some of their very profound observations about what various governments have or have not done for them.
I can say with some confidence, and polling results will reflect this, that there is a strong recognition of the Labor brand and what it means to Indigenous people and the trust they place in it. That trust is something which must be respected, earned, and never taken for granted.
Almost four weeks ago, on Thursday, 14 August, the 45th anniversary of the presentation of the Yirrkala Bark Petition to the federal government was commemorated. The petition was signed in 1963 by 12 representatives of the clan groups of Yirrkala. The petition, as far as the Yolngu owners were concerned, delivered a clear statement within their laws making plain their rightful ownership of the land and sea country and contested the federal government’s legal right to excise land on the Gove Peninsula for mineral exploration.
A special lease to enable the establishment of the Nabalco Bauxite Mine and alumina processing refinery was challenged by the traditional owners in 1971. It was a devastating time for them to discover that their claim to ownership of the land was not recognised, and the construction of a mining venture and a town for some 4000 people proceeded against their wishes.
On 30 July this year, just two weeks before the commemoration of the Bark Petition, it was welcome and significant news to Yolngu people that the High Court of Australia had recognised the long-disputed sea rights ownership of the Blue Mud Bay case. A few days after that news was delivered during mobile polling I stood on the very shores of Blue Mud Bay at the community of Yilpara where this news was greeted with great joy and a dignified and proud sense of justice - albeit long awaited.
Of course, this decision impacts not only on the traditional owners of Blue Mud Bay, but gives recognition of ownership of the inter-tidal zone for 80% of the Northern Territory coastline which adjoins Aboriginal land. While it gives traditional owners rightful ownership to sea country, which is so important as part of their culture and connection to country, it provides them with some confidence about their future economic opportunities and self-determination.
In statements issued by Chief Minister Paul Henderson, the Northern Land Council and those representing the interests of commercial and recreation fishermen, I get a strong sense of the willingness of all parties to work together in order to strike a workable balance of access and protection. Indeed, as the NLC Chairman and Yirrkala senior man, Mr Wali Wunungmurra has stated:
- A negotiated outcome will mean that traditional owners around the Northern Territory’s coastline can jointly participate in the management and development of a sustainable fishing industry - including the protection of fishing stocks, protection of sacred sites, and participation in enterprises. Traditional owners have developed a constructive relationship with commercial and recreational fishing representatives over the last year, and the NLC looks forward to continuing that relationship and obtaining a win/win outcome for all Territorians.
Madam Speaker, if there is one thing I am sure my fellow members will agree on, irrespective of which side of the Chamber you are seated, the Northern Territory faces unique challenges in delivering services and providing and maintaining infrastructure like no other state or territory in Australia. Outside of far-spaced regional centres, we have pockets of sparse populations across a vast land mass. The tyranny of distance is something very real for all of us, but none so more than in my electorate.
For five to six Wet Season months of the year, the township of Nhulunbuy is cut off entirely and the only access is by air or sea. At least those of us who reside in the township of Nhulunbuy still have access to services and retail outlets, but for constituents in homeland communities, become even more geographically isolated.
I am a firm believer in the strength of the homelands movement that connects Yolngu with traditional lands, and will do everything I can to support the development and implementation of a homelands policy in the Northern Territory since the former Liberal federal government’s return of this responsibility to the Northern Territory in 2007. In plain terms, it makes better sense that administration and funding of homelands be directed from within the Northern Territory. It is the Northern Territory government which best knows the needs of Territorians.
I just add, while I talk about governance at federal versus Territory level, that I fully support the Territory’s move towards statehood. Statehood for the Territory is the next logical step in our constitutional development. It is a glaring anomaly that the Territory and its people have unequal status compared with the other six states in this federation. While the Northern Territory has had self-government since 1974, the NT is ultimately subject to the legislative control of the Commonwealth, meaning that we do not have the same level of constitutional rights as other Australians, and this is simply wrong.
While these matters will be addressed in the next year or two, there are some more pressing matters in my electorate which require more immediate support: availability of housing, regional development, and access to timely and affordable freight services.
The availability of affordable housing in and around Nhulunbuy is problematic. The Northern Territory government and Rio Tinto Alcan must work together to ensure the release of serviced land in order to meet demand for housing which is affordable for government and local business operators. Local businesses have certainly found it tough in the past few years with a tight rental market sending prices high, making it difficult and costly to house employees. It is a serious impediment for attraction and retention of workers in our community.
I look forward to working with Rob Knight, who is now Housing minister, a portfolio which marries well with his responsibility for Local Government, and on that level we have seen good progress for the roll-out of the East Arnhem Shire. Change is always a difficult thing to manage. However, in spite of some setbacks, the transition from community government councils to the shire will succeed in delivering better and more efficient services to people. I am confident once the 12 representatives from the four wards of the East Arnhem area have been elected in October, there will be a stronger sense of ownership in the process and an understanding of how the shire functions and delivers.
The joint initiatives of the federal and Northern Territory governments around closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage will see very welcome resources continue to pour into the East Arnhem region. The commitment to invest millions of dollars in housing is welcome news for my electorate where chronic overcrowding creates dysfunction for communities, families and individuals, and impacts negatively on health and education outcomes.
As a former educator, I know only too well the importance and value of education and knowledge in empowering individuals and communities. As a government, it is our responsibility to do everything we can to see that children are given every opportunity to learn and grow. For Indigenous children this means in a culturally sensitive and supportive environment. Importantly, as part of this process, we must also value and recognise the role that teachers play. In particular, I acknowledge the role of teachers in Yirrkala and Marrthakal homelands who travel constantly to remote classrooms, often camp overnight in their swags and work alongside Yolgnu teachers to deliver the best outcomes they possibly can to Yolgnu children.
I am extremely privileged to live in the community of north-east Arnhem Land, on Yolgnu land, with some of the most spectacular landscapes and coastline one could ever hope to see. My three children are perhaps too young to realise just how fortunate they are to have been born and raised in Nhulunbuy. Lawrence and I were married there just over 16 years ago and it is so much our home. I have such a strong attachment to the Territory and Nhulunbuy and its people. I arrived in the NT as a graduate teacher in 1987, thinking I would just do a couple of years and, like so many people, have stayed much longer than I ever intended. It has, indeed, been a place of incredible opportunity.
Nhulunbuy is a community of doers, of generous and big hearted people, and what is particularly impressive is the community’s ability to work collectively to address community issues. One of the best examples to highlight this is the work of the local Harmony Group which, after four years of working together, introduced a takeaway liquor permit system in March of this year. The new system addresses head-on the negative impacts of antisocial issues and everything that goes with it in relation to alcohol abuse. Statistics to date are extremely encouraging. Since the introduction of permits in March, Gove District Hospital has seen a dramatic reduction in the number of people presenting with alcohol-related cases and, for Nhulunbuy police, an even more dramatic reduction in police lock-ups. Since March of this year, 79% fewer people have been taken into protective custody as a result of alcohol abuse.
While there were many people who contributed to this result, I wish to acknowledge the vital and pivotal role played by the late Dr Marika, who passed away in May this year. She was a dedicated, passionate and vocal advocate for her people. Hers was the first of three signatures on a letter dated 14 November 2004. The letter was a plea to community and government leaders seeking their support to join with Yolgnu people to address the problems of alcohol abuse and, specifically, to curtail the sale of takeaway liquor in order to do this.
In the letter, which was in Yolngu Matha, and translated paragraph by paragraph into English by Dr Marika who, amongst her many talents, was also a talented linguist, it stated:
- We want you to help us by putting in place a strong law so that our people are supported and can change and again become clean, responsible, motivated and strong - not social outcasts. Besides, not all Yolngu are like drinkers, and we do not want to be stereotyped as though we are all like them.
Madam Speaker, in closing, I wish to reiterate how privileged I feel to be here in the Northern Territory parliament and am extremely proud to be one of six women in government. That three of the six are Indigenous women is something that we should all be proud of. I give my commitment to this parliament, and the people of my electorate, that I will work as hard as I can to do the very best that I can as the new member for Nhulunbuy.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of friends and family of the member for Goyder: the member’s sister, Melissa and her husband Steve; her sisters, Plaxy and Thisbe, and niece, Bryony, and friends Lisa Victor and Betty Oram. On behalf of all honourable members I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Speaker, I am delighted and honoured to stand here today as the elected representative for the people of Goyder. They have placed their trust in me to deliver strong and honest representation. I am acutely aware of this responsibility and will work diligently at meeting their aspirations and needs.
The people of the rural area are a good bunch and come in all shades, all mixes, all ages and sizes. They are a colourful lot, perhaps a bit too colourful at times, but all well meaning and hard-working people. Some have been in the rural area for over 30 years and some are newcomers who have chased the dream of owning a piece of bush and wanting to live away from the hustle and bustle of built up town areas. That busy life style might be good for some people, but rural people enjoy their space and their privacy, and do not want too much regulation. Some go the rustic path and live simply, and others build houses of architectural splendour.
There are many businesses that are run from home, and there are many innovative and clever business concepts. Most, if not everyone, owns a dog, some have a horse, there is the occasional buffalo and of course, the ubiquitous chooks are everywhere. Many enjoy a coldie at the end of the day and often I met people who were gardening, repairing cars, installing irrigation or just plain old weeding. There were plenty of bikes, two wheeled and four wheeled, always with children and many an elderly person who wanted to chat and talk over old times. As elsewhere in the Territory, there are loads of sporting and school activities, community events and church groups.
The markets are small, but there are many specially made local products. The seniors or the elderly people get together regularly at bowls, craft guilds and poetry days. It is not just the elderly who attend these events - it is people of all ages. There are no barriers in the rural area, just people who want to get on with their lives and enjoy their lifestyle with family and friends and share the community spirit.
Combining these issues and activities made campaigning an interesting experience, and given the short campaign and the size of the electorate, it would not have been possible to do as much as I did without the support of my family, friends and loved ones. It was only during the campaign that I was really pleased that my mother had had so many children as the workload was spread across them all. I thank my sister, Melissa and her husband, Steve; Plaxy and her daughter Bryony; sister, Thisbe, and, of course, my mother, Noel Padgham, who played an integral role in shaping Territory politics and our way of life in the rural area - a way of life I intend to protect, preserve and promote.
My niece, Millicent, is in England, but she, too, lent a hand by designing my Face Book, which many know is one of the communication tools that young people today use. My brothers, Peregrine and Gervase, live in Perth but that did not get them out of jobs in the campaign.
My campaign team was small but hardworking, and I place on the record now my sincere appreciation to Lisa Victor, Lorna Woods, Ambrose Nichols-Skene, Betty Oram and Joy Kuhl who walked the roads with me and provided backup safety and company. Also thanks to Bobby and Bill Bacon, and Meredith Robson who also did a lot for me during my campaign.
I have a friend, Marian Wilson, who lives in Adelaide. She didn’t want to do a postal vote, so she came to Darwin especially to do her voting and also to help me in my campaign, and she brought her dog.
Special thanks to Eddie Vries who is in the gallery today, who accompanied me on the rural roadsides at 6.30 in the morning; and to Fred Finch and his family for all their support and encouragement.
The support and encouragement from the party should not be underestimated, either. My thanks to all the party people who gave their time so generously. Of course, and by no means least, a big thank you to the many people in the electorate and beyond who provided words of encouragement throughout the campaign.
It is from this support of my family and friends that I draw strength, commitment and drive and will use these attributes and qualities in my work as a local member. I come from a background of a small family unit where the family works together, plays together, fights together, but sticks together. We were taught respect and consideration of other people and property. We were taught the value of education and how to work with other people’s ideas. The great moral qualities - courage, perseverance, endurance and self-reliance - were learned by the aid of discipline. We were taught to stand up for our rights, even if it meant fighting a seemingly bigger force, such as government, which my parents did on many occasions and continue to do today. While respectful of teachers and lecturers, we were not afraid to challenge them and to seek justice if a wrong had been done.
Growing up in the rural area taught us to look after ourselves and, when needed, to look after the neighbours. There was, and is, a sense of community pride and if a neighbour is in trouble, you helped, as next fire season you may need their help. They say good fences make good neighbours, and this applies in the rural area only too well, perhaps more to keep your neighbour’s goats out than any other reason.
History has played a big part in my family’s lives and the stories of yesteryear are kept alive by storytelling today. From Europe in war times, to outback Western Australia, to building the hydro scheme in Tasmania, to travelling to Darwin in 1959 in an FX Holden Series 2 with family and animals. So much of what makes us today comes from our history and we should respect it more than we sometimes do.
Sometimes, I believe that society lacks a sense of history, and this is a little sad as we can learn so much from our past. Memories are becoming shorter and we need to capture what was old Darwin town before it is gone forever. We need to recognise more the work of those people who made Darwin special, in particular those who opened up the rural area and who are pioneers in their field of work or community commitment. We owe the elders and the old people a vast debt of gratitude as they compensated the lack of material resources by energy and a proud spirit.
People in the rural area, like all Territorians, share a number of goals for our community: good economic growth and prosperity, low unemployment, a fair go for all, individual freedom, a safe and clean environment, efficient and effective health services, and respect for basic values. Much of this falls within the role and work of the government and there is a view that the government just cannot get it right. Whether this is accurate or not is academic. It is the perception of the people in the rural area that government is not hitting the mark. There seems also to be an increasing level of disillusionment with government’s politicians, and an increasing mistrust of government. It is not seen as open, honest or accountable to the people. It seems that in today’s world politicians are not keeping up, or measuring up, to community’s expectations or standards. Only recently there have been glaring examples from Western Australia and New South Wales where the people showed they did not trust their governments. However, on the contrary side, many people have a very high regard for their own elected representative.
As a consequence of this mood in the community I was asked frequently why in the world I would want to go into politics. Some of the questions were flowered with more colourful language which I cannot repeat in this Chamber, but the sentiment was the same.
My answer was short and to the point: I want to put something back into the Territory and the community that has looked after me and my family well. I want to be able to dispel the myths surrounding the work of parliamentarians or politicians, and bring assistance to those who, perhaps, do not have the fight in them, or the resources, to tackle some of the issues and problems of today’s world. I want to work with young people to get them motivated and inspired to further their studies in any field that will keep them here and not lose them to the southern educational institutions.
To effect change, one has to be prepared to be part of change and to drive change. The Territory, in particular the rural area, has undergone enormous change, not always in the best interest of its people or community. While some decisions of government claim to be good for the community, clearly they are not. A case in point was the forced shire amalgamations, where the people of the Litchfield Shire clearly articulated their views, resulting in a dramatic turnaround by government.
As Darwin and its hinterlands expand and grow, more pressure will be applied to the rural area for delivery of services in health, education, sports, the arts, and business. Development of existing large private blocks of land will present planning issues, together with the delivery of power, sewerage and water supply in the near future. We need to ensure that we follow the principles of sustainable development properly so the environment is protected for future generations. There needs to be a balance between development and protection of the environment, and we need to ensure that the community is consulted and has a say in planning and development proposals.
The rural area is a food bowl for Darwin and beyond, but little recognition is given to this important fact, and the future of those industries. The extractive industries, by the nature of the products, need to be close to their markets but, again, little planning appears to have been done in regard to the future of those industries. While there has been much focus on Darwin and the surrounds in terms of lifestyle and recreational activities, health and associated community services, the rural area has been overlooked and under-appreciated. Some may like being left alone, but it is more an issue of fairness and equity. That is what I will be fighting for in my electorate.
The rural area needs better health services, particularly for the aged, improvements in the delivery of ambulance services, and additional police personnel. The road infrastructure, once the talk of the country, is now in a sad state of disrepair and one of the contributors, sadly, to our road accidents and fatalities. There needs to be a better working relationship between shire councils, NT government, and the Commonwealth so that adequate road funding is allocated - and allocated fairly.
The serious issue of safety, law and order is uppermost in everyone’s mind. I know from growing up here that the level and nature of violence has escalated over the last 10 years. There seems to be a disregard for the law and disrespect for people and property. While many of us in the rural area feel safe on our properties, it has not been without cost. My observations during the campaign were that the fences were higher and sturdier, the chains and padlocks bigger, and the number of dogs per block greater than 10 years ago. We need to have a pragmatic and responsible solution to law and order, and we need penalties that fit the crime. The cost to society from crime cannot be tolerated anymore, and we all need to act decisively and firmly.
Some people here will know of my employment history, in particular the 16 years I worked with the Minerals Council. It was during this time that I learned the importance of proper and real consultation with the community, or industry, as the case may have been. Consultation means listening and understanding a viewpoint, and giving a person or group the opportunity to have a proper say. While all comments and arguments may not be taken on board in the final decisions, it is the opportunity to be heard that is so important to good processes of governance. Too often, industry and community groups were either ignored by government or receive token consultation, knowing that the decisions had been made already.
