2006-02-22
Madam Speaker Aagaard took the Chair at 10 am.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I would like to update the House on the continued growth of our cruise ship industry and the recent cruise ship round table discussions held between government and local industry. Our cruise ship industry continues to grow from strength to strength with a total of 32 scheduled visits to Darwin this year, an increase of just under 40% over last year. Larger ships are now seeing Darwin as a viable port of call, with 10 due to visit Darwin this year with a maximum passenger capacity of 500 or more. There are already eight ships with a capacity of over 500 passengers scheduled for next year including the second visit to Darwin of the Sapphire Princess with a capacity of 3290 passengers and over a 1000 crew.
It is predicted that the cruise ship industry can generate $60m in annual revenue to the Territory by 2014. An opportunity exists to maximise the economic benefit of the cruise ship industry for the Territory. To achieve a continued increase in cruise ship numbers, we are working very closely with industry to increase the popularity of Darwin as a cruise ship destination and highlight Darwin as the distinctive port of call.
In January, I met with representatives of local industry including representatives of the Darwin Port Corporation, Tourism Top End, Chamber of Commerce, Darwin City Marketing, the Mall Retailer Action Group, the NT Property Council and the Darwin Convention Exhibition Centre. This round table meeting discussed many issues pertinent to the cruise industry and what needs to be done to build on our achievement so far.
I report back from that meeting with a continued confidence in the current product that is provided to cruise ship visitors to Darwin, and in the leadership that local industry is taking in developing an enhanced experience for cruise visitors, especially with the mall traders. The majority of feedback gained from passengers and crew of the various ships into Darwin, including I am hoping, the two ships we had in yesterday, is a very positive message. Overall, passengers and crew see Darwin as an enjoyable and interesting place to visit providing unique and varied attractions.
A particular positive is the free shuttle bus run by Darwin City Promotions. Darwin is one of the few ports offering such a service and the feedback I have received is very positive, be it from passengers, crew or the cruise ground handlers. I must also commend the work carried out by the Darwin Cruise Ship Facilitation Committee. The committee, chaired by Jan Young from the Darwin Port Corporation, is responsible for the coordination of visiting cruise ship vessels. The committee meets prior to the arrival of a ship and covers off issues ranging from passenger movements and refuelling to tourism information and customer requirements.
An outcome of the round table discussions was the agreement that, while Darwin already provides a great experience for visiting passengers and crew, an opportunity exists to improve this experience and to further enhance the name of Darwin as the cruise ship destination. We saw further work happening on that yesterday as we had two cruise ships in town.
Growth and development in our cruise ship industry can only be done through coordination across local industry and with both levels of government – local and Territory - supporting the work of industry on the future construction of the new $4.5m cruise ship terminal at Fort Hill Wharf. As part of the Darwin waterfront and convention centre, the terminal will provide an enhanced entry and exit to Darwin for cruise ship passengers. The terminal is due for completion in 2008 and is a further step in enhancing the name of Darwin as a cruise ship destination.
Tourism continues to promote Darwin as a distinctive cruise destination and as a pre-cruise and post-cruise destination. This work to promote the Territory that supports the work of local industry is done through communication with groups such as cruise ship operators, itinerary planners, wholesalers and inbound tour operators.
The recent round table discussion demonstrated not just the quality product that currently exists for cruise visitors to Darwin, but also the enthusiasm of all groups involved with our industry to further develop this product. Work will continue by all groups to improve the cruise visitor experience to the Territory.
While I am on feet, I would like to thank the police for their response to some of the concerns raised in January. The response that we saw yesterday was terrific. The police presence in the mall, which is a difficult place, was very visible. Not that we have back feedback as yet from the two cruise ships which were in yesterday, but I am sure that they had a terrific time. I am sure, if they had even arrived today in the rain, they would have had a terrific time as well, Madam Speaker.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I thank the Chief Minister for her report on the cruise ship industry. I have to say that it is nothing but a great news story, and it is very welcome in Darwin. I am pretty privileged because I am on the top floor at the Crowne Plaza, so I get a bird’s-eye view very early in the morning if I happen to be fortunate enough to look out the window to see those cruise ships come in. Yesterday there were two, so that was pretty special.
I congratulate the retailers in the mall, because I believe that they are addressing the needs and understanding of the visitors a lot more. The atmosphere is really good when you go into the mall. I believe that the operators in the Top End and around Darwin are definitely realising the potential of what they can have from the cruise ship industry. It is a good news story and I am very glad to see that they are looking at Darwin in the long term.
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I am pleased to report to the Assembly on age of entry trials which have been conducted in Territory schools in 2004-05 and expanded to include 21 new schools in 2006. While our efforts to reform secondary education continue a pace, it is important we ensure our young students have the best possible start to their schooling life.
The policy, for the current age of entry to school education is 20 years old and needs revision. At present, different schools have different models. Some schools have continuous intake into preschool when a child turns four; others have a mixture of term and semester intakes. In many cases, when a student is born determines whether they have six months in Transition or 12 months. The inconsistencies are glaring and inequitable and have resulted in increased community demand for quality programs and consistent service delivery and access for Northern Territory children.
Over the course of 2004-05, nine schools participated: Borroloola CEC, Alawa, Gray, Karama, MacFarlane, Nakara, Sadadeen, Wanguri and Wagaman Primary Schools. In Phase 1 of the trials, particular emphasis was placed on examining one intake for preschool and Transition, as well as the development of a curriculum document for preschool and Transition. Feedback from trial schools has been overwhelmingly positive and resulted in many school communities requesting access to the program. As a result, expressions of interest were invited from across the Territory for Phase 2 of the trial in 2006. There are 21 additional schools selected to participate in Phase 2, with the major focus on professional development and support for teachers in delivering high-quality pre-compulsory programs: Batchelor Area School, Jabiru Area School, Kalkaringi CEC, Minyerri Community School and Bradshaw, Bees Creek, Casuarina Street, Clyde Fenton, Driver, Girraween, Gillen, Humpty Doo, Jingili, Katherine South, Larrakeyah, Leanyer, Millner, Nightcliff, Parap, Stuart Park and Wulagi Primary Schools.
The remodelling of early childhood education in the Northern Territory is another important element of our educational reform agenda. The new policy for age of entry, which is being developed over the course of this year, will be based on sound educational principles and experience. It will be responsive to community demand and will place us well, most importantly, in meeting the Commonwealth government’s expectations of a national common school starting age into the future, and it will further complement the ongoing reform of secondary education, particularly the middle years.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, the principles underlying this direction are supported. As the new shadow minister for Education, I advocated that such a change be made, particularly in reference to the Transition age of entry. It was very clear that the Northern Territory and South Australia, the two remaining jurisdictions that had continuous age of entry for Transition, got our youngest students off to a poor start, and the new direction is supported.
The implication of making this change is that you, therefore, had three-and-a-half-year-olds entering preschool. In our current market where parents are clamouring to have their children in preschool and looking for preschool places, I believe we have a problem there in that we now have the three-and-a-half-year-olds in preschool when we have not recognised the need to invest more deeply into the early years of education.
There was an opportunity to provide that kind of investment by not altering, in the same manner, the age of entry to preschool. You would ensure that those were in preschool at the existing age - maybe we could change that just a little, but not comprehensively as is in this direction - then we could have had reduced the numbers in preschool and strengthened our investment in early childhood. There was an opportunity but, sadly, that opportunity has been missed because we have just made one change to the age of entry at Transition and applied that equally to preschool. There was an opportunity to change the parameters for preschool to provide strengthened investment in preschool and early childhood, and that has been missed and has placed great pressure in the preschool whilst addressing a problem in the Transition and entry into primary school.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, I am pleased that you introduced this policy. I raised it with you a couple of years ago. I can only say it is probably now time that we really looked at getting a consistent system across the Northern Territory. Because of the number of people who move from interstate, such as the Defence Forces, they need to be assured that when they come to the Northern Territory their children will, basically, transfer into a class similar to the one they would have been in, in other states. I am not sure how many schools actually are not participating in your trial now. Coming from the Victorian system, we always had 12 months prep for young four-year-olds. It was a good chance to ensure children had that pre-learning before they went on to formal education. There is nothing more satisfying for a teacher than to have a young child suddenly click and start reading because you have done all the ground work with them, and you have made sure they are ready to learn before you put them in a situation of formal learning.
With the preschool situation, we have to be flexible and allow the three-and-a-half-year-olds into it. Many years ago, when my children went to preschool, they started at three in the Northern Territory. I guess things have evolved over time with the increasing population. However, there is not really anything that says a child should not be exposed to early learning at a young age. I encourage the minister to set up a system whereby we do have flexibility in allowing our children to enter school. I would be interested to know whether this is going to be adopted system-wide. That is my main query to you, because it is a time that we should be doing it.
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I thank members for their positive remarks. In relation to that question, we did have nine; we are going to an extra 21 in 2006. The overwhelming feedback being positive at this stage, we expect that it will just continue to roll out until we cover the whole system. However, we are not of a mind to do that. In 2006, we will take another 21 on. Some time after that, I envisage that we will move system-wide.
The very important points for us is that question of equity raised by the member for Braitling, where some get three, four, five, six months and some get a full year in that very early childhood development. We believe there is a strong case for equity; to have it the same for everyone across the board. We know that the Commonwealth government is heading in this direction to mandate across Australia, which will pick up the issues, particularly, of families going interstate. There is a strong argument for uniformity. Brendan Nelson was pushing it very hard. We expect the new minister to be on the same track and we are placing ourselves right at the forefront to be a model jurisdiction in where the Commonwealth wants to go. We are not doing it for the Commonwealth; we just think it makes sense.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, today I present a report on the latest rounds of the NT Crime Prevention Grants Scheme. It is well recognised that targeted evidence-based crime prevention strategies delivered through a partnership with the community can bring about sustained reductions in crime. That is why this government committed to focusing on crime prevention as part of our strategy to reduce crime across the Territory.
We are seeing good results in areas such as the reduction of property crime and the early work that we have been doing on crimes of violence. The $400 000 annual Crime Prevention Grant Scheme supports a partnership approach to crime prevention. By supporting community projects it contributes to safer communities. The 2005-06 round attracted 53 applications seeking a total of $2.91m in funding, highlighting the increased level of interest throughout the community in partnering against crime. The quality of the applications was impressive. Selecting the 23 successful applications was a challenging task which the Office of Crime Prevention has worked through. For those unsuccessful applicants, the Office of Crime Prevention is now looking at ways of getting support through other agencies for the projects that they have put forward.
In the Top End, the YWCA will receive $10 000 to extend free self-defence classes for young women in Years 9 and 10 at Taminmin and Palmerston High Schools, with other schools to follow. Just a few weeks ago, I visited Palmerston High School and witnessed this program in action. It was very powerful stuff to see the young women feeling empowered in the face of confronting situations.
The Offenders Aid and Rehabilitation Services (NT), OARS, will receive $38 000 to conduct the Darwin halfway house pilot project. The project will offer short-term, affordable accommodation, support, counselling and life skills training for recently released offenders for a period of up to three months; a project aimed at reducing re-offending.
In Central Australia, the Mt Theo-Yuendumu Substance Misuse Aboriginal Corporation will receive $15 000 for the Mt Theo-Jaru Pirrjirdi youth development project. This funding will assist on the ongoing development of the already existing night school at Yuendumu which caters for 15- to 25-year-olds, three days a week with an Internet caf operating four hours a day. The Papunya Community Council received a $30 000 grant for the Papunya Youth Outreach project. Three groups, Papunya School, Papunya Community Government Council and the Juvenile Diversion Unit of the NT Police will combine resources to fund a recreation officer to undertake diversionary activities delivered to the youth at Papunya for a 12-month period.
$70 000 will support the Remote Area Night Patrol and coordination of the Kurduju Committee that is focused on crime prevention and community safety at the communities at Yuendumu, Willowra, Ali Curung and Lajamanu. Members will recall that I reported on a family feud mediation which involved Kurduju, which is an example of their work.
In East Arnhem, the Marwul Rom Association has been awarded $5000 in grant funding for traditional and contemporary mediation and leadership training. In Katherine, a $5000 grant was awarded to the Somerville Community Services for its transitional living skills support program, targeting youth at risk of developing difficulties in the transition from home, school, to work and independence.
Other programs recipients include $10 000 to the Darwin Aboriginal and Islander Women’s Shelter for an indigenous life skills program, $49 000 to Mission Australia for their community safety through family participation, to extend the court support project; $23 000 for the Anmatjere Community Government Council for the Anmatjere youth services program; and $5000 to the Shop Distributors and Allied Employees Association for ShopSafe Stage II, Shoplifting Effects Everyone project.
The grants scheme also provides $5000 to each of the 10 regional indigenous crime prevention councils across the Northern Territory to assist them to meet the challenge of addressing crime and safety across the entire region. A full list of grant recipients is available to members from the Office of Crime Prevention.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his report. I note with interest that he talks about working in partnership with the Crime Prevention Councils and other people in the community. The minister probably has not seen a copy of the letter that was sent around yesterday to, we presume, all MLAs from the Darwin Regional Crime Prevention Council in relation specifically to the so-called antisocial behaviour package that we debated yesterday, and in particular, the alcohol courts. There is criticism of government.
The author of the letter asked that a process of consultation be undertaken prior to passage of the bill. It seems as though the government - and I suppose we should not be surprised by this - consults only when it suits them to do so for political reasons. Minister, you have a problem in respect to the Darwin Regional Crime Prevention Council if they are unhappy about the lack of consultation undertaken by your government. I know the government is facing significant budgetary constraints, but it would be worth looking under rocks and pillows for more money because $400 000 arguably is not enough to assist the community and meet the challenge of tackling crime. They need assistance because you are not doing a very good job of it. In the crime stats that were released in December, the results were not good. In fact, as I said at the time, they remain the worst I have ever seen.
Let us go through just a couple of them in the short time that I have left. This is year-on-year comparison: Alice Springs sexual assault by 140%; Alice Springs house breaks up by 40%; Alice Springs business breaks up by 71%; motor vehicle theft up by 22%; Darwin house breaks up to 95%; Darwin business breaks up by 36%; motor vehicle theft up by 5%; Darwin theft up by 14%; property damage up by 6%; Palmerston sexual assaults up by 14%; Katherine assaults up by 77%, by jingo minister you are doing a bad job. I commend you in engaging the community as there is much more work to be done.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, it is always great for the minister to be able to stand up and say ‘These are the grants we are giving organisations’. All ministers like doing that because it gives you a pretty good feeling. However, I am wondering whether these are one-off grants. If we are starting programs, should we not be looking at giving grants to ensure the security of the programs, making it a two or three-year grant rather than saying: ‘This is your grant for this year and whether you get next year depends on how many applications and how much money we have’. Have you thought about that? We all know what a great job they are doing but let us give them a little more security of knowing what they are actually going to get by making these grants triennial rather than annually. Sometimes, the difficulty we have is that we give people encouragement, they start up a program and then, unfortunately, they do not get funded and it tends to fall into a bit of a heap.
Regarding the crime stats, what worries me - and I read a little of what the member for Greatorex and people across the floor have been saying. Crime is a problem we are all concerned about it but let us stop painting this picture of the Territory as being the murder or the crime capital of Australia. Let us start trying to get a bit of a positive spin saying: ‘Yes, we have a problem and this is what we are going to do about it’. I worry that we keep putting the town down like that. It disgusts me. I am brave enough to say I love Alice Springs. I ask all members to start putting aside their political points and start saying to people out there: ‘We are there to help you, we will do the best we can, it is a good place to live, do not leave because of the hype in the media’. Let us start saying the Territory has a lot to offer and support the Territory.
Members: Hear, hear!
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I have to agree entirely with what the member for Braitling said; that there is too much vested interest in painting negative pictures of our communities and it does us all a lot of harm. With the grant schemes, we have categories where we extend the grant funding period to groups that are clearly going to need to work on their projects over a more extended time. We try to bring it back into core funding arrangements either with us or with the federal government.
As for the member for Araluen, we did consult with 80 000 people prior to putting the antisocial behaviour package through the House yesterday - it is call an election. She is showing her usual fairly dishonest way of using statistics yet again.
Reports noted.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to reform the law of defamation in the Territory so that it is uniform with the law in places elsewhere in Australia. This bill will repeal and replace the Defamation Act currently in operation in the Northern Territory, and make consequential amendments to the Juries Act and Limitation Act. This bill reforms the law of defamation in accordance with the model provisions agreed by all state and Territory Attorneys-General over the course of 2004-05. It is substantially the same as bills passed in other states and the Australian Capital Territory.
Currently, the law of defamation in the Northern Territory is substantially the common law with minor modifications made by the Defamation Act. Prior to the passage of new defamation acts in the states over the last year, the law of defamation in Australia was inconsistent amongst the jurisdictions. In some jurisdictions, the common law was the source of defamation law with either minor or substantial statutory amendment, while in Tasmania and Queensland, the law had been codified. The principal differences were not in relation to what constituted a defamatory statement but as to the defences that applied. These differing defamation regimes were complex and worked poorly in practice.
The model defamation provisions reflected in this bill have primarily been driven by the rapid growth in technology. We now live in a world where communications are no longer confined to individual jurisdictions or nations. The lack of uniformity in this country was routinely criticised for leading to unfair and disproportionate results. For example, this inconsistency allowed a plaintiff suing a national newspaper or media association to choose or ‘forum shop’ the jurisdiction which had the most attractive laws. This ensured the best chance of a favourable verdict and the highest damages. Implementation of the model Defamation Bill remedies most of these anomalies by ensuring the same law will apply regardless of the place of publication or the place where the court action may take place. Long-term uniformity will be underpinned by an inter-governmental agreement.
In developing this bill, the Attorneys-General of the states and territories have also considered the policy principles applying to the law of defamation. We have sought to develop defamation legislation that achieves an appropriate balance between free speech and protecting the reputation and character of individuals. Importantly, the uniform legislation has the support of all the major print and electronic media stakeholders in this country.
By way of background, the cause for the reform of defamation law in Australia and problems associated with its lack of uniformity have been under national consideration for at least 25 years. In 1979, the Australian Law Reform Commission published its report Unfair Publication: Defamation and Privacy. The ALRC concluded that significant changes were needed in the substantive law governing rights of action and defence. In July 2004, the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General released the proposed framework for uniform defamation law to the public for comment. This was after substantial agreement by SCAG on the core principles that would form the basis of the new model provisions.
The proposed framework received considerable support from stakeholders and led to the development of the model provisions which form the basis of the bill. As all members will appreciate, the reform of defamation laws in this country is essential and any such reform should be uniform throughout Australia.
I shall turn now to discuss the four main objectives of this bill set out in Part 1 which are as follows:
In other areas, such as corporations suing for defamation and damages for example, the bill will change the common law. A significant advantage in not completely codifying the law of defamation is that the law will retain its flexibility, with the capacity to develop in response to changing circumstances. This will not detract from uniformity because the High Court enunciates the law for all jurisdictions.
I will now set out the key features of the bill, in particular where it modifies the current Northern Territory Defamation Act.
In the ability of corporations to sue for defamation, this bill amends the common law which, at present, allows corporations to sue for defamation if they can show that the defamatory statements injured them in their trade or business. Under the bill, corporations will not be able to bring these types of actions. There are two exceptions. One is corporations that do not operate for financial gains, or which employ fewer than 10 employees, and that are not related to another corporation. This exemption will allow small business entities, such as family businesses or non-profit community organisations to protect the business or trade by bringing defamation actions where necessary. These exceptions do not include a local council or other governmental or public authority. These entities will not be able to bring defamation actions.
Defamation is aimed at protecting the personal reputation of the individual, and it is entirely consistent with the focus of this bill that defamation operates to restore the reputation of individuals where they have been defamed.
Defamation action has the potential to be used by large corporate bodies to stifle criticism of their action. Such organisations have the ability to stop public comment as they have the resources to pursue costly litigation against private individuals who have no capacity to defend themselves. Corporations also have other options available to them to refute allegedly defamatory publications, such as publicity campaigns to promote their public profile and reputation.
The bill provides for the resolution of disputes without litigation. This bill contains provisions designed to facilitate the speedy resolution of disputes without litigation. These provisions encourage alternative dispute resolution by establishing a voluntary ‘offer of amends’ settlement process between a publisher and an aggrieved person that may be used before, or as an alternative to, litigation. The offer of amends must include an offer to publish a reasonable correction, and an offer to pay the reasonable expenses incurred by the aggrieved person before the offer was made, and those incurred in their consideration of the offer. This pre-litigation offer of amends procedure provides a strong incentive for timely corrections to be published and differs from the current process in that it operates before any litigation has commenced.
Under the bill, an apology does not amount to admission of fault or liability, and the evidence of an apology is not admissible in civil proceedings as evidence of fault or liability. At present, the Defamation Act only provides for post-litigation apologies.
The bill changes the law for juries and judicial officers. At present in the Northern Territory, the Juries Act provides that a court may, on its own or by application to a party, order the civil case be tried by the court with a jury. In the last 30 years, however, it seems there has only been a single case in which a civil jury has been employed. Use of juries is one issue on which national uniformity could not be agreed. Ultimately, it was decided that it was a procedural issue and that jurisdictions that wish to retain juries could do so and others could operate without them. Those jurisdictions that have retained juries have limited them to deciding liability and not assessing damages. Because civil juries have seldom been used in the Northern Territory, and because it was determined by SCAG that juries are necessary for uniform defamation laws, the use of civil juries for defamation proceedings in the Northern Territory has been abolished by this bill.
There are changes to the limitation period. The Northern Territory currently provides for a three-year limitation period in which to commence a defamation action. This bill reduces that to one year to encourage immediate attention of an alleged defamation. However, there are circumstances where it may not be reasonable for a plaintiff to commence an action within that period. The bill, therefore, provides that a court is able to extend that period for up to three years. This change will be implemented via an amendment to the Limitation Act.
For common law defences, this bill contains a number of available defences to an action in defamation. These are in addition to defences that already exist under the common law, and are not intended to limit the operation of those defences in any way. This means that defences available under the common law are not excluded from operation even though they are not included in this bill. For example, the ‘truth alone’ defence to an action in defamation is presently the common law in the Northern Territory. This defence is established when the defendant proves that the defamatory publication was true or substantially true. This defence is maintained in the bill.
In addition, the bill provides for a new defence of contextual truth. This provides that where defamatory imputations arise from a publication, it is a defence for the defendant to show in the context where some of the defamatory statements are true or substantially true, and others are not true, that the plaintiff’s reputation has not been further harmed by the untrue statements. An example is a publication which states that a person was a convicted murderer which was true and had a drink driving conviction which was false. The defendant could argue that, in the context of the whole publication, the plaintiff’s reputation as a convicted murderer was not further harmed by the untrue statement that he or she was also a drink driver. This differs from the current position in the Territory where the plaintiff can separate statements in the publication and sue on the relatively minor defamatory statement which, if considered in the wider context of the publication, does not actually harm the plaintiff’s reputation. This state of affairs potentially operates unfairly; the plaintiff may recover damages for the untrue statement even though no further harm to the plaintiff’s reputation occurred in the context of the publication as a whole. The new defence of contextual truth addresses this problem by ensuring courts have reference to wider circumstances and content of the publication.
The defence of innocent dissemination is another defence contained in this bill. This already exists under the common law but the bill clarifies the position of those who distribute the material but who are not necessarily aware of the content of the material they distribute, such as Internet service providers, book sellers or librarians. These providers will no longer be automatically treated as the primary distributor of the defamatory material. They will be able to rely on this defence if they can prove that they did not know, or could not reasonably be expected to know, that the material was defamatory and that their lack of knowledge was not due to any negligence. This defence recognises that some distributors of material, from Internet providers to the local newsagent, have no effective control over the material they distribute and should not be liable to defamation.
The bill maintains the current statutory position in the Territory in relation to the defence of absolute privilege. This defence will continue to apply to situations such as proceedings in parliament and those before tribunals and courts. This defence recognises that in these circumstances it is in the public interest that freedom of speech be safeguarded from the threat of litigation.
The bill contains several significant provisions relating to damages. The bill requires that damages awarded to plaintiffs have an appropriate and rational relationship to the harm sustained by the plaintiff. And further, damages for non-economic loss are capped at $250 000, which will be adjusted annually with reference to the formula in the bill. This is consistent with reforms to the tort law of negligence as contained in the Personal Injuries (Liability and Damages) Act 2003.
Finally, the bill abolishes exemplary or punitive damages but retains the ability of courts to award aggravated damages. This will occur in circumstances where the conduct of the defendant has been either improper, unjustifiable, or lacking in bona fides. Their conduct must be misconduct and the misconduct must have caused a further actual harm to the plaintiff. The bill also sets out some mitigating factors to assist in the assessment of damages. This includes whether the defendant has made an apology, whether the defendant has published a correction, and whether the plaintiff has already recovered damages from the same or similar matter from any other publication. None of these are intended to limit the matters a court may take into account in mitigation of damages as is the case currently in the Territory under the Defamation Act.
The uniform state and territory legislation deals with the law of civil defamation, but criminal defamation is dealt with under a variety of laws outside each jurisdictions Defamation Act. It is not intended that the uniform defamation legislation reform or make uniform criminal defamation laws. However, some states have taken the opportunity to amend the law relating to criminal defamation within the body of the Defamation Bill. The Territory did not consider it necessary to amend its criminal defamation provisions which are contained in the Criminal Code.
In order to maintain uniformity in defamation law the state and territory Attorneys-General have developed an inter-governmental agreement. This agreement provides for a consultative process to respond to change in circumstances and it will ensure that any further reforms on defamation law will occur on a uniform basis throughout Australia.
In conclusion, this bill represents a milestone for defamation law in the Northern Territory and throughout Australia. This bill will ensure at the national level an appropriate and fair balance between free speech and the protection of personal reputations. The reform is long overdue and represents a significant achievement by the states and territories. It is an essential step based on broad agreement between jurisdictions, and is supported by a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the print and electronic media.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill will now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to amend the Partnership Act to provide for registration and administration of a new type of business structure in the Territory called an incorporated limited partnership. This type of business structure is preferred by international venture capital investors and will allow such investors based or operating in the Northern Territory to access the Commonwealth taxation regime applicable to such investments. Similar legislation has been passed in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.
The current Partnership Act provides the law relating to partnerships and is a codification of principles arising out of the common law and equity. Currently, a core element of a partnership is that partners are jointly or severally liable for all debts of the partnership. The current act makes no provision for a partnership where the liability of a partner for debts of the partnership can be limited.
Limited partnerships gained a degree of popularity in other jurisdictions in the early 1990s as a relatively simply and inexpensive commercial vehicle for attracting venture capital. For the benefit of members, venture capital is high risk equity funding provided by professional investors to new and growing enterprises that have the potential for big returns on investment, and is often the sole or primary source of capital to fund the commercialisation of risky concepts and innovations. Until 1992, limited partnerships were not subject to much of the regulation under the corporations law which is now the Corporations Reform (Northern Territory) Act 2001. However, in 1992 the federal government began taxing limited partnerships as if they were companies. This reduced the attraction of limited partnerships for venture capital purposes. After 1992, Australian venture capital funds generally came to be structured as either unit trusts or companies. This posed a problem because, internationally, the preferred vehicle for a venture capital investment is the limited partnership.
In 2002, the Commonwealth enacted legislation aimed at addressing the situation and attracting venture capital funds into Australia. The Commonwealth’s Taxation Laws Amendment (Venture Capital) Act 2002 amended the taxation laws to change the tax treatment of three types of limited partnerships used to invest in Australian venture capital companies. Those are the Venture Capital Limited Partnerships; the Australian Fund of Funds, a limited partnership that pools investment for the purposes of investing in other Venture Capital Limited Partnerships; and Venture Capital Management Partnerships, a limited partnership that is the general partner of a Venture Capital Limited Partnership or Australian Fund of Funds.
These changes mean that eligible limited partnerships will be taxed according to internationally recognised standards. An investor in Venture Capital Limited Partnership, or an Australian Fund of Funds, has flow-through taxation benefits under the taxation laws of the Commonwealth. The Venture Capital Management Partnership can be a general partner in Venture Capital Limited Partnerships or an Australian Fund of Funds. As the general partner, it can be a manager of these bodies.
An additional incentive for the investor to invest in an incorporated limited partnership is the benefit of limited liability. The proposed amendments ensure that the benefit of limited liability of an investor in a limited partnership will be able to be recognised outside the jurisdiction where the partnership is incorporated.
The amendments contained in this bill are essential if the Northern Territory is to facilitate the possibility of venture capital investment firms locating in the Northern Territory, and firms located in other jurisdictions to invest in the Northern Territory.
Clauses 4 to 20 in the bill make amendments to the existing provisions of the act to accommodate the new provisions dealing with incorporated limited partnerships. The opportunity has been taken to make some other amendments so as to reflect modern drafting style.
Clause 21 of the bill inserts a new Part 3 into the act, and this part sets out most of the provisions that apply to incorporated limited partnerships. The new Part 3 has five divisions. Division 1 includes an objects clause.
Division 2 sets out matters related to the formation of incorporated limited partnership. These matters include:
Division 5 deals with various other general matters such as registered office, seals, registration certificates and offences.
These amendments are part of the national regime gradually being established throughout Australia. As mentioned earlier, similar legislation has been introduced or enacted in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. I do not expect that these provisions will have a profound short-term effect on the Northern Territory, but they do assist in settling in place a consistent national regime that facilitates investment in Australia.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and I table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that consideration of Government Business No 1 be postponed until after consideration of Government Business relating to the motion to note the Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report 2005-06.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, can I seek clarification? What was being postponed?
Madam SPEAKER: They just swapped those two things. The statement on statehood will come on second.
Motion agreed to.
Continued from 1 December 2006.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, we have spent a fair amount of time in the last two weeks talking about the Northern Territory economy. Whilst government have seized upon the term ‘turbocharged’ as the justification and demonstration of a great achievement on their behalf, further analysis reveals the story is not all as it seems. Before honourable - and exceptionally sensitive - members detect in my tone that I am going to be even faintly critical, and before they press the response and react button, I ask you to consider and balance the argument, and some of the things that opposition will present. We will be restating many of the issues that have already been given time in this Chamber, for good reason.
There is a time, as the member for Braitling said, to pitch our efforts in this Chamber to matters which are above politics so that we can engage in genuine, reasoned debate. I know Territorians and Australians expect that. It is for that reason that I am terribly sorry, Chief Minister, Treasurer, and sensitive members opposite, that some of my comments may appear to be critical.
I ask you just draw a deep breath. We all have difficulty, as I do, when criticism is in the air, but we must be mature and allow these ideas to go beyond our immediate reactions.
There is a difference between the budget and the economy. Issues to do with the economy have given rise to Access Economics phrase ‘turbocharged’. In many respects, they are correct. The economy reflected in the Northern Territory, as in Western Australia and Queensland, is moving ahead strongly. That is not a direct result of the budgetary constraints or fiscal strategies of the current government. With or without them, there would still be a resources boom. That underlying resources boom, driven by these strong demands for resources, primarily in China, India and other places within the economic sphere, have given rise to a growth in resources.
It is our mining sector that has provided the ‘turbocharge’. It is the oil and gas exploration, due to the huge demand for gas that has provided the fuel for the ‘turbocharge’. Let us be clear about it, that is the economy. Whether it was a Labor or CLP government, because of economic factors the ‘turbocharge’ would still be there. In fact, the former Treasurer, Mike Reed, predicted in Treasury documents a similar occurrence that has already been demonstrated in these papers. I guess it is the nature of the game that we play: if it happens on your watch, then it is claimed as your achievement - easily forgetting, I guess, that these things are your responsibility. To claim them as great achievements of your government is not really satisfactory. It is an ongoing thing and our requirement, as reflected in the Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report, is to manage the budget, that which arises from a strong economy.
There are the same imperatives that come to bear on economic management reflected in a budget, if times are good or hard. There are different requirements, fiscal strategies, and disciplines that are required on either situation. The demand is equal. When things are going well, great discipline is required to constrain and restrain spending and invest more deeply so that when times are lean you can reap the benefit. There are plenty of stories like that. You can go back to Joseph in the Old Testament. There were seven good years, and all the nations around Egypt used those seven good years to their excess. However, in Egypt, they used those seven years to invest in the seven lean years. So when the lean years came, they had plenty to share.
The requirement now in these good times, in the time of economic growth, is to prepare for the future. The Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report highlights a very alarming fact that spending is increasing; that in the preceding year debt is up by $400m. In a time of abundance and strong growth the debt level has increased – an alarming trend. That is going backwards, the other way when, in fact, reserves should be put aside. In fact, the debt is increasing, which is a reduction in your fiscal capacity. It is even projected that the $4bn will be the ultimate level that we aiming at. It has already been documented within budgetary papers. However, that is an alarming trend when you consider that economic factors are driving the current growth, not budgetary issues.
Dr Burns: Oh, that is a bit nave.
Mr MILLS: Last year in your budget, you spent $100m more than you budgeted for. That is not a bit nave, that is a bit reckless and ill-disciplined. If you have a budget, you stick within your budget. This government has exceeded their parameters year after year. They have the capacity to do so because there is the flow-on to the Territory budget by virtue of the GST. There is nothing that has been produced by economic activity directly within the Territory, but largely from New South Wales and Victoria, which allows the Treasurer to call in to the piggy bank and draw it out when the need requires. That is like having kids who know that mum and dad have a fair bit of money stashed away, that if they fall on difficult times, rather than exercise discipline and strengthen their responsibility so that they can endure a more difficult time, they turn to dad and say: ‘Dad, we are having some problems here’. It could become a political problem for you, they cleverly assert. Of course, the Treasurer, wanting to please all, scurries off to the piggy bank and withdraws and passes it on.
Honourable members, check your own budget papers before you get too high and mighty. Check the excesses. Check the leaking over the boundaries of your own budgetary predictions. You go over, year after year. You can do that, because there is a level …
Mr Knight: Like the CLP.
Mr MILLS: What!
Mr Knight: Like the CLP.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Daly.
Ms Carney: What would you know? You are such a silly boy.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Daly! Member for Blain, please continue.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex.
Mr MILLS: Honourable members, have a read of the papers. You approach reading with a capacity for self-induced blindness and you read to see only what you want to see, as we are finding in the comments that have been uttered time and time again by honourable members opposite who will spin anything just to protect a political position that is exposed by fact. Your own papers will reveal it to you. That is unpleasant because you want to preserve a political position. You want to preserve and create and maintain a perception. If that is your primary endeavour, shame on you, because your own papers contradict that position. It is the opposition’s responsibility to do so. Our responsibility is, if you find fault with the argument, then argue it on the basis of the position of fact; not on empty emotional assertion and wishing it were not so and being offended: ‘How dare you criticise us; we are the Labor government. We are beyond criticism’.
As we heard in this Chamber yesterday, a lot of our work goes in to try to analyse the current position of this government with particular projects. You spend your effort getting up there to spin it away, in full sight of your own conscience which is telling you that what you are saying, asserting, endeavouring to create in the Chamber is in contradiction to your own knowledge. However, you just want to create a political position, a perception. When you read your own documents about the position you wanted to take when you assumed government, then no wonder you have withdrawn your Good Governance document.
It would embarrass you if you could see it but you cannot; you have removed it. It does not exist on the web site anymore. It would be an embarrassment to you if you had the capacity to read it, particularly those of you who have been in opposition making similar claims to those I am making today. If I get on the other side it will be different. I will not be spinning stories pretending I am the CLP saying: ‘All I want to achieve is government; I want to maintain government whatever it costs. I will do whatever it takes, so that I can stay in government and then I will be happy’. Well, not for long.
I am disappointed in you for some of those inane comments that come across the Chamber - gloating arrogance and non-attendance to the facts rather than having a reasonable debate. When this is over I will walk out of here and listen, and we will have some informed debate in this Chamber. Honourable members with ears to hear, listen to it. Is it addressing some of the issues that were raised in the Auditor-General’s report which was aired last week? Is it addressing the issues that are brought up in the Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report? Is it addressing issues such as the difference between the economy and the spin? It must be a buzz - and I accept that - to have someone like Access Economics say ‘turbocharged’. ‘Well hooley dooley, look at us’. There is more to that story, even aspects of growing debt and recurrent expenditure. You do not want to believe it but it is there. It is in your own documents that the Treasurer signs off himself. If honourable members opposite who sit there and make chiding remarks can make us fully informed of the Treasury documents, go ahead. Get involved in the debate but, rather than make empty political statements to reinforce your own political position for the sake of perception, wake up to yourself. You are here to represent the people you have been elected to serve.
How does this sit with you honourable members? I digress from the core of my argument to visit this area. When you list the total commitments and promises that this Labor government has made to the electorate in the lead-up to the last election, they total about $51m. I will say it again: when you total the cost of the promises and commitments that you made to the Territory electorate in the lead-up to the last election, it totals about $51m - a round of applause, a fair bit of promotion, good stuff!
Did you know, honourable members, that $42m of that $51m commitment will be acquitted on the eve of the next Territory election? For those who are newly elected, you will be sitting here for some time. Time goes on, ticks away. As a member of the community before being elected, I observed these things. Oh, so help me! Even now as a member of the CLP, I observe governments doing that. I did not approve of that and, yet, you sit there and I am sure you observe the same thing happening. The purpose of that is to advance a political position, not to do right; not to acquit your own duties based on your own values and principles. No, it is do whatever it takes to win government and to say whatever you need to say to create a perception and even a self-belief.
You are in government now and you must acquit the responsibilities that you have been given, and enter reasoned and informed debate and respond to these issues. Otherwise, you may as well have the opposition and the Independents leave the Chamber because, effectively, the decisions are already locked in. They are already locked in on the fifth floor. I know that members who are on the backbench are really the cheer squad and stand around and say yes, yes, yes, and block and defend and make little comments from the side. However, they are effectively locked out of it also, because it is Cabinet that makes these decisions.
Cabinet’s primary direction is to win government, whatever it takes - not to acquit your responsibilities as you once aspired to as members of parliament on the Labor side. You had certain principles, values, and guidelines that you wanted to acquit when you got into government. Your Good Governance document - you should read that, member for Daly, it might do you the world of good. Read it, and you will see the sorts of things you wanted to do when you got into government; the tone you would like to have in debate. That has been cast aside.
I have little more to say because the facts as outlined in the Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report are quite plain. Yes, there are economic indicators that are occurring which result in a good position for the Territory - the resources boom. There is the GST income which has benefited the Territory immensely. Bear in mind that, in the first year of its flow into the Territory, there are members in this Chamber who denied it even existed and created stories about the obligations we have in spending this windfall. However, now they cannot deny it; there is a river flowing in. It is flowing into Western Australia and Queensland too, and Bracks and Iemma, Premiers of New South Wales and Victoria, have claimed again and again it is unjust. They were reinforced in that argument and position by the Governor of the Reserve Bank. That will continue. Premier Carr started it. There could well be a change to the way that these funds are dispersed. Great credit to Premier Beattie who immediately defended the position of Queensland.
I would like to see the Chief Minister make such strong claims on this argument because, if that GST revenue is altered, if they win their argument some way, if the fiscal equalisation mechanisms are altered in any way, it could really damage the Territory and you know it. You know it will make a big difference. With or without that alteration and that threat, which has been reinforced by the Governor of the Reserve Bank, we know that that pool is reduced. The capacity to disperse to the states is less, and the increase, the unprecedented growth, the unexpected growth, will not continue at the same rate. Just as someone who is addicted to consumption, and they find their addiction unable to be sustained because there is a reduced supply, they are going to have difficulty, just as this government will have difficulty, not because of the economy – different thing – because of the budgetary disciplines and constraints.
You have a habit of spending. When the demands are placed upon you by departments, you meet those demands because there is more there than you expected. Because of the strong economic growth, you have more payroll tax in your coffers than you expected, and so you have more that you can draw on. That will not always be there. If the economy slows, there will be less payroll tax.
The Treasurer, who would like to be a nice guy and knows that these public servants are doing the best they can, rather than follow through on the Chief Minister’s strong assertions at one stage that anyone who exceeded their budget would be sacked, you do the opposite and say: ‘I know you have tried hard, I will just see what we can find for you. Blow me down, there is more money there than I expected. Here, chuck that into your system and away you go. Just be a bit careful, won’t you?’ ‘Yeah, no worries.’ You are timid of the electorate. ‘If we make hard decisions the electorate will not like us, and that is our primary objective. The electorate must like us. We must serve that agenda so that we get re-elected. That is the name of the game’. Is it? No, it is not. It is about managing the economy and proper fiscal restraint.
Make no mistake, we support the wharf development, a significant economic driver. It is important, always has been on the agenda. It is now under your watch to do so. However, there are very good reasons why we need to unpack those things and look behind the scenes. In light of what has happened in New South Wales in recent months, there is a good case for it. In light of what has happened in Western Australia, there is a good case for it. However, that might mess the pretty picture up, so there will be sustained blocking. Well, you can do it, you have 19 members, for goodness sake. Let us plough on. Why do you not plough on with your 19 members and discharge some of your own principles, the things that you have said that you are going to do? Why do you not charter down that course? Burn up a bit of political capital; be courageous. Do the sorts of things that are true to your own beliefs. Why do you not do that, instead of trying to be the CLP?
The things that moved you once, why do they not move you now? Because the only objective is to hold government. That is the only objective - and to heck with values and principles. Hold government - and what is the formula for holding government?
Ms Carney: Dishonesty, stuff like that.
A member interjecting.
Mr Stirling: This is not leadership stuff, Jodeen, I have to tell you. This is not leadership stuff.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr MILLS: For honourable members who take the time to read with eyes that can see, you will see that there are issues within the parameters of the management of the Territory economy within the budgetary constraints that cause concern.
One is increased expenditure. Another is reducing income from GST, which is external to your own endeavours, which is going to place great strain upon you in the future, and you know it. You can assert it in here, but you go and have briefings with Treasury and they will tell you ‘yes’. Good folk they are but they cannot help but reveal that that will place pressure on government into the future. When the pressure comes on, that is when it will really show the truth about the quality and discipline of the fiscal strategy of this government. At this point, the Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report indicates that expenditure is still increasing, illustrating a lack of discipline and constraint When difficult times come, my claim is that you will not be prepared, and the good things that you wanted to do, you will be unable to do because you will be managing a very difficult financial position.
I make a plug at the end of my time, that is critical. I call upon the Treasurer to persuade Cabinet to ensure that the McArthur River Mine project is given full consent to go ahead because it is the resource sector, the private sector, that is able to strengthen the economy by way of jobs, and inflow into the Territory economy. That is the sort of stuff that is going to save you.
Dr BURNS (Planning and Lands): Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to talk to the Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report, which contains details of this government’s election commitments by agency. It also gives a snapshot of the budget. It is important for members to know that a budgetary process is a dynamic process. It is not a static process as the member for Blain would have us all believe or hold to. I do not think he has ever been part of a Cabinet budget process, and certainly he has not been a Treasurer. I can assure the member for Blain that a budget is a dynamic process. There are additions, there are things that move in and out of the budget. If you read the 2004-05 annual financial report, all those movements, member for Blain, are reported on.
You just delivered the biblical exposition about the famine; the seven years of good times, and the one year of famine. I remind the member for Blain that there is also something in there about tithing which is something CLP members in the last Assembly apparently forgot. Maybe he should have his biblical expositions within his own Caucus. However, I digress, Madam Speaker.
Not once did the member for Blain really turn to this document which is the document that we are debating. I suppose the pivotal table is Table 2.2 on page 4 of the Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report. Members will no doubt have read page 4. The table is called ‘Variations to the cash flow and operating statements since May 2005’. There are two columns there: one is the cash, and the other one is accrual. If you look at the cash in variations, it started off at minus-$68.1m and revised down to minus-$68.2m - an insignificant change in cash.
Where the opposition is going here is the accrual column, which starts off at $33.7m and ends up at $80.5m with a variation of $45.1m. Members will note that the major contributor to that is the ‘increase in superannuation expenses’, $50.5m. I am sure the Treasurer will speak about it also, but this comes about through an actuarial review of these expenses and an adjustment. This is not something about which government suddenly said: ‘Let us throw another $50.5m at this’. It actually comes about through a budgetary process. These sorts of revisions are part of moving to an accrual-based accounting system. They are part of reviews, they are part of a dynamic process of a budget. Once again, if you look at the 2004-05 annual financial report - and I have already spoken during Question Times in the last sittings in response to allegations by the Opposition Leader of a $40m blow-out in my department - all those variations are noted there. All the ins and outs are noted there. It is not as if anything is being hidden. This is a dynamic process and everything is published so there is nothing secret about this.
However, I will come back to my particular area which, of course, is the general government’s capital works program. The cash was originally $158m and, at the end of December, expenditure was $72.6m or 46% of the original cash, which is a fairly good effort seeing as this government has been investing heavily in our infrastructure projects. That was the other furphy that the member for Blain was promulgating. As if, particularly in the Territory, the government’s budget was completely removed from the economy. They are completely independent in a jurisdiction like this where government is a major driver of the economy, the construction sector. I do not think that it makes sense for the member for Blain to say that the two are obviously linked. In particular, the construction industry looks to government to drive the economy, particularly in the bad times.
That is what we have been doing and we have a lot of accolades from the industry about the way that we have been strategically spending in our capital works project and the amount of cash that we have been putting against it. The member for Blain told us to hear what he had to say. I listened carefully to what he had to say but, at the end of the day, it really does not match up with my experience and what I believe over the past four years about budgets, budget processes and also reporting on budgets.
I am pleased to report that government spent $1.5m on upgrading selected portions of the Plenty Highway. We have spent $300 000 on improving drains on Ringwood Road. Both these contracts are part of the Martin government’s program to inject $10m worth of cash into upgrading the Territory’s beef roads. This program, which we developed in close consultation with the Cattlemen’s Association, is targeted at upgrading the primary feeder roads servicing the pastoral industry. These roads transport livestock and essential goods to cattle stations as well as benefiting the local communities, tourist and the mining industry. $600 000 has been spent on fencing and upgrading the access to Channel Point. This is part of the government’s commitment to achieving a permanent solution regarding access through Labelle Downs station as part of our long-term vision and commitment to providing more coastal access for recreational fisherman. $500 000 has gone towards upgrading the Tanami Road, and discussions have been held with the NT Branch of the Australian Trucking Association to establish priority upgrade sections for the remainder of this road.
On the Carpentaria Highway, the government has spent $700 000 completing the upgrading of strength to bridges. We have also spent $700 000 on rehabilitation work on the Arnhem Highway and a further $500 000 constructing a causeway at Rose River crossing.
The AusLink White Paper outlined the federal governments five-year strategy from 2004-05 to 2008-09 for upgrading the National Land Transport Network. As part of the AusLink program, the government has spent $1.7m on overtaking lanes on the Stuart Highway between Darwin and Katherine. Also as part of AusLink, $2.9m has been spent on the stage duplication of the Stuart Highway between Noonamah and the Cox Peninsula Road. Unfortunately, there is a downside to the AusLink program. I have spoken to the Hon Warren Truss, the federal minister, about this because in its budget for 2005-06 the federal government confirmed that the Northern Territory maintenance allocation for the national network will fall from $18.2m to $14.3m over the next three financial years. That is going to have an impact on our maintenance program, particularly along the Stuart Highway and other highways. I have begged Warren Truss to reduce that. That is not something we can afford and it is evidence that the federal government is really tightening up on their own responsibilities, which is the national highways. Traditionally, they have had responsibilities for those highways but they seem to be washing their hands of those responsibilities and that is very unfortunate.
They have implemented a formula which is based on what lane length, vehicle kilometres travelled and equivalent standard actual kilometres travelled; a statistic dominated by heavy vehicle traffic. The vehicle kilometres travelled component which is heavily influenced by the volume of traffic, is where the Northern Territory is disadvantaged. I put that case very strongly to the Hon Warren Truss. The impact of the reduction in maintenance funding on the National Land Transport Network in the Northern Territory has been raised with the federal department of Transport and, as I said, in my own discussions with the federal minister. I am not able to report on any satisfactory outcomes from these discussions but I will continue to press the case.
The recent Access Economics report which described the Territory economy as ‘turbocharged’ also highlighted the development of the Darwin waterfront as the mainstay of the Territory commercial construction industry for sometime to come.
As members would be aware and as I reported yesterday, work is well under way on this development. Significant progress has been made with the design and remediation works. The pad for the convention and exhibition centre has reached a stage of practical completion, and construction of the sea wall is under way. So far this financial year, expenditure on the waterfront development includes $21m for community infrastructure works, including the convention centre pad and sea wall.
$835 000 is being spent on pre-opening expenses for the Darwin convention and exhibition centre, including promotion of the centre and to secure forward bookings. The government has spent $654 000 on site remediation work, including work undertaken by the environmental auditor, environmental consultant, site investigations, and the start of cut-off drain work. The total cost of the cut-off drains is $2.1m. A further $400 000 is being spent on service relocations.
In addition, work will soon commence on the upgrade of McMinn Street at a cost of $1.9m, and on the installation of a water main at a cost of $1.7m. Meanwhile, the government continues with its record level of expenditure on infrastructure which I am very pleased to say continues to have a record amount of cash allocated to it. In stark contrast, I point out under the previous government, the rebate from year to year actually exceeded the cash.
A total of $2m is being spent on the first stage of the upgrade at Parap Primary School. $500 000 has gone towards completing the construction of the Emu Point Homeland Centre, while a further $800 000 has been spent completing the construction of the Manyallaluk Homeland Centre. Government has spent $2.3m on the construction of a low-security facility at Darwin Correctional Centre.
This government has not stinted in its expenditure on health infrastructure for Territorians, with $1m going to the construction of a new health centre at Daly River, $1.3m on the new health centre at Milikapiti, $900 000 on completing the new hospice at Royal Darwin Hospital, and $1.5m to complete the Medical Records Unit at Royal Darwin Hospital.
The government has spent $500 000 on the desalination program in the Mary River wetlands as well as $1m on the provision of a boat ramp and river access to the Victoria River at Gregory National Park. That is going to be a great plus for tourism in the area; it is going to encourage people to stop off at that great place. It is a great trip up the Red Valley Gorge, and I recommend it to anyone.
The Northern Territory government continues to maintain 25 boat ramps located across the Territory as well as platforms, wharves, jetties and artificial reefs which support recreational fishing for the benefit of Territorians and visitors alike. Whilst there have been delays on some projects, the Construction Division of the department has accelerated other projects and is on track to fully spend the remaining $91m in this financial year.
Nonetheless, there are significant issues. In the marketplace at present, particularly in the regions, there is a paucity of contractors willing to bid for works. That is because they are booked up completely. We have put out some tenders that have not even received replies because the contractors in the regions are very busy. This results in a decline of tender acceptances which is not a desirable situation for government or industry. We have more work to do in understanding and correcting these anomalies.
Another thing that has been happening, at least since I have been in this portfolio area, is the escalation of construction costs, which I estimate, overall, to have escalated at least by 40% over the last two, two-and-a-half years. This presents an issue for government, and we need to examine our capital works program, the amount of work that is already out in the private sector and in the Commonwealth government sector, and tailor what we are doing in the construction sector to the climate. Industry wants us to do that; they want us to adopt a counter-cyclical approach to the way in which we stage our capital works program.
Earlier in these sittings, I outlined the government’s commitment to improving air transport infrastructure in remote communities throughout the Territory. I mentioned the Bulman aerodrome upgrade to all-weather operations at $645 000; a further $800 000 on the Minyerri aerodrome; and another $1m spent sealing the Ramingining runway. A further $96 000 was spent on Belyuen to upgrade drainage and replace emergency solar lighting. I also outlined design work for Alpurrurulam and Pigeon Hole aerodromes. These are very important lifelines to those communities.
During the election campaign last year, the Martin government made a commitment to provide international level security control and inspection equipment at Alice Springs Airport. The government’s commitment of $200 000 was to have been matched by Commonwealth government funding. The Department of Planning and Infrastructure is awaiting advice on whether the matching grant from the Commonwealth is approved and further clarification from operators of the Alice Springs Airport on how the funds are to be used. The department has been in regular contact with Mr Don McDonald, General Manager of Alice Springs Airport, on this matter, including seeking detail and refinement of what is actually proposed. The current advice from the federal government department DOTAR is that delays in approving the funding arrangements have occurred due to a change of ministers. I hope the new minister moves quickly to approve this important development for Alice Springs Airport.
I would like to say a few words about the study into residential allotments in the Ti Tree area. The Land Development Division commissioned Qantec to carry out the Ti Tree subdivision draining and feasibility study. This study reviewed a 2003 subdivision layout. The draft report has been received and its findings are being reviewed with the Power and Water Corporation with regards to an indicative requirement for a significant upgrade of water headworks and reticulation to the township, as well as extension of the high voltage and low voltage electrical reticulation.
It has been in the newspapers lately that we have engaged external consultants to review the needs and options for ticketing on the Darwin Bus network. The existing ticketing system is nearing its use-by date. The consultant’s report should be delivered in the near future. On its receipt, the department will consider the options and funding requirements. We have also installed closed circuit television on the Darwin Bus Service. This expenditure on closed circuit television for the buses complements the government’s installation of the digital closed circuit television recording system at all three of Darwin’s bus interchanges.
I am proud to be a member of a government that has delivered three successive surplus budgets. I am also proud to have responsibility for a department that has delivered record capital works budgets, backed up by record levels of cash. I have already mentioned the Opposition Leader, the member for Araluen, at the last sittings announced the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment, as it was then, had blown its budget by about $60m. I assume that she was talking about the 2004-05 years. At that time, I detailed to the member for Araluen, through the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report for 2004-05, just what had happened. There was certainly no blow-out of $40m; basically, all those ins and outs are explicable. She has also used figures of $60m here and there. I explained that a little earlier in regard to the mid-year financial report.
Often it is hard to know what the opposition is talking about in relation to the budget. To be honest, I do not believe they really understand about reading budget papers and budget processes. They are very welcome to briefings on the issue, but it does them no good to go off half cocked and make assertions about the budget which are simply baseless. I have referred in this debate to the document at hand. The shadow Treasurer did not do that, and it will be interesting to see if the Leader of the Opposition does.
Once again, this is a government that has delivered three surplus budgets in a row. We are going into deficit budget over the next two years. We flagged that. That is related to the waterfront project, a one-off capital investment and a great investment for the Northern Territory. We are responsible fiscal managers. We have invested any extra GST monies that have come our way on providing infrastructure, and also services that the public demand, like more police on the beat, more teachers, more nurses, as well as investments in our health system.
Madam Speaker, I am proud to be part of a government that is delivering record capital works expenditure and levels of cash. I know industry out there appreciate it. Unlike the member for Blain, I am confident that it is benefiting the Northern Territory economy.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I am pleased to follow on from the minister because he has suggested that we do not understand budgets. He has suggested, in essence, that we speak a different language entirely and he has invited me, as I had intended to do, to go to the mid-year report.
In fact, minister, we do understand budgets. It is apparent that you do not. I have refreshed my memory; I have looked at the budget papers over the last few years - the Treasurer’s Mid-Year Reports, the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report,. Early on, it was not easy reading, but I can assure you that we do understand this stuff. When we call something a blow-out, you, minister, call it a variation or ins and outs, as you just did. When we say that you have problems, that you have overspent, you say: ‘No, no, no everything is just fine and dandy’.
The mid-year report is not a great read. I will not go through the difference between talking about the economy and talking about the budget again because all of us, from both sides, understand the difference. But this is not a good report. The mid-year report is an assessment on how the budget for 2005-06 is going. The mid-year report is not a good report card. The minister referred to one table, I am more than happy to refer to others. This document is not made up by the opposition. This is Treasury documentation, signed off by the Under Treasurer. It is important that we talk about particular parts of that document to assist us with our argument that things are not good.
It is clear from successive budgets that government departments have overshot the mark consistently, and usually by a long way. This is notwithstanding the enormous influx of GST revenue. When governments receive money, they spend it - and they should - on services. However, we heard in parliament last week that services are not being delivered in the way that they should be. In other words, Territorians are not getting bang for their bucks: a 34-month wait for dental services in Palmerston; 1700 people are on the waiting list for elective surgery at RDH, and these days probably about 1400 in Alice Springs. This is not a good outcome. Yes, there are more police on the beat. If you had in total something in the vicinity of around $7bn in GST would you not put more coppers on the beat? Of course you would. Yet, we still have crime and other antisocial behaviour that is a worry. Territorians have every right, as do we, to question whether we are getting bang for our bucks.
I remember the Chief Minister a few years ago indicating that CEOs, if they could not control their budgets, would be sacked. CEO after CEO has not maintained their budget. The most obvious one of the many is Health. Health has consistently overshot by millions and millions of dollars. This is a problem that the Labor government simply refuses to deal with. It is interesting that yesterday we talked about the alcohol court and some members talked about addiction. We know that the alcohol court, with its failings, requires a person to go to the alcohol court and say: ‘I have an addiction, therefore, can I have a program, please’. There should be a budget court under this government and the Treasurer and his friends can put themselves in the hands of the court and say: ‘I have a spending problem. I have a budget problem. Can you please put me on a program’. That court should direct the Treasurer back to play school where he should learn some fundamental principles about sound budgetary management.
It is a far cry from the lofty principles enunciated in the Fiscal and Economic Outlook, Budget Paper No 2 for Budget 2002-03. I will refresh member’s memories. The government’s fiscal strategy at that time was curbing the growth in nett debt and unfunded liabilities - it did not; a commitment to and continuation of deficit reductions strategy - I do not think so; and a result in declining nett debt and total liabilities. That was your own strategy. This is not made up by Jodeen Carney. This is your own document.
Several years later in the mid-year report, those notions have changed in essence from debt reduction to debt management. The debt continues to go up and the money continues to flow in. Have a look at these figures; they are damning. For instance, I encourage members to have a look at page 24, general government sector operating statement. Look at the increase in the total expenses. It is overshot by $80m, and this is not beer money. This overshooting of the budget does not come from thin air, it comes from imprudent financial management and budgetary management by the Treasurer, Chief Minister and ministers of the Crown.
I look forward to the contribution of the members for Daly and Sanderson, who were given to what I can only assume was their attempt to be witty or pithy during the contribution of my colleague, the member for Blain. However, I doubt whether we will hear from them. Minister Burns said arrogantly: ‘Oh, you do not understand the budget’. Yes, we do. The fact is that the ministers give their backbenchers reams of rubbish to just read, and like little pawns they stand up over the microphone and they read through all of this stuff. Have a look at it.
Mr Kiely: Elferink is writing your speeches.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms CARNEY: Put your money where you mouth is. We know we have seen the member for Sanderson on good behaviour. The little boy just sitting on the bench waiting to be noticed: ‘Coach, coach, pick me’. The member for Karama is bit ahead there which, no doubt, riles the member for Sanderson. However, the member for Sanderson can show he is a big boy by actually getting up all by himself without the assistance of the ministerial staff upstairs and pick up the mid-year report and he talk about it. He can impress us with his knowledge and he might even have a go …
Dr Burns: Oh well, how about you get on and talk about it?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms CARNEY: … and he might even be successful at impressing the Chief Minister by saying: ‘Look, Chief Minister, I can read the budget papers’. Well, he cannot, nor can his backbencher colleagues. However, I simply say to his backbench colleagues: go and read this document. You can ask for it from the Table Office. Have a look at it, and you decide whether this is a good read. In a political sense I should be saying to you all: ‘Oh, it is a wonderful read’, because then you will be going out to your electorates and you will be telling the contractors who do not have any work to do. There are a few of them in Alice Springs. Talk to those in Alice Springs who are ringing me in disgust. They are ringing me in disgust and you blokes act like everything is fine. It is not.
The backbenchers should be going around their electorates saying: ‘Oh, things are just wonderful’ because then the voters will be saying to themselves: ‘Well, they are actually not very good at all’. When the economy cools as, presumably, it will because it will go in cycles, you will have no money left because your budget has gone up like that, notwithstanding the incredible influx of GST revenue. What have you done with it? You have reverted to type. You are a Labor government. You got in, good on you. You got the prize after 27 years. You have to win sometime. I suppose 27 years was a long time. You get into government and then you think: ‘Woo hoo, we have access to the Treasury coffers’. Access to it you have and, by God, didn’t you spend? And you keep spending.
Government should spend money. We have no problem with that. However, you should spend it sensibly and the voters should be able to see a benefit. You do your market research and your focus groups and you ask them whether they are seeing a benefit. Speaking of focus groups, that is why you wanted to sell TIO, because you know from your own document that things are not looking good and, unless the Treasurer tightens his belt, the Territory is not going to be in good shape.
I also refer the Labor backbenchers who I feel certain at the luncheon adjournment will rush up to their offices and get their own copy – you could get it autographed by the Treasurer – of the 2005-06 mid-year report and have a look at page 17. That is the page about election commitments, and what an interesting read that is. This is the deceit that has been perpetrated on the voters of the Northern Territory. We heard about it yesterday when the Chief Minister was talking about antisocial behaviour. She promises one thing, she does another because she speaks with a forked tongue, which is the same in relation to the election commitments.
