2007-06-20
Madam Speaker Aagaard took the Chair at 10 am.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that leave of absence be granted to the Minister for Business and Economic Development for this day and tomorrow. The minister is representing the government at the funeral of Mr Paul Sitzler in Adelaide and is unable to secure a flight back for tomorrow’s sitting. Therefore the request is for leave of absence for today and tomorrow for the Minister for Business and Economic Development.
Motion agreed to.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, leave of absence is sought for the Leader of the Opposition for the same reason, the funeral in Adelaide. I move that leave of absence be granted for the Leader of the Opposition today.
Motion agreed to.
Mr WOOD (Nelson)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I present a petition not conforming with standing orders from 172 petitioners relating to the amalgamation of the Litchfield Shire Council. This petition is similar to petition No 55 read in the Assembly during the April sitting. I move that the petition be read.
Motion agreed to; petition read:
The CLERK: Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 100A, I inform honourable members that a response to petition No 53 has been received and circulated to honourable members.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, this morning I inform the House about the success of this year’s BassintheGrass, and the enormous amount of work that goes into staging this increasingly popular event.
The first BassintheGrass Festival was held in July 2003, drawing approximately 3500 people to the Darwin Amphitheatre. It is a great event for young Territorians and, of course, the young at heart, and has really grown in popularity since 2003. The attendance figure this year was approximately 7000, which is regarded as venue capacity.
An indicator of the event’s success and its growing profile is the quality of bands it attracts. This year, high profile bands like JET, Eskimo Joe, and the Hilltop Hoods performed, which explains why we were at full capacity. Also, let us not forget that BassintheGrass also gives local emerging talent a chance to perform in front of a big crowd, including their families and friends. It is a great experience for them. I particularly single out this year Alice band, The Moxie, and local Darwin band, also young fellows, Enth Degree. They are both terrific.
BassintheGrass is a major event and operational costs are now in the vicinity of $680 000. Government contributes around $300 000 to the event, and revenue from ticket sales has now reached $320 000. In addition, sponsorship from the private sector was around $75 000, and I thank our sponsors: Savings and Loans Credit Union who were the naming rights sponsors; Cadbury Schweppes; Foster’s Group; and Diageo.
The benefits of BassintheGrass are not just felt by music lovers; it is also great for our economy. Locals are contracted for a wide range of tasks and services, things we all take for granted when we go along to an event like this. For example, Top End Sounds takes care of the PA and sound equipment, lighting, production and safety fencing; Cleanaway deals with waste and disposal of rubbish; McMinns Plumbing provides all the toilet blocks; Territory Events Hire supplies furniture and public shade; and Northern Transportables provides the office blocks and change room facilities. These are just a few of the businesses who make BassintheGrass the top event it is. There are many people who come from out of town for the BassintheGrass weekend, which is great for our retail and tourism sectors.
Behind the scenes, the Northern Territory Major Events company has a crack management team which brings the event together and ensures it runs smoothly and safely. The tasks they perform give you some idea of the magnitude of organising an event like this. Jati Harburn is the BassintheGrass coordinator and is surrounded by a highly motivated team including Marion Elix, Pam Gray, Craig Markham, Dean Harris, Jo Conway, Andrea Walduck, Wayne Harrison, Chavonne Carroll, Rachel Telford and Matt James.
Other members of the management team included: site manager Dave Lomax; safety officer Peter Schloithe; ‘Bish’ and ‘Boogie’ who oversaw the stage production; Nicki Amelsvoort dealt with ticket sales; Tony Fitzackerly was in charge of security logistics; Sue Kotz took care of catering; and the rouseabouts were Dale Radley and Ray Adams. Let us not forget Bob Whaland and his transport team, and our talented talent scout Russell Temple. On behalf of all music lovers in the Territory, thank you for your hard work and dedication.
I want to mention some of our BassintheGrass volunteers. Special thanks to the Make a Wish Foundation - Olivia Paterson, Ben Schmidt, Ben Voight, Casey Veentjer, Brett Rowley, Shae, Robert Anderson, Brent Dyball, Lisa, Rikki Hanson; and our highly motivated merchandise team - many thanks to Liz, Laura and Hayden, Fiona, Kym, Anna, Ayrial, Matthew and Koel. A special thanks to Jodie Haylock and the Under 21 Women’s NT Hockey side for making sure that everyone got enough water during the day. Last, of course, a very special thanks to the man who does oversee it all and makes it happen, Paul Cattermole. I do not know what you say about Paul Cattermole other than simply the best. He goes on from now overseeing Arafura Games to BassintheGrass and what is happening this weekend, the V8s. Thank you, Paul Cattermole, and everyone involved. BassintheGrass is really a wonderful event.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I thank the Chief Minister for her report on BassintheGrass. I must confess it is one event to which I have not been. I can assure you that it has entertained a lot of young people in the Top End and not so young people. It brings about a lot of business for Darwin; there is no doubt about it.
Chief Minister, I would like some support for festivals outside of the two major towns of Alice Springs and Darwin. Of course, I am going to wave the flag for the Katherine Country Music Muster which, before the last election, received quite a substantial amount of money from the Territory government and was run very well. Since that time, it has not received very much support at all, to the point that it has been downgraded in order to be viable.
It needs support from the Territory government to get the big acts. As you know, the big acts cost a lot of money and we are a little community. Businesses have been giving in-kind and financial support to the festival over a long period of time. It is not sustainable for them to be able to pay out $15 000, $20 000 for one act.
I would like to see support for regional areas from where people are unable to come to Darwin. The Katherine region, as other regions, have people who live in the remote areas who are unable to come to Darwin for these major functions, and would be able to come to a town like Katherine to be able to take part in a festival. I would like to see some support for regional areas to run their festivals.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, I thank the Chief Minister for her report on BassintheGrass. Perhaps you can confirm for me that BassintheDust will be held this year and the venue at which it will be held.
Ms Martin: You should know that!
Mrs BRAHAM: You are probably aware that I am having a great debate with the town council over the use of Traeger Park for the Croc Festival. They seem to be determined that the venues in town, which I believe are community facilities, should not be used for community activities. They want the Croc Festival to be held at Blatherskite Park, although that it is not resolved. I know that their first emphasis about BassintheDust was to have it at Blatherskite Park. It is not a suitable venue; for security reasons, it is very hard to control such a large area.
I am hoping that at least it will be held at Anzac Hill Oval. It would be even better if it were held at Traeger Park, particularly as you have spent all that money on the grandstands. Stop frowning at me. Traeger Park would be a great venue. As you said, local contractors in Darwin certainly receive a big slice of the action. I hope the same type of contracting happens in Alice Springs, and I am sure Craig Markham will foster that.
Chief Minister, the Independents are feeling a bit neglected. We do not seem to be getting invitations to V8 cars or anything these days ...
Mrs Miller: You and us.
Mrs BRAHAM: What, you too? Once upon a time, everyone in the parliament received invitations to events. I do not know if there are any events for the V8 cars this week. We certainly have not seen any invitations. However, thank you to the minister who did invite us to the awards held here last night.
Mr Wood: They were school awards.
Mrs BRAHAM: Yes, that was good. They must have known our Greenie here was interested in that type of thing. This is for your information: perhaps we could be put back on the invitation list.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, a few issues were raised. I was under the impression that everyone was invited to the V8s. I will check that.
BassintheDust will be held at Anzac Hill Oval. It is a great venue. It has been established for the second year in row. What those who attend concerts want is certainty of venue. Anzac Hill is well located. The set-out up was better last year than the previous year. We did a lot of work with council to ensure that they were confident that the oval was going to be safe, secure and in good condition after the event. We got there last year, so I thank the Alice Springs Town Council for that.
One of the reasons that we put $300 000 of taxpayers money into BassintheGrass is so that it is accessible. If you compare the tickets cost for BassintheGrass with, say, A Big Day Out, we are still about half so people can come from the regions to BassintheGrass. I believe $45 is great value for a whole day. There is a lot of work being done on the Katherine Country Muster. I am out of time.
Mr NATT (Primary Industry and Fisheries): Madam Speaker, I report on world-class research being done to secure the future of the Territory’s fish stocks. The recent return of acoustic tags from jewfish caught near the mouth of the Mary River by commercial and recreational fishers reflects the considerable interest by fishermen in the work being undertaken. We must ensure that the fishing experience available today continues into the future. It is simply too important to leave it to chance.
The Coastal Research Unit within the Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines has taken heed of the increased interest in jewfish over recent years. Jewfish have a habit of forming large schools and regularly aggregating in known locations around the coast. Large catches can be made very quickly. Experience elsewhere suggests that increased landings and a reduction in the average size of fish being harvested are signs of potential problems.
The Northern Territory coastline fishery is currently in good shape and is not in any immediate danger. The Fisheries Coastal Research Unit, led by scientist Michael Phelan, has initiated research to answer questions about where jewfish aggregate and why. Acoustic tags and microchemistry are two key tools in the process.
Jewfish are caught, tagged with an individual acoustic device and then released. Listening devices were deployed on the sea floor to monitor jewfish movements after they were tagged. The behaviour of tagged jewfish has revealed a tendency to return to the same place. Research into the microchemistry of fish ear bones indicates that jewfish of different ages tend to occupy different areas. This research relies on detecting micro-changes in the chemistry of the water in which jewfish have lived throughout their lives, which is laid down on the ear bones, much like the life rings seen in a tree trunk.
The reason for aggregations may be feeding or reproductive purposes, or simply a reflection of the phenomenon of safety in numbers. Only time will tell.
The answers to these questions will provide insight into how best to manage the fish stocks. We seek to ensure that reproductive fish are adequately protected during spawning, and that enough juveniles survive to be caught later in life, leaving enough to reproduce, thus replacing those harvested.
In the shark fishery, there is no such tendency to form schools like jewfish and, therefore, the focus is currently on impacts of fishing. Our research project, under the leadership of senior scientist Dr Rik Buckworth, is developing a set of monitoring protocols. These are based on tagging and releasing sharks. The recapture of tagged sharks will provide knowledge that will enable and continue management of the shark fishery at world’s best practice. Once again, close cooperation is required by researchers and fishermen to ensure the greatest number of sharks are tagged. It is important to demonstrate to our international neighbours that we are sustainably managing our shark stocks and encouraging them to do likewise.
Ms Julie Lloyd, a Senior Scientist in partnership with Philippe Puig from local environmental firm EWL Sciences, has developed a geo-reference framework to analyse the effects of seascape and climatic variables on catch rates of tropical snapper. The productivity of the Timor Reef fishery, which targets deep water snapper, has been shown to be the greatest in the ancient submerged river channels which are evident in the Sahul Banks north-west of Darwin. This connection was not previously possible without combining GIS information and fishing information through using a combination of fuzzy logic and spatial statistics.
Results of the various research projects are essential to ensure the future sustainability of our jewfish, shark and snapper fisheries. Research conducted by Fisheries is jointly funded by various bodies, such as Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and the Australian Research Council, and require industry support. Continued support and involvement of commercial, recreational and indigenous fishers in research conducted by Fisheries is essential to securing our fishing stocks for the future of Territorians.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, it was an interesting report, and I look forward to further updates on the research gathered. It is important research. One aspect of fisheries research I was listening for, and I have asked the minister to report on this previously, was barramundi. There was a time when there were audits done, at periodic intervals, of how many were being caught so that we had the capacity to establish better policies. At the moment, we do not really know how many are being caught or removed. I ask the minister if he could attend to that.
That request has been made by AFANT. They are particularly interested in this data so that they can give informed support of policy designed to protect our most popular fish; one that brings so many to visit the Territory. We do need to get back to what we once had. There was an audit that was proposed to be done every five years so that we would have an idea of how the barramundi fish stocks were going.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I also thank the minister for his report on the study into the breeding habits of jewfish and sharks. Bag limits are an important issue that need to be reviewed continually.
I would like to have heard a little more about where the government is going with the issue of permits in relation to Aboriginal waters, or land as it is now regarded. I put that in a positive frame. I am on record as saying I do not support the concept that one should have to get a permit to go into those waters, but I do believe we could negotiate something of benefit to all people in the Territory, and I am talking about amateur fishing. There is concern about the numbers of fish that are taken out by amateur fishing people.
I am interested to see what the minister thinks about Aboriginal rangers being given the equivalent power of police officers when it comes to the Fisheries Act so they had the power to check on safety equipment on boats, bag limits and are paid a proper wage for that responsibility. We could, by allowing people to fish in those waters, also give benefit to the people who live nearby. I put that as a positive proposal to finding our way around an issue which, unfortunately, by the number of people who have come to see me, has the possibility of becoming quite divisive, and I do not want to see that.
The government has to be proactive on this issue; not let it just roll along saying: ‘We will wait until the next High Court decision’. You need to be doing things in the meantime to see if we can negotiate a way around what is potentially a divisive debate in the community, which I hope will not happen.
Mr NATT (Primary Industry and Fisheries): Madam Speaker, I thank the members for their input. To answer the question on the marine rangers, they currently have their guidelines. As you know, we are working very hard with the rangers to ensure that they do survey our coastline. We are at the point where, in the budget this year, we allocated another $120 000, I think it was, to employ more marine rangers. Next week, we have a workshop for approximately 22 marine rangers who are coming into town. They will be doing a workshop over three days with the Fisheries department, so we will have a look at that.
The department is keeping a close eye on the barramundi fishery at the moment, and we are getting some good detail back from the commercial fishers. We hope that some figures come forth in the not-too-distant future. I acknowledge the great work that the department is doing. In particular, early I mentioned Michael Phelan and Rik Buckworth. Julie Lloyd and Philippe Puig took out a research award at the recent Northern Territory Seafood Council Awards night, which recognises the great work they do.
Mr McADAM (Housing): Madam Speaker, on Saturday 26 May, I attended the Real Estate Institute of the Northern Territory’s 2007 Industry Awards at the Alice Springs Convention Centre. This was the first time in the nine-year history of the awards that they have been held in Alice Springs. It was a fantastic evening at a fantastic venue. Well in excess of 150 guests were in attendance.
The REINT Awards for Excellence provide the opportunity to acknowledge leaders and outstanding achievers within the industry. This year, there were 52 nominees in 11 categories. I take this opportunity to congratulate each and every one of the nominees for their efforts throughout the year. I make special mention of the winners on the evening: Kathryn Bugg from Focus First National in Darwin on the Support Staff of the Year Award; Jess Hazelhoff-Need from Elders Real Estate Darwin was the recipient of the Achievement Award; the Commercial Quality Service Person of the Year was awarded to Luke Hunter from Knight Frank, also from Darwin; and the Auctioneer of the Year was won by Mr David Forrest from Frampton First National in Alice Springs. I must say that David provided us with a wonderful demonstration of his skills on the night, overseeing the charity auction with goods donated by Frampton First National and Mbantua Gallery. The proceeds will be donated to the volunteer group, the Drovers at the Alice Springs Hospital. I am not too sure how thrilled David was to see his wife Carol bid and eventually win the major offering, a beautiful South-Sea Keishi pearl set donated by Tony Stirling.
The Body Corporate Property Manager of the Year was won by David Yeaman of Whittles Body Corporate Management Alice Springs; the Residential Property Manager of the Year was taken out by Mitch Elton of Elders Real Estate Darwin; the Salesperson of the Year was won by May Dunlop from Raine and Horne Darwin; the Community Services Award was won by Frampton First National Alice Springs; the Innovation Award was won by Ray White Real Estate Darwin and Palmerston; the Small Business Agency of the Year was won by Knight Frank Darwin; and the Large Business Agency of the Year was won by LJ Hooker Darwin.
Winners and nominees should feel exceptionally proud of their efforts. Their industry’s acknowledgement of their dedication to excellence and best practice in the field is richly deserved.
Nights such as this cannot be achieved without the support and generosity of sponsors. The Northern Territory government is proud to support the awards, but there are businesses that are equally committed to the real estate industry: the Real Estate Institute of the NT; MGA Insurance Brokers; the Centralian Advocate; the NT News; the Alice Springs Convention Centre; darrenhunter.com Property Management and Training Consultants; domain.com; Debden Collins; Endurosign; Honeycombes Automotive Group; Lasseter Hotels Casino; Morgan Buckley Lawyers; QS Services; Rockend; Sitzler; Territory Conveyancing Services; and Territory Loans. Thank you to all those sponsors on behalf of the NT government. Your commitment and continued support to the real estate industry is applauded and greatly appreciated.
Finally, I congratulate Mr David Loy, President of the Real Estate Institute of the Northern Territory, and Ryan O’Hanlon, the CEO of the institute, and all the hard-working, dedicated staff of the institute for overseeing a wonderful night. It was quite obviously enjoyed by all those in attendance.
It is nights like this that promote and encourage NT businesses to strive for excellence and place them at the forefront of national best practice.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, I also congratulate the winners of the REINT awards. I wrote many personal letters to the winners to congratulate them on their success.
I thought ministerial reports was for something of major significance regarding housing. This is something that could have been done in adjournment. It is good that the minister recognises high achievers in the real estate industry, and the developers who contribute so significantly to the economy of the Territory.
There is no doubt that people like Michael Sitzler, David Forrest and their peers in the real estate industry have contributed a great deal to everything we are today in the Territory. I join you in congratulating them.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I wonder about the report. I do not have any problems with the Real Estate Institute awarding its members, but in this day and age when we are concerned about housing for young people, I would like to have heard a little more about what the government is doing for young people.
Colliers International sends me information on the status of housing in Darwin, the highlight of which is the price of houses. It is all good for the industry, but what is good for young people in our community?
My daughter applied for a loan the other day and cannot get one. She is single, she has three kids and she cannot get enough money to buy land. If you buy land, you have to buy a house if you are going for the first homeowners loan. She will stay with me. I am not the only one. That group of people is becoming more and more prevalent in our society, and we are not really doing enough for them. It is a crying shame.
It is all good to come here and talk about the awards of the Real Estate Institute. That is fine. They operate a business, and that business is to sell land. From my perspective, this House should be dealing with issues that affect young people, families, the battlers and low income people. We have a 25-month waiting list in Darwin for housing with the Housing Commission. A lady came to see me the other day. She has been waiting 27 months for a one-bedroom unit – 27 months! That is a disgrace. That is the sort of issue we need to look at.
Finally, minister, I have introduced changes to the law of property in this House. I have done it three times and yet I have heard nothing about when the government is going to introduce this amendment to property law.
Reports noted pursuant to standing orders.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move –
Honourable members, there is a series of three procedural motions to facilitate the establishment of the Estimates Committee and to reconvene parliament on Friday next week to conclude debate on the budget. I urge honourable members to support the motion.
Motion agreed to.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that:-
2. Petitions
3. Notices
4. Government Business – Notices
5. Government Business – Orders of the Day
Again, this is a procedural motion to facilitate business on Friday 29 June at the conclusion of estimates.
Motion agreed to.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move:-
Budget Paper No 2 – Fiscal and Economic Outlook 2007-08;
Budget Paper No 3 – The Budget 2007-08;
Budget Paper No 4 – The Infrastructure Program 2007-08;
Business Highlights 2007-08;
Northern Territory Economy 2007-08;
Northern Territory Economy Overview 2007-08;
Regional Highlights 2007-08;
Budget Overview 2007-08; and
Budget 2007-08 Compact Disc.
This is again a procedural motion to enable the Estimates Committee to scrutinise the budget as laid down in the Budget Papers.
Motion agreed to.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr STIRLING (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of the bill is twofold: first, to bring national uniform provisions into the legislation; and second, to address some of the operational difficulties experienced by police as a result of the repeal of the Listening Devices Act and commencement of the Surveillance Devices Act in 2000.
Repeal and replacement of the Surveillance Devices Act 2000 will provide one comprehensive act for the regulation of surveillance devices in local and cross-border investigations. The offences will be redrafted in accordance with the new principles of criminal responsibility under the Criminal Code. Inclusion of the cross-border provisions, which allow recognition of warrants issued in other jurisdictions, is part of a larger legislative response to cross-border policing issues. These include the development of legislation concerning controlled operations, assumed identities and witness anonymity.
The reforms are principally to facilitate the investigation of organised crime which, of course, does not stop at a border. Currently, where criminal activity carries over a border, a warrant with respect to that activity does not also carry over. The various laws relating to the issue of warrants in each jurisdiction means that continuing investigation over the border or using the evidence in those circumstances may well be illegal.
As a result of national coordination, Commonwealth, state and territory leaders met in 2002 to consider the issues. Model laws were developed by a national joint working group established by the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General and the Australasian Police Ministers Council. A report was published in November 2003.
The provisions in this bill relating to cross-border powers are based on the model developed by the joint working group. Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland have already implemented the provisions. Other jurisdictions have either developed discussion drafts or are in the process of enacting the provisions.
The inclusion of national provisions reflects a standard regime for the recognition of warrants and emergency authorisations issued in other jurisdictions for the use of surveillance devices in cross-border criminal investigations. The model provisions are not intended to replace existing law governing the use of surveillance devices and information but, rather, to overlay those existing provisions.
The current law has been modified to accord with the model provisions. The amendments include: allowing a warrant to be issued in respect of one or more kinds of surveillance device; requiring the Chief Officer or a law enforcement officer to take steps to discontinue the use of a surveillance device; and providing for application for a retrieval warrant which may be necessary where the surveillance device warrant has expired before law enforcement officers are able to remove the device or where the device was installed on an object which had been relocated.
The bill sets out what the retrieval warrant must contain and provides for revocation of a retrieval warrant; ensuring that evidence obtained under an emergency authorisation may be used in court proceedings; provisions relating to recognition of corresponding warrants and authorisations, compliance and monitoring; provisions relating to the prohibition on use of information obtained from the use of a surveillance device; protecting surveillance device technology and method of use from disclosure in legal and other proceedings; providing protection information relating to the use of surveillance devices which is in the custody of the court; providing more extensive report and record keeping; requiring the Ombudsman to inspect records of law enforcement agencies to decide the extent of compliance with the legislation and to report to the minister on compliance; providing for evidentiary certificates to be issued which will provide prima facie evidence relating to the warrant application process and the use of surveillance devices.
A further amendment to the existing law in line with the model provisions and laws in other jurisdictions is that restriction on the use of data surveillance devices by persons other than police officers has been removed. The widespread use of computers by criminals means police must have the ability to monitor computer activity and, to do this, they must obtain a warrant. However, there are an increasing number of legitimate uses for data surveillance which should not be subject to such restrictions, such as where parents or teachers want to monitor children’s use of computers. Currently, the act states that a device may be installed if the person on whose behalf the information is being put on to or retrieved from a computer consents to the attachment of the device. Clearly, this means that in many circumstances, the fitting of the device would not be illegal. However, to ensure legitimate use of such devices is not compromised, and in line with recommendations from the joint working group, the restriction has been removed.
I now address the changes that have been made to the act other than in response to national model requirements. There are five changes to the laws relating to the use of listening and optical surveillance devices by police officers. The first change will allow police to record a conversation to which they are a party. Under the current law, any person who is a party to a conversation is legally able to record that conversation. However, a police officer is excluded from the definition of ‘party’ under the act and so must obtain a warrant to use a listening device, whether or not he or she is a party to the conversation. The amendment will place Northern Territory police in the same position as law enforcement officers in other jurisdictions and restores the position that existed under the Listening Devices Act prior to its repeal in 2000.
The second change will allow law enforcement officers acting in the performance of their duties to monitor or record a private conversation to which they are not a party if at least one party to the conversation consents to the monitoring or recording, and the officer believes it is necessary to do so for the protection of someone’s safety. This amendment was also inserted into the Victorian legislation, having been identified by the Victorian Police Association as necessary for the safety of officers and others in undercover environments which may pose a personal danger. It allows for remote monitoring of the conversations of those persons and immediate police response should it be required.
The third change will allow a police officer in the course of his or her duties to use optical devices such as binoculars and telephoto lenses to observe private activities where that observation does not involve entry or interference with private property. This amendment is for practical reasons. Visual aids such as binoculars, which currently fall into the definition of ‘optical surveillance device’, are regularly used by police during investigations but cannot currently be used to observe private activities without a warrant. Consequently, if a police officer on duty requires binoculars to observe a suspect or activities being carried out on private property such as illicit drug manufacture or cultivation, a warrant must be obtained for the use of that optical surveillance device. If an observation is interrupted or delayed for the purpose of obtaining a warrant, it may result in the loss of useful or critical evidence. As binoculars and similar vision-enhancing devices are common tools in investigation and observation for police, it is sensible to legalise their use in the course of duty.
The law relating to the installation of optical surveillance devices has been extended so that police may install a device where appropriate consent has been given. This covers the circumstances where the owner of a property allows a device to be installed on his or her property so that police can observe people entering and leaving the property or a neighbouring property. Under the current law, police need a warrant to enter private premises, or the consent of all parties to the private activity to be observed to install the device.
The last of the amendments which relate to policing issues is that, under the current legislation, only police officers can listen to, record or monitor information obtained by a surveillance device. This unnecessarily ties up police resources. Provision has been made for the Commissioner of Police to authorise an eligible employee of Police, Fire and Emergency Services to use a surveillance device under a warrant. An eligible employee means an Aboriginal Community Police Officer, Police Auxiliary or a public sector employee assigned to the Police Civil Employment Unit. The commissioner will be responsible for ensuring that only persons with qualifications or experience in the use of surveillance devices are authorised to use a surveillance device.
Some further amendments which do not relate to police operational issues have been made to provide for circumstances not covered under the existing legislation. For example, new provisions will allow for any person to use a surveillance device in the public interest, and to use a device in emergency circumstances. A person who is not a party to a private conversation or private activity may use the device if, at the time of use, there are reasonable grounds for believing that the circumstances are so serious and of such urgency that the use of the surveillance device is in the public interest. This ensures that evidence obtained in these circumstances may be used in legal proceedings without argument as to whether it was lawfully obtained. This provision is balanced by reporting requirements in relation to devices used in such circumstances to ensure that the use of surveillance devices does not go unchecked, and information obtained through their use goes to the appropriate body.
In reviewing and redrafting the legislation, we have been careful to retain the police powers and the protections under the current act. Two examples of this are: (1) Northern Territory police do not require a warrant for the placement of a tracking device on an object which is situated in a public place. This power is being retained; and (2) under the current act, a law enforcement officer may use the surveillance device to investigate any Northern Territory offence. This has also been retained in the bill, even though the provisions relating to cross-border investigations only apply to offences which carry a maximum penalty of three years or more imprisonment. This means that warrants for cross-border investigations will only have corresponding recognition where they are issued in respect of investigations of offences which fall within that threshold. This is not likely to cause any difficulty, as it is unusual for police to go to such lengths for offences of a minor nature.
The current act contains more than adequate checks and balances for the use of surveillance devices, and there have been, to my knowledge, no complaints made with respect to the use of surveillance devices since the current act commenced in 2000. However, as a result of adopting the model provisions, the act will, in fact, extend recording and reporting requirements so that accountability for the use of surveillance devices by police and others will be even greater under the new legislation.
We undertake to review the operation of the legislation after it has been in operation for 12 months. This will ensure that the new provisions assist police to carry out their task of investigating crime. We are pleased to provide legislation which will facilitate cross-boarder and local investigation of major crime whilst protecting Northern Territory citizens from unnecessary intrusion into their private lives.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned
FIREARMS AMENDMENT (PAINTBALL) BILL
(Serial 102)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr BURNS (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to introduce a licensing scheme to allow the game of Paintball to be played in the Territory. The Territory and Tasmania are the only jurisdictions that do not permit the playing of Paintball. In light of increased media interest in Paintball last year, while I was interstate, I took the opportunity to make a firsthand assessment of both the nature of the game and the safety aspects of Paintball. I am pleased that Territorians will soon have the opportunity to play the game of Paintball.
Paintball generally involves two teams attempting to capture …
Mrs Braham: Inside or outside?
Madam SPEAKER: Order! This is the second reading.
Mr Mills: Should be both.
Dr BURNS: Paintball generally involves two teams attempting to capture the opposing team’s flag. Each team protects their flag by tagging and eliminating their opponents by hitting them with a paintball pellet fired from a paintball firearm. The firearm is powered by compressed gas and is capable of firing a pellet up to 60 m at a speed of 91 m per second. The game normally lasts between 10 and 30 minutes until the opposing side’s flag is captured or the opposing team is eliminated. Although paintball is a game which promotes exercise and team …
Mrs Braham: Eliminated? Dead?
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, may I make my second reading speech with some courtesy from the member for Braitling?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Braitling, I ask you to cease interjecting. Minister, please continue.
Dr BURNS: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Although paintball is a game which promotes exercise and team bonding, special weight must also be placed on reducing the potential risk of injury to participants and others in the vicinity of the range.
In keeping with the government’s commitment to strong gun laws, the regulation and control of paintball will be administered by the Police Commissioner, who will be responsible for the licensing of operators and their employees, and approval of paintball ranges. Approved ranges will be the only places where paintball can be played legally. There will be no licensing requirements imposed on participants, but certain people will be prohibited from playing.
I turn to specific amendments to the Firearms Act. A paintball operator must be licensed or permitted to carry on the business at an approved paintball range. Licences will only be granted to a body corporate which is an Australian registered company under the Corporations Act 2001 of the Commonwealth. There are a number of grounds for restricting the grant of the licence to a body corporate as opposed to granting a licence to an individual.
Firearms licences are not transferable under the act. Therefore, were paintball licences to be held by individuals it would mean the paintball operator’s licence and firearms registration associated with the business would be automatically revoked when the individual owner ceased operating the business. However, with licences vested in a body corporate, the business can be sold along with the licence, with the purchasers becoming the new directors and members of the body corporate. Restricting the grant of a licence to the body corporate will also allow the Police Commissioner to maximise his enforcement powers under the act. This is intended to ensure that the holder of an operator’s licence conducts the business responsibly and in the public interest. The grant of a licence or permit will be subject to stringent conditions aimed at promoting the operator’s safety obligations, although the Police Commissioner may impose specific conditions on the paintball operator’s licence. For example, differing conditions might be placed on an indoor operation as opposed to an outdoor operation.
An application for a paintball licence will cost $300 and, if granted, will remain in force for one year. This is similar to paintball applications in other jurisdictions. Likewise, it is a requirement that a licensee must have public liability insurance in a minimum amount of $10m. It will be incumbent on the applicant intending to lodge an application to obtain all necessary approvals for the use of the premises prior to making application. This serves two purposes: first, it speeds up the application process; and second and more importantly, it gives the Police Commissioner an opportunity of satisfying himself that the proposed paintball range has been approved for use for that purpose under other Territory laws. For example, it provides proof that the applicant has received the relevant town planning approval to use the premises for the proposed purpose. As well as obtaining all the necessary approvals, the applicant must have satisfactorily completed an approved safety course.
Similar to an application for a firearm dealer’s licence, the applicant for a paintball licence must provide the Police Commissioner with the names and addresses of close associates, including the nature of the association. The applicant must also supply the Police Commissioner with the names and addresses of prospective employees, and the representative responsible for the control and management of the business.
If the Police Commissioner is satisfied that the close associate is not a fit or proper person or in the case of the representative, there are criminal intelligence reports or other criminal information about the representative which, in the Police Commissioner’s opinion, makes the representative a risk to public safety or contrary to the public interest, the Police Commissioner must refuse to grant the licence or permit.
All employees must hold an employee licence and have successfully completed an approved training course. A paintball operator will not be permitted to employ someone classified as a prohibited person under the Firearms Act. The amendment bill defines a ‘prohibited person’ to mean a person prohibited from applying for a licence or a permit under the Firearms Act or a law of another state or territory.
If, at any time, an employee’s licence is revoked or suspended, the Police Commissioner must, as soon as is practical, inform the operator of the fact. Whether an employee ceases to be employed by the operator, their licence is automatically revoked. A paintball operator has a reciprocal obligation to inform the Police Commissioner of any changes to any close associates, representatives or employees. It is an offence to fail to do so. An employee licence will allow employees to possess or use a paintball firearm at the approved paintball range. Employee licences remain valid for 12 months, which is in line with other licences granted under the act.
The application fee for an employee licence will be $20, which covers the administration cost connected with the licence.
As I said, a paintball operator licence or permit will be granted only in respect of an approved paintball range. Since the range is specified in the operator’s licence or permit, in the event the holder of a licence or permit is no longer entitled to use the premises for that purpose, the Police Commissioner may revoke the licence or permit.
A paintball range may be either indoors or outdoors, and it is a condition of the licence or permit that the operator must not alter the range without first obtaining written approval from the Police Commissioner.
All paintball firearms used at the range and in the possession of the operator must be registered. There will be no private individual ownership of paintball firearms in the Northern Territory. To be entitled to play paintball, the person must be 18 years of age or older, and cannot be a prohibited person. Before starting to play, the person must make a player declaration that they are not a prohibited person. They must also provide the operator with photographic identification. If the operator is satisfied that the person appears to be the person shown on the photo identification, then the operator will endorse the player declaration and allow the person to play paintball.
As you would expect, there will be a range of offences for non-compliance with the statutory scheme for paintball. By virtue of the nature of the activity, penalties will be significant and a finding of guilt will result in the Police Commissioner revoking the operator’s licence or permit.
I am pleased to introduce this bill as it represents a productive outcome for stakeholder groups who wish to participate in the game, but only under the strict legislative guidelines which are generally in line with those of other jurisdictions.
To ensure that paintball is played without risk of injury, as the government intends, the Police Commissioner must review the operation of the game after three years of commencing the operation of the act and provide me with a report on the review. A copy of the report will be tabled in the Legislative Assembly. I also commit to ensuring that there will be an interim review of the act after 12 months.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members.
Debate adjourned.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Ms LAWRIE (Infrastructure and Transport): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
Madam Speaker, the purpose of this bill is to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, Traffic Act and Traffic Regulations in order to implement the Northern Territory Demerit Points Scheme as part of the of the Martin government’s road safety reform package.
The Road Safety Task Force report stated that the Northern Territory has a serious and ongoing road safety problem. The report goes further to highlight that, on average, one in every 400 Territorians is killed or seriously injured in a road crash every year, and that novice drivers aged 16 to 20 have three times the risk of crashes and fatalities compared with other drivers in the Territory.
The Martin government has committed to make the Territory roads safer and announced in November 2006 a package of road safety reform initiatives, one of which included the introduction of a Demerit Points Scheme for the Territory. It was stated in the report that an effective road safety strategy must integrate complementary measures of enforcement, education and sanctions.
The Demerit Points Scheme is one element of the Martin government’s road safety strategy and, importantly, seeks to change the behaviour of those drivers who repeatedly continue to break the law on Territory roads. This unlawful behaviour places all road users at considerable risk.
This bill assigns demerit points to some existing eight categories of traffic offences, some 23 specific traffic offences in total, and provides the framework for the administration of the Demerit Points Scheme. It requires the Registrar of Motor Vehicles to: record demerit points incurred by drivers; take action against driver licences when excessive points are accrued, including suspension of driver licence; and apply demerit points licence suspension separate from other driving disqualifications.
To support the fair and effective implementation of the Demerit Points Scheme, this bill additionally amends the Traffic Act, Traffic Regulations and the Motor Vehicles Act. These additional provisions aim to discourage the avoidance of demerit points, among other things. Demerit points mean consequences for those drivers who continue to demonstrate unsafe driving behaviour and break the law. It is particularly important for those novice drivers on their learner and provisional licences that, during their formative years, they develop patterns of good driving behaviour.
The eight broad categories of existing traffic offences to which demerit points will apply include: speeding; disobeying red traffic signals; disobeying level crossing signals; seatbelts unfastened; drink-driving under 0.08% blood alcohol content; drive using a mobile phone; no mobile phones for learners and provisionals; no hand held phones for full licence holders; drive or ride without an L or P plate; and hooning, speed trials, burnouts and damage to roads. These offences make up 87% of all infringement notices issued by police last year.
At commencement of the scheme, all Territory drivers will start with zero points. Speeding will attract one to six points, depending on speed range over the limit. All other groups will attract three points, except drive without the L or P plate, which will attract two points. The Demerit Points Scheme will sit over the existing infringement process. Points are recorded only when: a driver has paid an infringement notice in full or in part; the driver is found guilty of a demerit points offence in court; or the time for payment has passed without the driver electing to have the matter heard in court. Points are removed from a person’s record when they reach a total that triggers suspension or the option to continue driving under good driving behaviour conditions.
This framework is consistent with all other Australian jurisdictions. It will be mandatory for the Registrar of Motor Vehicles to serve a notice of suspension with the option of good driving behaviour when a person on a full licence accrues 12 points or more within three years. Learners, provisionals and overseas drivers will be subject to five points or more within 12 months. If they do not reach this figure, they will be subject to the 12 points in three years trigger.
Suspension periods for full licence holders will be: three months per 12 to 15 points; four months per 16 to 19 points; or five months per 20 or more points. For learner and provisional licence holders, it will be: three months per five to eight points; four months per nine to 12 points; or five months per 13 or more points. The accrual period for demerit points will be calculated by counting back three years or 12 months, as appropriate, but not earlier than the commencement date of the scheme, from the date of commission of any demerit points offence, regardless of the date it is entered in the register.
Additionally, this bill provides a driver 21 days in which to opt for good driving behaviour. The good driving behaviour option provides a driver with another chance to continue driving, even after they have accrued points for repeat offending. Territory licence holders and residents serving a pre-existing disqualification may agree to good driver behaviour. Agreement for good driving behaviour must be in person at an MVR outlet, which includes remote police stations. This agreement will be binding and will contain the conditions that the good driving behaviour period is a total of 12 months. If a driver incurs two or more points during good driver behaviour, the person will be disqualified from driving for twice the period that would have applied. If the driver is or becomes disqualified from driving for a reason other than demerit points, good driving behaviour is postponed and recommences immediately the disqualification ends.
If a driver does not hold a current Territory driver licence, suspension will be applied as suspension of the right to obtain or renew a driver licence or, for visitors, suspension of the right to drive in the Territory. This scheme is to make the road safer for everyone.
In line with national agreement on the administration of demerit points schemes, the bill requires demerit points suspension to be undertaken separately from other driving disqualifications; for example for speeding and drink-driving. If a person is or becomes disqualified from driving for a reason other than demerit points, any demerit points suspension against the person will be postponed. It will commence or re-continue immediately the other disqualification ends. The exception for postponement of demerit points suspension is when a fine default suspension applies. In this case, demerit points suspension runs and, if fines are not paid when demerit points suspension ends, fine default suspension continues.
Drivers will have multiple opportunities to check their demerit points records and have ample opportunity to change their unsafe driving behaviour before any obligatory licence suspension will occur. Demerit points tally checks will be available from Motor Vehicle Registry outlets. Caution letters will be issued before excessive points are incurred, and good driving behaviour provides a further chance for drivers. Good driving behaviour also provides for those drivers who continue to offend, and who rely on vehicles for their employment, another opportunity to modify their unsafe behaviour.
The bill also ensures that drivers who believe there is an error in the points recorded against them may apply to the Registrar to have their demerit points record reviewed. The Registrar must correct the number of points recorded against the driver if the Registrar is satisfied that the number is inaccurate after taking into account police and court information, including that an infringement notice is withdrawn or a finding of guilt is quashed. If the correction affects a notice of suspension that has been issued to the driver, the Registrar must update the driver’s licence status. Similarly, the minister may require the Registrar to correct the demerit points register and update licence status if the means used to detect demerit points offences were deficient at the time the offence was recorded. The bill provides that a person is not liable for the good faith administration of the Demerit Points Scheme.
To support the effective implementation of the NT Demerit Points Scheme, the bill additionally amends the Traffic Act, Traffic Regulations, and Motor Vehicles Act as follows:
it allows for the withdrawal of infringement notices and their reissue outside the time for payment in exceptional circumstances. This is a precaution in case an infringement notice is paid and points assigned without the knowledge of the person named on the notice;
The onus will be on corporate entities to ensure that accurate driver log books are maintained so that a driver can be identified. The Demerit Points Scheme will not impact on those drivers who drive safely and obey Territory road laws. Based on research, it is estimated that, on average, 31% of licensed drivers in the Territory will have demerit points at any given time. This will equate to approximately 37 000 licensed drivers in the Territory. It is estimated that only between 1% and 2% of those who have demerit points recorded in the Territory will progress to reaching the point threshold or action trigger point. Additionally, statistics indicate that only 50% of drivers on good behaviour will breach their good behaving option. This equates to about 370 licensed drivers.
Madam Speaker, this bill and scheme aims to assist in changing the behaviour of those who repeatedly break Territory road laws and place themselves and others at risk. I commend the bill to honourable members, and table the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
TRANSPORT LEGISLATION (ROAD SAFETY) AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 98)
Continued from 3 May 2007.
Dr BURNS (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Madam Speaker, as Minister for Health and Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services, I am very pleased to support the bill introduced by the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.
The purpose of the Transport Legislation (Road Safety) Amendment Bill is to amend the Traffic Act, the Motor Vehicles Act, and the Motor Vehicles Regulations to implement elements of this government’s road safety reform package.
For many years now, the Northern Territory has been averaging about 50 deaths a year on our roads. It is a terrible human toll compounded by the impact that a single death may have on families and friends of the victim, as well as on our police, firefighters, ambulance crews and medical staff who have to deal with the aftermath of road trauma.
Many more people survive road crashes, often with horrendous life-changing injuries. Each year, there are approximately 700 hospital admissions related to road trauma in the Northern Territory. The Intensive Care Units at Royal Darwin Hospital and Alice Springs Hospital are on the frontline, managing dozens of cases of major trauma each year. This may be considered the hidden road toll to the media and members of the public, but is very real to our medical staff and the families or friends of the victims.
The media often focuses on intensive care specialists and surgeons in relation to road crashes, and they are very important in our health system. They deal with the immediate trauma associated with road accidents. It is very important that early care for injured people takes place, but there are other people involved in that care. Apart from doctors and nurses, there are physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, and others who play a crucial role in providing essential support to give patients the best chance of recovery and minimise disability. Psychologists, social workers and counsellors also make a major contribution to the overall care of people suffering severe injury.
In a similar sense, organisations other than health services, such as community organisation support groups and, of course, insurers also play a valuable role in the rehabilitation of injured people.
Two weeks ago, I attended a conference at Charles Darwin University on post-motor vehicle accident rehabilitation. It raised the issue of the financial costs of road accidents and associated human trauma. A recent University of Queensland study estimated the total cost to the Territory of road crashes in 2003 was $330m, or 3.6% of the Territory gross product. A report from the Bureau of Transport Economics in 2000 provided an analysis of the full range of costs arising from road crashes. It is interesting to note that long-term care accounts for nearly a quarter of all the human cost. In fact, it was more than five times the acute care costs of the ambulance, hospital and immediate rehabilitation. Additionally, a further 38% of all human costs are consumed in loss of quality of life, and costs of labour in the household and workplace. This tells us the price is much higher than just the dollar cost, and reminds us again of the long-term and extensive impact of road crashes.
The government responded to this terrible human toll by establishing the Road Safety Task Force and charging it with producing an evidence-based report and accepting its recommendations. Part of this report focused on novice drivers. The report found that drivers aged between 16 and 20 comprised 6.3% of all drivers, but were the drivers in 18.7% of crashes involving a fatality. Similarly, drivers aged between 21 and 25 comprised 10.8% of all drivers, but were the drivers in 17.6% of crashes involving a fatality. A number of factors were identified as contributing to this over-representation, including inexperience, overconfidence, underdeveloped cognitive and perceptual skills, and risky driver behaviour.
The task force recommended a graduated driver licensing scheme. I am very pleased that the bill before the House establishes the necessary legislative mechanisms including: a six-month minimum learner licence period for drivers and riders under the age of 25; a provisional licence period of two years for drivers under the age of 25; and prohibits all mobile phone use during the learner and provisional periods of licensing.
The Road Safety Task Force estimated that the introduction of a comprehensive graduated driver licensing scheme in the Northern Territory could result in a reduction of nearly 70 hospital admissions, and reduce the road toll by four to five deaths each year. It is a target worth striving for.
The task force made it clear the major causes of road crashes in the Northern Territory are drink-driving, speed and fatigue. The bill before the House targets low-level repeat drink-drivers with a two-strikes-and-you-are-out policy as well as extending the time limit for people to submit breath or blood sampling. This was done because often in the more remote areas, the time period – I think it is two hours at present, although I might stand corrected on that - needs to be extended so that a valid blood sample can be taken. It is thought that because of the current law, a lot of drink-driving slips through the net and this is an effort to really nail those people, particularly those who might live in the remote areas and who have been drink-driving.
It is well known that the Territory has by far the highest alcohol consumption per capita of any state or territory in Australia. Whilst many of us enjoy a social drink, there are some people who cannot stop there. Excessive alcohol consumption has been clearly identified as a major contributing factor to the many ills of society, not least of which is death and destruction on our roads.
One major element that is being introduced is demerit points. I was minister at the time the Road Safety Task Force first drew together its report and submitted it to me. There was a lot of discussion, with people asserting that there is no connection between demerit points and reducing road tolls. I reject that assertion. What the government has been doing, through the Road Safety Task Force and our measures, part of which are being introduced today, is look at a comprehensive package that is all about education and enforcement primarily, and sanctions. That is what is happening here.
What we see in states like Victoria is that they have had a 50% reduction in their road toll since the late 1980s. It has been a comprehensive package of all these measures that have an effect. I know a demerit point scheme is unpopular, but the evidence shows that when most people accumulate demerit points, their offending behaviour slows. That is a very important aspect because a driver’s licence is important. It is valuable for the individual, both for recreation and for work. This is an important element of what we are doing. It would be better if we did not have to do it, but it is a necessary part of what we have to do as a government to try to work with the community to reduce the road toll.
This is a very important bill, and I fully support it. In relation to the Demerit Points Scheme, it is not a compulsory scheme; it is voluntary. Basically, if people break the law, they will get demerit points. That includes me, you or anyone in the Northern Territory. That is the way it should be. I am trying to think of the last time I might have incurred a demerit point. I think it was in Queensland about 13 years ago. Maybe they did not have demerit points then. Anyway, I do not think I have been pinged for speeding or any other offence in the Territory. I am not saying I am lily white, but I am saying, generally, most people would be in the same boat.
We saw in the statistics within the Road Safety Report that we have repeat offenders who flout the law. They were happy to pay the fine, but there was no other sanction on them. Demerit points will really make those people sit up and take notice and, hopefully, slow their offending behaviour.
I thank the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and all the staff in the department. I know they have done a hell of a lot of work around this. It is not finished yet. I also thank the Road Safety Council for their commitment and hard work over many years. I welcome the creation of the Road Safety Coordination Group, which includes senior departmental members from Health and Police. It is important that those departments are involved.
There has been much public discussion about some of the recommendations this government is now implementing. I place on the record my appreciation for the support the government has received from a number of sources, notably the Australian Medial Association, the Public Health Association of Australia and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. These are professional groups that have recognised and supported the measures that have the single aim of saving lives.
Madam Speaker, in conclusion I commend the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport for these amendments.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I support the bill, and have some comments. I thank the minister for allowing us to have a briefing. An interesting thing to come out of the briefing was that when we asked about demerit points, they were not going to be introduced at this sitting. Surprise, surprise! Yesterday, the minister gave notice of her intention to introduce demerit points legislation today. I am interested why we were told at a briefing that it was not going to happen in this sitting and, all of a sudden, it did.
Maybe there is some truth in the statement that it was being introduced as a counter to some of the issues that were being raised about the sexual abuse inquiry. I do not know, …
Ms Lawrie: No! That is a furphy.
Mr WOOD: I know that, at the briefing, we were told it was not going to be raised …
Ms Lawrie: We did not think it would be ready in time, Gerry.
Mr WOOD: Anyway, it just seems a bit odd.
Mrs Braham: You told us porkies.
Ms Lawrie: No, it was said in good faith.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WOOD: Anyway, getting back to the issues, one of the matters we raised at the briefing was that these amendments, whilst they may be good, do highlight the fact that nationally, we have a disastrous approach to licensing. If you have a look at the other states in relation to the period of provisional licences: Queensland under 23 for three years, 23 to 24, two years, over 24, one year, and no log book; in Tasmania, it is three years for a provisional licence, log book 50 hours; Western Australia, two years with a log book of 25 hours; and Victoria has something in between.
What it highlights is that, for some reason, when it comes to issues like licensing drivers, the states cannot seem to get their act together. Obviously, if you are in Camooweal, you will have a different licensing regime than you will have in the Northern Territory or, if you are in Kununurra, you will have a different licensing regime also than is in the Northern Territory. Much has been said about how we are trying to introduce new legislation, and a lot of this will be based on what has happened elsewhere. The reality is that what has happened elsewhere is a mish-mash. We do not seem to be achieving national licensing provisions which, I believe, would make it a lot simpler, especially for those people who are always on the move, people like those in the Defence Forces who are in the Territory for two years and then go back to New South Wales and are under another set of rules and regulations, or young people who are, perhaps, crossing over the border from one place to another in places like New South Wales and Queensland.
There is definitely a need for state ministers to get together and say: ‘When it comes to licensing, we have to sit down and work out something that is for the whole of the nation’.
The issue of provisional licences is good, and the changes to blood sampling for people who are drink-drivers is also good.
I take up the comments that the minister just made about demerit points. I want to see a bit more information about demerit points before I say exactly which way I am going …
Ms Lawrie: It is not in this bill, Gerry.
Mr WOOD: But …
Mrs Braham: Why did you speak about it then it if it is not?
Ms Lawrie: Just clarifying it for you.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WOOD: No. I know what I was going to get pulled up for because the minister would have said: ‘Well, I was doing it in the total context of all the changes the government has made’. I was sure that would be the answer so I thought ‘Do not even worry’.
If you are looking at this package, many elements should stop people from driving. The question I am asking is: if they are not stopping people from driving in certain cases, if they are still repeat offending when they are not supposed to be even on the road, what help are demerit points? If someone is determined to drive regardless of whether their car is unregistered and they are unlicensed and they have been …
Ms Lawrie: Then they face gaol, Gerry.
Mr WOOD: Well, they might, but you can do that now.
Ms Lawrie: Yes, they do.
Mr WOOD: You can do that now. That is what I am saying. That is what I would …
Ms Lawrie: Evidence shows demerits slow offending behaviour.
Mr WOOD: Well, we will come to that debate in time.
Ms Lawrie: Looking forward to it.
Mr WOOD: I am not going to debate demerit points per se at the moment because I know the Speaker will pull me up for pre-empting a future debate. However, in a general perspective about the changes you have made, what I am saying is are we not enforcing the bits of the package we already have? Whilst I understand, minister, where you are coming from, it is important we do stop people driving recklessly on the road. While you might say the package will change behaviour, I am asking: are parts of the package actually needed to make any difference? That is all I am saying in relation to demerit points at the moment.
However, I would like to look at it in more detail before I make any firmer comments ...
Ms Lawrie: We will give you a briefing.
Mr WOOD: I know you will give me a briefing. Thank you for that.
The other issue that I raise, and it is not necessarily in this legislation, is motorcycle changes. It is not in the legislation because, I presume, it is a regulatory change. However, I have been approached by METAL and AANT. These are people who have a lot more experience in motorcycle riding than I have. Mine was a 90 cc Ag bike at the Daly River in about 1971 which I, unfortunately, came off a number times. Maybe I needed some more work with METAL.
The people who have spoken to me, who are experienced people in training and in the use of motorcycles, do not agree with the changes the government is making. You can argue otherwise, but if people are coming to me who are involved in the industry and saying: ‘Please do not change it’, I have to listen to what they are saying. I say to the government: for the present time, leave that section as it is. Leave the METAL process as it is because unless you can show me that those people are giving me information that would make licensing a motorcycle driver more at risk, then I believe we should be taking heed of what those two groups are saying. I ask that it not be changed at least for the time being, and that more discussion can take place before the government does change the regulations.
Otherwise, Madam Speaker, what the government is proposing is sensible. I know there are also changes to whether provisional or learner licence holders can use a mobile phone or even a hands-free phone. I think you are being pedantic. I am not saying that people should use a mobile phone in their hand. I can talk to my passenger; they could be using the phone on a speaker-free system. I could be talking merrily. You should just tell people they cannot use a mobile phone holding it in their hand because it is dangerous. It is very hard to prove that someone was using a hands-free phone in the car. I just think …
Mrs Braham: Technology has changed. You have to move with the times.
Mr WOOD: I am not advocating that people go around using a mobile phone per se in their hand; it is correct and good legislation. However, it is like talking to your passenger. What is the difference between talking to your passenger and talking on the phone? It is a distraction. What is the difference with changing the CD in your car? Accidents occur when people change the CD. It sounds harsh, but I do not think it is practical. That is all I am getting at.
The increased penalties for drink-driving and drug offences are good. I am interested to know when or if the government is going to look at drug testing. I know it has been introduced in Victoria. While a lot of people might drink and cause an accident, there are a lot of other people on other funny things that also cause accidents, and we should be looking at ways of making sure those people are not on the road as well.
Once again, minister, I support the legislation with those provisos. I thank the department for its briefing, even though we might have been led up the garden path a little about when the demerit points legislation was going to be introduced. Be that as it may, I will still support the legislation.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of participants of the Parliament House public tour program. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, road safety is to be taken very seriously, and every effort made to assist drivers become more skilled and accountable on our roads needs to be seriously examined.
Every death on our roads is a tragedy and unfortunately, these tragedies are occurring too often, as recently as last weekend. It is not only the deaths that cause so much heartache, but the many injuries that occur from road accidents that can take such a long time to recover from. I am sure speaking from experience there, Madam Speaker.
The amendment bill before us introduces new requirements for learners and provisional licence holders. The evidence we have from statistics from the Road Safety Task Force report shows that inexperienced drivers present high risks on our roads, a fact of which most of us are fully aware. Road crashes are the biggest killer of people aged between 18 and 25, which is mainly due to inexperience or lack of skills so it is very important that the legislation introduced will not only make the criteria to obtain a licence more stringent, but will be accompanied by much more driver education. It is that area to which I direct much of my reply.
I was very lucky because I spent my childhood on a 10 000 acre mixed farm in South Australia. When I was 11 years of age and tall enough to reach the pedals of the vehicle, it was time for dad to take me out into the middle of the paddock in the car to teach me the skills of changing the gear, putting my foot to the clutch and brake and learning the sequence, so to speak. I was extremely fortunate to be able to learn to drive a vehicle without the impediments of other vehicles, cattle or being a danger to anyone else because I could concentrate completely on learning the skill of driving a vehicle.
My focus, of course, had to be entirely on the vehicle. I did not have to worry about peripheral things. Being able to do that certainly taught me some lifelong skills, and gave me confidence so that by the time a kangaroo hopped around the paddock a few times over a period of a few days, I was able to become more skilled on the roads on our farm. Dad risked taking me driving near fences and gates and so on, so I learnt those skills. It was not terribly long before I had the skill and was able to – sorry, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: I remind visitors in the galleries that there is to be no photography whatsoever, and mobile phones must be turned off. Thank you.
Mrs MILLER: Being able to learn those skills without the threat of injuring anyone else or doing any harm was of great benefit. Of course, it was not long before I was able to drive most of the farm vehicles and be able to assist mum and dad. By the time I reached 16 years of age and sat for my driver’s licence, having had a lot of experience on the property. I was very confident and was able to drive on open roads quite safely.
While the same opportunities exist for other young people who still live on the land, there are thousands of learner and provisional licence drivers who do not have that opportunity and rely upon professional driving instructors for their driving skills, while learning on our main roads and highways. It is because of this that my colleagues and I feel very strongly about driver training programs, which includes extended driver training.
As in most areas of life, the key to making a difference is education, education, education and more education. The best way of reducing our road toll is by increasing road safety education. The CLP has talked before about what we would be implementing. We would implement a school-based road safety education program in all Territory schools. We would introduce effective programs to educate young people throughout their school years and we want to see these programs supported by government, police and the schools in partnership.
Earlier this year, we released a policy statement about younger road users. We feel that there are three areas crucial to the policy success: the right car; the right resources; and the right incentives for younger road users. We have stated in our policy that we will incorporate road safety topics in school curriculum and school-based education will be formulated in conjunction with police efforts.
To reinforce and empower road safety topics, we would have police visit all Northern Territory schools throughout the year. Appropriate age-specific road safety resources would be provided to preschools, primary and high schools, and a more concerted approach to road safety education by school communities will be encouraged, including: knowledge and understanding of the road traffic environment; behavioural skills necessary to survive in the presence of traffic; knowledge of the causes and consequences of road accidents; and responsible attitude of students to their own safety and the safety of others.
We announced in the same policy a small new motor vehicle incentive. This is very important. There are many high-powered vehicles on the market today that are far too powerful for inexperienced drivers to be behind the wheel. We feel that it is in the interests of safety that they should be encouraged to purchase a vehicle with a smaller engine capacity. The incentive we propose would mean that drivers between 16 and 23 years of age who purchase a car less than seven years old with an engine capable of generating no greater than a 95 kW capacity, such as a Fiesta, Corolla or Barina, would be entitled to claim an exemption from stamp duty, no cost of registration for two years, and no cost of third party insurance for two years. The financial saving to young people who are on a relatively low wage through these incentives is definitely affordable by government and should be promoted.
We would introduce provisions and restrictions to keep our younger drivers safer on Territory roads that would include: no towing for learners and provisional drivers; 120 hours of supervised driving experience to be log booked for learner drivers; move the provisional period from the proposed two years to three years; allow only one passenger for a provisional driver in their first year of a provisional licence between the hours of 10 pm and 5 am; and loss of licence for three months upon a second breach of these restrictions. We would also encourage all new drivers to undertake an advanced driving program to assist in driving skills, and to ensure they better understand the responsibility of being behind the wheel of a car. Successful completion of an advanced driving program would qualify for a full open licence immediately.
The CLP would provide additional incentives for young drivers who complete their P-plate period incident-free, and complete their first three fully licensed years incident-free. The incentive would include free licence renewal. We believe that our policy would ensure that there is much more awareness of road safety from the time our children are in primary school through to the time they are of an age to obtain their provisional licence, and that they would be more skilled once they are behind the wheel of a car on our streets and highways.
Another area that I would like to see as part to obtaining a full licence, and this is purely a personal thought, is that everyone should have to complete a first aid certificate. Many of our roads are in regional and remote areas, some distance from medical assistance. Basic first aid skills could be life saving and should be part of the responsibilities of a full open licence. I have felt very strongly about first aid for many years, and to the extent that for two years in South Australia, I taught Year 7 students at Two Wells Primary School a full first aid course in my spare time. I know that it would have been of great value to them and I believe it should be taught to all drivers. Before you have a full licence, you should have your first aid certificate.
One of the major problems that the government faces, and we all face, in the Northern Territory is being able to get the message out about safe driving to young drivers, especially in remote communities. I know that CDU has some very good resources that are designed to assist in remote communities. One of the videos available is called Cabin Drill and the other is a national Aboriginal road safety video and resource kit, which is a resource made with Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people, trained in driving skills and how they are tested for their provisional licence.
Recently, I have been approached by some Registered Training Organisations with some concerns about the future of driving instruction in remote communities in the Northern Territory. When I have found my piece of paper, I would like to refer to it because it is very pertinent to how we should be dealing with remote communities. I believe the minister is aware of these proposals that have been put by the RTOs. There are issues regarding new safety regulations pertaining to changes in the time period of learner permit holders when related to remote and indigenous community people. I will quote from this because I believe it is quite relevant. I believe this submission has been received by the minister and the Minister for Local Government. I quote from the collective submission between concerned RTOs who have had a long-term history of delivering driver training in remote areas, together with a road safety background and a genuine interest in the best outcomes for indigenous road users:
Current state of training.
If this does not happen because there is no funding for the RTOs to be able to attend the communities twice within that period for people to sit this provisional licence, the likelihood of people receiving their licence or going into a police station to get their licence is said to be significantly reduced. I continue to quote:
As we know, repeated practice works very well:
There are many associated problems with driver training in communities. I am really interested in listening to your reply in relation to that.
Included in the submission that you received were some recommendations, and I will put a couple of them on the record:
I do not know how that would fit in:
All of these recommendations, I believe, are to improve indigenous road safety outcomes towards which we are all working. Indigenous people must have buy-in and ownership of these issues. It will never happen if we create greater barriers to training and licensing for a group of people who do not have the access that mainstream people have, and who are 30% of our population and, unfortunately, contribute to 50% of our road toll. I would like the minister to tell me what she has planned in relation to indigenous and remote communities.
Returning to the bill, I am pleased that all mobile phone use, even for voice or texting messages, including hands free, will be prohibited during the learner and provisional periods of licensing. I agree with the member for Nelson when he said it is a difficult one for hands free because you do chat to your passengers when you are driving and, sometimes, it is a little distracting. However, how are we going to enforce not chatting to your passengers? This is pretty much the same; it is a little iffy. We definitely support no holding the mobile phone, and definitely no texting. It amazes me how young people can walk around texting and yacking at the same time. I do not know how they do it. I have to concentrate on all of those keys to get it right, and even then I do not do it very well. So I definitely support that; it is very important.
In relation to drink-driving offences, our road statistics identify that alcohol is the major contributing factor to road fatalities, and the message has to be received by everyone out there that you cannot drink and drive. You just do not do it; it is not worth the risk. There are too many repeat drink-drivers and offenders who continue to drive even when they are under suspension. They are completely flouting the law and showing no regard for anyone else on the road. I certainly support that amendment.
In your second reading speech, minister, you said that the learner period for drivers under the age of 25 will be six months. A reading of clause 6 suggests that the learner permit period of six months will apply to all people regardless of age. I would like you to address that in your reply, or we can go through it in committee.
I have no problem with the equality of blood sampling being taken by medical practitioners or registered nurses in areas where regulations or the practical side of it cannot be applied. You will have to ensure that systems are in place in regional and remote communities. Where there are unprotected fridges etcetera, there needs to be a chain of evidence integrity so that it is not compromised. I am interested to hear what you have to say about that in reply.
In respect of travelling through red lights and speed cameras, the better place for speed cameras is definitely in hot spots. I know that the hot spots are usually after the usual regulation 9 am to 5 pm hours when hoons get onto the main highways. I would like to see the area of hot spots being addressed a lot more.