I value the work of industry, non-government organisations, community, recreation and sporting groups as representative bodies, and believe that they are a valuable part of our community. Their contributions should not be underestimated as they are the voice of so many people.
In the early days of my work with the Minerals Council, some important people helped me and guided me through the maze of minerals industry issues and politics, and taught me what true leadership is all about. They were true champions for the industry and never let politics get in the way of what was right and best for the industry and for the Territory. They were honourable and decent people, and I would like to acknowledge them today: Grant Watt, Alan Wright, Geoff Eupene and Joe Fisher. They believed in the industry and the Territory, and were not influenced by the sometimes pettiness of individual personalities with private agendas.
Finally, I acknowledge one last person; and that is my father, Phillip Purich, who died on this day, nine years ago. Parents prepare you for many things in your life, but they can never prepare you for when they are longer in your life. Not a day goes by when I do not think of him and what he meant to me and my siblings. Each of us carved our own special relationship with our father, and mine was him teaching me about the stars, working on the farm, and giving me strong support in my interest in the minerals industry and politics. I know both he and my mother would be proud to have been here, particularly my father, as he believed in me and in the Territory.
Madam Speaker, my work in this parliament and in the electorate will be inspired by my family and my loved ones. I hope I do them proud.
Members: Hear, Hear!
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of family and friends of the member for Fannie Bay. I particularly recognise the mother of the member for Fannie Bay, Mrs Jane Gunner; Mr James Docherty, Ms Margie Smithhurst, Ms Kate Densmore, Ms Rebecca Gunner, Mr Tom Gunner, Ms Ava Neve, Mrs Kathy and Mr Tom Ganley, Ms Sam Parkinson, Ms Erin Grace and Mr Chris Grace. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Mr GUNNER (Fannie Bay): Madam Speaker, it is a great honour to stand here before you today and address this Chamber as the new member for Fannie Bay. I first extend my thanks and gratitude to the people of the Fannie Bay electorate. The election was close, it was hard fought, but the support and encouragement I received from people right across my electorate in Stuart Park, Parap and Fannie Bay was amazing, and it was humbling. For those people who did not vote Labor this time, I will work as hard as I can to ensure the things that matter to you and your families will be the things that matter me.
I also take this opportunity to thank the best campaign team in the country. To all those people, to my family and friends, and to my supporters, you did an incredible job. You not only worked long and hard and showed admirable patience, but you did a great job in keeping me sane and focused and, importantly, you kept a smile on my face. Thank you to you all.
I said I felt humbled by the support I received on 9 August and my election to the Northern Territory parliament, that is because, in this Chamber, we are more than just individuals. We are the sum of our electorates, we are the people we represent and we are their advocates. We are part of the continuum, part of the rich tradition of members who have gone before us and who have, in their own way, helped shape the communities in which we live. We are especially lucky in the Territory. The size of our electorates provides an immediacy and an intimacy to politics that is only healthy for democracy. It places the onus on all local members to be accessible; it requires us all to be approachable. Some like to call this grassroots politics - I call it accountable politics. We must have an open office door and we must have open minds in order to respond to the needs of the people we represent and to their communities. That is what I intend to do for the people of Fannie Bay, Parap and Stuart Park.
I passionately believe that meeting with people, and talking to people about the issues that are important to them is one of the best and most critical parts of my job. Meeting people is something I love doing, that is one reason I said yes when Clare asked me to stand for Fannie Bay. It is one reason why, from the moment I was preselected in May, I took to the streets and visited nearly every home in the electorate. The people I met and the issues and ideas they talked to me about will stand me in good stead when it comes to charting a course for the electorate.
Despite my best efforts, I will not be the perfect local member. That is not possible. We cannot be all things to all people. Sometimes hard decisions will need to be made but I make this pledge to the people of Fannie Bay, Parap and Stuart Park: I will always be available to listen to the issues and concerns that matter to you and your families. Wherever possible I will act on your behalf to address those issues and concerns. I will represent you and the electorate of Fannie Bay to the very best of my ability in the Territory parliament.
I will be a proud ambassador for the Northern Territory because I want the Territory to be the best place it can be, which is, of course, the best place in Australia.
I am a proud fourth generation Territorian and I am proud of my heritage. My great grandfather, Con Perry, and his wife, Nell, made Tennant Creek their home in the early 1930s. It is in many ways a story typical of many of our early pioneers. Con, like so many Territorians, came here from another part of the world. He was born in Tbilisi, Georgia in November 1900. His name was Khan Pera but when he arrived in Australia, he anglicised it to Con Perry - not quite as exotic, but circumstances demanded a changed. He was a White Russian who fled the country after the Revolution, and the Civil War that followed, sometime in the early 1920s.
Like so many early pioneers, Con was self-made. He was one of the first pioneers of Tennant Creek when gold was discovered. He was an industrious prospector but, more importantly, an adept entrepreneur and quickly realised the lure of gold was the undoing of many. Poor prospectors were everywhere, so he turned his mind and devoted his energy to ventures that served those who were converging on the place. Members of this House would know that servicing our resource sector continues to be one of the Territory’s best and most valuable industries. Con was ahead of his time.
It was also about more than just self-enterprise; Tennant was his home but was a community held back by a lack of water. Initially, water had to be pumped from the creek itself, now known as the Seven Mile, sold by the gallon. My great grandfather changed all that by discovering the first permanent water supply out at Cabbage Gum Bore, a huge reserve of quality bore water. This was perhaps his greatest legacy and his greatest contribution to the town of Tennant Creek.
Nell, my great grandmother was a fine woman who bought a touch of class to the goldfields. No matter how hot, dusty or fly-ridden it was, she always wore stockings, gloves and a hat. Like so many others, she was a city girl wooed to the Territory. Every now and then she needed a ‘city fix’ and she would pack up the kids and head to Adelaide. She always came back because she loved Con and because she knew he loved the Territory. Con was a true Territory pioneer and a bit of a hero in our family.
My dad was born in Tennant and I was born in Alice. I grew up in the Territory, often in public housing. I attended numerous schools, both public and private, up and down the track. Eventually I discovered Darwin. I fell in love with the place and have made it my home for the past 20 years. I have watched Darwin change and grow in that time to become, I believe, one of our most cosmopolitan and compelling cities. Anyone who has lived here, or has visited Darwin regularly, especially in the last decade, would have seen the city change before their eyes. We have now established ourselves as Australia’s gateway to Asia and, in recent years, we have evolved into Asia’s gateway to Australia’s southern states.
Our economy is strong, one of the strongest in the nation. Our lifestyle is second to none and our diverse population, the youngest population in the nation, continues to grow. The majority of people who move to the Territory fall in love with this place, with its lifestyle and with its people. By and large, the people who are most likely to invest here, to build here and raise and educate their children here are those who were raised here themselves, those with a history in this place.
Like so many others, I had many friends who left the Territory as I grew up. In fact, my schooling was punctuated by a seemingly endless stream of farewells. It is a trend I want to reverse, not now for personal reasons, although losing friends is never easy, but for the long-term wellbeing of the Territory. We need to retain our people.
That is why I have a passion for the policies that will allow us to do just that – keep people here and grow our population. I am talking about better educational options for our young people, better housing solutions, better health outcomes, increased investment in our great Territory lifestyle, and even more job opportunities for Territorians. These are the issues that are important to me and important to Territory families.
Author, Aaron Sorkin, one of my favourite authors, wrote:
- If fidelity to freedom of democracy is the code of our civic religion then surely the code of our humanity is faithful service to that unwritten commandment that says we shall give our children better than we ourselves received.
They are inspirational words and a reminder that the health and wellbeing of Territory children and their ability to fulfil their potential in life and be the best they can be, must always be paramount. That is why I entered politics and that is why I want to be the member for Fannie Bay.
It is our challenge to ensure that Territorians are given the opportunities they deserve because, quite frankly, we need them to stay. Let me tell you, one of the best things about Fannie Bay, Parap and Stuart Park is the fact that so many of our residents have been here for such a long time and that breeds an amazing sense of community.
It is in these suburbs that you see the benefits of a stable community, of people working together to create a better place to live and a better future, a future that has often been shaped by the members for Fannie Bay. Indeed, the past two members have been Chief Ministers. They were good high achieving local members, and the reason is because the people they represent, the people I represent now, have always had the long-term interest of their communities at heart.
Clare Martin was an excellent local member. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with her over the years. Anyone who knows Clare knows she has an enduring passion for the Territory and for the electorate of Fannie Bay - and that is a contribution none of us will forget. She left the electorate a better place than she found it. I intend to do the same. We have a plan to make Fannie Bay, Parap and Stuart Park even better places to live, work and raise a family.
As I have said previously, one of our biggest challenges is home ownership. If we want to retain our people, if we want our kids to stay in the Territory when they finish school, if we want to see more long-term Territorians, then home ownership is the key, because if you own your own home you are more likely to stay here. At the moment, the Territory has the lowest home ownership rate in the country and while the transient nature of our population has much to do with that, we are nevertheless taking action through initiatives such as HomeNorth. I am proud to say the electorate of Fannie Bay is leading the way when it comes to new, affordable housing.
The site of the Wirrina Flats, the units on the corner of Gregory Street and Parap Road, next to the Parap Shopping Village, will see the first mixed public/private housing development, a development with an affordable housing component. The Wirrina Flats are old and past their use by date, they are no longer appropriate and they need to go. They are no longer an appropriate place for people to live. This new development recognises the emerging needs in Darwin, the need for more affordable housing, for more seniors’ housing, and for better public housing.
We all know that high density public housing creates problems for the tenants, neighbours and businesses, and we know that in an area of 100% renters often leads to break down in the body corporate. People who own their own home are more likely to care about what lies outside their front stoop. We want to create a better living environment for all tenants, neighbours and businesses.
Parap now has among the highest number of public housing tenants in Darwin and this will remain the case after the redevelopment. Redeveloping Wirrina is the first stage in our housing plan for Parap. I recently talked to the new Housing minister on a tour of Parap Road and I can confirm that Wirrina will be knocked down next year. In the meantime, Territory Housing tenancy managers will be working with tenants to find them new homes. The proceeds from the Wirrina redevelopment will be invested in upgrading 10 Parap Road and the Drysdale and Somerville Gardens townhouses.
Another exciting housing initiative in Parap is the rebuilding of Pitscheneder Court rebuilt as a seniors’ village. This development is in addition to the seniors’ village already built at Kurringal and, as members would know, we have released the old Waratahs Oval to Southern Cross Care for a residential aged-care facility and retirement village. The Fannie Bay electorate has the highest number of seniors in the Territory - over 1000 - and we know that seniors make up the longest wait list for Territory housing. That is why these new developments are so important, they will give our seniors the option of remaining in their communities as their needs and circumstances change. If they can stay in the Territory and stay in the great electorate of Fannie Bay it is more likely their children and their grandchildren will also stay here. This is community building in action.
Education is something all families consider when making a commitment to a place - good schools, good teachers, a happy and healthy environment. These are the things parents want for their children. We are very fortunate the schools which service our electorate - Parap Primary, Stuart Park Primary, Darwin High School and the new Darwin Middle School - are high-quality institutions and are a factor in keeping many families living in these suburbs for many generations. I saw that with my own eyes at the many events I have attended to celebrate Parap Primary’s 50th anniversary. I met mums and dads who attended the school and who are so proud their kids are there too. A great example is John Anictomatis, our former Administrator, one of the original Parap Primary students who, this year, took his grandson, John, for his very first day at Parap Primary.
A Territory education is unique in many ways. Students emerge from their time at school with a more mature, well-rounded view of the world, because in every classroom you have students of every colour, class and creed. A good example is Stuart Park, where we now have many Korean, Indonesian and Filipino students, as well as Greek and Chinese. These are the new and diverse next generation of Territorians.
However, not everything that is generational is good. Our electorate has had a long-term problem with antisocial behaviour and our government is taking action on a number of fronts. This includes new first response patrols, a better Night Patrol, and more police on the beat. Locally, we also have a plan. I have already spoken of better public housing taking the pressure off antisocial behaviour hotspots. We are investing in a Parap police beat at the Parap Shopping Village which will also service Stuart Park and Fannie Bay. It will have two police officers, an auxiliary officer, and a patrol car. I have often spoken with Manuel Kotis from the supermarket at Fannie Bay about the problems that sometimes occur in Aviators Park and Ken Waters Park. I believe the new police beat will mean quicker response times, and I am confident that will result in fewer incidents, better parks, and a better shopping experience. This investment, though, is about more than tackling antisocial behaviour and other law and order issues; it is about making an investment that will give people the confidence and the impetus to invest in our electorate.
Before the election, I spoke with many Parap traders including the President of the Parap Village Traders Association, Ken Laughton, about the future direction of the village. These business people have often talked about new and exciting ways they can use the shopping village plaza and footpaths, especially in the evenings. However, it is fair to say there has been a reluctance to invest in outdoor dining and other opportunities in the village because of concerns about antisocial behaviour. I believe to open up the Parap Shopping Village to after-hours dining, exhibitions, evening markets and more, will be to open up our suburb to a lifestyle that captures the very essence of Darwin. We have a climate that allows us amazing opportunities. I am determined that forward-thinking business people of my electorate have a chance to make the most of these opportunities.
A refreshed Parap Shopping Village would add a whole new dimension to the lifestyle we enjoy in my electorate, from the Parap Markets to sunsets at one of our many great clubs, from early morning walks along East Point, to throwing in a line off the cliffs, there is so much you can do in the Fannie Bay electorate. That is why I moved into Hudson Fysh Avenue in the first place. I am determined to work with the community to make it an even better place to live - not just for today or tomorrow, but for our children to enjoy in years and decades ahead - with an opportunity to plan for a future that protects what is best about this place, and to make what is best even better.
That is why we are investing in Darwin’s wonderful outdoor lifestyle. We have a plan for our city to live and breathe, a city surrounded by parkland, by ribbons of green that connect the CBD to our suburbs - in short, more parks. We will make it even easier for people to get around our city: free buses for students and seniors, and better bike paths for pedestrians and cyclists. The ribbons of green will start with a $6m investment in Flagstaff Park at Myilly Point. This will be followed by a new corridor of green through the old Tank Farm between Stuart Park and the CBD. We will significantly extend our boardwalks to open up our harbour for even more people to enjoy.
These landmark initiatives are all about liveability, about preserving those qualities which convinced generations of families in my electorate that this was the best place to live and raise a family. They are qualities that will convince others to make Darwin their home.
Madam Speaker, in closing, I once again thank the people of the Fannie Bay electorate for putting their faith in me. I will serve you to the best of my ability. I will work hard to make Parap, Fannie Bay and Stuart Park even better places to live, work and raise a family.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Statement by Speaker
Mobile Telephones and Photography
Statement by Speaker
Mobile Telephones and Photography
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I remind you that mobile phones are not allowed in the Chamber. I ask guests to ensure their mobile phones are turned off at all times, and no photography is allowed in the Chamber.
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of two former members of the Legislative Assembly, Ms Dawn Lawrie, the former member for Nightcliff and the mother of the Treasurer; and the former member for Port Darwin, Ms Sue Carter. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr MILLS: Madam Speaker, the former member for Millner is up there. He is feeling a bit left out.
Madam SPEAKER: My apologies. Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Mr Phil Mitchell, the former member for Millner, who I did not see. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the former member for Katherine, Mrs Fay Miller. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I recognise the family and friends of the member for Braitling: Mrs Tamara Giles, the wife of the member and his daughter, Tahlia Giles, and the members’ parents, Mrs Jan Giles and Mr Jim Giles. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Mr GILES (Braitling): Madam Speaker, as I stand here today I think of the journey that has led me to this place, of the history, both ancient and shared, that forms the building blocks of this place. I reflect strongly on the nature of our community and acknowledge how far this nation, this great Territory, has come. In acknowledging that progress, I think back to what the land must have been like all those years ago before settlement, and imagine the owners of this country watching its new arrivals with great interest and trepidation.
I want to recognise the traditional owners, the Larrakia people from this Larrakia Nation, and pay tribute to all they have given and all they have shared with so many of us. I want to pay my respects to those who have long gone and thank the owners for allowing us to stand on the land we are on today, and we will stand on into the future.
I thank Koolpinyah Barnes and the Kenbi Dancers for their lovely Welcome to Country this morning. I also congratulate the Chief Minister and the Labor Party on their successful election campaign, but I do so with a word of caution: you must take responsibility and you must take real action - real, meaningful and deliberate action. I stand ready to support you in taking the action necessary to ensure the ongoing development of the Territory. I also stand ready to hold you to account when you fail to meet your obligations to the people of Braitling.