You will see, members, on page 17, that there will not be much spending going on for a while. We know GST revenue is going to fall. We all know that; it is unfortunate …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms CARNEY: … notwithstanding that the Treasurer, guided by sage, Marshall Perron, will be going down to the Treasurer’s Conference and he will be trying to pitch with his mates, John and - what is the other blokes name, the bald-headed guy from New South Wales?
We know that GST revenue will fall and, as previously indicated, if the formula changes, the Territory is in deep trouble. In any event, I digress momentarily.
Back to page 17. The table shows not much spending in 2005-06. I wonder why that is? In 2006-07 – oh, only $11m. I wonder why that is? In 2007-08, and 2008-09 - what a jump! I reckon there might be an election around that time, 2007-08, 2008-09. Government members have said, and there is a good example in relation to …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms CARNEY: Thank you, Madam Speaker. There is a good example in relation to Health. The government promised 24 beds in Alice Springs. I saw the media release. They did their pre-election hype and they got the article in the paper – rah, rah, rah! Not a bean will be spent on it until 2007-08 – that is provided you have any money left in the cupboard. This is the sort of deceit that the government perpetrates on Territorians. They collectively speak with forked tongue!
We call something a ‘blow-out’, they say it is ‘a variation’. We call something a ‘blow-out’, they say it is just the ‘ins and outs of the government budgetary process’. We - and interestingly enough - many other Territorians call something a ‘razor gang’, they call it a ‘priority review’. You speak a different language entirely, but you are damned by this book. You are damned by the Treasurer’s assessment of your budget for 2005-06. This budget, also 2005-06, shows the extent to which various departments - Health is a prime example - overshot the mark.
It is always a pleasure to go back to this document - I have said that before and I might keep saying it. It is always a pleasure to go back to the Good Governance document, in which the then Opposition Leader talked about the extraordinary blow-out in the budget bottom line in 1999-2000. Extraordinary! Well, if that was extraordinary, this is supersonic extraordinary in 2005-06! The now Chief Minister, also noted with concern that Territorians were looking at nett debt getting up to $1.5b by 2001. Well, it is significantly more than that now - significantly more than that. No wonder no one can find this document any more. Interestingly enough, this document says that:
A member of the Labor Party said yesterday the CLP did nothing for 27 years - same record. It must have done something right because, according to government claiming credit for the strong economy which the Northern Territory now has. Clearly, according to Labor’s own words, it must have been as a result of the CLP providing a strong economic growth.
You cannot have your cake and eat it too. You cannot say the economy is good and it has nothing to do with other factors or, indeed, past governments, and then say there is nothing wrong with our budget. There is! There is, and I encourage, once again, members to look at the mid-year report. References to nett debt, made whilst Labor was in opposition and since, are extraordinary given that, under Labor, the Territory’s headed for a debt higher than the Territory has ever had before. We are a very small jurisdiction.
When Professor Percy came up, he indicated that nett debt, including or plus employee liabilities, would spiral out of control at about $3.2bn. Under Labor, we are spiralling to $4bn. Can you at least be consistent? If something was wrong, shocking, appalling, five years ago, and if you guys are doing it 10 times worse now, surely it is still wrong, shocking and appalling? But no, we come back to the delusional conduct of ministers in particular, and it is best evidenced by what we call a blow-out, but no, they call it a variation.
It is not a variation that nett debt plus employee liabilities is heading to a record level under the Labor government. The irony, the saddest thing about this, is that it occurs when you have had massive GST revenue and you should have been retiring debt. You should have used some of it for that. To a large extent, some people have every right to say where on earth has the money gone, because I do not believe Territorians are seeing bang for their buck, and that is what they are telling us.
If Professor Percy Allan rocked up and looked at your budget books now, he would probably - I hope, because, as you suggest, he was a man of integrity a few years ago, and I assume nothing has changed – say: ‘Oh dear. This is not sustainable. How on earth can you sustain it?’
The $8m spin doctors upstairs are well paid and, in so many respects they deserve it, because they certainly did a good job with the last election, promising all and sundry, and now explaining why all and sundry is not being delivered. Thanks to the $8m spin machine, they say this is a good result. In fact, they spin so hard, that they actually did not want to talk about the budget last week. It is evidenced by the fact that, even though the Leader of Government Business, the man who wants to be Chief Minister, said, ‘We are happy to talk about it’, the Treasurer, who has been around for a bit longer, said, ‘No, we do not want to talk about it’. The upshot is, we were shut down because the government only wanted to talk about the economy, only wanted to use the word ‘turbocharged’, and did not want to have a debate about the budget. They are obliged to have a debate about the mid-year report now. However, when the journalists were here, they did not want to talk about it.
That, to me, speaks volumes. It tells us that Labor actually knows the difficulties they have. We know that their advisors must be telling them that you have to do something. Hence our questions last week about what taxes and charges will be increased to pay for the reckless and cavalier way the Treasurer and his predecessor, who is the Chief Minister, have conducted the budget. We did not believe the Chief Minister was a very good Treasurer and, to her credit, she recognised that, which is why she handed over the baton of financial responsibility to the member for Nhulunbuy. He carries the baton with the same sense of purpose as the Commonwealth baton relay runners. However, he is not on the same mission because, unlike the runners, he does not know what he is talking about, and is assisted by an $8m spin machine. He will stand up and say all the usual, rude, arrogant patronising stuff: ‘You cannot understand the budget, we know you are really stupid and you cannot help that, we are really sorry for you’, etcetera.
However, you cannot hide from the facts. When the Chief Minister gets a bit twitchy, she always has a go at me and says: ‘Oh, you are being a lawyer, you are being a lawyer’. Well, I am a lawyer. In the law, we know that if you have facts on your side, you will argue a good case and, if you have an impartial judge or magistrate, you have a more than even chance of winning your case. That is in the law, a world fundamentally different from politics.
The world in here is governed by an $8m spin machine. It is guided by rudeness and offensive behaviour. The word ‘deceit’ applies to members on the other side when it comes to the way in which they perpetrate the myth that this budget is good, and that it is going well in a budgetary sense in the Northern Territory. Well, this is the world of politics, and we appreciate the world in which we live. However, Treasurer, we implore you, and some of your little friends, the backbenchers on the other side, to go and have a read of your document, because it will show that things are grim.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, your time has expired.
Debate suspended.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the Speaker’s gallery of the Reverend Jim Downing, AM, former Moderator of the Northern Synod of the Uniting Church. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I also draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the Superintendent of Police from Timor-Leste, Superintendent Martins. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: I also draw your attention to members of the public from both overseas and interstate who are visiting Parliament House today as part of our public tour program. On behalf of all honourable members I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Continued from earlier this day.
Mr HENDERSON (Business and Economic Development): Madam Speaker, I support the Treasurer on the presentation of his 2005-06 mid-year financial report. This report shows that the government is on track in delivering on its budget commitments and fiscal strategy. All we have heard from the opposition’s two previous speakers is some flights of fantasies that are not borne out when you actually read not only the 2005-06 budget but the mid-year financial report that we are debating now. The opposition has had and is having currently flights of fantasy that are not borne out by the very detailed reporting of where the budget is six months into the financial year.
Regarding our budget documents and reporting against fiscal targets and budget commitments, since we have come to government we introduced the Fiscal Integrity and Transparency Act, and the Treasurer and the Treasury are required under that legislation to present budget statements and fiscal reports in line with that legislation. Therefore, the people of the Northern Territory can have confidence in the publications that come from Treasury reporting on the state of the budget regarding the cash position, the accrual position and liabilities into the future. That is a long way from what we inherited when we came to government in 2001, where any number of ministers were on record in regards to the budget papers that were presented to the parliament which were for ‘presentation purposes only’.
For the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Blain to try and state that, somehow, we are hiding the true state of the books in these figures, and making allegations that these documents are not all that they should be, is implied criticism of Treasury and the people who have put these statements together.
The member for Blain talked about and finally acknowledged how the economy in the Northern Territory is moving ahead at a pace. However, somehow, it had nothing to do with the government; that the current good economic climate that we are facing in the Northern Territory was totally irrelevant to government’s budgets, fiscal and taxation policies and forward estimates. The member for Blain, obviously, does not know how an economy works. I am not an economist myself, but the one thing I am very well aware of is that the economy is driven by the private sector. The Northern Territory government is disproportionate regarding other state governments in its influence on the economy, given that we are an economy of so few people.
However, the fundamental driver of the economy is the private sector, and the key determinates for private sector investment is confidence in the future of the country, of the jurisdiction in which they invest, and the economy in which they invest. Anybody in the private sector who is looking to make a significant financial investment takes into account a whole range of factors. Those factors include the current budget position of the government, what is projected into the forward estimates, and the fiscal strategies of the governments of the day.
The private sector has voted with absolute confidence. We have record levels of private sector investment in the Northern Territory. It is not all driven by the resources boom and the resources industries of oil and gas. We are seeing a broadening of our economy, and other industries such as the biodiesel plant, the helium plant that is going to be built here, the people who are looking at a condensate facility - major industrial investment that has only ever been dreamt about for the Northern Territory before. We have two significant projects absolutely committed and another major project, the condensate facility, very positively on the drawing board. All of these major proponents of those projects come and meet with government ministers. They look at the investment climates, the long-term return on their investments, and at the fiscal and the budget position of the government regarding the due diligence and the risk analysis they do in investing in any particular jurisdiction.
We could see, when we came to government in 2001, that people were not investing. They well knew the budget position that we found ourselves in at the time. They could see that the government budget was in an unsustainable fiscal position, and private sector investment dried up. It really was a desperate time. Since that time, since the mini-budget, we have improved our financial position significantly. We have produced three surplus budgets in a row, and they were $8m in 2002-03, 2003-04 was a $36m surplus, and 2004-05 a $51m surplus. This is a government that has delivered $95m-worth of surpluses over three budgets. Compare those to the last two budgets of the previous CLP government which, in 1999-2000 delivered a deficit of $100m and in 2000-01 a deficit of $101m. There has been a marked turnaround. As well as GST revenues contributing significantly to that turnaround, what has contributed significantly to that turnaround as well is revenue from the private sector as a result of increased activity.
For the member for Blain to say the current state of the economy has absolutely nothing to do with the budget position, fiscal strategies and the forward estimates adopted by this government, is patently false. He does not understand how the private sector works in making investment decisions into the future. If you look around at the properties that are being developed, at what is happening with property prices and values that are putting wealth into peoples pockets, not only in Darwin, but in Alice Springs, Katherine and Tennant Creek, people are investing in the Northern Territory with confidence. The only people who do not have confidence in the future of the Northern Territory and the fiscal strategies adopted by this government are the four people opposite with their heads in the sand. They cannot point to one independent commentator, not one reputable, independent commentator that says the Territory government budget is in trouble.
We have Access Economics that have given the budget a big tick. We have had the Housing Industry Association giving the economy a big tick. We have the financial markets in terms of the credit position of the government giving us a big tick. The only people who have no confidence at all in the future of the Territory’s economy and fiscal position of this government are the four members opposite. As I said before, they need to get out a bit more a talk to people in the real world who are pretty happy with how things are going at the moment.
It is totally appropriate for governments to go into deficit from time to time for strategic investments, and that is what we are doing with the waterfront. A strategic investment today, next year and the year after that, will deliver long-term economic benefits to the Territory budget, long-term investment and employment opportunities for the Territory into the future - very deliberate, targeted, and strategic - that will pay dividends for Territorians into the future. A very significant and valuable investment. When you compare that to the previous governments here and the last two budgets, when we crashed headlong into deficit to pay public service wages, there is a stark difference between the responsible attitude this government is taking in budget management, as opposed to the reckless and deceitful behaviour of the previous CLP government, particularly in the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 budgets.
The Leader of the Opposition in Question Time today said the Auditor-General did not have enough powers, was not independent enough to scrutinise government budget activities. Well, the February 2006 report that we debated just the other day essentially marks the government on the fiscal strategy that we have adopted. The three planks of the government’s fiscal strategy are sustainable service provisions, sustainable into the future. Can we afford our nurses, our teachers, our doctors, our police officers, our prison officers, our Parks and Wildlife employees into the future? Can we provide for sustainable government services, given the current budget position and the forward estimates? The Auditor-General says that we are consistent with the strategy.
We talk about a competitive tax environment. One of things that I am very proud of is being part of a government that has delivered the lowest taxing environment for small businesses with 100 employees or fewer in the country. That we have managed to get to that position has been a very significant achievement of the Treasurer and of this government. The reason we did that was recognising that, inherently, this is a small business economy. Of the vast majority of businesses in the Northern Territory, 90% of them have fewer than 100 employees and it is a high cost place to do business.
We are a long way from the big marketplaces around the country and around the world. The cost of doing business here makes life difficult for small business, so to have taxation and a fiscal position that says that we have a competitive tax environment is a key plank for business confidence. What does the Auditor-General say? ‘That the average per capital level of taxation in the Territory is consistent with the target’. So the last plank of the fiscal strategy from the government is the prudent management of liabilities. This is where the opposition is trying to run a scare campaign saying we are falling headlong into debt and it is unsustainable. Well, as revenue grows so does the capacity for the Territory government to improve service delivery. Service delivery across a range of services in the Northern Territory was woefully neglected for many years.
We had a hospital system and a health system that was severely underfunded. We had an education system where the public policy of the day - in part because for whatever reason previous governments did not want to spend the money - was: ‘We do not provide secondary education in remote parts of the Territory. We will educate you to a primary level but if you want a secondary education level you have to come to town’. That was the policy position. An absolute imperative for the Northern Territory’s future both socially and economically is to provide those kids with a secondary level education. That costs money and, with the increased revenue from GST and the increased activity in the economy, the totally appropriate and right thing to do is to increase the education budget to give those kids - Territorians one and all, Australians one an all - an opportunity into the future. That is what we are doing.
We had law and order out of control in the Northern Territory. We had houses being broken into; dozens every night across the Northern Territory and a police force that could barely get a patrol car out on the road to try to be reactive where they could as opposed to being proactive. We have seen that with the investment we have made into the police force we have reduced property crime by over 50%. Absolutely imperative: as revenue increases improved services for Territorians. That is what we have done.
However, we have to be prudent in managing our liabilities. The Auditor-General has said that total liabilities of the non-financial public sector have declined relative to total revenues of the sector since the adoption of the fiscal strategy. Consistent with the objectives, we have more money coming in, but the liabilities have declined. Therefore, to try to paint this picture that somehow we are in a worst position then we were in 2001 is unsustainable.
There is nobody out there - and the challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to point to one, single, reputable, independent commentator - to back up the assertions that the budget is in crisis and somehow the sky is about to fall in. It is not borne out by a totally independent Treasury that has a responsibility under law to produce budget documents and forward estimates that are totally accurate. It is not borne out by the scrutiny of those budget documents by the Auditor-General. It is not borne out by people like Access Economics, the Housing Industry Association of Australia, or any number of other commentators who look at the fiscal position, the strategy, the budget position of the government and say: ‘Yes, tick, this should be the economy that is going to out perform the rest of Australia for at least the next four or five years.’ It is not supported by the people who loan the Territory government money and maintain the credit ratings.
The only people that say we have a problem are those people opposite. Yes, we are going into deficit this year but it is an investment into the future. The opposition cannot have it both ways. They cannot say that you are running headlong into an unsustainable budget position that cannot be supported and, on the other side of the equation, not put forward a solution. We have not heard from the opposition, if they really believe that the budget is in such a mess, saying what they would do about it, when they have a responsibility to Territorians to do that.
The challenge for what they would do about it is: where would they save money? Would they cut services or wind back services or sack public servants? We have heard some disparaging remarks about the growth of the public sector. The member for Blain in debate last week said that we had caved in to union demands for wage rises for public servants. Which groups of public servants would he deny a wage rise to? Would it be teachers? Would it be the nurses? Would it be police officers? Would it be doctors? Who would the member for Blain not have caved in to in funding those professional public servants to deliver services for Territorians? W because we now how hard it is to get teachers, doctors, nurses, police officers, engineers, professional people to the Northern Territory. It is a very competitive marketplace out there. If we are going to attract and retain those professional people, we have to pay market rates and we have to be at the top of those market rates given the inherent high costs of living in the Northern Territory, particularly in our region.
For the member for Blain to say ’you caved in’, implies that he would not have caved in if he was the Treasurer. Who would he have denied that pay rise to? We hear silence and nothing on that score …
Mr Mills: Would you like me to answer that?
Mr HENDERSON: … so maybe if you were not going to cave in …
Mrs Miller: You want us to make a noise?
Mr HENDERSON: … if you were not going to cut back on services, not going to sack anybody, not going to have forced redundancy, not going to do any of that, how would you still have an unsustainable budget position? What taxes are you going to put up? That is the other side of the equation to improve government revenues; broaden the base. Are they going to say that we are going to introduce a land tax? We had the opposition say before the election that they were going to abolish payroll tax altogether. How much does payroll tax bring in, Treasurer?
Mr Stirling: $100m.
Mr HENDERSON: $100m a year. You cannot have it both ways. If there is going to be any credibility in this debate about the budget, if you are going to maintain a position that the budget is in an unsustainable position, then you have a responsibility to Territorians to say what you would do about it. No one else supports you. There is nobody out there in the community who agrees with you. The only people who are talking down the economy, trying to defray public confidence in investing in this economy are those opposite and they are condemned by their attitude because they cannot bring forward one person to support them. If the position is so bad they have not offered one solution to the problems that they foreshadow ahead.
Madam Speaker, I support the Treasurer in his statement.
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I will respond in global terms of putting the mid-year report in its proper context and then I will go and pick up some of the points in the debate from the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Blain. I will also pick up some of the points in general debate in questions over the last week and a bit.
We have delivered three budget surpluses in a row. We will have a budget back in balance by 2008-09. We have established the lowest business taxes in Australia for small business and many commentators have predicted we will be the fastest growing economy for the next five years. We have increased spending on health, education and police. There have been no redundancies forced or otherwise, in all that time.
Last week I think, the claim was made about a $120m blow-out in public service wages in terms of the government not managing its economy. It is true the cost of the public service has risen by $120m between prediction and apparent outcome, but is it not a blow-out. It has risen by that factor because of two important reasons: one is the flowthrough of the enterprise bargaining arrangements reached prior to this financial year, and the other is the change in the assessment of the superannuation liabilities. Enterprise bargaining agreements add several million dollars to the cost of wages - they always do. You never come out of an EBA with a reduced wage outcome; that is not their point. They are negotiated every couple of years or so and, when the increase is established, of course it is going to result in ongoing payments in covering all factors including cost of living, the CPI, the productivity gains etcetera, inside the bargaining arrangements.
Superannuation liabilities and what the government owes employees when they retire has been very significantly re-valued. In fact, the effect has been to increase our liabilities and, therefore our debt, by $400m over time. $395m of that $400m is attributed to the reassessment and the changed methodology employed by the actuaries. We never attempted to hide this; it appears in all the reports. The single year effect this year is to add $50m to superannuation liabilities alone, and that is recorded on page 4 of the mid-year report. However, it does not have to paid today; it is an accrual figure. It is paid on an emerging basis, as it always has been in the Northern Territory.
In addition to superannuation, the reassessment also affects a whole range of entitlements including recreation leave expectations and other employee liabilities. Therefore, those two figures account for the majority of the $120m increased expenditure.
The member for Blain talked last week about a $40m sell-off of assets, and a total of $90m in converted assets. He was looking at a cash flow statement. It is important when he looks at a cash flow statement in future; it is exactly what it means – it is a flow of the cash through the Central Holding Authority. If the member for Blain has the view of the Central Holding Authority as a bank, it is an incorrect view. It is, in my advisors words, ‘no more than a train station’, in the sense that it gets the receipts from the Commonwealth and disperses them out through the respective agencies. Our GST receipts are received from the Commonwealth on a monthly basis, and fed through to agencies on a fortnightly basis. It is a matter of money coming in one end and out the other. It is not a sell-off of $40m assets; it is simply money that would have been held - and it could have been held in any number of ways - being converted to cash or returned to a liquid state. It refers to liquidity, meaning in a cash state. Therefore, it is not a sell-off of assets, it is government money that is simply going to pay the bills, but it has to be brought back to a cash form.
If you look at the table on page 26 of the report, the bottom line is $68m, which is our prediction. That $40m merely refers to cash flows between accounts. It does not impact on the bottom line, nor is it used to alter the bottom line. The $50m separately identified relates entirely to the previously mentioned superannuation liability for 2005-06. In relation to the $68m, I am prepared to lay a wager with the member for Blain right here and now that we will return a better figure than the $68m, despite the fact it was $68m at the start of the financial year, and it is recorded as $68.2m, I think, in the mid-year report. Many receipts come in during the latter part of the year - from the Commonwealth, from either late GST receipts or special purpose payments to agencies - and some of those can be very large indeed. They have the effect, of course, of inflating revenue in that financial year without any possibility or even expectation that they will be expended or acquitted inside that financial year. Last financial year, $36m turned up six weeks from the end of the financial year. That impacts, of course, on the 2004-05 budget, but that money has to flow through to 2005-06 and be spent in 2005-06.
That is just one example of where both the Leader of the Opposition and the member of Blain do not understand the process, because they say: ‘You spent so much more in the financial year than you said you would’. Well, of course you do, because we did not know that that $36m was going to lob just weeks before the end of the financial year. It would have been much easier to say to the federal government: ‘Give it to us in the next financial year’. However, that would not suit the federal government because they want to clear their books of the cash before the end of the financial year, and they do not care what it does to the state budget books. It is a flow, and it will always be that situation because the end of the financial year is simply a day on the calendar, and revenue flows do not respect 30 June one way or another. All the books have to recognise is 30 June and the start of a new financial year The Commonwealth does for its own purposes, but not for ours.
Let us go back to my confidence around this $68m probably being somewhat better, if not a good bit better by the end of the financial year, and compare the difference to the way this Labor government’s targets have come in, compared to CLP. In the budget of 1999-2000, a deficit of $100m; budget 2000-01, a deficit of $101m; and budget 2001-02 promised a deficit of $12m, delivered a deficit of $130m, but we reduced that to $83m prior to 30 June 2002. In our first full financial year in government, confronted with a deficit of around $126m to $130m, we returned a deficit of $83m. The next financial year we were in deficit; it would have been a predicted deficit again. In budget 2002-03, we delivered a surplus of $8m. In budget 2003-04, predicted to be in surplus, we delivered a surplus of $36m. Budget 2005 was expected to be balanced, and we delivered a $51m surplus. In each of those years, whatever the target that was set in the May budget, it was considerably improved. Despite greater expenditure throughout each of those financial years, the final outcome was considerably improved.
Why would we not, in budget year 2005-06, considerably improve our margin again? A different result, sure, to what was predicted, but a better result in not adding to debt, as opposed to the very different results that the CLP achieved which were always in the negative, always one way. Budget 2005-06 as predicted in the mid-year report, is on target. I am prepared to take the member for Blain, in any form of wager he would like, that we will better the $68m deficit by the end of the financial year.
There was discussion over the past week that we blew the books in 2003-04 as well, and we spent far much more than we budgeted for. Of course, we did, but we received a whole lot more revenue than we expected we would as well. In fact, $151m extra revenue through the year, $100m in round terms, $100m extra expended, but a $51m surplus. If you return to surplus and you budgeted for a balanced budget, how can you have blown the budget? It is simply not possible to have a $51m surplus and to have blown the budget.
We announced in May 2005 that the budget targets for the next four years would be deficit: $68m in 2005-06, and I believe we will improve on that; in 2006-07 a deficit of $53m and, if we improve this year it will be consistent with every other year in government - we will improve the minus-$53m for 2006-07; in 2007-08, minus-$21m; and balanced back in 2008-09. I would think, all things being equal, we will improve dramatically on that outcome.
In some of his comments about budgets and the economy, the member for Blain said it is really nothing to do with us. Part of this stems from the CLP resentment of the fact that the economy is going well, and referred to as turbocharged. He said: ‘It is nothing to do with the budget. The economy is great, everyone else has done that, nothing to do with the government. But the budget is absolutely stuffed and it is all to do with the resources boom; all to do with the resources boom, nothing to do with this government’. If that is the case, in 2001 when we were elected - and it was a basket case out there - we pump primed every spare cent we could over those first couple of years into record capital works programs in order to get the Territory’s construction industry slowly into gear and moving again.
If we had not done that, I would suggest these project managers would have looked twice. They would have said: ‘Nothing happening in the Territory, it is a dead place, they do not have a construction industry, we are going to have bring everyone in’. As it occurred, they have to bring most people in anyway, but I would have thought the signs would not have been there to bring major projects to stream. However, the place was energised and getting up and running under the levers pulled by this government - under the record capital works, record minor new works, and record repairs and maintenance.
We did those years tough, and so did the business world out there. When we did act in that counter-cyclical way to push in as much government revenue as we could to get the budget going, that is exactly what the CLP should have been doing two years earlier - two years earlier.
Mr Mills: We were building a railway at the time.
Mr STIRLING: They had their eye off the ball, the relied wholly and solely on the railway, pumped every cent they could into that and had nothing left, because of their mismanagement, in order to pick it up.
Okay, the major projects are there, but what about the residential construction, the non-residential construction, the real estate going through the roof, the huge increases in tourism coming through, the ever-increasing retail sales, the record number of vehicles sold to this month, which ABS released today?
I say to the member for Blain that you cannot separate out the difference between the budget and the economy. They are closely linked. The budget itself is reliant on the revenues generated through economic activity in terms of self-revenue and the Territory’s budget is closely linked to the national economy for GST. If that is going bad then, of course, GST receipts are not going to be coming through as strongly. It is inextricably linked whether you have a national economy and our budget and, of course, the Commonwealth budget or, indeed, the Northern Territory economy and our own budget.
The economy is highly dependent, as we know, on capital works, a function of this government that is determined by this budget and the government. Of course, the management of the budget itself impacts on the economy because if you get excited and you try to spend too much on any one sector or any one thing it will throw another area completely out of whack.
I was interested in the member for Blain talking about the seven years of fat and the seven years of lean. Of course, this was Joseph’s interpretation of the Pharaoh’s dream. Members will recall Pharaoh could not find anyone to interpret the dream when the seven fat cows came out of the river followed by the seven lean cows which promptly ate the seven fat cows, but were still as thin and lean as they were before. Then there was the seven good sheaves of grain and the seven thin and withered sheaves of grain. He searched Egypt for someone to explain this and they found Joseph who, of course, was in prison at the time. Joseph came and explained to the Pharaoh that he was going to have seven good years and then seven very lean years with an east wind and no rain and no crops. The Pharaoh was taken by this and he asked: ‘What is the answer?’ He said: ‘We will take a fifth of each crop through the seven fat years and, on my calculations, that will get us through the seven lean years’. Of course, it came true.
Joseph grew to become a great and powerful governor of Egypt under the Pharaoh because he was able to not only to predict the seasons - God told him what the seasons would be and how it was all going to work and what he should do, so it just was not Joseph. Pharaoh was very taken with this. The principle behind that of putting a bit away in good times, as a espoused by the member for Blain, is as sound today as it was back then.
This is the counter-cyclical arrangement that we have employed. We had those record capital works through those very lean years a few years ago, in order to try to get the place up and going. This next financial year budget, we will not have anywhere near a record capital works because there is enough work going out there in the private sector now, and we would only be trying to rob resources and manpower from the private sector getting in the way with our own public sector capital works programs. That does not include R&M, minor new works, they have to go on. However, in major capital, we get out of the way of the private sector and let them keep the work force busy, and stand ready at a time of a downturn to step in with the 20%. It is a bit like the tithes, I suppose, that the CLP members paid to central branch. I do not know whether it is a fifth or whatever, but I am told they are not getting it lately. Is that a fact?
Mr Mills: What was that?
Mr STIRLING: The tithes you have to pay to the CLP. I am told they are not getting it. It is a bit like keeping a fifth back to carry you over the bad times.
In going over the budget, I just want to make this final point on these allegations of budget blow-out. The real question, if you spent more - and every government spends more than it budgeted for at budget time - is whether it is still within its parameters. Is it still within the parameters as laid down at budget time? Answer for this government: absolutely! We said minus-$68m at the start of the year and, as I said, I expect we will, on past form, return much better than that.
A little about the election promises mentioned by the Leader of the Opposition. They were all fully costed and set out as an immediate $8m; in 2006-07, $11m; 2007-08, $18m; and 2008-09, $24.3m. It was also laid out in the pre-election fiscal outlook which we released just before the election. We challenged the CLP to do the same, but the former Leader of the Opposition refused until really he felt pressured into it close to election time. When he did come forward with a statement around election promises, it was $200m short. Ours were tested, thoroughly examined by independent commentators and ticked off. They are still there and they will be worked through in a measured fashion as outlined at the time of the election, and in subsequent budget papers.
The Leader of the Opposition said three …
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, I move an extension of time of 10 minutes to allow my colleague to conclude his remarks.
Motion agreed to.
Mr STIRLING: Madam Speaker, I thank members for their indulgence. I will be brief. I did want to pick up on some points made by the Leader of the Opposition. She said three times in her contribution that GST will fall. That is wrong. That is absolutely wrong. It will not fall. What we have said consistently and what the forward estimates will show is that the rate of growth that we have experienced in the early years of the GST will start to come back from this year and a couple of years forward. However, there is not a fall. You still get more money this 2006-07. Receipts will still give the Northern Territory more money than they received in 2005-06, albeit a lesser percentage increase than perhaps we have seen over the last few years.
She also challenged the Chief Minister about fiscal strategy which was to have a balance and then a surplus budget. When we came to government and such an horrendous mess in 2001, our first priority was to get the budget balanced and back into the black as soon as possible. We made that commitment that we would do it in our first term. In fact, we said we would do it over that first four years. We did it in our second year, and we have returned three surplus budgets since so, once we are in the black, we have stayed there for the past three years. We outperformed ourselves in turning the budget around. We did advise the Territory and everyone else very clearly in the budget papers of 2005-06 that, over the course of this term, we would expect to have modest deficits, and much of that, of course, is around the government investment in the waterfront project.
It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to stay with it when strategies change, for good reason as they have done this time. It is incumbent on her to understand that and be across it. We have this question of the nett debt, the $400m. Much of it has to be seen in accrual terms. It is money owed, but it is not money owed today; it is an outgoing on an emerging basis as public servants retire and pick up their superannuation benefits under NTGPASS. It certainly has to be paid, but it is not the same as nett debt, in the sense that if you had $1.7bn you could not pay it off tomorrow anyway, because it has to be paid right through to the peak of 2012-13 when that figure peaks and the payments start to go down after that. A better way of looking at debt - and you can look at gross debt, and nett debt. Okay, nett debt has jumped up $400m. What does it mean in context of the budget and the revenue we get in? That is the best way of looking at the measure of debt.
The nett debt, plus the liabilities for employees, has increased. However, the debt to revenue ratio has come down, and that is a measure of how you are going on an annual basis. That is a measure of the annual revenue you get in for the year verses the debt situation you are in. Under the CLP, that ratio was as high as 134%. We were working it down, and it will move one or two percentage points up as a result of these deficits that we are in now. However, at the moment it stands at 119%. That is a far cry from the 134% - and spiralling - that we were seeing under the CLP. Not only was debt running away from them on an alarming basis, the revenue, of course, was not there to cover it and the debt to revenue ratio was worsening on a daily basis.
You have to look at these things and, if you are going to objective and completely fair, you cannot run around and saying the sky is falling in because nett debt jumped $400m. So has the ability of government to pay that debt increased. We cannot help it that the actuary comes along and says people are living longer and they employ a different methodology to work out just what superannuation entitlements we might be looking at into the future. Nor does it have to be paid today either, or even next week. It is there and has to be met at some stage.
I guess the most telling point that the member for Blain talked about and made was the seven years of fat and seven years of lean. I hope he is right in this case that we are in seven years of fat, because that means we have a few years to go - whether we say a fifth of that fat, or what measure we actually keep back, will be measured in how we perform against those deficits we forecast.
I have said and I will say it again: I bet the member for Blain anything that we will return on past form - and you have to take form in this; you look at form on racehorses, you have to look at form of governments. This government has always returned a better outcome than predicted at its May budget by June of the next year. I am willing to hear of any offer on a take-up with this bet from the member for Blain within reason; that we will return a much better than a minus-$68m figure.
Budget is in good shape, Madam Speaker, the economy even better. I look forward to the next time we get around to these matters, which will be the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report.
Motion agreed to; report noted.
Continued from 15 February 2006.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, I will be brief. I am pleased to be on this Statehood Steering Committee because, as you know, I am a supporter of statehood and I have been for a long time. It is difficult, when you know there is a bit of disinterest out there; the people really do not have the passion for statehood at the moment that we would like them to have. Even the debate on the nuclear facility did not stir enough passion for people in the Northern Territory to start a strong push for statehood. I really believe it is going to be a hard slog, particularly for those members of the committee in maintaining their interest and enthusiasm. That is why it is really very important that we make sure they get all the support and encouragement they need.
Interestingly, when you look at some of the survey results that, and there were over 1600 people surveyed at the show, which I thought was a pretty widespread gauge of people’s reaction. Some of the answers that were given, though, really did not have a strong, positive response or did not indicate that people were au fait with what statehood was all about. For instance – ‘Does the Northern Territory have its own Constitution written by Territorians?’ ‘Not sure’ was 50% of the answer. People really are not sure of what we are talking about yet. ‘Do you believe the Northern Territory has all the same rights as a state already?’ 66% said no. ‘Do you know how many representatives the Northern Territory has in the two Houses of the Australian parliament?’ 54% said no. There is a lot of misunderstanding and a lack of knowledge out there. The only one where they were quite strong in their response was: ‘If the Northern Territory becomes a state, do you want to change the name?’ That was a strong 85% that said no. However, if you look at all the other answers, it really shows that there was a ‘not sure’, ‘not really interested’, ‘nil response’. It is a pretty strong indication to the committee that there needs to be a lot of work done on education and convincing people that we are ready to be a state, that we have been operating as a state for some time, and that we should, as part of Australia and Australian citizens, become a state.
It is interesting that, although I am Victorian by birth, just because I moved to the Territory I no longer have the same entitlements as my brother and sister who remained in Victoria. That is the crazy part about it. Many of us came from interstate. Many of us were not born in the Territory but, for some reason or other, we lose some of our rights as soon as we come to live here. That is one of those anomalies we need to get across to people out there: just because you live in the Territory does not mean to say that you should not be accepted as a citizen of Australia with full and equal rights as anyone else living in any other state in Australia.
I guess what this has told us very strongly is that we need to do a lot of education, a lot of campaigning and a lot of advertising. I worry, if we do a lot now, how are we going to keep the passion up, and what are we really aiming for? If we are talking about statehood in 2008-09, will we have the community behind us? If we do not want to put so much passion and strength into advertising, and persuading people it is a good thing, we go through this high and then we lull off. That is, basically, what has happened with the statehood process after the last referendum. It is unfortunate.
I have to admit the people on the statehood committee are good people who have the interests of statehood at heart, who are there because they have a genuine interest in it, and because they would like us to progress towards statehood as we go along. If government is really sincere about getting statehood and maintaining this momentum, then they really need to fund this committee in a way that will enable them to do their job. Without funding, there is little point in having all these members appointed to this committee. Without adequate funding, it will make it very hard for members to meet, to travel, to speak to people in the Northern Territory.
What they have done so far, has been a great credit to them. The fact sheets were really great, because they highlighted many of the simple questions that people asked. When I have done presentations to high school students there is obviously a lack of understanding. However, from the young people’s point of view, they are perhaps a little more passionate than the older generation. I do not mean that in any insulting manner, but I am just saying that young Territorians who were born here and are beginning to understand what democracy and politics are all about really believe and have a passion for being Territorians. Whereas, I guess, as we have grown older, because we have been through this before, we have lost that bit of passion and interest, so we are becoming a little disinterested.
I believe it is hard slog, I really do. Whenever we go into a campaign to do it, we are going to have to be quite creative to capture the imagination of many of the people out there who really are disinterested. Our travels across the Territory to engage with Territorians will sometimes be very hard and very difficult because we may come across people who are really not that interested in what we are doing.
I commend the executive officer, Mr Michael Tatham, who is here today, for the tremendous work he has done in leading the committee; Sue Bradley, and all the other committee members who have been so up-front and willing to participate in the committee, and to all the other members of the committee including the co-chair, the member for Barkly. It is a hard task and sometimes a bit of a hard slog. However, I know he is there to do the best he can for the Northern Territory.
I appreciate the work that has been done. We are on the right track. I ask government to make sure you fund the committee adequately. I urge all members of the House to get behind us and give us that support whenever we need it.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Mr Deputy Speaker, I also speak on behalf of the opposition in support of this report and the work of the committee. It is very important work. I have been a member of this committee since 1999 when I first entered parliament in a by-election. There has been a sense of heading in this general direction. We know what we want but it has been difficult to define clearly the means to achieve that, particularly when we recognise what sits behind achieving this objective is the will of government. It is a delicate matter because, ultimately, government must show itself to be very willing to see this objective achieved by way of resources that it provides to the mechanism to advance this case and, at the same time, be removed from the process so that the community knows that this is a bipartisan, community issue that does not involve the self-interest of politicians. There is a great test for governments in this process.
There have been recent calls for an increase for funding and those calls will continue and test the will of government. At this point, I acknowledge, firstly, the very important and commendable role the member for Barkly has played; and the executive officer, Michael Tatham. I was involved in a range of interviews to select someone and I believe we have chosen well. Sue Bradley, the role that you have played with the other committee members has encouraged me and many members in the House. We would go to the show circuit and see the passion and the energy that was demonstrated through that show circuit, where people who are part of that committee believe in statehood and are starting to get people to think more about it.
Now they are armed with real information. Those fact sheets are very good. I have been encouraged by the energy of the committee members - the passion they bring to bear to achieving this objective which is either behind the scenes or up-front. It is there with every Territorian. When any Territorian really understands the issue, there is not a problem.
It is an abstract proposition because, in the early days before self-government, at the time the CLP was formed, it was largely formed on the basis of a fair deal for Territorians. We knew very well before self-government we were not in a position where we had a fair deal from Canberra. Ultimately, self-government was achieved and, in some ways, that has muted the passion of Territorians because we have a Clayton’s statehood. Once it is explained, Territorians understand that we are still second-class citizens.
I pay respect to Bernie Kilgariff here. I remember a memorable cup of tea I shared with Bernie a couple of years ago helped me to connect with the history of this issue, and the important place that this issue has in the history and in the future of the Northern Territory. Thank you to Bernie for keeping the fire burning.
Finally, at the other end of the scale there are our young people. I had the opportunity to participate in a debate at one of the high schools. It was Marrara Christian School. They invited me to adjudicate. It was most encouraging to see young people having a grasp on the issues and arguing the case - a bit like what happens in this Chamber. I have to say that those who were arguing for statehood did a marvellous job. They had all the resources under the sun. They had a very strong argument and very passionate position and a right position to take.
I felt so sorry for those who were arguing that statehood is not the go. They did not have any support from those who were listening, nor did they have any strong argument or any resources to fall back on. Even in that forum, those who were involved learnt a lot about it, but parents learnt a lot too. What they learnt through that process was that there are a lot of resources available. As members here are contacted by Years 9 to 11 as they are doing their different projects, this often features. The future really largely lies with our young people and that is why the education process is so important.
Madam Speaker, I commend this report to honourable members.
Ms McCARTHY (Arnhem): Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I take this opportunity to address the parliament on the good works progressed so far by the Statehood Steering Committee. I say good works because I looked at this report and read through the minutes and saw how much has gone into it, as the previous speakers, the members for Blain and Braitling, have said. The enthusiasm comes through the staff, such as Michael Tatham, Nora Kempster and co-chair Sue Bradley. Seeing them at the show circuit has highlighted to most people that statehood is very much a discussion point.
It took a beating at the 1998 referendum which saw 51.3% of voters reject statehood. Naturally, many of us who remember that carry all sorts of lessons from what happened. I remember it quite vividly as I was covering it at the time as a journalist.
As I read this report to see where we are going, I had a look at our history in general. I wanted to share with the parliament the three very important constitutional moments in the history of the Northern Territory. I take great delight in reading Under One Flag by Peter Loveday and Dean Jaensch which goes into detail about those three important points and I will share them with you.
The first was the annexation of the Northern Territory to South Australia in 1863. The second was its transfer to the Commonwealth in 1911 and the third is the attainment of self-government - not statehood – in 1978. I add a fourth constitutional moment, perhaps, which would be the 1998 statehood referendum as the next important date, despite it being a no vote.
Keep in mind that, in between the first two events, in 1901 the Federation of Australia was established, Australia was still in its infancy as a nation when it took over the reigns of the Territory in 1911. Reading through the history, no one seemed too enthusiastic about taking on the responsibility of the Territory. It is a theme that seems to flow straight through the reading of this. It amuses me in some ways, because you can see a pattern emerging throughout the constitutional debate with regards to the birth and the growth of this beautiful place called the Northern Territory.
I will go back to the first point. In the middle of the 1800s, South Australia only took over the annexation of the Territory simply because Queensland did not want to. You think, okay, Queensland did not want us and so South Australia was stuck with us. However, South Australia was not exactly falling over itself to embrace us either. That gives you a feeling of not really being wanted there either. It is interesting to note at this point, that it was only just last year that a politician from South Australia was canvassing the idea that the Northern Territory should again belong to South Australia. Oh, what a terrible idea! They did not want us back in the 1800s, and I am not going to let them have a chance of taking us back now.
This not-so-enthusiastic attitude is a common thread as we look through the history of our development. It was a case of unexciting, boring, maybe dull, to the southern political leaders of the day who had more important things to worry about in their own area.
I will share with you some exerts from Loveday and Jaensch’s book:
Even the story of the ceremony of the day is interesting reading. Just picture it: the Palmerston orchestral band played God Save the King as the Commonwealth flag rose up the pole beneath the Union Jack here in Darwin. The flag was a new flag made especially for this occasion by a firm of Chinese tailors who did the job - and was most exquisite, I am sure. It actually infuriated a handful of advocates of white Australia, so much that a tattered old flag was used for the pole. In his speech, South Australian government’s Resident, Mr Justice Mitchell, had to rise above any pessimistic mood about the severing of the Territory from South Australia, and urged people in attendance to ‘feel and show a real love for the land in which we live’.
I come back to today. I am confident that we do feel and show a real love for the land in which we live. I am sure my parliamentary colleagues and the people of the Northern Territory ‘feel and show a real love for the land in which we live’ and want to see a good future for all people in the Northern Territory.
It is at this point that I would like to digress a little and go on to some of the issues that have been raised by this Statehood Steering Committee. I mention the people who are on the committee, for those who have not had a chance to read through the Statehood Steering Committee report. Sue Bradley the co-chair, Mr Daniel Bourchier, Ms Kathleen Chong-Fong, Mr Pete Davies, Mr Stuart Kenny, Ms Irene Nangala, Mr Brian Martin AO MBE, Ms Jenny Medwell OAM, Ms Kezia Purick, Mr Jamey Robertson, Mr Geoff Shaw OAM, and Ms Margaret Vigants was the committee as of January 2006. The committee also has membership with representative status of the following stakeholder groups: Territorians for Statehood, the Central Land Council, the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association, the Northern Territory Minerals Council, Unions NT, and Multicultural Council of the Northern Territory.
When there were calls for membership on this committee, 95 applications were received, and that speaks volumes, Madam Speaker. In a lot of ways, it gives a great deal of hope to a movement that certainly suffered great defeat after the 1998 ‘no’ vote. However, seeing that 95 people applied to be on this committee, gives great hope. I heard the member for Braitling when she said it is going to be hard work, a hard slog. I absolutely agree it will be. There needs to be the passion, and I believe passion is something that comes with time. Seeing this committee formed and growing, moving along, cementing and firming the foundations of something wonderful, that is inclusive and informs people, is how I see what this committee is all about. It may be slow, dreary, tiresome, and you may wonder if you getting anywhere but, as a Territorian, as a Yanyuwa woman, I am really encouraged and excited by the good works that I have seen in such a short time.
The STAG, which includes the teachers and professionals group that has been set up to teach and open the minds of our youth about governance in the Northern Territory, is just as vital. As the member for Braitling said, reaching our youth through education is a whole part of this inclusive process that opens minds so they can ask the questions. I looked at the survey. You spoke to around 1500 people through the show circuits. I am thrilled with the 10 questions: understanding of what statehood means, why would you like to receive it? I was particularly curious about, ‘Do you believe the Northern Territory has all the same rights as a state already?’ 66% said no. ‘Do you know how many representatives the Northern Territory has in the two Houses of the Australia parliament?’ 54% said no. They do not even know how many representatives we have in the federal parliament right now. ‘Do you have a good understanding of financial relationships between the Northern Territory and Australia governments?’ 67% said no. Not to belittle in any way whatsoever the thoughts of our fellow Territorians, I say thank you to the Statehood Steering Committee for making me aware of the thoughts of the people out there. There were 1500 last year. Another 1500, perhaps, this year.
These are the things that I enjoy reading about and seeing, to get an understanding of what people are feeling. ‘Do you believe the Northern Territory would be worse off financially if it were a state?’ 43% are not sure, 38% no. As the member for Braitling pointed out: ‘If the Northern Territory becomes a state do you want to change the name?’ 85% of that 1500 said no. These are things that I am fascinated about and pleased to read. The other thing is, with the members on the Statehood Steering Committee, the issue of reaching out to our remote areas is absolutely crucial.
We know that the minister, in his address to parliament in October last year about the interpreter service, said that we have 104 languages with 200 employees in the Aboriginal Interpreter Service. I know, from speaking with the CEO, Michael Tatham, that that is an area that they are certainly going to focus on. Indeed, Nora Kempster, who is also in the office with Michael Tatham, is keen to look at that. I commend the staff, because it is a huge job.
The fact that the committee has identified that they need to look at the Kalkarindji statement and the Batchelor statement and constitutional discussions that took place between indigenous groups in the last 10 years, shows me, as an indigenous person, that you are doing what you should be doing in any inclusive process. You are reaching out to those groups. You are asking those questions. You are going to make the effort to see that people understand in their own languages what statehood is all about.
In conclusion, the statehood committee is dedicated to informing and listening to all the people in the Northern Territory. It is only the first eight to 12 months, but it is an encouraging sign of just where we could be going. I would like to see that you have the resources to be able to gradually go along. There will come a day when you, as a committee, will be in the right place at the right time to share the information that all people of the Northern Territory need to hear in order to, hopefully, give that yes vote at the next referendum when we do get there. If next time comes around and, even after all the consultations, the language interpretations, the show circuits and the media advertisements, the education seminars and the discussions in the schools and the forums that we may have, people vote no, let it be said they chose no from an informed and inclusive position, not from an excluded and uninformed one.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the Co-chair of the Statehood Steering Committee, Mrs Sue Bradley. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr BURKE (Brennan): Madam Speaker, the Northern Territory will become a state; of that I have absolutely no doubt. I do not know when that will occur but it will happen. It should have happened previously in 1998. The fact is it did not. For whatever reason, it started off with great enthusiasm for the process, then lost people along the way to such an extent that when it came time to actually vote on the issue, it failed to gain support, which is a shame. It was a result I was not expecting at the time and I view it as a missed opportunity for the Northern Territory.
Referenda are notoriously hard to get agreement on. Even when there is bipartisan support there is a poor record of success. We need to ensure that people are informed and feel that they have come every step of the way; that they are comfortable with what statehood means for them as an individual as well as for the Northern Territory.
That is one of the reasons I am very supportive of the statehood committees consultative forums being available to people. I attended one such forum in Palmerston which showed the great diversity of where people were with their understanding of statehood issues and what people wanted to talk about. There were those who were starting from the very basic premise of, ‘Well, so what? What is the difference?’, as opposed to those who had already decided on the fact they wanted statehood but wanted to go into particulars; for example, whether to incorporate a bill of rights into the constitution. That is an argument somewhat more advanced than the principle of whether we want statehood or not. As I said at the outset, the Northern Territory will be a state but we have to make sure we bring the population along with us. We have to make sure that everyone shares the dream. The effort to get out to remote communities to talk to people and to pass information along in their own languages is vital to ensure widespread support.
It is my personal opinion that the Northern Territory should have statehood on equal footing with the existing states. Others may have a different opinion, and that is something that will be flushed out as we move forward. Interesting that you can either be criticised for moving too quickly, or too slowly. I doubt that you will get all people agreeing all the time as to the speed of the process. However, what is absolutely vital is that the process goes forward because we do not want to get ourselves set up for another referendum, another vote, and for it to be lost a second time. In my view, that will set back the cause of statehood considerably. We need to ensure that people have understood the issues and what is at stake. Statehood is the next step in our constitutional development, and one that we will take. For my part, I hope that it is sooner rather than later because of the benefits that it will bring and what it means for the Northern Territory as a population, as a geographical portion of Australia.
I will close with how I started, in that I want to thank all members of the Statehood Steering Committee for their ceaseless efforts, for taking the message out, informing people and listening to a variety of views. I know that in Palmerston there was a suggestion that the Statehood Steering Committee could get out to more people by setting up in shopping centres and other public areas. I know that has been taken on board, showing that the steering committee is listening to the feedback of how to get out to more people. It is not just about dictating what someone else believes is the process.
I will continue to be involved in some fashion. I hope the people currently on the steering committee will maintain the enthusiasm and the energy because this is a long fight. There is not going to be any real lightning speed about it. That is the nature of constitutional development; it rarely happens quickly. I hope all members of this House will contribute in their own ways, and in their own areas, to explain to people what the full ramifications of statehood are.
Madam Speaker, I commend the steering committee for its report as presented by the minister. I look forward to further reports of progress as we head down the path inevitably to statehood.
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I thank all those members who spoke on to the Statehood Steering Committee Report. First of all, I acknowledge Sue Bradley who was here in the gallery earlier today. It is indicative of the commitment by people associated with the Statehood Steering Committee because Sue was actually here last week. Thank you very much, Sue, for your ongoing commitment.
Obviously, there have been some wide-ranging views on statehood. It is fair to say, without a doubt, that there is a commitment on behalf of all members to statehood, having heard you here this afternoon. As the member for Braitling said, it is probably a difficult exercise because, sometimes, there is a degree of disinterest out there in the community in how you sell statehood. I am very much aware that we are competing with a whole range of other issues that arise from day to day, week to week. Admittedly, it is very hard to sell the message.
The member for Braitling, as did the member for Arnhem, raised the subject of passion in the debate. How do you reignite and maintain the passion? Those sorts of things will arise in many different ways. We probably will not have control over many of those issues but, I can assure you that when the occasion does arrive, the passion will be there in being able to drive the statehood debate forward. I do not think we can actually dictate that, because I do not think it is a sexy enough subject at this point in time. Clearly, the way to arrive at an outcome is through a commitment on behalf of the Statehood Steering Committee.
We also had a contribution from the member for Arnhem, who was able to give a history of views in regard to the Territory and statehood and relationships between the Northern Territory, the Commonwealth and South Australia. There was something that she said which we should give real consideration to. She talked about love for our country. That is a very admiral gesture. If you add love for our country to respect for all peoples, and if we all get together as Territorians - particularly the Statehood Steering Committee which we are going to be behind - then that binds us in how we might achieve statehood. It is a very important message to get out.
The member for Blain talked about the inevitable issue in regards to ongoing funding of such an important exercise. Of course, the Martin Labor government is very conscious of the need to be able to provide appropriate resources and, hopefully, will be in a position, perhaps in the not-too-distant future, to be able to advise what the dollar allocation might be, particularly in relation to this year. Obviously, there are challenges ahead in the future, but I say to the member for Blain that we are very conscious of that. I am sure you, as a committee member, will continue to remind me of that need to get those dollars, as will other members and, of course, the Statehood Steering Committee.
The member for Blain also made reference to Bernie Kilgariff. We all know Bernie. He was here last week. Bernie is a great person, a great Territorian, and he has much to offer. I do not know if Bernie is actually the ambassador for statehood at this particular point in time, but I imagine that he would be the sort of person who would be prepared to be out there with the members of the Statehood Steering Committee in securing statehood.
There are other people we should be able to engage. Only last year, Aunty Kathy Mills was the Senior Territorian of the Year. She is also another wonderful human being, a very compassionate person who has much to offer to the broader community. When you have people like Aunty Kathy Mills and Bernie Kilgariff, if we play our cards right, we are going to be in a very strong position.
There are also people in the regions. I do not know all the people in the regions but there are people like Pat Miller in Alice Springs. I am absolutely certain that she would be the sort of person who would also be prepared to provide inspiration and drive. There are even people who probably no one in this House knows about. Thelma Douglas lives at Borroloola. Thelma has been an inspiration to a lot of people there. I am sure there are other people in the region also. They are the sort of people we have to be able engage to help drive this particular matter. There are also our young people. I know that the Statehood Steering Committee, Michael and his team, worked very hard with the schools. There are those challenges to get a whole lot of people involved in this process because, quite honestly, we cannot do it as politicians. The Statehood Steering Committee can certainly drive it, but it has to be a whole-of-community effort. That is why I am glad the member for Blain raised Bernie Kilgariff, as I did some of the other people. Obviously, we need to engage all sorts of people across the community at all age levels, and I am pretty certain that we can achieve statehood.
Other members have already mentioned the names of the people on the Statehood Steering Committee. However, I would like to have them recorded in the Parliamentary Record as well. You have already mentioned Sue Bradley as the Co-chair of the Statehood Steering Committee. There is also Geoff Shaw, Irene Nangala, Daniel Bourchier, Brian Martin, Jamey Robertson, Kezia Purick, Stuart Kenny, Jenny Medwell, Pete Davies, Kathleen Chong-Fong and Margaret Vigants. There have been other members also who have actually sat on the committee, Galarrwuy Yunupingu being one of them. Due to other commitments, he was unable to continue in his role, but we thank him for his contribution for that short period and, more importantly, for his contribution to the Northern Territory as a whole.
To the existing members of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, the members for Braitling, Blain, Arnhem, Brennan and Katherine, thank you very much for your contribution. I believe, quite sincerely, the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee is in good hands because of people like the members for Brennan and Arnhem. I say that because they are a degree younger than us. I would say to you both that you have a great opportunity here to drive this particular debate and I know that you will do that.
I would like to thank Ian McNeill, the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, very much for his contribution thus far. Many people probably do not know this, but when we decided to embark on this process whereby we would try to ensure that there were community representatives engaged in the process as opposed to what occurred before, it was, obviously, a very difficult exercise. I guess there was a fear on our part, as politicians, that we did not want to let this go. We tried to set up a mechanism or an arrangement whereby we could engage ordinary Territorians. We have already heard reference to the fact that 95 people applied. The person who actually did all the hard work was Ian. He came up with a model of a Statehood Steering Committee. It is a good model. It is a very relevant model, not only in relation to statehood, but in regards to some of the other issues that might arise from time to time in this House. It provides an opportunity for members of the community to have an input into, in this case, the statehood debate. However, there will be other issues that will arise over time where I believe this model can be used. I cannot think of one off-hand, but I am sure other members can. It is something that we should think about into the future as a means of being able to engage members of the community out there to help us arrive at decisions of immense importance to the Territory. To you, Ian, thank you very much.
There is another person who is no longer employed in the Legislative Assembly. Rick Gray, over a very long period, played a very important role in the old process and, of course, in this new process. Rick resigned because of his superannuation benefit with the Commonwealth. Whilst that is not of relevance, I am trying to say that I pay him due credit in terms of why he left the Department of the Legislative Assembly. Rick Gray played a very important role. I know that Ian will continue to provide the support to the Statehood Steering Committee if asked and, indeed, I know that he will also be prepared to provide support and assistance to Legal and Constitutional Committee. I also acknowledge David Horton, who took over from Rick Gray. David has provided very professional input to the committee as has Pat Hancock, the present secretary to the Legal and Constitutional Committee, and we thank you Pat.
Maria Viegas also did a lot of the work on the model of the Statehood Steering Committee. I know that she did a lot of the research, so to Maria, we thank you as well. I would also like to thank Michael Tatham, whom I mentioned previously, who has provided a very professional response to the Statehood Steering Committee and also to the Legal and Constitutional Committee. Michael has a lot of energy. I know that he is committed, dedicated, and that he will continue to work very hard in securing statehood for the Northern Territory. Nora Kempster is an indigenous woman who has an important role in engaging the indigenous community and non-indigenous community, and I know that she is also very committed to this process. Sharon McAlear is the secretary to the Statehood Steering Committee - thank you for your outstanding contribution as well.
In conclusion, there will be some big challenges for the Statehood Steering Committee as they embark on a community consultation process which will occur over the next few months. They are going to Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, and to a lot of other communities to engage, talk, and consult with people. I wish them well in their deliberations. I thank all the speakers. I thank you very much for your commitment and your dedication and, more importantly, I thank the Statehood Steering Committee for their ongoing hard work. I know that they will continue to provide the drive and direction which will deliver statehood to the Northern Territory.
Motion agreed to; paper noted.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I table the report of the Department of Legislative Assembly pursuant to paragraphs 5.2 and 8.8(c) of the Remuneration Tribunal Determination No 1 of 2005 which contains an annual schedule of member travel at government expense, and an annual schedule containing the respective totals of government payments on behalf of each member for satellite telephones and mobile telephones.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move the report be printed.
Motion agreed to.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I have a response to a question asked by the member for Braitling earlier in Question Time regarding work done at Alice Springs.
In Question Time this afternoon, the member for Braitling directed a question to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport concerning the contracts awarded to Siemens Limited valued at $625 862 for work in Alice Springs. The member for Braitling asked why the contracts went to an interstate company. The answer is the contractors for the 20 000 hour service on set nine of the Rod Goodin Power Station in Alice Springs, Siemens, is the original equipment manufacturer and the only company in the world capable of carrying out this service. Power and Water has had previous dealings with Siemens Limited, the Swedish manufacturer of the GT35C gas turbine, and has always received excellent service at competitive costs.
That is the answer to the member for Braitling’s question.
Ms LAWRIE (Family and Community Services): Madam Speaker, I inform the House of the achievements made by government in advancing the rights and interests of Territorians with a disability, and to outline the government’s plan of action to address the challenges that still lie before us. Approximately 13% of Territorians live each day with a disability of some kind. More than one in 10 members of our community, that is 26 000 Territorians, deal not only with a disability but with a society that too often fails to make even the most basic accommodation for their needs. Many people with disabilities are senior Territorians who, after long and fruitful lives, now have trouble getting around or need some assistance in the home. Others have lived with disabilities for their entire lives, including nearly 10% of children in our schools. Too many Territorians have disabilities following injuries or misadventure on our roads, in our homes or from long-term substance abuse.
This government believes that people living with a disability should enjoy the same rights as other Territorians. We believe that Disability Services should work to build on people’s abilities, their desire to be independent, and to achieve their full potential. We believe that disability is everyone’s business across government and throughout the community. When the Martin government came to power, we inherited a system that was under-funded and lacking direction. People with disabilities have been neglected by a government unwilling to put people first.
In 2001, I assisted the then Minister for Health and Community Services, Hon Jane Aagaard MLA, to consult with the disability sector to identify the most urgent issues for action. We held meetings in Alice Springs and Darwin to work out where our new government should start to fix the system. I found a sector that was angry and frustrated at being ignored by the former government. People’s requests were relatively modest. Parents wanted more services for their kids and opportunities for young people when leaving school. They wanted a better deal for the bush, more choices in accommodation and access to respite. Five years on, we have a record achievement on those very issues.
I pay tribute to you, Madam Speaker, and after you, minister Scrymgour, for the results you have achieved. I am privileged to have the opportunity to build on your work.
The first step was to increase funding. All the policy in the world is not much use unless you have funding to implement it. Our first priority was to inject some much-needed funds into the disability budget. We did this straightaway. The budget paper showed that we increased the disability budget by 50% in our first year. This was an immediate injection of around $14m to take the budget from $27m under the CLP to $40m the next year in 2002-03. We have continued to build the budget and it is now around $50m – an 86% increase in commitment compared to the previous CLP administration.
On the ground, this results in the Martin government spending an extra $23m each year on vital community services for aged people and people with a disability. An extra $23m makes a real difference to people with disabilities, their families and carers. It means more supported accommodation places, more respite for carers, more therapy for children and more support for people to be part of our community.
In 2005-06, the Territory government will spend $28m under the Commonwealth/state/territory disability agreement. This is 65% or an $11m increase on 2001-02 levels of spending, and includes a commitment well above that required through our agreement with the Australian government.