I am sure that over a period of time, we are going to have many debates about road safety. I encourage the minister to keep an open mind about driver education. I believe we have to start with our young people to make a change. Driver education is designed to have much more informed, confident and experienced young drivers on our roads which, inevitably I hope, will lead to fewer fatalities. That would and should be the aim of every single one of us who have the power to make the necessary improvements.
Madam Speaker, road safety is very important for the CLP. I look forward to listening to the minister’s response.
Debate suspended.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of visitors to Parliament House as part of our public education tours program. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Continued from earlier this day.
Mr BURKE (Brennan): Madam Speaker, I respond to the minister’s second reading speech outlining the amendments contained within the Transport Legislation (Road Safety) Amendment Bill.
As the minister outlined, the bill provides new requirements for learner and provisional licence holders and creates an offence for learner and provisional licence holders to use mobile phones while driving. She outlined that it broadens the scope of who can take blood from those involved in motor vehicle accidents. The bill creates harsher penalties for low-level drink-driver repeat offenders, and clarifies how and what information is recorded on speed camera infringement notices.
One of the things that we in the Territory lack is a comprehensive body of study based upon and building on our statistical information. This is something we need to address in the medium term. The Road Safety Task Force report was a great initiative by this government, and was very timely. We are now able to make some initial targeted steps towards improving safety on our roads.
As the Monash University Accident Research Centre website states under the heading ‘Making a Difference’:
As the territory with the highest per capita road trauma statistics in the country, we, as policy makers, have an obligation to change policy. We have to face the fact that Territory policy, as reflected in Territory law, was not preventing our unacceptably high road trauma. Doing nothing was not an option. Tinkering around the edges would be too little. It has been said many times in this Assembly that the Territory needed a wholesale change of policy direction. This is what our Road Safety Task Force report advised, and that is what we are delivering.
I have heard all sorts of things in the past few months, mainly from the opposition. I have seen the odd sticker on a car deploring the introduction of 130 km/h speed limit. I have heard the CLP snake oil merchants peddling their wares, claiming that introducing such speed limits does not address the problem and that the problem is in the city, not in the bush. Well, let us get one thing clear: speed kills. Or, perhaps, more accurately, as one T-shirt transfer states, ‘It is not the speed that kills; it is the sudden stop’. The faster your speed, the quicker a driver or rider’s reaction time must be and the more precise that reaction must be. Oversteer, for example, is caused by a misjudgement of the reactive measure required to re-establish the appropriate line of the vehicle.
When I was practising law, I once asked some fellow plaintiff lawyers in Victoria how there could be so many country Victorian lawyers practising in the area of motor vehicle accident personal injury. The answer was immediate and simple: there might be fewer accidents occurring in the bush, but they result more often in more serious injury.
The CLP pretends to be the party that represents business and to be more economically astute. Well, perhaps they can do the sums and answer me how it is that so many lawyers in country firms in Victoria can earn salaries and profits matching those of Melbourne metropolitan firms. Bear in mind that these plaintiff firms work on a no win-no fee basis.
I will ask an even simpler question of the opposition and, perhaps, even the Independents. The Victorian Transport Accident Commission, the TAC, works very closely with Monash University. Why does the TAC spend millions on an advertising campaign trying to get Victorians to ‘wipe off five and stay alive’, a mere 5 km/h? Perhaps it was just that they simply had a few lazy millions hanging around.
However, the mountain of evidence supporting the involvement speed plays in motor vehicle accidents appears to be nothing to the CLP. They would rather bandy words and obfuscate. They go on about Labor ruining the Territory way of life. Well, if the Territory way of life is to needlessly throw that life away because we refused to change our road laws, perhaps we need to be changing. The CLP long stopped being the Territory party; it is a shimmerer. It no more represents Territory values than President Nixon in the USA is held up as a shining example of a proper exercise of presidential power.
Young or experienced drivers and bike riders are more at risk of being involved in an accident on the road. You need no more evidence of that than the fact that insurers will charge an extra premium, simply based on the age of the driver or rider seeking insurance. The introduction of a six-month minimum learner licence period for drivers and riders under the age of 25 will encourage greater driving experience under supervision. This will be enhanced further by a provisional licence period of two years for drivers under 25 years of age.
I welcome the government’s initiative of increasing penalties on repeat low-level drink-driving offences. Australia has a drinking culture, and we are not alone in that. Territorians drink more per capita than any other Australian jurisdiction. We need to enforce the message that even a couple of drinks adversely affects driving ability. There still seems to exist a view that being a little over 0.05% is not too bad. No one seems to be able to answer why the many eduction campaigns - not just in this territory, or even in Australia, but around the world - around drink-driving have not been as successful as hoped in permanently changing behaviour in those communities.
The mechanism of targeting the second offence for drink-driving, even at the lower end within a three-year time frame will, hopefully, prove to be a deterrent for those in our community who continue to ignore the danger that drink-driving poses to themselves and other road users.
Madam Speaker, I look forward to the formation of the Road Safety Coordination Group that this bill, if passed, will establish. This and future Territory governments and, indeed Territory communities, will rely on the advice it gives. To quote an old advertisement that used to run many years ago: ‘Territorians are worth saving’.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, I will be brief. We are all concerned about the number of accidents that occur on Territory roads.
I am not quite sure whether these amendments will eventually make any difference to the road toll because we need to aim more at driver education. That is one of the most important aspects of any amendment we introduce in this parliament. There is no point in amendments to learner and P-plate driving licenses if many of the people out in the remote communities never hear, see or understand the message. I compliment some of the ads we see on Channel 7, I think it is in Alice Springs, that come from Queensland and target road safety messages. If we are going to be running any sort of education, it needs to be in language as well. How can you put something on a TV ad that never gets to those people and who do not understand the language as well as we would like them to?
I say to the minister: no matter what amendments you are introducing, you have to get the message out. It is not just to the townies, it is to the remote areas as well. They would possibly be the people who drive unlicensed, unregistered, unroadworthy cars. I would like to see more staff going out into remote communities to make sure the message is there. If you get an L-plate on a community, who is going to drive with for six months? Is there some responsible on the community? How will it be controlled? Even when the six months is up and they are on to a P-plate after they have passed their test, you need to make sure that they are being monitored. I am not being paternalistic or over-cautionary; we have to ensure we give them as much opportunity as we do to the young people in town.
The detailed course that we have in town does a tremendous job. I know from personal experience that young people are keen to get their licence as soon as they are 16. They just love it, and they go through the schools program to get it. However, we all know that we must make sure there is someone to monitor them. In many of our town and regional centres, the people who do that are the parents. They just do not let their L-plate or P-plate person go off without knowing where they are going, who they are with and what it is for. There is a certain amount of control. Obviously, statistics show us that more accidents are occurring than we would like in that age group. I would like for the minister in reply to give us some figures - not percentages, but some actual figures of accident statistics involving L- and P-plates.
I would also like the minister to show initiative when she goes to ministerial councils and try to secure common rules throughout Australia. I know they all have their different systems, demerit points systems, periods of time and log books. The Territory is such a mobile population and we cross borders so frequently, we need eventually to have a system Australia-wide.
I quoted the case recently of a friend who went to Adelaide with a Northern Territory licence and had had a speeding fine here in the Territory. When they went to change their licence over, they were not aware that they would have demerit points taken off their licence in South Australia. I do not think people are aware that there is a national database where cross-border demerit points can occur. There is a lot of information that is unknown to people.
If I was going through Marla, was picked up for speeding and had to pay the South Australian government a fine, I did not know that would be reflected once I changed over to a South Australian licence. If we are going to have this national database, why do we not have national rules? It would save a lot of confusion for a lot of motorists who travel throughout Australia. At the moment, we have a huge number of grey nomads on the roads with their caravans, coming from all different states with different speed limits. Perhaps it is about time that we had this consistency.
I do not think I have ever seen anything as simple as a pamphlet given to our visitors from interstate when they hire a car or book into a motel to say these are the road rules they need to know in the Northern Territory. It is something the minister should think about: ensuring we have information freely available to people who hire cars or who are travelling throughout the Territory.
I know that we are talking about hands-free phones, but I would have thought with technology today, hands-free phones that are fitted into cars where you only have to press a button is no worse than pressing the button of a radio or CD player. I do not know whether we are being over cautious. We all know they should not pick up a mobile phone and speak into it or text each other; I am not saying that. When you think of some of the technology we have now that is very simple to use, perhaps it is not such a bad thing as the minister said. I ask her to think about that. I believe we need to move with the technology, and cars that have the mobile phone built into them are very simple to use and are not as big a distraction as the loud noise that comes from the whopping CD player.
I notice you have abolished the Road Safety Council and you are setting up the Road Safety Coordination Group. Minister, has the road safety expert been appointed yet? That is one of the people on the council. I think I read in the notes that there was going to be a road safety expert. They listed local government and all the other organisations that were going to be involved in that Road Safety Coordination Group. Perhaps the minister might also give us the names of the people who are on that group so that we will know who this particular road safety expert is. The minister could also tell us if this advisory group is going to be an independent statutory authority, part of the department, an independent advisory body or just another government advisory group. I would like clarification on that.
As the member for Nelson said, we did ask at the briefing on demerit points when this was coming on and we were led to believe that it was not going to happen. I was a bit surprised when it actually …
Ms Lawrie: Do not verbal my officers. Check about that; it did not happen.
Mrs BRAHAM: We were basically told it was not going to happen until we got this Phase 1 through and, when all that is done, we would be looking at the next stage.
In respect of demerit points, can we at least make them the same as elsewhere? I know there are clauses, and I know I should not be talking about them, that give a person options of whether they can have double the time, is it?
Ms Lawrie: Yes, the good behaviour option.
Mrs BRAHAM: I would much prefer to see us have something similar to the other states so we are not being confused. I still do not think I totally agree that demerit points are going to stop accidents. I do not think I believe, at the moment, that demerit points are the way to avoid terrible fatalities. Taking a person’s licence from them does not seem to have made much difference in the Territory in some cases.
Again, I hark back to the fact that you can put lots of restrictions on people, as many restrictions as you like, but it is an individual’s responsibility and it is up to that person to ensure they understand the ramifications of their behaviour.
Minister, when you are looking at it, make sure you have better roads, good education, everyone knows what you are talking about and that we all are aware of our responsibilities as we drive. For the young people out there who are particularly targeted by this legislation, the L- and P-plate drivers, not all of them are bad ...
Ms Lawrie: We are not saying they are bad; we are trying to save their lives.
Mrs BRAHAM: No, and I guess you are just saying that because we have had some really bad fatalities with L- and P-plate drivers, we need to change the whole system. We need to ensure that if we are going to do this, we are realistic in what we are trying to achieve. As soon as we see someone driving without a licence at all, particularly a young person, we have measures that can stop them from doing it again. It is the peer pressure; the fact that they are teenagers. We are all very mobile as a population, and they have many opportunities to be mobile with their friends that cause them to do very rash things sometimes.
I am not against what you are doing, but I want you to understand that I believe that education should be in the schools, in remote communities, in general population, given to tourists, given to the hire car companies and as many people as possible so we can ensure that we spread the message and get it through.
Mr HAMPTON (Stuart): Madam Speaker, I support the minister’s amendment bill on road safety.
These proposed reforms will greatly and importantly strengthen this government’s overall Safer Roads strategy launched in November last year and implemented on 1 January this year.
The new requirements include serious provisions for learners and provisional licence holders, and provisions to assist the implementation of these reforms in remote and regional Northern Territory. I would like to focus on the new requirements for learner and provisional licence holders and the broadening of the reform, and its impact on remote and regional areas in Central Australia in particular.
The six-months minimum learner licence period for drivers and riders under the age of 25, a provisional licence period of two years for drivers under the age of 25, and all mobile phone use, either for voice or text messaging, including hands-free, being prohibited during the learner and provisional periods of licensing are certainly welcome. As the father of a teenage son who has just earned his learner’s licence, I welcome these new provisions and can understand the need to provide young drivers with strong rules for the safety of themselves and others.
The statics in relation to our young drivers are alarming, so the implementation of these provisions is important. It will not only pave the way for the introduction of a comprehensive young drivers’ licensing system but, as a parent, provide much-needed assurance that our children and young Territorians are beginning their driving life with strong rules and knowledge that they will develop good driving behaviour early.
I acknowledge the driver education programs. DTAL in Alice Springs do a great and fantastic job and play an important role in educating our young drivers, particularly in the bush. I need to find out a bit more about it, but I am interested in finding out exactly what education programs are being implemented in the bush for our young indigenous people. In my earlier days, I did four-wheel drive and collision avoidance training. This advanced education is very important when you are driving on bush roads in remote areas.
I support the scope and broadening of work for people who can take blood from drink-drivers and extending the time limit of submitting breath or blood sampling from two to four hours. The Ministers for Health and Police really did give a good explanation of why it is important to do that because, often, in remote areas, it is the police and our health professionals who are the first on the scene of an accident. These provisions go a long way in supporting them and the important roles they play out there in the bush.
I take this opportunity to highlight some of the Road Safety campaigns that we probably have all seen or heard about in the Northern Territory. I agree with the member for Braitling on the importance of getting the message out there to people, both in language and to those in the remoter regions.
The Coffee Break program was developed in response to concerns about people travelling long distances in the Northern Territory and becoming susceptible to fatigue while driving. As a member of parliament who consistently drives long distances on the Stuart and Victoria Highways, I certainly welcome the Coffee Break program. Just the other week, I drove from Alice Springs to Darwin up the Stuart Highway, and then on to the Victoria River Roadhouse along the Victoria Highway the following day. All up, I drove something like a crazy 2000 km in a couple of days, so I fully appreciate programs like Coffee Break. I thank all those roadhouses along the way who support the program.
The other day, I noticed an advertisement in the Sunday Territorian promoting the Coffee Break program, and that one of the great supporters of the program is the Ti Tree Roadhouse in my electorate. The Ti Tree Roadhouse is a regular stop for me. During a recent visit there, I was advised that the community education program called Responsible Service of Alcohol was being conducted that day at the roadhouse. The program runs through DASA in partnership with local publicans, police and residents. It provides everyone with evidence and awareness of the harmful effects of alcohol and the responsible service of alcohol in regions like Ti Tree. Well done to Graham Sullivan and all the staff at the roadhouse, as well as the local police and residents who were involved.
The other great campaign that we all know about is the Road Safety Song Competition. Aboriginal bands are encouraged to write a road safety song and compete in a play-off at the Barunga Festival. There are, no doubt, great prizes and, as we heard last night from the member for Arnhem, this year’s Barunga Festival was another example of the great support that this program is receiving.
As the member for Arnhem said, the Barunga School won $500, Warren H Williams won $1000 and the Sandridge Band won $2000 as part of the Road Safety campaign. I understand there will be a DVD that will come out with the many of the bands’ great performances. I look forward to seeing that DVD as well as the TV commercials promoting road safety in the near future.
On 1 January 2003, we saw the new laws making it illegal to ride in the back of all utilities, even those fitted with roll cages. This campaign has targeted our remote Aboriginal communities and includes radio announcements in English and other languages. Road Safety has also been sponsoring the CAAMA Footy Show in the past, and I am pretty sure it will continue. That is important, communicating road safety in languages through these different mediums of communication.
I also understand that Road Safety officers visit communities to discuss road safety awareness and to develop working partnerships on a regular basis. I advise that Aboriginal road safety is also a national focus and, as a result of the third Indigenous Road Safety Forum in Broome last year, a Road Safety Among Indigenous Australians: A Statistical Profile document has been produced – worthy reading.
From an electorate perspective, as I said, travelling in my electorate, which is probably one of the largest in the Northern Territory, and driving long distances over long periods of time really does bring home the importance of these provisions. Another example is that there is a lot of private sector involvement. I believe someone did touch on that today. We need to look at responsible RTOs in the bush. An example is Newmont Mines in the Tanami region. They are an RTO and they deliver licensing and training for young Warlpiri men, particularly from Lajamanu, in heavy vehicle driving licences and first aid certificates. That is one area that may be worth pursuing a bit further in the remote regions where there is an industry such as mining which could really support some of the government’s initiatives.
Roads are obviously important. I am proud to say that this government is doing its bit to improve road safety by making our roads a lot better. This year, we have seen the highest road budget ever; over $180m. In my electorate, I am proud to say roads like the Tanami, Sandover and the road from Lajamanu to Kalkarindji benefit from this. We support and provide great support for safer roads in our road strategy.
All in all, Madam Speaker, yes, I wholeheartedly support these amendments and commend the bill to the House.
Ms LAWRIE (Infrastructure and Transport): Madam Speaker, I thank all members who contributed to this important debate stemming from the government’s Road Safety Reform Agenda.
The Transport Legislation (Road Safety) Amendment Bill that we have before us amends the Traffic Act, the Motor Vehicles Act and the associated regulations. It expands the definition of immediate suspension offences to include any repeat drink-driving offence within three years. This means drivers’ licences will immediately be suspended by police when they commit a repeat drink-driving offence within three years. It is certainly a much tougher enforcement and penalty against repeat drink-drivers.
It also changes the understanding of what constitutes an earlier drink-driving offence. For the purposes of determining whether a person will be subject to a higher penalty for repeat offences, earlier drink-driving will be expanded to include alleged offences where a traffic infringement notice was issued. It introduces mandatory licence disqualification for repeat low range, that is 0.05 to 0.08, drink-drivers as well as for commercial vehicle and 18- to 25-year-old drivers exceeding zero alcohol requirements.
It changes requirements for the collection of blood samples for blood alcohol testing. The time frame for collection of both breath and blood is increased from two to four hours. It provides for registered nurses and other qualified persons to be able to take blood for the purposes of the Traffic Act.
It requires that all learner licences, including motorcycle licences, are held for a minimum continuous period of six months before the driver will be entitled to seek to upgrade.
It requires that provisional drivers under 25 years of age hold a provisional licence for two years before they will be entitled to upgrade to an open licence. If a provisional licence is granted to a driver over 25 years of age, they will be provisional for 12 months. Finally, it prohibits learner and provisional drivers from using any form of mobile phone, including hands-free, when driving.
Madam Speaker, that is a recap of the legislation we are debating today. I thank the Minister for Health, who also holds the portfolio of Police, for his contribution which really did go to the core of highlighting the impact of trauma on our roads and on Territorians’ lives. I thank him and his two agencies for working very collaboratively with the Department of Planning and Infrastructure to nut through the detail of how the new systems will work, particularly the opportunity to blood test in health clinics. Previously, we were only able to do it in hospitals. There is a whole new regime that will come into force in the bush which will, hopefully, deter people from drink-driving. The department of Health and the police have been fantastic in working through, in a practical way, the detail of how that will operate.
To clarify to members in the House, if someone is pulled over, randomly breath tested for alcohol in a remote location, the police can call through to the nearest health clinic and see if there is a registered nurse or an authorised person capable of taking a blood sample available to take that sample. If it is confirmed there is someone available and willing to take the sample on a voluntary basis, the person will be transported to the clinic for the sample. Yes, there will be a chain of evidence, of course, as applies in ensuring that that sample can then be used in court. The police have been very involved in working up how these new provisions will be applied, as has the Health department because it does, of course, bring in a new body of work for people in health clinics. We do emphasise that they can volunteer their services and that is not mandated. It is actually mandated in the sense of the hospital.
I want to thank the member for Nelson for his support of the amendments. He said he was supporting our changes in both the learners and provisional licences and the blood sampling.
He called for me to seek national consistency of learner and provisional licences. I can confirm to the House that in the package we have before the Chamber today, the Territory government has looked at what is best practice, what is a mid-way reform, sitting very neatly mid-way within all the various systems across Australia. I can confirm that for some years now, state and territory governments have been in discussions regarding a nationally consistent framework of learner and provisional licence regimes. We are not there yet.
Part of the concern is, of course, that each jurisdiction has its own body of research that points in particular directions. They have their own conditions. Territory road conditions are significantly different from the New South Wales network, for example. We only have 23% of our road network sealed. New South Wales is a very different kettle of fish. Whilst I agree that it is better to have consistency across road safety reforms and regimes, we still need to build in flexibilities for the unique conditions of particular jurisdictions, and the Territory, really more than most, needs that flexibility.
I note the concerns raised by the member for Nelson regarding the Riders’ Association and their concerns about the changes to METAL. I can say that to have a requirement to hold your learners licence for six months is particularly necessary when we know that motorbike riding is exceptionally dangerous. I have been a bike rider in previous years. I know that it is not necessarily the fault of the rider; many drivers of cars, unfortunately, do not see riders on the road. It is all the more important that you have a sustained period of training. We are not changing the motorbike courses that are available under METAL, the Motorcycle Education Training and Licensing system. There will remain four courses based around the basic, intermediate, advanced and skills plus. Whether they are called new names - that is, basic, transition, intermediate or skills plus - is a matter for debate, but the courses themselves will be there.
The only thing that will significantly change, and the thing that we are getting some kickback from riders on at the moment, is that you will not able to fast-track to more a powerful licence. Currently, you can fast-track up from your 250cc motorbike by doing an advanced rider’s skill course and get a more powerful bike. Under the system being introduced to provide for that six-month learner period, you will not be able to fast-track to more powerful bike. Of course, there are some kickbacks from bike riders on that issue. The larger guys in our community, the big hefty guys, want to be able to get straight into that advanced course and get on to the large, more powerful motorbikes. What we have committed to do in Phase 2, and this is picking up on the member for Nelson’s concerns, is look at a weight for power ratio system that exists in a couple of other jurisdictions. In New South Wales, for example, it is commonly known as the LAMS system, Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme, which looks at a power to weight limit for novice riders. You are actually getting a matching system between the sheer bulk and size of your motorbike rider and the power of the bike.
I am happy to put on the record today that there is a commitment by the Territory government in Phase 2 of our road safety reforms to look at a LAMS system and how it applies. We will consult with the Motorbike Riders’ Association of the Northern Territory to get their views on that, just as we will, obviously, need to be talking to the METAL course providers as to how that would work if we were to introduce it. I would expect that body of work would be done between now and the end of the year.
I am expecting, as minister, to have options on it by around December of this year, all going well, given that my agency is in the midst of the most significant road safety reform in the history of the Territory. I know that they are going flat strap on changes to legislation and introduction of new schemes, demerit points for example, as well as safety and awareness education programs right across the Territory. I want to ensure we do follow up on in the weight to power ratio issue for motorbike riders. I hope that gives the member for Nelson some comfort. Whilst we are aware of the issue, we are not going to get people fast-tracked on to a more powerful bike and ignore the six-month learner requirement that we are introducing today.
The member for Nelson asked when we will introduce drug testing. It was a recommendation and we are committed to introduce drug testing. It will not be random testing. I am on the public record as saying it is testing done in two circumstances: where there has been a car accident and a person will be tested for drug content; and the second instance in which drug content can be tested is if there is erratic or dangerous driving behaviour. We are currently putting the fine-tuning on the details of that because, of course, we have to look at the list of prescribed drugs that apply and the blood testing regime associated with it. The government has committed about $90 000 for its introduction. It will occur and I am hoping to get some final details on that very shortly. We are not far off drug testing in those two instances: at the scene of an accident being able to test someone’s blood for drugs; and the other incidence of very erratic driver behaviour. It will not be random testing. I hope that answers the member for Nelson’s queries.
I thank the member for Katherine for her bipartisan support of the stringent learner and provisional experience requirements that we have introduced. I note that the member for Katherine spoke about her personal experience of learning to drive on the family farm. The Territory experience for me as a child was not too different. We did not have a family farm, but I had access to Marrakai and that is where I learned to drive as a young one. It was off-road, a safe environment, with dad behind the control systems.
What we know from all of the research across various jurisdictions is that the longer a learner is behind the wheel driving in a variety of road conditions, be they night, day, or a mixture - not in the off-road conditions that we had the benefit of enjoying as young people - the better they are as a driver. Phase 2 of our Graduated Driver Licensing System will address the many issues that the member for Katherine enunciated in the CLP policy. It is about whether you have a regime of 120 hours, for example, which is a minimum requirement that people would have to log. Do you set curfews in place or how many passengers a provisional driver can have in their car? These things vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
We are introducing the first phase of our learner and provisional requirements today, but I am on the record as saying that we are not, at this stage, ruling anything out for phase 2. The Road Safety Coordination Group will have a look at the raft of learner and provisional driver provisions across Australia and come back to government with recommendations on phase 2. I am absolutely committed to continuing the road safety reforms, particularly in the areas of learner and provisional drivers.
The member for Katherine was very keen to stress the importance of education. For her information, I can advise that the recommendation we have adopted for education in our schools does provide for a curriculum to be developed from Transition right through. We have a tender process out to employ a consultant who will look at providing the road safety curriculum for Transition through to Year 10. That will be both indigenous and non-indigenous curriculum, not just a generic curriculum. It will be quite specific targeting our indigenous catchment of children as well, so it is meaningful curriculum right from Transition through to Year 10.
In respect of other issues raised by the member for Katherine, I can say that the ongoing additional funding for annual indigenous road safety education programs is to the tune of $150 000 to target our indigenous road safety initiatives in an ongoing annual sense. There was one-off additional funding of $75 000 for programs. We have the Barunga Road Safety Song competition, as members heard. I heard it was a fantastic weekend. A DVD that showcases the 2007 event will be produced and will be part of our awareness campaign in the bush.
Through the months of July and August we are rolling out road safety signs targeting about 60 indigenous communities, at both their entrance and their exit, around the themes of alcohol, seatbelts and pedestrian safety, which are the main causes of road deaths in the bush. We are targeting clear signage in communities at the entrance and exit, reminding people of those core road safety issues in the bush.
There is another series of advertising that will be done, primarily via Imparja Television and CAAMA, as well as TEABBA and Radio Larrakia in the Top End. We have had some extensive advertising through April, May and June that will deal with those targeted issues. As I said, there is $150 000 funding, ongoing, to keep those messages current and to increase awareness and knowledge in the bush on road safety: driving safely, no drinking and driving.
If anyone has had the opportunity to hear the songs from the Barunga Song Competition, they are fantastic. I have a CD of last year’s song competition. They are very catchy tunes getting the message across to indigenous Territorians about the things that you should not be doing in the car and how dangerous it is to do those things including, of course, the issue of pedestrian deaths, people sleeping on the roads. There is revamped and targeted awareness and education there. I hope that provides some information to the member for Katherine about that issue.
There was another issue the member for Katherine quite appropriately raised, which is the submission from RTOs, the Registered Training Organisations. We were quite clear to them in our response that we will not waive the six-month learner permit period in the bush; that it is a rule for across the Northern Territory. What we have done is talk to them about the detail of how they rotate their training programs in and out of communities. You could, for example, do your block of training for your learner’s but, at the same time, pick up the learners you had seen six months previously and put them through their provisionals. You would have a learner element to your training, as well as your provisional element, picking up two different classes of people, of course.
The Department of Employment, Education and Training, which is the funding body for these RTOs, has identified and recognised that there will be an increase in costs in delivering the RTO training into the bush for the licensing regime as a result of these road safety reforms. Regardless of that, DEET has fully supported the reforms. We are in discussions with the RTOs about the various options for delivering bush training.
The member for Stuart made a very appropriate suggestion; that is, looking at the role of bush industry such as mining companies as RTOs. As the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, in the transport area, I have been talking to various large hire companies that were very interested in this RTO provision. I see it as a specific body of work.
I have spoken to the Road Safety Coordination Group and they are having another look at the delivery of the whole of the licensing regime in the bush because there are the issues that the member for Katherine raised such as the role of police in licensing, and for us the role of Motor Vehicle Registry and access to it in the bush, and the RTOs and how they work. We do not feel as though we have a concrete answer yet to how we would have our Road Safety officers organised within the bush context. There is a whole new body of work there that the Road Safety Coordination Group is doing as part of the next phase of reforms.
We are not pretending that we are going to have all of our road safety reforms done and dusted by the end of this year. This is an evolving program, particularly when it comes to looking at the specific needs of regional and remote Northern Territory because the evidence is not there from interstate. We have to roll out through communities, have a lot of consultation and discussion with peak bodies as well as community organisations and councils in the context of local government reform as the model that will best suit the Territory’s remote and regional needs. I am not saying that that work is done and dusted. I am saying that it is a top priority in the Road Safety Coordination Group: to come up with a model that really does fit the bush and its variety of needs.
Another query from the member for Katherine was whether the learners permit period of six months applies to all learners including those over the age of 25. The short answer is: yes. It is locked in. It is a six-month period for everyone, regardless of their age. The only thing that differentiates the age of 25 is the length of the provision period, which, as I explained before, is two years if you are under 25 and one year if you are over 25.
The member for Katherine asked me to keep an open mind on driver education. I feel privileged that on the issue of education, there is an environment of tripartisan support in this Chamber from the government, the CLP opposition, and the Independents. We are all emphasising the absolute importance of education and awareness. Hence the government’s significant funding for both and developing a curriculum that will make a huge difference.
I want to touch on comments by the members for Brennan and Stuart. I thank them both for their contributions. The member for Brennan said it is the case that we cannot do nothing. He is right. When we have one Territorian dying on our roads and nine seriously injured each week, the road safety reform has to be one of the most important bodies of work this government is undertaking.
The member for Stuart really brought home to us, as the parent of a learner driver, the importance of having our learner provisions right in respect of how long the learner’s period is and what sort of emphasis we put on learner driving. The member for Stuart, in understanding the importance of our road network and conditions and the sheer distances that Territorians in the bush drive, really valued added to debate in the Chamber this afternoon. He is quite right; the government knows we need to improve our road conditions across the length and breadth of the 23% of unsealed Territory roads.
I have gone out of my way to work with the Commonwealth, and I am absolutely committed to continuing to work with the Deputy Prime Minister, Mark Vaile, to try to pull down some of Canberra’s $19bn road funding pool that they have announced via either Auslink 2 or Auslink 2 and the federal election campaign. Whatever it is, that is fine. We have a very strong argument and a very strong case in the Territory that a huge slice of that should head our way.
The member for Braitling had equal emphasis on driver education. As I said, that is a core focus of ours. Some 11 of the 21 recommendations of the Road Safety Task Force went to the issue of driver education. We know how critically important it is to get our message out to remote areas. I have talked about some of the specific initiatives. She was quite right when she said there needs to be an emphasis on parents and their role in driver training. It fundamentally comes down to this for our learners. Parents need to take time from their busy lives and get in their car with their sons and daughters and spend time with them while they have their L-plates, giving them as many hours of experienced driving on the road as possible. Parents who do that are investing in their child’s life. Parents who fail to do that run the risk of attending their child’s funeral. The evidence is overwhelming. There is a message that this government will be getting out to the parents of the Territory: do not be too busy to spend time in the car with your child; it can save their life.
I thank God that my father spent many hours with us. I was not a kangaroo hopper like the member for Katherine, I was a smooth driver, but my sister was so I can appreciate that story and I did feel sorry for my dad when we were kids.
It is about better roads, better education and awareness, but it is also about participation of parents in the interests of their children because it is those crucial learner periods that set the habits, awareness of a variety of road conditions - day and night, wet and dry, rough roads, smooth roads, someone coming out and not indicating properly in front of you - all of those issues. The more you are behind the wheel, the more you learn it.
I close this debate by acknowledging that this stemmed from the Chief Minister’s request for a Road Safety Task Force; the enormous work that the Road Safety Task Force provided; the groundbreaking recommendations that came to government; the boldness of Cabinet to accept them in the face of some fairly ardent community arguments on some points; and, fundamentally, implementation through the sheer hours of long, hard work of the officers of the Department of Planning and Infrastructure in the transport area. I thank them wholeheartedly for their commitment. They have been slaving away to get these amendments into the Chamber, and to get future amendments before the Chamber. They have been slaving away to get the education in place and I thank them. Their work has not gone unnoticed.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Ms LAWRIE (Infrastructure and Transport)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
Continued from 19 June 2007.
Mr KIELY (Sanderson): Madam Speaker, on behalf of the people of Sanderson I respond the great budget delivered by the Treasurer on 1 May 2007. That is, the 2007-08 Budget.
As the Treasurer said, this is a budget for the future. This is a budget that sets a path for the Northern Territory for the next decade. The budget itself and the way that it has been framed show the great maturity of this government. The budget looks ahead not for one year, not for two years, not for the election cycle, but ahead to the needs and wants of the community. To put us in a position where we are aware that the economy can be a volatile creature takes strength of management and great foresight. We are lucky that in Treasury, we have great people who are looking at where the Territory is heading based on very strong readings of the economy and to know what we can expect in future in fiscal terms. This is all backed up by the NT public sector feeding into Treasury through the ministers’ departments to see how we are going to split up the economic pie.
This budget is reflects community input. As part of the government and as a representative of a segment of the community, I am very pleased to have been able to have my input into the targets and allocations that make up the 2007-08 Budget.
As the Treasurer said, this is a budget that gets down to looking at the core of business of government: safety, security, health, jobs and education. I am very pleased that is the way the budget is going. By way of example, Budget 2007-08 addresses the health needs of Territorians. We have a 73% increase in this budget from 2001 to $838m. How is that for a commitment? There is a record investment in Education - $658m, an increase of 38% from 2001; in Police, Fire and Emergency Services, $226m which is an increase of 65% since 2001.
You become a little jaded and cynical when, time and again, the shadow Treasurer and other members from the opposition say: ‘You are getting all this money, you are awash with GST’, without really acknowledging and accepting the state of the Territory when this government came to power in 2001. The figures clearly demonstrate the commitment by this government to not only build the Territory and a better society for all our people, but there was a lot of remedial work required. We have been doing it and we have reached the point now where the Treasurer is able to say: ‘Let us look 10 years ahead. Let us set up the framework’. We know the commodities side, the mining side, is going strong. It is not a matter of making hay while the sun shines; it is putting the wheat into silos and saving it for the seasons that are not so productive. That is what this budget is doing for the people of the Territory.
It is all possible because when we look at the economy, the projections for the coming financial year are for 7.2% growth. It is not as good as when we had the highest economic growth in 2005 of 7.5%. However, we are there, on the money, going hard and looking ahead. Because of the state of the economy and the good management of the Martin Labor government, we are able to see a growth in the labour force expanding strongly in 2006-07, with recent employment increasing by 4.4%. That is a marvellous achievement for a place like this and rarely matched in other times.
Our population is growing. For years, we have had a nett loss in the Territory. We saw a growth spurt when Defence came here, but then it settled down and we were not seeing any growth at all. Now, we are. It has reached the point where after heavy lobbying by the Chief Minister, the Treasurer and various ministers to the Australia Bureau of Statistics, we were able to get a proper count of our population to get our fair share of monies out of Canberra based on a truer indication of population. I do not think we still have achieved the true figure in the Territory, but we are working on it through due diligence. We are getting out there and looking at services.
We have a large land mass, sparsely populated, and great pockets of disadvantage throughout the Territory. These, too, take special consideration and attention. This budget does a lot for the bush. I am not going to go into exactly what the benefits of this budget are for the remote and rural communities. I am an urban member and will concentrate more on what is happening around my electorate because the areas of disadvantage that are being addressed through this budget have been ably spelled out by the ministers in their respective portfolios. I am absolutely confident that the members for Arafura, Goyder and Daly will have a look at their own communities and talk about what is going on for them on the local level. I will leave it to them; I am not going to steal their thunder.
As a government member, I speak on behalf of the people I represent in the constituency of Sanderson, and we are proud and pleased to be able to cut up the fiscal pie on a more equitable basis than we had ever seen before 2001. That shows the merit of this government.
When we look at things that are happening around the Darwin area, which is where I am proud to be and what I will fight hard for, we only have to go to the great and wondrous project at the waterfront. My electorate is all of 12 km away, but the waterfront means a lot to the people of Sanderson. We heard the minister say that the convention centre will be handed over in mid-2008, that the sea walls and major earth works are nearly complete, that the wave lagoon has been excavated and construction will begin shortly. We have also heard that the cruise ship passenger terminal will soon be completed, that excavation of the basements of residential buildings have been completed, and that TOGA will soon commence work on the hotels. That means this project is going as forecast by this government.
It has been funded, as we said it would be, as we go along, which sets a good example to the community about how dinkum, accurate and disciplined this government is when it comes to fiscal management. The waterfront is going along. We do not anticipate any delays. When it comes on stream in 2008 or a little beyond, it will mean more jobs in the community. It will mean that Year 12 students, the undergraduates, the kids who are now 14 or 15, who want to take up apprenticeships, will have jobs. The waterfront project was flagged in about 2002 or 2003, and we will see it come to fruition in 2008.
For those naysayers who say: ‘You say that your budget it is setting a foundation for 10 years worth of community prosperity’, I say to you: ‘Look where we are with the waterfront development and what we have done down there. Look at how our predictions have come out’. This is all based on sound management, doing the sums, having a very capable, competent and professional public sector working in partnership with the private sector to get it right.
Let me digress a little from the budget itself for the 2007-08 year. I have made this observation and I have had it made to me from a number of people around the place: when we look at the cranes on the horizon around Darwin city, for the first time these cranes are the product of the private enterprise environment. They are not being propped up by government money. It is private investors looking at the future of Darwin getting in and creating jobs. The synergies that we have been able to bring together and the groundwork that we have been able to achieve by our previous budgets have set fertile ground for this development to occur. It is a marvellous achievement and it is built on even more by minister Stirling’s 2007-08 Budget.
I look forward to the time when we get down to the waterfront, to the lagoons, to the wave pool. I understand that some ministers have undertaken to wear their mankinis. I look forward to that. I will stick to the traditional Speedo, being an old style bloke.
Mr Henderson: Gerry is looking forward to the mankinis.
Mr KIELY: No, I do say, just in case people read this Parliamentary Record that I am fairly certain everyone will be in ties and short sleeves when they go there. There will be no mankinis from this side of the Chamber.
Moving right along, we talk in the budget about great sums of money going towards the waterfront, investment money that is, where $1 spent returns $9 or $10, I believe was the last figure on that. That is great. However, you do not have to be throwing huge chunks of money at it all the way. There are smaller things that count to the people out in the suburbs. This budget addresses those.
Selected sections of Bagot Road, McMillans Road and the Stuart Highway in Darwin will be addressed in the 2007-08 financial year. We are going to see some resealing. We have money in the budget for it. It is not a matter of saying that all the money is going into the waterfront. Bagot and McMillans Roads happen to be the roads on which I travel and, I would say, probably about 50% to 60% of the people from Sanderson who work travel on every morning, afternoon and on the weekends. It is important that we spend money on our local roads, and this budget, even to that level, does that.
While you are travelling in on that road, coming into the waterfront, I am very pleased to say that in this budget, there has been $0.6m put aside for the beautification of the Myilly Point area and redevelopment. This was a promise made by the Chief Minister many years ago, probably three or four, about the development. We went out to community consultation on the land at Myilly Point. The community said: ‘We would like some park land there’. Well, there is money in this budget, following the 2004 consultation which will allow us to include landscaping, pathways, seating and shade cloth, and access down the escarpment to Mindil Beach and the restaurants at Cullen Bay. The amenity being provided for the people of Sanderson, and for all people of Darwin and our tourists, is fantastic. This budget picks up on it. That is really good news for the people of Sanderson.
I am sure everyone is aware because I always mention it, Sanderson is the home of the Marrara Sporting Precinct and there is a lot that goes on out there. This budget recognises the part that sporting activities play in the lifestyle of Territorians, and that the citizens of the Territory want their sport. They want government to get involved, and to ensure that it is all there.
Look at the Darwin Football Stadium. We have seats and it is a beautiful. It is a wonderful stadium and one that I am happy to say is built with a little panache. It is just not a square of cement blocks; it has something you can look at and is aesthetically pleasing. In this budget, we have been able to provide $78 000 to bring two A-League football teams to Darwin. I think they are Perth Glory and …
Mr Henderson: Melbourne Victory.
Mr KIELY: Melbourne Victory! How is that? We get the Doggies and Fremantle, Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory coming up. In the basketball, we also we get the Pythons – Pipers is it?
Ms Anderson: Perth Wildcats.
Mr KIELY: The Perth Wildcats! These are the things that this government is doing for our enjoyment, but it is not just a benevolent society when it comes to funding these major sporting events. The government is not here saying: ‘Oh, we will throw in a few bob and give the citizens a game and let them enjoy it’. We get revenue in tourist dollars from the promotion of Darwin all around the country and, at times, overseas. It brings in that tourist dollar.
In a little aside, last Saturday while I was at the Doggies and Dockers game at Marrara, I had the greatest time of my life. I was sitting in the middle of all the Doggies supporters. Let me say they are a culture unto their own. I could have paid $15 000 for an international trip to study other cultures but, no, all I had to do was walk down from my home, sit in amongst them, and I tell you, I was in a new world. It was a fascinating thing to watch and to be part of. I did not understand half the language they were using but, by gees, they seemed involved in the game. It was wonderful.
The money that generated for our hotels, motels, restaurants and even to the local Crocs footy club which was there making a few bob out of steak sandwiches, where I saw my colleague, the member for Goyder, slaving away, turning over a few bob. I thought it was fantastic. The point I am making is the money that generates into the local economy and the jobs that creates is all part and parcel of what we do. It is a marvellous thing for this government to get behind sport. I say to any sporting organisation that, if you can put up a business case using your facilities, bringing the games in, and how it will stimulate the economy and drive it more in all sorts of ways - be it direct injection into the economy through nights in the motel rooms, or through promoting the Territory elsewhere and generating the potential for tourist dollars to come in - then come to government because we have shown through this and preceding budgets, and I am certain through the budgets to come, that this is what we are about.
This budget is one that recognises the well-known issues we have with water, power and the environment. There is a record spend on Power and Water in this budget, and I am pretty happy about that. I was talking to a small business owner in my electorate on Sunday when I was out and about doorknocking. I asked: ‘How is it going?’ He said: ‘It is going fantastic. This money that has gone into Power and Water is really good for my business’. He said there is work for years to come because of it. I said: ‘Well, is there enough work there to see you out to retirement?’ He said: ‘There is more than enough’ - more than enough to see him out to retirement. He has a lot of good years left in him, but he has a lot of work to do. Once again, that demonstrates the longevity of this budget and where it is focused ...
Mr Natt: He is 21!
Mr KIELY: Well, he is a bit older than 21. He is truly good. I remember in 2001 talking to the same small businessman when I was knocking on doors, and he saying how crook things were. It has taken us a while to lift the economy out of the doldrums, to get it up there, to stop it from peaking and troughing. To get there, one of the commitments that we gave the community all those years ago was that our fiscal responsibilities aimed at getting the economy on the rise and keep it going up the slope at a steady pace, so people were able to forecast and meet emerging needs, and not have the carpetbaggers coming in, grabbing a few bob and clearing off and leaving the place in the doldrums again. We are managing it. We still have work to do and it does take a tight and responsible hand on the rudder.
The member for Nelson is one of the big spenders. He reckons the government should be involved in everything and just spend willy-nilly. When I hear some of the harebrained, flat-earth economic policies coming from the opposition, I really become concerned. I know that the Liberals in the federal campaign are trying to run their argument like that, but they are running into real trouble because the opposition Labor Party is putting up a credible economic case. That is not the case with this mob.
I am very disappointed that I have not been able to hear any shadow ministers respond to this budget yet because I would love to hear their alternatives. I heard the Leader of the Opposition commit to a whole list of pie-in-the-sky things. They have a fondness for saying: ‘We would do this and we would do that’. All I can say is that the people of the Territory are thankful that they are not doing what the CLP wants, otherwise we would be on a crash collision course with pre-2001 economics. That is not somewhere the people of the Territory want to be. They said that in 2001; they said it again in 2005. My tip is they will say it again in 2009 because what the CLP is espousing now is doom. It shows a really bad grasp of the true fiscal nature of the Territory.
Getting to Power and Water, it is good to see that in this budget, we have money to raise the Darwin River Dam by 1.3 m. Water is an issue. We are very fortunate in the Top End that we have some good four or five months of rain. You see the dam reports over summer coming out of New South Wales and Victoria at 20%, 30%, and you know the issues that they have. They have larger populations, but they never looked at good water strategies to sustain them. We have learnt; we are onto it. We are going to raise that dam wall by 1.3 m and increase the capacity of the dam by 80% for the population of Darwin. That will not see us right for 50 years and maybe not 40. It will see us over a 10-year hump. It will give us the breathing space we need to be able to plan and install additional water resources for the community. I am hopeful that this increase of the Darwin River Dam by 80% should take the pressure off our underground bore reserves.
I say to all people of the Top End, particularly those with bores: water is not an infinite resource. Water is finite and it is incumbent upon each one of us to think about the future and to manage that resource. We, as a government, are. However, as a community, we have to take some responsibility for our water use and address it.
Looking at other major spends and infrastructure for the future, there is $126m for a new power station at Weddell to service Darwin and Palmerston, once again looking to the future in this 2007-08 Budget. It is a commitment by our government into the future for the people of Darwin, not a commitment to say: ‘Here is an election budget. Get us over the line and we promise you this’. No, we are building it now. We are committing this government and this community to a new power station at Weddell and I am very proud of that.
We do not just talk these sources of power. We have a huge commitment to solar energy, to renewables. As we know, Alice Springs is now part of the Solar Cities program, which is the $8.3m federal government initiative for remote power generation programs. The Territory government has committed $4.5m-plus and nearly another $0.5m of in-kind support for the project over 2006-07 to 2013-14. We need to focus more on renewables. We have gas coming onshore and we have vast areas where the running of power lines will just not be the viable way to go, so renewables such as solar and wind generation certainly will be looked at.
Mr Deputy Speaker, time is running away from me because I am pretty enthralled by this budget …
Mrs Braham: Oh, you are really enthusiastic, yes. We can tell!
Mr KIELY: I am, member for Braitling. I am sure that you are, too. You sit there with a little smile on your face, but you are a Territorian first and last. I know that your commitment to the people is unquestionable. We have severely different political views, I suggest, but our commitment to the people of the Territory is very strong, and you can see that this is a budget for all Territorians, not just some small segment of the community, which is what we suffered from before.
On the local level in my wide, wonderful, green electorate of Sanderson, I am pretty happy to see that Wulagi Shopping Centre has earmarked to it $150 000 under the urban renewal program in this budget for renovating the precinct. It is all about urban renewal. This is not money for a coat of paint on a shop. It is not about that; it is work in partnership with the Darwin City Council and in consultation with the community to improve the whole environment of the shopping centre, which is an area of community gathering. It will make it a better place as part of the urban beautification program. I will be heavily involved in this and will be consulting with shop owners, shoppers to the area and all of the people of Wulagi to make sure that this is a wonderful, aesthetic and worthwhile project.
As I said, this budget does look at big ticket items, but it also looks at small ticket items. For years, I am told by the families who live around Curlew and Kestrel Crescents where there are beautiful parks, wonderful green little areas where the kids play, there has been no play equipment. Council, for one reason or another, and I guess you would have to give them the benefit of the doubt and say they did not have the budgetary capability to put playground equipment there, has not done it. We have been able to provide, through council, money to put swings in. It is those small parks which lift the amenity of the area of Sanderson, which is a wonderful thing.
We have given to DCC in this budget $250 000 for laneway lighting. I will be talking to council and to my local aldermen and working with them to get some lights in our lanes. There are some going in the laneway to McMillans Road leading from Driffield Street. These laneways really need lighting to make them safe. As a matter of fact, I have written to council about the state of the laneways in the electorate of Sanderson because they are suffering from neglect. Council may get around street sweeping and tree trimming every now and then, but I ask all members to have a look at the state of the laneways in their electorates. They are being overlooked - I will not say neglected - and they are showing signs of neglect. This is something, as local members, we should be pursuing council about and it is certainly something that I am doing.
I am pleased to say that with the $250 000 they received for laneway lighting, and money that we have been able to give them for the upgrading of the shopping precincts around the suburbs, it will free up other money in the council budget for swings and other things. They should be able to turn their mind to it. Let us not forget, while our receipt basis is growing, how much more so is council’s? When you have a look at the units that are going up in town and the rating improvements that must be going on, not to mention the rate rises that we all have been advised that we are getting, council should have a few extra bob for looking after our suburbs. I will certainly be working with them on that.
When talking about sport and the Marrara Precinct …
Mr HENDERSON: Mr Deputy Speaker, I move an extension of time for the member for Sanderson to continue his remarks for a further 10 minutes pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr KIELY: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and minister Henderson. When we talk about the Marrara Precinct, we should think about the netball courts that have been announced in this budget at $4.8m. Fantastic! The netball courts at Parap have served the community well for many years, but they are tired. The cost of refurbishing those courts is probably outstripped, I suggest, by what can be done with the new facility at Marrara. Lots of people around the electorate of Sanderson play netball. However, this is not just for Sanderson; this is for all of Darwin, all of the urban Top End and it is a fantastic facility.
I have written to the Minister for Sport and Recreation asking if we could have a number of these courts shade covered when they are constructed, which would be a really great thing because while the netball competitions are normally held in the afternoon and evening, there are schools that will use the courts during the daytime so let us get two or three of them shaded. Let us make no mistake. I anticipate, judging on my understanding of what it costs us to put shade cover over the basketball courts and such things at our local primary schools, it will probably cost in the vicinity of $150 000 per court. It is a big ask, but they are in the design stage now. Let us look at getting it added and, if we have to, seek a bit more funding. When you think about the issues we have with sun-safe environments for our sports players and our kids, it will be money well spent. It will certainly be something I will pursue as a local member.
Also as a local member, I am happy to report that in 2005, I gave a commitment to the people of Sanderson that Anula School would get the upgrades that it so badly needed to some of its staffing and other amenity areas. In this budget, it is funded, all cashed up. There is $420 000 for Anula Primary School. This was a commitment given by government in 2005, should it be returned to power. We are a government that meets its commitments. I am a local member who works with my colleagues to ensure that these commitments are honoured, and that is what has been done.
On behalf of the people of Sanderson, I thank each and every colleague on this side of the House for understanding the commitment and supporting me by giving this $420 000 for Anula Primary School. As I said, the budget pie is finite. It has to be sliced up and if someone takes a bigger piece, then someone has to get a smaller one. I have taken a piece out of it and my colleagues supported me. I will support them when it comes to them needing something for their area because these are not frivolous baubles we are giving to the community; these are things that are needed. We have to make priorities and serious judgments. The Treasurer has made a serious judgment, has prioritised and Anula School has the money it required.
While we are on it, it is not only about schools. As members would be aware, I am a great supporter of Neighbourhood Watch, particularly in Sanderson where we would probably have two of the most active Neighbourhood Watch groups going: Anula and Wulagi. I donated $200 to Wulagi Neighbourhood Watch because they were interested in some initiatives to help further reduce crime in the suburbs. They had a couple of ideas. I said: ‘Fine. I am supportive of any strategies that we can identify to help reduce crime’. I slipped them $200 and said: ‘There you go. I hope this helps you find out some more facts’.
My $200 pales into insignificance when we look at this budget. It is going to provide $2.4m to the nearly refocused and consolidated Crime Prevention and Community Safety strategy. Within that, there is $110 000 for Neighbourhood Watch to continue its crime prevention role. Hear, hear to the government I say. This is working in partnership with community members who are committed to making their communities safer. I am committed to working with them to make our communities safer. They have my support and always have had. I urge every member to get behind and support your local Neighbourhood Watch. They are a fantastic bunch of volunteers and what they do is wonderful.
As I said, this budget is so big that one …
Mrs Braham: Oh, it is so wonderful.
Mr KIELY: The member for Braitling agrees with me. If only we could put on to the Parliamentary Record the warmth with which you said that, and the clutching of her jacket as she said it. It was really quite moving. I hope I have drawn a good enough picture for everyone.
Mr Deputy Speaker, we are building safer communities. We have more police who are doing a fantastic job. I am in contact with the police management team and the police at Casuarina. They do a fantastic job through the northern suburbs. I work on the motto that we feed the intelligence in and then, if they paste it all together, they will get on top of whatever the crime and safety issues may be. They do a fantastic job. I am happy to see in this budget that there is money for highway patrols and remote area police patrols because they are part of building safer communities. For people living in Sanderson who go down the track to Katherine or Alice, it is important that they feel our highways are safe. We know they are safe; we have the police out there.
We have just had a major debate on road safety initiatives. We have more great legislation coming in to improve the safety of our roads. Those initiatives are being supported in this budget and will go on being supported. I could go into health and more on lifestyle. What we are doing in improving access to fishing is just incredible for the size of this jurisdiction; fantastic. It all benefits the people of Sanderson. There is no way known I can cover all the benefits of this in the short time that is left to me.
I say to any of the constituents of Sanderson, I am out there doorknocking all the time. We have a community meeting on 3 July. I will have all the budget papers with me. Come to see me and I am happy to chat about it. Pick up the phone, give me a ring. I am not going to inundate your letterboxes with how much is in this budget. People will know because as the years roll by, they will see it. There is absolutely no denial that the electorate of Sanderson has become better, amenity- and lifestyle-wise, with the Martin Labor government steering the economy.
When I think of the feeling out and about in 2001, and when I look at the general state of the streets and the houses around Anula, Wulagi, Northlakes, you cannot move half the time through all the house renovations that are going on. In my street, as I speak there is a huge renovation to a chap’s house just up the road. I was in Malak on Sunday where huge and very nice renovations are occurring. It is all a sign of the times; it is a sign of good economic management. It is a sign that minister Stirling, as Treasurer, seems to have been born to this job. I do not know how it all came to him, but he has taken the bit between his teeth - he is a bit of a racing bloke; a bit of a horsy bloke – and he is going for it. He is doing a fantastic job.
The legacy he is leaving the Territory when his time comes is fantastic. The forecast in the projection of 10 years will, I am confident to say, outstrip the time that the Treasurer will have in this House. I congratulate him for introducing, in a non-election year, a budget that is setting the parameters for the decade ahead. Well done to the Treasurer, the Chief Minister, and all ministers, the full breadth of the Martin government team. I thank the Independents for their input. I cannot bring myself to thank the CLP opposition. I do not think they have contributed anything towards debate, and the sad thing is I do not think they have anything to contribute.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Deputy Speaker, you must forgive me for smiling because the member for Sanderson was so enthusiastic. It is delightful to see such a positive response in the House. If I happened to be in your position, I would be saying: ‘Thanks government, thanks Mr Treasurer; it sounds like a good budget’, because that is what it is. It is a good budget. It is a mid-term budget. It is a steady-as-she-goes budget. There are no really hard knocks; no big surprises. A few increases in taxes, but a few good things for business. I was a little surprised that it wasn’t a bit tougher, being a mid-term budget, bringing down all the hard things you want to do as government so that next year, leading into the election, it would be softer.
Obviously, the Treasurer has a fair bit of money to play with, and good luck to him. The financial state of the Territory and of government is fairly healthy. I suggest that he be careful that borrowing and debt levels do not rise to levels that are unsustainable. In his summing up, perhaps he can comment on the debt levels for the Territory and how it will affect the budget in future years, whether he thinks it is sustainable, whether is he purely relying on more GST funding from the Commonwealth or whether he has a debt strategy that is not going to send us broke.
Many of the questions I will be asking today are probably questions I will eventually ask in estimates, because I need to know more about the budget. I will not go through all the regional highlights for Alice Springs or the Centre. That is fairly clear for everyone to see; they only have to pick up the documents. There are certain programs for which we need clarification on whether they are going to receive the funding needed.
The big issue the government has to address in the next few years is child sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities. It is very hard to pull out from the budget what exactly is going to be spent in this area. I have always been of the view that if the place you live is not a good environment, it is going to be very hard ever to get out of it and have a better life. In many of the communities, no matter how hard they try to make facilities better, it all boils down to how much money they can get, what they need and who is going to manage it properly for them. We talk a lot about addressing the problem of sexual abuse, but in the budget, I cannot see the details of how we are going to make life on communities better for people. That would certainly be one of the areas to start with.
We talk about alcohol abuse in Alice Springs, but part of the problem, of course, is that people do not always want to go home. Unfortunately, the life they end up having in the town is not very good, either. Perhaps the members for Macdonnell, Arnhem, and Stuart will, in their speeches, spell out the things in the budget that they are going to be putting into their communities to make them better places.
One of the areas that concerns me in Alice Springs is FACS. The will is there in FACS, but there is not the number of staff available to address the problems there. I have heard on the grapevine that they have a number of positions that are unfilled. I noticed there is an increase in the budget for child protection, but I would like to know how that increase in the budget is going to be spent on FACS.
There is a Safe Families program that Tangentyere is running at the moment and I hope that will continue to be funded. I would like to think that the Return to Country program promised in the forum we had in Alice Springs will be funded for the Centre. Certainly, people in the town who get stuck need to be given the means to get home. Whether we can do it by direct debit from their welfare payments or they can pay it off, or we can just take him home, I am not sure. However, one of the things I would like to ensure is in the budget is the area that maintains transport back to communities for people.
I worry about the elderly people in town camps. I am not sure who is in charge of them, whether it is FACS, the Health department or whoever. There are many elderly people in town camps who do not have a good living environment. Aboriginal Hostels, although they provide many places for people within their hostels, do not cater for everyone. That is something I would like to see in the budget also.
Federal town camp funding that was knocked back by the town camps themselves was disappointing. It should have been taken but, for their own reasons, they believe they were right in rejecting it. It would have been a great bonus. It would have helped improve the living conditions in our town camps. There is no doubt that the words ‘town camp’ send a really bad message to people, whereas it should be a town suburb, a town centre, or a community village rather than saying it is a camp. I hope that if we cannot get the federal government back in line to assist the people in town camps, the Territory government has some means within their budget to improve that.
One of the things we are experiencing in Alice Springs is a great deal of antisocial behaviour, particularly among our young people, the 10- to 15-years-olds. They seem to be running amok at times and there seems to be a lack of respect and control. I noticed there is $1.8m for a juvenile diversionary program and I would like to know how much of that will be allocated for diversionary programs in Alice Springs.
There is a need to have a program where young people can be placed out of town on an outside community and given a purpose. I refer back to Graham Ross who did it for years. We know the government has facilities such as Owen Springs and Hamilton Downs. I would like to think some of the diversionary money will be used to place a centre around Alice Springs where we could take some of these juveniles who need to break the cycle. Of the number of extra police in the budget, it would be good if there were two police allocated as youth liaison officers, a male and a female, so they can assist in building up a positive relationship with young people, and use them, for instance, in making sure there are the right sorts of programs for these young people.
It is a shame that people believe diversionary programs are Mickey Mouse. Government should be doing a lot more information sharing about what can happen when a child is put on diversion. The Youth Justice Act has changed the way we deal with many of our juveniles, and it is not very clear to the community. Perhaps, within those additional police officers that have been allocated in the budget, we could have a couple allocated to improve that image.
Through the Department of Family Community Services, we have been looking at an after-hours youth service in Alice Springs. I know there has been a combined push for this by community youth groups. Work is currently under way trying to secure commercial space to rent in the CBD to set up this after-hours youth centre. However, the fact remains that to rent any space in the CBD you are looking at something like $50 000 per year, and that is a huge amount of money for rent. We need to be broader in our vision about this. The Alice Springs Youth Centre, which is in a prime location and has been there for many years, would be a good venue for a multipurpose youth service with the provision of all sorts of day and night services for young people and families.
I wonder whether FACS could reallocate the money they want to use for an after-hours youth service and put it into the Alice Springs Youth Centre to develop it as a venue for a youth drop-in centre. It is a way of ensuring that if we are going to have this after-hours service, we get better value for money and the funding required for renting premises could be reallocated to capital works to upgrade the Alice Springs Youth Centre. I know it is a fairly controversial suggestion because the committee of the Alice Springs Youth Centre really do not want lose their premises or change it in that way. However, I believe we have to be realistic about our young people in town and become proactive in finding things for them to do.
Another issue I wanted to raise is senior Territorians. I am pleased to see the Minister for Senior Territorians in the House. I notice there is an allocation of money for senior Territorians. I do not have it in front of me. I am wondering whether the minister could consider reviewing the way one of the concessions for transport is allocated. At the moment, there is a concession for interstate travel, by commercial travel, for pensioners, which is 50% of the return economy airfare. Every two years, many seniors value and use it. The Territory government can be proud that they do this for seniors. At the moment, if they book through a nominated travel agent, the concession is paid direct to the travel agent. However, if they book it themselves on the Internet and pay up-front, then seek reimbursement of 50%, they are told that they cannot be reimbursed until they return from their trip and bring in their tickets.
You may say: ‘That is fair enough; that is a safe way of making sure you know that they go on the trip’. However, they need that money when they are on the trip, not when they come home. It is about trust in our seniors; that we would be able to reimburse the money before they travel. Then, if they cannot provide evidence that they travelled, they can then be asked to return it. It seems to be a bit of anomaly that they can go to a travel agent and it can be paid up-front for them, but if they do it themselves to get a cheaper fare, they have to pay up-front themselves and cannot get the reimbursement of 50% until later. It is something that the minister could consider because it is not a big move or a difficult matter, but it would certainly say to the seniors who use it: ‘Yes, we do trust you and we understand that you need the money while you are away on holidays rather than wait until you come back home to claim it’.
Government is increasing power, water and sewerage charges by the CPI over the next five years, I think it is. There will be an increase in charges for everyone. People do not seem to have responded negatively to that. I guess we are all used to having a small increase in services, whether it is registration, insurance or whatever. However, I was wondering whether there is money in the budget to reimburse the people who produce power and put it back into the grid, and whether the cost of reimbursing the people who produce it will be the same price we are going to be charging people. Will be more? In fact, it costs a lot more to set up that particular system to use in your home. The federal government may provide a subsidy; I am not totally sure about that. It is something I have not had time to check. Even if the Territory government could give subsidies to people who want to put in these systems to produce their own power, it would encourage more people to do it. In Alice Springs, which is a solar city, it is something we are very keen to promote. I would like to know whether the buy-back price of the power people produce themselves to go into the grid is going to equate with the amount people will be charged, or whether it is going to be more or less.
It is really hard for first homebuyers. You only have to look at the house and land prices in Alice Springs and in the rest of the Territory. Tennant Creek may be okay to buy a house. It is difficult, though, and that is why I was pleased with the minister’s reply about first homebuyers in Larapinta. Land prices in Alice Springs are really quite exorbitant and crazy. The stamp duty relief the Treasurer introduced for first homebuyers is a great incentive and will be something that first homebuyers will be keen to use. However, they cannot use it if there is not a house or land reasonably priced for them to buy. It is one of those areas that the government needs to do a lot more work on. I do not know how you would do it. Land and homes all around Australia seem to be very expensive.