The people of Braitling, of Alice Springs, of the Territory, and those visitors here today will be asking themselves who is Adam Giles. While imperfection may taint the transmission of my thoughts to words today, there is nothing that will taint my steely determination for change. It is this determination that underpins my actions and will drive both my deeds and my intent in all I do while a member of this place and beyond. I do not come here merely to fill a seat, to be a number. I am here to effect change and no matter what side of the Chamber I sit during my stay, every day affords an opportunity to effect that change.
If life is an unwritten book of possibilities, then politics is the art of the possible. I will come back to that in a moment.
I do not deny that my heritage provides a pillar for the foundations of my beliefs and actions. I also do not deny I have a lifetime more of learning, especially in respect to my culture, both black and white. Be there no doubt that I will be seeking action on Indigenous issues. It is a matter on which I intend to be heard during my time in parliament.
Before I talk about specific issues, let me tell you a little about how I came here.
Not having enough sheets of toilet paper on the roll and the soap being too small was my introduction to politics as Dad and I sat around the dinner table and he detailed why he would have to go on strike tomorrow. It was an early age, maybe around eight or so. My father, Robert Graham Romer, was a union man, an activist and a fighter for the BLF, but an all round top bloke who undoubtedly will be turning in his grave knowing I am on the other side of politics today. I have no doubt of the overwhelming pride he would have in me. He was a man who gave me character, larrikinism, intellect and intent. He was hard as nails, but only when he had to be. I love him and miss him. Next month will be 20 years since his passing.
Though the issues of toilet paper and soap may seem frivolous, they contribute to the values instilled in me at an early age: the need to fight for the rights of workers, their families, their parents, and their children. Dad was born to Nanni or Lois Rutley, a Gamilaroi woman born in the Pilliga scrub. She was here in Darwin just a few weeks ago and I know she is thinking of me today. History has taught us much about the injustices committed against Aboriginal women in the past; for these reasons I have never met my grandfather on my Dad’s side.
My mother, Jan Giles, was not from a broken family and we frequently visited Nanna and Pa for a weekend lunch. The love from Nanna to Mum was a strong bond and I am lucky the same bond has flowed from my mother to me. Mum is sitting here today and, although I do not always have the time to talk to her, she knows I love and care for her.
Growing up, I lived in a family fulfilling the great Aussie dream - buying a house, sharing it with my brother, Brent, and spending time with my family whenever possible. I lived in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales about 50 km from Sydney, but far enough away not to be considered part of Sydney - or not then, anyway.
I understood the need to work to pay the bills and the pressures that came with it. I still remember the stories of Mum and Dad eating packets of soup for weeks on end because, after the bills were paid, they could not afford to eat. We all make sacrifices to reach for the greater good.
Much criticism is voiced in today’s society about materialism, without the want to improve one’s wellbeing, we not only lose the need to create new technologies, but we lose the sense of hope and purpose, and reason for going on.
My stepfather, Jim Giles, Dad, moved in a couple of years after Mum and Dad split, when II was still young. He supported the principles of family and hard work, and encouraged me to be all I could be. He still does today, and he sits in the gallery, wearing that bloody tie that keeps choking him!
Living in a small town in New South Wales, we had access to schools, roads, doctors, shops and local businesses where people worked and services were provided. Growing up, I wanted all the usual things – flash music and the trendy clothes. I got a job at 12 working in a bakery, earning $2.50 an hour, working two hours on Saturday and Sunday. The small funds kept me clothed and entertained. As I grew older I wanted more, and whilst studying in school, I worked up to 24 hours a weekend in a bakery at night. It was tough, but I wanted it. What I worked for, I respected, appreciated and looked after. The virtue of Labor omnia vincit - work conquers all - forms part of who I am today.
Like so many others, my wife, Tamara, and I moved to Alice Springs for work. We chose to move to the electorate of Braitling, renting and then purchasing a house together. Our daughter, Tahlia, goes to Braitling Primary School and we are as active in the community as two working parents balancing our lives can be. I am proud they are here with me today.
I would consider our family to be similar to many other families in the electorate and across Alice Springs and the NT in general: both parents work, juggle a mortgage and car loan, have a couple of dogs, and send Tahlia to school. When I say we are like most people in Braitling and Alice Springs, it is not always the good things or normal things one might expect me to say at this point. I always talk the town up because I love it. I think we should look to the future, not navel gaze or dwell on the past.
A positive future is driven by those who embrace the possible and take it forward. Delivering a positive future requires leadership, and leadership requires honesty, compassion, and forbearance. Sadly, many of these things seemed to have been lost in the modern-day world of politics. However, the need for them has never been greater.
Earlier, I referred to politics being the art of the possible. That is something all of us elected to this place should never forget. Those problems that come to us are the ones that would not otherwise have been solved, and they are the ones for which real leadership is required. The art of the possible is the prism through which we should look at all those things that challenge us in Braitling and across our communities, whether it be homelessness, urban drift, crime, alcoholism, skill shortages, education, health, planning, roads, and so forth.
Especially and in particular we must see the possible and believe the possible when we look to the problems of Indigenous affairs. It affects us all. All sides of the political arena, all levels of government, have been part of what is a systemic failure and the monuments of this failure are everywhere to be seen. Many entered this arena and acted with good intentions, full of hope. Many walk away disappointed and disillusioned, yet all the while the foundations deteriorate further and further, impacting on all of us. I, like many Australians, will never forget the words I heard from Noel Pearson following the announcement of the federal intervention:
- Ask the terrified kid huddling in the corner when there's a binge drinking party going on down the hall. Ask them if they want a bit of paternalism.
Give her some paternalism. Jockeying for critical backhanded political comments came forward because no one wanted to be seen to criticise the move. But the backhanded words came forward.
To those who want to challenge the need for education, training and the tough love approach in these communities, take yourself out to one of these communities and see the level of capacity within these communities. Look at what needs to happen and ask yourself this: would it be acceptable in Malak, Fannie Bay, Driver, or Anula. I do not think it would be.
I say to all those who hear this: an incredible thing happened a couple of years ago, 2006, when the issue of child abuse was raised and the depth of the challenges and the insidious nature of the problem became clear. The then Leader of the Opposition, Jodeen Carney, wrote to the then Chief Minister and pleaded with her to take action, pleaded with her to work together and went so far as to set out some ideas on what could be done. And what happened? Nothing - except criticism for what was not in the ideas of what should be discussed. I and many others recognise Jodeen for what she attempted to do, and thank her.
Have we not learned anything in 30 years of dealing with this matter? What will it take to get people to stop playing politics with this issue and embrace the need to extract Aboriginal people out of the too-hard basket? How many schools are there in the Territory that do not have qualified teachers? How much genuine engagement is out there to get kids to school?
Maybe we can all take our budget papers and read the line that says half the budget is spent on Indigenous affairs. We might get a warm fuzzy feeling at night. To me, that means nothing. Tell me where are the outcomes? Why is it the Indigenous Policy Unit for the Territory does not have a clue about Indigenous policy? I know it is not going to be fixed overnight, not by tomorrow, but I also know that there must be an unqualified determination that this must and will be addressed. In both former CLP administrations and the current Labor government, there are very few who have shown the commitment and leadership required to address these very long-term issues - save one exception - the member for Macdonnell. This must not continue.
I remember when we went to visit our Dad, the curtains were either Aboriginal or Eureka flags. He was not a nasty activist – what I call nasty – but fought for what he believed was right. Things have changed since his era. It is no longer solely about the fight for rights based on principle because it is fair and just. Thanks to one or two hard-working public individuals, the fight has now moved a little to the right.
The decisions we make in all areas must be based on evidence and not tied to the heart strings of the black armband brigade. Remember, politics is about possibilities. For too long we have looked through the prism of the left where government solves everything and does nothing, wanting to be the smiling assassin in charge of the problem. Well, let me say the problems have not been fixed and, at the current rate, they will not be fixed. It is time for a change in thinking. It is time for some new reality. It is time to pick up that little box over to the left and throw it away, and build a new box somewhere that captures all on the political spectrum. Politics is about opportunity; politics is about possibilities - the chance to make a difference. While Dad might have seen things through a different prism to me, I see every chance for hopes and dreams to be instilled in all of us.
I stand here a proud member of the Country Liberals, and I recognise what happened at the last election. The member for Blain, Terry Mills, set out a new era in policy direction for our party. Just like in Indigenous affairs, dealing with the issue of crime requires simply more than locking people up. It requires early intervention, capturing children at risk, rehabilitation and, most importantly, giving a sense of hope for the future. If getting up out of bed tomorrow does not offer people reason to contribute and enjoy life, then they will have no hope in their lives. Too many slip through the cracks, too many go through the revolving door, and too many have no hope. Be firm but fair.
I do not often make statements based on emotion but, as it forms a large part of my belief, I will share it with you today. I support the country, I support the regions, and I support a vibrant bush. We are all country here in the NT, some more remote than others. I want to see Darwin grow and prosper, becoming a bigger gateway for Australia from our Asian neighbours. I want Alice Springs to become the cultural capital of Australia; Tennant Creek, the golden heart; Katherine, the agricultural pastoral capital; Nhulunbuy, mining and tourism; and the Tiwis contributing to the north Australian food bowl.
The only way forward is to grow, not at the cost of the environment or loss of culture, but to grow as a state, to grow as a people, reinvesting in our lands, protecting our environment, and enriching our culture - black and white. If we are to grow there is only one way to go: we must build the Territory. We must build infrastructure, invest in the regions, turn remote communities into small towns, and turn economic failures into vibrant towns. Right now, however, there is no plan.
The role of government is not to do everything; we are merely the masters of the plan, the generators of the frameworks. Remember, politics is about the art of the possible, and there are plenty of possibilities in this great land. Why can we not build large communities into satellite towns for servicing? Why can we not entice people back to those towns to renew and reinvest in their culture? Why can we not provide tax incentives to business to develop and create employment; tighten up on welfare to encourage economic participation; and invite private housing investors into the bush to fill the housing gap? Why can we not resource teachers, nurses and the like sufficiently, making remote work a place where people want to be? Why can we not support living with alcohol through wet canteens? Why can we not provide access to support economic growth by sealing the roads, building the bridges and installing telecommunications? Why can’t we? Why can’t we think differently?
A man is not an island. There are too many people to name who helped make my presence here today a reality. I extend a warm, special thank you to my lovely wife, Tamara, and my daughter, Tahlia. I would also like to thank a couple of other people - Michael Jones, Jenny Lillis, Suzie Schroeder, James Lantry, and my new family, the Country Liberals. I could not have done it without any of you, especially those two I mentioned upstairs there.
Madam Speaker, colleagues, the viewing public and Territorians - a new chapter begins.
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Mrs Flora Love. Mrs Love will be known to you continuing members as an absolute stalwart of the parliament. Every single sitting day she comes in and watches us, and takes notes about each of us. I know she is also a member of a church in Darwin as well, and she spends a lot of time praying for us, which I think is a very good thing, Mrs Love. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Mrs Dawn McCarthy, the wife of the member for Barkly. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Speaker, I stand with pride and humility as the member for Barkly in the Eleventh Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory. I am honoured by my election in the division of Barkly, a fascinating, vibrant and special part of the Northern Territory – a place where I met my wife, raised a family, and served the community as a teacher for more than half my life.
I stand today as a person not privileged by past wealth and power, but by way of strong family values, representing a loving and nurtured infancy, disciplined boundaries as a child, positive role models, and creative formative years focused on family history, national heritage, respect for environment and appreciation of culture.
Madam Speaker, I take this opportunity to share with you and the members of the House some of my formative milestones and influences on my life’s journey that has led me to achieving this privileged position as a member of parliament.
Who I am, where I come from, what I stand for and what I have done are all intertwined in the trust that has been bestowed upon me by the people of the Barkly, and with trust comes great responsibility.
I acknowledge the first Australians of the Barkly, and the cultural education and awareness relating to kinship, country, ceremony and law that they have provided for me and my family over many years.
The Warumungu, Warlpiri, Walmanpa, Wambia, Wakaya, Alayawarra, Kaytitch, Jingali, Mudburra, Alawa, Mara, Gudanjai, Yanyula, Garawa and Wanyi have all been my teachers who, by way of association, friendship, family and mutual respect all share in my life and work, my cultural education, the raising of my children and my aspirations for the future of our communities.
I pay special tribute to Bunny Naburula, from Tennant Creek, who, after witnessing a beginning teacher with a transitional unit of 40 primary aged Aboriginal kids, many celebrating their first mainstream school experience, decided to adopt me and commence my learning of the Aboriginal kinship system based on the beautiful premise, and I quote, ‘You look like you need some help.’
I pay tribute to my ancestors, those pioneering Armytage, Holland, Geelan and McCarthy family members who created our identity and traditions linked to some of the great nation-building benchmarks of our modern time representing migration to the colonies; service at Gallipoli and France in World War I; service in Papua New Guinea after World War II; the building of infrastructure in regional areas of New South Wales; service to the community and the church; and, especially, the fine tradition of teachers who went beyond our cities to provide the important support for children through school education. I especially acknowledge Cecilia Geelan, my grandmother, and Norah McCarthy, my mother, as two powerful women, who both guided and inspired my life, morally, ethically, spiritually and creatively to become the man, husband and father I am today.
It is with pride that I acknowledge my own father, Bob McCarthy, as a great man of moral character. He was a mentor in my life, whose actions spoke louder than words, and who, with a sense of irony, forbade me to enter political life after his early trips to the Territory and enduring my long-winded campfire renditions on a soapbox of how to improve the life opportunities of remote area communities. However, after sharing in my first two decades of service out bush - in Tennant Creek, Epanarra, Robinson River, Nicholson River and Borroloola - Dad quietly offered his support for a political campaign of my choosing in his belief in me and the people of Barkly whom he had come to cherish and admire. Alas, Bob never got to hear this speech.
My dreams and aspirations for the people of Barkly and the Northern Territory are based on innovative health and education policies delivered by responsible government demonstrating support for strong families; early childhood health representing zero to six years; parenting education; school education; support programmes for children identified ‘at risk’; training for employment initiatives that reflect community needs; business enterprise development, and attention to social and economic disadvantage.
I would like to highlight the meaning of such dreams and aspirations in the spirit of stronger families, functional communities, healthy kids, economic prosperity and good governance from personal experiences that represent morals, ethics and values that underpin a strong society.
I grew up in a caring family environment, characteristic of a rich Irish heritage, where an extended family network meant lively positive interactions, good communication, and regular celebrations of culture and tradition; where powerful family role models taught us to love life and respect its precious nature and origin. Where children were immersed in a world of exciting literacy, representing oral history, song and classical literature, in a family home where nutrition, homework, exercise, piano and ballet practice, concert preparations, costume productions and laughter dominated the scope of family interactions.
My own cultural orientation in the early years of schooling reflected a host of extra curricular activities including verse speaking, choral work, choir and Bible reading for competing in the City of Sydney and Parramatta eisteddfods. At home I was influenced by my younger sister’s energetic cycle of dance classes, concerts and musicals, actively supported by my mother, aunts and grandmother. For me, the cultural crossroads seemed to arrive with an offer from the Jean and Beverley Osborne School of Ballet in Lakemba for a male dance part in a musical production that my mother was keen to promote. Madam Speaker, I ask you to try to imagine me for one moment standing before you today, attired in ballet slippers, tights and a plumed hat should I have pursued that sole artistic pathway.
On the contrary, I was skillfully guided by my father who upon hearing of the offer took my brother and me to sign-on day at the local Greenacre Junior Rugby League Club for what proved to be his rugby league legacy and my 10-year association with the bone crunching, aggressive, attack and defence team sport that was capped in representative honours for the Canterbury Bankstown Club in Sydney in the Sydney SG Ball Competition in 1973. You might say, Madam Speaker, that I ended up with the best of both worlds in preparation for politics!
The balance of good health, education and cultural pursuits rests with the family. However, I lobby for government’s responsibility in providing access to the necessary tools for maximising each and every individual’s chance for achievement and success. In my case, the family support and tools were sufficient to result in tertiary education, graduation from teachers’ college and country service in Walgett, New South Wales, in a time of radical social and cultural change that achieved notoriety in terms of Aboriginal rights throughout the 1960s as part of the famous Freedom Rides in western New South Wales.