In 2004-05, we spent $8.2m under the Home and Community Care program – an increase of $2.5m under this government. That means more support for people, often senior Territorians, who need a helping hand to be able to live independently in their own homes: meals, transport, cleaning, fixing up the house or tidying up the yard. This is the kind of support that the Home and Community Care program provide for some 4500 Territorians every year, both in our major centres and in remote communities.
Funding more of the same was not only the answer; this government has set up new services and led substantial improvements in established services. This government has created 20 new places for people requiring supported accommodation since 2001, as well as providing additional packages of support for people to stay in their own homes. We have not only provided accommodation where we can, we have offered people choices – choices that attempt to meet people’s needs and give people more meaningful control over their own lives.
We have done better for children and young people with a disability. Over the last four years, services for young people leaving school, many of whom have serious disabilities, have changed markedly. Not all young people with disabilities have developed the skills to obtain employment and to live independently by the time they leave school. It was clear that we needed to build specific programs that met this need. Today, we have a post-school options program in Darwin. Seventeen young people from across Darwin use this service up to five days a week, learning skills and developing as the young adults they are. It is hard to believe that only four years ago there was no service like this in Darwin.
At the same time, we have increased funding for day programs in Alice Springs to create new options for this group of young people. We are now faced with the need to establish equivalent services in Katherine, and to find other ways of supporting this valuable group of people in other communities, be that in skills development programs or greater opportunities to get into employment.
This government has invested funds in school therapy services, and the decision to transfer responsibility for school-aged services to the Department of Health and Community Services in 2003 created a critical mass of children’s allied health specialists able to follow kids from infancy right through the school system. We have also increased therapy services for very young children.
I am pleased to inform the Assembly that, in January, we commenced a new service for children with intense and complex daily support needs who are unable to live with their parents or guardians. The new service named SCOPE (strengths, connections, opportunities, potential and empowerment) brings a new provider, Life Without Barriers, to the Territory, with considerable expertise in working with people with high support needs. The service will provide training and support for family carers and an individual focus for each of the young people in the program. Most importantly, parents and guardians unable to meet the care needs of their children will not be forced to place their children under the care of the government in order to get a service. Through SCOPE, parents and guardians can be actively involved in the lives of their children, and be sure that their children are getting the support that they need. $1m per annum shared between the Family and Children Services and Aged and Disabilities program has been committed to establishing this important program.
This is not the only area where it has been necessary to establish new services. Too often, people with behavioural or mental health problems end up with some involvement in the criminal justice system. In 2002, the Criminal Code was amended with respect to people who were unable to understand court procedures and were, therefore, unfit to plead. Prior to these amendments, some people who were found to be unable to understand the court proceedings had their charges dismissed, potentially presenting risks to both community safety and themselves.
In addition to legislative change, we committed to increase funding to provide greater in-reach support to the prison system. This funding will amount to $700 000 in 2006-07 and will see specialist mental health and disability expertise being available to Correctional Services. The system will be operating to address the health and welfare of prisoners, while also protecting community safety. This builds on other commitments including bringing together challenging behaviour services in Central Australia into one unit, and creating new accommodation places for clients with serious behavioural problems across the Territory.
This government is also committed to a steady process of reform and improvement in our core services. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Taxi Subsidy Scheme. The Northern Territory Taxi Subsidy Scheme provides vouchers to people who are not able to use public transport, as a contribution to the cost of using taxis. The Taxi Subsidy Scheme is an area where my department has received a fair degree of criticism; mainly that people have to jump over many hurdles to get access to support that they really need. In 2005, we reviewed the administration of the scheme and, since receiving the report, my department, in consultation with the NT Disability Advisory Council, has been working on changes to the way we will do our business.
I am pleased to announce that, in the coming months, we will overhaul the criteria and assessment by which people are assessed for taxi subsidy. We are also currently trying to finalise a new assessment form for doctors that will give better information and cut out the need for many people to be assessed a second time by staff in my department. We will create a new category for the scheme, specifically for people who want to use the scheme rarely, or those who have disabilities that flare up at certain times of the year when the weather changes. We will make it simpler for people in these groups to get access, removing the need for everyone to reapply for temporary membership year after year. We will improve our public information, and we will create a formal appeals mechanism for people who disagree with assessment outcomes.
Together with my colleague, minister Burns, I have been working to establish …
Dr LIM: A point of order, Madam Speaker! This minister, above all other members of government, persists on breaching Standing Order 65. She knows full well - she has been here long enough to know - that she should not refer to any member of this Chamber by their name but by their electorate.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, if you could use the electorate name of members, or their proper title, thank you.
Ms LAWRIE: Yes. With my colleague, the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, I have been working to establish a smart card system for the scheme that will make it easier for people to use and reduce the risk of fraud. If successful, this should also create the capacity to consider the introduction of a lift fee to appropriately compensate drivers of multi-purpose vehicles - simple initiatives that will make a practical improvement.
It has also been a major body of work for this government to improve our services to remote Aboriginal communities. 36% of Aboriginal people report that they have a disability. A quarter of these people will have a severe disability, one which has a major impact on their ability to care for themselves and means they are in need of intense support. This is more than twice the rate that severe disability occurs in our non-indigenous Australians. Remote communities, in particular, have been missing out on services, meaning that older people and people living their entire lives with disabilities were left with a choice of moving to the major centres or not receiving a service at all.
One of my first duties as Minister for Family and Community Services was to join with my colleagues in Western Australia and South Australia to launch the Tri-State Disability Strategic Framework, an agreement to work cooperatively across jurisdictions for services affecting the NPY Lands. All governments will be working together to ensure that state borders do not get in the way of effective services for people who need them.
The Territory is recognised as contributing important expertise to this partnership, particularly through our work on challenging behaviours. Following on from this launch, the South Australian government has contracted the Northern Territory government’s Positive Behaviour Support Unit based in Central Australia to work with a number of clients in South Australia affected by the scourge of petrol sniffing.
Since coming to office, we have also improved remote communities’ access to home and community care services. We have 14 new HAC services in remote communities at this time. Previously, the communities did not have even the most basic services. There are people living in communities like Ramingining, Kalkarindji, Mt Liebig, Timber Creek, Minjilang, Aputula and Papunya can get delivered meals, help with the washing, and opportunity to take trips to their traditional country. This government has continued to develop HAC as a truly Territory-wide program, with care and support as close to home as possible.
This government is serious about Aboriginal health and welfare. One of the many challenges we face is the national shortage in allied health services, both for people with disabilities and remote communities in general. While the Australian government has funded a few projects in this area - most notably the excellent work of the Katherine Regional Allied Health Service - much of the burden of providing allied health services to most remote communities falls back on visiting services from a dedicated band of Health and Community Services staff.
In 2004, teams within the Aged and Disability Program began to introduce trans-disciplinary practice to our remote allied health teams. The model is surprisingly simple. It means that each community is allocated a staff member who makes the commitment to visit that community regularly. Allied health professionals share their expertise in disciplines such as physio, occupational therapy, social work and speech therapy to create a comprehensive service. Community visits usually occur about every six weeks, while visiting therapists take all comers, providing assessment and the immediate, often simple assistance that people need right then and there, where people require services from a number of different professions. For example, somebody recovering from a stroke may require speech therapy and physiotherapy. That is arranged either through phone contact with other therapists or a one-off visit at another time.
Fundamentally, trans-disciplinary practice is about building trust; my staff are becoming known in communities. More and more people have come to seek service. In the East Arnhem region, the level of service we provide has almost doubled in the two years since trans-disciplinary practice has commenced. In the last 12 months, trans-disciplinary practice has seen a team service remote communities in the Barkly and Central Australia increase their level of service by a third. This has been achieved from the commitment and smart thinking of our staff. It is a story of improving services by doing better with the resources that we have.
An important flow-on from this work is that services are being created in communities that will support people with their disabilities and the frail aged to live in their homes and their country. We have expanded our work for older people by creating packages of care that support people in hospital to return to the home safely and more quickly than they otherwise might. We are successfully working with families and communities in remote areas to build up the skills needed to allow people with disabilities to live in their own country.
I am aware of one young Aboriginal man from a remote community whose brain injury means that he is not completely in control of his behaviour. It was said that this young man would never again be able to live in his country, that his disability was such that it was not possible for his family and local services to provide the necessary support. It was said that he would always have to live in the city with higher levels of supervision, angry and frustrated at the controls placed around him. Today, that young man is living successfully on an outstation with his family. Disability staff have worked extensively to educate him about appropriate behaviour. His family have learnt how to support him appropriately and are getting support and assistance with his needs. A sustained effort from everyone involved means that we now have a young man with some serious challenges taking his place in his own country supported by the community.
The disability sector is full of human stories such as this. Government funding and services may be vitally important but they pale into insignificance when compared to the daily contributions of the thousands of carers who work across the Territory. Before entering the Assembly, I was the executive director of NT Carers and was directly connected to the work done by carers across the Territory. I am grateful to live in a community where so many take up the work of ensuring that those who are otherwise vulnerable get support. Support for carers will be a major focus of my time in this portfolio. Already, we provide support for carers through many of our programs. In 2004-05, we spent $1.6m on respite services providing carers with the break they need to recharge their batteries and to continue to look after their family members. In 2005-06, we joined with the Australian government to increase access to respite funding for older carers, particularly those with adult children with disabilities.
During the election campaign, we committed to establishing a carers card, extending some of the concessions currently available to pensioners to people who are in caring roles as well. Workers commenced to implement this commitment and carers will be able to access these concessions by 1 July this year. I understand that, when up and running, this will be the first scheme of its kind in the country. We will also enact a carer’s recognition act. The carer’s recognition act will set a legislative standard for everyone to recognise the role that carer’s play. It will set an expectation that public services will acknowledge and involve carers in decision making and make explicit the importance of carers and their contribution work. Only Western Australia and South Australia currently have such legislation.
So far, I have talked about the work that is done within my department and the Aged and Disability Services Division. Perhaps one of the best achievements in the last four years has been making the provision of services for people with a disability core business for every government agency.
People with disabilities do not just want services, they want to live in a community that includes and accommodates their needs. For people with a disability it is about accessing good health care, finding a decent job, being able to get out and about, to be active and be able to enjoy the company of friends and family. As a government, we want cabs and buses to be available and accessible to people who use wheelchairs, and we want to follow up on problems when they occur. We want new public buildings that people with a disability can get into and enjoy, alongside their fellow community members. We want to continue to build public housing that can meet the needs of older Territorians as they become less and less mobile and create accommodation that allows for effective support for people with a disability. We want an education system that supports as many children with disabilities as possible, to be educated in mainstream classrooms, and we want people to leave school with the skills they need to obtain employment that allows people to live at their full capacity. We want to increase the sport and recreation opportunities and help people get out and experience the great Territory outdoors.
Across government we have seen improvements with agencies recognising that they all have a key role to play in improving the situation. Our Willing and Able strategy is up and running and helping people with a disability to get jobs within the Northern Territory Public Service. We are improving facilities and services in schools. An audit was carried out determining the needs of each school, and these needs are being prioritised. An example is the installation of a new lift at Casuarina Secondary College.
Accessibility to transport is a huge issue for people with a disability. More than 80% of buses on the Darwin Bus network are now low floor, easy access. They are specially constructed for people with a disability and include a ramp at the entry door and space set aside at the front of the bus for wheelchairs. A program is being put together to upgrade bus interchanges and bus shelters to meet the standards for access by people with a disability.
Many public housing tenants have a disability, in the first years of the Martin government, we upgraded 603 public housing dwellings to meet the needs of tenants with a disability. As Minister for Sport and Recreation, I am proud of the money we have spent improving accessibility to sporting venues with more than $200 000 worth of improvements at facilities like Marrara Stadium, the Marrara Basketball Stadium and Traeger Park. As well as helping people watch sport, we are helping people with a disability to participate with more than $600 000 in the last four years to organisations like Total Recreation and Riding for the Disabled among others.
These are just a few examples of what is an impressive record of achievement, but it is clear to me that we cannot stop here. We have taken the first steps to repair the broken system we inherited, now I want to make sure that this government’s work on disability issues is as good as any in the country.
On 16 December last year, I officially launched a review of disability services in the Territory. It will be the first complete and comprehensive review of how our disability service system works. I have developed a terms of reference for this review in collaboration with my principal advisors on disability issues, the Disability Advisory Council.
The council, led by an eminent Territorian, Daphne Read, will be involved in the process and be able to assist me to make sense of the information we receive. I am very grateful for their ongoing efforts. In short, this is a review of the whole kit and caboodle: how the system operates, how the parts fit together and, more importantly, the places where they do not. What are our opportunities to get in early before problems become too serious? Fundamentally, what do Territorians who have disabilities think we should do to improve the way our system works? The result will be a road map for the future, with practical recommendations about what we need to change, how we can work better together and where we need to do more.
There are lessons to be learned from other jurisdictions. Other places have struggled with similar issues that we face here in the Territory. We can learn from those debates and develop our own unique answers. For instance, other states have established systems for measuring the quality of what happens in specialist disability services. They have started with their disability service standards and started to look at how well services meet those goals and how services can be supported to do better. I do not believe that people with a disability just have a right to a service; they have a right to a quality service. A subcommittee of the Disability Advisory Council has started to work in this area, and this review will build on it with clear plans to improve what we currently do.
We also need to pick up on the latest evidence. In some areas, specialist researchers are changing the way that we understand certain disabilities, and we need to keep pace with their thinking. Increasingly, there is evidence about what we should be doing for kids. We know that early intervention works, both for children with lifelong disability and for children who are behind on normal development milestones.
When the Minister for Health and the former Minister for Family and Children Services launched Building Healthier Communities in early 2004, this government focused on giving kids a good start in life. Therapists have a contribution to play in ensuring that kids speak clearly, learn and play well, and are not held back by problems with hearing.
This disability review is expected to report in October of this year. We will be consulting with people across the Territory, and we are about to launch a web site where people can keep up-to-date with its progress. I look forward to its results and to hearing what service providers and people with a disability and their carers see as options for the future.
Since taking on this portfolio, I have been very pleased at the willingness of my Cabinet colleagues to work with me on these issues. I have every confidence we will continue to do so in the coming years. The duty is upon us as a parliament, and as a community, to make a concerted effort to do better for Territorians who live with a disability. It is part of our obligation to a more equal society. This government has the strength and the vision to do the job. I urge all members of the House to support this important work.
Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of this statement.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, when government delivers what is, essentially, a motherhood statement, or a statement heavy on motherhood, it shows a degree of complacency, self-satisfied that they have done some things, or are going to do some things, and self-congratulatory because they think they have got there. Yet, when you pass this statement to people within the disability groups to comment, much of the comments that have come back have not been particularly praising of the minister’s statement.
In the first instance, the minister talked about the extent of funding that she has put into disability services. When you analyse the figure - she has spoken about some $50m – you suddenly find out that much of that money has come from other agencies which have now transferred the funding, and their duties, over to disability services. Hence, disability services funding has increased. To me, for a minister of a government to say, ‘Yes, we have increased our funding to $50m’, is really intellectually dishonest. It is really dishonest to do that. If you show that you have aggregated the money to $50m, and clearly demonstrate that in your statement - and you have all the time in the world to speak about it - then you would say just how you have arrived at $50m, and you accept that.
The minister criticised previous governments and how we have or have not spent the money. In fact, the way it was, it was spread out across several other agencies, so the actual aggregate sum was not what the minister compared it with, so it is comparing apples with oranges. I say to the minister it is not an honest appraisal of the state of the disability services and the funds spent on them, if they are being transferred from other areas.
We recognise that there are two major groups of people who are in the disability areas which continue to vie for government support, and so they should. One is the group with intellectual disabilities. The group is made up of many children. The other is people with physical disabilities. Both groups deserve all the support society can provide, and there is no argument about that. We try as best we can to provide as many services as we possibly can to allow them to live an equal life like everybody else. To hear the minister speak, you would think she has achieved that stage, at utopia – well, hardly so. If we have achieved this state by this government, then I am sad to say that many disabled people are now going to be faced with a lot of disappointment. Obviously, the work has to keep on going, to continue to bring about the policies that will continue to make life better for people with disabilities, whether they are physical or mental disabilities.
How can this government say, ‘Oh, everything is pretty good, we have done pretty well’? If that were the case, people with disabilities would be so happy they will not complain one iota about this government. I recall writing a letter to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport a while ago about an intellectually-disabled young girl who has to go to school on the school bus. On most days each week, she would be on the school bus for some three hours going from home to school and back to home. It is a problem. That is inequality between people who can catch the normal bus, or the bus that takes them to their appropriate school, the special school. People who get on and off The Ghan in Alice Springs, not only do they have to walk nearly 0.5 km in the middle of summer down the train without a platform on the ground, there is some 1.5 m to 2 m from the train to the ground. Those are issues that this government has not really thought about.
Recently, we had a young man by the name of Shane Millard in Alice Springs, whose mother complained very stridently that Qantas has brought in this policy that it would not allow high wheelchairs to be stored in the cargo bay of the 737 aircrafts they fly into the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory, and Alice Springs in particular, is serviced by Boeing 737 jets only. If that is the case, it means that people like Shane Millard would have no way of flying out of the Territory. Will Qantas fly in a special Airbus, or some other aircraft configuration that will accommodate high wheel chair? No. This is something that Qantas brought in recently. What has this government done about it? That, I would say, is government trying to do the best it can for disabilities. The government should be there telling Qantas: ‘You cannot do that. This is the only plane you bring into the Territory via Alice Springs. You have to allow some form of accommodation for the likes of Shane Millard’.
With disability services, there will always be a clamouring for more and more funds. Just like normal health services, you will always be clamouring for more and more funds. Government has to work out what the services are it needs to support and what it does not.
I recall the CRESAP Report of the 1900s, and then the Bansemer Report of the year 2002. They provided a very comprehensive report into disability services. In fact, I believe the disability services groups were very satisfied with the level of consultation that was made, and were looking forward to this government acting on the recommendations to achieve outcomes for disabled people. They thought this was great; a better report of 2002 was as a result of the Martin government’s pre-election promise in 2001 that they were going to fix up disability services.
It is four years down the track and little has happened. The fact is that disabled groups are saying that disability services are in crisis, and when the Integrated disAbility Action Inc, (IdA) sought political input just before the last election, nobody from government fronted up to talk to them. That is bad: The opposition did; the government did not. With the number of reviews that have occurred you would have thought it was time this government really took action. It would have had lots of opportunities in these last five years to commence some processes.
Let us go to the Rehabilitation Unit at the Royal Darwin Hospital. It is not good enough to be in a little cottage, a shed or a demountable - call it what you will. It is not a satisfactory form of accommodation for the Rehabilitation Unit. Others call it a former freight or goods storage area. I am not criticising the professional efforts that are produced by the physiotherapists, the rehab consultants and other professionals involved in this service for what it is. It is that this government has kept the Rehabilitation Unit working out of what is, in fact, a small storage shed - and that came about after two years of no operations.
You will recall that over a Christmas period a few years ago, the Health Department did not have a rehabilitation specialist, and thought to close down the Rehabilitation Unit altogether. It took disability groups two years to lobby to finally get the government to start up this service again in Darwin. Never mind about Alice Springs; we have a new building at the Alice Springs Hospital which was custom built for a rehabilitation service. It was opened as a Rehabilitation Unit but, within a short period, that was closed down also. Now it is used for office areas and the like. There is no specific Rehabilitation Unit in Alice Springs since then - not one. All the physiotherapists can do is to work from bedsides within the wards.
The minister then spoke about the Taxi Subsidy Scheme. I am not sure whether it is broke; I suppose it could be improved. What the scheme really needs is more funding. With inflation, the subsidy scheme has not increased adequately to keep pace with that, and taxi fares have increased faster than the subsidy scheme. That causes a deterioration of the value of the subsidy scheme but, more importantly, I believe the specialised disability taxis have not been well governed – if that is the right word to use. There is a lack of incentive for the driver to run an effective disability taxi. We find there is cherry picking by taxi drivers who own or operate disability taxis.
There is one guy in Alice Springs who does the right thing by his disabled clients. He is always available and he makes sure that he puts aside enough time to pick up his disabled passengers, to get them to where they want to go. He tells me that if he were to use his taxi as a normal taxi he would be earning three times as much. However, he has kept to the rules and ensured that his services are provided to the satisfaction of his clients and they respect him for that and they got to know this hardworking conscientious taxi driver well. However, there are many others who are not like that. They pay less for the disabled taxi commercial vehicle licence (CVL) and you would expect them to do the right thing.
I am not sure whether spending money for the card system is of real value and how much fraud it is open to. Sure, one case of fraud is one more than you want but, maybe, the attention should be focused more on making sure taxi operators who have disability taxis do the right thing by the people.
In regards to the kneeling buses which are designed to assist the boarding and disembarking of disabled patients, it would be good if those buses run more routes and at extended hours. I often find that a disabled person says: ‘I cannot go out during the night as the bus does not run in the evening’? Or if they get picked up by the bus, they find that they cannot get home. It is a problem. They can go out for the evening but they cannot get home. Then they have to turn around and find a disabled taxi, if they can find one at all. There are issues there also.
With regards to indigenous disability, who can argue against that? Talking about petrol sniffing, more and more are we going to find indigenous youth severely affected through petrol sniffing and the neurological consequences. This is going to be an expensive future for us.
However, having said that, I wonder whether there have been accurate statistics kept of the numbers of indigenous people living out bush who have disabilities. What services are being delivered at the moment for them? With one clinical spinal nurse consultant here, I wonder how this nurse is going to be able to cope with all the people that she has to see. It would be interesting to hear from the minister in her response sometime later tonight what she can tell us about those things.
Last year, the President of Integrated disAbility Action Inc said in their annual report, and I will quote from that:
That is four years after the election. It goes on to talk about the Bansemer Report and how things seem to be coming together. However, despite all this, no significant achievements and outcomes can be identified as having made a substantial difference in the lives of people who have a disability. The president went on to say this:
Last year meaning 2004:
Unfortunately, today, in this statement, the minister was saying, yes, she will do this, she will do that. However, there are no time lines - absolutely no time lines - so we still do not know. She talked about the taxi subsidy and said this will be done within months. What is ‘within months’? It could be one month to 12 months. Who knows? It is important, when the minister delivers what she says she is going to do for any group of people, that she includes some time lines so that people will know whether she has delivered. At the moment, it is all a feel good statement which does not imbue any confidence in the people she hopes most to affect.
The minister recognises that physical disabilities, for instance, affect the elderly also. I have raised this issue before about people needing total hip replacements and not being able to get this done in the Northern Territory for over 18 months. I recall the case of Mr Willis, whose case I brought to this Chamber, who had to go interstate to get this surgery done. About four or five weeks ago, another case came to my attention. This woman, who has had a bad hip for years, finally could not live independently any more and had to be put into respite care. Her son sought assistance from the Alice Springs Hospital - got absolutely nowhere. He was told by the orthopaedic surgeon: ‘We cannot do the surgery for you in Alice Springs and there is no point going looking for it anywhere in the Northern Territory. You will not get that surgery done for at least six months’. His mother’s respite care period was coming to an end and there was nowhere for the elderly woman to go.
Last year, I received a very detailed e-mail from a Mr Douglas Chalmers, who actually wrote to three ministers - the former Minister for Family and Community Services who is now the Speaker, the former Minister for Family Community Services who is now the minister for Heritage, and the current minister. Looking through his e-mail, you can see that this person was totally, absolutely frustrated by the bureaucratic processes put in his way, time and time again, whenever he tried to get some resolution for his mother who lived in a nursing home here in Darwin. He finally sent me his e-mail in absolute disgust. He said: ‘Use it as you wish’. I spoke to him again today and said: ‘The minister is delivering a statement on disability services and, having gone through your e-mails, obviously, you have significant issues. May I raise your issues in parliament today?’ He said: ‘Do as you wish’. He just sent me an e-mail to say that he wrote one last letter to the current minister, which was sent, I think, on 12 October, just before his mother passed away. His closing paragraph is worth reading:
This is the minister who said: ‘Look at me, look at me, I have done so well’. Obviously, by her very actions and the complaints that we have been getting, it is not so. The minister should heave a sigh of relief that Mr Chalmers’ mother passed away through natural causes, and not through any contribution she might have had through the incompetence in the way she managed the department.
Ms Lawrie: Do not be disgusting. You are an absolute grub.
Mr Deputy SPEAKER: Minister, would you withdraw that statement, please?
Ms LAWRIE: I withdraw that he is a grub.
Dr LIM: In the few minutes that I have left, Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to like to throw some ideas at the minister. She might want to consider these as something that she could take on to assist disability services.
She said that some 13% of Territorians have some form of disability or other. However, to date you have provided the bare minimum of funds to non-government agencies. As a result, they are all struggling to provide services in the face of ever increasing costs from items such as wages, insurance and that sort of stuff. We do not have the extended families in the Northern Territory where we can say to some people, maybe families can help.
Territorians expect our government to contribute in the effort to assist people with a disability to retain their independence as much as possible, any way necessary to help people maintain a good quality of life if they became dependent on others.
I believe - and this has huge disability group support - that there should be the establishment of a disability services bureau within the Department of Family and Community Services. This would provide a central point to which people with a disability, and others, would be able to get advice on how to access services, where to go for further information and, importantly, provide a lobbying voice for those concerned with services for people with a disability. I suggest to you that you should give people a shopfront presence in the northern suburbs for the bureau.
The Disability Advocacy Service in Alice Springs, which has been going for quite some time now - which this government, I understand, is trying to withdraw resources from - must be continued to be supported. It must be provided with a better shopfront so that people can see them clearly from the street and where they can go for assistance.
The bureau would have a role in coordination of services to people with a disability. Given the large numbers of agencies, a person with a disability currently has to struggle. What I am saying is that, if you have a disability and you are looking for services, you have to go to so many places just to try and secure the services that you require. Would it not be better if the disabled person, and his or her carer, guardian or spouse can go to one place and get assistance and be provided with all the services required, or at least coordination of services?
Because non-government agencies currently providing services to disabled people struggle financially, there should be some commensurate increase in funding to assist these groups. Get on with the re-establishment of the Rehabilitation Unit in appropriate premises at the Royal Darwin Hospital, and recommence the Rehabilitation Unit in Alice Springs as it was previously and provide professionals such as physiotherapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists. There is definitely a shortage in the Territory, and the government must make a major effort to try to recruit more of these people here.
The minister spoke a little about carers. They are the ones who are the least appreciated. They would provide something in the order of 70% of care in our community. The estimate is about 25 000 people currently providing some level of care in the Territory and these people are doing it mostly on a volunteer basis. Yes, there are some who are paid to do that, but if they are paid they are paid on a casual basis. It does not matter whether they are highly skilled carers or they are lowly skilled carers; they are all paid on a casual basis, and so there is very little differentiation between the money that they are paid. Surveys have shown that around 60% of carers have suffered a decline in their own physical health due to caring, and around 35% have been physically injured while caring. There needs to be some process in place by government to ensure that carers are also catered for. When you care for a sick person, or your disabled relative, you have to give up work because you cannot work as well as provide full time care.
Mrs MILLER: Mr Deputy Speaker, I move an extension of time for the member for Greatorex.
Motion negatived.
Dr TOYNE (Health): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Minister for Family and Community Services’ statement on disability and commend the statement to the House. It is a very important subject for many Territorians to hear of the important reforms that she is doing in her portfolio to impact on the lives of people living with disabilities.
While I had trouble hearing some of the member for Greatorex’ contribution, I can assure him that the rehabilitation programs in both Alice Springs and Darwin are rolling out with great optimism amongst the staff who are involved in that. I will talk more about the rehabilitation strategic plan later in my speech.
We know too well the statistics of injury and chronic disease in the Territory, particularly for Aboriginal people. As the minister has highlighted, this means a greater burden of disability for all of our services. There are two important areas where health and disability services link and we have an important influence on outcomes that I will highlight today.
One is the prevention of disability. First of all, better health can reduce the level of disability occurring in the Northern Territory. Improved maternal health and child health screening will identify potential disability in early stages and allow early intervention to reduce a possible lifelong impact of the disability. Through improved injury prevention strategies, we aim to reduce the incidence of serious injury that can lead to acquired and permanent disabilities, for example, spinal cord injury or head injuries.
The second area is rehabilitation and support for people living with disability. It is important that health and disability services work together to reduce the burden of disability on the person’s life and the life of their family. Our hospitals and our community services are working together in planning and delivering care. Better discharge planning and continuity of care will make it easier for people with disabilities to access the services they need. In turn, this improves the person’s ability and independence in their day-to-day life and assists them to engage meaningfully within their community.
With regard to prevention of disability, and the investment that we are making in early childhood, giving kids a good start in life is one of the key priorities of this government under our Building Healthier Communities framework. Significant increased government investment in early childhood including antenatal care, maternal and child health and school readiness have been have been made during the first term of our government and are being built on in the current second term. We know that 10% of the children in NT schools are reported to have a disability compared to 2.7% in Queensland and 3.7% nationally. Therefore, investing in maternal and child health care can reduce the incidence of disabilities and chronic disease occurring and assist in school readiness.
Our health service needs to give attention to current trends in childhood disability and monitor emerging patterns in health conditions associated with disability if we are to provide quality services. The Child Health Initiative is government’s investment during the first term of $2.2m per annum in child health funding to employ 25 additional child health personnel for remote communities, providing integrated maternal child and youth health services through teams to maximise cross-sector expertise. Budget 2005-06 saw an additional $0.5m allocated to further improvements in the child and maternal health services including community outreach midwifery staff.
Healthy school age kids screening is now occurring in remote communities across the Northern Territory picking on problems like hearing loss when we have a chance to do something about them. Promoting good nutrition and healthy life styles right into the school years is another aspect of that child maternal health. Good nutrition is important in preventing disability as poor nutrition often leads to increase risk of chronic disease and the associated disabilities. We have promoted the national ‘Go for 2 and 5’ fruit and vegetable campaign as a important intervention in nutrition. In conjunction with DEET we have implemented a number of initiatives to improve child health and the ability of the child to improve their participation in school, such as school breakfast programs in remote area schools, revised school canteen guidelines and the provision of professional development to canteen managers, and the provision to teachers of up-to-date resources on nutrition education.
Looking at injury prevention, injury in the Northern Territory is a major cause of death and disability. We have identified in Building Healthier Communities the need to reduce the high rate of injury and disabilities from such injuries. Injury includes a very broad range of events: transport accidents, interpersonal violence, workplace injuries, falls, sports injuries and drowning. The majority of these injuries are preventable. Injury-related presentations and admissions to NT public hospitals cost millions of dollars each year; for example, $122m over a 10-period 1992 – 2001. This is equivalent to a third of all emergency department presentations and 9% of total public hospital admissions with a majority of injuries occurring amongst younger age groups.
Where serious injuries occurs, the result in disability can be permanent and the impact can continue to be felt lifelong. Injury can affect all sectors of society and a multitude of factors contribute to the occurrence of injury. Perhaps more than any other public health issue, addressing injury can require coordinate action from a broad range of sector. Within the NT, my department, along with other departments and non-government organisations, is operating programs to address various aspects of injury. The list includes crime prevention, domestic violence, suicide prevention, falls prevention, child safety and road and water safety. The Safety and Injury Unit at the Centre for Disease Control aims to link these various agencies together fostering greater collaboration and bringing about the substantial public health expertise to the task with the goal of reducing the high death and disability rate from injuries and its resultant burden on the community.
In regard to rehabilitation, through Building Healthier Communities our priorities include creating better pathways to services and finding ways to help people access services they need as close to home as possible. Last Wednesday, I had the pleasure of launching the Northern Territory Rehabilitation Strategy for 2006 to 2010 to guide the priorities and decision-making for rehabilitation services. The strategy goes across the spectrum from the acute hospital setting to following and supporting the patients back home to their communities and families. Mr Deputy Speaker, we will have that strategy distributed to members as I keep speaking.
Under the Rehabilitation Strategy, we are implementing the Pathways Home program. This includes a number of initiatives to better target rehabilitation services and promote a more rapid return home for people who have experienced significant injury or medical event that has resulted in permanent disability or impairment. We are undertaking improvements to the physical infrastructure of rehabilitation services at Royal Darwin Hospital and Alice Springs Hospital, to improve the accessibility of facilities and our capacity to make rehabilitation activities relevant to the patient’s home life.
Home discharge packages have been established. These packages provide intensive support for people returning home, having completed in-patient rehabilitation. Each person is appointed a case manager who would develop an individualised care plan and coordinate and, if necessary, purchase a range of services including equipment, home nursing, and personal care services.
Under the Rehabilitation Strategy, the government has expanded the pool of reusable rehabilitation equipment for short-term loan across public hospitals in the Northern Territory. This will make it easier for people to get home with the equipment they need to recover from their time in hospital. Enhanced services for people with chronic pain are being developed to provide access to multidisciplinary care such as psychology, physiotherapy, medical pain specialists and group programs.
The building of a local work force is an important component of sustainable services in remote communities. The Rehabilitation Strategy aims to develop the skills of local people to work in remote Aboriginal communities to provide rehabilitation services. A focus is made on supporting staff and building their expertise.
Education and training of our health professionals across the rehabilitation disability sector commenced with the NT Stroke Conference held in both Darwin and Alice Spring in June 2005.
With regard to support for people living with a disability, as Minister for Central Australia, I am aware of the importance of being able to build the capacity within our remote communities to support people with a disability. There is more work to be done to build services for people living outside the major centres. We intend to bring services for these people as close to home as possible. The Central Australian Regional Plan for Building Healthier Communities framework identified key service areas for improvement to ensure greater access and equity for the whole population. Following this lead, we are working to do better for Central Australia.
I want to acknowledge the excellent work of the minister in leading the Tri-State Disability Strategic Framework, addressing the needs of people with disabilities in the NPY lands, in partnership with the Western Australian and South Australian governments. I am well aware that services in Central Australia for people with challenging behaviour are second to none, and are highly sought across the tri-state area. I applaud the increase in access to Allied Health Services that have been achieved through reforms to this area of our aged and disability effort.
In conclusion, the challenges of addressing disability in the Northern Territory means that it is imperative that we improve access to quality and coordinated health care, and make efforts to prevent disability through a clear focus on prevention and early intervention. I look forward to the review of disability services and its recommendations on ways to continue to build and progress services for people with disability in the Northern Territory.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker I support the minister’s statement and I again commend her for bringing it to this House. It is a very important topic for Territorians. I also commend the progress she is making on her part of the two areas that span our portfolios. We can look forward to exciting new advances in this area of service delivery over the next few years.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, the minister’s statement is a good statement outlining many of these services that we can expect of government. I have to admire people with disabilities and their zest for life and the way they go about what they want to do and, particularly, the services that support them.
When I talk to people with disability it seems to me that the things that they want most of all is to be able to participate in life and society. We need to be able to give them the means to do that. It is expensive and it is demanding and there are a lot of services involved, however, they are our citizens, and we should be able to do that.
I have to admit the Disability Advocacy Service in Alice Springs, with Michelle Castagna at the helm, is a great advocate for disabled people, Michelle is a person disabled from rubella, I believe, when she was young, and she is a tremendous role model. I am quite sure she probably often gives government a bit of a hard time, because she is very outspoken, and she is very determined as an advocate for people with disabilities.
There are many areas that we need to look at when you are talking about disabled people. Probably one of the most crucial areas for them - health care - obviously is extremely important, and all the therapist treatment that they need to go with it. They want to have good housing, a good education, and some of them want to be able to participate in jobs. They are keen to take part in recreational activities, like Riding for the Disabled. However, transport seems to be the one thing that means so much to them, and if they cannot get around the place because the transport is not there, that frustrates them.
I remind the minister - and I know she said they will overhaul the criteria and assessment by which people are assessed for taxi subsidy - that the taxi vouchers have not increased for a number of years. They are $5 and, as you know, the individual amounts are $700 per person per year, and that has not increased for some time. I believe that if they are a wheelchair user they get $1700 per year. However, there has been an increase in taxi fares lately, due to the increase in fuel, and this means that people, even though they use their taxi voucher, are out of pocket because they have to pay a lot more.
One of the disadvantages also is trying to get a taxi that has wheelchair access. The minister talked about considering the introduction of a lift fee, because when the disabled people go into a taxi with a lift they get an extra cost put upon them, and that makes it very difficult also. If they are going in and out of town, even with their taxi voucher, it can still cost them quite a lot of money.
One of the frustrations I also know of for some of our people in Alice Springs, is the lack of available taxis. Quite often, they will book a taxi and it may not turn up, or it could take a long time. Therefore, the more we encourage taxi holders to have these vehicles for access for disabled people, the better. If the minister is going to look at some sort of review, I suggest she tries to put some incentive into the taxi industry to cater for these people who are disabled.
The member for Greatorex mentioned the problem for the Territorian who is disabled and was going to go interstate with his mum, but Qantas have refused, at this stage, to allow his wheelchair to go into the hold. He has in the past actually travelled interstate. Shane is a young lad who I knew many years ago and he has a severe disability. One of the joys has been for his mother to be able to take him interstate to visit different places, such as the zoo or wherever. It seems to me to be unfortunate that Qantas are now saying that the height of his chair is too large for their 737 aircraft, and that they will not put it into the cargo hold, even though I know that in the past they have placed chairs in cargo holds. I wonder whether the minister might even take that issue up with Qantas. It is an issue that probably just does not relate to the young lad in Alice Springs. It is an issue that probably relates to people across the Territory who have these high wheelchairs to support their head, and who need them when they go interstate. It seems to be one of those things that is another impediment if you are disabled and trying to travel.
We forget, don’t we, just how hard it is sometimes for people in wheelchairs to open doors and to move about. I have to admit the Post Office at Alice Springs did put in a door that opened to allow easy access. It is simple things like that that make life so much simpler for a person in a wheelchair.
As the minister said, there are so many personal stories that we have of people with disabilities. We have all come across them in our day-to-day lives. I know a gentleman who has a heart problem, one eye, is deaf, and has problems getting around. He wanted a gopher to get around in because he just could not walk around the town. He went to the Salvation Army and found a second-hand one and, being an old mechanic from way back, he actually fixed and repaired it so he was able to use it. He was put on the wait list. The OT had assessed and approved him for a new gopher and it had been ordered in August 2005 but, somewhere along the way, the seat clinic people came back at the end of the year and said he was not eligible.
This is hard because the gopher he is using stopped in the middle of an intersection once. It is not that reliable; he has to actually fix it to get it going. We worry a little about Barney and the fact that he wants to be independent, he wants to be able to get around freely. However, he is being impeded by the fact that now he has been assessed as category 3, not high need. Sometimes, when we make these assessments, we forget the human side of this. Here is a gentleman - I think he must be close to 80 now - who still has the will and the life in him to want to get around. He lives on his own, cooks for himself, and is a very independent old gentleman but with many problems. He does incredible things. We laugh at him sometimes. He went into Centrelink one day and his glass eye dropped out. I think the ladies in Centrelink nearly died. He has a wonderful sense of humour. He is being denied access to a scooter and we worry that this gopher he uses at the moment is not reliable and will, perhaps one day, get him in a situation where there may be an accident.
I ask the minister whether she would look at that particular request. I know it is probably a case of funding again - is there enough funding there? I have to admit - and I have not had an answer today - Michelle Castagna again wrote to the Alice Springs Lasseters Casino and asked them whether they would do a community service and purchase one for Barney. I just hope that it has been a successful move and it is something I will probably find out tomorrow.
It is good for community organisations to get involved in this. Let us face it, many of our service clubs often provide these wheelchairs for people and it is good that they do. However, the minister needs to be aware that sometimes there is frustration at the process of assessing who is eligible and who is not. In that process, I know you have guidelines, but you forget the human element. I would like this gentleman to be able to enjoy his freedom as much as he can and maintain his independence for as long as he can because that is something that we should be encouraging.
I mentioned that Barney was getting on in years and that is an issue probably the minister is aware of; that as our population grows older, there are more and more people who are becoming disabled. We talk about the people who are disabled from birth, who have a special need, but we are also now getting this category of people who are becoming disabled in their senior years. We have this ageing population and I wonder how you are accommodating the needs of the seniors within your budget. Is it a funding that comes out of the health budget, or is it funding for the seniors who are becoming disabled out of the disability budget - if you understand what I mean? It is an added component that the disability services did not have it as great a long time ago, but now it is getting greater. What we are after is equity. That is the something that is bandied around by these disabled people: ‘We want equity, we want the same opportunities as other people in our society’. Could the minister explain to me how she is coping with the increase in disabled senior people? I hope it is not taking away from the other component of the disability services which is the disabled people.
The minister talked about the therapists which has been a problem in Alice Springs - speech therapists, occupational therapists - we just do not have them as we have had. I am picking up what the minister for Education has done as regards bursaries for teachers. We should be encouraging people to take on these occupational therapists’ roles as training in this area by offering incentives. Often, we have had positions in Alice Springs, but we have not had the personnel, and it seems to be harder to get these therapists to come to the Territory and fulfil this need. Maybe the minister could come up with some initiative whereby we could encourage these people to come to the Territory and stay here. The rehabilitation centre in the Alice Springs Hospital is a great facility, but there is no point in having a facility if you do not have people to actually make it function. That is something that we ask you to look at.
All in all, minister, there was talk about a disability review report in October 2006. I do not know if you already have a paper to distribute as a leg in to that review, but I know there will be a lot of people who would be interested right across the board and would appreciate if you could give us some indication of how that review is going to take place and whether you will be issuing some sort of draft paper to begin with, to start that review off. I am interested in having some input into it.
While I am talking about education, we talked about the children with special learning difficulties. One of the schools in Alice Springs that has always been a great success has been the Acacia Hill School that caters for the severely disabled children. I do not know how often the minister visits that school, or how often you provide additional support for them. St Mary’s village also tends to have children from the bush who are disabled who board at St Mary’s as well with house parents. It is a need that is becoming greater – we are seeing more and more young children with disabilities. It is something you need to monitor and make sure that we are not slipping behind in, and that we keep the service up.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the minister for her paper and I wish her luck because it is a very demanding service. It is a demanding area that is growing all the time and, with budget coming up, good luck.
Mr WARREN (Goyder): Mr Deputy Speaker, prior to the last election and in the early part of my doorknocking campaign, I visited a very distressed mother of a severely disabled child. As she greeted me on her front lawn she was crying and there were tears trickling down her face. I was the first politician who had ever bothered to visit her at home and I guess I was the first politician who had taken the time to hear her plight.
I will not repeat her story here because it is quite heart-wrenching and distressing. This event affected me severely. Unfortunately, this dear lady was not the only parent of a disabled child that I was to meet in my electorate in the coming weeks. Each had their own tale of personal sacrifice and emotional hardship. Oddly, mixed in there was a very positive emotion of pride; the kind of pride that every parent feels when their child achieves some milestone. This pride was elevated to a higher level; pride of achievement against the odds.
Of course, disability does not only affect children although, unfortunately, 10% of our schoolchildren do live with a lifelong disability. As the minister pointed out in her opening statement, about 13% of all Territorians live with a disability. Many of our senior Territorians suffer age-related mobility problems and need assistance at home. While many Territorians are born with a disability, unfortunately, too many of our fellow Territorians suffer disabling injuries as a result of accidents, illness, criminal misdemeanour or even substance abuse.
However, the issue is not about whether a disabled person was born with a disability or whether it occurred some time later. What is at issue is that we, as a caring and compassionate society, need to do what we can to try to make sure that those living amongst us with a disability can enjoy the same rights as other Territorians. When I say society I am not just talking about our government’s responsibility, I am talking about our whole community. I am talking about each and every one of us as parents, carers, educators, work colleagues, neighbours, employers, and our attitude towards those with a disability.
Unfortunately, I sat here and listened to the opposition harp on about how much more the government needs to do and how it could do better if we did things their way rather than our way. However, they just do not get it. As I said before, dealing with the issues surrounding the disabled needs a whole-of-society approach, and the opposition needs to acknowledge this. Sure, governments need to spend money on targeted programs for the disabled, as we are doing but, unless public attitudes are in tune with what our government is trying to achieve, it will stand for nought. While blaming the government all the time, the opposition is copping out of the debate. It is adopting the attitude that it is not the opposition’s problem, nor anybody else’s problem; it is only government’s problem. By laying the blame squarely at the feet of government, the opposition is actually reinforcing the unfortunate but widespread misbelief that it is okay to be prejudicial or ignorant to the plight of people with a disability. Come on, opposition, get your act together. It is everyone’s responsibility and you have your part to play in talking things up. Specifically, I refer to the member for Greatorex.
Let me point out that this government does take its responsibility to the disabled very seriously. Furthermore, we believe that our disability services should work to build on people’s abilities so that they at least have the chance to reach their full potential. In the past, those with a disability, as well as those associated with the disability sector, have been angry and frustrated at being ignored by the previous CLP government. Labor’s open, engaging style of government has gone a long way to improving the situation. By listening to the communities’ concern, we are continuing to provide more services and opportunities for the disabled, while giving them and their carers more choices in accommodation and respite.
The minister covered the major areas where this government is making a positive difference in disability support, and now I would like to spend the next few minutes outlining some of those lesser known areas of government business, where we are making a concerted effort in disability support.
We are building support for people living with a disability. Apart from the NT government’s own buildings and assets such as schools, hospitals, some police stations and some health centres, the majority of Northern Territory government buildings are privately-owned and leased properties. All government agencies are accommodated through the NT Property Management, or NTMP, leasing arrangements and, as such, building owners are responsible for the base level building requirement such as office space, common areas, elevators, ablutions and, most importantly, building access. It is compliant on the building owners to meet the requirements of AS1428 through their lease negotiations and subsequent agreements with NTMP.
It should also be noted that the government agencies housing these buildings, such as Highway House and the Goyder Building, are responsible for the internal fit-outs and are required to meet the requirements of AS1428, otherwise, the building certificate of occupancy will not be issued for office fit-outs, etcetera.
In the area of indigenous housing design principles, the government has adopted a universal accessibility features program. All houses designed and built under the program incorporate universal accessibility features that meet AS1428.1 requirements. Specific features have also been approved with the intention of ensuring that all existing dwellings can be modified at minimal cost to either partially comply with AS1428.1 or enable future adaptation with a minimum cost.
In the case of public transport, the implementation in recent years of a robust annual bus fleet replacement program means that the Darwin Bus Service now operates one of the modern fleets of urban buses in Australia. Annual replacement of buses reaching the end of their usual life allows the Darwin Bus Service to continue to operate safe, reliable vehicles on the Darwin Bus network. Additionally, this provides the travelling public with comfortable and affordable transportation in a jurisdiction that has a dispersed population of diverse needs.
It is most pleasing to report that over 80% of buses on the Darwin Bus network are now fitted with low floor, easy access features. They are especially constructed for people with disabilities, and include a ramp, entry door and space set aside at the front of the bus for wheelchairs. It is intended to only procure replacement buses fitted with these features to provide easy access for all members of the public and ensure close compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.
Furthermore, a program has been put together to upgrade bus interchanges and bus shelters to meet the standards of access requirements for people with disabilities. Under the NT Planning Scheme, section 51(p)(iii) of the Planning Act lists access for persons with disabilities as a matter the Development Consent Authority must take into account when considering a development application.
It should be noted that the proposed NT Planning Scheme includes a requirement for the provision of parking for disabled people. Furthermore, the provisions relating to commercial development includes consideration for convenient pedestrian links, incorporating access for the disabled to other buildings and public spaces.
Territory Housing has a number of mechanisms through which its office supports people with disabilities. In the period 2001-02 to 2004-05, this government spent some $693 000 on modifying 603 public housing dwellings to meet the needs of disabled tenants. Furthermore, this government has supported disabled additional housing entitlements. In allocating housing, particular care is taken when a tenant or family member has a disability. In some cases, they are entitled to an additional bedroom above their normal entitlement for the storage of medical equipment such as wheelchairs or dialysis machines, or for a household member with a disability or chronic illness, or even for support for service personnel and live-in carers. Transfer to another public housing dwelling may also be arranged where it is needed for the disabled person or household member to improve that person’s emotional, physical or mental wellbeing.
Through the Industry Housing Assistance Scheme, 50 dwellings equal to 166 bedrooms are leased on a reduced rental basis to community organisations which offer ongoing support and accommodation to people with disabilities. Since 2001, $2.5m in grant funding has been made available through the Community Housing Program for community organisations to improve facilities for disabled clients. During the same period, Crisis Accommodation Program funding of some $282 000 has also been approved for disabled clients.
This government is also committed to ensuring the disabled are able to enjoy our wildlife parks. At the Territory Wildlife Park at Berry Springs in my electorate, the new people movers, euphemistically called ‘bullet trains’, have vastly improved wheel ramps and cartage bays. New movers can carry three wheelchairs rather than the old mover which could only carry one. Another advantage of these new movers is the higher ground clearance and seating, which offers everyone more viewing space. The government is funding the replacement of the existing boardwalk in the rainforest at the George Brown Botanic Gardens to improve public access and enhance public safety and, in my electorate, is undertaking a similar reconstruction at the Fogg Dam boardwalk, to improve public access and enhance safety.
At the Alice Springs Desert Park, the government has installed an automatic door, allowing the park’s two wheelchair bound staff easy entry to and from their office space. Buttons either side of the door are simply pressed, and the doors open automatically. Furthermore, the Alice Springs Desert Park now has 11 electric shop riders. These are available to anyone who is not confident they have the fitness or ability to stroll around the 1.7 km path within the visitor area. These are hired out at the nominal fee of $5, the proceeds of which go to the Friends of the Desert Park and the Red Cross. The proceeds are also used to pay for the upkeep of shop riders. Clearly, this is not a profit-making exercise, but rather ensuring that everyone is equally able to enjoy the recreated habitats of the Desert Park. Incidentally, the shop riders are also used for the park’s wheelchair bound staff.
This government also has taken major steps in the education of students with disabilities. Government has recently recruited 20 school counsellors. These counsellors, and their supervisor, joined DEET’s student services team and will work to enhance the wellbeing of all young people in the Territory. The counsellors will provide support and advice to students deemed at risk, their teachers and families, and will manage positive mental health and wellbeing programs within schools. The new positions have been allocated to ensure that every secondary school has access to a qualified counsellor, including those schools in our rural and remote locations.
Our government has embraced inclusion support funding. This special purpose funding is used to employ inclusion support assistance to aid and integrate students with a disability into regular school settings and support their needs to enable them to fully access the curriculum. The inclusion support funding budget from the NT government has increased by $520 000 over the last two financial years. This financial year, the total allocation from government to schools is $4.2m, of which some $600 000 is expected to be provided by the Commonwealth. A total of 546 children with an identified disability have received inclusion support funding so far this financial year.
Currently, there are 215 students enrolled in special schools and annexes across the Northern Territory. These schools offer high-quality programs and support students with disabilities. A total of 991 students identified with moderate to severe disabilities represents 2.7% of the total student population. These students are either enrolled in special schools, or receive inclusion support funding to support their participation and enrolment in mainstream programs.
An early childhood development classroom was established in Alice Springs in 2006 and provides the best practice model for a whole school approach to the transition of special needs students into primary school. The program also provides an alternative to the current inclusion support funding model. Under this model, funding is attached to the classroom rather than the individual children. This results in the centralisation of service provision, better use of resources, and the classroom adapting to the children instead of the children adapting to the classroom.
Mr Deputy Speaker, $200 000 from the NT government-funded minor new works program has been invested in the ‘Now Hear’ program. This is a pilot program which has seen the commencement of acoustic modifications made to 10 classrooms in five schools. The program targets schools with a large number of indigenous students who have a history of conductive hearing loss. A significant component of the project is the professional development and resource provision for teachers and support staff in the latest teaching practices for students with hearing impairments. Furthermore, there are 10 hearing advisory officers in place working with families and schools, supporting students with conductive and sensory hearing loss. Five of the positions are NT government funded, and five are funded by the Commonwealth, as part of the Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives program.
The Harley Unit operates with an operational budget of $5000 in Moulden Park Primary School for students with extreme behavioural problems. The expected outcome for the Harley Unit is the successful re-entry of students with extreme behaviours into mainstream educational settings. The unit operates with one teacher and a special education support officer. This financial year seven students are benefiting from this program. The Nhulunbuy Special Education Unit in the Nhulunbuy Primary School has five students with intellectual and physical disabilities. The unit operates with one teacher and a special education support officer.
The Building Relationships and School Wellbeing project, commonly known as the Wellbeing project, has an operational budget of almost $87 000 and it consists of 11 wellbeing officers located in 22 schools across the Northern Territory. This project incorporates the National Safe Schools Framework. Student services also provides support to schools for students with disabilities. Support includes assessment and design of educational programs for students with disabilities. Furthermore, student services have offices in regional locations including Nhulunbuy, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and Katherine, with remote locations well serviced by these officers.
In August 2004, the Department of Employment, Education and Training instructed the Department of Planning and Infrastructure to commission an audit for disability infrastructure in special education schools. The estimated costs of the works identified in the audit were $12.14m. Since that time, DEET has worked with relevant schools to identify the work that is both urgent and critical and then prioritise these projects. Subsequently, DEET has included a contingency item of some $200 000 in the annual minor new works program to provide for immerging access issues or infrastructure disability items. As part of this program, a project is in progress for Nemarluk School to provide two new classrooms and an ablutions facility. This was initially funded through the minor new works program; however, the project in total is estimated to cost about $0.5m and, pursuant to the works program in procedures, will be elevated to the capital works program by substitution. This project is currently at the design stage and is estimated to be completed by August 2006.
Additionally, a lift has been installed at Casuarina Secondary College to provide wheelchair access to the library at a total cost of some $220 000. This project was completed in February 2006. DEET included priority projects in the department’s submission for minor new works money for 2006-07 to the value of $2.24m to upgrade disability infrastructure. Furthermore, DEET has indicated to the minister that $800 000 was required to replace the current inadequate special education facilities at Humpty Doo Primary School. This is a project that I personally lobbied strongly for and I have written to the minister supporting this much-needed project.
While ensuring disabled students are educated to the fullest capacity, it is an extremely important aspect of this government’s commitment to disability services. This government is also committed to ensuring people with disability are employed in the NT Public Service. The poll of compulsory interviews for people with disabilities by the Disability Works Australia or DWA is beginning to show results. From June 2005 to December 2005, DWANT placed eight people with disabilities into NTPS positions ...
Mr Deputy SPEAKER: Member for Goyder, your time has expired.
Ms LAWRIE: Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the member be granted an extension of time to complete his speech.
Motion agreed to.
Mr WARREN: The poll of compulsory interviews for people with disabilities by the Disability Works Australia is beginning to show results. From June 2005 to December 2005, DWA NT placed eight people with disabilities into NTPS positions; two out of these eight positions are permanent jobs. One of the positions is in Alice Springs. At the present time, over 40 people are now registered with DWANT who are seeking employment with the NTPS.
It should also be noted that the Department of Corporate and Information Services recruitment has now modified its procedures to allow for the selection panels to be told if they have an applicant who is a member of EEO target group. In compliance with the Anti-Discrimination Act and the Information Act, selection panels will be told which target group is involved, but the individual will not be identified. Selection panels can then be formed appropriately and can seek advice from DWANT. Furthermore, DWANT is currently developing training programs for NTPS staff on selecting people with disabilities for inclusion in the existing recruitment as selection short course. Pleasingly, a group of people from Equal Employment Opportunity target groups, including some with disabilities who are members of the Disability Action Network, have been brought together to attend a special session of a standard recruitment short course. This will assist training providers in adapting the course to the needs of the disabled.
I have taken some time to tell the House of some of the detailed aspects of what positive actions this government is doing in the delivery of disabled services. As the minister said in her opening statement, the budget paper shows that, since 2001-02, this government has nearly doubled the disability budget, up from around $27m to around $50m - an 86% increase in commitment compared to the previous CLP administration. At this point, I would like to return to where I began the speech.
What is at issue is what we, as a caring and compassionate society, need to do to try to make sure that those amongst us with a disability enjoy the same rights as other Territorians. The minister, I and other speakers from the government side of the Assembly, have clearly shown that our government is tackling this issue positively and in a gainful way. Also, each and everyone of us as parents, carers, educators, work colleagues, employers and opposition members, need to acknowledge that our own responsibilities and attitudes towards those with a disability does make a difference. It is essential for all of us in this House to positively acknowledge and praise the achievements of this government. Come on, opposition, get your act together. It is everyone’s responsibility and you have your part to play in talking things up.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend the minister for her important statement on disability.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Mr Deputy Speaker, I was not going to speak on this, but you have some competition there, member for Wanguri. I really think this one wants to be the next Chief Minister.
Members interjecting.
Mr Warren: That is good; everybody should have ambition.
Mrs MILLER: You had better watch out, too, member for Karama; I think he is trying to chip in on you - I really do.
Members interjecting.
Mrs MILLER: I think it is just …
Members interjecting.
Mr Deputy SPEAKER: Member for Katherine, you are being provocative.
Mrs MILLER: Oh, I could not believe it! Well, well!
I had not planned to speak but I have decided that I will speak on some nice things that are going to happen in Katherine. I know that everyone is looking at the time and it is 6.25 pm – but, blow it! If you can have an extension of time, I will add a bit more to it.
I decided to talk about this only because he riled me a little. I find it really amusing that nobody can get up in this House and talk about anything without putting a political spin on it. Then he tried to say the opposition is not supporting something. For goodness sake! Can’t you just talk about anything in this House without putting a political spin on it? He picked something as serious as disability services to do it. That is what I found absolutely insulting, actually. The reason I did is because I have a daughter who has a degree in developmental disabilities. She worked for 10 years at Carpentaria Services. Therefore, I know what services have been provided and you could probably say, right at the grassroots of it. I just found all this waffle going on here just all a bit too much.
I will talk about the positive things that are happening in Katherine, and we do have many positive things happening there. One of them is at Kintore Street School. Kintore Street School has some absolutely amazing, very dedicated staff who have been working there for many years. Every time I have had anything to do with that school, it is a pleasant attitude and a really wonderful environment for those students and it actually allowed a lot of those students to be able to live at home, which is really important.
Unfortunately, in the early days, before we understood how important it was to integrate disabled people, we isolated them. I am saying we, as a society, isolated them. I feel it is extremely important that they are integrated into society as much as possible, and that is something special the Kintore Street School does. The really nice thing is that, each day, their carers bring all those students in their wheelchairs down the street, so that they are mixing with people and we can all have a chat with them. I congratulate all the staff at Kintore Street School because they do a great job.
I have a very special soft spot for the Intensive Learning Unit at Katherine High School. I have been the patron of it for the last two years. It has such a wonderful, very happy environment, and those students are working in an environment with the other kids. They can mix and socialise with the other kids during recess and lunch break. They have developed through the hard work of their teacher, David, who is a really great guy. David has encouraged these people to have some independence and learn to live independently by establishing a garden at Katherine High School, which is called the Intensive Learning Unit Garden. I have had the greatest pleasure being able to watch those young people get some self-esteem from being able to develop that garden. They are at the stage this year where they are producing so many beautiful flowers and vegetables that they are selling them. We are doing this little business plan where they will be able to sell all of their flowers to the local florist, and any that they do not, I have an arrangement with them that I am having fresh flowers every week in my office. I am absolutely tickled pink with what the Intensive Learning Unit is doing at Katherine High School.
Somerville Services also provides supported accommodation in Katherine and they do an absolutely fabulous job. That also allows the people from Somerville Services to be able to come and integrate into the community during the day. It gives respite to families who are able to put a member of their family into that facility to give them a little relief as well.
However, one thing that we do have wrong, member for Goyder, is it is your government. You keep telling us that everything is to blame on the CLP. What we are doing is waiting for the money to complete the main street program in Katherine. Katherine’s footpaths and the street design is not disability-friendly. I have been trying for the whole time I have been in my office to get disability access put into my office. Burridj, when it was next door, was going to have a combined ramp, but the design of the street just does not allow for a ramp to fit into the levels of the footpath. When we approached the council, and Graham Newhouse from Planning and Infrastructure in Katherine, we were advised that we should not put a disability access there until the footpaths had been raised. I am not sure how long we are going to wait for that, because when the footpaths get raised, you are going to have a whopping great barrier between there and the street.
The main street of Katherine on the Katherine River end is in dire need of repair. The money we are looking for and have been asking for and been promised for two elections, is to finish the main street program. Once the main street program is finished, we will be able to design disability access into all of the shops so that the people in Katherine who use wheelchairs and gophers - and there are a lot of them and they are increasing all the time as senior people are not being able to get around any more unless they have the use of these facilities. Until that happens we are not going to be able to say that Katherine’s main street is disability user friendly. That is the area in Katherine where the government can ensure that everybody has the same access to the shops.