On the issue of education and truancy officers, we have talked a lot about getting kids to school, but we still do not seem to have made provision for truancy officers in the budget. We keep hearing about programs where we are going to have schools and officers dealing directly with families to make sure they come to school, but it does not address the problem of the number of students from remote communities who travel with parents for all sorts of reasons and do not go to school when they are in a town. There needs to be a system whereby school teachers in remote communities can track students and make sure that they go to school or they know where they are going. I would like to see more emphasis on truancy officers, particularly as it is a major recommendation in the report on sexual abuse of young children.
I cannot find information on buses. There is talk about buses, but I am thinking specifically of buses to go into town camps to take children to school. Perhaps the minister can show me where I should be looking for how much is going to be spent on buses.
There is an amount of $1.9m allocated for the Back to School program. That is a huge amount of money, really, for this $50 ongoing bonus. I wonder how long it is going to go on. We have not had any feedback from the minister on how many people took advantage of it, how much was paid, and what it was used for. There needs to be clarification of the $50 bonus and how the scheme is working. $1.9m would be a healthy amount of money to put into schools for other purposes, resources and teachers.
I am pleased to see continuing provision of laptops for teachers, but the $1.9m - are we really getting value for money? Perhaps it could be utilised in a better way. In saying that, I could imagine some of the parents who take advantage of it would be concerned by those remarks, but in the overall scheme of things, we need to know what value we are getting.
Another point I would like to make is about the Mereenie Loop Road. We still do not seem to have solved the problem of the access to gravel around Ipolera. It frustrates me to know that, even though there is money allocated for the road and it is progressing, there may be delays. I am wondering whether the amount budgeted will cover the first stage only. Will it also cover the next stage when we get access to the gravel? It is one of those things that seems never to go anywhere.
I could go on looking at different areas, but probably the areas that we need to really ask questions about are: debt and how we are managing it; education and how we are going to get the best outcomes and the best value for our money; child protection, which I know is going to be a big emphasis for the federal government; and protection of aged people. I would like to see emphasis on that.
There are always many things we would like to see happen in our electorates as time goes by. I am pleased to say that we did get bike paths in Larapinta and they have been a huge success. I thank the minister for doing that. Interestingly, they put down road seal rather than concrete, and it seems to have been a great success; people seem to prefer it. It would also be useful if ministers could address town parks. I know there is money for upgrading parks. Town council, to me, often neglects the area. We have the very basic equipment, so if we can get something else in the way of parks it would be good. We need to address land for first homebuyers. I think we are trying to get the first homebuyers in by giving them the stamp duty concession.
All in all, it is a basic, good budget. It does not have a lot of frills. It does not have a lot of downsides. It will be interesting to see what oomph it has next year before an election year. I do not think the Treasurer has been spendthrift in what he is doing; he has been quite controlled. The Speaker has done remarkably well in the budget for the House. I am sure the Legislative Assembly is very pleased. I could never, ever get the Treasurer to put a lot of money into Parliament House. It is not something that is seen as a priority by the Treasurer. It is really great that the Speaker has done so well to keep Parliament House looking as good as it should because it is something we can be proud of.
Saying all that, Mr Deputy Speaker, we will see the Treasurer at estimates.
Mr BONSON (Millner): Mr Deputy Speaker, tonight I contribute to this year’s budget debate. It is a fantastic budget. I have had the honour to work with the current Treasurer since 2001. We have seen, with his financial management of the economy, steady growth of the economy over that time. What that growth has allowed us to do is follow the policies of the Australian Labor Party.
As a member of the Australian Labor Party and as this House, I often think about the roles and responsibilities I have to constituents in Millner. I am often humbled by that responsibility because, as people may know, Millner was a working class area of Darwin and was made up of the real battlers of Darwin over the last four or five decades. There are members of my constituency who have lived in the area for some 46 or 50 years in Territory Housing. They knew the area when it was swamp land and you could walk into the back yard, lean over the fence and shoot geese.
I often say to Millner constituents that we are no longer living in Millner, but Millner Heights. As a result of the strong economy, Millner’s property capital gain in the last five years has been nothing short of spectacular. Those individuals who purchased properties and whose families have grown up in the Millner area have been capable of reaping great personal wealth, and they deserve it. The reason they deserve it is because they contributed to the lifestyle of the Northern Territory; they have created the community of Darwin and have helped build it from the ground up.
As a member of the Australian Labor Party, I feel very honoured to have grown up in the area. Obviously, people know me as a born and bred Territorian. I come from a family that was in Darwin when there were fewer than 500 people. We often talk about people’s contributions during the pioneer days of Darwin and the Northern Territory. In reality, many of those individuals and families are involved in the future of the Northern Territory. I am very proud to be representing them in this House.
I look at what I believe we stand for as the Territory government, and a lot of that is about supporting, protecting and celebrating our great lifestyle. It is about ensuring that we have safe communities, that our families have the protection and safety to walk the streets at night, and improving the health system for all Territorians whether they are in regional, rural or urban areas of the great Northern Territory. It is about the Australian Labor Party continuing its management of our strong economy and its growth into the future, and ensuring that we have wealth shared throughout the whole of the community, not concentrated in a very few.
It is about building better schools, investing in educational foundations. As we have seen with many different issues in the last few years, it all comes back to basic education and training of Territorians. Through the Building Better Schools program, both the former and current ministers have shown that this ALP government has a belief that education should form the foundation of the future of the Territory.
We are a government which gets out to the people. I look at members of this House and the people they represent, the constituencies, nationalities, the belief systems that they have. An analogy would be that we all come together as a mix of individuals in one big goose curry and we are all the different herbs that go into it to make it the tasty thing that it is.
I am proud to be raising a family in the Northern Territory and that other members have raised their families here and will continue to do so. We truly believe in the future of the Northern Territory. I look at what the Northern Territory Branch of the Australian Labor Party stands for. To me, it stands for jobs. It is about creating jobs for all Territorians, black, white, green or purple and whether they live in rural, regional or urban areas. I am proud to say that the Martin Labor government has created 6000 new jobs in the last year alone, and that is a magnificent achievement. We have created more than 2000 new apprenticeships and traineeships for future Territorians who will be able to contribute not only to the economy, but also to our society, and this is very important.
When we talk about creating safer communities for our women and children, for the young families of the Northern Territory, the Martin Labor government can always look to the fact that we commissioned the O’Sullivan Report which said that we needed extra police. We commissioned the O’Sullivan Report that showed that the CLP had no interest in recruiting for approximately four years in the early 1990s, which led to an attrition rate within the police service. We have now put 200 extra police on, and we have halved property crime since coming into office, which is an amazing figure. When I first became a member, I can genuinely say that the biggest single issue in my area was property crime. People were concerned about it. We heard all the rhetoric from the CLP, but the reality was that they never, ever properly funded our police service to deal with all law and order issues.
I listened to the debate on alcohol and drugs in our communities. There is no doubt that, growing up in Darwin, I saw the effects of alcohol and drugs on the community. The reality is that many people know where substance abuse is occurring and they know the harmful effects of alcohol. Our strategic plan is dealing with drugs on the streets, particularly amphetamines and heroin, which is what we are seeing now. Most people in Darwin are starting to admit the effects of overuse of marijuana and the mental health issues that arise. If you have a look at the criminology, drugs and alcohol abuse are closely linked to criminal behaviour. What we have seen is a strategic police attack and proper funding of the police service which has led to the harm minimisation of alcohol and drugs on our community. I do not believe that we will ever be able to get rid of the scourge of alcohol or drug abuse, but what we can do is minimise it and chase the people who deal in those harmful substances into the shadows.
The Martin Labor government has employed 270 more nurses, more than 100 extra doctors, and created 50 more hospital beds across the Northern Territory. We have increased the funding in Health since 2001 by 64%, an amazing amount. We have taken the health issues facing the Territory head on, and we have said, as a government, that we wish to address the problems that are eating away at the foundations of the future of the Territory.
The strong economy has benefited from our strong management, and those who have benefited most, of course, are Territory families. I know that the Treasurer, ministers, and all members of this side of the House in the Australian Labor Party are very conscious that we need to keep bucking national trends and managing the economy well so that young Territory families can continue to grow in pride. Under the Martin Labor government, the Territory has an economy and lifestyle that is the best in Australia, and I truly believe that. Walk outside these doors now and you will see the beautiful Dry Season weather and the sheer excitement and activity in the streets of Darwin.
What we have seen is the largest capital education investment in the Territory’s history. I am proud to be a member of the first Labor government in the Territory, elected in 2001. I will go into the pride that I have in the results we are getting in education in a moment. One of the reasons I continue to do the hard yards as a member of this government, and a member of this party, is because I believe in the future of the Territory. I will be here for the next 50 years, hopefully, if God allows me, and I will continue to contribute as best I can.
What we have seen over the last six years is this government’s willingness to enter into partnerships with Aboriginal people. This is a reflection of the dynamics of our caucus, with six indigenous members from a variety of backgrounds and histories. We have also seen that members from non-indigenous backgrounds who represent remote areas have a genuine interest in helping their constituents. We can never underestimate the fact that the northern suburbs members of this government have picked up the gauntlet and said that they wish to come on board and help those who need the help most. I will go into those details in a moment.
What we have seen consistently over a period of time, and it is all to do with the game of politics, is the CLP constantly talking down the Territory. The CLP is out of touch, knocking everything that we do, knocking the achievements we have made in education, health, police and economic management. The reality is that I do not think they are ready to govern yet. That is only my personal opinion. Over the next few years, as a viable government in opposition, they have a lot of work to do on themselves to really give Territorians a choice.
As part of this government, I believe that we need to keep delivering and working hard for the Territory. I know we drive each other and that when we have our small successes, we should be celebrating them and learning from the hard times. We are attempting to do that.
I take this opportunity to read in for those people who, in future years, might go through the Parliamentary Record, and see what the member for Millner said. One of the things that I would like to read into the Parliamentary Record is an extract from the 2007-08 budget speech, which really sums up the policy and political beliefs of this group of individuals who represent the Territory at this moment in time. It is directly from the Treasurer’s speech:
It is a forward thinking budget, Mr Deputy Speaker:
That best summarises what the Treasurer was aiming at: trying to get the message through. What we have come to realise, as a government, is the fact that the needs of Territorians, whether they live in bush or rural areas, far outweighs the capacity for us to deal with all of those problems. However, what we are trying to do is to deal with them as best as we can in the most strategic way we can as we go into the future.
I have heard speeches by the member for Barkly talking about the deficit in housing, and it really shows that, in reality, we cannot deal with the deficit right across the Territory. What do we do in response? The minister, with all members of the government right behind him, was able to get a commitment from this government of a $100m over the next five years for all people in remote areas. We know that the deficit of the need for housing right across the Territory is about $1bn. What we are looking at is a shortfall of $900m. Where do we go from here? All we can do is the best that we can with the capacity that we have.
What we need to do, as I have said consistently every year at budget time and every other opportunity I have, is take this issue national. We need to get national investment into the problems that we face in the Northern Territory not because we are special or our need is greater than others, but because as Australian citizens, Territorians deserve the right and the opportunity that every other Australian citizen takes for granted. If you live in western Sydney, Brisbane, Perth or Tasmania, you have a certain level of services delivered to you. It has nothing to do with the region you are in, the colour of your skin or your cultural background. It is the fact that there is an investment and a scale that delivers those basic human rights – I think human needs is what the member for Barkly said – and wants that an Australian citizen, black, white, green and purple, whatever religious background, whatever party affiliation, deserves.
This is not happening in the Northern Territory. Do I think it is the fault of the Northern Territory government? I do not. I believe the Northern Territory government, with the capacity they have with their budget of approximately $3.2bn, does the best it can to deliver those services. It is a balancing act. We know we have a deficit in health, in education, in roads, etcetera, but we are attempting to deal with those as best as we can within our capacity.
We issued the challenge to the Commonwealth to match us dollar-for-dollar in housing. I am looking forward to the Mal Broughs and the John Howards of this world coming on board and matching us dollar-for-dollar. However, they really should be looking at the investment we should be making for all Australian citizens. Hopefully, one day we can come up with a strategy where we can tackle this nationally. I believe in the Australian citizen. I believe that they have a belief that all Australians should have equal opportunities in services that every other Australians has. I truly and honestly believe that. The message gets lost in the politics but if we were to paint the real picture, and do it hand-in-hand with the opposition, with every member in this House, as I have said on a number of occasions, I am sure we can make a big enough noise that I could take this concept of an investment in Australian citizens nationally to a level that will be supported by all the constituents of Australia.
One of the initiatives we are carrying through that I am most proud of is Job Plans 3, Jobs for the Future 2007-08. It looks at employers, students, individuals, indigenous Territorians at employment disadvantage and small business. In the business area, we have delivered an occupational shortage employers incentive worth $4000 each; we delivered a $2000 incentive for employers who have taken an apprentice or training from a disadvantaged group; we provided funding of $500 000 for the Build Skills program that assists with upskilling and re-skilling existing workers; and we have created an additional 100 training places within the Northern Territory public sector. This is fantastic because, as you know, traditionally the Northern Territory has been a public service town. Some would argue that it still is. To give 100 training places for young people right across the NT to break into the public service is great opportunity for them.
Look what we do for students. In Jobs Plan 3, we provide: a Workwear/Workgear Bonus of up to $1000 each for apprentices and trainees; funding of $250 000 for pre-apprenticeship programs to give potential apprentices a taste of the trade; a Work Ready program to prepare school students for apprenticeships and traineeships; higher education scholarships worth up to $5000 each; and vocational education and training scholarships worth $4000 each.
Some of the strategies we are using to try to increase employment include: school-based apprenticeships and traineeships available to students from Year 10 onwards, which is a fantastic program and the students who are taking advantage of it are doing very well; individual learning plans for Year 10 students to help them gain employment or undertake further education and training; work experience and work placement programs so that students can get a foot in the door with industry; and post-school support for students who establish successful enterprises at school, and school-to-work transition.
Creating jobs for future Territorians is our role and responsibility as members. No doubt, each member will suggest that they came from an environment where work was encouraged. Unfortunately, many Territorians do not have the opportunity to gain meaningful work. As we move into the future, the creation of meaningful work for all Territorians is one of the big challenges we face as a government.
As the member for Millner, it has been an honour for me to go to the Treasurer and advocate on behalf of my constituents. I am proud of the achievements we have managed in my local area in the past six years, and of my advocacy for Millner and the results in this year’s budget. For example, the Millner Primary School has been allocated $1m for an upgrade. This allows Millner School to enclose the Assembly area, which allows them to hold functions, something they presently cannot do. It allows the students to use the area throughout the year, which has not been the case for the past 30 years.
One of the challenges the school council has taken upon itself is how construction should take place. The purpose of the school hall is to provide an essential and critical space for everyday use by children and staff. The space provides protection from sun and rain for a significant part of the school year. It can be used informally during recess and lunch for playing and eating, and is used by all classes for physical activity as a part of the structured curriculum, including sensory motor skills, gymnastics and a range of ball sports. The space is used for weekly school assemblies as well as a number of other special events such as the Christmas show and graduation ceremonies.
The school council is attempting to make the assembly area the greenest in the Northern Territory, and to make it a model for other upgrades to school assembly areas. I fully support the move to a greener, energy efficient design. I look forward to the proposals that arise, and to working with the department and the school council to achieve those goals.
As local member, I have also been able to advocate for Nightcliff Renal Unit airconditioning and fencing. One of the issues with renal treatment is the places where renal care is provided. I was happy to, with the Health Ministers both previous and current, obtain an upgrade to the airconditioning unit, which unfortunately over a number of years, was inefficient during the Wet Season. We are looking forward this Wet Season to the comfort of staff throughout the building, along with fencing and security for the protection of clients using the Renal Unit. I know they are looking forward to the upgrade and are very appreciative of the Health Minister and my work as a local member.
I was also happy to advocate for Nemarluk special needs school for $40 000 to enclose part of the staff room to create an office for the nurse. The parents, teachers and the principal of Nemarluk special school are doing a magnificent job in looking after very special kids with special needs. They provide support to the parents and families who have brothers and sisters affected by different disabilities. They do a magnificent job, and I know the members for Karama and Johnston take a great interest in children with disabilities. I will continue to advocate as best I can for individuals with special needs.
I was also able to advocate successfully for $250 000 for a traffic management upgrade of the car park and drop-off zone area of the Casuarina Senior College, which is fantastic. I was able to get $150 000 for the Tang Street drain along Coconut Grove. I was able to get money for the Millner Primary School drop-off zone, and I look forward to creating a safer drop-off zone for the kids at Millner School in Sabine Road.
Another interest for my electorate includes undergrounding power in Milner. I thank the Treasurer and member for Karama for the work they have done ensuring that this work can continue in the Millner area. It is much appreciated. Of course, there is upgrading of our parks, including Wangi Park and parks in Gulnare Street, Millner Street, Mosec Street, Tudawali Street and Nation Crescent in the Millner area. It has been a fantastic partnership with the Darwin City Council. I know it set tongues wagging in the local area, because everyone just cannot believe the equipment that has been purchased to put into their local parks, including the one very close to me in Millner Street. It again shows the commitment of this government to local issues at a local level. I congratulate the Treasurer again for the work that they have done in that partnership, and ensuring that we work with the Darwin City Council.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: You only have 45 seconds, member for Millner.
Ms LAWRIE: Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the member be granted extension of time, pursuant to Standing Order 77, in order to complete this remarks.
Motion agreed to.
Mrs Miller: Only 10 minutes.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ten minutes; agreed.
Mr BONSON: Mr Deputy Speaker and members of this House, I thank you for showing appreciation of my contribution.
I would like to again claim credit, as part of this government, for the infrastructure highlights, because that is what it is about: delivering for the people of Darwin and the Northern Territory. There is $12.05m for the current stage of the Darwin waterfront development, and $5m for Stage 5. It is a magnificent project. I know the people of Darwin are fully supportive of it. If you talk to the business community and the general public, they cannot wait for this development to open and the economic benefits from it.
The $12.35m that is going to the new Darwin Middle School is a big shift in investment which has been put into the middle schools program and has been fully funded. I thank the Education minister for the work he is doing there. $0.6m is for the Myilly Point redevelopment including the Flagstaff Park upgrade. Members may know that the member for Karama and I, over many years, have spoken to the Chief Minister about the importance of this site. People may be aware that this site is culturally significant to the Larrakia people of Darwin. It is also culturally associated with the Kahlin Compound, the first compound set up for the Stolen Generation kids, which my grandmother was a part of at the turn of the last century. It was also, of course, the site of Darwin Hospital where many of us long-term locals were born, including me. As many people would know, one of the traditional beliefs of all Aboriginal people is that where you were born has special significance. I do believe that Darwin is a site of special significance, and that is why we have such a great city. There is something in the water, so to speak, to use a European phrase, that makes Darwin such a special place. I strongly believe that.
Then, of course, it became the site of the first university in the Northern Territory. I know some people would say it would be great for development of units, etcetera, but what we have said, as a government, is that we are going to weigh up those pro-development ideas with what is good for our society and community. Recognition of these special historical sites is, yet again, a balancing act we have created as the NT government. The Myilly Point redevelopment will be a magnificent future asset to the community of the Northern Territory. I look at it as something similar to creating Central Park in New York. In 200 years we will all be passed away, but that site will be there.
The $4.8m for Marrara Outdoor Netball Centre is a fantastic investment in sport. I know all the ladies who play netball are looking forward to this. I am looking forward to having access to this as part of Millner. The $4.8m for the new Casuarina Police Station is fantastic. It is going to help create safer communities for the whole of Darwin, including Millner.
There is a capital grant of $4m to upgrade Banyan House. As we know, there are law and order issues, but a lot of those come from drug and alcohol abuse. Banyan House is being supported, as we know that it takes more than just one attack on the issue of crime. We have to help individuals with drug and alcohol problems to overcome them.
The $2.21m to complete Royal Darwin Hospital National Trauma Centre is fantastic, along with the $1.98m to complete the Rapid Admission and Planning Unit at Royal Darwin Hospital.
There is $1.5m to upgrade Nightcliff High School and Casuarina Senior College cyclone shelters. These are facilities that residents of Millner use, and it is fantastic. There is $1m to upgrade the assembly area of Millner Primary School, and I have spoken about that at length.
We have allocated $350 000 to construct a skate park and amenities at Nightcliff, which is another area used for recreation and fishing purposes by the people of Millner. As I have already mentioned, the undergrounding of power can continue on into the future, with $8.4m. That is a fantastic project. The $440 000 to commence diverting sewage outflow from the Larrakeyah outfall to the Ludmilla plant will, obviously, have an affect on the Ludmilla area, and I look forward to that.
I thank all members for listening to my contribution. It is an honour to represent the people of Millner and to be a part of this Assembly. It is also an honour to be a part of the first Martin Labor government and the Australian Labor Party. The key messages, though, for all of us are that we want to support, protect and celebrate our great Territory lifestyle; create more jobs and training positions; fight crime and create safer communities; and improve the health system. We want to claim the credit that we deserve for the good management of the overall economy. We want to ensure that we maintain the high level of capital investment in education in remote, rural and urban areas. We want to continue to be representative of the people of the Northern Territory. We want to ensure that the Territory is the best place in Australia to bring up a family.
Mr Deputy Speaker, unlike the CLP opposition, and I know we are going to hear their contributions some time, we are not going to talk the Territory down. We are not out of touch and knocking everything that is happening. We are about delivering a viable government known as the Martin Labor government for future generations in the Territory. I am proud to be part of this government and to be creating, as the Treasurer said, a foundation for the next 10 years.
Mr WARREN (Goyder): Mr Deputy Speaker, this my second budget since being elected an MLA. After last year’s effort, I thought the Treasurer could not exceed what we had delivered, but this year, it flows on. It demonstrates the overall strategy that the Treasurer and the Martin Labor government have and how much in control they are. I am very impressed with Budget 2007-08.
Last year, I said that there are two things that matter more to me as an MLA than any other. They are the education and health of my fellow Territorians. I reiterate that because without these two elements, we cannot consider ourselves a truly functional society. Budget 2007-08 continues to deliver on both these issues, but also focuses on ensuring our economic sustainability well into the future.
I would like to spend a few minutes reviewing the state of our Territory economy because that is the cornerstone of what this budget builds on and it is very important. Our economy is resource-based. We have a large public sector and a significant Defence presence. Not surprisingly, because of our wealthy, small population, our economy is highly influenced by global economic conditions. This also means that we are very much capable of high economic growth as we develop our natural resources. That is exactly what the Martin Labor government is determined to achieve. The good news is that we are on track to achieve this economic growth.
To put this in factual terms, in 2006-07 our economic growth, as measured by gross state product or GSP, was 7.5%, the highest growth rate in the country. Our current GSP is heading for 7.2% this financial year. That is on top of the successive increases we have had every year. Of course, there is more evidence of our economic prosperity. The Martin Labor government continues to achieve excellent job growth figures, with employment growing by 5.7% so far this year, while unemployment is only about 4.5%. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that the Territory workforce is now almost 110 000 people strong. This Labor government is working hard to build a skilled workforce that meets industry demands and maximises work opportunities for Territorians. Budget 2007-08 sees an injection of an additional $8.5m over four years for training and employment initiatives through Jobs Plan 3. That brings the overall Jobs Plan strategy investment to $21.3m over four years. This is great news for Territorians.
Another important economic indicator is retail growth. Again, ABS figures show that retail growth is stronger in the Territory than anywhere else in the country. It is up 11.8% for the current year to April compared with the national rate of only 6.3% for the same period. That is almost double the national rate. How good is that? I am sure even the opposition could not condemn those figures but, then again, they do make an art form of talking down the Territory.
Clearly, the evidence is there for all to see that consumer confidence is high on the back of our strong and sustainable economic growth and high employment figures. Territorians are reaping the benefits of what the Martin Labor government has delivered to them. They are enjoying a lifestyle that befits our status at the top of Australia. To prove this, retail spending on recreational goods has shown a very strong growth rate. Spending on recreational goods is up 10.2% to $7m per annum. The strongest growth in retail spending was in the area of household goods, which is up 23.9% to $29m, another important lifestyle indicator. Retail expenditure on food was up 12.1% to $92m; clothing and soft goods 10.7% to $9m; and hospitality and services up 2.6% to $35m. As the Treasurer stated in a recent media release, Territorians are confident about the future and small business is enjoying solid trade growth.
The facts are there for all to see. We lead the rest of Australia in the major economic indicators of GSP growth, employment participation rate and retail trade growth. No reasonable person could ask more, and this is a credit to the fiscal responsibility and long-term sustainable economic growth strategies of the Martin Labor government. I know that the CLP has made an art form of talking down the Territory, but no one can honestly deny that under the Martin Labor government, the Territory economy is strong and has reached new heights.
It was not always like this. Remember in 2001 when the Martin Labor government won and had the huge responsibility the dealing with the infamous financial black hole, and then the Labor government began to turn the Territory economy around? I remember it. I think we all do. It was done through a mixture of major project promotion and responsible fiscal management. The Martin Labor government did turn our economic misfortune under the CLP into an economy which is the toast of the country.
I am proud to have had the opportunity in 2005 to join a Labor government that has transformed our economy and continues to set higher and higher economic standards. I am proud to be part of a Labor government that has created an environment where business activity is at an all-time record. Our economy is strong, robust and growing. Most importantly, the growth is sustainable. This is a prosperous economic environment for all Territorians. As a result, we now have a lifestyle at the top of Australia. The Territory is a great place to live, stay and most importantly, to raise a family.
Good governments are elected and, might I say, re-elected to deliver economic prosperity for the benefit of their constituents. On all accounts, the Martin Labor government is a winner and has delivered. However, the Martin Labor government is not content with resting on its laurels. Budget 2007-08 is clear evidence of that. This budget clearly defines our integrated economic plan for this year and sets in train an economic and lifestyle road map the next 10 years. The Martin Labor government, as always, is a forward-looking and socially aware government.
Budget 2007-08 will deliver across the board. There are record budget commitments in the areas of Health and Community Services, $838m; Employment, Education and Training, $658m; and Police, Fire and Emergency Services, $226m. These all clearly show that the Martin Labor government is totally committed to delivering socially responsible services for all Territorians.
As I explained earlier, the Martin Labor government has set in train processes to ensure our long-term sustainable economic growth. Infrastructure spending in Budget 2007-08 totals a massive $645m. Capital works cash and grant allocations total $302m. As our Treasurer so proudly proclaimed, $143m has been allocated to Power and Water Corporation’s capital expenditure, with a further $193m allocated for repairs and maintenance. This is a 20% increase in commitment from the forward estimates in 2006-07.
I was particularly pleased to see that the Martin Labor government has committed $83.5m to build a new power station at Weddell in my electorate of Goyder. Some $48.4m has been allocated for work on this most important facility project as part of Budget 2007-08.
The roads and national highways infrastructure investment in Budget 2007-08 totals $180m, and I am extremely pleased to see that $10m has been allocated for the Tiger Brennan Drive upgrade between Wishart Road and Tiger Brennan Drive. Our Palmerston and rural constituents, I am sure, will be pleased that this much-needed roadwork will help the traffic flow to and from the Darwin CBD, and relieve peak hour traffic pressures on the Stuart Highway between Palmerston and Darwin. This budget includes an injection of $4.5m to continue further work on sealing of the Litchfield loop road. When completed, it should be a great help for our rural businesses, particularly those relying on and associated with the tourism industry.
The Martin Labor government recognises that tax relief for Territory businesses and Territorians further stimulates our growing economy and reduces population fluctuations and, consequently, improves our much loved lifestyle. Budget 2007-08 will go down as the year that the Martin Labor government abolished a raft of stamp duty taxes and reformed other taxes. Maybe this should be called the Martin Labor government tax reform Budget 2007-08. Specifically, stamp duties on hiring arrangements are abolished. Stamp duties on guarantees are abolished. Stamp duties on leases for nil or nominal rent are abolished. From 1 July 2009, conveyancing, stamp duty on business property - guess what? - abolished. Payroll taxes are targeted for further reductions and, for the Territory’s first homebuyers, the threshold where stamp duty kicks in has been raised from $225 000 to $350 000. This means that 85% of first homebuyers will not pay any stamp duty.
On the back of these continued tax reforms, the Territory remains the lowest taxing state or territory in Australia for recurrent taxes. It remains the only - the only - Australian jurisdiction where there are no land taxes or fire service levies.
Some more of the great news stories that Budget 2007-08 delivers for our Darwin rural community include the promised $4.25m to complete upgrading Taminmin High School facilities to middle years requirements. Following my strong lobbying of the Infrastructure minister, I am pleased that Taminmin High School gymnasium will be upgraded to public cyclone shelter standard to replace the existing inadequate cyclone facility at the school site. At Humpty Doo Primary School, $180 000 has been set aside for the recently operational special needs facility. At Girraween, $100 000 has been set aside to complete the school bike path link so the schoolchildren can ride safely to Girraween school on a purpose-built bike path which includes an innovative bike bridge.
My Palmerston constituents are also, no doubt, pleased with the $8.43m upgrading of Palmerston High School to middle years requirements.
The Territory Wildlife Park at Berry Springs in my electorate has received $5.52m for upgrading works and improved services at the park, so that local visitors and tourists alike can enjoy an enhanced experienced of the Territory’s unique wildlife. Specifically, projects include: a revamp of the main station; a new woodland aviary; barramundi feeding facilities; and the introduction of exciting spotlight walks around the park at night to see many of the local animals in their natural habitat.
Our primary industries sector in the rural area will benefit from: $730 000 to assist the growth and development of our rural horticultural industry; $620 000 for the Coastal Plains and Beatrice Hill Research Farms; and $190 000 for aerial photography and mapping to assist rural industry activity relating to land resources.
Other noteworthy projects for the rural area as part of Budget 2007-08 include $3m for landscaping works, irrigation and maintenance in the Top End, and $250 000 for new school bus shelters in the rural area. Furthermore, $230 000 is allocated for a new truck stop and bus stop which will be built opposite the Coolalinga Shopping Centre so that long-haul truckies, in particular, can safely pull off the road to stock up with supplies prior to heading south. Truckies are some of my non-electorate constituents. They always stop in to see me and I appreciate that. They tell me a lot of what is happening out there, and they treat me like their Northern Territory member.
I want to pause here before I conclude, as I want to talk about the projects which have been delivered in the last 12 months as part of Budget 2006-07. I am proud of all of these. Shortly after Budget 2006-07 was released, we had the new school bus interchange for the Cox Peninsula Road. This was a $150 000 school bus interchange at the Cox Peninsula turn-off, and it was commenced only days after it was announced in the 2006-07 NT Budget. It was a project I had lobbied strongly for, and I was pleased to see the work commence so soon. Now it is completed, it is a great facility. It is very purposeful and useful, and kids do not have wait around the Middle Arm Road any more in the dirt and sun. It is a proper facility and ensures safety for our kids in a proper, purpose-built, pick-up and drop-off facility.
There were a number of projects in the Territory and one I am very proud of, and which is close to my heart, was completion of the sealing of the Cox Peninsula Road. I was involved in that project from my earliest days as a geotechnical engineer, which is almost 25 years. As a young Department of Transport and Works geotechnical engineer, I was closely involved in the realignment and design of several sections of the current Cox Peninsula Road. The Bulldog Pass realignment near the Dundee turn-off was the most challenging and enjoyable. I well remember the day I was treed by a wild bull near the Charlotte River. Now, it is especially pleasing for me to have played a big part in ensuring that the last section of the road was sealed as promised, because I had been lobbying very strongly for that. It was a major election commitment by the NT government and it has been delivered.
With the sealing of the road, the whole dynamic of the Cox Peninsula has changed, especially for Wagait Beach and Belyuen. While there has been, sadly, some loss of remote lifestyle aspects, the easy access, which I use daily, for all Cox Peninsula residents, is great news. It opens up many long-awaited opportunities, especially in tourism. I must add that the locals are experiencing extremely high increases in house price values because the road is now sealed. That is a great outcome; one that is a milestone event for the Territory. I went to watch the last bit being sealed and I had the fortune of coming back to open it on 26 September. That was a great honour for me personally because, as I said before, I was involved in the design of the last portion of the road many years ago.
The number of projects continues. On the Cox Peninsula Road at Hardies Creek, there was a situation which was very unsafe, where there was a potential for vehicles to plunge into the deep creek bed during the Dry Season, or being washed off the roadway during flood times. A number of constituents approached me about this and I agreed with their concerns. I took the matter up with the Transport minister of the time. I am very pleased that he is in the House now for me to be able to talk about this because, as a result of my lobbying and his listening and taking up the cause, it was put on the Budget 2006-07 roadworks program. It has now been completed. We how have protective guardrails at Hardies Creek culvert on the Cox Peninsula Road. Many people come in and are very conscious of that because it is a very visual thing, and they are very pleased with the resultant safety. It was something that had been hanging around for a long time. The previous CLP members had not really taken up the cause; the CLP itself had not. That dangerous situation had been there for a long time. It took a combination of a new Labor local member and a good listening and considering minister to get the job done.
I think it was in October that I had an opportunity to join the Education minister when he announced the $5.7m Territory-wide roll-out of school-based computers, 5000 in all. It was subsequently followed up by the program to ensure that all teachers had laptops. It was not just government schools; it was also private schools, to ensure that all were able to source a computer and educational software. In this day and age, it is absolutely essential all students have access to computer technology to enhance their education. I am proud to be part of a government which has again delivered on that aspect.
At that same stage - I know it was not a major budget event, but it was important and part of the whole strategy with road safety - the new Transport minister opened with me the reduced 80 km speed limit through Coolalinga. At the time, there were a few people who were a bit concerned about changes to the speed limits but since then, a lot of people have said it has been a godsend because they can now get in and out of Coolalinga safely. There are no cars travelling down the road at 100 km/h; it is 80 km/h now. Even those who were opposed to it at the time acknowledge that it has been beneficial.
In my February newsletter, I reported that construction was starting on the Special Education Annexe at Humpty Doo Primary School. I have spoken at length on this project, and it is one that is close to my heart as local member. I am pleased to report that it is now completed, except for some additional work, which is added into the budget, costing $180 000. The special needs annexe is open and running. It has not been officially opened yet, but I am looking forward to that maybe next month. I have had a tour through the facility. It has lifted the spirits of the school community at Humpty Doo. Kids with special needs feel part of that school now. They are not in some old donga, which the CLP for years thought was okay; they are in a purpose-built facility, and they are proud of it. That project cost about $750 000 from last year’s budget, and it has been delivered. I must commend the former Education minister, who was a great ally and strong supporter and helped facilitate delivery of this much-needed project.
I now turn to the most recent delivery of our commitments from last year, which was the most important for residents of the Cox Peninsula. On Sunday 20 May, His Honour the Administrator Ted Egan officially opened the new Wagait Beach Community Centre. That centre is the pivotal place for community events and functions on the Cox Peninsula, and at Wagait Beach in particular. Importantly, it doubles as a cyclone shelter and can cater for up to 200 people. Furthermore, it serves as a modern venue for a twice-weekly nursing service. About 60 locals turned up to the opening and had first-hand viewing and a tour of this great facility.
Construction of the facility was a collaborative project involving financial commitments from all three tiers of government. The Cox Peninsula Council project-managed building the facility. The NT Department of Local Government contributed $350 000 of the $800 000 total of the project. I commend the Local Government Minister for his involvement in this project and ensuring money was available. Personally, it was very pleasing because it was the culmination of an election commitment I gave prior to the last election, one this government took on board and has honoured. Most importantly, Cox Peninsula now has a multipurpose centre that is a fantastic asset to the community.
I recently attended the opening by the Education minister of a purpose-built learning centre at Bees Creek School. This stand alone facility has an open-plan learning area, a computer room, study room, kitchen, bathroom, laundry, teacher’s office and two withdrawal rooms for students with special needs. The school hopes that local community groups such as Autism NT will use it to provide support for parents of children with identified needs. The NT government gave $317 000 to the project, and I must stress this, with the builder, contractor and suppliers providing a further $160 000 of in-kind contributions. If that is not community spirit at its best, and the rural spirit, then I will eat my hat. It shows that when the community gets together with government, we can make things happen.
Most recently, I am pleased to report, four refurbished ex-city bus shelters have been relocated from their temporary home at Freds Pass Reserve to various locations within the electorate. This was another election commitment and Budget 2006-07 delivered. The sites were chosen on the basis of most need. As many of you know, I strongly lobbied the Infrastructure minister to get these installed as quickly as possible. Each bus shelter has a concrete pathway for wheelchair passengers.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I have spent a considerable amount of time advising the House of some, but by no means all, of the benefits my constituents in Goyder will be receiving as a result of the Martin Labor government’s Budget 2007-08. Again, the Treasurer has delivered a good and fiscally responsibility budget. Budget 2007-08, like all previous NT Labor government budgets, will continue to facilitate continued strong growth of the fabric of the Territory. Yet again, I am proud to be part of a Labor government which has delivered.
Ms McCARTHY (Arnhem): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the 2007-08 Northern Territory Budget. As the Treasurer said, it is a confident budget developed for a confident community with a bright future. It is a budget that sets out a plan for this year and provides the foundation for the next decade.
This year, $113m will be spent on housing infrastructure. It is the largest ever contribution. As the member for Arnhem, I am delighted to see such focus on housing. We have heard in this House on many occasions the crisis in housing across the Northern Territory, and we know that we need approximately 1000 homes now. Hundreds of people are forced to live in crowded houses now in most communities - houses with up to 15 to 20 people, with mums and dads living not just with their growing family, but with their ageing parents. Extended family members unable to live in homes of their own share with those of their family who have homes. It is a familiar scene in many of the Arnhem communities, as I know it is in many of the bush communities across the Northern Territory. It is not just in the bush. We know also of the overcrowding that exists in Alice Springs in the town camps, in the camps around Katherine and in the communities around Darwin.
That is why infrastructure programs in this budget are the most extensive. There is $1.46m for Nitmiluk National Park to replace the ablution facility at the visitor centre and to complete the Gorge cross-overs. It is good news for visitors, but also for the Jawoyn Association.
With a five-year $814m program of infrastructure investment in repairs and maintenance in the power, water and sewerage system, it is infrastructure investment mostly needed. We know that we have to focus on housing and, in doing that, we also have to focus on power, water, and sewerage.
This is good news for the people of Milingimbi in my electorate. They will benefit from $1.2m to construct additional sewage ponds. The population growth in Milingimbi means forward planning for further houses, and it means increased need for services to the community, of which our government is acutely aware. Earlier this year, the Martin Labor government held Community Cabinet at both Milingimbi and Ramingining. It was an opportunity for residents to speak directly with the ministers, and for government members to see for themselves the many issues of concern in our remote regions, concerns that are not unfamiliar.
There was also an opportunity to see the good things that have been done under our government, such as the sealing of the Ramingining airstrip, only opened last year, a major infrastructure development and Labor commitment to the people of Arnhem. Regular flights, however, were enhanced due to the major upgrade to the airstrip and, sadly, in the last six months, those flights stopped due to the demise of Aboriginal Air Services. I can reassure all the people of East Arnhem that our government is working on the issue of flight services. Discussions are ongoing with the Missionary Aviation Flight Services in the hope that MAF may resume in the region once again. It is still early stages but nonetheless, the people of Arnhem are not forgotten in our government’s attempts to improve transport in remote regions, transport that was largely left as a bottom list priority for previous governments prior to the Martin Labor government
The people of Bulman know they are not forgotten, and they constantly reassure me as I travel in the Arnhem electorate, how they feel very listened to by the government. In 18 months, there has been the construction of a bridge over the Wilton River on the Central Arnhem Road, a bridge that connects communities such as Ramingining and the nearby town of Nhulunbuy to the Stuart Highway via the Central Arnhem Road. Millions have been spent by the Martin Labor government around Bulman, with the added construction of a sealed airstrip near Weemol and Bulman, an airstrip which is a lifeline for our community which is cut off in the Wet Season. We all know the stories of what occurs around our communities in the Wet Season and the incredible flooding that occurs around Weemol and the Wugularr region from the Waterhouse River.
The people of the Central Arnhem region know that they have not been forgotten. A further $1m has been set aside in this budget for repairs and maintenance along the Central Arnhem Road. I have just completed travelling that road with the statehood team as part of our bush consultations, and I know the effort that goes into keeping the state of the road safe for driving.
The Treasurer commits our government to further improving roads right across the Territory because, as he said and we all agree, roads are our lifeblood. Major upgrades are being made in the north and the south of the Territory on well-known roads such as the Victoria and Plenty Highways, the Tanami Highway and the Arnhem Highway. Additional repairs and maintenance are earmarked and include roads such as the Raminging barge road, which is a huge relief for the Ramingining people, especially since the decline of regular plane passenger transport. The Ramingining barge road is north of the community and it takes half-an-hour usually to get to the barge to pick up the items that are ferried across every fortnight. Without effective plane transport into Ramingining, the barge is the only viable option for 12-months delivery of food and supplies to the community. Roads are generally cut off in the Wet, both along the Arnhem Highway through to Gunbalanya and the other road from Bulman on the southern end of Ramingining.
The road to Eva valley or Manyallaluk will be enhanced by this budget. Manyallaluk is a well-known tourist destination south-east of Katherine. Many a tour bus driver will be relieved to learn of the injection of funds to further upgrade the 30 km road, not to mention the locals who travel frequently between Barunga and Katherine from Manyallaluk. It is at this point that I commend the Martin Labor government and Community Cabinet for having taken the opportunity to travel the Barunga region to see for themselves the desperate need in these communities for services to be increased, improved and maintained consistently. Our government has listened and is acting, and I commend the minister for Transport for her efforts in making sure that our remote regions are connected either via good roads, the sealing of the airstrips or by pushing to have regular plane services in the region.
The Umbakumba Road has also received attention in this budget, and I most definitely know it will be appreciated by the education and health staff who travel the 70 km each day between Alyangula and Umbakumba. Again, last week I travelled that road with the statehood team, and we saw the increased traffic on it, largely due to construction of new houses in Umbakumba. It is good to see that locals and the community will have at least four new houses built by the end of the year, if not more. It is certainly not enough to cope with the incredible demand for housing in our region, but it is at least a good start.
At Ngukurr, the community oval is being built, much to the delight of the Ngukurr Bulldogs. We all know the need for sporting infrastructure in our regions, and the excitement that football games bring when communities play each other either at the Katherine football competition or local festivals. Recently, more than 15 teams travelled to Barunga for the Cultural and Sports Festival, an event strongly supported by our government.
Madam Speaker, $45 000 is spent by our government to showcase Territory arts at regional festivals which include Wugularr’s Walking with Spirits Festival and the Flying Fox Festival in Katherine. Such events showcase the unique Territory talents in the bush. Wugularr’s Walking with Spirits is the brainchild of well-known actor and performer Tom E Lewis, who again is an inspiration to young artists in the region. The Garma Festival is receiving $50 000. This is an incredible event. I am proud of our government for consistently supporting the showcasing of the cultural aspects of the Northern Territory and, in particular, the people of Arnhem.
These events also showcase the natural and unique talent in the bush of musicians such as the Lonely Boys from Ngukurr, Broken Vision from Numbulwar. Only last year, we saw people like Tom E Lewis and Grant Nundhirribala from Yilila in Numbulwar who were recognised at the Indigenous Music Awards held at the amphitheatre, an event that is strongly supported by the Martin Labor government.
We do not forget young people. While we know and are acutely aware of the desperate need for housing, access and services in the bush, we are also aware that people need to have a good time and they need to know when to let their hair down and enjoy the performances of visiting artists who come to the Northern Territory. We strive to cater for their requests with local and visiting bands for performances at BassintheGrass in Darwin and BassintheDust in Alice Springs.
This year, our government has supported the 50th anniversary NAIDOC celebrations with $50 000 as our contribution towards this national event, which is being held in Darwin next month. The National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Observance Committee celebrations will mark the significance of the anniversary, and will be an opportunity to reflect on just how far Australia has come in relationships and improving the lives of indigenous people of this country. As the Minister for Housing and the Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Indigenous Affairs said today, it will not only be an opportunity just to reflect on the last 50 years, but will be a significant opportunity to reflect on the previous 60 000 years of heritage and culture of Aboriginal people in Australia, a history of which all Australians really should be quite proud, both in its sadness and its joy. Our government will certainly take great delight in being a part of that.
It is a year of anniversaries, with the recent celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the 1967 referendum. I take a moment to point again how proud I am to be a member of the Northern Territory Labor government and, in particular, one of six indigenous members in the Northern Territory parliament, and one of nine Aboriginal politicians across Australia out of more than 800 politicians in this country. It is refreshing to know that we can still speak and deliver the messages of those people we represent as members of this parliament.
In eduction, $20.54m goes to early childhood, primary and secondary education in 19 remote schools in the Katherine region; in Arnhem, $30.2m for early, primary and secondary education in 11 remote schools in the region; and again in Arnhem, there are many programs to support students with a disability. This I am incredibly heartened by as there are quite a few students in the Arnhem region who feel isolated due to disabilities. One of whom I speak quite fondly is a young man from near Hodgson Downs who suffered from meningitis and as a result is in a wheelchair. He has the most incredible smile and certainly gives a great deal of hope when you see him and come to know that his enthusiasm for life has not been diminished by his own personal experiences and lack of access to services which normally he should have received over his young lifetime. I am delighted to see the increased support in the area of disabilities, not only in education, but under our minister for that area for disabled people in the Northern Territory.
The Back to School payments are a tremendous help to families, and I cannot speak enough about how much help it is to families in Arnhem. This is an initiative of which our government should be very proud. I will be a vocal advocate of it continuing for as long as we have kids in schools. It is wonderful to see.
The $3m or more for Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives is a most welcome amount for the program. Always, no doubt, there will be requests for more, especially in light of the recent report by Pat Anderson and Rex Wild.
I commend the government on the push to build a new school at Wugularr. We have all heard about the consistent flooding they experience over the Wet Season, and the number of times the school goes under when the Waterhouse River rises. We know that when the town of Katherine goes under, Wugularr would have been under by at least three times, with the Waterhouse River going up and down. The people of Beswick are hoping to have that school completed by the end of the year and ready to kick off the new school year. I commend the Education minister, the Treasurer and the Cabinet for focusing on education in our remote regions.
To have a focus on secondary education is something that I feel has seen a tremendous improvement for young people in our regions. They feel they have an opportunity to move forward in life. The greatest challenge not just for our government but for politicians across this country, is to ensure that our youth have the opportunity for real jobs when they move on from secondary education, and should they wish to go on to tertiary education. That should be a right for every citizen in this country. Again, I commend the government for focusing on that secondary component.
We have spoken about three or four students who graduated from high school in Ramingining and Milingimbi last year. They were the first for those two communities. I would like to see us in talking about students graduating from Year 12 in our remote communities in Arnhem as something that we do not need to do in five to 10 years time. It should be a given that we know our kids will go through. We should then be talking about how great it is that these are the businesses or futures that these kids have gone onto, so that we see they develop into something else in life and not be forgotten because they finish Year 12 and that is it. The people of Milingimbi and Ramingining are incredibly proud of those graduates, and I know that in Ngukurr, Numbulwar and Minyerri, there is much attention and focus on our students.
Since 2001, the Martin Labor government has increased the health budget by 73%. This budget provides strong support for the Territory’s hospitals. For example, Royal Darwin Hospital will receive $207.3m, an increase of 85% since 2001. The Alice Springs Hospital will be funded $104.7m, up 94% since 2001. We have heard today of the numbers of nursing staff increasing in both Alice Springs and Darwin hospitals. I take this opportunity to commend the Health Minister for the initiatives in health because communities in Arnhem rely on the Patient Assistance Travel Scheme to get our patients through to both Darwin and Nhulunbuy hospitals. Of course, we know that the lifespan of indigenous people needs to improve greatly. The gap is diminishing, probably not fast enough, in comparison between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. However, I commend our government for the efforts being undertaken with not only lifespan, but also for the babies and youth. We have the highest rate of sudden infant death in Aboriginal babies across Australia, and there is comfort in knowing that our government is very committed to the early childhood programs to help our children grow into the people they are to be.
In health in Arnhem Land we have seen upgrades committed for Umbakumba and Ramingining. They are upgrades that are very welcome. I also take this opportunity to say to the people of Milingimbi that your need for a new clinic is a request I continue to pursue on your behalf. Our government is acutely aware of your request and I will continue to advocate strongly.
We are a government that cares. This is clear from our commitment to other sectors of the community’s health needs. For the elderly, $3.7m has been allocated for pensioner concessions to reduce the cost of living for seniors. There is $3.7m to subsidise the cost of childcare. Again, we care about our families. The Martin Labor government recognises the importance of these services to our young Territory population, a population that is indeed growing very rapidly. As we have seen by recent Bureau of Statistic figures, it is a population that now stands at 212 000 and growing.
Over the next four years, an additional $17.8m will be provided to increase services to disabled Territorians and their carers. This will see expanded assessment, therapy and treatment services, respite care, residential services, as well as increased spending for taxi subsidies. With the support for disabled Territorians, it was a delight to see the disabled athletes at the Arafura Games recently, and the commitment by our government to support the opportunities for disabled people to be able to take part in sporting events such as the wheelchair games. They were at some of the athletic and swimming events. I know this will certainly provide some determination for those athletes in our remote regions to know they can take part, particularly the young lad I was referring to earlier from near Hudson Downs.
Since 2001, the Martin Labor government has increased the budget for Police, Fire and Emergency Services by 65% to $226m for 2007-08: $16.8m is allocated for the Katherine region; $6m for East Arnhem; with $31m to continue the initiatives of the O’Sullivan Review. The Northern Territory will have 1140 uniformed police by June 2008.
Millions have been spent for courts to administer justice in the regions, including at Beswick and Ngukurr. We talk about safer communities, and I want to highlight one area of Arnhem in particular, and that is Groote Eylandt. We have heard in this House and seen in media reports the dramatic reduction in crime largely and specifically due to the alcohol management plan on Groote Eylandt, a plan which has been successfully carried through simply because there has been a combined effort by residents in Alyangula, Umbakumba, Angurugu and Bickerton Island to lower the negative impact that grog has on all of those communities. It has worked. The crime stats released by Dean McMaster at Alyangula Police which show that break and enters have reduced; domestic violence has drastically reduced; the employee attendance at GEMCO, the local mining operation at Alyangula, has improved out of sight, with mine management incredibly pleased with the outcome of the Alcohol Management Plan. Our government has been constructive and supportive of the alcohol management plans across the Northern Territory. Seeing what is going on at Groote Eylandt provides great hope for other communities.
The Anindilyakwa Land Council must also be mentioned. Without them, it just would not work. They have played a significant part in bringing together all the parties and, in particular, the Anindilyakwa people, to address and take responsibility for the issues that we all know are affecting many of our communities: domestic violence, crime and concern about our youth and young children. Well done to Alyangula and Anindilyakwa Land Council, role models for other regions.
They have developed the $18m Dugong Beach Resort, a tourism venture greatly supported by our government. As part of the policing issues that are occurring on Groote Eylandt, there has been the support of the Numbulwar Police Post, which is, after some teething problems in the beginning, now working quite effectively. Lessons can be learned from the construction of the Numbulwar Police Post and the way our police service that post. They are being watched, and lessons thought through for future police posts across the Northern Territory.
Money is being spent for the Groote Eylandt and Nhulunbuy Community Corrections to monitor and supervise adult and juvenile clients, including reintegration and for the courts to administer justice for regional and remote communities, including Nhulunbuy and Alyangula.
In the Community Development aspect of this year’s budget, to secure the lifestyle of people in the bush, our government is undertaking major local government reform. This reform focuses on providing improved services to our remote regions. Budget 2007-08 provides $9.9m over two years to assist with the establishment of shires across the Northern Territory. It is a major, historic reform and it certainly is not without its difficulties. I commend the Local Government Minister for the tremendous effort he is putting into these reforms. No doubt, he does it with passion and a dedicated commitment to see a better way of life for all Territorians and in particular those in the bush.
Money has been spent for three development coordinators in Nyirranggulung, which is in my region. Nyirranggulung-Mardrulk-Ngadberre Regional Council covers a number of communities - Barunga, Beswick, Bulman, Eva Valley and Jodetluk. It is one of the areas where a development coordinator has been established, along with the Victoria River and Gulf regions, to assist with local government reform.
I cannot forget Jilkminggan. Jilkminggan has received over $1m to connect it to the Darwin and Katherine electricity grid, which is great news.
In lifestyle and environment, who would want to live anywhere else? Our government is committed to making sure that it is a lifestyle issue for all people in the Northern Territory.
I cannot forget the public library services, which make it good for many of the communities, especially at Ngukurr and Nyirranggulung. Money has been spent also at Milingimbi, Ramingining, Alyangula, Umbakumba and Angurugu libraries. I thank workers in the libraries. I know at Angurugu how hard the CDEP workers work with Elizabeth, who is working on documenting the history of Angurugu. This money that has come through the budget will be a specific help for those libraries.
I cannot speak highly enough of the marine ranger programs and the concept of protecting the country and sea of indigenous people and traditional owners. Marine rangers are an important part of the Numbulwar community, certainly at Groote Eylandt, Ramingining and Milingimbi. The Ngukurr Women Rangers are an absolute inspiration. The Ngukurr Women Rangers is, perhaps, the first women ranger group in the Northern Territory. I could be corrected on that, maybe by Yirrkala. However, they are a strong women rangers group. Yes, I hear the member for Daly; we can argue about that later. They are tops.
Money has been allocated to keep supporting ranger programs across the Territory. As always, this is a service we would like to see improve over time for the tremendous area that rangers have to cover in the community. There is $60 000 for the marine ranger program, including support to indigenous communities to monitor illegal activity, protect sacred sites, control feral animals and noxious plants. The Indigenous Ranger Group Development Program will have an extra ranger each year from 2007 and extra money will be spent in Groote Eylandt and a number of other places. There is also $30 000 for joint management between traditional owners and Parks and Wildlife service.
In closing, Madam Speaker, and to repeat the words of the Treasurer and others, Budget 2007-08 creates jobs, grows the economy and secures the Territory lifestyle today and into the future. It sets out a plan for 2007-08 and lays the foundations for the next decade. It is sweeping in its impact. It is the budget our children would want us to deliver. I commend it to the House.
Mr KNIGHT (Daly): Madam Speaker, I support the 2007-08 Budget. This budget builds on the back of the last five budgets of this Treasurer. It continues on the theme of balance, as I see it: balancing the bush and the urban centres; balancing the needs of indigenous and non-indigenous people; of core services and facilities; and also development opportunities. Certainly, that has been the case in relation to initiatives and programs funding in my electorate of Daly.
The electorate of Daly takes in a large range of geographical areas, industry groups and population demographics. I will go through them in order, breaking them down so that you can see how this government has selectively invested in all those areas.
One of the big areas of development in the Daly electorate is agriculture, taking in horticulture and the pastoral industry. One of the key research and development facilities that we have is the Victoria River Research Station at Kidman Springs and the Douglas Daly Research Station. We also claim the Katherine Research Station as well for all the work they do. There is a significant investment in Katherine of $470 000 to run that research station, $500 000 for the Victoria River Research Station and $900 000 for the Douglas Daly for all the work they do.
The primary job of the Katherine Research Station is in the horticultural, agricultural and pastoral industries. They do testing and new crops, and I have been delighted to attend field days there. I also compliment the work that goes on at the Douglas Daly Research Station. The staff there do a fantastic job working with industry to make it easier for pastoralists and horticulturalists to make their business successful.
Other areas of land management include weed management, and $470 000 has been allocated for advising landholders on weed control techniques. The work that is done by the Katherine weed staff is fantastic. I have been fortunate enough to be on the Environment committee and we have met with that group on several occasions and learned of the new initiatives that they have.
There has been $450 000 allocated for bushfire mitigation control, assisting landholders to implement fire mitigation and prevention works including scientific and technical support for web-based fire hot spot and mapping services. This builds on the back of the great work that is done by the Bushfires Council and local landholders to enable them to have that more technical and scientific backup for controlling fires in the future.
The mango industry is, obviously, a large part of the rural area and other parts of my electorate. $170 000 has gone in to support the Territory mango industry with a series of workshops to improve the uptake of the mango production technology. New techniques and risk assessments are things that many individual mango growers do not have the time to do, so this work will go into supporting those workshops so that message in that information can get out there.
Some $480 000 has been allocated for advisory services to pastoralists through satellite monitoring. The Pastoral Production Division has a project that will continue pastoralist programs to assess the carrying capacity of various land types for pastoral use. This is currently being undertaken on the Sturt Plateau, Alice and Barkly regions and will take time to complete. However, once this is done, the decision needs to be made to extend it into the Daly region. There is a lot of research and work being done down on Pigeon Hole Station with the Heytesbury Group. It is vital work so that landholders can realise the true potential of their stations without destroying the environment.
There is $100 000 allocated to grow the live cattle export market in South-East Asia. Live export is the Douglas Daly’s most appropriate market for livestock through its physical location close to Darwin, and further away from other cattle markets in eastern and southern Australia. The Daly also offers significant potential for growing young cattle from the rangeland areas of the Northern Territory, through being ideally placed seasonally and physically for consolidation of cattle for export. Hence, any expansion in the live export trade will have positive flow-on effects in the Daly region. This is supporting probably the most vital regional industry there, live cattle export. If we do not keep working on that live cattle export, it will, obviously, have huge ramifications on rural residents.
Further in the pastoral industry, $100 000 has been allocated for the Employment Liaison Officer to mentor employers of indigenous Territorians. The Employment Liaison Officer, in conjunction with others involved in the Indigenous Trainee Scheme, will source prospective employees from across the Territory, including the Douglas Daly. Specifically, there may be opportunities for interested candidates from the Kybrook community at Pine Creek to become involved with the scheme. The project, however, will most likely be involved with the Wadeye community in the short- and mid-term, as IPP are conducting implementation of their own project at Wadeye.
The Indigenous Trainee Scheme will also be concentrating on other areas where they have pre-established relationships. I can name a few: Newry Station where Bob McCallum has done a fantastic job with getting boys from the Bulla community; and at Auvergne Station, Alan Andrews has picked up a lot of young blokes and he finds them both great workers at a time in the industry where they are struggling to find workers.
An allocation of $75 000 has been made to investigate farm systems for horticultural and crop production specifics. This is about projects that look at the environmental impact of agriculture through root zone leaching, biological low chemical agronomic techniques and weed control. The vast majority of this work is focused in the Top End and, therefore, within the Daly electorate.
A total of $47 000 has been allocated to improve transport and logistics of the mango industry; investigations into production and post-harvest handling actions that affect the out-turn of the product in the marketplace. This is a national project that has been rolled out in the Katherine, Darwin and Kununurra regions. In addition, the majority of the $3m investment made for the Crops, Forestry and Horticulture Division for new plant industry production systems and extension services is focused in the Daly electorate. The Darwin, Katherine, and Cental Australian regions comprise a relatively small client base for the Crops, Forestry and Horticultural Division of DPIFM.
There is $847 000 allocated for animal health services, including inspection, treatment and certification services and animal disease surveillance and prevention programs to ensure Territory livestock meet necessary standards for domestic and export outlets. On field days, I have seen much of the work that has been done, and it is protecting that industry. I know it is a little difficult sometimes for the pastoralists, but it is certainly protecting the industry from the key danger of disease.
On that line, the continued implementation of the National Livestock Identification system in the Northern Territory is assisting the identification and tracing of livestock. An additional $40 000 has been allocated to that program. This is another safeguard against disease, where you can actually trace a particular animal right back to the paddock in which it was raised so if there is a disease, it does not wipe out the whole of the Top End and comes back to a single paddock.
A further $312 000 has been allocated to a range of programs, including pest surveillance and monitoring interstate quarantine and grower accreditation and certification to ensure Territory horticulture produce meets necessary domestic and international quarantine requirements. $158 000 has been allocated to regulatory and advisory programs directed towards the safe and legal use of agricultural and veterinarian chemicals.
The environment is a major focus of the Daly electorate and, at this time of rapid growth in the resource sector, the demands and the compromises placed on the environment and people who live in it is more pressing. This government takes the environment very seriously and allocates a significant amount of money from the budget for environmental management and control: $620 000 to monitor services and groundwater sustainability; $90 000 to monitor the environmental impact from operations of closed mine sites in the region, and that obviously includes Mt Todd; and $1.13m for bushfire mitigation control operations in Arafura, Vernon and Arnhem bushfire control regions. This work is vital to protect hot burns which can destroy trees and the environment and, obviously, cause erosion.
The sum of $430 000 has been allocated for crocodile management through trapping and relocation around Wangi Falls and Berry Springs. They certainly get a big workout there. It is protecting the crocodiles, relocating them so we can enjoy those high visitation spots whilst not having to destroy the animals.
We spoke earlier today about the Daly River Management Advisory Board, which has been allocated $320 000 to continue the vital work that they do. I must compliment all members of that committee; they certainly travel long distances and they give their time. It is good to see that this government is supporting that catchment management group for their work.
The Cabomba weed was a significant infestation in the Darwin River area, and $25 000 is being added to this budget to continue initial eradication work. Hopefully, this will keep the Cabomba under control and free up the waterway.
A total of $160 000 has been allocated for flood forecasting. Obviously, in the Daly region we have some major river systems. The Victoria, Katherine, Daly and the Finniss Rivers cause significant problems in the Wet Season, and many people need to know this in those regions. They accept that there is flooding, but they just need to know a little more about how much and when those floodwaters arrive.
A sum of $20 000 has been allocated for the development of joint park management arrangements between traditional owners and Parks and Wildlife services. This is one of the highlights about the works this government has done with the parks. I have seen a lot of the traditional owners in those parks have great opportunities through joint management.
Tourism plays a huge part within the Daly electorate and it is good to see that significant investment has continued to be made into those areas with $490 000 allocated to deliver visitor information services and intra-Territory marketing through local partnerships. This amount is NT government funding to the Katherine region for the provision of visitor information services, also managed by the Katherine Town Council; and $230 000, plus GST and funding, has been provided for the marketing services for KRTA on top of that.
