2010-10-21
Madam Speaker Aagaard took the Chair at 10 am.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise you of the presence in the gallery of Year 7 Dripstone Middle School students accompanied by Ms Sarah Belsham and Ms Salima Spring. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it is with deep regret I advise members of the death on 13 September 2010 of Mr Kasper Gus Ntjalka Williams OAM, a respected member of the Hermannsburg community and a fine Territorian.
Madam SPEAKER: I advise honourable members of the presence in the gallery of family and friends of Mr Williams, in particular Ms Serena Williams, the daughter representing the children; Ms Heidi Williams, a daughter-in-law, also representing the Hermannsburg Historical Society & Casey Pty Ltd; Genise Williams, granddaughter representing the grandchildren; and Cameron Miller representing the Ngurratjuta Accounting Service. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that this Assembly:
(a) express its deep regret at the passing of Mr Kasper Gus Ntjalka Williams, an outstanding Territorian, a wonderfully talented musician and revered community leader; and
Madam Speaker, as honourable members are aware Mr Williams passed away on 13 September this year at his home in Central Australia. Mr Williams was a Western Arrernte man. He was an outstanding leader in his community, gifted in understanding and walking a wise path between two cultures. He was also a loving father and outstanding musician.
Born in Labrapuntja in the late 1930s, Mr Williams moved to Hermannsburg as a teenager to live with his grandfather after his parents passed away. It was here Mr Williams began to show a wonderful talent for music, joining the renowned Hermannsburg Choir and eventually becoming its lead singer. Mr Williams toured nationally with the choir singing a selection of songs at Adelaide Town Hall which were recorded on a memorial album. He also sang on Camp Fire Concert, a souvenir album for tourists put out by Sundowner Safari Tour Company which was recorded around a camp fire in Palm Valley.
When his cousin, Albert Namatjira, and others brought gramophones to the community, Mr Williams was introduced to a style of music which suited him better than gospel - country music. Mr Williams soon moved away from gospel music and into his own style of country music.
In 1958, Mr Williams married his wife, Rhonda Malbunka. A year later saw the birth of their first daughter, Serena Evelyn Williams - Serena is here today - then came Ingrid, Warren, Baydon and Debbie.
Throughout the mid to late 1970s, Mr Williams toured remote communities with Herbie Laughton, and played with his sons in the Warrabri Country Bluegrass Band. In a time when it was a rarity for Indigenous people to take centre stage, Mr Williams was there with his band singing and making music. He understood the power of music to bring people together and break down barriers. He was actively pursuing reconciliation long before it became fashionable. After attending a number of Aboriginal country music festivals on the east coast, he organised the first Northern Territory Aboriginal Country Music Festival in Alice Springs. The festival later moved to Warrabri, the place we now call Ali Curung.
Mr Williams continued to work tirelessly and, in 1983, was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to country music and Aboriginal people. Ted Egan, who was, sadly, unable to attend the funeral, described the day Mr Williams received his OAM as a great Territory day. I had a phone call from Ted just after Mr Williams’ passing. Ted was very disappointed he could not attend the state funeral and passed on a number of anecdotes regarding his time with Mr Williams. This was probably not only the funniest of them all, but also demonstrates what a community man Mr Williams was. This is from Ted Egan on the great Territory day - the day Mr Williams received his OAM:
It must have been a pretty amazing sight.
In 2000, Mr Williams was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Tamworth. Mr Williams made an enormous contribution to the Territory community as a leader, musician, and tour guide. One of the most important roles Mr Williams played was as a mediator between various sections of Territory society.
I had the pleasure and privilege of meeting Mr Williams on a number of occasions as minister and, then Chief Minister in the Territory government. My fondest memories are several meetings at Hermannsburg just outside the tea rooms on the verandah, sitting around a table with a cup of tea, Mr Williams in his hat, and a few old fellows just talking about Hermannsburg and Central Australia. I remember from my conversations with Mr Williams that he was a man of great dignity, of real stature, and a man who had a real presence about him. You knew you were in the presence of someone pretty special. In discussions, we all knew there were significant problems; however, he was always very cheerful and looking to solve problems rather than complain about the state of things. He was full of ideas for a future for his community and his people – he looked to the future. That is my memory of Mr Williams; a man of great dignity, of great presence, and a real Territory leader.
He achieved this through sport, music, tourism, and during his 30 years as Chief Executive Officer of the Hermannsburg community. That is an extraordinary commitment to his community - to be the CEO for 30 years. He was a strong voice for Hermannsburg, or Ntaria, for many years, advocating for economic development, education, and opportunities for young people.
In addition to his role as CEO, he chaired or was part of many councils and organisations. When I spoke at the funeral a few weeks ago, I was astounded at the number - I will read through a few. I do not know if this is an exhaustive list: the Aboriginal Benefits Fund, 1983; ATSIC - an original board member; the Central Land Council for 20 years; the Ngurratjuta Deputy Chairman in 1986, and Chairman from 1987; a role in reconciliation in Central Australia; the Central Australian Football League; the National Aboriginal Congress visiting Canada and America; WAHAC, board member and chairperson; Ntaria Supermarket director; Hermannsburg Historical Society Chairman; a big hand in the Western Arrernte outstation movement in the early 1970s as well as Chief Executive for the Hermannsburg community for 30 years.
When we talk about someone being a leader, someone who is a great Territorian, someone who made a huge contribution to Central Australia and the Northern Territory, we see that in all the organisations he served on over so many years. To become chair of many of these organisations you have to be elected, and to sit on a number of the organisations you have to be elected. That demonstrates the regard in which he was held by the community, for over 30 years, as he served in so many different and distinguished roles.
Mr Williams’ achievements saw him meet Nelson Mandela whilst part of ATSIC; the Pope when he visited Alice Springs in 1986; and the Queen on the Duke’s visit in the 1950s, where he was invited to dine with them. I wish I had known that when I had the opportunity to sit down with Mr Williams, because dining with the Queen in the 1950s must have been a great story. Maybe there are people here who might know more of that meeting, but for an Arrernte man to be sitting with the Queen of the Commonwealth and Empire, as it was back then, must have been an extraordinary evening. He was also invited to meet Prince Charles in the early 1990s, and received a Bicentennial Medal in 1988.
Mr Williams’ memory was honoured at a state funeral at the historic Lutheran Church in Hermannsburg on 30 September where, as you would recall, Madam Speaker, we were joined by hundreds of people. As well as mourning Mr Williams’ passing, it was also a memorial service which celebrated his life and achievements. I was pleased to speak with many people on that day and was intrigued to see so many people wearing really bright green ties and green skirts - a vivid, bright, lime green. I asked a number of people why everyone was wearing this really bright green beautiful colour? I was advised it was part of the totem of the Dreaming of the Caterpillar in the region. It was a pretty spectacular sight.
I also have a memory I will take away with me from my time at the state funeral: the glory of the choir in the church that day. I have not heard the Hermannsburg choral tradition before. It was outstanding and something I will always remember.
Mr Williams will be remembered as a man of strong convictions and passion, whether performing on stage, on the football field, or standing up for reconciliation. His legacy lives on through his children and grandchildren. I acknowledge in the gallery today his daughter, Serena, his granddaughter, Genise, and other family members and friends.
Madam Speaker, I am sure honourable members will join me in offering our condolences to Mr Williams’ family, the community of Hermannsburg and the people of Central Australia. The Territory has lost a great man, a man who was an astounding leader and a man who has made a great contribution to his community, Central Australia, and the people of Australia.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr MILLS (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I acknowledge family and friends who are with us today. It has often been asked if one were to depart what would one like to leave behind, and it is a legacy. The legacy lives on in the lives of other people, in many communities, in many forms. I would like to reflect on some observations I have of this life, because it is important to look at a life and take something from it so we can continue to learn.
I see a man who served magnificently, impressively. A man of presence, as the Chief Minister has described. Others would have said the same: a man of dignity and with the bearing of a leader; a man who served, not to draw attention to himself, but to use music as a means to achieve something far more important, to bring people together with understanding and mutual respect; a man who served on a number of boards and committees in senior positions to provide change and leadership, and help communities grappling with challenging issues. Change is difficult. However, in the midst of all this change and tumult was a man of presence and dignity, with the bearing to keep calm and allow that change to be transacted.
The presence of that quality of leadership is something which challenges all of us today. Sitting at the funeral service in Hermannsburg, I am sure a question weighed on many people’s minds and hearts: the question of quality of leadership in the face of the challenges we are left to address today. We are instructed by the quality of a man’s service, his presence, his legacy to assist us on that journey. The mantle, in many respects, falls to the family; we as members of that family in another sense stand beside and support and nurture that legacy.
He used music. Some people go into music to draw attention to themselves and have some celebrity status. He used music as a tool to bring people together. He toured to tell a story and make a connection. He would have started a country music festival because he would have seen music as a way where two cultures and peoples could come together to gain a better understanding of each other. That is why that would have occurred, I imagine.
Tourism was a venture to help people understand this great, ancient land, and the stories of this land. That would have been the purpose. That is why it is an enduring legacy. If it had been only to make a buck we probably would not be talking today. It was for something else; there was something deeper to it. That is why there is such a powerful legacy, which we pause in our proceedings today to reflect upon, and to draw encouragement and challenge from, that which we have seen and experienced in the life of this great man.
He met royalty; he met presidents and princes, and walked a difficult road. Often we come to a point where we look back - we do not realise what we had until it has gone. We have now looked back and have seen a difficult path which has been walked. If you read behind the words, as I have attempted to do, you see there have been many, very difficult challenges. However, he has walked that path with dignity and presence.
One story in particular with Warren H Williams and John Williamson – I think it was 1998 – someone commented when they appeared on stage at Tamworth and sang Raining on the Rock, there was a standing ovation. The person who spoke of this had never seen it before. To get to the point of seeing two men singing about Uluru and rain on the rock was a long journey. It started a long way back where, for the first time in the memory of this commentator, there was a standing ovation. It was a long journey to arrive at that point, and Mr Williams reflected on the journey to get to that point. He said: ‘When the two of us first went to Tamworth, no one was interested’. A father and a son, two Aboriginal men from Central Australia – no one was particularly interested. However, there came a time when there was a standing ovation. He reflected on the significance of that and the journey to arrive at that point.
I found that instructive. That is a challenge - to stick with it, not give up, and remember what the real purpose is, not be distracted - and he continued. I think of the journey too, and the challenge left with us that day.
I was sitting closer to the choir than the Chief Minister, and it was awesome hearing the singing from the heart – powerful, but the message had come before from Mr Williams - he wants that to continue. He wants those men to sing. I spoke to some of the men afterwards saying: ‘You heard that? Are you going to do that?’ They said: ‘Yes, we are going to do our best’. I said whatever way I could, I would provide encouragement, and if we could collectively, in any way, provide some support for that to continue because that was something he asked for. They sang and I would like to see more men singing in Hermannsburg just as he asked for it to be. That would be an honouring, and if we can assist in some way that would be honouring as well.
Finally, I found as I was reflecting on what was a journey, we look at the highlights, however it is the points in between which really instruct, and the points in between about the challenges which have been faced. If we are careful in our observations we draw that lesson; there are many challenges each of us face where we must not be distracted and must remember the purpose of the list. That is why there is such a magnificent legacy, and it is instructive for all of us as we are endeavouring to bring about change. He brings to us a challenge and an opportunity to draw from that legacy and to continue. Thinking of it as a journey, we are part way through our journey - whatever mile post we have passed.
I am sure he sang this song - it kept coming to mind as I was thinking about this last night - Walk A Country Mile. It is one of my favourites because it is a story of life. If I may conclude with the verse and chorus of Walk a Country Mile by Slim Dusty, as it encapsulates what I have endeavoured to say. I am sure he sang this many times as any good Country and Western singer would.
Rest in peace, Mr Williams.
Ms ANDERSON (Macdonnell): Madam Speaker, I support this motion today. When you are a person like me who came from that area and grew up with Gus and Serena, and Serena’s sister who passed away in Hermannsburg - we have lost a very proud and wonderful man. A man, as the Chief Minister said, who attempted reconciliation before reconciliation was at the forefront of anyone’s mind in this country. He did that through music, and he brought non-Indigenous and Indigenous people together. He was friends to everyone - friends to the white man, friends to the black man, friends to the poor, and friends to the rich. As we heard, he has mixed and rubbed shoulders with the best in this country.
As a part Arrernte and part Luritja Pintubi person, I am honoured to have known this great man. He was a hard-working man, and I said in my adjournment on Tuesday night he was one who thought very hard about the entrenched welfarism Aboriginal people have found themselves in because he came from a time where everyone worked. People were butchers, bakers, carpenters and tanners, getting salt, and weaving and sewing, saddlery - all sorts of things. As we move on in our journey through life policies change, life changes.
He was a man who loved his children very much; loved his grandchildren. Everyone who went to Hermannsburg, who knew Gus, knew he was always surrounded not just by his children, but his grandchildren – his grannies loved him, he was special to the grandchildren. We also heard at the funeral the two granddaughters singing, and what wonderful voices. We did not hear Serena’s daughter, Joella. These are just magnificent voices at Hermannsburg. Serena’s daughter, Warren’s daughter, Baydon’s daughter; it is a gift and Gus knew the gift of his own children and grandchildren.
Reconciliation, in those days, was very hard, but he did not make a big thing out of it; he just went on his way, going on his journey every year. It did not matter if he was sick; he took the trip to Tamworth. It did not matter if anyone said to him: ‘Dad, you are a bit sick this time, maybe you need to give it away’, he was always on that trip to Tamworth. That was his way of chipping away at the music industry without saying anything; without making a big fuss about it.
Gradually, his music was well recognised and, as we now know, his son, Warren H Williams, is the greatest country singer as far as Aboriginal people in Western Australia are concerned. As I said, when we were children and going to Palm Valley listening to Gus and Rhonda sing, we used to call them Mr and Mrs Rick and Thel – Rick and Thel Carey. Mother would always stand beside and harmonise with dad. It was one of those really fantastic events which took place in the time of country music when we knew Buddy Williams, Rick and Thel, Slim Dusty, but our greatest singer was Gus Williams.
This man fought very hard for not only reconciliation, also for land rights. Land rights was his passion. He fought for the 1967 referendum - everything gets given back to Aboriginal people. The land had been given back to Aboriginal people. He was against the intervention and leasing. He wanted to maintain something no one sees, because everything we see, as governments, as policymakers, as bureaucrats, we see on the surface. This was something very dear to him – Ntjalka Dreaming. The Chief Minister spoke about it: the green and white dresses and the skirts people wore on the day of the funeral represented that.
Aboriginal people, like Gus, hold underlying law and culture of this land - something which was finally given back to Aboriginal people. There was no way in the world he wanted to give it back to anyone; he wanted to hold that. He fought and said: ‘You can build the houses without taking our land’. I believe that legacy will be taken over by his daughter, Serena, who is here. I have been to meetings where Serena has been very outspoken about that. That legacy will be carried on, not just by Serena, but also by Warren H Williams. That is a legacy and a wish left by their father. Aboriginal people should not have to give up their land in order to have services on their country, because we fought and waited so long for this to be given back to Aboriginal people. I know Gus was one proud man who would not give it back to anyone.
He sat on many committees but Ngurratjuta was his favourite. He was the chairman of Ngurratjuta; he directed and rode the ship silently, making Ngurratjuta grow. He was very good friends with the CEO, Chris Pearson. Chris was absolutely devastated to hear the news of the passing of Gus that morning. I guess he sees Ngurratjuta as his organisation which only represents the Ngurratjuta area, because it represents the Western Desert, the Western Arrernte, right into the King’s Canyon area; it does not go any further than that area. Ngurratjuta represents a little love heart shape of communities. He was a wonderful chairman for many years. I guess Ngurratjuta is going to have to find someone - obviously not as good as him - with the same direction, the same momentum, the same love and passion he had for that organisation. It is going to be very hard for the Ngurratjuta people in that area to have a good chairman like him and direct the organisation in the same way.
As the Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition said, he was never one to say: ‘Look at me, I am doing all these things’. He did everything quietly. He sat on the local health service board, WAHAC, and directed WAHAC to work with Territory Health service saying we have the medical service with just a clinic - the doctors and nurses - WAHAC should do the preventative stuff and the primary healthcare. It is talking to people about diabetes, and if you go to Hermannsburg - I do not know if the Chief Minister and the Opposition Leader saw the big sign outside WAHAC: ‘Diabetes is a time bomb’. That is a big sign he encouraged WAHAC to put up so people knew about obesity and their health, and got the WAHAC Board to start taking men on exercise walks. It is very hard to get Aboriginal men to walk from Hermannsburg to the entrance of the Albert Namatjira Memorial but they did, and some of them lost weight thanks to Gus.
Madam Speaker, he sat on many boards. He sat on the education board at Hermannsburg as an encouragement to the family and community to get their children to school. He sat on the shop board - all sorts of boards. We saw, as the Chief Minister said, at the funeral, how many of those people came to pay respects to the greatest Western Arrernte man to ever live.
Mr HAMPTON (Central Australia): Madam Speaker, it is an honour to commemorate Mr Williams, a leader, a proud Western Arrernte man and Central Australian. Mr Williams was a man of many parts, an outstanding community leader, a talented and groundbreaking musician, a family man, a role model, and a strong voice for his people. He was a passionate advocate for his community of Hermannsburg - Ntaria. He saw the need to develop an economic base, the value of a good education, and the need for strong families and strong community. I attended Immanuel College in Adelaide which, I believe, Serena, Warren H, and Baydon attended. In fact Baydon may still hold the record for athletics in the 100m.
Mr Williams saw the potential for tourism in the Hermannsburg area early on. He first became involved in the industry as a guide around Hermannsburg, with its many natural attractions such as Palm Valley, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Mr Williams often said his time as a tour guide taught him how to talk to different people, and I have to say, he learnt very well. He was a great communicator and often seen to be able to walk two cultures with relative ease. He was keen to share his country with visitors and teach them about the country and what it meant to him culturally.
Mr Williams was born in Alice Springs around the end of the 1930s and was sent to live with his grandfather in Hermannsburg as a teenager. He was related to Albert Namatjira and, in fact, remembered hearing country music for the first time on his cousin’s gramophone. The young Mr Williams was musical - his family was singing in the choir, but he gave gospel music away when he heard country on the old 78 records. As he said: ‘I picked up the guitar and started strumming’.
Mr Williams was an Indigenous music pioneer, singer, band leader, organiser, motivator and advocate. Mr Williams, and other family members in the Warrabri Country Bluegrass Band, began playing around Alice Springs in the 1970s and, together with other local music legends, had a regular gig at the youth centre with a talent quest. His sons often joined him on stage, and one of them, Warren H Williams, reckons he was about six when his dad first put a guitar in his hands - that has paid off. Mr Williams often said music could lead to a better life for kids and keep them away from trouble. He was a mentor for many, especially his sons, and Warren H is probably the best known, still making great music. He also inspired people like Isaac Yamma and his son, Frank, and paved the way for many of the talented Indigenous musicians making their mark today. His band, Country Ebony, was a huge hit in Tamworth and Alice Springs, where there were many events held at Witchetty’s. Slim Dusty penned quite a few songs from one of their albums.
Mr Williams was no slouch when it came to getting his message across to the media. He was an articulate advocate, often appearing on national programs to highlight Indigenous issues, or to publicise his beloved country music and Hermannsburg. Mr Williams also knew how to spin a yarn, whether it was passing on stories about Country or telling tales about his days on the road with the band.
His other love and passion was football. This grew from when he was about 17 and had moved back to Alice Springs and began his involvement with clubs such as Pioneers, Federals and Rovers. Over many decades, he continued his love and passion for football by being involved in the administrative side of it, particularly when community football began to kick off in the mid-1990s, and through his involvement with the Ngurratjuta Association. He became a major sponsor for the AFLCA through the Ngurratjuta Cup. Every grand final you would see the old man proudly watching the teams, and even more proudly when it was Western Arrernte playing on Traeger Park.
We have heard various speakers say this morning the state funeral was a most fitting celebration of the old man’s life. There were people from all walks of life - many people from my electorate, many of my family from Warlpiri and Anmatjere country. It was held in both the Western Arrernte language and English, which is most fitting. I acknowledge Pastor Wheeler and Pastor Basil who conducted the service, his family and his granddaughters, Cassandra and Genise, who sang some beautiful songs during the funeral service, and also the Hermannsburg Choir. As the Chief Minister and the Opposition Leader said, the songs they sang were amazing and the voices seemed to go straight through your body.
On behalf of my constituents of Stuart, the Hampton family, my in-laws, the Stokes, Trindle and Foster families, particularly around Tennant Creek, and the Warlpiri and Anmatjere people, I sincerely pass on my condolences to the Williams family and friends here today – Serena, Genise, Heidi and Cameron –my sympathies to you.
Madam Speaker, there are not too many men left like him in Central Australia. We know we have huge challenges ahead. He is going to be sorely missed as we work through these issues, but his legacy will live on through his music and his many achievements, no more than through his five children, his 18 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, I say goodbye to a person I knew over a period of 25 years. It was about 1985 when I first met Njtalka. I had been transferred to the Alice Springs Police Station as a constable and, about 20 minutes after arriving, Sergeant Harry Arnold waltzed into the muster room and, as was done in those days, I was told: ‘You are going out to Hermannsburg relieving for a few months’. So I packed my meagre possessions into the back of a police car and drove to Hermannsburg.
When I arrived, the tracker’s wife, Alison Hunt, had left for a meeting somewhere and a conspiracy had been hatched in her absence to shoot her pet bull, Barney, because he was looking too tasty. He had been grain fed and it was determined by the police officers, including the tracker – they were known as trackers at that time – that Barney was going to be despatched into the next world and we were all going to have a piece of Barney. The problem was one of the police officers, who will remain nameless forever, did not shoot Barney properly.
Barney, rather than passing from this world into the next, was somewhat enlivened because the round passed through his snout rather than between his eyes. Barney went through the side of the shed wall, corrugated iron going everywhere, with police officers in pursuit trying to despatch Barney with a volley of gunfire somewhat reminiscent of Beirut. Barney was finally despatched, thank the Lord, and we quartered him.
A short time later an Aboriginal man arrived at the police station and gave us what for, and too right! It was a dangerous thing to have been involved in - I was 20 years old, young and stupid - it was a dangerous thing to do. Fortunately no one was hurt, and with the passage of 25 years I have learnt much. However, what struck me was this Aboriginal man who was not scared of challenging authority, and too right he was not scared of challenging authority. He was a man who was supremely confident about knowing what was wrong and right for himself and had learnt those skills in a time where Aboriginal people were not encouraged to have those skills or that world view.
I note from the Chamber’s Pillar Historical Reserve - and whilst I realise it is not strictly within his traditional Country it is on Arrernte land - a quote in this report worth reading out in context of Gus Williams’ life:
That paints a picture of change and dislocation for Aboriginal people which took them off their lands. Gus was no exception to this, and there were policies being driven independently of Aboriginal people which had profound effects on them. Gus understood that instinctively from a very early age.
His work ethic is unquestionable. You heard about his work ethic today, and his work in Ali Curung and Ntaria demonstrates he has consistently applied that work ethic with a complete sense of confidence in self. That is what is sadly missing from so many Aboriginal people today, and is a little like the observation Steve Biko, a South African freedom fighter once made - the hardest part he had in convincing people apartheid was wrong was because he could not convince Africans they were good enough to govern themselves.
Gus Williams understood he was good enough to govern himself and the families he represented and he challenged those authorities, not with outright defiance, but with what the member for Macdonnell described, a consistent and relentless approach like water dripping on a rock - eventually the rock loses given enough time. That is what struck me about Gus Williams. When we were being a pack of ratbags at the police station we did not intend to have a gun fight at the OK Corral - it is the way it worked out because someone could not shoot straight - but he was prepared to challenge the authority and was not screaming and yelling. He just said: ‘Not on. It should not be happening that way’. Too right! He challenged that authority in an appropriate, quiet fashion. That is the thing I liked about Gus.
When I was a policeman he was often grizzly at me on the occasions I had anything to do with him. More importantly, when I was member for Macdonnell, Gus was not always nice to me. He would ‘growl me’ - the expression most people down there use. He would ‘growl me’ quite regularly for several reasons, often because of a faux pas. The difference was after he finished growling me he would stick his arm around me and say: ‘All right, now I will show you how to do it properly’. Gus shared with me things and information, and took me to places I only afterwards realised I was profoundly privileged to have heard or be shown.
The eight years I spent as the member for Macdonnell, only sometimes now do I appreciate the rare and extraordinary opportunity afforded to me and what a great and wonderful privilege it was because of people like Gus.
I am unsure if the people of Ntaria are capable of filling the vacuum he left. I hope someone steps up to the mark. I hope several people step up to the mark.
Gus was also a great, passionate defender of his own way of life, his own culture. I remember a time when he complained to me bitterly about a successful land claim over the Palm Valley area. I thought: ‘What are you whingeing about? You have won’. However, he made a very important distinction, and it was one of the great flaws in the Land Rights Act - one of his great critiques of the Land Rights Act.
The Palm Valley traditional owners were listed in alphabetical order - that is the system by which it is done; no recognition of traditional law at all. Because Ntjalka’s last name was Williams, he was near the bottom of the list. There was no recognition of the fact he was a very senior player over that country, and listing someone in alphabetical order offends the concept of traditional ownership, how stories and songs rest with individuals, and who should be identified as the primary owner of those land trusts.
We have an instrument built in the rather paternalistic 1970s which said Aboriginal people are a homogenous blot of people, and we will list them by name when, in fact, ownership rights - as I would recognise them under the common law of England back in the 1200s and 1300s - were not dissimilar to what ownership rights in traditional systems are in Central Australia today. Ownership should rest with specific individuals rather than, necessarily, the whole group.
These were the types of messages Gus Williams was trying to bring forward in his own style. Yes, he supported land rights; however he supported the proper application of land rights. When it was not done properly he became angry. Yes, he would be irascible; yes, he could be grumpy, however he always did so for good cause.
My experiences, and the times I spent talking with him taught me about being sure of yourself and speaking your mind when necessary, and keeping your own counsel when necessary. Surprisingly, the arrogance of youth is funny. I thought: ‘Why is this uppity Aboriginal person telling me what to do?’ It turns out, on reflection, the uppity Aboriginal person had much more to teach me than I could ever have taught him.
I place on the record today my personal gratitude to Ntjalka. His life was well lived, honourably lived, and with a sense of purpose and direction which he strove for every day I knew him, through the Ngurratjuta Corporation, through his governance on the Ntaria council, and for his many other roles.
Madam Speaker, what do I say in memory of a man like that at the end of his life? Simply two words: Kulla Marrda.
Ms McCARTHY (Arnhem): Madam Speaker, it is a privilege to pay my respects to the family and people of Hermannsburg regarding an amazing man. I think of growing up in the Northern Territory and, in particular, in the Borroloola and Gulf regions. When you think of the name Gus Williams, and the Williams family, it is synonymous with music. That music has inspired so many Aboriginal men and women across the Northern Territory. That, in itself, is quite an extraordinary achievement through times of absolute despair throughout the Northern Territory and the history of many people’s lives in the Territory.
The impact the Williams family has had, led by Gus, is tremendous. To know that legacy lives on in his children and grandchildren is a testament to the man himself and the extraordinary ability he had throughout his life to not only care, love, and support his family, but to also reach out in teaching black and white people he came across in his life, not just as a musician, also in his incredible leadership capabilities in the Hermannsburg community.
When we look at the gap someone like Gus Williams leaves, we look first at the kind of person he was. Resilience is a word which comes to mind for me in the many years I have known the Williams family and, in particular, the many times I had the opportunity to sit down with Gus and talk about different issues. In my previous life as a journalist, I had the opportunity to talk to him about issues he was passionate about as a leading spokesperson in the Hermannsburg region, trying to improve the lives of his own people, and recognising as an Australian we need fair and equitable services for all people, and give hope to not only his descendents, but all he cared for in that region.
For more than 30 years, Gus stepped up to the plate to offer this kind of leadership to his community, particularly through the local community council. With the introduction of local government reform our government set a course for further development of local government in the Territory. A better skilled and better organised local government sector in the bush needed to deliver services and help manage community life in an ever changing and increasingly demanding world where there was greater transparency and an expectation to achieve accountability at the highest level.
As difficult as those times were, Gus understood that vision and was a vital member of the Local Government Transitional Committee for the new MacDonnell Shire and Cultural Advisor to that shire until August 2008. He was a community leader in a time when the success of local community government councils depended so much on the ethics, morality, skill and perseverance of key leadership figures. He navigated that very tricky role and all the challenges thrown to him in those days of small and very under-resourced local government. He managed to do what very few could: combine dual roles of council president and council administrator.
In addition to his work on that council, he found time to be the long-standing president and board member of the Ngurratjuta Aboriginal Corporation; Chair of the Western Arrernte Aboriginal Health Corporation; Executive Director of Ntaria community-owned supermarket, and delegate to the Central Land Council.
It is a mark of the man that Gus Williams did his best to fulfil a leadership role for his community with integrity, diligence and humility. This, no doubt, was born of his incredible faith and his early days growing up with the values of the Lutheran Church. These qualities, and his ever present contribution to community wellbeing in Central Australia, led to recognition and the award of the Order of Australia in 1983 for his community service, well deserved by any measure.
As evidenced through his pioneering in the music industry, Gus also had an entrepreneurial streak in his being, and was always looking for ways to develop economic opportunities. Gus knew the power participation in the broader economy could bring to an individual, families, and the community in general.
As Minister for Tourism, I pay special tribute to his important and pioneering work in Indigenous tourism in establishing and conducting tours to Palm Valley. Many people would remember his involvement with the Sundowner Safari Tour Company, and the campfire concerts which were a signature element of his tourism work. He saw an opportunity to bring together the loves of his life: his music; his love of Country; his love of family, and sharing that world with visitors not only across the Northern Territory but visitors from around Australia and overseas who went away with an image of the Northern Territory seen through Gus Williams’ eyes - an image of hope and love for Indigenous culture in the Northern Territory and knowing the way to move forward was about working with each other in mutual respect. There are many Indigenous landowners across the Territory with this interest and people like Gus Williams demonstrated the possible pioneering of the development of tourism.
Gus Williams is another great Territorian who has joined the list of Indigenous Territorians recognised for their life’s work through a state funeral and a condolence motion in this parliament. We should all look to his example and respect the man for having a go and working on the front line, aiming to carve out a better life not only for his family, but his community not just one day a week or one month a year - every single day he was there for his people and his family.
We should all join to encourage and support future generations of local leaders, people willing to explore uncharted Territory and do their best just as Gus did. There is also a testament to the man in his children. I have come to know his son, Warren H. Williams, over time through his work in CAAMA, and as a musician. The achievement through Gus’s descendants, in being able to bring about that harmony and better understanding between black and white Australians and, as mentioned in the House in the condolence motion, the ability to reconcile the differences of so many people in understanding Aboriginal people.
I reflect on the wonderful thing Gus captured, the power of song and music as a medium to celebrate life and offer hope, to empathise with people struggling through difficult times, to celebrate the power of love and to always, no matter how despairing, offer that hope. I am thinking of his well known cousin, Albert Namatjira, who explored and celebrated his world through art, and how Gus did much the same through music. Both men are wonderful examples of Indigenous Territorians who were always exploring new ways of bringing people together in often incredibly difficult times through an artistic medium.
Madam Speaker, on behalf of the people of Arnhem, and on behalf of my own families and the Yanyuwa, Garrwa, Mara and Gudanji peoples of the Gulf region, I pay my sincere respects to the family of Gus Williams and the community of Hermannsburg.
Mr GILES (Braitling): Madam Speaker, I support the motion brought on by the Chief Minister. One of the toughest parts of this job is speaking on a condolence motion. I find it very tough, and I recognise the family and friends here today. On you, Gus! I have known Gus for quite some time and so has my wife. We were both saddened to hear of Gus’s passing. My thoughts are with Serena, Debbie, Warren and Baydon. I am in frequent contact with Baydon and Warren on a number of things.
I have always been taught that you have two ears and one mouth so you have to listen twice as hard. I have learnt that over a long period of time. With Gus I would have active involvement but not always learn immediately.
I do not like talking about people’s lives in condolence motions; I would rather sit, listen and reflect on what is being said. I will continue to reflect on what I have known of Gus and the Williams family, and continue to learn. I want to reiterate some of the things mentioned today.
The things Gus stood for, his family, some of the achievements in his life, are not forgotten and will stay with me in my personal life and my parliamentary role - those things are important. People who go down in history are always remembered. Thank you; I pass on my condolences.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I also extend my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr Williams.
I only met Mr Williams a few times. The first time was when I became the new Health minister and had to go to Ntaria and meet with a group of people. In fact, the member for Port Darwin attended the community meeting, and I remember Mr Williams telling me in no uncertain terms exactly what had to happen at the clinic. It was quite a strong message and I remember thinking that this was a particularly important man.
It was a great honour to attend the state funeral, and it will be a lasting memory for me of waiting outside the church with the Chief Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Braitling, the member for Port Darwin, the member for Macdonnell and the Minister for Central Australia behind a huge group of family – there must have been hundreds of people there – with the church in the background. It was a beautiful day. The family wearing the black and green, the caterpillar motifs, the sound of women grieving in the background, wailing, and from the church, the most magnificent singing, in Arrernte, of the great hymn, Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah, one of my favourite hymns - it was a wonderful send off for Mr Williams.
I ask all members to signify their assent to the motion by standing in silence.
Motion agreed to.
Members stood and observed one minute’s silence as a mark of respect.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, honourable members. I thank all members for their contributions to this motion and invite family, friends, and interested members to join the family in the Main Hall for some refreshments.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Member for Macdonnell
Ms ANDERSON (Macdonnell): Madam Speaker, I move that the member for Macdonnell be granted leave of absence for 26 to 28 October 2010 due to attendance at the anniversary of the hand back of Uluru and associated programs.
Leave granted.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Member for Karama
Dr BURNS (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the Treasurer, Ms Lawrie, be granted leave of absence for this day to attend to government business interstate.
Leave granted.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have before me a document relating to pairs for the entire sitting day today for the member for Karama and the member for Drysdale. It is signed by the government Whip and the opposition Whip. I table that document.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr VATSKALIS (Health): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The primary purpose of this bill is to amend the Human Tissue Transplant Act to allow for anatomical examination for the purpose of study and teaching of the anatomy of the human body. In considering the additional requirements for the act, an administrative review of the Human Tissue Transplant Act provides an opportunity to update the act to contemporary standards. A series of amendments has been included to update the language around human tissue transplant matters into contemporary legislative wording without changing existing intent or purpose, and aligning the numbering and penalties with current legislative drafting practices.
The explanatory statement demonstrates in many cases the new wording provides clarity of the original intent and effect of the existing act; for example, with issues of consent. Reference has been included to update the act with relevant contemporary legislation and definitions such as the Health Practitioners Act. Transition arrangements have been included.
The amendment bill will ensure legislation will be in place to support the new Northern Territory medical program when it commences in the academic year in 2011. Provisions in the amendments allow anatomical examination for the purpose of studying and teaching the anatomy of the human body, and the inspection and establishment of schools of anatomy supported by a code of conduct. The amendments will enable appropriate transportation of human specimens or cadavers.
I wish to highlight at the outset that the Northern Territory is not creating a body donation program for the study of anatomy. Due to the Territory’s small population and cultural sensitivities, it was considered inappropriate to utilise local donations. During the drafting of the legislation, consultation occurred with senior management medical representatives and the Flinders University Indigenous Reference Group. The group’s membership includes representation from Territory Indigenous cultural groups, and some of the members provide pastoral support for students of the Northern Territory medical program.
I am advised the cadavers will be obtained from established body donation programs in other jurisdictions to respect local sensitivities and culture. The School of Anatomy will be managed by a code of practice which meets national standards and local conditions. Notice of the code of practice will be gazetted by the minister, and the code published on the agency’s website by the Chief Health Officer.
The amendments to the Human Tissue Transplant Act concern teaching anatomy and the inspection and establishment of schools of anatomy; therefore, it is fitting to amend the name of the act to Transplantation and Anatomy Act.
In the 2009-10 federal budget, the Australian government committed $27.8m towards infrastructure for the Northern Territory’s first full medical education program. Further funding of $6.6m has been committed to the program’s recurrent costs for 2010 to 2014. This funding adds to the Territory’s ongoing commitment to growing our own medical workforce. Since 1996, the Northern Territory has committed recurrent funding of approximately $2m per year for the Northern Territory Clinical School. Together with the Australian government’s commitment, we are creating the first opportunity for local students to complete their full medical degree without having to leave the Northern Territory. This is an important milestone in the history of the Territory’s health workforce, and will be a critical enticement in attracting and retaining specialised staff to the Territory to teach at the medical school.
Flinders University Australia and Charles Darwin University have committed to a partnership to deliver a double degree, including a full four-year medical program – the Northern Territory Medical Program. I am pleased to advise the House this program is on target to commence in Semester 1 2011. The Northern Territory Medical Program is an extension of the Flinders University Australia curriculum which requires students to undertake human anatomy studies. The Northern Territory program will be of equivalent standard and standing as the South Australian program.
For medical students, the study of anatomy entails anatomical examination of human cadavers. The Human Tissue Transplant Act, as it currently stands, does not allow for anatomical examination for the purpose of studying and teaching the anatomy of the human body. These amendments before the House today are required to allow Northern Territory medical students to undertake the human anatomy curriculum and, hence, complete their medical degree in the Northern Territory.
The Northern Territory Medical Program is aimed at attracting and supporting Indigenous and Northern Territory residents to complete their medical education within the Northern Territory. There are two pathways for students. High performing Northern Territory high school students will be offered a scholarship to complete medicine and, in turn, will be bonded to the Department of Health and Families for two years following completion. The second pathway into the Northern Territory Medical Program is via graduate entry, under which Northern Territory residents who hold a degree in the science or health field will be encouraged and offered scholarships to train as doctors. In both pathways, Indigenous students will be offered strong support mechanisms and scholarships to aid in successful completion of the program.
The two-year bonding program following completion of the course will offer students experiences within health which are aimed at encouraging them to join the Northern Territory medical workforce. Bonding will also provide a medical workforce which can be used to fill urgent skills and service gaps within the system.
The Northern Territory Medical Program will prioritise, encourage, and support Indigenous and Northern Territory residents to study medicine in the Northern Territory. The program offers unique training with cultural understanding, and enhances skills required to improve Indigenous health. Ultimately, it is envisaged the Northern Territory will produce a skilled and appropriately trained, sustainable, medical workforce attracted to work in rural and remote regions. This will positively impact on the health outcomes of all Territorians and, in particular, Indigenous people.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and table the explanatory statement to accompany the bill.
Debate adjourned.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: I advise honourable members of the presence in the gallery of Year 7 Dripstone Middle School students, accompanied by Mr Phil Liebich. On behalf of honourable members, I extend a very warm welcome to our visitors.
Members: Hear, hear!
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr HAMPTON (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Madam Deputy Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to amend the Environmental Offences and Penalties Act to enhance the scope of the act. The Environmental Offences and Penalties Act came into effect in 1997. The act establishes a framework for environmental offence levels and a penalty regime for each level.
The Environmental Offences and Penalties Act does not create offences. Various environmental offence levels in the act are referenced and picked up in specific environmental legislation such as the Waste Management and Pollution Control Act, the Mining Management Act and the Water Act.
These statutes create actual offences. The Environmental Offences and Penalties Act creates a consistent set of penalties amongst the different environmental laws. This Assembly recently passed amendments to the Environmental Offences and Penalties Act to double penalties for environmental offences and, with a valuable contribution from the member for Brennan, infringement notices. I am pleased to report those amendments came into effect on 9 September 2010.
The amendments I bring forward today aim to refine the scope of the Environmental Offences and Penalties Act so it continues to be used to establish a consistent penalty structure for offences in existing legislation, as well as an expanded range of future environmental legislation.
Government is progressing a range of environmental regulatory reforms to be introduced into the Assembly over the coming months, for example, new laws for the management of native vegetation. These reforms will expand the regulation of the environment in the Northern Territory.
It is appropriate that the Environmental Offences and Penalties Act be sufficiently flexible to enable its use in creating environmental offences at particular levels under new legislation. The regulatory system aimed at protecting the environment can involve offences which might, on the face of it, seem minor or indirectly related to environmental harm; however, without compliance with those offences, the overall system of environmental protection may be jeopardised.
The amendments I am introducing today recognise the capacity of the parliament to designate offences as environmental offences, and to apply a consistent penalty structure to a broader range of offences than those where a narrow interpretation might otherwise suggest a limited relationship in protecting the environment. The amendments do not impact on the role of parliament in considering and passing environmental legislation that designates certain offences as environmental offences. Rather, the amendments provide parliament with greater flexibility in employing the penalty structure created by the Environmental Offences and Penalties Act.
The amendments have been drafted so the change in scope of the Environmental Offences and Penalties Act does not impact on the designation of environmental offences under current legislation.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I commend this bill to honourable members and table the explanatory statement to accompany the bill.
Debate adjourned.
TERRITORY PARKS AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 117)
Continued from 11 August 2010.
Mr CHANDLER (Brennan): Madam Deputy Speaker, the Country Liberals support this legislation. The purpose of this bill is to introduce offences for interfering with or damaging a crocodile trap. My understanding is the offence only relates to crocodile traps owned by the Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission and is applied to all traps, whether in use or not. ‘Interfere’ includes touching, standing on, entering, or moving a trap, and attracts a maximum penalty of 50 penalty units or, in dollar terms, $6550, or six months’ imprisonment. I also understand a conservation officer may issue an infringement notice for the offence which will attract a penalty of three penalty units, or $399.
Why do we need this legislation? I can tell you why. Unfortunately, we have clowns and idiots in the Northern Territory who continually want to interfere with the crocodile traps set around the Top End. You only have to look at some of the NT News articles, particularly this one by Rebekah Cavanagh on 17 November 2009, ‘Clowns Clamber onto Kakadu Crocodile Trap’:
When these photos appeared in the NT News my first reaction was to blame the Northern Territory News because I felt it was advertising these hoons - these idiots - and it was encouraging more idiots to do the same thing. However, that is party to shooting the messenger and is not fair. The idiots will do it anyway and, as pointed out to me by the minister recently, photos in the paper sometimes help to identify the idiots. If they continue to take photos and put them on Internet sites like Facebook, we are a little closer to identifying who they are and prosecuting them.
That is the problem we have had in the past - no legislation in place to effectively penalise someone for being an idiot. Lawmakers across the world are not able to legislate for the idiotic behaviour humans are capable of; however this is an important one. We all know the croc traps are there for our safety and for anyone to tamper with those is foolhardy and puts lives in danger. It is not hard to understand why this side of the House is very supportive of the minister’s legislation.
While I have recommended the Country Liberals support the legislation today, I posed several questions to the minister recently and am hoping he could provide answers today. Does the department contract the capture of crocodiles to private operators? If they do, or if they will in the future, would their traps be covered by the term ‘a crocodile trap owned by the Territory or the Commission’? Are there any private operators conducting crocodile trapping operations on land or water not administered by Parks and Wildlife, and if there should be in future, will the legislation, in its current form, cover it, or can it be extended to cover this possibility?
I understand the government has looked at private tendering, and if that does happen in the future - I really want clarification on the existing crocodile traps. If they were transferred to a private operator would this legislation cover them? If they remain the property of Parks and Wildlife, I understand it would be okay.
While we are talking about the crocodile traps, I would like to thank the minister for the opportunity, last week, to go out with a croc team and see how they work. Brett Easton, Tommy Nichols, Robbie Risk and Joey Buckerfield took the time to demonstrate how they manage crocodile traps and how they remove crocodiles from traps around the harbour and transport them to local crocodile farms. I found the experience invaluable. My questions were few; I enjoyed the landscape. However, any questions were answered frankly and honestly. I found the crew highly professional in everything they did and something both this government, and our community, can be proud of.
I would also like to mention we have a new crocodile management plan. When that was first released I was a little critical of certain aspects - exclusive zones and exclusion zones. I was annoyed at the approach used by the local media and had to look at media releases of what had been said by the government and ministers. I could not find any reference to the government mentioning exclusion zones. I could only find that as something the media had picked up on and were driving, and it sends the wrong message. We can never be 100% sure any of our waterways are free of crocodiles.
I wondered whether the term ‘management zone’ was correct. Could we look at another term - a supervised area, or an area which is monitored to get away from that word ‘management’? In life we have good managers and bad managers; something is managed well or is not. Using the word ‘management’ gives people the sense someone is in control - whether it is good control or bad control. I suggest we replace ‘management’ with something which does not give people the expectation we have an area free of crocodiles to lessen the ambivalence some people have regarding crocodiles.
We had the Coroner’s findings and recommendations into the death of Briony Anne Goodsell last year. It would be remiss of me not to mention some of the issues the Coroner found and some things where the department, in my opinion, may have been misled, perhaps inadvertently, in its actions. I wonder if we have done enough at this stage, given the findings. I will read from section 23 where the Coroner was told:
It says in section 24:
I will read that part again:
One thing which disturbed me when reading the findings were several letters which had been sent to the Attorney-General and her recommendation to this parliament, which I will read:
That letter was signed by the Attorney-General on 30 August 2010. I am concerned, when I look at some of the earlier letters regarding the Coroner’s findings - and it goes back to 16 July when the Attorney-General was sent a letter saying the department acknowledges receiving a commitment for an additional $190 000 per annum to expand crocodile management into the Darwin region, and will receive recurring funding of $75 000 per annum to continue the Crocwise public awareness program - something I absolutely support. I have observed the program at the schools and it is getting better every time I see it. The staff running it need to be commended.
One criticism of it, particularly with younger kids, it could be a little tighter. It is a little too long and perhaps the key message is lost. The black signs with the red writing shown to younger kids are very important. However, in the time it takes to deliver the kids are getting fidgety. Perhaps it is because of the build-up and most schools do not have air-conditioned assembly areas; however, the message is very important and I commend the government for the Crocwise program. I hope the minister noticed, when he visited my office recently, the Crocwise sticker at face level as people walk in. It is a very important message.
I return to the Coroner’s findings and these letters. The first letter, sent on 16 July 2010 to the Attorney-General, said it sought expressions of interest and had issued a select tender document for Darwin Harbour crocodile trap baiting, clearing, maintenance, and cleaning for a period of 12 months to further assess the viability of the private sector delivering crocodile management so existing resources can be redirected to manage other locations. The tender document was issued on 23 June 2010 and closed on 9 July 2010. A further written response was provided by Mr Grant, dated 12 August 2010, which is Attachment C - and I will get to that in a second - clarifying the plan to put crocodile management out to tender was made in response to the death of Briony Goodsell and that the additional $190 000 was allocated as funding for that tender.
Mr Grant advised no tenders were received, and NRETAS was deciding whether to re-tender or expand the current crocodile management team. In either case, Mr Grant submitted the Coroner’s recommendation was being met. That surprised me because the next statement from the Attorney-General says: ‘I am satisfied that NRETAS has considered the recommendation of the Coroner and is taking appropriate action’, based on the fact the CEO said, in either case, the Coroner’s recommendation to resource the expansion of management in the Darwin region had been met.
I will read the letter from the CEO at the time to the Attorney-General:
It goes on to say:
How can you say the recommendations have been met when you have said it was to go out to private tender, or you were going to expand the current team, neither of which has occurred? It says: ‘There were no tenders received to extend this to private enterprise’, however, we know the current team has not been expanded in any way. The Coroner has said:
How can a comment be made, or an opinion formed - I will read it again: ‘In either case, the Coroner’s recommendation to resource the expansion of management in the Darwin region has been met’. It has not been met. It is not close to being met. Yet the Attorney-General makes a submission to this parliament saying she is satisfied. Well, I am not satisfied. I appreciate you are trying; you have tried privately; however, that has not worked.
You have said you will consider expanding the current team - which does a fantastic job - and you have given them resources such as boats and additional croc traps, but you have not put on extra staff to manage it. What is the succession plan for people like Tommy Nichols and his team? There does not appear to be a succession plan in place. Tommy, and his team, will not be around forever. I find it abhorrent someone can make a comment and it is taken to the level of government being satisfied. Sometimes things from the coalface to the ministerial level get sanitised so much that ministers, unfortunately, are in a position where they think all is good when sometimes all is not good.
I will read from section 25 of the Coroner’s report. This is very important; however, I do not want to get off the track that we are supportive of this legislation. It is important; there is a reason for its introduction and I applaud the minister and his department for bringing it forward. I am frustrated to find the Coroner has recommended a process and the department has tried something - I know you are working through it – but to come up with the statement that: ‘We have met the recommendations’, is plainly wrong. Section 25 says:
Section 26 of the Coroner’s report says:
Madam Deputy Speaker, I applaud the minister for bringing this legislation on and will continue to fight, not just for more boats and more traps, but for staff - trained people - to ensure the job is done.
Mr KNIGHT (Business and Employment): Madam Deputy Speaker, I support the minister’s legislation today. I have some personal knowledge about a case which kicked …
Mr Elferink: Do that again, that personal knowledge thing.
Mr KNIGHT: … sorry, you want to jump in here and play politics with the death of an 11-year-old girl, member for Port Darwin? He likes to trawl around about the death of small children - it is disgusting. I know the mother of this young lady and it is abhorrent the member for Port Darwin would laugh and giggle about the death of an 11-year-old girl in such horrific circumstances.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! The minister must know he is well out of line. I ask him to reconsider his language, if not withdraw those words.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Port Darwin. If you wish to make a personal explanation you may approach the Speaker afterwards.
Mr KNIGHT: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. The member for Port Darwin was mocking me for the staggered start of my speech - I was gathering my thoughts around this young girl. I have been in contact with Charlene for the last couple of years because she manages one of my investment properties. It was not so long ago, after the death of Briony, Charlene was doing an open house for some new tenants. I visited the property and it was a very eerie situation with young children running around. I cannot fathom the emotions a mother would be going through with the loss of a child under those circumstances. A croc attack is horrific.
That is what I was thinking about, and the member for Port Darwin laughing is quite distasteful given the situation.
Briony went to Taminmin High School, a school many students from my electorate attend. Those kids were traumatised. They are rural kids who swim in waterholes, as Briony did, on a regular basis. It is the rural life, and to be taken so tragically affected those kids tremendously.
It is a little personal, a little close to home for me, and I hope Charlene gets some comfort with her life and is able to remember Briony in a fond and positive light.
I have lived in the Territory for 22 years, spending most of my time in rural and bush areas. Crocs are a part of life and I scratch my head at the things I did in my younger years out bush; wading through lagoons as part of my work or recreation - I would not do it now. Many people I know who have been in the Territory a long time and talk about where they would swim or what they used to do would be horrified anyone is doing those things today because there are certainly more crocodiles around. They are getting gamer and they are coming closer to urban areas - it is a fact of life. Tommy Nichols highlights it is a fact of life; we live with crocodiles and you cannot be too cautious about it.
You take heed of warnings, which is why the Crocwise campaign is important - to get the message and awareness out to kids. When it is hot, kids want to be around water. We also have campaigns about swimming in stormwater drains, where we have had tragic loss of life. It is about teaching school kids about drains and open waterways where there is potential for crocodiles to move. They can move large distances across floodplains to reach waterways - they are very vicious creatures and you cannot put enough safeguards in place. Rangers visited Berry Springs Primary School to run the Crocwise campaign. Education is a critical part of ensuring people are cautious. You can put more croc traps out but they cannot be everywhere; education is vital.
I shake my head at some of the antics that occur. We have seen pictures of people on croc traps and in croc traps. It is bizarre for people to be inside croc traps where bait has been set and there is food and blood in the water. You wonder why people do it. I came off the Mandorah Ferry and there was a splash in the water, and I wondered what was going on. People were running along the gangplanks going up the stairs wet. I could not figure out what was going on. Other locals, like me, were hopping off the ferry. Some young people were jumping off the top rail of the jetty into the water. There have been crocodiles on that gangplank. There are umpteen sharks in the area. The antics people get up to are crazy sometimes. Hopefully, having new penalties will make people think about what they do. The increased power for our rangers to impose infringement notices is extremely important. It is about an education campaign, and we are intimately aware of the need for resourcing and are working through that. At the same time, the Crocwise campaigns are vital.
I have a large bush electorate with many rivers and many Aboriginal people live in those remote areas. Most times, people do the right thing; they are very cautious about where they swim. However, when you have alcohol mixed with bad behaviour around waterways there can be tragic circumstances. I know of instances of people being taken by crocodiles at Daly River where alcohol was involved.
By and large, people are aware of what to do and what not to do, and practices are passed down through families. That is what we need to do as a society. In the urbanised areas we do not have a passing down of that knowledge.
Many people are moving to Darwin and we have to make people aware – kids and parents - about what they can and cannot do. Many local residents do not get out of Darwin much to Litchfield and Kakadu. This awareness campaign will be much more effective than having police everywhere.
Minister, I congratulate you on this legislation. These new penalties will certainly help. I commend you for your commitment to protecting the community from crocodiles.
Mr HAMPTON (Parks and Wildlife): Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank the members for Brennan and Daly for their contribution.
I will begin by stressing the role and responsibilities of government and me as a minister. There is no doubt about it; one of the key priorities as minister for Environment responsible for the management of crocodiles in the Northern Territory is public safety. I do not shy away from that. We are legislators - that is a key role as members of the Legislative Assembly and the reason I am here today. Early in my job as minister for Environment responsible for crocodile management plans I noticed a legislative gap which limited prosecution of people who behave badly - a worrying and increasing trend, particularly when it comes to interfering with crocodile traps. We are here because there is a legislative gap which limits the ability to prosecute the increasing trend of interfering with crocodile traps.
Another role of ministers and government is to introduce policy, which is spelt out in the crocodile management plan. Under that is the Crocwise strategy. As responsible minister, I have kept a very close eye on the Crocwise strategy as an important part of public safety. Another important role for ministers is discussing things within Caucus and Cabinet and fighting hard for resources. To date, I have done that.
Both the member for Brennan and the Coroner said there is a long way to go. I have read the Coroner’s report and am aware of the need to increase resources in the 50 km management zone. I will continue to fight for those resources, member for Brennan.
As minister, I have done as much as possible in bringing forward today’s amendments to the legislation regarding the Crocwise strategy - a good, public safety policy - and in fighting hard to resource the strategy and ensure public safety is not compromised.