Life and times in Walgett reflected another steep learning curve in my life, a sink or swim scenario in a challenging Aboriginal perspective that posed far more questions than they ever chose to answer. In this formative life, communities like Redfern, Wreck Bay, Mt Druitt and Walgett inspired me. They initiated a yearning to discover more about traditional Indigenous culture and try to discover the broken links between the past and the dysfunctional nature of many contemporary communities. In western New South Wales I came to understand about the nature and impact of colonialism as an historical government policy responsible for vast inequities and disadvantage within Australian society.
Joining the Commonwealth Teaching Service, and leaving family and friends behind in New South Wales, I embarked on the next phase of learning and arrived in Tennant Creek in 1980, recruited to open a pastoral property school at Epenarra, a remote cattle station 200 km south east of the town, for a community of Indigenous people who remained strong in their traditional culture, language and law.
I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones in terms of a new recruit as I had come from a good family background, I had an education, I had common sense, I was physically and mentally fit, I had experience in the bush, and I knew how to take care of myself. Most importantly, I came to the Territory prepared with a winning slogan of ‘what can I do for this community?’
On reflection, I acknowledge Mr Andrew Cameron, my first boss as Superintendent of Education in Barkly who, as an educational leader, provided me with the trust, professional support and opportunity to progress my aspirations and ambitions for the education of Territory children, and consequently facilitated my teaching career legacy representing the establishment of five remote area schools for Indigenous communities in the Barkly.
Tennant Creek proved to be the best possible launching pad for commencing life in the Barkly by connecting me with the region, its people, its culture, its organisations, service clubs, industry, business, festivals, landscapes and history, in addition to incubating my vision for community development, including an improved future for Indigenous Australians, who suffered far more complex disadvantages than the mainstream population.
For me, the Northern Territory represented the last frontier and Tennant Creek was my Wild West. However, the political scenario of a conservative Country Liberal Party government and a period of rapid infrastructure development representing casinos, five star hotels, exclusive tourist resorts and a large public sector bureaucracy stood in stark contrast to my students and their families who were living in fringe camps constructed of corrugated iron and in traditional humpies with no running water, toilets or power - basic housing infrastructure that the majority of the population takes for granted.
As a teacher out bush, I questioned the situation where Barkly children were emerging from the camps unwashed and undernourished, experiencing the onset of chronic ear and eye disease, while traversing bush tracks with bare feet to attend school in a conglomerate of rudimentary silver bullet caravans - where needing a shower, change of clothes, first aid, and breakfast consisting of powdered milk and high protein biscuits, was considered the norm and quite acceptable; that the school teacher was literally the front line of service delivery; where the assistant teacher and school support staff went home from work for the night to a humpy or a windbreak or, if housed on one of the more notable Barkly Tableland cattle stations, had the luxury of a tin shed and a concrete floor.
It was at this stage I started to question my ability and opportunity to effect real change as a teacher in the absence of a holistic approach for addressing the real deep-seated issues of inequality reflected in shallow and misguided government policy. This tension directly led to my interest in politics for change, and I must thank the Country Liberal Party for such inspiration, representing their government and my ambition to put things right for the people of the Barkly suffering social, cultural, economic and geographic disadvantage.
During this period of soul searching, I surrounded myself with like-minded people while taking every opportunity for making representation to the broader sections of the community representing the mining, pastoral and construction industries; trying to influence people, wherever possible, about the nature of disadvantage - often at the expense of my own personal and professional reputation.
In another of life’s lessons, I thank the De La Salle Brothers for my preparation towards politics when, as part of a four-time premiership winning Rugby League team between 1968 and 1973 in Western Sydney, I came to experience racial slurs, religious bigotry, and physical abuse from hostile opposition football crowds representing the losing teams’ intimidation tactics that had limited success against the values of solidarity, team spirit, shared purpose and discipline. I did not understand then how important such experiences would prove to be in my later life. In the face of adversity, I believe you must go back to your roots and to what you truly know and believe is right.
My political aspirations for change in Barkly meant reflecting on past experiences as a student in the electorate of Blaxland during the Whitlam years. It meant reflecting on the courageous program and policy reform and innovation put forward by a Labor government in a hostile environment to achieve the political and social values of equality, democracy, liberty and social cooperation. It meant coming to terms with the pain associated with change in a conservative ‘old school’ like the Barkly. It meant challenging a system that had become very comfortable with the way things were.
In recognition of personal mentors at the time, I acknowledge Adrian Hyland and Kirsten Knorr who, as respected young professionals living and working in Tennant Creek, possessed the courage of their conviction to forge a positive political action with others, delivering real change for Barkly in a long campaign that saw Maggie Hickey win the seat for Labor and subsequent consolidation of a Labor vision. I shared in that time and vision, and developed a passion for further change as my fear of a conservative public sector bureaucracy and those representing the traditional political power base abated.
However, to keep up the fight in opposition, I needed a constant reminder of Labor’s socialist objective and the long history of struggle as Australia’s oldest party. I needed to hear the debates and believe that under Labor policy and a Territory Labor government we could make a difference. Such inspiration came from Mr Kerry Gardiner, to whom I pay tribute, first as a colourful and gutsy Territory character and bush teaching colleague, and second as a true believer.
I also pay tribute to Elliot McAdam, the former member for Barkly, who represented the electorate with dignity and integrity, epitomising Labor’s objective. Elliot represents an excellent role model for Indigenous people, and particularly Indigenous youth, who have witnessed a countryman demonstrate pride and respect in his culture, whilst skilfully blending it with a Western style education and healthy lifestyle to succeed as a high profile Indigenous business manager and become a respected minister in the Northern Territory Labor government.
I will not shy away from admission of the times I lost the vision or thought that proactive change in the form of fairness and equality for all people in the Northern Territory seemed out of touch or just too difficult to deliver. It was during such times, however, that inspiration came back my way by the way of family, friends, the Catholic community of Christ the King Parish in Tennant Creek, and from the wisdom of the elders and the senior pioneers of Tennant Creek that always seemed to reignite the flame and the enthusiasm to continue on my own long march.
Like the time I was challenged by my son, Thomas, in support of his new sporting aspirations. However, when you grow up a kid in the bush on Barkly cattle stations, where he becomes a proficient stockman and his chosen sport becomes bull riding, then let me tell you, Madam Speaker, you are surely put to the test where courage and conviction take on new meaning. However, on this occasion, common sense and sheer survival become paramount, and rodeo administration and management seemed the more logical step into the arena in support of this fine young man, his mates, the Barkly cowboys, and the people who needed support to develop their own positive lifestyle ambitions.
And when Tennant Creek ‘class clown’, Joseph McCarthy, a courageous young burns survivor, announces his ambition to play Rugby League like his grandfather, and challenges me to support him in an Australian Rules Football-dominated heartland, where, in a moment of weakness and complacency, I attempted to palm him off with a political rhetoric of: ‘Son, you must understand that Rugby League is a team game, so come back and see me when you have achieved’.
Madam Speaker, the following afternoon when I arrived home from school, there were eight 10-year-olds playing full contact Rugby League on my front lawn, which subsequently led to the formation of the Tennant Creek Junior Rugby League development project, which celebrates its seventh year in 2008. From its humble beginnings funded by a group of dads on a road trip to Katherine, where the rookie team were defeated 68-0, and started by the determination of a 10-year-old Barkly kid, this initiative now boasts a plethora of Tennant Creek junior success stories in Rugby Union and Rugby League who have represented at both NT Club, Northern Territory representative level, and Australian Affiliated States.
These kids, and many like them, are determined to live their dream by being creative, by searching out local solutions, by overcoming the challenges of isolation and disadvantage. It is these Territorians who need recognition from government, not necessarily in always needing to give extra, but by simply levelling the playing field.
Most recently, while visiting a remote Barkly cattle station on the campaign trail, I met a giant of a Territorian – he was four years old, he stood straight and tall at three foot nothing, and as he gazed up at this strange character from town talking politics to his Dad, he told me about his family and of his work with his Dad in the cattle yards, and how he would go to Mt Isa for the rodeo one day. Upon arriving home days later, I informed my wife that I had found another one! She asked quizzically: ‘Found another what?’ I answered: ‘Another reason to get into politics. His name is Paddy-Boy’. She knew what I meant, and she agreed.
The Northern Territory has a young population and the Barkly is a young electorate hosting a diverse range of multicultural families facing enormous challenges and needing new leadership and good governance to secure a bright future they all deserve. The traditional elders, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, are now in a minority and rightfully deserve to be respected and cared for after their own lifetime struggle in a far harsher Territory politically, geographically and socially than we experience today.
As government, we are challenged to deliver the opportunities for creating a better future based on good health for our people, good educational outcomes for our students, economic prosperity and employment for our families, social harmony for our communities, and respect for this land and its pristine environments. Governments are tasked with growing our citizens and our new leaders, and I take this role very seriously.
On 22 July 2008, after 30 years service as a teacher, I resigned to contest the Northern Territory general election as the Labor candidate for the division of Barkly. The contest in Barkly represented four high quality candidates who stood proudly for their political beliefs, their aspirations for the community, and the people of the Barkly. As history now declares, and in a twist of fate representing a long time in the making, I was duly elected. I sincerely thank all those supporters who gave me strength and encouragement along the way with their best wishes, their sound advice, and at the ballot box their vote to represent them and their families in the Northern Territory parliament for the next four years. I thank all the volunteers and campaign workers, the ALP Barkly Branch, who all gave their valuable time and service on the front line in what, at times, proved to be a difficult, challenging and confronting environment.
I want to assure the electorate that as MLA for Barkly, I represent all constituents and stand proud of the victory for Labor in a true test of democracy that characterises the freedom of choice we all share in an Australian democratic society.
In conclusion, I draw special attention to my wife, Dawn McCarthy, who shared the workload in all those years of service to the regional and remote communities of the Barkly. Dawn represents a great role model for regional and remote women, for mothers and babies, their sons and their daughters, and remains a foundation stone for this new era in our lives as a person of character, faith and vision in what could be done against all odds to create a better future for our children and our families.
The McCarthy family I mention with pride, we have given to the Northern Territory and the Barkly over many years teachers, principals, health professionals, school support staff, business professionals, tradesmen, council workers, contractors, and tourists and continue to give good role models and active citizens. This day is as much yours as mine as the Barkly’s.
Madam Speaker, I thank all the people of Barkly both past and present for the grounding in frontier bush life, culture, adventure, adversity, history, laughter, love, joy and tears, but most importantly, for your respect, beliefs, and trust in me to stand and serve our community.
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Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the family of the member for Katherine: his wife, Mrs Jennie Westra van Holthe, and their children, Lucas, Nicholas, and Scott; the member’s parents, Mr Herman and Mrs Margaret Westra van Holthe, and brothers Jan and Dirk Westra Van Holthe. On behalf of honourable members, I extend you a very warm welcome.
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Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I congratulate you on your re-election as the Speaker of the Assembly and as member for Nightcliff. I thank you in advance for the experience and even-handed guidance you will continue to bring to the position of Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you very much.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: I congratulate all my parliamentary colleagues on both sides of the House for their election or re-election as the case may be. I am indeed looking forward to working towards bringing about real change and to ultimately improve the lot of all Territorians.
Today, I stand before you quite humbled. I believe nothing can prepare one for the experience of standing in this Chamber and being part of a process charged with the responsibility of determining the future of the Territory and Territorians.
I cannot overstate the sense of honour I feel in being elected as the representative for the people of Katherine. In thanking all those who got me where I am today, I acknowledge the trust and faith the people have bestowed upon me. To those people I make this promise: I will work hard for the people of Katherine and for the greater good of all Territorians. I will represent the interests of those people to the best of my ability, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that all ‘Katherinites’ will have the opportunity for their voice to be heard through me in their parliament.
Katherine is a diverse region supporting a wide variety of government and non-government industry and many interests. As the local member, one can only hope that the areas for which one has responsibility either in the ministry or shadow ministry carry a significant relevance to the geographical and industrial landscape of the region one represents. I am pleased to say that for me, this is the case. Primary Industries, Fisheries and Resources carries significant relevance to Katherine and the areas it supports. I am grateful that I have been entrusted with this very important shadow portfolio.
At the crossroads of the Stuart and Victoria Highways, Katherine supports the cattle industry in no small way. Virtually every beast destined for the burgeoning live export market must come through Katherine. Cattle stations, too innumerable to mention by name, covering hundreds of thousands of square kilometres, lie in Katherine’s footprint. The horticultural industry is also well represented in the Katherine region. Katherine on its own supports a mango industry that is significant, not only for the number of fruit bearing trees but also the positive economic contribution it makes to Katherine and the greater Territory. Other crops are also grown in the viable soils of Katherine. Katherine now boasts the largest peanut plantation in Australia, while citrus, melons and a variety of other crops make up the remainder of the industry.
Likewise the resource sector in the Northern Territory is a valuable contributor to the NT economy. I believe resources should not be simply plundered from the ground but taken in a measured way having regard to economic benefit, sustainability and issues such as the environment. This is where the value of a fully independent EPA would surely be realised.
When shadow portfolios were being decided, I wonder if someone told my senior colleagues I am a keen fisherman. Therefore, I guess, I have a vested interest in seeing the fishing sector thrive. There are many issues surrounding the fishing industry in the Northern Territory that need to be dealt with by government in a sensible, planned and sustainable fashion.
My other shadow portfolio is that of Local Government. We are in an interesting time with the formation of the new shires still under way. What a great opportunity for the government, CEOs and senior management of the newly formed shire councils to get it right. It will be easier at this juncture to formulate policy and procedure which addresses the needs of councils, local business and all stakeholders, rather than having to come up with significant changes and fixes at a later date. There will always be a ‘tweaking’ process - I understand that - but I urge the councils and government to spend the time to put in the effort now to address the needs of all interested parties in the formulation of policy.
I am the product of a very happy family life. My father and mother, Herman and Margaret, who are both here today, met on what I would like to think of as a shipboard romance. Perhaps it was something like The Love Boat. Dad had moved from the Netherlands like many Dutch citizens did in the 10 or 15 years after World War II. He moved to New Zealand and share farmed for a time before meeting Mum, a down-to-earth Australian country girl.
Under the care and tutelage of my parents, I was always going to be a well-grounded individual. Mum is going to be a little embarrassed by what I am going to say next, but I believe experiences like this, passed down through the family, are the kind of things that help us keep our humanity. As a young child, Mum lived in farming country and told of how, on very cold mornings, she and her siblings would rush barefooted down the paddock to stand in freshly deposited cow dung to get their feet warm. Sorry, Mum, but I just love that story! Like my mother, I do not mind standing right amongst it if I think it is going to make a better life for my family, the constituents of Katherine or all Territorians.
Back to the family story. My two younger brothers and I were born in New Zealand. I guess because Mum’s family were all in Australia we moved to Sydney when I was just four. We lived in Sydney for a year or so before moving to Brisbane where I spent the younger years of my life. I was fortunate my brothers and I got along so well. I told them what to do and they did it - under threat of injury, of course – a situation perfect, I thought. That said, I acknowledge my brothers, Jan and Dirk. They, too, are here today. You have been and will always be my friends, counsellors and guides through life. Thank you for always being there for me.
I had a normal, caring and loving upbringing, a good school life and did reasonably well in high school at Brisbane Boys’ College. I graduated and went to the then Queensland Institute of Technology where I studied geology. Alas, I was too busy partying to make any real inroads into my studies and ultimately left, moving to the Gold Coast, where I moved in with the love of my life, Jennie.
During the period of time between leaving my studies and moving to the Northern Territory, I had a number of jobs. One of those was in the building of substructure for housing estates which included laying stormwater and sewerage lines and building roads. I learned a lot on that job, but one of the main things I learned was to be somewhere else when it was time to hook into a live sewage pit.
Jennie and I moved to the Northern Territory in late October 1984, the trip being an interesting one in an old ute with no airconditioning in the Build-up. Arriving in Darwin in early November came as a bit of a culture shock. However, even with the benefit of hindsight, I am delighted to say we stayed in the Territory. After a year or so in hard labouring work, a friend, Mark Butler, who was a police officer, suggested I might consider joining the police also. That simple suggestion took care of the large part of the next 22 years of my life and took me away from drinking 10 litres of water a day and standing in the 50C heat on the roads near Jabiru and mixing what seemed like endless wheelbarrow loads of brickies mortar. Thanks, Mark.
Policing is a unique vocation; I do not think there is anything quite like it. It is a job of extreme highs and extreme lows in between some tedium and loads of camaraderie. The vast majority of police officers in the Northern Territory are wonderful people who are there for all the right reasons. I take my hat off to many of my former colleagues and thank them for their support, guidance and friendship given over so many years. I will never forget my roots as an NT copper. Certainly, part of my overall personal goals as a politician will be to address some of the failings of management and management systems within the police force.