There has been $50 000 allocated for the development of tourism plans at Mataranka, Larrimah, and Daly River, which is great news. Those tourism plans provide a vision for those areas which are changing and growing rapidly as infrastructure changes. There are people investing their own money. I have seen that on the Daly River, with new people coming up from down south, pockets full, and seeing opportunities and, as the government has put in roads or whatever it may be, they jump at those opportunities.
The sum of $110 000 has been allocated to develop, coordinate and manage commercial operations in parks. This is another big area where the government has some vision about providing some sustainability to the parks as the pressure grows, and bringing in the private sector to manage those commercial operations.
The Batchelor Information Centre fit-out is under way, with the relocation to Batchelor expected by the end of June. Considerable delay was experienced due to issues with the building certifier. The Batchelor Working Group met with DIPE to discuss signage issues throughout Batchelor and Litchfield Parks, and the signage review policy developed by DIPE has been the result. I am delighted to be, hopefully, attending the opening of the new Batchelor Information Centre. It is going to bring a focus to that area in so many ways once we get the Litchfield Park road through.
There has been significant development privately at the Adelaide River Inn of $4m. If people drive up and down there, they will see the changes in the main street, with the new owner putting in new cabins. That is a welcome sight. I am pleased to announce that the Adelaide River War Cemetery has been allocated $55 000 for a toilet block. I support this facility, as one of the most significant Anzac Day ceremonies in the Territory takes place there. It is very moving if you are there at dawn for the service. There were several thousand people this year, the biggest there has ever been. The toilet facilities will help on that day, and with the many tourists going there on a regular basis.
The Larrimah community, as I mentioned, has a tourism development plan, and I commend all the hard-working locals for all the work they do.
The Katherine Town Council has been allocated $20 000 for tourism marketing in the 2007-08 Budget. The funds will be used to support the collective advertising campaign, in partnership with the KRTA. The Katherine Town Council recently installed a BookEasy system at the visitor centre allowing a more streamlined booking process for their staff. It is great to see that that investment has resulted in greater visitation to the area. This government is supporting the cultural precinct which, hopefully, one day will be built in that community.
In Adelaide River, $40 000 has been allocated for the development of the Adelaide River Railway Heritage Precinct car park and railway station. There is a great deal of work is done down there by a great many volunteers. I have been along to a few of their dos and I receive constant e-mails from Trevor. I certainly commend them for their work. There has also been $8000 allocated for more signage in Adelaide River generally.
Batchelor community also has a signage allocation of $33 000 for the Batchelor/Stuart Highway turn-off, which will, hopefully, be done this year. The fit-out of the business centre has $13 000 invested; $15 000 for the implementation and facilitation of the tourism development plan; and, for the visitor centre, $50 000 has been allocated. This is a significant investment in Batchelor in the tourism sector, which they obviously rely on.
In Timber Creek, there has been an allocation of significant money into the Fire and Rescue Service for the replacement of tankers. Being an old member of the old FERGS in Timber Creek, those volunteers certainly do a great job. When you are on a stretch of road which is 230 km one way and 280 km the other way, it is certainly challenging when you are called out in the middle of the night to assist people on the road. Congratulations to those people in Timber Creek on the allocation of significant money for their services there.
The Katherine main street refurbishment has been allocated $250 000. I was down there with the minister not so long ago having a look at the work they have done. It has certainly brightened the town up, and the money, hopefully, will continue to see people take a lot more pride in the main street.
I will run through a few infrastructure items. Across the Territory we are lucky enough in the bush to have a lot of power and water services provided. The electrical and sewerage services only come to the bush at the price it does because of the subsidy that government puts into it. The $52m going into subsidising the cost of power, water and sewerage throughout the Northern Territory is significant. We have had a slight rise in power prices, but that is under control, and this government believes in keeping those charges at a moderate level. There has been $600 000 allocated for the resealing of various sections of the Stuart Highway; $2m to upgrade Katherine’s waste water treatment plant; and $510 000 to refurbish the Power and Water depot building on the Victoria Highway just beside Katherine.
One of the significant announcements made in the last week was the upgrade and facilitation of new rainfall and river level gauging stations. I was lucky enough to have 16 out of the 17 allocated to my electorate. This has been good news for the people of Naiuyu, those who live up and down the Daly and Katherine Rivers and, certainly, the people who live in the Douglas Daly, to have earlier warning. New stations will be installed on the King River; the Douglas River at the old homestead; the Flora River at Katherine Falls; Fish River; the Gorge; Emerald Springs; Matheson Creek on the Victoria Highway, the source of the Flora River floods; Dry River; Oolloo Crossing; the Katherine River; Birdie Creek; the Margaret River, which flows into Marrakai Crossing; the Arnhem Highway Bridge; the Dirty Lagoon; Tortilla Flats; Marrakai Crossing; Coomalie Creek, which has caused all sorts of problems on the Stuart River; Margaret River at Bobs Hill. That is a great initiative. It is always scary during the Wet Season for those residents, and certainly me, when you get heavy downpours. You do not get much notice, and these gauges will help those people have an earlier warning, and for us to model river flows, especially in the Daly where you can determine how high it is going to come.
A significant other part of my electorate includes parks. There has been $100 000 allocated to continue to develop the joint management of Gregory National Park and that work to make joint management a reality is certainly looked forward to by the traditional owners and, I believe, every Territorian in the area; $100 000 has been allocated for further crocodile management work in the Flora River; $96 000 has been allocated to protect the Nganalam art site at Keep River National Park; $50 000 for joint management work for the Flora Nature Reserve, which is a beautiful spot; $50 000 has been allocated to conduct flying fox control programs in Batchelor and Katherine and, I hope, in Mataranka where they were causing all sort of problems this year; $30 000 for fire management and early burns in Gregory and Keep River National Parks; and $15 000 for the annual Devil’s Claw Festival. That $15 000 goes a long way with the work that those people do. Devil’s claw is a horrendous weed. It has spread itself down the Victoria River, unfortunately. It is 20 m to 30 m off the bank and it is a horrible weed. Also, $1.46m has been allocated for the Nitmiluk National Park to replace ablution facilities for visitors and to complete the gorge crossovers. Again, that is adding infrastructure to enable tourists to enjoy their trips to the Territory, to enhance the experience and to attract more tourists.
Education is, obviously, a huge part of my focus in the electorate. I am pleased to see significant dollars allocated to it, with $970 000 allocated to the complete redevelopment of Katherine High for middle years. I believe this work is going well. There are some contingency plans in place, but people are embracing the opportunities for middle years in Katherine. This money is on top of $8.9m which has been allocated for secondary education at Katherine High School. Also, $2.53m has been allocated for isolated children’s education through the School of the Air. I cannot speak highly enough about the work that the School of the Air does for kids out bush. The technology that is in place now has changed the experience of bush learning.
One of the election commitments we made was provision of a secondary education facility at Wadeye, and this has recently been completed. For the total project $4.5m was allocated, with $2.4m for teacher accommodation. I am delighted that we have been able to complete that project. I know there have been some requests for additional money and I believe that has been provided for landscaping. It is great to see that educational facilities in the bush are being well looked after.
An obvious issue for Port Keats is the road, and $12.27m has been allocated for continuing the work on it. It is not going to be enough, obviously. An $80m road is not funded overnight, and it is a significant burden on a very small Territory budget. The allocation of $10m by the Territory government and $5m from the Commonwealth government will go a long way with improving this road. It is the first time we have had significant development on that road. It certainly goes a long way to that, and we will be looking for money out of the Commonwealth.
The Litchfield loop road is another to which I look forward being completed, with $4.5m being allocated to continue that work. Recently, tenders have gone out for that work to continue from zero to 9 km mark, and another section of several kilometres at the other end. There are obviously native title issues …
Mr NATT: Madam Speaker, I move that an extension of time be granted for the member to conclude his remarks.
Madam SPEAKER: Just before I put that, I point out that the protocol in this Chamber has always been that an extension of time is given pursuant to Standing Order 77 for 10 minutes. The usual practice is to move a motion for an extension of time for 10 minutes and only one extension can be moved. I will change your motion to reflect that the member’s time be extended for 10 minutes.
Motion agreed to.
Mr KNIGHT: I will be quick, Madam Speaker. The Litchfield loop road is under way and, hopefully, we will overcome those issues with the middle section. This loop road is a great investment because it provides access to the Cox Peninsula via a circular route for the visitors who do not want to drive on the dirt. It will be a great enhancement to the Coomalie and Cox Peninsula regions.
An amount of $3.1m has been allocated to the new Wadeye Health Clinic. There has been some great work down there by the Health department. There is certainly a lot more to be done. I know the Minister for Health is eager to see a facility provided to cater for a great need at Wadeye for health services. We look forward to that money flowing and being spent.
There is $1.2m allocated for the growing demand for electricity supplies for horticulture, residential and commercial customers in the Corroboree Park region. That area is developing. This government is putting money into it, it will develop further, and we will certainly see greater growth there.
One of the big areas of growth is in the Parks and Wildlife area, where $90 000 has been allocated for the training and employment of traditional owners for parks and reserves in accordance with the joint management. That $90 000 is going to employ local people so that eventually, when the joint management arrangements are in place, they will be able to participate in them.
Issues of safety out bush are significant. To monitor and supervise adult and juvenile clients to successful rehabilitation, $510 000 has been allocated to Wadeye, Jabiru and Tiwi Correctional Services. Obviously, with the level of poverty in those communities, issues arise around the law. Reintegrating these people is important and this government has resourced that area so hopefully, those people will not re-offend.
As the member for Arnhem highlighted, through local government reforms, a development coordinator has been allocated. I am delighted to have a position allocated to be based at Pine Creek where they will work on local government reform.
Madam Speaker, this budget certainly goes a long way. As I said, it balances the needs of urban areas with the needs and opportunities out bush. It is, obviously, an area where I will continue to advocate the interests of rural, regional and remote Territorians. I see it as an investment in the growth of the Territory. The potential of the Territory will come, I believe, from those outlying areas: the mines, the pastoral industry and future residential development will occur in those areas. Therefore, the investment this government makes through, primarily infrastructure - putting in roads, power lines, and water services - will facilitate private sector investment. We have seen it at Dundee, in the Daly River and we will see it all across the Territory, so I am delighted to see a great infrastructure budget which provides services to the bush. I commend the budget to the House.
Debate adjourned.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent me from introducing a bill entitled Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Amendment (Kaden) Bill 2007 (Serial 105).
My aim is not to speak at length but to simply outline the reasons for the motion to put the Kaden bill up on urgency. The introduction of the bill is sought now, because not to do so means it will not be introduced until October, and it will then not be debated until next year. By introducing it today, just by way of a second reading speech, it will allow the cogs of government to turn in respect of looking at the bill. It may be the case that the government chooses not to support or not agree with the mechanism that is proposed, and that is fine. However, this allows for focused thought on the matter.
No one denies that this is a complex and delicate matter. I am proposing a mechanism that has limits but, most importantly, provides a choice for a mother. I do not think anyone here would disagree with the seriousness of the issue, and many will personally have been touched by a miscarriage suffered by family and friends, thus enabling this bill to be introduced. I am not looking for it to be debated today, simply to introduce it so we see the cogs begin to turn.
My remarks will be brief, as will my second reading remarks. I am not looking to score political points from a matter which is too important. It is an issue that I care deeply about, and the parents of Kaden feel deeply about. I tried to keep people informed all the away along the path, and explain today what is happening and my reasons for doing so. I, therefore, ask government members for special consideration in these circumstances to allow the introduction of the Kaden bill so that the internal government debate can begin with the next General Business Day later this year, being the date for debate.
I ask for your support, honourable members, for the suspension of standing orders to allow the introduction and second reading of the bill.
Mr STIRLING (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, first, and probably most importantly by way of contribution, I acknowledge the suffering that this family has endured over the recent past. To Fiona Peters, and her husband, Craig Redriff, and her two young children, I want to make it clear that I, as minister, and this government recognise the traumatic circumstances that they have had to confront over the past few weeks. On behalf of the government, I convey sincerest condolences to them.
I also acknowledge that the member for Blain has made a very genuine effort to assist the family, as constituents, through this period. I understand he sought to use whatever tools he has at his disposal to make this time easier for them.
However, the government will not support this motion to suspend standing orders to introduce legislation. Suspension of standing orders is only, must only, can only and should only be used in those urgent matters that require an immediate legislative response, not something that this government does very often. The McArthur River, an example recently, is one where there was no other option. I guess that would be an example when you would support suspension of standing orders to get something on the table because of the urgency of it.
However, in any case, the government considers that the tragic circumstances this family has endured is not remedied by any formal legislative response. Like the member for Blain, I do not intend to go to the content of the proposed bill in question, although the member for Blain was considerate enough to provide me with a copy of his bill last week and, again, another version of the bill today. However, it is not that bill specifically which causes me or the government, concern. It is the fact that any bill purporting to change the births, deaths and marriages scheme would have unintended, widespread, and quite negative consequences for the Territory.
The 20-week gestation period has been fixed by negotiation between the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments. That period is fixed based on medical advice concerning the likelihood of the unborn child surviving outside the womb. The clearest and most immediate effect of blurring the boundaries of births and deaths classification would not only throw the Territory out of sync with the nationally agreed births and deaths registration system but, given that the decision was made at a national level, it is such that the statistical figures on live and stillbirths are accurate across Australia, and can be relied upon because everyone uses the same time frame. It would have quite widespread implications which would affect almost all areas of government.
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I was very careful not to stray in to the arguments for or against the substance of the bill. However, the Attorney-General is straying into that area and mounting an argument for not just the rejection of urgency, but the bill itself.
Madam SPEAKER: Attorney-General, if you could contain your speech to the matter of suspension of standing orders that would be helpful.
Mr STIRLING: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I accept what the member for Blain was saying. I am talking about the consequences of any legislation in this area, not your bill specifically, generically. Any legislation in this area is not supported urgently or otherwise for these reasons. I ask you to bear with me so you get that understanding of government’s policy position in this area. It is critical to ensure the integrity of the Territory’s births and deaths scheme is maintained.
At the same time, we acknowledge that some families need to receive recognition and closure for their loss in circumstances such as these. For that reason, I am looking at this case and have been working with the Health Minister on it. I understand a review is being conducted at the hospital regarding all of the procedures, and the establishment of probably some more formal protocols around this so that anything untoward, and I am not suggesting or preempting anything that may have happened here which was wrong, but clearly something was there to bring about the effect it had on Fiona and her husband. We would not want that to happen again, so there is a body of work that the Minister for Health can talk to.
Alongside the work that Health is doing, I have asked the Department of Justice if they can develop a process so that a grieving family in a situation such as this may be able to receive from the Registrar an appropriate commemoration certificate and some assistance around funeral and notification arrangements, short of a formal birth certificate because that would be against the arrangements that are long established and in place around Australia. That would ensure we maintain the integrity of the births and deaths scheme but, at the same time, we might be able to provide some compassion, understanding and, most importantly, recognition and closure to the grieving process for families.
I apologise to the member for Blain if he thought I was going in and around what is contained in his legislation. I did not mean to. It was the fact that we do not believe any legislation, urgent or otherwise, is the appropriate response here. The dual response is the parallel process of work going on inside Health around protocols and how we deal with these situations and, second, another form from the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages may get us through this.
I am happy to keep the member for Blain informed of the development of this process Justice is looking at, and I am sure the Minister for Health will likewise keep the member for Blain informed in relation to development of some baseline protocols to make sure that we do not have this sort of situation arise again.
For those reasons, Madam Speaker, we do not support urgency in this matter, and we do not see legislation as the appropriate response.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, it is certainly a difficult issue. As a male, I have no real understanding of the loss a woman feels when she miscarries. All I can say is that it must be a very emotional time for some people, perhaps not so for others, but it was certainly a tragic time in this case for this couple. It is something that needs to be dealt with sensitively.
Be that as it may, it is an important issue. We are dealing with the issue of whether the bill proposed by the member for Blain, which I have not seen, should be considered on urgency. I do not normally support urgency arguments. As the minister would know, I still have a sore ear from objecting to urgency on the dry areas legislation. We had the McArthur River legislation as well. In the case of bills coming through from the opposition or private members, urgency sometimes is not the urgency that other people in government can have. In this case, the next time this bill can be debated will be in October. If you took the normal process, you would give notice on one General Business Day, have the second reading 12 sitting days later in General Business Day and, eventually, debate it 12 sitting days later. Having introduced a few bills in this parliament, I know that it takes an awfully long time.
In this case, I believe the government could make an exception. As I said, I do not know what is in the bill, but it obviously deals with some very profound questions. Serious matters have been raised. I remember not so long ago when we raised the issue of what is a human life, and what the law say is a human being. It is from when a child is born until when they die. Minister, you sent me some very useful information from your department about that type of issue and how it is dealt with in different jurisdictions in Australia, and I appreciate that.
There are larger issues that can evolve from the debate we are having today. I am not saying that would necessarily be part of the debate that we would have when this bill is introduced, but there are bigger questions on some of these issues than just this matter which has arisen.
Returning to why it should be urgent, it is only urgent from an opposition or private member’s perspective because, instead of having 24 sitting days, we would have 12 sitting days. It is not really urgent like a McArthur River bill or dry areas bill by the government. It is just bringing it slightly forward. Because it is such an important issue, it is worthy of debate on the next General Business Day. Even though I know the minister will say that I am arguing urgency, in reality, it is not urgent as in today, tomorrow and finished; it is a long way off. I do not think ordinary people would see that as a bill that is being rushed through. It would just allow this bill to come on a little more quickly than would normally apply. It would still allow adequate time for consultation with people and adequate time for debate. That would be a good idea, and I support the motion for those reasons.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, I can understand the argument that urgency is something that is only used in special circumstances, but the member for Nelson is quite correct: it has a totally different application for opposition. All that is being asked is for the second reading speech to be provided so that at least we know what the bill’s intent is, what it contains; just the second reading speech.
The Attorney-General has graciously advised that he will keep me in the loop. However, all I am seeking to do by giving the second reading speech now, is that the cogs of government are then engaged in this discussion. I am not hopeful that the bill will be supported. There may be some changes to it. However, all we are saying is let the process start.
Urgency for opposition is a very different thing from urgency for government, very different. If you take that aspect of it, by having a second reading speech today, it would then be debated in October. For the mother and the husband concerned, this bill, most likely, as a result of rejecting urgency today, will bear no relevance to them, as it is intended, because there is a sunset clause. You cannot make requests of a minister for the recognition of a birth outside of 60 days. In that respect, it is null and void for the mother and the father concerned. Of course, they would be gracious enough to acknowledge that, if supported, it would benefit others and avoid them having to go through the indignity that this couple have suffered.
That is the reason for the urgency. It is a very different urgency to which government is accustomed. I am talking about having a second reading speech today so that it is on the agenda and there can be a formal response by government in debate in October. I urge members to support urgency.
Motion negatived.
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Madam Speaker, after many years with the Northern Territory Health Department, Hartley Dentith has retired to return to the Missionary Aviation Fellowship as a pilot. Hartley worked with the Department for 20 years and, during this time, along with a colleague, opened the East Arnhem District Centre for Disease Control Unit, eventually becoming the Manager/Coordinator. Hartley also worked as a community health worker at Gapuwiyak in the clinic, which was an unlined fibro shed in 1977, and in 1980 moved to the Yirrkala Health Clinic, where they provided a mobile flying health service to the Laynhapuy Homeland communities. I thank Hartley for his valuable contribution, his commitment in particular to Aboriginal health in the region, and I wish Hartley and Shirley all the very best as he recommences his life work with MAF, and Shirley continues her work in the Nhulunbuy community.
Congratulations to the Arnhem Northern Territory School Rugby League players who excelled in Darwin at the championships, coming third overall. Five Arnhem players were named in the Northern Territory training squad to play in the national championships in Adelaide: Tom Hancock, Xyrus Regan, Evan Pickett, Jessie Risley, Jace Bettes, with two emergencies, Sam Putland and Kritsada Phalaphon. Well done to the Arnhem team and best of luck to those selected in the squad as they prepare for Adelaide.
An educator from Garrthalala Homelands, Multhara Mununggurr, has won the Research and Innovation Award 2007 for indigenous innovation. A teacher for many years, serving both in the education system and schools, Multhara saw students had no option for secondary education in a remote community. She is a remarkable woman. I have known her for many years – and absolutely ageless – one of those people who you see in the street and she has not aged. I remember 15 years ago, she is just one of those incredible women who has that, I do not know, almost half-Asian look about them, who never get old.
Despite the challenges of little money, distance, remoteness and the Top End weather, she developed the idea for secondary education, and pursued it until it became a reality for 18 students in 2004. Multhara is a university-qualified teacher, working with the homeland primary school, supporting homeland education until she moved back to her homeland Garrthalala, providing education for around 25 students. When visiting Garrthalala I always had the privilege of visiting the classroom and seeing firsthand the dedication Multhara had to educating homeland students in a very important way. Multhara has developed and facilitated the secondary education program with the assistance of the Yirrkala Homelands School. The Rotary Club of Geelong assisted with building a facility to cater for the growing number of secondary students. Our thanks to Rotary of Geelong. The students have achieved a 90% attendance rate, despite the challenges of distance, along with the perseverance and commitment of Multhara. I congratulate Multhara on this very important award and thank her for her initiative in implementing an excellent program to cater for these homelands students.
Congratulations to Will Chambers, making it to the top in NRL with the Melbourne Storm. I am sure his parents, Don and Karen, are enormously proud of Will’s commitment to the sport which has taken him to national first grade competition. Nhulunbuy community shares that pride as one of our homegrown youngsters fulfils his dream. Well done, Will, and keep it up.
Nhulunbuy Primary School hosted the AFL School Sports Exchange three weeks ago with the community billeting 150 students for the week. I was pleased to attend the opening ceremony and watch a couple of the games. The standard of footie was quite high. The students obviously enjoyed the competition. Congratulations to the winners of Pool A, Northern Suburbs, and Pool B, Parks Blue. My thanks to Mike Sanford, the Arnhem cluster coordinator, and his team for a fantastic effort.
Special congratulations to Dhangatji Mununggurr from the Yirrkala Community Education Centre, who has been chosen to represent the Northern Territory AFL Under 13 squad going to Sydney next month. He is the only representative from East Arnhem and the first from Yirrkala CEC. I have to make a mention of a group school team from the Top End Group Schools which takes in south of Darwin, Litchfield, all around there. They are quite small schools. The kids had never met each other until they turned up in Nhulunbuy to play. They got a hiding first up, and went on to thrash every other side they came up against except, of course, for Northern Suburbs Darwin. You have the height and the population and everything else. These are a bunch of kids from the smallest schools in the Northern Territory - never met each other before – who finished up second in the championship overall. Of course, how could we expect them to beat Northern Suburbs? This is the sort of talent we have out there untapped. This potential is untapped in many of these very small schools. It was just terrific to see them come together.
The Nhulunbuy township adopted this team alongside their own, of course, and Nhulunbuy team and this team became very close. Obviously, a great bunch of kids and some tremendous footballers there, and I hope someone is keeping an eye out for them.
An important development for our local Dhimurru Rangers as the long-awaited arrival of their new vessel, Sea Ranger 1. The boat represents a major step forward for the Dhimurru program, as it implements sea country plans, spells out Yolngu aspirations for the care and management of sea country adjacent to and within the Dhimurru indigenous protected area. Dhimurru Rangers are undertaking further training in the operation of the vessel, delivering restricted coxswain’s tickets which will supplement the overall capacity of Dhimurru Sea Rangers.
Congratulations, Nhulunbuy Senior Fire Station Officer, Graham Johnson, on receiving the highest honour of his career, the Australian Fire Service Medal in the Queen’s Birthday honours list. Graham has been stationed in Nhulunbuy for four-and-a-half years, after joining the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service in Darwin in 1979. In 28 years of service, Graham has worked in all areas of the service including operations, community safety and training, and was a part of the team that raised the professional standard of the safety division within the general community and building industries. His knowledge and expertise has helped lift the standard of fire protection of Territory buildings. He is one of the first personnel to gain legitimate qualifications in fire cause investigation. Graham has been the Territory representative on a number of national fire service and emergency management committees. We thank Graham for his dedication to the service and to our community. He really does run a tightknit fire service team in Nhulunbuy and region.
I was saddened to hear of the passing of Mr Burrarrawanga at Galiwinku last week. A terrific role model for his people, Mr Burrarrawanga performed with the Warumpi Band, always containing a message for his people, and his pride in his culture and his country. He is best remembered for his song, My Island Home on the national stage, yearning for his home. However, the past 18 months, I had the privilege of working with him to encourage children to go to school. He wrote the song, Gotta go! to get the message across. I do not know whether I caught something on National Radio, or how it came to me. If you take a step back from My Island Home and do not think about – as I always think about - the former member for Arnhem and his island home at Milingimbi and how he used to love to get back there after sittings, and of the people of Galiwinku and, no doubt, the Tiwis who think of their place as the same as My Island Home, then take another step back again and think of Australia, it is almost a national anthem in Australians overseas thinking of ‘my island home’. It really does have a great message for all of Australia. A great leader, a great performer, a great role model, he will be missed by all, and my condolences and prayers are with his family and the community at this sad time.
Ms MARTIN (Fannie Bay): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, at this time of year, there is a spring in the step of many Territorians. It is an exciting time, with more and more tourists heading to the Territory and events like the Glenti, BassintheGrass, and the Finke Desert Race happenings. Of course, it is also time when our annual show circuit kicks off at Freds Pass.
The 29th Freds Pass Show was held this year on 20 and 21 May. It began as a school fete and has grown into one of the very best country shows in the Territory. The show this year was very different from the past with new parking arrangements and showgrounds layout. What did not change though was the quality of the show and that unique Freds Pass atmosphere. I certainly enjoyed the day out with my colleagues handing out balloons, visiting the stalls, watching the events and, generally, having a most enjoyable time. I congratulate the organising committee run by Andrew Blackadder on yet another successful Freds Pass show. To everyone who contributed, the stallholders, the volunteers and a man with his chooks, well done.
I also pay tribute this evening to the generosity of our wonderful Chinese community in the Territory. Honourable members would be aware that the Deputy Mayor of Meizhou, Municipal People’s Government, Mr Zheng Shaowei, and his delegation recently visited Darwin. They accompanied the soccer team from Meizhou which participated in the Arafura Games. My congratulations go to the coaches and the team who won the gold medal in the Under 18 tournament. During their visit, both the delegation and the team were overwhelmed by the generous support of the local Chinese community. I acknowledge all those involved in supporting our Chinese guest, particularly Mr Kong Su Jape and the Jape family, who were instrumental in bringing the team to the Arafura Games. I had the pleasure of attending a special reception hosted by the Jape family in honour of the Deputy Mayor, his delegation and the team.
Other generous supporters included Henry Yap, president of the Hakka Association; Rui Mu, president of the NT Timorese Chinese Association; Adam Lowe, President of the Chung Wah Association; Danny and Maria Lay from the Jetty Restaurant; George Mu; Jason Lee; Tim Mu; Kivi Lay, Vice President of the Hong Kong Australia Business Association; and Jenny Xi of the Australian Chinese Business Association. I am sure all members will join me in acknowledging our friends from Meizhou and the wonderful hospitality of our local community. The ties of friendship between the Northern Territory and China will be strengthened by that visit.
I also like take the opportunity to talk about our fabulous Tiwi Bombers tonight. The Bombers played the curtain raiser to the Essington and Richmond match at the MCG on 26 May. It was part of the AFL’s Indigenous Round which celebrates the contribution of Aboriginal people to Australian football. The Tiwi Bombers were outstanding and beat a highly-fancied Victorian regional team, Rumbalara Football Club by 133 points. When you consider the Bombers were playing out of season on an unfamiliar ground and in front of 80 000 people, the victory really was something special. Congratulations to Bombers coach, Greg Orsto, on a great coaching performance. Greg knew that height would be a problem and they would probably lose every ruck dual on the day. Therefore, he developed a game plan that made the most of the Tiwi Bombers explosive pace and exquisite skills. He also insisted his players use Tiwi and not English on the field. This may be the first time since the early days of the Port Philip settlement that a sporting team in Victoria has used an indigenous language on the playing field.
Tiwi football is not known for its defensive qualities; it is all about attack, attack and attack. However, in this game Rumbalara were held scoreless for the entire second half, which is a remarkable feat. The Bombers backline was led by Austin Wonaemirri, an 18-year-old currently listed with the Norwood in the SANFL and attracting interest from AFL clubs. Another outstanding performer was the mercurial Ephram Tipungwuti. Ephram, who is not very tall, played at full forward and kicked an astonishing nine goals, one point. Others to stand out were the captain, Thomas Simon, and exciting youngsters like Don Kantilla, Wayne Pilakui, Sampson Mungatopi and Frankie Daniels.
I acknowledge the support and assistance provided by the Essington Football Club, ERA, Rio Tinto, TIO and our own Department of Sport and Recreation. A great effort by all concerned. ‘Go the Bombers’. I cannot wait for the start of the NTFL season here when the Bombers will actually be full participants. I worry for the future of my Waratahs, I do.
A Territorian who has made a long and valuable contribution to Alice Springs is local vet, Keith Locke, who is hanging up his stethoscope after 37 years. Keith started working in the government’s Animal Industry Branch in 1970, and was involved in the national brucellosis and tuberculosis eradication campaign for 18 years.
After covering many miles as part of the program, Keith and his wife, Liz, bought the Sadadeen Veterinary Clinic in 1988. After 10 years working with all kinds of animals, the clinic began to focus on small animals and has developed a strong reputation in the region. Keith will not be short of stories to tell about his time at the clinic. He performed an autopsy on a circus tiger cub, helped a dog after it ate a bath tile, and operated on a suspected tumour in a horse, which turned out to be a mulga stick.
Keith and Liz are looking forward to taking a well-earned break after being on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, first, Keith needs to complete his Master’s degree in vet science. He will spend the next two years studying after the clinic closes at the end of June. Congratulations to Keith on serving the Alice Springs community for such a long period of time, and my best wishes go to both Keith and Liz for their retirement.
Finally, while we are in Alice Springs, while I was there in May I took the opportunity to visit Territory Lettuce, a true Territory success story, thanks to the dedication, vision, and resilience of Mo and Angie McCosker. Mo’s vision for a Central Australian-based horticultural venture targeting the gourmet lettuce market began in 1992. Since then, he has expanded from a small operation occupying a corner of their Ilparpa block to a major supplier of those gourmet lettuces. Today, they have up to 90 000 lettuces with 13 different varieties under production at any given time.
Territory Lettuce employs eight people, and they are always looking at opportunities to expand their business. Mo and Angie have invested over $1m in infrastructure to support their business, which underlines their confident in the industry and, indeed, Alice Springs. Mo and Ange have diversified their operations to include the production of fresh herbs, including parsley, coriander, basil, chives, dill, mint, rosemary and thyme. They are the sole supplier to wholesalers in the Territory, supplying lettuces and herbs to Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs.
I look forward, every time I go to Coles, to buying one of Mo and Angie’s lettuces. I was buying them for a long time before I knew they came from Alice Springs. That was really what triggered that visit; I wanted to see where my lettuces were grown - and they are always terrific. It was terrific to visit the business and I would like to personally thank Ange for her time in showing me around their wonderful enterprise. It is people such as Mo and Ange with their business acumen, entrepreneurial qualities and vision, who will ensure that Central Australia continues to push the limits of what can be achieved in arid environments, and will continue to produce remarkable economic opportunities for Territorians. Well done.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I want to speak about a man who lived to be 91 years of age. He was a Wadjigan man, and was my father-in-law, Harry Morgan.
He was born, officially, on the 1 January 1916, although if you know how some dates are attributed to some people, there is probably some variation in that date. However, he died on the 11 June 2007. He was born at Point Blaze, which is on the west coast of the Bynoe area, and he passed away peacefully at Bulgul, which is near the mouth of the Daly River.
He was the son of Kitty Worrell, a Wadjigan woman, and Morgan, who was a Chinese man. We know very little about Morgan. In fact, he does not sound Chinese. We used to think that the family had some relation to Morgan the Pirate - at least we used to tease him that way. Morgan was a Chinese person who ran a small boat somewhere around Darwin Harbour. We think he drowned somewhere in Darwin Harbour; however, we cannot find out much about his history.
Harry was the husband of Kitty Tjulmutj, and also the brother of Annie Wudanbuya. Both his wife, Kitty and his brother, are deceased,. He had six girls and two boys. Bruce was born at Talc Head, which is called Majellaba. Imelda, my wife, was born at Channel Point, Nikmingan; Marjorie at Point Blaze, Mandjimamun; Agatha and Leah at Ida Bay, Binbinyah; Nancy at Indian Island, Kubul; and Rosemary at Daly River Mission, Naiyu Nambiyu.
You can see that he spent a life travelling with his family over a quite a large area. I do not have a huge amount to say about him today. I suppose you can compare some of things that are spoken about more famous Aboriginal people in the sittings who have the fame and fortune, and we respect those people and we have motions of condolence in this House; and that is proper. However, in some ways, we also should remember those ordinary people that very few people but the family would know about who were Territorians to the teeth, you might say - not known to a lot of people, but who lived their entire life in the Northern Territory and were very much part of the history of the Northern Territory. I suppose, because Harry is now passed away, a lot of that history has gone with him.
As I said, Harry lived in this area, from Daly River to Delissaville. He used to go hunting with the family on holidays. He made his own canoes, and that is how they got around the coast. He worked at Delissaville. He worked as a truck driver and he also worked on a boat that used to go from Delissaville to Darwin. If you look on old maps, Delissaville used to have its own jetty at the end of Woods Inlet.
Imelda tells me that, when the war came, he and his wife, Kitty Tjulmutj, and some of Delissaville women were trucked off to Katherine. The story goes that as soon as the truck stopped at Katherine, three of those women immediately walked back to Barnakula or Red Cliffs, which is on the southern side of the mouth of the Daly River. They were not going to stay in Katherine, Japanese invasion or what. It just shows you their resilience.
Harry worked on the Peron Islands for the Army during the war. In fact, on his wall in his house at Bulgul, he had a big certificate thanking him for the work he did during the war. I believe that it was important that many of those Aboriginal people who helped the Army during the war were recognised. I believe he kept it up on the wall with a lot of pride.
Another story was that, when Harry decided it was time for the children to go to school at Delissaville, he got his canoe and pushed out to sea, and the canoe came back with the tide. He got hold of the canoe, he walked out into the water up to his chest and pushed it out again, and it went away. My niece, Helen McCarthy, who is quite a good artist, is doing a painting called the Last Canoe, which is very nice. It is a little symbolic of the change from living out in the bush to when he made that decision that his children would be educated, and they went to Delissaville.
The second part of the story was that there was a move to take part-Aboriginal children away from Delissaville and send them to Croker Island at that time. As well, Kitty was suffering with leprosy at that stage, so there were some difficulties about getting proper medical attention. However, Harry did not want to go to Croker Island, he thought that would split up the family, and he did not have friends in that part of the world. He heard that there was a new mission at Daly River, and he asked the Bishop if he could live there. The mission was established in 1956. The family then moved there in 1957, just in time for the big flood. If you ever read Nancy Polishuk’s book about the big flood on the Daly River; that was the time they arrived. Harry worked at the mission as a carpenter, helping build houses, and he eventually retired from work in about the mid-1980s.
Unfortunately, in 1972, Kitty passed away from leprosy. She was one of the reasons that I had some concerns about the destruction of the East Arm Leprosarium site. I believe it is important to keep some of that area preserved from industrial development because it has a place in the history and the hearts of many people who went through that leprosarium. When I first met Kitty, it was at the East Arm Leprosarium.
Eventually, through marriage, education or work, most of the family have moved away from Daly River. Harry moved to Batchelor and was looked after by his youngest daughter, Rosemary. Then, about five years ago, they moved to Bulgul, which is at the mouth of the Daly River, and Rosemary cared for him until he died. In the last 10 years, he did become a bit of a recluse. I believe he found the outside world a bit daunting. In fact, I know one time when he went to Darwin Hospital because he was quite ill, he would swear a lot. My wife, Imelda would be embarrassed by it. However, it was more a sign of his fear of the unknown. The nurses said they understood why. He did have this fear of moving away from his country, where he was most at ease, and that is why he tended to become a recluse.
His grandchildren used to call him ‘Big Poppa’. He was someone who lived a very long life and left a huge family, about which I am going to read in a minute just to show you how big the family was. We will have the funeral this Saturday and he will be buried at Bulgul. I think there will be an advertisement in tomorrow’s paper for those people who wish to attend that funeral. It is appropriate that he is buried at Bulgul, as that is his country. He travelled so much through that country that he has more or less come home from where he started. Point Blaze is a little further away, but that is the area where he lived.
Sometimes, people do not understand that it was not long ago when Aboriginal people walked that part of the world. There are developments like Dundee Beach. People give it their own names, and I understand that those names, of course, came with European occupation or surveys, or names that real estate people have given land. However, as I read out earlier, a lot of these places had Aboriginal names. It is a pity that we could not retain those names more often, even if we had dual names for places. How many people would know that Point Blaze was Mandjimamun? It is important these names are retained. Recently, when the Place Names Committee decided to name the area where, more or less, the Wagait Aboriginal Reserve is, they gave it some name after some bloke who ran a store. When I put it to the family, they came up with a Wadjigan name, which was far more appropriate because they have lived in that land a lot longer than a storekeeper had. I sometimes think that we tend to forget that it is not very long ago that this land was not cut up. It might have been pastoral, but it certainly was not freehold land and Aboriginal people did travel and live off that land and regarded it as theirs.
Madam Speaker, I will finish by reading out the list of grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Harry. Harry was the grandfather of Bernadette who, unfortunately, is deceased, David, Gerard, Angela, Caroline, Joanne, Regina, Helen, Kerry, Marisa, Maree, Peter, Wayne, Brendan, Adriana, Phillip, Glen and Sabrina. He is great-grandfather of Serena, Dean, Barry, Regina, Shaun, Rebecca, David, Claude, Sarah, Jessica, Michael, Heath, Jason, James and Willemina - I know those last three names very well; they live in my house - William, Lucas, Peter, Millicent and Christopher. He is also the great-great-grandfather of Trent and Bruce. I have to say he is also the father-in-law of Rosanne, who is a Parry, Peter McCarthy, me, Bill who is now deceased, Santa Maria and Barbara.
As you see, he has left many descendants. Perhaps now that he is departed we will have to put more emphasis learning a lot more about his life than we have while he was alive. In some ways, Harry epitomises much of what the Northern Territory is about. Yes, he was part Chinese, part Aboriginal. He married a Wadjigan woman and that relates to the history of the times. Many Chinese people fished in the Daly River area and dried fish at the mouth of the Daly River. In fact, if you go through the archives, you will find that there was a policeman writing in his notebook about how he was looking for a murderer. He was right out below the horizon so people could not see him. He came into the Daly River mouth and first thing he met was some Wadjigan women who came up to him and complained about those Chinese men humbugging them. They were there drying fish out.
Harry was part of the history of the time, 1916. He was born in the World War I and lived through the World War II. He knew about the country. I suppose, you might say one of the downsides of going to the Daly River was that they spoke more of the language of Ngangikurunggurr and English. There is no problem of speaking English or Ngangikurunggurr but they tended to not use their own languages much. The good thing that is happening, especially with my family is that they are going back now and doing language classes in Wadjigan. In fact, a lot of the place names have been now registered in the Wadjigan language. That is one of the sad things from the Larrakia point of view. Much of that knowledge has gone. When you ask them the names of Darwin Harbour in Larrakia, unfortunately, that has gone. However, from the Wadjigan point of view at least that knowledge is still there. It is important that we keep that Wadjigan heritage and remember Harry Morgan - a fine man who lived the full life and left a legacy of many descendants who will always remember him as ‘Big Poppa’.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Mr Deputy Speaker, tonight I acknowledge some bright young talent who exist and are achieving well in the schools across the electorate of Karama. At Manunda Terrace Primary School, the Citizenship Award winners for this term are Teja Binti Solah, a Year 5/6 student. Teya has a serious attitude to her work and a delightful personality. She possesses a very sensitive nature and shows great patience with other students. My congratulations go to Teja for being awarded the Citizenship Award. I know that the school takes these awards seriously, and it is great to see that Teja’s received the latest Delia Lawrie Citizenship Award. Also awarded at Manunda Terrace Primary School was Jamaya Monteiro-Pereira, a Year 6/7 student. Jamaya demonstrates great citizenship qualities. She is a very capable House Captain who considers the need of all students in her house. Jamaya is someone who is prepared to help others. My congratulations also go to Jamaya. Their principal at Manunda Terrace Primary School, Bill Armstrong, is a very fair, kind man, and has a great emphasis on the pride of the school. It is great to see that small school at Manunda Terrace Primary, with an incredibly diverse school population, go from strength to strength. It is great to see both Teja and Jamaya as strong leaders in the school community.
There was an inaugural citizenship award at Sanderson High School. I was joined there by my colleague, the member for Sanderson. We had some literacy and numeracy awards. I am sponsoring some citizenship awards. My thanks go to Russell Legg, the principal at Sanderson High. He is doing a fantastic job improving Sanderson High School. It really is looking terrific. He has put a lot of emphasis into improving the physical structure of the school, upgrading the school grounds, upgrading the facilities. The student body is responding in kind. I was heartened when I was out there recently doing a tour of the school to be told by one of the school counsellors that student behaviour had improved significantly since attention had been made to the physical look of the school.
I congratulate the inaugural award winners for the Citizenship Awards at Sanderson High School. Congratulations to Cordelia Mac, Shanese Friel, and Shaquille Wright. They are all very worthy winners and I hope they are enjoying their gift vouchers from the ABC Shop at Casuarina.
At Karama School each term, I donate Endeavour Awards. The principal, Marg Fenbury, is another principal who understands that instilling pride in the school is an incredibly important thing to do in a lower socioeconomic area such as Karama. The school is looking a million dollars; they have landscaped heavily. I know that Marg lives in the rural area, so I suspect that she has been taking plants out of her own garden because the school has had an amazing overhaul in the landscaping. There is new signage at the all-weather entrance to the school and it looks a million dollars. It is just great to see the resurgence of pride at Karama Primary School. That is recognised in the Endeavour Awards. We are able to present awards to Alana Palamountain, Matteo Lee, Rachel Ponter and Jake Geer, all students who have put that extra effort into the school term. My hearty congratulations go to them.
At Malak Primary School, they had a fantastic school sports day last Friday. It is a beautiful school, nestled at the base of Malak Community Oval, so the school has the benefit of that oval for its sports day. It is a beautiful area of heavy shade trees. The parents get out there, even though it is a working day. We have a fantastic turnout of Malak School parents on sports day. The kids are all very excited, of course, on sports day. There was a lot of activity and it was great to try to guess who was going to come first in the running races because we have African-born students versus our local indigenous students versus some very hefty Anglo-Saxon students. It was a real mixed bag on that sports day. You were kept guessing as to who was going to come first. It was fantastic fun. I thank the Administrator, His Honour Ted Egan, for attending the Malak Primary School Sports Day. It certainly sent a buzz around the Malak community to have the Administrator turn up to our local sports day. I spoke to the Principal, Paul Nyhuis, who is doing a fantastic job there during his first year at the school. He is a very energetic, capable principal. He was delighted to have the Administrator call in, and it was a real credit to the school community for having the Administrator there.
I also thank the Patron of the school, Henry Yap, a local shop owner who kindly donates $5000 to that school community to help them with their fundraising. He took time out of his busy schedule, as a business leader in our community, to pop into the school and have a look at sports day. Congratulations, Henry; you are doing a great job as Patron at that school.
I acknowledge the fundraising efforts for the Cancer Council. It is an annual event in Karama where we have a Cancer Council morning tea. We hold it at the Karama Tavern. We had about 50 people attend our morning tea this year. We raised more than $500, which is a phenomenal amount. I was incredibly impressed by the donations. I particularly thank Trish Holyoake, who is the Centre Manager at Karama. She very ably organises the Karama Tavern, and nothing happens in that shopping centre without Trish being the driving force behind it. One thing that significantly impressed me was that, of her own volition, she got a Milo tin, marked it up as a Cancer Council donation tin and had that sitting on the bar at the Karama Tavern. Patrons at the tavern have been popping their coins and notes into that tin, and they have raised several hundred dollars that way. Thanks to Trish and the patrons of the Karama Tavern for their donations to the Cancer Council.
I want to also thank a couple of mums from Malak who, for the morning tea, spent all morning making sandwiches and donated them. A hearty thank you to Donna Smith and Clare Dodt for their community-minded efforts in providing a very hearty addition to our morning tea.
We have had a lot of construction happening around the Karama Shopping Centre. Those shade structures are going up and it is creating quite a buzz around the community. People are enjoying the improvements at the shopping centre. I thank the owners, Peter and Natalie La Pira and, of course, Nica La Pira, for the effort they put in to the Karama Shopping Centre.
I want to acknowledge the work of Andrew Gadd, Gaddy’s kid, who is Head of Security at Karama Shopping Centre. Since he has come along, he has done a fantastic job, and everyone comments on the urbane, intelligent young man he is. He is doing a fabulous job, and I know that my electorate officer sings his praises almost daily regarding how he is able to manage the challenging moments that sometimes occur at a local shopping centre out in the northern suburbs of Darwin. Congratulations to the La Piras for putting the effort into some good security in the shopping centre; it really has made an enormous difference.
I thank Superintendent Jo Foley at Casuarina Police because, like anywhere in the Territory, we have our antisocial behaviour and we are challenged, from time to time throughout the day, with someone who has had a little too much to drink and wants to come back down and get some more supplies. They are turned away from the local liquor outlet and they are a bit hot under the collar because they cannot get their favourite liquor, so they start to shout. I have to say that, with the combination of the improved security as well as the fantastic response from local police, people are feeling pretty happy with the way any issues that arise are handled maturely and appropriately by the police.
I thank Superintendent Jo Foley. She is very responsive to ensuring that police are well organised in the Casuarina area and that they respond appropriately when needed. It certainly makes us all feel safer in our community to have that level of support from our local police. They do a tough job, there is no doubt it. I always admire the efforts of police. They are challenged right throughout their working shift in a variety of ways. To be able to cover those urgent issues that arise, as well as do the local community policing, is quite a task. Thank you to Superintendent Jo Foley, particularly for your responsiveness to the local community when they contact police.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, Alice Springs lost three of its senior citizens over the weekend. It was rather a sad time. Paul Sitzler, as we all know, passed away in Adelaide. Paul was the founder of the Sitzler Brothers and a pioneer in the building industry in the Territory. Also Betty Probin, wife of Arnold, who was a nurse in World War II, passed away. Betty and Arnold spent much time, I remember particularly, at Jay Creek, now Iwupataka. Finally, Edison Ford Charles Ferrier, known fondly as Ed also passed away. It is about Ed I want to speak tonight.
Ed was born in Brisbane, Queensland on 3 March 1925, so he was 82 when he passed away on Sunday night in the Alice Springs Hospital after suffering some heart problems and many strokes. Ed joined the Northern Territory Police Force in 1950. He travelled to the Territory then and gave a lot of time to the Northern Territory. Unfortunately, I do not have many stories about him from his time in the police force. I am sure other people can do that. However, what I am going to pass on tonight are the comments made by his son, Doug, at his funeral. Ed and his wife, Christine Patricia, who is deceased, only had one child. They met in Alice Springs. Pat had come to nurse children who were affected with polio in the 1950s. They lived in Tennant Creek, Pine Creek, Darwin and Alice.
Towards the end of his life, Ed lived in De Havilland Drive in Alice Springs and then, in later months, in the Frontier Services Old Timers Home. He obviously was a bit of a scallywag, from the way Doug, his son, delivered this. I will try to read as it is given. There are many people who have known Ed. I must say thank you, Ed, for your support and loyalty to me as an elected member through some very trying times. He was always there and I believe that is the way people see him. He was a bit of a rock. Doug said:
This is just typical of Ed’s adventurous spirit:
and certainly dealt with it:
The Friday Koffee Club was when Ed and a number of his mates would get together.
Where he went regularly for a paper:
Mr BONSON (Millner): Mr Deputy Speaker, tonight, I talk about a local legend, a person who has contributed to the NT Public Service and the life of the Northern Territory as we know it for many years. in particular, his service to the Northern Territory Public Service, the Department of Employment, Education and Training. That is none other than Bill Turner. I have known Bill Turner and he has known my family for quite a while.
Bill is one of the true gentlemen that you would ever meet in the Territory, an honest, hard-working, good bloke. Just recently, he held a going away party and he invited a number of people. I was invited and was honoured to get that invitation. Other people who were honoured to get that invitation were: Hon Warren Snowdon, member for Lingiari; Greg Gibbs, State Manager in the Australian government Department of Education, Science and Training; Greg Constantine, CEO of Larrakia Development Corporation; Koolpinyah Richard Barnes, Larrakia elder; Tony Tapsell, CEO Local Government Association of the Northern Territory; Margaret Banks, Chief Executive, DEET; Ken Davies, Deputy Chief Executive, Education Services; and John Glasby, Executive Director of Top End Schools.
Mr Bill Turner worked in a variety of jobs over many years, including in Belyuen. This was his first teaching appointment after his stint at Numbulwar in 1974. He then taught at Ali Curung and Belyuen schools. While at Belyuen, Bill was appointed principal for six years. As principal, Bill’s work involved the community in curriculum development and implementation of a whole school program. He was then involved in the systematic innovations such as development and trialling of a system where all small schools had the same filing system to make it easier for staff transferring between schools, as well as for the transfer of information between schools.
In 1989, after 15 years in remote localities, Bill moved to Darwin where he worked as a senior teacher at Ludmilla, Moil and Manunda Terrace schools. At Ludmilla, he taught in the specialist indigenous unit, the Ginga Unit, where the attendance level tripled to an average of 25. Moil School saw Bill developing cooperatively a screening and assessment policy and procedures for early childhood students, and he established the Moil homework centre which had some 13 staff. He also spent six months as a senior education officer where he edited and presented to schools on outcome profiles, the precursor of the Northern Territory curriculum framework.
In 1999, the Indigenous Education Branch was formed and led by Ken Davies. This was later known as the Indigenous Education Division and now as Remote School Policy and Services Division. In this area, Bill managed the Professional Support Indigenous Employment Program and the Aboriginal Islander and Education Workers (AIEWs), grants to schools in the form of Aboriginal Resource Officers (AROs) as part-time instructors, and the Mentoring and Cadetship programs. Highlights during this period were Bill’s support for the 35 AIEWs and AROs in gaining their Certificates in Indigenous Education, the AIEWs being awarded permanency in the NT Public Sector, and the first cadets in the department to graduate as teachers.
After his time as manager, Bill worked in school grant distribution and moved roles to aid the department and government in such projects as the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) Crime Prevention Project. In addition to Bill’s many achievements and his particular commitment to indigenous education as evidence of the respect and regard in which he is held, we need do nothing more than look around the room at his party and see so many of his former colleagues in attendance.
Bill, I congratulate you on your 33 years of dedication and service to Northern Territory education, and wish you a long and happy retirement.
I had the honour of working with Bill in a number of different roles, in particular with the Top End Countrymen’s Association. He has shown a real desire to improve the living standards of indigenous people, including indigenous men as role models. Recently, he has been a great advocate for the Belyuen community and residents who have been displaced from the community, and this included getting together a working group that met at my office and included the Commonwealth, the NT government and NGOs to best find accommodation in the short and long term for people and families who have been displaced by recent events in Belyuen. He also, on their behalf, negotiated services of the police and has shown an unbelievable capacity to bring people together and work for a common cause.
I have nothing but the utmost respect for Bill Turner. I know his family will be very proud of him, and I hope that in his retirement, he continues his good work throughout the community.
Mr KIELY (Sanderson): Mr Deputy Speaker, this evening I inform the House of a wonderful event I attended last May in Parliament House where I had the honour of presenting the Mary Moylan Award on Social Work Day.
The awards were hosted by AASW Northern Territory, and President of AASW, Judy Clisby, was the MC for the evening’s events. The Mary Moylan Award is named after a social worker who is no longer with us. She unexpectedly passed away in 2002. Mary had quite an impact on the profession here in the Territory and, as a commemorative gesture, the Mary Moylan Award was established, primarily to award and recognise a social worker who has contributed greatly to the social work effort in the Territory in areas of social justice and service delivery or policy formulation.
This year, there were two nominees. The first was Tania Newton from Centrelink, an individual, and the second was the Charles Darwin University Social Work Team, comprised of Dr Deborah West, Jean Packham and Dan Baschiera.
I want to talk about the CDU team. Dr Deborah West is a Senior Lecturer and Coordinator in Welfare Studies and Social Work, and has worked as a practitioner in both the government and non-government sectors and as a policy officer in the Australian government. She has worked in a range of fields, including child and young health, aged care and correctional services. As an academic, Deborah has worked at Flinders University in the School of Social Administration and Social Work and at the Australian National University in the Sociology Department. Deborah has strong links in the human service industry, which provide many opportunities for collaborative work and teaching. She serves on a range of boards and committees at both national and Territory levels.
Jean Packham is a Lecturer in Welfare Studies and Social Work. As an accredited social worker, she has worked with government and non-government agencies in the north of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Jean has eight years experience working in remote areas, working in a range of counselling positions. Jean has worked extensively with clients affected by traumatic events, mental health and isolation issues. She has worked in cross-cultural contexts and in trans-disciplinary teams. She has worked as an academic for the last two-and-a-half years at Charles Darwin University, and maintains links with the human service industry through the field placement process.
Dan Baschiera has worked in a number of capacities, including medical and psychiatric social work in northern Australia. This has resulted in a professional and multifaceted career that has engaged in a diverse range of service delivery and management. It has also included closing the last Aboriginal reserve in Australia through the publishing guidelines for military community development. This assists Australian troops in their peacekeeping role. In a voluntary capacity, Dan has worked as a trainer and logistic manager for Medicines Sans Frontiers both in France and Sierra Leone, where he managed 120 staff in a paediatric hospital in war-torn remote Africa.
The goal of the team has been to develop an exciting and innovative social work course which responds to local NT requirements. Within this goal, the task has been to satisfy the university graduate attributes, the AASW requirements for accreditation, the professional community needs, and a positive learning experience for students. In 2005, Dr West and the social work team were congratulated by Professor Peter Camileri, consultant for the AASW, when he stated that the course material prepared was amongst the best prepared he had seen. Course material reflects the social justice issues unique to the Territory, and it is anticipated that, over time, it will attract students to CDU to study social work. For the first time in many years, social work in the NT can look forward with confidence to a locally trained, effective and sustainable workforce.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Tania Newton leads a team of approximately 16 Centrelink social workers across North Australia. Tania was nominated because she has made a significant contribution to social work, to the pursuit of social justice, and excellence in service delivery through direct client work, and disaster/crisis response both nationally and internationally. At the Northern Territory level, Tania was on the Northern Territory AASW Committee for several years and was a member of the Ethics Committee. She has been actively involved on the Board of Studies for Social Work at NTU/CDU for a number of years. She actively encourages the continued professional development of social workers within Centrelink and promotes AASW membership.
Tania is now actively involved in the Northern Territory government’s Welfare Group, a group that provides on-the-ground response, recovery and support during times of crisis or disaster. Some of Tania’s outstanding achievements include:
an Australia Day Achievement Award in 2002 for her involvement in the Canberra bushfires, providing support and counselling to victims and their families;
Mr Deputy Speaker, as you can see, the calibre of the nominations is very high indeed. I was very happy to announce that Tania Newton was the winner of the Mary Moylan Award for 2006. It reflects well on her, her team and on Centrelink Australia.
I was also doubly pleased to learn that Tania is a resident of Sanderson. Once again, Mr Deputy Speaker, what can I say? The people of Sanderson are great contributors to the society of the Northern Territory. It is simply wonderful. I believe it is a great thing that we in the suburbs have people like this living next door to us. I must say that I have actually added a story on Tania on the back of the local newsletter that I distribute.
Well done to her and the other nominees. They were also outstanding in their contributions to social work in the Northern Territory. I look forward to seeing these people around Darwin in the course of everyday events. I wish them well, and I am sure that the people that they look after in the course of their profession also benefit by this professionalism that they bring to the job.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Minister for Business and
Economic Development
Minister for Business and
Economic Development
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that leave of absence be granted to the Minister for Business and Economic Development for this day and tomorrow. The minister is representing the government at the funeral of Mr Paul Sitzler in Adelaide and is unable to secure a flight back for tomorrow’s sitting. Therefore the request is for leave of absence for today and tomorrow for the Minister for Business and Economic Development.
Motion agreed to.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, leave of absence is sought for the Leader of the Opposition for the same reason, the funeral in Adelaide. I move that leave of absence be granted for the Leader of the Opposition today.
Motion agreed to.
PETITION
Amalgamation of Litchfield Shire Council
Amalgamation of Litchfield Shire Council
Mr WOOD (Nelson)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I present a petition not conforming with standing orders from 172 petitioners relating to the amalgamation of the Litchfield Shire Council. This petition is similar to petition No 55 read in the Assembly during the April sitting. I move that the petition be read.
Motion agreed to; petition read:
- We the residents of Litchfield Shire request that the NT government delay the implementation of its planned amalgamation of the Litchfield Shire Council, and the development of a new super council until these changes are fully costed, and the residents are adequately consulted.
RESPONSE TO PETITION
The CLERK: Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 100A, I inform honourable members that a response to petition No 53 has been received and circulated to honourable members.
Petition No 3
Berry Springs Service Station Access and Parking
Date presented: 21 February 2007
Presented by: Mr Wood
Referred to: Minister for Planning and Lands
Date response due: 21 August 2007
Date response received: 19 June 2007
Date response presented: 20 June 2007
- Response:
There have been discussions between Mr Chin and officers of the Department of Planning and Infrastructure over a number of years in relation to issues of access and parking at the Berry Springs Service Station.
In recent discussions with Mr Chin, officers of the department agreed to modify design proposals to accommodate Mr Chin’s concern about additional access, and present use of the road reserve areas fronting his property. However, the informal and uncontrolled access arrangements that have developed over time are now untenable. Their continued use cannot be justified, given the increasing local development and the resultant traffic impact in the vicinity of Mr Chin’s operations.
Officers of the department are to have further discussions with Mr Chin, to ensure his access is developed in a manner compatible with current proposals for intersection works fronting his development.
However, these details need to be reviewed in light of proposals for local traffic management works on Cox Peninsula Road.
MINISTERIAL REPORTS
BassintheGrass
BassintheGrass
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, this morning I inform the House about the success of this year’s BassintheGrass, and the enormous amount of work that goes into staging this increasingly popular event.
The first BassintheGrass Festival was held in July 2003, drawing approximately 3500 people to the Darwin Amphitheatre. It is a great event for young Territorians and, of course, the young at heart, and has really grown in popularity since 2003. The attendance figure this year was approximately 7000, which is regarded as venue capacity.
An indicator of the event’s success and its growing profile is the quality of bands it attracts. This year, high profile bands like JET, Eskimo Joe, and the Hilltop Hoods performed, which explains why we were at full capacity. Also, let us not forget that BassintheGrass also gives local emerging talent a chance to perform in front of a big crowd, including their families and friends. It is a great experience for them. I particularly single out this year Alice band, The Moxie, and local Darwin band, also young fellows, Enth Degree. They are both terrific.
BassintheGrass is a major event and operational costs are now in the vicinity of $680 000. Government contributes around $300 000 to the event, and revenue from ticket sales has now reached $320 000. In addition, sponsorship from the private sector was around $75 000, and I thank our sponsors: Savings and Loans Credit Union who were the naming rights sponsors; Cadbury Schweppes; Foster’s Group; and Diageo.
The benefits of BassintheGrass are not just felt by music lovers; it is also great for our economy. Locals are contracted for a wide range of tasks and services, things we all take for granted when we go along to an event like this. For example, Top End Sounds takes care of the PA and sound equipment, lighting, production and safety fencing; Cleanaway deals with waste and disposal of rubbish; McMinns Plumbing provides all the toilet blocks; Territory Events Hire supplies furniture and public shade; and Northern Transportables provides the office blocks and change room facilities. These are just a few of the businesses who make BassintheGrass the top event it is. There are many people who come from out of town for the BassintheGrass weekend, which is great for our retail and tourism sectors.
Behind the scenes, the Northern Territory Major Events company has a crack management team which brings the event together and ensures it runs smoothly and safely. The tasks they perform give you some idea of the magnitude of organising an event like this. Jati Harburn is the BassintheGrass coordinator and is surrounded by a highly motivated team including Marion Elix, Pam Gray, Craig Markham, Dean Harris, Jo Conway, Andrea Walduck, Wayne Harrison, Chavonne Carroll, Rachel Telford and Matt James.
Other members of the management team included: site manager Dave Lomax; safety officer Peter Schloithe; ‘Bish’ and ‘Boogie’ who oversaw the stage production; Nicki Amelsvoort dealt with ticket sales; Tony Fitzackerly was in charge of security logistics; Sue Kotz took care of catering; and the rouseabouts were Dale Radley and Ray Adams. Let us not forget Bob Whaland and his transport team, and our talented talent scout Russell Temple. On behalf of all music lovers in the Territory, thank you for your hard work and dedication.
I want to mention some of our BassintheGrass volunteers. Special thanks to the Make a Wish Foundation - Olivia Paterson, Ben Schmidt, Ben Voight, Casey Veentjer, Brett Rowley, Shae, Robert Anderson, Brent Dyball, Lisa, Rikki Hanson; and our highly motivated merchandise team - many thanks to Liz, Laura and Hayden, Fiona, Kym, Anna, Ayrial, Matthew and Koel. A special thanks to Jodie Haylock and the Under 21 Women’s NT Hockey side for making sure that everyone got enough water during the day. Last, of course, a very special thanks to the man who does oversee it all and makes it happen, Paul Cattermole. I do not know what you say about Paul Cattermole other than simply the best. He goes on from now overseeing Arafura Games to BassintheGrass and what is happening this weekend, the V8s. Thank you, Paul Cattermole, and everyone involved. BassintheGrass is really a wonderful event.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I thank the Chief Minister for her report on BassintheGrass. I must confess it is one event to which I have not been. I can assure you that it has entertained a lot of young people in the Top End and not so young people. It brings about a lot of business for Darwin; there is no doubt about it.