As the amendments say, the bill will establish an offence under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act which prohibits touching, standing on, entering, moving, or otherwise disturbing a crocodile trap and, as the member for Brennan quite rightly mentioned in his contribution, the many examples we have seen on the Internet and the front page of the NT News are disturbing. Hopefully, these amendments pass today and we can deter people from such stupid behaviour. The offences will carry a maximum penalty of 50 penalty units, equivalent to $6650 or six months imprisonment. I believe that will send a strong message to people that this type of behaviour is not accepted and there are severe penalties.
I thank my colleague, the member for Daly, for his contribution - someone who has seen firsthand that crocodiles are indiscriminate killers. If the opportunity arises, member for Brennan, human fatalities can result which causes immense stress to families, particularly the younger people in our schools. I thank the member for Daly for his important personal contribution to this debate. We cannot forget the victim’s family in these sad circumstances.
Returning to some of the points raised by the member for Brennan, I take the findings of the Coroner’s report seriously. Will the laws apply to croc traps set by contractors under outsourcing? I can say that the new laws will apply to traps owned by the government no matter where they are set - inside or outside a park - and it does not matter who has the traps in their possession or who sets them; if contractors are engaged to trap crocodiles we will be ensuring the traps are government owned, and the new laws will apply regardless of who sets the traps and who manages the traps.
The other question related to the outcome of the investigation into incidents which occurred earlier in the year - the member for Brennan giving us examples of incidents during his contribution. Those incidents were thoroughly investigated. The photos in the NT News and on the web helped identify those people. Where people could be identified they were interviewed, evidence was collected, and strong warnings were issued. We are here to introduce this bill because the current legislation did not allow for enforcement action to be taken against those people. Unfortunately, the amendments are not retrospective, which is consistent with general legal principles of fairness, so those people who have been identified will not be pursued under the new amendments.
Regarding laws with croc traps in Kakadu, the Australian government has its own arrangements and laws governing Kakadu which are complementary to these amendments. We have advised the Australian government of these arrangements and they are, importantly, supportive.
In relation to the Coroner’s report, the government has done what it can in resourcing the department and ensuring public safety is the number one concern - we have taken decisive action with our Crocwise strategy. We have secured additional resources for croc management with 20 new croc traps and the new pontoon boat, and developed the Crocwise strategy which has been rolled out in the Top End, particularly in Darwin and Palmerston. Some 10 000 kids have had access to the Crocwise program. It is also being rolled out in Katherine and through the Daly River. It is important we not only focus on Darwin and Palmerston, but also the harbour and the management area, and other communities in the Top End affected by crocodiles.
Madam Deputy Speaker, in regard to the public tender announced at the end of last year, we called for expressions of interest and there was some interest. When it went to the final tender stage those expressions of interest did not stack up; we did not have any final tenders submitted for a contract. I am working with the Treasurer and my colleagues to reach a quick resolution on this and we will be making announcements soon.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Mr HAMPTON (Parks and Wildlife)(by leave): Madam Deputy Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
Continued from 20 October 2010.
Madam SPEAKER: The member for Port Darwin is in continuation. You have 17 minutes remaining.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): I will be hard pressed to use it all, Madam Speaker. Thank you for the call.
I was discussing the issue of penetration into Southeast Asia by a government which has long since let much of the penetration fall away, which is a shame because the former government did much to gain great entre into places like Indonesia and the Philippines. In fact, observers have said the Northern Territory’s penetration into Southeast Asia prior to the change of government was probably better than the Australian government.
The other component is when you are protecting your trade system how well are you protecting the system at the other end, the end where we start producing material, particularly in the area of primary industries - our heartland? How well do we protect those industries? Whilst the government talks about trade and how great their efforts are, getting the fundamentals right is a matter of concern.
I draw members’ attention to the Pastoral Land Board Annual Report presented several days ago. The annual report from the Pastoral Land Board, the board which has oversight of the Northern Territory’s pastoral state to ensure it is in good health, is over a year late. Moreover, this is the annual report for the 2008-09 year; we have yet to see the annual report for the 2009-10 year. The minister is clearly indifferent to the operation of the Pastoral Land Board if it has the same demands as other institutions regarding annual reporting requirements. Again, I find myself in this House bleating about annual reports coming in late, and unlawfully late.
Let us look at how we protect the best sources of our trade. The Chairman’s foreword to this was signed on 23 August 2010 - clearly running late even at that stage. He makes several observations which I will quote for members’ edification:
This is because the pastoral industry is seen as such a critical part of our economy, and trade into Southeast Asia in particular.
Does the government care? It cares enough to bring a 25-page statement into this House. It cares enough to release a media statement relating to the 25-page statement. However, does it care sufficiently to ensure the statement and media release are supported by outcomes on the ground? Perhaps the answer can be found on page 8 of the report:
Etcetera.
We are all concerned about making a grandiose statement in this House on all the great things we are doing for trade, doing the odd trip into China and Japan - which I support. I do not believe ministers of the Crown travel enough; even politicians generally. I know it is highly criticised, however the more you have politicians promoting their own jurisdictions, particularly in places like Southeast Asia, our closest northern market, the better. That was the experience of the Country Liberals. The then Leader of the Opposition, Clare Martin, criticised the Country Liberals for not doing more of it. However, it has dried up in recent years, as has the interest in pastoral lands management.
You go from a starting point of having a live export industry - which has run into some hurdles with the Indonesians enforcing their 350 kg limit - but we do not care sufficiently about our pastoral estate because it does not make for good and interesting press.
Let us be honest, the Pastoral Land Board Annual Report is not what you call a good novel; it is not Patricia Cornwell. However, it is our bread-and-butter stuff; it is what generates wealth in the Northern Territory. We have a government more than happy to put out media releases and tell us what a great job they are doing, however they are not getting the fundamentals right.
We heard it today regarding education. We talk about attendance rates. We do not talk about enrolment rates - attendance is something we feel comfortable talking about - we do not want to talk about things which are difficult. We do not want to talk about the mundane. How often do we talk about weights and measures in this House? That is core business – well, it used to be; it has now moved to Canberra. These things are our bread and butter - boring as bat droppings but bread-and-butter stuff. People make or lose their fortunes based on the quality of the information government produces.
A ministerial statement produced by a department, vetted by a staffer on the fifth floor so political insults can be thrown into it, and presented in this House does nothing to improve the Territory’s pastoral estate. What will improve it are the basics being done so the Pastoral Land Board is properly resourced to enable it to do its job. Sexy? No. Important? Vital.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I am critical of this government’s statement because the substance behind it is missing. This government’s statements often remind me of a movie set. As you walk down the street of the great western town where the movie is being shot, the saloon and everything looks great. You walk around the other side of the movie set, and it is all bolts, canvas and rubber bands holding it together. That is what the spin machine is all about. We saw recently in the newspaper this government spends $12m a year telling Territorians how good it is, however the Pastoral Land Board cannot get out to check a few cattle stations. Guess where the priorities are going wrong?
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Deputy Speaker, I support the Minister for Trade’s statement on Growing International Trade. The Territory’s international trade performance is an important contributor to the growth of the Territory’s economy. In 2008-09, the value of Territory merchandise exports was $6.3bn, an increase of 38.5% on the previous year; and merchandise imports were valued at $4.7bn, a massive increase of 82.4%, primarily due to feedstock gas for the Darwin LNG facility. The ratio of trade balance to GSP in 2008-09 was 9.8%, the third-highest in the nation behind Western Australia and Tasmania, and a tangible indicator on the valuable input to our economy derived through trade.
International trade provides ongoing strength and diversity to our economy, creates jobs across a range of industry sectors, and underpins our standard of living. Through a range of targeted activities, Growing International Trade 2009 to 2013 aims to assist and provide business and industry with opportunities to establish and grow their international trade performance in key markets of strategic interest. Growing International Trade 2009 to 2013 is part of my government’s strategic directions focused on continuing to grow the Territory’s economic prosperity.
I will talk about a few specific initiatives of government to drive the Territory’s trade performance. First, the third Indonesian Mining Procurement Forum held on 28 and 29 April 2010, which I was very pleased to open. It was good to see us running our third procurement forum. As Minister for Asian Relations and Trade I kicked off the Indonesian Mining Procurement Forum; it is great to see it going from strength to strength. The event was applauded for its successful delivery, which was found to be highly informative to all participants. We had a significant number of Territory businesses at the forum either exporting to Indonesia, looking to export, or importing from Indonesia. The Governor of Balikpapan attended the conference with a number of Indonesian officials.
The event was particularly important because we were able to bring key Indonesian procurement decision-makers to Darwin and directly showcase local industry capability, supply and service to those operations. We also pointed out we are the only jurisdiction in Australia which supports two Indonesian Customs officials based in Darwin to do pre-inspections for all exports to eastern Indonesia. That reduces time, reduces cost for Territory business, and is another initiative by government to develop international trade links.
As my colleague, the minister, pointed out, a number of tangible commercial outcomes have resulted from this event, and almost all delegates have reported making significant contacts which will lead to future business dealings.
I would now like to talk about the Shanghai World Expo, a major event this year, and probably the single largest delegation from the Territory to attend an official overseas function and expo.
China is a key trading partner for the Territory, valued at almost $1.5bn a year. This market is expanding at a rapid pace, and my government wants to ensure the Territory benefits from this growth. We have been through the global financial crisis - the aftershocks are still there - however strong economic management in Australia, strong capitalisation of our banks and, importantly, Australia’s very important relationship with China did stave off the worst of the global financial crisis for Australia. China is critical to Australia’s economic health and growth.
In the Northern Territory we do not get comments like those from Barnaby Joyce and other extreme people - goodness knows what planet they are on – running the line Australia should be careful when trading with China, or should not be trading with China because it is still a markedly Communist country and by trading, investing and working with China we are exposing our businesses to espionage and theft of intellectual capital. Those comments do not help and have no place in the Northern Territory. China has to be a key part of Australia maintaining its economic health and growth because we are a trading nation. This is a globalised economy, and anyone who thinks they can grow their economy without trading with China is an economic Neanderthal.
The Shanghai World Expo 2010 presented a unique and timely opportunity to showcase the Territory to key political and corporate leaders in China, and the international community at large. The World Expo opened on 1 May 2010 for six months. As is the case with all world expositions, the Shanghai World Expo is a large-scale, non-commercial exposition which aims to promote the exchange of ideas across a range of fields including economic, science, technology and culture, and provides a platform for building stronger international relations.
The Northern Territory is a silver sponsor of the Australian pavilion. Visitors to the Australian pavilion experience a journey of discovery, learning about Australia’s history, its dynamic and modern cities, its spectacular landscapes, art, culture, food and unique tourism opportunities. Most importantly, the Northern Territory features prominently within the pavilion at every stage. On 21 May at 5.35 pm, the Australian pavilion welcomed its one millionth visitor. Within the first month of opening, some 47 000 people visited per day. During the six months of the expo the Northern Territory will have a regular presence promoting a range of trade and investment opportunities.
In August, I led a delegation comprising representation from business, industry, government and Charles Darwin University to Shanghai, hosting the NT Week at the expo from 23 to 27 August. NT Week gave a focus on promoting investment and trade opportunities across the Territory’s key sectors such as minerals, oil and gas, tourism, education and major project developments, all underpinning the key message of the Territory’s growing trade capability and investment readiness, coupled with a can-do environment.
The visit provided the Territory with an opportunity to strengthen our bilateral relationships with China and, where possible, other markets of strategic interest to the Territory which play a crucial role in establishing a platform for future engagement and pursuing commercial opportunities. This is sure to give further clout to the Territory.
I welcomed the visit by Chinese Vice President, Mr Xi Jinping, to the Territory in late June 2010. This was a tremendous opportunity to directly showcase the Territory and build on important bilateral relations at the highest level. It was very significant the Chinese Vice President chose to spend nearly two days in Darwin, also visiting Kakadu. The opportunity to spend several hours over dinner at the Convention Centre with the Vice President was a great opportunity to promote the Northern Territory.
I believe his visit was instrumental in Charles Darwin University securing a Confucius Institute. A Confucius Institute is where the Chinese government supports a dedicated chair at the university to provide opportunities for Territorians and Territory business to understand more about Chinese language, culture, business practices, and have a first-class view of establishing a relationship with China before leaving the Northern Territory. It will be a very valuable chair at the university for years to come.
A dedicated investment portal has been established to provide initial point of contact for investment opportunities. I encourage anyone with an interest to visit through the Northern Territory government website.
During the development phase of my government’s new trade strategy, I expressed a keen interest to include business events in that strategy. This sector is a lucrative market which has the potential to bring hundreds of people from a broad range of corporate business to the Northern Territory, also providing multiple benefits to the local economy. I am pleased our minister has announced three new international standard business events to the Territory in 2010. This is a remarkable achievement which will add a significant boost to our economy.
These new events are worth reiterating:
1. the Bulky Goods Retailers Association Annual Conference with approximately 200 participants;
2. the International Cargo Handling Coordination Association International Conference with around 400 participants; and
3. the Skl International Annual Tourism Conference with approximately 200 participants.
A key part of our trade strategy is not being the Harlem Globetrotters bouncing randomly around the world to snag a contact. It is to be key, to be strategic and understand our competitive advantage, to understand our competition, where investment may come from, and be targeted and strategic. It is also getting people to the Territory, and the three new events will directly complement our government’s ongoing promotion and development of Darwin as Australia’s gateway with Asia.
I want to talk about the National Export Awards. My Northern Territory Chief Minister’s Export and Industry Awards recognise the contribution of our local business in exploring and developing international markets. I had great pleasure in officiating at the awards ceremony with minister Knight in Darwin in early September. The gala event was attended by the Territory’s leading exporters, the business community, government and industry associations, and was a fantastic night. I have attended these awards for many years and the number of nominations has gone through the roof. We had businesses big and small, even some micro-businesses that had entered the awards, and it was wonderfully refreshing to see the energy, commitment and enthusiasm of our business sector in establishing those export markets, pushing hard and being successful.
The 2010 winner was Porosus Pty Ltd, awarded the Agribusiness Award and NT Exporter of the Year. To Mick Burns and the team, fantastic! Crocodile skin exports overseas - how Mick and Michael Hannon have grown that business over the years. We export the finest crocodile skins in the world to Paris for Herms to turn into handbags of extraordinary value - I could not contemplate a present for Stacey of that expense. I understand one of my great heroes, guitarist Eric Clapton, has had a guitar case specifically crafted for him by Herms from Northern Territory crocodile skins. Goodness knows how much Eric Clapton’s guitar case is worth! This product is acknowledged on the world export stage as being fantastic. To Mick, Michael and all the team at Porosus, fantastic; it is great you have achieved that award.
Skinnyfish Music was recipient of the Austrade Arts and Entertainment Award. We all know Skinnyfish Music, a wonderful Northern Territory-based company which works in providing opportunities, particularly for Indigenous musicians, to record music and have it made available around the world. Skinnyfish is going from strength to strength. The Arts minister probably knows more about its success than I do. A fantastic Territory business and doing very, very well!
Territory Resources Limited was awarded the Regional Exporter Award. Territory Resources produce iron ore from down the track, and it is fantastic to see them getting a Regional Exporter Award.
SEIT Outback Australia, an Alice Springs-based business, won the Small Business Award. SEIT Outback Australia is a new company, its marketing has worked and it is doing very well.
ERA at Jabiru has been awarded the Minerals and Energy Award, with the Small to Medium Services Award won by DITS.
These winners will now progress in the national finals at the 48th Australian Export Awards program. The National Export and Industry Awards celebrate and pay tribute to Australian businesses which are at the forefront of our export industry and who are highly competitive in the global marketplace. In December, winners of the 12 national award categories and the prestigious Prime Minister’s Australian Exporter of the Year Award will be announced. This special event will take place in Sydney Town Hall.
To Territory businesses that nominated and the winners: thanks for your contribution to our economy and community. To Porosus, good luck at the national awards.
There were other activities in May. I attended the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association conference and exhibition in Brisbane, where I held a briefing session for 85 key executives from the petroleum industry and a number of one-on-one meetings with key stakeholders. APPEA is a great opportunity every year to promote the oil and gas sector in the Northern Territory, host a number of specific events focusing on the Northern Territory, and catch up with companies important to the Northern Territory in one place.
Leveraging off the Territory’s planned participation at the Offshore Southeast Asia Conference in Singapore in November 2010 my department is examining opportunities to host an investment seminar in Singapore to showcase a range of investment-ready opportunities across the Territory. One emerging area of new investment potential is commercial property development, and my government is always keen to work closely with industry to promote those opportunities.
Exporting is the key to the Territory’s economic future, however, government can only do so much. We can assist business by opening doors, making the introductions, providing a platform for business to display their exports, opportunities for joint venture or investment in their companies, and will continue to do so. It is going from strength to strength, and I commend the minister and his department for this new trade strategy.
When I was sworn in as the new Minister for Asian Relations and Trade in 2001 - very excited at being sworn in as the first Labor Minister for Asian Relations and Trade - and having my departmental briefings, I asked for a copy of the department’s trade strategy. The public servant had a blank look on her face. I said: ‘What is the problem?’ She said: ‘We do not have a strategy’. I said: ‘How on earth does the department focus, target and be strategic in what it does?’ There was another blank look and she said: ‘We are here to assist the minister to go where the minister wants to’. It was nothing more or nothing less than a glorified travel agency, for better, for worse.
Over the years the walls of Parliament House have been full of MOUs and various documents attesting to developing trade relationships which did not lead to anything. We did not see any real commercial activity or investment as a result of the vast majority of those documents, and ministers had a lovely time swanning through Southeast Asia with very little investment or trade occurring at all, with a few notable exceptions.
Madam Deputy Speaker, we have decided, since being elected, to be more strategic, more focused, dealing with China and Japan in particular, and we can see how that is paying off. Being strategic in our work with Indonesia, focusing on the eastern provinces, particularly the mining provinces in eastern Indonesia, is bearing fruit. Looking at the appetite for the commercial property sector in Singapore to invest in the Northern Territory, and opening up new markets for our cattle industry in Vietnam is about being strategic, it is about being focused, and it is about delivering for our economy. This strategy will hold us in good stead.
Mr STYLES (Sanderson): Madam Deputy Speaker, I acknowledge the great work done by industry and by public servants who, in the main, work with challenging circumstances and in many cases not the greatest amount of support. I acknowledge the current government gives some support, however, there is room for greater effort by the government to provide support in a number of areas.
Industry and the public service rely on leadership. In the Territory, with its small population and small number of businesses, it is very much the role of government to lead the way, and when we reach critical mass in these industries and services, private industry, with the public service helping achieve various outcomes, will be much easier. At the moment, it is the role of government, ministers, their staff and the departments to set the pace and lead the way in the development of trade.
The Northern Territory is very reliant on its primary industries and mineral exports. Cattle and minerals make up a great proportion of our export, with education and tourism. These all need support, infrastructure and services in place to maintain and grow them. It is sad recent events could lead to deterioration in the amount of export dollars earned for the Northern Territory from those four things.
There are quite a number of things in the statement of interest. I acknowledge the minister is trying to achieve results, however much more should and could be done.
In relation to the comments around infrastructure development, a number of people in industry have said: ‘What infrastructure?’ For instance, we do not have a really good cold chain hub to move things out of Darwin. We do not have air freight facilities. We have been slowly losing those as we have been losing airlines.
We do not have a second crane at the port. My information is small ships doing the rounds of Indonesian island ports would possibly come to Darwin if we can reduce the cost. Many of these ships only want to drop off a few containers. They are small ships, however, as the old adage says: from small things, large things can grow. When we have ships with containers on board there is much juggling to get them alongside for the crane to offload them. Cost is another factor – ships will not come here. Obviously, there are economies of scale when we look at loading huge ships and moving them to larger ports down south.
There are niche markets, and if you develop them you give local industry the opportunity to build and grow. Looking at some of the small coastal trading ships which would come from Indonesia, they have capacity to increase the numbers of containers. They can swap ships of different sizes to do different runs when there is an increased demand for containerised products going from, or coming into, the Northern Territory from our close northern neighbours.
The statement says the Henderson government is focused on the development of productive and enduring relations and trade links with our northern neighbours. It also says Territory business is best placed to take advantage of that growing relationship with Asia. The Henderson government has developed a five-year plan. Great! I am glad they have a plan; let us look at some of those aspects. It says:
That is true; I agree with that and believe government ministers should travel a great deal because that is how we discover what is going on. It is about building those essential relationships so we can grow trade and cooperation, not only in international trade, in any aspect of government or private business in the Northern Territory.
However, one of the basic requirements is a decent airline service. We have airlines facing the commercial realities of life - we know the airline industry is changing - however, we are seeing deterioration in services for the Northern Territory. The government recently gave an airline $8m to hub its aircraft in Darwin. I understood the deal was done, however, I read in the newspaper of 16 October, the deal may not be done. I am wondering if the champagne corks were popped a little early and the media releases claiming victory for Darwin were released a tad too early.
We were well serviced in the past by Royal Brunei, Malaysian Airlines, Garuda Airlines and Qantas. The commercial realities of air travel have led to Royal Brunei, Malaysian Airlines and Garuda Airlines pulling out of Darwin. We have had cut-price airlines come in, and one accepts if that is the way it has to be and there is nothing we can do about it, that will inevitably be the way it occurs.
However, this government has been in negotiation with Jetstar to bring the hub to Darwin with a gift of $8m. In a promise during the 2000 election, it was stated seven planes would be hubbing in Darwin with an additional 25 000 tourists each year, and nearly 600 extra workers. The Chief Minister said yesterday during Question Time about 191 jobs had been created. I am waiting to find out where the other 409 jobs are; it would also be interesting if government could let people in the Northern Territory know how many extra tourists arrived.
We have lost the full-service airlines; we do not have the extra jobs or the extra tourists. On 15 December this year, Jetstar will be reducing its twice daily Darwin/Singapore service to one service. Unfortunately, when one checks the website the price to fly from Darwin to Singapore return has doubled.
That brings me to servicing companies wanting to do business in the Territory. Suddenly the price goes up, it becomes a far more expensive operation to bring people in, and the ministerial statement acknowledges the importance of people-to-people contact. People doing business in Darwin, either Territory residents or foreign visitors, or us going overseas to negotiate business and trade, will discover it to be a costly exercise. We will have to take less people less often, which means less opportunity to engage with people and facilitate that very important people-to-people contact.
When talking about export and trade, we export many education services from the Northern Territory. I acknowledge the work done by Charles Darwin University. A group of people facilitates the international student intake and does a fabulous job. The issue is - and I do not see it in the statement – to encourage more students. We read what is occurring around Australia - I acknowledge the report I will refer to was not available when this statement was written - the media has reported we have lost 80% of our Indian students from Victorian universities. I hope the government, through any initiative - whether Charles Darwin University is attempting to entice students from Melbourne to Darwin, or the weather and our multicultural climate in the Northern Territory - would attract people.
We come back to airfares and the cost of travel. We need to find some way of bringing airfares back to a reasonable price. After 15 December, the cost will increase to around $700, which is similar to a full-service airline. Jetstar came in with cheap travel - and I acknowledge Tiger Airways came in with cheap travel - and the full-service airlines have disappeared. The low cost carriers are increasing their prices by almost 100% at Christmas holiday time, when Territory families want to travel.
I pointed out earlier today people in the Northern Territory, particularly Darwin, are not necessarily travelling south - many travel north. With our multicultural community, many people travelling over Christmas often return to Europe, America, Southeast Asia, Central Asia - they have families they want to see at that time of year. We now have an almost doubling of cost of airfares from Darwin to Singapore.
This has an impact on companies wanting to headquarter their operations in the Northern Territory. Busy executives wanting to work on planes do not have business-class facilities between Singapore and Darwin. For some this may not be important - if we are on holidays and want low cost airfares we often put up with the services provided; we accept them. However, there are many business people and executives who need to travel on a regular basis and if they want to headquarter their companies here and get into export or mining, we need adequate services.
That brings me to losing people. Recently, Arafura Resources decided to relocate its rare earth processing plant from Darwin to Whyalla, South Australia - a terrible blow for our local economy. I attended a briefing by the company in March and it had great hopes for locating in the Northern Territory. It appears there has been another problem with land allocation and, unfortunately, it decided not to process here. That has cost an estimated 1000 construction jobs and about 300 permanent jobs because we failed to develop sufficient industrial land in the Northern Territory for this type of development. That is an example of losing business as opposed to creating it.
When we talk about headquartering companies and getting people here to boost export, it is all very well to have incentives - people need somewhere to live. These are the basic things which, unfortunately, the statement does not take into account. They are very basic necessities of life; to travel to your head office or around the world, visit family, and come and go at a reasonable price. I listened to the Housing minister during Question Time today speak about housing. We have what is - the government does not want to debate the issue - the worst housing crisis in the Northern Territory since self-government.
A statement was made by the minister and I will quote a number of words: ‘ageing condition’, ‘maintenance’, ‘asbestos’, and ‘may not be suitable for living in’. The 400 homes at Eaton on the RAAF Base, Darwin would house many people. When we encourage people to do business to increase our population, we need to house them.
I was doorknocking recently, and this is one example of the situations I find. Both people were working, having come to the Northern Territory two years ago as a result of advertising campaigns and they thought it was great. They have a fishing boat parked in the front yard which spends more time there now because she said: ‘We cannot afford to go fishing. The cost of living and the rent we have to pay prohibits us from doing any fishing. To go out, we cannot really have a good time. We have given it two years, we made a go if it; we are leaving’.
That puts housing in the spotlight. We have 400 houses the minister for Housing says may not be suitable to live in. He also said they will ascertain the condition and some may be sold, some may be demolished, etcetera. Has the minister considered when moving a house you need a Motor Vehicle Registry permit. Part of the permit system is you have a block of land to put it on. You cannot buy a house, put it on a truck, take it down the highway and park it on the side of the road until you find a block of land. If you did that in the current environment, you could be waiting a long time because there is not much land available. We have an enormous problem with land availability. You then require numerous approvals; you have to cross a whole range of hurdles before you can move a house. I note the Larrakeyah Army Barracks houses are being moved and stored further down the Stuart Highway. Were Motor Vehicle Registry permits given to move them, and what conditions are applied to the moving when we are putting them on a vacant lot?
The other aspect is we are coming into the cyclone season. Building homes in a cyclone area means we have to ensure the foundations are approved by an engineer. We have these homes sitting on a block of land not connected to the ground, which means we could have houses flying around the Palmerston and rural areas. It is interesting to look at some of those aspects.
I also note the minister said Natasha Griggs, in the lead-up to the election, made promises she could not keep. I would dispute that statement, because the …
Mrs LAMBLEY: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! I move an extension of time for the member pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr STYLES: Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Araluen.
Natasha Griggs promised she would go into bat to keep the homes. It was a very easy promise to make because if you are in government you can do all sorts of things, whether it be lease the houses back to the Northern Territory - you do things - you have options. However, the minister said the Department of Defence will never release the land. If that is what the minister is informed is happening in Canberra, who is in charge there?
Members interjecting.
Mr STYLES: Well, apparently public servants, bureaucrats, and perhaps even the Defence Force. When you talk to these people you receive interesting information in relation to what is going on. Had the Coalition been in government it would be a totally different situation. The member would not be able to say she was unable to keep that promise.
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STYLES: The statement says:
The inability to travel at short notice because of the halving of the airline service between Darwin and Singapore will make it difficult for people to say: ‘No problems, we will get on a plane and zip over there’. To say: ‘Hop on a plane and come to Darwin’ is something many people may not want. Delays in doing business will be far greater.
I do not see mention of how the Northern Territory is raising the capacity and capabilities of exports in this statement. There are statements about industry get-togethers, trade missions, and the government should be commended for creating those initiatives. However, I do not see much in the report, or the real world, about increasing capacity of exporters and the capabilities of exporters.
There used to be a strong focus on export training regarding market attractiveness, competitive advantage, documentation, resource allocation, etcetera, not to mention access to markets. The Chief Minister said under the previous CLP government ministers swanned around Asia, had a great time and did not achieve much at all. The Chief Minister needs to read the history of what was achieved and what was built by people swanning around.
What are his ministers doing? We see very little happening these days in relation to growing international trade. We hear great statements - we need to see the rubber on the road.
I move to international education and training. That is a great dollar earner for Australia. We need to concentrate on it, especially in the Territory. Charles Darwin University has a good range of subjects and a great multicultural mix of students as well as teaching and university staff.
We have several problems relating to attracting overseas students. The cheap option of coming to Darwin could give us a competitive advantage; however, after 15 December that is going to change. How is the Northern Territory government assisting private education in the NT, in particular the vocational education area? What is happening there? What increases in assistance have been given?
How are registered training organisations treated for funding or assistance to provide equipment and resources, and regular renewals and replacement? Public institutions are funded annually; RTOs have a different regime with a different set of problems. Why is it so difficult for fully qualified, private, registered training organisations to gain accreditation with CRICOS - Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students? The accreditation is fundamentally a criterion to enrol international students with English as a second language.
How does the government, and we as a community, hope to achieve international hub status with a port not capable of handling container traffic and quick turnaround with enhanced through put? Speaking to commodities, shipments will not sustain future growth. We need a range of initiatives on top of those included in this statement.
We are reliant, probably too heavily, on primary products, cattle and minerals, which puts us at the mercy of fluctuations in the Australian dollar. An issue in any one of these industries can be a major hiccup for the Northern Territory economy.
I will talk about cattle and roads. The timing of Ramadan in Indonesia changes annually; their cultural and religious festivities are changing the timing of live cattle exports. Eventually we will be exporting cattle out of the Northern Territory in the Wet Season which will cause huge logistical problems for the industry and government because of our roads. I look at what is happening with the creation of shires – I do not want to go there. Shires and roads are in an interesting situation.
Roads have not been maintained. I attended the Brunette Downs Races - the ABC Race Club - for their 100th year. There were many people from all over the Territory, Queensland and South Australia. I asked quite a few people what they thought of the roads. Some people have to maintain roads not on their property to enable trucks to move their cattle. As you move further north there is the problem of a constant Wet Season – rain and wet roads – and pulling a triple road train in those conditions can be disastrous and destroy roads. The government is maintaining what we have not growing it. It needs to spend more time and effort investing in roads.
The government is doing several things. Industry people and public servants are doing a fabulous job trying to improve things and make them work. However, it takes leadership from government and imagination. I ask the minister to consider what has been mentioned as a result of talking to people in the community who have asked us to express their concerns.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to make those recommendations to government.
Mr McCARTHY (Lands and Planning): Madam Deputy Speaker, I support the ministerial statement and the important element of growing international trade for the Northern Territory. I enjoyed listening to the contribution from the Chief Minister and the image he created with Clapton buying the best crocodile skin in the world, having Herms of France create a guitar case from it, and the cost he would have incurred. Imagine the guitar he is putting into the case!
I add my support to this statement on building international trade opportunities for the Northern Territory. The Territory’s geographic proximity to Asia permeates our Top End community. We have a strong Chinese Territory community. Our weekend markets are full of the smells of Asia, and many Territorians see Bali and Singapore as their back yard holiday destinations.
This geographic and cultural closeness to Asia not only enhances our lifestyle, it becomes part of our community. When combined with the continued growth of the Territory’s economy and population, our closeness to Asia presents significant opportunities for Territory business. The Northern Territory government is committed to working with Territory business to harness these international trade opportunities. In outlining our road map for the Territory’s economic future the Territory 2030 Strategic Plan notes:
In relation to land release, a key element in ensuring there is room to grow in the Territory - having industrial land for commercial properties, residential land for a growing population, and growing our economy - is imperative. This is why the government is releasing land five times faster than before to help manage the Territory’s growth.
A member: It is not hard to go five times faster than zero.
Mr McCARTHY: The new suburbs at Palmerston East: Bellamack, Johnston, Zuccoli and Mitchell, will be home to 15 000 Territorians. In Bellamack, 450 approved lots are now under construction …
A member: Five times faster – zero land release!
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Mr McCARTHY: … new homes for Territorians. A further 200 blocks have been sold off the plan and the first titles have been released. Johnston will be a 490 lot suburb and is proving popular with Territorians. Civil works have been carried out on 150 of 200 lots in Stage 1 ...
Mr Westra van Holthe: We live in the Northern Territory and have to go in a land ballot; can you believe it! A land ballot in the Northern Territory!
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Mr McCARTHY: … have already been sold. A great show of confidence in this new suburb. I have called for developers to construct 293 lots in Stage 2, which includes a seniors village, parks and a commercial area …
Mr Westra van Holthe: Hope he talks about heavy industrial.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Mr McCARTHY: … and I look forward to the successful developer being announced and housing construction getting under way in 2011.
The suburb of Zuccoli will follow Johnston as the next Palmerston East suburb to be developed. It could provide up to 1400 residential lots, with 400 lots to be developed in Stage 1. $20m was committed in Budget 2010-11 to fast-track the headworks for the suburb. We are looking for a private developer to partner with the Northern Territory Land Development Corporation to deliver the Zuccoli lots in 2011.
In future years the expansion of Palmerston will be supported by the development of Weddell; a tropical, sustainable, liveable city. Weddell will be home to up to 50 000 Territorians in years to come, and it is exciting to see the planning processes for the city start rolling out. The development of this tropical, sustainable and liveable city was really kick-started last month with the five-day conference and design forum attended by more than 300 people. This event generated excitement and great creativity about the future potential of Weddell and its role as the Territory’s next city. I look forward to the release of the interim report on Weddell’s design and development next month.
The government’s strategic residential land release program, five times faster than before, is being supported by the development of commercial properties. Expressions of interest are out for the development and sale off the plan of industrial land at Darwin Business Park. More than $200m worth of development has already been invested by industry in the Darwin Business Park. Six new lots are strategically located near the rail terminal and port, making them ideal for companies engaged in oil and gas, mining, transport and logistics.
An expression of interest process is also open for the development of the 6060 m2 block in the Palmerston central business district between Koullais Street and The Boulevard. Government wants to see the site developed with ground-level commercial properties and a mix of residential, commercial, and tourist accommodation on upper levels. The site will be required to have a basement car park to balance the demand for parking in the CBD and the new development. Work is planned to start on the site in 2011, and I am really excited to see this project moving forward.
The government has allocated 53 ha to the establishment of a Defence Support Hub near Robertson Barracks. The project is being managed by the Land Development Corporation and will support development of specialty services for the Defence forces and other industries including mining, oil and gas, and transport.
In relation to the port, this government knows the importance of investing in key infrastructure to support the ongoing growth of the Northern Territory. East Arm port is an integral link with the AustralAsia Trade Route chain. More than $3bn worth of cargo is moved through East Arm Wharf annually, supporting 500 industries and thousands of jobs. A range of industries use the port to access markets overseas. From Parliament House, on the beautiful Darwin Harbour, we are privileged to see some of the traffic moving through that port.
To highlight a few: we can see the live cattle export vessels taking thousands of head of Territory cattle to Indonesia. I am keen to visit the port when some Barkly beasts are being loaded, highlighting economic benefits and jobs in the electorate of Barkly and the Territory. We see ships carrying valuable minerals to markets across Asia and, of course, the oil and gas industry bringing their vessels in for repairs and maintenance is always an impressive site. While rain today may somewhat impede our view, the LNG tanker at Wickham Point remains an impressive site.
To share something with members about the school groups visiting Parliament House - and I welcome school groups - we stand on the verandah and look at Darwin Harbour and I go through my motivational speech of working in the capital city, grabbing opportunities in education, training, and employment, and the gateway to Asia. Recently, a Year 7 student from Tennant Creek High School said: ‘What is that?’ When I looked up ready to explain one of the many innovative vessels that use our port and our waters, I was quite astounded to see a Collins Class submarine speeding up the harbour. The student asked me: ‘What is that? Have you ever seen one of those before?’ That initiated another interesting discussion with kids from Tennant Creek about not only the harbour, the growth of the Territory, also our wonderful Defence forces and the part they play in the important strategic defence of northern Australia.
To provide industry with certainty about ports, current facilities, and future development plans, the Darwin Port Corporation has recently developed the East Arm Wharf Facilities Master Plan 2030 Land Use Strategy. The master plan incorporates this government’s $150m infrastructure program to develop trade opportunities at the wharf over the next 20 years. The $150m project, including a $50m investment from the federal Labor government, is already delivering for East Arm. To highlight some of these works: the $15m reclamation of Pond F, including access roads to the site, in preparation for bulk earthworks; $9.5m eastern reclaim area project to create additional hard stand. This work is being delivered by Sage Contracting, about 70 000 m of fill have been placed at this site; and a $35m project for an overland conveyor to improve bulk loading operations and environmental standards.
The Chief Minister’s call for expressions of interest to develop a Marine Supply Base in Darwin is another example of this government’s support in developing the Territory’s trade opportunities. The project would ensure Darwin has world-class marine infrastructure to support oil and gas exploration and developments in the region, further enhancing our position as an oil and gas hub.
Pastoral: as a practical example of the benefit of the wharf to the Territory economy, 108 cattle ships were processed through the East Arm Wharf in 2008-09, up from 86 ships in 2007-08. Investment in the wharf will be key to growing our important pastoral industry. For every dollar generated directly by the pastoral industry, an estimated extra $0.82 is generated within the Northern Territory economy, primarily in the regions. That is a powerful statistic, reflecting not only international trade opportunities, also opportunities for jobs and economic growth in the bush. The industry operates on about 50% of the Northern Territory land mass, and is based on 250 properties, held mainly under perpetual leases. The cattle industry creates jobs for between 1600 and 1900 people, mostly living and working in regional and remote locations, and I am proud to say the electorate of Barkly is one of the key cattle growing regions of the Northern Territory.
In relation to the Barkly, over 30 years it has been fabulous to see the development of the cattle industry, not only in increasing herd capacity, also in the very innovative and efficient practices of managing those herds with the development of supplement feeding, improving pasture, better management techniques, and the development of better trucking techniques; the industry has grown from strength to strength. It is certainly the jewel in the crown, not only culturally, as part of our heritage in the Barkly as well.
The Territory’s pastoral industry carries about 1.9 million head of cattle, and pastoralists currently turn off 550 000 head of cattle a year for domestic slaughter and Asian live export markets. A recent report by the NT department of Primary Industry highlights the potential to grow the industry to about 2.3 million head in 10 years. If we ever reach that target, and the associated job and international trade opportunities, we must continue to invest strategically in key transport routes to get cattle to market.
In addition to our investment in the wharf, we are also continuing to upgrade our road network. Budget 2010-11 delivers $24m under the $85m Community, Beef and Mining Roads Improvement Program, with $10m to upgrade the Port Keats road, and a further $14m for the Central Arnhem road. Of course the markets must be there to sell the cattle, and I commend both the Minister for Trade and the minister for Primary Industry for their ongoing work with governments in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. Much of this work is done in conjunction with the NT Cattlemen’s Association, a collaboration which is achieving real results for pastoralists in accessing new and emerging markets.
Australia’s Indigenous art is renowned around the world. There are an estimated 5000 practising Indigenous artists in the Northern Territory alone. Those 5000 artists represent 75% of all Australia’s Indigenous visual artists. That is a vast source of potential for the Northern Territory to establish job and economic opportunities in our growth towns and main centres, and to grow international trade opportunities. They are opportunities government wants to harness for Indigenous artists and the Territory’s art community in general. The importance and potential of the Territory’s art industry is highlighted throughout Territory 2030, particularly in the Society and Knowledge, Creativity and Innovation components.
In June, I released the Living Arts Policy - Discussion Paper which, when finished, will set the agenda to meeting the objectives of Territory 2030. The discussion paper poses, amongst others, issues around how to best build and grow the strength of the art industry, and what is central to arts support into the future. It lists five priority areas for development: strong artists; strong art; community capacity; business of art; and showcasing our stories and building audiences. Submissions received during the discussion period are being closely assessed to develop the final living arts policy to help reach the objectives of Territory 2030. If we are to grow our international art market we must assist the many talented Territory artists to build their capacity to produce and sell their work.
Objective two of the Knowledge, Creativity and Innovation component of Territory 2030 seeks to establish national Indigenous arts and cultural precincts in the Territory. The precincts could include art centres, museums, culture and language centres and performance and display spaces. They would showcase the Territory’s Indigenous arts and culture as well as host displays from other jurisdictions.
I am very pleased to report work is under way on the Katherine Regional Cultural Precinct. The Northern Territory government has committed $3.5m towards the construction, and a further $500 000 towards headworks for the precinct. A further $3m is being provided by the Australian government and $220 000 from the Katherine Town Council. The precinct will be a great asset for the community and the Katherine region, and will give artists a new platform to showcase their work to tourists and locals alike.
A new precinct has also emerged in Darwin. The Territory’s visual art industry contributes about $10m a year to our economy and there is a growing demand in our art industry for quality exhibition space in Darwin. Opened in August, the 330 m ground floor site in the Chan Building has been transformed to showcase non-commercial exhibitions and help raise the profile of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists. The 2010 Toga Contemporary Art Award was the first exhibition to make use of this new site. I hope many artists are discovered in years to come as a result of displaying at the Chan Contemporary Art Space.
Territory 2030 also aims to increase the Territory’s earned income from commercial arts industries. I pay tribute to the federal Labor government, and the Arts minister, Peter Garrett, for their support of Territory artists and our art industry. Thanks to the federal Labor government, 9 June this year marked the start of Australia’s resale royalty scheme for visual artists. The scheme established the right for visual artists to receive 5% of the sale price when works are resold through the art market for $1000 or more. It applies to living artists and for a period of 70 years after that artist passing. This scheme will support artists and the art industry, creating jobs and economic opportunities in our remote areas and regional centres.
As the Northern Territory minister for Arts, it is exciting to see the emergence of international markets for the work of the many talented Indigenous artists from the NT. Of particular note, I welcome the trade opportunities explored through the recent World Expo in Shanghai. A number of Indigenous art centres, including those from Yuendumu, Yirrkala and Hermannsburg, undertook a group exhibition with a private Chinese art gallery. These centres offer a range of art styles, including dot paintings, bark paintings, weavings and carvings, and I am advised their work was well received.
I will highlight another potential trade opportunity for the Northern Territory in the Barkly electorate - very close to home. It is Minemakers and the potential development of the phosphate deposit near Tennant Creek. The Minemakers Winara rock phosphate project is Australia’s largest underdeveloped rock phosphate project. Why would it be good for the Territory and Tennant Creek? Because phosphate is the major resource mined to produce phosphate fertilisers for the agricultural industry. Phosphorous is also used in animal feed supplements, food preservatives, anti-corrosion agents, cosmetics, fungicides, ceramics, water treatment and metallurgy. As the world’s population grows, and economies in countries like China and India grow, so too does demand for food production, biofuel crops and phosphate. Ultimately, commercial decisions must be made to proceed with the project, however in recognition of the potential economic and job opportunities the mine would bring to the Barkly and the Territory, the Territory government is doing all it can to ensure the project moves forward.
The Minemakers phosphate deposit is located next to the Barkly Highway about 300 km from the railway. The government’s $150m infrastructure program at East Arm Wharf helps provide Minemakers with certainty about the future of mineral exports through the port, and in May last year Minemakers signed a heads of agreement with the Darwin Port Corporation regarding the shipping of rock phosphate through the port.
Madam Speaker, there are great success stories in international trade across the Northern Territory in our pastoral and mining industries, and among our artists to name but a few. Government is doing what it can to build and grow these opportunities even further; we support our industries and investments in roads, infrastructure, and land release. I thank the minister for bringing this statement to the House.
Mr KNIGHT (Business and Employment): Madam Speaker, I thank all members for their contributions, and the Minister for Transport. Much trade is coming from the Barkly region, and his portfolio of Arts. I attended the arts exhibition in Shanghai, which was well received. We also had the B2M band from the Tiwi Islands at the arts exhibition and the guests who attended the various functions at the Australian pavilion were intrigued by the potential of Aboriginal art and culture in the Northern Territory. I thank the minister for his comments.
I thank the Education minister for mentioning international education and the work done by the university to establish strong links with education institutes across various countries. Monica Turvey and Vice Chancellor, Barney Glover have established strong links with China and Vietnam, and there is some interest from India also. They bring a wealth of knowledge and understand we need quality. Barney has realised, speaking to potential students, they want quality - they do not want to be in a class with other international students. They want to be in a class with Australian students to experience the educational opportunities and culture of a western country. I congratulate Barney and the efforts of the Education department, and my department, in accompanying various delegations overseas.
I also note the work the minister for Education has done in East Timor. We have an agreement with the Timorese government around internships with the civil service - a vital way to strengthen that country. They are fairly modest intakes at the moment. It is predominantly the English capability of the employees coming to Darwin and being away from home for that period of time.
I thank the Resources minister. The minerals investment attraction strategy was highly successful and continues to be so. My first trip to Japan in February was to meet with JGC and the INPEX president, the Australian Ambassador, Austrade and JOGMEC - part of the government. What they know about Australia is what they know about the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory is well on the map in Japan. They know about our investment opportunities and our working strongly with them and China.
China is a huge market and my involvement with the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce during the World Expo highlighted the potential. There are some extremely interested and well-off investors in the Chamber of Commerce keen to visit and see what opportunities exist. The department is providing the geospatial mapping of potential minerals and resources which adds to paving the way for investors.
The pastoral industry is vital to the Northern Territory. I congratulate the minister for Primary Industry for working with his counterparts in Indonesia, and his department’s efforts in establishing markets in Vietnam. At the moment, the pastoral industry has all its eggs in one basket. I note the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association met today to discuss potential for setting up an abattoir - having boxed meat as a fall-back option. It is wise for industries not to leave things entirely up to government, to be thinking where their markets exist and how to protect them; it is sensible to move that way.
I thank the member for Goyder for her personal commitment to develop international markets. She does not normally make these comments. BIMP-EAGA stands for the subregional grouping made up of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area. The member for Goyder suggested the Northern Territory and Australian governments were members of BIMP-EAGA - my advice is we are not. We have a good neighbouring association and target those specific areas of commerce.
The Northern Territory government and the Chamber of Commerce have offered to sponsor the placement of a senior BIMP-EAGA Business Council representative with the International Business Council in order to promote business matching and networking. BIMP-EAGA has not yet taken up that offer. BIMP-EAGA has not gained a great deal of traction as a vehicle for driving business growth and investment. BIMP-EAGA has become very bureaucratic and does not have a large business contingent. My understanding of the group is at the moment it is made up of bureaucrats, whereas our approach has been to go directly to elected members, either at the national or provincial level, to gain access at a political level into the country, and also going to marketplaces - whether it be mining or pastoral areas – with business-to-business links. Business is best done business-to-business. It is for government to assist where there are political barriers.
We know where our key markets are and cannot be everywhere all the time. We need to target markets. We are doing that and it will bear fruit in the future. We do not feel BIMP-EAGA is producing results. They have much initial work to do. We will work with the key markets of China, Japan and Indonesia, and the emerging markets of Vietnam, Philippines and areas of Papua New Guinea with mining opportunities. We are keen to look at other opportunities. India is a huge market. We are analysing that market to see what is available.
The Growing International Trade strategy highlights Indonesia as the key market in our region. As mentioned, Malaysia and the Philippines are recognised as emerging markets. We have an ongoing relationship through the supply of cattle and husbandry expertise in Malaysia. We have a similar approach in developing markets in Vietnam, where government industry has been providing technical advice in establishment of feedlots. That work continues
The member for Goyder suggested she receive a briefing on the work undertaken to promote cattle exports to Vietnam. Although well intended, your comments about animal husbandry are a little misplaced. The Asian Relations trade area should be a bipartisan approach and I believe we have the balance right. They are difficult markets to work in. I know the department is working very hard with live cattle export to Vietnam. The Northern Territory Livestock Exporters’ Association, the national industry body, and my department have been working with a Vietnamese private partner in the design of feedlots, which have now been built. However, we are still working on the first shipment of cattle to Vietnam.
The member for Goyder asked about achievements under the trade strategy. Since April this year, the key initiatives of the strategy are: the Indonesian Mining Procurement Forum, which was extremely successful. This was our third forum and it has grown from strength to strength. It is now recognised on the national stage. Companies are now flying into Darwin to meet with buyers from Indonesian mines, and the number of delegates coming from Indonesia is growing. We were privileged to have the Vice-Governor of East Kalimantan visit.
The Mining Procurement Forum continues to grow. We have to link our businesses with procurement buyers and the management of Indonesian mines. I was shown a map of all mines in the eastern area of Indonesia, and there were dots everywhere representing nickel and coal mines. There are vast opportunities to do business with those mines. However, we have to get it right. Many businesses have been burnt in the past and we cannot repeat that. The Indonesian Mining Procurement Forum attracted approximately 130 participants.
The Balikpapan Expo, a mining expo in East Kalimantan, is the pinnacle annual event for the region where mining companies meet with suppliers. A 27-strong delegation of business people visited the expo. Sadly, it coincided with sittings and I was unable to attend. Earlier in the year I attended the OZMINE Conference in Jakarta. I was the most senior Australian person to attend and had the pleasure of opening the expo with the Indonesian Ambassador, which was an honour for me. It put the Northern Territory on the stage. It is another seminal event in Indonesia where we show the wares of Australian companies to Indonesian mining companies and the government, and was represented by a very strong delegation.
We hosted a number of events outside the conference. Many deals are done afterwards and strong relationships are formed. One of our key initiatives is the pre-inspection facility. This continues to go from strength to strength, enabling business to have easy access into Indonesia and is vital.
The Shanghai World Expo was also mentioned. We were a Silver Sponsor of the pavilion, which enabled us to have a week at the expo. I have quoted figures in the House: 450 000 people per day attended the Expo; about 50 000 per day went through the Australian pavilion. We had a VIP area to hold functions for business people, tourist operators, and a range of other people. What was significant about the 50 000 people per day going through was the NT content they were exposed to. The poles from Maningrida were a prominent display, and the 10 or 12 foot high picture of Connie Jape on the wall telling the story of the Northern Territory. Ayers Rock was significant. It was very good for the NT. Approximately 75 000 000 people will go through the Expo over the six months. It is the biggest Expo ever held.
There has also been the Guangzhou trade show in China and SEAAOC here. The calibre of people attending, both onshore and offshore, was extremely significant and I congratulate the Chief Minister for doing such a great job in hosting it.
The Chief Minister mentioned the Bulky Goods Retailers Association Annual Conference at the Convention Centre. Those annual conferences are phenomenal. I spoke to Malu recently about bookings; it is booked out until Christmas. That is bringing a range of people into the Northern Territory who would not usually come here. I have attended many functions there and always point out people should take a good look because Darwin has the capability for businesses - certainly offshore businesses - to find skilled staff in the Northern Territory.
We have had a range of visitors. The Chinese Vice President, Mr Xi Jinping ,visited in June this year; a significant visit. He is being touted as the next President of China. His visit to the Northern Territory has formed a relationship. The Indonesian Minister for Agriculture also visited, and various governors - strong relationship are being formed.
The minister for Education, in his adjournment speech last night, talked about Sail Indonesia. Again, it is a productive and relationship-building exercise between the two countries and financially rewarding with yachts coming into Darwin. They were here for several weeks. Tourism and the recreational boating fraternity is a market to look at in the future.
Madam Speaker, we offer a great deal of support to business. The Trade Support Scheme is heavily utilised by local business and has a high degree of success. This government is punching above its weight in the trade area. We want to take a very businesslike approach to trade with markets to our north. I tell them, and local business, we are in the box seat for a productive future. In the past the economy of the world centred on Europe then shifted to North America. Now it is Asia, and we are sitting in the box seat to do a great deal of trade as the nearest neighbour. We look forward to a positive future. I thank members for their contribution.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
MOTION
Note Statement - Establishment of Marine Supply Base
Continued from 19 August 2010.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, I will not be long - I am not going to talk too much about the statement per se. Suffice to say this is another example of a government struggling to fulfil its duties to the people of the Northern Territory. There is no shortage of items of legislation on the Notice Paper. There is no shortage of things to discuss in this House, yet despite consultation and discussion today and last night from the Whip - I know he is not the Whip; he is merely the messenger - Hermes. In spite of our messages from Hermes which were quite clear, at the very last death knell someone has looked at the clock and said: ‘Oh, my God, we are going to be home too early; we had better bring on the Marine Supply Base statement otherwise we will be accused of not doing enough’.
I am wondering who is relying on the Personal Injuries (Liabilities and Damages) Amendment Bill passing through this House. I am wondering who is relying on any other number of legislative instruments such as the Penalties Amendment (Justice and Treasury Legislation) Bill passing through this House. Yet, we find ourselves dealing with government filibusters because they are afraid of being embarrassed about not having enough work to do, or not being able to bring enough work into this House.
This is what we expect from this government. They are tired; they have had enough; they despise this House because it holds them to account - and how they need to be held to account. This is what I expect from this government - the notification members on this side of the House had for the advancement of this statement was four or five minutes. Members on this side of the House make an effort to prepare, which is why we have communications behind the scenes so members can prepare for the business government is bringing on.
A notification four minutes prior to the matter being brought on places members on this side in a severely disadvantaged position because we do not have the raft of staff, particularly those who are not the Leader of the Opposition. We each have one electorate officer to prepare for a volume of work which is not insubstantial. Consequently, we rely on communications from government. Because they cannot get their stuff together, members on this side of the House have to organise themselves quickly to give a useful and coherent contribution to this debate. It is an unfair practice, an unnecessary practice, and quite impolite.
If the government cannot get itself organised why on earth do people on this side of the House, in fact the Territory as a whole, have to suffer the consequences of a disorganised government that only brings business to avoid embarrassment not advance the Northern Territory?
Mr McCARTHY (Construction): Madam Speaker, I respond to the Chief Minister’s statement on the marine supply base. I am honoured to participate in a debate in this House, particularly about such an important matter. The Chief Minister’s exciting and important statement is about growing our port.
In August this year, the Chief Minister called for expressions of interest from national and international companies to build and operate a world-class marine supply base adjacent to Darwin’s East Arm Wharf. The marine supply base will be a purpose-built facility to allow the rapid and efficient servicing of the growing offshore petroleum and gas industry. It will service all activities associated with the exploration, construction and operational phases of this industry. The oil and gas production industry in the area from the Arafura Sea to the Browse Basin is growing rapidly. Identified reserves are significantly in excess of that currently being produced, with significant growth potential as exploration proceeds and projects are developed to the production phase.
Industries servicing that growth will need to increase, including the number of support vessels and various types of new generation vessels, and wharf space. With Darwin being so ideally placed to capture the rapidly growing oil and gas business, that growth impacts directly on a need for services at East Arm for supply vessels or rig tender vessels servicing oil rigs in the seas north and west of Darwin.