Another one that is a challenge - and I am sure the members for Greatorex and Braitling also touched on this - is the availability of disabled taxis. That is a huge problem in Katherine. That is one of the complaints that I deal with in my office on a regular basis - the lack of public transport. I have also noticed it has been a bit of a disappointment that, with all the buses that bring the people in from The Ghan rail service - would you believe all those millions of dollars spent on purchasing these buses? - apparently there is not one that has disability access. That is the problem. Even getting on and off The Ghan is a huge problem for anybody with a disability. Most are the older age group of people are travelling, and most of them need some assistance getting on and off The Ghan. We do have some problems and some challenges that are not insurmountable but they are very important for the safety of these people to alight and to then to get back on to the train. Of course, the bus will be an issue that I can talk over with the local transport operator in Katherine. I have already briefly talked about it with him.
I am very supportive of disability services. I am very supportive of any improvements that we can make to disability services to make sure that not only the providers, the supporters and the carers in disability are able to have that support, but also to give these disabled people a lifestyle where they have the opportunity to enjoy the normal day-to-day things that we do. I thank the minister for the statement and yes, there is more that the government can do too, member for Goyder.
Ms McCARTHY (Arnhem): Madam Speaker, I speak with great enthusiasm in support of the Minister for Family and Community Services’ statement. It is a statement that is certainly close to home. One of the things that I wanted to really focus on after listening to many of the speakers is the sporting element of it. It is very convenient because the Minister for Family and Community Services is also our Sports minister.
One of the things I wanted to touch on is when you look at access to sports in general for people with disabilities. I have been delighted with seeing what School Sport NT has been able to do with my son who suffers from a disability. These are the things I wanted raise.
In the minister’s statement, she outlined that others have lived with disabilities for their entire lives including nearly 10% of children in our schools. I know quite a number of those children simply through the relationship my son has with them in trying to find sports that they would like to participate in. I have to say that when I read through this statement that the minister has provided to the Assembly, as well as the review that is currently under way, I encourage the Northern Territory government and, indeed, this parliament, to look at future options in sports for people with a disability.
I know in 1995, I believe, in the mid-1990s, the Northern Territory government of the day bid for the Commonwealth Games which are now going to be held in Melbourne this year. We were unsuccessful in that bid but, by going through that process, it really opened up to people here in the Territory the possibility of wanting to try and achieve those things. Dreaming those dreams is still very important, even if at that particular point in your life it does not actually eventuate. It just stays in my mind though, as an example of where we can still go, because the Arafura Games is held every couple of years, and we see the competition that takes place with people from around, not only Australia, but north of us, in the Pacific. People come to Darwin and want to compete in all sorts of sports.
I encourage our Paralympians - and we have a few. Judith Green, our swimmer, has been quite successful in a number of Paralympics. Hamish MacDonald is another one who is an Alice Springs boy who has done tremendously well and is now working in Canberra and has been involved with the Australian Institute of Sport. These are role models for our young children who suffer from disabilities. They are role models also for people generally. When you watch the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games, you cannot help but really and truly admire the athletes of the Paralympics, because they go that extra length to still partake in activities that we see as quite normal - to be able to walk down the road, throw a ball, swim in that pool. It is quite an attempt for these athletes who may be quadriplegics or paraplegics, and they are outstanding examples of determination to not only succeed in their own way, but in the sense of having a life that means something, and has all sorts of odds and barriers to overcome.
It is something that I speak to my son about because CJ, who is 13 this year, was born with fibula limb deficiency, which meant that his fibula did not form properly from the knee down. He was born in Royal Darwin Hospital, and I remember at the time when CJ was born, people were stunned. The medical profession was not too sure how to deal with this baby boy. Before CJ’s birth I had a suspicion something was not right with him, and when he was born that suspicion was confirmed. To be told that he may not walk was quite a moment in my life and, indeed, my husband, Norman’s. We had to deal with that, and to think we have had this beautiful boy, and he might not walk. I share this because, although I do not have a disability, to have a child who does is something that I share with, no doubt, many parents across the Northern Territory. You want the best for your children. I want the best for my child; how am I going to do that?
We all want to make sure that our children grow up in a loving home, that they have access to a good education and can grow up to be the people that they are meant to be in society. However, there are added questions for those parents with children with disabilities. Am I going to have access? Am I going to get the extra medical help that I need here in the Northern Territory? Am I going to get the support in the education system? Is there wheelchair access to get them through if they need to get into the toilets? Will the other children be able to treat my child equally, are they going to have that social problem? Who is going to be there to help my child go through school, to get through normal everyday life?
These were the things that my husband and I were faced with. We explored many options over the years. A lot of that involved us going down south, but we knew that in the end we wanted to come back home to the Northern Territory. It is here that I look at the sporting component of this statement. I am very passionate about it because it is through sport that I know my son has been able to develop and maintain a sense of confidence about his abilities.
I often say to CJ, and to remind myself sometimes, that life is hard, life is tough, and it does have many challenges, but a lot of it comes back to our attitude. A lot comes back to your attitude of how you respond and get over that hurdle. These are the things that I have really instilled a lot with those around me. Whether it is the colour of your skin, the fact that you are rich or poor, or you live out bush or in the city, or you are black and not white; these are the things that we struggle and cope with. We ask how we deal with that. To children not quite having all the limbs, I say the same thing. I say: ‘Get up have a go. Do it your way. It might not be like the bloke next to you; it might not be like that girl who knows how to go and shoot that basketball ring, but you do it your way and you be satisfied with the way you do it. If you are not satisfied, then you go and have another go’.
When I came to looking at CJ’s development with sports, it was here that I cannot speak enough about wheelchair basketball in the Northern Territory. Over the years, CJ played different sports. He played baseball, he got into Rugby League, and he did it his way. Sometimes, he would have a few kids look at him strangely, and others would say: ‘Wow, this guy is not too bad’. He always had a go and that was just such an important part of that feeling for all people to have a go regardless. I can hold up people like Hamish MacDonald and Judith Green as these amazing role models. It has made a tremendous difference for him to then go onto wheelchair basketball and meet people like young Amy Clifton, who is another wheelchair basketballer in Alice Springs, and to be inspired. Amy has difficulties which are far greater than CJ’s, but at least he can see and learn.
I would like to mention here that there is a basketball coach in Alice Springs by the name of Bill Newman, who works with the Alice Springs School of the Air. If it had not been for Bill, who, when he watched the way CJ played basketball, said: ‘You should get him into wheelchair basketball’, so we followed on with that. Then we ran into people like Stuart McDonald from DEST in Alice Springs and Mandy Hargraves from Bradshaw Primary School who are involved with School Sport NT - amazing people who gave so much of their time to encourage children with disabilities to have a go.
School Sport NT saw about 200 children go down to the Pacific School Games in Melbourne last year. It is to the credit of the President, Brian Deslandes and Executive Officer, Helen Taylor, who saw the coordination of all these children. Out of the 200 children, there were a handful who had disabilities. They had to look at the care and concern of these children, as well as the other children, and also make sure that they were engaged in healthy competition - competition that encouraged them to stretch out, be who you are and have a go. It was an absolute success, and has driven my son to keep going. He is so obsessed with it, every Friday night we have to be at wheelchair basketball. In fact, he has now made mum and dad have a go at it at times, which is great. It is great for us to see that you have to get in and have a go too. There are people like Melanie Hall, Randall Scott and other inspirational people who play sport of some kind and, in this case, it is wheelchair basketball.
When I look at the interest that the minister has in looking at our youth, I am absolutely delighted. I would pursue wholeheartedly as a member of the Sport and Youth Committee of the Northern Territory parliament that we look at and include this because, when we look at what happened with the Sydney Paralympics, there were more athletes in action in Sydney than in any other previous Paralympic Games. I say, let us dream. Why not? We are doing so well with the Arafura Games, why not go a little further? Why not go that little further and ask why we cannot have a Paralympic Arafura Games. These are the things that our athletes with disabilities aspire to. Why not bring home those athletes who are interstate and say: ‘Come and work with our children here, encourage them’?
When I look at what the minister is referring to with children in our remote communities, I am absolutely passionate. Again, it is the same with our remote areas - we must enable as much access to these services for those children. When I saw, at the Pacific School Games, a number of students had come from remote areas to participate, and one or two of them were disabled children, I was heartened by the fact that the doors are opening. I fully believe, minister, that it is largely something that is being strongly reflected by the policies that are coming through this government.
I encourage that we look at the sporting options that are available. I support the review in looking at services, such as the members for Braitling and Katherine mentioned earlier, in regards to the taxis, toilet access, and access generally into buildings. These things we have heard about for so long now, let us not get complacent. It is about the Territory being a place for all people.
Ms LAWRIE (Family and Community Services): Madam Speaker, I thank all members who have contributed to this important debate this evening. I will work my way backwards in response to speakers to end up with the shadow who, I have to say, was exceptional in the fact that he put in an appalling contribution to the debate. However, the rest of the speakers were very positive and focused on what is possible and what is occurring in their communities.
I acknowledge the member for Arnhem who has first-hand knowledge, as a parent of a child with a disability and, importantly, with a parent’s perspective on some of the challenges that you go through in the various life stages of your child as they develop and mature with their disability. I have seen CJ scoot around in his wheelchair and he is a very strong young individual. The friendship and the strength that we make in our individual sports are very important, and it is equally as important for children and adults with a disability.
I take up the challenge that the member for Arnhem has laid down in terms of looking at how we can increase participation in sport for people with a disability, and whether there is any role that the Arafura Games can play in that. I acknowledge that we have some tremendous Paralympians living in our community. Judith Green never ceases to be an inspiration for me. We have baby boys around the same age and I really enjoy running into Judith at functions. She has been a tremendous role model. I know of young Tarnee, with an intellectual disability, who has taken to swimming with a vengeance, because I guess she has been inspired by the fact that we have Paralympians living in our community. I take up the challenge laid by the member for Arnhem, and will ensure that, within the scope of disability services review, we definitely look at the issue of community participation, sporting participation and the pathways to that and support that we provide for that.
I have met with Total Recreation and talked to them about how they can work with existing sporting codes to improve the pathways in sport, and participation in sport for people with disabilities. I have issued the challenge to some of our major sporting codes to look at what programs they could have available for people with a disability, and to use the opportunity of the training and funding the Office of Sport and Recreation has, to put forward innovative ideas and programs tailored to be inclusive for people with a disability. That goes across a range of disabilities, from physical to intellectual, psychiatric and other sensory disabilities.
It is interesting to note that a few of the speakers in this debate this evening actually have a disability. The member for Arnhem touched on her life experience with her son with a disability, but both the member for Goyder and the Minister for Health have hearing impairments and live each day with a coping aspect and are role models themselves of how you can live life to enormous potential with an impairment which, in effect, is actually a disability. I thank the member for Goyder for his very comprehensive contribution to the debate. I was extremely impressed with the range of knowledge he showed in just how we delivered disability services across a whole range of aspects of our life, be it education or transport access. He has certainly picked up on some core themes that I have been talking to my agency about in terms of the review of disability services.
There are many standards, guidelines, policies and programs that are in place and that are around at both the national and Territory level. Part of the aim of the review is bringing that into a comprehensive package and ensuring that we are really addressing the standards that we are meant to be addressing. I thank the member for Goyder for his contribution. I urge him to continue to show compassion and strive for a greater awareness in our community for people with a disability and for their carers. Another by-product I am looking for out of the review into disability services is simply to increase awareness of disability and of the issues that people living with a disability confront in their daily lives and challenges that they meet daily.
I thank the member for Katherine for her contribution. She has approached it as a local member who, obviously, has a passion and a commitment to people with a disability living in her community, acknowledging the dedication and hard work of staff at both the Kintore Street School and the Intensive Learning Unit at Katherine High School. I commend the member for Katherine for that acknowledgement. It is people who work with people with a disability who often are the unsung heroes. They have enormous specialist skills that they apply to their jobs. In my many years of work in the disability sector, what has always struck me about people working in this sector is their dedication and commitment above and beyond what are the normal parameters of their job. Strong friendships are made, loyal bonds are formed and people who work in the disability services delivery sector, whether it is in education or for organisations such as Carpentaria, Somerville, Anglicare, or HPA, show enormous dedication, compassion and commitment through their job. They apply their skills, but they certainly bring a great deal of heart and love to the work they do and I thank them for all of their efforts.
The member for Braitling raised the role of good advocacy and I acknowledge with her the role that Michelle Castagna plays in Central Australia for people with a disability. She is a tremendous advocate; someone whom I have enormous admiration for. I look forward to continuing to listen to Michelle as she advocates for people with a disability because she certainly knows what she is talking about. She lives disability every day.
The issue of transport has not gone unnoticed by me since I became minister. I have pursued this issue with gusto. I am working collaboratively with both my agency and the minister for Transport to sort out what has been a decade’s long problem in providing adequate taxi transport for people with a disability.
I will be taking up the issue of the change in wheelchair policy with Qantas. I participated in debates about 10 years ago on air transport and it is a shame, in this day and age, that we have to revisit such debates. However, I am more than happy to take up the issue with Qantas.
The issue the member for Braitling raised about constituents and aged constituents requiring a scooter happens to be an issue that I have investigated and considered at some length. I am still searching for ways to resolve this issue to a satisfactory resolution and I am working with the agency on that. In an ideal world, I would be able to grant Barney his scooter tomorrow. I am not operating in an ideal world; I am operating within processes and procedures that I have to, as minister, follow. However, I have not given up on Barney’s need for a scooter and I will be chasing up the idea of Lasseters Casino contributing to the cost of a scooter. It is very good news to hear and I will be hoping to hear from the member for Braitling as to how that is going.
Member for Braitling, rest assured the idea of the review into disability services is to ensure that it is comprehensive in its approach to consultation with the broader community and the sector specifically. I will be very happy to provide you with the information and advice on how people can link into the review. The tender for the consultancy has gone out and we have established the terms of reference, as my statement says, in consultation with the Disability Advisory Council.
Member for Braitling, I will be happy to provide you with additional information about how people can get their views heard in the disability services review which I believe is an essential road mapping exercise for government to ensure that we improve the whole-of-government approach in delivering disability services. There are things that I am already aware of and, as a government funding disability services and understanding the great services that exist out there, we can do better. We need to do better.
On that point, I pick up on the member for Greatorex’s contribution. It was a strange contribution. He started by indicating that we are pretending about how much additional funding we have put into the disability services because we have shifted staff over into the sector from another agency. However, he is failing to understand the budget involved in the Aged and Disability program and I am happy to offer him a briefing. It is important as the shadow minister that he understands it. The staff that came over accounts for $1m and it certainly does not account for the 78% increase in disability funding that the Labor Martin government has put in place. He talked about the need for the non-government sector to be able to keep pace with wage rises. Again, he has missed a very important aspect of what this government is delivering. We have delivered an election commitment to index non-government organisations funding to ensure that they can keep pace with wages growth. That was a significant aspect of our election commitment to the sector.
The member for Greatorex tried to indicate that we are doing nothing for carers. He did not seem to understand that the statement says we are the first jurisdiction in Australia that will introduce the carers’ concession scheme through the carers card. Nor does he seem to understand the significant Carers (Recognition and Services) Act. Again, I am more than happy to provide the member for Greatorex with a briefing. I did interject at one point in his speech. I did my best to not interject, even though his speech was, basically, ill-informed, carping, whingeing and whining. I found it appalling that he tried to insinuate that in some way I was involved in the tragic death of an aged care client. Member for Greatorex, I know this is a Chamber where often politics is played, but you sank to a new depth in your contribution. I have had communications with the aged care clients’ family who the shadow spokesperson has been in contact with and I have advised them to take any unresolved issues around aged care to the Commonwealth Residential Aged Care Complaints office. It is quite appropriate that these people have concerns with the quality of aged care that they actually do take those concerns to the relevant authority.
Member for Greatorex, playing gutter politics with the tragic death of an aged care client is at all time new low, even for you. You have sunk to significant lows over the years that I have had to listen to you in this Chamber.
I end by again thanking all other members for their very excellent contributions to this statement. Apart from the member for Greatorex, I did pick up a bipartisan approach to improving services for people with disability and for approving services for those who care for people with disability. I am really grateful for that and I look forward to the support in future years in the work that we do together to do that.
I want to thank the hardworking staff of my agency and the staff of the Aged and Disability Services Division of the agency who are extremely hardworking. They make a little bit go along way.
In the 1980s, there was a $1bn shortfall in disability services Australia-wide and the Territory is not alone in that our demand in disability services far outstretched our capacity to deliver. I am constantly impressed with the effort that these staff go to in the agency to ensure the fairest possible delivery of services to people with disability. I thank the staff throughout the Territory. I have had the honour as minister to go and meet staff right across the Territory. I have acknowledged in my statement the fine work done by the Katherine Regional Allied Health Services in Katherine. They are a Commonwealth-funded scheme, but they are doing significant work in Allied Health Service delivery around the Katherine region, and I really thank them for their efforts.
I also thank the Disability Advisory Council; they give their time generously. They are a group of very fine people who understand the issues confronting people with a disability and carers. I look forward to continuing to work with them to improve disability services in the Territory.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Mr VATSKALIS (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, today I provide this House with an update on this government’s Building the Territory’s Resource Base investment attraction program.
This four-year $15.2m program commenced in July 2003 and aims to maximise mining and petroleum exploration investment in the Territory. This initiative was designed to arrest an alarming 48% decline in private sector mineral exploration in the Northern Territory over the six-year period from 1995-96 to 2001-02.
Despite a substantially improved investor sentiment towards the mining industry that commenced with the recovery in the gold price in late 2001, and the subsequent recoveries in other commodity prices beginning in late 2003, Australia’s share of global mineral exploration investment has fallen over the same period, from 17.6% in 2002 to just 13% in 2005.
Much of Australia, especially the Territory, is still considered prospective, but its geological environment does present unique technical challenges that make discovery of new resources difficult. In an effort to maximise inward mineral investment, all Australian jurisdictions have now established their own exploration incentive programs whose primary thrusts are to assist in mitigating the technical risk. The Territory, therefore, finds itself in a highly competitive environment, and our challenge is to succeed at differentiating ourselves as a superior investment destination from other mineral prospective jurisdictions in Australia and, indeed, across the world.
It is vital that we confront this challenge because exploration is the lifeblood of the mining industry. Furthermore, mining is absolutely fundamental to the Northern Territory’s economic growth and future prosperity. The mining and petroleum sector is the major contributor to the Territory economy, accounting for over 20% of GSP in 2004-05, the second largest proportion of any jurisdiction in Australia. It plays a fundamental role in regional development and has enormous potential for support in the commercial and social development of indigenous and regional communities.
The mining industry is characterised by long lead times, typically up to 10 years, from commencement of exploration to discovery and potentially, as long again from discovery to development. It follows that sustained growth in the Territory’s mining sector requires a corresponding long-term strategy and sustained effort from government. I am very pleased to report today that this government is delivering.
Building the Territory’s Resource Base comprises four key and interrelated elements delivered by my Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines. These elements are:
Under the current program, an outstanding record of publication and data release to industry has been achieved, including the production of 21 new geological maps, eight new geographical information system datasets, and 12 new major geoscientific publications. Highlights of the geoscience program include:
In fact, my Geological Survey Division has successfully attracted and responded to thousands of exploration inquiries since the commencement of Building the Territory’s Resource Base. In the last six months alone, the take-up rate for technical data has increased by 250%, clearly demonstrating the survey’s ability to draw investor attention to opportunities hosted by the Territory’s world-renowned prospective geology, because the Territory is elephant country. When you find something, you find it big.
The Territory’s comprehensive geological database is highly regarded by explorers the world over. This is supported by a recent international survey of over 1100 exploration, development and mining companies conducted by the internationally respected Fraser Institute of Canada. In it, the Territory rated fifth out of 64 jurisdictions assessed for the quality and ease of access to its geological database. An outstanding achievement indeed, showing that we can mix it with the best the world has to offer.
The accelerated delivery of products from our geoscience program has led to several positive outcomes for the Territory, including: a doubling of the success rate of exploration wells in the Timor Sea to 50%; heightened interest in the Territory’s diamond prospectivity leading to the discovery of new diamond pipes in the Abner Range near Borroloola; and for the first time ever, significant interest in the mineral potential of the Simpson Desert area in the remote south-eastern part of the Territory.
I will now focus on the program’s second element; namely the capacity of my department’s Minerals and Petroleum Titles Division to process and manage exploration and mining title. Heightened interest in the Territory’s exploration opportunities, brought about by both our increased promotional activity and market demand, have translated into a steady rise in title applications over the past 12 months, resulting in a total of $2.5m of rental revenue for 2004-05. This represents an increase of $800 000 over and above the average yearly rent collected during the four years leading into the current program.
The number of exploration licences granted has almost trebled since 1999-2000. On 30 June 2000, there were 285 granted mineral exploration licences, now there are 751. These licences are monitored to ensure that holders actively explore as required in the conditions placed on the titles. At the same time, the number of outstanding mining tenements subject to the native title process has been reduced, primarily through active case management, and facilitating mediation and negotiation between parties.
My titles teams has been tasked with accelerating the processes related to land tenure and has made solid progress with native title land where the expedited procedure is now routine, and timeliness generally accords to statutory time frames.
However, a lot of work remains, due in part to the global commodity boom. This boom, in conjunction with our exploration initiative, has contributed to a significant increase in the number of new applications received by my department each year. For example, in 2005, the department received 365 new mineral exploration licence applications compared with 197 new applications in 2004, an increase of 85%.
Headway is also being made in the grant of mineral leases. In recent times, a range of companies have applied for and, in a number of cases, been granted mineral leases for the development of various mineral commodities. Several recent examples illustrate this point. Matilda Minerals have been granted a mineral lease on the Tiwi Islands for the development of zircon mineral sands. Olympia Resources have been granted a mineral lease at Harts Range, north-east of Alice Springs, for the mining of garnet abrasives. An application for a mineral lease at Frances Creek, north of Pine Creek, has been received from Territory Iron for the development of an iron ore deposit. Compass Resources holds mineral leases near Batchelor and has submitted proposals for the development of a copper, cobalt and nickel Browns Oxide mine. These proposals are currently subject to environmental assessment by this government. We are, moreover, expecting several new development proposals to be submitted in the coming year.
The enhanced capacity of my department to process and manage exploration and mining title has led to some outstanding achievements. These include:
In recent years, my department has worked hard to cement harmonious relationships with the Territory’s land councils. In collaboration with the Central and Northern Land Councils, my department published the guide to exploration and mining on Aboriginal land in June 2004. Some 1000 copies have been distributed to industry governments and indigenous corporations. A second series booklet focusing on forming partnerships and agreement with indigenous people is currently being developed.
Building the Territory’s Resource Base includes ongoing promotion of the Territory as an attractive destination for exploration investment, the all important fourth element of the program. Our promotion study has focused on direct contact with industry and building key business relationships. We have been targeting large domestic markets from Western Australia to Queensland, as well as premium international sectors such as Canada.
Last year, my team intensified that coverage of the domestic market through the innovative ‘Top End Secret’ campaign. I personally led a delegation from my department and industry to Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne to communicate the scope of business opportunities in Northern Territory. At last count, we laid out a very simple message backed up by a genuine offer of assistance to around 750 industry and investment executives. That message is that the Territory government welcomes exploration and mining business.
Top End Secret campaign was run with the support of six strategic private sector partners and endorsed by 21 Territory-focused explorers. There is ample evidence to indicate that this campaign has successfully raised the profile of the Northern Territory which witnessed a surge in inquiries for the three-month period after the first leg of the campaign in Perth in April, including a 165% increase in geoscience inquiries to my geological survey team. As part of the Top End Secret campaign, we have launched an electronic Northern Territory Investment Alert. This ‘alert’ is sent every six to eight weeks and provides the latest intelligence on exploration investment opportunities in the Territory. Potential investors are actively availing themselves to updates on our undeveloped mineral deposits and joint ventures in the Territory. This information exchange will help us to develop future business with our contacts.
Since 2000, the Annual Geoscience Exploration Seminar, or AGES, has been used by my department as a key platform to communicate the results of significance of its geoscience program to the mineral petroleum sectors in Australia. AGES convenes each March in Alice Springs and regularly attracts 150 delegates from all over Australia. By the Building the Territory’s Resource Base, the significance of this event has been enhanced by incorporating special sessions in the 2004 and 2005 programs to discuss and examine indigenous involvement in exploration and mining. AGES will be again broadened in 2006 by close agency cooperation with the Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development in the hosting of a mining supply expo, showcasing a number of Central Australian businesses and their capabilities to support mining and exploration activity.
In the context of the international market, for the last two years officers of my department have attended the annual Convention of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada in Toronto, the world’s premier exploration and mining investment trade show. Targeted marketing strategies, including a trade display and a meeting with major and mid-sized North American mining companies, had been successful in stimulating increased North American industry and investment in Territory exploration opportunities. As a result, several North American groups including Aldershot Resources, Teck-Cominco, Falconbridge, Laramide Resources and GBS Gold have recently initiated or enhanced their level of exploration investment in the Territory.
Other elements of the communication strategy include targeted advertisements, presentations and trade displays at industry-focused conferences, editorial and short reports in industry journals, a well designed and maintained web site, and organisation of technical conferences designed to stimulate new geological thinking so as to trigger new exploration activity. We are only just over halfway through our program and its success has been phenomenal. This success is evident in:
Another telltale sign that our message is getting through is that over the last year my department has been receiving an ever-increasing frequency of inquiries and visits from Australians and, particularly overseas investors, wanting to capitalise on opportunities in the Territory’s mineral sector.
This government’s proactive strategy is clearly demonstrating success in positioning the Territory to fully capitalise in the current resources boom, leading to sustained economic growth that has been driven by strong and highly efficient mining sector. Moreover, in our desire to improve performance and maintain focus, my department has commissioned an independent review of the effectiveness of our strategy to ensure that the Northern Territory remains competitive in the priority of exploration and investment attraction.
Whilst the government has made a commitment to spend $1m to Building the Territory’s Resource Base, we would not be able to achieve all this if we did not have the people behind the legislation and the project - people in the department like Richard Brescianini who heads the geological survey, Lisa Mutch who has done so much about the Top End Secret project, Jerry Whitfield, in titles, and John Carroll, the head of the department. We might have the ideas, the legislation, the project and the money, but these are the people who make this project, this legislation, and this idea a reality. Altogether government and the department has worked very effectively, and very well in order to promote the Territory and make people rediscover the Territory as the last frontier of exploration and the land for opportunity.
Madam Speaker, I commend the statement to honourable members, and move that the Assembly take note of the statement.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I respond to the Minister for Mines and Energy’s statement. We all know in this Assembly that mining is the most significant economic industry in the Territory, averaging over 20% of GSP per annum since 2000. As the minister said in his statement, this is the second largest proportion of any jurisdiction in Australia.
The AGES 2006 seminar that the minister referred to is scheduled to be held on 28 and 29 March at the Alice Springs Convention Centre and it has highlighted in its promotional material that the Northern Territory is Australia’s final exploration frontier and that there is no doubt that the Northern Territory is a highly attractive destination for exploration. It is an exciting statement and one that we all agree with and support.
Regional Northern Territory relies heavily on the prosperity that the mining industry brings and it is, therefore, imperative that the industry is given as much assistance as possible and encouragement to come to the Northern Territory to explore and develop. In most instances, the exploration leases are on indigenous land, so the potential for prosperity for these regional and remote communities is very significant, and reliant on the successful development of these mines.
Technology today allows potential investors to access quite detailed information over the Internet, which saves them some considerable time. The Country Liberal Party has always supported the mining industry and encouraged exploration. As a matter of fact, it was the Country Liberal Party that instigated the largest airborne surveys undertaken in Australia. The Country Liberal Party minister for Resource Development, minister Manzie in the previous government, addressed the Northern Territory parliament on 20 February 2001, which is right on five years ago. I quote from his statement:
There is no doubt that the Country Liberal Party in government were leaps ahead of the rest of Australia in addressing the technology required to assist and encourage exploration in the Northern Territory.
As I have said, mining and petroleum industries are the lifeblood of the Territory’s economy, and will continue to be so into the future, as long as industry and government work together to keep the Territory as an attractive exploration investment destination.
Building the Territory’s Resource Base has allowed the Geological Survey Division of the government to embark on a pre-competitive geoscientific program which has seen the Territory become more attractive to mineral and petroleum exploration. This needs to continue to ensure that the Territory not only maintains its position as an attractive place to invest, but improves its position such that countries like Canada, South Africa and the South Americas do not lure away exploration dollars.
The current round of funding ends in June 2007, and I urge the government to continue the pre-competitive geoscientific program, so that more information is available to industry and it is encouraged to come into the Territory to explore. Exploration work leads to regional employment and development, and indirect benefits can be large. For example, another commitment of $38m over four years, using acknowledged multipliers, could stimulate private expenditure of between $190m and $570m based on a 5:15 multiplier. This is possible, and I urge the government to look seriously at the future of the resource industry into the next 10 years, given that we may have only three major operating mines following the closure of Ranger in about 2011, and the McArthur River this year, if that project does not secure approval to go open cut.
That leads me into another area that I consider the most serious situation that the minister and the Northern Territory government needs to address right now. McArthur River Mine employs over 300 workers, and their jobs are at stake. They may be fly-in and fly-out workers, but they all live in the Northern Territory, and all contribute to the multiplying effect, for example, their families are here, they have houses and cars, the kids go to school and they contribute to our economy.
The McArthur River Mine injects over $320m into the Territory’s economy each year, and there are 400 companies that supply that mine. This particular mine is threatened with closure at the end of February because no decision has been made by this government to stamp their approval to go to above ground mining. The time frame the government has put required a 10-week public review, and I believe that the time frame is normally five to eight weeks. That aside, there were still submissions put into the review three weeks after the time line, and there were 14 submissions received. There were nine from government, four community organisations and one from an individual. These included three that were accepted three weeks after the deadlines closed, which gave the community more time to consider the environmental impact statement fully. They were not ignored, they were included in the review, despite being overdue.
The time frame for the environmental impact statement was extended five weeks, despite this government initially saying that they would hasten the process. Following the decision by the minister for the Environment and Heritage, the submission will then have to go to the Commonwealth for their approval. The Commonwealth has offered to hasten the process at their end. This will still have to come back to the Northern Territory Minister for Mines and Energy for another decision. Before a sod is turned at the mine, a mining management plan will have to be approved, which will take another five to six weeks. This situation at McArthur River Mine is crucial - it is critical. If the mine closes down for any time at all, the workers will move elsewhere. There are plenty of opportunities in the mining industry elsewhere, and it is highly likely that these workers will move out of the Northern Territory, and it is also highly likely that they will not come back.
Minister, the most serious situation that you and your government have right at this moment is addressing the future of the McArthur River Mine, and I urge you to take action now.
During Question Time today, the Leader of Government Business spent some time telling us how wonderful his government is in handling big projects, and how many dollars are injected into the Northern Territory economy through these projects. Well, Madam Speaker, I think $329m that McArthur River Mine injects into the Northern Territory economy each year is highly significant and one that needs to be secured. It would appear that the Labor government obviously does not feel the same way.
The minerals and petroleum industry has the full support of the Country Liberal Party, and I remind members that it was a Country Liberal Party that first introduced the pre-competitive geoscientific program funding. The future of the Territory, its peoples and its lifestyle is too important. Support must be given to the industry and a continuation of the exploration program by government is one way to demonstrate this support.
I thank the minister for his statement, but I am more interested in hearing about what he is doing to hasten the decision about the future of the McArthur River Mine expansion.
Mr HENDERSON (Business and Economic Development): Madam Speaker, I support my colleague, the mining minister, in his statement. In the lecture we just received from the member for Katherine, as the local member, she did not mention the legacy of the Mt Todd mine and the dangers that are inherent when one ignores the very appropriate and responsible regulatory regime around the operation of a mine site, and that regulatory regime goes towards environmental safety, occupational health and safety and the exposure to taxpayers for many years to come, and the detriment to the environment on the sad occasions when these things go wrong and mining operations fail.
In the process of the assessment of the EIS for McArthur River, that will all be announced in due time. This is a government that takes our responsibilities seriously, not only in encouraging investment in the mining industry. My colleague, the minister – I do not have a copy of his press release with me today – shows that investment in exploration is at an all time high at the moment. We have to be responsible for the environment. That is a balance and we will not shirk from that responsibility, unlike the previous government which has left a very sad and unfortunate legacy for future taxpayers of the Northern Territory to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, and one that will not be repeated under this government.
The recent Economic Development Summit identified unlocking the economic potential of our regions as one of the crucial elements to building a more prosperous Territory. As one of our biggest industries, exploration and mining has a linchpin role to play in assisting in making this a reality. Crucial to the success of this is the building of partnerships between governments, the mining exploration industry and indigenous communities - that is the key to it. The key to a sustainable future for the mining industry globally in Australia, in the Northern Territory, is successful partnerships within the communities in which they operate. That is the way that the industry is evolving. Certainly, the mining industry of today is totally different to the mining industry of 20 years ago in its acknowledgement and understanding of the commitment to environment. Commitment to long-term sustainable social objectives is absolutely paramount in the industries licensed to operate.
Any mining company which is seeking to have a sustainable future has to pay regard to a genuine commitment to partnerships with the communities in which they seek to operate. Those communities are, obviously, the local people on the grounds, the government that regulates their industry, and also a genuine and lasting commitment to the environment. The responsible miners of which the vast majority are, are understanding of that. The good old days of years gone by, where they get in and rip it out and throw a bit of top soil on and are off over the horizon are long gone, and thank goodness for that.
Mrs Miller: You have the EIS now, though.
Mr HENDERSON: Member for Katherine, decisions will be made within the appropriate time frames that are established under regulation. If you do not understand what those are, then I am sure that you can be provided a briefing. The process is all actually defined in the legislation and regulations, and if you were to get a copy of the legislation and the regulations it would be there for you to see and to understand how the system works, and we will not short cut that.
Much of the exploration and mining potential in the Territory exists on Aboriginal land, and ensuring access to this land is critical to the economic growth of the Territory. Without access, developers cannot explore the potential of resources that could, in turn, provide valuable opportunities for economic development and employment in those communities. We need to ensure open lines of communication and greater understanding between traditional land owners and exploration and mining companies wishing to do business here. The potential on both sides is enormous. For the mining industry there is significant investment opportunities throughout the Territory, and for indigenous people, it is the potential to gain employment and training on these projects and generate economic wealth in their communities, not only employment and training but genuine commitment from those companies to the social and economic development of those communities.
This is where the Indigenous Business and Industry Services Division of my department have a significant role to play. IBIS’s objectives include: facilitating access to Aboriginal land for the Northern Territory geological survey and the Commonwealth Geoscience’s Australia mapping programs; encouraging and promoting increased mineral and energy exploration on Aboriginal land; encouraging and promoting increased indigenous participation in the mining and energy industries; increasing awareness of the importance of the mineral and petroleum industries in indigenous communities; and providing resources related to mining and energy to compliment the curriculum particularly in non-urban schools.
IBIS’s mission is twofold: ensuring that indigenous people and communities have appropriate information to make informed decisions about mining issues and that Aboriginal land will be accessible for geological investigation, and that any identified mineral potential will be developed in a sustainable manner in partnership with those communities.
IBIS acts as a conduit between government and its clients, including the mining industry, indigenous people, the NT Mineral’s Council and relevant government agencies. That communication is achieved in a number of ways, including community and remote visits, consultation and discussion with land councils, indigenous local government bodies, indigenous companies, mining companies and peak bodies. Currently, mining and petroleum title applicants conduct their negotiations with traditional owners, custodians and land councils often without prior experience or background advice. IBIS have developed a range of initiatives to assist companies to do this in an appropriate manner, including resource kits for mining and petroleum companies to increase their understanding of the legal and cultural requirements of exploring and mining in the Territory; workshops for industry so they have the skills and knowledge to do business on Aboriginal land; and attending and presenting at industry forums, where possible, assisting industry to negotiate with land councils and traditional owners. IBIS also provides advice and information to its indigenous clients so they can make informed decisions about exploration and mining issues through information workshops in indigenous communities; appropriate information packages and teacher resource kits; establishing and maintaining communication with teacher and community schools; and producing a quarterly newsletter for schools and communities.
IBIS sees its role as knowledge building so all key stakeholders have a better understanding of each other and the mutual benefits in developing a symbiotic relationship. Part of that knowledge building approach includes educating young people about exploration and mining through a schedule of school visits. The objectives include encouraging children to think about employment in the mining industry and giving them an understanding of minerals extraction and processing and how minerals are an important part of daily life. At the same time, IBIS invites parents to the school for presentations. While these school visits have been well received, it is still clear that the employment take-up rate by indigenous people in the mining industry is far from optimum. IBIS is working better to refine and focus its knowledge building efforts by ensuring its programs are more strategically aligned with the results of the NT geological survey.
IBIS is also playing a crucial role in assisting with land access during the NT geological survey process, particularly in Central Australia. Some of the activities carried out by the senior advisory officer in Alice Springs included a trip to Ellery Creek with 25 industry and NTGS staff, a trip to Mt Liebig with five traditional owners and 12 NTGS industry representatives, and a follow-up trip to Docker River drilling program that was completed in October. Meanwhile, the senior advisor officer in Tennant Creek successfully completed 18 months of extensive negotiation with the Central Land Council for 700 km of seismic lines in the Tanami including an archaeological clearance. In addition, clearance was also obtained for a gravity survey of the Birrindudu Sheet. Central Land Council field officers have played an extremely valuable role in these processes.
IBIS was also involved with the traditional owners of the Bootu Creek manganese mine site and has been assisting North Barkly Indigenous Developments in the formative stage of its development. The company has been formed to engage in commercial opportunities in the region. IBIS has also an important role to play in assisting and supporting the Indigenous Mining and Enterprise Task Force, an informal organisation dedicated to increasing and improving indigenous employment and contracting opportunities in mining and other industry sectors. It consists of mining companies, Territory and Commonwealth government agencies, land councils, indigenous contractors and groups, training organisations, general contractors and other interested parties. The task force is made up of a dynamic group who, collectively, bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table with the aim of increasing the participation of indigenous in all sectors of mining exploration supply and service industries.
There were three IMETF forums held in 2005. The first was held in Alice Springs in February with an attendance of 65 people; the second was in Kununurra in June with 36 in attendance; and the third was in Jabiru with 46 people attending. Mining industry representatives continue to report improving indigenous employment and training outcomes, a positive sign. However, we still have a long way to go.
There is no doubt that mining and exploration offers enormous opportunities for the ongoing economic and social developments of our regions and remote indigenous communities. My department is playing an important role in ensuring that the key players are able to form strong and mutually beneficial partnerships to ensure exploration and mining work is able to occur in a sustainable environment. I am proud of the work that those officers in my department do. When you talk to people in the mining industry and the department - I am very proud, as I know that people on this side of the House are - we have moved away from the politics of division that used to be around access to land here in the Northern Territory. There is one sure thing that is really going to open up opportunities for the mining industry in the Northern Territory on Aboriginal land, and that is establishing the trust of traditional owners, indigenous people, on those communities. If we, as a government, can play some role in brokering that trust equation between the companies and the people on whose land they wish to explore and, potentially, mine, then we have done our job as government. We have been the honest broker in trying to build that trust equation.
When one compares that to policies of previous governments in the Northern Territory, whose sole position was to champion the cause of the mining industry against the aspirations and the wishes of those traditional owners on Aboriginal land, that was a sure-fire recipe for an industry that was going out of the door backwards. When we came to government, the issues surrounding native title; the pursuit in the Territory of their own native title regime and process, and seeking to bypass the federal native title regime that had been put in place, saw over a period of about three years not one single exploration licence on Aboriginal land issued. In fact, the previous Mines minister, when we came to office, if I am not wrong, member for Casuarina, had about 400 applications piled up on his desk that were not moving anywhere because there was no process to move them through. Such was the ideological positions of the government of the day that, essentially, it did not support the native title regime, were hostile towards land rights, and the climate of trust between indigenous people, the mining industry and governments had completely broken down or, if not completely, had badly broken down.
Over the last term of government and this term, my colleague, the member for Casuarina, who is as passionate about this as we all are on this side of the House, knows the strongest position that we can take, as a government, is to build that trust equation, be the honest brokers, and do our part in issuing exploration licences and mining approvals and to apply the legislation and the regulation of that industry without fear or favour and do our jobs. Then, the future for the mining industry in the Northern Territory is looking very strong. We all want to see more mining in the Northern Territory. We all know that we still have a largely poorly-explored land mass here in the Northern Territory, and we all want better regional and indigenous employment and business outcomes.
Madam Speaker, I commend the minister for this statement and I am sure that everybody on this side of the House will continue to do all we can to broker that trust equation between indigenous people and the mining industry.
Mr KNIGHT (Daly): Madam Speaker, I support not only the statement of the minister, but also the references from the member for Wanguri in relation to the ideological position which has certainly been a huge impediment in the past. I will give some examples of how that ideological position has changed now with the Martin Labor government.
I was fairly fortunate to come into this House last year, halfway through a four-year, $15.2m program that was attracting investing mining exploration in the Northern Territory. Building the Territory’s Resource Base is a visionary program which is now bearing fruit, and that fruit is starting to appear in my electorate. I am very grateful for that, as I am sure the people of the electorate are.
There are several examples of that, and I talked briefly about them in the economic statement earlier this week. One of those projects is at Frances Creek, which is just to the east of Pine Creek. The Frances Creek mine is an iron ore mine, which was operating between 1967 and 1974. It closed due to high operational costs at the time, a moribund iron ore market and a failed rail infrastructure. Finally, Cyclone Tracy wiped it out completely. It sat there idle for 30-odd years. The Martin Labor government has had a vision of investment in and stimulation of economic development projects, not only in Darwin but in the regions. One of the factors which encouraged the reopening of the mine has been the Alice Springs to Darwin railway, which has made the whole project much more viable.
Territory Iron - which is an offshoot of OM Holdings - is one of those companies and is at Bootu Creek. To give an example of the ideological position, Bootu Creek was a very cooperative arrangement where the government, and certainly the member for Barkly, have been working very closely with Aboriginal traditional owners, the land council and the mining company to get some real results on the ground.
Following the completion of preliminary feasibility studies, the board of Territory Iron have now given the go ahead for Frances Creek mine to start. A press release, which only came out to the stock exchange yesterday, stated that the Frances Creek mine is going ahead. The direct capital cost portion is estimated in the order of $10m. They will have mining transport and crushing contracts which will be offered, and they will also be utilising the bulk loader facilities there.
Territory Iron have been drilling at Frances Creek for several years. They have spent something like $2.6m so far in drilling operations, and they will be drilling further into the future, so they are spending a great deal of money on that project. The highlights of this project include the fact that it will actually contribute to the Alice Springs to Darwin railway. They are building a siding there. They will be putting 70 wagons on that railway, and they will be going to Darwin daily, so they will increase the usage of the Alice Springs to Darwin railway. They will also be paying port charges for storage and handling of their crates, which will actually offset the considerable cost of the port infrastructure which is now in place, and they will further develop the port facilities by expanding suitable useable land in the area.
The Frances Creek mine will revitalise the Pine Creek community. It will stimulate small business in the area and it is projected that they will have 65 full-time jobs. This is an example of the ideological position and the vision of this government in that, early on, we had the minister’s office involved with this company. I have been involved in this company, talking to them early, talking to the community, bringing people together, talking with the land council about opportunities for not only local people and local businesses but also for that segment of the community which needs encouragement and assistance to get into the work force. That is, obviously, Aboriginal people in the Kybrook Farm area outside Pine Creek. We now are working up employment training strategies for that community, not only for Kybrook but also for Pine Creek, Adelaide River, and Katherine as well, to get local people employed in that project. With this project, we also involved DBERD to allow local businesses which want to diversify, to expand, and people who would like to start new business to make use of this mining project.
This is a very exciting project, certainly for me and for the town. They are going to extract something like 6.9 million tonnes of ore from Frances Creek, with 3.5 million tonnes of that resource reported to the reserve category. That is what they have in the bank and they will conduct further drilling, costing several million dollars, over the years to come to prove up more of that reserve. There is a three-year guarantee of that mine operating and I believe the mine will have further years to contribute back to the community.
One of the other mines in that area and one of the other players is GBS Gold. This is a Canadian-based company which bought out several companies and is now operating the old Northern Gold mining leases. They also bought out Terra Gold which had the lease for the Maud Creek Mine. It was an interesting situation that the shadow mining spokesperson and the member for Katherine failed to mention the most significant mining operation since, I guess, Mt Todd, that being Maud Creek. That mine now is stimulating housing prices in Katherine. It is going to generate several hundred jobs in the area, for which many of the people will come from Katherine. GBS Gold is buying up houses in Katherine as we speak and it did not seem to rate a mention. As with Territory Iron, I and the minister’s office have been meeting with them. They are a genuine player, have a genuine community spirit and are looking at residential workers. They are not looking at fly-in/fly-out and they are looking at training up local people, allowing us to use their mill, the Union Reef mill, so that we can undertake training programs so local people who do not have the current skills can up-skill and gain good paying jobs in the mining industry. This is extremely encouraging.
GBS Gold, which has several tenements around the area, is hoping to start towards the end of the year and this is very exciting. They have a projected mine life of 10 years. They will be underground and also open cut mining. They will mill all the ore at the Union Reef mill just north of Pine Creek. The initial through-put of the mill should be something like 1.5 million tonnes per annum and rising to 2.3 million tonnes by the year 2009. The initial gold production will be approximately 1000 ounces rising to approximately 250 000 ounces by 2009. The direct job creation will be 100 people and it will rise to 200 people in 2010. That is just direct jobs. There are, obviously, spin-offs, with small contracts and large contracts. I thank GBS Gold and their directors for allowing us to work with them and I know that this Labor government wants them to be there. They want to allow the mining to go ahead, and every opportunity made to keep the money in the region and in the Northern Territory where it belongs.
The other mine which is opening up in my electorate is the one at Batchelor. The Browns Oxide project is run by Compass Resources which has tried to open this site before. They are looking at doing it in several stages. They are looking at mining the alluvial ore for several years then expanding after that. This mine has a projected life of something like 50 years. They think there is something like $250m worth of minerals, that being 10 000 tonnes of copper, 1000 tonnes of cobalt and 700 tonnes of nickel. With the cobalt price at $US14 a pound, they are going to generate a lot of income. They projected something like 80 permanent workers will be employed at the mine and 150 workers in the construction phase.
This goes to show that the government is saying: ‘We are open for business and we are prepared to work with you’. We are prepared to work with the land councils and to make sure the community and Territorians get benefit out of this. That it is something that I am appreciative of and people in the regional areas know that this government cares about them and knows that they want to get the best out of it.
The mining companies seem to be lining up to mine the Territory. Only today, there was an article about Arafura Resources wanting to start at the Nolans Bore mine, another project which will probably utilise the railway to transport its ore. Here we have a great deal of investment. As well as the investments we have made at the port and in the railway, the investments we have made in this program are bearing fruit; they are returning money to Territorians in the way of royalties and taxes. It is something the CLP need to have a think about when they complain about expenditure. We have a clear example where this government has invested in projects which return jobs and royalties to all Territorians.
Madam Speaker, I commend the statement to the House and thank the minister.
Mr VATSKALIS (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, the mining industry is the lifeline for the Territory by contributing 20% of gross state product and employing more than 4000 people. Mining could be the tool for the Territory government for the development of the regions and for the employment of indigenous people, especially people who live in regional centres where there are not many jobs available. However, mining has changed significantly.
First of all, in the old times you could see the big companies like BHP or Rio Tinto putting people on the ground to explore for new minerals. Now, the exploration is undertaken by small companies where they go out to find potential minerals and then, if they find something, they sell it to the big companies. The reality is that the small explorers do not have the money or the resources either to collect geophysical data or to interpret it in order to make a decision to minimise the risk before they go to explore in an area. That is where the government comes in. The government actually has the ability, the potential to scope the mining, and the expertise to collect and interpret geophysical data.
The difference is how do you provide it. Do you ask people to pay for it or do you provide it free? I recall very well in one of the mining seminars when we suggested that we give our geophysical data on CD and the maps for free, one of the explorers commented that in Western Australia the only thing they get for free from the mines department are pens and beer coasters. However, by doing that we manage to actually go into the boardrooms of companies, into the computers, be part of decision-making processes by providing this information, minimising their risk. When they see in front of them the potential of the Territory unlocking before their eyes, they can make the decision to come to the Territory, or to come back to the Territory at a later date.
Another thing that makes a big difference with the Territory and mining is the railway. People from Arafura Resources told me that, now the railway is in place, anything 140 km east and west of the Territory can be mined and exported. That was impossible before because it was difficult to move large volumes quickly to an export port. This is has made a significant difference.
The member for Katherine referred to what the CLP did. I thought that the CLP had a split personality problem. Here, you had the minister for mines ordering airborne surveys, but then the other minister responsible for the titles for the land refusing to issue exploration licences, or sitting on them. How are you going to attract people, give them all the information but, when they put in their application, they are not going to get it? Some of these applications were sitting on the desk for years because the CLP decided to play politics; they did not want to do anything. They actually wanted to blame the blackfellas for not giving permits to go onto their land to explore. It was not difficult; we managed to do it, if you sit down and not play politics. As the member for Katherine said before: ‘Let us not play politics, let us talk about business. Let us sit down with the people, and discuss it with them’. We managed to talk to them; the companies managed to talk to them.
Sweetpea Corporation managed, within 12 months, to access Aboriginal land. When I asked the person who was with the corporation how he managed to do that in 12 months, he said to me: ‘We operate in America. We have been operating with native Americans for the past 40 years. We have now developed a template. Every time we negotiate with indigenous people we use this template, overcome the problems and get what we want, and get it quickly’. That is what we should have been doing.
The other thing we have is the CLP left a legacy behind – the legacy of nearly 2000 mines that came, dug, took all the material and then they left a big hole in the ground or very few rehabilitated mines. Mt Todd is a legacy. Mt Todd is actually in the electorate of the member for Katherine, as she is very well aware. I recall very well a call from the member for Katherine asking what we were doing about Mt Todd. I also recall her sensitivity about the environment and the possible impact that Maud Creek would have on the water table that provides water to Katherine if processes were allowed to take place. She warned me that she would be watching very closely what we are doing with Maud Creek, if we did not go through the right processes, or do the right thing.
I would like to assure the member for Katherine, and any member of this parliament, that our government is not going to cut corners. Our government has a process and legislation in place. Any mine that wants to be developed or expanded, has to go through that process of a PER and EIS, and then, following the evaluation process, the minister for Mines – either me or whoever is in my chair - will make the appropriate decision.
We have gone a step further. Following the problems that we have had and are faced with at Mt Todd, where the decision for the rehabilitation bond was made, not by the department, but the minister and the politicians in the ministerial office, we have now changed the system. The department will actually recommend to an independent board, after evaluation of the management plan of the mine, what rehabilitation bond should be in place. Not only that, but the rehabilitation bond is re-evaluated every year. Therefore, if the mine increases productivity or increases disturbance, the rehabilitation bond will go up. If the mine carries out rehabilitation as it progresses as some companies in the Northern Territory do, the rehabilitation bond may be diminished.
We welcome and encourage mines in the Territory and are prepared to work together with the mining industry. A strong, unambiguous government policy, including environmental policy, applied consistently and transparently is, itself, an important tool in exploration and mining investment attraction. We want to have here responsible companies that will mine the Territory. We certainly do not want cowboys. We do not want people who come here, rape and pillage the earth, take the wealth away and leave a big bill for Territorians to pay. We want companies that will come here, do the right thing, employ Territorians, make a profit, but they are going to leave part of the profits in the Territory, and they are going to leave behind a rehabilitated site with no future liability to the Territory.
The encouraging thing is that the mining industry has changed over the past 20 years, and all the best operators now increasingly talk about the triple bottom line. They aim to maximise their investment - fair enough - through best practice environmental protection, and with full community consultation and participation. That is the reason why I have already advised my department that for any future mine application, they should not only consider the mine management plan, or the lease application or anything else, but we should consider the benefit to the Territory. The company has to provide us with a regional and Territory-wide plan for the supply of goods and services from companies in the Territory, and certainly a jobs plan. How many local people will be working in the mine from the region of the town?
We have mines in Tanami, and mines that border Aboriginal land, Aboriginal places where there are a lot of indigenous people, and none of these people would have a job. This is unacceptable. If these miners, either Australian or international, come to the Territory to mine a commodity, at least they should be leaving something behind, and the best thing to leave behind would be jobs and skills. You do not need a degree to work in a mine, but you need commonsense and some of the skills that can be easily acquired, either through the company or by some other means.
I am pleased to say that our government encourages mining in the Territory, not only by putting $15.2m in a project to build the Territory resource base, but also by the department of Mines providing a scholarship to young Territorians who want to study geology. The scholarship is $12 000 a year for three years, and every time this person goes on holidays, they will be working in our department, or they will be working in the mining companies. Not only will we train people, but we will try to actually make sure that these people we train, who we pay the money for, are coming back to the Territory.
One thing that is missing is a basic course that will train Territorians with the basic skills for mining. I am very pleased to say that, currently, I am exploring a course from South Australia that has a possibility to train people to become assistants to geologists, who will be able to assist geophysical data specialists. They do not have to have a university degree. It probably would be a TAFE degree, a Certificate III or Certificate IV, and it would be very easy to go through it.
The other thing is that the scholarship is only for three years. I would like to expand it, but I do not think the government should actually pay the full bill. I will be calling some mining and exploration companies to create a trust account that every company contributes to, and from that account then we will take the scholarship for geologists or other mining specialists.
I said before that mining is important for the Territory; it is the lifeline of the Territory. However, we want people to come here and contribute toward the wealth of the Territory, without leaving behind a liability for the future generation of Territorians to have to pay for.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
After 30 years of demountables, the Gove Country Golf Club has finally completed its first solidly built Rod Parish Club House. I was pleased to assist with the official opening, alongside Doug Parrish from Alcan, in late December.
Establishing a new club house required a heavy cash commitment. Fundraising began in earnest with the golf club raising $230 000, and Alcan Gove and the Northern Territory government each contributing $150 000 towards the new venture. The support of local business was terrific, with small and large business, tradesmen, club members and staff working tirelessly to complete the project. It is a first-class effort for Nhulunbuy. I congratulate Alan Jory for his commitment in seeing the project through and the community at large for their great assistance.
Nhulunbuy High School is renowned for its support of the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme over many years. This year, the school had the highest number of students of the public schools compete in the awards, with approximately 25% of the students involved. Duke’s coordinator, Don McKinnon, advocates the scheme as one of the best support schemes for youth. I congratulate and thank Don for his commitment to these youth in ensuring there is something worthwhile, positive and achievable for every youth in the town to take on if they wish.
Many local organisations were involved and I thank them also for their encouragement to the Duke’s Mob. I was pleased to present the awards to the following recipients:
Congratulations to Elise Gane, who has been awarded the William Gove Memorial Award for Youth Achievement for 2005, including a prize for $1000. Elise completed most of her schooling in Nhulunbuy, and some secondary education in Queensland, where she gained the highest score possible for school leavers in Queensland. Elise successfully completed the first year of her Bachelor of Physiotherapy at the University of Queensland and received a series of distinctions and high distinctions, earning her a Dean’s commendation. Elise has demonstrated strong and determined commitment to excel academically and, on completion of her studies, would like to return to Nhulunbuy to work. I wish her well as she continues with her studies and hope, indeed, that she does return to Nhulunbuy.
Group Training Northern Territory held their award evening last month for 50 trainees and apprentices employed by Alcan and Group Training in Nhulunbuy. The evening recognised achievements and the support given by employers in the town. I thank Group Training NT, Alcan, and the local employers and the mentors for assisting the apprentices in pursuing their goals. Congratulations to the following recipients on their achievements:
Nhulunbuy Australia Day Citizen of the Year Award went to Yalmay Yunupingu, from Yirrkala. Yalmay was born and raised in East Arnhem Land and educated at a missionary school and Dhupuma College. She commenced her career as a Library Assistant in 1974, eventually gaining her teaching qualification after studying externally through Batchelor College. This necessitated juggling her home commitment of raising six daughters. A very talented sportswoman, Yalmay was an inspiration to others on the basketball court and softball field. She helped on the Yolngu softball team and represented the Gove region where she gained selection for the Northern Territory team, accompanying them on several interstate trips.
Yalmay is an outstanding spokesperson against alcohol abuse and other social issues affecting the community in Yirrkala. Yalmay assists with the preparation of NAIDOC Week in encouraging the community to demonstrate their sense of national pride with the Garma Festival, running the women’s forum, and the women’s shelter. I was pleased to present the inaugural Teaching Excellence Award for a Remote Primary School to Yalmay late last year, recognising her excellence and innovation in achieving strong education outcomes. My sincere congratulations to Yalmay, a very worthy recipient of the Australia Day award.
The Australia Day Young Citizen of the Year Award was presented to Hannah Putland. Hannah and her family arrived in Gove in 1997. At the age of eight, Hannah soon became active in sport. In 2004, Hannah was the Gove Peninsula Surf Life Saving Club and Northern Territory Under 16 Lifesaver of the Year. She completed her Bronze Medallion and continues to be an active member. Hannah was awarded the radio operators training award and continues to take advantage of the courses offered to youth in Nhulunbuy. She has been involved in soccer, touch football, and volleyball, and is a member of the Arafura Dance Association and completed her Grade 6 classical ballet and jazz exams, and is an assistant teacher for the junior jazz class.
She has choreographed and performed dances at the Darwin Eisteddfod, as well as the opening of the Arafura Games in Darwin last year. Hannah has been a member of the student representative council, sports house captain, and participant in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme. She had the honour of travelling to New Zealand for four months as a Rotary exchange student, reciprocating her New Zealand sister in Nhulunbuy. Hannah is an outstanding role model for her peers and is always willing to give of her time to assist in community activities. Congratulations to Hannah, who is well deserving of this award.
Ms MARTIN (Fannie Bay): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, earlier this month I had the pleasure of helping the Batchelor community launch their Tourism Development Plan at the Coomalie Council chambers. You would be particularly interested in this since you were there. The plan is the result of a year-long partnership between the Batchelor Tourism Action Group, Tourism Top End, the Northern Territory Tourist Commission - now Tourism NT - and a number of other government agencies. It has been a truly collaborative effort. Its aim is to get the town visitor ready and in a position to capitalise on the many thousands of people who visit this region each year.
Over 250 000 people visited Litchfield National Park last year and three-quarters of them passed through Batchelor to get there. That is a big incentive to develop a new tourism product and expand the range of experiences for visitors to the region. The Batchelor community is right behind this vision for the town and I was impressed by how many people came along and the wonderful hospitality of the community. I know the local member shares those sentiments about the day.
Bruce Jones, the President of the Coomalie Community Council, introduced me to the many stallholders who were showcasing some of the area’s products and crafts. I congratulate all those people and say what a pleasure it was to meet them. I would like to name them because they were out mid-week with their products on display for the launch of this plan.
There was John Earthrowl of Compass Resources and his display of metals; Christine Fox from Crater Farm Produce; Ursula Jangoot who is establishing the Batchelor Art Gallery; Molly from Croker Island with her pandanus mats; Victor Fox with his wooden crafts; from the Batchelor Area School there was a display of student artworks; Patsy Fawcett and her homemade preserves were on show; Amanda Brown and her designer clothing range; Gillian Hunter and her pottery wares; Bob Davis from Batchelor Resort; Jeanie Gadambua and her woven mats; Nina Keener from Nina’s Ark Wildlife Centre; Paul Arnold of Outback Photos; Colleen and Doug Allsop of Kakadu Dried Fruits; the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education - and I thank them for their show bag of educational items; Batchelor Cultural Centre and the array of artefacts; Alan Peterson from Rum Jungle Organics; Dan, Joan and Bill Stewart of Milkwood Tropical Orchids; Linda Douglas of RS Gardening Care; Judy and Malcolm McGinn of Batchelor General Store and Stony River representing the Batchelor Butterfly Farm.
I also got to meet the volunteers from the Visitor Information Centre: Corrie Van Den Dolder, Myra Skinner, Kay Nordern, Ruth McMartin and Pat and Julius Robinson. They do a great job and their efforts are very much appreciated. Many people contributed to the development of the plan. In particular I say a big thank you to Leslee Penno, the Chair of the Batchelor Tourism Action Group and Lisa Wain the CEO of Coomalie Community Council and her staff and councillors for their commitment to this vision for the Batchelor region.
Before I finish, my thanks to Sylvia Wolf and Tony Clementson and the Tourism Top End team. Their continuing support of the subregions is greatly valued. To all those at Tourism NT, a big thank you. Your work with the Batchelor community has been terrific. It was a most enjoyable day and we will be working with the Batchelor community very closely to see that plan realised. It is a plan for a number of years. There are some activities like the markets for the Dry Season that we will see in operation this Dry Season, which will be great. I thank all those who put the basket together for me with the local produce including the mango wine and the dried fruits and the chutneys for which I am very grateful. I wish all the best of luck to the Batchelor community.