Chief Minister, I would like some support for festivals outside of the two major towns of Alice Springs and Darwin. Of course, I am going to wave the flag for the Katherine Country Music Muster which, before the last election, received quite a substantial amount of money from the Territory government and was run very well. Since that time, it has not received very much support at all, to the point that it has been downgraded in order to be viable.
It needs support from the Territory government to get the big acts. As you know, the big acts cost a lot of money and we are a little community. Businesses have been giving in-kind and financial support to the festival over a long period of time. It is not sustainable for them to be able to pay out $15 000, $20 000 for one act.
I would like to see support for regional areas from where people are unable to come to Darwin. The Katherine region, as other regions, have people who live in the remote areas who are unable to come to Darwin for these major functions, and would be able to come to a town like Katherine to be able to take part in a festival. I would like to see some support for regional areas to run their festivals.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, I thank the Chief Minister for her report on BassintheGrass. Perhaps you can confirm for me that BassintheDust will be held this year and the venue at which it will be held.
Ms Martin: You should know that!
Mrs BRAHAM: You are probably aware that I am having a great debate with the town council over the use of Traeger Park for the Croc Festival. They seem to be determined that the venues in town, which I believe are community facilities, should not be used for community activities. They want the Croc Festival to be held at Blatherskite Park, although that it is not resolved. I know that their first emphasis about BassintheDust was to have it at Blatherskite Park. It is not a suitable venue; for security reasons, it is very hard to control such a large area.
I am hoping that at least it will be held at Anzac Hill Oval. It would be even better if it were held at Traeger Park, particularly as you have spent all that money on the grandstands. Stop frowning at me. Traeger Park would be a great venue. As you said, local contractors in Darwin certainly receive a big slice of the action. I hope the same type of contracting happens in Alice Springs, and I am sure Craig Markham will foster that.
Chief Minister, the Independents are feeling a bit neglected. We do not seem to be getting invitations to V8 cars or anything these days ...
Mrs Miller: You and us.
Mrs BRAHAM: What, you too? Once upon a time, everyone in the parliament received invitations to events. I do not know if there are any events for the V8 cars this week. We certainly have not seen any invitations. However, thank you to the minister who did invite us to the awards held here last night.
Mr Wood: They were school awards.
Mrs BRAHAM: Yes, that was good. They must have known our Greenie here was interested in that type of thing. This is for your information: perhaps we could be put back on the invitation list.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, a few issues were raised. I was under the impression that everyone was invited to the V8s. I will check that.
BassintheDust will be held at Anzac Hill Oval. It is a great venue. It has been established for the second year in row. What those who attend concerts want is certainty of venue. Anzac Hill is well located. The set-out up was better last year than the previous year. We did a lot of work with council to ensure that they were confident that the oval was going to be safe, secure and in good condition after the event. We got there last year, so I thank the Alice Springs Town Council for that.
One of the reasons that we put $300 000 of taxpayers money into BassintheGrass is so that it is accessible. If you compare the tickets cost for BassintheGrass with, say, A Big Day Out, we are still about half so people can come from the regions to BassintheGrass. I believe $45 is great value for a whole day. There is a lot of work being done on the Katherine Country Muster. I am out of time.
Securing Fish Stocks
Mr NATT (Primary Industry and Fisheries): Madam Speaker, I report on world-class research being done to secure the future of the Territory’s fish stocks. The recent return of acoustic tags from jewfish caught near the mouth of the Mary River by commercial and recreational fishers reflects the considerable interest by fishermen in the work being undertaken. We must ensure that the fishing experience available today continues into the future. It is simply too important to leave it to chance.
The Coastal Research Unit within the Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines has taken heed of the increased interest in jewfish over recent years. Jewfish have a habit of forming large schools and regularly aggregating in known locations around the coast. Large catches can be made very quickly. Experience elsewhere suggests that increased landings and a reduction in the average size of fish being harvested are signs of potential problems.
The Northern Territory coastline fishery is currently in good shape and is not in any immediate danger. The Fisheries Coastal Research Unit, led by scientist Michael Phelan, has initiated research to answer questions about where jewfish aggregate and why. Acoustic tags and microchemistry are two key tools in the process.
Jewfish are caught, tagged with an individual acoustic device and then released. Listening devices were deployed on the sea floor to monitor jewfish movements after they were tagged. The behaviour of tagged jewfish has revealed a tendency to return to the same place. Research into the microchemistry of fish ear bones indicates that jewfish of different ages tend to occupy different areas. This research relies on detecting micro-changes in the chemistry of the water in which jewfish have lived throughout their lives, which is laid down on the ear bones, much like the life rings seen in a tree trunk.
The reason for aggregations may be feeding or reproductive purposes, or simply a reflection of the phenomenon of safety in numbers. Only time will tell.
The answers to these questions will provide insight into how best to manage the fish stocks. We seek to ensure that reproductive fish are adequately protected during spawning, and that enough juveniles survive to be caught later in life, leaving enough to reproduce, thus replacing those harvested.
In the shark fishery, there is no such tendency to form schools like jewfish and, therefore, the focus is currently on impacts of fishing. Our research project, under the leadership of senior scientist Dr Rik Buckworth, is developing a set of monitoring protocols. These are based on tagging and releasing sharks. The recapture of tagged sharks will provide knowledge that will enable and continue management of the shark fishery at world’s best practice. Once again, close cooperation is required by researchers and fishermen to ensure the greatest number of sharks are tagged. It is important to demonstrate to our international neighbours that we are sustainably managing our shark stocks and encouraging them to do likewise.
Ms Julie Lloyd, a Senior Scientist in partnership with Philippe Puig from local environmental firm EWL Sciences, has developed a geo-reference framework to analyse the effects of seascape and climatic variables on catch rates of tropical snapper. The productivity of the Timor Reef fishery, which targets deep water snapper, has been shown to be the greatest in the ancient submerged river channels which are evident in the Sahul Banks north-west of Darwin. This connection was not previously possible without combining GIS information and fishing information through using a combination of fuzzy logic and spatial statistics.
Results of the various research projects are essential to ensure the future sustainability of our jewfish, shark and snapper fisheries. Research conducted by Fisheries is jointly funded by various bodies, such as Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and the Australian Research Council, and require industry support. Continued support and involvement of commercial, recreational and indigenous fishers in research conducted by Fisheries is essential to securing our fishing stocks for the future of Territorians.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, it was an interesting report, and I look forward to further updates on the research gathered. It is important research. One aspect of fisheries research I was listening for, and I have asked the minister to report on this previously, was barramundi. There was a time when there were audits done, at periodic intervals, of how many were being caught so that we had the capacity to establish better policies. At the moment, we do not really know how many are being caught or removed. I ask the minister if he could attend to that.
That request has been made by AFANT. They are particularly interested in this data so that they can give informed support of policy designed to protect our most popular fish; one that brings so many to visit the Territory. We do need to get back to what we once had. There was an audit that was proposed to be done every five years so that we would have an idea of how the barramundi fish stocks were going.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I also thank the minister for his report on the study into the breeding habits of jewfish and sharks. Bag limits are an important issue that need to be reviewed continually.
I would like to have heard a little more about where the government is going with the issue of permits in relation to Aboriginal waters, or land as it is now regarded. I put that in a positive frame. I am on record as saying I do not support the concept that one should have to get a permit to go into those waters, but I do believe we could negotiate something of benefit to all people in the Territory, and I am talking about amateur fishing. There is concern about the numbers of fish that are taken out by amateur fishing people.
I am interested to see what the minister thinks about Aboriginal rangers being given the equivalent power of police officers when it comes to the Fisheries Act so they had the power to check on safety equipment on boats, bag limits and are paid a proper wage for that responsibility. We could, by allowing people to fish in those waters, also give benefit to the people who live nearby. I put that as a positive proposal to finding our way around an issue which, unfortunately, by the number of people who have come to see me, has the possibility of becoming quite divisive, and I do not want to see that.
The government has to be proactive on this issue; not let it just roll along saying: ‘We will wait until the next High Court decision’. You need to be doing things in the meantime to see if we can negotiate a way around what is potentially a divisive debate in the community, which I hope will not happen.
Mr NATT (Primary Industry and Fisheries): Madam Speaker, I thank the members for their input. To answer the question on the marine rangers, they currently have their guidelines. As you know, we are working very hard with the rangers to ensure that they do survey our coastline. We are at the point where, in the budget this year, we allocated another $120 000, I think it was, to employ more marine rangers. Next week, we have a workshop for approximately 22 marine rangers who are coming into town. They will be doing a workshop over three days with the Fisheries department, so we will have a look at that.
The department is keeping a close eye on the barramundi fishery at the moment, and we are getting some good detail back from the commercial fishers. We hope that some figures come forth in the not-too-distant future. I acknowledge the great work that the department is doing. In particular, early I mentioned Michael Phelan and Rik Buckworth. Julie Lloyd and Philippe Puig took out a research award at the recent Northern Territory Seafood Council Awards night, which recognises the great work they do.
REINT Awards
Mr McADAM (Housing): Madam Speaker, on Saturday 26 May, I attended the Real Estate Institute of the Northern Territory’s 2007 Industry Awards at the Alice Springs Convention Centre. This was the first time in the nine-year history of the awards that they have been held in Alice Springs. It was a fantastic evening at a fantastic venue. Well in excess of 150 guests were in attendance.
The REINT Awards for Excellence provide the opportunity to acknowledge leaders and outstanding achievers within the industry. This year, there were 52 nominees in 11 categories. I take this opportunity to congratulate each and every one of the nominees for their efforts throughout the year. I make special mention of the winners on the evening: Kathryn Bugg from Focus First National in Darwin on the Support Staff of the Year Award; Jess Hazelhoff-Need from Elders Real Estate Darwin was the recipient of the Achievement Award; the Commercial Quality Service Person of the Year was awarded to Luke Hunter from Knight Frank, also from Darwin; and the Auctioneer of the Year was won by Mr David Forrest from Frampton First National in Alice Springs. I must say that David provided us with a wonderful demonstration of his skills on the night, overseeing the charity auction with goods donated by Frampton First National and Mbantua Gallery. The proceeds will be donated to the volunteer group, the Drovers at the Alice Springs Hospital. I am not too sure how thrilled David was to see his wife Carol bid and eventually win the major offering, a beautiful South-Sea Keishi pearl set donated by Tony Stirling.
The Body Corporate Property Manager of the Year was won by David Yeaman of Whittles Body Corporate Management Alice Springs; the Residential Property Manager of the Year was taken out by Mitch Elton of Elders Real Estate Darwin; the Salesperson of the Year was won by May Dunlop from Raine and Horne Darwin; the Community Services Award was won by Frampton First National Alice Springs; the Innovation Award was won by Ray White Real Estate Darwin and Palmerston; the Small Business Agency of the Year was won by Knight Frank Darwin; and the Large Business Agency of the Year was won by LJ Hooker Darwin.
Winners and nominees should feel exceptionally proud of their efforts. Their industry’s acknowledgement of their dedication to excellence and best practice in the field is richly deserved.
Nights such as this cannot be achieved without the support and generosity of sponsors. The Northern Territory government is proud to support the awards, but there are businesses that are equally committed to the real estate industry: the Real Estate Institute of the NT; MGA Insurance Brokers; the Centralian Advocate; the NT News; the Alice Springs Convention Centre; darrenhunter.com Property Management and Training Consultants; domain.com; Debden Collins; Endurosign; Honeycombes Automotive Group; Lasseter Hotels Casino; Morgan Buckley Lawyers; QS Services; Rockend; Sitzler; Territory Conveyancing Services; and Territory Loans. Thank you to all those sponsors on behalf of the NT government. Your commitment and continued support to the real estate industry is applauded and greatly appreciated.
Finally, I congratulate Mr David Loy, President of the Real Estate Institute of the Northern Territory, and Ryan O’Hanlon, the CEO of the institute, and all the hard-working, dedicated staff of the institute for overseeing a wonderful night. It was quite obviously enjoyed by all those in attendance.
It is nights like this that promote and encourage NT businesses to strive for excellence and place them at the forefront of national best practice.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, I also congratulate the winners of the REINT awards. I wrote many personal letters to the winners to congratulate them on their success.
I thought ministerial reports was for something of major significance regarding housing. This is something that could have been done in adjournment. It is good that the minister recognises high achievers in the real estate industry, and the developers who contribute so significantly to the economy of the Territory.
There is no doubt that people like Michael Sitzler, David Forrest and their peers in the real estate industry have contributed a great deal to everything we are today in the Territory. I join you in congratulating them.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I wonder about the report. I do not have any problems with the Real Estate Institute awarding its members, but in this day and age when we are concerned about housing for young people, I would like to have heard a little more about what the government is doing for young people.
Colliers International sends me information on the status of housing in Darwin, the highlight of which is the price of houses. It is all good for the industry, but what is good for young people in our community?
My daughter applied for a loan the other day and cannot get one. She is single, she has three kids and she cannot get enough money to buy land. If you buy land, you have to buy a house if you are going for the first homeowners loan. She will stay with me. I am not the only one. That group of people is becoming more and more prevalent in our society, and we are not really doing enough for them. It is a crying shame.
It is all good to come here and talk about the awards of the Real Estate Institute. That is fine. They operate a business, and that business is to sell land. From my perspective, this House should be dealing with issues that affect young people, families, the battlers and low income people. We have a 25-month waiting list in Darwin for housing with the Housing Commission. A lady came to see me the other day. She has been waiting 27 months for a one-bedroom unit – 27 months! That is a disgrace. That is the sort of issue we need to look at.
Finally, minister, I have introduced changes to the law of property in this House. I have done it three times and yet I have heard nothing about when the government is going to introduce this amendment to property law.
Reports noted pursuant to standing orders.
MOTION
Next Sitting of the Assembly
Next Sitting of the Assembly
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move –
- That, the Assembly at its rising on Thursday 21 June 2007 adjourn until 4.30 pm on Friday 29 June 2007 or such other time as notified by the Speaker, with one hour’s notice being given to government and opposition Whips and members by the Speaker, or such other time and/or date as may be advised by the Speaker pursuant to sessional order.
Honourable members, there is a series of three procedural motions to facilitate the establishment of the Estimates Committee and to reconvene parliament on Friday next week to conclude debate on the budget. I urge honourable members to support the motion.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Routine of Business – Estimates Committee and Government-Owned Corporations
Scrutiny Committee
Routine of Business – Estimates Committee and Government-Owned Corporations
Scrutiny Committee
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that:-
- The routine of business for Friday 29 June 2007 be as follows:
2. Petitions
3. Notices
4. Government Business – Notices
5. Government Business – Orders of the Day
In Committee: Report of the Estimates Committee consideration of the Appropriation Bill 2007-08 (Serial 94), and Government Owned Corporations Scrutiny Committee consideration of the financial and management practices of the Power and Water Corporation as referenced in its Statement of Corporate Intent for 2007-08.
Again, this is a procedural motion to facilitate business on Friday 29 June at the conclusion of estimates.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Referral of Budget Papers 2007-08
To Estimates Committee
Referral of Budget Papers 2007-08
To Estimates Committee
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move:-
- That pursuant to paragraph 5 of the Order of the Assembly dated 18 April 2007, the following Budget Papers 2007-08 together with the Appropriation Bill 2007-08 (Serial 94) be referred to the Estimates Committee for inquiry and report:
Budget Paper No 2 – Fiscal and Economic Outlook 2007-08;
Budget Paper No 3 – The Budget 2007-08;
Budget Paper No 4 – The Infrastructure Program 2007-08;
Business Highlights 2007-08;
Northern Territory Economy 2007-08;
Northern Territory Economy Overview 2007-08;
Regional Highlights 2007-08;
Budget Overview 2007-08; and
Budget 2007-08 Compact Disc.
This is again a procedural motion to enable the Estimates Committee to scrutinise the budget as laid down in the Budget Papers.
Motion agreed to.
SURVEILLANCE DEVICES BILL
(Serial 100)
(Serial 100)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr STIRLING (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of the bill is twofold: first, to bring national uniform provisions into the legislation; and second, to address some of the operational difficulties experienced by police as a result of the repeal of the Listening Devices Act and commencement of the Surveillance Devices Act in 2000.
Repeal and replacement of the Surveillance Devices Act 2000 will provide one comprehensive act for the regulation of surveillance devices in local and cross-border investigations. The offences will be redrafted in accordance with the new principles of criminal responsibility under the Criminal Code. Inclusion of the cross-border provisions, which allow recognition of warrants issued in other jurisdictions, is part of a larger legislative response to cross-border policing issues. These include the development of legislation concerning controlled operations, assumed identities and witness anonymity.
The reforms are principally to facilitate the investigation of organised crime which, of course, does not stop at a border. Currently, where criminal activity carries over a border, a warrant with respect to that activity does not also carry over. The various laws relating to the issue of warrants in each jurisdiction means that continuing investigation over the border or using the evidence in those circumstances may well be illegal.
As a result of national coordination, Commonwealth, state and territory leaders met in 2002 to consider the issues. Model laws were developed by a national joint working group established by the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General and the Australasian Police Ministers Council. A report was published in November 2003.
The provisions in this bill relating to cross-border powers are based on the model developed by the joint working group. Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland have already implemented the provisions. Other jurisdictions have either developed discussion drafts or are in the process of enacting the provisions.
The inclusion of national provisions reflects a standard regime for the recognition of warrants and emergency authorisations issued in other jurisdictions for the use of surveillance devices in cross-border criminal investigations. The model provisions are not intended to replace existing law governing the use of surveillance devices and information but, rather, to overlay those existing provisions.
The current law has been modified to accord with the model provisions. The amendments include: allowing a warrant to be issued in respect of one or more kinds of surveillance device; requiring the Chief Officer or a law enforcement officer to take steps to discontinue the use of a surveillance device; and providing for application for a retrieval warrant which may be necessary where the surveillance device warrant has expired before law enforcement officers are able to remove the device or where the device was installed on an object which had been relocated.
The bill sets out what the retrieval warrant must contain and provides for revocation of a retrieval warrant; ensuring that evidence obtained under an emergency authorisation may be used in court proceedings; provisions relating to recognition of corresponding warrants and authorisations, compliance and monitoring; provisions relating to the prohibition on use of information obtained from the use of a surveillance device; protecting surveillance device technology and method of use from disclosure in legal and other proceedings; providing protection information relating to the use of surveillance devices which is in the custody of the court; providing more extensive report and record keeping; requiring the Ombudsman to inspect records of law enforcement agencies to decide the extent of compliance with the legislation and to report to the minister on compliance; providing for evidentiary certificates to be issued which will provide prima facie evidence relating to the warrant application process and the use of surveillance devices.
A further amendment to the existing law in line with the model provisions and laws in other jurisdictions is that restriction on the use of data surveillance devices by persons other than police officers has been removed. The widespread use of computers by criminals means police must have the ability to monitor computer activity and, to do this, they must obtain a warrant. However, there are an increasing number of legitimate uses for data surveillance which should not be subject to such restrictions, such as where parents or teachers want to monitor children’s use of computers. Currently, the act states that a device may be installed if the person on whose behalf the information is being put on to or retrieved from a computer consents to the attachment of the device. Clearly, this means that in many circumstances, the fitting of the device would not be illegal. However, to ensure legitimate use of such devices is not compromised, and in line with recommendations from the joint working group, the restriction has been removed.
I now address the changes that have been made to the act other than in response to national model requirements. There are five changes to the laws relating to the use of listening and optical surveillance devices by police officers. The first change will allow police to record a conversation to which they are a party. Under the current law, any person who is a party to a conversation is legally able to record that conversation. However, a police officer is excluded from the definition of ‘party’ under the act and so must obtain a warrant to use a listening device, whether or not he or she is a party to the conversation. The amendment will place Northern Territory police in the same position as law enforcement officers in other jurisdictions and restores the position that existed under the Listening Devices Act prior to its repeal in 2000.
The second change will allow law enforcement officers acting in the performance of their duties to monitor or record a private conversation to which they are not a party if at least one party to the conversation consents to the monitoring or recording, and the officer believes it is necessary to do so for the protection of someone’s safety. This amendment was also inserted into the Victorian legislation, having been identified by the Victorian Police Association as necessary for the safety of officers and others in undercover environments which may pose a personal danger. It allows for remote monitoring of the conversations of those persons and immediate police response should it be required.
The third change will allow a police officer in the course of his or her duties to use optical devices such as binoculars and telephoto lenses to observe private activities where that observation does not involve entry or interference with private property. This amendment is for practical reasons. Visual aids such as binoculars, which currently fall into the definition of ‘optical surveillance device’, are regularly used by police during investigations but cannot currently be used to observe private activities without a warrant. Consequently, if a police officer on duty requires binoculars to observe a suspect or activities being carried out on private property such as illicit drug manufacture or cultivation, a warrant must be obtained for the use of that optical surveillance device. If an observation is interrupted or delayed for the purpose of obtaining a warrant, it may result in the loss of useful or critical evidence. As binoculars and similar vision-enhancing devices are common tools in investigation and observation for police, it is sensible to legalise their use in the course of duty.
The law relating to the installation of optical surveillance devices has been extended so that police may install a device where appropriate consent has been given. This covers the circumstances where the owner of a property allows a device to be installed on his or her property so that police can observe people entering and leaving the property or a neighbouring property. Under the current law, police need a warrant to enter private premises, or the consent of all parties to the private activity to be observed to install the device.
The last of the amendments which relate to policing issues is that, under the current legislation, only police officers can listen to, record or monitor information obtained by a surveillance device. This unnecessarily ties up police resources. Provision has been made for the Commissioner of Police to authorise an eligible employee of Police, Fire and Emergency Services to use a surveillance device under a warrant. An eligible employee means an Aboriginal Community Police Officer, Police Auxiliary or a public sector employee assigned to the Police Civil Employment Unit. The commissioner will be responsible for ensuring that only persons with qualifications or experience in the use of surveillance devices are authorised to use a surveillance device.
Some further amendments which do not relate to police operational issues have been made to provide for circumstances not covered under the existing legislation. For example, new provisions will allow for any person to use a surveillance device in the public interest, and to use a device in emergency circumstances. A person who is not a party to a private conversation or private activity may use the device if, at the time of use, there are reasonable grounds for believing that the circumstances are so serious and of such urgency that the use of the surveillance device is in the public interest. This ensures that evidence obtained in these circumstances may be used in legal proceedings without argument as to whether it was lawfully obtained. This provision is balanced by reporting requirements in relation to devices used in such circumstances to ensure that the use of surveillance devices does not go unchecked, and information obtained through their use goes to the appropriate body.
In reviewing and redrafting the legislation, we have been careful to retain the police powers and the protections under the current act. Two examples of this are: (1) Northern Territory police do not require a warrant for the placement of a tracking device on an object which is situated in a public place. This power is being retained; and (2) under the current act, a law enforcement officer may use the surveillance device to investigate any Northern Territory offence. This has also been retained in the bill, even though the provisions relating to cross-border investigations only apply to offences which carry a maximum penalty of three years or more imprisonment. This means that warrants for cross-border investigations will only have corresponding recognition where they are issued in respect of investigations of offences which fall within that threshold. This is not likely to cause any difficulty, as it is unusual for police to go to such lengths for offences of a minor nature.
The current act contains more than adequate checks and balances for the use of surveillance devices, and there have been, to my knowledge, no complaints made with respect to the use of surveillance devices since the current act commenced in 2000. However, as a result of adopting the model provisions, the act will, in fact, extend recording and reporting requirements so that accountability for the use of surveillance devices by police and others will be even greater under the new legislation.
We undertake to review the operation of the legislation after it has been in operation for 12 months. This will ensure that the new provisions assist police to carry out their task of investigating crime. We are pleased to provide legislation which will facilitate cross-boarder and local investigation of major crime whilst protecting Northern Territory citizens from unnecessary intrusion into their private lives.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned
FIREARMS AMENDMENT (PAINTBALL) BILL
(Serial 102)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr BURNS (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to introduce a licensing scheme to allow the game of Paintball to be played in the Territory. The Territory and Tasmania are the only jurisdictions that do not permit the playing of Paintball. In light of increased media interest in Paintball last year, while I was interstate, I took the opportunity to make a firsthand assessment of both the nature of the game and the safety aspects of Paintball. I am pleased that Territorians will soon have the opportunity to play the game of Paintball.
Paintball generally involves two teams attempting to capture …
Mrs Braham: Inside or outside?
Madam SPEAKER: Order! This is the second reading.
Mr Mills: Should be both.
Dr BURNS: Paintball generally involves two teams attempting to capture the opposing team’s flag. Each team protects their flag by tagging and eliminating their opponents by hitting them with a paintball pellet fired from a paintball firearm. The firearm is powered by compressed gas and is capable of firing a pellet up to 60 m at a speed of 91 m per second. The game normally lasts between 10 and 30 minutes until the opposing side’s flag is captured or the opposing team is eliminated. Although paintball is a game which promotes exercise and team …
Mrs Braham: Eliminated? Dead?
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: Madam Speaker, may I make my second reading speech with some courtesy from the member for Braitling?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Braitling, I ask you to cease interjecting. Minister, please continue.
Dr BURNS: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Although paintball is a game which promotes exercise and team bonding, special weight must also be placed on reducing the potential risk of injury to participants and others in the vicinity of the range.
In keeping with the government’s commitment to strong gun laws, the regulation and control of paintball will be administered by the Police Commissioner, who will be responsible for the licensing of operators and their employees, and approval of paintball ranges. Approved ranges will be the only places where paintball can be played legally. There will be no licensing requirements imposed on participants, but certain people will be prohibited from playing.
I turn to specific amendments to the Firearms Act. A paintball operator must be licensed or permitted to carry on the business at an approved paintball range. Licences will only be granted to a body corporate which is an Australian registered company under the Corporations Act 2001 of the Commonwealth. There are a number of grounds for restricting the grant of the licence to a body corporate as opposed to granting a licence to an individual.
Firearms licences are not transferable under the act. Therefore, were paintball licences to be held by individuals it would mean the paintball operator’s licence and firearms registration associated with the business would be automatically revoked when the individual owner ceased operating the business. However, with licences vested in a body corporate, the business can be sold along with the licence, with the purchasers becoming the new directors and members of the body corporate. Restricting the grant of a licence to the body corporate will also allow the Police Commissioner to maximise his enforcement powers under the act. This is intended to ensure that the holder of an operator’s licence conducts the business responsibly and in the public interest. The grant of a licence or permit will be subject to stringent conditions aimed at promoting the operator’s safety obligations, although the Police Commissioner may impose specific conditions on the paintball operator’s licence. For example, differing conditions might be placed on an indoor operation as opposed to an outdoor operation.
An application for a paintball licence will cost $300 and, if granted, will remain in force for one year. This is similar to paintball applications in other jurisdictions. Likewise, it is a requirement that a licensee must have public liability insurance in a minimum amount of $10m. It will be incumbent on the applicant intending to lodge an application to obtain all necessary approvals for the use of the premises prior to making application. This serves two purposes: first, it speeds up the application process; and second and more importantly, it gives the Police Commissioner an opportunity of satisfying himself that the proposed paintball range has been approved for use for that purpose under other Territory laws. For example, it provides proof that the applicant has received the relevant town planning approval to use the premises for the proposed purpose. As well as obtaining all the necessary approvals, the applicant must have satisfactorily completed an approved safety course.
Similar to an application for a firearm dealer’s licence, the applicant for a paintball licence must provide the Police Commissioner with the names and addresses of close associates, including the nature of the association. The applicant must also supply the Police Commissioner with the names and addresses of prospective employees, and the representative responsible for the control and management of the business.
If the Police Commissioner is satisfied that the close associate is not a fit or proper person or in the case of the representative, there are criminal intelligence reports or other criminal information about the representative which, in the Police Commissioner’s opinion, makes the representative a risk to public safety or contrary to the public interest, the Police Commissioner must refuse to grant the licence or permit.
All employees must hold an employee licence and have successfully completed an approved training course. A paintball operator will not be permitted to employ someone classified as a prohibited person under the Firearms Act. The amendment bill defines a ‘prohibited person’ to mean a person prohibited from applying for a licence or a permit under the Firearms Act or a law of another state or territory.
If, at any time, an employee’s licence is revoked or suspended, the Police Commissioner must, as soon as is practical, inform the operator of the fact. Whether an employee ceases to be employed by the operator, their licence is automatically revoked. A paintball operator has a reciprocal obligation to inform the Police Commissioner of any changes to any close associates, representatives or employees. It is an offence to fail to do so. An employee licence will allow employees to possess or use a paintball firearm at the approved paintball range. Employee licences remain valid for 12 months, which is in line with other licences granted under the act.
The application fee for an employee licence will be $20, which covers the administration cost connected with the licence.
As I said, a paintball operator licence or permit will be granted only in respect of an approved paintball range. Since the range is specified in the operator’s licence or permit, in the event the holder of a licence or permit is no longer entitled to use the premises for that purpose, the Police Commissioner may revoke the licence or permit.
A paintball range may be either indoors or outdoors, and it is a condition of the licence or permit that the operator must not alter the range without first obtaining written approval from the Police Commissioner.
All paintball firearms used at the range and in the possession of the operator must be registered. There will be no private individual ownership of paintball firearms in the Northern Territory. To be entitled to play paintball, the person must be 18 years of age or older, and cannot be a prohibited person. Before starting to play, the person must make a player declaration that they are not a prohibited person. They must also provide the operator with photographic identification. If the operator is satisfied that the person appears to be the person shown on the photo identification, then the operator will endorse the player declaration and allow the person to play paintball.
As you would expect, there will be a range of offences for non-compliance with the statutory scheme for paintball. By virtue of the nature of the activity, penalties will be significant and a finding of guilt will result in the Police Commissioner revoking the operator’s licence or permit.
I am pleased to introduce this bill as it represents a productive outcome for stakeholder groups who wish to participate in the game, but only under the strict legislative guidelines which are generally in line with those of other jurisdictions.
To ensure that paintball is played without risk of injury, as the government intends, the Police Commissioner must review the operation of the game after three years of commencing the operation of the act and provide me with a report on the review. A copy of the report will be tabled in the Legislative Assembly. I also commit to ensuring that there will be an interim review of the act after 12 months.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members.
Debate adjourned.
TRANSPORT LEGISLATION (DEMERIT POINTS) AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 106)
(Serial 106)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Ms LAWRIE (Infrastructure and Transport): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
Madam Speaker, the purpose of this bill is to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, Traffic Act and Traffic Regulations in order to implement the Northern Territory Demerit Points Scheme as part of the of the Martin government’s road safety reform package.
The Road Safety Task Force report stated that the Northern Territory has a serious and ongoing road safety problem. The report goes further to highlight that, on average, one in every 400 Territorians is killed or seriously injured in a road crash every year, and that novice drivers aged 16 to 20 have three times the risk of crashes and fatalities compared with other drivers in the Territory.
The Martin government has committed to make the Territory roads safer and announced in November 2006 a package of road safety reform initiatives, one of which included the introduction of a Demerit Points Scheme for the Territory. It was stated in the report that an effective road safety strategy must integrate complementary measures of enforcement, education and sanctions.
The Demerit Points Scheme is one element of the Martin government’s road safety strategy and, importantly, seeks to change the behaviour of those drivers who repeatedly continue to break the law on Territory roads. This unlawful behaviour places all road users at considerable risk.
This bill assigns demerit points to some existing eight categories of traffic offences, some 23 specific traffic offences in total, and provides the framework for the administration of the Demerit Points Scheme. It requires the Registrar of Motor Vehicles to: record demerit points incurred by drivers; take action against driver licences when excessive points are accrued, including suspension of driver licence; and apply demerit points licence suspension separate from other driving disqualifications.
To support the fair and effective implementation of the Demerit Points Scheme, this bill additionally amends the Traffic Act, Traffic Regulations and the Motor Vehicles Act. These additional provisions aim to discourage the avoidance of demerit points, among other things. Demerit points mean consequences for those drivers who continue to demonstrate unsafe driving behaviour and break the law. It is particularly important for those novice drivers on their learner and provisional licences that, during their formative years, they develop patterns of good driving behaviour.
The eight broad categories of existing traffic offences to which demerit points will apply include: speeding; disobeying red traffic signals; disobeying level crossing signals; seatbelts unfastened; drink-driving under 0.08% blood alcohol content; drive using a mobile phone; no mobile phones for learners and provisionals; no hand held phones for full licence holders; drive or ride without an L or P plate; and hooning, speed trials, burnouts and damage to roads. These offences make up 87% of all infringement notices issued by police last year.
At commencement of the scheme, all Territory drivers will start with zero points. Speeding will attract one to six points, depending on speed range over the limit. All other groups will attract three points, except drive without the L or P plate, which will attract two points. The Demerit Points Scheme will sit over the existing infringement process. Points are recorded only when: a driver has paid an infringement notice in full or in part; the driver is found guilty of a demerit points offence in court; or the time for payment has passed without the driver electing to have the matter heard in court. Points are removed from a person’s record when they reach a total that triggers suspension or the option to continue driving under good driving behaviour conditions.
This framework is consistent with all other Australian jurisdictions. It will be mandatory for the Registrar of Motor Vehicles to serve a notice of suspension with the option of good driving behaviour when a person on a full licence accrues 12 points or more within three years. Learners, provisionals and overseas drivers will be subject to five points or more within 12 months. If they do not reach this figure, they will be subject to the 12 points in three years trigger.
Suspension periods for full licence holders will be: three months per 12 to 15 points; four months per 16 to 19 points; or five months per 20 or more points. For learner and provisional licence holders, it will be: three months per five to eight points; four months per nine to 12 points; or five months per 13 or more points. The accrual period for demerit points will be calculated by counting back three years or 12 months, as appropriate, but not earlier than the commencement date of the scheme, from the date of commission of any demerit points offence, regardless of the date it is entered in the register.
Additionally, this bill provides a driver 21 days in which to opt for good driving behaviour. The good driving behaviour option provides a driver with another chance to continue driving, even after they have accrued points for repeat offending. Territory licence holders and residents serving a pre-existing disqualification may agree to good driver behaviour. Agreement for good driving behaviour must be in person at an MVR outlet, which includes remote police stations. This agreement will be binding and will contain the conditions that the good driving behaviour period is a total of 12 months. If a driver incurs two or more points during good driver behaviour, the person will be disqualified from driving for twice the period that would have applied. If the driver is or becomes disqualified from driving for a reason other than demerit points, good driving behaviour is postponed and recommences immediately the disqualification ends.
If a driver does not hold a current Territory driver licence, suspension will be applied as suspension of the right to obtain or renew a driver licence or, for visitors, suspension of the right to drive in the Territory. This scheme is to make the road safer for everyone.
In line with national agreement on the administration of demerit points schemes, the bill requires demerit points suspension to be undertaken separately from other driving disqualifications; for example for speeding and drink-driving. If a person is or becomes disqualified from driving for a reason other than demerit points, any demerit points suspension against the person will be postponed. It will commence or re-continue immediately the other disqualification ends. The exception for postponement of demerit points suspension is when a fine default suspension applies. In this case, demerit points suspension runs and, if fines are not paid when demerit points suspension ends, fine default suspension continues.
Drivers will have multiple opportunities to check their demerit points records and have ample opportunity to change their unsafe driving behaviour before any obligatory licence suspension will occur. Demerit points tally checks will be available from Motor Vehicle Registry outlets. Caution letters will be issued before excessive points are incurred, and good driving behaviour provides a further chance for drivers. Good driving behaviour also provides for those drivers who continue to offend, and who rely on vehicles for their employment, another opportunity to modify their unsafe behaviour.
The bill also ensures that drivers who believe there is an error in the points recorded against them may apply to the Registrar to have their demerit points record reviewed. The Registrar must correct the number of points recorded against the driver if the Registrar is satisfied that the number is inaccurate after taking into account police and court information, including that an infringement notice is withdrawn or a finding of guilt is quashed. If the correction affects a notice of suspension that has been issued to the driver, the Registrar must update the driver’s licence status. Similarly, the minister may require the Registrar to correct the demerit points register and update licence status if the means used to detect demerit points offences were deficient at the time the offence was recorded. The bill provides that a person is not liable for the good faith administration of the Demerit Points Scheme.
To support the effective implementation of the NT Demerit Points Scheme, the bill additionally amends the Traffic Act, Traffic Regulations, and Motor Vehicles Act as follows:
it allows for the withdrawal of infringement notices and their reissue outside the time for payment in exceptional circumstances. This is a precaution in case an infringement notice is paid and points assigned without the knowledge of the person named on the notice;
The onus will be on corporate entities to ensure that accurate driver log books are maintained so that a driver can be identified. The Demerit Points Scheme will not impact on those drivers who drive safely and obey Territory road laws. Based on research, it is estimated that, on average, 31% of licensed drivers in the Territory will have demerit points at any given time. This will equate to approximately 37 000 licensed drivers in the Territory. It is estimated that only between 1% and 2% of those who have demerit points recorded in the Territory will progress to reaching the point threshold or action trigger point. Additionally, statistics indicate that only 50% of drivers on good behaviour will breach their good behaving option. This equates to about 370 licensed drivers.
Madam Speaker, this bill and scheme aims to assist in changing the behaviour of those who repeatedly break Territory road laws and place themselves and others at risk. I commend the bill to honourable members, and table the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
TRANSPORT LEGISLATION (ROAD SAFETY) AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 98)
Continued from 3 May 2007.
Dr BURNS (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Madam Speaker, as Minister for Health and Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services, I am very pleased to support the bill introduced by the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.
The purpose of the Transport Legislation (Road Safety) Amendment Bill is to amend the Traffic Act, the Motor Vehicles Act, and the Motor Vehicles Regulations to implement elements of this government’s road safety reform package.
For many years now, the Northern Territory has been averaging about 50 deaths a year on our roads. It is a terrible human toll compounded by the impact that a single death may have on families and friends of the victim, as well as on our police, firefighters, ambulance crews and medical staff who have to deal with the aftermath of road trauma.
Many more people survive road crashes, often with horrendous life-changing injuries. Each year, there are approximately 700 hospital admissions related to road trauma in the Northern Territory. The Intensive Care Units at Royal Darwin Hospital and Alice Springs Hospital are on the frontline, managing dozens of cases of major trauma each year. This may be considered the hidden road toll to the media and members of the public, but is very real to our medical staff and the families or friends of the victims.
The media often focuses on intensive care specialists and surgeons in relation to road crashes, and they are very important in our health system. They deal with the immediate trauma associated with road accidents. It is very important that early care for injured people takes place, but there are other people involved in that care. Apart from doctors and nurses, there are physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, and others who play a crucial role in providing essential support to give patients the best chance of recovery and minimise disability. Psychologists, social workers and counsellors also make a major contribution to the overall care of people suffering severe injury.
In a similar sense, organisations other than health services, such as community organisation support groups and, of course, insurers also play a valuable role in the rehabilitation of injured people.
Two weeks ago, I attended a conference at Charles Darwin University on post-motor vehicle accident rehabilitation. It raised the issue of the financial costs of road accidents and associated human trauma. A recent University of Queensland study estimated the total cost to the Territory of road crashes in 2003 was $330m, or 3.6% of the Territory gross product. A report from the Bureau of Transport Economics in 2000 provided an analysis of the full range of costs arising from road crashes. It is interesting to note that long-term care accounts for nearly a quarter of all the human cost. In fact, it was more than five times the acute care costs of the ambulance, hospital and immediate rehabilitation. Additionally, a further 38% of all human costs are consumed in loss of quality of life, and costs of labour in the household and workplace. This tells us the price is much higher than just the dollar cost, and reminds us again of the long-term and extensive impact of road crashes.
The government responded to this terrible human toll by establishing the Road Safety Task Force and charging it with producing an evidence-based report and accepting its recommendations. Part of this report focused on novice drivers. The report found that drivers aged between 16 and 20 comprised 6.3% of all drivers, but were the drivers in 18.7% of crashes involving a fatality. Similarly, drivers aged between 21 and 25 comprised 10.8% of all drivers, but were the drivers in 17.6% of crashes involving a fatality. A number of factors were identified as contributing to this over-representation, including inexperience, overconfidence, underdeveloped cognitive and perceptual skills, and risky driver behaviour.
The task force recommended a graduated driver licensing scheme. I am very pleased that the bill before the House establishes the necessary legislative mechanisms including: a six-month minimum learner licence period for drivers and riders under the age of 25; a provisional licence period of two years for drivers under the age of 25; and prohibits all mobile phone use during the learner and provisional periods of licensing.
The Road Safety Task Force estimated that the introduction of a comprehensive graduated driver licensing scheme in the Northern Territory could result in a reduction of nearly 70 hospital admissions, and reduce the road toll by four to five deaths each year. It is a target worth striving for.
The task force made it clear the major causes of road crashes in the Northern Territory are drink-driving, speed and fatigue. The bill before the House targets low-level repeat drink-drivers with a two-strikes-and-you-are-out policy as well as extending the time limit for people to submit breath or blood sampling. This was done because often in the more remote areas, the time period – I think it is two hours at present, although I might stand corrected on that - needs to be extended so that a valid blood sample can be taken. It is thought that because of the current law, a lot of drink-driving slips through the net and this is an effort to really nail those people, particularly those who might live in the remote areas and who have been drink-driving.
It is well known that the Territory has by far the highest alcohol consumption per capita of any state or territory in Australia. Whilst many of us enjoy a social drink, there are some people who cannot stop there. Excessive alcohol consumption has been clearly identified as a major contributing factor to the many ills of society, not least of which is death and destruction on our roads.
One major element that is being introduced is demerit points. I was minister at the time the Road Safety Task Force first drew together its report and submitted it to me. There was a lot of discussion, with people asserting that there is no connection between demerit points and reducing road tolls. I reject that assertion. What the government has been doing, through the Road Safety Task Force and our measures, part of which are being introduced today, is look at a comprehensive package that is all about education and enforcement primarily, and sanctions. That is what is happening here.
What we see in states like Victoria is that they have had a 50% reduction in their road toll since the late 1980s. It has been a comprehensive package of all these measures that have an effect. I know a demerit point scheme is unpopular, but the evidence shows that when most people accumulate demerit points, their offending behaviour slows. That is a very important aspect because a driver’s licence is important. It is valuable for the individual, both for recreation and for work. This is an important element of what we are doing. It would be better if we did not have to do it, but it is a necessary part of what we have to do as a government to try to work with the community to reduce the road toll.
This is a very important bill, and I fully support it. In relation to the Demerit Points Scheme, it is not a compulsory scheme; it is voluntary. Basically, if people break the law, they will get demerit points. That includes me, you or anyone in the Northern Territory. That is the way it should be. I am trying to think of the last time I might have incurred a demerit point. I think it was in Queensland about 13 years ago. Maybe they did not have demerit points then. Anyway, I do not think I have been pinged for speeding or any other offence in the Territory. I am not saying I am lily white, but I am saying, generally, most people would be in the same boat.
We saw in the statistics within the Road Safety Report that we have repeat offenders who flout the law. They were happy to pay the fine, but there was no other sanction on them. Demerit points will really make those people sit up and take notice and, hopefully, slow their offending behaviour.
I thank the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and all the staff in the department. I know they have done a hell of a lot of work around this. It is not finished yet. I also thank the Road Safety Council for their commitment and hard work over many years. I welcome the creation of the Road Safety Coordination Group, which includes senior departmental members from Health and Police. It is important that those departments are involved.
There has been much public discussion about some of the recommendations this government is now implementing. I place on the record my appreciation for the support the government has received from a number of sources, notably the Australian Medial Association, the Public Health Association of Australia and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. These are professional groups that have recognised and supported the measures that have the single aim of saving lives.
Madam Speaker, in conclusion I commend the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport for these amendments.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I support the bill, and have some comments. I thank the minister for allowing us to have a briefing. An interesting thing to come out of the briefing was that when we asked about demerit points, they were not going to be introduced at this sitting. Surprise, surprise! Yesterday, the minister gave notice of her intention to introduce demerit points legislation today. I am interested why we were told at a briefing that it was not going to happen in this sitting and, all of a sudden, it did.
Maybe there is some truth in the statement that it was being introduced as a counter to some of the issues that were being raised about the sexual abuse inquiry. I do not know, …
Ms Lawrie: No! That is a furphy.
Mr WOOD: I know that, at the briefing, we were told it was not going to be raised …
Ms Lawrie: We did not think it would be ready in time, Gerry.
Mr WOOD: Anyway, it just seems a bit odd.
Mrs Braham: You told us porkies.
Ms Lawrie: No, it was said in good faith.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WOOD: Anyway, getting back to the issues, one of the matters we raised at the briefing was that these amendments, whilst they may be good, do highlight the fact that nationally, we have a disastrous approach to licensing. If you have a look at the other states in relation to the period of provisional licences: Queensland under 23 for three years, 23 to 24, two years, over 24, one year, and no log book; in Tasmania, it is three years for a provisional licence, log book 50 hours; Western Australia, two years with a log book of 25 hours; and Victoria has something in between.
What it highlights is that, for some reason, when it comes to issues like licensing drivers, the states cannot seem to get their act together. Obviously, if you are in Camooweal, you will have a different licensing regime than you will have in the Northern Territory or, if you are in Kununurra, you will have a different licensing regime also than is in the Northern Territory. Much has been said about how we are trying to introduce new legislation, and a lot of this will be based on what has happened elsewhere. The reality is that what has happened elsewhere is a mish-mash. We do not seem to be achieving national licensing provisions which, I believe, would make it a lot simpler, especially for those people who are always on the move, people like those in the Defence Forces who are in the Territory for two years and then go back to New South Wales and are under another set of rules and regulations, or young people who are, perhaps, crossing over the border from one place to another in places like New South Wales and Queensland.
There is definitely a need for state ministers to get together and say: ‘When it comes to licensing, we have to sit down and work out something that is for the whole of the nation’.
The issue of provisional licences is good, and the changes to blood sampling for people who are drink-drivers is also good.
I take up the comments that the minister just made about demerit points. I want to see a bit more information about demerit points before I say exactly which way I am going …
Ms Lawrie: It is not in this bill, Gerry.
Mr WOOD: But …
Mrs Braham: Why did you speak about it then it if it is not?
Ms Lawrie: Just clarifying it for you.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WOOD: No. I know what I was going to get pulled up for because the minister would have said: ‘Well, I was doing it in the total context of all the changes the government has made’. I was sure that would be the answer so I thought ‘Do not even worry’.
If you are looking at this package, many elements should stop people from driving. The question I am asking is: if they are not stopping people from driving in certain cases, if they are still repeat offending when they are not supposed to be even on the road, what help are demerit points? If someone is determined to drive regardless of whether their car is unregistered and they are unlicensed and they have been …
Ms Lawrie: Then they face gaol, Gerry.
Mr WOOD: Well, they might, but you can do that now.
Ms Lawrie: Yes, they do.
Mr WOOD: You can do that now. That is what I am saying. That is what I would …
Ms Lawrie: Evidence shows demerits slow offending behaviour.
Mr WOOD: Well, we will come to that debate in time.
Ms Lawrie: Looking forward to it.
Mr WOOD: I am not going to debate demerit points per se at the moment because I know the Speaker will pull me up for pre-empting a future debate. However, in a general perspective about the changes you have made, what I am saying is are we not enforcing the bits of the package we already have? Whilst I understand, minister, where you are coming from, it is important we do stop people driving recklessly on the road. While you might say the package will change behaviour, I am asking: are parts of the package actually needed to make any difference? That is all I am saying in relation to demerit points at the moment.
However, I would like to look at it in more detail before I make any firmer comments ...
Ms Lawrie: We will give you a briefing.
Mr WOOD: I know you will give me a briefing. Thank you for that.
The other issue that I raise, and it is not necessarily in this legislation, is motorcycle changes. It is not in the legislation because, I presume, it is a regulatory change. However, I have been approached by METAL and AANT. These are people who have a lot more experience in motorcycle riding than I have. Mine was a 90 cc Ag bike at the Daly River in about 1971 which I, unfortunately, came off a number times. Maybe I needed some more work with METAL.
The people who have spoken to me, who are experienced people in training and in the use of motorcycles, do not agree with the changes the government is making. You can argue otherwise, but if people are coming to me who are involved in the industry and saying: ‘Please do not change it’, I have to listen to what they are saying. I say to the government: for the present time, leave that section as it is. Leave the METAL process as it is because unless you can show me that those people are giving me information that would make licensing a motorcycle driver more at risk, then I believe we should be taking heed of what those two groups are saying. I ask that it not be changed at least for the time being, and that more discussion can take place before the government does change the regulations.
Otherwise, Madam Speaker, what the government is proposing is sensible. I know there are also changes to whether provisional or learner licence holders can use a mobile phone or even a hands-free phone. I think you are being pedantic. I am not saying that people should use a mobile phone in their hand. I can talk to my passenger; they could be using the phone on a speaker-free system. I could be talking merrily. You should just tell people they cannot use a mobile phone holding it in their hand because it is dangerous. It is very hard to prove that someone was using a hands-free phone in the car. I just think …
Mrs Braham: Technology has changed. You have to move with the times.
Mr WOOD: I am not advocating that people go around using a mobile phone per se in their hand; it is correct and good legislation. However, it is like talking to your passenger. What is the difference between talking to your passenger and talking on the phone? It is a distraction. What is the difference with changing the CD in your car? Accidents occur when people change the CD. It sounds harsh, but I do not think it is practical. That is all I am getting at.
The increased penalties for drink-driving and drug offences are good. I am interested to know when or if the government is going to look at drug testing. I know it has been introduced in Victoria. While a lot of people might drink and cause an accident, there are a lot of other people on other funny things that also cause accidents, and we should be looking at ways of making sure those people are not on the road as well.
Once again, minister, I support the legislation with those provisos. I thank the department for its briefing, even though we might have been led up the garden path a little about when the demerit points legislation was going to be introduced. Be that as it may, I will still support the legislation.
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Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of participants of the Parliament House public tour program. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, road safety is to be taken very seriously, and every effort made to assist drivers become more skilled and accountable on our roads needs to be seriously examined.
Every death on our roads is a tragedy and unfortunately, these tragedies are occurring too often, as recently as last weekend. It is not only the deaths that cause so much heartache, but the many injuries that occur from road accidents that can take such a long time to recover from. I am sure speaking from experience there, Madam Speaker.
The amendment bill before us introduces new requirements for learners and provisional licence holders. The evidence we have from statistics from the Road Safety Task Force report shows that inexperienced drivers present high risks on our roads, a fact of which most of us are fully aware. Road crashes are the biggest killer of people aged between 18 and 25, which is mainly due to inexperience or lack of skills so it is very important that the legislation introduced will not only make the criteria to obtain a licence more stringent, but will be accompanied by much more driver education. It is that area to which I direct much of my reply.
I was very lucky because I spent my childhood on a 10 000 acre mixed farm in South Australia. When I was 11 years of age and tall enough to reach the pedals of the vehicle, it was time for dad to take me out into the middle of the paddock in the car to teach me the skills of changing the gear, putting my foot to the clutch and brake and learning the sequence, so to speak. I was extremely fortunate to be able to learn to drive a vehicle without the impediments of other vehicles, cattle or being a danger to anyone else because I could concentrate completely on learning the skill of driving a vehicle.
My focus, of course, had to be entirely on the vehicle. I did not have to worry about peripheral things. Being able to do that certainly taught me some lifelong skills, and gave me confidence so that by the time a kangaroo hopped around the paddock a few times over a period of a few days, I was able to become more skilled on the roads on our farm. Dad risked taking me driving near fences and gates and so on, so I learnt those skills. It was not terribly long before I had the skill and was able to – sorry, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: I remind visitors in the galleries that there is to be no photography whatsoever, and mobile phones must be turned off. Thank you.
Mrs MILLER: Being able to learn those skills without the threat of injuring anyone else or doing any harm was of great benefit. Of course, it was not long before I was able to drive most of the farm vehicles and be able to assist mum and dad. By the time I reached 16 years of age and sat for my driver’s licence, having had a lot of experience on the property. I was very confident and was able to drive on open roads quite safely.
While the same opportunities exist for other young people who still live on the land, there are thousands of learner and provisional licence drivers who do not have that opportunity and rely upon professional driving instructors for their driving skills, while learning on our main roads and highways. It is because of this that my colleagues and I feel very strongly about driver training programs, which includes extended driver training.
As in most areas of life, the key to making a difference is education, education, education and more education. The best way of reducing our road toll is by increasing road safety education. The CLP has talked before about what we would be implementing. We would implement a school-based road safety education program in all Territory schools. We would introduce effective programs to educate young people throughout their school years and we want to see these programs supported by government, police and the schools in partnership.
Earlier this year, we released a policy statement about younger road users. We feel that there are three areas crucial to the policy success: the right car; the right resources; and the right incentives for younger road users. We have stated in our policy that we will incorporate road safety topics in school curriculum and school-based education will be formulated in conjunction with police efforts.
To reinforce and empower road safety topics, we would have police visit all Northern Territory schools throughout the year. Appropriate age-specific road safety resources would be provided to preschools, primary and high schools, and a more concerted approach to road safety education by school communities will be encouraged, including: knowledge and understanding of the road traffic environment; behavioural skills necessary to survive in the presence of traffic; knowledge of the causes and consequences of road accidents; and responsible attitude of students to their own safety and the safety of others.
We announced in the same policy a small new motor vehicle incentive. This is very important. There are many high-powered vehicles on the market today that are far too powerful for inexperienced drivers to be behind the wheel. We feel that it is in the interests of safety that they should be encouraged to purchase a vehicle with a smaller engine capacity. The incentive we propose would mean that drivers between 16 and 23 years of age who purchase a car less than seven years old with an engine capable of generating no greater than a 95 kW capacity, such as a Fiesta, Corolla or Barina, would be entitled to claim an exemption from stamp duty, no cost of registration for two years, and no cost of third party insurance for two years. The financial saving to young people who are on a relatively low wage through these incentives is definitely affordable by government and should be promoted.
We would introduce provisions and restrictions to keep our younger drivers safer on Territory roads that would include: no towing for learners and provisional drivers; 120 hours of supervised driving experience to be log booked for learner drivers; move the provisional period from the proposed two years to three years; allow only one passenger for a provisional driver in their first year of a provisional licence between the hours of 10 pm and 5 am; and loss of licence for three months upon a second breach of these restrictions. We would also encourage all new drivers to undertake an advanced driving program to assist in driving skills, and to ensure they better understand the responsibility of being behind the wheel of a car. Successful completion of an advanced driving program would qualify for a full open licence immediately.
The CLP would provide additional incentives for young drivers who complete their P-plate period incident-free, and complete their first three fully licensed years incident-free. The incentive would include free licence renewal. We believe that our policy would ensure that there is much more awareness of road safety from the time our children are in primary school through to the time they are of an age to obtain their provisional licence, and that they would be more skilled once they are behind the wheel of a car on our streets and highways.
Another area that I would like to see as part to obtaining a full licence, and this is purely a personal thought, is that everyone should have to complete a first aid certificate. Many of our roads are in regional and remote areas, some distance from medical assistance. Basic first aid skills could be life saving and should be part of the responsibilities of a full open licence. I have felt very strongly about first aid for many years, and to the extent that for two years in South Australia, I taught Year 7 students at Two Wells Primary School a full first aid course in my spare time. I know that it would have been of great value to them and I believe it should be taught to all drivers. Before you have a full licence, you should have your first aid certificate.
One of the major problems that the government faces, and we all face, in the Northern Territory is being able to get the message out about safe driving to young drivers, especially in remote communities. I know that CDU has some very good resources that are designed to assist in remote communities. One of the videos available is called Cabin Drill and the other is a national Aboriginal road safety video and resource kit, which is a resource made with Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people, trained in driving skills and how they are tested for their provisional licence.
Recently, I have been approached by some Registered Training Organisations with some concerns about the future of driving instruction in remote communities in the Northern Territory. When I have found my piece of paper, I would like to refer to it because it is very pertinent to how we should be dealing with remote communities. I believe the minister is aware of these proposals that have been put by the RTOs. There are issues regarding new safety regulations pertaining to changes in the time period of learner permit holders when related to remote and indigenous community people. I will quote from this because I believe it is quite relevant. I believe this submission has been received by the minister and the Minister for Local Government. I quote from the collective submission between concerned RTOs who have had a long-term history of delivering driver training in remote areas, together with a road safety background and a genuine interest in the best outcomes for indigenous road users:
Whilst we are all very supportive of the need for changes in road safety to reduce the unacceptably high numbers of Territorians involved in serious and fatal road crashes, we have some grave concerns on the impact of one of the recommendations where it pertains to the time period required for people to hold a learner’s permit before being able to gain their provisional licence. The changes coming in require holding of a learner’s permit for a minimum of six months before being able to gain a provisional licence.
Whilst on the surface this makes sense we have serious concerns of the impact this will have when it relates to indigenous people in remote areas and their capacity to actually gain their licence.
We have stated two possible recommendations that may overcome the problems arising from this issue, as per ‘recommendations’ at the end of the document.
Current state of training.
- The remote area driver training and licensing initiative was developed in partnership with the Motor Vehicle Registry and RTOs to address the high rate of indigenous unlicensed drivers in remote and isolated communities. Driver training in remote areas in the past has been inaccessible, expensive and not always related to indigenous needs or relevance.
To this end, an initiative and agreement was reached so training could be relevant, appropriate, effective and viable. Currently, an RTO enters a community and delivers training for a learner’s licence using specifically designed resources to deal with the issues of low literacy and indigenous-specific road safety issues. Students at the completion are assessed, verbally where required, by RTO, issued with a certificate of attainment on which police stations and MVR issue learner’s licence.
- On receipt of the learner’s licence, students are then put in a training vehicle and taught to drive, putting their theory knowledge straight into practice. As driver training is competency-based, students are signed off as they meet competency with a final sign-off at the end. This usually happens over a three-week period of intense training, with the learner permit time reduced to allow training to proceed from start to end while the RTO is in the community. Statements of attainments are then issued again for the provision component and students go to police who issue them with the licence. (RTO does this assessment as well). This is all done in one visit to the community. Students end up with provisional licence if competent before RTO leaves the community.
Impact of new legislation.
With an imposed six-month waiting period from learner’s to provisional licence there would more than likely be the need for a second trip to the community for final sign-off. Under the current funding model, RTOs cannot afford this second trip. As you are aware, it is quite expensive to travel out to many of these communities.
If this does not happen because there is no funding for the RTOs to be able to attend the communities twice within that period for people to sit this provisional licence, the likelihood of people receiving their licence or going into a police station to get their licence is said to be significantly reduced. I continue to quote:
- History tells us many indigenous people do not feel comfortable going into police stations at any time.
The workflow for community police would increase substantially if they now have to go back to doing licence testing - something many already feel is not their primary function.
Students are very unlikely to get any further driver training in that six months, as the driver training vehicle is usually the only vehicle they will have access to; therefore, losing all the skills that they have gained while they received their training.
As we know, repeated practice works very well:
- This will have no road safety value. It is not like mainstream where students have access to their parent’s vehicles and can practice.
- DEET funding is related to employment outcomes. This six-month waiting period will not deliver job outcomes, so funding for driver training may be in jeopardy for next year.
If indigenous people do not have the wherewithal to get their licence, they will not engage in any road safety strategy and will not have ownership.
- To pick up students on the second trip would be very difficult due to the nature of their drifting in and out of communities …
There are many associated problems with driver training in communities. I am really interested in listening to your reply in relation to that.
Included in the submission that you received were some recommendations, and I will put a couple of them on the record:
- Recommendations
Option 1.
That we …
- … have an exemption link to intensive accredited training programs for students over the age of 18 in remote locations. This solution will have positive outcomes and ownership for indigenous or non-indigenous people living in remote areas, and reduce the rate of incarceration experienced by indigenous people due to unlicensed driving and, ultimately, reduce fatalities by education.
Option 2.
Raising the bar by raising the age of all young people applying for a provisional license by six months, so the minimum age is 17 years of age across the board.
I do not know how that would fit in:
- This would enforce an extra six months for our youth as per some other states and avoid exemptions. This then directly affects the ‘at risk’ youth who are high on our statistics, and does not jeopardise the other marginal groups that need access to training and licensing.
- Option 3.
To increase the lead-up time to this change by two years to give RTOs time to play catch-up with the many older indigenous people still unlicensed in the Northern Territory ...
All of these recommendations, I believe, are to improve indigenous road safety outcomes towards which we are all working. Indigenous people must have buy-in and ownership of these issues. It will never happen if we create greater barriers to training and licensing for a group of people who do not have the access that mainstream people have, and who are 30% of our population and, unfortunately, contribute to 50% of our road toll. I would like the minister to tell me what she has planned in relation to indigenous and remote communities.
Returning to the bill, I am pleased that all mobile phone use, even for voice or texting messages, including hands free, will be prohibited during the learner and provisional periods of licensing. I agree with the member for Nelson when he said it is a difficult one for hands free because you do chat to your passengers when you are driving and, sometimes, it is a little distracting. However, how are we going to enforce not chatting to your passengers? This is pretty much the same; it is a little iffy. We definitely support no holding the mobile phone, and definitely no texting. It amazes me how young people can walk around texting and yacking at the same time. I do not know how they do it. I have to concentrate on all of those keys to get it right, and even then I do not do it very well. So I definitely support that; it is very important.
In relation to drink-driving offences, our road statistics identify that alcohol is the major contributing factor to road fatalities, and the message has to be received by everyone out there that you cannot drink and drive. You just do not do it; it is not worth the risk. There are too many repeat drink-drivers and offenders who continue to drive even when they are under suspension. They are completely flouting the law and showing no regard for anyone else on the road. I certainly support that amendment.
In your second reading speech, minister, you said that the learner period for drivers under the age of 25 will be six months. A reading of clause 6 suggests that the learner permit period of six months will apply to all people regardless of age. I would like you to address that in your reply, or we can go through it in committee.
I have no problem with the equality of blood sampling being taken by medical practitioners or registered nurses in areas where regulations or the practical side of it cannot be applied. You will have to ensure that systems are in place in regional and remote communities. Where there are unprotected fridges etcetera, there needs to be a chain of evidence integrity so that it is not compromised. I am interested to hear what you have to say about that in reply.