Through the work the Darwin Port Corporation has done in talking to stakeholders, we know the major oil and gas companies require the provision of productive and cost-efficient services a world-class marine supply base would offer. This is why the Chief Minister’s announcement is so important. Developing an internationally benchmarked marine supply base at East Arm is the first step in securing this important business for the Territory. The proposed marine supply base adjacent to the East Arm Wharf will complement the existing East Arm facilities allowing for quick and cost-effective transfer of goods through Darwin to support the offshore facilities.
In September 2009, the Darwin Port Corporation led a research team consisting of corporation officials, Northern Territory Treasury, and Department of the Chief Minister executives to investigate models and best practice operations being employed in the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Southeast Asian marine supply bases. The research identified key occupational health and safety practices, equipment, support services, and the infrastructure necessary to allow for the development of a marine supply base in a competitive commercial environment. That research also gave government a good understanding of the growth which impacted on local businesses and communities as their offshore support businesses grew.
In June this year, I launched the East Arm Wharf Facilities Masterplan 2030 Land Use Strategy. This key land use strategy gives port stakeholders a clear understanding of what facilities can be accommodated in the longer term to give certainty for future expansion plans. The master plan is a blueprint for the East Arm Wharf and the adjacent land and sea areas for the next 20 years. East Arm Wharf is a major strategic asset for the Territory and plays a key role in our economic development and the ability to attract new business to the Territory. The master plan is part of the current $150m infrastructure program to upgrade and expand the facilities at East Arm Wharf. This investment will facilitate growth in trade and enhance local and regional economic development.
Work is currently under way on the $9.5m eastern reclamation project that will provide additional hardstand areas for the port, and $15m has being provided for the reclamation of Pond F behind the bulk loader. This work is also under way and will, again, provide further hardstand areas.
Our geographic proximity to Asia permeates our community. You only have to look at our weekend markets to see how strongly the Territory embraces the culture of our near neighbours. This geographic and cultural closeness to Asia, combined with the continued growth of the Territory’s economy and population, presents significant opportunities for Territory businesses. The Northern Territory government is committed to working with Territory businesses to harness these international trade opportunities.
In outlining a road map for the Territory’s economic future the Territory 2030 strategic plan notes:
I continue to quote that as it is the essence of great business practice from the Northern Territory government.
This government knows if we are to see an increase in local business winning work from international companies we must support Territory business to grow their operations on home turf. More than $3bn worth of cargo is moved through East Arm Wharf annually, which equates to 500 industries and thousands of jobs. A range of industries use the port to access markets overseas.
The oil and gas industry bringing vessels in for repairs and maintenance is always an impressive sight and a wonderful opportunity. I remind the Chief Minister of a dream we share of having Barkly kids working with the best boilermakers in the world in Darwin, returning home to their communities in regional and remote Australia on their shift breaks and spreading the word there are opportunities to be had - it is about growing our own.
A world-class marine supply base is a key part of the master plan and will harmonise businesses at East Arm Wharf, playing a vital role in the economic development of the Territory and building on the significant assets which are so important to the Territory’s economic future. The supply base will have dedicated marine berths and support facilities for offshore oil and gas developments in the Arafura and Timor Seas and the Browse Basin. The development of a world-class marine supply base and the transfer of existing offshore business to the new facility will generate additional berth space at East Arm Wharf for other key Northern Territory export and import industries such as livestock, bulk minerals, containers, and the expected growth in project cargos, which is welcomed.
The proposed marine supply base facility, supported by the existing facilities at East Arm Wharf, will sustain the varying business needs and cargoes as the offshore primes go through their exploration, construction and production phases. This will have a flow-on effect across our industrial sector. It will create new jobs for engineers, marine surveyors, boilermakers, mechanics, electricians and plumbers. The marine supply base will be a cornerstone in the growth of our port and supporting industries.
The Land Development Corporation is already doing a great job of developing and selling industrial land in the Darwin Business Park at East Arm. The supply base will further stimulate interest in the strategic land, and the corporation is ready to deal with those new customers. This development builds upon the great work the Darwin Port Corporation is already doing to attract new investment into the Territory. Calls for expressions of interest will close next week, and this will be followed by a detailed proposal phase with a short list of bidders.
I welcome this very important announcement and am eager to see its progress to construction in 2012. I have taken the opportunity to visit the Darwin Port Corporation and our East Arm Wharf on a number of occasions. I have taken great interest in this industry of marine supply for our oil and gas. It is a highly efficient, worthwhile and very lucrative industry. It operates with best practice already, and I am certain when we get into the construction phase and deliver a marine supply base in northern Australia, it will be the talk of the country. It will definitely bring more opportunities to the Territory in a new and emerging growth industry, and will provide the much needed opportunities in employment for Territorians, including our Territory youth, spreading the opportunities across the regions.
Madam Speaker, I commend the statement.
Mr VATSKALIS (Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources): Madam Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s statement. I am interested in the comments made by the member for Port Darwin about this government not having any business when we are debating a statement. I cannot see anyone from the other side taking the opportunity to speak about the marine supply base …
Members interjecting.
Mr VATSKALIS: …that would be very encouraging …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: I welcome the significant contribution a marine supply base will make to my Resources portfolio. As outlined by the Chief Minister, our economy is stronger than it has ever been and, as the biggest contributor to the Territory’s economy, the resource sector has played a major role in the strong position we enjoy today.
Mining contributed over 26.5% of the gross state product of the Territory for 2008-09, the highest proportion of all Australian jurisdictions, and employs more than 4000 people. The government is capitalising on the opportunities in front of us. In the five years to 2009-10 the real value of mining production in the Territory is estimated to have grown by 40.3%, driven by strong demand for Territory commodities, particularly from China and Japan. It only takes a look at the map to see we are the centre of the universe; we are closer to some Southeast Asian capitals than to Adelaide, Perth or Sydney. If you look at the possibility of markets, to our south there are about 30 million consumers; to our north - a four hour flight - there are about a billion consumers.
During this time we matched this demand with dedicated China and Japan investment strategies. They say: build it and we will come. We built the investment strategy; we went there, and, boy, have they come - $145m invested in exploration by Chinese companies, a further $45m exploration by Japanese companies, and it is going to get bigger and better because the demand in China is enormous, and I am not talking about mineral resources, I am talking about oil and gas.
Today we live in a world hungry for energy. In the past we have seen energy produced by coal, however, with climatic change and the concerns of all nations about greenhouse emissions and their effect on our climate, people are looking for other sources of energy; anything from clean coal, if there is such a thing, to uranium and gas. Gas is the focus at the moment because there is plenty, it is easy to transport, and building a gas power station is much cheaper than building a uranium power station.
On my last trip to China I was informed the Chinese are building 17 gas terminals on the east coast of China, mainly for the production of power. Recently, I visited Singapore and met with the chairman of an energy production company who wants gas in Singapore from different suppliers so he is not relying on one or two in the region, namely, Indonesia and Malaysia.
I spoke about exploration in the Territory, which has gone gangbusters. We are the only jurisdiction in Australia to have a significant increase in exploration – 1% in 2008. All other states suffered a significant drop over the same period, with total Australian expenditure down 22%, and expenditure in South Australia down 49%. The indications are 2010 will be another record year.
Yesterday, I was listening to the member for Fong Lim who said how bad things were in the mining industry in Australia because of the mineral tax, and how, according to the Fraser Institute in Canada, Australia had been in 10th position but now is in 30th position, near Rwanda. I went to my computer and searched the Fraser Institute and would like to inform the House that Australia is not in 30th position with Rwanda. At the height of the mining tax debate it went from 10th position to 14th position. I bet the next one surveyed by the Fraser Institution will show …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: … Australia has bounced back. That does not apply to the Territory because we have had a profit-based royalties system in the Territory since the CLP days. They were the first to put it in place, and it was a very good policy to attract miners.
We have kept it in place; it continues today and we have had no complaints from mining companies, even when we raised the royalty payments by 2%. I argued with my counterparts in Canberra for open dialogue with the mining industry to discuss and apply the model we have in the Territory.
The exploration boom in the Territory did not happen by chance. Prior to our dedicated China and Japan investment strategy, the Territory lacked on-ground presence in both markets, with little awareness of the Territory’s potential and opportunities. To address this challenge the department has built local partnerships to promote the Territory’s mineral potential. While a broad increase in global demand for new resources is expected, the Territory will face increasing competition from other Australian states and global markets. I saw that for first time when I met the South Australian Minister for Mines in Singapore coming from a conference in China whilst I was heading to a mining conference in China. That was one of the few times ministers from other states travelled to China; obviously they discovered the Territory is there and they better lift their game because the Territory will be the main attraction in Australia.
Our government, especially through ministerial visits in other states, has played a central role in establishing key relationships with major investment program partnerships in China. The member for Goyder knows how difficult these visits are – it is not a junket as people say. Some of the dignitaries accompanying us commented on the hard work. From the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed you are meeting people, greeting people, talking about the Territory, promoting the Territory, attending forums, having PowerPoint presentations in order to sell the Territory for a good price - only for a good price. We want people here under our terms and conditions, our rules and regulations – many do exactly the same. We want to entice them to form partnerships with our local mining companies. We take mining companies to China and introduce them to potential investors, and I am very pleased to say quite a few have successful partnerships with Chinese companies.
We have formed strategic partnerships as a government with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce Metals and Minerals, the CCMC; the China Mining Association, CMA; the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce; and the Hunan government. These partnerships provide access to thousands of companies across China.
The CCMC has over 4000 members in China. My department signed a cooperation agreement with CCMC in late 2007 which has resulted in seven Northern Territory investment seminars running in the intervening period; five in China and two in Alice Springs. The relationship has allowed us to showcase and promote 60 Territory exploration products to the Chinese market. The Annual Geoscience Exploration Seminar held in Alice Springs in late March 2010 had 285 delegates. The CCMC led the delegation with 37 Chinese delegates. This represents a 32% increase in the attendance of Chinese executives.
An AGES Chinese specific seminar and meeting program is conducted to assist Chinese delegates become more familiar with doing business in Australia, and to highlight Territory exploration and investment opportunities. These programs are run by our government, in cooperation with CCMC and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China. The People’s Republic of China is very impressed with what we have done, and following the latest AGES seminar in Alice Springs, Mister Qui of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China wrote to me stating:
It is not only our mineral wealth China is interested in. China is interested in oil and gas opportunities, and they want to participate with some of our exploration companies in joint ventures to exploit oil and gas. In addition, Chinese banks have shown interest in the Territory to finance some of the projects. The China Development Bank, with whom we signed an MOU in 2008, attended the AGES seminar and advised they are prepared to invest in some of the big projects in the Territory. They have a large amount of money and are not afraid to invest it.
The importance of the Territory as a producer and supplier of mineral resources and oil and gas can be highlighted by the visit, in June 2010, to the Territory of the Vice President of the People’s Republic of China Mr Xi Jinping. The Vice President came to the Territory, Melbourne and Canberra and nowhere else. I was advised yesterday that Mr Xi Jinping has been elevated to one of the most significant positions in the Chinese government, and is only the second civilian to be in command of the People’s Republic of China Army - the Red Army - the other is the President, Hu Jintao.
That is very important. Why did he come to the Territory? For the simple reason the Territory has what they have – oil and gas offshore and, potentially, onshore. In order to support this industry we have to have a supply and support base in the Territory because, in the waters north of the Territory, there are significant gas fields - some big enough to warrant pipelines coming onshore and LNG plants, some of them not as big. However, it needs to be done on-site and we may see some floating LNG platforms around the Territory. Some are in the Bonaparte Gulf around the Blacktip area. Some of the smaller gas fields can be exploited by floating LNG platforms. Some are in waters which can be very tricky, like the Abadi, an Indonesian gas field. Indonesia has expressed the wish not to bring it to Australia for liquefaction, instead having it done either on Indonesian soil or floating platform. Because Indonesian islands are quite a distance from that gas field, the only option is the platform.
It is expected in the next 10 years we might see up to seven floating platforms in the shallow and deep sea waters around the Territory. We have to support this industry, and the best way is by establishing a base in the Territory not only to supply services, but also to supply goods; a base not only for repair and maintenance, but a construction base. Some of the modules established in gas fields to exploit and export the gas are constructed overseas, namely Thailand or Vietnam. Questions have been asked about the quality in some of these manufacturing countries; there have been accidents when modules are loaded onto a boat and when they are in open, rough seas, they topple. It happened with Alcan. In most cases, it does not happen.
One thing I aspire to is the oil and gas supply base the Western Australian government has established south of Perth, in Goulburn, which I have visited. Much of the platform module was constructed there and transported north. They have the capability to construct significant modules - we can do the same here. Many of these floating platforms with fly-in/fly-out workers have to have somewhere to helicopter their workers to the platforms and bring them back, and they require goods and services. At this stage, one of the small supply vessels we have here supplies water to gas fields and exploration rigs north of Broome.
Companies like Shorelands in Darwin already provide goods and services to the oil and gas industry. However, because of the volume of gas to be exploited and the number of oil rigs to be constructed and established north of Darwin in the sea, this oil and gas supply base has to be big. It has to be one of the biggest in the country. It is going to be nearly equal to the supply base established in the North-West Shelf in Western Australia.
I recently visited Singapore and met with Thomas Tan, who has a small place in Darwin he wants to expand. He is very keen to provide an expression of interest to the government for a big supply for the oil and gas industry. I also understand Shorelands holds a strategic alliance with a European company which specialises in oil and gas supply bases - one of the biggest in the world. I understand they will also put in an expression of interest. This news is very good for the Territory. What is even better is we are getting the oil and gas supply base established on the ground, on the shores of the Territory, to service not only the oil industry outside Territory waters, also in Commonwealth waters and within Western Australian waters.
It is important because even if we do not get the big LNG plant in Darwin, the oil and gas supply bases will provide employment to hundreds of Territorians. People will be on the ground, on the boats, servicing the industry in and out. Also, the Western Australian companies welcome supply bases in the Territory because at the moment construction and other activities off the North-West Shelf in Western Australia - off Karratha and Port Hedland - are stressed to the limit. They face the same problem we face: they cannot get workers and, when they do, they have to pay significant salaries. In Port Hedland, if you want to lease a house you have to pay $1500 a week. I lived in Port Hedland from early 1990 to 1993, and you could get a really good house then for $200 or $300 a week and that was considered extremely expensive at that time.
In addition, we have projects coming online for the Northern Territory. INPEX is one. Western Australia still cannot accept we took it away from them. On the other hand, industry sources have told me they were quite pleased INPEX came to Darwin because it provided some relief on their workforce and wages, which are expected to go through the roof in Western Australia.
Our government has strongly promoted the Territory as a destination for mineral resources. It is the first government in the Territory’s history to develop a specific strategy focusing on China and Japan to promote the Territory. Our next focus is …
Mr Elferink: Piffle, waffle, balderdash and truck.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: Professor Elferink gave us some pearls of wisdom - it is usually rubbish.
Madam Deputy Speaker, this is the only government to produce a dedicated strategy. I would like to quote, although I do not have it today, the speech the member for Goyder gave yesterday. I will quote it word for word, because she admitted it was our government, and me personally - thank you very much for the good words - that established the investment attraction strategy. It is significant; we did it; we will continue to do it, and we will continue to attract investment and market the Territory for mineral exploration and mining. We also want to attract investment in the Territory to establish an oil and gas supply base to support the oil and gas industry off Territory waters, Commonwealth waters, and off Western Australian waters.
Mr TOLLNER (Fong Lim): Madam Deputy Speaker, goodness me, I agree with the member for Port Darwin: balderdash, tripe and piffle. What absolute nonsense. The fact we are debating this nonsense represents the victory of delusion over reality. What a bizarre thing when a government, and a Chief Minister, can come into this House and spout this utter nonsense. I was reading through the Chief Minister’s statement which says:
What has deepened and strengthened is: public service numbers; the amount of crime on our streets; the housing crisis; the lack of land being released onto the market; farmers’ concerns about access to water and clear land for production; the Ord River Stage 2 seeing the light of day; child protection and child abuse in the Territory, and a whole raft of new taxes this moribund, mendicant government keeps introducing. These guys are an absolute joke. We are in crisis everywhere. We have a housing crisis, a housing affordability crisis, and a lack of workers. It is just a joke.
This document talks about the money spent on transport infrastructure. The Chief Minister talks about road, rail, port and air infrastructure. Where are the new roads? Not the Tiger Brennan Drive extension - the lion’s share of money was put up by the federal government! Who built the railway line? What government was in power when the railway line was built? What government was in power when the port was built? And air infrastructure, goodness gracious me! The audacity of this man to come into this House and talk about air infrastructure when we see airlines leaving the Northern Territory en masse. In the last 10 years of this moribund, shambolic Labor government hanging around the halls of this House our air infrastructure has turned to custard.
The Chief Minister says:
The housing crisis we are suffering in the Northern Territory is second only to the industrial land crisis we are suffering. We cannot get industrial land in the Northern Territory. It is a joke, and for the Chief Minister to say they have used careful management making available industrial land is a joke. He talks about the fledgling Defence Park - we have not heard of one customer going into the Defence Park. My idea on the Defence Park is they are creating a big white elephant opposite Robertson Barracks. This statement goes on and on and on.
The Chief Minister says:
Let us have a think about that statement - major project status sounds really good. Why did Arafura Resources leave the Territory and go to South Australia? South Australia gave them major project status! They could not get it in the Northern Territory so they moved their operations to take ore through South Australia, which very quickly stole that project from the Northern Territory. Major project status!
Another development with major project status was Browns Mine at Batchelor. That was given major project status by the government, however scientists and experts in the field say irrespective of having major project status it is impossible to proceed because of the regulations and requirements NRETAS is putting on the organisation. It has now been permanently mothballed despite the fact it received major project status from this government. This government made it impossible for that mine to go ahead for a range of reasons. It is shameful.
Let us look at gas, another major project. Remember the Greater Sunrise field? There was talk in 2001 that Shell and Woodside, the owners of that field, wanted to develop a floating platform on the Greater Sunrise field. The Chief Minister at the time, Clare Martin, said: ‘No fear are we allowing that resource to be exploited using a floating LNG plant. The development must occur in the Northern Territory’. She was so incensed by the idea of an FLNG plant that she created an organisation called Team NT. I do not know if people on the other side remember Team NT. It was comprised of a range of fantastic Territory business people - people with vision. Bruce Fadelli, Steve Margetic and Dave Malone were the front men for Team NT. Team NT received a fair amount of government funding to promote the fact Darwin should be the development location for Greater Sunrise gas. At that time they were regularly visiting Canberra lobbying the federal Coalition government to force its hand to ensure gas came onshore and there was no floating platform somewhere in the Timor Sea at the Greater Sunrise resource.
What has our dopey Chief Minister been up to since Woodside announced an FLNG plant at Greater Sunrise? He has gone to water – he has welcomed it. That stuns me because Clare Martin went crazy at the thought this great huge resource - somewhere around 8 trillion cubic feet of gas - would be developed offshore. She wanted the construction, the jobs, the processing to come to Darwin, and quite right she was in that sentiment. We now have a Chief Minister prepared to roll over and leave that FLNG plant. Meanwhile, we have the Prime Minister of East Timor, Mr Ramos-Horta, saying: ‘No, we do not want Australians working on this FLNG plant; we want them to be Timorese’.
What will Darwin get from this FLNG plant at the end of the day - very little indeed. There will not be any great gas developments in the Top End from Greater Sunrise. We will not see huge construction jobs going to Territorians, or a range of operational jobs going to Territorians – they will all go to East Timor. Our Chief Minister hides, does not talk about it, and comes into this House with stupid puff pieces saying how well he is doing; we know that is nonsense.
On the subject of Greater Sunrise, I am disappointed the Chief Minister could not recruit people like Steve Margetic, Bruce Fadelli and Dave Malone. They did a fantastic job trying to convince companies, and the federal government, of the merits of bringing gas onshore. They have much knowledge in this area and should be used to convince Woodside, Shell, and the other partners in Greater Sunrise to bring gas onshore to Darwin.
Next to that field is Evans Shoal, a large field in its own right containing around 6 trillion cubic feet of gas, although there is much carbon dioxide in that field. For quite some time that carbon dioxide has precluded that field from exploitation because it is too difficult to deal with. However, technologies change and I am led to believe Evans Shoal presents itself perfectly to supply gas into Darwin to create methanol. Methanol, for the information of members, is created through a chemical process. LNG is created by stripping off the liquids and unwanted gases and fundamentally freezing that gas into a liquid form, putting it on very large and expensive ships in a liquid form- a very cold form - and transporting it overseas. Methanol is a chemical process. The capital costs of the methanol plant are nowhere near that of an LNG plant; however, the ongoing labour costs are much higher. What we are talking about is jobs for Territorians.
I heard nothing from the Chief Minister, our Mines minister, or anyone else from the other side about how we might progress development of the Evans Shoal field, have a methanol plant in Darwin and start producing methanol. Methanol is a very greenhouse-friendly fuel, both in its creation and use. Through the chemical process, carbon dioxide is required to make methanol. Not only could the gas from Evans Shoal be used in the creation of methanol, we may also be able to use the excess carbon dioxide from the ConocoPhillips plant and the proposed INPEX plant. Attracting a methanol producer into Darwin to exploit the Evans Shoal reserve may be well worth pursuing. I am disappointed we have not heard more from the government on this matter. I am aware, at the SEAOCC conference several weeks ago, presentations were made in relation to methanol; however we have not heard anything from this government. I pray they are working behind the scenes to progress that.
Returning to the statement, what absolute utter rot are the Chief Minister’s first words about strengthening and deepening our economy. Goodness me, everywhere we look people are in turmoil. We hear of problems in education. The member for Brennan, in Question Time today, asked the Education minister about numbers of people not enrolled in school. Evidently there are 7000 throughout the Northern Territory. This problem has to be looked at in reality.
There are problems protecting children and their wellbeing. This report says things have worsened since the problems were first identified in the Little Children are Sacred report - a report former Chief Minister, Clare Martin, tried to sweep under the carpet, tried to hide from the public. It was probably the blackest day and the blackest episode in the Territory’s history. It was appalling the way the then Chief Minister, Clare Martin, tried to hide the report from public view. The federal Indigenous Affairs minister at the time, Mal Brough, had to source it from the Internet because the Chief Minister could not be bothered furnishing him with a copy. He received it after stories hit the media - things were that bad. Hopefully, this government will learn from that and gone will be the days of trying to hide such damning reports from public view.
Crime is out of control. Whilst at the Masters Games in Alice Springs I saw cars vandalised with smashed windows, etcetera. People visit my office saying they spent their whole life pining to go Alice Springs, went once, and were scared to walk down the mall. In my own electorate, antisocial behaviour in Territory Housing properties is beyond a joke. The fact this government refuses to release water in the Katherine/Mataranka/Daly River areas - a seven or eight year moratorium on land clearing in the Daly - could not pull out a weed along the Daly. How does that help farmers? How does that help anyone? It does nothing for the environment and nothing for economic production.
What is happening with the Ord River Stage 2? Western Australia is trying to develop the Ord; however, they need the economies of scale for the Ord to work at maximum benefit to all. It requires Ord Stage 2, which requires action from this government on the Territory side of the border, and this government has done nothing about it. We saw, at the Araluen by-election, how government is prepared to treat uranium explorers. To have to listen to this tripe the Chief Minister trots out is definitely wrong.
This is a victory of delusion over reality, and it will be seen as such by any sensible person in our community.
Mr KNIGHT (Business and Employment): Dave, I want to give you a hug. You are an extremely lonely, upset and angry man. 28 October is national ‘Give Dave a Hug Day’, and I want to get in early. You are a very sad man. You are the only member of the opposition backbench of the smallest parliament in the nation. You are the loneliest man in politics in Australia. I feel for you, member for Fong Lim. You are extremely upset; you have been abandoned. Your colleagues went to water around you. You are a very talented politician and it is sad your colleagues - you should call them old jelly-back ...
Mr BOHLIN: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! There has to be some point of relevance to this. I would like to get the member close to the statement at hand, because …
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Your point of order is?
Mr BOHLIN: Relevance.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Minister, if you could please direct your remarks to the statement. I do not believe you have a problem at the moment, but if you could bring it into the statement it would be much appreciated.
Mr KNIGHT: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I am leveraging off the statement from the loneliest politician in the country. He did not mention ‘marine supply base’ once in his contribution. It was the most wide-ranging statement I have ever heard. I do not know what crime in Alice Springs has to do with a marine supply base in Darwin. He is an extremely upset man - you have many jelly-backs over there. They went to water; they did not back you up. They should have …
Mr BOHLIN: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! Relevance. If he is not going to get on with it, get him to sit down, please.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Minister, if you could please direct your comments to the statement. The member for Fong Lim did roam widely, and obviously there is some …
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! I did not. I quoted directly from the Chief Minister’s statement.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Fong Lim, sit down. You are on warning, member for Fong Lim. The minister has the call.
Mr KNIGHT: I believe he took a packed lunch and dinner on that roving expedition around the countryside about a marine supply base in Alice Springs.
I am delighted to support the Chief Minister’s announcement in support of a marine supply base. The Chief Minister was correct in saying a marine supply base is needed in the Northern Territory, and its timing in relation to the strength of the Northern Territory economy is not surprising. The move to establish a marine supply base in Darwin is timely and essential, with many companies operating in our oil and gas industry, choosing Darwin as the place for a service and supply hub.
As this government continues to encourage and support companies involved in the oil and gas industry to the Northern Territory, a growing need for a separate facility at the East Arm Port area to meet the current and future requirements of an expanding oil and gas industry in the Northern Territory has been delivered by this government. The marine supply base will provide dedicated infrastructure with fast turnaround times for the service and supply needs of the offshore oil and gas industry. The government is working to address the needs of the oil and gas industry.
Mr GILES: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! I draw your attention to the state of the House. It is a very important speech by …
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: We are lacking a quorum. Ring the bells. A quorum is present. Minister, you have the call.
Mr KNIGHT: Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker. The government is working to address the needs of the oil and gas industry with the market and the opportunity for the marine supply base to develop. The action is needed now to secure business opportunities and economic value for the Northern Territory. We have the economic platform, the projects, and the prospects for the development to see the Northern Territory into a more prosperous future.
As the Chief Minister highlighted, our economy is strong. We must continue to provide a strong platform for future economic growth. As mentioned earlier, it is not an accident, nor is it a surprise that the Northern Territory is performing strongly, as evidenced by our strong economic data. The value of our economy measured by our growth state product in 2008-09 was $16.3bn, up from $15.9bn in the previous financial year. This is an increase of 2.6% and is the highest of all Australian jurisdictions, further highlighting the strength of the Northern Territory economy. Economic growth is expected to moderate in 2009-10, with strong continuing growth forecast in the 2010-11 financial year at 3.6%.
The Northern Territory currently enjoys the highest growth state product per capita at more than $73 500 for every Territory man, woman and child. Our offshore oil and gas sector amounts to a full 20% of our economy, already more than the $3.2bn, and our current major offshore projects and prospects will drive further strong growth and opportunities.
In the context of the Northern Territory’s low unemployment - currently the second lowest of all Australian jurisdictions - our Territory workers in the offshore oil and gas industry are among the most productive in the local economy. Workers in the mining, oil and gas industries can contribute around $900 per person to the growth state product. This compares with an average contribution of around $130 per person for the whole of the Northern Territory working population.
The Northern Territory’s business sector remains confident and is looking to capitalise on the opportunities presented. In August this year, the Sensis Business Index showed the Northern Territory is experiencing the nation’s strongest trading conditions. Northern Territory small to medium firms have the nation’s strongest sales, employment, wages, profitability and capital expenditure plans, highlighting the underlying strength of the Northern Territory economy for the business community. Figures show Northern Territory businesses have an overall confidence factor of 56% compared to 37% nationally. This was the highest level of business confidence in the country, followed by Victoria at 54%.
Regional businesses in the Northern Territory have even higher confidence, with 59% of businesses outside Darwin showing confidence compared to a national regional figure of 37%. Reasons for confidence include forward orders and contracts, and the knowledge there is plenty of work. Sensis noted small business support for the Northern Territory government is also soaring. I repeat: Sensis indicated support for the Northern Territory government is soaring, recording Australia’s largest increase in overall rating for any government in Australia.
It is not the time to rest on our laurels; we need to build on this platform and lock in benefits from these emerging opportunities and the infrastructure, business investment and supply and service capacity already in place. This will provide further security to the Northern Territory’s long-term economic viability and growth.
To support the continued development of the offshore oil and gas sector and the onshore processing and supply and service business opportunities, we have already put in place infrastructure and assets to underpin growth. This infrastructure has been undertaken by the government as an investment in the Territory’s future. These are assets we need for future expansion and to enable development opportunities to continue in this hub.
Infrastructure and assets such as the railway, port, the business park, the common user area, the developing Defence Support Hub and related industry support infrastructure including roads, power, water and waste water facilities and service. The common user area is a 30 ha site located in close proximity to the East Arm Wharf. The area is for use by business to engage in various economic activities to further enhance business opportunities through the East Arm Port and its facilities. Integrating with and complementing the existing common user area, which was developed following strong Territory business interest, will also be an important consideration in the development.
My Department of Business and Employment, continues to provide important and valuable services for Territory businesses. We have strong business support programs to further develop and provide opportunities to businesses in the Northern Territory. We are working to attract investment. InvestNT came online in April 2010, and while it is too early to gauge the success of this vehicle of investment attraction, the early signs are promising. We promote and market the Northern Territory, and our products and services, through the Asian Relations and Trade portfolio, and promotional activities throughout our international region.
We are actively working to enhance employment and training through our Jobs NT and trades training development. I am pleased to note the establishment of the Larrakia Trade Training Centre funded by INPEX, which could be an important facility for Indigenous skills training. Through Jobs NT, this government is investing more than $300m towards building, developing and retaining a highly skilled local workforce.
We are working with the Department of the Chief Minister to support and facilitate major project development such as the marine supply base and, of course, INPEX. These major projects go hand in hand. With the establishment of the marine supply base, major projects such as INPEX will have access to a range of Northern Territory businesses ready to provide whatever is necessary.
Strengthening local business is a high priority for my department. We are working to attract, develop and strengthen the supply and service to businesses through targeted business growth and support programs. My department continues to provide a wide range of services and programs aimed at providing business with the skills to improve the prosperity of the Northern Territory business community. You will be aware we are in the middle of October Business Month, and the feedback has been very positive at all events I have attended. Business people appreciate the opportunity to access high-calibre speakers and professional development opportunities such as those available during October.
The marine supply base is aimed at building on these foundations, and providing the next level of infrastructure, supply and service requirements for the offshore oil and gas sector, and also growing it. These requirements are being driven by the major projects and prospects for the Northern Territory. It is, however, important for the House to appreciate the scale and value of these projects and their potential to further enhance the Northern Territory economy.
I intend to provide only a few highlights, more details are available in the Marine Supply Base Expression of Interest documentation. Projects include: the ENI Blacktip gas, some 0.8 megatonnes (MT) per annum at a cost of $623m; Bayu-Undan gas, 3.5 MT per annum, $3.5bn; Laminaria Corallina oil field, 18 million barrels per annum, $1.37bn; and Jabiru Challis oil field, 1.5 million barrels per annum, project costs are being determined. The advance prospects are just as astonishing: the oilfield of Kitan, 14.5 million barrels - and that is an estimated project cost USD - which I guess is Australian now – of $US1.1bn; the INPEX field, 8.4 MT per annum - at the moment that is a $20bn project; Prelude gas field, 4 MT per annum which is a more than $US8bn project; Greater Sunrise gas, 4 MT per annum which is an $8bn project; and Bonaparte gas, 4 MT, with costs still being determined.
Other fields that may in the future be served through the Darwin-based marine supply base include: Abadi, in Indonesian waters but very close to Australia; Argus; Brecknock; Calliance; Cash-Maple; Chuditch; Crux; Evans Shoal; Heron/Blackwood; Prometheus/Rubicon; Puffin; and Torosa.
Through the stimulus and supply of a fully functional marine supply base in Darwin, further offshore exploration and discovery is expected to be accelerated ...
Mr GILES: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! I draw your attention to the state of the House.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ring the bells. We have a quorum.
Mr KNIGHT: Through the stimulus and support of a fully functional marine supply base in Darwin, further offshore exploration and discovery is expected to be accelerated. The marine supply base will complement the current and future planned facilities at the port and East Arm. The marine supply base is being developed to integrate with businesses already investing in and supplying support and services to the offshore sector and related onshore developments to create the conditions for further growth and investment. The marine supply base will provide …
Mr GILES: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! I draw your attention to the state of the House.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ring the bells. We have a quorum. Minister, you have the call.
Mr KNIGHT: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, we are planning for the future of this sector. The marine supply base will feed quite significantly into that. We will require a local industry participation plan, as we have with INPEX. The INPEX plan sets a blueprint of a way we can ensure the manufacturing industry is front and centre for this area.
I will take up several points from the member for Fong Lim. He spoke about the Compass mine at Batchelor and suggested they should not have any guidelines for the environmental management and development of the mine. I will be glad to give the CLP position to locals on the Litchfield Park Road who are quite concerned about that. They wanted to go through the process. The guidelines provide some areas the mine has to consider, and I will be delighted to send that to them. For your information …
Mr GILES: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! I draw your attention to the state of the House.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ring the bells. There is quorum present. Minister, you have the call.
Mr KNIGHT: Correcting the member for Fong Lim, it has not been mothballed. Mine management advises it is a temporary closure. You asserted it is a permanent closure, which is incorrect. You talked about Dave Malone. Well, Dave Malone works for the government. You need to be aware of that. I know it is a very lonely world on the smallest backbench of the smallest parliament in Australia.
I want to be the first one to give you a hug on Give Dave a Hug Day. It will be a very special day. Being knifed in the back by the Leader of the Opposition was a very ugly thing – you are a much more capable politician than he will ever be. He is a bit of a parasite, our Leader of the Opposition. He puts out this sheen of honesty …
Mr Giles interjecting.
Mr KNIGHT: I am trying to support you here, member for Braitling. I know you are a supporter of the member for Fong Lim. Maybe, if you are lucky, we can have a …
Mr Giles: I know you have Chief Minister aspirations, member for Daly.
Mr KNIGHT: We could have Give Adam a Hug Day. Adam needs a good hug now and again.
Members interjecting.
Mr KNIGHT: Kon is offering to give Adam a hug - he gets a little frustrated here. First it has to be Give a Dave a Hug Day, because he is very angry. His contribution had nothing to do with the economic future of the Northern Territory, through this marine supply base, which will set up the manufacturing industry in the Top End for decades to come. I congratulate the Chief Minister for bringing this statement to the House.
Mr STYLES (Sanderson): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, it feels like dj vu. I spoke in relation to the ministerial statement on Growing International Trade, and when one looks through it, taking advantage of our gas industry and marine supply base, much of the statement made earlier today is appropriate to this statement also. Any initiative the government takes in any direction to increase business in the Northern Territory is to be applauded. This marine supply base, provided they get it right, will add to the value of the Northern Territory in many different ways.
First, you have to acknowledge there are many people working very hard on a daily basis to make this a reality. It is unfortunate those hard-working people are faced with many challenges on the road to making this a reality and, in fact, on the road to making the Northern Territory, especially the gas and other industries, a very prosperous reality in a short time.
To attract people to anywhere in the world a number of things are needed. In fact, there are three pillars of any community you need to have in place before you can build anything else: health, education, and law and order. If you get those things right other things will follow with little effort. However, if you do not get them right you may not even get off the ground. The first thing is health. It is interesting talking to boards and executives of companies who come into the Northern Territory, want to come to the Northern Territory, or are looking at the Northern Territory.
A number of things are needed if they are going to locate staff here because staff have families who all need services. Let us look at the health services. You need good ambulance services if people are injured, or kids are injured, the parent responsible for the young children knows they can get them to hospital and quickly. It is not a secret that the ambulance services, particularly in Darwin where this marine base will be located - the member for Daly said someone wanted one in Alice Springs, which is not appropriate. Perhaps he needs to look at a map and see Alice Springs is not that close to the ocean. However, this is a Darwin and Top End situation. Looking at health services, we know we have some very hard-working people in the ambulance service. We have excellent people working in the health system; however, we need to ensure those services are world-class.
I suggest some of these services, through the inability of government to provide something for everyone, have issues which are raised quietly by people who are going to bring executives, workers and more staff to the Northern Territory.
Look at where people will be living at Palmerston and the GP clinic. One hopes that will continue although it has been opened and closed before by successive Labor governments. Palmerston is losing GPs because of the super clinic - they are closing down. I hope the Palmerston super clinic remains open because if it closes, not only do you lose that, you have lost local GPs who have moved out of the area.
Let us move to education. Any parent or anyone charged with the responsibility of raising children understands education is such an important factor in the personal development of children. We have to have programs; we have to have well-resourced schools, and infrastructure to support the increased numbers of people coming here.
If people are to move to the Territory we need housing. We are in the greatest housing crisis ever and we want to increase our numbers substantially in a very short period of time. The sad thing is the land release and housing crisis will not disappear overnight - we will still be faced with shortages.
In education we are suffering from the NAPLAN results. I acknowledge we face challenges in the Territory that others interstate do not, or to a lesser degree. We must ensure we have the ability to grow, and with that comes land release.
I would like to touch on law and order. When attracting families to the Northern Territory, particularly Darwin, you want to ensure they feel safe. As I go doorknocking, as I go to the shops on Saturday morning, many people talk to me about law and order issues and their lack of willingness to go out after dark or at dusk; to go for a walk in the park; to take their kids to the park, or take the dog for a run. Women will not go jogging at dusk or in the early hours of the morning, and certainly not alone. They may go with partners or in a group; you cannot go on your own. That is what people are telling me.
Everyone wants a night out, however we have issues in Mitchell Street. We have people who feel they can do whatever they like. In fact, recently, we had people punching police officers, injuring them and knocking them out. The community feels there is not a great deal of deterrent for that behaviour.
These things are advertised on websites, they go into daily newspapers, onto travel sites and people discuss them on blogs. It goes around the world and anyone thinking of moving to Darwin has access to most of this. You can go online, read newspapers and see what has been reported in our daily newspaper from anywhere in the world. If you are an oil and gas worker wanting to work at the marine supply base, these are the issues you will look at
At the recent conference at the Convention Centre, I discussed the oil and gas industry with many people who advised me the things they needed in place before their staff would come here revolve around health, education, law and order, airlines - a subject I will go into in a moment - and port facilities - facilities that get things in and out of Darwin very quickly – airfreight facilities. When we are setting up a marine supply base, these are the issues to address. The government and Chief Minister are very encouraging in the report - all is wonderful.
However, it is like a pond with ducks swimming around quietly. It all looks good on the surface, but the feet are waggling underneath at a great rate of knots; there are sharks, everything is happening and it is a mess underneath. I liken it to some of the issues in our community.
People in health and education, law and order, the airline industry, the port industry are all working extremely hard. I have known some of those people for many years; they are good people who put much effort into what they do. However, leadership starts at the top. Government and ministers have to be responsible for their departments and ensure our community functions in a way acceptable to all members.
We have many people who are not very happy with issues I am discussing at the moment, be it health, education, law and order, airlines, port facilities, etcetera.
I would like to reiterate some of the comments I made earlier today in relation to losing airlines. We have lost full service airlines because of cut-price airlines coming into the Northern Territory - that is a good thing. Many Territorians have benefited from cheaper airfares, and if you do not want a full service provider and are quite happy with low-cost carriers, that is great. I have used low-cost carriers myself from time to time. However, when you are trying to attract people from all over the world it becomes a difficult situation.
Information given to me suggests there is a world shortage of people with expertise and skills in the marine supply industry. The industry encompasses many different vocations; however, there is a world shortage. To attract workers we have to ensure Darwin is an attractive place to live and raise a family. If not, we will turn Darwin, a capital city, into a fly-in/fly-out city. Companies will not move children and spouses of executives and workers into a town if they do not feel safe, if they do not feel health services will cater for their needs in a timely manner, and education services are not up to scratch.
We are not denigrating any of these services; we are looking at the perception of people reading what is reported in newspapers, on websites and on blogs. If we do not reassure these skilled workers coming from all over the world, we will be a fly-in/fly-out situation. What sort of impact does that have on the fabric of our community? It affects our schools and health services. We have services funded on population, and if we look at the fly-in/fly-out, we will not have young people here. When looking at economies of scale, we are losing the building of our community.
After looking at health, education, and law and order, you need to get here. That is the airline business; we have spoken about that. When you arrive you have to have somewhere to live - a house. Most people would like to live in a house with a yard and a park somewhere close by where children can play. You want to go to the park, even at dusk, and feel you, your kids and your dog are going to be safe. Where are we going to house these people? I cannot think of the page in the report, however many people will be working at the supply base. We will have many people in the oil and gas industry. The many high-rise units have eased the pressure on accommodating the good citizens of the Northern Territory, visitors and part-time workers. However, we need land.
The member for Barkly said earlier the government had sold 200 lots off the plan, had done this and done that. We still have a housing crisis. What is going on here? We have crises everywhere and reported in the paper daily. We have a housing crisis, a law and order crisis with people lying around the streets drunk all the time. Our efforts do not appear to be working. We have a crisis in Corrections - our gaol is full. Don Dale Juvenile Detention Centre is full. We have a childcare crisis. It goes on and on.
We have former magistrates calling for the Northern Territory to be stripped of its power to deal with issues. What is going to happen next? As a result of government inaction and systemic policy failure, are we going to lose housing? Are we going to lose law and order? Are we going to lose Corrections? Once the rot sets in and people see you lose one they will demand better services. If the government cannot lead and provide services I fear we will all be in trouble and lose the ability to govern ourselves. That impacts on our ability to gain statehood.
Page 2 of the Chief Minister’s statement says:
We have grown … in a sustained way.
Interesting that we are in crisis in so many different areas! I would not call that sustained. The very next paragraph says:
I hope it is sustained in a better manner than it is currently. The report says since 2001 $7.7bn has been spent on infrastructure across the Territory. I do not know what we have for that.
The Housing minister said earlier the former CLP government went overseas and had a few jollies around the place, cups of tea, and did not achieve much. Listening to the current government, the former CLP government did nothing. In fact, the lights were off and no one was here ...
Mr Elferink: It was a wasteland!
Mr STYLES: Absolutely. I remind those opposite of achievements of the former government: self-government - that was a good thing. Yes, that was an excellent result. The gas pipeline for power; we kicked off Yulara.
Mr Elferink: The construction of schools in the bush.
Mr STYLES: At least one school in the bush per year; Kings Canyon; Katherine Gorge Visitors Centre; Gregory National Park; Keep River; Charles Darwin; Northern Territory Museum; Arafura Games; Masters Games; Marrara Sporting Complex, all on a budget of about $1.2bn.
Channel Island Power Station; State Square - the building we stand in; Territory Wildlife Park; Alice Springs Desert Park; major highway development; pastoral roads; recreational fishing; art centres; performing art centres; the Northern Territory University, now Charles Darwin University; tourism development; East Arm Port; agricultural and horticultural development; Windows on the Wetland Museum; Stokes Hill Wharf tourism precinct; Alice Springs Convention Centre; gas development, and a little thing called the Alice Springs to Darwin Railway. The list goes on and on. There is a list of achievements from the Country Liberals being in government.
A member: What have this mob done; have they built anything? Maybe a road?
Mr STYLES: How many schools and how many roads? I can see money being spent.
The statement says the government has placed emphasis on trade and export. Going back to 2001 when the Labor government came to office, it closed all the offices throughout Southeast Asia and around BIMP-EAGA the Country Liberals had in place.
There is an old saying that the south of Australia does not need anything from us, they have everything; our future is to the north. The only thing the south needs from us is the early mangoes. We need to go north. I understand about 16 weeks before the first train arrived from Alice Springs, having closed all the …
Mr CHANDLER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I move that the member for Sanderson be given additional time pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr STYLES: Madam Deputy Speaker, and to my colleagues, thank you very much, I really appreciate that.
In 2003, 16 weeks before the train arrived, the then Trade minister, the current Chief Minister boarded a plane - you could go on a full-service aeroplane in those days - to Southeast Asia and China seeking containers for the train. We did not have any staff on the ground in Southeast Asia - they had removed them all.
I go back to the statement on Growing International Trade. It talks about the importance of face-to-face contact with people and relationships. You have a statement which talks about the importance of relationships and having people in place and developing trade, yet the current government sacked everyone in Southeast Asia - did not want any face-to-face contact - and 16 weeks before the train was due it needed containers. Unfortunately, we did not do that well; we sent many empty containers from Darwin to Adelaide to make the train look full.
The statement talks about providing services for people to do business. Arafura Resources came here and were quite keen to …
Ms Purick: Good company.
Mr STYLES: Yes, good company, good record.
A member: Encouraged to come here.
Mr STYLES: Yes. They found it is a little hard to do business in the Northern Territory; they took their business to South Australia. What a blow, because they would be helping this marine supply base, and the people headquartered in the marine supply base. If we want to grow the marine supply base, we need people who will bring in stuff we are going to use.
There are a number of other things in the statement, and it is interesting to listen to people on the government benches talk about what was and what used to be. This afternoon there was a snipe about Asian Relations and Trade being no more than a travel agency. I quote from page 4 of this document:
It has a number of aims. Halfway down the page it says:
Well, if that is not a travel agency. It says:
I do not have a problem with that. Perhaps the government understands now if you are going to do business much is done over meals, especially when dealing with Chinese people. It is a cultural thing, and if we do not do it people may choose not to deal with us. I do not have a problem with it; however it is interesting when the government has a snipe at the Country Liberals for doing the cultural thing protocol tells you to do. I see they are encouraging those things to happen. Further on that page it says:
This is the next big project for our economy. Securing INPEX will be huge in itself with the capital spend and the jobs and the ongoing multipliers the project will have. However, the icing on the cake is to develop the Port of Darwin as the service and supply base for the oil and gas sector for the region, taking business out of Perth and Singapore, consolidating that business in Darwin and supporting this industry from Darwin. It is bold, it is visionary, and the expressions of interest we have in the marketplace for a joint venture, or a PPP arrangement, close next week. I have been advised a number of very exciting bids have come in. There has been international interest in this project as well as strong, Australian and local interest.
People have confidence, and it is very exciting to see - exciting times ahead. I did not hear all the debate, however, it has ranged fairly widely. The opposition has made comments, some supportive, some derisive, some that had nothing to do with this project at all; that may be as it may be. The reality is we are in the marketplace with an expression of interest document which closes next week. We are looking to short-list those expressions of interest by the end of the year and formally go out to bid before Christmas with a short-listed group of proponents.
So, exciting times ahead and not only great for our business sector and business community, also a real opportunity to build capacity in an institution I am very proud of as Chief Minister and am enormously supportive of - our university - to use the economic growth we have at the moment to support capacity building and expansion of course offerings and an increase in overseas students coming to our university. This is all going to come on the back of economic growth, diversifying our economic base and being supportive of our university. I thank honourable members for their contributions.
I came back to the Chamber to hear the tail end of the member for Sanderson’s contribution, much of which had nothing to do with a marine supply base. I am becoming tired of the doom and gloom from the member for Sanderson. I do not know what happy pills he has to take, but jeepers creepers, if there is ever a doom and gloom merchant in this parliament it is the member for Sanderson. I rarely see him with a smile on his face; I do not know what needs to happen for him to jolly up. Everywhere he goes he has the weight of the world on his shoulders; a big black cloud is hanging over his head and the Territory is a terrible place - it is awful. There is no hope for my children. I would like to read the Hansard - if things continue what hope is there for our children and what hope is there for small business in the Territory? The burdens are so crushing. This is such a terrible place; I cannot walk down the streets at night; I cannot take the dog for a walk.
My goodness! Where do you live, member for Sanderson? Where do you live? It is not the Darwin I live in. It is not the people I know in Darwin. It is not the people who have grown their businesses and are excited about opportunities in the Northern Territory. It is about people who are excited for their families in the Northern Territory, and seeing a wonderful Territory for their children to grow up in. It is about people who promote the Territory for all the great things happening here. No, the member for Sanderson has this black cloud over his head. Jeepers, creepers, lighten up! The world I live in is not such a terrible place.
Yes, we have our problems. Every community, every society, has problems. However, if you really get into a funk and see everything through a glass half-empty - the glass half-empty member for Sanderson is all doom and gloom. Well, heaven help! I would not like to walk in your shoes, member for Sanderson; I would never have a smile on my face. I must admit, by and large, I am a pretty happy-go-lucky sort of a bloke.
Having said that, I see the Territory going ahead in leaps and bounds. Most people I know, or meet as Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, are excited about the future of the Northern Territory. Business people are excited about the future of the Northern Territory.
I had lunch with my colleague, the minister for Business, and we were walking back through the mall. The minister for Business said: ‘Come and meet this guy who has just opened up a new hamburger place in the Victoria Arcade’. Rob had met him recently; we went in and shook hands. Here is someone who has come from Melbourne to start a new business and is full of enthusiasm. Business is going really well; he wished he had made the move years ago. The wife and kids are happy, and he is looking at opening two more businesses.
These are the people I meet in the Northern Territory - excited people who bring their families here and say it is so much better in Darwin than Melbourne: ‘Melbourne was really starting to get us down; the kids can grow up free here. They can run around. There are great facilities. The schools are good’. Maybe the member for Sanderson should meet this guy. Go and say g’day to him and ask him how he finds Darwin. You will not get doom and gloom; it is not safe to walk down the streets, you cannot take the dogs for a walk, the missus cannot go for a jog. This is someone I met this lunchtime who said he wished he had made the move years ago.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I am really pleased to say the government’s planning for a marine supply base is on track. It is another example of our determination to expand our economy, provide opportunities for Territorians and Territory business people, jobs for Territorians, and an expansion of our university - looking forward to the future as opposed to the CLP looking to the past wishing things were the way they were 20 years ago.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Dr BURNS (Leader of Government Business): Madam Deputy Speaker, I table the Standing Orders Committee Fifth Report to the Eleventh Assembly, including the Report to the Assembly on the Reference to the Committee dated 18 August 2010 relating to Estimates Committee Process for 2011, Report on Right of Reply, Amendment to Notice Paper and Standing Order 90 - Routine, and Amendment to Standing Order 118 - Replies.
MOTION
Adopt Report – Standing Orders Committee - Fifth Report to the Eleventh Assembly
Dr BURNS (Leader of Government Business): Madam Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly adopt the recommendations.
Motion agreed to.
Dr BURNS (Leader of Government Business): Madam Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the report, and that I have leave to continue my remarks at a later date.
Leave granted.
Debate adjourned.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Honourable members, the Speaker has received the following letter from the member for Port Darwin.
Is the proposed discussion supported? It is supported. I call on the member for Port Darwin.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their support. I spoke in the adjournment debate last night about this issue. To remind members, my concerns deal with pages 15 through to 18 of the annual report of the Community Visitor Program. The letter of transmission is signed by Eddie Cubillo on 24 September 2010.
What concerned me was what was written in the report itself. It refers to section 29. At the beginning of the entry it says:
(1) Subject to section 30, a person admitted as a voluntary patient may leave the facility at any time.
I will return to section 30 shortly.
(2) A person must be informed of his or her right to leave the approved treatment facility on being admitted as a voluntary patient.
the Approved Psychiatric Practitioner:
If the APP is concerned a person who presents, even as a voluntary patient, is not well enough to meet the criteria for involuntary admission, the practitioner must make the appropriate order for involuntary transmission.
There are several references to patients: Jock, Michael and Jessica. The conclusion of Mr Cubillo and the Community Visitor Program is, and I quote from page 18:
That is a very important line; I will return to that shortly.
the Top End Mental Health Services:
the Community Visitor Program:
Last night I said: ‘No, much more has to be done. The law has to be obeyed’.
Now, some time has passed. I have read section 30 of the act and it does nothing to allay my concerns. Last night, I couched my comments around the unlawful detention of people who appear on a voluntary basis. I mentioned at the outset I would be talking in regard to section 30(1) of the Mental Health and Related Services Act, which says:
What has to occur in the practitioner’s mind is, within six hours of the voluntary patient arriving, the APP or a registered nurse believe, due to the condition of the person deteriorating - there has to be a deterioration from the time the person enters the institution to the time the practitioner sees the patient or becomes aware of the deterioration from information obtained - the person may fulfil the criteria of admission as an involuntary patient.
Section 30 is only invoked if that person deteriorates in such a way to match the criteria for admission as an involuntary patient. The term for admission as an involuntary patient when I was a copper – I believe it has not changed - is being ‘sectioned’. A section of the act would enable that to occur and you were ‘sectioned’ if you were subject to an involuntary admission.
Notwithstanding the six-hour time limit available under that tight criterion - the person must be unwell enough to require potential sectioning - Eddie Cubillo says in his report:
There is a vast difference between the section 30 six-hour time limit permitted by a statute passed in this House, and a policy quoted as saying consumers are not permitted to leave within the first 24 hours after admission. It is for this reason, I presume, Mr Cubillo said they are not operating within the confines of the legislation designed to regulate the admission of people to psychiatric and in-patient units, and the cases outlined demonstrate this is not the case.
So, the cases outlined by Mr Cubillo – Jock, Jessica and Michael - would have been kept for longer than the six hours proposed, or kept in circumstances contrary to the criteria outlined in section 30. Consequently, I have yet to change my opinion that there appears to be an allegation by Mr Cubillo that these people are being held in custody outside the permitted parameters of the laws of the Northern Territory. That is my concern.
I understand mental illness is a difficult thing to deal with. I also appreciate mental illness is something almost unsanitary in the public mind - we do not like to talk about it. We live in an age where we do more than ever; however, if you have ever witnessed a person having a psychotic episode, people tend to rear away from it. I, as a legislator, cannot rear away from information which says the Northern Territory government’s policy is outside the law. Moreover, I can see no suggestion in the legislation that the Northern Territory government’s legislative instrument indicates there is a broader power. I could stand corrected on this; I look forward to the minister’s response.
The courts are quite clear on this issue of implied powers in legislation. I listened very carefully to the answer given to my question by the minister today. He suggested the advice received from his department was the actions and policy were lawful. That 24-hour policy, compared to the six hours outlined in the legislation, seems to be a clear and unambiguous contradiction. If the department is relying on some implied power in the legislation, I am curious to know what it is.
I remind honourable members of Chief Justice Brian Martin’s comments in R v Ebatarinja. He said:
That was in relation to the case he was referring to at the time:
He is saying the legislature must plainly indicate that cherished concept of personal liberty, if it is going to be removed, cannot be drawn from some implied consequence of legislative drafting; it needs to be actively outlined and described.