On a totally different topic I strongly encourage every member of this Assembly and everyone in Darwin with an interest in our history to get along to the Paul Foelsche exhibition at the Museum and Art Gallery at Bullocky Point. This exhibition called the Policeman’s Eye showcases the photography of Foelsche who actually worked as the first police inspector in the Top End. Paul Foelsche was born in the German village of Moorburg in 1831 and came to this country with other German migrants in 1854. He joined the South Australian Mounted Police in late 1856 and in 1869 led the first police contingent to the Territory. Paul Foelsche went on to become the most dedicated and prolific photographer in the Top End. He took photographs of the emerging town of Palmerston, as Darwin was then known, and its people - Aboriginal as well as settlers. His was a photographic record of the town and much treasured because, after numerous cyclones, the bombing of Darwin and over 100 years of development, Foelsche’s Darwin has almost vanished.
Included in the exhibition at the art gallery are photos of one of Darwin’s first hotels, the Commercial Hotel in Mitchell Street, taken in 1874; the Chinese market gardens; and Palmerston Hotel from 1878; the christening of the first locomotive for the Port Darwin to Pine Creek railway in 1887; and a view of Port Darwin jetty from Stokes Hill taken in 1888. Foelsche’s photographs featured in national and international exhibitions including the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1875 and the Philadelphia Exhibition in 1876. He photographed the Territory’s gold fields for the 1878 Paris exhibition. This involved loading a wagon with camera, tripod, portable darkroom and chemicals and heading out into remote country.
In 1877, he started doing portraits of Aboriginal people. While they were intended as scientific studies to depict racial types for anthropological comparison with other indigenous people, they ended up becoming personal studies. Unlike other photographers, he recorded the names of his subjects and also recorded the material culture of the people - the spears and spear throwers, bark canoes, decorative woven baskets and bags, nose pegs and amulets, just to name a few.
Foelsche also made contributions to science, collecting and documenting over 1000 Aboriginal artefacts for the South Australian Museum, noting the indigenous names and functions of the objects. During the 1870s and 1880s, he collected bird, animal and insect specimens for the museum, as well as for overseas museums and collectors. He even has a species of eucalypt named after him. Here in the Territory, we have a river, a mountain, a Darwin street and a meteorite crater named after Paul Foelsche.
He died in 1914 before the Great War broke out between Britain and his native Germany. He will be remembered most for his images of the Larrakia, the Djerimanga, Iwaidja and Alligator River peoples. Larrakia artist, Gary Mura Lee, describes his photographs as ‘a legacy for all Larrakia today and those of the future, a permanent reminder of our ancestors and a lasting affirmation of our Larrakia identity’.
I would like to thank all those involved in bringing this wonderful exhibition to the Top End. In particular, I thank the South Australian Museum, the State Library and Art Gallery of South Australia, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, the Darwin Freemason Lodge, and the NT Archives and Library Service. I say to everyone: if you are interested in this photography or simply a history buff, get along to see this wonderful exhibition which runs, I think, to mid-March, at the Bullocky Point Art Gallery.
This evening, I would also like to talk about one of Darwin’s most important recreational facilities in my electorate, the Darwin Turf Club. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the tremendous work Chief Executive, Des Friedrich and his Turf Club team are now doing to grow the industry in the Territory, not leaving out, of course, the Chairman of the Board of that Turf Club team, Charles Burkett.
For many years, NT racing has been trying to obtain TV coverage of race meetings. It was a tough slog, but the hard work paid off last July when Thoroughbred Racing NT secured TV coverage of Darwin racing. The challenge was to establish a reliable cost-effective method of transmitting the signal to Sydney. Without going into the nuts and bolts of it, Teleport Darwin was formed and, for the first time, our races were broadcast interstate. Teleport is a joint venture between Thoroughbred Racing NT and the Darwin Turf Club, and is supported by locals like Graham Edwards from Nornet Media Technology, Russell Craig from Homesat TV and Bill Fletcher from Darwin Pro Video. It is a 100% percent owned and operated Darwin business, and the potential is limitless. We have the capacity to send signals throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia including South China, and the west coast of the US. Significantly, we also have the capacity to send signals to remote communities across the Territory in the future.
TV coverage is not the only thing on the Turf Club agenda. The Turf Club now has more horses on the track than last year, and its aim is to continue increasing this number. Last year, the Territory’s first ever equine swimming pool was opened, a great asset in our tropical climate. The number of stables is set to increase, and the club is also looking at the feasibility of a purpose-built facility for corporate bookmakers. They are also aiming to increase the number of touch fields at the grounds and, possibly, develop other sporting facilities.
The profile of the industry is set for a further boost with the inaugural NT Racing Awards. These awards will honour the very best in the Territory from both the Darwin and Alice Springs Turf Clubs. The venue will alternate between Alice Springs and Darwin, with the first awards to be held in Alice on Thursday before the Alice Springs Cup this year. Des Friedrich expects his club to do very well at the awards.
The industry is going well in the Territory and the 2006 Darwin Cup Carnival is set to be bigger and better than ever, with the number of people in the centre field expected to hit 4000. I wish Des and his team all the best for the coming year and the best of luck at our first NT Racing Awards.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I want to place on record my comments after a response from the Minister for Family and Community Services to a question that I asked her the other day in Question Time. She said in her statement that her agencies had negotiated directly with DASA and ASYASS regarding a juvenile facility for young petrol sniffers. When I challenged the minister on that, she became quite positive that she had not. The minister had, in fact, at that stage received an e-mail from ASYASS, which is the Alice Springs Youth Accommodation Support Services which stated:
When I queried the minister about that, after Question Time, she came into my office and stated categorically that the ASYASS manager had, in fact, been present at a meeting and negotiations had taken place; that she had seen minutes of such a meeting. I requested a copy of the minutes but, of course, the minister declined to give them to me or show them to me.
In searching again, I found out that the meeting that she was referring to was attended by many agencies in Alice Springs and was, in fact, a discussion session around what a treatment model may look like. At no stage during this meeting did her department approach ASYASS on an individual basis to negotiate the provision of a treatment service as provided under this new act.
I am just saying to the minister, ASYASS is willing to negotiate with you but, as of even today, your department has not been near them. Therefore, to suggest to me that they had been involved in discussions is incorrect. If you would like to table the minutes of the meeting that you were referring to, then we can clarify and verify one way or the other. However, it is my understanding the meeting was a general meeting with many agencies and, of course, there has been no direct individual approach to this youth service whatsoever. I would like to ask the minister to clarify again whether her agency will negotiate with ASYASS, and why the minister has refused to admit that these negotiations have not taken place to date.
Mr VATSKALIS (Casuarina): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, this is the first adjournment since the beginning of the school year. I would like to wish all students and school staff a wonderful start to an exciting 2006 school year, and a big thank you to the Northern Territory government for making the start of the school year easier on parents with the $50 Back to School Payment Scheme voucher. I have to say, as a parent of two young children who attend school, I received the $50 voucher that went straight to pay for the essentials that they would need when they go to school.
During my election campaign, I promised to work very hard to secure funds for my electorate primary schools. Nakara and Alawa received funds for much needed upgrades, and I am very pleased to say that, while Nakara has been completed, Alawa is a few weeks away from completion. From my inspection that I did a few weeks ago, the upgrade looks absolutely fantastic. The brand new classrooms have been built, and some others have been renovated. That was especially important, because Alawa and Nakara were neglected. For many years, nothing was actually done to upgrade them.
Recently, I visited Nakara Primary School and I spoke to Principal, Mr Barry Griffin. I witnessed many happy parents at the front office utilising their child’s $50 voucher. I know that can be quite expensive at the start of the school year and I am pretty sure that $50 voucher was welcomed by the parents.
I also visited the Alawa Primary School to inspect the completion of the new southern block. As I said before, I will be very pleased in the next few weeks when it will be completed and there will be an official opening.
At Dripstone High School, the Principal, Lyn Elphinstone, advised me that student numbers at Dripstone are the highest they have been for a number of years, with initial waiting lists for entry for Years 8 to 11. As of last week, they had 165 students in Years 11 and 12, and 585 in Years 8 to 10. Lyn said that staff are very excited to have a full-time school counsellor thanks to the Northern Territory government’s Building Better Schools initiative. Mr Dave Clarke has been appointed to the position. They are very fortunate to have someone so highly experienced.
In addition to that, the school now has a full-time careers adviser, Mr Wolfgang Schubert, who is available to assist students with their career aspiration.
Congratulations to Australia Day Student Citizen, Michael Andersson, for his effort and contribution to school and the community. Michael was a Year 12 student in 2005. He has now moved to Canberra with his family. This year, there have been a number of innovations at the school in senior curriculum. In particular, the school has introduced a vocational program which is aimed at providing an appropriate and manageable program of study for students aiming to get a school-based new apprenticeship, or who already have one. Mr Rod Opie is the coordinator of this program.
Dripstone High School Parent Teacher evening is on Wednesday, 1 March, at 5 pm with the school AGM later at 7 pm.
At Alawa Primary School, Principal Sharon Reeves is excited about the school’s excellent start for 2006. The whole school community is looking forward to the open week, 3 to 7 April, when family and friends can walk around and inspect the newly upgraded southern block.
This year’s exciting new goal is ‘Looking into the future’ in education for Territory children. The school has divided this year’s learning into three levels: ‘Strong beginnings’ for preschoolers to Year 2; ‘Ignition’, setting students on fire for learning for Years 3 to 5; and ‘Middle years’ for Years 6 and 7.
Congratulations to Nick Browning for being awarded the Australia Day Citizen of the Year Award for Alawa Primary.
At Nakara Primary School, the Principal, Mr Griffin, said it was a wonderful start for Nakara Primary School. There were significant numbers of children enrolled: 409 students enrolled at the primary school with 55 in preschool. Congratulations to Theo Skonis for being awarded the Nakara Primary’s Australia Day Citizen of the Year. Kelsey Smith was awarded the Nakara School Citizen of the Year. I congratulate the school.
It is very important that we support schools not only as members of parliament but as individuals and also as parents. The reality is that education is very important and vital for the future of our children. On many occasions, we have seen kids who receive substandard education; in some areas they finish in high school unable to read and write. It is something we want to avoid here. Congratulations to all students and teachers, staff and certainly good luck for this school year 2006.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, last night I spoke about the breakdown of law and order, particularly in Alice Springs, and drew members’ attention to the litany of problems in Alice Springs. Law and order breakdown is not only in Alice Springs; it is really Territory-wide. Alice Springs was cited because of the recent spate of antisocial behaviour that I needed to spend significant time.
Yesterday, I also tried to find a transcript of a broadcast on 8HA on 3 February. I could not find it, although I found it last night and I would like to read what was said by the reporter:
That is something that was broadcast over the air, voicing the sentiment that is felt in Alice Springs. Here we have the member for Braitling, who is finally starting to become irrelevant in this Chamber. She slams the CLP for raising the fact that Alice Springs is dying. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Friday last week, in Elder Street, in the electorate of Braitling, guess what happened? Every police car in Alice Springs was in Elder Street last Friday night at 11 pm trying to settle a huge disturbance and, for 50 minutes to an hour, there was no other police vehicle available to address any other issues in Alice Springs. Is that good for the town? Of course not. The member for Braitling should be looking after her own electorate instead of worrying about what the CLP are doing, as we are trying to fight for Alice Springs.
The papers are full of reports of crime. Almost every day, you see something happening to one of our law-abiding citizens. Why should any person, let alone a woman, driving home from work in broad daylight, be attacked by somebody wielding a tree branch - smashing it through her front windscreen? Just as well she remained on the roadway, otherwise she would have got herself in all sorts of difficulties, not only with other people, but probably hurting herself as well. When we tell government there are huge issues with an influx of people who are ill-prepared to live in urban areas, that is the truth.
All you have to do is listen to the people who are complaining about Territory Housing tenants who have been moved in en masse, and causing the disruption within the neighbourhood. I received an e-mail from one resident who has neighbours who have caused huge detriment to her own property. She wrote to me saying that she was trying to sell her property and could not do so without a great loss because of the Territory Housing property next door. She told me that she would lose something in the order of $20 000 if she sold her property, while the Territory Housing property next door is being poorly managed. There is a group of people camping in the front yard of the property across the road and next door. She had the real estate agent have open inspections on her property. Imagine how she is going to sell her property when people walk up to her place, see next door and say: ‘No way am I going to buy this’. You sell it for a song. I tell you, not many people will make you an offer because it is impossible to expect people to live with neighbours who do not seem to value a neighbour’s property.
A mother currently lives there as her tenant and she is moving out soon. With the mother sitting in full view of the front yard, neighbours came into this person’s property and took scooters, garden chimes, kids toys, in full view of this person’s mother. Her sister has been able to recover some of the stuff but the rest has been destroyed. When you have a birdcage sitting on your front patio and your neighbours come in and open the door of the birdcage and let the bird out - how do you feel? How do you expect to feel, when you are sitting there inside your house and the front door suddenly springs open and children are screaming through the door for food and, basically, harassing the occupants of the property? That is not something that this government should expect of anybody living in Alice Springs.
There is another property, next door to which is a block of flats, which has eight flats. All in all, there are 35 adults and 12 children in those eight units. Those units are two-bedroom units at best. This does not add up. I thought that two-bedroom units would have, at most, two adults and a child. What are we doing? Is Territory Housing observing the rules or ensuring that the tenants are observing the rules? Is it right that law-abiding citizens should complain to Territory Housing that improper behaviour is occurring?
When I visited this property myself, I was standing outside in the carport talking to the occupants. Across the street was a Territory Housing property. For all intents and purpose, it was quite peaceful. But - lo and behold! - what was happening was people were jumping the back fence. I saw that for myself. You might not see them coming through the front door, but they definitely came in through the back door.
Very often, cars which pull into a Territory Housing property, instead of being parked in the front, either on the street or off the street in the driveway, are driven right behind the house so that you cannot see that there is, in fact, a car parked on the back lawn. Not that I say that you should not park a car on the back lawn, but this was done so that you have two or three cars parked on the back lawn, out of sight of anybody driving past on the front road. If you are an officer from Territory Housing and you drive past and see everything looks fine, there are no cars there when, in fact, there are three cars and their occupants are all inside the house. One day, this person noticed that out of one four-wheel drive Troop Carrier poured 10 people, all visiting that home.
A business manager in Todd Mall complained about gambling circles on the lawns of the Flynn Church. There was litter, dogs, people sitting on the ground gambling, in open view of everybody. This person rang the council and said: ‘There is litter everywhere, go and get them to clean it up. Children are unsupervised, they are running over the mall’. Guess what the council said? ‘Nothing to do with us; it is private land. It is Flynn Church land. You go and to talk to the Christian Bookshop that is next to the Flynn Church’. She went there and there was nobody there because the Christian Bookshop has now moved out of the tenancy. This shopkeeper rang the police. She relayed the story and they said to her: ‘Yes, gambling is illegal’, but more than that, they said they have limited resources and cannot patrol the mall as frequently as they would like. Then she was asked: ‘Would you please write us a letter and fax it to us to the Officer-in-Charge to request a daily patrol’. She did that.
Some time that afternoon, a patrol car actually came along to the mall, and the officers spoke to one group. They never left the police vehicle, just sat in the vehicle and spoke to the group. Some of the people picked up the rubbish, and then the police drove on in their paddy wagon to the next group. Again, they did not get out of the car. Then the police car moved on. Guess what? As they drove off, the gambling continued. We need more police on the beat. We need them to be walking up and down the mall, down Hartley Street and Leichhardt Terrace. We need them walking around showing their presence, seeing for themselves what is going on, so they do not have to wait for people to ring up to complain. The increased presence will make a huge impact in Alice Springs.
It is not that I am not proud of Alice Springs; I have lived in Alice Springs for 25 years now. That town has been good to me and I want to see it prosper. It has huge potential. The potential has been there since self-government but, in the last two years, it is dying and this government is not doing enough to fix it. Business people are struggling every day to come to terms with this, and it is time this government listened to the people in the town. The media is representing the collective view of Alice Springs, and if the radio stations are broadcasting such sentiments, and the newspaper editors are writing such sentiments, there is a major issue and this government must listen. To the member for Braitling, I know you dance around and say that you feel safe in Alice Springs; I wonder whether you still do?
Mr KIELY (Sanderson): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I want to talk about a couple of wonderful events that are happening around my school community, or have happened or will happen in the near future.
Sanderson High School’s Stage 2 students celebrated the end of their secondary schooling at their awards ceremony on Tuesday, 29 November 2005 at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. Staff, parents and friends were in the audience as the students paraded in to the auditorium in all their finery. Certificates were presented to all students to mark this special occasion. There was a very honest and moving address by Mr Ron Abbott, the Principal of Manunda Terrace Primary School.
Personal Best Medallions were presented by Mr Ken Davies, Deputy Chief Executive, Department of Employment, Education and Training. These awards acknowledged 10 students whose teachers felt had worked to the best of their ability throughout the year. In addition, several students received Academic Achievement Awards. There were a number of presenters that night. These included myself; Ms Elisabeth Tak, whose sister I had the pleasure of working with many years ago; Mr Greg Gibbs, who is the president of the council and a very good supporter of the school; the principal, Mrs Denise Wilkowski; and the Minister for Sport and Recreation, member for Karama, my colleague Delia Lawrie. Both presented Board of Studies Awards.
Dr LIM: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! Standing order 65 states that a member must be referred to by the member’s electorate and not be called by their first names. I have said this for the last four years for the benefit of the then new members, now for current new members. I am sure you all know about it and I do not know why you persist in doing it. There is obviously a …
Mr Acting Deputy SPEAKER: I note the point of order, member for Greatorex.
Mr KIELY: It is very late in the evening, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, and I do not feel like going into toss over it.
Dr Lim: Well, observe the rules or else do not have them.
Mr KIELY: If he does not have the courtesy to allow me to thank the students for all the hard work they did in 2005, I can live with that.
Dr Lim: Nothing to do with that at all.
Mr KIELY: The program was ably led, as I said, by Masters of Ceremonies, who were students Amber Munkara and Samira Seldu, and congratulations to both of them on a job well done.
A fitting finale to the program was provided by the final comments from Stage 2 students, Jessica Briant and Jarred Farmer. This is quite a tradition at the Sanderson High School where a couple of students do the year in review. It is always entertaining. You cannot really repeat them again because they get right down to the nitty gritty, but a great show it was, indeed.
Prior to the formal ceremony, students and their families mingle and have their photographs taken on the grounds of the museum, and then the students then to dinner with their teachers at Cornucopia Restaurant. I know that I, the Sports minister - the member Karama whose name I cannot mention because of standing orders - would have loved to have been there. However, we got a leave pass because parliament was sitting that night. We got down there for the presentations and then we had to get back here. It was a great night for all there.
I would just like to go through all the Stage 2 award winners: the Caltex Best All Rounder Award was Ashlee McInnes; 2005 Sanderson High School Stage 2 Service Award was an award that I had the pleasure of awarding to Mark Pilkington. I have seen Mark grow up through the school. As you would understand, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I have been attending the awards for five years now so I have seen these young adults go from their adolescent years into this stage of their maturity. I have seen Mark for many years go through; he is also an umpire now at the hockey. He does a great job there and is well regarded. All the best to him.
The Principal’s Vocational Education and Training Award went to Jessica Briant; School Council Award for Indigenous Student of the Year, Kyle Nelson; School Council Award for Student of the Year, Nativity Dunbar; and Board of Studies Award Top Achiever Indigenous Year 12 and Board of Studies Award Top Achiever Year 12, Catherine Anstess. Well done to all those young adults.
Many times in this House we hear people rail against the youth in our community and they say some pretty unkind things about them. Let me say that the youth represented here from Sanderson High School are a credit to the community, their parents, and their teachers. I feel pretty comfortable and happy with the youth that we are turning out of these institutions, and good luck to them. I am sure that Darwin and the Territory in the future will continue to be a great place to live with these kids turning into young adults.
On Friday, I will have the pleasure of attending the Wulagi Primary School assembly where I will have the honour of presenting badges and acknowledgements to the recently elected school captains, student representative councils, and sports captains to the different sporting houses. This is always a great assembly. I would just like to formally recognise these children who have been elected by their peers and by their teachers, and it is a great honour for them. I think it is such a great honour that it should be acknowledged in Hansard. The school captains are Heather Kerley and Jordan Wilson; and school vice-captains are Cassandra Vung and Danny Maglieri. The student representative councils are: from Year 6/7 Ms Kolomitsev - Hayley Allen and Dayna Feltus. The Allen family is a great family in Wulagi. Many children they have grown up in Darwin and they are always represented in all sorts of places. Year 6/7 Ms Schultz - Teneale Ah Mat and Nick Hoving. The Hovings are a great contributor to the Wulagi School community. Year 4/5 Ms Biorci and Ms Refchange - there is a story there too. I actually worked with Shirley Biorci in DEET when I was there. She had retired but had gone back on a temporary basis to help out Ms Refchange who actually was a bit crook. She got caught up in that illness from an eating place in town just before Christmas – she is on the mend and I hope she gets well and is right back into it. It was good to see Shirley Biorci there teaching again - wonderful to see. The student representative councillors in that grade were Misha Lay and Josh Lemmers; and then Year 4/5 Ms Burnett’s class, Esther Thomas and Joel Thomas. I worked with their father and I know their mother. It is just so great to see kids of the parents I know, friends who are growing up and taking on such responsibilities.
The sports captains for Brolga House were Taylor Emeny and Jed Anderson, the vice-captains are Claire Wilson and Dylan Dawes. Jabiru captains are Kate Wauchope and Donovan Carter; the vice-captains are Crystal Thomas and Matthew Archbold. The Pelican captains are Krystal Browne and Andrew Ellis, and vice-captains are Shaan Mitchell and Corbin Shean.
I am also pleased to advise that on Friday, 24 February 2006, there is a great sporting event happening at Marrara. How could one forget the Dogs and Demons coming to Darwin? It is going to be a great night of football. I am very pleased to advise that Wulagi Primary School will be playing there at half time of the NAB cup game. There are going to be about nine students. They are going to be there for a run. It is a really good little competition with nine students a side. It is an Auskick grid game. Mr Kensey and another parent will coach and manage the team. I am looking forward to seeing the half time entertainment. We cannot jump the fence and go over to them. That would be pitch invasion, and we cannot have any of that business going on in this town. You get a heavy fine if you pitch invade. I will be cheering for those kids from the sideline.
I would like to say I am going there on Friday. I will pick up a couple of tickets to the game and I will throw them over and let the school decide which kids or which families might get them. What a lovely little gift just for the day. Good luck to Wulagi Primary School at the footy. Good luck to the Demons; good luck to the Doggies - they are both fine sides. It is going to be a big evening for all of Darwin. I just know that the police will do a wonderful job of managing the crowds getting in and out of Marrara. It is always a big one for us in Sanderson. Down the road, the lights are on and the crowds are cheering. It is a pretty good feeling. All in all a good weekend coming up for everyone, particularly the kids out at Wulagi Primary School.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I wanted to talk tonight about a person experiencing difficulties who does not live in my electorate. Unlike Darwin, Alice Springs does not have the sort of suburban divisions that exist in Darwin. Therefore, it is not uncommon for people who live in the member for Braitling’s electorate to contact me for assistance. I am happy to help anyone in Alice Springs who asks for my assistance.
I have been working with this woman in any way I can for some time. I propose to read into the Parliamentary Record, an extract of numerous e-mails that she has written. This issue is about housing and the sorts of tenants that make life miserable for their neighbours. I note that this week we debated some changes to the Residential Tenancies Act. My view is that those changes, once they are gazetted, will not assist this person.
Nevertheless, this person and her husband have been throwing themselves - for the want of a better expression - at the Minister for Housing - both the current one and his predecessor - as well as the local member, and all to no avail it would seem.
The sort of details contained in these e-mails - some of the language is unparliamentary, so I will not be quoting from those e-mails. However, it is important that I put some of this woman’s comments onto the Parliamentary Record, so that politicians can have some insight into what a misery has been created for this woman and her husband as a result of outrageous, offensive and disgusting neighbours who are making her life hell. They are not in necessarily chronological order. They are on my computer, although we keep a paper file in my office in Alice Springs.
This has been going on for some time. Why it is that this woman and her husband need to put up with it is a mystery to me. The problems outlined by this woman are not restricted to her, nor are they restricted to where she lives in Larapinta. They exist in my electorate as they also exist in the member for Greatorex’ electorate. I quote:
She lists the units, then she says:
She then goes on to describe the events of that night. That e-mail went to the Chief Minister and the Minister for Housing and others. Another e-mail, also sent to the Chief Minister and the Minister for Housing and others, listed the difficulties that has been experienced at some units:
And then she lists the name.
Another e-mail sent to the Minister for Housing, the Chief Minister and others says:
That was sent to the Housing Minister and the Chief Minister. In another one sent to, specifically, the Housing Minister and the Chief Minister and then copied to others, she writes:
That is, the Minister for Housing’s department:
This woman has expressed her dissatisfaction with the way the minister has handled the matter, and pretty much expressed dissatisfaction with certain individuals at Territory Housing, although not all.
The minister - both the present one and his predecessor - needs to show some leadership in this area - leadership, I might say with the greatest of respect, which has been lacking for a long period of time. I do not believe the Residential Tenancy Act amendments will assist this woman, and she does not take great comfort from them. What it does provide, however, is the opportunity for her to go and see a lawyer to make multiple and regular applications to evict the sort of disgraceful people who are making the life of her and her husband hell.
These e-mails go on and on. She sends these e-mails to me pretty much on a weekly basis. I know they are sent to the Minister for Housing and the Chief Minister, who clearly just do not care, because I understand that the Chief Minister has never bothered to reply. I am sure the Housing minister knows about this. If he does not, then he should not have the government e-mail address with his name on it. I encourage and urge him to show some leadership, because no one - it does not matter who they are, what the colour of their skin is, what the agenda is, how they vote, or where they live - should be forced to put up with these sorts of difficulties.
The fact that there is overcrowding at Territory Housing premises is something the minister needs to turn his mind to. It is not something that we as a community can turn a blind eye to. If there are 20 or so people in a two-bedroom house then, clearly, that presents a number of difficulties. It seems to be the case that people just turn away from it and say: ‘Well, that is a bit tricky, isn’t it?’ Well, it is more than tricky for the people near these houses. I have received other e-mails from people in the area expressing their concern, but I do have this woman’s permission to read parts of her e-mails into the Parliamentary Record. I will keep doing so in the few minutes that I have left.
She talks of one tenant, and says:
Another e-mail:
That was in December last year.
Another e-mail:
She goes on:
Further:
That was sent to the Minister for Housing. No wonder this woman and her husband are now forwarding the e-mails in the last six months or so to other politicians. They are utterly desperate and something needs to be done. I feel certain that the Minister for Housing knows about these difficulties. There is a swag of e-mails; these are the ones I have printed off. I know, minister, that it is complex but I feel certain that you will also agree that no human being needs to put up with the sort of garbage that this woman and her husband are putting up with. They are not doing anything to bring this situation on themselves. They are not what you would call provocative individuals and my heart goes out to them. I wish there was something I could do for these people. In government, I would know what I would do for these people. Unfortunately, I am not in government, I am not the Chief Minister, nor am I the Housing Minister. But I implore you, minister, to do something about it because it is just not on.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I say at the outset I appreciate the concern the Opposition Leader had for my welfare a little while ago, and I say that sincerely. It has been a very strange day for me. My brother-in-law died at 7.30 this morning unexpectedly and, so, the day did not start exactly as I would have normally expected it to. I just should say a little about my brother-in-law, whose name was Bill Armstrong. He worked at Batchelor College for many years as the cook and general handyman around the place. He was married to my sister-in-law, Nancy. He had three children, Wayne, Brendan and Adrianna, who were there today when he died. I also appreciate the comments and expressions of sympathy from people who knew about that.
Strangely enough, this particular sitting is the third anniversary of my father’s death. That has not helped exactly because I was here when my father died. It was February sittings and I was told at lunchtime that he had died. I know I will remember the February sittings for a long time: (1) because it was my father’s death; and (2) because of the death a good friend of mine, my brother-in-law, Bill Armstrong. So thank you, Opposition Leader, for your thoughts.
The rest of my adjournment debate is a bit of a dog’s breakfast so I will get into it. First of all, I will mention Australia Day. We have the official Australia Day. We also have, you might say, the unofficial Australia Day sport where we played a strange game of pool, which is French. You might ask why we are playing the French game on Australia Day - probably because we had some sympathy for La Perouse arriving here a few days after Captain Cook. Not only that, it is a game that a lot of people can play who do not care too much about sport. It is a game you can get all the kids to play, the adults and vice versa. It has a $400 first prize which also helps attract people, and $100 second prize, plus it also has a junior competition.
There is also a just-about-anything-goes cricket match where as many people as can fit on the Howard Reserve as possible can go and play cricket. It has a cold pie and hot coke eating competition. They all attract different prizes from various companies. I just need to put it on record those companies that helped out for that day. It was the Howard Springs Bakehouse, naturally with the pies; Reidy’s Lures supplied lots of lures and things for prizes for the cricket; All Earth and Saddleworld who provided the prizes for the pool competition; the Howard Springs Tavern, also for the boules competition; Howard Springs Volunteer Fire Brigade, who provided the barbecue and the drinks, which were all free; Southern Districts Cricket Club, who helped out organising the pandemonium called the cricket match; Howard Springs Mitre 10; Shorelands, who provided the meat; Coca-Cola Amatil, who provided the hot coke to go with the cold pies; Coolalinga Mowers; the Howard Reserve Management Board; Woolworths Coolalinga were kind enough to offer some Australia Day caps; and Gusher who is a local building company who supplied some money for prizes as well. It was a great day and I thank all those companies for helping out on that wonderful occasion.
I was away tonight and, unfortunately, I wanted to speak on the mineral resource statement that the minister gave today. However, I attended the meeting at Girraween Primary School about the future management of Howard Springs which, of course, has been in the news and has had some debate in parliament. There were about 20 people who attended and they discussed a whole range of issues. They discussed the current plan of management set up in 1992, fire management, feral animals, expanding the boundaries of the park, the effects of outside development, the increase in water tracks, a possible wall replacement of the dam and, of course, a water management plan so that people can swim in it all year round. There were quite a few other issues and a lot of people put forward their opinions about the future of the Howard Springs Nature Park. From what was said during the evening, there will be a draft management plan that will come out that people will be able to comment on, which we will know will have come from a group of people who are committed to doing something about their local park. I appreciate the Parks and Wildlife staff who organised tonight’s meeting. There has been plenty of discussion about various issues in the past; at the moment we have moved on. It was a positive meeting with some positive outputs and let us hope that everybody in the community can get behind the plan and make it work.
I forgot that it was also open day at the Girraween school tonight, and that has cost me three sausages and two raffle tickets for a few people concerned about possible rate increases in the Litchfield Shire in relation to the tip. I might have gone to attend the meeting about the Howard Springs Nature Park but it cost me a few dollars. I also got side-tracked with a few other issues.
Regarding TIO - and I am not going to go into the political side of TIO - I need to thank those people who supported us. There were people who delivered the pamphlets, helped us with petitions, put up the advertising signs, and who gave their general support, who I did not even know. People came up and said: ‘Do not let them sell TIO’. I appreciate their comments which came from the heart.
In all this debate, the issue for me was about protecting jobs. TIO is an insurance and banking company and, like any company, it has people who do not like it. The Croker Island store believes that TIO is not willing to pay them for damage during Cyclone Ingrid. That is an issue that TIO have to deal with; it is a marketplace issue, I am not whether to back TIO on that or the store. That is not what the issue was about; the issue was about trying to save the jobs of those people who work for TIO, and trying to save a company that many people support. I would be the first one to say I was overwhelmed by the number of petitions, and the number of people who signed it. I say to TIO: you have $100 000 of free advertising out of our campaign. Hopefully, you will repay that with doing the right thing by Territorians and giving them the service that they expect and being fair, because that is what I would imagine any company dealing in insurance has to be. You do not want people rorting the system, nor do you want them not being paid for what they are entitled to receive.
I especially need to thank a lady called Megan. I have always known her as Megan. She took some time off work - quite a bit of time of work. She was the lady who convinced me and, I think, the member for Blain, that there was a real issue here. Of course, she was concerned about her job. Why wouldn’t you if you heard that there was a possibility that TIO would be sold?
She put to me a very good argument as to why it should be saved. It is that person - not from me - who inspired me to put a bit more effort than saying it should not be sold. I would like to thank Megan for all the hard work and the dedication. I will give you an idea of how much hard work. She was so concerned that we did not have the right number of petitions after she presented them to us, that she asked for them all back to again count them. She wanted to make sure that the number that was spoken of in parliament was incorrect. When you count 15 000 names and have to go back and do it again, that shows the dedication of that woman. She really deserves a great pat on the back. I have said before perhaps she should be an honorary life member of TIO - perhaps free premiums for the rest of her life. I am sure that will be someone else’s decision.
I will not go on anymore except to comment on the cat problem. There has been a bit of talk about registering cats in Darwin. I noticed a letter in today’s paper ‘Halt the Stalking Suburban Menace’. There are people - even Newman who was talking about cats and then went on to curfews for kids. Obviously, he was taking it to another level. I just thought when I was reading this book, the Jawoyn Plants and Animals book, which I commented on the other night, that we may have a solution for the feral cat. It might be that the Jawoyn have the solution. Under feral and introduced animals, it has cat – fearless catus - and the Kriol name is Pussy Cat. It says here in the note:
Mr HENDERSON (Wanguri): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, in sadness tonight I contribute to the adjournment debate, following on the contribution from the member for Greatorex for the last two nights in the adjournment debate. All of us elected to this House are elected to show leadership. To show leadership is what we are elected to do, and people put their confidence in us at the ballot box and expect the people they vote to very high office, very privileged office, to propose solutions to some of the issues we, as a community, face. There has been a total lack of leadership from the member for Greatorex in his contributions over the last two nights.
All of us in here should be attempting to find solutions to problems. We know that there are problems in Alice Springs; there have been for many years. Those problems escalate from time to time and, sometimes, they escalate to very significant proportions. There is no doubt that we have had a period over the last few months of too many stabbings, a tragedy in the death of a 15-year-old girl under circumstances all of us cannot comprehend. We should be attempting to find solutions to these problems in this parliament. We should also be a force for unity and not for division. That is what the people who elected us to this parliament expect of us. Those attributes have certainly been missing from the member for Greatorex.
We all know, as I have said, that there are problems in Alice Springs. They are difficult, they are complex, and all of us who hold ministerial office are working as hard as we can to try and find solutions to those problems, alongside many ministers in previous governments who have attempted to do the same thing. We will continue to work hard to try to find those solutions. However, all the member for Greatorex has done over the last two nights, very irresponsibly, has been to amplify the problems, deliberately seek to inflame the situation with rhetoric, such as last night’s speech, followed by tonight. Last night, he stated that there is anarchy in the streets of Alice Springs, which is grossly irresponsible and very sad.
Police do a difficult and dangerous job. I have spent three hours on Sunday patrolling with police in Alice Springs, talking to them about the issues that they face. The officer I was patrolling with has been a police officer in Alice Springs for 15 years and, over the course of three hours, we had a lot of opportunity to talk about the history of policing in Alice Springs, the current situation in Alice Springs and how it compares over the years. I have never lived in Alice Springs, but I take the word of this police officer who has lived there for 15 years over the rhetoric from the member for Greatorex any day. He said we have peaks and troughs. We are going through a pretty bad run at the moment, but it has been much worse in the past. Not just much worse since the time that this Labor government came to office, but much worse over many years. This officer said that there are very difficult problems but, when we look back to the mid- and early 1990s and late 1980s, and the hundreds of people who used to live in the river bed, and the issues and problems that were around in those days, these problems have been pretty constant. There are certainly peaks and troughs.
I do not agree, and I find it is an absolute insult to the police in Alice Springs, that the member for Greatorex claims that there is anarchy in those streets, because it is not just borne out by the facts. The Opposition Leader, I believe, is trying to be constructive with her proposal for Alice in Five. I am inherently suspicious, but I will give her the benefit of the doubt that she is trying to be constructive. In debate the other night, she called for tolerance and calm. I urge her, if she has any influence or any leadership amongst the parliamentary wing, to pull the member for Greatorex aside and tell him to pull his head in.
I would have some respect for the member for Greatorex if, in amongst his contributions, he had proposed some initiatives or solutions to the problems in Alice Springs, but there has been none. There has just been amplification of the problems and rhetoric, which is not helpful. One has to consider his motives in the absence of any proposed initiatives. I believe he has abrogated his responsibility to show leadership in his contribution over the last two nights.
Fortunately, there are many people in Alice Springs who are confident about the future of Alice Springs. One only has to and talk to the people there, and I meet many people who are very positive about the future of Alice Springs. A part of the spin that the member for Greatorex tries to put on the situation is that people are leaving in droves and they no longer want to live there. You only have to go to the latest real estate analysis from the real estate industry to show that property prices in Alice Springs, like the rest of the Northern Territory, are going through the roof, such is the confidence that people have in the future of Alice Springs. In the last 12 months, we have seen price increases of 11.8% in Alice Springs. Quoting from the Monitor, there was a 4.1% increase in the median house price over the December quarter to reach a new high, which moves it beyond the maximum level allowed under the HomeNorth scheme. Activity and house size also recorded a new high over the quarter, as the strong demand for housing continues. It hardly paints the picture that people are leaving Alice Springs in droves. There is strong demand for housing in Alice Springs and people are paying more for the privilege of living in Alice Springs than they ever have.
If you look at median unit sales, Alice Springs reached the $200 000 median unit sale price milestone in December 2005 with an increase of 6.1%. Good demand for units continues as residential space is at a premium. Hardly a town that is in anarchy with people leaving in droves. Land sales were very limited again, placing great pressure on the rest of the market. There are nearly 50 blocks under contract that have been waiting for the subdivision to be signed off and issued and land prices have increased by 15% in Alice Springs over the last 12 months. If the situation is so appalling, why are people paying more than ever to have the privilege of living in Alice Springs? If you look at vacancy rates for houses and units and town houses in Alice Springs, they are only 3.7%.
I am not denying that there are significant problems in Alice Springs. They are difficult and complex and many people, better than I, are trying really hard to find solutions. The contributions made by the member for Greatorex in the last two nights in this House do not help anybody. I urge the Leader of the Opposition, if she has any credibility in regard to what she is trying to do in Alice Springs with her call for tolerance and calm, that she should be talking to the member for Greatorex and getting him to show some of those attributes that she is trying to espouse.
Mr KNIGHT (Daly): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, tonight I provide some statements in regards to my electorate. Last week, I talked briefly about a trip I took around the electorate at around the time the school year was starting. I would just like to acknowledge all the new teachers and the continuing teachers at these schools throughout my electorate. I have 12 schools in my electorate, so it is quite busy for me sometimes around Christmas and the start of school as well.
I mentioned last week that the new co-principal of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at Wadeye was Anne Rebgetz along with Tobias Nganbe. Anne is very welcome and she has come over from Queensland, although she spent 11 years in the Northern Territory. She started out at the Darwin High School. She then proceeded to Bathurst Island and to Jabiru. She is very welcome back in the Territory and her husband, who is a doctor, is stationed at Wadeye.
Alf Murray is stationed at Mataranka and has been there for six years and is the longest serving staff member in the Katherine Group schools. I am glad to see we have these long-serving staff in the school for the continuity with the children. There has not been much change at Adelaide River, Dundee or Douglas Daly. The primary school at Woolaning is headed up by Guna Deva who won Teacher of the Year. I was very pleased that she won such an award and it is good to see her staying on. She is a resident of Adelaide River and I catch up with her from time to time.
Reg Robinson is out at Amanbidji. He spent sometime at Bulla previously and he has been out there for several years now. It is good to see him sticking around the area and providing a great service to the children.
The new principal at Taminmin High School is Tony Considine. I, like the member for Goyder, attended the school council meeting the other day and it was great to see the vision that Tony has and the way he wants to work with the school council in developing a plan for the school and to progress it further. I look forward to working with him in the future.
The Batchelor Area School has Vivienne Lazos. She is the preschool teacher and she has worked with various communities throughout the Northern Territory and is great to see her there. Robert Batholomew is the new teacher librarian and he has come across from the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, so it is great to see him staying in the town and providing a good service to the area school. Paul Mucharoveski is the IT person and it is good to see that he has come to join the community. Andrew Pinnell is the student counsellor and he is actually on a part-time basis with the Jabiru community as well. It is great to see the student counsellor there> He is much needed and I hope that all goes well for him.
The Woolianna School is one that I have been heavily involved with. We have Dave Stewart there and he was previously at Peppimenarti so it is good to see him. At the moment, he is on the right side of the river and I will be working with Dave in regards to upgrading that school over this year. The other teacher there is Mark Grosser who has moved up from Lajamanu, so he has a bit greener aspect than at Lajamanu. It is great to have Mark on board. The Nganmarriyanga School has its first ever male principal. Otto Eijkman and his wife, Helen, were originally from Poland. They have worked for 15 years with the Department of Education and have also taught on Torres Strait Island. It is great to see Otto and his wife on board.
At Peppimenarti, we have Mark Ryan. He was originally from Adelaide. He spent a bit of time in Melbourne and came to Darwin several years later. He has taught English as a Second Language as well as Indonesian and is hoping to cultivate solid citizens with a good education and proud of their community. I believe he will do that there. We have Kurt Saber, who is a new arrival, there as well. He spent three years at Milingimbi before that so, welcome to Kurt. Bree Whitford is a first year teacher and it is great to see people coming into these communities - she will get an education. I am sure the kids will get their education as well. Ric Eade has started at the Timber Creek School. He was previously at Bulla so he is just moving about 60 km down the road. I am sure the kids from Bulla will appreciate seeing him there as they move into the secondary classes. At Berry Springs, there is Georgina Barbour. She has come from the Malak School. It is great to see Georgina in the rural area. Liz Evans has moved from the city into the bush. Why wouldn’t you? She came from Nightcliff High School. At Woodykupuldiya,we have Lucia Carlingung who is an assistant teacher. She will be supporting the principal there and it is a very challenging school. It is fairly isolated and I welcome Lucia on board.
I would like to move on to - I mentioned this last week in the sittings - the Australia Day celebrations that I attended. As I said, I attended the Pine Creek and Batchelor functions and would like to acknowledge the recipients of those awards and tell you a little about those people. At Pine Creek, the Citizen of the Year was won by Kayleen Stevens. Kayleen and her husband Shags - I do not know his real name, I just know him as Shags - have spent quite a bit of time together. It is great to see that Kayleen has been recognised.
She received three nominations this year for the award, and it is very much overdue. Kayleen is always there when you need her, whether it is selling glow sticks to raise funds for the school, selling raffle tickets, working behind the stall at local events, organising Monday night Bingo at the club, helping out at the Blue Light Disco, volunteering to work behind the bar at the Turf Club, helping at Clean Up Australia Day or the fire cracker night.
She has lived in Pine Creek for 17 years, and she and her husband have been long-term residents and have brought up their three fabulous kids in that community. Actually, they are getting quite big now. It is great to see that the kids are thriving, and it will be great to see Shags come back to the community as the mining starts up.
Kayleen has participated on many local committees and is a generous supporter of all local events. She is a past member of the Playgroup and Sport and Social Committee, the school council and secretary of the Turf Club, and was an enthusiastic participant and supporter of the Auskick program for three years, and was a major contributor of both her time and effort to the Goldrush slave auctions. I encourage people to get along to the Goldrush, because it certainly is a great day.
For the past year, she has been a Red Cross lady helping out the seniors with their daily tasks. If there were more people like Kayleen in the town, it would be even better than it is. I acknowledge Kayleen’s work and I believe she is a deserved winner.
The Young Citizen of the Year was won by Becky Smith. Becky was born in Pine Creek and she has lived there most of her life. Her mother, Pat, is still there, and it is great to see that she is helping her mum at the school. She was actually named Young Citizen of the Year in 1998 for outstanding contribution to the community and her scholastic achievement. She has since gone on to complete a Degree in Business, majoring in Tourism and Hospitality, and she has worked in the tourism industry in London, Darwin and Queensland.
The Junior Citizen was Scott Jenkins. Scott was presented with his award at the school’s end-of-year concert in December. The recipient of this award is chosen by the school staff, and was given to Scott for his hard work and being helpful to his class.
The event of the year was the fire cracker night, and was an exciting time. The work that the local people do and the work of the Police and Fire and Emergency Response Groups, the FERGs, on that night is much appreciated by the community.
The Local Hero is Ellen Fielder. She has been nominated for her continued volunteering with the turf club. She does everything out there. She works in the bar, helps in the building, and with the barbecues on Friday nights. Congratulations, Ellen, for all your work.
At the Australia Day celebrations, I met Ms Juliette Mills. I met Juliette in Darwin River after she moved there. It was great to see her there. I welcomed her to the community. I know the community will also welcome her. She has recognised the unique nature of Pine Creek. I welcome Juliette to the community and, no doubt, knowing her and the community, we will see a lot more of her at the functions around town.
The Coomalie awards were presented in Batchelor. I had the honour of presenting those. The Citizen of the Year was shared by two very deserving winners, one was Dick Skinner. Dick has lived and worked and contributed to the Batchelor community for 20 years. He has done thousands of hours with St John Ambulance over 12 years. He is always there for events, such as Clean Up Australia Day. In his spare time, he helps the disadvantaged families around town, as well as the oldies.
The other winner was Mr Bill Roberts. Bill has been a resident for 35 years and has helped with the FERG group. He is a long-serving volunteer with the arts club and as the patron of the arts club, I acknowledge his efforts.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
MINISTERIAL REPORTS
Cruise Ship Industry
Cruise Ship Industry
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I would like to update the House on the continued growth of our cruise ship industry and the recent cruise ship round table discussions held between government and local industry. Our cruise ship industry continues to grow from strength to strength with a total of 32 scheduled visits to Darwin this year, an increase of just under 40% over last year. Larger ships are now seeing Darwin as a viable port of call, with 10 due to visit Darwin this year with a maximum passenger capacity of 500 or more. There are already eight ships with a capacity of over 500 passengers scheduled for next year including the second visit to Darwin of the Sapphire Princess with a capacity of 3290 passengers and over a 1000 crew.
It is predicted that the cruise ship industry can generate $60m in annual revenue to the Territory by 2014. An opportunity exists to maximise the economic benefit of the cruise ship industry for the Territory. To achieve a continued increase in cruise ship numbers, we are working very closely with industry to increase the popularity of Darwin as a cruise ship destination and highlight Darwin as the distinctive port of call.
In January, I met with representatives of local industry including representatives of the Darwin Port Corporation, Tourism Top End, Chamber of Commerce, Darwin City Marketing, the Mall Retailer Action Group, the NT Property Council and the Darwin Convention Exhibition Centre. This round table meeting discussed many issues pertinent to the cruise industry and what needs to be done to build on our achievement so far.
I report back from that meeting with a continued confidence in the current product that is provided to cruise ship visitors to Darwin, and in the leadership that local industry is taking in developing an enhanced experience for cruise visitors, especially with the mall traders. The majority of feedback gained from passengers and crew of the various ships into Darwin, including I am hoping, the two ships we had in yesterday, is a very positive message. Overall, passengers and crew see Darwin as an enjoyable and interesting place to visit providing unique and varied attractions.
A particular positive is the free shuttle bus run by Darwin City Promotions. Darwin is one of the few ports offering such a service and the feedback I have received is very positive, be it from passengers, crew or the cruise ground handlers. I must also commend the work carried out by the Darwin Cruise Ship Facilitation Committee. The committee, chaired by Jan Young from the Darwin Port Corporation, is responsible for the coordination of visiting cruise ship vessels. The committee meets prior to the arrival of a ship and covers off issues ranging from passenger movements and refuelling to tourism information and customer requirements.
An outcome of the round table discussions was the agreement that, while Darwin already provides a great experience for visiting passengers and crew, an opportunity exists to improve this experience and to further enhance the name of Darwin as the cruise ship destination. We saw further work happening on that yesterday as we had two cruise ships in town.
Growth and development in our cruise ship industry can only be done through coordination across local industry and with both levels of government – local and Territory - supporting the work of industry on the future construction of the new $4.5m cruise ship terminal at Fort Hill Wharf. As part of the Darwin waterfront and convention centre, the terminal will provide an enhanced entry and exit to Darwin for cruise ship passengers. The terminal is due for completion in 2008 and is a further step in enhancing the name of Darwin as a cruise ship destination.
Tourism continues to promote Darwin as a distinctive cruise destination and as a pre-cruise and post-cruise destination. This work to promote the Territory that supports the work of local industry is done through communication with groups such as cruise ship operators, itinerary planners, wholesalers and inbound tour operators.
The recent round table discussion demonstrated not just the quality product that currently exists for cruise visitors to Darwin, but also the enthusiasm of all groups involved with our industry to further develop this product. Work will continue by all groups to improve the cruise visitor experience to the Territory.
While I am on feet, I would like to thank the police for their response to some of the concerns raised in January. The response that we saw yesterday was terrific. The police presence in the mall, which is a difficult place, was very visible. Not that we have back feedback as yet from the two cruise ships which were in yesterday, but I am sure that they had a terrific time. I am sure, if they had even arrived today in the rain, they would have had a terrific time as well, Madam Speaker.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I thank the Chief Minister for her report on the cruise ship industry. I have to say that it is nothing but a great news story, and it is very welcome in Darwin. I am pretty privileged because I am on the top floor at the Crowne Plaza, so I get a bird’s-eye view very early in the morning if I happen to be fortunate enough to look out the window to see those cruise ships come in. Yesterday there were two, so that was pretty special.
I congratulate the retailers in the mall, because I believe that they are addressing the needs and understanding of the visitors a lot more. The atmosphere is really good when you go into the mall. I believe that the operators in the Top End and around Darwin are definitely realising the potential of what they can have from the cruise ship industry. It is a good news story and I am very glad to see that they are looking at Darwin in the long term.
Territory Education - Age of Entry Trials
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I am pleased to report to the Assembly on age of entry trials which have been conducted in Territory schools in 2004-05 and expanded to include 21 new schools in 2006. While our efforts to reform secondary education continue a pace, it is important we ensure our young students have the best possible start to their schooling life.
The policy, for the current age of entry to school education is 20 years old and needs revision. At present, different schools have different models. Some schools have continuous intake into preschool when a child turns four; others have a mixture of term and semester intakes. In many cases, when a student is born determines whether they have six months in Transition or 12 months. The inconsistencies are glaring and inequitable and have resulted in increased community demand for quality programs and consistent service delivery and access for Northern Territory children.
Over the course of 2004-05, nine schools participated: Borroloola CEC, Alawa, Gray, Karama, MacFarlane, Nakara, Sadadeen, Wanguri and Wagaman Primary Schools. In Phase 1 of the trials, particular emphasis was placed on examining one intake for preschool and Transition, as well as the development of a curriculum document for preschool and Transition. Feedback from trial schools has been overwhelmingly positive and resulted in many school communities requesting access to the program. As a result, expressions of interest were invited from across the Territory for Phase 2 of the trial in 2006. There are 21 additional schools selected to participate in Phase 2, with the major focus on professional development and support for teachers in delivering high-quality pre-compulsory programs: Batchelor Area School, Jabiru Area School, Kalkaringi CEC, Minyerri Community School and Bradshaw, Bees Creek, Casuarina Street, Clyde Fenton, Driver, Girraween, Gillen, Humpty Doo, Jingili, Katherine South, Larrakeyah, Leanyer, Millner, Nightcliff, Parap, Stuart Park and Wulagi Primary Schools.
The remodelling of early childhood education in the Northern Territory is another important element of our educational reform agenda. The new policy for age of entry, which is being developed over the course of this year, will be based on sound educational principles and experience. It will be responsive to community demand and will place us well, most importantly, in meeting the Commonwealth government’s expectations of a national common school starting age into the future, and it will further complement the ongoing reform of secondary education, particularly the middle years.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, the principles underlying this direction are supported. As the new shadow minister for Education, I advocated that such a change be made, particularly in reference to the Transition age of entry. It was very clear that the Northern Territory and South Australia, the two remaining jurisdictions that had continuous age of entry for Transition, got our youngest students off to a poor start, and the new direction is supported.
The implication of making this change is that you, therefore, had three-and-a-half-year-olds entering preschool. In our current market where parents are clamouring to have their children in preschool and looking for preschool places, I believe we have a problem there in that we now have the three-and-a-half-year-olds in preschool when we have not recognised the need to invest more deeply into the early years of education.
There was an opportunity to provide that kind of investment by not altering, in the same manner, the age of entry to preschool. You would ensure that those were in preschool at the existing age - maybe we could change that just a little, but not comprehensively as is in this direction - then we could have had reduced the numbers in preschool and strengthened our investment in early childhood. There was an opportunity but, sadly, that opportunity has been missed because we have just made one change to the age of entry at Transition and applied that equally to preschool. There was an opportunity to change the parameters for preschool to provide strengthened investment in preschool and early childhood, and that has been missed and has placed great pressure in the preschool whilst addressing a problem in the Transition and entry into primary school.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, I am pleased that you introduced this policy. I raised it with you a couple of years ago. I can only say it is probably now time that we really looked at getting a consistent system across the Northern Territory. Because of the number of people who move from interstate, such as the Defence Forces, they need to be assured that when they come to the Northern Territory their children will, basically, transfer into a class similar to the one they would have been in, in other states. I am not sure how many schools actually are not participating in your trial now. Coming from the Victorian system, we always had 12 months prep for young four-year-olds. It was a good chance to ensure children had that pre-learning before they went on to formal education. There is nothing more satisfying for a teacher than to have a young child suddenly click and start reading because you have done all the ground work with them, and you have made sure they are ready to learn before you put them in a situation of formal learning.
With the preschool situation, we have to be flexible and allow the three-and-a-half-year-olds into it. Many years ago, when my children went to preschool, they started at three in the Northern Territory. I guess things have evolved over time with the increasing population. However, there is not really anything that says a child should not be exposed to early learning at a young age. I encourage the minister to set up a system whereby we do have flexibility in allowing our children to enter school. I would be interested to know whether this is going to be adopted system-wide. That is my main query to you, because it is a time that we should be doing it.
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I thank members for their positive remarks. In relation to that question, we did have nine; we are going to an extra 21 in 2006. The overwhelming feedback being positive at this stage, we expect that it will just continue to roll out until we cover the whole system. However, we are not of a mind to do that. In 2006, we will take another 21 on. Some time after that, I envisage that we will move system-wide.
The very important points for us is that question of equity raised by the member for Braitling, where some get three, four, five, six months and some get a full year in that very early childhood development. We believe there is a strong case for equity; to have it the same for everyone across the board. We know that the Commonwealth government is heading in this direction to mandate across Australia, which will pick up the issues, particularly, of families going interstate. There is a strong argument for uniformity. Brendan Nelson was pushing it very hard. We expect the new minister to be on the same track and we are placing ourselves right at the forefront to be a model jurisdiction in where the Commonwealth wants to go. We are not doing it for the Commonwealth; we just think it makes sense.
Crime Prevention Grant Scheme
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, today I present a report on the latest rounds of the NT Crime Prevention Grants Scheme. It is well recognised that targeted evidence-based crime prevention strategies delivered through a partnership with the community can bring about sustained reductions in crime. That is why this government committed to focusing on crime prevention as part of our strategy to reduce crime across the Territory.
We are seeing good results in areas such as the reduction of property crime and the early work that we have been doing on crimes of violence. The $400 000 annual Crime Prevention Grant Scheme supports a partnership approach to crime prevention. By supporting community projects it contributes to safer communities. The 2005-06 round attracted 53 applications seeking a total of $2.91m in funding, highlighting the increased level of interest throughout the community in partnering against crime. The quality of the applications was impressive. Selecting the 23 successful applications was a challenging task which the Office of Crime Prevention has worked through. For those unsuccessful applicants, the Office of Crime Prevention is now looking at ways of getting support through other agencies for the projects that they have put forward.
In the Top End, the YWCA will receive $10 000 to extend free self-defence classes for young women in Years 9 and 10 at Taminmin and Palmerston High Schools, with other schools to follow. Just a few weeks ago, I visited Palmerston High School and witnessed this program in action. It was very powerful stuff to see the young women feeling empowered in the face of confronting situations.
The Offenders Aid and Rehabilitation Services (NT), OARS, will receive $38 000 to conduct the Darwin halfway house pilot project. The project will offer short-term, affordable accommodation, support, counselling and life skills training for recently released offenders for a period of up to three months; a project aimed at reducing re-offending.
In Central Australia, the Mt Theo-Yuendumu Substance Misuse Aboriginal Corporation will receive $15 000 for the Mt Theo-Jaru Pirrjirdi youth development project. This funding will assist on the ongoing development of the already existing night school at Yuendumu which caters for 15- to 25-year-olds, three days a week with an Internet caf operating four hours a day. The Papunya Community Council received a $30 000 grant for the Papunya Youth Outreach project. Three groups, Papunya School, Papunya Community Government Council and the Juvenile Diversion Unit of the NT Police will combine resources to fund a recreation officer to undertake diversionary activities delivered to the youth at Papunya for a 12-month period.
$70 000 will support the Remote Area Night Patrol and coordination of the Kurduju Committee that is focused on crime prevention and community safety at the communities at Yuendumu, Willowra, Ali Curung and Lajamanu. Members will recall that I reported on a family feud mediation which involved Kurduju, which is an example of their work.
In East Arnhem, the Marwul Rom Association has been awarded $5000 in grant funding for traditional and contemporary mediation and leadership training. In Katherine, a $5000 grant was awarded to the Somerville Community Services for its transitional living skills support program, targeting youth at risk of developing difficulties in the transition from home, school, to work and independence.
Other programs recipients include $10 000 to the Darwin Aboriginal and Islander Women’s Shelter for an indigenous life skills program, $49 000 to Mission Australia for their community safety through family participation, to extend the court support project; $23 000 for the Anmatjere Community Government Council for the Anmatjere youth services program; and $5000 to the Shop Distributors and Allied Employees Association for ShopSafe Stage II, Shoplifting Effects Everyone project.
The grants scheme also provides $5000 to each of the 10 regional indigenous crime prevention councils across the Northern Territory to assist them to meet the challenge of addressing crime and safety across the entire region. A full list of grant recipients is available to members from the Office of Crime Prevention.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his report. I note with interest that he talks about working in partnership with the Crime Prevention Councils and other people in the community. The minister probably has not seen a copy of the letter that was sent around yesterday to, we presume, all MLAs from the Darwin Regional Crime Prevention Council in relation specifically to the so-called antisocial behaviour package that we debated yesterday, and in particular, the alcohol courts. There is criticism of government.
The author of the letter asked that a process of consultation be undertaken prior to passage of the bill. It seems as though the government - and I suppose we should not be surprised by this - consults only when it suits them to do so for political reasons. Minister, you have a problem in respect to the Darwin Regional Crime Prevention Council if they are unhappy about the lack of consultation undertaken by your government. I know the government is facing significant budgetary constraints, but it would be worth looking under rocks and pillows for more money because $400 000 arguably is not enough to assist the community and meet the challenge of tackling crime. They need assistance because you are not doing a very good job of it. In the crime stats that were released in December, the results were not good. In fact, as I said at the time, they remain the worst I have ever seen.
Let us go through just a couple of them in the short time that I have left. This is year-on-year comparison: Alice Springs sexual assault by 140%; Alice Springs house breaks up by 40%; Alice Springs business breaks up by 71%; motor vehicle theft up by 22%; Darwin house breaks up to 95%; Darwin business breaks up by 36%; motor vehicle theft up by 5%; Darwin theft up by 14%; property damage up by 6%; Palmerston sexual assaults up by 14%; Katherine assaults up by 77%, by jingo minister you are doing a bad job. I commend you in engaging the community as there is much more work to be done.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, it is always great for the minister to be able to stand up and say ‘These are the grants we are giving organisations’. All ministers like doing that because it gives you a pretty good feeling. However, I am wondering whether these are one-off grants. If we are starting programs, should we not be looking at giving grants to ensure the security of the programs, making it a two or three-year grant rather than saying: ‘This is your grant for this year and whether you get next year depends on how many applications and how much money we have’. Have you thought about that? We all know what a great job they are doing but let us give them a little more security of knowing what they are actually going to get by making these grants triennial rather than annually. Sometimes, the difficulty we have is that we give people encouragement, they start up a program and then, unfortunately, they do not get funded and it tends to fall into a bit of a heap.
Regarding the crime stats, what worries me - and I read a little of what the member for Greatorex and people across the floor have been saying. Crime is a problem we are all concerned about it but let us stop painting this picture of the Territory as being the murder or the crime capital of Australia. Let us start trying to get a bit of a positive spin saying: ‘Yes, we have a problem and this is what we are going to do about it’. I worry that we keep putting the town down like that. It disgusts me. I am brave enough to say I love Alice Springs. I ask all members to start putting aside their political points and start saying to people out there: ‘We are there to help you, we will do the best we can, it is a good place to live, do not leave because of the hype in the media’. Let us start saying the Territory has a lot to offer and support the Territory.