In respect of travelling through red lights and speed cameras, the better place for speed cameras is definitely in hot spots. I know that the hot spots are usually after the usual regulation 9 am to 5 pm hours when hoons get onto the main highways. I would like to see the area of hot spots being addressed a lot more.
I am sure that over a period of time, we are going to have many debates about road safety. I encourage the minister to keep an open mind about driver education. I believe we have to start with our young people to make a change. Driver education is designed to have much more informed, confident and experienced young drivers on our roads which, inevitably I hope, will lead to fewer fatalities. That would and should be the aim of every single one of us who have the power to make the necessary improvements.
Madam Speaker, road safety is very important for the CLP. I look forward to listening to the minister’s response.
Debate suspended.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of visitors to Parliament House as part of our public education tours program. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
TRANSPORT LEGISLATION (ROAD SAFETY)
AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 98)
AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 98)
Continued from earlier this day.
Mr BURKE (Brennan): Madam Speaker, I respond to the minister’s second reading speech outlining the amendments contained within the Transport Legislation (Road Safety) Amendment Bill.
As the minister outlined, the bill provides new requirements for learner and provisional licence holders and creates an offence for learner and provisional licence holders to use mobile phones while driving. She outlined that it broadens the scope of who can take blood from those involved in motor vehicle accidents. The bill creates harsher penalties for low-level drink-driver repeat offenders, and clarifies how and what information is recorded on speed camera infringement notices.
One of the things that we in the Territory lack is a comprehensive body of study based upon and building on our statistical information. This is something we need to address in the medium term. The Road Safety Task Force report was a great initiative by this government, and was very timely. We are now able to make some initial targeted steps towards improving safety on our roads.
As the Monash University Accident Research Centre website states under the heading ‘Making a Difference’:
- Most injury prevention achievements are the result of collaborative effort between policy makers, researchers and the public.
As the territory with the highest per capita road trauma statistics in the country, we, as policy makers, have an obligation to change policy. We have to face the fact that Territory policy, as reflected in Territory law, was not preventing our unacceptably high road trauma. Doing nothing was not an option. Tinkering around the edges would be too little. It has been said many times in this Assembly that the Territory needed a wholesale change of policy direction. This is what our Road Safety Task Force report advised, and that is what we are delivering.
I have heard all sorts of things in the past few months, mainly from the opposition. I have seen the odd sticker on a car deploring the introduction of 130 km/h speed limit. I have heard the CLP snake oil merchants peddling their wares, claiming that introducing such speed limits does not address the problem and that the problem is in the city, not in the bush. Well, let us get one thing clear: speed kills. Or, perhaps, more accurately, as one T-shirt transfer states, ‘It is not the speed that kills; it is the sudden stop’. The faster your speed, the quicker a driver or rider’s reaction time must be and the more precise that reaction must be. Oversteer, for example, is caused by a misjudgement of the reactive measure required to re-establish the appropriate line of the vehicle.
When I was practising law, I once asked some fellow plaintiff lawyers in Victoria how there could be so many country Victorian lawyers practising in the area of motor vehicle accident personal injury. The answer was immediate and simple: there might be fewer accidents occurring in the bush, but they result more often in more serious injury.
The CLP pretends to be the party that represents business and to be more economically astute. Well, perhaps they can do the sums and answer me how it is that so many lawyers in country firms in Victoria can earn salaries and profits matching those of Melbourne metropolitan firms. Bear in mind that these plaintiff firms work on a no win-no fee basis.
I will ask an even simpler question of the opposition and, perhaps, even the Independents. The Victorian Transport Accident Commission, the TAC, works very closely with Monash University. Why does the TAC spend millions on an advertising campaign trying to get Victorians to ‘wipe off five and stay alive’, a mere 5 km/h? Perhaps it was just that they simply had a few lazy millions hanging around.
However, the mountain of evidence supporting the involvement speed plays in motor vehicle accidents appears to be nothing to the CLP. They would rather bandy words and obfuscate. They go on about Labor ruining the Territory way of life. Well, if the Territory way of life is to needlessly throw that life away because we refused to change our road laws, perhaps we need to be changing. The CLP long stopped being the Territory party; it is a shimmerer. It no more represents Territory values than President Nixon in the USA is held up as a shining example of a proper exercise of presidential power.
Young or experienced drivers and bike riders are more at risk of being involved in an accident on the road. You need no more evidence of that than the fact that insurers will charge an extra premium, simply based on the age of the driver or rider seeking insurance. The introduction of a six-month minimum learner licence period for drivers and riders under the age of 25 will encourage greater driving experience under supervision. This will be enhanced further by a provisional licence period of two years for drivers under 25 years of age.
I welcome the government’s initiative of increasing penalties on repeat low-level drink-driving offences. Australia has a drinking culture, and we are not alone in that. Territorians drink more per capita than any other Australian jurisdiction. We need to enforce the message that even a couple of drinks adversely affects driving ability. There still seems to exist a view that being a little over 0.05% is not too bad. No one seems to be able to answer why the many eduction campaigns - not just in this territory, or even in Australia, but around the world - around drink-driving have not been as successful as hoped in permanently changing behaviour in those communities.
The mechanism of targeting the second offence for drink-driving, even at the lower end within a three-year time frame will, hopefully, prove to be a deterrent for those in our community who continue to ignore the danger that drink-driving poses to themselves and other road users.
Madam Speaker, I look forward to the formation of the Road Safety Coordination Group that this bill, if passed, will establish. This and future Territory governments and, indeed Territory communities, will rely on the advice it gives. To quote an old advertisement that used to run many years ago: ‘Territorians are worth saving’.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, I will be brief. We are all concerned about the number of accidents that occur on Territory roads.
I am not quite sure whether these amendments will eventually make any difference to the road toll because we need to aim more at driver education. That is one of the most important aspects of any amendment we introduce in this parliament. There is no point in amendments to learner and P-plate driving licenses if many of the people out in the remote communities never hear, see or understand the message. I compliment some of the ads we see on Channel 7, I think it is in Alice Springs, that come from Queensland and target road safety messages. If we are going to be running any sort of education, it needs to be in language as well. How can you put something on a TV ad that never gets to those people and who do not understand the language as well as we would like them to?
I say to the minister: no matter what amendments you are introducing, you have to get the message out. It is not just to the townies, it is to the remote areas as well. They would possibly be the people who drive unlicensed, unregistered, unroadworthy cars. I would like to see more staff going out into remote communities to make sure the message is there. If you get an L-plate on a community, who is going to drive with for six months? Is there some responsible on the community? How will it be controlled? Even when the six months is up and they are on to a P-plate after they have passed their test, you need to make sure that they are being monitored. I am not being paternalistic or over-cautionary; we have to ensure we give them as much opportunity as we do to the young people in town.
The detailed course that we have in town does a tremendous job. I know from personal experience that young people are keen to get their licence as soon as they are 16. They just love it, and they go through the schools program to get it. However, we all know that we must make sure there is someone to monitor them. In many of our town and regional centres, the people who do that are the parents. They just do not let their L-plate or P-plate person go off without knowing where they are going, who they are with and what it is for. There is a certain amount of control. Obviously, statistics show us that more accidents are occurring than we would like in that age group. I would like for the minister in reply to give us some figures - not percentages, but some actual figures of accident statistics involving L- and P-plates.
I would also like the minister to show initiative when she goes to ministerial councils and try to secure common rules throughout Australia. I know they all have their different systems, demerit points systems, periods of time and log books. The Territory is such a mobile population and we cross borders so frequently, we need eventually to have a system Australia-wide.
I quoted the case recently of a friend who went to Adelaide with a Northern Territory licence and had had a speeding fine here in the Territory. When they went to change their licence over, they were not aware that they would have demerit points taken off their licence in South Australia. I do not think people are aware that there is a national database where cross-border demerit points can occur. There is a lot of information that is unknown to people.
If I was going through Marla, was picked up for speeding and had to pay the South Australian government a fine, I did not know that would be reflected once I changed over to a South Australian licence. If we are going to have this national database, why do we not have national rules? It would save a lot of confusion for a lot of motorists who travel throughout Australia. At the moment, we have a huge number of grey nomads on the roads with their caravans, coming from all different states with different speed limits. Perhaps it is about time that we had this consistency.
I do not think I have ever seen anything as simple as a pamphlet given to our visitors from interstate when they hire a car or book into a motel to say these are the road rules they need to know in the Northern Territory. It is something the minister should think about: ensuring we have information freely available to people who hire cars or who are travelling throughout the Territory.
I know that we are talking about hands-free phones, but I would have thought with technology today, hands-free phones that are fitted into cars where you only have to press a button is no worse than pressing the button of a radio or CD player. I do not know whether we are being over cautious. We all know they should not pick up a mobile phone and speak into it or text each other; I am not saying that. When you think of some of the technology we have now that is very simple to use, perhaps it is not such a bad thing as the minister said. I ask her to think about that. I believe we need to move with the technology, and cars that have the mobile phone built into them are very simple to use and are not as big a distraction as the loud noise that comes from the whopping CD player.
I notice you have abolished the Road Safety Council and you are setting up the Road Safety Coordination Group. Minister, has the road safety expert been appointed yet? That is one of the people on the council. I think I read in the notes that there was going to be a road safety expert. They listed local government and all the other organisations that were going to be involved in that Road Safety Coordination Group. Perhaps the minister might also give us the names of the people who are on that group so that we will know who this particular road safety expert is. The minister could also tell us if this advisory group is going to be an independent statutory authority, part of the department, an independent advisory body or just another government advisory group. I would like clarification on that.
As the member for Nelson said, we did ask at the briefing on demerit points when this was coming on and we were led to believe that it was not going to happen. I was a bit surprised when it actually …
Ms Lawrie: Do not verbal my officers. Check about that; it did not happen.
Mrs BRAHAM: We were basically told it was not going to happen until we got this Phase 1 through and, when all that is done, we would be looking at the next stage.
In respect of demerit points, can we at least make them the same as elsewhere? I know there are clauses, and I know I should not be talking about them, that give a person options of whether they can have double the time, is it?
Ms Lawrie: Yes, the good behaviour option.
Mrs BRAHAM: I would much prefer to see us have something similar to the other states so we are not being confused. I still do not think I totally agree that demerit points are going to stop accidents. I do not think I believe, at the moment, that demerit points are the way to avoid terrible fatalities. Taking a person’s licence from them does not seem to have made much difference in the Territory in some cases.
Again, I hark back to the fact that you can put lots of restrictions on people, as many restrictions as you like, but it is an individual’s responsibility and it is up to that person to ensure they understand the ramifications of their behaviour.
Minister, when you are looking at it, make sure you have better roads, good education, everyone knows what you are talking about and that we all are aware of our responsibilities as we drive. For the young people out there who are particularly targeted by this legislation, the L- and P-plate drivers, not all of them are bad ...
Ms Lawrie: We are not saying they are bad; we are trying to save their lives.
Mrs BRAHAM: No, and I guess you are just saying that because we have had some really bad fatalities with L- and P-plate drivers, we need to change the whole system. We need to ensure that if we are going to do this, we are realistic in what we are trying to achieve. As soon as we see someone driving without a licence at all, particularly a young person, we have measures that can stop them from doing it again. It is the peer pressure; the fact that they are teenagers. We are all very mobile as a population, and they have many opportunities to be mobile with their friends that cause them to do very rash things sometimes.
I am not against what you are doing, but I want you to understand that I believe that education should be in the schools, in remote communities, in general population, given to tourists, given to the hire car companies and as many people as possible so we can ensure that we spread the message and get it through.
Mr HAMPTON (Stuart): Madam Speaker, I support the minister’s amendment bill on road safety.
These proposed reforms will greatly and importantly strengthen this government’s overall Safer Roads strategy launched in November last year and implemented on 1 January this year.
The new requirements include serious provisions for learners and provisional licence holders, and provisions to assist the implementation of these reforms in remote and regional Northern Territory. I would like to focus on the new requirements for learner and provisional licence holders and the broadening of the reform, and its impact on remote and regional areas in Central Australia in particular.
The six-months minimum learner licence period for drivers and riders under the age of 25, a provisional licence period of two years for drivers under the age of 25, and all mobile phone use, either for voice or text messaging, including hands-free, being prohibited during the learner and provisional periods of licensing are certainly welcome. As the father of a teenage son who has just earned his learner’s licence, I welcome these new provisions and can understand the need to provide young drivers with strong rules for the safety of themselves and others.
The statics in relation to our young drivers are alarming, so the implementation of these provisions is important. It will not only pave the way for the introduction of a comprehensive young drivers’ licensing system but, as a parent, provide much-needed assurance that our children and young Territorians are beginning their driving life with strong rules and knowledge that they will develop good driving behaviour early.
I acknowledge the driver education programs. DTAL in Alice Springs do a great and fantastic job and play an important role in educating our young drivers, particularly in the bush. I need to find out a bit more about it, but I am interested in finding out exactly what education programs are being implemented in the bush for our young indigenous people. In my earlier days, I did four-wheel drive and collision avoidance training. This advanced education is very important when you are driving on bush roads in remote areas.
I support the scope and broadening of work for people who can take blood from drink-drivers and extending the time limit of submitting breath or blood sampling from two to four hours. The Ministers for Health and Police really did give a good explanation of why it is important to do that because, often, in remote areas, it is the police and our health professionals who are the first on the scene of an accident. These provisions go a long way in supporting them and the important roles they play out there in the bush.
I take this opportunity to highlight some of the Road Safety campaigns that we probably have all seen or heard about in the Northern Territory. I agree with the member for Braitling on the importance of getting the message out there to people, both in language and to those in the remoter regions.
The Coffee Break program was developed in response to concerns about people travelling long distances in the Northern Territory and becoming susceptible to fatigue while driving. As a member of parliament who consistently drives long distances on the Stuart and Victoria Highways, I certainly welcome the Coffee Break program. Just the other week, I drove from Alice Springs to Darwin up the Stuart Highway, and then on to the Victoria River Roadhouse along the Victoria Highway the following day. All up, I drove something like a crazy 2000 km in a couple of days, so I fully appreciate programs like Coffee Break. I thank all those roadhouses along the way who support the program.
The other day, I noticed an advertisement in the Sunday Territorian promoting the Coffee Break program, and that one of the great supporters of the program is the Ti Tree Roadhouse in my electorate. The Ti Tree Roadhouse is a regular stop for me. During a recent visit there, I was advised that the community education program called Responsible Service of Alcohol was being conducted that day at the roadhouse. The program runs through DASA in partnership with local publicans, police and residents. It provides everyone with evidence and awareness of the harmful effects of alcohol and the responsible service of alcohol in regions like Ti Tree. Well done to Graham Sullivan and all the staff at the roadhouse, as well as the local police and residents who were involved.
The other great campaign that we all know about is the Road Safety Song Competition. Aboriginal bands are encouraged to write a road safety song and compete in a play-off at the Barunga Festival. There are, no doubt, great prizes and, as we heard last night from the member for Arnhem, this year’s Barunga Festival was another example of the great support that this program is receiving.
As the member for Arnhem said, the Barunga School won $500, Warren H Williams won $1000 and the Sandridge Band won $2000 as part of the Road Safety campaign. I understand there will be a DVD that will come out with the many of the bands’ great performances. I look forward to seeing that DVD as well as the TV commercials promoting road safety in the near future.
On 1 January 2003, we saw the new laws making it illegal to ride in the back of all utilities, even those fitted with roll cages. This campaign has targeted our remote Aboriginal communities and includes radio announcements in English and other languages. Road Safety has also been sponsoring the CAAMA Footy Show in the past, and I am pretty sure it will continue. That is important, communicating road safety in languages through these different mediums of communication.
I also understand that Road Safety officers visit communities to discuss road safety awareness and to develop working partnerships on a regular basis. I advise that Aboriginal road safety is also a national focus and, as a result of the third Indigenous Road Safety Forum in Broome last year, a Road Safety Among Indigenous Australians: A Statistical Profile document has been produced – worthy reading.
From an electorate perspective, as I said, travelling in my electorate, which is probably one of the largest in the Northern Territory, and driving long distances over long periods of time really does bring home the importance of these provisions. Another example is that there is a lot of private sector involvement. I believe someone did touch on that today. We need to look at responsible RTOs in the bush. An example is Newmont Mines in the Tanami region. They are an RTO and they deliver licensing and training for young Warlpiri men, particularly from Lajamanu, in heavy vehicle driving licences and first aid certificates. That is one area that may be worth pursuing a bit further in the remote regions where there is an industry such as mining which could really support some of the government’s initiatives.
Roads are obviously important. I am proud to say that this government is doing its bit to improve road safety by making our roads a lot better. This year, we have seen the highest road budget ever; over $180m. In my electorate, I am proud to say roads like the Tanami, Sandover and the road from Lajamanu to Kalkarindji benefit from this. We support and provide great support for safer roads in our road strategy.
All in all, Madam Speaker, yes, I wholeheartedly support these amendments and commend the bill to the House.
Ms LAWRIE (Infrastructure and Transport): Madam Speaker, I thank all members who contributed to this important debate stemming from the government’s Road Safety Reform Agenda.
The Transport Legislation (Road Safety) Amendment Bill that we have before us amends the Traffic Act, the Motor Vehicles Act and the associated regulations. It expands the definition of immediate suspension offences to include any repeat drink-driving offence within three years. This means drivers’ licences will immediately be suspended by police when they commit a repeat drink-driving offence within three years. It is certainly a much tougher enforcement and penalty against repeat drink-drivers.
It also changes the understanding of what constitutes an earlier drink-driving offence. For the purposes of determining whether a person will be subject to a higher penalty for repeat offences, earlier drink-driving will be expanded to include alleged offences where a traffic infringement notice was issued. It introduces mandatory licence disqualification for repeat low range, that is 0.05 to 0.08, drink-drivers as well as for commercial vehicle and 18- to 25-year-old drivers exceeding zero alcohol requirements.
It changes requirements for the collection of blood samples for blood alcohol testing. The time frame for collection of both breath and blood is increased from two to four hours. It provides for registered nurses and other qualified persons to be able to take blood for the purposes of the Traffic Act.
It requires that all learner licences, including motorcycle licences, are held for a minimum continuous period of six months before the driver will be entitled to seek to upgrade.
It requires that provisional drivers under 25 years of age hold a provisional licence for two years before they will be entitled to upgrade to an open licence. If a provisional licence is granted to a driver over 25 years of age, they will be provisional for 12 months. Finally, it prohibits learner and provisional drivers from using any form of mobile phone, including hands-free, when driving.
Madam Speaker, that is a recap of the legislation we are debating today. I thank the Minister for Health, who also holds the portfolio of Police, for his contribution which really did go to the core of highlighting the impact of trauma on our roads and on Territorians’ lives. I thank him and his two agencies for working very collaboratively with the Department of Planning and Infrastructure to nut through the detail of how the new systems will work, particularly the opportunity to blood test in health clinics. Previously, we were only able to do it in hospitals. There is a whole new regime that will come into force in the bush which will, hopefully, deter people from drink-driving. The department of Health and the police have been fantastic in working through, in a practical way, the detail of how that will operate.
To clarify to members in the House, if someone is pulled over, randomly breath tested for alcohol in a remote location, the police can call through to the nearest health clinic and see if there is a registered nurse or an authorised person capable of taking a blood sample available to take that sample. If it is confirmed there is someone available and willing to take the sample on a voluntary basis, the person will be transported to the clinic for the sample. Yes, there will be a chain of evidence, of course, as applies in ensuring that that sample can then be used in court. The police have been very involved in working up how these new provisions will be applied, as has the Health department because it does, of course, bring in a new body of work for people in health clinics. We do emphasise that they can volunteer their services and that is not mandated. It is actually mandated in the sense of the hospital.
I want to thank the member for Nelson for his support of the amendments. He said he was supporting our changes in both the learners and provisional licences and the blood sampling.
He called for me to seek national consistency of learner and provisional licences. I can confirm to the House that in the package we have before the Chamber today, the Territory government has looked at what is best practice, what is a mid-way reform, sitting very neatly mid-way within all the various systems across Australia. I can confirm that for some years now, state and territory governments have been in discussions regarding a nationally consistent framework of learner and provisional licence regimes. We are not there yet.
Part of the concern is, of course, that each jurisdiction has its own body of research that points in particular directions. They have their own conditions. Territory road conditions are significantly different from the New South Wales network, for example. We only have 23% of our road network sealed. New South Wales is a very different kettle of fish. Whilst I agree that it is better to have consistency across road safety reforms and regimes, we still need to build in flexibilities for the unique conditions of particular jurisdictions, and the Territory, really more than most, needs that flexibility.
I note the concerns raised by the member for Nelson regarding the Riders’ Association and their concerns about the changes to METAL. I can say that to have a requirement to hold your learners licence for six months is particularly necessary when we know that motorbike riding is exceptionally dangerous. I have been a bike rider in previous years. I know that it is not necessarily the fault of the rider; many drivers of cars, unfortunately, do not see riders on the road. It is all the more important that you have a sustained period of training. We are not changing the motorbike courses that are available under METAL, the Motorcycle Education Training and Licensing system. There will remain four courses based around the basic, intermediate, advanced and skills plus. Whether they are called new names - that is, basic, transition, intermediate or skills plus - is a matter for debate, but the courses themselves will be there.
The only thing that will significantly change, and the thing that we are getting some kickback from riders on at the moment, is that you will not able to fast-track to more a powerful licence. Currently, you can fast-track up from your 250cc motorbike by doing an advanced rider’s skill course and get a more powerful bike. Under the system being introduced to provide for that six-month learner period, you will not be able to fast-track to more powerful bike. Of course, there are some kickbacks from bike riders on that issue. The larger guys in our community, the big hefty guys, want to be able to get straight into that advanced course and get on to the large, more powerful motorbikes. What we have committed to do in Phase 2, and this is picking up on the member for Nelson’s concerns, is look at a weight for power ratio system that exists in a couple of other jurisdictions. In New South Wales, for example, it is commonly known as the LAMS system, Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme, which looks at a power to weight limit for novice riders. You are actually getting a matching system between the sheer bulk and size of your motorbike rider and the power of the bike.
I am happy to put on the record today that there is a commitment by the Territory government in Phase 2 of our road safety reforms to look at a LAMS system and how it applies. We will consult with the Motorbike Riders’ Association of the Northern Territory to get their views on that, just as we will, obviously, need to be talking to the METAL course providers as to how that would work if we were to introduce it. I would expect that body of work would be done between now and the end of the year.
I am expecting, as minister, to have options on it by around December of this year, all going well, given that my agency is in the midst of the most significant road safety reform in the history of the Territory. I know that they are going flat strap on changes to legislation and introduction of new schemes, demerit points for example, as well as safety and awareness education programs right across the Territory. I want to ensure we do follow up on in the weight to power ratio issue for motorbike riders. I hope that gives the member for Nelson some comfort. Whilst we are aware of the issue, we are not going to get people fast-tracked on to a more powerful bike and ignore the six-month learner requirement that we are introducing today.
The member for Nelson asked when we will introduce drug testing. It was a recommendation and we are committed to introduce drug testing. It will not be random testing. I am on the public record as saying it is testing done in two circumstances: where there has been a car accident and a person will be tested for drug content; and the second instance in which drug content can be tested is if there is erratic or dangerous driving behaviour. We are currently putting the fine-tuning on the details of that because, of course, we have to look at the list of prescribed drugs that apply and the blood testing regime associated with it. The government has committed about $90 000 for its introduction. It will occur and I am hoping to get some final details on that very shortly. We are not far off drug testing in those two instances: at the scene of an accident being able to test someone’s blood for drugs; and the other incidence of very erratic driver behaviour. It will not be random testing. I hope that answers the member for Nelson’s queries.
I thank the member for Katherine for her bipartisan support of the stringent learner and provisional experience requirements that we have introduced. I note that the member for Katherine spoke about her personal experience of learning to drive on the family farm. The Territory experience for me as a child was not too different. We did not have a family farm, but I had access to Marrakai and that is where I learned to drive as a young one. It was off-road, a safe environment, with dad behind the control systems.
What we know from all of the research across various jurisdictions is that the longer a learner is behind the wheel driving in a variety of road conditions, be they night, day, or a mixture - not in the off-road conditions that we had the benefit of enjoying as young people - the better they are as a driver. Phase 2 of our Graduated Driver Licensing System will address the many issues that the member for Katherine enunciated in the CLP policy. It is about whether you have a regime of 120 hours, for example, which is a minimum requirement that people would have to log. Do you set curfews in place or how many passengers a provisional driver can have in their car? These things vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
We are introducing the first phase of our learner and provisional requirements today, but I am on the record as saying that we are not, at this stage, ruling anything out for phase 2. The Road Safety Coordination Group will have a look at the raft of learner and provisional driver provisions across Australia and come back to government with recommendations on phase 2. I am absolutely committed to continuing the road safety reforms, particularly in the areas of learner and provisional drivers.
The member for Katherine was very keen to stress the importance of education. For her information, I can advise that the recommendation we have adopted for education in our schools does provide for a curriculum to be developed from Transition right through. We have a tender process out to employ a consultant who will look at providing the road safety curriculum for Transition through to Year 10. That will be both indigenous and non-indigenous curriculum, not just a generic curriculum. It will be quite specific targeting our indigenous catchment of children as well, so it is meaningful curriculum right from Transition through to Year 10.
In respect of other issues raised by the member for Katherine, I can say that the ongoing additional funding for annual indigenous road safety education programs is to the tune of $150 000 to target our indigenous road safety initiatives in an ongoing annual sense. There was one-off additional funding of $75 000 for programs. We have the Barunga Road Safety Song competition, as members heard. I heard it was a fantastic weekend. A DVD that showcases the 2007 event will be produced and will be part of our awareness campaign in the bush.
Through the months of July and August we are rolling out road safety signs targeting about 60 indigenous communities, at both their entrance and their exit, around the themes of alcohol, seatbelts and pedestrian safety, which are the main causes of road deaths in the bush. We are targeting clear signage in communities at the entrance and exit, reminding people of those core road safety issues in the bush.
There is another series of advertising that will be done, primarily via Imparja Television and CAAMA, as well as TEABBA and Radio Larrakia in the Top End. We have had some extensive advertising through April, May and June that will deal with those targeted issues. As I said, there is $150 000 funding, ongoing, to keep those messages current and to increase awareness and knowledge in the bush on road safety: driving safely, no drinking and driving.
If anyone has had the opportunity to hear the songs from the Barunga Song Competition, they are fantastic. I have a CD of last year’s song competition. They are very catchy tunes getting the message across to indigenous Territorians about the things that you should not be doing in the car and how dangerous it is to do those things including, of course, the issue of pedestrian deaths, people sleeping on the roads. There is revamped and targeted awareness and education there. I hope that provides some information to the member for Katherine about that issue.
There was another issue the member for Katherine quite appropriately raised, which is the submission from RTOs, the Registered Training Organisations. We were quite clear to them in our response that we will not waive the six-month learner permit period in the bush; that it is a rule for across the Northern Territory. What we have done is talk to them about the detail of how they rotate their training programs in and out of communities. You could, for example, do your block of training for your learner’s but, at the same time, pick up the learners you had seen six months previously and put them through their provisionals. You would have a learner element to your training, as well as your provisional element, picking up two different classes of people, of course.
The Department of Employment, Education and Training, which is the funding body for these RTOs, has identified and recognised that there will be an increase in costs in delivering the RTO training into the bush for the licensing regime as a result of these road safety reforms. Regardless of that, DEET has fully supported the reforms. We are in discussions with the RTOs about the various options for delivering bush training.
The member for Stuart made a very appropriate suggestion; that is, looking at the role of bush industry such as mining companies as RTOs. As the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, in the transport area, I have been talking to various large hire companies that were very interested in this RTO provision. I see it as a specific body of work.
I have spoken to the Road Safety Coordination Group and they are having another look at the delivery of the whole of the licensing regime in the bush because there are the issues that the member for Katherine raised such as the role of police in licensing, and for us the role of Motor Vehicle Registry and access to it in the bush, and the RTOs and how they work. We do not feel as though we have a concrete answer yet to how we would have our Road Safety officers organised within the bush context. There is a whole new body of work there that the Road Safety Coordination Group is doing as part of the next phase of reforms.
We are not pretending that we are going to have all of our road safety reforms done and dusted by the end of this year. This is an evolving program, particularly when it comes to looking at the specific needs of regional and remote Northern Territory because the evidence is not there from interstate. We have to roll out through communities, have a lot of consultation and discussion with peak bodies as well as community organisations and councils in the context of local government reform as the model that will best suit the Territory’s remote and regional needs. I am not saying that that work is done and dusted. I am saying that it is a top priority in the Road Safety Coordination Group: to come up with a model that really does fit the bush and its variety of needs.
Another query from the member for Katherine was whether the learners permit period of six months applies to all learners including those over the age of 25. The short answer is: yes. It is locked in. It is a six-month period for everyone, regardless of their age. The only thing that differentiates the age of 25 is the length of the provision period, which, as I explained before, is two years if you are under 25 and one year if you are over 25.
The member for Katherine asked me to keep an open mind on driver education. I feel privileged that on the issue of education, there is an environment of tripartisan support in this Chamber from the government, the CLP opposition, and the Independents. We are all emphasising the absolute importance of education and awareness. Hence the government’s significant funding for both and developing a curriculum that will make a huge difference.
I want to touch on comments by the members for Brennan and Stuart. I thank them both for their contributions. The member for Brennan said it is the case that we cannot do nothing. He is right. When we have one Territorian dying on our roads and nine seriously injured each week, the road safety reform has to be one of the most important bodies of work this government is undertaking.
The member for Stuart really brought home to us, as the parent of a learner driver, the importance of having our learner provisions right in respect of how long the learner’s period is and what sort of emphasis we put on learner driving. The member for Stuart, in understanding the importance of our road network and conditions and the sheer distances that Territorians in the bush drive, really valued added to debate in the Chamber this afternoon. He is quite right; the government knows we need to improve our road conditions across the length and breadth of the 23% of unsealed Territory roads.
I have gone out of my way to work with the Commonwealth, and I am absolutely committed to continuing to work with the Deputy Prime Minister, Mark Vaile, to try to pull down some of Canberra’s $19bn road funding pool that they have announced via either Auslink 2 or Auslink 2 and the federal election campaign. Whatever it is, that is fine. We have a very strong argument and a very strong case in the Territory that a huge slice of that should head our way.
The member for Braitling had equal emphasis on driver education. As I said, that is a core focus of ours. Some 11 of the 21 recommendations of the Road Safety Task Force went to the issue of driver education. We know how critically important it is to get our message out to remote areas. I have talked about some of the specific initiatives. She was quite right when she said there needs to be an emphasis on parents and their role in driver training. It fundamentally comes down to this for our learners. Parents need to take time from their busy lives and get in their car with their sons and daughters and spend time with them while they have their L-plates, giving them as many hours of experienced driving on the road as possible. Parents who do that are investing in their child’s life. Parents who fail to do that run the risk of attending their child’s funeral. The evidence is overwhelming. There is a message that this government will be getting out to the parents of the Territory: do not be too busy to spend time in the car with your child; it can save their life.
I thank God that my father spent many hours with us. I was not a kangaroo hopper like the member for Katherine, I was a smooth driver, but my sister was so I can appreciate that story and I did feel sorry for my dad when we were kids.
It is about better roads, better education and awareness, but it is also about participation of parents in the interests of their children because it is those crucial learner periods that set the habits, awareness of a variety of road conditions - day and night, wet and dry, rough roads, smooth roads, someone coming out and not indicating properly in front of you - all of those issues. The more you are behind the wheel, the more you learn it.
I close this debate by acknowledging that this stemmed from the Chief Minister’s request for a Road Safety Task Force; the enormous work that the Road Safety Task Force provided; the groundbreaking recommendations that came to government; the boldness of Cabinet to accept them in the face of some fairly ardent community arguments on some points; and, fundamentally, implementation through the sheer hours of long, hard work of the officers of the Department of Planning and Infrastructure in the transport area. I thank them wholeheartedly for their commitment. They have been slaving away to get these amendments into the Chamber, and to get future amendments before the Chamber. They have been slaving away to get the education in place and I thank them. Their work has not gone unnoticed.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Ms LAWRIE (Infrastructure and Transport)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
APPROPRIATION BILL 2007-08
(Serial 94)
(Serial 94)
Continued from 19 June 2007.
Mr KIELY (Sanderson): Madam Speaker, on behalf of the people of Sanderson I respond the great budget delivered by the Treasurer on 1 May 2007. That is, the 2007-08 Budget.
As the Treasurer said, this is a budget for the future. This is a budget that sets a path for the Northern Territory for the next decade. The budget itself and the way that it has been framed show the great maturity of this government. The budget looks ahead not for one year, not for two years, not for the election cycle, but ahead to the needs and wants of the community. To put us in a position where we are aware that the economy can be a volatile creature takes strength of management and great foresight. We are lucky that in Treasury, we have great people who are looking at where the Territory is heading based on very strong readings of the economy and to know what we can expect in future in fiscal terms. This is all backed up by the NT public sector feeding into Treasury through the ministers’ departments to see how we are going to split up the economic pie.
This budget is reflects community input. As part of the government and as a representative of a segment of the community, I am very pleased to have been able to have my input into the targets and allocations that make up the 2007-08 Budget.
As the Treasurer said, this is a budget that gets down to looking at the core of business of government: safety, security, health, jobs and education. I am very pleased that is the way the budget is going. By way of example, Budget 2007-08 addresses the health needs of Territorians. We have a 73% increase in this budget from 2001 to $838m. How is that for a commitment? There is a record investment in Education - $658m, an increase of 38% from 2001; in Police, Fire and Emergency Services, $226m which is an increase of 65% since 2001.
You become a little jaded and cynical when, time and again, the shadow Treasurer and other members from the opposition say: ‘You are getting all this money, you are awash with GST’, without really acknowledging and accepting the state of the Territory when this government came to power in 2001. The figures clearly demonstrate the commitment by this government to not only build the Territory and a better society for all our people, but there was a lot of remedial work required. We have been doing it and we have reached the point now where the Treasurer is able to say: ‘Let us look 10 years ahead. Let us set up the framework’. We know the commodities side, the mining side, is going strong. It is not a matter of making hay while the sun shines; it is putting the wheat into silos and saving it for the seasons that are not so productive. That is what this budget is doing for the people of the Territory.
It is all possible because when we look at the economy, the projections for the coming financial year are for 7.2% growth. It is not as good as when we had the highest economic growth in 2005 of 7.5%. However, we are there, on the money, going hard and looking ahead. Because of the state of the economy and the good management of the Martin Labor government, we are able to see a growth in the labour force expanding strongly in 2006-07, with recent employment increasing by 4.4%. That is a marvellous achievement for a place like this and rarely matched in other times.
Our population is growing. For years, we have had a nett loss in the Territory. We saw a growth spurt when Defence came here, but then it settled down and we were not seeing any growth at all. Now, we are. It has reached the point where after heavy lobbying by the Chief Minister, the Treasurer and various ministers to the Australia Bureau of Statistics, we were able to get a proper count of our population to get our fair share of monies out of Canberra based on a truer indication of population. I do not think we still have achieved the true figure in the Territory, but we are working on it through due diligence. We are getting out there and looking at services.
We have a large land mass, sparsely populated, and great pockets of disadvantage throughout the Territory. These, too, take special consideration and attention. This budget does a lot for the bush. I am not going to go into exactly what the benefits of this budget are for the remote and rural communities. I am an urban member and will concentrate more on what is happening around my electorate because the areas of disadvantage that are being addressed through this budget have been ably spelled out by the ministers in their respective portfolios. I am absolutely confident that the members for Arafura, Goyder and Daly will have a look at their own communities and talk about what is going on for them on the local level. I will leave it to them; I am not going to steal their thunder.
As a government member, I speak on behalf of the people I represent in the constituency of Sanderson, and we are proud and pleased to be able to cut up the fiscal pie on a more equitable basis than we had ever seen before 2001. That shows the merit of this government.
When we look at things that are happening around the Darwin area, which is where I am proud to be and what I will fight hard for, we only have to go to the great and wondrous project at the waterfront. My electorate is all of 12 km away, but the waterfront means a lot to the people of Sanderson. We heard the minister say that the convention centre will be handed over in mid-2008, that the sea walls and major earth works are nearly complete, that the wave lagoon has been excavated and construction will begin shortly. We have also heard that the cruise ship passenger terminal will soon be completed, that excavation of the basements of residential buildings have been completed, and that TOGA will soon commence work on the hotels. That means this project is going as forecast by this government.
It has been funded, as we said it would be, as we go along, which sets a good example to the community about how dinkum, accurate and disciplined this government is when it comes to fiscal management. The waterfront is going along. We do not anticipate any delays. When it comes on stream in 2008 or a little beyond, it will mean more jobs in the community. It will mean that Year 12 students, the undergraduates, the kids who are now 14 or 15, who want to take up apprenticeships, will have jobs. The waterfront project was flagged in about 2002 or 2003, and we will see it come to fruition in 2008.
For those naysayers who say: ‘You say that your budget it is setting a foundation for 10 years worth of community prosperity’, I say to you: ‘Look where we are with the waterfront development and what we have done down there. Look at how our predictions have come out’. This is all based on sound management, doing the sums, having a very capable, competent and professional public sector working in partnership with the private sector to get it right.
Let me digress a little from the budget itself for the 2007-08 year. I have made this observation and I have had it made to me from a number of people around the place: when we look at the cranes on the horizon around Darwin city, for the first time these cranes are the product of the private enterprise environment. They are not being propped up by government money. It is private investors looking at the future of Darwin getting in and creating jobs. The synergies that we have been able to bring together and the groundwork that we have been able to achieve by our previous budgets have set fertile ground for this development to occur. It is a marvellous achievement and it is built on even more by minister Stirling’s 2007-08 Budget.
I look forward to the time when we get down to the waterfront, to the lagoons, to the wave pool. I understand that some ministers have undertaken to wear their mankinis. I look forward to that. I will stick to the traditional Speedo, being an old style bloke.
Mr Henderson: Gerry is looking forward to the mankinis.
Mr KIELY: No, I do say, just in case people read this Parliamentary Record that I am fairly certain everyone will be in ties and short sleeves when they go there. There will be no mankinis from this side of the Chamber.
Moving right along, we talk in the budget about great sums of money going towards the waterfront, investment money that is, where $1 spent returns $9 or $10, I believe was the last figure on that. That is great. However, you do not have to be throwing huge chunks of money at it all the way. There are smaller things that count to the people out in the suburbs. This budget addresses those.
Selected sections of Bagot Road, McMillans Road and the Stuart Highway in Darwin will be addressed in the 2007-08 financial year. We are going to see some resealing. We have money in the budget for it. It is not a matter of saying that all the money is going into the waterfront. Bagot and McMillans Roads happen to be the roads on which I travel and, I would say, probably about 50% to 60% of the people from Sanderson who work travel on every morning, afternoon and on the weekends. It is important that we spend money on our local roads, and this budget, even to that level, does that.
While you are travelling in on that road, coming into the waterfront, I am very pleased to say that in this budget, there has been $0.6m put aside for the beautification of the Myilly Point area and redevelopment. This was a promise made by the Chief Minister many years ago, probably three or four, about the development. We went out to community consultation on the land at Myilly Point. The community said: ‘We would like some park land there’. Well, there is money in this budget, following the 2004 consultation which will allow us to include landscaping, pathways, seating and shade cloth, and access down the escarpment to Mindil Beach and the restaurants at Cullen Bay. The amenity being provided for the people of Sanderson, and for all people of Darwin and our tourists, is fantastic. This budget picks up on it. That is really good news for the people of Sanderson.
I am sure everyone is aware because I always mention it, Sanderson is the home of the Marrara Sporting Precinct and there is a lot that goes on out there. This budget recognises the part that sporting activities play in the lifestyle of Territorians, and that the citizens of the Territory want their sport. They want government to get involved, and to ensure that it is all there.
Look at the Darwin Football Stadium. We have seats and it is a beautiful. It is a wonderful stadium and one that I am happy to say is built with a little panache. It is just not a square of cement blocks; it has something you can look at and is aesthetically pleasing. In this budget, we have been able to provide $78 000 to bring two A-League football teams to Darwin. I think they are Perth Glory and …
Mr Henderson: Melbourne Victory.
Mr KIELY: Melbourne Victory! How is that? We get the Doggies and Fremantle, Melbourne Victory and Perth Glory coming up. In the basketball, we also we get the Pythons – Pipers is it?
Ms Anderson: Perth Wildcats.
Mr KIELY: The Perth Wildcats! These are the things that this government is doing for our enjoyment, but it is not just a benevolent society when it comes to funding these major sporting events. The government is not here saying: ‘Oh, we will throw in a few bob and give the citizens a game and let them enjoy it’. We get revenue in tourist dollars from the promotion of Darwin all around the country and, at times, overseas. It brings in that tourist dollar.
In a little aside, last Saturday while I was at the Doggies and Dockers game at Marrara, I had the greatest time of my life. I was sitting in the middle of all the Doggies supporters. Let me say they are a culture unto their own. I could have paid $15 000 for an international trip to study other cultures but, no, all I had to do was walk down from my home, sit in amongst them, and I tell you, I was in a new world. It was a fascinating thing to watch and to be part of. I did not understand half the language they were using but, by gees, they seemed involved in the game. It was wonderful.
The money that generated for our hotels, motels, restaurants and even to the local Crocs footy club which was there making a few bob out of steak sandwiches, where I saw my colleague, the member for Goyder, slaving away, turning over a few bob. I thought it was fantastic. The point I am making is the money that generates into the local economy and the jobs that creates is all part and parcel of what we do. It is a marvellous thing for this government to get behind sport. I say to any sporting organisation that, if you can put up a business case using your facilities, bringing the games in, and how it will stimulate the economy and drive it more in all sorts of ways - be it direct injection into the economy through nights in the motel rooms, or through promoting the Territory elsewhere and generating the potential for tourist dollars to come in - then come to government because we have shown through this and preceding budgets, and I am certain through the budgets to come, that this is what we are about.
This budget is one that recognises the well-known issues we have with water, power and the environment. There is a record spend on Power and Water in this budget, and I am pretty happy about that. I was talking to a small business owner in my electorate on Sunday when I was out and about doorknocking. I asked: ‘How is it going?’ He said: ‘It is going fantastic. This money that has gone into Power and Water is really good for my business’. He said there is work for years to come because of it. I said: ‘Well, is there enough work there to see you out to retirement?’ He said: ‘There is more than enough’ - more than enough to see him out to retirement. He has a lot of good years left in him, but he has a lot of work to do. Once again, that demonstrates the longevity of this budget and where it is focused ...
Mr Natt: He is 21!
Mr KIELY: Well, he is a bit older than 21. He is truly good. I remember in 2001 talking to the same small businessman when I was knocking on doors, and he saying how crook things were. It has taken us a while to lift the economy out of the doldrums, to get it up there, to stop it from peaking and troughing. To get there, one of the commitments that we gave the community all those years ago was that our fiscal responsibilities aimed at getting the economy on the rise and keep it going up the slope at a steady pace, so people were able to forecast and meet emerging needs, and not have the carpetbaggers coming in, grabbing a few bob and clearing off and leaving the place in the doldrums again. We are managing it. We still have work to do and it does take a tight and responsible hand on the rudder.
The member for Nelson is one of the big spenders. He reckons the government should be involved in everything and just spend willy-nilly. When I hear some of the harebrained, flat-earth economic policies coming from the opposition, I really become concerned. I know that the Liberals in the federal campaign are trying to run their argument like that, but they are running into real trouble because the opposition Labor Party is putting up a credible economic case. That is not the case with this mob.
I am very disappointed that I have not been able to hear any shadow ministers respond to this budget yet because I would love to hear their alternatives. I heard the Leader of the Opposition commit to a whole list of pie-in-the-sky things. They have a fondness for saying: ‘We would do this and we would do that’. All I can say is that the people of the Territory are thankful that they are not doing what the CLP wants, otherwise we would be on a crash collision course with pre-2001 economics. That is not somewhere the people of the Territory want to be. They said that in 2001; they said it again in 2005. My tip is they will say it again in 2009 because what the CLP is espousing now is doom. It shows a really bad grasp of the true fiscal nature of the Territory.
Getting to Power and Water, it is good to see that in this budget, we have money to raise the Darwin River Dam by 1.3 m. Water is an issue. We are very fortunate in the Top End that we have some good four or five months of rain. You see the dam reports over summer coming out of New South Wales and Victoria at 20%, 30%, and you know the issues that they have. They have larger populations, but they never looked at good water strategies to sustain them. We have learnt; we are onto it. We are going to raise that dam wall by 1.3 m and increase the capacity of the dam by 80% for the population of Darwin. That will not see us right for 50 years and maybe not 40. It will see us over a 10-year hump. It will give us the breathing space we need to be able to plan and install additional water resources for the community. I am hopeful that this increase of the Darwin River Dam by 80% should take the pressure off our underground bore reserves.
I say to all people of the Top End, particularly those with bores: water is not an infinite resource. Water is finite and it is incumbent upon each one of us to think about the future and to manage that resource. We, as a government, are. However, as a community, we have to take some responsibility for our water use and address it.
Looking at other major spends and infrastructure for the future, there is $126m for a new power station at Weddell to service Darwin and Palmerston, once again looking to the future in this 2007-08 Budget. It is a commitment by our government into the future for the people of Darwin, not a commitment to say: ‘Here is an election budget. Get us over the line and we promise you this’. No, we are building it now. We are committing this government and this community to a new power station at Weddell and I am very proud of that.
We do not just talk these sources of power. We have a huge commitment to solar energy, to renewables. As we know, Alice Springs is now part of the Solar Cities program, which is the $8.3m federal government initiative for remote power generation programs. The Territory government has committed $4.5m-plus and nearly another $0.5m of in-kind support for the project over 2006-07 to 2013-14. We need to focus more on renewables. We have gas coming onshore and we have vast areas where the running of power lines will just not be the viable way to go, so renewables such as solar and wind generation certainly will be looked at.
Mr Deputy Speaker, time is running away from me because I am pretty enthralled by this budget …
Mrs Braham: Oh, you are really enthusiastic, yes. We can tell!
Mr KIELY: I am, member for Braitling. I am sure that you are, too. You sit there with a little smile on your face, but you are a Territorian first and last. I know that your commitment to the people is unquestionable. We have severely different political views, I suggest, but our commitment to the people of the Territory is very strong, and you can see that this is a budget for all Territorians, not just some small segment of the community, which is what we suffered from before.
On the local level in my wide, wonderful, green electorate of Sanderson, I am pretty happy to see that Wulagi Shopping Centre has earmarked to it $150 000 under the urban renewal program in this budget for renovating the precinct. It is all about urban renewal. This is not money for a coat of paint on a shop. It is not about that; it is work in partnership with the Darwin City Council and in consultation with the community to improve the whole environment of the shopping centre, which is an area of community gathering. It will make it a better place as part of the urban beautification program. I will be heavily involved in this and will be consulting with shop owners, shoppers to the area and all of the people of Wulagi to make sure that this is a wonderful, aesthetic and worthwhile project.
As I said, this budget does look at big ticket items, but it also looks at small ticket items. For years, I am told by the families who live around Curlew and Kestrel Crescents where there are beautiful parks, wonderful green little areas where the kids play, there has been no play equipment. Council, for one reason or another, and I guess you would have to give them the benefit of the doubt and say they did not have the budgetary capability to put playground equipment there, has not done it. We have been able to provide, through council, money to put swings in. It is those small parks which lift the amenity of the area of Sanderson, which is a wonderful thing.
We have given to DCC in this budget $250 000 for laneway lighting. I will be talking to council and to my local aldermen and working with them to get some lights in our lanes. There are some going in the laneway to McMillans Road leading from Driffield Street. These laneways really need lighting to make them safe. As a matter of fact, I have written to council about the state of the laneways in the electorate of Sanderson because they are suffering from neglect. Council may get around street sweeping and tree trimming every now and then, but I ask all members to have a look at the state of the laneways in their electorates. They are being overlooked - I will not say neglected - and they are showing signs of neglect. This is something, as local members, we should be pursuing council about and it is certainly something that I am doing.
I am pleased to say that with the $250 000 they received for laneway lighting, and money that we have been able to give them for the upgrading of the shopping precincts around the suburbs, it will free up other money in the council budget for swings and other things. They should be able to turn their mind to it. Let us not forget, while our receipt basis is growing, how much more so is council’s? When you have a look at the units that are going up in town and the rating improvements that must be going on, not to mention the rate rises that we all have been advised that we are getting, council should have a few extra bob for looking after our suburbs. I will certainly be working with them on that.
When talking about sport and the Marrara Precinct …
Mr HENDERSON: Mr Deputy Speaker, I move an extension of time for the member for Sanderson to continue his remarks for a further 10 minutes pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr KIELY: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and minister Henderson. When we talk about the Marrara Precinct, we should think about the netball courts that have been announced in this budget at $4.8m. Fantastic! The netball courts at Parap have served the community well for many years, but they are tired. The cost of refurbishing those courts is probably outstripped, I suggest, by what can be done with the new facility at Marrara. Lots of people around the electorate of Sanderson play netball. However, this is not just for Sanderson; this is for all of Darwin, all of the urban Top End and it is a fantastic facility.
I have written to the Minister for Sport and Recreation asking if we could have a number of these courts shade covered when they are constructed, which would be a really great thing because while the netball competitions are normally held in the afternoon and evening, there are schools that will use the courts during the daytime so let us get two or three of them shaded. Let us make no mistake. I anticipate, judging on my understanding of what it costs us to put shade cover over the basketball courts and such things at our local primary schools, it will probably cost in the vicinity of $150 000 per court. It is a big ask, but they are in the design stage now. Let us look at getting it added and, if we have to, seek a bit more funding. When you think about the issues we have with sun-safe environments for our sports players and our kids, it will be money well spent. It will certainly be something I will pursue as a local member.
Also as a local member, I am happy to report that in 2005, I gave a commitment to the people of Sanderson that Anula School would get the upgrades that it so badly needed to some of its staffing and other amenity areas. In this budget, it is funded, all cashed up. There is $420 000 for Anula Primary School. This was a commitment given by government in 2005, should it be returned to power. We are a government that meets its commitments. I am a local member who works with my colleagues to ensure that these commitments are honoured, and that is what has been done.
On behalf of the people of Sanderson, I thank each and every colleague on this side of the House for understanding the commitment and supporting me by giving this $420 000 for Anula Primary School. As I said, the budget pie is finite. It has to be sliced up and if someone takes a bigger piece, then someone has to get a smaller one. I have taken a piece out of it and my colleagues supported me. I will support them when it comes to them needing something for their area because these are not frivolous baubles we are giving to the community; these are things that are needed. We have to make priorities and serious judgments. The Treasurer has made a serious judgment, has prioritised and Anula School has the money it required.
While we are on it, it is not only about schools. As members would be aware, I am a great supporter of Neighbourhood Watch, particularly in Sanderson where we would probably have two of the most active Neighbourhood Watch groups going: Anula and Wulagi. I donated $200 to Wulagi Neighbourhood Watch because they were interested in some initiatives to help further reduce crime in the suburbs. They had a couple of ideas. I said: ‘Fine. I am supportive of any strategies that we can identify to help reduce crime’. I slipped them $200 and said: ‘There you go. I hope this helps you find out some more facts’.
My $200 pales into insignificance when we look at this budget. It is going to provide $2.4m to the nearly refocused and consolidated Crime Prevention and Community Safety strategy. Within that, there is $110 000 for Neighbourhood Watch to continue its crime prevention role. Hear, hear to the government I say. This is working in partnership with community members who are committed to making their communities safer. I am committed to working with them to make our communities safer. They have my support and always have had. I urge every member to get behind and support your local Neighbourhood Watch. They are a fantastic bunch of volunteers and what they do is wonderful.
As I said, this budget is so big that one …
Mrs Braham: Oh, it is so wonderful.
Mr KIELY: The member for Braitling agrees with me. If only we could put on to the Parliamentary Record the warmth with which you said that, and the clutching of her jacket as she said it. It was really quite moving. I hope I have drawn a good enough picture for everyone.
Mr Deputy Speaker, we are building safer communities. We have more police who are doing a fantastic job. I am in contact with the police management team and the police at Casuarina. They do a fantastic job through the northern suburbs. I work on the motto that we feed the intelligence in and then, if they paste it all together, they will get on top of whatever the crime and safety issues may be. They do a fantastic job. I am happy to see in this budget that there is money for highway patrols and remote area police patrols because they are part of building safer communities. For people living in Sanderson who go down the track to Katherine or Alice, it is important that they feel our highways are safe. We know they are safe; we have the police out there.
We have just had a major debate on road safety initiatives. We have more great legislation coming in to improve the safety of our roads. Those initiatives are being supported in this budget and will go on being supported. I could go into health and more on lifestyle. What we are doing in improving access to fishing is just incredible for the size of this jurisdiction; fantastic. It all benefits the people of Sanderson. There is no way known I can cover all the benefits of this in the short time that is left to me.
I say to any of the constituents of Sanderson, I am out there doorknocking all the time. We have a community meeting on 3 July. I will have all the budget papers with me. Come to see me and I am happy to chat about it. Pick up the phone, give me a ring. I am not going to inundate your letterboxes with how much is in this budget. People will know because as the years roll by, they will see it. There is absolutely no denial that the electorate of Sanderson has become better, amenity- and lifestyle-wise, with the Martin Labor government steering the economy.
When I think of the feeling out and about in 2001, and when I look at the general state of the streets and the houses around Anula, Wulagi, Northlakes, you cannot move half the time through all the house renovations that are going on. In my street, as I speak there is a huge renovation to a chap’s house just up the road. I was in Malak on Sunday where huge and very nice renovations are occurring. It is all a sign of the times; it is a sign of good economic management. It is a sign that minister Stirling, as Treasurer, seems to have been born to this job. I do not know how it all came to him, but he has taken the bit between his teeth - he is a bit of a racing bloke; a bit of a horsy bloke – and he is going for it. He is doing a fantastic job.
The legacy he is leaving the Territory when his time comes is fantastic. The forecast in the projection of 10 years will, I am confident to say, outstrip the time that the Treasurer will have in this House. I congratulate him for introducing, in a non-election year, a budget that is setting the parameters for the decade ahead. Well done to the Treasurer, the Chief Minister, and all ministers, the full breadth of the Martin government team. I thank the Independents for their input. I cannot bring myself to thank the CLP opposition. I do not think they have contributed anything towards debate, and the sad thing is I do not think they have anything to contribute.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Deputy Speaker, you must forgive me for smiling because the member for Sanderson was so enthusiastic. It is delightful to see such a positive response in the House. If I happened to be in your position, I would be saying: ‘Thanks government, thanks Mr Treasurer; it sounds like a good budget’, because that is what it is. It is a good budget. It is a mid-term budget. It is a steady-as-she-goes budget. There are no really hard knocks; no big surprises. A few increases in taxes, but a few good things for business. I was a little surprised that it wasn’t a bit tougher, being a mid-term budget, bringing down all the hard things you want to do as government so that next year, leading into the election, it would be softer.
Obviously, the Treasurer has a fair bit of money to play with, and good luck to him. The financial state of the Territory and of government is fairly healthy. I suggest that he be careful that borrowing and debt levels do not rise to levels that are unsustainable. In his summing up, perhaps he can comment on the debt levels for the Territory and how it will affect the budget in future years, whether he thinks it is sustainable, whether is he purely relying on more GST funding from the Commonwealth or whether he has a debt strategy that is not going to send us broke.
Many of the questions I will be asking today are probably questions I will eventually ask in estimates, because I need to know more about the budget. I will not go through all the regional highlights for Alice Springs or the Centre. That is fairly clear for everyone to see; they only have to pick up the documents. There are certain programs for which we need clarification on whether they are going to receive the funding needed.
The big issue the government has to address in the next few years is child sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities. It is very hard to pull out from the budget what exactly is going to be spent in this area. I have always been of the view that if the place you live is not a good environment, it is going to be very hard ever to get out of it and have a better life. In many of the communities, no matter how hard they try to make facilities better, it all boils down to how much money they can get, what they need and who is going to manage it properly for them. We talk a lot about addressing the problem of sexual abuse, but in the budget, I cannot see the details of how we are going to make life on communities better for people. That would certainly be one of the areas to start with.
We talk about alcohol abuse in Alice Springs, but part of the problem, of course, is that people do not always want to go home. Unfortunately, the life they end up having in the town is not very good, either. Perhaps the members for Macdonnell, Arnhem, and Stuart will, in their speeches, spell out the things in the budget that they are going to be putting into their communities to make them better places.
One of the areas that concerns me in Alice Springs is FACS. The will is there in FACS, but there is not the number of staff available to address the problems there. I have heard on the grapevine that they have a number of positions that are unfilled. I noticed there is an increase in the budget for child protection, but I would like to know how that increase in the budget is going to be spent on FACS.
There is a Safe Families program that Tangentyere is running at the moment and I hope that will continue to be funded. I would like to think that the Return to Country program promised in the forum we had in Alice Springs will be funded for the Centre. Certainly, people in the town who get stuck need to be given the means to get home. Whether we can do it by direct debit from their welfare payments or they can pay it off, or we can just take him home, I am not sure. However, one of the things I would like to ensure is in the budget is the area that maintains transport back to communities for people.
I worry about the elderly people in town camps. I am not sure who is in charge of them, whether it is FACS, the Health department or whoever. There are many elderly people in town camps who do not have a good living environment. Aboriginal Hostels, although they provide many places for people within their hostels, do not cater for everyone. That is something I would like to see in the budget also.
Federal town camp funding that was knocked back by the town camps themselves was disappointing. It should have been taken but, for their own reasons, they believe they were right in rejecting it. It would have been a great bonus. It would have helped improve the living conditions in our town camps. There is no doubt that the words ‘town camp’ send a really bad message to people, whereas it should be a town suburb, a town centre, or a community village rather than saying it is a camp. I hope that if we cannot get the federal government back in line to assist the people in town camps, the Territory government has some means within their budget to improve that.
One of the things we are experiencing in Alice Springs is a great deal of antisocial behaviour, particularly among our young people, the 10- to 15-years-olds. They seem to be running amok at times and there seems to be a lack of respect and control. I noticed there is $1.8m for a juvenile diversionary program and I would like to know how much of that will be allocated for diversionary programs in Alice Springs.
There is a need to have a program where young people can be placed out of town on an outside community and given a purpose. I refer back to Graham Ross who did it for years. We know the government has facilities such as Owen Springs and Hamilton Downs. I would like to think some of the diversionary money will be used to place a centre around Alice Springs where we could take some of these juveniles who need to break the cycle. Of the number of extra police in the budget, it would be good if there were two police allocated as youth liaison officers, a male and a female, so they can assist in building up a positive relationship with young people, and use them, for instance, in making sure there are the right sorts of programs for these young people.
It is a shame that people believe diversionary programs are Mickey Mouse. Government should be doing a lot more information sharing about what can happen when a child is put on diversion. The Youth Justice Act has changed the way we deal with many of our juveniles, and it is not very clear to the community. Perhaps, within those additional police officers that have been allocated in the budget, we could have a couple allocated to improve that image.
Through the Department of Family Community Services, we have been looking at an after-hours youth service in Alice Springs. I know there has been a combined push for this by community youth groups. Work is currently under way trying to secure commercial space to rent in the CBD to set up this after-hours youth centre. However, the fact remains that to rent any space in the CBD you are looking at something like $50 000 per year, and that is a huge amount of money for rent. We need to be broader in our vision about this. The Alice Springs Youth Centre, which is in a prime location and has been there for many years, would be a good venue for a multipurpose youth service with the provision of all sorts of day and night services for young people and families.
I wonder whether FACS could reallocate the money they want to use for an after-hours youth service and put it into the Alice Springs Youth Centre to develop it as a venue for a youth drop-in centre. It is a way of ensuring that if we are going to have this after-hours service, we get better value for money and the funding required for renting premises could be reallocated to capital works to upgrade the Alice Springs Youth Centre. I know it is a fairly controversial suggestion because the committee of the Alice Springs Youth Centre really do not want lose their premises or change it in that way. However, I believe we have to be realistic about our young people in town and become proactive in finding things for them to do.
Another issue I wanted to raise is senior Territorians. I am pleased to see the Minister for Senior Territorians in the House. I notice there is an allocation of money for senior Territorians. I do not have it in front of me. I am wondering whether the minister could consider reviewing the way one of the concessions for transport is allocated. At the moment, there is a concession for interstate travel, by commercial travel, for pensioners, which is 50% of the return economy airfare. Every two years, many seniors value and use it. The Territory government can be proud that they do this for seniors. At the moment, if they book through a nominated travel agent, the concession is paid direct to the travel agent. However, if they book it themselves on the Internet and pay up-front, then seek reimbursement of 50%, they are told that they cannot be reimbursed until they return from their trip and bring in their tickets.
You may say: ‘That is fair enough; that is a safe way of making sure you know that they go on the trip’. However, they need that money when they are on the trip, not when they come home. It is about trust in our seniors; that we would be able to reimburse the money before they travel. Then, if they cannot provide evidence that they travelled, they can then be asked to return it. It seems to be a bit of anomaly that they can go to a travel agent and it can be paid up-front for them, but if they do it themselves to get a cheaper fare, they have to pay up-front themselves and cannot get the reimbursement of 50% until later. It is something that the minister could consider because it is not a big move or a difficult matter, but it would certainly say to the seniors who use it: ‘Yes, we do trust you and we understand that you need the money while you are away on holidays rather than wait until you come back home to claim it’.
Government is increasing power, water and sewerage charges by the CPI over the next five years, I think it is. There will be an increase in charges for everyone. People do not seem to have responded negatively to that. I guess we are all used to having a small increase in services, whether it is registration, insurance or whatever. However, I was wondering whether there is money in the budget to reimburse the people who produce power and put it back into the grid, and whether the cost of reimbursing the people who produce it will be the same price we are going to be charging people. Will be more? In fact, it costs a lot more to set up that particular system to use in your home. The federal government may provide a subsidy; I am not totally sure about that. It is something I have not had time to check. Even if the Territory government could give subsidies to people who want to put in these systems to produce their own power, it would encourage more people to do it. In Alice Springs, which is a solar city, it is something we are very keen to promote. I would like to know whether the buy-back price of the power people produce themselves to go into the grid is going to equate with the amount people will be charged, or whether it is going to be more or less.