This concept is well understood. I note the Ombudsman, 18 months ago, made comments about the same issue in her report to this House. She quotes Justice O’Connor from the High Court, and said on the principle of the legislature clearly outlining a restraint on liberty it has to be manifest and clear. That too was stated by Justice O’Connor in the High Court as long ago as 1908 when he said:
I am curious to hear what the minister has to say on this point, and if there is some intention to draw that power down to hold people for longer than six hours without sectioning them, implied in some other part of the legislation. If it is stated clearly I would like the minister to point it out to me.
It is wrong to hold people in custody without the express authorisation of this House. There is a general presumption of liberty in our community, and it is clear a policy which states 24 hours after admission is inconsistent with section 30 of the legislation, which says a voluntary patient may be held up to six hours when certain criteria exists.
There is no evidence to suggest the criteria demanded by section 30 was applied to Jock, because all he wanted to do was go outside for a cigarette - hardly indicative of a deterioration in psychological condition. It is not stated, but would appear in relation to Jessica, she was being held contrary to section 30, not because of the six-hour time limit, but because there is no suggestion she was deteriorating. She was advised she needed to stay and be reviewed the following day and sectioning was a possibility if she left. In the absence of any suggestion this person was deteriorating there was an enforcement of custody, which occurs when a person is deprived of their liberty. If I say to a person: ‘You are free to leave, but if you try I am going to lock the door on you’, I have deprived that person of their liberty. It is, at very best, a sloppy approach to the practice of restraint to suggest the person was always free to leave when you had told them: if you try, we will section you.
I note a comment on page 17:
Perhaps that will have fallen within the six-hour time limit, perhaps not. I presume it will not have fallen within the six-hour time limit. This is one of these people who had the 24-hour policy being applied to them because the CVP team say the cases outlined demonstrate this is not the case in relation to them being lawfully kept. One can only conclude from the comment by the CVP team that doctor’s plan had fallen outside the parameters of the Mental Health and Related Services Act.
Consequently, I am curious about the minister’s answer in Question Time today. If he has legal advice as to why the policy to keep people in custody for 24 hours is legitimate, I would like the minister to table that advice in its entirety. If he has legal advice to suggest there is an implied power in the legislation of a right to detain I would like to see that evidence and it be tabled today.
Madam Speaker, I am attempting to deal with this matter in a sober and upright fashion. It is an important issue, as the liberty of Territorians should be an important issue to every member in this House. I am concerned the Territory Health department, which has a prior history of operating with policies outside the law, is continuing the practice. I look forward to the minister’s response.
Mr VATSKALIS (Health): Madam Speaker, the member for Port Darwin has brought up a very serious issue because I also believe the right of the individual to freedom and liberty is paramount. However, in this situation we sometimes deal with individuals who, in some cases, are not in a position to understand their condition. I believe and say that from my own personal family experience. In some cases, their liberty has to be curtailed; it has to be held back involuntarily. Again, we are dealing with people with mental illness. I appreciate the member’s concern about the state of mental health patients.
A person is admitted to a mental health institution or a unit for psychiatric treatment and care. The John Ridley Unit treats our sickest involuntary patients who are at high risk to harm themselves or other. The Cowdy Ward is an acute unit which treats both involuntary and voluntary patients. Due to a number of serious critical incidents, a decision was made in February 2010 to close the unit to provide better monitoring and treatment of patients. A young girl had admitted herself voluntarily and committed suicide, and another person went out for a cigarette, jumped off the balcony and is now a quadriplegic. As a result, a decision was made for the front door of the ward to be locked.
Closure of acute mental health inpatient units is practiced in other jurisdictions, both in Australia and overseas, where it has become an increasingly difficult task to appropriately balance the service’s duty of care and the right of the patient to self-determination. Our mental health services support the fundamental principle of least restrictive care possible, and there has been significant effort in ensuring clients have ready access and egress from acute mental health inpatient units. To admit someone to an acute mental health inpatient facility is purposeful in the immediate and long-term management of the person.
Thorough and comprehensive assessment is a critical phase of good planning and effective management of client care. As a consequence, it is important for this reason as well as patient safety, to identify where patients are located.
Before I respond to the allegation, I would like to highlight the Community Visitor Program report on page 9 stated:
In relation to the concerns about leaving arrangements and rights of people admitted voluntarily to Cowdy Ward, I can advise, as per section 29(2) of the Mental Health and Related Services Act:
This has been adhered to. Voluntary admission to the ward requires acceptance of ward policy whilst maintaining the ability to withdraw from treatment at any time.
The current policy on wards is people are informed that, for best treatment outcomes, it is preferred they remain in the ward for the first 48 hours. Patients are assessed daily to monitor their condition. If a patient decides to discontinue treatment and wants to leave the facility, the patient is advised to wait until a doctor has seen them - like any hospital ward. If a patient wants to leave anyway, they are free to leave and are required to sign a Discharged Against Medical Advice Form. I will make it very clear. Voluntary patients can withdraw their consent to be in the ward at any time. If the patient has deteriorated and is understood to be at increased risk, staff may determine they meet the requirements for involuntary admission and other action is taken.
The majority of patients – 78% - admitted to Cowdy Ward are involuntary patients, the rest voluntary. Upon admission, the voluntary patients are provided with a form to fill in. They tick a number of boxes which identify they have been provided with information which has been explained to them, it is signed by them or, in the case of minors or people who cannot understand, by their guardian.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Could he table those documents?
Mr VATSKALIS: Yes, I am happy to table them.
Mr Elferink: Thanks, I appreciate it.
Mr VATSKALIS: Boosting inpatient bed capacity will assist the management of all patients and provide more treatment options. On this front, construction is well under way for an additional five inpatient secure care beds, which are expected to be available in early 2011. In addition, the member would be well aware the government is locating a 16-bed secure care unit to treat patients with behavioural disturbances. It is a pity we could not do so earlier. Unfortunately, the member for Goyder ran a very interesting campaign against that facility being established in the Greater Darwin area.
The government cares about the needs of mentally ill clients. We do not propose to create ghettos. We propose to treat people in facilities appropriate for their illness. We have tried to improve services considerably: we have almost tripled the budget; expanded services to rural and remote communities; developed the Northern Territory Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan; implemented early intervention initiatives; provided clinical services for prisoners and accredited medical health services; made a commitment to develop mental health services; and continue with new budget initiatives with $900 000 to establish a Territory-wide 24-hour mental health hotline. As already outlined, the tier 1 phase of secure care is well under way and will provide an additional 11 acute mental health beds, five in Darwin and six in Alice Springs.
Getting back to the issue at hand, the current policy is under constant review, as are the arrangements associated with implementation and management. Given voluntary patients give consent to be locked on the ward and are able to withdraw this consent at any time, there are no legal issues around the ward being locked. If a person - and the report refers to Jock because Jock wanted a cigarette - wishes to leave the ward area to have a cigarette, their assessed condition allows for staff to determine whether they will be safe during any leave. Where there appears to be no risk, patients are able to leave the ward but are accompanied.
I notice in the report there were occasions where people went voluntarily. Some were allowed to leave without any problem - without any escort. Some were not allowed to leave at all. Some were allowed to leave with an escort, which seems to be the case with Jock as referred to in the report. With a low-risk level they can leave, or may have some conditions attached to them.
If a person presents to the ward voluntarily, all information relating to their rights is provided. If that person decides to leave early - we advise them to stay for 48 hours to be assessed - we still advise the person to consult a doctor before they leave, however, if they insist on leaving, as long as they have signed the prescribed form of release they can leave the ward at any time.
I am happy to discuss this issue further with the member for Port Darwin. The policy of the department is constantly under review. I will be extremely angry if I discover people who had voluntarily admitted themselves were being held against their will, especially when the policy is very clear.
I recall the Ombudsman’s report the member for Port Darwin referred to because in April 2009 there were allegations Royal Darwin Hospital was detaining people without an appropriate legal basis. Unfortunately, Royal Darwin Hospital deals with not only the mentally unstable, also people coming out of accidents who may be confused; they can be feeling well and may want to go home. I recall the article in the newspaper soon after the case referred to and the patient said he was at the hospital, he had an open brain injury, he wanted to go, and he was confused and did not know what had happened to him. He admitted if it had not been for the hospital restraining him against his will he would be dead.
Furthermore, following the Ombudsman’s report the Department of Health and Families sought advice from the Solicitor-General and amended the policy for medical treatment of adults without consent to ensure the policy was based upon that advice. The policy now complies with the advice of the Solicitor-General.
Madam Speaker, we are not in the business of detaining people against their will. We are in the business of protecting people. In some cases, people believe they are well; they believe there is nothing wrong with them and can leave any time they want against the advice of the doctor despite the fact they may be a risk to themselves and others.
Mr CONLAN (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Port Darwin for bringing on this MPI. This is, indeed, a matter of public importance and the Ombudsman’s report highlights grave concerns about what is happening in our mental health institutions. I appreciate the minister has explained at length some of the process, however, he has not answered the specific questions put to him by the member for Port Darwin today in Question Time or during this MPI.
This MPI has to do with legal ramifications for Territory taxpayers and Territory public servants, and deprivation of liberty issues. The minister has avoided answering some questions. They were simple questions and we are still unclear of the situation.
Let me reiterate: in April 2009, the Ombudsman of the Northern Territory criticised the Northern Territory Health department for implementing a policy which supported the unlawful arrest and detention of Territorians suffering from mental health problems. It is in the report. Last night, Eddie Cubillo, head of the Community Visitor Program, identified the department continued to use policies which involve the unlawful arrest and detention of Territory citizens. Unlawful detention of individuals leaves the Territory taxpayer exposed to potentially huge compensation claims. Today, the question was put to the Attorney-General - the Chief Minister was acting in the Attorney-General’s place - what steps will be taken to ensure Northern Territory Health department policies are brought into line with the law. Clearly, they are not in line with the law.
Section 30 was highlighted by the member for Port Darwin. Section 30 of the act says:
It is there in black and white, minister - a person may be detained for up to six hours if there is concern about that person’s welfare. However, Eddie Cubillo says in the report he has some serious concerns about it. With regard to risk management in Cowdy Ward, he says on page 16:
That is in stark contradiction to the law of the Northern Territory. The opposition, minister, is seeking clarification - answer some questions. Are you able to table the legal advice you have regarding what charges health practitioners to detain people for up to 24 hours as opposed to the act, which says six hours? If the legal advice is there is some implied power, will you table that advice or provide me and the shadow Attorney-General with a briefing? Is that something you would do, minister, in the interests of this debate?
We appreciate the lengths the minister has gone to explaining the process; however, he has not answered the question. Unfortunately, it is a hallmark of this government to avoid it. It can only feed into the culture of cover-up. Why will the minister not answer the questions put very succinctly to him in Question Time today and in this MPI? This is not an hysterical MPI, it is not an inflammatory debate. It is a debate addressing serious concerns around the deprivation of liberty and serious potential compensation claims which could result from a breach of the law as highlighted in section 30. Up to six hours! The policy highlighted by Eddie Cubillo in the report tabled last night suggests all consumers are not permitted to leave within the first 24 hours. It gives examples - I know, minister, you have a copy, we all do. Jock was admitted to the ward voluntarily. He told the community visitor he wanted to sit in the garden out the front to avoid the cigarette smoke. Despite his voluntary status, Jock was not permitted to leave the ward without an escort. Numerous examples are highlighted by the author of this report, and it is our role in opposition to hold the government to account, ask what is happening with the policy - does the policy clash with the law? It would appear it does, and the opposition is not satisfied the minister has offered an explanation to dispel that dissatisfaction.
We will be seeking a briefing on this. We will ask the department where to from here, and would like to see legal advice if it exists. If the minister has legal advice, it could go a long way to satisfying the opposition. However, at this stage we remain unsatisfied and seek a briefing immediately.
Discussion concluded.
Mr HAMPTON (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Madam Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Deputy Speaker, I make my adjournment tonight on a sad note by acknowledging the passing of my part-time electorate officer, Mrs Dawn Hunt.
Kim, Michelle and I pass on our sincere condolences to Dawn’s husband, Neville, and sons, Sinclair and Bradley. Unfortunately, Dawn lost her battle with cancer on Sunday, 17 October, in the Darwin Hospice after being well looked after by the people in palliative care.
The electorate office was lucky to have Dawn for nearly two years. She came in one day a week, was invaluable to the office, and she loved working in our office. Dawn brought a full life of experiences and knowledge to our lives.
In her younger days, Dawn was an air hostess and travelled far and wide. Her love of travel saw her and Neville trip around Europe last year for three months. She loved visiting new places, meeting new people and finding great little coffee shops or exotic shoe shops tucked away in arcades or alleyways. She would always bring back gifts for us; I always got something with a chicken on it, surprisingly.
She and Neville lived in Indonesia for a while when the boys were younger and she always amazed us with the stories of social events she would organise for the group of Australian and European workers there. If there was no reason for a party or celebration, Dawn would find one.
Dawn was very good at sewing, and she often did repair jobs or dressmaking for her friends. I remember our first Christmas party together; she made a wonderfully bright, red dress to wear to Christmas lunch. I will be reminded of her sewing skills each time I go camping. The girls in the office got together and bought me a swag for my 60th, and Dawn found fantastic material with a chook pattern all over it and made sheets and a pillowcase for the swag. The rubber snake she put in it still surprises me.
Dawn’s sense of occasion and caring was greatly appreciated in the office; she always ensured visitors had a cup of tea and a biscuit. For the past two years, it was Dawn who decorated the office at Christmas, transforming it into an attraction for youngsters in the electorate. They would sit at the window and watch the train go around the tree, the flashing lights, and all the other Christmas colour and fun. Kim and Michelle will be drawing straws to see who gets the job of putting up the tree this year.
For the past two years, my office has run an AFL footy tipping competition, and Dawn won last year by quite a lot. We think her son, Bradley, had a fair bit to do with the team selections.
Dawn worked in the office up to the day she, sadly, went into hospital. She was so annoyed she had to leave work early and was letting us down - this was far from the truth - Dawn’s dedication and loyalty was never questioned. Dawn’s devotion to her family was evident in the stories and news she would share with us.
Whilst we only knew her for a relatively short time, we feel we have known her for a lifetime. Our lives have been enriched by Dawn’s friendship, and we will always remember her with fondness and a smile.
May she rest in peace.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Deputy Speaker, I also extend my sympathies to Dawn’s family and to Gerry and the crew from the Nelson office. It is never good to lose someone near to you. All power to Gerry. I am sorry for your loss.
Getting back to the more mundane issues of our existence, I will talk about a running sore which exists in my electorate. It is a running sore which should be bulldozed tomorrow if there were not quite a number of decent people living in it. I refer to the Tomaris Court units.
Recently, I had cause to visit the Tomaris Court units. Whilst I appreciate the minister has written to me and advised me they are going to knock down the old ablution blocks and communal laundries, those laundries have simply become toilets. The habit currently is to relieve yourself - to put it colloquially, do your number two - and then use the corner of the wall to wipe your bottom. This means any person walking through those laundry blocks has the stench of human faeces to deal with.
There have been serious assaults. This is not the first time I have raised this set of units with government, and I will continue to raise this set of units with government as long as government continues its appalling management of them.
A resident recently handed me a couple of sheets of paper; they are intriguing sheets of paper because they are called Disruptive Tenancy Incident Diaries. Clearly, this is something dished out by the department to tenants who complain. I am not going to table this document because there is identifying material on it and the tenants do not want to be identified. So, I hope no one asks me to table this document. I will make a personal note on it now to ensure I am protected - so done.
It is interesting; this particular tenant signed this in February 2010. She was given this piece of paper about 10 days prior. On 21 January 2010, at 2 am in the morning until 9.30 am in the morning, there was domestic violence and bad language at Unit 22, 106 Tomaris Court. ‘What impact did this have on you and your family?’ ‘The impact was a sleepless night. I am sick, and it is affecting my studies and my health’. She did not contact police because they had been contacted before and had told her not to ring back, according to this sheet of paper.
On 29 January 2010, for one hour, there was domestic violence, again from Unit 22, 106 Tomaris Court. She was woken up during that time and is now scared to contact police in case she is threatened by her neighbours. On 31 January 2010, for another hour-and-a-half, more of the same, cannot get to sleep, and does not want to call police because she is terrified. In a different hand, written by a different person, on 2 February 2010, from 6 am to 7.30 am, more abuse, yelling and screaming from the units in the area, and it goes on and on and on.
This government assures us it will throw people out of these units when they play up. It assures us it has a policy in place where these people get thrown out, but it just goes on and on. These lists and these complaints come to my office on a regular basis. It is the simple things which drive the people who live in these units nuts.
The units are not well constructed; there is a major flaw with the units. Each block of units - there are about 20 in a block - has a single stopcock, so every time a washer has to be changed in the bathroom, the plumber comes in, turns off the stopcock, and all 20 units lose water. There is no warning this will occur and, as a consequence, I have had a person complain that on several occasions they have been caught in the bath with shampoo in their hair and, all of a sudden, no water and no way to get rid of it. It sounds like a minor inconvenience, until it happens to you.
I call on the government to start chucking out the people who cause these problems. These units are not difficult to identify. I walk through Tomaris Court and I can see them, and I can point that one, that one and that one. Why? Because the windows are smashed, there are green cans lying around the offending units, in spite of the ‘no alcohol’ sign on the front gate. These units are not effectively policed. They have to be cleaned up. If these units are going to continue to exist at that location, then let us put reasonable and decent tenants into those units.
I also wish tonight to speak on a different issue. It is a very small, simple issue, and it is again aimed at the Minister for Public and Affordable Housing.
I wrote to the Minister for Public and Affordable Housing on 14 July this year about an issue which arose from a person not living in my electorate, but who came to me anyhow. I received a formal letter of reply on 4 October 2010; that is about a four-month turnaround for a piece of correspondence. Whilst I appreciate the officers do not sometimes work as quickly as they could, I would hope the correspondence was policed a bit more aggressively than that and I ask the minister to pay some attention.
I promised this constituent I would raise the issue of that turnaround of correspondence with the minister, and so I have done.
I have another example here, same minister, minister Burns. I sent him a letter on 26 March 2010. I received a reply on 20 September 2010, which makes it seven months to get a reply on what should not have been a particularly difficult issue. This is not good enough. Ministers need to reply to their correspondence more quickly. The government has a reputation for not being a good listener, for being slow to respond and, based on those two letters, I can understand why it has that reputation. There is an expectation for me to turn my correspondence around more quickly, and I do not have the resources of a whole department. Maybe that is my advantage but, goodness gracious me, seven months to reply to a letter! It is not how I would see my office running.
I will finish on a lighter note - celebrating 50 years in my electorate. This was a couple of months ago but, unfortunately, my workload has prevented me talking about it. I can talk about it now.
The Darwin Memorial Uniting Church had its 50 years celebration in the not so distant past. Some of the original people who went to the church were there for the celebration. Madam Speaker was present, as well as the Lord Mayor, Graeme Sawyer, and several other dignitaries.
I congratulate the Darwin Memorial Uniting Church on its 50 years celebration. I enjoyed the afternoon; the Darwin Brass Band gave it a whirl and did a wonderful job. It is a good thing to see the church do so well for so many years and continue to do so well.
The churches work hard in our community. People do not realise or see the amount of work the churches do in our community. This is one, the Catholic Church is another, and I know the Anglicans also do enormous work. Whilst people nowadays are quite critical of the churches and still see them as cloistered institutions, in truth, they are involved in the community in more ways than most professions are. I am grateful for their presence.
I congratulate the Darwin Memorial Uniting Church for the great work it has done over the years, and encourage them to keep going for another 50 years at least.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Deputy Speaker, in my time as Minister for Arts and Museums, I have come to appreciate the great depth of knowledge and expertise we have in the Territory with Territorians working in fascinating areas which often go unnoticed.
Tomorrow afternoon I will have the honour of joining with the staff of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in farewelling one such expert, Dr Paul Horner, Curator of Terrestrial Vertebrates at the museum. Dr Horner commenced formally with the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory as a technical officer in September 1980. Before formally starting with MAGNT, Paul did volunteer and contract work for several years.
History shows that Paul was proficient in his early work in the Territory. Records indicate that between 1973 and his permanent appointment with the Museum and Art Gallery in 1980, he personally contributed 3132 vertebrate specimens to the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory collections. While Paul had a zoo-keeping background and a passion for taxonomic research, he did not have formal qualifications.
In 1980, he began part-time tertiary studies and sequentially gained a Certificate in Environmental Biology from the Darwin Institute of Technology; an Associate Diploma of Applied Science from the Northern Territory University; a Bachelor of Science from NTU; and Doctorate of Philosophy from Charles Darwin University. That history of study also reflects the evolution of our tertiary institution.
Dr Horner was appointed acting Curator of Terrestrial Vertebrates in 1993, and Curator in 1995. His main research interests include taxonomy and bio-geography of northern Australian lizards with an emphasis on skink taxonomy; he is internationally recognised for his expertise and work on snake-eyed skinks.
During his career at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Dr Horner produced 25 scientific papers, nine biological survey reports, one book, contributing text and photographs to several other books, a thesis, and presented papers at national and international conferences. Since 1985, he has authored the scientific descriptions of 36 new species, including 30 skinks, three geckos, two snakes, and one monitor lizard.
Amongst other achievements, Dr Horner was responsible for developing the highly successful Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, SuperCrocodilians Exhibition.
In recognition of more than 30 years of service to the Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery, the Museum and Art Gallery, Northern Territory Board has conferred Dr Horner the status of Emeritus Curator of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. This is an amazing snapshot of decades of scientific contribution to the Northern Territory, and I look forward to attending tomorrow’s event.
On 9 October, the Department of Education and Training hosted the Inaugural Smart Schools Awards. The sellout event was held at the Darwin Convention Centre and more than 400 of our educators and their supporters gathered to recognise excellence in education at government schools across the Territory. I was told by one of my staff who attended with her sister that it was a great night, and Gary Barnes and the department are to be commended for the hard work which went into hosting the event.
There were seven categories on the night, with 63 nominations from 41 schools, including many rural and remote schools. As the member for Barkly and a former teacher in the region, I was very proud to hear that Canteen Creek School was highly commended in the category of Northern Territory Certificate of Education achievements.
Canteen Creek is a great school in the Barkly electorate, with about 100 students from transition to Year 12. I was at Canteen Creek recently; I caught up with the teachers, and I congratulate them on the fine work they do.
Congratulations again to all who entered the Smart School Awards. Our teachers do a great job, and I hope next year there are even more entries.
To conclude, after a week of debate which highlighted the essence of true community self-determination and responsibility, and a great community at Canteen Creek, the challenge goes out. The teachers who must be mentioned are Ben and Susannah Hollands. They have been exemplary teachers throughout the Barkly for many years and have done incredible things at Canteen Creek. However, in 2011 they will take much deserved study leave and the community will need to adjust to having two new teachers. Ben Hollands is very much an educational leader, as is his wife, Susannah.
So, we are going to face an interesting dilemma which will determine, in some respects, self-determining trends within remote communities when good people leave and new people come. The Indigenous community takes time to readjust, to trust, to develop relationships and, in the meantime, that can often set back very progressive and important programs.
The challenge is out there, Canteen Creek! Mr and Mrs Hollands are going on leave and funnily enough, they look forward to being invited back to Canteen Creek. It is quite unusual for teachers to return after long periods of exemplary practice. You must continue with the great work in true respect and acknowledgement of what Ben and Susannah Hollands have done and the dedication they have provided for your community. Do not let things slip; do not let your transition to Year 12 program struggle. You must hold the fort; you must go on and show true self-determining outcomes for your community and, at the end of the day, we know you can do it. We are there to help and we are about being positive and making sure you achieve the next step in your journey.
Mr CHANDLER (Brennan): Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank Tommy Nichols and his team of rangers for showing me firsthand how crocodile numbers are monitored and managed in the Shoal Bay area. I found all of the government’s team: Brett Easton, Tommy Nichols, Robbie Risk and Joe Buckerfield to be passionate about their roles and extremely professional. When asked, these officers provided frank and honest answers to my questions, and the experience was invaluable.
We can all read reports and evaluate statistics, but until you see the job firsthand, statistics can mean little. Seeing the time involved in the process of setting traps, rebaiting and, of course, removing and preparing a crocodile for transport, makes reading and evaluating reports and statistics mean so much more. You can now appreciate what a statistic is telling you.
As politicians, we are often criticised and even abused for travelling, getting out of the office and visiting the coalface. I have to say again, you just cannot appreciate everything from an office desk, as this tour aptly demonstrated to me.
Again, thank you to Brett, Tommy and their team. Your role is worthwhile, and all Territorians should be thankful for what you do each and every day.
I also pay tribute to two very special people in my electorate who have just celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. I first met Peter and Margaret Saunders when doorknocking the electorate before the last Territory election. Peter and Margaret had just moved from Karama to the wonderful city of Palmerston, and spending time with them was tremendous. Peter, having had a long a career in law enforcement in the UK, has a wicked wit, matched equally by his beautiful wife, Margaret. I look forward to my next visit, a chinwag and a beer; but I think it is my shout this time. I wish them continued health and happiness.
While my knees may never quite recover, I pay tribute to Rebecca Forrest, who organised the recent Total Recreation Dancing with the Celebrities Ball, together with fantastic support from Bronwyn Graham and all of her dancing instructors from the Darwin Dance and Drama Academy and, of course, all the other people, including the judges, of which the member for Fannie Bay was one. Thank you. They were able to take an absolute rabble of talentless celebrities and turn them into a rabble with just a tad of talent. Of course, the real celebrities on the night were the fantastic crew from Total Recreation.
To my partner, Tammy, thank you and I apologise wholeheartedly for stepping on your toes, bowling you over, and just being a general nuisance with absolutely no idea of what I was doing. I have a lot of time for what Total Recreation do. My son, Jackson, has been the recipient of some of the very good work they do.
To Bec, what a fantastic young lady you are and I can only imagine what a wonderful society we would have if there were more Rebeccas in this world. Not only to organise the people, backup support, venues, equipment and training, but also to organise an event of the magnitude of the Total Recreation Dancing with the Celebrities Ball is simply amazing. Your dedication, passion and commitment to our community will not be forgotten. Thank you, and I would love to see you again next year, knees permitting.
A couple of weeks ago at the Australian Institute of Animal Management’s conference, I had the pleasure of listening to Jeff Cook, a South Australian local poet, who very quickly drafted a poem to describe the conference. He does this most years. I asked if I could repeat the poem in parliament. Since then, Jeff has supplied me with a number of poems he has written. One, in particular, which I would like to read today, impressed me as a wonderful addition to the famous poem, Waltzing Matilda. It is called A Swagman Returns:
That was written by Jeff Cook from Minlaton in South Australia.
Mr GUNNER (Fannie Bay): Madam Deputy Speaker, last night, I was shocked to see the member for Fong Lim stand in this Chamber and say the Territory flag is the CLP logo, it is theirs, no one else can use it, they own it. I completely disagree. Most Territorians would completely disagree. The Territory flag is a great flag, a beautiful flag. It is a flag for all Territorians, the best in Australia, one of the best in the world. I was quite shocked by the arrogance of the member for Fong Lim in claiming the Territory flag as the CLP flag.
It is not often I can say this: I am one of the youngest members in the Chamber, born in Alice, and I have lived in the Territory most of my life. The Territory flag was first flown after I was born - 1 July 1978 - I was two and a bit years old. I do not remember it, I am sure it was a great day. It was designed by Robert Ingpen as a part of a competition. It was designed for all Territorians …
Mr Giles: They pinched our logo. You should have been at the Araluen by-election …
Mr GUNNER: … it was not designed for the CLP. And the CLP has form on this. I am not sure if the member for Braitling was here back in …
Mr Giles: The member for Daly’s sign does not say Labor anywhere …
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Braitling!
Mr GUNNER: I am not sure if the member for Braitling was here in 2004, he may not remember this, but the former Chief Minister, Shane Stone, said: ‘Let us claim back the flag’. The former member for Greatorex said: ‘Get your own flag, this is ours’. It is a little rich I think: ‘Get your own flag, this is ours’. This is a flag for all Territorians. It is not a flag for the CLP alone.
I feel a little sorry for the member for Fong Lim because, as arrogant as it was, it was not the most arrogant thing I have heard in this Chamber; that still goes to the former member for Drysdale.
I am not sure if the member for Braitling remembers this, back in 2004; it was early days for the opposition, it was the first time they had ever been in opposition, and they were not used to it. They were not born to be in opposition; they were born to rule. The member for Drysdale stood in the Chamber and said: ‘We will go back to our rightful inheritance of being the party which runs this place, being a Territory born and bred party’.
That was the sort of arrogance the member for Fong Lim was channelling last night. The member for Fong Lim needs to come back into the Chamber and take it back. He needs to say: ‘Sorry, it is a flag for all Territorians, it is not a flag for the CLP alone’.
There is a lack of corporate memory on the other side sometimes. They do not remember some of the form the CLP has in claiming the Territory flag. It is a flag for all Territorians; it is not a flag for one party alone.
I believe there was a bit more going on last night than just a story about a flag; I think it was also a bit of a leadership bid. Every time the member for Fong Lim comes in here he is making a sales pitch, putting on a performance, turning it on. Super Dave, opens up the chest, beats it, says: ‘Look at me. If you want a real leader of the CLP, pick me. If you want the old school CLP back, pick me. If you want someone who will be tough, pick me. If you want Angela Pamela dug up, pick me’. This is Dave, the member for Fong Lim, letting the old guard know if it wants the real CLP back, back Dave.
If anyone thinks the member for Fong Lim is going to sit on the back bench for two years twiddling his thumbs, then they do not know the member for Fong Lim. It is only a question of when. Every time he jumps up in the Chamber, every time he speaks, it is a sales pitch. We all rush and have a listen, who is he going to be speaking to now? He comes in, shows off a little, beats his chest. He is making a pitch for votes every time he comes into the Chamber. It is very interesting.
A member interjecting.
Mr GILES: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! Standing Order 51. I would like some silence. This is the first time I have heard the member for Fannie Bay speak.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Resume your seat, member for Braitling. That is a very frivolous point of order. Member for Fannie Bay, you have the call.
Mr GUNNER: It is only a question now, Madam Deputy Speaker, of when. Is it next week, next month, next year? Dave is still counting in the counting house; he is not going to sit at two votes. It was good to have the member for Braitling, one of the votes, in the room, listening. It is a question now of when. I think we are all quite interested.
There are probably many members of the House who do not know this, but David is a good constituent of mine; I am his local member. I support Dave. He is my man, he is my member. If he ever needs a hand I am always here as his local member. My door is open if he ever wants to have a chat. If ever he needs me to represent him, I am happy to take his call, if he ever needs a hand.
I think Dave can do better than two votes. My door is open if he ever wants to come in and have a chat, I am happy to help him out.
Mr Bohlin: Where is your office?
Mr GUNNER: My office is in Parap. I made sure we had a good chat, member for Drysdale, outside my office a couple of months back. If Dave ever needs a hand, he is a good constituent, I am always happy to help him.
To change tack completely; the member for Nelson was speaking earlier and I want to take the opportunity to wish Dawn Hunt’s family all the best, and the member for Nelson, all his staff, and the constituents who came through the door. It is obviously a very difficult time. It was quite a shock. I wish her family all the best.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Deputy Speaker, I speak tonight in a similar vein as the member for Nelson, to pass comment and acknowledge the good work of a constituent in the member for Nelson’s electorate, Pam Crellin.
Members interjecting.
Ms PURICK: Pam Crellin passed away about three weeks ago. She was a person well-known to me, and I know she was well-known to the member for Nelson. I knew her a little early on in my life, but it was only in the last couple of years since I was elected that I got to know her much better. My family knew her and the member for Nelson knew her.
Pam grew up in a farming environment in rural Victoria, and she was very interested in, and very keen on, good, solid farming practices. She is probably one of the few people I know who really did take the environment and conservation seriously, along with her love of horses.
With her passing we have lost a remarkable woman, not only for the rural area but for the Northern Territory. Pam was an achiever. Some would say not a quiet achiever; she was quite outspoken in her views about life and about what she believed, and she was very forceful. I think that is what people liked and admired about her.
In the last 20 or so years, she was most well-known for her excellence in the equestrian world, particularly dressage. In her time she has been a rider, coach, mentor, and a terrific champion of encouraging juniors, young people, in the sport of equestrianism, whether it be dressage, horse jumping, or just plain old pony club work - which is not plain at all but is where the young boys and girls start.
Pam, in her time in the Northern Territory, took out many Northern Territory championships in the various levels of dressage work. She has been a coach, and one of the saddest things about her passing, apart from the loss to her family, loved ones and friends, is Pam was an accredited EA level one coach. She was the only person in the Northern Territory who held this level. This was a national accreditation, and we are much poorer for losing a person like Pam because it takes two or three years to gain that accreditation. You cannot do it here; you can start your training here, but you have to travel down south to get accreditation, to be judged, to be assessed.
Through her accreditation, she coached many individuals on to great and good things. She coached many teams on to good things, both at a Territory and also a national level.
She travelled with the teams and supported the teams. Before she got well and truly into the coaching world she judged equestrian and dressage events. In the horse world, you cannot be a judge and a coach as there could be a conflict of interest because you could be judging students you had coached. Coaching was her passion because she wanted to ensure people participated in and enjoyed the recreation of horse riding in whatever shape and form.
Her strongest attribute was her strong advocacy for the sport. She really pushed young people into the sport and recreation of horse riding, horse enjoyment and horse husbandry; and she was a stickler for detail.
I spoke to a few people at her commemorative wake, because there was no funeral - that was what Pam was like. Pam had leukaemia, she had treatment for it, she was absolutely positive about it. She was even planning a trip to America next year for an international horse championship. She was planning to buy another horse next year. She had no intention of dying, of going anywhere; she had plans. But that was not to be. She was doing really well with treatment but, something did not work out, and she went downhill quickly.
She did not want a funeral. She had a small ceremony with her family, and the deal was all her friends could gather at her property and celebrate her life, which we did. There was a big and strong group and it was really lovely.
Talking to some of the people she coached in the young pony club they said she was a tyrant. There was no other word for it; she was a tyrant. Member for Nelson, you were her local member; you know she was a tyrant. I was told by one lady, who grew up with Pam and was in the pony club, that if you were five minutes late you would not get the lesson. That was it, you were out. You were not allowed to stop for drinks; you were there for your lesson, and that was it. You were taught well, and you were taught strongly and properly, and she admired Pam for that. All the juniors coached by Pam admired her for that.
Pam also did all the committee work in the horse world. She did not just do all the coaching, she did not just enjoy the riding – and she was a very good rider - she did the committee work. She put her heart and soul into the equestrian world. It did not matter what club it was - the Berrimah Club, the Dressage Club, Noonamah Horse and Pony Club - she knew them all, and they all knew her.
It is not well known that Pam bred and showed Dachshund dogs in her later years, and did it very well. She did very well in the show ring with her dogs, and she enjoyed that as well. Sadly, up until the last part of her life, she had two elderly Dachshunds she could not put out to care, so they went with her.
Pam was a conservationist and environmentalist long before it was trendy. When the member for Nelson was involved with the Litchfield Council they had Landcare awards, and the member for Nelson encouraged Pam to enter. She took out an award because her block was impeccable; any weed on her block was eradicated. She brought the skills and knowledge from her time in Victoria to her property in Howard Springs. Horses are the worst animals for degradation of the environment you could possibly have, after goats. Pam was emphatic that if you only had five acres in the rural area you should only have two horses, no more.
She had a very good practice of maintaining and managing her property. In the middle of the Dry Season, having grass which is knee deep is something to be admired. It was admired, and was one of the reasons she received a Landcare award and went to Canberra for the national awards.
She was a terrific person, and I am going to miss her coming into my office regularly to tell us off, or not sign our petitions, or just bring in her great food, which we gave to someone else.
My condolences to her sister Pat and her nephew John, whom I have met. The Territory and the horse world is a much sadder place because we have lost Pam Crellin.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr KNIGHT (Daly): Madam Deputy Speaker, I am very proud to advise the House that the official declaration of Marri-Jabin as Stage 1 of the Thamarrurr Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) was celebrated yesterday at Perrederr Outstation.
Terrence, a traditional owner says, and I quote:
The Marri-Jabin and Marri-Amu are language groups made up of the following family groups:
All of these families are wonderful and they are very keen to pursue their cultural responsibilities to care for their land, rivers and sea. They will use a mix of Indigenous ecological knowledge, western science, and contemporary land management.
The Marri-Jabin Indigenous Protected Area is in my electorate, 150 km south-west of Darwin, and covers more than 712.7 km2 of the entire floodplain of the Moyle and Little Moyle Rivers. The areas involved in the IPA are Nadirri, Perrederr and Tchindi outstations. This first stage of the Thamarrurr IPA has been declared a World Conversation Union Category 6 protected area, managed mainly for the sustainable use of natural ecosystems.
The Thamarrurr Rangers receive funding from the Australian government’s Caring for Country initiatives. I acknowledge the hard work that Dan Secombe, manager of the Thamarrurr Rangers, and his rangers, have done to make this IPA a reality. Dan advised the celebration was a tribute to the hard work everyone has put in over the last two years.
Jules Dumoo, Boniface and Matthias Nemarluk, and Alex Nilco were all instrumental in bringing traditional owners and their families together, working as one. Both men and women wanted to show their commitment to the IPA by putting their signatures on the document.
I understand Frank Dumoo was outstanding as the MC for the occasion. Frank spoke mostly in language, and made very clear to the younger generations the importance of caring for country and caring for our land. Many of the young men and woman helped alongside the rangers, and I am sure I will hear about many others who helped with this very special celebration when I next visit.
I also acknowledge John Berto from the Thamarrurr Development Corporation for all his hard work in supporting the ranger groups. He has been instrumental in not only establishing the organisation but maintaining and growing the organisation.
In closing, Madam Deputy Speaker, I also thank Karen Fraser from the Thamarrurr Development Corporation for all her help in providing information to my electorate officer about the celebration.
Again, my congratulations go to all the families. You should be very proud of your achievements.
Mr GILES (Braitling): Madam Deputy Speaker, I wish to talk about my electorate of Braitling, in particular, the area of Larapinta to the west of the electorate. I put on record my concerns about the impending construction of a Telstra tower on a site in an area which can best be described as being to the rear of Gilbert Place, Grant Road, and Saltwell Street in Larapinta.
I was first contacted a couple of months ago by some constituents in Gilbert Place who asked if I could come around and have a chat. I went there, I think on a Friday or Saturday night, and had a chat with a few residents of Gilbert Place. They described the impending construction of the Telstra tower and the process of the Development Consent Authority and how it would go through. They described to me the height of this proposed tower, and the width of the guidelines which would hold the tower down. I never really took the enormity of the tower they were talking about into perspective but, in my role as an elected representative, I take people’s concerns, try to get the balance of opinion right amongst the constituents, and I raise them.
I said I would go back there on the Sunday to the top of the hill behind Gilbert Place, Grant Road and Saltwater Street, a triangular area, and have a look at the proximity of this tower to houses. I went there with one of my friends. We rode our motorbikes through the back of Grant Road, up the hills, past the Power and Water water tower to the site where it is proposed this tower will go.
I did not really understand how close the tower was going to be to the houses. I have a couple of photos here which show that the distance from the construction of the Telstra tower to the houses is not very far. It will completely impair the aesthetics of the land for the people living in the houses.
The proposal is a 30 m tower, which is fairly large when you look at it. I have some diagrams of how it may look for the local residents - a 30 m tower on the top of the hill, and a water tank to the right.
There have been a few concerns raised by residents. I wrote to people in 13 streets in the surrounding area advising them of what was happening; not necessarily condoning it, but informing people of what was going on because I know there are many people who want improved Telstra services, and there is a demand for improved services in a business model, and Telstra is trying to respond to that.
I have since tabled a petition in this parliament which was signed after concerned residents doorknocked the area. There has been a hearing of the Development Consent Authority, there have been investigations undertaken by the Department of Lands and Planning, and it has all been approved in that sense and gone forward. There have been some slight variations; it is now a 24 m tower, not a 30 m tower, and the equipment box has been moved slightly down the hill, so it is slightly less intrusive on the aesthetics of the environment.
I know there are some people who want to have improved Telstra services, especially with changes to downloads and how we all use our new phones for computer and mobile technology, but I request that the Minister for Lands and Planning, before making a decision on the approval of this site, considers a couple of things.
I ask the minister to allow me, as the local member, to look around Larapinta to try to find alternative, low-density sites within Larapinta which will still provide opportunity for Telstra to improve their services, especially for data downloads; they need to provide service to the Larapinta area. We all want people to have greater access. People these days want greater mobility, they use telecommunications differently, and we want that to occur, but the minister, if he was generous, would allow me a couple of weeks to try to identify an alternate site within Larapinta. I know Telstra has undertaken an exhaustive process.
I also ask the minister to consider the documents within the DCA communications and within the approval process, and to look at alternative models of mobile tower designs. I know in other states, and probably also in the Northern Territory, many Telstra towers or antenna sites do not look like antenna sites. I know mobile phone antennas which look like crosses have been placed on churches.
Mr Bohlin: Palm trees in Queensland.
Mr GILES: Schools are now leasing out their land or parts of their infrastructure to have antennas where people cannot see them. It is an income earner for schools.
My colleague, the member for Drysdale, has mentioned palm trees in Queensland. On a highway in Victoria they built a sort of pine tree; it does not look 100% like a pine tree, but they have tried to make it look like a pine tree to fit in with the environment. They have designed an antenna like a palm tree so, when you are driving down the road, you do not see it.
I think on this site it would be an opportunity for the minister to say to Telstra: ‘We know you are trying to improve services, and we respect and accept that. The member for Braitling is looking at lower sites within Larapinta to try to meet that need in consultation with other constituents.’
If, in the worst case scenario, the minister does decide it will be placed in the current proposed position, I request that the minister talks to Telstra and asks it to look at other aesthetic models to try to redesign the outside image of the tower.
I know there are some companies, such as Ericsson, which are designing different types of towers to try to fit in, and I think it is important the minister considers that; I ask him to consider that. It is important to remember we are talking about the western MacDonnell Ranges, a world heritage site. We cannot have things put on The Gap anymore, those things have been virtually outlawed, but we are still within the region of the world heritage site of the MacDonnell Ranges. I ask the minister to consider asking for the aesthetics of the antenna to change if it must go there and to give me an additional two weeks after the sittings of this parliament to consult with constituents in Larapinta to try to identify an alternate site which still provides the capabilities Telstra requires in this area.
I will not go any further. I will be writing to the minister about this matter to ask if he will come to the party and assist us and the electors of Braitling electorate, in particular, Larapinta.
Before I sit down, I wish my lovely wife a happy 10th wedding anniversary today. It is unlucky I cannot be home, but we all know our families help us out a lot in our life, both in politics and before politics. I am sorry I am not home, and I will see you when sittings are over at the end of next week.
Mr BOHLIN (Drysdale): Madam Deputy Speaker, I will talk briefly on the Masters Games 2010 held in Alice Springs last week. As the shadow Sports minister, I was very grateful to participate and be amongst the people. Many of my colleagues were at the events; the Sports minister was there as well and the Chief Minister was at the opening ceremony.
The event, without looking at the numbers of competitors and volunteers, was amazing. There is no doubt it really tips the bucket for Alice Springs to really kick the town along and help out the restaurants, pubs, clubs and sporting venues. It is a fantastic event.
I went two years ago at the beginning of my parliamentary term and I thought it was a pretty amazing show then, but this year it was at another level. Having been involved in organising sporting events for some 10 years before getting into politics, I know these events do not happen without the volunteers. There were hundreds of volunteers, I think around the 400 mark.
There were volunteers and ambassadors. It is not only the volunteers at the Masters; it is also the games ambassadors who make the event such a special one to go to, no matter which sport you watched - and I saw as many as I could. I will not list the sports because I could not get to all of them and do not want to make any one sport feel left out; there are only so many hours in a day and you cannot get to everything. There was a massive string of events and the volunteers and ambassadors made it work so well. Without the paid staff involved in the lead-up and organising the event - they did a fantastic job - the kudos go to the volunteers, because without them you would not have a sporting event.
To the umpires - well done! Umpires at the Masters Games have to learn a different set of rules to understand what is going on; I have not been able to download it yet. I saw one netball game with an Alice Spring’s team playing with a fairly elderly lady, who I shall not name, wearing quite a costume of the Potato Crew - they will know about it. Elara, wife of the member for Greatorex, was involved in the Potato Crew, as I call them. She went on the court in the last quarter with a chair, plonked the chair down on the edge of the court in her zone, sat down and crossed her legs, with a pina colada or similar drink, whilst the rest of the people played around her. I have this fantastic photo of the girls in the background shooting for goal whilst this lady sits on the court. That is the type of spirit behind the games. There is a serious side, but really it is about a friendly games’ atmosphere where everyone gets a fair chance.
Most members who participated did rather well. The best member of parliament was the member for Katherine who took home a bronze, two silvers and a gold, all in track athletics. He did a fantastic job, and I know other members also won medals. I won two bronze medals, and am extremely proud of them; at games of that calibre you must be proud of any medal. You have to be proud just to attend and participate. Mine was in tenpin bowling. I was asked to participate by the Tenpin Bowling Association as I had shown some interest and, with five weeks of training - thank you, Cheryl, you are a darling - we came home with two bronze medals, which is amazing. To my team involved in two of those bronze medals, thank you for your support; thank you for all the Dustbowl support, it was amazing.
I am proud of those medals, but I am proud and honoured to have given out hundreds of medals at the games. I was lucky enough to hand out medals at many ceremonies and go to dinners where people were being presented with medals - such as the motorcycles. I handed out medals for tenpin bowling and athletics. I am sure there were hundreds - it felt like hundreds - of medals handed out. That made me extremely proud and honoured because I was able to give something to the people to make them feel really proud of themselves; and I believe they should be. The benefit of the friendly games is you can make people’s day - you can make people’s year; and they will talk about that until they return.
Well done to all those who won medals; you deserve it in whichever sport, in whichever creation of that sport, you played.
There is another side to the Masters Games which seems to go unnoticed unless you are there; the Masters Games seems to have picked up this patriotic belief in, and support of, the national Breast Cancer Foundation. There are so many aspects where it does its bit with the pink ribbons. The netballers did their bit; they have a special night that is all in pink, and the fun is around supporting breast cancer sufferers and survivors.
There was a team of guys there, predominantly RAAF personnel, called The X Men. They go, day in, day out, for the entire games; I reckon they do it harder than any athlete because every day and into the night they go into the nightclubs, rattling their buckets, selling their merchandise, all for breast cancer. They are the true heroes of the games; I do not think there would be anyone who would say otherwise. In the end, The X Men raised $50 000-plus. They raised, at the Alice Springs Masters Games alone, $29 000; which is amazing.
Earlier in the week, before the end of my tenpin bowling, I was wearing my Finke Desert Race shirts - my race team Team Ngingtaka shirts - and people started saying: ‘We want one of those. Let us auction that off at the end of Friday night’. So, Marion Burton did up a little thing, stuck it in the certificate holder, and it went to auction with my sweaty, week-old bowling shirt - it did have one wash in that week - with my signature on it. That shirt raised $510 at auction.
Maree Harrison, a lovely lady, bought the shirt, but the owners of the Alice Pool and Spa Centre, Marion and Darren Burton, said: ‘No, not good enough. We are going to chip in another $510 on top of that as a direct donation’. So my sweaty, smelly shirt raised $1020 for the Breast Cancer Foundation. That nearly made me cry, that was amazing. Having too many friends and family, unfortunately, affected by breast cancer, that blew me away.
Well done to everyone involved. Thank you to Maree Harrison for buying that shirt for such an amazing price. Thank you to everyone involved. It was truly the friendly games, the Masters Games 2010.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise you of the presence in the gallery of Year 7 Dripstone Middle School students accompanied by Ms Sarah Belsham and Ms Salima Spring. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
STATEMENT BY SPEAKER
Death of Mr Kasper Gus Ntjalka Williams OAM
Death of Mr Kasper Gus Ntjalka Williams OAM
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it is with deep regret I advise members of the death on 13 September 2010 of Mr Kasper Gus Ntjalka Williams OAM, a respected member of the Hermannsburg community and a fine Territorian.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: I advise honourable members of the presence in the gallery of family and friends of Mr Williams, in particular Ms Serena Williams, the daughter representing the children; Ms Heidi Williams, a daughter-in-law, also representing the Hermannsburg Historical Society & Casey Pty Ltd; Genise Williams, granddaughter representing the grandchildren; and Cameron Miller representing the Ngurratjuta Accounting Service. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
CONDOLENCE MOTION
Mr Kasper Gus Ntjalka Williams OAM
Mr Kasper Gus Ntjalka Williams OAM
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that this Assembly:
(a) express its deep regret at the passing of Mr Kasper Gus Ntjalka Williams, an outstanding Territorian, a wonderfully talented musician and revered community leader; and
Madam Speaker, as honourable members are aware Mr Williams passed away on 13 September this year at his home in Central Australia. Mr Williams was a Western Arrernte man. He was an outstanding leader in his community, gifted in understanding and walking a wise path between two cultures. He was also a loving father and outstanding musician.
Born in Labrapuntja in the late 1930s, Mr Williams moved to Hermannsburg as a teenager to live with his grandfather after his parents passed away. It was here Mr Williams began to show a wonderful talent for music, joining the renowned Hermannsburg Choir and eventually becoming its lead singer. Mr Williams toured nationally with the choir singing a selection of songs at Adelaide Town Hall which were recorded on a memorial album. He also sang on Camp Fire Concert, a souvenir album for tourists put out by Sundowner Safari Tour Company which was recorded around a camp fire in Palm Valley.
When his cousin, Albert Namatjira, and others brought gramophones to the community, Mr Williams was introduced to a style of music which suited him better than gospel - country music. Mr Williams soon moved away from gospel music and into his own style of country music.
In 1958, Mr Williams married his wife, Rhonda Malbunka. A year later saw the birth of their first daughter, Serena Evelyn Williams - Serena is here today - then came Ingrid, Warren, Baydon and Debbie.
Throughout the mid to late 1970s, Mr Williams toured remote communities with Herbie Laughton, and played with his sons in the Warrabri Country Bluegrass Band. In a time when it was a rarity for Indigenous people to take centre stage, Mr Williams was there with his band singing and making music. He understood the power of music to bring people together and break down barriers. He was actively pursuing reconciliation long before it became fashionable. After attending a number of Aboriginal country music festivals on the east coast, he organised the first Northern Territory Aboriginal Country Music Festival in Alice Springs. The festival later moved to Warrabri, the place we now call Ali Curung.
Mr Williams continued to work tirelessly and, in 1983, was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to country music and Aboriginal people. Ted Egan, who was, sadly, unable to attend the funeral, described the day Mr Williams received his OAM as a great Territory day. I had a phone call from Ted just after Mr Williams’ passing. Ted was very disappointed he could not attend the state funeral and passed on a number of anecdotes regarding his time with Mr Williams. This was probably not only the funniest of them all, but also demonstrates what a community man Mr Williams was. This is from Ted Egan on the great Territory day - the day Mr Williams received his OAM:
- Mr Williams devised the idea of feeding the multitudes by getting 10 new wheelbarrows, lining them with alfoil and filling each with food – curry, stew, rice, fruit salad, and so on - and wheeled this food amongst the people.
It must have been a pretty amazing sight.
In 2000, Mr Williams was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Tamworth. Mr Williams made an enormous contribution to the Territory community as a leader, musician, and tour guide. One of the most important roles Mr Williams played was as a mediator between various sections of Territory society.
I had the pleasure and privilege of meeting Mr Williams on a number of occasions as minister and, then Chief Minister in the Territory government. My fondest memories are several meetings at Hermannsburg just outside the tea rooms on the verandah, sitting around a table with a cup of tea, Mr Williams in his hat, and a few old fellows just talking about Hermannsburg and Central Australia. I remember from my conversations with Mr Williams that he was a man of great dignity, of real stature, and a man who had a real presence about him. You knew you were in the presence of someone pretty special. In discussions, we all knew there were significant problems; however, he was always very cheerful and looking to solve problems rather than complain about the state of things. He was full of ideas for a future for his community and his people – he looked to the future. That is my memory of Mr Williams; a man of great dignity, of great presence, and a real Territory leader.
He achieved this through sport, music, tourism, and during his 30 years as Chief Executive Officer of the Hermannsburg community. That is an extraordinary commitment to his community - to be the CEO for 30 years. He was a strong voice for Hermannsburg, or Ntaria, for many years, advocating for economic development, education, and opportunities for young people.
In addition to his role as CEO, he chaired or was part of many councils and organisations. When I spoke at the funeral a few weeks ago, I was astounded at the number - I will read through a few. I do not know if this is an exhaustive list: the Aboriginal Benefits Fund, 1983; ATSIC - an original board member; the Central Land Council for 20 years; the Ngurratjuta Deputy Chairman in 1986, and Chairman from 1987; a role in reconciliation in Central Australia; the Central Australian Football League; the National Aboriginal Congress visiting Canada and America; WAHAC, board member and chairperson; Ntaria Supermarket director; Hermannsburg Historical Society Chairman; a big hand in the Western Arrernte outstation movement in the early 1970s as well as Chief Executive for the Hermannsburg community for 30 years.
When we talk about someone being a leader, someone who is a great Territorian, someone who made a huge contribution to Central Australia and the Northern Territory, we see that in all the organisations he served on over so many years. To become chair of many of these organisations you have to be elected, and to sit on a number of the organisations you have to be elected. That demonstrates the regard in which he was held by the community, for over 30 years, as he served in so many different and distinguished roles.
Mr Williams’ achievements saw him meet Nelson Mandela whilst part of ATSIC; the Pope when he visited Alice Springs in 1986; and the Queen on the Duke’s visit in the 1950s, where he was invited to dine with them. I wish I had known that when I had the opportunity to sit down with Mr Williams, because dining with the Queen in the 1950s must have been a great story. Maybe there are people here who might know more of that meeting, but for an Arrernte man to be sitting with the Queen of the Commonwealth and Empire, as it was back then, must have been an extraordinary evening. He was also invited to meet Prince Charles in the early 1990s, and received a Bicentennial Medal in 1988.
Mr Williams’ memory was honoured at a state funeral at the historic Lutheran Church in Hermannsburg on 30 September where, as you would recall, Madam Speaker, we were joined by hundreds of people. As well as mourning Mr Williams’ passing, it was also a memorial service which celebrated his life and achievements. I was pleased to speak with many people on that day and was intrigued to see so many people wearing really bright green ties and green skirts - a vivid, bright, lime green. I asked a number of people why everyone was wearing this really bright green beautiful colour? I was advised it was part of the totem of the Dreaming of the Caterpillar in the region. It was a pretty spectacular sight.