Members: Hear, hear!
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I have to agree entirely with what the member for Braitling said; that there is too much vested interest in painting negative pictures of our communities and it does us all a lot of harm. With the grant schemes, we have categories where we extend the grant funding period to groups that are clearly going to need to work on their projects over a more extended time. We try to bring it back into core funding arrangements either with us or with the federal government.
As for the member for Araluen, we did consult with 80 000 people prior to putting the antisocial behaviour package through the House yesterday - it is call an election. She is showing her usual fairly dishonest way of using statistics yet again.
Reports noted.
DEFAMATION BILL
(Serial 41)
(Serial 41)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to reform the law of defamation in the Territory so that it is uniform with the law in places elsewhere in Australia. This bill will repeal and replace the Defamation Act currently in operation in the Northern Territory, and make consequential amendments to the Juries Act and Limitation Act. This bill reforms the law of defamation in accordance with the model provisions agreed by all state and Territory Attorneys-General over the course of 2004-05. It is substantially the same as bills passed in other states and the Australian Capital Territory.
Currently, the law of defamation in the Northern Territory is substantially the common law with minor modifications made by the Defamation Act. Prior to the passage of new defamation acts in the states over the last year, the law of defamation in Australia was inconsistent amongst the jurisdictions. In some jurisdictions, the common law was the source of defamation law with either minor or substantial statutory amendment, while in Tasmania and Queensland, the law had been codified. The principal differences were not in relation to what constituted a defamatory statement but as to the defences that applied. These differing defamation regimes were complex and worked poorly in practice.
The model defamation provisions reflected in this bill have primarily been driven by the rapid growth in technology. We now live in a world where communications are no longer confined to individual jurisdictions or nations. The lack of uniformity in this country was routinely criticised for leading to unfair and disproportionate results. For example, this inconsistency allowed a plaintiff suing a national newspaper or media association to choose or ‘forum shop’ the jurisdiction which had the most attractive laws. This ensured the best chance of a favourable verdict and the highest damages. Implementation of the model Defamation Bill remedies most of these anomalies by ensuring the same law will apply regardless of the place of publication or the place where the court action may take place. Long-term uniformity will be underpinned by an inter-governmental agreement.
In developing this bill, the Attorneys-General of the states and territories have also considered the policy principles applying to the law of defamation. We have sought to develop defamation legislation that achieves an appropriate balance between free speech and protecting the reputation and character of individuals. Importantly, the uniform legislation has the support of all the major print and electronic media stakeholders in this country.
By way of background, the cause for the reform of defamation law in Australia and problems associated with its lack of uniformity have been under national consideration for at least 25 years. In 1979, the Australian Law Reform Commission published its report Unfair Publication: Defamation and Privacy. The ALRC concluded that significant changes were needed in the substantive law governing rights of action and defence. In July 2004, the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General released the proposed framework for uniform defamation law to the public for comment. This was after substantial agreement by SCAG on the core principles that would form the basis of the new model provisions.
The proposed framework received considerable support from stakeholders and led to the development of the model provisions which form the basis of the bill. As all members will appreciate, the reform of defamation laws in this country is essential and any such reform should be uniform throughout Australia.
I shall turn now to discuss the four main objectives of this bill set out in Part 1 which are as follows:
- 1. to have a uniform law of defamation operating through out Australia;
In other areas, such as corporations suing for defamation and damages for example, the bill will change the common law. A significant advantage in not completely codifying the law of defamation is that the law will retain its flexibility, with the capacity to develop in response to changing circumstances. This will not detract from uniformity because the High Court enunciates the law for all jurisdictions.
I will now set out the key features of the bill, in particular where it modifies the current Northern Territory Defamation Act.
In the ability of corporations to sue for defamation, this bill amends the common law which, at present, allows corporations to sue for defamation if they can show that the defamatory statements injured them in their trade or business. Under the bill, corporations will not be able to bring these types of actions. There are two exceptions. One is corporations that do not operate for financial gains, or which employ fewer than 10 employees, and that are not related to another corporation. This exemption will allow small business entities, such as family businesses or non-profit community organisations to protect the business or trade by bringing defamation actions where necessary. These exceptions do not include a local council or other governmental or public authority. These entities will not be able to bring defamation actions.
Defamation is aimed at protecting the personal reputation of the individual, and it is entirely consistent with the focus of this bill that defamation operates to restore the reputation of individuals where they have been defamed.
Defamation action has the potential to be used by large corporate bodies to stifle criticism of their action. Such organisations have the ability to stop public comment as they have the resources to pursue costly litigation against private individuals who have no capacity to defend themselves. Corporations also have other options available to them to refute allegedly defamatory publications, such as publicity campaigns to promote their public profile and reputation.
The bill provides for the resolution of disputes without litigation. This bill contains provisions designed to facilitate the speedy resolution of disputes without litigation. These provisions encourage alternative dispute resolution by establishing a voluntary ‘offer of amends’ settlement process between a publisher and an aggrieved person that may be used before, or as an alternative to, litigation. The offer of amends must include an offer to publish a reasonable correction, and an offer to pay the reasonable expenses incurred by the aggrieved person before the offer was made, and those incurred in their consideration of the offer. This pre-litigation offer of amends procedure provides a strong incentive for timely corrections to be published and differs from the current process in that it operates before any litigation has commenced.
Under the bill, an apology does not amount to admission of fault or liability, and the evidence of an apology is not admissible in civil proceedings as evidence of fault or liability. At present, the Defamation Act only provides for post-litigation apologies.
The bill changes the law for juries and judicial officers. At present in the Northern Territory, the Juries Act provides that a court may, on its own or by application to a party, order the civil case be tried by the court with a jury. In the last 30 years, however, it seems there has only been a single case in which a civil jury has been employed. Use of juries is one issue on which national uniformity could not be agreed. Ultimately, it was decided that it was a procedural issue and that jurisdictions that wish to retain juries could do so and others could operate without them. Those jurisdictions that have retained juries have limited them to deciding liability and not assessing damages. Because civil juries have seldom been used in the Northern Territory, and because it was determined by SCAG that juries are necessary for uniform defamation laws, the use of civil juries for defamation proceedings in the Northern Territory has been abolished by this bill.
There are changes to the limitation period. The Northern Territory currently provides for a three-year limitation period in which to commence a defamation action. This bill reduces that to one year to encourage immediate attention of an alleged defamation. However, there are circumstances where it may not be reasonable for a plaintiff to commence an action within that period. The bill, therefore, provides that a court is able to extend that period for up to three years. This change will be implemented via an amendment to the Limitation Act.
For common law defences, this bill contains a number of available defences to an action in defamation. These are in addition to defences that already exist under the common law, and are not intended to limit the operation of those defences in any way. This means that defences available under the common law are not excluded from operation even though they are not included in this bill. For example, the ‘truth alone’ defence to an action in defamation is presently the common law in the Northern Territory. This defence is established when the defendant proves that the defamatory publication was true or substantially true. This defence is maintained in the bill.
In addition, the bill provides for a new defence of contextual truth. This provides that where defamatory imputations arise from a publication, it is a defence for the defendant to show in the context where some of the defamatory statements are true or substantially true, and others are not true, that the plaintiff’s reputation has not been further harmed by the untrue statements. An example is a publication which states that a person was a convicted murderer which was true and had a drink driving conviction which was false. The defendant could argue that, in the context of the whole publication, the plaintiff’s reputation as a convicted murderer was not further harmed by the untrue statement that he or she was also a drink driver. This differs from the current position in the Territory where the plaintiff can separate statements in the publication and sue on the relatively minor defamatory statement which, if considered in the wider context of the publication, does not actually harm the plaintiff’s reputation. This state of affairs potentially operates unfairly; the plaintiff may recover damages for the untrue statement even though no further harm to the plaintiff’s reputation occurred in the context of the publication as a whole. The new defence of contextual truth addresses this problem by ensuring courts have reference to wider circumstances and content of the publication.
The defence of innocent dissemination is another defence contained in this bill. This already exists under the common law but the bill clarifies the position of those who distribute the material but who are not necessarily aware of the content of the material they distribute, such as Internet service providers, book sellers or librarians. These providers will no longer be automatically treated as the primary distributor of the defamatory material. They will be able to rely on this defence if they can prove that they did not know, or could not reasonably be expected to know, that the material was defamatory and that their lack of knowledge was not due to any negligence. This defence recognises that some distributors of material, from Internet providers to the local newsagent, have no effective control over the material they distribute and should not be liable to defamation.
The bill maintains the current statutory position in the Territory in relation to the defence of absolute privilege. This defence will continue to apply to situations such as proceedings in parliament and those before tribunals and courts. This defence recognises that in these circumstances it is in the public interest that freedom of speech be safeguarded from the threat of litigation.
The bill contains several significant provisions relating to damages. The bill requires that damages awarded to plaintiffs have an appropriate and rational relationship to the harm sustained by the plaintiff. And further, damages for non-economic loss are capped at $250 000, which will be adjusted annually with reference to the formula in the bill. This is consistent with reforms to the tort law of negligence as contained in the Personal Injuries (Liability and Damages) Act 2003.
Finally, the bill abolishes exemplary or punitive damages but retains the ability of courts to award aggravated damages. This will occur in circumstances where the conduct of the defendant has been either improper, unjustifiable, or lacking in bona fides. Their conduct must be misconduct and the misconduct must have caused a further actual harm to the plaintiff. The bill also sets out some mitigating factors to assist in the assessment of damages. This includes whether the defendant has made an apology, whether the defendant has published a correction, and whether the plaintiff has already recovered damages from the same or similar matter from any other publication. None of these are intended to limit the matters a court may take into account in mitigation of damages as is the case currently in the Territory under the Defamation Act.
The uniform state and territory legislation deals with the law of civil defamation, but criminal defamation is dealt with under a variety of laws outside each jurisdictions Defamation Act. It is not intended that the uniform defamation legislation reform or make uniform criminal defamation laws. However, some states have taken the opportunity to amend the law relating to criminal defamation within the body of the Defamation Bill. The Territory did not consider it necessary to amend its criminal defamation provisions which are contained in the Criminal Code.
In order to maintain uniformity in defamation law the state and territory Attorneys-General have developed an inter-governmental agreement. This agreement provides for a consultative process to respond to change in circumstances and it will ensure that any further reforms on defamation law will occur on a uniform basis throughout Australia.
In conclusion, this bill represents a milestone for defamation law in the Northern Territory and throughout Australia. This bill will ensure at the national level an appropriate and fair balance between free speech and the protection of personal reputations. The reform is long overdue and represents a significant achievement by the states and territories. It is an essential step based on broad agreement between jurisdictions, and is supported by a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the print and electronic media.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
PARTNERSHIP AMENDMENT (VENTURE CAPITAL FUNDS) BILL
(Serial 42)
(Serial 42)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill will now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to amend the Partnership Act to provide for registration and administration of a new type of business structure in the Territory called an incorporated limited partnership. This type of business structure is preferred by international venture capital investors and will allow such investors based or operating in the Northern Territory to access the Commonwealth taxation regime applicable to such investments. Similar legislation has been passed in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.
The current Partnership Act provides the law relating to partnerships and is a codification of principles arising out of the common law and equity. Currently, a core element of a partnership is that partners are jointly or severally liable for all debts of the partnership. The current act makes no provision for a partnership where the liability of a partner for debts of the partnership can be limited.
Limited partnerships gained a degree of popularity in other jurisdictions in the early 1990s as a relatively simply and inexpensive commercial vehicle for attracting venture capital. For the benefit of members, venture capital is high risk equity funding provided by professional investors to new and growing enterprises that have the potential for big returns on investment, and is often the sole or primary source of capital to fund the commercialisation of risky concepts and innovations. Until 1992, limited partnerships were not subject to much of the regulation under the corporations law which is now the Corporations Reform (Northern Territory) Act 2001. However, in 1992 the federal government began taxing limited partnerships as if they were companies. This reduced the attraction of limited partnerships for venture capital purposes. After 1992, Australian venture capital funds generally came to be structured as either unit trusts or companies. This posed a problem because, internationally, the preferred vehicle for a venture capital investment is the limited partnership.
In 2002, the Commonwealth enacted legislation aimed at addressing the situation and attracting venture capital funds into Australia. The Commonwealth’s Taxation Laws Amendment (Venture Capital) Act 2002 amended the taxation laws to change the tax treatment of three types of limited partnerships used to invest in Australian venture capital companies. Those are the Venture Capital Limited Partnerships; the Australian Fund of Funds, a limited partnership that pools investment for the purposes of investing in other Venture Capital Limited Partnerships; and Venture Capital Management Partnerships, a limited partnership that is the general partner of a Venture Capital Limited Partnership or Australian Fund of Funds.
These changes mean that eligible limited partnerships will be taxed according to internationally recognised standards. An investor in Venture Capital Limited Partnership, or an Australian Fund of Funds, has flow-through taxation benefits under the taxation laws of the Commonwealth. The Venture Capital Management Partnership can be a general partner in Venture Capital Limited Partnerships or an Australian Fund of Funds. As the general partner, it can be a manager of these bodies.
An additional incentive for the investor to invest in an incorporated limited partnership is the benefit of limited liability. The proposed amendments ensure that the benefit of limited liability of an investor in a limited partnership will be able to be recognised outside the jurisdiction where the partnership is incorporated.
The amendments contained in this bill are essential if the Northern Territory is to facilitate the possibility of venture capital investment firms locating in the Northern Territory, and firms located in other jurisdictions to invest in the Northern Territory.
Clauses 4 to 20 in the bill make amendments to the existing provisions of the act to accommodate the new provisions dealing with incorporated limited partnerships. The opportunity has been taken to make some other amendments so as to reflect modern drafting style.
Clause 21 of the bill inserts a new Part 3 into the act, and this part sets out most of the provisions that apply to incorporated limited partnerships. The new Part 3 has five divisions. Division 1 includes an objects clause.
Division 2 sets out matters related to the formation of incorporated limited partnership. These matters include:
- that eligible partnerships can be registered by the Commissioner of Consumer Affairs as an incorporated limited partnership; and
to be eligible for registration the partnership must be registered or propose to be registered under the Commonwealth Venture Capital Act 2002 as a Venture Capital Limited Partnership or an Australian Fund of Funds or a Venture Capital Management Partnership within the meaning of section 94D(3) of the Commonwealth Income Tax Assessment Act 1936.
Division 3 deals with the powers and liabilities of partners and the partnership. These provisions include:
Incorporated limited partnerships will have general partners and limited partners. General partners are responsible for the management of the partnership while limited partners are investors.
Division 5 deals with various other general matters such as registered office, seals, registration certificates and offences.
These amendments are part of the national regime gradually being established throughout Australia. As mentioned earlier, similar legislation has been introduced or enacted in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. I do not expect that these provisions will have a profound short-term effect on the Northern Territory, but they do assist in settling in place a consistent national regime that facilitates investment in Australia.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and I table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
MOTION
Postponement of Government Business No 1
Postponement of Government Business No 1
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that consideration of Government Business No 1 be postponed until after consideration of Government Business relating to the motion to note the Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report 2005-06.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, can I seek clarification? What was being postponed?
Madam SPEAKER: They just swapped those two things. The statement on statehood will come on second.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Note Paper –Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report 2005-06
Note Paper –Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report 2005-06
Continued from 1 December 2006.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, we have spent a fair amount of time in the last two weeks talking about the Northern Territory economy. Whilst government have seized upon the term ‘turbocharged’ as the justification and demonstration of a great achievement on their behalf, further analysis reveals the story is not all as it seems. Before honourable - and exceptionally sensitive - members detect in my tone that I am going to be even faintly critical, and before they press the response and react button, I ask you to consider and balance the argument, and some of the things that opposition will present. We will be restating many of the issues that have already been given time in this Chamber, for good reason.
There is a time, as the member for Braitling said, to pitch our efforts in this Chamber to matters which are above politics so that we can engage in genuine, reasoned debate. I know Territorians and Australians expect that. It is for that reason that I am terribly sorry, Chief Minister, Treasurer, and sensitive members opposite, that some of my comments may appear to be critical.
I ask you just draw a deep breath. We all have difficulty, as I do, when criticism is in the air, but we must be mature and allow these ideas to go beyond our immediate reactions.
There is a difference between the budget and the economy. Issues to do with the economy have given rise to Access Economics phrase ‘turbocharged’. In many respects, they are correct. The economy reflected in the Northern Territory, as in Western Australia and Queensland, is moving ahead strongly. That is not a direct result of the budgetary constraints or fiscal strategies of the current government. With or without them, there would still be a resources boom. That underlying resources boom, driven by these strong demands for resources, primarily in China, India and other places within the economic sphere, have given rise to a growth in resources.
It is our mining sector that has provided the ‘turbocharge’. It is the oil and gas exploration, due to the huge demand for gas that has provided the fuel for the ‘turbocharge’. Let us be clear about it, that is the economy. Whether it was a Labor or CLP government, because of economic factors the ‘turbocharge’ would still be there. In fact, the former Treasurer, Mike Reed, predicted in Treasury documents a similar occurrence that has already been demonstrated in these papers. I guess it is the nature of the game that we play: if it happens on your watch, then it is claimed as your achievement - easily forgetting, I guess, that these things are your responsibility. To claim them as great achievements of your government is not really satisfactory. It is an ongoing thing and our requirement, as reflected in the Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report, is to manage the budget, that which arises from a strong economy.
There are the same imperatives that come to bear on economic management reflected in a budget, if times are good or hard. There are different requirements, fiscal strategies, and disciplines that are required on either situation. The demand is equal. When things are going well, great discipline is required to constrain and restrain spending and invest more deeply so that when times are lean you can reap the benefit. There are plenty of stories like that. You can go back to Joseph in the Old Testament. There were seven good years, and all the nations around Egypt used those seven good years to their excess. However, in Egypt, they used those seven years to invest in the seven lean years. So when the lean years came, they had plenty to share.
The requirement now in these good times, in the time of economic growth, is to prepare for the future. The Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report highlights a very alarming fact that spending is increasing; that in the preceding year debt is up by $400m. In a time of abundance and strong growth the debt level has increased – an alarming trend. That is going backwards, the other way when, in fact, reserves should be put aside. In fact, the debt is increasing, which is a reduction in your fiscal capacity. It is even projected that the $4bn will be the ultimate level that we aiming at. It has already been documented within budgetary papers. However, that is an alarming trend when you consider that economic factors are driving the current growth, not budgetary issues.
Dr Burns: Oh, that is a bit nave.
Mr MILLS: Last year in your budget, you spent $100m more than you budgeted for. That is not a bit nave, that is a bit reckless and ill-disciplined. If you have a budget, you stick within your budget. This government has exceeded their parameters year after year. They have the capacity to do so because there is the flow-on to the Territory budget by virtue of the GST. There is nothing that has been produced by economic activity directly within the Territory, but largely from New South Wales and Victoria, which allows the Treasurer to call in to the piggy bank and draw it out when the need requires. That is like having kids who know that mum and dad have a fair bit of money stashed away, that if they fall on difficult times, rather than exercise discipline and strengthen their responsibility so that they can endure a more difficult time, they turn to dad and say: ‘Dad, we are having some problems here’. It could become a political problem for you, they cleverly assert. Of course, the Treasurer, wanting to please all, scurries off to the piggy bank and withdraws and passes it on.
Honourable members, check your own budget papers before you get too high and mighty. Check the excesses. Check the leaking over the boundaries of your own budgetary predictions. You go over, year after year. You can do that, because there is a level …
Mr Knight: Like the CLP.
Mr MILLS: What!
Mr Knight: Like the CLP.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Daly.
Ms Carney: What would you know? You are such a silly boy.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Daly! Member for Blain, please continue.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex.
Mr MILLS: Honourable members, have a read of the papers. You approach reading with a capacity for self-induced blindness and you read to see only what you want to see, as we are finding in the comments that have been uttered time and time again by honourable members opposite who will spin anything just to protect a political position that is exposed by fact. Your own papers will reveal it to you. That is unpleasant because you want to preserve a political position. You want to preserve and create and maintain a perception. If that is your primary endeavour, shame on you, because your own papers contradict that position. It is the opposition’s responsibility to do so. Our responsibility is, if you find fault with the argument, then argue it on the basis of the position of fact; not on empty emotional assertion and wishing it were not so and being offended: ‘How dare you criticise us; we are the Labor government. We are beyond criticism’.
As we heard in this Chamber yesterday, a lot of our work goes in to try to analyse the current position of this government with particular projects. You spend your effort getting up there to spin it away, in full sight of your own conscience which is telling you that what you are saying, asserting, endeavouring to create in the Chamber is in contradiction to your own knowledge. However, you just want to create a political position, a perception. When you read your own documents about the position you wanted to take when you assumed government, then no wonder you have withdrawn your Good Governance document.
It would embarrass you if you could see it but you cannot; you have removed it. It does not exist on the web site anymore. It would be an embarrassment to you if you had the capacity to read it, particularly those of you who have been in opposition making similar claims to those I am making today. If I get on the other side it will be different. I will not be spinning stories pretending I am the CLP saying: ‘All I want to achieve is government; I want to maintain government whatever it costs. I will do whatever it takes, so that I can stay in government and then I will be happy’. Well, not for long.
I am disappointed in you for some of those inane comments that come across the Chamber - gloating arrogance and non-attendance to the facts rather than having a reasonable debate. When this is over I will walk out of here and listen, and we will have some informed debate in this Chamber. Honourable members with ears to hear, listen to it. Is it addressing some of the issues that were raised in the Auditor-General’s report which was aired last week? Is it addressing the issues that are brought up in the Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report? Is it addressing issues such as the difference between the economy and the spin? It must be a buzz - and I accept that - to have someone like Access Economics say ‘turbocharged’. ‘Well hooley dooley, look at us’. There is more to that story, even aspects of growing debt and recurrent expenditure. You do not want to believe it but it is there. It is in your own documents that the Treasurer signs off himself. If honourable members opposite who sit there and make chiding remarks can make us fully informed of the Treasury documents, go ahead. Get involved in the debate but, rather than make empty political statements to reinforce your own political position for the sake of perception, wake up to yourself. You are here to represent the people you have been elected to serve.
How does this sit with you honourable members? I digress from the core of my argument to visit this area. When you list the total commitments and promises that this Labor government has made to the electorate in the lead-up to the last election, they total about $51m. I will say it again: when you total the cost of the promises and commitments that you made to the Territory electorate in the lead-up to the last election, it totals about $51m - a round of applause, a fair bit of promotion, good stuff!
Did you know, honourable members, that $42m of that $51m commitment will be acquitted on the eve of the next Territory election? For those who are newly elected, you will be sitting here for some time. Time goes on, ticks away. As a member of the community before being elected, I observed these things. Oh, so help me! Even now as a member of the CLP, I observe governments doing that. I did not approve of that and, yet, you sit there and I am sure you observe the same thing happening. The purpose of that is to advance a political position, not to do right; not to acquit your own duties based on your own values and principles. No, it is do whatever it takes to win government and to say whatever you need to say to create a perception and even a self-belief.
You are in government now and you must acquit the responsibilities that you have been given, and enter reasoned and informed debate and respond to these issues. Otherwise, you may as well have the opposition and the Independents leave the Chamber because, effectively, the decisions are already locked in. They are already locked in on the fifth floor. I know that members who are on the backbench are really the cheer squad and stand around and say yes, yes, yes, and block and defend and make little comments from the side. However, they are effectively locked out of it also, because it is Cabinet that makes these decisions.
Cabinet’s primary direction is to win government, whatever it takes - not to acquit your responsibilities as you once aspired to as members of parliament on the Labor side. You had certain principles, values, and guidelines that you wanted to acquit when you got into government. Your Good Governance document - you should read that, member for Daly, it might do you the world of good. Read it, and you will see the sorts of things you wanted to do when you got into government; the tone you would like to have in debate. That has been cast aside.
I have little more to say because the facts as outlined in the Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report are quite plain. Yes, there are economic indicators that are occurring which result in a good position for the Territory - the resources boom. There is the GST income which has benefited the Territory immensely. Bear in mind that, in the first year of its flow into the Territory, there are members in this Chamber who denied it even existed and created stories about the obligations we have in spending this windfall. However, now they cannot deny it; there is a river flowing in. It is flowing into Western Australia and Queensland too, and Bracks and Iemma, Premiers of New South Wales and Victoria, have claimed again and again it is unjust. They were reinforced in that argument and position by the Governor of the Reserve Bank. That will continue. Premier Carr started it. There could well be a change to the way that these funds are dispersed. Great credit to Premier Beattie who immediately defended the position of Queensland.
I would like to see the Chief Minister make such strong claims on this argument because, if that GST revenue is altered, if they win their argument some way, if the fiscal equalisation mechanisms are altered in any way, it could really damage the Territory and you know it. You know it will make a big difference. With or without that alteration and that threat, which has been reinforced by the Governor of the Reserve Bank, we know that that pool is reduced. The capacity to disperse to the states is less, and the increase, the unprecedented growth, the unexpected growth, will not continue at the same rate. Just as someone who is addicted to consumption, and they find their addiction unable to be sustained because there is a reduced supply, they are going to have difficulty, just as this government will have difficulty, not because of the economy – different thing – because of the budgetary disciplines and constraints.
You have a habit of spending. When the demands are placed upon you by departments, you meet those demands because there is more there than you expected. Because of the strong economic growth, you have more payroll tax in your coffers than you expected, and so you have more that you can draw on. That will not always be there. If the economy slows, there will be less payroll tax.
The Treasurer, who would like to be a nice guy and knows that these public servants are doing the best they can, rather than follow through on the Chief Minister’s strong assertions at one stage that anyone who exceeded their budget would be sacked, you do the opposite and say: ‘I know you have tried hard, I will just see what we can find for you. Blow me down, there is more money there than I expected. Here, chuck that into your system and away you go. Just be a bit careful, won’t you?’ ‘Yeah, no worries.’ You are timid of the electorate. ‘If we make hard decisions the electorate will not like us, and that is our primary objective. The electorate must like us. We must serve that agenda so that we get re-elected. That is the name of the game’. Is it? No, it is not. It is about managing the economy and proper fiscal restraint.
Make no mistake, we support the wharf development, a significant economic driver. It is important, always has been on the agenda. It is now under your watch to do so. However, there are very good reasons why we need to unpack those things and look behind the scenes. In light of what has happened in New South Wales in recent months, there is a good case for it. In light of what has happened in Western Australia, there is a good case for it. However, that might mess the pretty picture up, so there will be sustained blocking. Well, you can do it, you have 19 members, for goodness sake. Let us plough on. Why do you not plough on with your 19 members and discharge some of your own principles, the things that you have said that you are going to do? Why do you not charter down that course? Burn up a bit of political capital; be courageous. Do the sorts of things that are true to your own beliefs. Why do you not do that, instead of trying to be the CLP?
The things that moved you once, why do they not move you now? Because the only objective is to hold government. That is the only objective - and to heck with values and principles. Hold government - and what is the formula for holding government?
Ms Carney: Dishonesty, stuff like that.
A member interjecting.
Mr Stirling: This is not leadership stuff, Jodeen, I have to tell you. This is not leadership stuff.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr MILLS: For honourable members who take the time to read with eyes that can see, you will see that there are issues within the parameters of the management of the Territory economy within the budgetary constraints that cause concern.
One is increased expenditure. Another is reducing income from GST, which is external to your own endeavours, which is going to place great strain upon you in the future, and you know it. You can assert it in here, but you go and have briefings with Treasury and they will tell you ‘yes’. Good folk they are but they cannot help but reveal that that will place pressure on government into the future. When the pressure comes on, that is when it will really show the truth about the quality and discipline of the fiscal strategy of this government. At this point, the Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report indicates that expenditure is still increasing, illustrating a lack of discipline and constraint When difficult times come, my claim is that you will not be prepared, and the good things that you wanted to do, you will be unable to do because you will be managing a very difficult financial position.
I make a plug at the end of my time, that is critical. I call upon the Treasurer to persuade Cabinet to ensure that the McArthur River Mine project is given full consent to go ahead because it is the resource sector, the private sector, that is able to strengthen the economy by way of jobs, and inflow into the Territory economy. That is the sort of stuff that is going to save you.
Dr BURNS (Planning and Lands): Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to talk to the Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report, which contains details of this government’s election commitments by agency. It also gives a snapshot of the budget. It is important for members to know that a budgetary process is a dynamic process. It is not a static process as the member for Blain would have us all believe or hold to. I do not think he has ever been part of a Cabinet budget process, and certainly he has not been a Treasurer. I can assure the member for Blain that a budget is a dynamic process. There are additions, there are things that move in and out of the budget. If you read the 2004-05 annual financial report, all those movements, member for Blain, are reported on.
You just delivered the biblical exposition about the famine; the seven years of good times, and the one year of famine. I remind the member for Blain that there is also something in there about tithing which is something CLP members in the last Assembly apparently forgot. Maybe he should have his biblical expositions within his own Caucus. However, I digress, Madam Speaker.
Not once did the member for Blain really turn to this document which is the document that we are debating. I suppose the pivotal table is Table 2.2 on page 4 of the Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report. Members will no doubt have read page 4. The table is called ‘Variations to the cash flow and operating statements since May 2005’. There are two columns there: one is the cash, and the other one is accrual. If you look at the cash in variations, it started off at minus-$68.1m and revised down to minus-$68.2m - an insignificant change in cash.
Where the opposition is going here is the accrual column, which starts off at $33.7m and ends up at $80.5m with a variation of $45.1m. Members will note that the major contributor to that is the ‘increase in superannuation expenses’, $50.5m. I am sure the Treasurer will speak about it also, but this comes about through an actuarial review of these expenses and an adjustment. This is not something about which government suddenly said: ‘Let us throw another $50.5m at this’. It actually comes about through a budgetary process. These sorts of revisions are part of moving to an accrual-based accounting system. They are part of reviews, they are part of a dynamic process of a budget. Once again, if you look at the 2004-05 annual financial report - and I have already spoken during Question Times in the last sittings in response to allegations by the Opposition Leader of a $40m blow-out in my department - all those variations are noted there. All the ins and outs are noted there. It is not as if anything is being hidden. This is a dynamic process and everything is published so there is nothing secret about this.
However, I will come back to my particular area which, of course, is the general government’s capital works program. The cash was originally $158m and, at the end of December, expenditure was $72.6m or 46% of the original cash, which is a fairly good effort seeing as this government has been investing heavily in our infrastructure projects. That was the other furphy that the member for Blain was promulgating. As if, particularly in the Territory, the government’s budget was completely removed from the economy. They are completely independent in a jurisdiction like this where government is a major driver of the economy, the construction sector. I do not think that it makes sense for the member for Blain to say that the two are obviously linked. In particular, the construction industry looks to government to drive the economy, particularly in the bad times.
That is what we have been doing and we have a lot of accolades from the industry about the way that we have been strategically spending in our capital works project and the amount of cash that we have been putting against it. The member for Blain told us to hear what he had to say. I listened carefully to what he had to say but, at the end of the day, it really does not match up with my experience and what I believe over the past four years about budgets, budget processes and also reporting on budgets.
I am pleased to report that government spent $1.5m on upgrading selected portions of the Plenty Highway. We have spent $300 000 on improving drains on Ringwood Road. Both these contracts are part of the Martin government’s program to inject $10m worth of cash into upgrading the Territory’s beef roads. This program, which we developed in close consultation with the Cattlemen’s Association, is targeted at upgrading the primary feeder roads servicing the pastoral industry. These roads transport livestock and essential goods to cattle stations as well as benefiting the local communities, tourist and the mining industry. $600 000 has been spent on fencing and upgrading the access to Channel Point. This is part of the government’s commitment to achieving a permanent solution regarding access through Labelle Downs station as part of our long-term vision and commitment to providing more coastal access for recreational fisherman. $500 000 has gone towards upgrading the Tanami Road, and discussions have been held with the NT Branch of the Australian Trucking Association to establish priority upgrade sections for the remainder of this road.
On the Carpentaria Highway, the government has spent $700 000 completing the upgrading of strength to bridges. We have also spent $700 000 on rehabilitation work on the Arnhem Highway and a further $500 000 constructing a causeway at Rose River crossing.
The AusLink White Paper outlined the federal governments five-year strategy from 2004-05 to 2008-09 for upgrading the National Land Transport Network. As part of the AusLink program, the government has spent $1.7m on overtaking lanes on the Stuart Highway between Darwin and Katherine. Also as part of AusLink, $2.9m has been spent on the stage duplication of the Stuart Highway between Noonamah and the Cox Peninsula Road. Unfortunately, there is a downside to the AusLink program. I have spoken to the Hon Warren Truss, the federal minister, about this because in its budget for 2005-06 the federal government confirmed that the Northern Territory maintenance allocation for the national network will fall from $18.2m to $14.3m over the next three financial years. That is going to have an impact on our maintenance program, particularly along the Stuart Highway and other highways. I have begged Warren Truss to reduce that. That is not something we can afford and it is evidence that the federal government is really tightening up on their own responsibilities, which is the national highways. Traditionally, they have had responsibilities for those highways but they seem to be washing their hands of those responsibilities and that is very unfortunate.
They have implemented a formula which is based on what lane length, vehicle kilometres travelled and equivalent standard actual kilometres travelled; a statistic dominated by heavy vehicle traffic. The vehicle kilometres travelled component which is heavily influenced by the volume of traffic, is where the Northern Territory is disadvantaged. I put that case very strongly to the Hon Warren Truss. The impact of the reduction in maintenance funding on the National Land Transport Network in the Northern Territory has been raised with the federal department of Transport and, as I said, in my own discussions with the federal minister. I am not able to report on any satisfactory outcomes from these discussions but I will continue to press the case.
The recent Access Economics report which described the Territory economy as ‘turbocharged’ also highlighted the development of the Darwin waterfront as the mainstay of the Territory commercial construction industry for sometime to come.
As members would be aware and as I reported yesterday, work is well under way on this development. Significant progress has been made with the design and remediation works. The pad for the convention and exhibition centre has reached a stage of practical completion, and construction of the sea wall is under way. So far this financial year, expenditure on the waterfront development includes $21m for community infrastructure works, including the convention centre pad and sea wall.
$835 000 is being spent on pre-opening expenses for the Darwin convention and exhibition centre, including promotion of the centre and to secure forward bookings. The government has spent $654 000 on site remediation work, including work undertaken by the environmental auditor, environmental consultant, site investigations, and the start of cut-off drain work. The total cost of the cut-off drains is $2.1m. A further $400 000 is being spent on service relocations.
In addition, work will soon commence on the upgrade of McMinn Street at a cost of $1.9m, and on the installation of a water main at a cost of $1.7m. Meanwhile, the government continues with its record level of expenditure on infrastructure which I am very pleased to say continues to have a record amount of cash allocated to it. In stark contrast, I point out under the previous government, the rebate from year to year actually exceeded the cash.
A total of $2m is being spent on the first stage of the upgrade at Parap Primary School. $500 000 has gone towards completing the construction of the Emu Point Homeland Centre, while a further $800 000 has been spent completing the construction of the Manyallaluk Homeland Centre. Government has spent $2.3m on the construction of a low-security facility at Darwin Correctional Centre.
This government has not stinted in its expenditure on health infrastructure for Territorians, with $1m going to the construction of a new health centre at Daly River, $1.3m on the new health centre at Milikapiti, $900 000 on completing the new hospice at Royal Darwin Hospital, and $1.5m to complete the Medical Records Unit at Royal Darwin Hospital.
The government has spent $500 000 on the desalination program in the Mary River wetlands as well as $1m on the provision of a boat ramp and river access to the Victoria River at Gregory National Park. That is going to be a great plus for tourism in the area; it is going to encourage people to stop off at that great place. It is a great trip up the Red Valley Gorge, and I recommend it to anyone.
The Northern Territory government continues to maintain 25 boat ramps located across the Territory as well as platforms, wharves, jetties and artificial reefs which support recreational fishing for the benefit of Territorians and visitors alike. Whilst there have been delays on some projects, the Construction Division of the department has accelerated other projects and is on track to fully spend the remaining $91m in this financial year.
Nonetheless, there are significant issues. In the marketplace at present, particularly in the regions, there is a paucity of contractors willing to bid for works. That is because they are booked up completely. We have put out some tenders that have not even received replies because the contractors in the regions are very busy. This results in a decline of tender acceptances which is not a desirable situation for government or industry. We have more work to do in understanding and correcting these anomalies.
Another thing that has been happening, at least since I have been in this portfolio area, is the escalation of construction costs, which I estimate, overall, to have escalated at least by 40% over the last two, two-and-a-half years. This presents an issue for government, and we need to examine our capital works program, the amount of work that is already out in the private sector and in the Commonwealth government sector, and tailor what we are doing in the construction sector to the climate. Industry wants us to do that; they want us to adopt a counter-cyclical approach to the way in which we stage our capital works program.
Earlier in these sittings, I outlined the government’s commitment to improving air transport infrastructure in remote communities throughout the Territory. I mentioned the Bulman aerodrome upgrade to all-weather operations at $645 000; a further $800 000 on the Minyerri aerodrome; and another $1m spent sealing the Ramingining runway. A further $96 000 was spent on Belyuen to upgrade drainage and replace emergency solar lighting. I also outlined design work for Alpurrurulam and Pigeon Hole aerodromes. These are very important lifelines to those communities.
During the election campaign last year, the Martin government made a commitment to provide international level security control and inspection equipment at Alice Springs Airport. The government’s commitment of $200 000 was to have been matched by Commonwealth government funding. The Department of Planning and Infrastructure is awaiting advice on whether the matching grant from the Commonwealth is approved and further clarification from operators of the Alice Springs Airport on how the funds are to be used. The department has been in regular contact with Mr Don McDonald, General Manager of Alice Springs Airport, on this matter, including seeking detail and refinement of what is actually proposed. The current advice from the federal government department DOTAR is that delays in approving the funding arrangements have occurred due to a change of ministers. I hope the new minister moves quickly to approve this important development for Alice Springs Airport.
I would like to say a few words about the study into residential allotments in the Ti Tree area. The Land Development Division commissioned Qantec to carry out the Ti Tree subdivision draining and feasibility study. This study reviewed a 2003 subdivision layout. The draft report has been received and its findings are being reviewed with the Power and Water Corporation with regards to an indicative requirement for a significant upgrade of water headworks and reticulation to the township, as well as extension of the high voltage and low voltage electrical reticulation.
It has been in the newspapers lately that we have engaged external consultants to review the needs and options for ticketing on the Darwin Bus network. The existing ticketing system is nearing its use-by date. The consultant’s report should be delivered in the near future. On its receipt, the department will consider the options and funding requirements. We have also installed closed circuit television on the Darwin Bus Service. This expenditure on closed circuit television for the buses complements the government’s installation of the digital closed circuit television recording system at all three of Darwin’s bus interchanges.
I am proud to be a member of a government that has delivered three successive surplus budgets. I am also proud to have responsibility for a department that has delivered record capital works budgets, backed up by record levels of cash. I have already mentioned the Opposition Leader, the member for Araluen, at the last sittings announced the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment, as it was then, had blown its budget by about $60m. I assume that she was talking about the 2004-05 years. At that time, I detailed to the member for Araluen, through the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report for 2004-05, just what had happened. There was certainly no blow-out of $40m; basically, all those ins and outs are explicable. She has also used figures of $60m here and there. I explained that a little earlier in regard to the mid-year financial report.
Often it is hard to know what the opposition is talking about in relation to the budget. To be honest, I do not believe they really understand about reading budget papers and budget processes. They are very welcome to briefings on the issue, but it does them no good to go off half cocked and make assertions about the budget which are simply baseless. I have referred in this debate to the document at hand. The shadow Treasurer did not do that, and it will be interesting to see if the Leader of the Opposition does.
Once again, this is a government that has delivered three surplus budgets in a row. We are going into deficit budget over the next two years. We flagged that. That is related to the waterfront project, a one-off capital investment and a great investment for the Northern Territory. We are responsible fiscal managers. We have invested any extra GST monies that have come our way on providing infrastructure, and also services that the public demand, like more police on the beat, more teachers, more nurses, as well as investments in our health system.
Madam Speaker, I am proud to be part of a government that is delivering record capital works expenditure and levels of cash. I know industry out there appreciate it. Unlike the member for Blain, I am confident that it is benefiting the Northern Territory economy.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I am pleased to follow on from the minister because he has suggested that we do not understand budgets. He has suggested, in essence, that we speak a different language entirely and he has invited me, as I had intended to do, to go to the mid-year report.
In fact, minister, we do understand budgets. It is apparent that you do not. I have refreshed my memory; I have looked at the budget papers over the last few years - the Treasurer’s Mid-Year Reports, the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report,. Early on, it was not easy reading, but I can assure you that we do understand this stuff. When we call something a blow-out, you, minister, call it a variation or ins and outs, as you just did. When we say that you have problems, that you have overspent, you say: ‘No, no, no everything is just fine and dandy’.
The mid-year report is not a great read. I will not go through the difference between talking about the economy and talking about the budget again because all of us, from both sides, understand the difference. But this is not a good report. The mid-year report is an assessment on how the budget for 2005-06 is going. The mid-year report is not a good report card. The minister referred to one table, I am more than happy to refer to others. This document is not made up by the opposition. This is Treasury documentation, signed off by the Under Treasurer. It is important that we talk about particular parts of that document to assist us with our argument that things are not good.
It is clear from successive budgets that government departments have overshot the mark consistently, and usually by a long way. This is notwithstanding the enormous influx of GST revenue. When governments receive money, they spend it - and they should - on services. However, we heard in parliament last week that services are not being delivered in the way that they should be. In other words, Territorians are not getting bang for their bucks: a 34-month wait for dental services in Palmerston; 1700 people are on the waiting list for elective surgery at RDH, and these days probably about 1400 in Alice Springs. This is not a good outcome. Yes, there are more police on the beat. If you had in total something in the vicinity of around $7bn in GST would you not put more coppers on the beat? Of course you would. Yet, we still have crime and other antisocial behaviour that is a worry. Territorians have every right, as do we, to question whether we are getting bang for our bucks.
I remember the Chief Minister a few years ago indicating that CEOs, if they could not control their budgets, would be sacked. CEO after CEO has not maintained their budget. The most obvious one of the many is Health. Health has consistently overshot by millions and millions of dollars. This is a problem that the Labor government simply refuses to deal with. It is interesting that yesterday we talked about the alcohol court and some members talked about addiction. We know that the alcohol court, with its failings, requires a person to go to the alcohol court and say: ‘I have an addiction, therefore, can I have a program, please’. There should be a budget court under this government and the Treasurer and his friends can put themselves in the hands of the court and say: ‘I have a spending problem. I have a budget problem. Can you please put me on a program’. That court should direct the Treasurer back to play school where he should learn some fundamental principles about sound budgetary management.
It is a far cry from the lofty principles enunciated in the Fiscal and Economic Outlook, Budget Paper No 2 for Budget 2002-03. I will refresh member’s memories. The government’s fiscal strategy at that time was curbing the growth in nett debt and unfunded liabilities - it did not; a commitment to and continuation of deficit reductions strategy - I do not think so; and a result in declining nett debt and total liabilities. That was your own strategy. This is not made up by Jodeen Carney. This is your own document.
Several years later in the mid-year report, those notions have changed in essence from debt reduction to debt management. The debt continues to go up and the money continues to flow in. Have a look at these figures; they are damning. For instance, I encourage members to have a look at page 24, general government sector operating statement. Look at the increase in the total expenses. It is overshot by $80m, and this is not beer money. This overshooting of the budget does not come from thin air, it comes from imprudent financial management and budgetary management by the Treasurer, Chief Minister and ministers of the Crown.
I look forward to the contribution of the members for Daly and Sanderson, who were given to what I can only assume was their attempt to be witty or pithy during the contribution of my colleague, the member for Blain. However, I doubt whether we will hear from them. Minister Burns said arrogantly: ‘Oh, you do not understand the budget’. Yes, we do. The fact is that the ministers give their backbenchers reams of rubbish to just read, and like little pawns they stand up over the microphone and they read through all of this stuff. Have a look at it.
Mr Kiely: Elferink is writing your speeches.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms CARNEY: Put your money where you mouth is. We know we have seen the member for Sanderson on good behaviour. The little boy just sitting on the bench waiting to be noticed: ‘Coach, coach, pick me’. The member for Karama is bit ahead there which, no doubt, riles the member for Sanderson. However, the member for Sanderson can show he is a big boy by actually getting up all by himself without the assistance of the ministerial staff upstairs and pick up the mid-year report and he talk about it. He can impress us with his knowledge and he might even have a go …
Dr Burns: Oh well, how about you get on and talk about it?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms CARNEY: … and he might even be successful at impressing the Chief Minister by saying: ‘Look, Chief Minister, I can read the budget papers’. Well, he cannot, nor can his backbencher colleagues. However, I simply say to his backbench colleagues: go and read this document. You can ask for it from the Table Office. Have a look at it, and you decide whether this is a good read. In a political sense I should be saying to you all: ‘Oh, it is a wonderful read’, because then you will be going out to your electorates and you will be telling the contractors who do not have any work to do. There are a few of them in Alice Springs. Talk to those in Alice Springs who are ringing me in disgust. They are ringing me in disgust and you blokes act like everything is fine. It is not.
The backbenchers should be going around their electorates saying: ‘Oh, things are just wonderful’ because then the voters will be saying to themselves: ‘Well, they are actually not very good at all’. When the economy cools as, presumably, it will because it will go in cycles, you will have no money left because your budget has gone up like that, notwithstanding the incredible influx of GST revenue. What have you done with it? You have reverted to type. You are a Labor government. You got in, good on you. You got the prize after 27 years. You have to win sometime. I suppose 27 years was a long time. You get into government and then you think: ‘Woo hoo, we have access to the Treasury coffers’. Access to it you have and, by God, didn’t you spend? And you keep spending.
Government should spend money. We have no problem with that. However, you should spend it sensibly and the voters should be able to see a benefit. You do your market research and your focus groups and you ask them whether they are seeing a benefit. Speaking of focus groups, that is why you wanted to sell TIO, because you know from your own document that things are not looking good and, unless the Treasurer tightens his belt, the Territory is not going to be in good shape.
I also refer the Labor backbenchers who I feel certain at the luncheon adjournment will rush up to their offices and get their own copy – you could get it autographed by the Treasurer – of the 2005-06 mid-year report and have a look at page 17. That is the page about election commitments, and what an interesting read that is. This is the deceit that has been perpetrated on the voters of the Northern Territory. We heard about it yesterday when the Chief Minister was talking about antisocial behaviour. She promises one thing, she does another because she speaks with a forked tongue, which is the same in relation to the election commitments.
You will see, members, on page 17, that there will not be much spending going on for a while. We know GST revenue is going to fall. We all know that; it is unfortunate …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms CARNEY: … notwithstanding that the Treasurer, guided by sage, Marshall Perron, will be going down to the Treasurer’s Conference and he will be trying to pitch with his mates, John and - what is the other blokes name, the bald-headed guy from New South Wales?
We know that GST revenue will fall and, as previously indicated, if the formula changes, the Territory is in deep trouble. In any event, I digress momentarily.
Back to page 17. The table shows not much spending in 2005-06. I wonder why that is? In 2006-07 – oh, only $11m. I wonder why that is? In 2007-08, and 2008-09 - what a jump! I reckon there might be an election around that time, 2007-08, 2008-09. Government members have said, and there is a good example in relation to …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms CARNEY: Thank you, Madam Speaker. There is a good example in relation to Health. The government promised 24 beds in Alice Springs. I saw the media release. They did their pre-election hype and they got the article in the paper – rah, rah, rah! Not a bean will be spent on it until 2007-08 – that is provided you have any money left in the cupboard. This is the sort of deceit that the government perpetrates on Territorians. They collectively speak with forked tongue!
We call something a ‘blow-out’, they say it is ‘a variation’. We call something a ‘blow-out’, they say it is just the ‘ins and outs of the government budgetary process’. We - and interestingly enough - many other Territorians call something a ‘razor gang’, they call it a ‘priority review’. You speak a different language entirely, but you are damned by this book. You are damned by the Treasurer’s assessment of your budget for 2005-06. This budget, also 2005-06, shows the extent to which various departments - Health is a prime example - overshot the mark.
It is always a pleasure to go back to this document - I have said that before and I might keep saying it. It is always a pleasure to go back to the Good Governance document, in which the then Opposition Leader talked about the extraordinary blow-out in the budget bottom line in 1999-2000. Extraordinary! Well, if that was extraordinary, this is supersonic extraordinary in 2005-06! The now Chief Minister, also noted with concern that Territorians were looking at nett debt getting up to $1.5b by 2001. Well, it is significantly more than that now - significantly more than that. No wonder no one can find this document any more. Interestingly enough, this document says that:
- Labor believes the CLP has squandered the opportunities presented by strong economic growth over the past decade …
A member of the Labor Party said yesterday the CLP did nothing for 27 years - same record. It must have done something right because, according to government claiming credit for the strong economy which the Northern Territory now has. Clearly, according to Labor’s own words, it must have been as a result of the CLP providing a strong economic growth.
You cannot have your cake and eat it too. You cannot say the economy is good and it has nothing to do with other factors or, indeed, past governments, and then say there is nothing wrong with our budget. There is! There is, and I encourage, once again, members to look at the mid-year report. References to nett debt, made whilst Labor was in opposition and since, are extraordinary given that, under Labor, the Territory’s headed for a debt higher than the Territory has ever had before. We are a very small jurisdiction.
When Professor Percy came up, he indicated that nett debt, including or plus employee liabilities, would spiral out of control at about $3.2bn. Under Labor, we are spiralling to $4bn. Can you at least be consistent? If something was wrong, shocking, appalling, five years ago, and if you guys are doing it 10 times worse now, surely it is still wrong, shocking and appalling? But no, we come back to the delusional conduct of ministers in particular, and it is best evidenced by what we call a blow-out, but no, they call it a variation.
It is not a variation that nett debt plus employee liabilities is heading to a record level under the Labor government. The irony, the saddest thing about this, is that it occurs when you have had massive GST revenue and you should have been retiring debt. You should have used some of it for that. To a large extent, some people have every right to say where on earth has the money gone, because I do not believe Territorians are seeing bang for their buck, and that is what they are telling us.
If Professor Percy Allan rocked up and looked at your budget books now, he would probably - I hope, because, as you suggest, he was a man of integrity a few years ago, and I assume nothing has changed – say: ‘Oh dear. This is not sustainable. How on earth can you sustain it?’
The $8m spin doctors upstairs are well paid and, in so many respects they deserve it, because they certainly did a good job with the last election, promising all and sundry, and now explaining why all and sundry is not being delivered. Thanks to the $8m spin machine, they say this is a good result. In fact, they spin so hard, that they actually did not want to talk about the budget last week. It is evidenced by the fact that, even though the Leader of Government Business, the man who wants to be Chief Minister, said, ‘We are happy to talk about it’, the Treasurer, who has been around for a bit longer, said, ‘No, we do not want to talk about it’. The upshot is, we were shut down because the government only wanted to talk about the economy, only wanted to use the word ‘turbocharged’, and did not want to have a debate about the budget. They are obliged to have a debate about the mid-year report now. However, when the journalists were here, they did not want to talk about it.
That, to me, speaks volumes. It tells us that Labor actually knows the difficulties they have. We know that their advisors must be telling them that you have to do something. Hence our questions last week about what taxes and charges will be increased to pay for the reckless and cavalier way the Treasurer and his predecessor, who is the Chief Minister, have conducted the budget. We did not believe the Chief Minister was a very good Treasurer and, to her credit, she recognised that, which is why she handed over the baton of financial responsibility to the member for Nhulunbuy. He carries the baton with the same sense of purpose as the Commonwealth baton relay runners. However, he is not on the same mission because, unlike the runners, he does not know what he is talking about, and is assisted by an $8m spin machine. He will stand up and say all the usual, rude, arrogant patronising stuff: ‘You cannot understand the budget, we know you are really stupid and you cannot help that, we are really sorry for you’, etcetera.
However, you cannot hide from the facts. When the Chief Minister gets a bit twitchy, she always has a go at me and says: ‘Oh, you are being a lawyer, you are being a lawyer’. Well, I am a lawyer. In the law, we know that if you have facts on your side, you will argue a good case and, if you have an impartial judge or magistrate, you have a more than even chance of winning your case. That is in the law, a world fundamentally different from politics.
The world in here is governed by an $8m spin machine. It is guided by rudeness and offensive behaviour. The word ‘deceit’ applies to members on the other side when it comes to the way in which they perpetrate the myth that this budget is good, and that it is going well in a budgetary sense in the Northern Territory. Well, this is the world of politics, and we appreciate the world in which we live. However, Treasurer, we implore you, and some of your little friends, the backbenchers on the other side, to go and have a read of your document, because it will show that things are grim.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, your time has expired.
Debate suspended.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the Speaker’s gallery of the Reverend Jim Downing, AM, former Moderator of the Northern Synod of the Uniting Church. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I also draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the Superintendent of Police from Timor-Leste, Superintendent Martins. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: I also draw your attention to members of the public from both overseas and interstate who are visiting Parliament House today as part of our public tour program. On behalf of all honourable members I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
MOTION
Note Paper – Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report 2005-2006
Note Paper – Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report 2005-2006
Continued from earlier this day.
Mr HENDERSON (Business and Economic Development): Madam Speaker, I support the Treasurer on the presentation of his 2005-06 mid-year financial report. This report shows that the government is on track in delivering on its budget commitments and fiscal strategy. All we have heard from the opposition’s two previous speakers is some flights of fantasies that are not borne out when you actually read not only the 2005-06 budget but the mid-year financial report that we are debating now. The opposition has had and is having currently flights of fantasy that are not borne out by the very detailed reporting of where the budget is six months into the financial year.
Regarding our budget documents and reporting against fiscal targets and budget commitments, since we have come to government we introduced the Fiscal Integrity and Transparency Act, and the Treasurer and the Treasury are required under that legislation to present budget statements and fiscal reports in line with that legislation. Therefore, the people of the Northern Territory can have confidence in the publications that come from Treasury reporting on the state of the budget regarding the cash position, the accrual position and liabilities into the future. That is a long way from what we inherited when we came to government in 2001, where any number of ministers were on record in regards to the budget papers that were presented to the parliament which were for ‘presentation purposes only’.
For the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Blain to try and state that, somehow, we are hiding the true state of the books in these figures, and making allegations that these documents are not all that they should be, is implied criticism of Treasury and the people who have put these statements together.
The member for Blain talked about and finally acknowledged how the economy in the Northern Territory is moving ahead at a pace. However, somehow, it had nothing to do with the government; that the current good economic climate that we are facing in the Northern Territory was totally irrelevant to government’s budgets, fiscal and taxation policies and forward estimates. The member for Blain, obviously, does not know how an economy works. I am not an economist myself, but the one thing I am very well aware of is that the economy is driven by the private sector. The Northern Territory government is disproportionate regarding other state governments in its influence on the economy, given that we are an economy of so few people.
However, the fundamental driver of the economy is the private sector, and the key determinates for private sector investment is confidence in the future of the country, of the jurisdiction in which they invest, and the economy in which they invest. Anybody in the private sector who is looking to make a significant financial investment takes into account a whole range of factors. Those factors include the current budget position of the government, what is projected into the forward estimates, and the fiscal strategies of the governments of the day.
The private sector has voted with absolute confidence. We have record levels of private sector investment in the Northern Territory. It is not all driven by the resources boom and the resources industries of oil and gas. We are seeing a broadening of our economy, and other industries such as the biodiesel plant, the helium plant that is going to be built here, the people who are looking at a condensate facility - major industrial investment that has only ever been dreamt about for the Northern Territory before. We have two significant projects absolutely committed and another major project, the condensate facility, very positively on the drawing board. All of these major proponents of those projects come and meet with government ministers. They look at the investment climates, the long-term return on their investments, and at the fiscal and the budget position of the government regarding the due diligence and the risk analysis they do in investing in any particular jurisdiction.
We could see, when we came to government in 2001, that people were not investing. They well knew the budget position that we found ourselves in at the time. They could see that the government budget was in an unsustainable fiscal position, and private sector investment dried up. It really was a desperate time. Since that time, since the mini-budget, we have improved our financial position significantly. We have produced three surplus budgets in a row, and they were $8m in 2002-03, 2003-04 was a $36m surplus, and 2004-05 a $51m surplus. This is a government that has delivered $95m-worth of surpluses over three budgets. Compare those to the last two budgets of the previous CLP government which, in 1999-2000 delivered a deficit of $100m and in 2000-01 a deficit of $101m. There has been a marked turnaround. As well as GST revenues contributing significantly to that turnaround, what has contributed significantly to that turnaround as well is revenue from the private sector as a result of increased activity.
For the member for Blain to say the current state of the economy has absolutely nothing to do with the budget position, fiscal strategies and the forward estimates adopted by this government, is patently false. He does not understand how the private sector works in making investment decisions into the future. If you look around at the properties that are being developed, at what is happening with property prices and values that are putting wealth into peoples pockets, not only in Darwin, but in Alice Springs, Katherine and Tennant Creek, people are investing in the Northern Territory with confidence. The only people who do not have confidence in the future of the Northern Territory and the fiscal strategies adopted by this government are the four people opposite with their heads in the sand. They cannot point to one independent commentator, not one reputable, independent commentator that says the Territory government budget is in trouble.
We have Access Economics that have given the budget a big tick. We have had the Housing Industry Association giving the economy a big tick. We have the financial markets in terms of the credit position of the government giving us a big tick. The only people who have no confidence at all in the future of the Territory’s economy and fiscal position of this government are the four members opposite. As I said before, they need to get out a bit more a talk to people in the real world who are pretty happy with how things are going at the moment.
It is totally appropriate for governments to go into deficit from time to time for strategic investments, and that is what we are doing with the waterfront. A strategic investment today, next year and the year after that, will deliver long-term economic benefits to the Territory budget, long-term investment and employment opportunities for the Territory into the future - very deliberate, targeted, and strategic - that will pay dividends for Territorians into the future. A very significant and valuable investment. When you compare that to the previous governments here and the last two budgets, when we crashed headlong into deficit to pay public service wages, there is a stark difference between the responsible attitude this government is taking in budget management, as opposed to the reckless and deceitful behaviour of the previous CLP government, particularly in the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 budgets.
The Leader of the Opposition in Question Time today said the Auditor-General did not have enough powers, was not independent enough to scrutinise government budget activities. Well, the February 2006 report that we debated just the other day essentially marks the government on the fiscal strategy that we have adopted. The three planks of the government’s fiscal strategy are sustainable service provisions, sustainable into the future. Can we afford our nurses, our teachers, our doctors, our police officers, our prison officers, our Parks and Wildlife employees into the future? Can we provide for sustainable government services, given the current budget position and the forward estimates? The Auditor-General says that we are consistent with the strategy.
We talk about a competitive tax environment. One of things that I am very proud of is being part of a government that has delivered the lowest taxing environment for small businesses with 100 employees or fewer in the country. That we have managed to get to that position has been a very significant achievement of the Treasurer and of this government. The reason we did that was recognising that, inherently, this is a small business economy. Of the vast majority of businesses in the Northern Territory, 90% of them have fewer than 100 employees and it is a high cost place to do business.
We are a long way from the big marketplaces around the country and around the world. The cost of doing business here makes life difficult for small business, so to have taxation and a fiscal position that says that we have a competitive tax environment is a key plank for business confidence. What does the Auditor-General say? ‘That the average per capital level of taxation in the Territory is consistent with the target’. So the last plank of the fiscal strategy from the government is the prudent management of liabilities. This is where the opposition is trying to run a scare campaign saying we are falling headlong into debt and it is unsustainable. Well, as revenue grows so does the capacity for the Territory government to improve service delivery. Service delivery across a range of services in the Northern Territory was woefully neglected for many years.
We had a hospital system and a health system that was severely underfunded. We had an education system where the public policy of the day - in part because for whatever reason previous governments did not want to spend the money - was: ‘We do not provide secondary education in remote parts of the Territory. We will educate you to a primary level but if you want a secondary education level you have to come to town’. That was the policy position. An absolute imperative for the Northern Territory’s future both socially and economically is to provide those kids with a secondary level education. That costs money and, with the increased revenue from GST and the increased activity in the economy, the totally appropriate and right thing to do is to increase the education budget to give those kids - Territorians one and all, Australians one an all - an opportunity into the future. That is what we are doing.
We had law and order out of control in the Northern Territory. We had houses being broken into; dozens every night across the Northern Territory and a police force that could barely get a patrol car out on the road to try to be reactive where they could as opposed to being proactive. We have seen that with the investment we have made into the police force we have reduced property crime by over 50%. Absolutely imperative: as revenue increases improved services for Territorians. That is what we have done.