I largely enjoyed my time as a police officer, spending time in Darwin, Maranboy, Mataranka, Alice Springs and, finally, Katherine. I still think that the years I had at Maranboy were the best that I had in the police force. I formed strong relationships with many of the Aboriginal people of Barunga, Beswick and Bulman. There was a mutual feeling of trust and respect which I found to be most rewarding.
Let me talk a little about trust and respect by way of a couple of short examples. I felt highly respected when I was given a skin name by the Jawoyn people at Barunga. I believed this to be an overwhelming show of respect, and I returned that respect by carrying the name Bungadee with much honour and pride.
Likewise, I trusted the people almost to the nth degree. Of course, part of my duties was to arrest people, but there are ways to make the taking away of liberty far more palatable to the individuals concerned. I made a habit of arresting people on warrants in a way that almost engendered total cooperation, by grouping them together. So, rather than taking in one person at a time, I would collect two, three, four or more people together so prisoners always had the company of their friends.
One morning, I had a group of six people in custody and was about to transport them to Katherine. I received a message via the old HF radio that a man, apparently armed, had taken his daughter hostage and was heading out of the Territory. I left for the drive to Katherine and, sure as eggs, this man drives past me on the highway. I had to give chase, but obviously could not put my prisoners at risk. I stopped at an intersection and let them all out of the car, telling them of the situation and clearly explaining that I expected them all to be there upon my return. When I did return about an hour or so later, there they all were, waiting for me under a tree. I trusted them and, in return, they respected me. Experiences like this restore your faith in human nature.
I had many career highlights, including being the inaugural Police Officer of the Year in 1992, but I did not join the job for accolades. I felt, along with most officers, I could make a difference by being a positive role model, by being part of the community, and enforcing the right. I genuinely believe everyone who walks this earth has a moral obligation to leave this a better place than when they arrived.
After many years in the job, I came to realise I was a little frustrated at being able to effect change too slowly and on too small a scale. There were also changes I simply could not make in that role. This became much of the driving force behind my decision to enter politics. Here, I believe we all have the power to effect positive change in a significant and profound way - we just have to get the formula right.
To illustrate this, I offer an anecdote which today still touches me. My wife and I were driving down South Terrace in Alice Springs, adjacent to the Todd River. I was interested in Aboriginal art, and we spotted a young man with a couple of rolled up canvases. We stopped and chatted with him and he showed us his art. This man had some real talent. His art was a mix of the traditional and the contemporary, and I believe he could make a significant contribution to the Indigenous art industry. We talked about price, and because his art was so engaging, we paid him the full price he wanted for two paintings. Now, I need to digress just for a short moment.
When one enters the criminal justice system, that is when you are arrested or go to court, or you are listed as a witness in a criminal case, each person is allocated a unique identification number called an IJIS number. IJIS stands for Integrated Justice Information System. This young man with the paintings signed the back of his art in the following way: ‘Neville John Gable, IJIS number 124251’. That, I will never forget. This young man, I seem to remember, was in his mid-twenties, but really, how terribly sad that the criminal justice system had become a part, not only of his culture, but of his very identity as a person. Not only that, but is this not a sad indictment on a system that allows members of the Northern Territory community to identify in such a basal and profound way with what should be a part of life most would never wish to have associated with their name?
As a police officer I could do nothing, but we as elected representatives of the Northern Territory can make a difference to people like Neville. We are obliged, both morally and through our position as lawmakers, to help people like this young man get out of the criminal justice revolving door which has become such an ingrained part of his life. This is not an easy task and it will take many years to fix the wrongs of decades of decisions made at all levels of government.
I want to point out, however, that the wrongs to which I refer are not the machinations of ill-intentioned administrations, for I believe that government is rarely deliberately ill-intentioned; more likely, it is a case where decisions are the product of poor research, lack of consultation, funding considerations, bowing to the pressure of minority groups, lack of understanding of deeper implications and taking the short rather than the longer term view, or a combination of all or some of those factors.
Let us learn from the mistakes of the past and work towards real solutions where we can start to address underlying issues rather than what we see as the end product. Let us start treating the illness and not just the symptoms.
In a maiden speech it is traditional to thank a number of people who have made a significant contribution to the newly elected member. I will not be departing from that tradition.
First, I thank the voters of the Katherine electorate for bringing me to this place. Regardless of their political persuasion, I will work tirelessly for the people of Katherine and the Northern Territory in an effort to improve their lives in ways which will make a real difference. I thank the Katherine Branch of the Country Liberals for giving me the opportunity to compete in the democratic process of the recent election. I thank them for their support and for making the campaign the success it was.
I especially mention one person in particular. Fay Miller, as you all know, had to retire for health reasons. Without intending to sound mercenary: bad for Fay, but good for me. Thanks, Fay, for your assistance and guidance, your untiring efforts and moral support which saw me through some tough times. Everything you have done to assist me has been appreciated and I am so glad you dropped in for a chat late last year.
My brothers are both successful in their own right, both personally and professionally. They are married to lovely and supportive ladies, and Dirk has three terrific daughters. They run successful businesses in Brisbane and Melbourne. Mum and Dad, I know you are very proud of all of us. However, we did not get here on our own. Your love, morality and guidance have underpinned all our successes as people in our chosen vocations. You should be proud of yourselves to the same degree as we are grateful to you for all you have done for us. Thank you sincerely for everything.
My wife and I have three sons, all of whom are healthy teenagers, Lucas, Nicholas and Scott. You all give your mother and me purpose in our lives, you throw us challenges, as all children do to their parents, in much the same way we challenged our own parents. However, nothing can diminish the love we feel for you. We will always be there as you move forward in your destinies and we are looking forward to seeing you excel in whatever direction you take.
They say behind every good man there is an even better woman. Jennie, my wife, you are my best friend and soul mate, my moral compass and more of a support for me than you can ever know. I thank you for putting up with the ordinary places I have made you live, for the physical and mental effort you have expended in our ventures and our adventures, for giving me three wonderful children. I am looking forward to this next stage of our lives together, so I ask you to walk beside me on this new journey.
Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to make this address today. I look forward to the next four years and beyond.
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Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of family and friends of the member for Fong Lim. The member’s wife, Mrs Alicia Tollner; their children, Henry and William; the member’s mother, Mrs Kay Tollner, and the member’s Electorate Officer, Mrs Helen Bateman. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Mr TOLLNER (Fong Lim): Madam Speaker, congratulations on your election to the Speaker’s chair. I also acknowledge the presence of my wife, Alicia, my two boys, William and Henry, my Mum, Kay, who has come from Queensland, and the many friends I have in the gallery today. It is great to see you here.
It is a tremendous honour to be speaking to the Address-in-Reply to the Administrator’s speech for the first time as the inaugural member for the new Northern Territory seat of Fong Lim.
Today brings back memories for me of when I first stood in the Australian parliament as the inaugural member for the federal seat of Solomon. That was almost seven years ago and, I have to be honest, I am just as nervous, humbled and daunted about standing here in this Chamber as I was back then standing on the floor of the House of Representatives. The weight of responsibility is just as great here in this place as it was for me in the federal parliament. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that the feeling must be the same for every local government councillor and alderman right across our great country. I believe, no matter what level of government a person is elected to serve, there is a very large obligation and responsibility.
As I have learned in politics, and as I am often reminded, it does not matter how smart you are, how good looking, how eloquently you speak or how big your circle of friends - you are nothing without the help, support and confidence of others.
I thank the people in the electorate of Fong Lim for putting their faith in me and giving me the responsibility and opportunity to represent them. I will guarantee I will work hard for them and be a very good local member.
I thank my Country Liberal Party parliamentary colleagues for having me as a member of the team. I believe our team has the talent, the energy and the imagination to make decisions which will benefit all in the Northern Territory. I also say a special thank you to the Country Liberal Party and the members who assisted me, and all the many friends who chipped in and helped me out in what was a very short but tough election campaign.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of my arrival in Darwin. I only ever intended to come here for six months or so, and then to return to Queensland. However, within about two days of my arrival, I knew the Territory was the place for me. I love Darwin, the lifestyle, and the people. They are mostly down-to-earth, hard-working, straight-talking people and I love their ‘live and let live’ attitude.
When I first arrived in the Northern Territory, I was given a great deal of advice - some of it was good, some of it not quite so good. At the time, the thing that struck me was much of the advice seemed to have a common theme. That theme was: the Territory is different from the rest of Australia. Here, in the true outback of Alice and Darwin, and on the edge of Asia in the far north, there was a can-do attitude that prevailed; in fact, it was this can-do attitude which was one of the things that drew me to Darwin in the first place. The people I met assured me that, if you had a good idea, whether it was a business idea or otherwise, it was basically this: do not tell us why it cannot happen, let us just find a way to make it happen.
I believe this place is a place of decent, down-to-earth moral values. It is a place which rewards effort and enterprise, and a place where individual freedoms are acknowledged and respected. I believe it is one of the few remaining places in this country where that can-do attitude exists and thrives. There is no doubt in my mind that perhaps the most important thing any government can do is to ensure the right conditions exist to allow entrepreneurs to thrive, responsibly generating wealth and allowing them to create jobs and pay the taxes which nurture and support our community.
I admire and respect those who have achieved success through hard work and risk-taking. I admire dedication and commitment. I dream of a Territory with an education system and a culture which teaches our young people to strive to be the best. I hope, in time, Territorians become some of the richest and happiest people in Australia, and the world.
The appalling educational outcomes right across the NT need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. We have the ability and the need to become a world leader in education, from primary school to tertiary level. With such a small population, we are not hamstrung by a large bureaucracy and do not have the problems of demanding innovating change. Technology and the Internet can cure much of the tyranny of distance, but the Territory must become a centre of excellence in learning. This will not happen by being content with second or third best, or pandering to groups which promote mediocrity. Success will come from hard work, learning and accepting responsibility - a culture which strives to do its best, prepared to take on the world, and the individual taking responsibility for his or her own personal circumstances.
We have been blessed with enormous natural resources which can be sustainably used for the benefit of all Territorians. We should be working carefully to ensure this occurs. Make no mistake, the world is entering a difficult financial period and the massive commodities boom, which has run for years, will begin to slow and the Territory will suffer as a consequence as our GST revenues shrink accordingly and business in those areas slows. Now is the time for government to lock in sustainable and good development projects.
Our community has been blessed with a large Indigenous population. The challenges facing some of their communities are huge and demand what many have called tough love decisions. It is not good enough ignoring the problem and doing nothing except making promises when elections come around. Once again, I believe the foundations for improving lives of disadvantaged members of our society, including remote Aboriginal communities, rest in education and the promotion of a private enterprise culture. What is sorely needed is the skilling of unemployed people and, in particular, many of our Aboriginal Territorians.
There was a story on the front page of The Australian newspaper last week titled ‘Kevin Rudd's indigenous army of nation builders’. The first paragraph summed it all up. It said:
- Kevin Rudd is poised to use a $76bn nation-building infrastructure program to tackle indigenous disadvantage by insisting Aborigines be recruited to work on dozens of new roads, ports and railway projects across the nation.
The Territory government should be seizing this opportunity and the associated dollars with both hands. New roads need to be built and existing roads need to be upgraded. No one should think our rail network is complete. Government should be looking at how we can connect our rail system to Queensland via Mt Isa, and it should also be looking at the viability of monorail or light rail connections in the Top End. And it is quite obvious to all that major expansion is required at our port if we are ever to realise the dream of becoming a large regional trading hub.
As I said, we are blessed with a large Indigenous population, but boredom and lack of self-pride are the ingredients of despair. We must work tirelessly to rid the Territory of any traces of a well-intentioned but failed welfare mentality. This must be done with compassion and respect, and all must understand that it will take a long time to achieve. However, we are a people with a can-do attitude and Aboriginal people are inexplicably part of our bright and prosperous future.
As my fellow parliamentarians will agree, the Build-up appears to be with us. It is a time when we realise the costs involved in running our airconditioners and swimming pool filters. It is a time when power bills soak up so much of our income, or when some families suffer the heat in silence. I believe we must substantially cut the power bills of Territorians. It will take political courage and imagination, and I believe it is time to revisit connecting the Northern Territory to the eastern Australia power grid. I have spoken of this before, and I remain convinced that such a scheme is not only possible but also viable. It is not only our home airconditioning that costs so much to run; NT businesses face huge power bills compared to businesses in other Australian states. If we can lower the cost of doing business in the Territory, we will attract more businesses to the Territory, create more jobs in the Territory and give more opportunity to those seeking meaningful work in the Territory.
Most people here today, I believe, would be quite surprised to learn that the high voltage power lines proposed to be built from central Queensland to Darwin looks very likely to get up to at least Mt Isa. It is being heralded by Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, as a development that will greatly reduce electricity costs in north-west Queensland, and it will be a foundation for the establishment of new mines and industry along its path.
Irrespective that such a transmission line would cut our electricity costs by a third, the Labor Party ridiculed it as being unviable during the 2005 Territory general election. Our future, they said, was with gas. One of the problems, of course, with attracting gas producers to the Territory is our local domestic gas demand is very small. This is one reason why government constantly looks at attracting large manufacturing industries to the Top End. At the same time, demand for peak power is massively outstripping supply around the rest of Australia. Connecting to the national grid would allow the Territory to supply much of this demand and give further encouragement to gas suppliers to set up in Darwin.
This head in the sand approach adopted by past Labor administrations in opposing this line deprives us all of cheaper electricity and, at the same time, huge development opportunities. Meanwhile, the big benefit of our gas resource is being exported overseas. Many of us find it an absolute embarrassment that we still receive millions of dollars worth of federal government electricity subsidies when, in reality, we have the opportunity to be a major electricity producer in our own right.
This government should also drop the appalling prejudice past Labor administrations had against farmers and start the ball rolling to expand our agricultural industries. We know the rest of Australia is suffering massive water shortages, and we also know that food will be the major global commodity in the future. We not only have an obligation and opportunity to create and foster agricultural enterprises for ourselves, but also assist our fellow Australians by reducing our reliance on foreign imports. It stands to reason there is also a great opportunity to increase our foreign exports.
Likewise, our tourism industries require a large revamp and expansion. As more of the world comes out of poverty, more people will be looking to travel. We have unique natural environments that are virtually untouched which we should be promoting more effectively overseas.
To fully realise and capture the rewards of hard-working and enterprising people, government urgently needs to undertake a massive and ongoing marketing campaign, the like of which has never been seen before in the Northern Territory. We need to reinvigorate the ministry and the office of Asian Trade and Relations. We need to put people on planes, spend money, run advertising campaigns and engage with the rest of the world. We have fantastic opportunities, but they have been wasted by an internally-focused, do-nothing government, which was more intent on taxing business, taking away our freedoms, enlarging the bureaucracy and employing spin doctors to tell us how well off we are all supposed to be.
I encourage the new government to do away with these things. The Chief Minister has a fresh new team and I will support them in any endeavours to promote an enterprise culture and respect individual liberty and responsibility. Our society must value the rights of the individual and trust the individual to make his or her own decisions.
We must stop making laws that erode the freedoms of the individual, and be aware there is what I like to call ‘a cost to living’. It is impossible to legislate to prevent every tragedy or accident. People must be allowed to make their own decisions and take their own risks. At the same time, we must not be reluctant in punishing those who, through their deliberate actions, hurt other innocent members of society. The majority of people I speak to are concerned about the breakdown of law and order in our community and that our government and judicial system does not seem to take into account the pain and suffering of the victims of crime, as well as the suffering their families and friends have to endure.
Punishment must fit the crime. Those who commit, particularly terrible crimes, should be put away forever - no ifs, no buts. Many of those who commit more tolerable offences should be locked away, but there also needs to be recognition by government that, at some stage, these people will again find themselves in our community. Our prisons should not be a training ground for skilling people in criminal techniques. To the contrary, our prisons should be getting these people back on the rails and assist in making them positive contributors to our society.
Another matter I briefly want to raise today is transparency and access. I am aware that local media has been running a campaign for sometime to access sound and vision directly from the floor of this parliament. I know currently there is a media person recording this statement and I thank the Speaker for allowing this to happen. However, it should be a right, not a limited privilege, for our media to do this.
It is also ridiculous that it is easier to see the Prime Minister in Canberra than it is to see a Territory minister here in this Parliament House. If you want to see the Prime Minister in Canberra, you get checked and passed through a security on your entrance to Parliament House, and then you walk to his office. You might not get to see him, but at least you can get to his office and talk to his receptionist. This is not the case in the NT. Once you have gone through the entrance security at Parliament House, you still have to get through many other levels of security before you are at the minister’s office. There is absolutely no way one can just turn up unannounced and see the receptionist. I imagine most people in the gallery today would be surprised to learn this is the case even for members of parliament who want to see a minister.