It is really hard for first homebuyers. You only have to look at the house and land prices in Alice Springs and in the rest of the Territory. Tennant Creek may be okay to buy a house. It is difficult, though, and that is why I was pleased with the minister’s reply about first homebuyers in Larapinta. Land prices in Alice Springs are really quite exorbitant and crazy. The stamp duty relief the Treasurer introduced for first homebuyers is a great incentive and will be something that first homebuyers will be keen to use. However, they cannot use it if there is not a house or land reasonably priced for them to buy. It is one of those areas that the government needs to do a lot more work on. I do not know how you would do it. Land and homes all around Australia seem to be very expensive.
On the issue of education and truancy officers, we have talked a lot about getting kids to school, but we still do not seem to have made provision for truancy officers in the budget. We keep hearing about programs where we are going to have schools and officers dealing directly with families to make sure they come to school, but it does not address the problem of the number of students from remote communities who travel with parents for all sorts of reasons and do not go to school when they are in a town. There needs to be a system whereby school teachers in remote communities can track students and make sure that they go to school or they know where they are going. I would like to see more emphasis on truancy officers, particularly as it is a major recommendation in the report on sexual abuse of young children.
I cannot find information on buses. There is talk about buses, but I am thinking specifically of buses to go into town camps to take children to school. Perhaps the minister can show me where I should be looking for how much is going to be spent on buses.
There is an amount of $1.9m allocated for the Back to School program. That is a huge amount of money, really, for this $50 ongoing bonus. I wonder how long it is going to go on. We have not had any feedback from the minister on how many people took advantage of it, how much was paid, and what it was used for. There needs to be clarification of the $50 bonus and how the scheme is working. $1.9m would be a healthy amount of money to put into schools for other purposes, resources and teachers.
I am pleased to see continuing provision of laptops for teachers, but the $1.9m - are we really getting value for money? Perhaps it could be utilised in a better way. In saying that, I could imagine some of the parents who take advantage of it would be concerned by those remarks, but in the overall scheme of things, we need to know what value we are getting.
Another point I would like to make is about the Mereenie Loop Road. We still do not seem to have solved the problem of the access to gravel around Ipolera. It frustrates me to know that, even though there is money allocated for the road and it is progressing, there may be delays. I am wondering whether the amount budgeted will cover the first stage only. Will it also cover the next stage when we get access to the gravel? It is one of those things that seems never to go anywhere.
I could go on looking at different areas, but probably the areas that we need to really ask questions about are: debt and how we are managing it; education and how we are going to get the best outcomes and the best value for our money; child protection, which I know is going to be a big emphasis for the federal government; and protection of aged people. I would like to see emphasis on that.
There are always many things we would like to see happen in our electorates as time goes by. I am pleased to say that we did get bike paths in Larapinta and they have been a huge success. I thank the minister for doing that. Interestingly, they put down road seal rather than concrete, and it seems to have been a great success; people seem to prefer it. It would also be useful if ministers could address town parks. I know there is money for upgrading parks. Town council, to me, often neglects the area. We have the very basic equipment, so if we can get something else in the way of parks it would be good. We need to address land for first homebuyers. I think we are trying to get the first homebuyers in by giving them the stamp duty concession.
All in all, it is a basic, good budget. It does not have a lot of frills. It does not have a lot of downsides. It will be interesting to see what oomph it has next year before an election year. I do not think the Treasurer has been spendthrift in what he is doing; he has been quite controlled. The Speaker has done remarkably well in the budget for the House. I am sure the Legislative Assembly is very pleased. I could never, ever get the Treasurer to put a lot of money into Parliament House. It is not something that is seen as a priority by the Treasurer. It is really great that the Speaker has done so well to keep Parliament House looking as good as it should because it is something we can be proud of.
Saying all that, Mr Deputy Speaker, we will see the Treasurer at estimates.
Mr BONSON (Millner): Mr Deputy Speaker, tonight I contribute to this year’s budget debate. It is a fantastic budget. I have had the honour to work with the current Treasurer since 2001. We have seen, with his financial management of the economy, steady growth of the economy over that time. What that growth has allowed us to do is follow the policies of the Australian Labor Party.
As a member of the Australian Labor Party and as this House, I often think about the roles and responsibilities I have to constituents in Millner. I am often humbled by that responsibility because, as people may know, Millner was a working class area of Darwin and was made up of the real battlers of Darwin over the last four or five decades. There are members of my constituency who have lived in the area for some 46 or 50 years in Territory Housing. They knew the area when it was swamp land and you could walk into the back yard, lean over the fence and shoot geese.
I often say to Millner constituents that we are no longer living in Millner, but Millner Heights. As a result of the strong economy, Millner’s property capital gain in the last five years has been nothing short of spectacular. Those individuals who purchased properties and whose families have grown up in the Millner area have been capable of reaping great personal wealth, and they deserve it. The reason they deserve it is because they contributed to the lifestyle of the Northern Territory; they have created the community of Darwin and have helped build it from the ground up.
As a member of the Australian Labor Party, I feel very honoured to have grown up in the area. Obviously, people know me as a born and bred Territorian. I come from a family that was in Darwin when there were fewer than 500 people. We often talk about people’s contributions during the pioneer days of Darwin and the Northern Territory. In reality, many of those individuals and families are involved in the future of the Northern Territory. I am very proud to be representing them in this House.
I look at what I believe we stand for as the Territory government, and a lot of that is about supporting, protecting and celebrating our great lifestyle. It is about ensuring that we have safe communities, that our families have the protection and safety to walk the streets at night, and improving the health system for all Territorians whether they are in regional, rural or urban areas of the great Northern Territory. It is about the Australian Labor Party continuing its management of our strong economy and its growth into the future, and ensuring that we have wealth shared throughout the whole of the community, not concentrated in a very few.
It is about building better schools, investing in educational foundations. As we have seen with many different issues in the last few years, it all comes back to basic education and training of Territorians. Through the Building Better Schools program, both the former and current ministers have shown that this ALP government has a belief that education should form the foundation of the future of the Territory.
We are a government which gets out to the people. I look at members of this House and the people they represent, the constituencies, nationalities, the belief systems that they have. An analogy would be that we all come together as a mix of individuals in one big goose curry and we are all the different herbs that go into it to make it the tasty thing that it is.
I am proud to be raising a family in the Northern Territory and that other members have raised their families here and will continue to do so. We truly believe in the future of the Northern Territory. I look at what the Northern Territory Branch of the Australian Labor Party stands for. To me, it stands for jobs. It is about creating jobs for all Territorians, black, white, green or purple and whether they live in rural, regional or urban areas. I am proud to say that the Martin Labor government has created 6000 new jobs in the last year alone, and that is a magnificent achievement. We have created more than 2000 new apprenticeships and traineeships for future Territorians who will be able to contribute not only to the economy, but also to our society, and this is very important.
When we talk about creating safer communities for our women and children, for the young families of the Northern Territory, the Martin Labor government can always look to the fact that we commissioned the O’Sullivan Report which said that we needed extra police. We commissioned the O’Sullivan Report that showed that the CLP had no interest in recruiting for approximately four years in the early 1990s, which led to an attrition rate within the police service. We have now put 200 extra police on, and we have halved property crime since coming into office, which is an amazing figure. When I first became a member, I can genuinely say that the biggest single issue in my area was property crime. People were concerned about it. We heard all the rhetoric from the CLP, but the reality was that they never, ever properly funded our police service to deal with all law and order issues.
I listened to the debate on alcohol and drugs in our communities. There is no doubt that, growing up in Darwin, I saw the effects of alcohol and drugs on the community. The reality is that many people know where substance abuse is occurring and they know the harmful effects of alcohol. Our strategic plan is dealing with drugs on the streets, particularly amphetamines and heroin, which is what we are seeing now. Most people in Darwin are starting to admit the effects of overuse of marijuana and the mental health issues that arise. If you have a look at the criminology, drugs and alcohol abuse are closely linked to criminal behaviour. What we have seen is a strategic police attack and proper funding of the police service which has led to the harm minimisation of alcohol and drugs on our community. I do not believe that we will ever be able to get rid of the scourge of alcohol or drug abuse, but what we can do is minimise it and chase the people who deal in those harmful substances into the shadows.
The Martin Labor government has employed 270 more nurses, more than 100 extra doctors, and created 50 more hospital beds across the Northern Territory. We have increased the funding in Health since 2001 by 64%, an amazing amount. We have taken the health issues facing the Territory head on, and we have said, as a government, that we wish to address the problems that are eating away at the foundations of the future of the Territory.
The strong economy has benefited from our strong management, and those who have benefited most, of course, are Territory families. I know that the Treasurer, ministers, and all members of this side of the House in the Australian Labor Party are very conscious that we need to keep bucking national trends and managing the economy well so that young Territory families can continue to grow in pride. Under the Martin Labor government, the Territory has an economy and lifestyle that is the best in Australia, and I truly believe that. Walk outside these doors now and you will see the beautiful Dry Season weather and the sheer excitement and activity in the streets of Darwin.
What we have seen is the largest capital education investment in the Territory’s history. I am proud to be a member of the first Labor government in the Territory, elected in 2001. I will go into the pride that I have in the results we are getting in education in a moment. One of the reasons I continue to do the hard yards as a member of this government, and a member of this party, is because I believe in the future of the Territory. I will be here for the next 50 years, hopefully, if God allows me, and I will continue to contribute as best I can.
What we have seen over the last six years is this government’s willingness to enter into partnerships with Aboriginal people. This is a reflection of the dynamics of our caucus, with six indigenous members from a variety of backgrounds and histories. We have also seen that members from non-indigenous backgrounds who represent remote areas have a genuine interest in helping their constituents. We can never underestimate the fact that the northern suburbs members of this government have picked up the gauntlet and said that they wish to come on board and help those who need the help most. I will go into those details in a moment.
What we have seen consistently over a period of time, and it is all to do with the game of politics, is the CLP constantly talking down the Territory. The CLP is out of touch, knocking everything that we do, knocking the achievements we have made in education, health, police and economic management. The reality is that I do not think they are ready to govern yet. That is only my personal opinion. Over the next few years, as a viable government in opposition, they have a lot of work to do on themselves to really give Territorians a choice.
As part of this government, I believe that we need to keep delivering and working hard for the Territory. I know we drive each other and that when we have our small successes, we should be celebrating them and learning from the hard times. We are attempting to do that.
I take this opportunity to read in for those people who, in future years, might go through the Parliamentary Record, and see what the member for Millner said. One of the things that I would like to read into the Parliamentary Record is an extract from the 2007-08 budget speech, which really sums up the policy and political beliefs of this group of individuals who represent the Territory at this moment in time. It is directly from the Treasurer’s speech:
- Budget 2007-08 sets out the plan for this year and provides the foundation for the next 10 years.
It is a forward thinking budget, Mr Deputy Speaker:
- It is a budget that is sweeping in its impact.
Budget 2007-08 will put more Territorians into their own homes, and it will skill and train more people, preparing them for the thousands of jobs being created in our economy. It heralds the most extensive infrastructure program ever.
Budget 2007-08 addresses the health needs of Territorians through a record budget of $838m, 73% higher than in 2001. It is focused on improving core services, particularly in hospitals, and delivers better services for Territorians with a disability.
It continues the Martin government’s record investment in education with $658m, an increase of 38% from 2001, as well as an extensive ongoing capital investment program. There is a strong focus on middle schooling, improving educational outcomes, and lifting the literacy and numeracy skills of students in the bush.
Through its support for Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Budget 2007-08 maintains the Martin government’s determination to tackle crime and the causes of crime. The Police, Fire and Emergency Services budget will be $226m, an increase of 65% since 2001.
It achieves these priorities, once again, within sound and sustainable fiscal parameters. Perhaps more than any other budget, this budget focuses not only on next financial year, but it plans for the future, putting in place infrastructure and services improvement over a number of years. It lays the foundation for creating jobs and opportunities, growing the economy, and securing and improving the Territory lifestyle for many years to come.
That best summarises what the Treasurer was aiming at: trying to get the message through. What we have come to realise, as a government, is the fact that the needs of Territorians, whether they live in bush or rural areas, far outweighs the capacity for us to deal with all of those problems. However, what we are trying to do is to deal with them as best as we can in the most strategic way we can as we go into the future.
I have heard speeches by the member for Barkly talking about the deficit in housing, and it really shows that, in reality, we cannot deal with the deficit right across the Territory. What do we do in response? The minister, with all members of the government right behind him, was able to get a commitment from this government of a $100m over the next five years for all people in remote areas. We know that the deficit of the need for housing right across the Territory is about $1bn. What we are looking at is a shortfall of $900m. Where do we go from here? All we can do is the best that we can with the capacity that we have.
What we need to do, as I have said consistently every year at budget time and every other opportunity I have, is take this issue national. We need to get national investment into the problems that we face in the Northern Territory not because we are special or our need is greater than others, but because as Australian citizens, Territorians deserve the right and the opportunity that every other Australian citizen takes for granted. If you live in western Sydney, Brisbane, Perth or Tasmania, you have a certain level of services delivered to you. It has nothing to do with the region you are in, the colour of your skin or your cultural background. It is the fact that there is an investment and a scale that delivers those basic human rights – I think human needs is what the member for Barkly said – and wants that an Australian citizen, black, white, green and purple, whatever religious background, whatever party affiliation, deserves.
This is not happening in the Northern Territory. Do I think it is the fault of the Northern Territory government? I do not. I believe the Northern Territory government, with the capacity they have with their budget of approximately $3.2bn, does the best it can to deliver those services. It is a balancing act. We know we have a deficit in health, in education, in roads, etcetera, but we are attempting to deal with those as best as we can within our capacity.
We issued the challenge to the Commonwealth to match us dollar-for-dollar in housing. I am looking forward to the Mal Broughs and the John Howards of this world coming on board and matching us dollar-for-dollar. However, they really should be looking at the investment we should be making for all Australian citizens. Hopefully, one day we can come up with a strategy where we can tackle this nationally. I believe in the Australian citizen. I believe that they have a belief that all Australians should have equal opportunities in services that every other Australians has. I truly and honestly believe that. The message gets lost in the politics but if we were to paint the real picture, and do it hand-in-hand with the opposition, with every member in this House, as I have said on a number of occasions, I am sure we can make a big enough noise that I could take this concept of an investment in Australian citizens nationally to a level that will be supported by all the constituents of Australia.
One of the initiatives we are carrying through that I am most proud of is Job Plans 3, Jobs for the Future 2007-08. It looks at employers, students, individuals, indigenous Territorians at employment disadvantage and small business. In the business area, we have delivered an occupational shortage employers incentive worth $4000 each; we delivered a $2000 incentive for employers who have taken an apprentice or training from a disadvantaged group; we provided funding of $500 000 for the Build Skills program that assists with upskilling and re-skilling existing workers; and we have created an additional 100 training places within the Northern Territory public sector. This is fantastic because, as you know, traditionally the Northern Territory has been a public service town. Some would argue that it still is. To give 100 training places for young people right across the NT to break into the public service is great opportunity for them.
Look what we do for students. In Jobs Plan 3, we provide: a Workwear/Workgear Bonus of up to $1000 each for apprentices and trainees; funding of $250 000 for pre-apprenticeship programs to give potential apprentices a taste of the trade; a Work Ready program to prepare school students for apprenticeships and traineeships; higher education scholarships worth up to $5000 each; and vocational education and training scholarships worth $4000 each.
Some of the strategies we are using to try to increase employment include: school-based apprenticeships and traineeships available to students from Year 10 onwards, which is a fantastic program and the students who are taking advantage of it are doing very well; individual learning plans for Year 10 students to help them gain employment or undertake further education and training; work experience and work placement programs so that students can get a foot in the door with industry; and post-school support for students who establish successful enterprises at school, and school-to-work transition.
Creating jobs for future Territorians is our role and responsibility as members. No doubt, each member will suggest that they came from an environment where work was encouraged. Unfortunately, many Territorians do not have the opportunity to gain meaningful work. As we move into the future, the creation of meaningful work for all Territorians is one of the big challenges we face as a government.
As the member for Millner, it has been an honour for me to go to the Treasurer and advocate on behalf of my constituents. I am proud of the achievements we have managed in my local area in the past six years, and of my advocacy for Millner and the results in this year’s budget. For example, the Millner Primary School has been allocated $1m for an upgrade. This allows Millner School to enclose the Assembly area, which allows them to hold functions, something they presently cannot do. It allows the students to use the area throughout the year, which has not been the case for the past 30 years.
One of the challenges the school council has taken upon itself is how construction should take place. The purpose of the school hall is to provide an essential and critical space for everyday use by children and staff. The space provides protection from sun and rain for a significant part of the school year. It can be used informally during recess and lunch for playing and eating, and is used by all classes for physical activity as a part of the structured curriculum, including sensory motor skills, gymnastics and a range of ball sports. The space is used for weekly school assemblies as well as a number of other special events such as the Christmas show and graduation ceremonies.
The school council is attempting to make the assembly area the greenest in the Northern Territory, and to make it a model for other upgrades to school assembly areas. I fully support the move to a greener, energy efficient design. I look forward to the proposals that arise, and to working with the department and the school council to achieve those goals.
As local member, I have also been able to advocate for Nightcliff Renal Unit airconditioning and fencing. One of the issues with renal treatment is the places where renal care is provided. I was happy to, with the Health Ministers both previous and current, obtain an upgrade to the airconditioning unit, which unfortunately over a number of years, was inefficient during the Wet Season. We are looking forward this Wet Season to the comfort of staff throughout the building, along with fencing and security for the protection of clients using the Renal Unit. I know they are looking forward to the upgrade and are very appreciative of the Health Minister and my work as a local member.
I was also happy to advocate for Nemarluk special needs school for $40 000 to enclose part of the staff room to create an office for the nurse. The parents, teachers and the principal of Nemarluk special school are doing a magnificent job in looking after very special kids with special needs. They provide support to the parents and families who have brothers and sisters affected by different disabilities. They do a magnificent job, and I know the members for Karama and Johnston take a great interest in children with disabilities. I will continue to advocate as best I can for individuals with special needs.
I was also able to advocate successfully for $250 000 for a traffic management upgrade of the car park and drop-off zone area of the Casuarina Senior College, which is fantastic. I was able to get $150 000 for the Tang Street drain along Coconut Grove. I was able to get money for the Millner Primary School drop-off zone, and I look forward to creating a safer drop-off zone for the kids at Millner School in Sabine Road.
Another interest for my electorate includes undergrounding power in Milner. I thank the Treasurer and member for Karama for the work they have done ensuring that this work can continue in the Millner area. It is much appreciated. Of course, there is upgrading of our parks, including Wangi Park and parks in Gulnare Street, Millner Street, Mosec Street, Tudawali Street and Nation Crescent in the Millner area. It has been a fantastic partnership with the Darwin City Council. I know it set tongues wagging in the local area, because everyone just cannot believe the equipment that has been purchased to put into their local parks, including the one very close to me in Millner Street. It again shows the commitment of this government to local issues at a local level. I congratulate the Treasurer again for the work that they have done in that partnership, and ensuring that we work with the Darwin City Council.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: You only have 45 seconds, member for Millner.
Ms LAWRIE: Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the member be granted extension of time, pursuant to Standing Order 77, in order to complete this remarks.
Motion agreed to.
Mrs Miller: Only 10 minutes.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ten minutes; agreed.
Mr BONSON: Mr Deputy Speaker and members of this House, I thank you for showing appreciation of my contribution.
I would like to again claim credit, as part of this government, for the infrastructure highlights, because that is what it is about: delivering for the people of Darwin and the Northern Territory. There is $12.05m for the current stage of the Darwin waterfront development, and $5m for Stage 5. It is a magnificent project. I know the people of Darwin are fully supportive of it. If you talk to the business community and the general public, they cannot wait for this development to open and the economic benefits from it.
The $12.35m that is going to the new Darwin Middle School is a big shift in investment which has been put into the middle schools program and has been fully funded. I thank the Education minister for the work he is doing there. $0.6m is for the Myilly Point redevelopment including the Flagstaff Park upgrade. Members may know that the member for Karama and I, over many years, have spoken to the Chief Minister about the importance of this site. People may be aware that this site is culturally significant to the Larrakia people of Darwin. It is also culturally associated with the Kahlin Compound, the first compound set up for the Stolen Generation kids, which my grandmother was a part of at the turn of the last century. It was also, of course, the site of Darwin Hospital where many of us long-term locals were born, including me. As many people would know, one of the traditional beliefs of all Aboriginal people is that where you were born has special significance. I do believe that Darwin is a site of special significance, and that is why we have such a great city. There is something in the water, so to speak, to use a European phrase, that makes Darwin such a special place. I strongly believe that.
Then, of course, it became the site of the first university in the Northern Territory. I know some people would say it would be great for development of units, etcetera, but what we have said, as a government, is that we are going to weigh up those pro-development ideas with what is good for our society and community. Recognition of these special historical sites is, yet again, a balancing act we have created as the NT government. The Myilly Point redevelopment will be a magnificent future asset to the community of the Northern Territory. I look at it as something similar to creating Central Park in New York. In 200 years we will all be passed away, but that site will be there.
The $4.8m for Marrara Outdoor Netball Centre is a fantastic investment in sport. I know all the ladies who play netball are looking forward to this. I am looking forward to having access to this as part of Millner. The $4.8m for the new Casuarina Police Station is fantastic. It is going to help create safer communities for the whole of Darwin, including Millner.
There is a capital grant of $4m to upgrade Banyan House. As we know, there are law and order issues, but a lot of those come from drug and alcohol abuse. Banyan House is being supported, as we know that it takes more than just one attack on the issue of crime. We have to help individuals with drug and alcohol problems to overcome them.
The $2.21m to complete Royal Darwin Hospital National Trauma Centre is fantastic, along with the $1.98m to complete the Rapid Admission and Planning Unit at Royal Darwin Hospital.
There is $1.5m to upgrade Nightcliff High School and Casuarina Senior College cyclone shelters. These are facilities that residents of Millner use, and it is fantastic. There is $1m to upgrade the assembly area of Millner Primary School, and I have spoken about that at length.
We have allocated $350 000 to construct a skate park and amenities at Nightcliff, which is another area used for recreation and fishing purposes by the people of Millner. As I have already mentioned, the undergrounding of power can continue on into the future, with $8.4m. That is a fantastic project. The $440 000 to commence diverting sewage outflow from the Larrakeyah outfall to the Ludmilla plant will, obviously, have an affect on the Ludmilla area, and I look forward to that.
I thank all members for listening to my contribution. It is an honour to represent the people of Millner and to be a part of this Assembly. It is also an honour to be a part of the first Martin Labor government and the Australian Labor Party. The key messages, though, for all of us are that we want to support, protect and celebrate our great Territory lifestyle; create more jobs and training positions; fight crime and create safer communities; and improve the health system. We want to claim the credit that we deserve for the good management of the overall economy. We want to ensure that we maintain the high level of capital investment in education in remote, rural and urban areas. We want to continue to be representative of the people of the Northern Territory. We want to ensure that the Territory is the best place in Australia to bring up a family.
Mr Deputy Speaker, unlike the CLP opposition, and I know we are going to hear their contributions some time, we are not going to talk the Territory down. We are not out of touch and knocking everything that is happening. We are about delivering a viable government known as the Martin Labor government for future generations in the Territory. I am proud to be part of this government and to be creating, as the Treasurer said, a foundation for the next 10 years.
Mr WARREN (Goyder): Mr Deputy Speaker, this my second budget since being elected an MLA. After last year’s effort, I thought the Treasurer could not exceed what we had delivered, but this year, it flows on. It demonstrates the overall strategy that the Treasurer and the Martin Labor government have and how much in control they are. I am very impressed with Budget 2007-08.
Last year, I said that there are two things that matter more to me as an MLA than any other. They are the education and health of my fellow Territorians. I reiterate that because without these two elements, we cannot consider ourselves a truly functional society. Budget 2007-08 continues to deliver on both these issues, but also focuses on ensuring our economic sustainability well into the future.
I would like to spend a few minutes reviewing the state of our Territory economy because that is the cornerstone of what this budget builds on and it is very important. Our economy is resource-based. We have a large public sector and a significant Defence presence. Not surprisingly, because of our wealthy, small population, our economy is highly influenced by global economic conditions. This also means that we are very much capable of high economic growth as we develop our natural resources. That is exactly what the Martin Labor government is determined to achieve. The good news is that we are on track to achieve this economic growth.
To put this in factual terms, in 2006-07 our economic growth, as measured by gross state product or GSP, was 7.5%, the highest growth rate in the country. Our current GSP is heading for 7.2% this financial year. That is on top of the successive increases we have had every year. Of course, there is more evidence of our economic prosperity. The Martin Labor government continues to achieve excellent job growth figures, with employment growing by 5.7% so far this year, while unemployment is only about 4.5%. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that the Territory workforce is now almost 110 000 people strong. This Labor government is working hard to build a skilled workforce that meets industry demands and maximises work opportunities for Territorians. Budget 2007-08 sees an injection of an additional $8.5m over four years for training and employment initiatives through Jobs Plan 3. That brings the overall Jobs Plan strategy investment to $21.3m over four years. This is great news for Territorians.
Another important economic indicator is retail growth. Again, ABS figures show that retail growth is stronger in the Territory than anywhere else in the country. It is up 11.8% for the current year to April compared with the national rate of only 6.3% for the same period. That is almost double the national rate. How good is that? I am sure even the opposition could not condemn those figures but, then again, they do make an art form of talking down the Territory.
Clearly, the evidence is there for all to see that consumer confidence is high on the back of our strong and sustainable economic growth and high employment figures. Territorians are reaping the benefits of what the Martin Labor government has delivered to them. They are enjoying a lifestyle that befits our status at the top of Australia. To prove this, retail spending on recreational goods has shown a very strong growth rate. Spending on recreational goods is up 10.2% to $7m per annum. The strongest growth in retail spending was in the area of household goods, which is up 23.9% to $29m, another important lifestyle indicator. Retail expenditure on food was up 12.1% to $92m; clothing and soft goods 10.7% to $9m; and hospitality and services up 2.6% to $35m. As the Treasurer stated in a recent media release, Territorians are confident about the future and small business is enjoying solid trade growth.
The facts are there for all to see. We lead the rest of Australia in the major economic indicators of GSP growth, employment participation rate and retail trade growth. No reasonable person could ask more, and this is a credit to the fiscal responsibility and long-term sustainable economic growth strategies of the Martin Labor government. I know that the CLP has made an art form of talking down the Territory, but no one can honestly deny that under the Martin Labor government, the Territory economy is strong and has reached new heights.
It was not always like this. Remember in 2001 when the Martin Labor government won and had the huge responsibility the dealing with the infamous financial black hole, and then the Labor government began to turn the Territory economy around? I remember it. I think we all do. It was done through a mixture of major project promotion and responsible fiscal management. The Martin Labor government did turn our economic misfortune under the CLP into an economy which is the toast of the country.
I am proud to have had the opportunity in 2005 to join a Labor government that has transformed our economy and continues to set higher and higher economic standards. I am proud to be part of a Labor government that has created an environment where business activity is at an all-time record. Our economy is strong, robust and growing. Most importantly, the growth is sustainable. This is a prosperous economic environment for all Territorians. As a result, we now have a lifestyle at the top of Australia. The Territory is a great place to live, stay and most importantly, to raise a family.
Good governments are elected and, might I say, re-elected to deliver economic prosperity for the benefit of their constituents. On all accounts, the Martin Labor government is a winner and has delivered. However, the Martin Labor government is not content with resting on its laurels. Budget 2007-08 is clear evidence of that. This budget clearly defines our integrated economic plan for this year and sets in train an economic and lifestyle road map the next 10 years. The Martin Labor government, as always, is a forward-looking and socially aware government.
Budget 2007-08 will deliver across the board. There are record budget commitments in the areas of Health and Community Services, $838m; Employment, Education and Training, $658m; and Police, Fire and Emergency Services, $226m. These all clearly show that the Martin Labor government is totally committed to delivering socially responsible services for all Territorians.
As I explained earlier, the Martin Labor government has set in train processes to ensure our long-term sustainable economic growth. Infrastructure spending in Budget 2007-08 totals a massive $645m. Capital works cash and grant allocations total $302m. As our Treasurer so proudly proclaimed, $143m has been allocated to Power and Water Corporation’s capital expenditure, with a further $193m allocated for repairs and maintenance. This is a 20% increase in commitment from the forward estimates in 2006-07.
I was particularly pleased to see that the Martin Labor government has committed $83.5m to build a new power station at Weddell in my electorate of Goyder. Some $48.4m has been allocated for work on this most important facility project as part of Budget 2007-08.
The roads and national highways infrastructure investment in Budget 2007-08 totals $180m, and I am extremely pleased to see that $10m has been allocated for the Tiger Brennan Drive upgrade between Wishart Road and Tiger Brennan Drive. Our Palmerston and rural constituents, I am sure, will be pleased that this much-needed roadwork will help the traffic flow to and from the Darwin CBD, and relieve peak hour traffic pressures on the Stuart Highway between Palmerston and Darwin. This budget includes an injection of $4.5m to continue further work on sealing of the Litchfield loop road. When completed, it should be a great help for our rural businesses, particularly those relying on and associated with the tourism industry.
The Martin Labor government recognises that tax relief for Territory businesses and Territorians further stimulates our growing economy and reduces population fluctuations and, consequently, improves our much loved lifestyle. Budget 2007-08 will go down as the year that the Martin Labor government abolished a raft of stamp duty taxes and reformed other taxes. Maybe this should be called the Martin Labor government tax reform Budget 2007-08. Specifically, stamp duties on hiring arrangements are abolished. Stamp duties on guarantees are abolished. Stamp duties on leases for nil or nominal rent are abolished. From 1 July 2009, conveyancing, stamp duty on business property - guess what? - abolished. Payroll taxes are targeted for further reductions and, for the Territory’s first homebuyers, the threshold where stamp duty kicks in has been raised from $225 000 to $350 000. This means that 85% of first homebuyers will not pay any stamp duty.
On the back of these continued tax reforms, the Territory remains the lowest taxing state or territory in Australia for recurrent taxes. It remains the only - the only - Australian jurisdiction where there are no land taxes or fire service levies.
Some more of the great news stories that Budget 2007-08 delivers for our Darwin rural community include the promised $4.25m to complete upgrading Taminmin High School facilities to middle years requirements. Following my strong lobbying of the Infrastructure minister, I am pleased that Taminmin High School gymnasium will be upgraded to public cyclone shelter standard to replace the existing inadequate cyclone facility at the school site. At Humpty Doo Primary School, $180 000 has been set aside for the recently operational special needs facility. At Girraween, $100 000 has been set aside to complete the school bike path link so the schoolchildren can ride safely to Girraween school on a purpose-built bike path which includes an innovative bike bridge.
My Palmerston constituents are also, no doubt, pleased with the $8.43m upgrading of Palmerston High School to middle years requirements.
The Territory Wildlife Park at Berry Springs in my electorate has received $5.52m for upgrading works and improved services at the park, so that local visitors and tourists alike can enjoy an enhanced experienced of the Territory’s unique wildlife. Specifically, projects include: a revamp of the main station; a new woodland aviary; barramundi feeding facilities; and the introduction of exciting spotlight walks around the park at night to see many of the local animals in their natural habitat.
Our primary industries sector in the rural area will benefit from: $730 000 to assist the growth and development of our rural horticultural industry; $620 000 for the Coastal Plains and Beatrice Hill Research Farms; and $190 000 for aerial photography and mapping to assist rural industry activity relating to land resources.
Other noteworthy projects for the rural area as part of Budget 2007-08 include $3m for landscaping works, irrigation and maintenance in the Top End, and $250 000 for new school bus shelters in the rural area. Furthermore, $230 000 is allocated for a new truck stop and bus stop which will be built opposite the Coolalinga Shopping Centre so that long-haul truckies, in particular, can safely pull off the road to stock up with supplies prior to heading south. Truckies are some of my non-electorate constituents. They always stop in to see me and I appreciate that. They tell me a lot of what is happening out there, and they treat me like their Northern Territory member.
I want to pause here before I conclude, as I want to talk about the projects which have been delivered in the last 12 months as part of Budget 2006-07. I am proud of all of these. Shortly after Budget 2006-07 was released, we had the new school bus interchange for the Cox Peninsula Road. This was a $150 000 school bus interchange at the Cox Peninsula turn-off, and it was commenced only days after it was announced in the 2006-07 NT Budget. It was a project I had lobbied strongly for, and I was pleased to see the work commence so soon. Now it is completed, it is a great facility. It is very purposeful and useful, and kids do not have wait around the Middle Arm Road any more in the dirt and sun. It is a proper facility and ensures safety for our kids in a proper, purpose-built, pick-up and drop-off facility.
There were a number of projects in the Territory and one I am very proud of, and which is close to my heart, was completion of the sealing of the Cox Peninsula Road. I was involved in that project from my earliest days as a geotechnical engineer, which is almost 25 years. As a young Department of Transport and Works geotechnical engineer, I was closely involved in the realignment and design of several sections of the current Cox Peninsula Road. The Bulldog Pass realignment near the Dundee turn-off was the most challenging and enjoyable. I well remember the day I was treed by a wild bull near the Charlotte River. Now, it is especially pleasing for me to have played a big part in ensuring that the last section of the road was sealed as promised, because I had been lobbying very strongly for that. It was a major election commitment by the NT government and it has been delivered.
With the sealing of the road, the whole dynamic of the Cox Peninsula has changed, especially for Wagait Beach and Belyuen. While there has been, sadly, some loss of remote lifestyle aspects, the easy access, which I use daily, for all Cox Peninsula residents, is great news. It opens up many long-awaited opportunities, especially in tourism. I must add that the locals are experiencing extremely high increases in house price values because the road is now sealed. That is a great outcome; one that is a milestone event for the Territory. I went to watch the last bit being sealed and I had the fortune of coming back to open it on 26 September. That was a great honour for me personally because, as I said before, I was involved in the design of the last portion of the road many years ago.
The number of projects continues. On the Cox Peninsula Road at Hardies Creek, there was a situation which was very unsafe, where there was a potential for vehicles to plunge into the deep creek bed during the Dry Season, or being washed off the roadway during flood times. A number of constituents approached me about this and I agreed with their concerns. I took the matter up with the Transport minister of the time. I am very pleased that he is in the House now for me to be able to talk about this because, as a result of my lobbying and his listening and taking up the cause, it was put on the Budget 2006-07 roadworks program. It has now been completed. We how have protective guardrails at Hardies Creek culvert on the Cox Peninsula Road. Many people come in and are very conscious of that because it is a very visual thing, and they are very pleased with the resultant safety. It was something that had been hanging around for a long time. The previous CLP members had not really taken up the cause; the CLP itself had not. That dangerous situation had been there for a long time. It took a combination of a new Labor local member and a good listening and considering minister to get the job done.
I think it was in October that I had an opportunity to join the Education minister when he announced the $5.7m Territory-wide roll-out of school-based computers, 5000 in all. It was subsequently followed up by the program to ensure that all teachers had laptops. It was not just government schools; it was also private schools, to ensure that all were able to source a computer and educational software. In this day and age, it is absolutely essential all students have access to computer technology to enhance their education. I am proud to be part of a government which has again delivered on that aspect.
At that same stage - I know it was not a major budget event, but it was important and part of the whole strategy with road safety - the new Transport minister opened with me the reduced 80 km speed limit through Coolalinga. At the time, there were a few people who were a bit concerned about changes to the speed limits but since then, a lot of people have said it has been a godsend because they can now get in and out of Coolalinga safely. There are no cars travelling down the road at 100 km/h; it is 80 km/h now. Even those who were opposed to it at the time acknowledge that it has been beneficial.
In my February newsletter, I reported that construction was starting on the Special Education Annexe at Humpty Doo Primary School. I have spoken at length on this project, and it is one that is close to my heart as local member. I am pleased to report that it is now completed, except for some additional work, which is added into the budget, costing $180 000. The special needs annexe is open and running. It has not been officially opened yet, but I am looking forward to that maybe next month. I have had a tour through the facility. It has lifted the spirits of the school community at Humpty Doo. Kids with special needs feel part of that school now. They are not in some old donga, which the CLP for years thought was okay; they are in a purpose-built facility, and they are proud of it. That project cost about $750 000 from last year’s budget, and it has been delivered. I must commend the former Education minister, who was a great ally and strong supporter and helped facilitate delivery of this much-needed project.
I now turn to the most recent delivery of our commitments from last year, which was the most important for residents of the Cox Peninsula. On Sunday 20 May, His Honour the Administrator Ted Egan officially opened the new Wagait Beach Community Centre. That centre is the pivotal place for community events and functions on the Cox Peninsula, and at Wagait Beach in particular. Importantly, it doubles as a cyclone shelter and can cater for up to 200 people. Furthermore, it serves as a modern venue for a twice-weekly nursing service. About 60 locals turned up to the opening and had first-hand viewing and a tour of this great facility.
Construction of the facility was a collaborative project involving financial commitments from all three tiers of government. The Cox Peninsula Council project-managed building the facility. The NT Department of Local Government contributed $350 000 of the $800 000 total of the project. I commend the Local Government Minister for his involvement in this project and ensuring money was available. Personally, it was very pleasing because it was the culmination of an election commitment I gave prior to the last election, one this government took on board and has honoured. Most importantly, Cox Peninsula now has a multipurpose centre that is a fantastic asset to the community.
I recently attended the opening by the Education minister of a purpose-built learning centre at Bees Creek School. This stand alone facility has an open-plan learning area, a computer room, study room, kitchen, bathroom, laundry, teacher’s office and two withdrawal rooms for students with special needs. The school hopes that local community groups such as Autism NT will use it to provide support for parents of children with identified needs. The NT government gave $317 000 to the project, and I must stress this, with the builder, contractor and suppliers providing a further $160 000 of in-kind contributions. If that is not community spirit at its best, and the rural spirit, then I will eat my hat. It shows that when the community gets together with government, we can make things happen.
Most recently, I am pleased to report, four refurbished ex-city bus shelters have been relocated from their temporary home at Freds Pass Reserve to various locations within the electorate. This was another election commitment and Budget 2006-07 delivered. The sites were chosen on the basis of most need. As many of you know, I strongly lobbied the Infrastructure minister to get these installed as quickly as possible. Each bus shelter has a concrete pathway for wheelchair passengers.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I have spent a considerable amount of time advising the House of some, but by no means all, of the benefits my constituents in Goyder will be receiving as a result of the Martin Labor government’s Budget 2007-08. Again, the Treasurer has delivered a good and fiscally responsibility budget. Budget 2007-08, like all previous NT Labor government budgets, will continue to facilitate continued strong growth of the fabric of the Territory. Yet again, I am proud to be part of a Labor government which has delivered.
Ms McCARTHY (Arnhem): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the 2007-08 Northern Territory Budget. As the Treasurer said, it is a confident budget developed for a confident community with a bright future. It is a budget that sets out a plan for this year and provides the foundation for the next decade.
This year, $113m will be spent on housing infrastructure. It is the largest ever contribution. As the member for Arnhem, I am delighted to see such focus on housing. We have heard in this House on many occasions the crisis in housing across the Northern Territory, and we know that we need approximately 1000 homes now. Hundreds of people are forced to live in crowded houses now in most communities - houses with up to 15 to 20 people, with mums and dads living not just with their growing family, but with their ageing parents. Extended family members unable to live in homes of their own share with those of their family who have homes. It is a familiar scene in many of the Arnhem communities, as I know it is in many of the bush communities across the Northern Territory. It is not just in the bush. We know also of the overcrowding that exists in Alice Springs in the town camps, in the camps around Katherine and in the communities around Darwin.
That is why infrastructure programs in this budget are the most extensive. There is $1.46m for Nitmiluk National Park to replace the ablution facility at the visitor centre and to complete the Gorge cross-overs. It is good news for visitors, but also for the Jawoyn Association.
With a five-year $814m program of infrastructure investment in repairs and maintenance in the power, water and sewerage system, it is infrastructure investment mostly needed. We know that we have to focus on housing and, in doing that, we also have to focus on power, water, and sewerage.
This is good news for the people of Milingimbi in my electorate. They will benefit from $1.2m to construct additional sewage ponds. The population growth in Milingimbi means forward planning for further houses, and it means increased need for services to the community, of which our government is acutely aware. Earlier this year, the Martin Labor government held Community Cabinet at both Milingimbi and Ramingining. It was an opportunity for residents to speak directly with the ministers, and for government members to see for themselves the many issues of concern in our remote regions, concerns that are not unfamiliar.
There was also an opportunity to see the good things that have been done under our government, such as the sealing of the Ramingining airstrip, only opened last year, a major infrastructure development and Labor commitment to the people of Arnhem. Regular flights, however, were enhanced due to the major upgrade to the airstrip and, sadly, in the last six months, those flights stopped due to the demise of Aboriginal Air Services. I can reassure all the people of East Arnhem that our government is working on the issue of flight services. Discussions are ongoing with the Missionary Aviation Flight Services in the hope that MAF may resume in the region once again. It is still early stages but nonetheless, the people of Arnhem are not forgotten in our government’s attempts to improve transport in remote regions, transport that was largely left as a bottom list priority for previous governments prior to the Martin Labor government
The people of Bulman know they are not forgotten, and they constantly reassure me as I travel in the Arnhem electorate, how they feel very listened to by the government. In 18 months, there has been the construction of a bridge over the Wilton River on the Central Arnhem Road, a bridge that connects communities such as Ramingining and the nearby town of Nhulunbuy to the Stuart Highway via the Central Arnhem Road. Millions have been spent by the Martin Labor government around Bulman, with the added construction of a sealed airstrip near Weemol and Bulman, an airstrip which is a lifeline for our community which is cut off in the Wet Season. We all know the stories of what occurs around our communities in the Wet Season and the incredible flooding that occurs around Weemol and the Wugularr region from the Waterhouse River.
The people of the Central Arnhem region know that they have not been forgotten. A further $1m has been set aside in this budget for repairs and maintenance along the Central Arnhem Road. I have just completed travelling that road with the statehood team as part of our bush consultations, and I know the effort that goes into keeping the state of the road safe for driving.
The Treasurer commits our government to further improving roads right across the Territory because, as he said and we all agree, roads are our lifeblood. Major upgrades are being made in the north and the south of the Territory on well-known roads such as the Victoria and Plenty Highways, the Tanami Highway and the Arnhem Highway. Additional repairs and maintenance are earmarked and include roads such as the Raminging barge road, which is a huge relief for the Ramingining people, especially since the decline of regular plane passenger transport. The Ramingining barge road is north of the community and it takes half-an-hour usually to get to the barge to pick up the items that are ferried across every fortnight. Without effective plane transport into Ramingining, the barge is the only viable option for 12-months delivery of food and supplies to the community. Roads are generally cut off in the Wet, both along the Arnhem Highway through to Gunbalanya and the other road from Bulman on the southern end of Ramingining.
The road to Eva valley or Manyallaluk will be enhanced by this budget. Manyallaluk is a well-known tourist destination south-east of Katherine. Many a tour bus driver will be relieved to learn of the injection of funds to further upgrade the 30 km road, not to mention the locals who travel frequently between Barunga and Katherine from Manyallaluk. It is at this point that I commend the Martin Labor government and Community Cabinet for having taken the opportunity to travel the Barunga region to see for themselves the desperate need in these communities for services to be increased, improved and maintained consistently. Our government has listened and is acting, and I commend the minister for Transport for her efforts in making sure that our remote regions are connected either via good roads, the sealing of the airstrips or by pushing to have regular plane services in the region.
The Umbakumba Road has also received attention in this budget, and I most definitely know it will be appreciated by the education and health staff who travel the 70 km each day between Alyangula and Umbakumba. Again, last week I travelled that road with the statehood team, and we saw the increased traffic on it, largely due to construction of new houses in Umbakumba. It is good to see that locals and the community will have at least four new houses built by the end of the year, if not more. It is certainly not enough to cope with the incredible demand for housing in our region, but it is at least a good start.
At Ngukurr, the community oval is being built, much to the delight of the Ngukurr Bulldogs. We all know the need for sporting infrastructure in our regions, and the excitement that football games bring when communities play each other either at the Katherine football competition or local festivals. Recently, more than 15 teams travelled to Barunga for the Cultural and Sports Festival, an event strongly supported by our government.
Madam Speaker, $45 000 is spent by our government to showcase Territory arts at regional festivals which include Wugularr’s Walking with Spirits Festival and the Flying Fox Festival in Katherine. Such events showcase the unique Territory talents in the bush. Wugularr’s Walking with Spirits is the brainchild of well-known actor and performer Tom E Lewis, who again is an inspiration to young artists in the region. The Garma Festival is receiving $50 000. This is an incredible event. I am proud of our government for consistently supporting the showcasing of the cultural aspects of the Northern Territory and, in particular, the people of Arnhem.
These events also showcase the natural and unique talent in the bush of musicians such as the Lonely Boys from Ngukurr, Broken Vision from Numbulwar. Only last year, we saw people like Tom E Lewis and Grant Nundhirribala from Yilila in Numbulwar who were recognised at the Indigenous Music Awards held at the amphitheatre, an event that is strongly supported by the Martin Labor government.
We do not forget young people. While we know and are acutely aware of the desperate need for housing, access and services in the bush, we are also aware that people need to have a good time and they need to know when to let their hair down and enjoy the performances of visiting artists who come to the Northern Territory. We strive to cater for their requests with local and visiting bands for performances at BassintheGrass in Darwin and BassintheDust in Alice Springs.
This year, our government has supported the 50th anniversary NAIDOC celebrations with $50 000 as our contribution towards this national event, which is being held in Darwin next month. The National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Observance Committee celebrations will mark the significance of the anniversary, and will be an opportunity to reflect on just how far Australia has come in relationships and improving the lives of indigenous people of this country. As the Minister for Housing and the Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Indigenous Affairs said today, it will not only be an opportunity just to reflect on the last 50 years, but will be a significant opportunity to reflect on the previous 60 000 years of heritage and culture of Aboriginal people in Australia, a history of which all Australians really should be quite proud, both in its sadness and its joy. Our government will certainly take great delight in being a part of that.
It is a year of anniversaries, with the recent celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the 1967 referendum. I take a moment to point again how proud I am to be a member of the Northern Territory Labor government and, in particular, one of six indigenous members in the Northern Territory parliament, and one of nine Aboriginal politicians across Australia out of more than 800 politicians in this country. It is refreshing to know that we can still speak and deliver the messages of those people we represent as members of this parliament.
In eduction, $20.54m goes to early childhood, primary and secondary education in 19 remote schools in the Katherine region; in Arnhem, $30.2m for early, primary and secondary education in 11 remote schools in the region; and again in Arnhem, there are many programs to support students with a disability. This I am incredibly heartened by as there are quite a few students in the Arnhem region who feel isolated due to disabilities. One of whom I speak quite fondly is a young man from near Hodgson Downs who suffered from meningitis and as a result is in a wheelchair. He has the most incredible smile and certainly gives a great deal of hope when you see him and come to know that his enthusiasm for life has not been diminished by his own personal experiences and lack of access to services which normally he should have received over his young lifetime. I am delighted to see the increased support in the area of disabilities, not only in education, but under our minister for that area for disabled people in the Northern Territory.
The Back to School payments are a tremendous help to families, and I cannot speak enough about how much help it is to families in Arnhem. This is an initiative of which our government should be very proud. I will be a vocal advocate of it continuing for as long as we have kids in schools. It is wonderful to see.
The $3m or more for Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives is a most welcome amount for the program. Always, no doubt, there will be requests for more, especially in light of the recent report by Pat Anderson and Rex Wild.
I commend the government on the push to build a new school at Wugularr. We have all heard about the consistent flooding they experience over the Wet Season, and the number of times the school goes under when the Waterhouse River rises. We know that when the town of Katherine goes under, Wugularr would have been under by at least three times, with the Waterhouse River going up and down. The people of Beswick are hoping to have that school completed by the end of the year and ready to kick off the new school year. I commend the Education minister, the Treasurer and the Cabinet for focusing on education in our remote regions.
To have a focus on secondary education is something that I feel has seen a tremendous improvement for young people in our regions. They feel they have an opportunity to move forward in life. The greatest challenge not just for our government but for politicians across this country, is to ensure that our youth have the opportunity for real jobs when they move on from secondary education, and should they wish to go on to tertiary education. That should be a right for every citizen in this country. Again, I commend the government for focusing on that secondary component.
We have spoken about three or four students who graduated from high school in Ramingining and Milingimbi last year. They were the first for those two communities. I would like to see us in talking about students graduating from Year 12 in our remote communities in Arnhem as something that we do not need to do in five to 10 years time. It should be a given that we know our kids will go through. We should then be talking about how great it is that these are the businesses or futures that these kids have gone onto, so that we see they develop into something else in life and not be forgotten because they finish Year 12 and that is it. The people of Milingimbi and Ramingining are incredibly proud of those graduates, and I know that in Ngukurr, Numbulwar and Minyerri, there is much attention and focus on our students.
Since 2001, the Martin Labor government has increased the health budget by 73%. This budget provides strong support for the Territory’s hospitals. For example, Royal Darwin Hospital will receive $207.3m, an increase of 85% since 2001. The Alice Springs Hospital will be funded $104.7m, up 94% since 2001. We have heard today of the numbers of nursing staff increasing in both Alice Springs and Darwin hospitals. I take this opportunity to commend the Health Minister for the initiatives in health because communities in Arnhem rely on the Patient Assistance Travel Scheme to get our patients through to both Darwin and Nhulunbuy hospitals. Of course, we know that the lifespan of indigenous people needs to improve greatly. The gap is diminishing, probably not fast enough, in comparison between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. However, I commend our government for the efforts being undertaken with not only lifespan, but also for the babies and youth. We have the highest rate of sudden infant death in Aboriginal babies across Australia, and there is comfort in knowing that our government is very committed to the early childhood programs to help our children grow into the people they are to be.
In health in Arnhem Land we have seen upgrades committed for Umbakumba and Ramingining. They are upgrades that are very welcome. I also take this opportunity to say to the people of Milingimbi that your need for a new clinic is a request I continue to pursue on your behalf. Our government is acutely aware of your request and I will continue to advocate strongly.
We are a government that cares. This is clear from our commitment to other sectors of the community’s health needs. For the elderly, $3.7m has been allocated for pensioner concessions to reduce the cost of living for seniors. There is $3.7m to subsidise the cost of childcare. Again, we care about our families. The Martin Labor government recognises the importance of these services to our young Territory population, a population that is indeed growing very rapidly. As we have seen by recent Bureau of Statistic figures, it is a population that now stands at 212 000 and growing.
Over the next four years, an additional $17.8m will be provided to increase services to disabled Territorians and their carers. This will see expanded assessment, therapy and treatment services, respite care, residential services, as well as increased spending for taxi subsidies. With the support for disabled Territorians, it was a delight to see the disabled athletes at the Arafura Games recently, and the commitment by our government to support the opportunities for disabled people to be able to take part in sporting events such as the wheelchair games. They were at some of the athletic and swimming events. I know this will certainly provide some determination for those athletes in our remote regions to know they can take part, particularly the young lad I was referring to earlier from near Hudson Downs.
Since 2001, the Martin Labor government has increased the budget for Police, Fire and Emergency Services by 65% to $226m for 2007-08: $16.8m is allocated for the Katherine region; $6m for East Arnhem; with $31m to continue the initiatives of the O’Sullivan Review. The Northern Territory will have 1140 uniformed police by June 2008.
Millions have been spent for courts to administer justice in the regions, including at Beswick and Ngukurr. We talk about safer communities, and I want to highlight one area of Arnhem in particular, and that is Groote Eylandt. We have heard in this House and seen in media reports the dramatic reduction in crime largely and specifically due to the alcohol management plan on Groote Eylandt, a plan which has been successfully carried through simply because there has been a combined effort by residents in Alyangula, Umbakumba, Angurugu and Bickerton Island to lower the negative impact that grog has on all of those communities. It has worked. The crime stats released by Dean McMaster at Alyangula Police which show that break and enters have reduced; domestic violence has drastically reduced; the employee attendance at GEMCO, the local mining operation at Alyangula, has improved out of sight, with mine management incredibly pleased with the outcome of the Alcohol Management Plan. Our government has been constructive and supportive of the alcohol management plans across the Northern Territory. Seeing what is going on at Groote Eylandt provides great hope for other communities.
The Anindilyakwa Land Council must also be mentioned. Without them, it just would not work. They have played a significant part in bringing together all the parties and, in particular, the Anindilyakwa people, to address and take responsibility for the issues that we all know are affecting many of our communities: domestic violence, crime and concern about our youth and young children. Well done to Alyangula and Anindilyakwa Land Council, role models for other regions.
They have developed the $18m Dugong Beach Resort, a tourism venture greatly supported by our government. As part of the policing issues that are occurring on Groote Eylandt, there has been the support of the Numbulwar Police Post, which is, after some teething problems in the beginning, now working quite effectively. Lessons can be learned from the construction of the Numbulwar Police Post and the way our police service that post. They are being watched, and lessons thought through for future police posts across the Northern Territory.
Money is being spent for the Groote Eylandt and Nhulunbuy Community Corrections to monitor and supervise adult and juvenile clients, including reintegration and for the courts to administer justice for regional and remote communities, including Nhulunbuy and Alyangula.
In the Community Development aspect of this year’s budget, to secure the lifestyle of people in the bush, our government is undertaking major local government reform. This reform focuses on providing improved services to our remote regions. Budget 2007-08 provides $9.9m over two years to assist with the establishment of shires across the Northern Territory. It is a major, historic reform and it certainly is not without its difficulties. I commend the Local Government Minister for the tremendous effort he is putting into these reforms. No doubt, he does it with passion and a dedicated commitment to see a better way of life for all Territorians and in particular those in the bush.
Money has been spent for three development coordinators in Nyirranggulung, which is in my region. Nyirranggulung-Mardrulk-Ngadberre Regional Council covers a number of communities - Barunga, Beswick, Bulman, Eva Valley and Jodetluk. It is one of the areas where a development coordinator has been established, along with the Victoria River and Gulf regions, to assist with local government reform.
I cannot forget Jilkminggan. Jilkminggan has received over $1m to connect it to the Darwin and Katherine electricity grid, which is great news.
In lifestyle and environment, who would want to live anywhere else? Our government is committed to making sure that it is a lifestyle issue for all people in the Northern Territory.
I cannot forget the public library services, which make it good for many of the communities, especially at Ngukurr and Nyirranggulung. Money has been spent also at Milingimbi, Ramingining, Alyangula, Umbakumba and Angurugu libraries. I thank workers in the libraries. I know at Angurugu how hard the CDEP workers work with Elizabeth, who is working on documenting the history of Angurugu. This money that has come through the budget will be a specific help for those libraries.
I cannot speak highly enough of the marine ranger programs and the concept of protecting the country and sea of indigenous people and traditional owners. Marine rangers are an important part of the Numbulwar community, certainly at Groote Eylandt, Ramingining and Milingimbi. The Ngukurr Women Rangers are an absolute inspiration. The Ngukurr Women Rangers is, perhaps, the first women ranger group in the Northern Territory. I could be corrected on that, maybe by Yirrkala. However, they are a strong women rangers group. Yes, I hear the member for Daly; we can argue about that later. They are tops.
Money has been allocated to keep supporting ranger programs across the Territory. As always, this is a service we would like to see improve over time for the tremendous area that rangers have to cover in the community. There is $60 000 for the marine ranger program, including support to indigenous communities to monitor illegal activity, protect sacred sites, control feral animals and noxious plants. The Indigenous Ranger Group Development Program will have an extra ranger each year from 2007 and extra money will be spent in Groote Eylandt and a number of other places. There is also $30 000 for joint management between traditional owners and Parks and Wildlife service.
In closing, Madam Speaker, and to repeat the words of the Treasurer and others, Budget 2007-08 creates jobs, grows the economy and secures the Territory lifestyle today and into the future. It sets out a plan for 2007-08 and lays the foundations for the next decade. It is sweeping in its impact. It is the budget our children would want us to deliver. I commend it to the House.
Mr KNIGHT (Daly): Madam Speaker, I support the 2007-08 Budget. This budget builds on the back of the last five budgets of this Treasurer. It continues on the theme of balance, as I see it: balancing the bush and the urban centres; balancing the needs of indigenous and non-indigenous people; of core services and facilities; and also development opportunities. Certainly, that has been the case in relation to initiatives and programs funding in my electorate of Daly.
The electorate of Daly takes in a large range of geographical areas, industry groups and population demographics. I will go through them in order, breaking them down so that you can see how this government has selectively invested in all those areas.
One of the big areas of development in the Daly electorate is agriculture, taking in horticulture and the pastoral industry. One of the key research and development facilities that we have is the Victoria River Research Station at Kidman Springs and the Douglas Daly Research Station. We also claim the Katherine Research Station as well for all the work they do. There is a significant investment in Katherine of $470 000 to run that research station, $500 000 for the Victoria River Research Station and $900 000 for the Douglas Daly for all the work they do.
The primary job of the Katherine Research Station is in the horticultural, agricultural and pastoral industries. They do testing and new crops, and I have been delighted to attend field days there. I also compliment the work that goes on at the Douglas Daly Research Station. The staff there do a fantastic job working with industry to make it easier for pastoralists and horticulturalists to make their business successful.
Other areas of land management include weed management, and $470 000 has been allocated for advising landholders on weed control techniques. The work that is done by the Katherine weed staff is fantastic. I have been fortunate enough to be on the Environment committee and we have met with that group on several occasions and learned of the new initiatives that they have.
There has been $450 000 allocated for bushfire mitigation control, assisting landholders to implement fire mitigation and prevention works including scientific and technical support for web-based fire hot spot and mapping services. This builds on the back of the great work that is done by the Bushfires Council and local landholders to enable them to have that more technical and scientific backup for controlling fires in the future.
The mango industry is, obviously, a large part of the rural area and other parts of my electorate. $170 000 has gone in to support the Territory mango industry with a series of workshops to improve the uptake of the mango production technology. New techniques and risk assessments are things that many individual mango growers do not have the time to do, so this work will go into supporting those workshops so that message in that information can get out there.
Some $480 000 has been allocated for advisory services to pastoralists through satellite monitoring. The Pastoral Production Division has a project that will continue pastoralist programs to assess the carrying capacity of various land types for pastoral use. This is currently being undertaken on the Sturt Plateau, Alice and Barkly regions and will take time to complete. However, once this is done, the decision needs to be made to extend it into the Daly region. There is a lot of research and work being done down on Pigeon Hole Station with the Heytesbury Group. It is vital work so that landholders can realise the true potential of their stations without destroying the environment.
There is $100 000 allocated to grow the live cattle export market in South-East Asia. Live export is the Douglas Daly’s most appropriate market for livestock through its physical location close to Darwin, and further away from other cattle markets in eastern and southern Australia. The Daly also offers significant potential for growing young cattle from the rangeland areas of the Northern Territory, through being ideally placed seasonally and physically for consolidation of cattle for export. Hence, any expansion in the live export trade will have positive flow-on effects in the Daly region. This is supporting probably the most vital regional industry there, live cattle export. If we do not keep working on that live cattle export, it will, obviously, have huge ramifications on rural residents.
Further in the pastoral industry, $100 000 has been allocated for the Employment Liaison Officer to mentor employers of indigenous Territorians. The Employment Liaison Officer, in conjunction with others involved in the Indigenous Trainee Scheme, will source prospective employees from across the Territory, including the Douglas Daly. Specifically, there may be opportunities for interested candidates from the Kybrook community at Pine Creek to become involved with the scheme. The project, however, will most likely be involved with the Wadeye community in the short- and mid-term, as IPP are conducting implementation of their own project at Wadeye.
The Indigenous Trainee Scheme will also be concentrating on other areas where they have pre-established relationships. I can name a few: Newry Station where Bob McCallum has done a fantastic job with getting boys from the Bulla community; and at Auvergne Station, Alan Andrews has picked up a lot of young blokes and he finds them both great workers at a time in the industry where they are struggling to find workers.
An allocation of $75 000 has been made to investigate farm systems for horticultural and crop production specifics. This is about projects that look at the environmental impact of agriculture through root zone leaching, biological low chemical agronomic techniques and weed control. The vast majority of this work is focused in the Top End and, therefore, within the Daly electorate.
A total of $47 000 has been allocated to improve transport and logistics of the mango industry; investigations into production and post-harvest handling actions that affect the out-turn of the product in the marketplace. This is a national project that has been rolled out in the Katherine, Darwin and Kununurra regions. In addition, the majority of the $3m investment made for the Crops, Forestry and Horticulture Division for new plant industry production systems and extension services is focused in the Daly electorate. The Darwin, Katherine, and Cental Australian regions comprise a relatively small client base for the Crops, Forestry and Horticultural Division of DPIFM.
There is $847 000 allocated for animal health services, including inspection, treatment and certification services and animal disease surveillance and prevention programs to ensure Territory livestock meet necessary standards for domestic and export outlets. On field days, I have seen much of the work that has been done, and it is protecting that industry. I know it is a little difficult sometimes for the pastoralists, but it is certainly protecting the industry from the key danger of disease.
On that line, the continued implementation of the National Livestock Identification system in the Northern Territory is assisting the identification and tracing of livestock. An additional $40 000 has been allocated to that program. This is another safeguard against disease, where you can actually trace a particular animal right back to the paddock in which it was raised so if there is a disease, it does not wipe out the whole of the Top End and comes back to a single paddock.
A further $312 000 has been allocated to a range of programs, including pest surveillance and monitoring interstate quarantine and grower accreditation and certification to ensure Territory horticulture produce meets necessary domestic and international quarantine requirements. $158 000 has been allocated to regulatory and advisory programs directed towards the safe and legal use of agricultural and veterinarian chemicals.