I also have a memory I will take away with me from my time at the state funeral: the glory of the choir in the church that day. I have not heard the Hermannsburg choral tradition before. It was outstanding and something I will always remember.
Mr Williams will be remembered as a man of strong convictions and passion, whether performing on stage, on the football field, or standing up for reconciliation. His legacy lives on through his children and grandchildren. I acknowledge in the gallery today his daughter, Serena, his granddaughter, Genise, and other family members and friends.
Madam Speaker, I am sure honourable members will join me in offering our condolences to Mr Williams’ family, the community of Hermannsburg and the people of Central Australia. The Territory has lost a great man, a man who was an astounding leader and a man who has made a great contribution to his community, Central Australia, and the people of Australia.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr MILLS (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I acknowledge family and friends who are with us today. It has often been asked if one were to depart what would one like to leave behind, and it is a legacy. The legacy lives on in the lives of other people, in many communities, in many forms. I would like to reflect on some observations I have of this life, because it is important to look at a life and take something from it so we can continue to learn.
I see a man who served magnificently, impressively. A man of presence, as the Chief Minister has described. Others would have said the same: a man of dignity and with the bearing of a leader; a man who served, not to draw attention to himself, but to use music as a means to achieve something far more important, to bring people together with understanding and mutual respect; a man who served on a number of boards and committees in senior positions to provide change and leadership, and help communities grappling with challenging issues. Change is difficult. However, in the midst of all this change and tumult was a man of presence and dignity, with the bearing to keep calm and allow that change to be transacted.
The presence of that quality of leadership is something which challenges all of us today. Sitting at the funeral service in Hermannsburg, I am sure a question weighed on many people’s minds and hearts: the question of quality of leadership in the face of the challenges we are left to address today. We are instructed by the quality of a man’s service, his presence, his legacy to assist us on that journey. The mantle, in many respects, falls to the family; we as members of that family in another sense stand beside and support and nurture that legacy.
He used music. Some people go into music to draw attention to themselves and have some celebrity status. He used music as a tool to bring people together. He toured to tell a story and make a connection. He would have started a country music festival because he would have seen music as a way where two cultures and peoples could come together to gain a better understanding of each other. That is why that would have occurred, I imagine.
Tourism was a venture to help people understand this great, ancient land, and the stories of this land. That would have been the purpose. That is why it is an enduring legacy. If it had been only to make a buck we probably would not be talking today. It was for something else; there was something deeper to it. That is why there is such a powerful legacy, which we pause in our proceedings today to reflect upon, and to draw encouragement and challenge from, that which we have seen and experienced in the life of this great man.
He met royalty; he met presidents and princes, and walked a difficult road. Often we come to a point where we look back - we do not realise what we had until it has gone. We have now looked back and have seen a difficult path which has been walked. If you read behind the words, as I have attempted to do, you see there have been many, very difficult challenges. However, he has walked that path with dignity and presence.
One story in particular with Warren H Williams and John Williamson – I think it was 1998 – someone commented when they appeared on stage at Tamworth and sang Raining on the Rock, there was a standing ovation. The person who spoke of this had never seen it before. To get to the point of seeing two men singing about Uluru and rain on the rock was a long journey. It started a long way back where, for the first time in the memory of this commentator, there was a standing ovation. It was a long journey to arrive at that point, and Mr Williams reflected on the journey to get to that point. He said: ‘When the two of us first went to Tamworth, no one was interested’. A father and a son, two Aboriginal men from Central Australia – no one was particularly interested. However, there came a time when there was a standing ovation. He reflected on the significance of that and the journey to arrive at that point.
I found that instructive. That is a challenge - to stick with it, not give up, and remember what the real purpose is, not be distracted - and he continued. I think of the journey too, and the challenge left with us that day.
I was sitting closer to the choir than the Chief Minister, and it was awesome hearing the singing from the heart – powerful, but the message had come before from Mr Williams - he wants that to continue. He wants those men to sing. I spoke to some of the men afterwards saying: ‘You heard that? Are you going to do that?’ They said: ‘Yes, we are going to do our best’. I said whatever way I could, I would provide encouragement, and if we could collectively, in any way, provide some support for that to continue because that was something he asked for. They sang and I would like to see more men singing in Hermannsburg just as he asked for it to be. That would be an honouring, and if we can assist in some way that would be honouring as well.
Finally, I found as I was reflecting on what was a journey, we look at the highlights, however it is the points in between which really instruct, and the points in between about the challenges which have been faced. If we are careful in our observations we draw that lesson; there are many challenges each of us face where we must not be distracted and must remember the purpose of the list. That is why there is such a magnificent legacy, and it is instructive for all of us as we are endeavouring to bring about change. He brings to us a challenge and an opportunity to draw from that legacy and to continue. Thinking of it as a journey, we are part way through our journey - whatever mile post we have passed.
I am sure he sang this song - it kept coming to mind as I was thinking about this last night - Walk A Country Mile. It is one of my favourites because it is a story of life. If I may conclude with the verse and chorus of Walk a Country Mile by Slim Dusty, as it encapsulates what I have endeavoured to say. I am sure he sang this many times as any good Country and Western singer would.
- Well I've walked a mile or two-oo in my lifetime
And I've travelled down some muddy tracks and dry
'Cause if I wanted to get where I was going
I knew I'd just have to walk that country mile
Now a country mile would be the longest distance
A man could ever travel when he's down
And you curse the never ending road before you
When you think you'll never make it into town
But you meet a friend or two along the highway
And you'll learn a lot you never knew before
And if the journey takes a lifetime
When you thought a year or two
Well you just don't give up easy anymore
Rest in peace, Mr Williams.
Ms ANDERSON (Macdonnell): Madam Speaker, I support this motion today. When you are a person like me who came from that area and grew up with Gus and Serena, and Serena’s sister who passed away in Hermannsburg - we have lost a very proud and wonderful man. A man, as the Chief Minister said, who attempted reconciliation before reconciliation was at the forefront of anyone’s mind in this country. He did that through music, and he brought non-Indigenous and Indigenous people together. He was friends to everyone - friends to the white man, friends to the black man, friends to the poor, and friends to the rich. As we heard, he has mixed and rubbed shoulders with the best in this country.
As a part Arrernte and part Luritja Pintubi person, I am honoured to have known this great man. He was a hard-working man, and I said in my adjournment on Tuesday night he was one who thought very hard about the entrenched welfarism Aboriginal people have found themselves in because he came from a time where everyone worked. People were butchers, bakers, carpenters and tanners, getting salt, and weaving and sewing, saddlery - all sorts of things. As we move on in our journey through life policies change, life changes.
He was a man who loved his children very much; loved his grandchildren. Everyone who went to Hermannsburg, who knew Gus, knew he was always surrounded not just by his children, but his grandchildren – his grannies loved him, he was special to the grandchildren. We also heard at the funeral the two granddaughters singing, and what wonderful voices. We did not hear Serena’s daughter, Joella. These are just magnificent voices at Hermannsburg. Serena’s daughter, Warren’s daughter, Baydon’s daughter; it is a gift and Gus knew the gift of his own children and grandchildren.
Reconciliation, in those days, was very hard, but he did not make a big thing out of it; he just went on his way, going on his journey every year. It did not matter if he was sick; he took the trip to Tamworth. It did not matter if anyone said to him: ‘Dad, you are a bit sick this time, maybe you need to give it away’, he was always on that trip to Tamworth. That was his way of chipping away at the music industry without saying anything; without making a big fuss about it.
Gradually, his music was well recognised and, as we now know, his son, Warren H Williams, is the greatest country singer as far as Aboriginal people in Western Australia are concerned. As I said, when we were children and going to Palm Valley listening to Gus and Rhonda sing, we used to call them Mr and Mrs Rick and Thel – Rick and Thel Carey. Mother would always stand beside and harmonise with dad. It was one of those really fantastic events which took place in the time of country music when we knew Buddy Williams, Rick and Thel, Slim Dusty, but our greatest singer was Gus Williams.
This man fought very hard for not only reconciliation, also for land rights. Land rights was his passion. He fought for the 1967 referendum - everything gets given back to Aboriginal people. The land had been given back to Aboriginal people. He was against the intervention and leasing. He wanted to maintain something no one sees, because everything we see, as governments, as policymakers, as bureaucrats, we see on the surface. This was something very dear to him – Ntjalka Dreaming. The Chief Minister spoke about it: the green and white dresses and the skirts people wore on the day of the funeral represented that.
Aboriginal people, like Gus, hold underlying law and culture of this land - something which was finally given back to Aboriginal people. There was no way in the world he wanted to give it back to anyone; he wanted to hold that. He fought and said: ‘You can build the houses without taking our land’. I believe that legacy will be taken over by his daughter, Serena, who is here. I have been to meetings where Serena has been very outspoken about that. That legacy will be carried on, not just by Serena, but also by Warren H Williams. That is a legacy and a wish left by their father. Aboriginal people should not have to give up their land in order to have services on their country, because we fought and waited so long for this to be given back to Aboriginal people. I know Gus was one proud man who would not give it back to anyone.
He sat on many committees but Ngurratjuta was his favourite. He was the chairman of Ngurratjuta; he directed and rode the ship silently, making Ngurratjuta grow. He was very good friends with the CEO, Chris Pearson. Chris was absolutely devastated to hear the news of the passing of Gus that morning. I guess he sees Ngurratjuta as his organisation which only represents the Ngurratjuta area, because it represents the Western Desert, the Western Arrernte, right into the King’s Canyon area; it does not go any further than that area. Ngurratjuta represents a little love heart shape of communities. He was a wonderful chairman for many years. I guess Ngurratjuta is going to have to find someone - obviously not as good as him - with the same direction, the same momentum, the same love and passion he had for that organisation. It is going to be very hard for the Ngurratjuta people in that area to have a good chairman like him and direct the organisation in the same way.
As the Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition said, he was never one to say: ‘Look at me, I am doing all these things’. He did everything quietly. He sat on the local health service board, WAHAC, and directed WAHAC to work with Territory Health service saying we have the medical service with just a clinic - the doctors and nurses - WAHAC should do the preventative stuff and the primary healthcare. It is talking to people about diabetes, and if you go to Hermannsburg - I do not know if the Chief Minister and the Opposition Leader saw the big sign outside WAHAC: ‘Diabetes is a time bomb’. That is a big sign he encouraged WAHAC to put up so people knew about obesity and their health, and got the WAHAC Board to start taking men on exercise walks. It is very hard to get Aboriginal men to walk from Hermannsburg to the entrance of the Albert Namatjira Memorial but they did, and some of them lost weight thanks to Gus.
Madam Speaker, he sat on many boards. He sat on the education board at Hermannsburg as an encouragement to the family and community to get their children to school. He sat on the shop board - all sorts of boards. We saw, as the Chief Minister said, at the funeral, how many of those people came to pay respects to the greatest Western Arrernte man to ever live.
Mr HAMPTON (Central Australia): Madam Speaker, it is an honour to commemorate Mr Williams, a leader, a proud Western Arrernte man and Central Australian. Mr Williams was a man of many parts, an outstanding community leader, a talented and groundbreaking musician, a family man, a role model, and a strong voice for his people. He was a passionate advocate for his community of Hermannsburg - Ntaria. He saw the need to develop an economic base, the value of a good education, and the need for strong families and strong community. I attended Immanuel College in Adelaide which, I believe, Serena, Warren H, and Baydon attended. In fact Baydon may still hold the record for athletics in the 100m.
Mr Williams saw the potential for tourism in the Hermannsburg area early on. He first became involved in the industry as a guide around Hermannsburg, with its many natural attractions such as Palm Valley, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Mr Williams often said his time as a tour guide taught him how to talk to different people, and I have to say, he learnt very well. He was a great communicator and often seen to be able to walk two cultures with relative ease. He was keen to share his country with visitors and teach them about the country and what it meant to him culturally.
Mr Williams was born in Alice Springs around the end of the 1930s and was sent to live with his grandfather in Hermannsburg as a teenager. He was related to Albert Namatjira and, in fact, remembered hearing country music for the first time on his cousin’s gramophone. The young Mr Williams was musical - his family was singing in the choir, but he gave gospel music away when he heard country on the old 78 records. As he said: ‘I picked up the guitar and started strumming’.
Mr Williams was an Indigenous music pioneer, singer, band leader, organiser, motivator and advocate. Mr Williams, and other family members in the Warrabri Country Bluegrass Band, began playing around Alice Springs in the 1970s and, together with other local music legends, had a regular gig at the youth centre with a talent quest. His sons often joined him on stage, and one of them, Warren H Williams, reckons he was about six when his dad first put a guitar in his hands - that has paid off. Mr Williams often said music could lead to a better life for kids and keep them away from trouble. He was a mentor for many, especially his sons, and Warren H is probably the best known, still making great music. He also inspired people like Isaac Yamma and his son, Frank, and paved the way for many of the talented Indigenous musicians making their mark today. His band, Country Ebony, was a huge hit in Tamworth and Alice Springs, where there were many events held at Witchetty’s. Slim Dusty penned quite a few songs from one of their albums.
Mr Williams was no slouch when it came to getting his message across to the media. He was an articulate advocate, often appearing on national programs to highlight Indigenous issues, or to publicise his beloved country music and Hermannsburg. Mr Williams also knew how to spin a yarn, whether it was passing on stories about Country or telling tales about his days on the road with the band.
His other love and passion was football. This grew from when he was about 17 and had moved back to Alice Springs and began his involvement with clubs such as Pioneers, Federals and Rovers. Over many decades, he continued his love and passion for football by being involved in the administrative side of it, particularly when community football began to kick off in the mid-1990s, and through his involvement with the Ngurratjuta Association. He became a major sponsor for the AFLCA through the Ngurratjuta Cup. Every grand final you would see the old man proudly watching the teams, and even more proudly when it was Western Arrernte playing on Traeger Park.
We have heard various speakers say this morning the state funeral was a most fitting celebration of the old man’s life. There were people from all walks of life - many people from my electorate, many of my family from Warlpiri and Anmatjere country. It was held in both the Western Arrernte language and English, which is most fitting. I acknowledge Pastor Wheeler and Pastor Basil who conducted the service, his family and his granddaughters, Cassandra and Genise, who sang some beautiful songs during the funeral service, and also the Hermannsburg Choir. As the Chief Minister and the Opposition Leader said, the songs they sang were amazing and the voices seemed to go straight through your body.
On behalf of my constituents of Stuart, the Hampton family, my in-laws, the Stokes, Trindle and Foster families, particularly around Tennant Creek, and the Warlpiri and Anmatjere people, I sincerely pass on my condolences to the Williams family and friends here today – Serena, Genise, Heidi and Cameron –my sympathies to you.
Madam Speaker, there are not too many men left like him in Central Australia. We know we have huge challenges ahead. He is going to be sorely missed as we work through these issues, but his legacy will live on through his music and his many achievements, no more than through his five children, his 18 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, I say goodbye to a person I knew over a period of 25 years. It was about 1985 when I first met Njtalka. I had been transferred to the Alice Springs Police Station as a constable and, about 20 minutes after arriving, Sergeant Harry Arnold waltzed into the muster room and, as was done in those days, I was told: ‘You are going out to Hermannsburg relieving for a few months’. So I packed my meagre possessions into the back of a police car and drove to Hermannsburg.
When I arrived, the tracker’s wife, Alison Hunt, had left for a meeting somewhere and a conspiracy had been hatched in her absence to shoot her pet bull, Barney, because he was looking too tasty. He had been grain fed and it was determined by the police officers, including the tracker – they were known as trackers at that time – that Barney was going to be despatched into the next world and we were all going to have a piece of Barney. The problem was one of the police officers, who will remain nameless forever, did not shoot Barney properly.
Barney, rather than passing from this world into the next, was somewhat enlivened because the round passed through his snout rather than between his eyes. Barney went through the side of the shed wall, corrugated iron going everywhere, with police officers in pursuit trying to despatch Barney with a volley of gunfire somewhat reminiscent of Beirut. Barney was finally despatched, thank the Lord, and we quartered him.
A short time later an Aboriginal man arrived at the police station and gave us what for, and too right! It was a dangerous thing to have been involved in - I was 20 years old, young and stupid - it was a dangerous thing to do. Fortunately no one was hurt, and with the passage of 25 years I have learnt much. However, what struck me was this Aboriginal man who was not scared of challenging authority, and too right he was not scared of challenging authority. He was a man who was supremely confident about knowing what was wrong and right for himself and had learnt those skills in a time where Aboriginal people were not encouraged to have those skills or that world view.
I note from the Chamber’s Pillar Historical Reserve - and whilst I realise it is not strictly within his traditional Country it is on Arrernte land - a quote in this report worth reading out in context of Gus Williams’ life:
- By the 1950s in the South-Central region, Aboriginal people were encouraged to leave pastoral stations and, apart from the people who have remained in the area as residents of Titjikala and nearby outstations, visits by Aboriginal people to Chamber’s Pillar became increasingly rare during the 1960s and 1970s. At this time, many Aboriginal station workers were made redundant. They had to move their families into state settlements, missions or Alice Springs. Consequently, many members of Traditional Owner groups have grown up and lived elsewhere, and their visits to the Chamber’s Pillar area have been infrequent. Many younger people have not been there at all.
That paints a picture of change and dislocation for Aboriginal people which took them off their lands. Gus was no exception to this, and there were policies being driven independently of Aboriginal people which had profound effects on them. Gus understood that instinctively from a very early age.
His work ethic is unquestionable. You heard about his work ethic today, and his work in Ali Curung and Ntaria demonstrates he has consistently applied that work ethic with a complete sense of confidence in self. That is what is sadly missing from so many Aboriginal people today, and is a little like the observation Steve Biko, a South African freedom fighter once made - the hardest part he had in convincing people apartheid was wrong was because he could not convince Africans they were good enough to govern themselves.
Gus Williams understood he was good enough to govern himself and the families he represented and he challenged those authorities, not with outright defiance, but with what the member for Macdonnell described, a consistent and relentless approach like water dripping on a rock - eventually the rock loses given enough time. That is what struck me about Gus Williams. When we were being a pack of ratbags at the police station we did not intend to have a gun fight at the OK Corral - it is the way it worked out because someone could not shoot straight - but he was prepared to challenge the authority and was not screaming and yelling. He just said: ‘Not on. It should not be happening that way’. Too right! He challenged that authority in an appropriate, quiet fashion. That is the thing I liked about Gus.
When I was a policeman he was often grizzly at me on the occasions I had anything to do with him. More importantly, when I was member for Macdonnell, Gus was not always nice to me. He would ‘growl me’ - the expression most people down there use. He would ‘growl me’ quite regularly for several reasons, often because of a faux pas. The difference was after he finished growling me he would stick his arm around me and say: ‘All right, now I will show you how to do it properly’. Gus shared with me things and information, and took me to places I only afterwards realised I was profoundly privileged to have heard or be shown.
The eight years I spent as the member for Macdonnell, only sometimes now do I appreciate the rare and extraordinary opportunity afforded to me and what a great and wonderful privilege it was because of people like Gus.
I am unsure if the people of Ntaria are capable of filling the vacuum he left. I hope someone steps up to the mark. I hope several people step up to the mark.
Gus was also a great, passionate defender of his own way of life, his own culture. I remember a time when he complained to me bitterly about a successful land claim over the Palm Valley area. I thought: ‘What are you whingeing about? You have won’. However, he made a very important distinction, and it was one of the great flaws in the Land Rights Act - one of his great critiques of the Land Rights Act.
The Palm Valley traditional owners were listed in alphabetical order - that is the system by which it is done; no recognition of traditional law at all. Because Ntjalka’s last name was Williams, he was near the bottom of the list. There was no recognition of the fact he was a very senior player over that country, and listing someone in alphabetical order offends the concept of traditional ownership, how stories and songs rest with individuals, and who should be identified as the primary owner of those land trusts.
We have an instrument built in the rather paternalistic 1970s which said Aboriginal people are a homogenous blot of people, and we will list them by name when, in fact, ownership rights - as I would recognise them under the common law of England back in the 1200s and 1300s - were not dissimilar to what ownership rights in traditional systems are in Central Australia today. Ownership should rest with specific individuals rather than, necessarily, the whole group.
These were the types of messages Gus Williams was trying to bring forward in his own style. Yes, he supported land rights; however he supported the proper application of land rights. When it was not done properly he became angry. Yes, he would be irascible; yes, he could be grumpy, however he always did so for good cause.
My experiences, and the times I spent talking with him taught me about being sure of yourself and speaking your mind when necessary, and keeping your own counsel when necessary. Surprisingly, the arrogance of youth is funny. I thought: ‘Why is this uppity Aboriginal person telling me what to do?’ It turns out, on reflection, the uppity Aboriginal person had much more to teach me than I could ever have taught him.
I place on the record today my personal gratitude to Ntjalka. His life was well lived, honourably lived, and with a sense of purpose and direction which he strove for every day I knew him, through the Ngurratjuta Corporation, through his governance on the Ntaria council, and for his many other roles.
Madam Speaker, what do I say in memory of a man like that at the end of his life? Simply two words: Kulla Marrda.
Ms McCARTHY (Arnhem): Madam Speaker, it is a privilege to pay my respects to the family and people of Hermannsburg regarding an amazing man. I think of growing up in the Northern Territory and, in particular, in the Borroloola and Gulf regions. When you think of the name Gus Williams, and the Williams family, it is synonymous with music. That music has inspired so many Aboriginal men and women across the Northern Territory. That, in itself, is quite an extraordinary achievement through times of absolute despair throughout the Northern Territory and the history of many people’s lives in the Territory.
The impact the Williams family has had, led by Gus, is tremendous. To know that legacy lives on in his children and grandchildren is a testament to the man himself and the extraordinary ability he had throughout his life to not only care, love, and support his family, but to also reach out in teaching black and white people he came across in his life, not just as a musician, also in his incredible leadership capabilities in the Hermannsburg community.
When we look at the gap someone like Gus Williams leaves, we look first at the kind of person he was. Resilience is a word which comes to mind for me in the many years I have known the Williams family and, in particular, the many times I had the opportunity to sit down with Gus and talk about different issues. In my previous life as a journalist, I had the opportunity to talk to him about issues he was passionate about as a leading spokesperson in the Hermannsburg region, trying to improve the lives of his own people, and recognising as an Australian we need fair and equitable services for all people, and give hope to not only his descendents, but all he cared for in that region.
For more than 30 years, Gus stepped up to the plate to offer this kind of leadership to his community, particularly through the local community council. With the introduction of local government reform our government set a course for further development of local government in the Territory. A better skilled and better organised local government sector in the bush needed to deliver services and help manage community life in an ever changing and increasingly demanding world where there was greater transparency and an expectation to achieve accountability at the highest level.
As difficult as those times were, Gus understood that vision and was a vital member of the Local Government Transitional Committee for the new MacDonnell Shire and Cultural Advisor to that shire until August 2008. He was a community leader in a time when the success of local community government councils depended so much on the ethics, morality, skill and perseverance of key leadership figures. He navigated that very tricky role and all the challenges thrown to him in those days of small and very under-resourced local government. He managed to do what very few could: combine dual roles of council president and council administrator.
In addition to his work on that council, he found time to be the long-standing president and board member of the Ngurratjuta Aboriginal Corporation; Chair of the Western Arrernte Aboriginal Health Corporation; Executive Director of Ntaria community-owned supermarket, and delegate to the Central Land Council.
It is a mark of the man that Gus Williams did his best to fulfil a leadership role for his community with integrity, diligence and humility. This, no doubt, was born of his incredible faith and his early days growing up with the values of the Lutheran Church. These qualities, and his ever present contribution to community wellbeing in Central Australia, led to recognition and the award of the Order of Australia in 1983 for his community service, well deserved by any measure.
As evidenced through his pioneering in the music industry, Gus also had an entrepreneurial streak in his being, and was always looking for ways to develop economic opportunities. Gus knew the power participation in the broader economy could bring to an individual, families, and the community in general.
As Minister for Tourism, I pay special tribute to his important and pioneering work in Indigenous tourism in establishing and conducting tours to Palm Valley. Many people would remember his involvement with the Sundowner Safari Tour Company, and the campfire concerts which were a signature element of his tourism work. He saw an opportunity to bring together the loves of his life: his music; his love of Country; his love of family, and sharing that world with visitors not only across the Northern Territory but visitors from around Australia and overseas who went away with an image of the Northern Territory seen through Gus Williams’ eyes - an image of hope and love for Indigenous culture in the Northern Territory and knowing the way to move forward was about working with each other in mutual respect. There are many Indigenous landowners across the Territory with this interest and people like Gus Williams demonstrated the possible pioneering of the development of tourism.
Gus Williams is another great Territorian who has joined the list of Indigenous Territorians recognised for their life’s work through a state funeral and a condolence motion in this parliament. We should all look to his example and respect the man for having a go and working on the front line, aiming to carve out a better life not only for his family, but his community not just one day a week or one month a year - every single day he was there for his people and his family.
We should all join to encourage and support future generations of local leaders, people willing to explore uncharted Territory and do their best just as Gus did. There is also a testament to the man in his children. I have come to know his son, Warren H. Williams, over time through his work in CAAMA, and as a musician. The achievement through Gus’s descendants, in being able to bring about that harmony and better understanding between black and white Australians and, as mentioned in the House in the condolence motion, the ability to reconcile the differences of so many people in understanding Aboriginal people.
I reflect on the wonderful thing Gus captured, the power of song and music as a medium to celebrate life and offer hope, to empathise with people struggling through difficult times, to celebrate the power of love and to always, no matter how despairing, offer that hope. I am thinking of his well known cousin, Albert Namatjira, who explored and celebrated his world through art, and how Gus did much the same through music. Both men are wonderful examples of Indigenous Territorians who were always exploring new ways of bringing people together in often incredibly difficult times through an artistic medium.
Madam Speaker, on behalf of the people of Arnhem, and on behalf of my own families and the Yanyuwa, Garrwa, Mara and Gudanji peoples of the Gulf region, I pay my sincere respects to the family of Gus Williams and the community of Hermannsburg.
Mr GILES (Braitling): Madam Speaker, I support the motion brought on by the Chief Minister. One of the toughest parts of this job is speaking on a condolence motion. I find it very tough, and I recognise the family and friends here today. On you, Gus! I have known Gus for quite some time and so has my wife. We were both saddened to hear of Gus’s passing. My thoughts are with Serena, Debbie, Warren and Baydon. I am in frequent contact with Baydon and Warren on a number of things.
I have always been taught that you have two ears and one mouth so you have to listen twice as hard. I have learnt that over a long period of time. With Gus I would have active involvement but not always learn immediately.
I do not like talking about people’s lives in condolence motions; I would rather sit, listen and reflect on what is being said. I will continue to reflect on what I have known of Gus and the Williams family, and continue to learn. I want to reiterate some of the things mentioned today.
The things Gus stood for, his family, some of the achievements in his life, are not forgotten and will stay with me in my personal life and my parliamentary role - those things are important. People who go down in history are always remembered. Thank you; I pass on my condolences.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I also extend my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr Williams.
I only met Mr Williams a few times. The first time was when I became the new Health minister and had to go to Ntaria and meet with a group of people. In fact, the member for Port Darwin attended the community meeting, and I remember Mr Williams telling me in no uncertain terms exactly what had to happen at the clinic. It was quite a strong message and I remember thinking that this was a particularly important man.
It was a great honour to attend the state funeral, and it will be a lasting memory for me of waiting outside the church with the Chief Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Braitling, the member for Port Darwin, the member for Macdonnell and the Minister for Central Australia behind a huge group of family – there must have been hundreds of people there – with the church in the background. It was a beautiful day. The family wearing the black and green, the caterpillar motifs, the sound of women grieving in the background, wailing, and from the church, the most magnificent singing, in Arrernte, of the great hymn, Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah, one of my favourite hymns - it was a wonderful send off for Mr Williams.
I ask all members to signify their assent to the motion by standing in silence.
Motion agreed to.
Members stood and observed one minute’s silence as a mark of respect.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, honourable members. I thank all members for their contributions to this motion and invite family, friends, and interested members to join the family in the Main Hall for some refreshments.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Member for Macdonnell
Ms ANDERSON (Macdonnell): Madam Speaker, I move that the member for Macdonnell be granted leave of absence for 26 to 28 October 2010 due to attendance at the anniversary of the hand back of Uluru and associated programs.
Leave granted.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Member for Karama
Dr BURNS (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the Treasurer, Ms Lawrie, be granted leave of absence for this day to attend to government business interstate.
Leave granted.
TABLED PAPER
Pairs Arrangements – Member for Karama
and Member for Drysdale
Pairs Arrangements – Member for Karama
and Member for Drysdale
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have before me a document relating to pairs for the entire sitting day today for the member for Karama and the member for Drysdale. It is signed by the government Whip and the opposition Whip. I table that document.
HUMAN TISSUE TRANSPLANT AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 127)
(Serial 127)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr VATSKALIS (Health): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The primary purpose of this bill is to amend the Human Tissue Transplant Act to allow for anatomical examination for the purpose of study and teaching of the anatomy of the human body. In considering the additional requirements for the act, an administrative review of the Human Tissue Transplant Act provides an opportunity to update the act to contemporary standards. A series of amendments has been included to update the language around human tissue transplant matters into contemporary legislative wording without changing existing intent or purpose, and aligning the numbering and penalties with current legislative drafting practices.
The explanatory statement demonstrates in many cases the new wording provides clarity of the original intent and effect of the existing act; for example, with issues of consent. Reference has been included to update the act with relevant contemporary legislation and definitions such as the Health Practitioners Act. Transition arrangements have been included.
The amendment bill will ensure legislation will be in place to support the new Northern Territory medical program when it commences in the academic year in 2011. Provisions in the amendments allow anatomical examination for the purpose of studying and teaching the anatomy of the human body, and the inspection and establishment of schools of anatomy supported by a code of conduct. The amendments will enable appropriate transportation of human specimens or cadavers.
I wish to highlight at the outset that the Northern Territory is not creating a body donation program for the study of anatomy. Due to the Territory’s small population and cultural sensitivities, it was considered inappropriate to utilise local donations. During the drafting of the legislation, consultation occurred with senior management medical representatives and the Flinders University Indigenous Reference Group. The group’s membership includes representation from Territory Indigenous cultural groups, and some of the members provide pastoral support for students of the Northern Territory medical program.
I am advised the cadavers will be obtained from established body donation programs in other jurisdictions to respect local sensitivities and culture. The School of Anatomy will be managed by a code of practice which meets national standards and local conditions. Notice of the code of practice will be gazetted by the minister, and the code published on the agency’s website by the Chief Health Officer.
The amendments to the Human Tissue Transplant Act concern teaching anatomy and the inspection and establishment of schools of anatomy; therefore, it is fitting to amend the name of the act to Transplantation and Anatomy Act.
In the 2009-10 federal budget, the Australian government committed $27.8m towards infrastructure for the Northern Territory’s first full medical education program. Further funding of $6.6m has been committed to the program’s recurrent costs for 2010 to 2014. This funding adds to the Territory’s ongoing commitment to growing our own medical workforce. Since 1996, the Northern Territory has committed recurrent funding of approximately $2m per year for the Northern Territory Clinical School. Together with the Australian government’s commitment, we are creating the first opportunity for local students to complete their full medical degree without having to leave the Northern Territory. This is an important milestone in the history of the Territory’s health workforce, and will be a critical enticement in attracting and retaining specialised staff to the Territory to teach at the medical school.
Flinders University Australia and Charles Darwin University have committed to a partnership to deliver a double degree, including a full four-year medical program – the Northern Territory Medical Program. I am pleased to advise the House this program is on target to commence in Semester 1 2011. The Northern Territory Medical Program is an extension of the Flinders University Australia curriculum which requires students to undertake human anatomy studies. The Northern Territory program will be of equivalent standard and standing as the South Australian program.
For medical students, the study of anatomy entails anatomical examination of human cadavers. The Human Tissue Transplant Act, as it currently stands, does not allow for anatomical examination for the purpose of studying and teaching the anatomy of the human body. These amendments before the House today are required to allow Northern Territory medical students to undertake the human anatomy curriculum and, hence, complete their medical degree in the Northern Territory.
The Northern Territory Medical Program is aimed at attracting and supporting Indigenous and Northern Territory residents to complete their medical education within the Northern Territory. There are two pathways for students. High performing Northern Territory high school students will be offered a scholarship to complete medicine and, in turn, will be bonded to the Department of Health and Families for two years following completion. The second pathway into the Northern Territory Medical Program is via graduate entry, under which Northern Territory residents who hold a degree in the science or health field will be encouraged and offered scholarships to train as doctors. In both pathways, Indigenous students will be offered strong support mechanisms and scholarships to aid in successful completion of the program.
The two-year bonding program following completion of the course will offer students experiences within health which are aimed at encouraging them to join the Northern Territory medical workforce. Bonding will also provide a medical workforce which can be used to fill urgent skills and service gaps within the system.
The Northern Territory Medical Program will prioritise, encourage, and support Indigenous and Northern Territory residents to study medicine in the Northern Territory. The program offers unique training with cultural understanding, and enhances skills required to improve Indigenous health. Ultimately, it is envisaged the Northern Territory will produce a skilled and appropriately trained, sustainable, medical workforce attracted to work in rural and remote regions. This will positively impact on the health outcomes of all Territorians and, in particular, Indigenous people.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and table the explanatory statement to accompany the bill.
Debate adjourned.
VISITORS
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: I advise honourable members of the presence in the gallery of Year 7 Dripstone Middle School students, accompanied by Mr Phil Liebich. On behalf of honourable members, I extend a very warm welcome to our visitors.
Members: Hear, hear!
ENVIRONMENTAL OFFENCES AND PENALTIES AMENDMENT BILL (No 2)
(Serial 126)
(Serial 126)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr HAMPTON (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Madam Deputy Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to amend the Environmental Offences and Penalties Act to enhance the scope of the act. The Environmental Offences and Penalties Act came into effect in 1997. The act establishes a framework for environmental offence levels and a penalty regime for each level.
The Environmental Offences and Penalties Act does not create offences. Various environmental offence levels in the act are referenced and picked up in specific environmental legislation such as the Waste Management and Pollution Control Act, the Mining Management Act and the Water Act.
These statutes create actual offences. The Environmental Offences and Penalties Act creates a consistent set of penalties amongst the different environmental laws. This Assembly recently passed amendments to the Environmental Offences and Penalties Act to double penalties for environmental offences and, with a valuable contribution from the member for Brennan, infringement notices. I am pleased to report those amendments came into effect on 9 September 2010.
The amendments I bring forward today aim to refine the scope of the Environmental Offences and Penalties Act so it continues to be used to establish a consistent penalty structure for offences in existing legislation, as well as an expanded range of future environmental legislation.
Government is progressing a range of environmental regulatory reforms to be introduced into the Assembly over the coming months, for example, new laws for the management of native vegetation. These reforms will expand the regulation of the environment in the Northern Territory.
It is appropriate that the Environmental Offences and Penalties Act be sufficiently flexible to enable its use in creating environmental offences at particular levels under new legislation. The regulatory system aimed at protecting the environment can involve offences which might, on the face of it, seem minor or indirectly related to environmental harm; however, without compliance with those offences, the overall system of environmental protection may be jeopardised.
The amendments I am introducing today recognise the capacity of the parliament to designate offences as environmental offences, and to apply a consistent penalty structure to a broader range of offences than those where a narrow interpretation might otherwise suggest a limited relationship in protecting the environment. The amendments do not impact on the role of parliament in considering and passing environmental legislation that designates certain offences as environmental offences. Rather, the amendments provide parliament with greater flexibility in employing the penalty structure created by the Environmental Offences and Penalties Act.
The amendments have been drafted so the change in scope of the Environmental Offences and Penalties Act does not impact on the designation of environmental offences under current legislation.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I commend this bill to honourable members and table the explanatory statement to accompany the bill.
Debate adjourned.
TERRITORY PARKS AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 117)
Continued from 11 August 2010.
Mr CHANDLER (Brennan): Madam Deputy Speaker, the Country Liberals support this legislation. The purpose of this bill is to introduce offences for interfering with or damaging a crocodile trap. My understanding is the offence only relates to crocodile traps owned by the Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission and is applied to all traps, whether in use or not. ‘Interfere’ includes touching, standing on, entering, or moving a trap, and attracts a maximum penalty of 50 penalty units or, in dollar terms, $6550, or six months’ imprisonment. I also understand a conservation officer may issue an infringement notice for the offence which will attract a penalty of three penalty units, or $399.
Why do we need this legislation? I can tell you why. Unfortunately, we have clowns and idiots in the Northern Territory who continually want to interfere with the crocodile traps set around the Top End. You only have to look at some of the NT News articles, particularly this one by Rebekah Cavanagh on 17 November 2009, ‘Clowns Clamber onto Kakadu Crocodile Trap’:
- Two tourists have been photographed tempting fate as they pretend to ride a crocodile trap like cowboys.
NEWSBREAKER Brent Hobes took this photo of the ‘clowns’ larking about atop the trap at Jim Jim Falls in Kakadu National Park earlier this month.
The Victorian visitor said he was shocked to see the hooligans laughing and joking as they posed for a photo on the trap made to catch man-eating reptiles.
‘I was quite surprised - I can’t believe they would play on a crocodile trap’, he said. I thought ‘geez, I hope there’s nothing in it’. But he said the men, who had illegally climbed around the banks to reach the trap, ‘seemed to like the attention’ given to them from the handful of travellers standing on the banks watching.
Park Ranger and crocodile expert Garry Lindner said the behaviour of the men was absurd. ‘Crocs are attracted to the bait in the traps, so it is extremely dangerous to fool around like this’, he said.
‘It’s irresponsible to assume there are no crocs there … crocs can move in at any time - they may move in as waterholes downstream dry out’.
- The reckless idiots pictured have taken croc trap surfing to a dangerous new level - swimming into the cage.
The image of the three drongos risking their lives and limbs surfaced yesterday after they were posted on Facebook.
When these photos appeared in the NT News my first reaction was to blame the Northern Territory News because I felt it was advertising these hoons - these idiots - and it was encouraging more idiots to do the same thing. However, that is party to shooting the messenger and is not fair. The idiots will do it anyway and, as pointed out to me by the minister recently, photos in the paper sometimes help to identify the idiots. If they continue to take photos and put them on Internet sites like Facebook, we are a little closer to identifying who they are and prosecuting them.
That is the problem we have had in the past - no legislation in place to effectively penalise someone for being an idiot. Lawmakers across the world are not able to legislate for the idiotic behaviour humans are capable of; however this is an important one. We all know the croc traps are there for our safety and for anyone to tamper with those is foolhardy and puts lives in danger. It is not hard to understand why this side of the House is very supportive of the minister’s legislation.
While I have recommended the Country Liberals support the legislation today, I posed several questions to the minister recently and am hoping he could provide answers today. Does the department contract the capture of crocodiles to private operators? If they do, or if they will in the future, would their traps be covered by the term ‘a crocodile trap owned by the Territory or the Commission’? Are there any private operators conducting crocodile trapping operations on land or water not administered by Parks and Wildlife, and if there should be in future, will the legislation, in its current form, cover it, or can it be extended to cover this possibility?
I understand the government has looked at private tendering, and if that does happen in the future - I really want clarification on the existing crocodile traps. If they were transferred to a private operator would this legislation cover them? If they remain the property of Parks and Wildlife, I understand it would be okay.
While we are talking about the crocodile traps, I would like to thank the minister for the opportunity, last week, to go out with a croc team and see how they work. Brett Easton, Tommy Nichols, Robbie Risk and Joey Buckerfield took the time to demonstrate how they manage crocodile traps and how they remove crocodiles from traps around the harbour and transport them to local crocodile farms. I found the experience invaluable. My questions were few; I enjoyed the landscape. However, any questions were answered frankly and honestly. I found the crew highly professional in everything they did and something both this government, and our community, can be proud of.
I would also like to mention we have a new crocodile management plan. When that was first released I was a little critical of certain aspects - exclusive zones and exclusion zones. I was annoyed at the approach used by the local media and had to look at media releases of what had been said by the government and ministers. I could not find any reference to the government mentioning exclusion zones. I could only find that as something the media had picked up on and were driving, and it sends the wrong message. We can never be 100% sure any of our waterways are free of crocodiles.
I wondered whether the term ‘management zone’ was correct. Could we look at another term - a supervised area, or an area which is monitored to get away from that word ‘management’? In life we have good managers and bad managers; something is managed well or is not. Using the word ‘management’ gives people the sense someone is in control - whether it is good control or bad control. I suggest we replace ‘management’ with something which does not give people the expectation we have an area free of crocodiles to lessen the ambivalence some people have regarding crocodiles.
We had the Coroner’s findings and recommendations into the death of Briony Anne Goodsell last year. It would be remiss of me not to mention some of the issues the Coroner found and some things where the department, in my opinion, may have been misled, perhaps inadvertently, in its actions. I wonder if we have done enough at this stage, given the findings. I will read from section 23 where the Coroner was told:
- … the crocodile management zone has been extended to the Darwin rural area and that there will be increased intensity of trapping, an increased surveillance of the receding water bodies as the dry season approaches, increased surveys on the Adelaide River, and the development of a monitoring program for the Darwin rural freshwater areas, and increased intelligence gathering about human as well as crocodile activities.
It says in section 24:
- I heard evidence that funding had been approved for the purchase of 20 new traps (and those traps have been purchased), however funding was not approved to increase staff numbers to the crocodile management team who set, monitor, and check those traps as well as respond to calls from the public about crocodiles in those traps or damage to those traps. Funding has not been provided to commence the program to monitor crocodile populations in freshwater rural areas. It is obvious that if the rangers or other personnel are expected to carry out more work over a larger area, more resources are required.
I will read that part again:
- It is obvious that if the rangers or other personnel are expected to carry out more work over a larger area, more resources are required.
One thing which disturbed me when reading the findings were several letters which had been sent to the Attorney-General and her recommendation to this parliament, which I will read:
- I am satisfied that NRETAS has considered the recommendation of the Coroner and is taking appropriate action.
That letter was signed by the Attorney-General on 30 August 2010. I am concerned, when I look at some of the earlier letters regarding the Coroner’s findings - and it goes back to 16 July when the Attorney-General was sent a letter saying the department acknowledges receiving a commitment for an additional $190 000 per annum to expand crocodile management into the Darwin region, and will receive recurring funding of $75 000 per annum to continue the Crocwise public awareness program - something I absolutely support. I have observed the program at the schools and it is getting better every time I see it. The staff running it need to be commended.
One criticism of it, particularly with younger kids, it could be a little tighter. It is a little too long and perhaps the key message is lost. The black signs with the red writing shown to younger kids are very important. However, in the time it takes to deliver the kids are getting fidgety. Perhaps it is because of the build-up and most schools do not have air-conditioned assembly areas; however, the message is very important and I commend the government for the Crocwise program. I hope the minister noticed, when he visited my office recently, the Crocwise sticker at face level as people walk in. It is a very important message.
I return to the Coroner’s findings and these letters. The first letter, sent on 16 July 2010 to the Attorney-General, said it sought expressions of interest and had issued a select tender document for Darwin Harbour crocodile trap baiting, clearing, maintenance, and cleaning for a period of 12 months to further assess the viability of the private sector delivering crocodile management so existing resources can be redirected to manage other locations. The tender document was issued on 23 June 2010 and closed on 9 July 2010. A further written response was provided by Mr Grant, dated 12 August 2010, which is Attachment C - and I will get to that in a second - clarifying the plan to put crocodile management out to tender was made in response to the death of Briony Goodsell and that the additional $190 000 was allocated as funding for that tender.
Mr Grant advised no tenders were received, and NRETAS was deciding whether to re-tender or expand the current crocodile management team. In either case, Mr Grant submitted the Coroner’s recommendation was being met. That surprised me because the next statement from the Attorney-General says: ‘I am satisfied that NRETAS has considered the recommendation of the Coroner and is taking appropriate action’, based on the fact the CEO said, in either case, the Coroner’s recommendation to resource the expansion of management in the Darwin region had been met.
I will read the letter from the CEO at the time to the Attorney-General:
- My Department wrote to you on 16 July 2010 to provide information on actions taken which related to the Coroner’s findings following his investigation into the death of Miss Briony Anne Goodsell. In that letter we informed you that the Department had received an additional $190 000 per annum to expand crocodile management in the Darwin region and, consequently a select tender had been called to undertake management of the crocodile traps in Darwin Harbour.
The plan to expand the crocodile management area was made in response to the death of Miss Goodsell [which is what this document is referring to] and the allocation of funds enabled that plan to be enacted. It was expected that private sector management of the crocodile traps in Darwin Harbour would allow the resources of the current Crocodile Management Team to be focused on the expanded management area in the outer Darwin region.
Unfortunately, no tender was received in response to the request and a decision is now being made whether to issue another call for tenders or to expand the capacity of the current Crocodile Management Team to undertake the work.
It goes on to say:
- In either case, the Coroner’s recommendations to resource the expansion of management in the Darwin region has been met.
How can you say the recommendations have been met when you have said it was to go out to private tender, or you were going to expand the current team, neither of which has occurred? It says: ‘There were no tenders received to extend this to private enterprise’, however, we know the current team has not been expanded in any way. The Coroner has said:
- It is obvious that if the rangers or other personnel are expected to carry out more work over a larger area, more resources are required.
How can a comment be made, or an opinion formed - I will read it again: ‘In either case, the Coroner’s recommendation to resource the expansion of management in the Darwin region has been met’. It has not been met. It is not close to being met. Yet the Attorney-General makes a submission to this parliament saying she is satisfied. Well, I am not satisfied. I appreciate you are trying; you have tried privately; however, that has not worked.
You have said you will consider expanding the current team - which does a fantastic job - and you have given them resources such as boats and additional croc traps, but you have not put on extra staff to manage it. What is the succession plan for people like Tommy Nichols and his team? There does not appear to be a succession plan in place. Tommy, and his team, will not be around forever. I find it abhorrent someone can make a comment and it is taken to the level of government being satisfied. Sometimes things from the coalface to the ministerial level get sanitised so much that ministers, unfortunately, are in a position where they think all is good when sometimes all is not good.
I will read from section 25 of the Coroner’s report. This is very important; however, I do not want to get off the track that we are supportive of this legislation. It is important; there is a reason for its introduction and I applaud the minister and his department for bringing it forward. I am frustrated to find the Coroner has recommended a process and the department has tried something - I know you are working through it – but to come up with the statement that: ‘We have met the recommendations’, is plainly wrong. Section 25 says:
- Even assuming that all these initiatives are properly resourced and implemented, I would urge those reading these findings to heed the words of Mr Nichols, who has more than 20 years experience working with crocodiles in the Top End (transcript p30):
- ‘I don’t want to give anyone a false sense of security that you are able to swim in certain areas. You can only swim in designated areas and that’s all … the crocs are going to be there in the wet season, there’s no doubt about that … every year we are identifying new areas … we have had areas where we have always put traps and every year we are still identifying more’.
Section 26 of the Coroner’s report says:
- As a part of the Top End community, we must face the reality that dangerous, man eating animals live amongst us; not just ‘in the outback’, but in populated areas of Darwin. There is a balance to be achieved between the ethical and sustainable treatment of crocodiles and the safety of all the public. In my view, as a community, we are entitled to expect that our government will give close attention to that balance and to ensuring that the balance does not tip too far away from public safety. The Department has responded proactively to this tragedy by implementing an educational program. The current Crocodile Management Plan prepared and approved by the NT government promises the community that there will be increased attention to and efforts with regard to public safety around the Top End crocodile population. These initiatives must be resourced.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I applaud the minister for bringing this legislation on and will continue to fight, not just for more boats and more traps, but for staff - trained people - to ensure the job is done.
Mr KNIGHT (Business and Employment): Madam Deputy Speaker, I support the minister’s legislation today. I have some personal knowledge about a case which kicked …
Mr Elferink: Do that again, that personal knowledge thing.
Mr KNIGHT: … sorry, you want to jump in here and play politics with the death of an 11-year-old girl, member for Port Darwin? He likes to trawl around about the death of small children - it is disgusting. I know the mother of this young lady and it is abhorrent the member for Port Darwin would laugh and giggle about the death of an 11-year-old girl in such horrific circumstances.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! The minister must know he is well out of line. I ask him to reconsider his language, if not withdraw those words.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Port Darwin. If you wish to make a personal explanation you may approach the Speaker afterwards.
Mr KNIGHT: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. The member for Port Darwin was mocking me for the staggered start of my speech - I was gathering my thoughts around this young girl. I have been in contact with Charlene for the last couple of years because she manages one of my investment properties. It was not so long ago, after the death of Briony, Charlene was doing an open house for some new tenants. I visited the property and it was a very eerie situation with young children running around. I cannot fathom the emotions a mother would be going through with the loss of a child under those circumstances. A croc attack is horrific.
That is what I was thinking about, and the member for Port Darwin laughing is quite distasteful given the situation.
Briony went to Taminmin High School, a school many students from my electorate attend. Those kids were traumatised. They are rural kids who swim in waterholes, as Briony did, on a regular basis. It is the rural life, and to be taken so tragically affected those kids tremendously.
It is a little personal, a little close to home for me, and I hope Charlene gets some comfort with her life and is able to remember Briony in a fond and positive light.
I have lived in the Territory for 22 years, spending most of my time in rural and bush areas. Crocs are a part of life and I scratch my head at the things I did in my younger years out bush; wading through lagoons as part of my work or recreation - I would not do it now. Many people I know who have been in the Territory a long time and talk about where they would swim or what they used to do would be horrified anyone is doing those things today because there are certainly more crocodiles around. They are getting gamer and they are coming closer to urban areas - it is a fact of life. Tommy Nichols highlights it is a fact of life; we live with crocodiles and you cannot be too cautious about it.
You take heed of warnings, which is why the Crocwise campaign is important - to get the message and awareness out to kids. When it is hot, kids want to be around water. We also have campaigns about swimming in stormwater drains, where we have had tragic loss of life. It is about teaching school kids about drains and open waterways where there is potential for crocodiles to move. They can move large distances across floodplains to reach waterways - they are very vicious creatures and you cannot put enough safeguards in place. Rangers visited Berry Springs Primary School to run the Crocwise campaign. Education is a critical part of ensuring people are cautious. You can put more croc traps out but they cannot be everywhere; education is vital.
I shake my head at some of the antics that occur. We have seen pictures of people on croc traps and in croc traps. It is bizarre for people to be inside croc traps where bait has been set and there is food and blood in the water. You wonder why people do it. I came off the Mandorah Ferry and there was a splash in the water, and I wondered what was going on. People were running along the gangplanks going up the stairs wet. I could not figure out what was going on. Other locals, like me, were hopping off the ferry. Some young people were jumping off the top rail of the jetty into the water. There have been crocodiles on that gangplank. There are umpteen sharks in the area. The antics people get up to are crazy sometimes. Hopefully, having new penalties will make people think about what they do. The increased power for our rangers to impose infringement notices is extremely important. It is about an education campaign, and we are intimately aware of the need for resourcing and are working through that. At the same time, the Crocwise campaigns are vital.
I have a large bush electorate with many rivers and many Aboriginal people live in those remote areas. Most times, people do the right thing; they are very cautious about where they swim. However, when you have alcohol mixed with bad behaviour around waterways there can be tragic circumstances. I know of instances of people being taken by crocodiles at Daly River where alcohol was involved.
By and large, people are aware of what to do and what not to do, and practices are passed down through families. That is what we need to do as a society. In the urbanised areas we do not have a passing down of that knowledge.
Many people are moving to Darwin and we have to make people aware – kids and parents - about what they can and cannot do. Many local residents do not get out of Darwin much to Litchfield and Kakadu. This awareness campaign will be much more effective than having police everywhere.
Minister, I congratulate you on this legislation. These new penalties will certainly help. I commend you for your commitment to protecting the community from crocodiles.
Mr HAMPTON (Parks and Wildlife): Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank the members for Brennan and Daly for their contribution.
I will begin by stressing the role and responsibilities of government and me as a minister. There is no doubt about it; one of the key priorities as minister for Environment responsible for the management of crocodiles in the Northern Territory is public safety. I do not shy away from that. We are legislators - that is a key role as members of the Legislative Assembly and the reason I am here today. Early in my job as minister for Environment responsible for crocodile management plans I noticed a legislative gap which limited prosecution of people who behave badly - a worrying and increasing trend, particularly when it comes to interfering with crocodile traps. We are here because there is a legislative gap which limits the ability to prosecute the increasing trend of interfering with crocodile traps.
Another role of ministers and government is to introduce policy, which is spelt out in the crocodile management plan. Under that is the Crocwise strategy. As responsible minister, I have kept a very close eye on the Crocwise strategy as an important part of public safety. Another important role for ministers is discussing things within Caucus and Cabinet and fighting hard for resources. To date, I have done that.
Both the member for Brennan and the Coroner said there is a long way to go. I have read the Coroner’s report and am aware of the need to increase resources in the 50 km management zone. I will continue to fight for those resources, member for Brennan.
As minister, I have done as much as possible in bringing forward today’s amendments to the legislation regarding the Crocwise strategy - a good, public safety policy - and in fighting hard to resource the strategy and ensure public safety is not compromised.
As the amendments say, the bill will establish an offence under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act which prohibits touching, standing on, entering, moving, or otherwise disturbing a crocodile trap and, as the member for Brennan quite rightly mentioned in his contribution, the many examples we have seen on the Internet and the front page of the NT News are disturbing. Hopefully, these amendments pass today and we can deter people from such stupid behaviour. The offences will carry a maximum penalty of 50 penalty units, equivalent to $6650 or six months imprisonment. I believe that will send a strong message to people that this type of behaviour is not accepted and there are severe penalties.
I thank my colleague, the member for Daly, for his contribution - someone who has seen firsthand that crocodiles are indiscriminate killers. If the opportunity arises, member for Brennan, human fatalities can result which causes immense stress to families, particularly the younger people in our schools. I thank the member for Daly for his important personal contribution to this debate. We cannot forget the victim’s family in these sad circumstances.
Returning to some of the points raised by the member for Brennan, I take the findings of the Coroner’s report seriously. Will the laws apply to croc traps set by contractors under outsourcing? I can say that the new laws will apply to traps owned by the government no matter where they are set - inside or outside a park - and it does not matter who has the traps in their possession or who sets them; if contractors are engaged to trap crocodiles we will be ensuring the traps are government owned, and the new laws will apply regardless of who sets the traps and who manages the traps.