However, we have to be prudent in managing our liabilities. The Auditor-General has said that total liabilities of the non-financial public sector have declined relative to total revenues of the sector since the adoption of the fiscal strategy. Consistent with the objectives, we have more money coming in, but the liabilities have declined. Therefore, to try to paint this picture that somehow we are in a worst position then we were in 2001 is unsustainable.
There is nobody out there - and the challenge is for the Leader of the Opposition to point to one, single, reputable, independent commentator - to back up the assertions that the budget is in crisis and somehow the sky is about to fall in. It is not borne out by a totally independent Treasury that has a responsibility under law to produce budget documents and forward estimates that are totally accurate. It is not borne out by the scrutiny of those budget documents by the Auditor-General. It is not borne out by people like Access Economics, the Housing Industry Association of Australia, or any number of other commentators who look at the fiscal position, the strategy, the budget position of the government and say: ‘Yes, tick, this should be the economy that is going to out perform the rest of Australia for at least the next four or five years.’ It is not supported by the people who loan the Territory government money and maintain the credit ratings.
The only people that say we have a problem are those people opposite. Yes, we are going into deficit this year but it is an investment into the future. The opposition cannot have it both ways. They cannot say that you are running headlong into an unsustainable budget position that cannot be supported and, on the other side of the equation, not put forward a solution. We have not heard from the opposition, if they really believe that the budget is in such a mess, saying what they would do about it, when they have a responsibility to Territorians to do that.
The challenge for what they would do about it is: where would they save money? Would they cut services or wind back services or sack public servants? We have heard some disparaging remarks about the growth of the public sector. The member for Blain in debate last week said that we had caved in to union demands for wage rises for public servants. Which groups of public servants would he deny a wage rise to? Would it be teachers? Would it be the nurses? Would it be police officers? Would it be doctors? Who would the member for Blain not have caved in to in funding those professional public servants to deliver services for Territorians? W because we now how hard it is to get teachers, doctors, nurses, police officers, engineers, professional people to the Northern Territory. It is a very competitive marketplace out there. If we are going to attract and retain those professional people, we have to pay market rates and we have to be at the top of those market rates given the inherent high costs of living in the Northern Territory, particularly in our region.
For the member for Blain to say ’you caved in’, implies that he would not have caved in if he was the Treasurer. Who would he have denied that pay rise to? We hear silence and nothing on that score …
Mr Mills: Would you like me to answer that?
Mr HENDERSON: … so maybe if you were not going to cave in …
Mrs Miller: You want us to make a noise?
Mr HENDERSON: … if you were not going to cut back on services, not going to sack anybody, not going to have forced redundancy, not going to do any of that, how would you still have an unsustainable budget position? What taxes are you going to put up? That is the other side of the equation to improve government revenues; broaden the base. Are they going to say that we are going to introduce a land tax? We had the opposition say before the election that they were going to abolish payroll tax altogether. How much does payroll tax bring in, Treasurer?
Mr Stirling: $100m.
Mr HENDERSON: $100m a year. You cannot have it both ways. If there is going to be any credibility in this debate about the budget, if you are going to maintain a position that the budget is in an unsustainable position, then you have a responsibility to Territorians to say what you would do about it. No one else supports you. There is nobody out there in the community who agrees with you. The only people who are talking down the economy, trying to defray public confidence in investing in this economy are those opposite and they are condemned by their attitude because they cannot bring forward one person to support them. If the position is so bad they have not offered one solution to the problems that they foreshadow ahead.
Madam Speaker, I support the Treasurer in his statement.
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I will respond in global terms of putting the mid-year report in its proper context and then I will go and pick up some of the points in the debate from the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Blain. I will also pick up some of the points in general debate in questions over the last week and a bit.
We have delivered three budget surpluses in a row. We will have a budget back in balance by 2008-09. We have established the lowest business taxes in Australia for small business and many commentators have predicted we will be the fastest growing economy for the next five years. We have increased spending on health, education and police. There have been no redundancies forced or otherwise, in all that time.
Last week I think, the claim was made about a $120m blow-out in public service wages in terms of the government not managing its economy. It is true the cost of the public service has risen by $120m between prediction and apparent outcome, but is it not a blow-out. It has risen by that factor because of two important reasons: one is the flowthrough of the enterprise bargaining arrangements reached prior to this financial year, and the other is the change in the assessment of the superannuation liabilities. Enterprise bargaining agreements add several million dollars to the cost of wages - they always do. You never come out of an EBA with a reduced wage outcome; that is not their point. They are negotiated every couple of years or so and, when the increase is established, of course it is going to result in ongoing payments in covering all factors including cost of living, the CPI, the productivity gains etcetera, inside the bargaining arrangements.
Superannuation liabilities and what the government owes employees when they retire has been very significantly re-valued. In fact, the effect has been to increase our liabilities and, therefore our debt, by $400m over time. $395m of that $400m is attributed to the reassessment and the changed methodology employed by the actuaries. We never attempted to hide this; it appears in all the reports. The single year effect this year is to add $50m to superannuation liabilities alone, and that is recorded on page 4 of the mid-year report. However, it does not have to paid today; it is an accrual figure. It is paid on an emerging basis, as it always has been in the Northern Territory.
In addition to superannuation, the reassessment also affects a whole range of entitlements including recreation leave expectations and other employee liabilities. Therefore, those two figures account for the majority of the $120m increased expenditure.
The member for Blain talked last week about a $40m sell-off of assets, and a total of $90m in converted assets. He was looking at a cash flow statement. It is important when he looks at a cash flow statement in future; it is exactly what it means – it is a flow of the cash through the Central Holding Authority. If the member for Blain has the view of the Central Holding Authority as a bank, it is an incorrect view. It is, in my advisors words, ‘no more than a train station’, in the sense that it gets the receipts from the Commonwealth and disperses them out through the respective agencies. Our GST receipts are received from the Commonwealth on a monthly basis, and fed through to agencies on a fortnightly basis. It is a matter of money coming in one end and out the other. It is not a sell-off of $40m assets; it is simply money that would have been held - and it could have been held in any number of ways - being converted to cash or returned to a liquid state. It refers to liquidity, meaning in a cash state. Therefore, it is not a sell-off of assets, it is government money that is simply going to pay the bills, but it has to be brought back to a cash form.
If you look at the table on page 26 of the report, the bottom line is $68m, which is our prediction. That $40m merely refers to cash flows between accounts. It does not impact on the bottom line, nor is it used to alter the bottom line. The $50m separately identified relates entirely to the previously mentioned superannuation liability for 2005-06. In relation to the $68m, I am prepared to lay a wager with the member for Blain right here and now that we will return a better figure than the $68m, despite the fact it was $68m at the start of the financial year, and it is recorded as $68.2m, I think, in the mid-year report. Many receipts come in during the latter part of the year - from the Commonwealth, from either late GST receipts or special purpose payments to agencies - and some of those can be very large indeed. They have the effect, of course, of inflating revenue in that financial year without any possibility or even expectation that they will be expended or acquitted inside that financial year. Last financial year, $36m turned up six weeks from the end of the financial year. That impacts, of course, on the 2004-05 budget, but that money has to flow through to 2005-06 and be spent in 2005-06.
That is just one example of where both the Leader of the Opposition and the member of Blain do not understand the process, because they say: ‘You spent so much more in the financial year than you said you would’. Well, of course you do, because we did not know that that $36m was going to lob just weeks before the end of the financial year. It would have been much easier to say to the federal government: ‘Give it to us in the next financial year’. However, that would not suit the federal government because they want to clear their books of the cash before the end of the financial year, and they do not care what it does to the state budget books. It is a flow, and it will always be that situation because the end of the financial year is simply a day on the calendar, and revenue flows do not respect 30 June one way or another. All the books have to recognise is 30 June and the start of a new financial year The Commonwealth does for its own purposes, but not for ours.
Let us go back to my confidence around this $68m probably being somewhat better, if not a good bit better by the end of the financial year, and compare the difference to the way this Labor government’s targets have come in, compared to CLP. In the budget of 1999-2000, a deficit of $100m; budget 2000-01, a deficit of $101m; and budget 2001-02 promised a deficit of $12m, delivered a deficit of $130m, but we reduced that to $83m prior to 30 June 2002. In our first full financial year in government, confronted with a deficit of around $126m to $130m, we returned a deficit of $83m. The next financial year we were in deficit; it would have been a predicted deficit again. In budget 2002-03, we delivered a surplus of $8m. In budget 2003-04, predicted to be in surplus, we delivered a surplus of $36m. Budget 2005 was expected to be balanced, and we delivered a $51m surplus. In each of those years, whatever the target that was set in the May budget, it was considerably improved. Despite greater expenditure throughout each of those financial years, the final outcome was considerably improved.
Why would we not, in budget year 2005-06, considerably improve our margin again? A different result, sure, to what was predicted, but a better result in not adding to debt, as opposed to the very different results that the CLP achieved which were always in the negative, always one way. Budget 2005-06 as predicted in the mid-year report, is on target. I am prepared to take the member for Blain, in any form of wager he would like, that we will better the $68m deficit by the end of the financial year.
There was discussion over the past week that we blew the books in 2003-04 as well, and we spent far much more than we budgeted for. Of course, we did, but we received a whole lot more revenue than we expected we would as well. In fact, $151m extra revenue through the year, $100m in round terms, $100m extra expended, but a $51m surplus. If you return to surplus and you budgeted for a balanced budget, how can you have blown the budget? It is simply not possible to have a $51m surplus and to have blown the budget.
We announced in May 2005 that the budget targets for the next four years would be deficit: $68m in 2005-06, and I believe we will improve on that; in 2006-07 a deficit of $53m and, if we improve this year it will be consistent with every other year in government - we will improve the minus-$53m for 2006-07; in 2007-08, minus-$21m; and balanced back in 2008-09. I would think, all things being equal, we will improve dramatically on that outcome.
In some of his comments about budgets and the economy, the member for Blain said it is really nothing to do with us. Part of this stems from the CLP resentment of the fact that the economy is going well, and referred to as turbocharged. He said: ‘It is nothing to do with the budget. The economy is great, everyone else has done that, nothing to do with the government. But the budget is absolutely stuffed and it is all to do with the resources boom; all to do with the resources boom, nothing to do with this government’. If that is the case, in 2001 when we were elected - and it was a basket case out there - we pump primed every spare cent we could over those first couple of years into record capital works programs in order to get the Territory’s construction industry slowly into gear and moving again.
If we had not done that, I would suggest these project managers would have looked twice. They would have said: ‘Nothing happening in the Territory, it is a dead place, they do not have a construction industry, we are going to have bring everyone in’. As it occurred, they have to bring most people in anyway, but I would have thought the signs would not have been there to bring major projects to stream. However, the place was energised and getting up and running under the levers pulled by this government - under the record capital works, record minor new works, and record repairs and maintenance.
We did those years tough, and so did the business world out there. When we did act in that counter-cyclical way to push in as much government revenue as we could to get the budget going, that is exactly what the CLP should have been doing two years earlier - two years earlier.
Mr Mills: We were building a railway at the time.
Mr STIRLING: They had their eye off the ball, the relied wholly and solely on the railway, pumped every cent they could into that and had nothing left, because of their mismanagement, in order to pick it up.
Okay, the major projects are there, but what about the residential construction, the non-residential construction, the real estate going through the roof, the huge increases in tourism coming through, the ever-increasing retail sales, the record number of vehicles sold to this month, which ABS released today?
I say to the member for Blain that you cannot separate out the difference between the budget and the economy. They are closely linked. The budget itself is reliant on the revenues generated through economic activity in terms of self-revenue and the Territory’s budget is closely linked to the national economy for GST. If that is going bad then, of course, GST receipts are not going to be coming through as strongly. It is inextricably linked whether you have a national economy and our budget and, of course, the Commonwealth budget or, indeed, the Northern Territory economy and our own budget.
The economy is highly dependent, as we know, on capital works, a function of this government that is determined by this budget and the government. Of course, the management of the budget itself impacts on the economy because if you get excited and you try to spend too much on any one sector or any one thing it will throw another area completely out of whack.
I was interested in the member for Blain talking about the seven years of fat and the seven years of lean. Of course, this was Joseph’s interpretation of the Pharaoh’s dream. Members will recall Pharaoh could not find anyone to interpret the dream when the seven fat cows came out of the river followed by the seven lean cows which promptly ate the seven fat cows, but were still as thin and lean as they were before. Then there was the seven good sheaves of grain and the seven thin and withered sheaves of grain. He searched Egypt for someone to explain this and they found Joseph who, of course, was in prison at the time. Joseph came and explained to the Pharaoh that he was going to have seven good years and then seven very lean years with an east wind and no rain and no crops. The Pharaoh was taken by this and he asked: ‘What is the answer?’ He said: ‘We will take a fifth of each crop through the seven fat years and, on my calculations, that will get us through the seven lean years’. Of course, it came true.
Joseph grew to become a great and powerful governor of Egypt under the Pharaoh because he was able to not only to predict the seasons - God told him what the seasons would be and how it was all going to work and what he should do, so it just was not Joseph. Pharaoh was very taken with this. The principle behind that of putting a bit away in good times, as a espoused by the member for Blain, is as sound today as it was back then.
This is the counter-cyclical arrangement that we have employed. We had those record capital works through those very lean years a few years ago, in order to try to get the place up and going. This next financial year budget, we will not have anywhere near a record capital works because there is enough work going out there in the private sector now, and we would only be trying to rob resources and manpower from the private sector getting in the way with our own public sector capital works programs. That does not include R&M, minor new works, they have to go on. However, in major capital, we get out of the way of the private sector and let them keep the work force busy, and stand ready at a time of a downturn to step in with the 20%. It is a bit like the tithes, I suppose, that the CLP members paid to central branch. I do not know whether it is a fifth or whatever, but I am told they are not getting it lately. Is that a fact?
Mr Mills: What was that?
Mr STIRLING: The tithes you have to pay to the CLP. I am told they are not getting it. It is a bit like keeping a fifth back to carry you over the bad times.
In going over the budget, I just want to make this final point on these allegations of budget blow-out. The real question, if you spent more - and every government spends more than it budgeted for at budget time - is whether it is still within its parameters. Is it still within the parameters as laid down at budget time? Answer for this government: absolutely! We said minus-$68m at the start of the year and, as I said, I expect we will, on past form, return much better than that.
A little about the election promises mentioned by the Leader of the Opposition. They were all fully costed and set out as an immediate $8m; in 2006-07, $11m; 2007-08, $18m; and 2008-09, $24.3m. It was also laid out in the pre-election fiscal outlook which we released just before the election. We challenged the CLP to do the same, but the former Leader of the Opposition refused until really he felt pressured into it close to election time. When he did come forward with a statement around election promises, it was $200m short. Ours were tested, thoroughly examined by independent commentators and ticked off. They are still there and they will be worked through in a measured fashion as outlined at the time of the election, and in subsequent budget papers.
The Leader of the Opposition said three …
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, I move an extension of time of 10 minutes to allow my colleague to conclude his remarks.
Motion agreed to.
Mr STIRLING: Madam Speaker, I thank members for their indulgence. I will be brief. I did want to pick up on some points made by the Leader of the Opposition. She said three times in her contribution that GST will fall. That is wrong. That is absolutely wrong. It will not fall. What we have said consistently and what the forward estimates will show is that the rate of growth that we have experienced in the early years of the GST will start to come back from this year and a couple of years forward. However, there is not a fall. You still get more money this 2006-07. Receipts will still give the Northern Territory more money than they received in 2005-06, albeit a lesser percentage increase than perhaps we have seen over the last few years.
She also challenged the Chief Minister about fiscal strategy which was to have a balance and then a surplus budget. When we came to government and such an horrendous mess in 2001, our first priority was to get the budget balanced and back into the black as soon as possible. We made that commitment that we would do it in our first term. In fact, we said we would do it over that first four years. We did it in our second year, and we have returned three surplus budgets since so, once we are in the black, we have stayed there for the past three years. We outperformed ourselves in turning the budget around. We did advise the Territory and everyone else very clearly in the budget papers of 2005-06 that, over the course of this term, we would expect to have modest deficits, and much of that, of course, is around the government investment in the waterfront project.
It is incumbent on the Leader of the Opposition to stay with it when strategies change, for good reason as they have done this time. It is incumbent on her to understand that and be across it. We have this question of the nett debt, the $400m. Much of it has to be seen in accrual terms. It is money owed, but it is not money owed today; it is an outgoing on an emerging basis as public servants retire and pick up their superannuation benefits under NTGPASS. It certainly has to be paid, but it is not the same as nett debt, in the sense that if you had $1.7bn you could not pay it off tomorrow anyway, because it has to be paid right through to the peak of 2012-13 when that figure peaks and the payments start to go down after that. A better way of looking at debt - and you can look at gross debt, and nett debt. Okay, nett debt has jumped up $400m. What does it mean in context of the budget and the revenue we get in? That is the best way of looking at the measure of debt.
The nett debt, plus the liabilities for employees, has increased. However, the debt to revenue ratio has come down, and that is a measure of how you are going on an annual basis. That is a measure of the annual revenue you get in for the year verses the debt situation you are in. Under the CLP, that ratio was as high as 134%. We were working it down, and it will move one or two percentage points up as a result of these deficits that we are in now. However, at the moment it stands at 119%. That is a far cry from the 134% - and spiralling - that we were seeing under the CLP. Not only was debt running away from them on an alarming basis, the revenue, of course, was not there to cover it and the debt to revenue ratio was worsening on a daily basis.
You have to look at these things and, if you are going to objective and completely fair, you cannot run around and saying the sky is falling in because nett debt jumped $400m. So has the ability of government to pay that debt increased. We cannot help it that the actuary comes along and says people are living longer and they employ a different methodology to work out just what superannuation entitlements we might be looking at into the future. Nor does it have to be paid today either, or even next week. It is there and has to be met at some stage.
I guess the most telling point that the member for Blain talked about and made was the seven years of fat and seven years of lean. I hope he is right in this case that we are in seven years of fat, because that means we have a few years to go - whether we say a fifth of that fat, or what measure we actually keep back, will be measured in how we perform against those deficits we forecast.
I have said and I will say it again: I bet the member for Blain anything that we will return on past form - and you have to take form in this; you look at form on racehorses, you have to look at form of governments. This government has always returned a better outcome than predicted at its May budget by June of the next year. I am willing to hear of any offer on a take-up with this bet from the member for Blain within reason; that we will return a much better than a minus-$68m figure.
Budget is in good shape, Madam Speaker, the economy even better. I look forward to the next time we get around to these matters, which will be the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report.
Motion agreed to; report noted.
MOTION
Note Paper –Statehood Steering Committee Report
Note Paper –Statehood Steering Committee Report
Continued from 15 February 2006.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, I will be brief. I am pleased to be on this Statehood Steering Committee because, as you know, I am a supporter of statehood and I have been for a long time. It is difficult, when you know there is a bit of disinterest out there; the people really do not have the passion for statehood at the moment that we would like them to have. Even the debate on the nuclear facility did not stir enough passion for people in the Northern Territory to start a strong push for statehood. I really believe it is going to be a hard slog, particularly for those members of the committee in maintaining their interest and enthusiasm. That is why it is really very important that we make sure they get all the support and encouragement they need.
Interestingly, when you look at some of the survey results that, and there were over 1600 people surveyed at the show, which I thought was a pretty widespread gauge of people’s reaction. Some of the answers that were given, though, really did not have a strong, positive response or did not indicate that people were au fait with what statehood was all about. For instance – ‘Does the Northern Territory have its own Constitution written by Territorians?’ ‘Not sure’ was 50% of the answer. People really are not sure of what we are talking about yet. ‘Do you believe the Northern Territory has all the same rights as a state already?’ 66% said no. ‘Do you know how many representatives the Northern Territory has in the two Houses of the Australian parliament?’ 54% said no. There is a lot of misunderstanding and a lack of knowledge out there. The only one where they were quite strong in their response was: ‘If the Northern Territory becomes a state, do you want to change the name?’ That was a strong 85% that said no. However, if you look at all the other answers, it really shows that there was a ‘not sure’, ‘not really interested’, ‘nil response’. It is a pretty strong indication to the committee that there needs to be a lot of work done on education and convincing people that we are ready to be a state, that we have been operating as a state for some time, and that we should, as part of Australia and Australian citizens, become a state.
It is interesting that, although I am Victorian by birth, just because I moved to the Territory I no longer have the same entitlements as my brother and sister who remained in Victoria. That is the crazy part about it. Many of us came from interstate. Many of us were not born in the Territory but, for some reason or other, we lose some of our rights as soon as we come to live here. That is one of those anomalies we need to get across to people out there: just because you live in the Territory does not mean to say that you should not be accepted as a citizen of Australia with full and equal rights as anyone else living in any other state in Australia.
I guess what this has told us very strongly is that we need to do a lot of education, a lot of campaigning and a lot of advertising. I worry, if we do a lot now, how are we going to keep the passion up, and what are we really aiming for? If we are talking about statehood in 2008-09, will we have the community behind us? If we do not want to put so much passion and strength into advertising, and persuading people it is a good thing, we go through this high and then we lull off. That is, basically, what has happened with the statehood process after the last referendum. It is unfortunate.
I have to admit the people on the statehood committee are good people who have the interests of statehood at heart, who are there because they have a genuine interest in it, and because they would like us to progress towards statehood as we go along. If government is really sincere about getting statehood and maintaining this momentum, then they really need to fund this committee in a way that will enable them to do their job. Without funding, there is little point in having all these members appointed to this committee. Without adequate funding, it will make it very hard for members to meet, to travel, to speak to people in the Northern Territory.
What they have done so far, has been a great credit to them. The fact sheets were really great, because they highlighted many of the simple questions that people asked. When I have done presentations to high school students there is obviously a lack of understanding. However, from the young people’s point of view, they are perhaps a little more passionate than the older generation. I do not mean that in any insulting manner, but I am just saying that young Territorians who were born here and are beginning to understand what democracy and politics are all about really believe and have a passion for being Territorians. Whereas, I guess, as we have grown older, because we have been through this before, we have lost that bit of passion and interest, so we are becoming a little disinterested.
I believe it is hard slog, I really do. Whenever we go into a campaign to do it, we are going to have to be quite creative to capture the imagination of many of the people out there who really are disinterested. Our travels across the Territory to engage with Territorians will sometimes be very hard and very difficult because we may come across people who are really not that interested in what we are doing.
I commend the executive officer, Mr Michael Tatham, who is here today, for the tremendous work he has done in leading the committee; Sue Bradley, and all the other committee members who have been so up-front and willing to participate in the committee, and to all the other members of the committee including the co-chair, the member for Barkly. It is a hard task and sometimes a bit of a hard slog. However, I know he is there to do the best he can for the Northern Territory.
I appreciate the work that has been done. We are on the right track. I ask government to make sure you fund the committee adequately. I urge all members of the House to get behind us and give us that support whenever we need it.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Mr Deputy Speaker, I also speak on behalf of the opposition in support of this report and the work of the committee. It is very important work. I have been a member of this committee since 1999 when I first entered parliament in a by-election. There has been a sense of heading in this general direction. We know what we want but it has been difficult to define clearly the means to achieve that, particularly when we recognise what sits behind achieving this objective is the will of government. It is a delicate matter because, ultimately, government must show itself to be very willing to see this objective achieved by way of resources that it provides to the mechanism to advance this case and, at the same time, be removed from the process so that the community knows that this is a bipartisan, community issue that does not involve the self-interest of politicians. There is a great test for governments in this process.
There have been recent calls for an increase for funding and those calls will continue and test the will of government. At this point, I acknowledge, firstly, the very important and commendable role the member for Barkly has played; and the executive officer, Michael Tatham. I was involved in a range of interviews to select someone and I believe we have chosen well. Sue Bradley, the role that you have played with the other committee members has encouraged me and many members in the House. We would go to the show circuit and see the passion and the energy that was demonstrated through that show circuit, where people who are part of that committee believe in statehood and are starting to get people to think more about it.
Now they are armed with real information. Those fact sheets are very good. I have been encouraged by the energy of the committee members - the passion they bring to bear to achieving this objective which is either behind the scenes or up-front. It is there with every Territorian. When any Territorian really understands the issue, there is not a problem.
It is an abstract proposition because, in the early days before self-government, at the time the CLP was formed, it was largely formed on the basis of a fair deal for Territorians. We knew very well before self-government we were not in a position where we had a fair deal from Canberra. Ultimately, self-government was achieved and, in some ways, that has muted the passion of Territorians because we have a Clayton’s statehood. Once it is explained, Territorians understand that we are still second-class citizens.
I pay respect to Bernie Kilgariff here. I remember a memorable cup of tea I shared with Bernie a couple of years ago helped me to connect with the history of this issue, and the important place that this issue has in the history and in the future of the Northern Territory. Thank you to Bernie for keeping the fire burning.
Finally, at the other end of the scale there are our young people. I had the opportunity to participate in a debate at one of the high schools. It was Marrara Christian School. They invited me to adjudicate. It was most encouraging to see young people having a grasp on the issues and arguing the case - a bit like what happens in this Chamber. I have to say that those who were arguing for statehood did a marvellous job. They had all the resources under the sun. They had a very strong argument and very passionate position and a right position to take.
I felt so sorry for those who were arguing that statehood is not the go. They did not have any support from those who were listening, nor did they have any strong argument or any resources to fall back on. Even in that forum, those who were involved learnt a lot about it, but parents learnt a lot too. What they learnt through that process was that there are a lot of resources available. As members here are contacted by Years 9 to 11 as they are doing their different projects, this often features. The future really largely lies with our young people and that is why the education process is so important.
Madam Speaker, I commend this report to honourable members.
Ms McCARTHY (Arnhem): Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I take this opportunity to address the parliament on the good works progressed so far by the Statehood Steering Committee. I say good works because I looked at this report and read through the minutes and saw how much has gone into it, as the previous speakers, the members for Blain and Braitling, have said. The enthusiasm comes through the staff, such as Michael Tatham, Nora Kempster and co-chair Sue Bradley. Seeing them at the show circuit has highlighted to most people that statehood is very much a discussion point.
It took a beating at the 1998 referendum which saw 51.3% of voters reject statehood. Naturally, many of us who remember that carry all sorts of lessons from what happened. I remember it quite vividly as I was covering it at the time as a journalist.
As I read this report to see where we are going, I had a look at our history in general. I wanted to share with the parliament the three very important constitutional moments in the history of the Northern Territory. I take great delight in reading Under One Flag by Peter Loveday and Dean Jaensch which goes into detail about those three important points and I will share them with you.
The first was the annexation of the Northern Territory to South Australia in 1863. The second was its transfer to the Commonwealth in 1911 and the third is the attainment of self-government - not statehood – in 1978. I add a fourth constitutional moment, perhaps, which would be the 1998 statehood referendum as the next important date, despite it being a no vote.
Keep in mind that, in between the first two events, in 1901 the Federation of Australia was established, Australia was still in its infancy as a nation when it took over the reigns of the Territory in 1911. Reading through the history, no one seemed too enthusiastic about taking on the responsibility of the Territory. It is a theme that seems to flow straight through the reading of this. It amuses me in some ways, because you can see a pattern emerging throughout the constitutional debate with regards to the birth and the growth of this beautiful place called the Northern Territory.
I will go back to the first point. In the middle of the 1800s, South Australia only took over the annexation of the Territory simply because Queensland did not want to. You think, okay, Queensland did not want us and so South Australia was stuck with us. However, South Australia was not exactly falling over itself to embrace us either. That gives you a feeling of not really being wanted there either. It is interesting to note at this point, that it was only just last year that a politician from South Australia was canvassing the idea that the Northern Territory should again belong to South Australia. Oh, what a terrible idea! They did not want us back in the 1800s, and I am not going to let them have a chance of taking us back now.
This not-so-enthusiastic attitude is a common thread as we look through the history of our development. It was a case of unexciting, boring, maybe dull, to the southern political leaders of the day who had more important things to worry about in their own area.
I will share with you some exerts from Loveday and Jaensch’s book:
- There was nothing in the official ceremony of transfer on 2 January 1911 which suggested an exciting new era in the Territory’s history. Perhaps there was little that the adolescent Commonwealth could say by way of welcoming to her care this strange creature of 47 years.
Even the story of the ceremony of the day is interesting reading. Just picture it: the Palmerston orchestral band played God Save the King as the Commonwealth flag rose up the pole beneath the Union Jack here in Darwin. The flag was a new flag made especially for this occasion by a firm of Chinese tailors who did the job - and was most exquisite, I am sure. It actually infuriated a handful of advocates of white Australia, so much that a tattered old flag was used for the pole. In his speech, South Australian government’s Resident, Mr Justice Mitchell, had to rise above any pessimistic mood about the severing of the Territory from South Australia, and urged people in attendance to ‘feel and show a real love for the land in which we live’.
I come back to today. I am confident that we do feel and show a real love for the land in which we live. I am sure my parliamentary colleagues and the people of the Northern Territory ‘feel and show a real love for the land in which we live’ and want to see a good future for all people in the Northern Territory.
It is at this point that I would like to digress a little and go on to some of the issues that have been raised by this Statehood Steering Committee. I mention the people who are on the committee, for those who have not had a chance to read through the Statehood Steering Committee report. Sue Bradley the co-chair, Mr Daniel Bourchier, Ms Kathleen Chong-Fong, Mr Pete Davies, Mr Stuart Kenny, Ms Irene Nangala, Mr Brian Martin AO MBE, Ms Jenny Medwell OAM, Ms Kezia Purick, Mr Jamey Robertson, Mr Geoff Shaw OAM, and Ms Margaret Vigants was the committee as of January 2006. The committee also has membership with representative status of the following stakeholder groups: Territorians for Statehood, the Central Land Council, the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association, the Northern Territory Minerals Council, Unions NT, and Multicultural Council of the Northern Territory.
When there were calls for membership on this committee, 95 applications were received, and that speaks volumes, Madam Speaker. In a lot of ways, it gives a great deal of hope to a movement that certainly suffered great defeat after the 1998 ‘no’ vote. However, seeing that 95 people applied to be on this committee, gives great hope. I heard the member for Braitling when she said it is going to be hard work, a hard slog. I absolutely agree it will be. There needs to be the passion, and I believe passion is something that comes with time. Seeing this committee formed and growing, moving along, cementing and firming the foundations of something wonderful, that is inclusive and informs people, is how I see what this committee is all about. It may be slow, dreary, tiresome, and you may wonder if you getting anywhere but, as a Territorian, as a Yanyuwa woman, I am really encouraged and excited by the good works that I have seen in such a short time.
The STAG, which includes the teachers and professionals group that has been set up to teach and open the minds of our youth about governance in the Northern Territory, is just as vital. As the member for Braitling said, reaching our youth through education is a whole part of this inclusive process that opens minds so they can ask the questions. I looked at the survey. You spoke to around 1500 people through the show circuits. I am thrilled with the 10 questions: understanding of what statehood means, why would you like to receive it? I was particularly curious about, ‘Do you believe the Northern Territory has all the same rights as a state already?’ 66% said no. ‘Do you know how many representatives the Northern Territory has in the two Houses of the Australia parliament?’ 54% said no. They do not even know how many representatives we have in the federal parliament right now. ‘Do you have a good understanding of financial relationships between the Northern Territory and Australia governments?’ 67% said no. Not to belittle in any way whatsoever the thoughts of our fellow Territorians, I say thank you to the Statehood Steering Committee for making me aware of the thoughts of the people out there. There were 1500 last year. Another 1500, perhaps, this year.
These are the things that I enjoy reading about and seeing, to get an understanding of what people are feeling. ‘Do you believe the Northern Territory would be worse off financially if it were a state?’ 43% are not sure, 38% no. As the member for Braitling pointed out: ‘If the Northern Territory becomes a state do you want to change the name?’ 85% of that 1500 said no. These are things that I am fascinated about and pleased to read. The other thing is, with the members on the Statehood Steering Committee, the issue of reaching out to our remote areas is absolutely crucial.
We know that the minister, in his address to parliament in October last year about the interpreter service, said that we have 104 languages with 200 employees in the Aboriginal Interpreter Service. I know, from speaking with the CEO, Michael Tatham, that that is an area that they are certainly going to focus on. Indeed, Nora Kempster, who is also in the office with Michael Tatham, is keen to look at that. I commend the staff, because it is a huge job.
The fact that the committee has identified that they need to look at the Kalkarindji statement and the Batchelor statement and constitutional discussions that took place between indigenous groups in the last 10 years, shows me, as an indigenous person, that you are doing what you should be doing in any inclusive process. You are reaching out to those groups. You are asking those questions. You are going to make the effort to see that people understand in their own languages what statehood is all about.
In conclusion, the statehood committee is dedicated to informing and listening to all the people in the Northern Territory. It is only the first eight to 12 months, but it is an encouraging sign of just where we could be going. I would like to see that you have the resources to be able to gradually go along. There will come a day when you, as a committee, will be in the right place at the right time to share the information that all people of the Northern Territory need to hear in order to, hopefully, give that yes vote at the next referendum when we do get there. If next time comes around and, even after all the consultations, the language interpretations, the show circuits and the media advertisements, the education seminars and the discussions in the schools and the forums that we may have, people vote no, let it be said they chose no from an informed and inclusive position, not from an excluded and uninformed one.
________________________
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the Co-chair of the Statehood Steering Committee, Mrs Sue Bradley. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
________________________
Mr BURKE (Brennan): Madam Speaker, the Northern Territory will become a state; of that I have absolutely no doubt. I do not know when that will occur but it will happen. It should have happened previously in 1998. The fact is it did not. For whatever reason, it started off with great enthusiasm for the process, then lost people along the way to such an extent that when it came time to actually vote on the issue, it failed to gain support, which is a shame. It was a result I was not expecting at the time and I view it as a missed opportunity for the Northern Territory.
Referenda are notoriously hard to get agreement on. Even when there is bipartisan support there is a poor record of success. We need to ensure that people are informed and feel that they have come every step of the way; that they are comfortable with what statehood means for them as an individual as well as for the Northern Territory.
That is one of the reasons I am very supportive of the statehood committees consultative forums being available to people. I attended one such forum in Palmerston which showed the great diversity of where people were with their understanding of statehood issues and what people wanted to talk about. There were those who were starting from the very basic premise of, ‘Well, so what? What is the difference?’, as opposed to those who had already decided on the fact they wanted statehood but wanted to go into particulars; for example, whether to incorporate a bill of rights into the constitution. That is an argument somewhat more advanced than the principle of whether we want statehood or not. As I said at the outset, the Northern Territory will be a state but we have to make sure we bring the population along with us. We have to make sure that everyone shares the dream. The effort to get out to remote communities to talk to people and to pass information along in their own languages is vital to ensure widespread support.
It is my personal opinion that the Northern Territory should have statehood on equal footing with the existing states. Others may have a different opinion, and that is something that will be flushed out as we move forward. Interesting that you can either be criticised for moving too quickly, or too slowly. I doubt that you will get all people agreeing all the time as to the speed of the process. However, what is absolutely vital is that the process goes forward because we do not want to get ourselves set up for another referendum, another vote, and for it to be lost a second time. In my view, that will set back the cause of statehood considerably. We need to ensure that people have understood the issues and what is at stake. Statehood is the next step in our constitutional development, and one that we will take. For my part, I hope that it is sooner rather than later because of the benefits that it will bring and what it means for the Northern Territory as a population, as a geographical portion of Australia.
I will close with how I started, in that I want to thank all members of the Statehood Steering Committee for their ceaseless efforts, for taking the message out, informing people and listening to a variety of views. I know that in Palmerston there was a suggestion that the Statehood Steering Committee could get out to more people by setting up in shopping centres and other public areas. I know that has been taken on board, showing that the steering committee is listening to the feedback of how to get out to more people. It is not just about dictating what someone else believes is the process.
I will continue to be involved in some fashion. I hope the people currently on the steering committee will maintain the enthusiasm and the energy because this is a long fight. There is not going to be any real lightning speed about it. That is the nature of constitutional development; it rarely happens quickly. I hope all members of this House will contribute in their own ways, and in their own areas, to explain to people what the full ramifications of statehood are.
Madam Speaker, I commend the steering committee for its report as presented by the minister. I look forward to further reports of progress as we head down the path inevitably to statehood.
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I thank all those members who spoke on to the Statehood Steering Committee Report. First of all, I acknowledge Sue Bradley who was here in the gallery earlier today. It is indicative of the commitment by people associated with the Statehood Steering Committee because Sue was actually here last week. Thank you very much, Sue, for your ongoing commitment.
Obviously, there have been some wide-ranging views on statehood. It is fair to say, without a doubt, that there is a commitment on behalf of all members to statehood, having heard you here this afternoon. As the member for Braitling said, it is probably a difficult exercise because, sometimes, there is a degree of disinterest out there in the community in how you sell statehood. I am very much aware that we are competing with a whole range of other issues that arise from day to day, week to week. Admittedly, it is very hard to sell the message.
The member for Braitling, as did the member for Arnhem, raised the subject of passion in the debate. How do you reignite and maintain the passion? Those sorts of things will arise in many different ways. We probably will not have control over many of those issues but, I can assure you that when the occasion does arrive, the passion will be there in being able to drive the statehood debate forward. I do not think we can actually dictate that, because I do not think it is a sexy enough subject at this point in time. Clearly, the way to arrive at an outcome is through a commitment on behalf of the Statehood Steering Committee.
We also had a contribution from the member for Arnhem, who was able to give a history of views in regard to the Territory and statehood and relationships between the Northern Territory, the Commonwealth and South Australia. There was something that she said which we should give real consideration to. She talked about love for our country. That is a very admiral gesture. If you add love for our country to respect for all peoples, and if we all get together as Territorians - particularly the Statehood Steering Committee which we are going to be behind - then that binds us in how we might achieve statehood. It is a very important message to get out.
The member for Blain talked about the inevitable issue in regards to ongoing funding of such an important exercise. Of course, the Martin Labor government is very conscious of the need to be able to provide appropriate resources and, hopefully, will be in a position, perhaps in the not-too-distant future, to be able to advise what the dollar allocation might be, particularly in relation to this year. Obviously, there are challenges ahead in the future, but I say to the member for Blain that we are very conscious of that. I am sure you, as a committee member, will continue to remind me of that need to get those dollars, as will other members and, of course, the Statehood Steering Committee.
The member for Blain also made reference to Bernie Kilgariff. We all know Bernie. He was here last week. Bernie is a great person, a great Territorian, and he has much to offer. I do not know if Bernie is actually the ambassador for statehood at this particular point in time, but I imagine that he would be the sort of person who would be prepared to be out there with the members of the Statehood Steering Committee in securing statehood.
There are other people we should be able to engage. Only last year, Aunty Kathy Mills was the Senior Territorian of the Year. She is also another wonderful human being, a very compassionate person who has much to offer to the broader community. When you have people like Aunty Kathy Mills and Bernie Kilgariff, if we play our cards right, we are going to be in a very strong position.
There are also people in the regions. I do not know all the people in the regions but there are people like Pat Miller in Alice Springs. I am absolutely certain that she would be the sort of person who would also be prepared to provide inspiration and drive. There are even people who probably no one in this House knows about. Thelma Douglas lives at Borroloola. Thelma has been an inspiration to a lot of people there. I am sure there are other people in the region also. They are the sort of people we have to be able engage to help drive this particular matter. There are also our young people. I know that the Statehood Steering Committee, Michael and his team, worked very hard with the schools. There are those challenges to get a whole lot of people involved in this process because, quite honestly, we cannot do it as politicians. The Statehood Steering Committee can certainly drive it, but it has to be a whole-of-community effort. That is why I am glad the member for Blain raised Bernie Kilgariff, as I did some of the other people. Obviously, we need to engage all sorts of people across the community at all age levels, and I am pretty certain that we can achieve statehood.
Other members have already mentioned the names of the people on the Statehood Steering Committee. However, I would like to have them recorded in the Parliamentary Record as well. You have already mentioned Sue Bradley as the Co-chair of the Statehood Steering Committee. There is also Geoff Shaw, Irene Nangala, Daniel Bourchier, Brian Martin, Jamey Robertson, Kezia Purick, Stuart Kenny, Jenny Medwell, Pete Davies, Kathleen Chong-Fong and Margaret Vigants. There have been other members also who have actually sat on the committee, Galarrwuy Yunupingu being one of them. Due to other commitments, he was unable to continue in his role, but we thank him for his contribution for that short period and, more importantly, for his contribution to the Northern Territory as a whole.
To the existing members of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, the members for Braitling, Blain, Arnhem, Brennan and Katherine, thank you very much for your contribution. I believe, quite sincerely, the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee is in good hands because of people like the members for Brennan and Arnhem. I say that because they are a degree younger than us. I would say to you both that you have a great opportunity here to drive this particular debate and I know that you will do that.
I would like to thank Ian McNeill, the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, very much for his contribution thus far. Many people probably do not know this, but when we decided to embark on this process whereby we would try to ensure that there were community representatives engaged in the process as opposed to what occurred before, it was, obviously, a very difficult exercise. I guess there was a fear on our part, as politicians, that we did not want to let this go. We tried to set up a mechanism or an arrangement whereby we could engage ordinary Territorians. We have already heard reference to the fact that 95 people applied. The person who actually did all the hard work was Ian. He came up with a model of a Statehood Steering Committee. It is a good model. It is a very relevant model, not only in relation to statehood, but in regards to some of the other issues that might arise from time to time in this House. It provides an opportunity for members of the community to have an input into, in this case, the statehood debate. However, there will be other issues that will arise over time where I believe this model can be used. I cannot think of one off-hand, but I am sure other members can. It is something that we should think about into the future as a means of being able to engage members of the community out there to help us arrive at decisions of immense importance to the Territory. To you, Ian, thank you very much.
There is another person who is no longer employed in the Legislative Assembly. Rick Gray, over a very long period, played a very important role in the old process and, of course, in this new process. Rick resigned because of his superannuation benefit with the Commonwealth. Whilst that is not of relevance, I am trying to say that I pay him due credit in terms of why he left the Department of the Legislative Assembly. Rick Gray played a very important role. I know that Ian will continue to provide the support to the Statehood Steering Committee if asked and, indeed, I know that he will also be prepared to provide support and assistance to Legal and Constitutional Committee. I also acknowledge David Horton, who took over from Rick Gray. David has provided very professional input to the committee as has Pat Hancock, the present secretary to the Legal and Constitutional Committee, and we thank you Pat.
Maria Viegas also did a lot of the work on the model of the Statehood Steering Committee. I know that she did a lot of the research, so to Maria, we thank you as well. I would also like to thank Michael Tatham, whom I mentioned previously, who has provided a very professional response to the Statehood Steering Committee and also to the Legal and Constitutional Committee. Michael has a lot of energy. I know that he is committed, dedicated, and that he will continue to work very hard in securing statehood for the Northern Territory. Nora Kempster is an indigenous woman who has an important role in engaging the indigenous community and non-indigenous community, and I know that she is also very committed to this process. Sharon McAlear is the secretary to the Statehood Steering Committee - thank you for your outstanding contribution as well.
In conclusion, there will be some big challenges for the Statehood Steering Committee as they embark on a community consultation process which will occur over the next few months. They are going to Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, and to a lot of other communities to engage, talk, and consult with people. I wish them well in their deliberations. I thank all the speakers. I thank you very much for your commitment and your dedication and, more importantly, I thank the Statehood Steering Committee for their ongoing hard work. I know that they will continue to provide the drive and direction which will deliver statehood to the Northern Territory.
Motion agreed to; paper noted.
TABLED PAPER
Members’ Telephone and Travel Expenses ─ Report pursuant to Remuneration Tribunal Determination No 1 of 2005
Members’ Telephone and Travel Expenses ─ Report pursuant to Remuneration Tribunal Determination No 1 of 2005
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I table the report of the Department of Legislative Assembly pursuant to paragraphs 5.2 and 8.8(c) of the Remuneration Tribunal Determination No 1 of 2005 which contains an annual schedule of member travel at government expense, and an annual schedule containing the respective totals of government payments on behalf of each member for satellite telephones and mobile telephones.
MOTION
Print Paper - Members’ Telephone and Travel Expenses ─ Report pursuant to Remuneration Tribunal Determination No. 1 of 2005
Print Paper - Members’ Telephone and Travel Expenses ─ Report pursuant to Remuneration Tribunal Determination No. 1 of 2005
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move the report be printed.
Motion agreed to.
ANSWER TO QUESTION
Alice Springs – Contract awarded to New South Wales Firm
Alice Springs – Contract awarded to New South Wales Firm
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I have a response to a question asked by the member for Braitling earlier in Question Time regarding work done at Alice Springs.
In Question Time this afternoon, the member for Braitling directed a question to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport concerning the contracts awarded to Siemens Limited valued at $625 862 for work in Alice Springs. The member for Braitling asked why the contracts went to an interstate company. The answer is the contractors for the 20 000 hour service on set nine of the Rod Goodin Power Station in Alice Springs, Siemens, is the original equipment manufacturer and the only company in the world capable of carrying out this service. Power and Water has had previous dealings with Siemens Limited, the Swedish manufacturer of the GT35C gas turbine, and has always received excellent service at competitive costs.
That is the answer to the member for Braitling’s question.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
Building Better Services for People with a Disability
Building Better Services for People with a Disability
Ms LAWRIE (Family and Community Services): Madam Speaker, I inform the House of the achievements made by government in advancing the rights and interests of Territorians with a disability, and to outline the government’s plan of action to address the challenges that still lie before us. Approximately 13% of Territorians live each day with a disability of some kind. More than one in 10 members of our community, that is 26 000 Territorians, deal not only with a disability but with a society that too often fails to make even the most basic accommodation for their needs. Many people with disabilities are senior Territorians who, after long and fruitful lives, now have trouble getting around or need some assistance in the home. Others have lived with disabilities for their entire lives, including nearly 10% of children in our schools. Too many Territorians have disabilities following injuries or misadventure on our roads, in our homes or from long-term substance abuse.
This government believes that people living with a disability should enjoy the same rights as other Territorians. We believe that Disability Services should work to build on people’s abilities, their desire to be independent, and to achieve their full potential. We believe that disability is everyone’s business across government and throughout the community. When the Martin government came to power, we inherited a system that was under-funded and lacking direction. People with disabilities have been neglected by a government unwilling to put people first.
In 2001, I assisted the then Minister for Health and Community Services, Hon Jane Aagaard MLA, to consult with the disability sector to identify the most urgent issues for action. We held meetings in Alice Springs and Darwin to work out where our new government should start to fix the system. I found a sector that was angry and frustrated at being ignored by the former government. People’s requests were relatively modest. Parents wanted more services for their kids and opportunities for young people when leaving school. They wanted a better deal for the bush, more choices in accommodation and access to respite. Five years on, we have a record achievement on those very issues.
I pay tribute to you, Madam Speaker, and after you, minister Scrymgour, for the results you have achieved. I am privileged to have the opportunity to build on your work.
The first step was to increase funding. All the policy in the world is not much use unless you have funding to implement it. Our first priority was to inject some much-needed funds into the disability budget. We did this straightaway. The budget paper showed that we increased the disability budget by 50% in our first year. This was an immediate injection of around $14m to take the budget from $27m under the CLP to $40m the next year in 2002-03. We have continued to build the budget and it is now around $50m – an 86% increase in commitment compared to the previous CLP administration.
On the ground, this results in the Martin government spending an extra $23m each year on vital community services for aged people and people with a disability. An extra $23m makes a real difference to people with disabilities, their families and carers. It means more supported accommodation places, more respite for carers, more therapy for children and more support for people to be part of our community.
In 2005-06, the Territory government will spend $28m under the Commonwealth/state/territory disability agreement. This is 65% or an $11m increase on 2001-02 levels of spending, and includes a commitment well above that required through our agreement with the Australian government.
In 2004-05, we spent $8.2m under the Home and Community Care program – an increase of $2.5m under this government. That means more support for people, often senior Territorians, who need a helping hand to be able to live independently in their own homes: meals, transport, cleaning, fixing up the house or tidying up the yard. This is the kind of support that the Home and Community Care program provide for some 4500 Territorians every year, both in our major centres and in remote communities.
Funding more of the same was not only the answer; this government has set up new services and led substantial improvements in established services. This government has created 20 new places for people requiring supported accommodation since 2001, as well as providing additional packages of support for people to stay in their own homes. We have not only provided accommodation where we can, we have offered people choices – choices that attempt to meet people’s needs and give people more meaningful control over their own lives.
We have done better for children and young people with a disability. Over the last four years, services for young people leaving school, many of whom have serious disabilities, have changed markedly. Not all young people with disabilities have developed the skills to obtain employment and to live independently by the time they leave school. It was clear that we needed to build specific programs that met this need. Today, we have a post-school options program in Darwin. Seventeen young people from across Darwin use this service up to five days a week, learning skills and developing as the young adults they are. It is hard to believe that only four years ago there was no service like this in Darwin.
At the same time, we have increased funding for day programs in Alice Springs to create new options for this group of young people. We are now faced with the need to establish equivalent services in Katherine, and to find other ways of supporting this valuable group of people in other communities, be that in skills development programs or greater opportunities to get into employment.
This government has invested funds in school therapy services, and the decision to transfer responsibility for school-aged services to the Department of Health and Community Services in 2003 created a critical mass of children’s allied health specialists able to follow kids from infancy right through the school system. We have also increased therapy services for very young children.
I am pleased to inform the Assembly that, in January, we commenced a new service for children with intense and complex daily support needs who are unable to live with their parents or guardians. The new service named SCOPE (strengths, connections, opportunities, potential and empowerment) brings a new provider, Life Without Barriers, to the Territory, with considerable expertise in working with people with high support needs. The service will provide training and support for family carers and an individual focus for each of the young people in the program. Most importantly, parents and guardians unable to meet the care needs of their children will not be forced to place their children under the care of the government in order to get a service. Through SCOPE, parents and guardians can be actively involved in the lives of their children, and be sure that their children are getting the support that they need. $1m per annum shared between the Family and Children Services and Aged and Disabilities program has been committed to establishing this important program.
This is not the only area where it has been necessary to establish new services. Too often, people with behavioural or mental health problems end up with some involvement in the criminal justice system. In 2002, the Criminal Code was amended with respect to people who were unable to understand court procedures and were, therefore, unfit to plead. Prior to these amendments, some people who were found to be unable to understand the court proceedings had their charges dismissed, potentially presenting risks to both community safety and themselves.
In addition to legislative change, we committed to increase funding to provide greater in-reach support to the prison system. This funding will amount to $700 000 in 2006-07 and will see specialist mental health and disability expertise being available to Correctional Services. The system will be operating to address the health and welfare of prisoners, while also protecting community safety. This builds on other commitments including bringing together challenging behaviour services in Central Australia into one unit, and creating new accommodation places for clients with serious behavioural problems across the Territory.
This government is also committed to a steady process of reform and improvement in our core services. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Taxi Subsidy Scheme. The Northern Territory Taxi Subsidy Scheme provides vouchers to people who are not able to use public transport, as a contribution to the cost of using taxis. The Taxi Subsidy Scheme is an area where my department has received a fair degree of criticism; mainly that people have to jump over many hurdles to get access to support that they really need. In 2005, we reviewed the administration of the scheme and, since receiving the report, my department, in consultation with the NT Disability Advisory Council, has been working on changes to the way we will do our business.
I am pleased to announce that, in the coming months, we will overhaul the criteria and assessment by which people are assessed for taxi subsidy. We are also currently trying to finalise a new assessment form for doctors that will give better information and cut out the need for many people to be assessed a second time by staff in my department. We will create a new category for the scheme, specifically for people who want to use the scheme rarely, or those who have disabilities that flare up at certain times of the year when the weather changes. We will make it simpler for people in these groups to get access, removing the need for everyone to reapply for temporary membership year after year. We will improve our public information, and we will create a formal appeals mechanism for people who disagree with assessment outcomes.
Together with my colleague, minister Burns, I have been working to establish …
Dr LIM: A point of order, Madam Speaker! This minister, above all other members of government, persists on breaching Standing Order 65. She knows full well - she has been here long enough to know - that she should not refer to any member of this Chamber by their name but by their electorate.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, if you could use the electorate name of members, or their proper title, thank you.
Ms LAWRIE: Yes. With my colleague, the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, I have been working to establish a smart card system for the scheme that will make it easier for people to use and reduce the risk of fraud. If successful, this should also create the capacity to consider the introduction of a lift fee to appropriately compensate drivers of multi-purpose vehicles - simple initiatives that will make a practical improvement.
It has also been a major body of work for this government to improve our services to remote Aboriginal communities. 36% of Aboriginal people report that they have a disability. A quarter of these people will have a severe disability, one which has a major impact on their ability to care for themselves and means they are in need of intense support. This is more than twice the rate that severe disability occurs in our non-indigenous Australians. Remote communities, in particular, have been missing out on services, meaning that older people and people living their entire lives with disabilities were left with a choice of moving to the major centres or not receiving a service at all.
One of my first duties as Minister for Family and Community Services was to join with my colleagues in Western Australia and South Australia to launch the Tri-State Disability Strategic Framework, an agreement to work cooperatively across jurisdictions for services affecting the NPY Lands. All governments will be working together to ensure that state borders do not get in the way of effective services for people who need them.
The Territory is recognised as contributing important expertise to this partnership, particularly through our work on challenging behaviours. Following on from this launch, the South Australian government has contracted the Northern Territory government’s Positive Behaviour Support Unit based in Central Australia to work with a number of clients in South Australia affected by the scourge of petrol sniffing.
Since coming to office, we have also improved remote communities’ access to home and community care services. We have 14 new HAC services in remote communities at this time. Previously, the communities did not have even the most basic services. There are people living in communities like Ramingining, Kalkarindji, Mt Liebig, Timber Creek, Minjilang, Aputula and Papunya can get delivered meals, help with the washing, and opportunity to take trips to their traditional country. This government has continued to develop HAC as a truly Territory-wide program, with care and support as close to home as possible.
This government is serious about Aboriginal health and welfare. One of the many challenges we face is the national shortage in allied health services, both for people with disabilities and remote communities in general. While the Australian government has funded a few projects in this area - most notably the excellent work of the Katherine Regional Allied Health Service - much of the burden of providing allied health services to most remote communities falls back on visiting services from a dedicated band of Health and Community Services staff.
In 2004, teams within the Aged and Disability Program began to introduce trans-disciplinary practice to our remote allied health teams. The model is surprisingly simple. It means that each community is allocated a staff member who makes the commitment to visit that community regularly. Allied health professionals share their expertise in disciplines such as physio, occupational therapy, social work and speech therapy to create a comprehensive service. Community visits usually occur about every six weeks, while visiting therapists take all comers, providing assessment and the immediate, often simple assistance that people need right then and there, where people require services from a number of different professions. For example, somebody recovering from a stroke may require speech therapy and physiotherapy. That is arranged either through phone contact with other therapists or a one-off visit at another time.
Fundamentally, trans-disciplinary practice is about building trust; my staff are becoming known in communities. More and more people have come to seek service. In the East Arnhem region, the level of service we provide has almost doubled in the two years since trans-disciplinary practice has commenced. In the last 12 months, trans-disciplinary practice has seen a team service remote communities in the Barkly and Central Australia increase their level of service by a third. This has been achieved from the commitment and smart thinking of our staff. It is a story of improving services by doing better with the resources that we have.
An important flow-on from this work is that services are being created in communities that will support people with their disabilities and the frail aged to live in their homes and their country. We have expanded our work for older people by creating packages of care that support people in hospital to return to the home safely and more quickly than they otherwise might. We are successfully working with families and communities in remote areas to build up the skills needed to allow people with disabilities to live in their own country.
I am aware of one young Aboriginal man from a remote community whose brain injury means that he is not completely in control of his behaviour. It was said that this young man would never again be able to live in his country, that his disability was such that it was not possible for his family and local services to provide the necessary support. It was said that he would always have to live in the city with higher levels of supervision, angry and frustrated at the controls placed around him. Today, that young man is living successfully on an outstation with his family. Disability staff have worked extensively to educate him about appropriate behaviour. His family have learnt how to support him appropriately and are getting support and assistance with his needs. A sustained effort from everyone involved means that we now have a young man with some serious challenges taking his place in his own country supported by the community.
The disability sector is full of human stories such as this. Government funding and services may be vitally important but they pale into insignificance when compared to the daily contributions of the thousands of carers who work across the Territory. Before entering the Assembly, I was the executive director of NT Carers and was directly connected to the work done by carers across the Territory. I am grateful to live in a community where so many take up the work of ensuring that those who are otherwise vulnerable get support. Support for carers will be a major focus of my time in this portfolio. Already, we provide support for carers through many of our programs. In 2004-05, we spent $1.6m on respite services providing carers with the break they need to recharge their batteries and to continue to look after their family members. In 2005-06, we joined with the Australian government to increase access to respite funding for older carers, particularly those with adult children with disabilities.
During the election campaign, we committed to establishing a carers card, extending some of the concessions currently available to pensioners to people who are in caring roles as well. Workers commenced to implement this commitment and carers will be able to access these concessions by 1 July this year. I understand that, when up and running, this will be the first scheme of its kind in the country. We will also enact a carer’s recognition act. The carer’s recognition act will set a legislative standard for everyone to recognise the role that carer’s play. It will set an expectation that public services will acknowledge and involve carers in decision making and make explicit the importance of carers and their contribution work. Only Western Australia and South Australia currently have such legislation.
So far, I have talked about the work that is done within my department and the Aged and Disability Services Division. Perhaps one of the best achievements in the last four years has been making the provision of services for people with a disability core business for every government agency.
People with disabilities do not just want services, they want to live in a community that includes and accommodates their needs. For people with a disability it is about accessing good health care, finding a decent job, being able to get out and about, to be active and be able to enjoy the company of friends and family. As a government, we want cabs and buses to be available and accessible to people who use wheelchairs, and we want to follow up on problems when they occur. We want new public buildings that people with a disability can get into and enjoy, alongside their fellow community members. We want to continue to build public housing that can meet the needs of older Territorians as they become less and less mobile and create accommodation that allows for effective support for people with a disability. We want an education system that supports as many children with disabilities as possible, to be educated in mainstream classrooms, and we want people to leave school with the skills they need to obtain employment that allows people to live at their full capacity. We want to increase the sport and recreation opportunities and help people get out and experience the great Territory outdoors.
Across government we have seen improvements with agencies recognising that they all have a key role to play in improving the situation. Our Willing and Able strategy is up and running and helping people with a disability to get jobs within the Northern Territory Public Service. We are improving facilities and services in schools. An audit was carried out determining the needs of each school, and these needs are being prioritised. An example is the installation of a new lift at Casuarina Secondary College.
Accessibility to transport is a huge issue for people with a disability. More than 80% of buses on the Darwin Bus network are now low floor, easy access. They are specially constructed for people with a disability and include a ramp at the entry door and space set aside at the front of the bus for wheelchairs. A program is being put together to upgrade bus interchanges and bus shelters to meet the standards for access by people with a disability.
Many public housing tenants have a disability, in the first years of the Martin government, we upgraded 603 public housing dwellings to meet the needs of tenants with a disability. As Minister for Sport and Recreation, I am proud of the money we have spent improving accessibility to sporting venues with more than $200 000 worth of improvements at facilities like Marrara Stadium, the Marrara Basketball Stadium and Traeger Park. As well as helping people watch sport, we are helping people with a disability to participate with more than $600 000 in the last four years to organisations like Total Recreation and Riding for the Disabled among others.
These are just a few examples of what is an impressive record of achievement, but it is clear to me that we cannot stop here. We have taken the first steps to repair the broken system we inherited, now I want to make sure that this government’s work on disability issues is as good as any in the country.
On 16 December last year, I officially launched a review of disability services in the Territory. It will be the first complete and comprehensive review of how our disability service system works. I have developed a terms of reference for this review in collaboration with my principal advisors on disability issues, the Disability Advisory Council.
The council, led by an eminent Territorian, Daphne Read, will be involved in the process and be able to assist me to make sense of the information we receive. I am very grateful for their ongoing efforts. In short, this is a review of the whole kit and caboodle: how the system operates, how the parts fit together and, more importantly, the places where they do not. What are our opportunities to get in early before problems become too serious? Fundamentally, what do Territorians who have disabilities think we should do to improve the way our system works? The result will be a road map for the future, with practical recommendations about what we need to change, how we can work better together and where we need to do more.
There are lessons to be learned from other jurisdictions. Other places have struggled with similar issues that we face here in the Territory. We can learn from those debates and develop our own unique answers. For instance, other states have established systems for measuring the quality of what happens in specialist disability services. They have started with their disability service standards and started to look at how well services meet those goals and how services can be supported to do better. I do not believe that people with a disability just have a right to a service; they have a right to a quality service. A subcommittee of the Disability Advisory Council has started to work in this area, and this review will build on it with clear plans to improve what we currently do.