The environment is a major focus of the Daly electorate and, at this time of rapid growth in the resource sector, the demands and the compromises placed on the environment and people who live in it is more pressing. This government takes the environment very seriously and allocates a significant amount of money from the budget for environmental management and control: $620 000 to monitor services and groundwater sustainability; $90 000 to monitor the environmental impact from operations of closed mine sites in the region, and that obviously includes Mt Todd; and $1.13m for bushfire mitigation control operations in Arafura, Vernon and Arnhem bushfire control regions. This work is vital to protect hot burns which can destroy trees and the environment and, obviously, cause erosion.
The sum of $430 000 has been allocated for crocodile management through trapping and relocation around Wangi Falls and Berry Springs. They certainly get a big workout there. It is protecting the crocodiles, relocating them so we can enjoy those high visitation spots whilst not having to destroy the animals.
We spoke earlier today about the Daly River Management Advisory Board, which has been allocated $320 000 to continue the vital work that they do. I must compliment all members of that committee; they certainly travel long distances and they give their time. It is good to see that this government is supporting that catchment management group for their work.
The Cabomba weed was a significant infestation in the Darwin River area, and $25 000 is being added to this budget to continue initial eradication work. Hopefully, this will keep the Cabomba under control and free up the waterway.
A total of $160 000 has been allocated for flood forecasting. Obviously, in the Daly region we have some major river systems. The Victoria, Katherine, Daly and the Finniss Rivers cause significant problems in the Wet Season, and many people need to know this in those regions. They accept that there is flooding, but they just need to know a little more about how much and when those floodwaters arrive.
A sum of $20 000 has been allocated for the development of joint park management arrangements between traditional owners and Parks and Wildlife services. This is one of the highlights about the works this government has done with the parks. I have seen a lot of the traditional owners in those parks have great opportunities through joint management.
Tourism plays a huge part within the Daly electorate and it is good to see that significant investment has continued to be made into those areas with $490 000 allocated to deliver visitor information services and intra-Territory marketing through local partnerships. This amount is NT government funding to the Katherine region for the provision of visitor information services, also managed by the Katherine Town Council; and $230 000, plus GST and funding, has been provided for the marketing services for KRTA on top of that.
There has been $50 000 allocated for the development of tourism plans at Mataranka, Larrimah, and Daly River, which is great news. Those tourism plans provide a vision for those areas which are changing and growing rapidly as infrastructure changes. There are people investing their own money. I have seen that on the Daly River, with new people coming up from down south, pockets full, and seeing opportunities and, as the government has put in roads or whatever it may be, they jump at those opportunities.
The sum of $110 000 has been allocated to develop, coordinate and manage commercial operations in parks. This is another big area where the government has some vision about providing some sustainability to the parks as the pressure grows, and bringing in the private sector to manage those commercial operations.
The Batchelor Information Centre fit-out is under way, with the relocation to Batchelor expected by the end of June. Considerable delay was experienced due to issues with the building certifier. The Batchelor Working Group met with DIPE to discuss signage issues throughout Batchelor and Litchfield Parks, and the signage review policy developed by DIPE has been the result. I am delighted to be, hopefully, attending the opening of the new Batchelor Information Centre. It is going to bring a focus to that area in so many ways once we get the Litchfield Park road through.
There has been significant development privately at the Adelaide River Inn of $4m. If people drive up and down there, they will see the changes in the main street, with the new owner putting in new cabins. That is a welcome sight. I am pleased to announce that the Adelaide River War Cemetery has been allocated $55 000 for a toilet block. I support this facility, as one of the most significant Anzac Day ceremonies in the Territory takes place there. It is very moving if you are there at dawn for the service. There were several thousand people this year, the biggest there has ever been. The toilet facilities will help on that day, and with the many tourists going there on a regular basis.
The Larrimah community, as I mentioned, has a tourism development plan, and I commend all the hard-working locals for all the work they do.
The Katherine Town Council has been allocated $20 000 for tourism marketing in the 2007-08 Budget. The funds will be used to support the collective advertising campaign, in partnership with the KRTA. The Katherine Town Council recently installed a BookEasy system at the visitor centre allowing a more streamlined booking process for their staff. It is great to see that that investment has resulted in greater visitation to the area. This government is supporting the cultural precinct which, hopefully, one day will be built in that community.
In Adelaide River, $40 000 has been allocated for the development of the Adelaide River Railway Heritage Precinct car park and railway station. There is a great deal of work is done down there by a great many volunteers. I have been along to a few of their dos and I receive constant e-mails from Trevor. I certainly commend them for their work. There has also been $8000 allocated for more signage in Adelaide River generally.
Batchelor community also has a signage allocation of $33 000 for the Batchelor/Stuart Highway turn-off, which will, hopefully, be done this year. The fit-out of the business centre has $13 000 invested; $15 000 for the implementation and facilitation of the tourism development plan; and, for the visitor centre, $50 000 has been allocated. This is a significant investment in Batchelor in the tourism sector, which they obviously rely on.
In Timber Creek, there has been an allocation of significant money into the Fire and Rescue Service for the replacement of tankers. Being an old member of the old FERGS in Timber Creek, those volunteers certainly do a great job. When you are on a stretch of road which is 230 km one way and 280 km the other way, it is certainly challenging when you are called out in the middle of the night to assist people on the road. Congratulations to those people in Timber Creek on the allocation of significant money for their services there.
The Katherine main street refurbishment has been allocated $250 000. I was down there with the minister not so long ago having a look at the work they have done. It has certainly brightened the town up, and the money, hopefully, will continue to see people take a lot more pride in the main street.
I will run through a few infrastructure items. Across the Territory we are lucky enough in the bush to have a lot of power and water services provided. The electrical and sewerage services only come to the bush at the price it does because of the subsidy that government puts into it. The $52m going into subsidising the cost of power, water and sewerage throughout the Northern Territory is significant. We have had a slight rise in power prices, but that is under control, and this government believes in keeping those charges at a moderate level. There has been $600 000 allocated for the resealing of various sections of the Stuart Highway; $2m to upgrade Katherine’s waste water treatment plant; and $510 000 to refurbish the Power and Water depot building on the Victoria Highway just beside Katherine.
One of the significant announcements made in the last week was the upgrade and facilitation of new rainfall and river level gauging stations. I was lucky enough to have 16 out of the 17 allocated to my electorate. This has been good news for the people of Naiuyu, those who live up and down the Daly and Katherine Rivers and, certainly, the people who live in the Douglas Daly, to have earlier warning. New stations will be installed on the King River; the Douglas River at the old homestead; the Flora River at Katherine Falls; Fish River; the Gorge; Emerald Springs; Matheson Creek on the Victoria Highway, the source of the Flora River floods; Dry River; Oolloo Crossing; the Katherine River; Birdie Creek; the Margaret River, which flows into Marrakai Crossing; the Arnhem Highway Bridge; the Dirty Lagoon; Tortilla Flats; Marrakai Crossing; Coomalie Creek, which has caused all sorts of problems on the Stuart River; Margaret River at Bobs Hill. That is a great initiative. It is always scary during the Wet Season for those residents, and certainly me, when you get heavy downpours. You do not get much notice, and these gauges will help those people have an earlier warning, and for us to model river flows, especially in the Daly where you can determine how high it is going to come.
A significant other part of my electorate includes parks. There has been $100 000 allocated to continue to develop the joint management of Gregory National Park and that work to make joint management a reality is certainly looked forward to by the traditional owners and, I believe, every Territorian in the area; $100 000 has been allocated for further crocodile management work in the Flora River; $96 000 has been allocated to protect the Nganalam art site at Keep River National Park; $50 000 for joint management work for the Flora Nature Reserve, which is a beautiful spot; $50 000 has been allocated to conduct flying fox control programs in Batchelor and Katherine and, I hope, in Mataranka where they were causing all sort of problems this year; $30 000 for fire management and early burns in Gregory and Keep River National Parks; and $15 000 for the annual Devil’s Claw Festival. That $15 000 goes a long way with the work that those people do. Devil’s claw is a horrendous weed. It has spread itself down the Victoria River, unfortunately. It is 20 m to 30 m off the bank and it is a horrible weed. Also, $1.46m has been allocated for the Nitmiluk National Park to replace ablution facilities for visitors and to complete the gorge crossovers. Again, that is adding infrastructure to enable tourists to enjoy their trips to the Territory, to enhance the experience and to attract more tourists.
Education is, obviously, a huge part of my focus in the electorate. I am pleased to see significant dollars allocated to it, with $970 000 allocated to the complete redevelopment of Katherine High for middle years. I believe this work is going well. There are some contingency plans in place, but people are embracing the opportunities for middle years in Katherine. This money is on top of $8.9m which has been allocated for secondary education at Katherine High School. Also, $2.53m has been allocated for isolated children’s education through the School of the Air. I cannot speak highly enough about the work that the School of the Air does for kids out bush. The technology that is in place now has changed the experience of bush learning.
One of the election commitments we made was provision of a secondary education facility at Wadeye, and this has recently been completed. For the total project $4.5m was allocated, with $2.4m for teacher accommodation. I am delighted that we have been able to complete that project. I know there have been some requests for additional money and I believe that has been provided for landscaping. It is great to see that educational facilities in the bush are being well looked after.
An obvious issue for Port Keats is the road, and $12.27m has been allocated for continuing the work on it. It is not going to be enough, obviously. An $80m road is not funded overnight, and it is a significant burden on a very small Territory budget. The allocation of $10m by the Territory government and $5m from the Commonwealth government will go a long way with improving this road. It is the first time we have had significant development on that road. It certainly goes a long way to that, and we will be looking for money out of the Commonwealth.
The Litchfield loop road is another to which I look forward being completed, with $4.5m being allocated to continue that work. Recently, tenders have gone out for that work to continue from zero to 9 km mark, and another section of several kilometres at the other end. There are obviously native title issues …
Mr NATT: Madam Speaker, I move that an extension of time be granted for the member to conclude his remarks.
Madam SPEAKER: Just before I put that, I point out that the protocol in this Chamber has always been that an extension of time is given pursuant to Standing Order 77 for 10 minutes. The usual practice is to move a motion for an extension of time for 10 minutes and only one extension can be moved. I will change your motion to reflect that the member’s time be extended for 10 minutes.
Motion agreed to.
Mr KNIGHT: I will be quick, Madam Speaker. The Litchfield loop road is under way and, hopefully, we will overcome those issues with the middle section. This loop road is a great investment because it provides access to the Cox Peninsula via a circular route for the visitors who do not want to drive on the dirt. It will be a great enhancement to the Coomalie and Cox Peninsula regions.
An amount of $3.1m has been allocated to the new Wadeye Health Clinic. There has been some great work down there by the Health department. There is certainly a lot more to be done. I know the Minister for Health is eager to see a facility provided to cater for a great need at Wadeye for health services. We look forward to that money flowing and being spent.
There is $1.2m allocated for the growing demand for electricity supplies for horticulture, residential and commercial customers in the Corroboree Park region. That area is developing. This government is putting money into it, it will develop further, and we will certainly see greater growth there.
One of the big areas of growth is in the Parks and Wildlife area, where $90 000 has been allocated for the training and employment of traditional owners for parks and reserves in accordance with the joint management. That $90 000 is going to employ local people so that eventually, when the joint management arrangements are in place, they will be able to participate in them.
Issues of safety out bush are significant. To monitor and supervise adult and juvenile clients to successful rehabilitation, $510 000 has been allocated to Wadeye, Jabiru and Tiwi Correctional Services. Obviously, with the level of poverty in those communities, issues arise around the law. Reintegrating these people is important and this government has resourced that area so hopefully, those people will not re-offend.
As the member for Arnhem highlighted, through local government reforms, a development coordinator has been allocated. I am delighted to have a position allocated to be based at Pine Creek where they will work on local government reform.
Madam Speaker, this budget certainly goes a long way. As I said, it balances the needs of urban areas with the needs and opportunities out bush. It is, obviously, an area where I will continue to advocate the interests of rural, regional and remote Territorians. I see it as an investment in the growth of the Territory. The potential of the Territory will come, I believe, from those outlying areas: the mines, the pastoral industry and future residential development will occur in those areas. Therefore, the investment this government makes through, primarily infrastructure - putting in roads, power lines, and water services - will facilitate private sector investment. We have seen it at Dundee, in the Daly River and we will see it all across the Territory, so I am delighted to see a great infrastructure budget which provides services to the bush. I commend the budget to the House.
Debate adjourned.
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS
Present Bill - Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Amendment (Kaden) Bill
(Serial 105)
Present Bill - Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Amendment (Kaden) Bill
(Serial 105)
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent me from introducing a bill entitled Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Amendment (Kaden) Bill 2007 (Serial 105).
My aim is not to speak at length but to simply outline the reasons for the motion to put the Kaden bill up on urgency. The introduction of the bill is sought now, because not to do so means it will not be introduced until October, and it will then not be debated until next year. By introducing it today, just by way of a second reading speech, it will allow the cogs of government to turn in respect of looking at the bill. It may be the case that the government chooses not to support or not agree with the mechanism that is proposed, and that is fine. However, this allows for focused thought on the matter.
No one denies that this is a complex and delicate matter. I am proposing a mechanism that has limits but, most importantly, provides a choice for a mother. I do not think anyone here would disagree with the seriousness of the issue, and many will personally have been touched by a miscarriage suffered by family and friends, thus enabling this bill to be introduced. I am not looking for it to be debated today, simply to introduce it so we see the cogs begin to turn.
My remarks will be brief, as will my second reading remarks. I am not looking to score political points from a matter which is too important. It is an issue that I care deeply about, and the parents of Kaden feel deeply about. I tried to keep people informed all the away along the path, and explain today what is happening and my reasons for doing so. I, therefore, ask government members for special consideration in these circumstances to allow the introduction of the Kaden bill so that the internal government debate can begin with the next General Business Day later this year, being the date for debate.
I ask for your support, honourable members, for the suspension of standing orders to allow the introduction and second reading of the bill.
Mr STIRLING (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, first, and probably most importantly by way of contribution, I acknowledge the suffering that this family has endured over the recent past. To Fiona Peters, and her husband, Craig Redriff, and her two young children, I want to make it clear that I, as minister, and this government recognise the traumatic circumstances that they have had to confront over the past few weeks. On behalf of the government, I convey sincerest condolences to them.
I also acknowledge that the member for Blain has made a very genuine effort to assist the family, as constituents, through this period. I understand he sought to use whatever tools he has at his disposal to make this time easier for them.
However, the government will not support this motion to suspend standing orders to introduce legislation. Suspension of standing orders is only, must only, can only and should only be used in those urgent matters that require an immediate legislative response, not something that this government does very often. The McArthur River, an example recently, is one where there was no other option. I guess that would be an example when you would support suspension of standing orders to get something on the table because of the urgency of it.
However, in any case, the government considers that the tragic circumstances this family has endured is not remedied by any formal legislative response. Like the member for Blain, I do not intend to go to the content of the proposed bill in question, although the member for Blain was considerate enough to provide me with a copy of his bill last week and, again, another version of the bill today. However, it is not that bill specifically which causes me or the government, concern. It is the fact that any bill purporting to change the births, deaths and marriages scheme would have unintended, widespread, and quite negative consequences for the Territory.
The 20-week gestation period has been fixed by negotiation between the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments. That period is fixed based on medical advice concerning the likelihood of the unborn child surviving outside the womb. The clearest and most immediate effect of blurring the boundaries of births and deaths classification would not only throw the Territory out of sync with the nationally agreed births and deaths registration system but, given that the decision was made at a national level, it is such that the statistical figures on live and stillbirths are accurate across Australia, and can be relied upon because everyone uses the same time frame. It would have quite widespread implications which would affect almost all areas of government.
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I was very careful not to stray in to the arguments for or against the substance of the bill. However, the Attorney-General is straying into that area and mounting an argument for not just the rejection of urgency, but the bill itself.
Madam SPEAKER: Attorney-General, if you could contain your speech to the matter of suspension of standing orders that would be helpful.
Mr STIRLING: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I accept what the member for Blain was saying. I am talking about the consequences of any legislation in this area, not your bill specifically, generically. Any legislation in this area is not supported urgently or otherwise for these reasons. I ask you to bear with me so you get that understanding of government’s policy position in this area. It is critical to ensure the integrity of the Territory’s births and deaths scheme is maintained.
At the same time, we acknowledge that some families need to receive recognition and closure for their loss in circumstances such as these. For that reason, I am looking at this case and have been working with the Health Minister on it. I understand a review is being conducted at the hospital regarding all of the procedures, and the establishment of probably some more formal protocols around this so that anything untoward, and I am not suggesting or preempting anything that may have happened here which was wrong, but clearly something was there to bring about the effect it had on Fiona and her husband. We would not want that to happen again, so there is a body of work that the Minister for Health can talk to.
Alongside the work that Health is doing, I have asked the Department of Justice if they can develop a process so that a grieving family in a situation such as this may be able to receive from the Registrar an appropriate commemoration certificate and some assistance around funeral and notification arrangements, short of a formal birth certificate because that would be against the arrangements that are long established and in place around Australia. That would ensure we maintain the integrity of the births and deaths scheme but, at the same time, we might be able to provide some compassion, understanding and, most importantly, recognition and closure to the grieving process for families.
I apologise to the member for Blain if he thought I was going in and around what is contained in his legislation. I did not mean to. It was the fact that we do not believe any legislation, urgent or otherwise, is the appropriate response here. The dual response is the parallel process of work going on inside Health around protocols and how we deal with these situations and, second, another form from the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages may get us through this.
I am happy to keep the member for Blain informed of the development of this process Justice is looking at, and I am sure the Minister for Health will likewise keep the member for Blain informed in relation to development of some baseline protocols to make sure that we do not have this sort of situation arise again.
For those reasons, Madam Speaker, we do not support urgency in this matter, and we do not see legislation as the appropriate response.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, it is certainly a difficult issue. As a male, I have no real understanding of the loss a woman feels when she miscarries. All I can say is that it must be a very emotional time for some people, perhaps not so for others, but it was certainly a tragic time in this case for this couple. It is something that needs to be dealt with sensitively.
Be that as it may, it is an important issue. We are dealing with the issue of whether the bill proposed by the member for Blain, which I have not seen, should be considered on urgency. I do not normally support urgency arguments. As the minister would know, I still have a sore ear from objecting to urgency on the dry areas legislation. We had the McArthur River legislation as well. In the case of bills coming through from the opposition or private members, urgency sometimes is not the urgency that other people in government can have. In this case, the next time this bill can be debated will be in October. If you took the normal process, you would give notice on one General Business Day, have the second reading 12 sitting days later in General Business Day and, eventually, debate it 12 sitting days later. Having introduced a few bills in this parliament, I know that it takes an awfully long time.
In this case, I believe the government could make an exception. As I said, I do not know what is in the bill, but it obviously deals with some very profound questions. Serious matters have been raised. I remember not so long ago when we raised the issue of what is a human life, and what the law say is a human being. It is from when a child is born until when they die. Minister, you sent me some very useful information from your department about that type of issue and how it is dealt with in different jurisdictions in Australia, and I appreciate that.
There are larger issues that can evolve from the debate we are having today. I am not saying that would necessarily be part of the debate that we would have when this bill is introduced, but there are bigger questions on some of these issues than just this matter which has arisen.
Returning to why it should be urgent, it is only urgent from an opposition or private member’s perspective because, instead of having 24 sitting days, we would have 12 sitting days. It is not really urgent like a McArthur River bill or dry areas bill by the government. It is just bringing it slightly forward. Because it is such an important issue, it is worthy of debate on the next General Business Day. Even though I know the minister will say that I am arguing urgency, in reality, it is not urgent as in today, tomorrow and finished; it is a long way off. I do not think ordinary people would see that as a bill that is being rushed through. It would just allow this bill to come on a little more quickly than would normally apply. It would still allow adequate time for consultation with people and adequate time for debate. That would be a good idea, and I support the motion for those reasons.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, I can understand the argument that urgency is something that is only used in special circumstances, but the member for Nelson is quite correct: it has a totally different application for opposition. All that is being asked is for the second reading speech to be provided so that at least we know what the bill’s intent is, what it contains; just the second reading speech.
The Attorney-General has graciously advised that he will keep me in the loop. However, all I am seeking to do by giving the second reading speech now, is that the cogs of government are then engaged in this discussion. I am not hopeful that the bill will be supported. There may be some changes to it. However, all we are saying is let the process start.
Urgency for opposition is a very different thing from urgency for government, very different. If you take that aspect of it, by having a second reading speech today, it would then be debated in October. For the mother and the husband concerned, this bill, most likely, as a result of rejecting urgency today, will bear no relevance to them, as it is intended, because there is a sunset clause. You cannot make requests of a minister for the recognition of a birth outside of 60 days. In that respect, it is null and void for the mother and the father concerned. Of course, they would be gracious enough to acknowledge that, if supported, it would benefit others and avoid them having to go through the indignity that this couple have suffered.
That is the reason for the urgency. It is a very different urgency to which government is accustomed. I am talking about having a second reading speech today so that it is on the agenda and there can be a formal response by government in debate in October. I urge members to support urgency.
Motion negatived.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Madam Speaker, after many years with the Northern Territory Health Department, Hartley Dentith has retired to return to the Missionary Aviation Fellowship as a pilot. Hartley worked with the Department for 20 years and, during this time, along with a colleague, opened the East Arnhem District Centre for Disease Control Unit, eventually becoming the Manager/Coordinator. Hartley also worked as a community health worker at Gapuwiyak in the clinic, which was an unlined fibro shed in 1977, and in 1980 moved to the Yirrkala Health Clinic, where they provided a mobile flying health service to the Laynhapuy Homeland communities. I thank Hartley for his valuable contribution, his commitment in particular to Aboriginal health in the region, and I wish Hartley and Shirley all the very best as he recommences his life work with MAF, and Shirley continues her work in the Nhulunbuy community.
Congratulations to the Arnhem Northern Territory School Rugby League players who excelled in Darwin at the championships, coming third overall. Five Arnhem players were named in the Northern Territory training squad to play in the national championships in Adelaide: Tom Hancock, Xyrus Regan, Evan Pickett, Jessie Risley, Jace Bettes, with two emergencies, Sam Putland and Kritsada Phalaphon. Well done to the Arnhem team and best of luck to those selected in the squad as they prepare for Adelaide.
An educator from Garrthalala Homelands, Multhara Mununggurr, has won the Research and Innovation Award 2007 for indigenous innovation. A teacher for many years, serving both in the education system and schools, Multhara saw students had no option for secondary education in a remote community. She is a remarkable woman. I have known her for many years – and absolutely ageless – one of those people who you see in the street and she has not aged. I remember 15 years ago, she is just one of those incredible women who has that, I do not know, almost half-Asian look about them, who never get old.
Despite the challenges of little money, distance, remoteness and the Top End weather, she developed the idea for secondary education, and pursued it until it became a reality for 18 students in 2004. Multhara is a university-qualified teacher, working with the homeland primary school, supporting homeland education until she moved back to her homeland Garrthalala, providing education for around 25 students. When visiting Garrthalala I always had the privilege of visiting the classroom and seeing firsthand the dedication Multhara had to educating homeland students in a very important way. Multhara has developed and facilitated the secondary education program with the assistance of the Yirrkala Homelands School. The Rotary Club of Geelong assisted with building a facility to cater for the growing number of secondary students. Our thanks to Rotary of Geelong. The students have achieved a 90% attendance rate, despite the challenges of distance, along with the perseverance and commitment of Multhara. I congratulate Multhara on this very important award and thank her for her initiative in implementing an excellent program to cater for these homelands students.
Congratulations to Will Chambers, making it to the top in NRL with the Melbourne Storm. I am sure his parents, Don and Karen, are enormously proud of Will’s commitment to the sport which has taken him to national first grade competition. Nhulunbuy community shares that pride as one of our homegrown youngsters fulfils his dream. Well done, Will, and keep it up.
Nhulunbuy Primary School hosted the AFL School Sports Exchange three weeks ago with the community billeting 150 students for the week. I was pleased to attend the opening ceremony and watch a couple of the games. The standard of footie was quite high. The students obviously enjoyed the competition. Congratulations to the winners of Pool A, Northern Suburbs, and Pool B, Parks Blue. My thanks to Mike Sanford, the Arnhem cluster coordinator, and his team for a fantastic effort.
Special congratulations to Dhangatji Mununggurr from the Yirrkala Community Education Centre, who has been chosen to represent the Northern Territory AFL Under 13 squad going to Sydney next month. He is the only representative from East Arnhem and the first from Yirrkala CEC. I have to make a mention of a group school team from the Top End Group Schools which takes in south of Darwin, Litchfield, all around there. They are quite small schools. The kids had never met each other until they turned up in Nhulunbuy to play. They got a hiding first up, and went on to thrash every other side they came up against except, of course, for Northern Suburbs Darwin. You have the height and the population and everything else. These are a bunch of kids from the smallest schools in the Northern Territory - never met each other before – who finished up second in the championship overall. Of course, how could we expect them to beat Northern Suburbs? This is the sort of talent we have out there untapped. This potential is untapped in many of these very small schools. It was just terrific to see them come together.
The Nhulunbuy township adopted this team alongside their own, of course, and Nhulunbuy team and this team became very close. Obviously, a great bunch of kids and some tremendous footballers there, and I hope someone is keeping an eye out for them.
An important development for our local Dhimurru Rangers as the long-awaited arrival of their new vessel, Sea Ranger 1. The boat represents a major step forward for the Dhimurru program, as it implements sea country plans, spells out Yolngu aspirations for the care and management of sea country adjacent to and within the Dhimurru indigenous protected area. Dhimurru Rangers are undertaking further training in the operation of the vessel, delivering restricted coxswain’s tickets which will supplement the overall capacity of Dhimurru Sea Rangers.
Congratulations, Nhulunbuy Senior Fire Station Officer, Graham Johnson, on receiving the highest honour of his career, the Australian Fire Service Medal in the Queen’s Birthday honours list. Graham has been stationed in Nhulunbuy for four-and-a-half years, after joining the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service in Darwin in 1979. In 28 years of service, Graham has worked in all areas of the service including operations, community safety and training, and was a part of the team that raised the professional standard of the safety division within the general community and building industries. His knowledge and expertise has helped lift the standard of fire protection of Territory buildings. He is one of the first personnel to gain legitimate qualifications in fire cause investigation. Graham has been the Territory representative on a number of national fire service and emergency management committees. We thank Graham for his dedication to the service and to our community. He really does run a tightknit fire service team in Nhulunbuy and region.
I was saddened to hear of the passing of Mr Burrarrawanga at Galiwinku last week. A terrific role model for his people, Mr Burrarrawanga performed with the Warumpi Band, always containing a message for his people, and his pride in his culture and his country. He is best remembered for his song, My Island Home on the national stage, yearning for his home. However, the past 18 months, I had the privilege of working with him to encourage children to go to school. He wrote the song, Gotta go! to get the message across. I do not know whether I caught something on National Radio, or how it came to me. If you take a step back from My Island Home and do not think about – as I always think about - the former member for Arnhem and his island home at Milingimbi and how he used to love to get back there after sittings, and of the people of Galiwinku and, no doubt, the Tiwis who think of their place as the same as My Island Home, then take another step back again and think of Australia, it is almost a national anthem in Australians overseas thinking of ‘my island home’. It really does have a great message for all of Australia. A great leader, a great performer, a great role model, he will be missed by all, and my condolences and prayers are with his family and the community at this sad time.
Ms MARTIN (Fannie Bay): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, at this time of year, there is a spring in the step of many Territorians. It is an exciting time, with more and more tourists heading to the Territory and events like the Glenti, BassintheGrass, and the Finke Desert Race happenings. Of course, it is also time when our annual show circuit kicks off at Freds Pass.
The 29th Freds Pass Show was held this year on 20 and 21 May. It began as a school fete and has grown into one of the very best country shows in the Territory. The show this year was very different from the past with new parking arrangements and showgrounds layout. What did not change though was the quality of the show and that unique Freds Pass atmosphere. I certainly enjoyed the day out with my colleagues handing out balloons, visiting the stalls, watching the events and, generally, having a most enjoyable time. I congratulate the organising committee run by Andrew Blackadder on yet another successful Freds Pass show. To everyone who contributed, the stallholders, the volunteers and a man with his chooks, well done.
I also pay tribute this evening to the generosity of our wonderful Chinese community in the Territory. Honourable members would be aware that the Deputy Mayor of Meizhou, Municipal People’s Government, Mr Zheng Shaowei, and his delegation recently visited Darwin. They accompanied the soccer team from Meizhou which participated in the Arafura Games. My congratulations go to the coaches and the team who won the gold medal in the Under 18 tournament. During their visit, both the delegation and the team were overwhelmed by the generous support of the local Chinese community. I acknowledge all those involved in supporting our Chinese guest, particularly Mr Kong Su Jape and the Jape family, who were instrumental in bringing the team to the Arafura Games. I had the pleasure of attending a special reception hosted by the Jape family in honour of the Deputy Mayor, his delegation and the team.
Other generous supporters included Henry Yap, president of the Hakka Association; Rui Mu, president of the NT Timorese Chinese Association; Adam Lowe, President of the Chung Wah Association; Danny and Maria Lay from the Jetty Restaurant; George Mu; Jason Lee; Tim Mu; Kivi Lay, Vice President of the Hong Kong Australia Business Association; and Jenny Xi of the Australian Chinese Business Association. I am sure all members will join me in acknowledging our friends from Meizhou and the wonderful hospitality of our local community. The ties of friendship between the Northern Territory and China will be strengthened by that visit.
I also like take the opportunity to talk about our fabulous Tiwi Bombers tonight. The Bombers played the curtain raiser to the Essington and Richmond match at the MCG on 26 May. It was part of the AFL’s Indigenous Round which celebrates the contribution of Aboriginal people to Australian football. The Tiwi Bombers were outstanding and beat a highly-fancied Victorian regional team, Rumbalara Football Club by 133 points. When you consider the Bombers were playing out of season on an unfamiliar ground and in front of 80 000 people, the victory really was something special. Congratulations to Bombers coach, Greg Orsto, on a great coaching performance. Greg knew that height would be a problem and they would probably lose every ruck dual on the day. Therefore, he developed a game plan that made the most of the Tiwi Bombers explosive pace and exquisite skills. He also insisted his players use Tiwi and not English on the field. This may be the first time since the early days of the Port Philip settlement that a sporting team in Victoria has used an indigenous language on the playing field.
Tiwi football is not known for its defensive qualities; it is all about attack, attack and attack. However, in this game Rumbalara were held scoreless for the entire second half, which is a remarkable feat. The Bombers backline was led by Austin Wonaemirri, an 18-year-old currently listed with the Norwood in the SANFL and attracting interest from AFL clubs. Another outstanding performer was the mercurial Ephram Tipungwuti. Ephram, who is not very tall, played at full forward and kicked an astonishing nine goals, one point. Others to stand out were the captain, Thomas Simon, and exciting youngsters like Don Kantilla, Wayne Pilakui, Sampson Mungatopi and Frankie Daniels.
I acknowledge the support and assistance provided by the Essington Football Club, ERA, Rio Tinto, TIO and our own Department of Sport and Recreation. A great effort by all concerned. ‘Go the Bombers’. I cannot wait for the start of the NTFL season here when the Bombers will actually be full participants. I worry for the future of my Waratahs, I do.
A Territorian who has made a long and valuable contribution to Alice Springs is local vet, Keith Locke, who is hanging up his stethoscope after 37 years. Keith started working in the government’s Animal Industry Branch in 1970, and was involved in the national brucellosis and tuberculosis eradication campaign for 18 years.
After covering many miles as part of the program, Keith and his wife, Liz, bought the Sadadeen Veterinary Clinic in 1988. After 10 years working with all kinds of animals, the clinic began to focus on small animals and has developed a strong reputation in the region. Keith will not be short of stories to tell about his time at the clinic. He performed an autopsy on a circus tiger cub, helped a dog after it ate a bath tile, and operated on a suspected tumour in a horse, which turned out to be a mulga stick.
Keith and Liz are looking forward to taking a well-earned break after being on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, first, Keith needs to complete his Master’s degree in vet science. He will spend the next two years studying after the clinic closes at the end of June. Congratulations to Keith on serving the Alice Springs community for such a long period of time, and my best wishes go to both Keith and Liz for their retirement.
Finally, while we are in Alice Springs, while I was there in May I took the opportunity to visit Territory Lettuce, a true Territory success story, thanks to the dedication, vision, and resilience of Mo and Angie McCosker. Mo’s vision for a Central Australian-based horticultural venture targeting the gourmet lettuce market began in 1992. Since then, he has expanded from a small operation occupying a corner of their Ilparpa block to a major supplier of those gourmet lettuces. Today, they have up to 90 000 lettuces with 13 different varieties under production at any given time.
Territory Lettuce employs eight people, and they are always looking at opportunities to expand their business. Mo and Angie have invested over $1m in infrastructure to support their business, which underlines their confident in the industry and, indeed, Alice Springs. Mo and Ange have diversified their operations to include the production of fresh herbs, including parsley, coriander, basil, chives, dill, mint, rosemary and thyme. They are the sole supplier to wholesalers in the Territory, supplying lettuces and herbs to Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs.
I look forward, every time I go to Coles, to buying one of Mo and Angie’s lettuces. I was buying them for a long time before I knew they came from Alice Springs. That was really what triggered that visit; I wanted to see where my lettuces were grown - and they are always terrific. It was terrific to visit the business and I would like to personally thank Ange for her time in showing me around their wonderful enterprise. It is people such as Mo and Ange with their business acumen, entrepreneurial qualities and vision, who will ensure that Central Australia continues to push the limits of what can be achieved in arid environments, and will continue to produce remarkable economic opportunities for Territorians. Well done.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I want to speak about a man who lived to be 91 years of age. He was a Wadjigan man, and was my father-in-law, Harry Morgan.
He was born, officially, on the 1 January 1916, although if you know how some dates are attributed to some people, there is probably some variation in that date. However, he died on the 11 June 2007. He was born at Point Blaze, which is on the west coast of the Bynoe area, and he passed away peacefully at Bulgul, which is near the mouth of the Daly River.
He was the son of Kitty Worrell, a Wadjigan woman, and Morgan, who was a Chinese man. We know very little about Morgan. In fact, he does not sound Chinese. We used to think that the family had some relation to Morgan the Pirate - at least we used to tease him that way. Morgan was a Chinese person who ran a small boat somewhere around Darwin Harbour. We think he drowned somewhere in Darwin Harbour; however, we cannot find out much about his history.
Harry was the husband of Kitty Tjulmutj, and also the brother of Annie Wudanbuya. Both his wife, Kitty and his brother, are deceased,. He had six girls and two boys. Bruce was born at Talc Head, which is called Majellaba. Imelda, my wife, was born at Channel Point, Nikmingan; Marjorie at Point Blaze, Mandjimamun; Agatha and Leah at Ida Bay, Binbinyah; Nancy at Indian Island, Kubul; and Rosemary at Daly River Mission, Naiyu Nambiyu.
You can see that he spent a life travelling with his family over a quite a large area. I do not have a huge amount to say about him today. I suppose you can compare some of things that are spoken about more famous Aboriginal people in the sittings who have the fame and fortune, and we respect those people and we have motions of condolence in this House; and that is proper. However, in some ways, we also should remember those ordinary people that very few people but the family would know about who were Territorians to the teeth, you might say - not known to a lot of people, but who lived their entire life in the Northern Territory and were very much part of the history of the Northern Territory. I suppose, because Harry is now passed away, a lot of that history has gone with him.
As I said, Harry lived in this area, from Daly River to Delissaville. He used to go hunting with the family on holidays. He made his own canoes, and that is how they got around the coast. He worked at Delissaville. He worked as a truck driver and he also worked on a boat that used to go from Delissaville to Darwin. If you look on old maps, Delissaville used to have its own jetty at the end of Woods Inlet.
Imelda tells me that, when the war came, he and his wife, Kitty Tjulmutj, and some of Delissaville women were trucked off to Katherine. The story goes that as soon as the truck stopped at Katherine, three of those women immediately walked back to Barnakula or Red Cliffs, which is on the southern side of the mouth of the Daly River. They were not going to stay in Katherine, Japanese invasion or what. It just shows you their resilience.
Harry worked on the Peron Islands for the Army during the war. In fact, on his wall in his house at Bulgul, he had a big certificate thanking him for the work he did during the war. I believe that it was important that many of those Aboriginal people who helped the Army during the war were recognised. I believe he kept it up on the wall with a lot of pride.
Another story was that, when Harry decided it was time for the children to go to school at Delissaville, he got his canoe and pushed out to sea, and the canoe came back with the tide. He got hold of the canoe, he walked out into the water up to his chest and pushed it out again, and it went away. My niece, Helen McCarthy, who is quite a good artist, is doing a painting called the Last Canoe, which is very nice. It is a little symbolic of the change from living out in the bush to when he made that decision that his children would be educated, and they went to Delissaville.
The second part of the story was that there was a move to take part-Aboriginal children away from Delissaville and send them to Croker Island at that time. As well, Kitty was suffering with leprosy at that stage, so there were some difficulties about getting proper medical attention. However, Harry did not want to go to Croker Island, he thought that would split up the family, and he did not have friends in that part of the world. He heard that there was a new mission at Daly River, and he asked the Bishop if he could live there. The mission was established in 1956. The family then moved there in 1957, just in time for the big flood. If you ever read Nancy Polishuk’s book about the big flood on the Daly River; that was the time they arrived. Harry worked at the mission as a carpenter, helping build houses, and he eventually retired from work in about the mid-1980s.
Unfortunately, in 1972, Kitty passed away from leprosy. She was one of the reasons that I had some concerns about the destruction of the East Arm Leprosarium site. I believe it is important to keep some of that area preserved from industrial development because it has a place in the history and the hearts of many people who went through that leprosarium. When I first met Kitty, it was at the East Arm Leprosarium.
Eventually, through marriage, education or work, most of the family have moved away from Daly River. Harry moved to Batchelor and was looked after by his youngest daughter, Rosemary. Then, about five years ago, they moved to Bulgul, which is at the mouth of the Daly River, and Rosemary cared for him until he died. In the last 10 years, he did become a bit of a recluse. I believe he found the outside world a bit daunting. In fact, I know one time when he went to Darwin Hospital because he was quite ill, he would swear a lot. My wife, Imelda would be embarrassed by it. However, it was more a sign of his fear of the unknown. The nurses said they understood why. He did have this fear of moving away from his country, where he was most at ease, and that is why he tended to become a recluse.
His grandchildren used to call him ‘Big Poppa’. He was someone who lived a very long life and left a huge family, about which I am going to read in a minute just to show you how big the family was. We will have the funeral this Saturday and he will be buried at Bulgul. I think there will be an advertisement in tomorrow’s paper for those people who wish to attend that funeral. It is appropriate that he is buried at Bulgul, as that is his country. He travelled so much through that country that he has more or less come home from where he started. Point Blaze is a little further away, but that is the area where he lived.
Sometimes, people do not understand that it was not long ago when Aboriginal people walked that part of the world. There are developments like Dundee Beach. People give it their own names, and I understand that those names, of course, came with European occupation or surveys, or names that real estate people have given land. However, as I read out earlier, a lot of these places had Aboriginal names. It is a pity that we could not retain those names more often, even if we had dual names for places. How many people would know that Point Blaze was Mandjimamun? It is important these names are retained. Recently, when the Place Names Committee decided to name the area where, more or less, the Wagait Aboriginal Reserve is, they gave it some name after some bloke who ran a store. When I put it to the family, they came up with a Wadjigan name, which was far more appropriate because they have lived in that land a lot longer than a storekeeper had. I sometimes think that we tend to forget that it is not very long ago that this land was not cut up. It might have been pastoral, but it certainly was not freehold land and Aboriginal people did travel and live off that land and regarded it as theirs.
Madam Speaker, I will finish by reading out the list of grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Harry. Harry was the grandfather of Bernadette who, unfortunately, is deceased, David, Gerard, Angela, Caroline, Joanne, Regina, Helen, Kerry, Marisa, Maree, Peter, Wayne, Brendan, Adriana, Phillip, Glen and Sabrina. He is great-grandfather of Serena, Dean, Barry, Regina, Shaun, Rebecca, David, Claude, Sarah, Jessica, Michael, Heath, Jason, James and Willemina - I know those last three names very well; they live in my house - William, Lucas, Peter, Millicent and Christopher. He is also the great-great-grandfather of Trent and Bruce. I have to say he is also the father-in-law of Rosanne, who is a Parry, Peter McCarthy, me, Bill who is now deceased, Santa Maria and Barbara.
As you see, he has left many descendants. Perhaps now that he is departed we will have to put more emphasis learning a lot more about his life than we have while he was alive. In some ways, Harry epitomises much of what the Northern Territory is about. Yes, he was part Chinese, part Aboriginal. He married a Wadjigan woman and that relates to the history of the times. Many Chinese people fished in the Daly River area and dried fish at the mouth of the Daly River. In fact, if you go through the archives, you will find that there was a policeman writing in his notebook about how he was looking for a murderer. He was right out below the horizon so people could not see him. He came into the Daly River mouth and first thing he met was some Wadjigan women who came up to him and complained about those Chinese men humbugging them. They were there drying fish out.
Harry was part of the history of the time, 1916. He was born in the World War I and lived through the World War II. He knew about the country. I suppose, you might say one of the downsides of going to the Daly River was that they spoke more of the language of Ngangikurunggurr and English. There is no problem of speaking English or Ngangikurunggurr but they tended to not use their own languages much. The good thing that is happening, especially with my family is that they are going back now and doing language classes in Wadjigan. In fact, a lot of the place names have been now registered in the Wadjigan language. That is one of the sad things from the Larrakia point of view. Much of that knowledge has gone. When you ask them the names of Darwin Harbour in Larrakia, unfortunately, that has gone. However, from the Wadjigan point of view at least that knowledge is still there. It is important that we keep that Wadjigan heritage and remember Harry Morgan - a fine man who lived the full life and left a legacy of many descendants who will always remember him as ‘Big Poppa’.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Mr Deputy Speaker, tonight I acknowledge some bright young talent who exist and are achieving well in the schools across the electorate of Karama. At Manunda Terrace Primary School, the Citizenship Award winners for this term are Teja Binti Solah, a Year 5/6 student. Teya has a serious attitude to her work and a delightful personality. She possesses a very sensitive nature and shows great patience with other students. My congratulations go to Teja for being awarded the Citizenship Award. I know that the school takes these awards seriously, and it is great to see that Teja’s received the latest Delia Lawrie Citizenship Award. Also awarded at Manunda Terrace Primary School was Jamaya Monteiro-Pereira, a Year 6/7 student. Jamaya demonstrates great citizenship qualities. She is a very capable House Captain who considers the need of all students in her house. Jamaya is someone who is prepared to help others. My congratulations also go to Jamaya. Their principal at Manunda Terrace Primary School, Bill Armstrong, is a very fair, kind man, and has a great emphasis on the pride of the school. It is great to see that small school at Manunda Terrace Primary, with an incredibly diverse school population, go from strength to strength. It is great to see both Teja and Jamaya as strong leaders in the school community.
There was an inaugural citizenship award at Sanderson High School. I was joined there by my colleague, the member for Sanderson. We had some literacy and numeracy awards. I am sponsoring some citizenship awards. My thanks go to Russell Legg, the principal at Sanderson High. He is doing a fantastic job improving Sanderson High School. It really is looking terrific. He has put a lot of emphasis into improving the physical structure of the school, upgrading the school grounds, upgrading the facilities. The student body is responding in kind. I was heartened when I was out there recently doing a tour of the school to be told by one of the school counsellors that student behaviour had improved significantly since attention had been made to the physical look of the school.
I congratulate the inaugural award winners for the Citizenship Awards at Sanderson High School. Congratulations to Cordelia Mac, Shanese Friel, and Shaquille Wright. They are all very worthy winners and I hope they are enjoying their gift vouchers from the ABC Shop at Casuarina.
At Karama School each term, I donate Endeavour Awards. The principal, Marg Fenbury, is another principal who understands that instilling pride in the school is an incredibly important thing to do in a lower socioeconomic area such as Karama. The school is looking a million dollars; they have landscaped heavily. I know that Marg lives in the rural area, so I suspect that she has been taking plants out of her own garden because the school has had an amazing overhaul in the landscaping. There is new signage at the all-weather entrance to the school and it looks a million dollars. It is just great to see the resurgence of pride at Karama Primary School. That is recognised in the Endeavour Awards. We are able to present awards to Alana Palamountain, Matteo Lee, Rachel Ponter and Jake Geer, all students who have put that extra effort into the school term. My hearty congratulations go to them.
At Malak Primary School, they had a fantastic school sports day last Friday. It is a beautiful school, nestled at the base of Malak Community Oval, so the school has the benefit of that oval for its sports day. It is a beautiful area of heavy shade trees. The parents get out there, even though it is a working day. We have a fantastic turnout of Malak School parents on sports day. The kids are all very excited, of course, on sports day. There was a lot of activity and it was great to try to guess who was going to come first in the running races because we have African-born students versus our local indigenous students versus some very hefty Anglo-Saxon students. It was a real mixed bag on that sports day. You were kept guessing as to who was going to come first. It was fantastic fun. I thank the Administrator, His Honour Ted Egan, for attending the Malak Primary School Sports Day. It certainly sent a buzz around the Malak community to have the Administrator turn up to our local sports day. I spoke to the Principal, Paul Nyhuis, who is doing a fantastic job there during his first year at the school. He is a very energetic, capable principal. He was delighted to have the Administrator call in, and it was a real credit to the school community for having the Administrator there.
I also thank the Patron of the school, Henry Yap, a local shop owner who kindly donates $5000 to that school community to help them with their fundraising. He took time out of his busy schedule, as a business leader in our community, to pop into the school and have a look at sports day. Congratulations, Henry; you are doing a great job as Patron at that school.
I acknowledge the fundraising efforts for the Cancer Council. It is an annual event in Karama where we have a Cancer Council morning tea. We hold it at the Karama Tavern. We had about 50 people attend our morning tea this year. We raised more than $500, which is a phenomenal amount. I was incredibly impressed by the donations. I particularly thank Trish Holyoake, who is the Centre Manager at Karama. She very ably organises the Karama Tavern, and nothing happens in that shopping centre without Trish being the driving force behind it. One thing that significantly impressed me was that, of her own volition, she got a Milo tin, marked it up as a Cancer Council donation tin and had that sitting on the bar at the Karama Tavern. Patrons at the tavern have been popping their coins and notes into that tin, and they have raised several hundred dollars that way. Thanks to Trish and the patrons of the Karama Tavern for their donations to the Cancer Council.
I want to also thank a couple of mums from Malak who, for the morning tea, spent all morning making sandwiches and donated them. A hearty thank you to Donna Smith and Clare Dodt for their community-minded efforts in providing a very hearty addition to our morning tea.
We have had a lot of construction happening around the Karama Shopping Centre. Those shade structures are going up and it is creating quite a buzz around the community. People are enjoying the improvements at the shopping centre. I thank the owners, Peter and Natalie La Pira and, of course, Nica La Pira, for the effort they put in to the Karama Shopping Centre.
I want to acknowledge the work of Andrew Gadd, Gaddy’s kid, who is Head of Security at Karama Shopping Centre. Since he has come along, he has done a fantastic job, and everyone comments on the urbane, intelligent young man he is. He is doing a fabulous job, and I know that my electorate officer sings his praises almost daily regarding how he is able to manage the challenging moments that sometimes occur at a local shopping centre out in the northern suburbs of Darwin. Congratulations to the La Piras for putting the effort into some good security in the shopping centre; it really has made an enormous difference.
I thank Superintendent Jo Foley at Casuarina Police because, like anywhere in the Territory, we have our antisocial behaviour and we are challenged, from time to time throughout the day, with someone who has had a little too much to drink and wants to come back down and get some more supplies. They are turned away from the local liquor outlet and they are a bit hot under the collar because they cannot get their favourite liquor, so they start to shout. I have to say that, with the combination of the improved security as well as the fantastic response from local police, people are feeling pretty happy with the way any issues that arise are handled maturely and appropriately by the police.
I thank Superintendent Jo Foley. She is very responsive to ensuring that police are well organised in the Casuarina area and that they respond appropriately when needed. It certainly makes us all feel safer in our community to have that level of support from our local police. They do a tough job, there is no doubt it. I always admire the efforts of police. They are challenged right throughout their working shift in a variety of ways. To be able to cover those urgent issues that arise, as well as do the local community policing, is quite a task. Thank you to Superintendent Jo Foley, particularly for your responsiveness to the local community when they contact police.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, Alice Springs lost three of its senior citizens over the weekend. It was rather a sad time. Paul Sitzler, as we all know, passed away in Adelaide. Paul was the founder of the Sitzler Brothers and a pioneer in the building industry in the Territory. Also Betty Probin, wife of Arnold, who was a nurse in World War II, passed away. Betty and Arnold spent much time, I remember particularly, at Jay Creek, now Iwupataka. Finally, Edison Ford Charles Ferrier, known fondly as Ed also passed away. It is about Ed I want to speak tonight.
Ed was born in Brisbane, Queensland on 3 March 1925, so he was 82 when he passed away on Sunday night in the Alice Springs Hospital after suffering some heart problems and many strokes. Ed joined the Northern Territory Police Force in 1950. He travelled to the Territory then and gave a lot of time to the Northern Territory. Unfortunately, I do not have many stories about him from his time in the police force. I am sure other people can do that. However, what I am going to pass on tonight are the comments made by his son, Doug, at his funeral. Ed and his wife, Christine Patricia, who is deceased, only had one child. They met in Alice Springs. Pat had come to nurse children who were affected with polio in the 1950s. They lived in Tennant Creek, Pine Creek, Darwin and Alice.
Towards the end of his life, Ed lived in De Havilland Drive in Alice Springs and then, in later months, in the Frontier Services Old Timers Home. He obviously was a bit of a scallywag, from the way Doug, his son, delivered this. I will try to read as it is given. There are many people who have known Ed. I must say thank you, Ed, for your support and loyalty to me as an elected member through some very trying times. He was always there and I believe that is the way people see him. He was a bit of a rock. Doug said:
- Dad had an adventurous life. He lived through the depression as a child. He served in the Air Force in World War II as a young man and had a range of adventures during the conflict. Even after World War II, when dad was waiting with other single man to return to Australia, he had adventures. One day, he and his mate saw some fish close to the surface in the sea, and decided they would go fishing with their .303 rifles. Fishing was interrupted when they noticed a flurry of activity on a US Naval ship some distance off. Sailors were scurrying around throwing the covers off the heavy machine guns to deal with whatever renegade Japanese snipers were shooting at them …
Another adventure was when dad was walking to a swimming spot above a cave waterfall in New Guinea. He slipped and slid down a slab of mossy rocks until he managed to jam himself between the slab and another rock using his elbows. The rest of his body was dangling into a void with the waterfall below. Luckily his mates got a rope to him and he was able to be hauled up.
So many adventures, too many to mention as Police Constable No 63 in the Northern Territory Police Force. He was always a man of action. After the war, he worked in South Australia for a while.
He once bought a shiny black ute which was his pride and joy … and I thought it would be great if I had been able to obtain for him a shiny black coffin for today. But, unfortunately, there were none available here in town.
Shortly after buying the ute, he noticed a seagull had relieved itself on his pride and joy. He cleaned it off and parked the ute somewhere else the next day. Once again the seagull struck. He experimented with all manners of places to park the car - trees, no trees etcetera. No matter what he did, the seagulls found his car. After several weeks of shifting the ute around, he’d had enough. He drove to a deserted beach where he knew there were lots of seagulls, and dispatched large numbers of them … in an attempt to improve his odds.
This is just typical of Ed’s adventurous spirit:
Later on when mum and dad were married and they had me, they returned to the house in Tennant Creek. It was winter time and so they placed me in a prime spot in front of the fire. Their pet cat Spot took offence to this and scratched me. Being a man of action, dad took the cat …
and certainly dealt with it:
- … there and then as he wasn’t going to put up with anything hurting his new baby son.
Dad was also a man of action when he felt there was injustice. He wrote letters to many editors on a range of topics and subjects.
He was a District Officer in Tennant Creek, Katherine and Alice Springs. He was a Justice of the Peace from 1968 to 2006, and an official jail visitor for 11 years. An active member of the community and many clubs – Probus Club, Rotary, Masonic Lodge, Sporting Shooter’s Association Alice Springs Branch, Alice Springs Shooting Complex, and the Friday Koffee Club.
The Friday Koffee Club was when Ed and a number of his mates would get together.
- He participated as a member on the Statehood Constitutional Convention, and was a recipient of the Rotary Paul Harris Fellow and Churchill Fellowship.
Dad was also a man of honour. His mother suffered a minor stroke and consequently was placed in aged care. Mum and dad asked her if they could borrow 2000 and he asked if he could use it to assist in paying for her aged care bond. She agreed on one condition - that he wrote to her every week until she died. He agreed and did so for many years onwards without fail.
… Grandma also had a more serious stroke and was unable to communicate in any way. Dad honoured his agreement regardless and continued to write every week for several years until she was deceased. He said it was hard writing letters he knew would never be answered. I thought it was ‘super-human’ never having been a good correspondent myself.
Dad was also a man of humour. When I started boarding school …
- … I was not the best correspondent. One day I received a form letter where he had written ‘Dear Mum and Dad, and a series of statements with Yes or No tick boxes throughout the letter such as ‘I am well, Yes or No’, ‘I need money, Yes, or No’. The last statement was ‘I need a flogging for not writing more often’, to which I ticked the Yes box and placed the letter in the enclosed pre-stamped self-addressed envelope back to him.
He didn’t put up with people he considered rude or disrespectful, and he was a man with an uncanny ability to make friends.
In recent years, when I have visited Dad at the Old Timers Home in Alice Springs, I’ve done his banking and had the bank ladies ask how he was and say that they missed him, and also the girls in the newsagency …
Where he went regularly for a paper:
- He certainly was well known and very much liked in the Alice Springs community.
So Dad was an adventurer and a man of action, honour, humour, and friendship.
Thank you all for coming here today as his friends.
Mr BONSON (Millner): Mr Deputy Speaker, tonight, I talk about a local legend, a person who has contributed to the NT Public Service and the life of the Northern Territory as we know it for many years. in particular, his service to the Northern Territory Public Service, the Department of Employment, Education and Training. That is none other than Bill Turner. I have known Bill Turner and he has known my family for quite a while.
Bill is one of the true gentlemen that you would ever meet in the Territory, an honest, hard-working, good bloke. Just recently, he held a going away party and he invited a number of people. I was invited and was honoured to get that invitation. Other people who were honoured to get that invitation were: Hon Warren Snowdon, member for Lingiari; Greg Gibbs, State Manager in the Australian government Department of Education, Science and Training; Greg Constantine, CEO of Larrakia Development Corporation; Koolpinyah Richard Barnes, Larrakia elder; Tony Tapsell, CEO Local Government Association of the Northern Territory; Margaret Banks, Chief Executive, DEET; Ken Davies, Deputy Chief Executive, Education Services; and John Glasby, Executive Director of Top End Schools.
Mr Bill Turner worked in a variety of jobs over many years, including in Belyuen. This was his first teaching appointment after his stint at Numbulwar in 1974. He then taught at Ali Curung and Belyuen schools. While at Belyuen, Bill was appointed principal for six years. As principal, Bill’s work involved the community in curriculum development and implementation of a whole school program. He was then involved in the systematic innovations such as development and trialling of a system where all small schools had the same filing system to make it easier for staff transferring between schools, as well as for the transfer of information between schools.
In 1989, after 15 years in remote localities, Bill moved to Darwin where he worked as a senior teacher at Ludmilla, Moil and Manunda Terrace schools. At Ludmilla, he taught in the specialist indigenous unit, the Ginga Unit, where the attendance level tripled to an average of 25. Moil School saw Bill developing cooperatively a screening and assessment policy and procedures for early childhood students, and he established the Moil homework centre which had some 13 staff. He also spent six months as a senior education officer where he edited and presented to schools on outcome profiles, the precursor of the Northern Territory curriculum framework.
In 1999, the Indigenous Education Branch was formed and led by Ken Davies. This was later known as the Indigenous Education Division and now as Remote School Policy and Services Division. In this area, Bill managed the Professional Support Indigenous Employment Program and the Aboriginal Islander and Education Workers (AIEWs), grants to schools in the form of Aboriginal Resource Officers (AROs) as part-time instructors, and the Mentoring and Cadetship programs. Highlights during this period were Bill’s support for the 35 AIEWs and AROs in gaining their Certificates in Indigenous Education, the AIEWs being awarded permanency in the NT Public Sector, and the first cadets in the department to graduate as teachers.
After his time as manager, Bill worked in school grant distribution and moved roles to aid the department and government in such projects as the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) Crime Prevention Project. In addition to Bill’s many achievements and his particular commitment to indigenous education as evidence of the respect and regard in which he is held, we need do nothing more than look around the room at his party and see so many of his former colleagues in attendance.
Bill, I congratulate you on your 33 years of dedication and service to Northern Territory education, and wish you a long and happy retirement.
I had the honour of working with Bill in a number of different roles, in particular with the Top End Countrymen’s Association. He has shown a real desire to improve the living standards of indigenous people, including indigenous men as role models. Recently, he has been a great advocate for the Belyuen community and residents who have been displaced from the community, and this included getting together a working group that met at my office and included the Commonwealth, the NT government and NGOs to best find accommodation in the short and long term for people and families who have been displaced by recent events in Belyuen. He also, on their behalf, negotiated services of the police and has shown an unbelievable capacity to bring people together and work for a common cause.
I have nothing but the utmost respect for Bill Turner. I know his family will be very proud of him, and I hope that in his retirement, he continues his good work throughout the community.
Mr KIELY (Sanderson): Mr Deputy Speaker, this evening I inform the House of a wonderful event I attended last May in Parliament House where I had the honour of presenting the Mary Moylan Award on Social Work Day.
The awards were hosted by AASW Northern Territory, and President of AASW, Judy Clisby, was the MC for the evening’s events. The Mary Moylan Award is named after a social worker who is no longer with us. She unexpectedly passed away in 2002. Mary had quite an impact on the profession here in the Territory and, as a commemorative gesture, the Mary Moylan Award was established, primarily to award and recognise a social worker who has contributed greatly to the social work effort in the Territory in areas of social justice and service delivery or policy formulation.
This year, there were two nominees. The first was Tania Newton from Centrelink, an individual, and the second was the Charles Darwin University Social Work Team, comprised of Dr Deborah West, Jean Packham and Dan Baschiera.
I want to talk about the CDU team. Dr Deborah West is a Senior Lecturer and Coordinator in Welfare Studies and Social Work, and has worked as a practitioner in both the government and non-government sectors and as a policy officer in the Australian government. She has worked in a range of fields, including child and young health, aged care and correctional services. As an academic, Deborah has worked at Flinders University in the School of Social Administration and Social Work and at the Australian National University in the Sociology Department. Deborah has strong links in the human service industry, which provide many opportunities for collaborative work and teaching. She serves on a range of boards and committees at both national and Territory levels.
Jean Packham is a Lecturer in Welfare Studies and Social Work. As an accredited social worker, she has worked with government and non-government agencies in the north of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Jean has eight years experience working in remote areas, working in a range of counselling positions. Jean has worked extensively with clients affected by traumatic events, mental health and isolation issues. She has worked in cross-cultural contexts and in trans-disciplinary teams. She has worked as an academic for the last two-and-a-half years at Charles Darwin University, and maintains links with the human service industry through the field placement process.
Dan Baschiera has worked in a number of capacities, including medical and psychiatric social work in northern Australia. This has resulted in a professional and multifaceted career that has engaged in a diverse range of service delivery and management. It has also included closing the last Aboriginal reserve in Australia through the publishing guidelines for military community development. This assists Australian troops in their peacekeeping role. In a voluntary capacity, Dan has worked as a trainer and logistic manager for Medicines Sans Frontiers both in France and Sierra Leone, where he managed 120 staff in a paediatric hospital in war-torn remote Africa.
The goal of the team has been to develop an exciting and innovative social work course which responds to local NT requirements. Within this goal, the task has been to satisfy the university graduate attributes, the AASW requirements for accreditation, the professional community needs, and a positive learning experience for students. In 2005, Dr West and the social work team were congratulated by Professor Peter Camileri, consultant for the AASW, when he stated that the course material prepared was amongst the best prepared he had seen. Course material reflects the social justice issues unique to the Territory, and it is anticipated that, over time, it will attract students to CDU to study social work. For the first time in many years, social work in the NT can look forward with confidence to a locally trained, effective and sustainable workforce.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Tania Newton leads a team of approximately 16 Centrelink social workers across North Australia. Tania was nominated because she has made a significant contribution to social work, to the pursuit of social justice, and excellence in service delivery through direct client work, and disaster/crisis response both nationally and internationally. At the Northern Territory level, Tania was on the Northern Territory AASW Committee for several years and was a member of the Ethics Committee. She has been actively involved on the Board of Studies for Social Work at NTU/CDU for a number of years. She actively encourages the continued professional development of social workers within Centrelink and promotes AASW membership.
Tania is now actively involved in the Northern Territory government’s Welfare Group, a group that provides on-the-ground response, recovery and support during times of crisis or disaster. Some of Tania’s outstanding achievements include:
an Australia Day Achievement Award in 2002 for her involvement in the Canberra bushfires, providing support and counselling to victims and their families;
Mr Deputy Speaker, as you can see, the calibre of the nominations is very high indeed. I was very happy to announce that Tania Newton was the winner of the Mary Moylan Award for 2006. It reflects well on her, her team and on Centrelink Australia.
I was also doubly pleased to learn that Tania is a resident of Sanderson. Once again, Mr Deputy Speaker, what can I say? The people of Sanderson are great contributors to the society of the Northern Territory. It is simply wonderful. I believe it is a great thing that we in the suburbs have people like this living next door to us. I must say that I have actually added a story on Tania on the back of the local newsletter that I distribute.
Well done to her and the other nominees. They were also outstanding in their contributions to social work in the Northern Territory. I look forward to seeing these people around Darwin in the course of everyday events. I wish them well, and I am sure that the people that they look after in the course of their profession also benefit by this professionalism that they bring to the job.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016