The other question related to the outcome of the investigation into incidents which occurred earlier in the year - the member for Brennan giving us examples of incidents during his contribution. Those incidents were thoroughly investigated. The photos in the NT News and on the web helped identify those people. Where people could be identified they were interviewed, evidence was collected, and strong warnings were issued. We are here to introduce this bill because the current legislation did not allow for enforcement action to be taken against those people. Unfortunately, the amendments are not retrospective, which is consistent with general legal principles of fairness, so those people who have been identified will not be pursued under the new amendments.
Regarding laws with croc traps in Kakadu, the Australian government has its own arrangements and laws governing Kakadu which are complementary to these amendments. We have advised the Australian government of these arrangements and they are, importantly, supportive.
In relation to the Coroner’s report, the government has done what it can in resourcing the department and ensuring public safety is the number one concern - we have taken decisive action with our Crocwise strategy. We have secured additional resources for croc management with 20 new croc traps and the new pontoon boat, and developed the Crocwise strategy which has been rolled out in the Top End, particularly in Darwin and Palmerston. Some 10 000 kids have had access to the Crocwise program. It is also being rolled out in Katherine and through the Daly River. It is important we not only focus on Darwin and Palmerston, but also the harbour and the management area, and other communities in the Top End affected by crocodiles.
Madam Deputy Speaker, in regard to the public tender announced at the end of last year, we called for expressions of interest and there was some interest. When it went to the final tender stage those expressions of interest did not stack up; we did not have any final tenders submitted for a contract. I am working with the Treasurer and my colleagues to reach a quick resolution on this and we will be making announcements soon.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Mr HAMPTON (Parks and Wildlife)(by leave): Madam Deputy Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
MOTION
Note Statement – Growing International Trade 2009 to 2013
Note Statement – Growing International Trade 2009 to 2013
Continued from 20 October 2010.
Madam SPEAKER: The member for Port Darwin is in continuation. You have 17 minutes remaining.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): I will be hard pressed to use it all, Madam Speaker. Thank you for the call.
I was discussing the issue of penetration into Southeast Asia by a government which has long since let much of the penetration fall away, which is a shame because the former government did much to gain great entre into places like Indonesia and the Philippines. In fact, observers have said the Northern Territory’s penetration into Southeast Asia prior to the change of government was probably better than the Australian government.
The other component is when you are protecting your trade system how well are you protecting the system at the other end, the end where we start producing material, particularly in the area of primary industries - our heartland? How well do we protect those industries? Whilst the government talks about trade and how great their efforts are, getting the fundamentals right is a matter of concern.
I draw members’ attention to the Pastoral Land Board Annual Report presented several days ago. The annual report from the Pastoral Land Board, the board which has oversight of the Northern Territory’s pastoral state to ensure it is in good health, is over a year late. Moreover, this is the annual report for the 2008-09 year; we have yet to see the annual report for the 2009-10 year. The minister is clearly indifferent to the operation of the Pastoral Land Board if it has the same demands as other institutions regarding annual reporting requirements. Again, I find myself in this House bleating about annual reports coming in late, and unlawfully late.
Let us look at how we protect the best sources of our trade. The Chairman’s foreword to this was signed on 23 August 2010 - clearly running late even at that stage. He makes several observations which I will quote for members’ edification:
- The Board is concerned that the momentum of the pastoral land monitoring programs has slowed in recent years. The ground based monitoring programs have fallen significantly behind schedule and there are more than 80 properties that have not been visited for more than 4 years, with some properties not being visited in more than 6 years.
Ground-based monitoring data provided to the Board for 2008-09 is limited to 22 properties across two pastoral districts (Barkly and Plenty). The Board is unable to provide an objective assessment of land condition in the remaining pastoral districts, although comments have been provided on pasture growth and standing biomass as determined by AussieGRASS models. Estimates of bare ground ranking using MODIS satellite imagery have been included in this report for the VRD, Tennant Creek, Northern Alice Springs and Southern Alice Springs Pastoral Districts.
- Monitoring and reporting on the condition of pastoral land is a key function of the Pastoral Land Board under the Pastoral Land Act.
This is because the pastoral industry is seen as such a critical part of our economy, and trade into Southeast Asia in particular.
Does the government care? It cares enough to bring a 25-page statement into this House. It cares enough to release a media statement relating to the 25-page statement. However, does it care sufficiently to ensure the statement and media release are supported by outcomes on the ground? Perhaps the answer can be found on page 8 of the report:
- Due to the limited on-ground monitoring undertaken during 2008-09, an assessment of land condition has only been made for the Barkly and Plenty Pastoral Districts. As outlined above, an estimate of bare ground ranking has been made using MODIS satellite inventory for the VRD, Tennant Creek …
Etcetera.
We are all concerned about making a grandiose statement in this House on all the great things we are doing for trade, doing the odd trip into China and Japan - which I support. I do not believe ministers of the Crown travel enough; even politicians generally. I know it is highly criticised, however the more you have politicians promoting their own jurisdictions, particularly in places like Southeast Asia, our closest northern market, the better. That was the experience of the Country Liberals. The then Leader of the Opposition, Clare Martin, criticised the Country Liberals for not doing more of it. However, it has dried up in recent years, as has the interest in pastoral lands management.
You go from a starting point of having a live export industry - which has run into some hurdles with the Indonesians enforcing their 350 kg limit - but we do not care sufficiently about our pastoral estate because it does not make for good and interesting press.
Let us be honest, the Pastoral Land Board Annual Report is not what you call a good novel; it is not Patricia Cornwell. However, it is our bread-and-butter stuff; it is what generates wealth in the Northern Territory. We have a government more than happy to put out media releases and tell us what a great job they are doing, however they are not getting the fundamentals right.
We heard it today regarding education. We talk about attendance rates. We do not talk about enrolment rates - attendance is something we feel comfortable talking about - we do not want to talk about things which are difficult. We do not want to talk about the mundane. How often do we talk about weights and measures in this House? That is core business – well, it used to be; it has now moved to Canberra. These things are our bread and butter - boring as bat droppings but bread-and-butter stuff. People make or lose their fortunes based on the quality of the information government produces.
A ministerial statement produced by a department, vetted by a staffer on the fifth floor so political insults can be thrown into it, and presented in this House does nothing to improve the Territory’s pastoral estate. What will improve it are the basics being done so the Pastoral Land Board is properly resourced to enable it to do its job. Sexy? No. Important? Vital.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I am critical of this government’s statement because the substance behind it is missing. This government’s statements often remind me of a movie set. As you walk down the street of the great western town where the movie is being shot, the saloon and everything looks great. You walk around the other side of the movie set, and it is all bolts, canvas and rubber bands holding it together. That is what the spin machine is all about. We saw recently in the newspaper this government spends $12m a year telling Territorians how good it is, however the Pastoral Land Board cannot get out to check a few cattle stations. Guess where the priorities are going wrong?
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Deputy Speaker, I support the Minister for Trade’s statement on Growing International Trade. The Territory’s international trade performance is an important contributor to the growth of the Territory’s economy. In 2008-09, the value of Territory merchandise exports was $6.3bn, an increase of 38.5% on the previous year; and merchandise imports were valued at $4.7bn, a massive increase of 82.4%, primarily due to feedstock gas for the Darwin LNG facility. The ratio of trade balance to GSP in 2008-09 was 9.8%, the third-highest in the nation behind Western Australia and Tasmania, and a tangible indicator on the valuable input to our economy derived through trade.
International trade provides ongoing strength and diversity to our economy, creates jobs across a range of industry sectors, and underpins our standard of living. Through a range of targeted activities, Growing International Trade 2009 to 2013 aims to assist and provide business and industry with opportunities to establish and grow their international trade performance in key markets of strategic interest. Growing International Trade 2009 to 2013 is part of my government’s strategic directions focused on continuing to grow the Territory’s economic prosperity.
I will talk about a few specific initiatives of government to drive the Territory’s trade performance. First, the third Indonesian Mining Procurement Forum held on 28 and 29 April 2010, which I was very pleased to open. It was good to see us running our third procurement forum. As Minister for Asian Relations and Trade I kicked off the Indonesian Mining Procurement Forum; it is great to see it going from strength to strength. The event was applauded for its successful delivery, which was found to be highly informative to all participants. We had a significant number of Territory businesses at the forum either exporting to Indonesia, looking to export, or importing from Indonesia. The Governor of Balikpapan attended the conference with a number of Indonesian officials.
The event was particularly important because we were able to bring key Indonesian procurement decision-makers to Darwin and directly showcase local industry capability, supply and service to those operations. We also pointed out we are the only jurisdiction in Australia which supports two Indonesian Customs officials based in Darwin to do pre-inspections for all exports to eastern Indonesia. That reduces time, reduces cost for Territory business, and is another initiative by government to develop international trade links.
As my colleague, the minister, pointed out, a number of tangible commercial outcomes have resulted from this event, and almost all delegates have reported making significant contacts which will lead to future business dealings.
I would now like to talk about the Shanghai World Expo, a major event this year, and probably the single largest delegation from the Territory to attend an official overseas function and expo.
China is a key trading partner for the Territory, valued at almost $1.5bn a year. This market is expanding at a rapid pace, and my government wants to ensure the Territory benefits from this growth. We have been through the global financial crisis - the aftershocks are still there - however strong economic management in Australia, strong capitalisation of our banks and, importantly, Australia’s very important relationship with China did stave off the worst of the global financial crisis for Australia. China is critical to Australia’s economic health and growth.
In the Northern Territory we do not get comments like those from Barnaby Joyce and other extreme people - goodness knows what planet they are on – running the line Australia should be careful when trading with China, or should not be trading with China because it is still a markedly Communist country and by trading, investing and working with China we are exposing our businesses to espionage and theft of intellectual capital. Those comments do not help and have no place in the Northern Territory. China has to be a key part of Australia maintaining its economic health and growth because we are a trading nation. This is a globalised economy, and anyone who thinks they can grow their economy without trading with China is an economic Neanderthal.
The Shanghai World Expo 2010 presented a unique and timely opportunity to showcase the Territory to key political and corporate leaders in China, and the international community at large. The World Expo opened on 1 May 2010 for six months. As is the case with all world expositions, the Shanghai World Expo is a large-scale, non-commercial exposition which aims to promote the exchange of ideas across a range of fields including economic, science, technology and culture, and provides a platform for building stronger international relations.
The Northern Territory is a silver sponsor of the Australian pavilion. Visitors to the Australian pavilion experience a journey of discovery, learning about Australia’s history, its dynamic and modern cities, its spectacular landscapes, art, culture, food and unique tourism opportunities. Most importantly, the Northern Territory features prominently within the pavilion at every stage. On 21 May at 5.35 pm, the Australian pavilion welcomed its one millionth visitor. Within the first month of opening, some 47 000 people visited per day. During the six months of the expo the Northern Territory will have a regular presence promoting a range of trade and investment opportunities.
In August, I led a delegation comprising representation from business, industry, government and Charles Darwin University to Shanghai, hosting the NT Week at the expo from 23 to 27 August. NT Week gave a focus on promoting investment and trade opportunities across the Territory’s key sectors such as minerals, oil and gas, tourism, education and major project developments, all underpinning the key message of the Territory’s growing trade capability and investment readiness, coupled with a can-do environment.
The visit provided the Territory with an opportunity to strengthen our bilateral relationships with China and, where possible, other markets of strategic interest to the Territory which play a crucial role in establishing a platform for future engagement and pursuing commercial opportunities. This is sure to give further clout to the Territory.
I welcomed the visit by Chinese Vice President, Mr Xi Jinping, to the Territory in late June 2010. This was a tremendous opportunity to directly showcase the Territory and build on important bilateral relations at the highest level. It was very significant the Chinese Vice President chose to spend nearly two days in Darwin, also visiting Kakadu. The opportunity to spend several hours over dinner at the Convention Centre with the Vice President was a great opportunity to promote the Northern Territory.
I believe his visit was instrumental in Charles Darwin University securing a Confucius Institute. A Confucius Institute is where the Chinese government supports a dedicated chair at the university to provide opportunities for Territorians and Territory business to understand more about Chinese language, culture, business practices, and have a first-class view of establishing a relationship with China before leaving the Northern Territory. It will be a very valuable chair at the university for years to come.
A dedicated investment portal has been established to provide initial point of contact for investment opportunities. I encourage anyone with an interest to visit through the Northern Territory government website.
During the development phase of my government’s new trade strategy, I expressed a keen interest to include business events in that strategy. This sector is a lucrative market which has the potential to bring hundreds of people from a broad range of corporate business to the Northern Territory, also providing multiple benefits to the local economy. I am pleased our minister has announced three new international standard business events to the Territory in 2010. This is a remarkable achievement which will add a significant boost to our economy.
These new events are worth reiterating:
1. the Bulky Goods Retailers Association Annual Conference with approximately 200 participants;
2. the International Cargo Handling Coordination Association International Conference with around 400 participants; and
3. the Skl International Annual Tourism Conference with approximately 200 participants.
A key part of our trade strategy is not being the Harlem Globetrotters bouncing randomly around the world to snag a contact. It is to be key, to be strategic and understand our competitive advantage, to understand our competition, where investment may come from, and be targeted and strategic. It is also getting people to the Territory, and the three new events will directly complement our government’s ongoing promotion and development of Darwin as Australia’s gateway with Asia.
I want to talk about the National Export Awards. My Northern Territory Chief Minister’s Export and Industry Awards recognise the contribution of our local business in exploring and developing international markets. I had great pleasure in officiating at the awards ceremony with minister Knight in Darwin in early September. The gala event was attended by the Territory’s leading exporters, the business community, government and industry associations, and was a fantastic night. I have attended these awards for many years and the number of nominations has gone through the roof. We had businesses big and small, even some micro-businesses that had entered the awards, and it was wonderfully refreshing to see the energy, commitment and enthusiasm of our business sector in establishing those export markets, pushing hard and being successful.
The 2010 winner was Porosus Pty Ltd, awarded the Agribusiness Award and NT Exporter of the Year. To Mick Burns and the team, fantastic! Crocodile skin exports overseas - how Mick and Michael Hannon have grown that business over the years. We export the finest crocodile skins in the world to Paris for Herms to turn into handbags of extraordinary value - I could not contemplate a present for Stacey of that expense. I understand one of my great heroes, guitarist Eric Clapton, has had a guitar case specifically crafted for him by Herms from Northern Territory crocodile skins. Goodness knows how much Eric Clapton’s guitar case is worth! This product is acknowledged on the world export stage as being fantastic. To Mick, Michael and all the team at Porosus, fantastic; it is great you have achieved that award.
Skinnyfish Music was recipient of the Austrade Arts and Entertainment Award. We all know Skinnyfish Music, a wonderful Northern Territory-based company which works in providing opportunities, particularly for Indigenous musicians, to record music and have it made available around the world. Skinnyfish is going from strength to strength. The Arts minister probably knows more about its success than I do. A fantastic Territory business and doing very, very well!
Territory Resources Limited was awarded the Regional Exporter Award. Territory Resources produce iron ore from down the track, and it is fantastic to see them getting a Regional Exporter Award.
SEIT Outback Australia, an Alice Springs-based business, won the Small Business Award. SEIT Outback Australia is a new company, its marketing has worked and it is doing very well.
ERA at Jabiru has been awarded the Minerals and Energy Award, with the Small to Medium Services Award won by DITS.
These winners will now progress in the national finals at the 48th Australian Export Awards program. The National Export and Industry Awards celebrate and pay tribute to Australian businesses which are at the forefront of our export industry and who are highly competitive in the global marketplace. In December, winners of the 12 national award categories and the prestigious Prime Minister’s Australian Exporter of the Year Award will be announced. This special event will take place in Sydney Town Hall.
To Territory businesses that nominated and the winners: thanks for your contribution to our economy and community. To Porosus, good luck at the national awards.
There were other activities in May. I attended the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association conference and exhibition in Brisbane, where I held a briefing session for 85 key executives from the petroleum industry and a number of one-on-one meetings with key stakeholders. APPEA is a great opportunity every year to promote the oil and gas sector in the Northern Territory, host a number of specific events focusing on the Northern Territory, and catch up with companies important to the Northern Territory in one place.
Leveraging off the Territory’s planned participation at the Offshore Southeast Asia Conference in Singapore in November 2010 my department is examining opportunities to host an investment seminar in Singapore to showcase a range of investment-ready opportunities across the Territory. One emerging area of new investment potential is commercial property development, and my government is always keen to work closely with industry to promote those opportunities.
Exporting is the key to the Territory’s economic future, however, government can only do so much. We can assist business by opening doors, making the introductions, providing a platform for business to display their exports, opportunities for joint venture or investment in their companies, and will continue to do so. It is going from strength to strength, and I commend the minister and his department for this new trade strategy.
When I was sworn in as the new Minister for Asian Relations and Trade in 2001 - very excited at being sworn in as the first Labor Minister for Asian Relations and Trade - and having my departmental briefings, I asked for a copy of the department’s trade strategy. The public servant had a blank look on her face. I said: ‘What is the problem?’ She said: ‘We do not have a strategy’. I said: ‘How on earth does the department focus, target and be strategic in what it does?’ There was another blank look and she said: ‘We are here to assist the minister to go where the minister wants to’. It was nothing more or nothing less than a glorified travel agency, for better, for worse.
Over the years the walls of Parliament House have been full of MOUs and various documents attesting to developing trade relationships which did not lead to anything. We did not see any real commercial activity or investment as a result of the vast majority of those documents, and ministers had a lovely time swanning through Southeast Asia with very little investment or trade occurring at all, with a few notable exceptions.
Madam Deputy Speaker, we have decided, since being elected, to be more strategic, more focused, dealing with China and Japan in particular, and we can see how that is paying off. Being strategic in our work with Indonesia, focusing on the eastern provinces, particularly the mining provinces in eastern Indonesia, is bearing fruit. Looking at the appetite for the commercial property sector in Singapore to invest in the Northern Territory, and opening up new markets for our cattle industry in Vietnam is about being strategic, it is about being focused, and it is about delivering for our economy. This strategy will hold us in good stead.
Mr STYLES (Sanderson): Madam Deputy Speaker, I acknowledge the great work done by industry and by public servants who, in the main, work with challenging circumstances and in many cases not the greatest amount of support. I acknowledge the current government gives some support, however, there is room for greater effort by the government to provide support in a number of areas.
Industry and the public service rely on leadership. In the Territory, with its small population and small number of businesses, it is very much the role of government to lead the way, and when we reach critical mass in these industries and services, private industry, with the public service helping achieve various outcomes, will be much easier. At the moment, it is the role of government, ministers, their staff and the departments to set the pace and lead the way in the development of trade.
The Northern Territory is very reliant on its primary industries and mineral exports. Cattle and minerals make up a great proportion of our export, with education and tourism. These all need support, infrastructure and services in place to maintain and grow them. It is sad recent events could lead to deterioration in the amount of export dollars earned for the Northern Territory from those four things.
There are quite a number of things in the statement of interest. I acknowledge the minister is trying to achieve results, however much more should and could be done.
In relation to the comments around infrastructure development, a number of people in industry have said: ‘What infrastructure?’ For instance, we do not have a really good cold chain hub to move things out of Darwin. We do not have air freight facilities. We have been slowly losing those as we have been losing airlines.
We do not have a second crane at the port. My information is small ships doing the rounds of Indonesian island ports would possibly come to Darwin if we can reduce the cost. Many of these ships only want to drop off a few containers. They are small ships, however, as the old adage says: from small things, large things can grow. When we have ships with containers on board there is much juggling to get them alongside for the crane to offload them. Cost is another factor – ships will not come here. Obviously, there are economies of scale when we look at loading huge ships and moving them to larger ports down south.
There are niche markets, and if you develop them you give local industry the opportunity to build and grow. Looking at some of the small coastal trading ships which would come from Indonesia, they have capacity to increase the numbers of containers. They can swap ships of different sizes to do different runs when there is an increased demand for containerised products going from, or coming into, the Northern Territory from our close northern neighbours.
The statement says the Henderson government is focused on the development of productive and enduring relations and trade links with our northern neighbours. It also says Territory business is best placed to take advantage of that growing relationship with Asia. The Henderson government has developed a five-year plan. Great! I am glad they have a plan; let us look at some of those aspects. It says:
- … plan which acknowledges the importance of people-to-people contact as integral to the development of ongoing and productive relationships with our neighbours.
That is true; I agree with that and believe government ministers should travel a great deal because that is how we discover what is going on. It is about building those essential relationships so we can grow trade and cooperation, not only in international trade, in any aspect of government or private business in the Northern Territory.
However, one of the basic requirements is a decent airline service. We have airlines facing the commercial realities of life - we know the airline industry is changing - however, we are seeing deterioration in services for the Northern Territory. The government recently gave an airline $8m to hub its aircraft in Darwin. I understood the deal was done, however, I read in the newspaper of 16 October, the deal may not be done. I am wondering if the champagne corks were popped a little early and the media releases claiming victory for Darwin were released a tad too early.
We were well serviced in the past by Royal Brunei, Malaysian Airlines, Garuda Airlines and Qantas. The commercial realities of air travel have led to Royal Brunei, Malaysian Airlines and Garuda Airlines pulling out of Darwin. We have had cut-price airlines come in, and one accepts if that is the way it has to be and there is nothing we can do about it, that will inevitably be the way it occurs.
However, this government has been in negotiation with Jetstar to bring the hub to Darwin with a gift of $8m. In a promise during the 2000 election, it was stated seven planes would be hubbing in Darwin with an additional 25 000 tourists each year, and nearly 600 extra workers. The Chief Minister said yesterday during Question Time about 191 jobs had been created. I am waiting to find out where the other 409 jobs are; it would also be interesting if government could let people in the Northern Territory know how many extra tourists arrived.
We have lost the full-service airlines; we do not have the extra jobs or the extra tourists. On 15 December this year, Jetstar will be reducing its twice daily Darwin/Singapore service to one service. Unfortunately, when one checks the website the price to fly from Darwin to Singapore return has doubled.
That brings me to servicing companies wanting to do business in the Territory. Suddenly the price goes up, it becomes a far more expensive operation to bring people in, and the ministerial statement acknowledges the importance of people-to-people contact. People doing business in Darwin, either Territory residents or foreign visitors, or us going overseas to negotiate business and trade, will discover it to be a costly exercise. We will have to take less people less often, which means less opportunity to engage with people and facilitate that very important people-to-people contact.
When talking about export and trade, we export many education services from the Northern Territory. I acknowledge the work done by Charles Darwin University. A group of people facilitates the international student intake and does a fabulous job. The issue is - and I do not see it in the statement – to encourage more students. We read what is occurring around Australia - I acknowledge the report I will refer to was not available when this statement was written - the media has reported we have lost 80% of our Indian students from Victorian universities. I hope the government, through any initiative - whether Charles Darwin University is attempting to entice students from Melbourne to Darwin, or the weather and our multicultural climate in the Northern Territory - would attract people.
We come back to airfares and the cost of travel. We need to find some way of bringing airfares back to a reasonable price. After 15 December, the cost will increase to around $700, which is similar to a full-service airline. Jetstar came in with cheap travel - and I acknowledge Tiger Airways came in with cheap travel - and the full-service airlines have disappeared. The low cost carriers are increasing their prices by almost 100% at Christmas holiday time, when Territory families want to travel.
I pointed out earlier today people in the Northern Territory, particularly Darwin, are not necessarily travelling south - many travel north. With our multicultural community, many people travelling over Christmas often return to Europe, America, Southeast Asia, Central Asia - they have families they want to see at that time of year. We now have an almost doubling of cost of airfares from Darwin to Singapore.
This has an impact on companies wanting to headquarter their operations in the Northern Territory. Busy executives wanting to work on planes do not have business-class facilities between Singapore and Darwin. For some this may not be important - if we are on holidays and want low cost airfares we often put up with the services provided; we accept them. However, there are many business people and executives who need to travel on a regular basis and if they want to headquarter their companies here and get into export or mining, we need adequate services.
That brings me to losing people. Recently, Arafura Resources decided to relocate its rare earth processing plant from Darwin to Whyalla, South Australia - a terrible blow for our local economy. I attended a briefing by the company in March and it had great hopes for locating in the Northern Territory. It appears there has been another problem with land allocation and, unfortunately, it decided not to process here. That has cost an estimated 1000 construction jobs and about 300 permanent jobs because we failed to develop sufficient industrial land in the Northern Territory for this type of development. That is an example of losing business as opposed to creating it.
When we talk about headquartering companies and getting people here to boost export, it is all very well to have incentives - people need somewhere to live. These are the basic things which, unfortunately, the statement does not take into account. They are very basic necessities of life; to travel to your head office or around the world, visit family, and come and go at a reasonable price. I listened to the Housing minister during Question Time today speak about housing. We have what is - the government does not want to debate the issue - the worst housing crisis in the Northern Territory since self-government.
A statement was made by the minister and I will quote a number of words: ‘ageing condition’, ‘maintenance’, ‘asbestos’, and ‘may not be suitable for living in’. The 400 homes at Eaton on the RAAF Base, Darwin would house many people. When we encourage people to do business to increase our population, we need to house them.
I was doorknocking recently, and this is one example of the situations I find. Both people were working, having come to the Northern Territory two years ago as a result of advertising campaigns and they thought it was great. They have a fishing boat parked in the front yard which spends more time there now because she said: ‘We cannot afford to go fishing. The cost of living and the rent we have to pay prohibits us from doing any fishing. To go out, we cannot really have a good time. We have given it two years, we made a go if it; we are leaving’.
That puts housing in the spotlight. We have 400 houses the minister for Housing says may not be suitable to live in. He also said they will ascertain the condition and some may be sold, some may be demolished, etcetera. Has the minister considered when moving a house you need a Motor Vehicle Registry permit. Part of the permit system is you have a block of land to put it on. You cannot buy a house, put it on a truck, take it down the highway and park it on the side of the road until you find a block of land. If you did that in the current environment, you could be waiting a long time because there is not much land available. We have an enormous problem with land availability. You then require numerous approvals; you have to cross a whole range of hurdles before you can move a house. I note the Larrakeyah Army Barracks houses are being moved and stored further down the Stuart Highway. Were Motor Vehicle Registry permits given to move them, and what conditions are applied to the moving when we are putting them on a vacant lot?
The other aspect is we are coming into the cyclone season. Building homes in a cyclone area means we have to ensure the foundations are approved by an engineer. We have these homes sitting on a block of land not connected to the ground, which means we could have houses flying around the Palmerston and rural areas. It is interesting to look at some of those aspects.
I also note the minister said Natasha Griggs, in the lead-up to the election, made promises she could not keep. I would dispute that statement, because the …
Mrs LAMBLEY: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! I move an extension of time for the member pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr STYLES: Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Araluen.
Natasha Griggs promised she would go into bat to keep the homes. It was a very easy promise to make because if you are in government you can do all sorts of things, whether it be lease the houses back to the Northern Territory - you do things - you have options. However, the minister said the Department of Defence will never release the land. If that is what the minister is informed is happening in Canberra, who is in charge there?
Members interjecting.
Mr STYLES: Well, apparently public servants, bureaucrats, and perhaps even the Defence Force. When you talk to these people you receive interesting information in relation to what is going on. Had the Coalition been in government it would be a totally different situation. The member would not be able to say she was unable to keep that promise.
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STYLES: The statement says:
- The enduring relationships which flow from personal engagement help underpin the efforts made by business and industry to establish commercial links in key and emerging markets.
The inability to travel at short notice because of the halving of the airline service between Darwin and Singapore will make it difficult for people to say: ‘No problems, we will get on a plane and zip over there’. To say: ‘Hop on a plane and come to Darwin’ is something many people may not want. Delays in doing business will be far greater.
I do not see mention of how the Northern Territory is raising the capacity and capabilities of exports in this statement. There are statements about industry get-togethers, trade missions, and the government should be commended for creating those initiatives. However, I do not see much in the report, or the real world, about increasing capacity of exporters and the capabilities of exporters.
There used to be a strong focus on export training regarding market attractiveness, competitive advantage, documentation, resource allocation, etcetera, not to mention access to markets. The Chief Minister said under the previous CLP government ministers swanned around Asia, had a great time and did not achieve much at all. The Chief Minister needs to read the history of what was achieved and what was built by people swanning around.
What are his ministers doing? We see very little happening these days in relation to growing international trade. We hear great statements - we need to see the rubber on the road.
I move to international education and training. That is a great dollar earner for Australia. We need to concentrate on it, especially in the Territory. Charles Darwin University has a good range of subjects and a great multicultural mix of students as well as teaching and university staff.
We have several problems relating to attracting overseas students. The cheap option of coming to Darwin could give us a competitive advantage; however, after 15 December that is going to change. How is the Northern Territory government assisting private education in the NT, in particular the vocational education area? What is happening there? What increases in assistance have been given?
How are registered training organisations treated for funding or assistance to provide equipment and resources, and regular renewals and replacement? Public institutions are funded annually; RTOs have a different regime with a different set of problems. Why is it so difficult for fully qualified, private, registered training organisations to gain accreditation with CRICOS - Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students? The accreditation is fundamentally a criterion to enrol international students with English as a second language.
How does the government, and we as a community, hope to achieve international hub status with a port not capable of handling container traffic and quick turnaround with enhanced through put? Speaking to commodities, shipments will not sustain future growth. We need a range of initiatives on top of those included in this statement.
We are reliant, probably too heavily, on primary products, cattle and minerals, which puts us at the mercy of fluctuations in the Australian dollar. An issue in any one of these industries can be a major hiccup for the Northern Territory economy.
I will talk about cattle and roads. The timing of Ramadan in Indonesia changes annually; their cultural and religious festivities are changing the timing of live cattle exports. Eventually we will be exporting cattle out of the Northern Territory in the Wet Season which will cause huge logistical problems for the industry and government because of our roads. I look at what is happening with the creation of shires – I do not want to go there. Shires and roads are in an interesting situation.
Roads have not been maintained. I attended the Brunette Downs Races - the ABC Race Club - for their 100th year. There were many people from all over the Territory, Queensland and South Australia. I asked quite a few people what they thought of the roads. Some people have to maintain roads not on their property to enable trucks to move their cattle. As you move further north there is the problem of a constant Wet Season – rain and wet roads – and pulling a triple road train in those conditions can be disastrous and destroy roads. The government is maintaining what we have not growing it. It needs to spend more time and effort investing in roads.
The government is doing several things. Industry people and public servants are doing a fabulous job trying to improve things and make them work. However, it takes leadership from government and imagination. I ask the minister to consider what has been mentioned as a result of talking to people in the community who have asked us to express their concerns.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to make those recommendations to government.
Mr McCARTHY (Lands and Planning): Madam Deputy Speaker, I support the ministerial statement and the important element of growing international trade for the Northern Territory. I enjoyed listening to the contribution from the Chief Minister and the image he created with Clapton buying the best crocodile skin in the world, having Herms of France create a guitar case from it, and the cost he would have incurred. Imagine the guitar he is putting into the case!
I add my support to this statement on building international trade opportunities for the Northern Territory. The Territory’s geographic proximity to Asia permeates our Top End community. We have a strong Chinese Territory community. Our weekend markets are full of the smells of Asia, and many Territorians see Bali and Singapore as their back yard holiday destinations.
This geographic and cultural closeness to Asia not only enhances our lifestyle, it becomes part of our community. When combined with the continued growth of the Territory’s economy and population, our closeness to Asia presents significant opportunities for Territory business. The Northern Territory government is committed to working with Territory business to harness these international trade opportunities. In outlining our road map for the Territory’s economic future the Territory 2030 Strategic Plan notes:
- Real and sustained growth will come from creating a culture of entrepreneurship. We need to unlock the full potential of our position as a bridge with Asia.
In relation to land release, a key element in ensuring there is room to grow in the Territory - having industrial land for commercial properties, residential land for a growing population, and growing our economy - is imperative. This is why the government is releasing land five times faster than before to help manage the Territory’s growth.
A member: It is not hard to go five times faster than zero.
Mr McCARTHY: The new suburbs at Palmerston East: Bellamack, Johnston, Zuccoli and Mitchell, will be home to 15 000 Territorians. In Bellamack, 450 approved lots are now under construction …
A member: Five times faster – zero land release!
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Mr McCARTHY: … new homes for Territorians. A further 200 blocks have been sold off the plan and the first titles have been released. Johnston will be a 490 lot suburb and is proving popular with Territorians. Civil works have been carried out on 150 of 200 lots in Stage 1 ...
Mr Westra van Holthe: We live in the Northern Territory and have to go in a land ballot; can you believe it! A land ballot in the Northern Territory!
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Mr McCARTHY: … have already been sold. A great show of confidence in this new suburb. I have called for developers to construct 293 lots in Stage 2, which includes a seniors village, parks and a commercial area …
Mr Westra van Holthe: Hope he talks about heavy industrial.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Mr McCARTHY: … and I look forward to the successful developer being announced and housing construction getting under way in 2011.
The suburb of Zuccoli will follow Johnston as the next Palmerston East suburb to be developed. It could provide up to 1400 residential lots, with 400 lots to be developed in Stage 1. $20m was committed in Budget 2010-11 to fast-track the headworks for the suburb. We are looking for a private developer to partner with the Northern Territory Land Development Corporation to deliver the Zuccoli lots in 2011.
In future years the expansion of Palmerston will be supported by the development of Weddell; a tropical, sustainable, liveable city. Weddell will be home to up to 50 000 Territorians in years to come, and it is exciting to see the planning processes for the city start rolling out. The development of this tropical, sustainable and liveable city was really kick-started last month with the five-day conference and design forum attended by more than 300 people. This event generated excitement and great creativity about the future potential of Weddell and its role as the Territory’s next city. I look forward to the release of the interim report on Weddell’s design and development next month.
The government’s strategic residential land release program, five times faster than before, is being supported by the development of commercial properties. Expressions of interest are out for the development and sale off the plan of industrial land at Darwin Business Park. More than $200m worth of development has already been invested by industry in the Darwin Business Park. Six new lots are strategically located near the rail terminal and port, making them ideal for companies engaged in oil and gas, mining, transport and logistics.
An expression of interest process is also open for the development of the 6060 m2 block in the Palmerston central business district between Koullais Street and The Boulevard. Government wants to see the site developed with ground-level commercial properties and a mix of residential, commercial, and tourist accommodation on upper levels. The site will be required to have a basement car park to balance the demand for parking in the CBD and the new development. Work is planned to start on the site in 2011, and I am really excited to see this project moving forward.
The government has allocated 53 ha to the establishment of a Defence Support Hub near Robertson Barracks. The project is being managed by the Land Development Corporation and will support development of specialty services for the Defence forces and other industries including mining, oil and gas, and transport.
In relation to the port, this government knows the importance of investing in key infrastructure to support the ongoing growth of the Northern Territory. East Arm port is an integral link with the AustralAsia Trade Route chain. More than $3bn worth of cargo is moved through East Arm Wharf annually, supporting 500 industries and thousands of jobs. A range of industries use the port to access markets overseas. From Parliament House, on the beautiful Darwin Harbour, we are privileged to see some of the traffic moving through that port.
To highlight a few: we can see the live cattle export vessels taking thousands of head of Territory cattle to Indonesia. I am keen to visit the port when some Barkly beasts are being loaded, highlighting economic benefits and jobs in the electorate of Barkly and the Territory. We see ships carrying valuable minerals to markets across Asia and, of course, the oil and gas industry bringing their vessels in for repairs and maintenance is always an impressive site. While rain today may somewhat impede our view, the LNG tanker at Wickham Point remains an impressive site.
To share something with members about the school groups visiting Parliament House - and I welcome school groups - we stand on the verandah and look at Darwin Harbour and I go through my motivational speech of working in the capital city, grabbing opportunities in education, training, and employment, and the gateway to Asia. Recently, a Year 7 student from Tennant Creek High School said: ‘What is that?’ When I looked up ready to explain one of the many innovative vessels that use our port and our waters, I was quite astounded to see a Collins Class submarine speeding up the harbour. The student asked me: ‘What is that? Have you ever seen one of those before?’ That initiated another interesting discussion with kids from Tennant Creek about not only the harbour, the growth of the Territory, also our wonderful Defence forces and the part they play in the important strategic defence of northern Australia.
To provide industry with certainty about ports, current facilities, and future development plans, the Darwin Port Corporation has recently developed the East Arm Wharf Facilities Master Plan 2030 Land Use Strategy. The master plan incorporates this government’s $150m infrastructure program to develop trade opportunities at the wharf over the next 20 years. The $150m project, including a $50m investment from the federal Labor government, is already delivering for East Arm. To highlight some of these works: the $15m reclamation of Pond F, including access roads to the site, in preparation for bulk earthworks; $9.5m eastern reclaim area project to create additional hard stand. This work is being delivered by Sage Contracting, about 70 000 m of fill have been placed at this site; and a $35m project for an overland conveyor to improve bulk loading operations and environmental standards.
The Chief Minister’s call for expressions of interest to develop a Marine Supply Base in Darwin is another example of this government’s support in developing the Territory’s trade opportunities. The project would ensure Darwin has world-class marine infrastructure to support oil and gas exploration and developments in the region, further enhancing our position as an oil and gas hub.
Pastoral: as a practical example of the benefit of the wharf to the Territory economy, 108 cattle ships were processed through the East Arm Wharf in 2008-09, up from 86 ships in 2007-08. Investment in the wharf will be key to growing our important pastoral industry. For every dollar generated directly by the pastoral industry, an estimated extra $0.82 is generated within the Northern Territory economy, primarily in the regions. That is a powerful statistic, reflecting not only international trade opportunities, also opportunities for jobs and economic growth in the bush. The industry operates on about 50% of the Northern Territory land mass, and is based on 250 properties, held mainly under perpetual leases. The cattle industry creates jobs for between 1600 and 1900 people, mostly living and working in regional and remote locations, and I am proud to say the electorate of Barkly is one of the key cattle growing regions of the Northern Territory.
In relation to the Barkly, over 30 years it has been fabulous to see the development of the cattle industry, not only in increasing herd capacity, also in the very innovative and efficient practices of managing those herds with the development of supplement feeding, improving pasture, better management techniques, and the development of better trucking techniques; the industry has grown from strength to strength. It is certainly the jewel in the crown, not only culturally, as part of our heritage in the Barkly as well.
The Territory’s pastoral industry carries about 1.9 million head of cattle, and pastoralists currently turn off 550 000 head of cattle a year for domestic slaughter and Asian live export markets. A recent report by the NT department of Primary Industry highlights the potential to grow the industry to about 2.3 million head in 10 years. If we ever reach that target, and the associated job and international trade opportunities, we must continue to invest strategically in key transport routes to get cattle to market.
In addition to our investment in the wharf, we are also continuing to upgrade our road network. Budget 2010-11 delivers $24m under the $85m Community, Beef and Mining Roads Improvement Program, with $10m to upgrade the Port Keats road, and a further $14m for the Central Arnhem road. Of course the markets must be there to sell the cattle, and I commend both the Minister for Trade and the minister for Primary Industry for their ongoing work with governments in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. Much of this work is done in conjunction with the NT Cattlemen’s Association, a collaboration which is achieving real results for pastoralists in accessing new and emerging markets.
Australia’s Indigenous art is renowned around the world. There are an estimated 5000 practising Indigenous artists in the Northern Territory alone. Those 5000 artists represent 75% of all Australia’s Indigenous visual artists. That is a vast source of potential for the Northern Territory to establish job and economic opportunities in our growth towns and main centres, and to grow international trade opportunities. They are opportunities government wants to harness for Indigenous artists and the Territory’s art community in general. The importance and potential of the Territory’s art industry is highlighted throughout Territory 2030, particularly in the Society and Knowledge, Creativity and Innovation components.
In June, I released the Living Arts Policy - Discussion Paper which, when finished, will set the agenda to meeting the objectives of Territory 2030. The discussion paper poses, amongst others, issues around how to best build and grow the strength of the art industry, and what is central to arts support into the future. It lists five priority areas for development: strong artists; strong art; community capacity; business of art; and showcasing our stories and building audiences. Submissions received during the discussion period are being closely assessed to develop the final living arts policy to help reach the objectives of Territory 2030. If we are to grow our international art market we must assist the many talented Territory artists to build their capacity to produce and sell their work.
Objective two of the Knowledge, Creativity and Innovation component of Territory 2030 seeks to establish national Indigenous arts and cultural precincts in the Territory. The precincts could include art centres, museums, culture and language centres and performance and display spaces. They would showcase the Territory’s Indigenous arts and culture as well as host displays from other jurisdictions.
I am very pleased to report work is under way on the Katherine Regional Cultural Precinct. The Northern Territory government has committed $3.5m towards the construction, and a further $500 000 towards headworks for the precinct. A further $3m is being provided by the Australian government and $220 000 from the Katherine Town Council. The precinct will be a great asset for the community and the Katherine region, and will give artists a new platform to showcase their work to tourists and locals alike.
A new precinct has also emerged in Darwin. The Territory’s visual art industry contributes about $10m a year to our economy and there is a growing demand in our art industry for quality exhibition space in Darwin. Opened in August, the 330 m ground floor site in the Chan Building has been transformed to showcase non-commercial exhibitions and help raise the profile of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists. The 2010 Toga Contemporary Art Award was the first exhibition to make use of this new site. I hope many artists are discovered in years to come as a result of displaying at the Chan Contemporary Art Space.
Territory 2030 also aims to increase the Territory’s earned income from commercial arts industries. I pay tribute to the federal Labor government, and the Arts minister, Peter Garrett, for their support of Territory artists and our art industry. Thanks to the federal Labor government, 9 June this year marked the start of Australia’s resale royalty scheme for visual artists. The scheme established the right for visual artists to receive 5% of the sale price when works are resold through the art market for $1000 or more. It applies to living artists and for a period of 70 years after that artist passing. This scheme will support artists and the art industry, creating jobs and economic opportunities in our remote areas and regional centres.
As the Northern Territory minister for Arts, it is exciting to see the emergence of international markets for the work of the many talented Indigenous artists from the NT. Of particular note, I welcome the trade opportunities explored through the recent World Expo in Shanghai. A number of Indigenous art centres, including those from Yuendumu, Yirrkala and Hermannsburg, undertook a group exhibition with a private Chinese art gallery. These centres offer a range of art styles, including dot paintings, bark paintings, weavings and carvings, and I am advised their work was well received.
I will highlight another potential trade opportunity for the Northern Territory in the Barkly electorate - very close to home. It is Minemakers and the potential development of the phosphate deposit near Tennant Creek. The Minemakers Winara rock phosphate project is Australia’s largest underdeveloped rock phosphate project. Why would it be good for the Territory and Tennant Creek? Because phosphate is the major resource mined to produce phosphate fertilisers for the agricultural industry. Phosphorous is also used in animal feed supplements, food preservatives, anti-corrosion agents, cosmetics, fungicides, ceramics, water treatment and metallurgy. As the world’s population grows, and economies in countries like China and India grow, so too does demand for food production, biofuel crops and phosphate. Ultimately, commercial decisions must be made to proceed with the project, however in recognition of the potential economic and job opportunities the mine would bring to the Barkly and the Territory, the Territory government is doing all it can to ensure the project moves forward.
The Minemakers phosphate deposit is located next to the Barkly Highway about 300 km from the railway. The government’s $150m infrastructure program at East Arm Wharf helps provide Minemakers with certainty about the future of mineral exports through the port, and in May last year Minemakers signed a heads of agreement with the Darwin Port Corporation regarding the shipping of rock phosphate through the port.
Madam Speaker, there are great success stories in international trade across the Northern Territory in our pastoral and mining industries, and among our artists to name but a few. Government is doing what it can to build and grow these opportunities even further; we support our industries and investments in roads, infrastructure, and land release. I thank the minister for bringing this statement to the House.
Mr KNIGHT (Business and Employment): Madam Speaker, I thank all members for their contributions, and the Minister for Transport. Much trade is coming from the Barkly region, and his portfolio of Arts. I attended the arts exhibition in Shanghai, which was well received. We also had the B2M band from the Tiwi Islands at the arts exhibition and the guests who attended the various functions at the Australian pavilion were intrigued by the potential of Aboriginal art and culture in the Northern Territory. I thank the minister for his comments.
I thank the Education minister for mentioning international education and the work done by the university to establish strong links with education institutes across various countries. Monica Turvey and Vice Chancellor, Barney Glover have established strong links with China and Vietnam, and there is some interest from India also. They bring a wealth of knowledge and understand we need quality. Barney has realised, speaking to potential students, they want quality - they do not want to be in a class with other international students. They want to be in a class with Australian students to experience the educational opportunities and culture of a western country. I congratulate Barney and the efforts of the Education department, and my department, in accompanying various delegations overseas.
I also note the work the minister for Education has done in East Timor. We have an agreement with the Timorese government around internships with the civil service - a vital way to strengthen that country. They are fairly modest intakes at the moment. It is predominantly the English capability of the employees coming to Darwin and being away from home for that period of time.
I thank the Resources minister. The minerals investment attraction strategy was highly successful and continues to be so. My first trip to Japan in February was to meet with JGC and the INPEX president, the Australian Ambassador, Austrade and JOGMEC - part of the government. What they know about Australia is what they know about the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory is well on the map in Japan. They know about our investment opportunities and our working strongly with them and China.
China is a huge market and my involvement with the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce during the World Expo highlighted the potential. There are some extremely interested and well-off investors in the Chamber of Commerce keen to visit and see what opportunities exist. The department is providing the geospatial mapping of potential minerals and resources which adds to paving the way for investors.
The pastoral industry is vital to the Northern Territory. I congratulate the minister for Primary Industry for working with his counterparts in Indonesia, and his department’s efforts in establishing markets in Vietnam. At the moment, the pastoral industry has all its eggs in one basket. I note the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association met today to discuss potential for setting up an abattoir - having boxed meat as a fall-back option. It is wise for industries not to leave things entirely up to government, to be thinking where their markets exist and how to protect them; it is sensible to move that way.
I thank the member for Goyder for her personal commitment to develop international markets. She does not normally make these comments. BIMP-EAGA stands for the subregional grouping made up of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area. The member for Goyder suggested the Northern Territory and Australian governments were members of BIMP-EAGA - my advice is we are not. We have a good neighbouring association and target those specific areas of commerce.
The Northern Territory government and the Chamber of Commerce have offered to sponsor the placement of a senior BIMP-EAGA Business Council representative with the International Business Council in order to promote business matching and networking. BIMP-EAGA has not yet taken up that offer. BIMP-EAGA has not gained a great deal of traction as a vehicle for driving business growth and investment. BIMP-EAGA has become very bureaucratic and does not have a large business contingent. My understanding of the group is at the moment it is made up of bureaucrats, whereas our approach has been to go directly to elected members, either at the national or provincial level, to gain access at a political level into the country, and also going to marketplaces - whether it be mining or pastoral areas – with business-to-business links. Business is best done business-to-business. It is for government to assist where there are political barriers.
We know where our key markets are and cannot be everywhere all the time. We need to target markets. We are doing that and it will bear fruit in the future. We do not feel BIMP-EAGA is producing results. They have much initial work to do. We will work with the key markets of China, Japan and Indonesia, and the emerging markets of Vietnam, Philippines and areas of Papua New Guinea with mining opportunities. We are keen to look at other opportunities. India is a huge market. We are analysing that market to see what is available.
The Growing International Trade strategy highlights Indonesia as the key market in our region. As mentioned, Malaysia and the Philippines are recognised as emerging markets. We have an ongoing relationship through the supply of cattle and husbandry expertise in Malaysia. We have a similar approach in developing markets in Vietnam, where government industry has been providing technical advice in establishment of feedlots. That work continues
The member for Goyder suggested she receive a briefing on the work undertaken to promote cattle exports to Vietnam. Although well intended, your comments about animal husbandry are a little misplaced. The Asian Relations trade area should be a bipartisan approach and I believe we have the balance right. They are difficult markets to work in. I know the department is working very hard with live cattle export to Vietnam. The Northern Territory Livestock Exporters’ Association, the national industry body, and my department have been working with a Vietnamese private partner in the design of feedlots, which have now been built. However, we are still working on the first shipment of cattle to Vietnam.
The member for Goyder asked about achievements under the trade strategy. Since April this year, the key initiatives of the strategy are: the Indonesian Mining Procurement Forum, which was extremely successful. This was our third forum and it has grown from strength to strength. It is now recognised on the national stage. Companies are now flying into Darwin to meet with buyers from Indonesian mines, and the number of delegates coming from Indonesia is growing. We were privileged to have the Vice-Governor of East Kalimantan visit.
The Mining Procurement Forum continues to grow. We have to link our businesses with procurement buyers and the management of Indonesian mines. I was shown a map of all mines in the eastern area of Indonesia, and there were dots everywhere representing nickel and coal mines. There are vast opportunities to do business with those mines. However, we have to get it right. Many businesses have been burnt in the past and we cannot repeat that. The Indonesian Mining Procurement Forum attracted approximately 130 participants.
The Balikpapan Expo, a mining expo in East Kalimantan, is the pinnacle annual event for the region where mining companies meet with suppliers. A 27-strong delegation of business people visited the expo. Sadly, it coincided with sittings and I was unable to attend. Earlier in the year I attended the OZMINE Conference in Jakarta. I was the most senior Australian person to attend and had the pleasure of opening the expo with the Indonesian Ambassador, which was an honour for me. It put the Northern Territory on the stage. It is another seminal event in Indonesia where we show the wares of Australian companies to Indonesian mining companies and the government, and was represented by a very strong delegation.
We hosted a number of events outside the conference. Many deals are done afterwards and strong relationships are formed. One of our key initiatives is the pre-inspection facility. This continues to go from strength to strength, enabling business to have easy access into Indonesia and is vital.
The Shanghai World Expo was also mentioned. We were a Silver Sponsor of the pavilion, which enabled us to have a week at the expo. I have quoted figures in the House: 450 000 people per day attended the Expo; about 50 000 per day went through the Australian pavilion. We had a VIP area to hold functions for business people, tourist operators, and a range of other people. What was significant about the 50 000 people per day going through was the NT content they were exposed to. The poles from Maningrida were a prominent display, and the 10 or 12 foot high picture of Connie Jape on the wall telling the story of the Northern Territory. Ayers Rock was significant. It was very good for the NT. Approximately 75 000 000 people will go through the Expo over the six months. It is the biggest Expo ever held.
There has also been the Guangzhou trade show in China and SEAAOC here. The calibre of people attending, both onshore and offshore, was extremely significant and I congratulate the Chief Minister for doing such a great job in hosting it.
The Chief Minister mentioned the Bulky Goods Retailers Association Annual Conference at the Convention Centre. Those annual conferences are phenomenal. I spoke to Malu recently about bookings; it is booked out until Christmas. That is bringing a range of people into the Northern Territory who would not usually come here. I have attended many functions there and always point out people should take a good look because Darwin has the capability for businesses - certainly offshore businesses - to find skilled staff in the Northern Territory.
We have had a range of visitors. The Chinese Vice President, Mr Xi Jinping ,visited in June this year; a significant visit. He is being touted as the next President of China. His visit to the Northern Territory has formed a relationship. The Indonesian Minister for Agriculture also visited, and various governors - strong relationship are being formed.
The minister for Education, in his adjournment speech last night, talked about Sail Indonesia. Again, it is a productive and relationship-building exercise between the two countries and financially rewarding with yachts coming into Darwin. They were here for several weeks. Tourism and the recreational boating fraternity is a market to look at in the future.
Madam Speaker, we offer a great deal of support to business. The Trade Support Scheme is heavily utilised by local business and has a high degree of success. This government is punching above its weight in the trade area. We want to take a very businesslike approach to trade with markets to our north. I tell them, and local business, we are in the box seat for a productive future. In the past the economy of the world centred on Europe then shifted to North America. Now it is Asia, and we are sitting in the box seat to do a great deal of trade as the nearest neighbour. We look forward to a positive future. I thank members for their contribution.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
MOTION
Note Statement - Establishment of Marine Supply Base
Continued from 19 August 2010.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, I will not be long - I am not going to talk too much about the statement per se. Suffice to say this is another example of a government struggling to fulfil its duties to the people of the Northern Territory. There is no shortage of items of legislation on the Notice Paper. There is no shortage of things to discuss in this House, yet despite consultation and discussion today and last night from the Whip - I know he is not the Whip; he is merely the messenger - Hermes. In spite of our messages from Hermes which were quite clear, at the very last death knell someone has looked at the clock and said: ‘Oh, my God, we are going to be home too early; we had better bring on the Marine Supply Base statement otherwise we will be accused of not doing enough’.
I am wondering who is relying on the Personal Injuries (Liabilities and Damages) Amendment Bill passing through this House. I am wondering who is relying on any other number of legislative instruments such as the Penalties Amendment (Justice and Treasury Legislation) Bill passing through this House. Yet, we find ourselves dealing with government filibusters because they are afraid of being embarrassed about not having enough work to do, or not being able to bring enough work into this House.
This is what we expect from this government. They are tired; they have had enough; they despise this House because it holds them to account - and how they need to be held to account. This is what I expect from this government - the notification members on this side of the House had for the advancement of this statement was four or five minutes. Members on this side of the House make an effort to prepare, which is why we have communications behind the scenes so members can prepare for the business government is bringing on.
A notification four minutes prior to the matter being brought on places members on this side in a severely disadvantaged position because we do not have the raft of staff, particularly those who are not the Leader of the Opposition. We each have one electorate officer to prepare for a volume of work which is not insubstantial. Consequently, we rely on communications from government. Because they cannot get their stuff together, members on this side of the House have to organise themselves quickly to give a useful and coherent contribution to this debate. It is an unfair practice, an unnecessary practice, and quite impolite.
If the government cannot get itself organised why on earth do people on this side of the House, in fact the Territory as a whole, have to suffer the consequences of a disorganised government that only brings business to avoid embarrassment not advance the Northern Territory?
Mr McCARTHY (Construction): Madam Speaker, I respond to the Chief Minister’s statement on the marine supply base. I am honoured to participate in a debate in this House, particularly about such an important matter. The Chief Minister’s exciting and important statement is about growing our port.
In August this year, the Chief Minister called for expressions of interest from national and international companies to build and operate a world-class marine supply base adjacent to Darwin’s East Arm Wharf. The marine supply base will be a purpose-built facility to allow the rapid and efficient servicing of the growing offshore petroleum and gas industry. It will service all activities associated with the exploration, construction and operational phases of this industry. The oil and gas production industry in the area from the Arafura Sea to the Browse Basin is growing rapidly. Identified reserves are significantly in excess of that currently being produced, with significant growth potential as exploration proceeds and projects are developed to the production phase.
Industries servicing that growth will need to increase, including the number of support vessels and various types of new generation vessels, and wharf space. With Darwin being so ideally placed to capture the rapidly growing oil and gas business, that growth impacts directly on a need for services at East Arm for supply vessels or rig tender vessels servicing oil rigs in the seas north and west of Darwin.