Additionally, Northern Territory members of parliament are restricted in talking to the public service without the express permission of the minister, and only if the minister or his representative in attendance. This is, of course, ridiculous and hampers one’s ability to properly represent local concerns. To my knowledge, the only place these restrictions to access apply is in the Northern Territory. While many will not see this as a grave concern, I find it an affront to democracy and conducive to perceptions of secrecy and arrogance at the ministerial level.
I am honoured to be the first person to represent the electorate of Fong Lim.
Many people will remember Alec Fong Lim, our respected and much loved former Lord Mayor. He was a man at ease with everyone. He could hobnob with royalty or sink beer with a long grasser. One of the best stories about Alec was when he and a group of Darwin citizens flew to Guam as a guest of the United States Air Force. He was, typically, equally at ease with the company of Congressmen and generals as he was having a family barbecue at that place they now call Lake Alexander at Fannie Bay, which was, of course, named in his honour.
In Guam, representing Darwin, Alec, as our Lord Mayor, rose to thank his host. It was a typical Alec speech – passionate and forceful and all about praising the Territory and its people, and the opportunities for anyone who wanted to have a go. Midway through the speech his false teeth fell out – but he did not miss a beat. In real Territory fashion he snatched them off the table and slipped them back in and, to the delight of all, finished thanking his American hosts. The guests rose as one to applaud. It was Alec at his best - cool as a cucumber, never fazed, loving life and the people he met.
Alec, his wife, Norma, and the extended Fong Lim family are some of those people who have made the Territory what it is – tough, compassionate, a place of opportunity, certainly interesting and the best place in Australia to live and to bring up children.
I am sure Alec Fong Lim would have identified well with the electorate which holds his name. It is diverse and emblematic of Territory life, rich in culture and lifestyle. There are the established suburbs of Coconut Grove, Ludmilla and The Narrows, the newly created suburbs of City Valley and Bayview, as well as the Aboriginal communities of Bagot and Minmarama. There is the RAAF Base and Defence Establishment Berrimah which reminds us of the great contribution the military has made and continues to make in Darwin; and then there is the vast majority of Top End business and industry together with their hard-working, can-do Territorians.
As I say, Fong Lim is an electorate emblematic of the Territory; diverse, rich in culture, history and lifestyle. The issues for my constituency have both length and breadth and they are at one with the rest of the Northern Territory.
I come to this place as a Territorian, as a representative of the people of Fong Lim, and I mean to do my best for them.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of family and friends of the member for Sanderson. I recognise Ms Linda Fazldeen, the partner of the member for Sanderson; the member’s daughter, Kristy Styles; his granddaughters, Telicia and Dakota Browne; sons, Adam and Damien Styles, and Damien’s partner, Maree Flack; and his electorate officer, Fiona Lynch. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Mr STYLES (Sanderson): Madam Speaker, I also congratulate you on your election to the position of Speaker.
It gives me great pleasure to stand here today to represent the people of Sanderson in this House. I hope you will allow me an indulgence to sat - I made it! I am humbled by the honour bestowed on me and I express my sincere thanks to the people of Sanderson. I make this commitment to each and every person living in the Sanderson electorate: your confidence in me will not be misplaced, nor taken lightly. I will be a tireless advocate for your needs and I will constantly strive to be worthy of the mantle of trust you have offered me.
The electorate of Sanderson includes the suburbs of Anula and Wulagi and parts of Wagaman and Marrara. These are well established suburbs with families old and new, young singles and seniors, all whom have tasked me to represent them. I will do that by listening to them and working to achieve their wishes. I pledge to represent and work for those who supported me at the last election and equally those who did not.
I came to the Territory in 1981 from Western Australia. My father was a master builder and a war veteran and, as a member of the 16th Battalion, proudly served in Darwin and Coomalie Creek prior to deployment to the front line in New Britain. My mother was a daughter of a wheat and sheep farmer and worked as a manager in retail. I credit my parents with influencing my decision to join the police force and to pursue a career engaged in community service. Unfortunately, my beloved mother, Betty, passed away in 2004 and my dear father, Ken, passed away in 2006. I am sure they would be simply bursting with pride to see me here today, following their advice and their example.
As tireless community volunteers, they instilled in me a sense of caring about people who were less fortunate than I was; a responsibility to take action to help someone when I saw them being mistreated; and a general respect for others. They raised me to value family life, fair play and to honour my commitments. Our family home was regularly filled with Asian students whom my parents would sponsor on education programs, which demonstrated to me and my siblings the rewards associated with learning about living with people from different cultures.
I am a family man and have raised three children who are now wonderful adults. Although they have travelled and worked interstate and overseas, all three have chosen to settle here in the Territory. I have two beautiful young grandchildren who keep me in touch with all the latest trends and give me instructions on iPods and DVD remote controls.
My journey to this Assembly has taken 11 years, beginning when I first stood for election in the seat of Wanguri in 1997. My second attempt to be elected to this Assembly was in 2005 for the seat of Sanderson. Regretfully, that was not to be, but the outcome strengthened my resolve to work even harder in the community and with the people living in the electorate. My pride in having achieved my goal and being successfully elected to the seat of Sanderson on 9 August 2008 is indescribable. Having worked so long and so hard, I can assure the people of Sanderson that I intend to work to retain their confidence and support as their representative in this Assembly.
I did not get to this Assembly on my own; my family and many Territorians have been with me on this journey. Unfortunately, time does not permit me to name all those who deserve recognition and to share this moment. However, I would like to take a moment to record my sincere appreciation to a few who have made significant contributions.
I acknowledge a former member for Sanderson, Daryl Manzie, for being such a great role model and mentor. To the members of the North Darwin Branch of the Northern Territory Country Liberal Party, and especially to the members of the pre-selection panel, I thank you for giving me this opportunity.
My campaign team - there have been many people with me on this journey since 1997 and there a number I especially thank, some of whom are in the gallery today. Tireless behind-the-scenes workers include Ron and Rosie Baker who are present in the gallery today, and Bill and Lesley Hodge who, unfortunately, are overseas and could not be here. To Rhianna Harker, Joy Kuhl and Rod Hooper, who are also here in the gallery today, I say many thanks. To my good and long-time friend, Dennis Ehling, to Marg Hodgetts, Bonnie Poulter, Fiona Lynch, and John Moyle who is a tireless worker. At 89 years, if I can still be as spritely as John Moyle, who has so much passion and zeal, I will be a very proud person. Thank you very much, John. Also to Toni Buckley. To my first campaign manager, Neil Stripling, I say thank you very much, Neil, and to his wife, Glenda, for their ongoing support. These are just a few of the many.
Families endure the best and the worst of times with a loved one who is pursuing a political career. I thank my daughter, Kristy Styles, for her support through three campaigns, and also her children Telicia and Dakota Browne who, together, have been unstinting in their love and moral support. My sons, Adam and Damien Styles, and their respective partners, Cassie Williams and Maree Flack, have never wavered in their encouragement and help, even at times arriving home after partying with their friends until 3 am, they would still turn up at 6 am and get the community barbecues going.
My partner, Linda Fazldeen, has shared my journey 24/7 over 14 years. In the day-to-day effort of seeking political office, and particularly during campaigns, the highs are high and the lows are low, and it has been Linda standing beside me and, more importantly, being my rock. Words cannot express my gratitude and thanks for her enduring love, care, support, and advice through the journey.
My sincere appreciation to these and all the others who, in person or by phone, e-mail, volunteering or simply giving me their opinions and ideas, helped me to reach this goal. Perhaps it is the length of my journey which has reinforced my commitment to community service, and the journey has also proved what determination and commitment to a goal can achieve. This is the message that I have constantly promoted to the young people with whom I have worked over the past 18 years in my former role as a community police officer.
It is the needs of our youth that I wish to initially draw your attention here today.
I would like to speak about a matter of great importance to us all, that is, the young people and their place in the Northern Territory’s future. I will also discuss my other responsibilities, as I have recently been appointed as the shadow minister for not only Youth, but also Seniors; Multicultural Affairs; and Racing, Gaming and Licensing.
The Territory has a population rich in young people. The Australian Bureau of Statistics tells us that 40% of the Northern Territory population is aged 24 years and under. Indeed, the Territory is characterised by a youthful mindset. It is growing upwards and outwards and revelling in expansion. The Top End is also a place where we spend much of our time in healthy outdoor activities with our families, be it camping, fishing and playing sport in record numbers - a good thing in these days of computer games and perhaps too much television.
In the 27 years I proudly served the Northern Territory Police Force, a proud and capable organisation, I spent much of my time as a school-based police officer working with young people and their families. I have enormous faith in those young Territorians who are our future leaders, parents, business people, tradespeople, sporting achievers, academics, public servants and community service volunteers.
Sometimes people mistake the term ‘working with young people’ to mean working only with disadvantaged or troubled youth. While it certainly does include those young people and their families, it also means working with youngsters who are achieving well at school and aiming high to have a successful and rich life. All young people need encouragement, guidance and especially recognition for their efforts. But not all families are able or willing to spend time with their children in this way. I know being a parent is a tough row to hoe. In my time, I have seen children who took the wrong path, and children who were led down it or pushed into bad decisions by factors outside their control. Without guidance and encouragement many young people take the wrong path and have difficulty finding their way back.
The growth of gangs in our suburbs and towns across the Territory is not a good sign. Young people gathering together in groups can engage collectively in actions which individuals would reject. Urged on by others, people can be persuaded to do the wrong thing. Young people who gather aimlessly on the streets in groups at night when they should be somewhere safe can be led to engage in behaviour that is detrimental to both the person and the community.
I understand one of the major concerns of many local families is the safety of their children of all ages. Parks and playgrounds are not as safe as they used to be and there is a real lack of facilities for teenagers. After working in the community for many years, and talking to youth, their parents and community members, I have developed an initiative known as a Neighbourhood Activity Centre which has received strong support from within the community. I believe that a pilot program can be successfully run at Sanderson Middle School. This will be a place where young people have a safe environment after school and on weekends to meet, work, study or learn, free from bullying or the threat of physical assault, overseen by people from within our community and with the support of a permanent police presence. It is true that there have been a small number of youth facilities or drop-in centres for youth, but often these venues are plagued by a small, undesirable and threatening element of gatecrashers and bullies who threaten and harass other young people for whom the facilities were developed. As a result, these other young people leave the facility out of fear.
The Territory has a diverse population with members who have skills and abilities and who want to continue to make a contribution to their community. My vision for a Neighbourhood Activity Centre would see volunteers who would happily give their time and pass on their skills and knowledge to the next generation in a safe and supported environment. These may be the parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents of those attending centre activities. They could include local clubs and community organisations. These volunteers would, of course, be police checked to ensure their suitability. A mix of young and old is of benefit to both generations and continues to give the older generation a meaningful and essential role within our community.
Neighbourhood Activity Centres would have four key features as their basis for their establishment and ongoing success. These features would be: a safe environment; fun; support from government; and the involvement of members of the local community. Our young people deserve safe environments in which to prosper and develop social and practical life skills. I commend this initiative to all here today.
I am also responsible for the shadow portfolio that is the converse of youth - that of Seniors. This is a growing area of responsibility for Territory politicians. Years ago, when I arrived in the Top End, it was unusual for our seniors to remain in the north. Many departed to southern states in retirement. Nowadays there are many more people remaining here. A responsible government plans for this change with initiatives such as retirement villages and social facilities, and, of course, the not so positive eventualities of old age, such as health care. It is, therefore, essential we plan for a complete healthcare system and also the provision of other facilities for seniors. I firmly believe not only are youth the key to our future, but older people are as well.
The developing jobs vacancies demand we hire people because of their skills rather than their age. We need to keep people committed to the workforce for longer, and that means employers must concentrate on offering the best conditions possible to keep people interested and engaged. Invested in our older people is great wisdom and ability. Not only health, therefore, needs to be a focus, but quality of living in all facets - in housing, in transport, in leisure activities - all of these and more need focused commitment.
One of the great delights in my suite of shadow portfolio responsibilities is that of Multicultural Affairs. I am pleased to note that in the Darwin region, many of the multicultural clubs have facilities located in the northern suburbs in very close proximity to the Sanderson electorate. Where else in Australia is multiculturalism better exemplified than in the Territory? We see it everywhere in festivals such as the Greek Glenti, Chinese New Year and Diwali and many more. The fantastic array of international cuisines and cultures available every Thursday night at Mindil Beach and several other markets is further testament to our rich lifestyle. The Territory has proved that people from many cultures can live together in harmony and celebrate their differences, while at the same time bonding, learning and working together.
The last of my new responsibilities is that of Racing, Gaming and Licensing. These pursuits have a very important role for many Territorians in both leisure and in the provision of jobs for Territorians. They and their visitors need to have confidence that they can enjoy these activities in a very safe and secure environment.
Madam Speaker, I have summed up my new opportunities to promote these important areas for all Territorians and, in particular, for the people of Sanderson electorate. My granddaughter recently gave me a Father’s Day card and in it she wrote: ‘I hope you have the best life in the world’. I share this wish for all Territorians
I make this commitment to the people of the Sanderson electorate: I commit to being a diligent and conscientious member for Sanderson, and I look forward to working in the electorate and in this Assembly for the future prosperity of the Northern Territory.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of some friends of the member for Drysdale: Mr Warren Buntine and Mr David Cunnington. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Mr BOHLIN (Drysdale): Madam Speaker, members of parliament, many guests including personal friends. When the day is so controlled by working requirements, I particularly thank David Cunnington and Warren Buntine for still being here. I also thank Warren Buntine and Kim Rizonico for assisting me through my campaign. I wish to make mention of my daughter, Jasmine Bohlin, who now lives in New Zealand but is never far from my heart. I also thank my mother and father, Gordon and Rae Bohlin.
First, thank you to all the people who live and work in the Drysdale electorate area. Your support is truly humbling. To all the people who either directly or indirectly helped throughout the election campaign, it is very much so true that, without your help and support, I would not be able to stand in this Chamber today.
I grew up in country South Australia but, today, find myself comfortably at home in the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory has a country feeling of warmth and welcoming by both its environment and its people. After nearly 12 years in the Territory, I feel I have truly embedded myself as part of its blood, sweat, soil and tears. Having worked and played in many regions, I feel I have a slice of the Territory in my skin.
In those years, I have served as a member of the Australian Army, where I learned my trade as a mechanic. It was this service that had me travelling into the Northern Territory for many years before making the decision to move to the Territory. Having dug many holes and survived many nights in not the best or most comfortable manner with the Army, I knew living in a house would be much easier and nicer. Yet, at the time, as that young soldier, I would be there surrounded my many other young soldiers thinking: This is hard. It is hot, humid, I have blisters on my hands and feet, too many mozzies and midgies’, and I am sure that my odour was not natural.
Years later, I look back and know that it was not hard. Yes, hot, uncomfortable and not the best thing to be doing on your weekend, but it was not hard. There were no real bombs or bullets tearing into our people. The mozzies were nothing compared to the screaming Zeros, and it is even more surreal today with this House built on the site of the old Darwin Post Office where so many people lost their lives in the first bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942. Ten lives: Hurtle Bald, Alice Bald, Iris Bald, Arch Halls, Walter Rowling, Eileen Mullen, Jean Mullen, Fay Stasinowsky, Arthur Wellington and Emily Young. There are many sites throughout the Northern Territory that deserve much more of our attention and remembrance and, as such, I urge all Territorians to take the time and visit some of these sites before they decay any further and the memories and stories are lost.
Moving back to more recent and pleasant times, I was part of the original committee which formed and built the Top End Mud Racing Association which, today, is still piloted by a successful and driven committee. This very family-driven Wet Season motor sport is not entirely unique to the Territory but is, I believe, the best seasonally run event of its kind in Australia and, perhaps, the world.
In 1998, I joined the Northern Territory Police Force and served throughout the Territory, in particular the Palmerston and rural area before heading deep into Central Australia, Kintore. My name is Tjanpilinpa - by skin, that was the name I was given.
It is by working in rural and remote localities and locations of the Territory that you come to truly admire the explorers and founders of this fantastic part of Australia. As such, there truly has not been a day without challenge - challenges that most people understand. It is those challenges that help us develop.