Through the work the Darwin Port Corporation has done in talking to stakeholders, we know the major oil and gas companies require the provision of productive and cost-efficient services a world-class marine supply base would offer. This is why the Chief Minister’s announcement is so important. Developing an internationally benchmarked marine supply base at East Arm is the first step in securing this important business for the Territory. The proposed marine supply base adjacent to the East Arm Wharf will complement the existing East Arm facilities allowing for quick and cost-effective transfer of goods through Darwin to support the offshore facilities.
In September 2009, the Darwin Port Corporation led a research team consisting of corporation officials, Northern Territory Treasury, and Department of the Chief Minister executives to investigate models and best practice operations being employed in the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Southeast Asian marine supply bases. The research identified key occupational health and safety practices, equipment, support services, and the infrastructure necessary to allow for the development of a marine supply base in a competitive commercial environment. That research also gave government a good understanding of the growth which impacted on local businesses and communities as their offshore support businesses grew.
In June this year, I launched the East Arm Wharf Facilities Masterplan 2030 Land Use Strategy. This key land use strategy gives port stakeholders a clear understanding of what facilities can be accommodated in the longer term to give certainty for future expansion plans. The master plan is a blueprint for the East Arm Wharf and the adjacent land and sea areas for the next 20 years. East Arm Wharf is a major strategic asset for the Territory and plays a key role in our economic development and the ability to attract new business to the Territory. The master plan is part of the current $150m infrastructure program to upgrade and expand the facilities at East Arm Wharf. This investment will facilitate growth in trade and enhance local and regional economic development.
Work is currently under way on the $9.5m eastern reclamation project that will provide additional hardstand areas for the port, and $15m has being provided for the reclamation of Pond F behind the bulk loader. This work is also under way and will, again, provide further hardstand areas.
Our geographic proximity to Asia permeates our community. You only have to look at our weekend markets to see how strongly the Territory embraces the culture of our near neighbours. This geographic and cultural closeness to Asia, combined with the continued growth of the Territory’s economy and population, presents significant opportunities for Territory businesses. The Northern Territory government is committed to working with Territory businesses to harness these international trade opportunities.
In outlining a road map for the Territory’s economic future the Territory 2030 strategic plan notes:
- Real and sustained growth will come from creating a culture of entrepreneurship. We need to unlock the full potential of our position as a bridge with Asia.
I continue to quote that as it is the essence of great business practice from the Northern Territory government.
This government knows if we are to see an increase in local business winning work from international companies we must support Territory business to grow their operations on home turf. More than $3bn worth of cargo is moved through East Arm Wharf annually, which equates to 500 industries and thousands of jobs. A range of industries use the port to access markets overseas.
The oil and gas industry bringing vessels in for repairs and maintenance is always an impressive sight and a wonderful opportunity. I remind the Chief Minister of a dream we share of having Barkly kids working with the best boilermakers in the world in Darwin, returning home to their communities in regional and remote Australia on their shift breaks and spreading the word there are opportunities to be had - it is about growing our own.
A world-class marine supply base is a key part of the master plan and will harmonise businesses at East Arm Wharf, playing a vital role in the economic development of the Territory and building on the significant assets which are so important to the Territory’s economic future. The supply base will have dedicated marine berths and support facilities for offshore oil and gas developments in the Arafura and Timor Seas and the Browse Basin. The development of a world-class marine supply base and the transfer of existing offshore business to the new facility will generate additional berth space at East Arm Wharf for other key Northern Territory export and import industries such as livestock, bulk minerals, containers, and the expected growth in project cargos, which is welcomed.
The proposed marine supply base facility, supported by the existing facilities at East Arm Wharf, will sustain the varying business needs and cargoes as the offshore primes go through their exploration, construction and production phases. This will have a flow-on effect across our industrial sector. It will create new jobs for engineers, marine surveyors, boilermakers, mechanics, electricians and plumbers. The marine supply base will be a cornerstone in the growth of our port and supporting industries.
The Land Development Corporation is already doing a great job of developing and selling industrial land in the Darwin Business Park at East Arm. The supply base will further stimulate interest in the strategic land, and the corporation is ready to deal with those new customers. This development builds upon the great work the Darwin Port Corporation is already doing to attract new investment into the Territory. Calls for expressions of interest will close next week, and this will be followed by a detailed proposal phase with a short list of bidders.
I welcome this very important announcement and am eager to see its progress to construction in 2012. I have taken the opportunity to visit the Darwin Port Corporation and our East Arm Wharf on a number of occasions. I have taken great interest in this industry of marine supply for our oil and gas. It is a highly efficient, worthwhile and very lucrative industry. It operates with best practice already, and I am certain when we get into the construction phase and deliver a marine supply base in northern Australia, it will be the talk of the country. It will definitely bring more opportunities to the Territory in a new and emerging growth industry, and will provide the much needed opportunities in employment for Territorians, including our Territory youth, spreading the opportunities across the regions.
Madam Speaker, I commend the statement.
Mr VATSKALIS (Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources): Madam Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s statement. I am interested in the comments made by the member for Port Darwin about this government not having any business when we are debating a statement. I cannot see anyone from the other side taking the opportunity to speak about the marine supply base …
Members interjecting.
Mr VATSKALIS: …that would be very encouraging …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: I welcome the significant contribution a marine supply base will make to my Resources portfolio. As outlined by the Chief Minister, our economy is stronger than it has ever been and, as the biggest contributor to the Territory’s economy, the resource sector has played a major role in the strong position we enjoy today.
Mining contributed over 26.5% of the gross state product of the Territory for 2008-09, the highest proportion of all Australian jurisdictions, and employs more than 4000 people. The government is capitalising on the opportunities in front of us. In the five years to 2009-10 the real value of mining production in the Territory is estimated to have grown by 40.3%, driven by strong demand for Territory commodities, particularly from China and Japan. It only takes a look at the map to see we are the centre of the universe; we are closer to some Southeast Asian capitals than to Adelaide, Perth or Sydney. If you look at the possibility of markets, to our south there are about 30 million consumers; to our north - a four hour flight - there are about a billion consumers.
During this time we matched this demand with dedicated China and Japan investment strategies. They say: build it and we will come. We built the investment strategy; we went there, and, boy, have they come - $145m invested in exploration by Chinese companies, a further $45m exploration by Japanese companies, and it is going to get bigger and better because the demand in China is enormous, and I am not talking about mineral resources, I am talking about oil and gas.
Today we live in a world hungry for energy. In the past we have seen energy produced by coal, however, with climatic change and the concerns of all nations about greenhouse emissions and their effect on our climate, people are looking for other sources of energy; anything from clean coal, if there is such a thing, to uranium and gas. Gas is the focus at the moment because there is plenty, it is easy to transport, and building a gas power station is much cheaper than building a uranium power station.
On my last trip to China I was informed the Chinese are building 17 gas terminals on the east coast of China, mainly for the production of power. Recently, I visited Singapore and met with the chairman of an energy production company who wants gas in Singapore from different suppliers so he is not relying on one or two in the region, namely, Indonesia and Malaysia.
I spoke about exploration in the Territory, which has gone gangbusters. We are the only jurisdiction in Australia to have a significant increase in exploration – 1% in 2008. All other states suffered a significant drop over the same period, with total Australian expenditure down 22%, and expenditure in South Australia down 49%. The indications are 2010 will be another record year.
Yesterday, I was listening to the member for Fong Lim who said how bad things were in the mining industry in Australia because of the mineral tax, and how, according to the Fraser Institute in Canada, Australia had been in 10th position but now is in 30th position, near Rwanda. I went to my computer and searched the Fraser Institute and would like to inform the House that Australia is not in 30th position with Rwanda. At the height of the mining tax debate it went from 10th position to 14th position. I bet the next one surveyed by the Fraser Institution will show …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: … Australia has bounced back. That does not apply to the Territory because we have had a profit-based royalties system in the Territory since the CLP days. They were the first to put it in place, and it was a very good policy to attract miners.
We have kept it in place; it continues today and we have had no complaints from mining companies, even when we raised the royalty payments by 2%. I argued with my counterparts in Canberra for open dialogue with the mining industry to discuss and apply the model we have in the Territory.
The exploration boom in the Territory did not happen by chance. Prior to our dedicated China and Japan investment strategy, the Territory lacked on-ground presence in both markets, with little awareness of the Territory’s potential and opportunities. To address this challenge the department has built local partnerships to promote the Territory’s mineral potential. While a broad increase in global demand for new resources is expected, the Territory will face increasing competition from other Australian states and global markets. I saw that for first time when I met the South Australian Minister for Mines in Singapore coming from a conference in China whilst I was heading to a mining conference in China. That was one of the few times ministers from other states travelled to China; obviously they discovered the Territory is there and they better lift their game because the Territory will be the main attraction in Australia.
Our government, especially through ministerial visits in other states, has played a central role in establishing key relationships with major investment program partnerships in China. The member for Goyder knows how difficult these visits are – it is not a junket as people say. Some of the dignitaries accompanying us commented on the hard work. From the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed you are meeting people, greeting people, talking about the Territory, promoting the Territory, attending forums, having PowerPoint presentations in order to sell the Territory for a good price - only for a good price. We want people here under our terms and conditions, our rules and regulations – many do exactly the same. We want to entice them to form partnerships with our local mining companies. We take mining companies to China and introduce them to potential investors, and I am very pleased to say quite a few have successful partnerships with Chinese companies.
We have formed strategic partnerships as a government with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce Metals and Minerals, the CCMC; the China Mining Association, CMA; the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce; and the Hunan government. These partnerships provide access to thousands of companies across China.
The CCMC has over 4000 members in China. My department signed a cooperation agreement with CCMC in late 2007 which has resulted in seven Northern Territory investment seminars running in the intervening period; five in China and two in Alice Springs. The relationship has allowed us to showcase and promote 60 Territory exploration products to the Chinese market. The Annual Geoscience Exploration Seminar held in Alice Springs in late March 2010 had 285 delegates. The CCMC led the delegation with 37 Chinese delegates. This represents a 32% increase in the attendance of Chinese executives.
An AGES Chinese specific seminar and meeting program is conducted to assist Chinese delegates become more familiar with doing business in Australia, and to highlight Territory exploration and investment opportunities. These programs are run by our government, in cooperation with CCMC and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China. The People’s Republic of China is very impressed with what we have done, and following the latest AGES seminar in Alice Springs, Mister Qui of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China wrote to me stating:
- The week long Northern Territory trip gives me a deep impression not only of the splendid and distinct scenery but of the huge potential of cooperation before us. With our joint efforts we can push China and the Northern Territory’s trade and economic relationship to a new era.
It is not only our mineral wealth China is interested in. China is interested in oil and gas opportunities, and they want to participate with some of our exploration companies in joint ventures to exploit oil and gas. In addition, Chinese banks have shown interest in the Territory to finance some of the projects. The China Development Bank, with whom we signed an MOU in 2008, attended the AGES seminar and advised they are prepared to invest in some of the big projects in the Territory. They have a large amount of money and are not afraid to invest it.
The importance of the Territory as a producer and supplier of mineral resources and oil and gas can be highlighted by the visit, in June 2010, to the Territory of the Vice President of the People’s Republic of China Mr Xi Jinping. The Vice President came to the Territory, Melbourne and Canberra and nowhere else. I was advised yesterday that Mr Xi Jinping has been elevated to one of the most significant positions in the Chinese government, and is only the second civilian to be in command of the People’s Republic of China Army - the Red Army - the other is the President, Hu Jintao.
That is very important. Why did he come to the Territory? For the simple reason the Territory has what they have – oil and gas offshore and, potentially, onshore. In order to support this industry we have to have a supply and support base in the Territory because, in the waters north of the Territory, there are significant gas fields - some big enough to warrant pipelines coming onshore and LNG plants, some of them not as big. However, it needs to be done on-site and we may see some floating LNG platforms around the Territory. Some are in the Bonaparte Gulf around the Blacktip area. Some of the smaller gas fields can be exploited by floating LNG platforms. Some are in waters which can be very tricky, like the Abadi, an Indonesian gas field. Indonesia has expressed the wish not to bring it to Australia for liquefaction, instead having it done either on Indonesian soil or floating platform. Because Indonesian islands are quite a distance from that gas field, the only option is the platform.
It is expected in the next 10 years we might see up to seven floating platforms in the shallow and deep sea waters around the Territory. We have to support this industry, and the best way is by establishing a base in the Territory not only to supply services, but also to supply goods; a base not only for repair and maintenance, but a construction base. Some of the modules established in gas fields to exploit and export the gas are constructed overseas, namely Thailand or Vietnam. Questions have been asked about the quality in some of these manufacturing countries; there have been accidents when modules are loaded onto a boat and when they are in open, rough seas, they topple. It happened with Alcan. In most cases, it does not happen.
One thing I aspire to is the oil and gas supply base the Western Australian government has established south of Perth, in Goulburn, which I have visited. Much of the platform module was constructed there and transported north. They have the capability to construct significant modules - we can do the same here. Many of these floating platforms with fly-in/fly-out workers have to have somewhere to helicopter their workers to the platforms and bring them back, and they require goods and services. At this stage, one of the small supply vessels we have here supplies water to gas fields and exploration rigs north of Broome.
Companies like Shorelands in Darwin already provide goods and services to the oil and gas industry. However, because of the volume of gas to be exploited and the number of oil rigs to be constructed and established north of Darwin in the sea, this oil and gas supply base has to be big. It has to be one of the biggest in the country. It is going to be nearly equal to the supply base established in the North-West Shelf in Western Australia.
I recently visited Singapore and met with Thomas Tan, who has a small place in Darwin he wants to expand. He is very keen to provide an expression of interest to the government for a big supply for the oil and gas industry. I also understand Shorelands holds a strategic alliance with a European company which specialises in oil and gas supply bases - one of the biggest in the world. I understand they will also put in an expression of interest. This news is very good for the Territory. What is even better is we are getting the oil and gas supply base established on the ground, on the shores of the Territory, to service not only the oil industry outside Territory waters, also in Commonwealth waters and within Western Australian waters.
It is important because even if we do not get the big LNG plant in Darwin, the oil and gas supply bases will provide employment to hundreds of Territorians. People will be on the ground, on the boats, servicing the industry in and out. Also, the Western Australian companies welcome supply bases in the Territory because at the moment construction and other activities off the North-West Shelf in Western Australia - off Karratha and Port Hedland - are stressed to the limit. They face the same problem we face: they cannot get workers and, when they do, they have to pay significant salaries. In Port Hedland, if you want to lease a house you have to pay $1500 a week. I lived in Port Hedland from early 1990 to 1993, and you could get a really good house then for $200 or $300 a week and that was considered extremely expensive at that time.
In addition, we have projects coming online for the Northern Territory. INPEX is one. Western Australia still cannot accept we took it away from them. On the other hand, industry sources have told me they were quite pleased INPEX came to Darwin because it provided some relief on their workforce and wages, which are expected to go through the roof in Western Australia.
Our government has strongly promoted the Territory as a destination for mineral resources. It is the first government in the Territory’s history to develop a specific strategy focusing on China and Japan to promote the Territory. Our next focus is …
Mr Elferink: Piffle, waffle, balderdash and truck.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Mr VATSKALIS: Professor Elferink gave us some pearls of wisdom - it is usually rubbish.
Madam Deputy Speaker, this is the only government to produce a dedicated strategy. I would like to quote, although I do not have it today, the speech the member for Goyder gave yesterday. I will quote it word for word, because she admitted it was our government, and me personally - thank you very much for the good words - that established the investment attraction strategy. It is significant; we did it; we will continue to do it, and we will continue to attract investment and market the Territory for mineral exploration and mining. We also want to attract investment in the Territory to establish an oil and gas supply base to support the oil and gas industry off Territory waters, Commonwealth waters, and off Western Australian waters.
Mr TOLLNER (Fong Lim): Madam Deputy Speaker, goodness me, I agree with the member for Port Darwin: balderdash, tripe and piffle. What absolute nonsense. The fact we are debating this nonsense represents the victory of delusion over reality. What a bizarre thing when a government, and a Chief Minister, can come into this House and spout this utter nonsense. I was reading through the Chief Minister’s statement which says:
- The Territory economy is stronger, more stable, and more diverse today than it has ever been. Over the last decade, our economy has deepened and strengthened. We have grown this economy in a sustained way.
What has deepened and strengthened is: public service numbers; the amount of crime on our streets; the housing crisis; the lack of land being released onto the market; farmers’ concerns about access to water and clear land for production; the Ord River Stage 2 seeing the light of day; child protection and child abuse in the Territory, and a whole raft of new taxes this moribund, mendicant government keeps introducing. These guys are an absolute joke. We are in crisis everywhere. We have a housing crisis, a housing affordability crisis, and a lack of workers. It is just a joke.
This document talks about the money spent on transport infrastructure. The Chief Minister talks about road, rail, port and air infrastructure. Where are the new roads? Not the Tiger Brennan Drive extension - the lion’s share of money was put up by the federal government! Who built the railway line? What government was in power when the railway line was built? What government was in power when the port was built? And air infrastructure, goodness gracious me! The audacity of this man to come into this House and talk about air infrastructure when we see airlines leaving the Northern Territory en masse. In the last 10 years of this moribund, shambolic Labor government hanging around the halls of this House our air infrastructure has turned to custard.
The Chief Minister says:
- Through careful management of industrial land around the port, we have an effective Business Park which has been an outstanding success. The fledgling Defence Park is at the early stage of its development.
The housing crisis we are suffering in the Northern Territory is second only to the industrial land crisis we are suffering. We cannot get industrial land in the Northern Territory. It is a joke, and for the Chief Minister to say they have used careful management making available industrial land is a joke. He talks about the fledgling Defence Park - we have not heard of one customer going into the Defence Park. My idea on the Defence Park is they are creating a big white elephant opposite Robertson Barracks. This statement goes on and on and on.
The Chief Minister says:
- To facilitate and accelerate developments, the Territory government assigns major project status to major developments.
Let us have a think about that statement - major project status sounds really good. Why did Arafura Resources leave the Territory and go to South Australia? South Australia gave them major project status! They could not get it in the Northern Territory so they moved their operations to take ore through South Australia, which very quickly stole that project from the Northern Territory. Major project status!
Another development with major project status was Browns Mine at Batchelor. That was given major project status by the government, however scientists and experts in the field say irrespective of having major project status it is impossible to proceed because of the regulations and requirements NRETAS is putting on the organisation. It has now been permanently mothballed despite the fact it received major project status from this government. This government made it impossible for that mine to go ahead for a range of reasons. It is shameful.
Let us look at gas, another major project. Remember the Greater Sunrise field? There was talk in 2001 that Shell and Woodside, the owners of that field, wanted to develop a floating platform on the Greater Sunrise field. The Chief Minister at the time, Clare Martin, said: ‘No fear are we allowing that resource to be exploited using a floating LNG plant. The development must occur in the Northern Territory’. She was so incensed by the idea of an FLNG plant that she created an organisation called Team NT. I do not know if people on the other side remember Team NT. It was comprised of a range of fantastic Territory business people - people with vision. Bruce Fadelli, Steve Margetic and Dave Malone were the front men for Team NT. Team NT received a fair amount of government funding to promote the fact Darwin should be the development location for Greater Sunrise gas. At that time they were regularly visiting Canberra lobbying the federal Coalition government to force its hand to ensure gas came onshore and there was no floating platform somewhere in the Timor Sea at the Greater Sunrise resource.
What has our dopey Chief Minister been up to since Woodside announced an FLNG plant at Greater Sunrise? He has gone to water – he has welcomed it. That stuns me because Clare Martin went crazy at the thought this great huge resource - somewhere around 8 trillion cubic feet of gas - would be developed offshore. She wanted the construction, the jobs, the processing to come to Darwin, and quite right she was in that sentiment. We now have a Chief Minister prepared to roll over and leave that FLNG plant. Meanwhile, we have the Prime Minister of East Timor, Mr Ramos-Horta, saying: ‘No, we do not want Australians working on this FLNG plant; we want them to be Timorese’.
What will Darwin get from this FLNG plant at the end of the day - very little indeed. There will not be any great gas developments in the Top End from Greater Sunrise. We will not see huge construction jobs going to Territorians, or a range of operational jobs going to Territorians – they will all go to East Timor. Our Chief Minister hides, does not talk about it, and comes into this House with stupid puff pieces saying how well he is doing; we know that is nonsense.
On the subject of Greater Sunrise, I am disappointed the Chief Minister could not recruit people like Steve Margetic, Bruce Fadelli and Dave Malone. They did a fantastic job trying to convince companies, and the federal government, of the merits of bringing gas onshore. They have much knowledge in this area and should be used to convince Woodside, Shell, and the other partners in Greater Sunrise to bring gas onshore to Darwin.
Next to that field is Evans Shoal, a large field in its own right containing around 6 trillion cubic feet of gas, although there is much carbon dioxide in that field. For quite some time that carbon dioxide has precluded that field from exploitation because it is too difficult to deal with. However, technologies change and I am led to believe Evans Shoal presents itself perfectly to supply gas into Darwin to create methanol. Methanol, for the information of members, is created through a chemical process. LNG is created by stripping off the liquids and unwanted gases and fundamentally freezing that gas into a liquid form, putting it on very large and expensive ships in a liquid form- a very cold form - and transporting it overseas. Methanol is a chemical process. The capital costs of the methanol plant are nowhere near that of an LNG plant; however, the ongoing labour costs are much higher. What we are talking about is jobs for Territorians.
I heard nothing from the Chief Minister, our Mines minister, or anyone else from the other side about how we might progress development of the Evans Shoal field, have a methanol plant in Darwin and start producing methanol. Methanol is a very greenhouse-friendly fuel, both in its creation and use. Through the chemical process, carbon dioxide is required to make methanol. Not only could the gas from Evans Shoal be used in the creation of methanol, we may also be able to use the excess carbon dioxide from the ConocoPhillips plant and the proposed INPEX plant. Attracting a methanol producer into Darwin to exploit the Evans Shoal reserve may be well worth pursuing. I am disappointed we have not heard more from the government on this matter. I am aware, at the SEAOCC conference several weeks ago, presentations were made in relation to methanol; however we have not heard anything from this government. I pray they are working behind the scenes to progress that.
Returning to the statement, what absolute utter rot are the Chief Minister’s first words about strengthening and deepening our economy. Goodness me, everywhere we look people are in turmoil. We hear of problems in education. The member for Brennan, in Question Time today, asked the Education minister about numbers of people not enrolled in school. Evidently there are 7000 throughout the Northern Territory. This problem has to be looked at in reality.
There are problems protecting children and their wellbeing. This report says things have worsened since the problems were first identified in the Little Children are Sacred report - a report former Chief Minister, Clare Martin, tried to sweep under the carpet, tried to hide from the public. It was probably the blackest day and the blackest episode in the Territory’s history. It was appalling the way the then Chief Minister, Clare Martin, tried to hide the report from public view. The federal Indigenous Affairs minister at the time, Mal Brough, had to source it from the Internet because the Chief Minister could not be bothered furnishing him with a copy. He received it after stories hit the media - things were that bad. Hopefully, this government will learn from that and gone will be the days of trying to hide such damning reports from public view.
Crime is out of control. Whilst at the Masters Games in Alice Springs I saw cars vandalised with smashed windows, etcetera. People visit my office saying they spent their whole life pining to go Alice Springs, went once, and were scared to walk down the mall. In my own electorate, antisocial behaviour in Territory Housing properties is beyond a joke. The fact this government refuses to release water in the Katherine/Mataranka/Daly River areas - a seven or eight year moratorium on land clearing in the Daly - could not pull out a weed along the Daly. How does that help farmers? How does that help anyone? It does nothing for the environment and nothing for economic production.
What is happening with the Ord River Stage 2? Western Australia is trying to develop the Ord; however, they need the economies of scale for the Ord to work at maximum benefit to all. It requires Ord Stage 2, which requires action from this government on the Territory side of the border, and this government has done nothing about it. We saw, at the Araluen by-election, how government is prepared to treat uranium explorers. To have to listen to this tripe the Chief Minister trots out is definitely wrong.
This is a victory of delusion over reality, and it will be seen as such by any sensible person in our community.
Mr KNIGHT (Business and Employment): Dave, I want to give you a hug. You are an extremely lonely, upset and angry man. 28 October is national ‘Give Dave a Hug Day’, and I want to get in early. You are a very sad man. You are the only member of the opposition backbench of the smallest parliament in the nation. You are the loneliest man in politics in Australia. I feel for you, member for Fong Lim. You are extremely upset; you have been abandoned. Your colleagues went to water around you. You are a very talented politician and it is sad your colleagues - you should call them old jelly-back ...
Mr BOHLIN: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! There has to be some point of relevance to this. I would like to get the member close to the statement at hand, because …
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Your point of order is?
Mr BOHLIN: Relevance.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Minister, if you could please direct your remarks to the statement. I do not believe you have a problem at the moment, but if you could bring it into the statement it would be much appreciated.
Mr KNIGHT: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I am leveraging off the statement from the loneliest politician in the country. He did not mention ‘marine supply base’ once in his contribution. It was the most wide-ranging statement I have ever heard. I do not know what crime in Alice Springs has to do with a marine supply base in Darwin. He is an extremely upset man - you have many jelly-backs over there. They went to water; they did not back you up. They should have …
Mr BOHLIN: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! Relevance. If he is not going to get on with it, get him to sit down, please.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Minister, if you could please direct your comments to the statement. The member for Fong Lim did roam widely, and obviously there is some …
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! I did not. I quoted directly from the Chief Minister’s statement.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Fong Lim, sit down. You are on warning, member for Fong Lim. The minister has the call.
Mr KNIGHT: I believe he took a packed lunch and dinner on that roving expedition around the countryside about a marine supply base in Alice Springs.
I am delighted to support the Chief Minister’s announcement in support of a marine supply base. The Chief Minister was correct in saying a marine supply base is needed in the Northern Territory, and its timing in relation to the strength of the Northern Territory economy is not surprising. The move to establish a marine supply base in Darwin is timely and essential, with many companies operating in our oil and gas industry, choosing Darwin as the place for a service and supply hub.
As this government continues to encourage and support companies involved in the oil and gas industry to the Northern Territory, a growing need for a separate facility at the East Arm Port area to meet the current and future requirements of an expanding oil and gas industry in the Northern Territory has been delivered by this government. The marine supply base will provide dedicated infrastructure with fast turnaround times for the service and supply needs of the offshore oil and gas industry. The government is working to address the needs of the oil and gas industry.
Mr GILES: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! I draw your attention to the state of the House. It is a very important speech by …
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: We are lacking a quorum. Ring the bells. A quorum is present. Minister, you have the call.
Mr KNIGHT: Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker. The government is working to address the needs of the oil and gas industry with the market and the opportunity for the marine supply base to develop. The action is needed now to secure business opportunities and economic value for the Northern Territory. We have the economic platform, the projects, and the prospects for the development to see the Northern Territory into a more prosperous future.
As the Chief Minister highlighted, our economy is strong. We must continue to provide a strong platform for future economic growth. As mentioned earlier, it is not an accident, nor is it a surprise that the Northern Territory is performing strongly, as evidenced by our strong economic data. The value of our economy measured by our growth state product in 2008-09 was $16.3bn, up from $15.9bn in the previous financial year. This is an increase of 2.6% and is the highest of all Australian jurisdictions, further highlighting the strength of the Northern Territory economy. Economic growth is expected to moderate in 2009-10, with strong continuing growth forecast in the 2010-11 financial year at 3.6%.
The Northern Territory currently enjoys the highest growth state product per capita at more than $73 500 for every Territory man, woman and child. Our offshore oil and gas sector amounts to a full 20% of our economy, already more than the $3.2bn, and our current major offshore projects and prospects will drive further strong growth and opportunities.
In the context of the Northern Territory’s low unemployment - currently the second lowest of all Australian jurisdictions - our Territory workers in the offshore oil and gas industry are among the most productive in the local economy. Workers in the mining, oil and gas industries can contribute around $900 per person to the growth state product. This compares with an average contribution of around $130 per person for the whole of the Northern Territory working population.
The Northern Territory’s business sector remains confident and is looking to capitalise on the opportunities presented. In August this year, the Sensis Business Index showed the Northern Territory is experiencing the nation’s strongest trading conditions. Northern Territory small to medium firms have the nation’s strongest sales, employment, wages, profitability and capital expenditure plans, highlighting the underlying strength of the Northern Territory economy for the business community. Figures show Northern Territory businesses have an overall confidence factor of 56% compared to 37% nationally. This was the highest level of business confidence in the country, followed by Victoria at 54%.
Regional businesses in the Northern Territory have even higher confidence, with 59% of businesses outside Darwin showing confidence compared to a national regional figure of 37%. Reasons for confidence include forward orders and contracts, and the knowledge there is plenty of work. Sensis noted small business support for the Northern Territory government is also soaring. I repeat: Sensis indicated support for the Northern Territory government is soaring, recording Australia’s largest increase in overall rating for any government in Australia.
It is not the time to rest on our laurels; we need to build on this platform and lock in benefits from these emerging opportunities and the infrastructure, business investment and supply and service capacity already in place. This will provide further security to the Northern Territory’s long-term economic viability and growth.
To support the continued development of the offshore oil and gas sector and the onshore processing and supply and service business opportunities, we have already put in place infrastructure and assets to underpin growth. This infrastructure has been undertaken by the government as an investment in the Territory’s future. These are assets we need for future expansion and to enable development opportunities to continue in this hub.
Infrastructure and assets such as the railway, port, the business park, the common user area, the developing Defence Support Hub and related industry support infrastructure including roads, power, water and waste water facilities and service. The common user area is a 30 ha site located in close proximity to the East Arm Wharf. The area is for use by business to engage in various economic activities to further enhance business opportunities through the East Arm Port and its facilities. Integrating with and complementing the existing common user area, which was developed following strong Territory business interest, will also be an important consideration in the development.
My Department of Business and Employment, continues to provide important and valuable services for Territory businesses. We have strong business support programs to further develop and provide opportunities to businesses in the Northern Territory. We are working to attract investment. InvestNT came online in April 2010, and while it is too early to gauge the success of this vehicle of investment attraction, the early signs are promising. We promote and market the Northern Territory, and our products and services, through the Asian Relations and Trade portfolio, and promotional activities throughout our international region.
We are actively working to enhance employment and training through our Jobs NT and trades training development. I am pleased to note the establishment of the Larrakia Trade Training Centre funded by INPEX, which could be an important facility for Indigenous skills training. Through Jobs NT, this government is investing more than $300m towards building, developing and retaining a highly skilled local workforce.
We are working with the Department of the Chief Minister to support and facilitate major project development such as the marine supply base and, of course, INPEX. These major projects go hand in hand. With the establishment of the marine supply base, major projects such as INPEX will have access to a range of Northern Territory businesses ready to provide whatever is necessary.
Strengthening local business is a high priority for my department. We are working to attract, develop and strengthen the supply and service to businesses through targeted business growth and support programs. My department continues to provide a wide range of services and programs aimed at providing business with the skills to improve the prosperity of the Northern Territory business community. You will be aware we are in the middle of October Business Month, and the feedback has been very positive at all events I have attended. Business people appreciate the opportunity to access high-calibre speakers and professional development opportunities such as those available during October.
The marine supply base is aimed at building on these foundations, and providing the next level of infrastructure, supply and service requirements for the offshore oil and gas sector, and also growing it. These requirements are being driven by the major projects and prospects for the Northern Territory. It is, however, important for the House to appreciate the scale and value of these projects and their potential to further enhance the Northern Territory economy.
I intend to provide only a few highlights, more details are available in the Marine Supply Base Expression of Interest documentation. Projects include: the ENI Blacktip gas, some 0.8 megatonnes (MT) per annum at a cost of $623m; Bayu-Undan gas, 3.5 MT per annum, $3.5bn; Laminaria Corallina oil field, 18 million barrels per annum, $1.37bn; and Jabiru Challis oil field, 1.5 million barrels per annum, project costs are being determined. The advance prospects are just as astonishing: the oilfield of Kitan, 14.5 million barrels - and that is an estimated project cost USD - which I guess is Australian now – of $US1.1bn; the INPEX field, 8.4 MT per annum - at the moment that is a $20bn project; Prelude gas field, 4 MT per annum which is a more than $US8bn project; Greater Sunrise gas, 4 MT per annum which is an $8bn project; and Bonaparte gas, 4 MT, with costs still being determined.
Other fields that may in the future be served through the Darwin-based marine supply base include: Abadi, in Indonesian waters but very close to Australia; Argus; Brecknock; Calliance; Cash-Maple; Chuditch; Crux; Evans Shoal; Heron/Blackwood; Prometheus/Rubicon; Puffin; and Torosa.
Through the stimulus and supply of a fully functional marine supply base in Darwin, further offshore exploration and discovery is expected to be accelerated ...
Mr GILES: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! I draw your attention to the state of the House.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ring the bells. We have a quorum.
Mr KNIGHT: Through the stimulus and support of a fully functional marine supply base in Darwin, further offshore exploration and discovery is expected to be accelerated. The marine supply base will complement the current and future planned facilities at the port and East Arm. The marine supply base is being developed to integrate with businesses already investing in and supplying support and services to the offshore sector and related onshore developments to create the conditions for further growth and investment. The marine supply base will provide …
Mr GILES: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! I draw your attention to the state of the House.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ring the bells. We have a quorum. Minister, you have the call.
Mr KNIGHT: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, we are planning for the future of this sector. The marine supply base will feed quite significantly into that. We will require a local industry participation plan, as we have with INPEX. The INPEX plan sets a blueprint of a way we can ensure the manufacturing industry is front and centre for this area.
I will take up several points from the member for Fong Lim. He spoke about the Compass mine at Batchelor and suggested they should not have any guidelines for the environmental management and development of the mine. I will be glad to give the CLP position to locals on the Litchfield Park Road who are quite concerned about that. They wanted to go through the process. The guidelines provide some areas the mine has to consider, and I will be delighted to send that to them. For your information …
Mr GILES: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! I draw your attention to the state of the House.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ring the bells. There is quorum present. Minister, you have the call.
Mr KNIGHT: Correcting the member for Fong Lim, it has not been mothballed. Mine management advises it is a temporary closure. You asserted it is a permanent closure, which is incorrect. You talked about Dave Malone. Well, Dave Malone works for the government. You need to be aware of that. I know it is a very lonely world on the smallest backbench of the smallest parliament in Australia.
I want to be the first one to give you a hug on Give Dave a Hug Day. It will be a very special day. Being knifed in the back by the Leader of the Opposition was a very ugly thing – you are a much more capable politician than he will ever be. He is a bit of a parasite, our Leader of the Opposition. He puts out this sheen of honesty …
Mr Giles interjecting.
Mr KNIGHT: I am trying to support you here, member for Braitling. I know you are a supporter of the member for Fong Lim. Maybe, if you are lucky, we can have a …
Mr Giles: I know you have Chief Minister aspirations, member for Daly.
Mr KNIGHT: We could have Give Adam a Hug Day. Adam needs a good hug now and again.
Members interjecting.
Mr KNIGHT: Kon is offering to give Adam a hug - he gets a little frustrated here. First it has to be Give a Dave a Hug Day, because he is very angry. His contribution had nothing to do with the economic future of the Northern Territory, through this marine supply base, which will set up the manufacturing industry in the Top End for decades to come. I congratulate the Chief Minister for bringing this statement to the House.
Mr STYLES (Sanderson): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, it feels like dj vu. I spoke in relation to the ministerial statement on Growing International Trade, and when one looks through it, taking advantage of our gas industry and marine supply base, much of the statement made earlier today is appropriate to this statement also. Any initiative the government takes in any direction to increase business in the Northern Territory is to be applauded. This marine supply base, provided they get it right, will add to the value of the Northern Territory in many different ways.
First, you have to acknowledge there are many people working very hard on a daily basis to make this a reality. It is unfortunate those hard-working people are faced with many challenges on the road to making this a reality and, in fact, on the road to making the Northern Territory, especially the gas and other industries, a very prosperous reality in a short time.
To attract people to anywhere in the world a number of things are needed. In fact, there are three pillars of any community you need to have in place before you can build anything else: health, education, and law and order. If you get those things right other things will follow with little effort. However, if you do not get them right you may not even get off the ground. The first thing is health. It is interesting talking to boards and executives of companies who come into the Northern Territory, want to come to the Northern Territory, or are looking at the Northern Territory.
A number of things are needed if they are going to locate staff here because staff have families who all need services. Let us look at the health services. You need good ambulance services if people are injured, or kids are injured, the parent responsible for the young children knows they can get them to hospital and quickly. It is not a secret that the ambulance services, particularly in Darwin where this marine base will be located - the member for Daly said someone wanted one in Alice Springs, which is not appropriate. Perhaps he needs to look at a map and see Alice Springs is not that close to the ocean. However, this is a Darwin and Top End situation. Looking at health services, we know we have some very hard-working people in the ambulance service. We have excellent people working in the health system; however, we need to ensure those services are world-class.
I suggest some of these services, through the inability of government to provide something for everyone, have issues which are raised quietly by people who are going to bring executives, workers and more staff to the Northern Territory.
Look at where people will be living at Palmerston and the GP clinic. One hopes that will continue although it has been opened and closed before by successive Labor governments. Palmerston is losing GPs because of the super clinic - they are closing down. I hope the Palmerston super clinic remains open because if it closes, not only do you lose that, you have lost local GPs who have moved out of the area.
Let us move to education. Any parent or anyone charged with the responsibility of raising children understands education is such an important factor in the personal development of children. We have to have programs; we have to have well-resourced schools, and infrastructure to support the increased numbers of people coming here.
If people are to move to the Territory we need housing. We are in the greatest housing crisis ever and we want to increase our numbers substantially in a very short period of time. The sad thing is the land release and housing crisis will not disappear overnight - we will still be faced with shortages.
In education we are suffering from the NAPLAN results. I acknowledge we face challenges in the Territory that others interstate do not, or to a lesser degree. We must ensure we have the ability to grow, and with that comes land release.
I would like to touch on law and order. When attracting families to the Northern Territory, particularly Darwin, you want to ensure they feel safe. As I go doorknocking, as I go to the shops on Saturday morning, many people talk to me about law and order issues and their lack of willingness to go out after dark or at dusk; to go for a walk in the park; to take their kids to the park, or take the dog for a run. Women will not go jogging at dusk or in the early hours of the morning, and certainly not alone. They may go with partners or in a group; you cannot go on your own. That is what people are telling me.
Everyone wants a night out, however we have issues in Mitchell Street. We have people who feel they can do whatever they like. In fact, recently, we had people punching police officers, injuring them and knocking them out. The community feels there is not a great deal of deterrent for that behaviour.
These things are advertised on websites, they go into daily newspapers, onto travel sites and people discuss them on blogs. It goes around the world and anyone thinking of moving to Darwin has access to most of this. You can go online, read newspapers and see what has been reported in our daily newspaper from anywhere in the world. If you are an oil and gas worker wanting to work at the marine supply base, these are the issues you will look at
At the recent conference at the Convention Centre, I discussed the oil and gas industry with many people who advised me the things they needed in place before their staff would come here revolve around health, education, law and order, airlines - a subject I will go into in a moment - and port facilities - facilities that get things in and out of Darwin very quickly – airfreight facilities. When we are setting up a marine supply base, these are the issues to address. The government and Chief Minister are very encouraging in the report - all is wonderful.
However, it is like a pond with ducks swimming around quietly. It all looks good on the surface, but the feet are waggling underneath at a great rate of knots; there are sharks, everything is happening and it is a mess underneath. I liken it to some of the issues in our community.
People in health and education, law and order, the airline industry, the port industry are all working extremely hard. I have known some of those people for many years; they are good people who put much effort into what they do. However, leadership starts at the top. Government and ministers have to be responsible for their departments and ensure our community functions in a way acceptable to all members.
We have many people who are not very happy with issues I am discussing at the moment, be it health, education, law and order, airlines, port facilities, etcetera.
I would like to reiterate some of the comments I made earlier today in relation to losing airlines. We have lost full service airlines because of cut-price airlines coming into the Northern Territory - that is a good thing. Many Territorians have benefited from cheaper airfares, and if you do not want a full service provider and are quite happy with low-cost carriers, that is great. I have used low-cost carriers myself from time to time. However, when you are trying to attract people from all over the world it becomes a difficult situation.
Information given to me suggests there is a world shortage of people with expertise and skills in the marine supply industry. The industry encompasses many different vocations; however, there is a world shortage. To attract workers we have to ensure Darwin is an attractive place to live and raise a family. If not, we will turn Darwin, a capital city, into a fly-in/fly-out city. Companies will not move children and spouses of executives and workers into a town if they do not feel safe, if they do not feel health services will cater for their needs in a timely manner, and education services are not up to scratch.
We are not denigrating any of these services; we are looking at the perception of people reading what is reported in newspapers, on websites and on blogs. If we do not reassure these skilled workers coming from all over the world, we will be a fly-in/fly-out situation. What sort of impact does that have on the fabric of our community? It affects our schools and health services. We have services funded on population, and if we look at the fly-in/fly-out, we will not have young people here. When looking at economies of scale, we are losing the building of our community.
After looking at health, education, and law and order, you need to get here. That is the airline business; we have spoken about that. When you arrive you have to have somewhere to live - a house. Most people would like to live in a house with a yard and a park somewhere close by where children can play. You want to go to the park, even at dusk, and feel you, your kids and your dog are going to be safe. Where are we going to house these people? I cannot think of the page in the report, however many people will be working at the supply base. We will have many people in the oil and gas industry. The many high-rise units have eased the pressure on accommodating the good citizens of the Northern Territory, visitors and part-time workers. However, we need land.
The member for Barkly said earlier the government had sold 200 lots off the plan, had done this and done that. We still have a housing crisis. What is going on here? We have crises everywhere and reported in the paper daily. We have a housing crisis, a law and order crisis with people lying around the streets drunk all the time. Our efforts do not appear to be working. We have a crisis in Corrections - our gaol is full. Don Dale Juvenile Detention Centre is full. We have a childcare crisis. It goes on and on.
We have former magistrates calling for the Northern Territory to be stripped of its power to deal with issues. What is going to happen next? As a result of government inaction and systemic policy failure, are we going to lose housing? Are we going to lose law and order? Are we going to lose Corrections? Once the rot sets in and people see you lose one they will demand better services. If the government cannot lead and provide services I fear we will all be in trouble and lose the ability to govern ourselves. That impacts on our ability to gain statehood.
Page 2 of the Chief Minister’s statement says:
We have grown … in a sustained way.
Interesting that we are in crisis in so many different areas! I would not call that sustained. The very next paragraph says:
- I am confident, over the next decade, this growth and development will be sustained.
I hope it is sustained in a better manner than it is currently. The report says since 2001 $7.7bn has been spent on infrastructure across the Territory. I do not know what we have for that.
The Housing minister said earlier the former CLP government went overseas and had a few jollies around the place, cups of tea, and did not achieve much. Listening to the current government, the former CLP government did nothing. In fact, the lights were off and no one was here ...
Mr Elferink: It was a wasteland!
Mr STYLES: Absolutely. I remind those opposite of achievements of the former government: self-government - that was a good thing. Yes, that was an excellent result. The gas pipeline for power; we kicked off Yulara.
Mr Elferink: The construction of schools in the bush.
Mr STYLES: At least one school in the bush per year; Kings Canyon; Katherine Gorge Visitors Centre; Gregory National Park; Keep River; Charles Darwin; Northern Territory Museum; Arafura Games; Masters Games; Marrara Sporting Complex, all on a budget of about $1.2bn.
Channel Island Power Station; State Square - the building we stand in; Territory Wildlife Park; Alice Springs Desert Park; major highway development; pastoral roads; recreational fishing; art centres; performing art centres; the Northern Territory University, now Charles Darwin University; tourism development; East Arm Port; agricultural and horticultural development; Windows on the Wetland Museum; Stokes Hill Wharf tourism precinct; Alice Springs Convention Centre; gas development, and a little thing called the Alice Springs to Darwin Railway. The list goes on and on. There is a list of achievements from the Country Liberals being in government.
A member: What have this mob done; have they built anything? Maybe a road?
Mr STYLES: How many schools and how many roads? I can see money being spent.
The statement says the government has placed emphasis on trade and export. Going back to 2001 when the Labor government came to office, it closed all the offices throughout Southeast Asia and around BIMP-EAGA the Country Liberals had in place.
There is an old saying that the south of Australia does not need anything from us, they have everything; our future is to the north. The only thing the south needs from us is the early mangoes. We need to go north. I understand about 16 weeks before the first train arrived from Alice Springs, having closed all the …
Mr CHANDLER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I move that the member for Sanderson be given additional time pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr STYLES: Madam Deputy Speaker, and to my colleagues, thank you very much, I really appreciate that.
In 2003, 16 weeks before the train arrived, the then Trade minister, the current Chief Minister boarded a plane - you could go on a full-service aeroplane in those days - to Southeast Asia and China seeking containers for the train. We did not have any staff on the ground in Southeast Asia - they had removed them all.
I go back to the statement on Growing International Trade. It talks about the importance of face-to-face contact with people and relationships. You have a statement which talks about the importance of relationships and having people in place and developing trade, yet the current government sacked everyone in Southeast Asia - did not want any face-to-face contact - and 16 weeks before the train was due it needed containers. Unfortunately, we did not do that well; we sent many empty containers from Darwin to Adelaide to make the train look full.
The statement talks about providing services for people to do business. Arafura Resources came here and were quite keen to …
Ms Purick: Good company.
Mr STYLES: Yes, good company, good record.
A member: Encouraged to come here.
Mr STYLES: Yes. They found it is a little hard to do business in the Northern Territory; they took their business to South Australia. What a blow, because they would be helping this marine supply base, and the people headquartered in the marine supply base. If we want to grow the marine supply base, we need people who will bring in stuff we are going to use.
There are a number of other things in the statement, and it is interesting to listen to people on the government benches talk about what was and what used to be. This afternoon there was a snipe about Asian Relations and Trade being no more than a travel agency. I quote from page 4 of this document:
- The strategy encourages a lot of things. Its aims …
It has a number of aims. Halfway down the page it says:
- We have a dedicated investment team to assist Chinese companies to -
- 1. Customise a visit program to the Northern Territory.
Well, if that is not a travel agency. It says:
- Meet with potential business partners, government agencies and key stakeholders.
I do not have a problem with that. Perhaps the government understands now if you are going to do business much is done over meals, especially when dealing with Chinese people. It is a cultural thing, and if we do not do it people may choose not to deal with us. I do not have a problem with it; however it is interesting when the government has a snipe at the Country Liberals for doing the cultural thing protocol tells you to do. I see they are encouraging those things to happen. Further on that page it says:
The success of this strategy has been strong. Over $140m in publicly announced deals …
Over 120 visits by Chinese companies since 2007 ...
This is the next big project for our economy. Securing INPEX will be huge in itself with the capital spend and the jobs and the ongoing multipliers the project will have. However, the icing on the cake is to develop the Port of Darwin as the service and supply base for the oil and gas sector for the region, taking business out of Perth and Singapore, consolidating that business in Darwin and supporting this industry from Darwin. It is bold, it is visionary, and the expressions of interest we have in the marketplace for a joint venture, or a PPP arrangement, close next week. I have been advised a number of very exciting bids have come in. There has been international interest in this project as well as strong, Australian and local interest.
People have confidence, and it is very exciting to see - exciting times ahead. I did not hear all the debate, however, it has ranged fairly widely. The opposition has made comments, some supportive, some derisive, some that had nothing to do with this project at all; that may be as it may be. The reality is we are in the marketplace with an expression of interest document which closes next week. We are looking to short-list those expressions of interest by the end of the year and formally go out to bid before Christmas with a short-listed group of proponents.
So, exciting times ahead and not only great for our business sector and business community, also a real opportunity to build capacity in an institution I am very proud of as Chief Minister and am enormously supportive of - our university - to use the economic growth we have at the moment to support capacity building and expansion of course offerings and an increase in overseas students coming to our university. This is all going to come on the back of economic growth, diversifying our economic base and being supportive of our university. I thank honourable members for their contributions.
I came back to the Chamber to hear the tail end of the member for Sanderson’s contribution, much of which had nothing to do with a marine supply base. I am becoming tired of the doom and gloom from the member for Sanderson. I do not know what happy pills he has to take, but jeepers creepers, if there is ever a doom and gloom merchant in this parliament it is the member for Sanderson. I rarely see him with a smile on his face; I do not know what needs to happen for him to jolly up. Everywhere he goes he has the weight of the world on his shoulders; a big black cloud is hanging over his head and the Territory is a terrible place - it is awful. There is no hope for my children. I would like to read the Hansard - if things continue what hope is there for our children and what hope is there for small business in the Territory? The burdens are so crushing. This is such a terrible place; I cannot walk down the streets at night; I cannot take the dog for a walk.
My goodness! Where do you live, member for Sanderson? Where do you live? It is not the Darwin I live in. It is not the people I know in Darwin. It is not the people who have grown their businesses and are excited about opportunities in the Northern Territory. It is about people who are excited for their families in the Northern Territory, and seeing a wonderful Territory for their children to grow up in. It is about people who promote the Territory for all the great things happening here. No, the member for Sanderson has this black cloud over his head. Jeepers, creepers, lighten up! The world I live in is not such a terrible place.
Yes, we have our problems. Every community, every society, has problems. However, if you really get into a funk and see everything through a glass half-empty - the glass half-empty member for Sanderson is all doom and gloom. Well, heaven help! I would not like to walk in your shoes, member for Sanderson; I would never have a smile on my face. I must admit, by and large, I am a pretty happy-go-lucky sort of a bloke.
Having said that, I see the Territory going ahead in leaps and bounds. Most people I know, or meet as Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, are excited about the future of the Northern Territory. Business people are excited about the future of the Northern Territory.
I had lunch with my colleague, the minister for Business, and we were walking back through the mall. The minister for Business said: ‘Come and meet this guy who has just opened up a new hamburger place in the Victoria Arcade’. Rob had met him recently; we went in and shook hands. Here is someone who has come from Melbourne to start a new business and is full of enthusiasm. Business is going really well; he wished he had made the move years ago. The wife and kids are happy, and he is looking at opening two more businesses.
These are the people I meet in the Northern Territory - excited people who bring their families here and say it is so much better in Darwin than Melbourne: ‘Melbourne was really starting to get us down; the kids can grow up free here. They can run around. There are great facilities. The schools are good’. Maybe the member for Sanderson should meet this guy. Go and say g’day to him and ask him how he finds Darwin. You will not get doom and gloom; it is not safe to walk down the streets, you cannot take the dogs for a walk, the missus cannot go for a jog. This is someone I met this lunchtime who said he wished he had made the move years ago.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I am really pleased to say the government’s planning for a marine supply base is on track. It is another example of our determination to expand our economy, provide opportunities for Territorians and Territory business people, jobs for Territorians, and an expansion of our university - looking forward to the future as opposed to the CLP looking to the past wishing things were the way they were 20 years ago.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
TABLED PAPER
Standing Orders Committee – Fifth Report to the Eleventh Assembly
Standing Orders Committee – Fifth Report to the Eleventh Assembly
Dr BURNS (Leader of Government Business): Madam Deputy Speaker, I table the Standing Orders Committee Fifth Report to the Eleventh Assembly, including the Report to the Assembly on the Reference to the Committee dated 18 August 2010 relating to Estimates Committee Process for 2011, Report on Right of Reply, Amendment to Notice Paper and Standing Order 90 - Routine, and Amendment to Standing Order 118 - Replies.
MOTION
Adopt Report – Standing Orders Committee - Fifth Report to the Eleventh Assembly
Dr BURNS (Leader of Government Business): Madam Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly adopt the recommendations.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Note Paper – Standing Orders Committee - Fifth Report to the Eleventh Assembly
Note Paper – Standing Orders Committee - Fifth Report to the Eleventh Assembly
Dr BURNS (Leader of Government Business): Madam Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the report, and that I have leave to continue my remarks at a later date.
Leave granted.
Debate adjourned.
MATTER OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
Department of Health – Alleged Unlawful Detention of Voluntary Patients
Department of Health – Alleged Unlawful Detention of Voluntary Patients
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Honourable members, the Speaker has received the following letter from the member for Port Darwin.
- Dear Madam Speaker
I seek to raise an issue of definite public importance today regarding the continued use of unlawful detention by the Northern Territory Health department against citizens of the Northern Territory.
Yours truly,
John Elferink,
Member for Port Darwin.
Is the proposed discussion supported? It is supported. I call on the member for Port Darwin.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their support. I spoke in the adjournment debate last night about this issue. To remind members, my concerns deal with pages 15 through to 18 of the annual report of the Community Visitor Program. The letter of transmission is signed by Eddie Cubillo on 24 September 2010.
What concerned me was what was written in the report itself. It refers to section 29. At the beginning of the entry it says:
(1) Subject to section 30, a person admitted as a voluntary patient may leave the facility at any time.
I will return to section 30 shortly.
(2) A person must be informed of his or her right to leave the approved treatment facility on being admitted as a voluntary patient.
- Approved Procedure Five states that:
- … If there is a concern in advance the patient is unwell enough to meet criteria for involuntary admission, the APP …
the Approved Psychiatric Practitioner:
- … must make the appropriate order.
If the APP is concerned a person who presents, even as a voluntary patient, is not well enough to meet the criteria for involuntary admission, the practitioner must make the appropriate order for involuntary transmission.
There are several references to patients: Jock, Michael and Jessica. The conclusion of Mr Cubillo and the Community Visitor Program is, and I quote from page 18:
- While understanding the need for a comprehensive risk management system, the system must be framed within the confines of the legislation designed to regulate the admission of people to psychiatric inpatient units. The cases outlined above demonstrate that this is not the case.
That is a very important line; I will return to that shortly.
- The manager TEMHS …
the Top End Mental Health Services:
- … in response to reports from the CVP …
the Community Visitor Program:
- … suggests that the CVP manager meet regularly with APPs from TEMHS in an attempt to discuss and resolve these issues as they arise.
Last night I said: ‘No, much more has to be done. The law has to be obeyed’.
Now, some time has passed. I have read section 30 of the act and it does nothing to allay my concerns. Last night, I couched my comments around the unlawful detention of people who appear on a voluntary basis. I mentioned at the outset I would be talking in regard to section 30(1) of the Mental Health and Related Services Act, which says:
- A medical practitioner or the senior registered nurse on duty at an approved treatment facility may detain a person admitted as a voluntary patient for up to 6 hours if he or she believes, due to the condition of the person deteriorating since his or her admission or from information obtained, that the person may fulfil the criteria for admission as an involuntary patient.
What has to occur in the practitioner’s mind is, within six hours of the voluntary patient arriving, the APP or a registered nurse believe, due to the condition of the person deteriorating - there has to be a deterioration from the time the person enters the institution to the time the practitioner sees the patient or becomes aware of the deterioration from information obtained - the person may fulfil the criteria of admission as an involuntary patient.
Section 30 is only invoked if that person deteriorates in such a way to match the criteria for admission as an involuntary patient. The term for admission as an involuntary patient when I was a copper – I believe it has not changed - is being ‘sectioned’. A section of the act would enable that to occur and you were ‘sectioned’ if you were subject to an involuntary admission.
Notwithstanding the six-hour time limit available under that tight criterion - the person must be unwell enough to require potential sectioning - Eddie Cubillo says in his report:
- Essentially, the policy is that all consumers are not permitted leave in the first 24 hours after admission, despite the requirement that a person admitted voluntarily must be informed of the right to leave the facility at any time. After the first 24 hours, risks are assessed daily by staff, at the very least, during handover. On the basis of this risk assessment, the consumer is either able to leave the ward alone, granted leave with conditions, or is unable to leave the ward.
There is a vast difference between the section 30 six-hour time limit permitted by a statute passed in this House, and a policy quoted as saying consumers are not permitted to leave within the first 24 hours after admission. It is for this reason, I presume, Mr Cubillo said they are not operating within the confines of the legislation designed to regulate the admission of people to psychiatric and in-patient units, and the cases outlined demonstrate this is not the case.
So, the cases outlined by Mr Cubillo – Jock, Jessica and Michael - would have been kept for longer than the six hours proposed, or kept in circumstances contrary to the criteria outlined in section 30. Consequently, I have yet to change my opinion that there appears to be an allegation by Mr Cubillo that these people are being held in custody outside the permitted parameters of the laws of the Northern Territory. That is my concern.
I understand mental illness is a difficult thing to deal with. I also appreciate mental illness is something almost unsanitary in the public mind - we do not like to talk about it. We live in an age where we do more than ever; however, if you have ever witnessed a person having a psychotic episode, people tend to rear away from it. I, as a legislator, cannot rear away from information which says the Northern Territory government’s policy is outside the law. Moreover, I can see no suggestion in the legislation that the Northern Territory government’s legislative instrument indicates there is a broader power. I could stand corrected on this; I look forward to the minister’s response.
The courts are quite clear on this issue of implied powers in legislation. I listened very carefully to the answer given to my question by the minister today. He suggested the advice received from his department was the actions and policy were lawful. That 24-hour policy, compared to the six hours outlined in the legislation, seems to be a clear and unambiguous contradiction. If the department is relying on some implied power in the legislation, I am curious to know what it is.
I remind honourable members of Chief Justice Brian Martin’s comments in R v Ebatarinja. He said:
- The Legislature is expected to speak plainly when identifying persons who may restrain liberty and to specify the conditions under which the power to restrain may be exercised. The statutory scheme under consideration does not plainly …
That was in relation to the case he was referring to at the time:
- … evince an intention that the Court possesses the power to authorise restraint at the hands of the Chief Executive Officer of the Department or persons employed for that purpose at a residential premises separate from both a prison and an approved treatment facility …
He is saying the legislature must plainly indicate that cherished concept of personal liberty, if it is going to be removed, cannot be drawn from some implied consequence of legislative drafting; it needs to be actively outlined and described.
This concept is well understood. I note the Ombudsman, 18 months ago, made comments about the same issue in her report to this House. She quotes Justice O’Connor from the High Court, and said on the principle of the legislature clearly outlining a restraint on liberty it has to be manifest and clear. That too was stated by Justice O’Connor in the High Court as long ago as 1908 when he said:
- It is in the last degree improbable that a legislature would overthrow fundamental principles, infringe rights, or depart from the general system of law, without expressing its intention with irresistible clearness.
I am curious to hear what the minister has to say on this point, and if there is some intention to draw that power down to hold people for longer than six hours without sectioning them, implied in some other part of the legislation. If it is stated clearly I would like the minister to point it out to me.
It is wrong to hold people in custody without the express authorisation of this House. There is a general presumption of liberty in our community, and it is clear a policy which states 24 hours after admission is inconsistent with section 30 of the legislation, which says a voluntary patient may be held up to six hours when certain criteria exists.
There is no evidence to suggest the criteria demanded by section 30 was applied to Jock, because all he wanted to do was go outside for a cigarette - hardly indicative of a deterioration in psychological condition. It is not stated, but would appear in relation to Jessica, she was being held contrary to section 30, not because of the six-hour time limit, but because there is no suggestion she was deteriorating. She was advised she needed to stay and be reviewed the following day and sectioning was a possibility if she left. In the absence of any suggestion this person was deteriorating there was an enforcement of custody, which occurs when a person is deprived of their liberty. If I say to a person: ‘You are free to leave, but if you try I am going to lock the door on you’, I have deprived that person of their liberty. It is, at very best, a sloppy approach to the practice of restraint to suggest the person was always free to leave when you had told them: if you try, we will section you.
I note a comment on page 17:
- A doctor’s plan on that day stated that she was to be admitted as a voluntary patient and that she was not to have any leave until reviewed by the treating team.
Perhaps that will have fallen within the six-hour time limit, perhaps not. I presume it will not have fallen within the six-hour time limit. This is one of these people who had the 24-hour policy being applied to them because the CVP team say the cases outlined demonstrate this is not the case in relation to them being lawfully kept. One can only conclude from the comment by the CVP team that doctor’s plan had fallen outside the parameters of the Mental Health and Related Services Act.
Consequently, I am curious about the minister’s answer in Question Time today. If he has legal advice as to why the policy to keep people in custody for 24 hours is legitimate, I would like the minister to table that advice in its entirety. If he has legal advice to suggest there is an implied power in the legislation of a right to detain I would like to see that evidence and it be tabled today.
Madam Speaker, I am attempting to deal with this matter in a sober and upright fashion. It is an important issue, as the liberty of Territorians should be an important issue to every member in this House. I am concerned the Territory Health department, which has a prior history of operating with policies outside the law, is continuing the practice. I look forward to the minister’s response.
Mr VATSKALIS (Health): Madam Speaker, the member for Port Darwin has brought up a very serious issue because I also believe the right of the individual to freedom and liberty is paramount. However, in this situation we sometimes deal with individuals who, in some cases, are not in a position to understand their condition. I believe and say that from my own personal family experience. In some cases, their liberty has to be curtailed; it has to be held back involuntarily. Again, we are dealing with people with mental illness. I appreciate the member’s concern about the state of mental health patients.
A person is admitted to a mental health institution or a unit for psychiatric treatment and care. The John Ridley Unit treats our sickest involuntary patients who are at high risk to harm themselves or other. The Cowdy Ward is an acute unit which treats both involuntary and voluntary patients. Due to a number of serious critical incidents, a decision was made in February 2010 to close the unit to provide better monitoring and treatment of patients. A young girl had admitted herself voluntarily and committed suicide, and another person went out for a cigarette, jumped off the balcony and is now a quadriplegic. As a result, a decision was made for the front door of the ward to be locked.
Closure of acute mental health inpatient units is practiced in other jurisdictions, both in Australia and overseas, where it has become an increasingly difficult task to appropriately balance the service’s duty of care and the right of the patient to self-determination. Our mental health services support the fundamental principle of least restrictive care possible, and there has been significant effort in ensuring clients have ready access and egress from acute mental health inpatient units. To admit someone to an acute mental health inpatient facility is purposeful in the immediate and long-term management of the person.
Thorough and comprehensive assessment is a critical phase of good planning and effective management of client care. As a consequence, it is important for this reason as well as patient safety, to identify where patients are located.
Before I respond to the allegation, I would like to highlight the Community Visitor Program report on page 9 stated:
- Panel members spoke to consumers about their experience of the locked ward, finding that on the whole, most consumers did not have a problem with it.
In relation to the concerns about leaving arrangements and rights of people admitted voluntarily to Cowdy Ward, I can advise, as per section 29(2) of the Mental Health and Related Services Act:
- A person must be informed of his or her right to leave the approved treatment facility on being admitted as a voluntary patient.
This has been adhered to. Voluntary admission to the ward requires acceptance of ward policy whilst maintaining the ability to withdraw from treatment at any time.
The current policy on wards is people are informed that, for best treatment outcomes, it is preferred they remain in the ward for the first 48 hours. Patients are assessed daily to monitor their condition. If a patient decides to discontinue treatment and wants to leave the facility, the patient is advised to wait until a doctor has seen them - like any hospital ward. If a patient wants to leave anyway, they are free to leave and are required to sign a Discharged Against Medical Advice Form. I will make it very clear. Voluntary patients can withdraw their consent to be in the ward at any time. If the patient has deteriorated and is understood to be at increased risk, staff may determine they meet the requirements for involuntary admission and other action is taken.
The majority of patients – 78% - admitted to Cowdy Ward are involuntary patients, the rest voluntary. Upon admission, the voluntary patients are provided with a form to fill in. They tick a number of boxes which identify they have been provided with information which has been explained to them, it is signed by them or, in the case of minors or people who cannot understand, by their guardian.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Could he table those documents?
Mr VATSKALIS: Yes, I am happy to table them.
Mr Elferink: Thanks, I appreciate it.
Mr VATSKALIS: Boosting inpatient bed capacity will assist the management of all patients and provide more treatment options. On this front, construction is well under way for an additional five inpatient secure care beds, which are expected to be available in early 2011. In addition, the member would be well aware the government is locating a 16-bed secure care unit to treat patients with behavioural disturbances. It is a pity we could not do so earlier. Unfortunately, the member for Goyder ran a very interesting campaign against that facility being established in the Greater Darwin area.
The government cares about the needs of mentally ill clients. We do not propose to create ghettos. We propose to treat people in facilities appropriate for their illness. We have tried to improve services considerably: we have almost tripled the budget; expanded services to rural and remote communities; developed the Northern Territory Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan; implemented early intervention initiatives; provided clinical services for prisoners and accredited medical health services; made a commitment to develop mental health services; and continue with new budget initiatives with $900 000 to establish a Territory-wide 24-hour mental health hotline. As already outlined, the tier 1 phase of secure care is well under way and will provide an additional 11 acute mental health beds, five in Darwin and six in Alice Springs.
Getting back to the issue at hand, the current policy is under constant review, as are the arrangements associated with implementation and management. Given voluntary patients give consent to be locked on the ward and are able to withdraw this consent at any time, there are no legal issues around the ward being locked. If a person - and the report refers to Jock because Jock wanted a cigarette - wishes to leave the ward area to have a cigarette, their assessed condition allows for staff to determine whether they will be safe during any leave. Where there appears to be no risk, patients are able to leave the ward but are accompanied.
I notice in the report there were occasions where people went voluntarily. Some were allowed to leave without any problem - without any escort. Some were not allowed to leave at all. Some were allowed to leave with an escort, which seems to be the case with Jock as referred to in the report. With a low-risk level they can leave, or may have some conditions attached to them.
If a person presents to the ward voluntarily, all information relating to their rights is provided. If that person decides to leave early - we advise them to stay for 48 hours to be assessed - we still advise the person to consult a doctor before they leave, however, if they insist on leaving, as long as they have signed the prescribed form of release they can leave the ward at any time.
I am happy to discuss this issue further with the member for Port Darwin. The policy of the department is constantly under review. I will be extremely angry if I discover people who had voluntarily admitted themselves were being held against their will, especially when the policy is very clear.
I recall the Ombudsman’s report the member for Port Darwin referred to because in April 2009 there were allegations Royal Darwin Hospital was detaining people without an appropriate legal basis. Unfortunately, Royal Darwin Hospital deals with not only the mentally unstable, also people coming out of accidents who may be confused; they can be feeling well and may want to go home. I recall the article in the newspaper soon after the case referred to and the patient said he was at the hospital, he had an open brain injury, he wanted to go, and he was confused and did not know what had happened to him. He admitted if it had not been for the hospital restraining him against his will he would be dead.
Furthermore, following the Ombudsman’s report the Department of Health and Families sought advice from the Solicitor-General and amended the policy for medical treatment of adults without consent to ensure the policy was based upon that advice. The policy now complies with the advice of the Solicitor-General.
Madam Speaker, we are not in the business of detaining people against their will. We are in the business of protecting people. In some cases, people believe they are well; they believe there is nothing wrong with them and can leave any time they want against the advice of the doctor despite the fact they may be a risk to themselves and others.
Mr CONLAN (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Port Darwin for bringing on this MPI. This is, indeed, a matter of public importance and the Ombudsman’s report highlights grave concerns about what is happening in our mental health institutions. I appreciate the minister has explained at length some of the process, however, he has not answered the specific questions put to him by the member for Port Darwin today in Question Time or during this MPI.
This MPI has to do with legal ramifications for Territory taxpayers and Territory public servants, and deprivation of liberty issues. The minister has avoided answering some questions. They were simple questions and we are still unclear of the situation.
Let me reiterate: in April 2009, the Ombudsman of the Northern Territory criticised the Northern Territory Health department for implementing a policy which supported the unlawful arrest and detention of Territorians suffering from mental health problems. It is in the report. Last night, Eddie Cubillo, head of the Community Visitor Program, identified the department continued to use policies which involve the unlawful arrest and detention of Territory citizens. Unlawful detention of individuals leaves the Territory taxpayer exposed to potentially huge compensation claims. Today, the question was put to the Attorney-General - the Chief Minister was acting in the Attorney-General’s place - what steps will be taken to ensure Northern Territory Health department policies are brought into line with the law. Clearly, they are not in line with the law.
Section 30 was highlighted by the member for Port Darwin. Section 30 of the act says:
- Detention by medical practitioner or nurse
- (1) A medical practitioner or the senior registered nurse on duty at an approved treatment facility may detain a person admitted as a voluntary patient for up to 6 hours if he or she believes, due to the condition of the person deteriorating since his or her admission or from information obtained, that the person may fulfil the criteria for admission as an involuntary patient.
It is there in black and white, minister - a person may be detained for up to six hours if there is concern about that person’s welfare. However, Eddie Cubillo says in the report he has some serious concerns about it. With regard to risk management in Cowdy Ward, he says on page 16:
- Essentially the policy is that all consumers are not permitted leave in the first 24 hours after admission, despite the requirement that a person admitted voluntarily must be informed of the right to leave the facility at any time.
That is in stark contradiction to the law of the Northern Territory. The opposition, minister, is seeking clarification - answer some questions. Are you able to table the legal advice you have regarding what charges health practitioners to detain people for up to 24 hours as opposed to the act, which says six hours? If the legal advice is there is some implied power, will you table that advice or provide me and the shadow Attorney-General with a briefing? Is that something you would do, minister, in the interests of this debate?
We appreciate the lengths the minister has gone to explaining the process; however, he has not answered the question. Unfortunately, it is a hallmark of this government to avoid it. It can only feed into the culture of cover-up. Why will the minister not answer the questions put very succinctly to him in Question Time today and in this MPI? This is not an hysterical MPI, it is not an inflammatory debate. It is a debate addressing serious concerns around the deprivation of liberty and serious potential compensation claims which could result from a breach of the law as highlighted in section 30. Up to six hours! The policy highlighted by Eddie Cubillo in the report tabled last night suggests all consumers are not permitted to leave within the first 24 hours. It gives examples - I know, minister, you have a copy, we all do. Jock was admitted to the ward voluntarily. He told the community visitor he wanted to sit in the garden out the front to avoid the cigarette smoke. Despite his voluntary status, Jock was not permitted to leave the ward without an escort. Numerous examples are highlighted by the author of this report, and it is our role in opposition to hold the government to account, ask what is happening with the policy - does the policy clash with the law? It would appear it does, and the opposition is not satisfied the minister has offered an explanation to dispel that dissatisfaction.
We will be seeking a briefing on this. We will ask the department where to from here, and would like to see legal advice if it exists. If the minister has legal advice, it could go a long way to satisfying the opposition. However, at this stage we remain unsatisfied and seek a briefing immediately.
Discussion concluded.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr HAMPTON (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Madam Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Deputy Speaker, I make my adjournment tonight on a sad note by acknowledging the passing of my part-time electorate officer, Mrs Dawn Hunt.
Kim, Michelle and I pass on our sincere condolences to Dawn’s husband, Neville, and sons, Sinclair and Bradley. Unfortunately, Dawn lost her battle with cancer on Sunday, 17 October, in the Darwin Hospice after being well looked after by the people in palliative care.
The electorate office was lucky to have Dawn for nearly two years. She came in one day a week, was invaluable to the office, and she loved working in our office. Dawn brought a full life of experiences and knowledge to our lives.
In her younger days, Dawn was an air hostess and travelled far and wide. Her love of travel saw her and Neville trip around Europe last year for three months. She loved visiting new places, meeting new people and finding great little coffee shops or exotic shoe shops tucked away in arcades or alleyways. She would always bring back gifts for us; I always got something with a chicken on it, surprisingly.
She and Neville lived in Indonesia for a while when the boys were younger and she always amazed us with the stories of social events she would organise for the group of Australian and European workers there. If there was no reason for a party or celebration, Dawn would find one.
Dawn was very good at sewing, and she often did repair jobs or dressmaking for her friends. I remember our first Christmas party together; she made a wonderfully bright, red dress to wear to Christmas lunch. I will be reminded of her sewing skills each time I go camping. The girls in the office got together and bought me a swag for my 60th, and Dawn found fantastic material with a chook pattern all over it and made sheets and a pillowcase for the swag. The rubber snake she put in it still surprises me.
Dawn’s sense of occasion and caring was greatly appreciated in the office; she always ensured visitors had a cup of tea and a biscuit. For the past two years, it was Dawn who decorated the office at Christmas, transforming it into an attraction for youngsters in the electorate. They would sit at the window and watch the train go around the tree, the flashing lights, and all the other Christmas colour and fun. Kim and Michelle will be drawing straws to see who gets the job of putting up the tree this year.
For the past two years, my office has run an AFL footy tipping competition, and Dawn won last year by quite a lot. We think her son, Bradley, had a fair bit to do with the team selections.
Dawn worked in the office up to the day she, sadly, went into hospital. She was so annoyed she had to leave work early and was letting us down - this was far from the truth - Dawn’s dedication and loyalty was never questioned. Dawn’s devotion to her family was evident in the stories and news she would share with us.
Whilst we only knew her for a relatively short time, we feel we have known her for a lifetime. Our lives have been enriched by Dawn’s friendship, and we will always remember her with fondness and a smile.
May she rest in peace.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Deputy Speaker, I also extend my sympathies to Dawn’s family and to Gerry and the crew from the Nelson office. It is never good to lose someone near to you. All power to Gerry. I am sorry for your loss.
Getting back to the more mundane issues of our existence, I will talk about a running sore which exists in my electorate. It is a running sore which should be bulldozed tomorrow if there were not quite a number of decent people living in it. I refer to the Tomaris Court units.
Recently, I had cause to visit the Tomaris Court units. Whilst I appreciate the minister has written to me and advised me they are going to knock down the old ablution blocks and communal laundries, those laundries have simply become toilets. The habit currently is to relieve yourself - to put it colloquially, do your number two - and then use the corner of the wall to wipe your bottom. This means any person walking through those laundry blocks has the stench of human faeces to deal with.
There have been serious assaults. This is not the first time I have raised this set of units with government, and I will continue to raise this set of units with government as long as government continues its appalling management of them.
A resident recently handed me a couple of sheets of paper; they are intriguing sheets of paper because they are called Disruptive Tenancy Incident Diaries. Clearly, this is something dished out by the department to tenants who complain. I am not going to table this document because there is identifying material on it and the tenants do not want to be identified. So, I hope no one asks me to table this document. I will make a personal note on it now to ensure I am protected - so done.
It is interesting; this particular tenant signed this in February 2010. She was given this piece of paper about 10 days prior. On 21 January 2010, at 2 am in the morning until 9.30 am in the morning, there was domestic violence and bad language at Unit 22, 106 Tomaris Court. ‘What impact did this have on you and your family?’ ‘The impact was a sleepless night. I am sick, and it is affecting my studies and my health’. She did not contact police because they had been contacted before and had told her not to ring back, according to this sheet of paper.
On 29 January 2010, for one hour, there was domestic violence, again from Unit 22, 106 Tomaris Court. She was woken up during that time and is now scared to contact police in case she is threatened by her neighbours. On 31 January 2010, for another hour-and-a-half, more of the same, cannot get to sleep, and does not want to call police because she is terrified. In a different hand, written by a different person, on 2 February 2010, from 6 am to 7.30 am, more abuse, yelling and screaming from the units in the area, and it goes on and on and on.
This government assures us it will throw people out of these units when they play up. It assures us it has a policy in place where these people get thrown out, but it just goes on and on. These lists and these complaints come to my office on a regular basis. It is the simple things which drive the people who live in these units nuts.
The units are not well constructed; there is a major flaw with the units. Each block of units - there are about 20 in a block - has a single stopcock, so every time a washer has to be changed in the bathroom, the plumber comes in, turns off the stopcock, and all 20 units lose water. There is no warning this will occur and, as a consequence, I have had a person complain that on several occasions they have been caught in the bath with shampoo in their hair and, all of a sudden, no water and no way to get rid of it. It sounds like a minor inconvenience, until it happens to you.
I call on the government to start chucking out the people who cause these problems. These units are not difficult to identify. I walk through Tomaris Court and I can see them, and I can point that one, that one and that one. Why? Because the windows are smashed, there are green cans lying around the offending units, in spite of the ‘no alcohol’ sign on the front gate. These units are not effectively policed. They have to be cleaned up. If these units are going to continue to exist at that location, then let us put reasonable and decent tenants into those units.
I also wish tonight to speak on a different issue. It is a very small, simple issue, and it is again aimed at the Minister for Public and Affordable Housing.
I wrote to the Minister for Public and Affordable Housing on 14 July this year about an issue which arose from a person not living in my electorate, but who came to me anyhow. I received a formal letter of reply on 4 October 2010; that is about a four-month turnaround for a piece of correspondence. Whilst I appreciate the officers do not sometimes work as quickly as they could, I would hope the correspondence was policed a bit more aggressively than that and I ask the minister to pay some attention.
I promised this constituent I would raise the issue of that turnaround of correspondence with the minister, and so I have done.
I have another example here, same minister, minister Burns. I sent him a letter on 26 March 2010. I received a reply on 20 September 2010, which makes it seven months to get a reply on what should not have been a particularly difficult issue. This is not good enough. Ministers need to reply to their correspondence more quickly. The government has a reputation for not being a good listener, for being slow to respond and, based on those two letters, I can understand why it has that reputation. There is an expectation for me to turn my correspondence around more quickly, and I do not have the resources of a whole department. Maybe that is my advantage but, goodness gracious me, seven months to reply to a letter! It is not how I would see my office running.
I will finish on a lighter note - celebrating 50 years in my electorate. This was a couple of months ago but, unfortunately, my workload has prevented me talking about it. I can talk about it now.
The Darwin Memorial Uniting Church had its 50 years celebration in the not so distant past. Some of the original people who went to the church were there for the celebration. Madam Speaker was present, as well as the Lord Mayor, Graeme Sawyer, and several other dignitaries.
I congratulate the Darwin Memorial Uniting Church on its 50 years celebration. I enjoyed the afternoon; the Darwin Brass Band gave it a whirl and did a wonderful job. It is a good thing to see the church do so well for so many years and continue to do so well.
The churches work hard in our community. People do not realise or see the amount of work the churches do in our community. This is one, the Catholic Church is another, and I know the Anglicans also do enormous work. Whilst people nowadays are quite critical of the churches and still see them as cloistered institutions, in truth, they are involved in the community in more ways than most professions are. I am grateful for their presence.
I congratulate the Darwin Memorial Uniting Church for the great work it has done over the years, and encourage them to keep going for another 50 years at least.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Deputy Speaker, in my time as Minister for Arts and Museums, I have come to appreciate the great depth of knowledge and expertise we have in the Territory with Territorians working in fascinating areas which often go unnoticed.
Tomorrow afternoon I will have the honour of joining with the staff of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in farewelling one such expert, Dr Paul Horner, Curator of Terrestrial Vertebrates at the museum. Dr Horner commenced formally with the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory as a technical officer in September 1980. Before formally starting with MAGNT, Paul did volunteer and contract work for several years.
History shows that Paul was proficient in his early work in the Territory. Records indicate that between 1973 and his permanent appointment with the Museum and Art Gallery in 1980, he personally contributed 3132 vertebrate specimens to the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory collections. While Paul had a zoo-keeping background and a passion for taxonomic research, he did not have formal qualifications.
In 1980, he began part-time tertiary studies and sequentially gained a Certificate in Environmental Biology from the Darwin Institute of Technology; an Associate Diploma of Applied Science from the Northern Territory University; a Bachelor of Science from NTU; and Doctorate of Philosophy from Charles Darwin University. That history of study also reflects the evolution of our tertiary institution.
Dr Horner was appointed acting Curator of Terrestrial Vertebrates in 1993, and Curator in 1995. His main research interests include taxonomy and bio-geography of northern Australian lizards with an emphasis on skink taxonomy; he is internationally recognised for his expertise and work on snake-eyed skinks.
During his career at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Dr Horner produced 25 scientific papers, nine biological survey reports, one book, contributing text and photographs to several other books, a thesis, and presented papers at national and international conferences. Since 1985, he has authored the scientific descriptions of 36 new species, including 30 skinks, three geckos, two snakes, and one monitor lizard.
Amongst other achievements, Dr Horner was responsible for developing the highly successful Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, SuperCrocodilians Exhibition.
In recognition of more than 30 years of service to the Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery, the Museum and Art Gallery, Northern Territory Board has conferred Dr Horner the status of Emeritus Curator of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. This is an amazing snapshot of decades of scientific contribution to the Northern Territory, and I look forward to attending tomorrow’s event.
On 9 October, the Department of Education and Training hosted the Inaugural Smart Schools Awards. The sellout event was held at the Darwin Convention Centre and more than 400 of our educators and their supporters gathered to recognise excellence in education at government schools across the Territory. I was told by one of my staff who attended with her sister that it was a great night, and Gary Barnes and the department are to be commended for the hard work which went into hosting the event.
There were seven categories on the night, with 63 nominations from 41 schools, including many rural and remote schools. As the member for Barkly and a former teacher in the region, I was very proud to hear that Canteen Creek School was highly commended in the category of Northern Territory Certificate of Education achievements.
Canteen Creek is a great school in the Barkly electorate, with about 100 students from transition to Year 12. I was at Canteen Creek recently; I caught up with the teachers, and I congratulate them on the fine work they do.
Congratulations again to all who entered the Smart School Awards. Our teachers do a great job, and I hope next year there are even more entries.
To conclude, after a week of debate which highlighted the essence of true community self-determination and responsibility, and a great community at Canteen Creek, the challenge goes out. The teachers who must be mentioned are Ben and Susannah Hollands. They have been exemplary teachers throughout the Barkly for many years and have done incredible things at Canteen Creek. However, in 2011 they will take much deserved study leave and the community will need to adjust to having two new teachers. Ben Hollands is very much an educational leader, as is his wife, Susannah.
So, we are going to face an interesting dilemma which will determine, in some respects, self-determining trends within remote communities when good people leave and new people come. The Indigenous community takes time to readjust, to trust, to develop relationships and, in the meantime, that can often set back very progressive and important programs.
The challenge is out there, Canteen Creek! Mr and Mrs Hollands are going on leave and funnily enough, they look forward to being invited back to Canteen Creek. It is quite unusual for teachers to return after long periods of exemplary practice. You must continue with the great work in true respect and acknowledgement of what Ben and Susannah Hollands have done and the dedication they have provided for your community. Do not let things slip; do not let your transition to Year 12 program struggle. You must hold the fort; you must go on and show true self-determining outcomes for your community and, at the end of the day, we know you can do it. We are there to help and we are about being positive and making sure you achieve the next step in your journey.
Mr CHANDLER (Brennan): Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank Tommy Nichols and his team of rangers for showing me firsthand how crocodile numbers are monitored and managed in the Shoal Bay area. I found all of the government’s team: Brett Easton, Tommy Nichols, Robbie Risk and Joe Buckerfield to be passionate about their roles and extremely professional. When asked, these officers provided frank and honest answers to my questions, and the experience was invaluable.
We can all read reports and evaluate statistics, but until you see the job firsthand, statistics can mean little. Seeing the time involved in the process of setting traps, rebaiting and, of course, removing and preparing a crocodile for transport, makes reading and evaluating reports and statistics mean so much more. You can now appreciate what a statistic is telling you.
As politicians, we are often criticised and even abused for travelling, getting out of the office and visiting the coalface. I have to say again, you just cannot appreciate everything from an office desk, as this tour aptly demonstrated to me.
Again, thank you to Brett, Tommy and their team. Your role is worthwhile, and all Territorians should be thankful for what you do each and every day.
I also pay tribute to two very special people in my electorate who have just celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. I first met Peter and Margaret Saunders when doorknocking the electorate before the last Territory election. Peter and Margaret had just moved from Karama to the wonderful city of Palmerston, and spending time with them was tremendous. Peter, having had a long a career in law enforcement in the UK, has a wicked wit, matched equally by his beautiful wife, Margaret. I look forward to my next visit, a chinwag and a beer; but I think it is my shout this time. I wish them continued health and happiness.
While my knees may never quite recover, I pay tribute to Rebecca Forrest, who organised the recent Total Recreation Dancing with the Celebrities Ball, together with fantastic support from Bronwyn Graham and all of her dancing instructors from the Darwin Dance and Drama Academy and, of course, all the other people, including the judges, of which the member for Fannie Bay was one. Thank you. They were able to take an absolute rabble of talentless celebrities and turn them into a rabble with just a tad of talent. Of course, the real celebrities on the night were the fantastic crew from Total Recreation.
To my partner, Tammy, thank you and I apologise wholeheartedly for stepping on your toes, bowling you over, and just being a general nuisance with absolutely no idea of what I was doing. I have a lot of time for what Total Recreation do. My son, Jackson, has been the recipient of some of the very good work they do.
To Bec, what a fantastic young lady you are and I can only imagine what a wonderful society we would have if there were more Rebeccas in this world. Not only to organise the people, backup support, venues, equipment and training, but also to organise an event of the magnitude of the Total Recreation Dancing with the Celebrities Ball is simply amazing. Your dedication, passion and commitment to our community will not be forgotten. Thank you, and I would love to see you again next year, knees permitting.
A couple of weeks ago at the Australian Institute of Animal Management’s conference, I had the pleasure of listening to Jeff Cook, a South Australian local poet, who very quickly drafted a poem to describe the conference. He does this most years. I asked if I could repeat the poem in parliament. Since then, Jeff has supplied me with a number of poems he has written. One, in particular, which I would like to read today, impressed me as a wonderful addition to the famous poem, Waltzing Matilda. It is called A Swagman Returns:
- I was resting on the bank while the river passed me by
With my line draped in the water as I gazed into the sky
At the fluffy, woolly clouds making patterns just for me
And I felt so relaxed beneath that weeping willow tree.
But a man popped up before me and I was shaken and aghast
And he floundered in the water as the current swept him past.
He was spluttering and wheezing as I dragged him to the bank.
It took minutes till he spoke, though his face was far from blank.
He eyed me up and down and stayed quiet for a while
Then he ate some of my fruit and meat and gave me an eerie smile.
He said ‘I’ll tell you of my story. Think of it what you will’.
And as his story tumbled out, I felt a weird and eerie chill.
He said one hundred years ago, his life had took a turn
When he’d run right out of tucker and there was nothing he could earn.
He was camping by a billabong ‘neath a big old Coolabah
So he tried his hand at fishing, but had no luck thus far.
So he asked for help from Heaven in a hunger-driven spiel
To see him though this touch patch and help him catch a meal
For he’d always trusted Jesus who had guided him through life
As He’d fed him and nurtured him and kept him out of strife.
He had barely finished talking to his Lord that fateful day
When a jumbuck came to drink as if the Lord had heard him pray.
So he grabbed that jolly jumbuck and he filled it in his tucker bag.
It was manna from the heavens, and its skin would line his swag.
Then the squatter and the troopers that arrived out of the blue
To arrest him for a stolen sheep, which you see now isn’t true.
He heard a message in his head, knew at once from where it came
So he sprang into the billabong and left the Lord to clear his name.
For one hundred years he drifted through every river, lake and pond in suspended animation,
A sort of ghostly vagabond
Til he found someone to clear his name and tell his story true,
And as I tried to take in what he’d said he said, ‘Now I found you.
You must write to every paper now throughout this country wide.
My innocence you must proclaim for the Lord has been my guide.
And if you fail, then you will sentence me forever more to a waterlogged existence, Which I tell you, I abhor’.
I turned around to look at him, a question on my lip,
But the bloomin' bloke had vanished, he had given me the slip.
And immediately a splash was heard and a waterspout arose in the river where I had found him
And I admit I froze.
Now, Mr Editor, this tale seems rather tall, but I urge you to print it as a story, print it all.
The swagman left it up to me, and now it is up to you.
Let us clear his name right now, because these facts I swear are true.
That was written by Jeff Cook from Minlaton in South Australia.
Mr GUNNER (Fannie Bay): Madam Deputy Speaker, last night, I was shocked to see the member for Fong Lim stand in this Chamber and say the Territory flag is the CLP logo, it is theirs, no one else can use it, they own it. I completely disagree. Most Territorians would completely disagree. The Territory flag is a great flag, a beautiful flag. It is a flag for all Territorians, the best in Australia, one of the best in the world. I was quite shocked by the arrogance of the member for Fong Lim in claiming the Territory flag as the CLP flag.
It is not often I can say this: I am one of the youngest members in the Chamber, born in Alice, and I have lived in the Territory most of my life. The Territory flag was first flown after I was born - 1 July 1978 - I was two and a bit years old. I do not remember it, I am sure it was a great day. It was designed by Robert Ingpen as a part of a competition. It was designed for all Territorians …
Mr Giles: They pinched our logo. You should have been at the Araluen by-election …
Mr GUNNER: … it was not designed for the CLP. And the CLP has form on this. I am not sure if the member for Braitling was here back in …
Mr Giles: The member for Daly’s sign does not say Labor anywhere …
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Braitling!
Mr GUNNER: I am not sure if the member for Braitling was here in 2004, he may not remember this, but the former Chief Minister, Shane Stone, said: ‘Let us claim back the flag’. The former member for Greatorex said: ‘Get your own flag, this is ours’. It is a little rich I think: ‘Get your own flag, this is ours’. This is a flag for all Territorians. It is not a flag for the CLP alone.
I feel a little sorry for the member for Fong Lim because, as arrogant as it was, it was not the most arrogant thing I have heard in this Chamber; that still goes to the former member for Drysdale.
I am not sure if the member for Braitling remembers this, back in 2004; it was early days for the opposition, it was the first time they had ever been in opposition, and they were not used to it. They were not born to be in opposition; they were born to rule. The member for Drysdale stood in the Chamber and said: ‘We will go back to our rightful inheritance of being the party which runs this place, being a Territory born and bred party’.
That was the sort of arrogance the member for Fong Lim was channelling last night. The member for Fong Lim needs to come back into the Chamber and take it back. He needs to say: ‘Sorry, it is a flag for all Territorians, it is not a flag for the CLP alone’.
There is a lack of corporate memory on the other side sometimes. They do not remember some of the form the CLP has in claiming the Territory flag. It is a flag for all Territorians; it is not a flag for one party alone.
I believe there was a bit more going on last night than just a story about a flag; I think it was also a bit of a leadership bid. Every time the member for Fong Lim comes in here he is making a sales pitch, putting on a performance, turning it on. Super Dave, opens up the chest, beats it, says: ‘Look at me. If you want a real leader of the CLP, pick me. If you want the old school CLP back, pick me. If you want someone who will be tough, pick me. If you want Angela Pamela dug up, pick me’. This is Dave, the member for Fong Lim, letting the old guard know if it wants the real CLP back, back Dave.
If anyone thinks the member for Fong Lim is going to sit on the back bench for two years twiddling his thumbs, then they do not know the member for Fong Lim. It is only a question of when. Every time he jumps up in the Chamber, every time he speaks, it is a sales pitch. We all rush and have a listen, who is he going to be speaking to now? He comes in, shows off a little, beats his chest. He is making a pitch for votes every time he comes into the Chamber. It is very interesting.
A member interjecting.
Mr GILES: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! Standing Order 51. I would like some silence. This is the first time I have heard the member for Fannie Bay speak.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Resume your seat, member for Braitling. That is a very frivolous point of order. Member for Fannie Bay, you have the call.
Mr GUNNER: It is only a question now, Madam Deputy Speaker, of when. Is it next week, next month, next year? Dave is still counting in the counting house; he is not going to sit at two votes. It was good to have the member for Braitling, one of the votes, in the room, listening. It is a question now of when. I think we are all quite interested.
There are probably many members of the House who do not know this, but David is a good constituent of mine; I am his local member. I support Dave. He is my man, he is my member. If he ever needs a hand I am always here as his local member. My door is open if he ever wants to have a chat. If ever he needs me to represent him, I am happy to take his call, if he ever needs a hand.
I think Dave can do better than two votes. My door is open if he ever wants to come in and have a chat, I am happy to help him out.
Mr Bohlin: Where is your office?
Mr GUNNER: My office is in Parap. I made sure we had a good chat, member for Drysdale, outside my office a couple of months back. If Dave ever needs a hand, he is a good constituent, I am always happy to help him.
To change tack completely; the member for Nelson was speaking earlier and I want to take the opportunity to wish Dawn Hunt’s family all the best, and the member for Nelson, all his staff, and the constituents who came through the door. It is obviously a very difficult time. It was quite a shock. I wish her family all the best.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Deputy Speaker, I speak tonight in a similar vein as the member for Nelson, to pass comment and acknowledge the good work of a constituent in the member for Nelson’s electorate, Pam Crellin.
Members interjecting.
Ms PURICK: Pam Crellin passed away about three weeks ago. She was a person well-known to me, and I know she was well-known to the member for Nelson. I knew her a little early on in my life, but it was only in the last couple of years since I was elected that I got to know her much better. My family knew her and the member for Nelson knew her.
Pam grew up in a farming environment in rural Victoria, and she was very interested in, and very keen on, good, solid farming practices. She is probably one of the few people I know who really did take the environment and conservation seriously, along with her love of horses.
With her passing we have lost a remarkable woman, not only for the rural area but for the Northern Territory. Pam was an achiever. Some would say not a quiet achiever; she was quite outspoken in her views about life and about what she believed, and she was very forceful. I think that is what people liked and admired about her.
In the last 20 or so years, she was most well-known for her excellence in the equestrian world, particularly dressage. In her time she has been a rider, coach, mentor, and a terrific champion of encouraging juniors, young people, in the sport of equestrianism, whether it be dressage, horse jumping, or just plain old pony club work - which is not plain at all but is where the young boys and girls start.
Pam, in her time in the Northern Territory, took out many Northern Territory championships in the various levels of dressage work. She has been a coach, and one of the saddest things about her passing, apart from the loss to her family, loved ones and friends, is Pam was an accredited EA level one coach. She was the only person in the Northern Territory who held this level. This was a national accreditation, and we are much poorer for losing a person like Pam because it takes two or three years to gain that accreditation. You cannot do it here; you can start your training here, but you have to travel down south to get accreditation, to be judged, to be assessed.
Through her accreditation, she coached many individuals on to great and good things. She coached many teams on to good things, both at a Territory and also a national level.
She travelled with the teams and supported the teams. Before she got well and truly into the coaching world she judged equestrian and dressage events. In the horse world, you cannot be a judge and a coach as there could be a conflict of interest because you could be judging students you had coached. Coaching was her passion because she wanted to ensure people participated in and enjoyed the recreation of horse riding in whatever shape and form.
Her strongest attribute was her strong advocacy for the sport. She really pushed young people into the sport and recreation of horse riding, horse enjoyment and horse husbandry; and she was a stickler for detail.
I spoke to a few people at her commemorative wake, because there was no funeral - that was what Pam was like. Pam had leukaemia, she had treatment for it, she was absolutely positive about it. She was even planning a trip to America next year for an international horse championship. She was planning to buy another horse next year. She had no intention of dying, of going anywhere; she had plans. But that was not to be. She was doing really well with treatment but, something did not work out, and she went downhill quickly.
She did not want a funeral. She had a small ceremony with her family, and the deal was all her friends could gather at her property and celebrate her life, which we did. There was a big and strong group and it was really lovely.
Talking to some of the people she coached in the young pony club they said she was a tyrant. There was no other word for it; she was a tyrant. Member for Nelson, you were her local member; you know she was a tyrant. I was told by one lady, who grew up with Pam and was in the pony club, that if you were five minutes late you would not get the lesson. That was it, you were out. You were not allowed to stop for drinks; you were there for your lesson, and that was it. You were taught well, and you were taught strongly and properly, and she admired Pam for that. All the juniors coached by Pam admired her for that.
Pam also did all the committee work in the horse world. She did not just do all the coaching, she did not just enjoy the riding – and she was a very good rider - she did the committee work. She put her heart and soul into the equestrian world. It did not matter what club it was - the Berrimah Club, the Dressage Club, Noonamah Horse and Pony Club - she knew them all, and they all knew her.
It is not well known that Pam bred and showed Dachshund dogs in her later years, and did it very well. She did very well in the show ring with her dogs, and she enjoyed that as well. Sadly, up until the last part of her life, she had two elderly Dachshunds she could not put out to care, so they went with her.
Pam was a conservationist and environmentalist long before it was trendy. When the member for Nelson was involved with the Litchfield Council they had Landcare awards, and the member for Nelson encouraged Pam to enter. She took out an award because her block was impeccable; any weed on her block was eradicated. She brought the skills and knowledge from her time in Victoria to her property in Howard Springs. Horses are the worst animals for degradation of the environment you could possibly have, after goats. Pam was emphatic that if you only had five acres in the rural area you should only have two horses, no more.
She had a very good practice of maintaining and managing her property. In the middle of the Dry Season, having grass which is knee deep is something to be admired. It was admired, and was one of the reasons she received a Landcare award and went to Canberra for the national awards.
She was a terrific person, and I am going to miss her coming into my office regularly to tell us off, or not sign our petitions, or just bring in her great food, which we gave to someone else.
My condolences to her sister Pat and her nephew John, whom I have met. The Territory and the horse world is a much sadder place because we have lost Pam Crellin.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr KNIGHT (Daly): Madam Deputy Speaker, I am very proud to advise the House that the official declaration of Marri-Jabin as Stage 1 of the Thamarrurr Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) was celebrated yesterday at Perrederr Outstation.
Terrence, a traditional owner says, and I quote:
- Sacred sites are real, only when you know the stories you know it’s there, in that place.
The Marri-Jabin and Marri-Amu are language groups made up of the following family groups:
- Marri-Jabin families are: Kungiung, Mullumbuk, Berida, Dumoo, Kungul and Worumbo.
- The Marri-Amu families are: Alliung, Nemarluk, Nilco, Ngulkur and Gumbaduck.
All of these families are wonderful and they are very keen to pursue their cultural responsibilities to care for their land, rivers and sea. They will use a mix of Indigenous ecological knowledge, western science, and contemporary land management.
The Marri-Jabin Indigenous Protected Area is in my electorate, 150 km south-west of Darwin, and covers more than 712.7 km2 of the entire floodplain of the Moyle and Little Moyle Rivers. The areas involved in the IPA are Nadirri, Perrederr and Tchindi outstations. This first stage of the Thamarrurr IPA has been declared a World Conversation Union Category 6 protected area, managed mainly for the sustainable use of natural ecosystems.
The Thamarrurr Rangers receive funding from the Australian government’s Caring for Country initiatives. I acknowledge the hard work that Dan Secombe, manager of the Thamarrurr Rangers, and his rangers, have done to make this IPA a reality. Dan advised the celebration was a tribute to the hard work everyone has put in over the last two years.
Jules Dumoo, Boniface and Matthias Nemarluk, and Alex Nilco were all instrumental in bringing traditional owners and their families together, working as one. Both men and women wanted to show their commitment to the IPA by putting their signatures on the document.
I understand Frank Dumoo was outstanding as the MC for the occasion. Frank spoke mostly in language, and made very clear to the younger generations the importance of caring for country and caring for our land. Many of the young men and woman helped alongside the rangers, and I am sure I will hear about many others who helped with this very special celebration when I next visit.
I also acknowledge John Berto from the Thamarrurr Development Corporation for all his hard work in supporting the ranger groups. He has been instrumental in not only establishing the organisation but maintaining and growing the organisation.
In closing, Madam Deputy Speaker, I also thank Karen Fraser from the Thamarrurr Development Corporation for all her help in providing information to my electorate officer about the celebration.
Again, my congratulations go to all the families. You should be very proud of your achievements.
Mr GILES (Braitling): Madam Deputy Speaker, I wish to talk about my electorate of Braitling, in particular, the area of Larapinta to the west of the electorate. I put on record my concerns about the impending construction of a Telstra tower on a site in an area which can best be described as being to the rear of Gilbert Place, Grant Road, and Saltwell Street in Larapinta.
I was first contacted a couple of months ago by some constituents in Gilbert Place who asked if I could come around and have a chat. I went there, I think on a Friday or Saturday night, and had a chat with a few residents of Gilbert Place. They described the impending construction of the Telstra tower and the process of the Development Consent Authority and how it would go through. They described to me the height of this proposed tower, and the width of the guidelines which would hold the tower down. I never really took the enormity of the tower they were talking about into perspective but, in my role as an elected representative, I take people’s concerns, try to get the balance of opinion right amongst the constituents, and I raise them.
I said I would go back there on the Sunday to the top of the hill behind Gilbert Place, Grant Road and Saltwater Street, a triangular area, and have a look at the proximity of this tower to houses. I went there with one of my friends. We rode our motorbikes through the back of Grant Road, up the hills, past the Power and Water water tower to the site where it is proposed this tower will go.
I did not really understand how close the tower was going to be to the houses. I have a couple of photos here which show that the distance from the construction of the Telstra tower to the houses is not very far. It will completely impair the aesthetics of the land for the people living in the houses.
The proposal is a 30 m tower, which is fairly large when you look at it. I have some diagrams of how it may look for the local residents - a 30 m tower on the top of the hill, and a water tank to the right.
There have been a few concerns raised by residents. I wrote to people in 13 streets in the surrounding area advising them of what was happening; not necessarily condoning it, but informing people of what was going on because I know there are many people who want improved Telstra services, and there is a demand for improved services in a business model, and Telstra is trying to respond to that.
I have since tabled a petition in this parliament which was signed after concerned residents doorknocked the area. There has been a hearing of the Development Consent Authority, there have been investigations undertaken by the Department of Lands and Planning, and it has all been approved in that sense and gone forward. There have been some slight variations; it is now a 24 m tower, not a 30 m tower, and the equipment box has been moved slightly down the hill, so it is slightly less intrusive on the aesthetics of the environment.
I know there are some people who want to have improved Telstra services, especially with changes to downloads and how we all use our new phones for computer and mobile technology, but I request that the Minister for Lands and Planning, before making a decision on the approval of this site, considers a couple of things.
I ask the minister to allow me, as the local member, to look around Larapinta to try to find alternative, low-density sites within Larapinta which will still provide opportunity for Telstra to improve their services, especially for data downloads; they need to provide service to the Larapinta area. We all want people to have greater access. People these days want greater mobility, they use telecommunications differently, and we want that to occur, but the minister, if he was generous, would allow me a couple of weeks to try to identify an alternate site within Larapinta. I know Telstra has undertaken an exhaustive process.
I also ask the minister to consider the documents within the DCA communications and within the approval process, and to look at alternative models of mobile tower designs. I know in other states, and probably also in the Northern Territory, many Telstra towers or antenna sites do not look like antenna sites. I know mobile phone antennas which look like crosses have been placed on churches.
Mr Bohlin: Palm trees in Queensland.
Mr GILES: Schools are now leasing out their land or parts of their infrastructure to have antennas where people cannot see them. It is an income earner for schools.
My colleague, the member for Drysdale, has mentioned palm trees in Queensland. On a highway in Victoria they built a sort of pine tree; it does not look 100% like a pine tree, but they have tried to make it look like a pine tree to fit in with the environment. They have designed an antenna like a palm tree so, when you are driving down the road, you do not see it.
I think on this site it would be an opportunity for the minister to say to Telstra: ‘We know you are trying to improve services, and we respect and accept that. The member for Braitling is looking at lower sites within Larapinta to try to meet that need in consultation with other constituents.’
If, in the worst case scenario, the minister does decide it will be placed in the current proposed position, I request that the minister talks to Telstra and asks it to look at other aesthetic models to try to redesign the outside image of the tower.
I know there are some companies, such as Ericsson, which are designing different types of towers to try to fit in, and I think it is important the minister considers that; I ask him to consider that. It is important to remember we are talking about the western MacDonnell Ranges, a world heritage site. We cannot have things put on The Gap anymore, those things have been virtually outlawed, but we are still within the region of the world heritage site of the MacDonnell Ranges. I ask the minister to consider asking for the aesthetics of the antenna to change if it must go there and to give me an additional two weeks after the sittings of this parliament to consult with constituents in Larapinta to try to identify an alternate site which still provides the capabilities Telstra requires in this area.
I will not go any further. I will be writing to the minister about this matter to ask if he will come to the party and assist us and the electors of Braitling electorate, in particular, Larapinta.
Before I sit down, I wish my lovely wife a happy 10th wedding anniversary today. It is unlucky I cannot be home, but we all know our families help us out a lot in our life, both in politics and before politics. I am sorry I am not home, and I will see you when sittings are over at the end of next week.
Mr BOHLIN (Drysdale): Madam Deputy Speaker, I will talk briefly on the Masters Games 2010 held in Alice Springs last week. As the shadow Sports minister, I was very grateful to participate and be amongst the people. Many of my colleagues were at the events; the Sports minister was there as well and the Chief Minister was at the opening ceremony.
The event, without looking at the numbers of competitors and volunteers, was amazing. There is no doubt it really tips the bucket for Alice Springs to really kick the town along and help out the restaurants, pubs, clubs and sporting venues. It is a fantastic event.
I went two years ago at the beginning of my parliamentary term and I thought it was a pretty amazing show then, but this year it was at another level. Having been involved in organising sporting events for some 10 years before getting into politics, I know these events do not happen without the volunteers. There were hundreds of volunteers, I think around the 400 mark.
There were volunteers and ambassadors. It is not only the volunteers at the Masters; it is also the games ambassadors who make the event such a special one to go to, no matter which sport you watched - and I saw as many as I could. I will not list the sports because I could not get to all of them and do not want to make any one sport feel left out; there are only so many hours in a day and you cannot get to everything. There was a massive string of events and the volunteers and ambassadors made it work so well. Without the paid staff involved in the lead-up and organising the event - they did a fantastic job - the kudos go to the volunteers, because without them you would not have a sporting event.
To the umpires - well done! Umpires at the Masters Games have to learn a different set of rules to understand what is going on; I have not been able to download it yet. I saw one netball game with an Alice Spring’s team playing with a fairly elderly lady, who I shall not name, wearing quite a costume of the Potato Crew - they will know about it. Elara, wife of the member for Greatorex, was involved in the Potato Crew, as I call them. She went on the court in the last quarter with a chair, plonked the chair down on the edge of the court in her zone, sat down and crossed her legs, with a pina colada or similar drink, whilst the rest of the people played around her. I have this fantastic photo of the girls in the background shooting for goal whilst this lady sits on the court. That is the type of spirit behind the games. There is a serious side, but really it is about a friendly games’ atmosphere where everyone gets a fair chance.
Most members who participated did rather well. The best member of parliament was the member for Katherine who took home a bronze, two silvers and a gold, all in track athletics. He did a fantastic job, and I know other members also won medals. I won two bronze medals, and am extremely proud of them; at games of that calibre you must be proud of any medal. You have to be proud just to attend and participate. Mine was in tenpin bowling. I was asked to participate by the Tenpin Bowling Association as I had shown some interest and, with five weeks of training - thank you, Cheryl, you are a darling - we came home with two bronze medals, which is amazing. To my team involved in two of those bronze medals, thank you for your support; thank you for all the Dustbowl support, it was amazing.
I am proud of those medals, but I am proud and honoured to have given out hundreds of medals at the games. I was lucky enough to hand out medals at many ceremonies and go to dinners where people were being presented with medals - such as the motorcycles. I handed out medals for tenpin bowling and athletics. I am sure there were hundreds - it felt like hundreds - of medals handed out. That made me extremely proud and honoured because I was able to give something to the people to make them feel really proud of themselves; and I believe they should be. The benefit of the friendly games is you can make people’s day - you can make people’s year; and they will talk about that until they return.
Well done to all those who won medals; you deserve it in whichever sport, in whichever creation of that sport, you played.
There is another side to the Masters Games which seems to go unnoticed unless you are there; the Masters Games seems to have picked up this patriotic belief in, and support of, the national Breast Cancer Foundation. There are so many aspects where it does its bit with the pink ribbons. The netballers did their bit; they have a special night that is all in pink, and the fun is around supporting breast cancer sufferers and survivors.
There was a team of guys there, predominantly RAAF personnel, called The X Men. They go, day in, day out, for the entire games; I reckon they do it harder than any athlete because every day and into the night they go into the nightclubs, rattling their buckets, selling their merchandise, all for breast cancer. They are the true heroes of the games; I do not think there would be anyone who would say otherwise. In the end, The X Men raised $50 000-plus. They raised, at the Alice Springs Masters Games alone, $29 000; which is amazing.
Earlier in the week, before the end of my tenpin bowling, I was wearing my Finke Desert Race shirts - my race team Team Ngingtaka shirts - and people started saying: ‘We want one of those. Let us auction that off at the end of Friday night’. So, Marion Burton did up a little thing, stuck it in the certificate holder, and it went to auction with my sweaty, week-old bowling shirt - it did have one wash in that week - with my signature on it. That shirt raised $510 at auction.
Maree Harrison, a lovely lady, bought the shirt, but the owners of the Alice Pool and Spa Centre, Marion and Darren Burton, said: ‘No, not good enough. We are going to chip in another $510 on top of that as a direct donation’. So my sweaty, smelly shirt raised $1020 for the Breast Cancer Foundation. That nearly made me cry, that was amazing. Having too many friends and family, unfortunately, affected by breast cancer, that blew me away.
Well done to everyone involved. Thank you to Maree Harrison for buying that shirt for such an amazing price. Thank you to everyone involved. It was truly the friendly games, the Masters Games 2010.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016