Four years ago, I helped set up Beat the Heat NT. Today, it is as strong as it has ever been with great support from local businesses supporting a committee dedicated to a unique road safety initiative - racing for road safety. Outside the box, it tries to break down barriers between road-going youth and the police with a hope they will choose to use legal racing venues to explore their vehicles and have a safe and fun time, and when they go home they leave the racing at the track and drive in a responsible and safe manner.
How did today become? What led to today? It was while a friend and I were driving through Central Australia returning to Darwin after competing in the 2000 Finke Desert Race that my mate and I started talking - and the talking became deeply passionate about many issues. Some of those issues stemmed from my working experience in the Northern Territory Police Force, some simply from talking with and listening to people I met and knew. That passion simply revolves around people being able to enjoy life without interference from crime. If our families and friends and the community are affected by crime, we should ensure offenders, perpetrators, and criminals understand their effect on society and the victims, and pay the debt they owe society. We, as people of the Territory, Australia, should be able to use our parks, drink our coffees, and dine the night away without the fear of crime touching our families.
Education and re-education is the tool to empowerment and re-empowerment of the people and our communities. I see the need for land reserves, recreational areas that can be used by us, our families and friends - reserved and preserved for an extremely long time. It is with these reserves that we can enjoy our very beautiful landscape and, at the same time, use those reserves to preserve space for our people to enjoy the many diverse activities, hobbies and sports of all kinds that we Territorians enjoy. An example of this is Manton Dam. Other examples can be found throughout the world, like the ‘greening lanes’ in the United Kingdom, and various national parks throughout America where people can get right amongst the raw wilderness.
Madam Speaker, it is with this passion that I stand before the people to be judged, not on what I say, but what I have done and what I will do in the future with this great team.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the member for Brennan’s wife, Robyn; children Brandon, Jackson and Gabrielle; and the member’s parents, John and Jenny Chandler, and mother-in-law, Joyce Gray. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a very warn welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Mr CHANDLER (Brennan): Madam Speaker, to stand here today, I have been truly blessed. To be given the responsibility to represent the good people of Brennan in Palmerston is indeed an honour. One commitment I will make right here and now is to ensure their voice is heard loud and clear in this Chamber and in any party room discussions.
The seat of Brennan is named after Mr Harold ‘Tiger’ Brennan AO, a former Independent member of the Legislative Council from 1955 until 1971, and also the Mayor of Darwin from 1972 until 1975. Tiger Brennan was renowned for his pith helmet, his cigar, and his frequent attacks on the Canberra bureaucracy, and a man who worked hard for the Territory.
I first arrived in Darwin in 1985 as a fresh faced Police Dog Handler for the Royal Australian Air Force. Young and away from my family for the first time in my life, I must admit I did not care too much for this place. I yearned to be nearer my family. How things have changed. Twenty-three years later, I could not possibly think of a better place in the world to live and to raise my own family. The Territory can provide so much opportunity for those people willing to work hard and seek it out.
In recent times, however, I have become increasingly concerned about our society, its direction and what can only be described as a severe lack of respect for our community by many who choose to call the community home. Law and order issues were a highlight in the recent election campaign, none more so than when speaking to the many wonderful people I met on their doorsteps. Our residents are seriously concerned about law and order issues. I will focus on this issue in more detail later during this address.
I met a beautiful young lady - in fact, she was stunning, absolutely stunning - here in Darwin and we were married in 1988. Together, we worked hard and saved to build our first home in Palmerston, which we moved into in 1993. Later that same year, we were blessed with the birth of our first son, Brandon - what a challenge! As a young family we faced many challenges, not unlike many other young families do today striving to make their mark in the Territory. In later years, we celebrated the birth of two other children, Jackson and Gabrielle. After many years of frustrating medical procedures, reports and evaluations, Jackson was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. This little known condition provides additional challenges for many families all over this country; challenges that could be lessened somewhat by additional and focused resources being provided to families and carers in our community. As a parent who has faced many of these challenges, I appreciate just some of the difficulties faced by families and carers of children with special needs.
One area that has concerned me is the level of support provided by government for Inclusion Support Assistants, affectionately referred to as ISAs, working hard every day in our public schools. Unlike many interstate departments which provide ongoing certainty for employees, in the Northern Territory Inclusion Support Assistants have absolutely no certainty of ongoing employment, no certainty of the hours they will work this week or next week, and absolutely no certainty whether they will have a job next term. No wonder many choose to leave during long breaks to gain full-time employment, leaving the schools to find suitable replacements.
This is an abysmal situation, given that many of the very children they are there to provide for require consistency above all else, and anyone who has worked with or appreciates the autistic spectrum must know this. This is one situation that seriously needs to be reviewed.
I must point out here my beautiful wife, Robyn, is an Inclusion Support Assistant and, throughout my time as Chair of the Bakewell School Council, this particular issue was raised time and time again by the staff. I, however, chose not to take that matter further, feeling a conflict of interest existed. I let those people down, and in doing so I let the children down. I will not fail them again. This issue will be raised and raised again until the matter is resolved satisfactorily.
I am sure all new members, no matter what side of politics they come from, have similar ideals when they are first elected to this House. I also trust these ideals are focused on improving the lives of Territorians and providing good governance for everyone. I, too, have these same ideals but I would also like to think I can deliver a level of common sense to government and remain genuine and open to the people I represent.
This commonsense approach should include any legislation introduced. Legislation should be based on sound judgment and designed to provide genuine outcomes that work to improve the lives of Territorians. I have no faith in legislation introduced which is both impractical and operationally difficult to manage. By the same token, it is senseless to introduce legislation that can be effectively managed from an operational perspective but does not achieve intended or stated outcomes. It soon comes to light to the average punter when stated outcomes are not achieved that the legislation introduced was perhaps ‘shoot from the hip’ style rather than what it should be and that is evidence-based legislation.
Last year, I was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship to travel around the world studying urban animal management. That journey helped me to realise how poorly urban animal management and animal welfare is resourced here in the Northern Territory. While I could recount many instances of poorly managed and resourced animal management programs right here in the Northern Territory, I will give you just one small example.
A lovely lady pensioner from Palmerston rang my office to report that two dogs had been left abandoned and were starving in a Territory Housing unit. The dog owner, who was away from the address, was not caring for the dogs. They had no water and no food. This lady, worried about their welfare, contacted Territory Housing who sent someone down. They turned up, knocked at the door and, because no one was home, they left - not once checking on the dogs in the rear yard which is why they were there in the first place.
Later, after finding an old frozen chop in the freezer, the lady cooked up the chop and threw it over the fence. The call to the department of Animal Welfare was met with an answering service. A call back was received but the advice was that there was little they could do and the owner was likely to come back anyway. A call was made to my office and my electorate officer called the department of Animal Welfare where she also left a message.
It is no good calling the RSPCA, for their resourcing beggars belief and, as an organisation other than managing a shelter, there is no provision or sufficient resourcing for an inspectorate. Local councils are not responsible for animal welfare issues and therefore not the appropriate agency to call to address this particular issue. Perhaps that fact alone could be further investigated at a later date. Believe me, there is scope to take on some of these challenges.
After not hearing back by the next day, my electorate officer called the department of Animal Welfare again and wanted to know why no one had called her back, only to be told: ‘We are not resourced to call people back’. If one of our own government departments, the department of Animal Welfare, is not resourced sufficiently enough to return a phone call, what hope do the animals in our community have?
I spoke briefly on law and order issues at the beginning of my address and would like now to express some of my thoughts and opinions in regard to abuse in the community. It is a subject that rarely escapes our daily newspapers and has such a negative impact on the people involved. Abuse comes in many forms and I believe it is particular to the human condition. Abuse, by its nature, implies malice. Malice is a state of mind and, consequently, is generated from the soul of the person rather than some biological function. Malice does not exist in the natural world - not, at least, that I am aware of.
In the natural world, most acts of violence are the product of an animal sorting out lunch. There is no empathy, sympathy or consideration given by the predator. It merely kills or seeks to kill for survival purposes. On those rare occasions where animals do play with what they are killing – if you have seen a cat with a mouse, you will know what I mean – it is not an expression of malice but rather a behaviour that has been hard-wired into the cat by its genealogy. There is no consideration on the part of the cat as to the ‘wrongness’ of its conduct.
The American philosopher, Jeremy Bentham, captured this idea by expressing that in the natural world as things are either in the state of ‘is’ or ‘isn’t’. An animal is either dead or it is not. Naturally, there is no wrongness that can be implied to that state. Bentham said that the question for a civilised person was not couched in those terms. The answer for a civilised person should be framed in terms of ‘ought’ and ‘oughtn’t’. This then demonstrated Bentham’s belief that there is an intervening moral filter attached to every act. For a man who is contemplating injuring his wife, there is a moral question that does not exist in the natural world, and so it should be.
We have been blessed with a capacity that is unique among all creatures that occupy this planet, and that is the capacity to choose between right and wrong, or as Bentham would express it, between ‘ought’ and ‘oughtn’t’. This then raises the issue in the human as to what some would call the issues of good and evil. If we claim to be intelligent and civilised people, we cannot avoid these descriptions. In more modern terms, we express the difference in terms of morality. Something is either moral, immoral or amoral. This latter is a description of the natural world, the former two, moral and immoral, are matters for our consideration. I suggest abuse, particularly the abuse of women, is essentially an immoral or, if you like, an evil act.
While there may be some mitigation for a person who abuses another, such as personal experience, lack of education and low intelligence, the fact is, at the time the abuse is occurring, there is nothing else operating other than the mind and intent of the person who is doing the abusing. That person is essentially engaged in an evil or immoral act. There is rarely any force that impels the hand that strikes, other than the conscious decision that the striker makes to do so. That is where the responsibility should lie and that is where the responsibility does lie.
The reason my address today includes these esoteric observations is because, if one is in the business of framing policy on how to deal with abuse, the assumptions that underlie that policy must be clearly stated. If I believe that the evil of abuse was based in some other causative factor than a choice, then my policy to address abuse would be different. If, for example, I believe that abuse was caused by liquor exclusively, then I would move to ban liquor. The fact is, the vast majority of us consume liquor in safe and sensible ways, and after a beer or a nice little Shiraz, we are not normally inclined to then flog a person within an inch of their lives; nor do we approach a complete stranger walking down the street and decide to flog the living daylights out of them. But that is not the answer that I advocate for addressing abuse.
Madam Speaker, in many instances, liquor is a contributing factor but, in truth, liquor does not make a decision to turn a person to immoral or evil acts. The decision to commit an evil act remains in the heart of the person making that decision. It is for this reason that government policy should and is directed at the perpetrators of violence. Assaulting another person is a criminal act. A husband remains, under the law, criminally liable for assaulting his wife. In fact, the law works very hard to expend protection in the domicile to high levels of intervention and, in truth, I do not believe that, without creating some form of domestic violence Gestapo, the quality of the law in this area can be improved very much in terms of protecting the victim. Nevertheless, such violence continues to occur.
Sadly, we live in an age where there is little space for contemplation of such issues of good and evil, morality and immorality. We now live in an age where the more base elements of natural existence are pandered to at the expense of civilising influences.
Children today are sexualised as a matter of course. An artist in Sydney takes photographs of pubescent girls and displays them publicly with no capacity to address the mind of the beholder. If you turn on cable television, there are endless streams of freely available sexual messages for children to see. So much of what the commercial world provides is aimed at satisfying the here and now - instant gratification on tap 24/7. Gratification sooner and younger is the credo of today.
It seems life, in many ways, is something to be distracted from, rather than lived. Even a simple act in our lives, such as looking up something in a catalogue, has the instant gratification answer available to us. We no longer look something up; we ‘google’ it and, presto, it is there. We expect it all now and we get it all now. If we want to escape, there is a drug to get us there. Heroin, LSD and speed will give you different experiences and, even on the side of lawful, a valium will assist you in your emotional crisis.
The truth is that personal relationships are seen in the same way by too many people today. Partners in life do not always agree with your point of view and people can and do get frustrated. Frustration leads to anger and, if a person who has poor emotional development gets angry - they can and do get violent. Why, then, are we surprised that we live in a world getting more violent? We are filling it every day with more and more people who are used to getting an instant answer for their problems, and that instant answer is making the problem go away with an ill-considered emotional response. The message from all this is that we should think less and satisfy our sensual demands more. The reality is, by taking this approach, we are actually returning to the amoral. People who do not think are more like the creature of the wild than civilised humans; they are motivated by base instinctive responses rather than considered and reasoned choices.
It is for this reason that government policy must address the issue of abuse by laying the blame for abuse squarely at the feet of the perpetrator, and by delivering policies that make the perpetrator reflect upon their actions so that the impulses would be curtailed in the future. I believe that people should be made responsible for their actions, and part of that process should be a mechanism to make a person consider their actions. Too often we hear excuses being made for people’s conduct. This is the ‘society is to blame’ argument. I do not subscribe to this approach because by that system the perpetrator is given an opportunity to avoid being responsible. Whilst people who choose to amend their ways should be applauded and assisted, the choice is still theirs. All pressures should be brought upon such a person to make them see their moral shortcomings, and when they do, they should be given help. If a person continues to see abuse as a reasonable vehicle to their ends, then they should be confronted with their attitude harshly and regularly.
When understanding and even empathy is granted in such circumstances, it will be merely interpreted as an opportunity to avoid responsibility. It is for these reasons that I support a strong and rigid response to abuse and that full protection be offered to the victims of such crimes. It is for these reasons the County Liberals went to the last election saying that when people were brought into the criminal justice system, particularly those who are the subject of sentences, all efforts would be made to educate them. This was not a soft option because those efforts would have been demanding upon the individual, but it would have been made. I hope that in this age of consumerism and immediate gratification, more and more people will see that things and instant satisfaction will not fill the human spirit, and that we will return to a popular attitude where ideas and understanding are more important than satisfying the senses.
This battle will always exist but, when it is being won in favour of consideration and life is seen favourably as a journey rather than merely a group of stops before you die, then there will be real answers for abuse in our community. It will be the role of those organisations that encourage greater self-understanding through that journey that will be best placed to assist people along the way, rather than government.
Madam Speaker, in conclusion, government will always be able to respond to the effects of abuse, but addressing the causes will lie in the hearts of those who abuse. The churches, non-government organisations and other such organisations will be much better able to deal with those who do seek help rather than a government department.
To my Mum and Dad, to Joyce, my beautiful wife, my children, Brandon, Jackson and Gabrielle, thank you so much for your love, your support, and your belief in me, and in your understanding of what I am trying to achieve for our community.
I also pay tribute to my wonderful team of volunteers and to the Country Liberals for giving me this opportunity. To the wonderful residents of Brennan, thank you for your support and, as I develop as a member of parliament, I hope I will be able to turn my beliefs into policies that work and that can and do make a positive contribution to your lives and to the community we live in.
Members: Hear, hear!
Debate adjourned.
ADJOURNMENT
Ms LAWRIE (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, I am surprised not to see one of the ministers or the Chief Minister on their feet at this point. However, the Chief Minister has remained in his seat and I will take the opportunity to speak on an issue which is of concern to me in my electorate, the electorate of - I nearly said Macdonnell then - Port Darwin. This is a major concern to people who live in Port Darwin, but it does flows into other areas around the city of Darwin. I wish to talk about how planning and the shape the city of Darwin is taking affect the people of Port Darwin.
The Darwin CBD from the waterfront to Cullen Bay is a place undergoing dramatic change. When my parents arrived in Darwin, I was little more than a babe-in-arms. The tallest building in town was the old Post Office on the corner of Knuckey and Smith Streets - it is now where a hotel stands – it was three stories tall. There was one set of traffic lights in town, and that was on Parap Road for kids to get across to the school, there were no other traffic lights. The town was 27 000 people strong.
In the last few years, on the back of a resources boom, we have enjoyed enormous expansion, and there is still no master plan for the city of Darwin and its development. There was a land use objectives document done in 1990, and in 1999 some further work was done on zoning different heights under what was then called the Gotham strategy for the future development of Darwin. That was the idea of placing down the spine of the city a taller zone and then, as you went out to the peripheries of the city, the zone got lower to the ground. The idea was that you would get at least in nearly every building built in the Darwin CBD, some sort of view of the harbour. Sadly, these documents have been adhered to in the breach as much as they have been in the adherence, and that is of deep and personal concern.
What has been happening in Darwin is planning develop in a very poor, and incoherent, fashion, because there is no master plan that underlies the thinking of what is happening in Darwin. We have seen all of the conferences organised by the government and we have heard all sorts of announcements about what is going to be done, but there is actually no thread that takes in the whole of Darwin and I am talking about from the waterfront area to the Cullen Bay area which says: ‘This is the plan for this city starting underground and then building our way up’. I literally mean underground because that is where we have to start thinking about what this city looks like.
I will ask members to ponder certain elements of what I am talking about. This master plan must accommodate every aspect of what our city of the future will look like. It will have to speak to the Education department; we are building tower blocks which will have many children living in them on a daily basis, yet what schools are going to be in place and where? Are we going to re-open the old Darwin Primary School at Frog Hollow again? Are we going to open up or expand Larrakeyah Primary School? Or are we going to open build a new school? If so, where are we going to put it?
What are we going to do with the basic infrastructure? We are still pumping into the harbour, I think, about an Olympic-size swimming pool of raw sewage on a daily basis. The feeders are technology built in the 1950s, yet there are buildings like Pandanus which are still in its catchment. This means we are building 33 storey buildings and relying on 1950s technology to dispose of the effluent those buildings produce. That is poor planning. We find the answer to that will have to be some sort of boring process to go under the city to get back into the Ludmilla feeders so we can push the effluent into the harbour a little further out around Ludmilla. That is poor planning.
It is also poor planning that we are still relying on 1950s technology to supply our power for the city. If you stand in Mitchell Street you will see all of these overhead power lines, and this is the city, the CBD, which provides many of the essential services in times of community stress. A good example of a time of community stress is something like a cyclone. I do not know how many of the current members were here in 1974 for Cyclone Tracy, but those box girder-type pylons that were around at that time which were holding up our power supply, were lying flat across the road in some places. In my street in Jingili, those box girder pylons were lying so flat that as a nine-year-old, I was able to step over them.
Ms Lawrie: The CLP opposes undergrounding power.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ELFERINK: I did not say I was not supporting underground power. I was criticising the lack of planning your government has provided to the people of Darwin. You are approving 33 storey buildings. What are those people going to use to get up and down those buildings when the pylons are lying flat down across the road? What are you going to do? Do they have their own power supplies in those buildings? No, they do not.
So what are we actually planning to do here? We are not pursuing any sort of master plan with a capacity to deal with a disaster like a cyclone. And do they happen in this part of the world? My word, they do.
So we are pumping effluent in huge amounts into the harbour; we are relying on 1950s technology to provide power; we are relying on 1970s technology to provide water and, yes, the answer from the government was: ‘We are going to build the wall on the Darwin River Dam a bit higher.’ But we are also going to be spending a lot of money, not on building a new dam. There is room for a new dam. We had acquired the land for a new dam. That has been acquired years ago across the Adelaide River. It is going to be called the Marrakai Dam, or we could even have the Wirra Dam across the Adelaide River, or we couldeven have the Bennett Dam across the Finniss. All of those have been scoped out to a greater or a lesser degree. What is the government’s solution to our water supply? We are going to go and reopen up Manton Dam. That is World War II technology.
Why are we planning so poorly? Why are we working so hard to plan so poorly for the future? Surely we should be looking at the very fundamentals of any community: effluent disposal, power supply, and water supply. This is your basic three Rs of providing for a city. We have a modern city relying on technology which is quickly becoming decrepit. Decrepit not only in terms of its physical structure but decrepit in terms of the thinking that goes into it. If we are talking about master plans and improving the quality of services to a city like Darwin, then we are going to have to be looking at those basic levels - and is it not happening.
I am also concerned about the ad hoc announcement process that we keep seeing for Port Darwin - and we saw it again recently. We saw it again with the announcement of Flagstaff Park. I say: ‘Good, I am glad that you have finally gotten around to keeping your promise about Flagstaff Park’. However, what about the old hospital site? Where are we going with that? I have heard three different announcements over the past few years in relation to that. I do not even know what is currently planned for the old hospital site.
We also see approvals of buildings that have no consistency with the environment in which they exist. We also see the approval of certain developments which are fine developments, but there are still problems with the detail in some of those developments. I will point to one; I will actually name it. It is the Tipperary Waters area in my electorate. There is Dinah Court which is a small cul-de-sac which services many apartment buildings. Quite correctly, those apartment buildings have two car parks allocated to each apartment in those buildings. That is fine, but the street that accesses that area is very narrow, and we have people who visit as guests or stay with friends or go to parties in that street and very quickly congest the street with their vehicles. It becomes a very difficult place to navigate. I was there quite recently and I had to stop twice to allow traffic coming the other way to drive up a small cul-de-sac.
That problem has been allowed to occur – but times change. What will be the answer to that? Well, I have a solution: there is a stormwater drain on the other side of Tipperary Waters, between Tiger Brennan Drive and Tipperary Waters, and that would be an awfully good place for overflow parking.
I will be pressing the government on those particular issues …
Ms Lawrie: Following up on our election commitment.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I almost heard the member for Karama say something, but I did not quite catch it. I am sure she will be rising to reject all those things that I am saying at the moment. I invite her to, because I will be glad to send her rejection to the people who have to put up with the results of poor planning decisions.
The need for a master plan in Darwin is immediate. It needs to be fully thought out with full public consultation, and some real expertise. Once you have a document which is fully thought through and has been put together with some real expertise and is designed so education, health, infrastructure development and all those other aspects I have not even contemplated, such as parking and tropical architecture, are taken into consideration, then you can start to design a city in which people can have some faith. Planning is a fundamentally important issue which, for all too long has been neglected by this Labor government.
I note the words of the Administrator earlier today; it is all about listening, planning and acting. I would like to see a whole lot more planning done, specifically in the CBD of Darwin, so that we do not have a ridiculous situation where we are approving 20- and 30-storey buildings to pump out raw sewage through technology that is literally 50 years old.
It is probably going to be of great surprise to many members here, but the time it takes for effluent to travel from your toilet in the Pandanus building to, say, 500 m off Lameroo Beach, is about three hours. It does not get treated, it gets macerated. That means it is sucked through a very large blender and pumped straight into the harbour. It is time for a planning document to be put together that addresses that issue, the power issue, the water issue, the roads issue …
Ms Lawrie: We have already done that.
Mr ELFERINK: I hear the minister say we have already done that. Have you spoken to the Education department? Where are the schools going to go?
Ms Lawrie: We are very aware.
Mr ELFERINK: Where are you going to put the school? Where is the new school going to go?
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ELFERINK: I am sorry, I did not hear where the new school was going to go, Madam Speaker …
Ms Lawrie: Did you miss the middle school we built? Did you miss the middle school we built? Did you?
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Port Darwin, direct your comments through the Chair. Order, Leader of Government Business!
Mr ELFERINK: They have not done it and they have not done it to the level it needs to be done so the future residents of Darwin who live in those tower blocks, the families who live in those tower blocks, will be able to take comfort from the fact that they know where their schools will be and what those schools will look like.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, new members made their maiden speeches today. I suppose I am a bit biased when I say this, as the only Independent now in parliament: it would be nice if you actually took the parties out. There were some fantastic speeches today, and I could not say there is anyone who gave a speech today who did not have the Territory at heart. They were concerned about youth, crime, the environment, and the future economic growth of the Territory.
However, they had a slant because they had to say ‘we are doing it better than that group because we are this party and they are that party’. If I had a utopian dream, it would be for us all to stand in this parliament and work towards the benefit of the Territory without those extra bits attached. There were some very moving speeches today and some gave me a lift.
I made my maiden speech two terms ago. I suppose people thought it was great. I now look around and I know this is hard to believe, but I think there is only one person in this parliament who has been here longer than I have, and that is the Chief Minister …
Ms Lawrie: And Terry.
Mr WOOD: Who else?
Ms Lawrie: The Leader of the Opposition.
Mr WOOD: Of course, the Leader of the Opposition. When you consider the number of people here, some people say I have been here a while.
To hear this new energy coming from people today is fantastic; it gave me a lift. I feel sometimes: ‘Blow the parties. Blow that type of thing’. It would be so good if we united as 25 people working for the things we are really concerned about.
I thank all the members who spoke today. We will disagree on a number of issues; I can tell you that now. However, when I disagree with you it is not because I have a personal dislike of what you say, but because I am trying to put forward something good for the Territory as well.
Planning – well, I am glad we have another four years because we will be battling for another four years on planning. I support what the member for Port Darwin said. I went to a planning meeting last Friday to discuss a proposed high-rise building in Wood Street, near the corner of Knuckey Street. It is one of three buildings going up in Wood Street and this one takes up two house blocks. You all know where the old Darwin house blocks are; they are where the elevated homes were - the ones people are sad to see demolished.
This building is maybe 15 to 20 storeys high. It is going on two house blocks. There is another building going up next door on one house block. It is about the same height, maybe a little lower. Then there is the one Sunbuild is building at the moment; you might have seen an article in the paper about some trees chopped down - that is going on another house block and is about 20 storeys high.
I absolutely agree there is no plan. I said at the Development Consent Authority meeting: this is a disaster. I can go to the other side of Litchfield Street and right at the back of these buildings is another set of house blocks which, if you approve this development you approve another 20-storey building, and another 20-storey building next to that and another 20-storey building at the back - all on Litchfield Street. You would have wall-to-wall high-rise buildings. I cannot accept that is what Darwin is all about.
I do not live in Darwin, but it is my capital city and we are heading for a concrete jungle because we do not have a vision. Governments need visions - then they have strategic plans. Without having a vision, without the government setting out a vision for Darwin, we cannot develop a plan to make sure it actually happens.
What did the people say - I will not say who said it to me - when I stood up in the Development Consent Authority? They said: ‘We know what you are saying, we agree with you, but you are at the wrong forum’. Why was I at the wrong forum? Because what was happening is approved under the principles of planning for the Darwin CBD, which is set out by the government – the principles are set out by the government …
Ms Lawrie: Have you seen them?
Mr WOOD: Recommendations might be fine, but they are going to build right this minute. Why is Pandanus taking up the entire block? Why was Evolution, a 33-storey building, allowed to take up the entire block, which would allow another four buildings to go around that, side by side? There is another block on the corner of Cavanagh Street opposite the Darwin Post Office - it is 1400m2. I believe there is approval for a 31-storey building, boundary to boundary. If you took the entire piece of land bounded by Smith Street, Searcy Street, Edmunds Street and Cavanagh Street, you could put another four 31-storey buildings on it, and if you allow one building to go boundary to the boundary, you cannot knock back the next bloke for building boundary to boundary, and you can put another four of those buildings. This will give you the future concrete jungle.
We should be acting now. It is not too late. The Development Consent Authority is working under the principles the government has set out as allowable. It cannot work under any other principles not set out in the Planning Scheme. If those blocks of land are allowed to have 31-storey buildings and no open space, then I say: pity the future of our Darwin skyline.
I am not opposed to tall buildings. Tall buildings are subjective. I went to the Sears Building in Chicago during my visit to Ohio, which is 103-stories high. I am not saying we should have that in Darwin, but that building is set back, it has a huge courtyard with sculptures. Someone has said: ‘Yes, we will build this building, but we will make sure there is some vision’. And you can admire the building because you have space around it. We have not done that. We are in danger of …
Ms Lawrie interjecting.
Mr WOOD: Madam Speaker, the minister can say that, but when I was in the Development Consent Authority the developers put in an amended submission and they showed me all those buildings down Wood Street, side by side by side. They got an amendment to actually have a bit more open space around those buildings. In reality, you could have eight of those buildings between Woods Street and Lindsay Street.
The issue that worries me is transport; getting people in and out of town on a peninsula. Then there is the open space. If those buildings are for families, where do kids play? They can say Frog Hollow, but the kids would have to cross Knuckey Street and some busy roads.
We are putting suburbs into our CBD. If you were to do this in the northern suburbs, you would probably be required to make sure there is space for an oval, space for a school, space for a shopping centre, all these sorts of things. But we are doing suburbs in a vertical manner in the CBD, now, and I am not sure we are putting in the facilities to make our city user friendly with lots of open space and a tropical feel - not a concrete jungle.
Madam Speaker, I know the minister is saying they are doing something. Minister, I put my concerns to the Development Consent Authority about the number of back-to-back high rise buildings and they said: So, I am saying to this forum, our parliament, that we do not have a good vision for our city. I will argue about the greater Darwin vision later on, but as the member for Port Darwin raised it, I thought it was an appropriate time.
I urgently ask the government, not months down the track, to have some proposals developed as quickly as the heights issue - which some people think was done so quickly they did not have a say in it - to have a development plan stipulating how much open space is required around tall buildings in the CBD. Should there be a formula between the height and the open space around that building …
Ms Lawrie: It deals with volumetric controls.
Mr WOOD: It might be. I have seen some volumetric controls which mean the building at the base is still boundary to boundary and then they stagger upwards, but there is no space round the base. The AANT Building and the Local Government Building in Smith Street are big buildings but they are set back, have a lawn, have a garden and you can approach the building. That is the concept we should be looking at in Darwin.
Setbacks do not exist at the moment; Pandanus is wall to wall. There is no place for a bus. Evolution is actually built over the footpath. I went to that meeting and I complained about it. Have a look at where Evolution is. It comes out over the footpath. It goes up and back and across like that and it is built up like that. Where do you put a tree? You cannot put a tree, unless a tree has a slant on it.
The member for Port Darwin talked about small roads in Tipperary. You have small roads in Palmerston. I have stood in this parliament before and said: ‘How come the government has not made it compulsory for there to be no road built in the suburbs that cannot take at least three cars, one parked there, one parked there, and one in the middle?’ In Palmerston you see roads that are so narrow if you park one car on the side there is only room for one car to pass. If you have a party everyone has to park on the nature strip. That is great. The nature strip is all worn out and your street landscape is ruined.
I do not know what you do when the fire brigade goes down the street and the rubbish truck has to turn around. I believe there should be a commitment to say to the developers: ‘Here is the bottom line - you will have a road wide enough for three cars. Sorry Tipperary Waters, you can sell those blocks of land for a fairly good price, but you will have these basic facilities to ensure people can come and go safely and can park adequately’.
Why has that happened? The government has said: ‘We will change those rules for little cul-de-sacs in Palmerston’. Well, I have been in some of those cul-de-sacs in Palmerston and it is creepy. Where I grew up in the streets in Melbourne, I could kick a footy and I play a game of cricket. But gee, if you kick the footy in some parts of Palmerston, it would be in the neighbour’s front yard all the time.
We have made some very poor planning decisions and it goes back to the government allowing it to happen. The reason why we have tall buildings with no open space is because the government has allowed it. The rules say that you can put a building like Pandanus, like Evolution, like the ones in Woods Street, like the one in Edmund Street, border to border.
Ms Lawrie: Pre-existing rules.
Mr WOOD: But government is allowing that right now.
Ms Lawrie: Why did you think I did UDAP? Why do you think I put that process through, Gerry?
Mr WOOD: All right, that is terrific. UDAP might be nice but I was given a thing the other day about the minutes from UDAP. I must admit, I would have liked that to be a bit more open. I know we have had meetings, but to get a vision of Darwin needs leadership from the government and input from the people. How long since we had these meetings? A long time ago?
Ms Lawrie: April.
Mr WOOD: I went to a meeting a lot later than that at the Travelodge, or whatever it is now, and we discussed these issues. In the meantime, these buildings are still going up and nothing is going to stop them unless something happens in the government very quickly.
I am disappointed that the city I see, a tropical city, is at the point of no return. It will be too late once these buildings are built. Look at Synergy. I do not mind whether the Synergy people love me or hate me but I reckon the Synergy group of flats on the corner of McMinn and Bennett Street is a shocker. It is an absolute disgrace. And those towers at the back, you could nearly play table tennis with your neighbours over the balcony, 15 storeys up. That is how close they are. That is not a tropical building. We should have told them: ‘You can only have so many buildings there. The rest is open space, trees, playground, car park, you name it’ but we have not done that.
Members have been thanking all the people who helped them during the election. I also have many people to thank. I do not have all their names here because there were so many but I need to thank them all. I especially need to thank the sign writer. I should not forget that because they received a bit of publicity in this last campaign that I was not expecting. I had so many people help me during the election that I could not have done it by myself.
It was a strange election for me because many people who normally helped me were ill this time and I had to rely on other people. I especially thank my wife, Imelda, and Jennifer, my electorate officer; Jim, and especially Di and Phil Mount who did an enormous amount of work. They are not young people and they did a terrific amount of footwork for me. I thank all those people – Shane Stringer for doing my cartoons, Jo Van Ooster has done my cartoons, as well; and to all those people who voted for me and had trust in me and to all those people who did not, they know I will still be here and working for them.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I thank the Clerk, the Deputy Clerk and all parliamentary officers who have done a terrific job in getting today ready. It is a very big job for the Legislative Assembly and they always do a terrific job. Thank you very much to the Clerk and the Deputy Clerk.
Members: Hear, hear!
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016