We also need to pick up on the latest evidence. In some areas, specialist researchers are changing the way that we understand certain disabilities, and we need to keep pace with their thinking. Increasingly, there is evidence about what we should be doing for kids. We know that early intervention works, both for children with lifelong disability and for children who are behind on normal development milestones.
When the Minister for Health and the former Minister for Family and Children Services launched Building Healthier Communities in early 2004, this government focused on giving kids a good start in life. Therapists have a contribution to play in ensuring that kids speak clearly, learn and play well, and are not held back by problems with hearing.
This disability review is expected to report in October of this year. We will be consulting with people across the Territory, and we are about to launch a web site where people can keep up-to-date with its progress. I look forward to its results and to hearing what service providers and people with a disability and their carers see as options for the future.
Since taking on this portfolio, I have been very pleased at the willingness of my Cabinet colleagues to work with me on these issues. I have every confidence we will continue to do so in the coming years. The duty is upon us as a parliament, and as a community, to make a concerted effort to do better for Territorians who live with a disability. It is part of our obligation to a more equal society. This government has the strength and the vision to do the job. I urge all members of the House to support this important work.
Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of this statement.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, when government delivers what is, essentially, a motherhood statement, or a statement heavy on motherhood, it shows a degree of complacency, self-satisfied that they have done some things, or are going to do some things, and self-congratulatory because they think they have got there. Yet, when you pass this statement to people within the disability groups to comment, much of the comments that have come back have not been particularly praising of the minister’s statement.
In the first instance, the minister talked about the extent of funding that she has put into disability services. When you analyse the figure - she has spoken about some $50m – you suddenly find out that much of that money has come from other agencies which have now transferred the funding, and their duties, over to disability services. Hence, disability services funding has increased. To me, for a minister of a government to say, ‘Yes, we have increased our funding to $50m’, is really intellectually dishonest. It is really dishonest to do that. If you show that you have aggregated the money to $50m, and clearly demonstrate that in your statement - and you have all the time in the world to speak about it - then you would say just how you have arrived at $50m, and you accept that.
The minister criticised previous governments and how we have or have not spent the money. In fact, the way it was, it was spread out across several other agencies, so the actual aggregate sum was not what the minister compared it with, so it is comparing apples with oranges. I say to the minister it is not an honest appraisal of the state of the disability services and the funds spent on them, if they are being transferred from other areas.
We recognise that there are two major groups of people who are in the disability areas which continue to vie for government support, and so they should. One is the group with intellectual disabilities. The group is made up of many children. The other is people with physical disabilities. Both groups deserve all the support society can provide, and there is no argument about that. We try as best we can to provide as many services as we possibly can to allow them to live an equal life like everybody else. To hear the minister speak, you would think she has achieved that stage, at utopia – well, hardly so. If we have achieved this state by this government, then I am sad to say that many disabled people are now going to be faced with a lot of disappointment. Obviously, the work has to keep on going, to continue to bring about the policies that will continue to make life better for people with disabilities, whether they are physical or mental disabilities.
How can this government say, ‘Oh, everything is pretty good, we have done pretty well’? If that were the case, people with disabilities would be so happy they will not complain one iota about this government. I recall writing a letter to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport a while ago about an intellectually-disabled young girl who has to go to school on the school bus. On most days each week, she would be on the school bus for some three hours going from home to school and back to home. It is a problem. That is inequality between people who can catch the normal bus, or the bus that takes them to their appropriate school, the special school. People who get on and off The Ghan in Alice Springs, not only do they have to walk nearly 0.5 km in the middle of summer down the train without a platform on the ground, there is some 1.5 m to 2 m from the train to the ground. Those are issues that this government has not really thought about.
Recently, we had a young man by the name of Shane Millard in Alice Springs, whose mother complained very stridently that Qantas has brought in this policy that it would not allow high wheelchairs to be stored in the cargo bay of the 737 aircrafts they fly into the Northern Territory. The Northern Territory, and Alice Springs in particular, is serviced by Boeing 737 jets only. If that is the case, it means that people like Shane Millard would have no way of flying out of the Territory. Will Qantas fly in a special Airbus, or some other aircraft configuration that will accommodate high wheel chair? No. This is something that Qantas brought in recently. What has this government done about it? That, I would say, is government trying to do the best it can for disabilities. The government should be there telling Qantas: ‘You cannot do that. This is the only plane you bring into the Territory via Alice Springs. You have to allow some form of accommodation for the likes of Shane Millard’.
With disability services, there will always be a clamouring for more and more funds. Just like normal health services, you will always be clamouring for more and more funds. Government has to work out what the services are it needs to support and what it does not.
I recall the CRESAP Report of the 1900s, and then the Bansemer Report of the year 2002. They provided a very comprehensive report into disability services. In fact, I believe the disability services groups were very satisfied with the level of consultation that was made, and were looking forward to this government acting on the recommendations to achieve outcomes for disabled people. They thought this was great; a better report of 2002 was as a result of the Martin government’s pre-election promise in 2001 that they were going to fix up disability services.
It is four years down the track and little has happened. The fact is that disabled groups are saying that disability services are in crisis, and when the Integrated disAbility Action Inc, (IdA) sought political input just before the last election, nobody from government fronted up to talk to them. That is bad: The opposition did; the government did not. With the number of reviews that have occurred you would have thought it was time this government really took action. It would have had lots of opportunities in these last five years to commence some processes.
Let us go to the Rehabilitation Unit at the Royal Darwin Hospital. It is not good enough to be in a little cottage, a shed or a demountable - call it what you will. It is not a satisfactory form of accommodation for the Rehabilitation Unit. Others call it a former freight or goods storage area. I am not criticising the professional efforts that are produced by the physiotherapists, the rehab consultants and other professionals involved in this service for what it is. It is that this government has kept the Rehabilitation Unit working out of what is, in fact, a small storage shed - and that came about after two years of no operations.
You will recall that over a Christmas period a few years ago, the Health Department did not have a rehabilitation specialist, and thought to close down the Rehabilitation Unit altogether. It took disability groups two years to lobby to finally get the government to start up this service again in Darwin. Never mind about Alice Springs; we have a new building at the Alice Springs Hospital which was custom built for a rehabilitation service. It was opened as a Rehabilitation Unit but, within a short period, that was closed down also. Now it is used for office areas and the like. There is no specific Rehabilitation Unit in Alice Springs since then - not one. All the physiotherapists can do is to work from bedsides within the wards.
The minister then spoke about the Taxi Subsidy Scheme. I am not sure whether it is broke; I suppose it could be improved. What the scheme really needs is more funding. With inflation, the subsidy scheme has not increased adequately to keep pace with that, and taxi fares have increased faster than the subsidy scheme. That causes a deterioration of the value of the subsidy scheme but, more importantly, I believe the specialised disability taxis have not been well governed – if that is the right word to use. There is a lack of incentive for the driver to run an effective disability taxi. We find there is cherry picking by taxi drivers who own or operate disability taxis.
There is one guy in Alice Springs who does the right thing by his disabled clients. He is always available and he makes sure that he puts aside enough time to pick up his disabled passengers, to get them to where they want to go. He tells me that if he were to use his taxi as a normal taxi he would be earning three times as much. However, he has kept to the rules and ensured that his services are provided to the satisfaction of his clients and they respect him for that and they got to know this hardworking conscientious taxi driver well. However, there are many others who are not like that. They pay less for the disabled taxi commercial vehicle licence (CVL) and you would expect them to do the right thing.
I am not sure whether spending money for the card system is of real value and how much fraud it is open to. Sure, one case of fraud is one more than you want but, maybe, the attention should be focused more on making sure taxi operators who have disability taxis do the right thing by the people.
In regards to the kneeling buses which are designed to assist the boarding and disembarking of disabled patients, it would be good if those buses run more routes and at extended hours. I often find that a disabled person says: ‘I cannot go out during the night as the bus does not run in the evening’? Or if they get picked up by the bus, they find that they cannot get home. It is a problem. They can go out for the evening but they cannot get home. Then they have to turn around and find a disabled taxi, if they can find one at all. There are issues there also.
With regards to indigenous disability, who can argue against that? Talking about petrol sniffing, more and more are we going to find indigenous youth severely affected through petrol sniffing and the neurological consequences. This is going to be an expensive future for us.
However, having said that, I wonder whether there have been accurate statistics kept of the numbers of indigenous people living out bush who have disabilities. What services are being delivered at the moment for them? With one clinical spinal nurse consultant here, I wonder how this nurse is going to be able to cope with all the people that she has to see. It would be interesting to hear from the minister in her response sometime later tonight what she can tell us about those things.
Last year, the President of Integrated disAbility Action Inc said in their annual report, and I will quote from that:
- When the Martin government came into power in 2001, expectations were high, particularly in view of the pre-election disability policy. It appeared on the surface, that at last the quality of life for people with disabilities was going to improve. Sadly, nothing could be further from the truth.
That is four years after the election. It goes on to talk about the Bansemer Report and how things seem to be coming together. However, despite all this, no significant achievements and outcomes can be identified as having made a substantial difference in the lives of people who have a disability. The president went on to say this:
- Last year the department released what they considered to be a blueprint for the future ...
Last year meaning 2004:
- … a framework for Health - Building Healthier Communities. Whilst endeavouring to be optimistic, IdA expressed its concern that in the respect to the section on disability, consultation was poor, there were a lot of meaningless motherhood-type statements and there were no real parameters or foundations provided, upon which to build. To date I think our concerns have been justified.
Unfortunately, today, in this statement, the minister was saying, yes, she will do this, she will do that. However, there are no time lines - absolutely no time lines - so we still do not know. She talked about the taxi subsidy and said this will be done within months. What is ‘within months’? It could be one month to 12 months. Who knows? It is important, when the minister delivers what she says she is going to do for any group of people, that she includes some time lines so that people will know whether she has delivered. At the moment, it is all a feel good statement which does not imbue any confidence in the people she hopes most to affect.
The minister recognises that physical disabilities, for instance, affect the elderly also. I have raised this issue before about people needing total hip replacements and not being able to get this done in the Northern Territory for over 18 months. I recall the case of Mr Willis, whose case I brought to this Chamber, who had to go interstate to get this surgery done. About four or five weeks ago, another case came to my attention. This woman, who has had a bad hip for years, finally could not live independently any more and had to be put into respite care. Her son sought assistance from the Alice Springs Hospital - got absolutely nowhere. He was told by the orthopaedic surgeon: ‘We cannot do the surgery for you in Alice Springs and there is no point going looking for it anywhere in the Northern Territory. You will not get that surgery done for at least six months’. His mother’s respite care period was coming to an end and there was nowhere for the elderly woman to go.
Last year, I received a very detailed e-mail from a Mr Douglas Chalmers, who actually wrote to three ministers - the former Minister for Family and Community Services who is now the Speaker, the former Minister for Family Community Services who is now the minister for Heritage, and the current minister. Looking through his e-mail, you can see that this person was totally, absolutely frustrated by the bureaucratic processes put in his way, time and time again, whenever he tried to get some resolution for his mother who lived in a nursing home here in Darwin. He finally sent me his e-mail in absolute disgust. He said: ‘Use it as you wish’. I spoke to him again today and said: ‘The minister is delivering a statement on disability services and, having gone through your e-mails, obviously, you have significant issues. May I raise your issues in parliament today?’ He said: ‘Do as you wish’. He just sent me an e-mail to say that he wrote one last letter to the current minister, which was sent, I think, on 12 October, just before his mother passed away. His closing paragraph is worth reading:
- It is also a fact that the interest shown previously by the Hon Marion Scrymgour, MLA, and the Hon Jane Aagaard, MLA’s undertaking that my mother would be treated fairly in aged care and so forth, have scarcely been honoured.
It is now up to you as to how you ensure that your department manages to maintain the standards that you should set, instead of merely making excuses for your staff’s’ callousness.
This is the minister who said: ‘Look at me, look at me, I have done so well’. Obviously, by her very actions and the complaints that we have been getting, it is not so. The minister should heave a sigh of relief that Mr Chalmers’ mother passed away through natural causes, and not through any contribution she might have had through the incompetence in the way she managed the department.
Ms Lawrie: Do not be disgusting. You are an absolute grub.
Mr Deputy SPEAKER: Minister, would you withdraw that statement, please?
Ms LAWRIE: I withdraw that he is a grub.
Dr LIM: In the few minutes that I have left, Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to like to throw some ideas at the minister. She might want to consider these as something that she could take on to assist disability services.
She said that some 13% of Territorians have some form of disability or other. However, to date you have provided the bare minimum of funds to non-government agencies. As a result, they are all struggling to provide services in the face of ever increasing costs from items such as wages, insurance and that sort of stuff. We do not have the extended families in the Northern Territory where we can say to some people, maybe families can help.
Territorians expect our government to contribute in the effort to assist people with a disability to retain their independence as much as possible, any way necessary to help people maintain a good quality of life if they became dependent on others.
I believe - and this has huge disability group support - that there should be the establishment of a disability services bureau within the Department of Family and Community Services. This would provide a central point to which people with a disability, and others, would be able to get advice on how to access services, where to go for further information and, importantly, provide a lobbying voice for those concerned with services for people with a disability. I suggest to you that you should give people a shopfront presence in the northern suburbs for the bureau.
The Disability Advocacy Service in Alice Springs, which has been going for quite some time now - which this government, I understand, is trying to withdraw resources from - must be continued to be supported. It must be provided with a better shopfront so that people can see them clearly from the street and where they can go for assistance.
The bureau would have a role in coordination of services to people with a disability. Given the large numbers of agencies, a person with a disability currently has to struggle. What I am saying is that, if you have a disability and you are looking for services, you have to go to so many places just to try and secure the services that you require. Would it not be better if the disabled person, and his or her carer, guardian or spouse can go to one place and get assistance and be provided with all the services required, or at least coordination of services?
Because non-government agencies currently providing services to disabled people struggle financially, there should be some commensurate increase in funding to assist these groups. Get on with the re-establishment of the Rehabilitation Unit in appropriate premises at the Royal Darwin Hospital, and recommence the Rehabilitation Unit in Alice Springs as it was previously and provide professionals such as physiotherapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists. There is definitely a shortage in the Territory, and the government must make a major effort to try to recruit more of these people here.
The minister spoke a little about carers. They are the ones who are the least appreciated. They would provide something in the order of 70% of care in our community. The estimate is about 25 000 people currently providing some level of care in the Territory and these people are doing it mostly on a volunteer basis. Yes, there are some who are paid to do that, but if they are paid they are paid on a casual basis. It does not matter whether they are highly skilled carers or they are lowly skilled carers; they are all paid on a casual basis, and so there is very little differentiation between the money that they are paid. Surveys have shown that around 60% of carers have suffered a decline in their own physical health due to caring, and around 35% have been physically injured while caring. There needs to be some process in place by government to ensure that carers are also catered for. When you care for a sick person, or your disabled relative, you have to give up work because you cannot work as well as provide full time care.
Mrs MILLER: Mr Deputy Speaker, I move an extension of time for the member for Greatorex.
Motion negatived.
Dr TOYNE (Health): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Minister for Family and Community Services’ statement on disability and commend the statement to the House. It is a very important subject for many Territorians to hear of the important reforms that she is doing in her portfolio to impact on the lives of people living with disabilities.
While I had trouble hearing some of the member for Greatorex’ contribution, I can assure him that the rehabilitation programs in both Alice Springs and Darwin are rolling out with great optimism amongst the staff who are involved in that. I will talk more about the rehabilitation strategic plan later in my speech.
We know too well the statistics of injury and chronic disease in the Territory, particularly for Aboriginal people. As the minister has highlighted, this means a greater burden of disability for all of our services. There are two important areas where health and disability services link and we have an important influence on outcomes that I will highlight today.
One is the prevention of disability. First of all, better health can reduce the level of disability occurring in the Northern Territory. Improved maternal health and child health screening will identify potential disability in early stages and allow early intervention to reduce a possible lifelong impact of the disability. Through improved injury prevention strategies, we aim to reduce the incidence of serious injury that can lead to acquired and permanent disabilities, for example, spinal cord injury or head injuries.
The second area is rehabilitation and support for people living with disability. It is important that health and disability services work together to reduce the burden of disability on the person’s life and the life of their family. Our hospitals and our community services are working together in planning and delivering care. Better discharge planning and continuity of care will make it easier for people with disabilities to access the services they need. In turn, this improves the person’s ability and independence in their day-to-day life and assists them to engage meaningfully within their community.
With regard to prevention of disability, and the investment that we are making in early childhood, giving kids a good start in life is one of the key priorities of this government under our Building Healthier Communities framework. Significant increased government investment in early childhood including antenatal care, maternal and child health and school readiness have been have been made during the first term of our government and are being built on in the current second term. We know that 10% of the children in NT schools are reported to have a disability compared to 2.7% in Queensland and 3.7% nationally. Therefore, investing in maternal and child health care can reduce the incidence of disabilities and chronic disease occurring and assist in school readiness.
Our health service needs to give attention to current trends in childhood disability and monitor emerging patterns in health conditions associated with disability if we are to provide quality services. The Child Health Initiative is government’s investment during the first term of $2.2m per annum in child health funding to employ 25 additional child health personnel for remote communities, providing integrated maternal child and youth health services through teams to maximise cross-sector expertise. Budget 2005-06 saw an additional $0.5m allocated to further improvements in the child and maternal health services including community outreach midwifery staff.
Healthy school age kids screening is now occurring in remote communities across the Northern Territory picking on problems like hearing loss when we have a chance to do something about them. Promoting good nutrition and healthy life styles right into the school years is another aspect of that child maternal health. Good nutrition is important in preventing disability as poor nutrition often leads to increase risk of chronic disease and the associated disabilities. We have promoted the national ‘Go for 2 and 5’ fruit and vegetable campaign as a important intervention in nutrition. In conjunction with DEET we have implemented a number of initiatives to improve child health and the ability of the child to improve their participation in school, such as school breakfast programs in remote area schools, revised school canteen guidelines and the provision of professional development to canteen managers, and the provision to teachers of up-to-date resources on nutrition education.
Looking at injury prevention, injury in the Northern Territory is a major cause of death and disability. We have identified in Building Healthier Communities the need to reduce the high rate of injury and disabilities from such injuries. Injury includes a very broad range of events: transport accidents, interpersonal violence, workplace injuries, falls, sports injuries and drowning. The majority of these injuries are preventable. Injury-related presentations and admissions to NT public hospitals cost millions of dollars each year; for example, $122m over a 10-period 1992 – 2001. This is equivalent to a third of all emergency department presentations and 9% of total public hospital admissions with a majority of injuries occurring amongst younger age groups.
Where serious injuries occurs, the result in disability can be permanent and the impact can continue to be felt lifelong. Injury can affect all sectors of society and a multitude of factors contribute to the occurrence of injury. Perhaps more than any other public health issue, addressing injury can require coordinate action from a broad range of sector. Within the NT, my department, along with other departments and non-government organisations, is operating programs to address various aspects of injury. The list includes crime prevention, domestic violence, suicide prevention, falls prevention, child safety and road and water safety. The Safety and Injury Unit at the Centre for Disease Control aims to link these various agencies together fostering greater collaboration and bringing about the substantial public health expertise to the task with the goal of reducing the high death and disability rate from injuries and its resultant burden on the community.
In regard to rehabilitation, through Building Healthier Communities our priorities include creating better pathways to services and finding ways to help people access services they need as close to home as possible. Last Wednesday, I had the pleasure of launching the Northern Territory Rehabilitation Strategy for 2006 to 2010 to guide the priorities and decision-making for rehabilitation services. The strategy goes across the spectrum from the acute hospital setting to following and supporting the patients back home to their communities and families. Mr Deputy Speaker, we will have that strategy distributed to members as I keep speaking.
Under the Rehabilitation Strategy, we are implementing the Pathways Home program. This includes a number of initiatives to better target rehabilitation services and promote a more rapid return home for people who have experienced significant injury or medical event that has resulted in permanent disability or impairment. We are undertaking improvements to the physical infrastructure of rehabilitation services at Royal Darwin Hospital and Alice Springs Hospital, to improve the accessibility of facilities and our capacity to make rehabilitation activities relevant to the patient’s home life.
Home discharge packages have been established. These packages provide intensive support for people returning home, having completed in-patient rehabilitation. Each person is appointed a case manager who would develop an individualised care plan and coordinate and, if necessary, purchase a range of services including equipment, home nursing, and personal care services.
Under the Rehabilitation Strategy, the government has expanded the pool of reusable rehabilitation equipment for short-term loan across public hospitals in the Northern Territory. This will make it easier for people to get home with the equipment they need to recover from their time in hospital. Enhanced services for people with chronic pain are being developed to provide access to multidisciplinary care such as psychology, physiotherapy, medical pain specialists and group programs.
The building of a local work force is an important component of sustainable services in remote communities. The Rehabilitation Strategy aims to develop the skills of local people to work in remote Aboriginal communities to provide rehabilitation services. A focus is made on supporting staff and building their expertise.
Education and training of our health professionals across the rehabilitation disability sector commenced with the NT Stroke Conference held in both Darwin and Alice Spring in June 2005.
With regard to support for people living with a disability, as Minister for Central Australia, I am aware of the importance of being able to build the capacity within our remote communities to support people with a disability. There is more work to be done to build services for people living outside the major centres. We intend to bring services for these people as close to home as possible. The Central Australian Regional Plan for Building Healthier Communities framework identified key service areas for improvement to ensure greater access and equity for the whole population. Following this lead, we are working to do better for Central Australia.
I want to acknowledge the excellent work of the minister in leading the Tri-State Disability Strategic Framework, addressing the needs of people with disabilities in the NPY lands, in partnership with the Western Australian and South Australian governments. I am well aware that services in Central Australia for people with challenging behaviour are second to none, and are highly sought across the tri-state area. I applaud the increase in access to Allied Health Services that have been achieved through reforms to this area of our aged and disability effort.
In conclusion, the challenges of addressing disability in the Northern Territory means that it is imperative that we improve access to quality and coordinated health care, and make efforts to prevent disability through a clear focus on prevention and early intervention. I look forward to the review of disability services and its recommendations on ways to continue to build and progress services for people with disability in the Northern Territory.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker I support the minister’s statement and I again commend her for bringing it to this House. It is a very important topic for Territorians. I also commend the progress she is making on her part of the two areas that span our portfolios. We can look forward to exciting new advances in this area of service delivery over the next few years.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, the minister’s statement is a good statement outlining many of these services that we can expect of government. I have to admire people with disabilities and their zest for life and the way they go about what they want to do and, particularly, the services that support them.
When I talk to people with disability it seems to me that the things that they want most of all is to be able to participate in life and society. We need to be able to give them the means to do that. It is expensive and it is demanding and there are a lot of services involved, however, they are our citizens, and we should be able to do that.
I have to admit the Disability Advocacy Service in Alice Springs, with Michelle Castagna at the helm, is a great advocate for disabled people, Michelle is a person disabled from rubella, I believe, when she was young, and she is a tremendous role model. I am quite sure she probably often gives government a bit of a hard time, because she is very outspoken, and she is very determined as an advocate for people with disabilities.
There are many areas that we need to look at when you are talking about disabled people. Probably one of the most crucial areas for them - health care - obviously is extremely important, and all the therapist treatment that they need to go with it. They want to have good housing, a good education, and some of them want to be able to participate in jobs. They are keen to take part in recreational activities, like Riding for the Disabled. However, transport seems to be the one thing that means so much to them, and if they cannot get around the place because the transport is not there, that frustrates them.
I remind the minister - and I know she said they will overhaul the criteria and assessment by which people are assessed for taxi subsidy - that the taxi vouchers have not increased for a number of years. They are $5 and, as you know, the individual amounts are $700 per person per year, and that has not increased for some time. I believe that if they are a wheelchair user they get $1700 per year. However, there has been an increase in taxi fares lately, due to the increase in fuel, and this means that people, even though they use their taxi voucher, are out of pocket because they have to pay a lot more.
One of the disadvantages also is trying to get a taxi that has wheelchair access. The minister talked about considering the introduction of a lift fee, because when the disabled people go into a taxi with a lift they get an extra cost put upon them, and that makes it very difficult also. If they are going in and out of town, even with their taxi voucher, it can still cost them quite a lot of money.
One of the frustrations I also know of for some of our people in Alice Springs, is the lack of available taxis. Quite often, they will book a taxi and it may not turn up, or it could take a long time. Therefore, the more we encourage taxi holders to have these vehicles for access for disabled people, the better. If the minister is going to look at some sort of review, I suggest she tries to put some incentive into the taxi industry to cater for these people who are disabled.
The member for Greatorex mentioned the problem for the Territorian who is disabled and was going to go interstate with his mum, but Qantas have refused, at this stage, to allow his wheelchair to go into the hold. He has in the past actually travelled interstate. Shane is a young lad who I knew many years ago and he has a severe disability. One of the joys has been for his mother to be able to take him interstate to visit different places, such as the zoo or wherever. It seems to me to be unfortunate that Qantas are now saying that the height of his chair is too large for their 737 aircraft, and that they will not put it into the cargo hold, even though I know that in the past they have placed chairs in cargo holds. I wonder whether the minister might even take that issue up with Qantas. It is an issue that probably just does not relate to the young lad in Alice Springs. It is an issue that probably relates to people across the Territory who have these high wheelchairs to support their head, and who need them when they go interstate. It seems to be one of those things that is another impediment if you are disabled and trying to travel.
We forget, don’t we, just how hard it is sometimes for people in wheelchairs to open doors and to move about. I have to admit the Post Office at Alice Springs did put in a door that opened to allow easy access. It is simple things like that that make life so much simpler for a person in a wheelchair.
As the minister said, there are so many personal stories that we have of people with disabilities. We have all come across them in our day-to-day lives. I know a gentleman who has a heart problem, one eye, is deaf, and has problems getting around. He wanted a gopher to get around in because he just could not walk around the town. He went to the Salvation Army and found a second-hand one and, being an old mechanic from way back, he actually fixed and repaired it so he was able to use it. He was put on the wait list. The OT had assessed and approved him for a new gopher and it had been ordered in August 2005 but, somewhere along the way, the seat clinic people came back at the end of the year and said he was not eligible.
This is hard because the gopher he is using stopped in the middle of an intersection once. It is not that reliable; he has to actually fix it to get it going. We worry a little about Barney and the fact that he wants to be independent, he wants to be able to get around freely. However, he is being impeded by the fact that now he has been assessed as category 3, not high need. Sometimes, when we make these assessments, we forget the human side of this. Here is a gentleman - I think he must be close to 80 now - who still has the will and the life in him to want to get around. He lives on his own, cooks for himself, and is a very independent old gentleman but with many problems. He does incredible things. We laugh at him sometimes. He went into Centrelink one day and his glass eye dropped out. I think the ladies in Centrelink nearly died. He has a wonderful sense of humour. He is being denied access to a scooter and we worry that this gopher he uses at the moment is not reliable and will, perhaps one day, get him in a situation where there may be an accident.
I ask the minister whether she would look at that particular request. I know it is probably a case of funding again - is there enough funding there? I have to admit - and I have not had an answer today - Michelle Castagna again wrote to the Alice Springs Lasseters Casino and asked them whether they would do a community service and purchase one for Barney. I just hope that it has been a successful move and it is something I will probably find out tomorrow.
It is good for community organisations to get involved in this. Let us face it, many of our service clubs often provide these wheelchairs for people and it is good that they do. However, the minister needs to be aware that sometimes there is frustration at the process of assessing who is eligible and who is not. In that process, I know you have guidelines, but you forget the human element. I would like this gentleman to be able to enjoy his freedom as much as he can and maintain his independence for as long as he can because that is something that we should be encouraging.
I mentioned that Barney was getting on in years and that is an issue probably the minister is aware of; that as our population grows older, there are more and more people who are becoming disabled. We talk about the people who are disabled from birth, who have a special need, but we are also now getting this category of people who are becoming disabled in their senior years. We have this ageing population and I wonder how you are accommodating the needs of the seniors within your budget. Is it a funding that comes out of the health budget, or is it funding for the seniors who are becoming disabled out of the disability budget - if you understand what I mean? It is an added component that the disability services did not have it as great a long time ago, but now it is getting greater. What we are after is equity. That is the something that is bandied around by these disabled people: ‘We want equity, we want the same opportunities as other people in our society’. Could the minister explain to me how she is coping with the increase in disabled senior people? I hope it is not taking away from the other component of the disability services which is the disabled people.
The minister talked about the therapists which has been a problem in Alice Springs - speech therapists, occupational therapists - we just do not have them as we have had. I am picking up what the minister for Education has done as regards bursaries for teachers. We should be encouraging people to take on these occupational therapists’ roles as training in this area by offering incentives. Often, we have had positions in Alice Springs, but we have not had the personnel, and it seems to be harder to get these therapists to come to the Territory and fulfil this need. Maybe the minister could come up with some initiative whereby we could encourage these people to come to the Territory and stay here. The rehabilitation centre in the Alice Springs Hospital is a great facility, but there is no point in having a facility if you do not have people to actually make it function. That is something that we ask you to look at.
All in all, minister, there was talk about a disability review report in October 2006. I do not know if you already have a paper to distribute as a leg in to that review, but I know there will be a lot of people who would be interested right across the board and would appreciate if you could give us some indication of how that review is going to take place and whether you will be issuing some sort of draft paper to begin with, to start that review off. I am interested in having some input into it.
While I am talking about education, we talked about the children with special learning difficulties. One of the schools in Alice Springs that has always been a great success has been the Acacia Hill School that caters for the severely disabled children. I do not know how often the minister visits that school, or how often you provide additional support for them. St Mary’s village also tends to have children from the bush who are disabled who board at St Mary’s as well with house parents. It is a need that is becoming greater – we are seeing more and more young children with disabilities. It is something you need to monitor and make sure that we are not slipping behind in, and that we keep the service up.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the minister for her paper and I wish her luck because it is a very demanding service. It is a demanding area that is growing all the time and, with budget coming up, good luck.
Mr WARREN (Goyder): Mr Deputy Speaker, prior to the last election and in the early part of my doorknocking campaign, I visited a very distressed mother of a severely disabled child. As she greeted me on her front lawn she was crying and there were tears trickling down her face. I was the first politician who had ever bothered to visit her at home and I guess I was the first politician who had taken the time to hear her plight.
I will not repeat her story here because it is quite heart-wrenching and distressing. This event affected me severely. Unfortunately, this dear lady was not the only parent of a disabled child that I was to meet in my electorate in the coming weeks. Each had their own tale of personal sacrifice and emotional hardship. Oddly, mixed in there was a very positive emotion of pride; the kind of pride that every parent feels when their child achieves some milestone. This pride was elevated to a higher level; pride of achievement against the odds.
Of course, disability does not only affect children although, unfortunately, 10% of our schoolchildren do live with a lifelong disability. As the minister pointed out in her opening statement, about 13% of all Territorians live with a disability. Many of our senior Territorians suffer age-related mobility problems and need assistance at home. While many Territorians are born with a disability, unfortunately, too many of our fellow Territorians suffer disabling injuries as a result of accidents, illness, criminal misdemeanour or even substance abuse.
However, the issue is not about whether a disabled person was born with a disability or whether it occurred some time later. What is at issue is that we, as a caring and compassionate society, need to do what we can to try to make sure that those living amongst us with a disability can enjoy the same rights as other Territorians. When I say society I am not just talking about our government’s responsibility, I am talking about our whole community. I am talking about each and every one of us as parents, carers, educators, work colleagues, neighbours, employers, and our attitude towards those with a disability.
Unfortunately, I sat here and listened to the opposition harp on about how much more the government needs to do and how it could do better if we did things their way rather than our way. However, they just do not get it. As I said before, dealing with the issues surrounding the disabled needs a whole-of-society approach, and the opposition needs to acknowledge this. Sure, governments need to spend money on targeted programs for the disabled, as we are doing but, unless public attitudes are in tune with what our government is trying to achieve, it will stand for nought. While blaming the government all the time, the opposition is copping out of the debate. It is adopting the attitude that it is not the opposition’s problem, nor anybody else’s problem; it is only government’s problem. By laying the blame squarely at the feet of government, the opposition is actually reinforcing the unfortunate but widespread misbelief that it is okay to be prejudicial or ignorant to the plight of people with a disability. Come on, opposition, get your act together. It is everyone’s responsibility and you have your part to play in talking things up. Specifically, I refer to the member for Greatorex.
Let me point out that this government does take its responsibility to the disabled very seriously. Furthermore, we believe that our disability services should work to build on people’s abilities so that they at least have the chance to reach their full potential. In the past, those with a disability, as well as those associated with the disability sector, have been angry and frustrated at being ignored by the previous CLP government. Labor’s open, engaging style of government has gone a long way to improving the situation. By listening to the communities’ concern, we are continuing to provide more services and opportunities for the disabled, while giving them and their carers more choices in accommodation and respite.
The minister covered the major areas where this government is making a positive difference in disability support, and now I would like to spend the next few minutes outlining some of those lesser known areas of government business, where we are making a concerted effort in disability support.
We are building support for people living with a disability. Apart from the NT government’s own buildings and assets such as schools, hospitals, some police stations and some health centres, the majority of Northern Territory government buildings are privately-owned and leased properties. All government agencies are accommodated through the NT Property Management, or NTMP, leasing arrangements and, as such, building owners are responsible for the base level building requirement such as office space, common areas, elevators, ablutions and, most importantly, building access. It is compliant on the building owners to meet the requirements of AS1428 through their lease negotiations and subsequent agreements with NTMP.
It should also be noted that the government agencies housing these buildings, such as Highway House and the Goyder Building, are responsible for the internal fit-outs and are required to meet the requirements of AS1428, otherwise, the building certificate of occupancy will not be issued for office fit-outs, etcetera.
In the area of indigenous housing design principles, the government has adopted a universal accessibility features program. All houses designed and built under the program incorporate universal accessibility features that meet AS1428.1 requirements. Specific features have also been approved with the intention of ensuring that all existing dwellings can be modified at minimal cost to either partially comply with AS1428.1 or enable future adaptation with a minimum cost.
In the case of public transport, the implementation in recent years of a robust annual bus fleet replacement program means that the Darwin Bus Service now operates one of the modern fleets of urban buses in Australia. Annual replacement of buses reaching the end of their usual life allows the Darwin Bus Service to continue to operate safe, reliable vehicles on the Darwin Bus network. Additionally, this provides the travelling public with comfortable and affordable transportation in a jurisdiction that has a dispersed population of diverse needs.
It is most pleasing to report that over 80% of buses on the Darwin Bus network are now fitted with low floor, easy access features. They are especially constructed for people with disabilities, and include a ramp, entry door and space set aside at the front of the bus for wheelchairs. It is intended to only procure replacement buses fitted with these features to provide easy access for all members of the public and ensure close compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.
Furthermore, a program has been put together to upgrade bus interchanges and bus shelters to meet the standards of access requirements for people with disabilities. Under the NT Planning Scheme, section 51(p)(iii) of the Planning Act lists access for persons with disabilities as a matter the Development Consent Authority must take into account when considering a development application.
It should be noted that the proposed NT Planning Scheme includes a requirement for the provision of parking for disabled people. Furthermore, the provisions relating to commercial development includes consideration for convenient pedestrian links, incorporating access for the disabled to other buildings and public spaces.
Territory Housing has a number of mechanisms through which its office supports people with disabilities. In the period 2001-02 to 2004-05, this government spent some $693 000 on modifying 603 public housing dwellings to meet the needs of disabled tenants. Furthermore, this government has supported disabled additional housing entitlements. In allocating housing, particular care is taken when a tenant or family member has a disability. In some cases, they are entitled to an additional bedroom above their normal entitlement for the storage of medical equipment such as wheelchairs or dialysis machines, or for a household member with a disability or chronic illness, or even for support for service personnel and live-in carers. Transfer to another public housing dwelling may also be arranged where it is needed for the disabled person or household member to improve that person’s emotional, physical or mental wellbeing.
Through the Industry Housing Assistance Scheme, 50 dwellings equal to 166 bedrooms are leased on a reduced rental basis to community organisations which offer ongoing support and accommodation to people with disabilities. Since 2001, $2.5m in grant funding has been made available through the Community Housing Program for community organisations to improve facilities for disabled clients. During the same period, Crisis Accommodation Program funding of some $282 000 has also been approved for disabled clients.
This government is also committed to ensuring the disabled are able to enjoy our wildlife parks. At the Territory Wildlife Park at Berry Springs in my electorate, the new people movers, euphemistically called ‘bullet trains’, have vastly improved wheel ramps and cartage bays. New movers can carry three wheelchairs rather than the old mover which could only carry one. Another advantage of these new movers is the higher ground clearance and seating, which offers everyone more viewing space. The government is funding the replacement of the existing boardwalk in the rainforest at the George Brown Botanic Gardens to improve public access and enhance public safety and, in my electorate, is undertaking a similar reconstruction at the Fogg Dam boardwalk, to improve public access and enhance safety.
At the Alice Springs Desert Park, the government has installed an automatic door, allowing the park’s two wheelchair bound staff easy entry to and from their office space. Buttons either side of the door are simply pressed, and the doors open automatically. Furthermore, the Alice Springs Desert Park now has 11 electric shop riders. These are available to anyone who is not confident they have the fitness or ability to stroll around the 1.7 km path within the visitor area. These are hired out at the nominal fee of $5, the proceeds of which go to the Friends of the Desert Park and the Red Cross. The proceeds are also used to pay for the upkeep of shop riders. Clearly, this is not a profit-making exercise, but rather ensuring that everyone is equally able to enjoy the recreated habitats of the Desert Park. Incidentally, the shop riders are also used for the park’s wheelchair bound staff.
This government also has taken major steps in the education of students with disabilities. Government has recently recruited 20 school counsellors. These counsellors, and their supervisor, joined DEET’s student services team and will work to enhance the wellbeing of all young people in the Territory. The counsellors will provide support and advice to students deemed at risk, their teachers and families, and will manage positive mental health and wellbeing programs within schools. The new positions have been allocated to ensure that every secondary school has access to a qualified counsellor, including those schools in our rural and remote locations.
Our government has embraced inclusion support funding. This special purpose funding is used to employ inclusion support assistance to aid and integrate students with a disability into regular school settings and support their needs to enable them to fully access the curriculum. The inclusion support funding budget from the NT government has increased by $520 000 over the last two financial years. This financial year, the total allocation from government to schools is $4.2m, of which some $600 000 is expected to be provided by the Commonwealth. A total of 546 children with an identified disability have received inclusion support funding so far this financial year.
Currently, there are 215 students enrolled in special schools and annexes across the Northern Territory. These schools offer high-quality programs and support students with disabilities. A total of 991 students identified with moderate to severe disabilities represents 2.7% of the total student population. These students are either enrolled in special schools, or receive inclusion support funding to support their participation and enrolment in mainstream programs.
An early childhood development classroom was established in Alice Springs in 2006 and provides the best practice model for a whole school approach to the transition of special needs students into primary school. The program also provides an alternative to the current inclusion support funding model. Under this model, funding is attached to the classroom rather than the individual children. This results in the centralisation of service provision, better use of resources, and the classroom adapting to the children instead of the children adapting to the classroom.
Mr Deputy Speaker, $200 000 from the NT government-funded minor new works program has been invested in the ‘Now Hear’ program. This is a pilot program which has seen the commencement of acoustic modifications made to 10 classrooms in five schools. The program targets schools with a large number of indigenous students who have a history of conductive hearing loss. A significant component of the project is the professional development and resource provision for teachers and support staff in the latest teaching practices for students with hearing impairments. Furthermore, there are 10 hearing advisory officers in place working with families and schools, supporting students with conductive and sensory hearing loss. Five of the positions are NT government funded, and five are funded by the Commonwealth, as part of the Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives program.
The Harley Unit operates with an operational budget of $5000 in Moulden Park Primary School for students with extreme behavioural problems. The expected outcome for the Harley Unit is the successful re-entry of students with extreme behaviours into mainstream educational settings. The unit operates with one teacher and a special education support officer. This financial year seven students are benefiting from this program. The Nhulunbuy Special Education Unit in the Nhulunbuy Primary School has five students with intellectual and physical disabilities. The unit operates with one teacher and a special education support officer.
The Building Relationships and School Wellbeing project, commonly known as the Wellbeing project, has an operational budget of almost $87 000 and it consists of 11 wellbeing officers located in 22 schools across the Northern Territory. This project incorporates the National Safe Schools Framework. Student services also provides support to schools for students with disabilities. Support includes assessment and design of educational programs for students with disabilities. Furthermore, student services have offices in regional locations including Nhulunbuy, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and Katherine, with remote locations well serviced by these officers.
In August 2004, the Department of Employment, Education and Training instructed the Department of Planning and Infrastructure to commission an audit for disability infrastructure in special education schools. The estimated costs of the works identified in the audit were $12.14m. Since that time, DEET has worked with relevant schools to identify the work that is both urgent and critical and then prioritise these projects. Subsequently, DEET has included a contingency item of some $200 000 in the annual minor new works program to provide for immerging access issues or infrastructure disability items. As part of this program, a project is in progress for Nemarluk School to provide two new classrooms and an ablutions facility. This was initially funded through the minor new works program; however, the project in total is estimated to cost about $0.5m and, pursuant to the works program in procedures, will be elevated to the capital works program by substitution. This project is currently at the design stage and is estimated to be completed by August 2006.
Additionally, a lift has been installed at Casuarina Secondary College to provide wheelchair access to the library at a total cost of some $220 000. This project was completed in February 2006. DEET included priority projects in the department’s submission for minor new works money for 2006-07 to the value of $2.24m to upgrade disability infrastructure. Furthermore, DEET has indicated to the minister that $800 000 was required to replace the current inadequate special education facilities at Humpty Doo Primary School. This is a project that I personally lobbied strongly for and I have written to the minister supporting this much-needed project.
While ensuring disabled students are educated to the fullest capacity, it is an extremely important aspect of this government’s commitment to disability services. This government is also committed to ensuring people with disability are employed in the NT Public Service. The poll of compulsory interviews for people with disabilities by the Disability Works Australia or DWA is beginning to show results. From June 2005 to December 2005, DWANT placed eight people with disabilities into NTPS positions ...
Mr Deputy SPEAKER: Member for Goyder, your time has expired.
Ms LAWRIE: Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the member be granted an extension of time to complete his speech.
Motion agreed to.
Mr WARREN: The poll of compulsory interviews for people with disabilities by the Disability Works Australia is beginning to show results. From June 2005 to December 2005, DWA NT placed eight people with disabilities into NTPS positions; two out of these eight positions are permanent jobs. One of the positions is in Alice Springs. At the present time, over 40 people are now registered with DWANT who are seeking employment with the NTPS.
It should also be noted that the Department of Corporate and Information Services recruitment has now modified its procedures to allow for the selection panels to be told if they have an applicant who is a member of EEO target group. In compliance with the Anti-Discrimination Act and the Information Act, selection panels will be told which target group is involved, but the individual will not be identified. Selection panels can then be formed appropriately and can seek advice from DWANT. Furthermore, DWANT is currently developing training programs for NTPS staff on selecting people with disabilities for inclusion in the existing recruitment as selection short course. Pleasingly, a group of people from Equal Employment Opportunity target groups, including some with disabilities who are members of the Disability Action Network, have been brought together to attend a special session of a standard recruitment short course. This will assist training providers in adapting the course to the needs of the disabled.
I have taken some time to tell the House of some of the detailed aspects of what positive actions this government is doing in the delivery of disabled services. As the minister said in her opening statement, the budget paper shows that, since 2001-02, this government has nearly doubled the disability budget, up from around $27m to around $50m - an 86% increase in commitment compared to the previous CLP administration. At this point, I would like to return to where I began the speech.
What is at issue is what we, as a caring and compassionate society, need to do to try to make sure that those amongst us with a disability enjoy the same rights as other Territorians. The minister, I and other speakers from the government side of the Assembly, have clearly shown that our government is tackling this issue positively and in a gainful way. Also, each and everyone of us as parents, carers, educators, work colleagues, employers and opposition members, need to acknowledge that our own responsibilities and attitudes towards those with a disability does make a difference. It is essential for all of us in this House to positively acknowledge and praise the achievements of this government. Come on, opposition, get your act together. It is everyone’s responsibility and you have your part to play in talking things up.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend the minister for her important statement on disability.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Mr Deputy Speaker, I was not going to speak on this, but you have some competition there, member for Wanguri. I really think this one wants to be the next Chief Minister.
Members interjecting.
Mr Warren: That is good; everybody should have ambition.
Mrs MILLER: You had better watch out, too, member for Karama; I think he is trying to chip in on you - I really do.
Members interjecting.
Mrs MILLER: I think it is just …
Members interjecting.
Mr Deputy SPEAKER: Member for Katherine, you are being provocative.
Mrs MILLER: Oh, I could not believe it! Well, well!
I had not planned to speak but I have decided that I will speak on some nice things that are going to happen in Katherine. I know that everyone is looking at the time and it is 6.25 pm – but, blow it! If you can have an extension of time, I will add a bit more to it.
I decided to talk about this only because he riled me a little. I find it really amusing that nobody can get up in this House and talk about anything without putting a political spin on it. Then he tried to say the opposition is not supporting something. For goodness sake! Can’t you just talk about anything in this House without putting a political spin on it? He picked something as serious as disability services to do it. That is what I found absolutely insulting, actually. The reason I did is because I have a daughter who has a degree in developmental disabilities. She worked for 10 years at Carpentaria Services. Therefore, I know what services have been provided and you could probably say, right at the grassroots of it. I just found all this waffle going on here just all a bit too much.
I will talk about the positive things that are happening in Katherine, and we do have many positive things happening there. One of them is at Kintore Street School. Kintore Street School has some absolutely amazing, very dedicated staff who have been working there for many years. Every time I have had anything to do with that school, it is a pleasant attitude and a really wonderful environment for those students and it actually allowed a lot of those students to be able to live at home, which is really important.
Unfortunately, in the early days, before we understood how important it was to integrate disabled people, we isolated them. I am saying we, as a society, isolated them. I feel it is extremely important that they are integrated into society as much as possible, and that is something special the Kintore Street School does. The really nice thing is that, each day, their carers bring all those students in their wheelchairs down the street, so that they are mixing with people and we can all have a chat with them. I congratulate all the staff at Kintore Street School because they do a great job.
I have a very special soft spot for the Intensive Learning Unit at Katherine High School. I have been the patron of it for the last two years. It has such a wonderful, very happy environment, and those students are working in an environment with the other kids. They can mix and socialise with the other kids during recess and lunch break. They have developed through the hard work of their teacher, David, who is a really great guy. David has encouraged these people to have some independence and learn to live independently by establishing a garden at Katherine High School, which is called the Intensive Learning Unit Garden. I have had the greatest pleasure being able to watch those young people get some self-esteem from being able to develop that garden. They are at the stage this year where they are producing so many beautiful flowers and vegetables that they are selling them. We are doing this little business plan where they will be able to sell all of their flowers to the local florist, and any that they do not, I have an arrangement with them that I am having fresh flowers every week in my office. I am absolutely tickled pink with what the Intensive Learning Unit is doing at Katherine High School.
Somerville Services also provides supported accommodation in Katherine and they do an absolutely fabulous job. That also allows the people from Somerville Services to be able to come and integrate into the community during the day. It gives respite to families who are able to put a member of their family into that facility to give them a little relief as well.
However, one thing that we do have wrong, member for Goyder, is it is your government. You keep telling us that everything is to blame on the CLP. What we are doing is waiting for the money to complete the main street program in Katherine. Katherine’s footpaths and the street design is not disability-friendly. I have been trying for the whole time I have been in my office to get disability access put into my office. Burridj, when it was next door, was going to have a combined ramp, but the design of the street just does not allow for a ramp to fit into the levels of the footpath. When we approached the council, and Graham Newhouse from Planning and Infrastructure in Katherine, we were advised that we should not put a disability access there until the footpaths had been raised. I am not sure how long we are going to wait for that, because when the footpaths get raised, you are going to have a whopping great barrier between there and the street.
The main street of Katherine on the Katherine River end is in dire need of repair. The money we are looking for and have been asking for and been promised for two elections, is to finish the main street program. Once the main street program is finished, we will be able to design disability access into all of the shops so that the people in Katherine who use wheelchairs and gophers - and there are a lot of them and they are increasing all the time as senior people are not being able to get around any more unless they have the use of these facilities. Until that happens we are not going to be able to say that Katherine’s main street is disability user friendly. That is the area in Katherine where the government can ensure that everybody has the same access to the shops.
Another one that is a challenge - and I am sure the members for Greatorex and Braitling also touched on this - is the availability of disabled taxis. That is a huge problem in Katherine. That is one of the complaints that I deal with in my office on a regular basis - the lack of public transport. I have also noticed it has been a bit of a disappointment that, with all the buses that bring the people in from The Ghan rail service - would you believe all those millions of dollars spent on purchasing these buses? - apparently there is not one that has disability access. That is the problem. Even getting on and off The Ghan is a huge problem for anybody with a disability. Most are the older age group of people are travelling, and most of them need some assistance getting on and off The Ghan. We do have some problems and some challenges that are not insurmountable but they are very important for the safety of these people to alight and to then to get back on to the train. Of course, the bus will be an issue that I can talk over with the local transport operator in Katherine. I have already briefly talked about it with him.
I am very supportive of disability services. I am very supportive of any improvements that we can make to disability services to make sure that not only the providers, the supporters and the carers in disability are able to have that support, but also to give these disabled people a lifestyle where they have the opportunity to enjoy the normal day-to-day things that we do. I thank the minister for the statement and yes, there is more that the government can do too, member for Goyder.
Ms McCARTHY (Arnhem): Madam Speaker, I speak with great enthusiasm in support of the Minister for Family and Community Services’ statement. It is a statement that is certainly close to home. One of the things that I wanted to really focus on after listening to many of the speakers is the sporting element of it. It is very convenient because the Minister for Family and Community Services is also our Sports minister.
One of the things I wanted to touch on is when you look at access to sports in general for people with disabilities. I have been delighted with seeing what School Sport NT has been able to do with my son who suffers from a disability. These are the things I wanted raise.
In the minister’s statement, she outlined that others have lived with disabilities for their entire lives including nearly 10% of children in our schools. I know quite a number of those children simply through the relationship my son has with them in trying to find sports that they would like to participate in. I have to say that when I read through this statement that the minister has provided to the Assembly, as well as the review that is currently under way, I encourage the Northern Territory government and, indeed, this parliament, to look at future options in sports for people with a disability.
I know in 1995, I believe, in the mid-1990s, the Northern Territory government of the day bid for the Commonwealth Games which are now going to be held in Melbourne this year. We were unsuccessful in that bid but, by going through that process, it really opened up to people here in the Territory the possibility of wanting to try and achieve those things. Dreaming those dreams is still very important, even if at that particular point in your life it does not actually eventuate. It just stays in my mind though, as an example of where we can still go, because the Arafura Games is held every couple of years, and we see the competition that takes place with people from around, not only Australia, but north of us, in the Pacific. People come to Darwin and want to compete in all sorts of sports.
I encourage our Paralympians - and we have a few. Judith Green, our swimmer, has been quite successful in a number of Paralympics. Hamish MacDonald is another one who is an Alice Springs boy who has done tremendously well and is now working in Canberra and has been involved with the Australian Institute of Sport. These are role models for our young children who suffer from disabilities. They are role models also for people generally. When you watch the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games, you cannot help but really and truly admire the athletes of the Paralympics, because they go that extra length to still partake in activities that we see as quite normal - to be able to walk down the road, throw a ball, swim in that pool. It is quite an attempt for these athletes who may be quadriplegics or paraplegics, and they are outstanding examples of determination to not only succeed in their own way, but in the sense of having a life that means something, and has all sorts of odds and barriers to overcome.
It is something that I speak to my son about because CJ, who is 13 this year, was born with fibula limb deficiency, which meant that his fibula did not form properly from the knee down. He was born in Royal Darwin Hospital, and I remember at the time when CJ was born, people were stunned. The medical profession was not too sure how to deal with this baby boy. Before CJ’s birth I had a suspicion something was not right with him, and when he was born that suspicion was confirmed. To be told that he may not walk was quite a moment in my life and, indeed, my husband, Norman’s. We had to deal with that, and to think we have had this beautiful boy, and he might not walk. I share this because, although I do not have a disability, to have a child who does is something that I share with, no doubt, many parents across the Northern Territory. You want the best for your children. I want the best for my child; how am I going to do that?
We all want to make sure that our children grow up in a loving home, that they have access to a good education and can grow up to be the people that they are meant to be in society. However, there are added questions for those parents with children with disabilities. Am I going to have access? Am I going to get the extra medical help that I need here in the Northern Territory? Am I going to get the support in the education system? Is there wheelchair access to get them through if they need to get into the toilets? Will the other children be able to treat my child equally, are they going to have that social problem? Who is going to be there to help my child go through school, to get through normal everyday life?
These were the things that my husband and I were faced with. We explored many options over the years. A lot of that involved us going down south, but we knew that in the end we wanted to come back home to the Northern Territory. It is here that I look at the sporting component of this statement. I am very passionate about it because it is through sport that I know my son has been able to develop and maintain a sense of confidence about his abilities.
I often say to CJ, and to remind myself sometimes, that life is hard, life is tough, and it does have many challenges, but a lot of it comes back to our attitude. A lot comes back to your attitude of how you respond and get over that hurdle. These are the things that I have really instilled a lot with those around me. Whether it is the colour of your skin, the fact that you are rich or poor, or you live out bush or in the city, or you are black and not white; these are the things that we struggle and cope with. We ask how we deal with that. To children not quite having all the limbs, I say the same thing. I say: ‘Get up have a go. Do it your way. It might not be like the bloke next to you; it might not be like that girl who knows how to go and shoot that basketball ring, but you do it your way and you be satisfied with the way you do it. If you are not satisfied, then you go and have another go’.
When I came to looking at CJ’s development with sports, it was here that I cannot speak enough about wheelchair basketball in the Northern Territory. Over the years, CJ played different sports. He played baseball, he got into Rugby League, and he did it his way. Sometimes, he would have a few kids look at him strangely, and others would say: ‘Wow, this guy is not too bad’. He always had a go and that was just such an important part of that feeling for all people to have a go regardless. I can hold up people like Hamish MacDonald and Judith Green as these amazing role models. It has made a tremendous difference for him to then go onto wheelchair basketball and meet people like young Amy Clifton, who is another wheelchair basketballer in Alice Springs, and to be inspired. Amy has difficulties which are far greater than CJ’s, but at least he can see and learn.
I would like to mention here that there is a basketball coach in Alice Springs by the name of Bill Newman, who works with the Alice Springs School of the Air. If it had not been for Bill, who, when he watched the way CJ played basketball, said: ‘You should get him into wheelchair basketball’, so we followed on with that. Then we ran into people like Stuart McDonald from DEST in Alice Springs and Mandy Hargraves from Bradshaw Primary School who are involved with School Sport NT - amazing people who gave so much of their time to encourage children with disabilities to have a go.
School Sport NT saw about 200 children go down to the Pacific School Games in Melbourne last year. It is to the credit of the President, Brian Deslandes and Executive Officer, Helen Taylor, who saw the coordination of all these children. Out of the 200 children, there were a handful who had disabilities. They had to look at the care and concern of these children, as well as the other children, and also make sure that they were engaged in healthy competition - competition that encouraged them to stretch out, be who you are and have a go. It was an absolute success, and has driven my son to keep going. He is so obsessed with it, every Friday night we have to be at wheelchair basketball. In fact, he has now made mum and dad have a go at it at times, which is great. It is great for us to see that you have to get in and have a go too. There are people like Melanie Hall, Randall Scott and other inspirational people who play sport of some kind and, in this case, it is wheelchair basketball.
When I look at the interest that the minister has in looking at our youth, I am absolutely delighted. I would pursue wholeheartedly as a member of the Sport and Youth Committee of the Northern Territory parliament that we look at and include this because, when we look at what happened with the Sydney Paralympics, there were more athletes in action in Sydney than in any other previous Paralympic Games. I say, let us dream. Why not? We are doing so well with the Arafura Games, why not go a little further? Why not go that little further and ask why we cannot have a Paralympic Arafura Games. These are the things that our athletes with disabilities aspire to. Why not bring home those athletes who are interstate and say: ‘Come and work with our children here, encourage them’?
When I look at what the minister is referring to with children in our remote communities, I am absolutely passionate. Again, it is the same with our remote areas - we must enable as much access to these services for those children. When I saw, at the Pacific School Games, a number of students had come from remote areas to participate, and one or two of them were disabled children, I was heartened by the fact that the doors are opening. I fully believe, minister, that it is largely something that is being strongly reflected by the policies that are coming through this government.
I encourage that we look at the sporting options that are available. I support the review in looking at services, such as the members for Braitling and Katherine mentioned earlier, in regards to the taxis, toilet access, and access generally into buildings. These things we have heard about for so long now, let us not get complacent. It is about the Territory being a place for all people.
Ms LAWRIE (Family and Community Services): Madam Speaker, I thank all members who have contributed to this important debate this evening. I will work my way backwards in response to speakers to end up with the shadow who, I have to say, was exceptional in the fact that he put in an appalling contribution to the debate. However, the rest of the speakers were very positive and focused on what is possible and what is occurring in their communities.
I acknowledge the member for Arnhem who has first-hand knowledge, as a parent of a child with a disability and, importantly, with a parent’s perspective on some of the challenges that you go through in the various life stages of your child as they develop and mature with their disability. I have seen CJ scoot around in his wheelchair and he is a very strong young individual. The friendship and the strength that we make in our individual sports are very important, and it is equally as important for children and adults with a disability.
I take up the challenge that the member for Arnhem has laid down in terms of looking at how we can increase participation in sport for people with a disability, and whether there is any role that the Arafura Games can play in that. I acknowledge that we have some tremendous Paralympians living in our community. Judith Green never ceases to be an inspiration for me. We have baby boys around the same age and I really enjoy running into Judith at functions. She has been a tremendous role model. I know of young Tarnee, with an intellectual disability, who has taken to swimming with a vengeance, because I guess she has been inspired by the fact that we have Paralympians living in our community. I take up the challenge laid by the member for Arnhem, and will ensure that, within the scope of disability services review, we definitely look at the issue of community participation, sporting participation and the pathways to that and support that we provide for that.
I have met with Total Recreation and talked to them about how they can work with existing sporting codes to improve the pathways in sport, and participation in sport for people with disabilities. I have issued the challenge to some of our major sporting codes to look at what programs they could have available for people with a disability, and to use the opportunity of the training and funding the Office of Sport and Recreation has, to put forward innovative ideas and programs tailored to be inclusive for people with a disability. That goes across a range of disabilities, from physical to intellectual, psychiatric and other sensory disabilities.
It is interesting to note that a few of the speakers in this debate this evening actually have a disability. The member for Arnhem touched on her life experience with her son with a disability, but both the member for Goyder and the Minister for Health have hearing impairments and live each day with a coping aspect and are role models themselves of how you can live life to enormous potential with an impairment which, in effect, is actually a disability. I thank the member for Goyder for his very comprehensive contribution to the debate. I was extremely impressed with the range of knowledge he showed in just how we delivered disability services across a whole range of aspects of our life, be it education or transport access. He has certainly picked up on some core themes that I have been talking to my agency about in terms of the review of disability services.
There are many standards, guidelines, policies and programs that are in place and that are around at both the national and Territory level. Part of the aim of the review is bringing that into a comprehensive package and ensuring that we are really addressing the standards that we are meant to be addressing. I thank the member for Goyder for his contribution. I urge him to continue to show compassion and strive for a greater awareness in our community for people with a disability and for their carers. Another by-product I am looking for out of the review into disability services is simply to increase awareness of disability and of the issues that people living with a disability confront in their daily lives and challenges that they meet daily.
I thank the member for Katherine for her contribution. She has approached it as a local member who, obviously, has a passion and a commitment to people with a disability living in her community, acknowledging the dedication and hard work of staff at both the Kintore Street School and the Intensive Learning Unit at Katherine High School. I commend the member for Katherine for that acknowledgement. It is people who work with people with a disability who often are the unsung heroes. They have enormous specialist skills that they apply to their jobs. In my many years of work in the disability sector, what has always struck me about people working in this sector is their dedication and commitment above and beyond what are the normal parameters of their job. Strong friendships are made, loyal bonds are formed and people who work in the disability services delivery sector, whether it is in education or for organisations such as Carpentaria, Somerville, Anglicare, or HPA, show enormous dedication, compassion and commitment through their job. They apply their skills, but they certainly bring a great deal of heart and love to the work they do and I thank them for all of their efforts.
The member for Braitling raised the role of good advocacy and I acknowledge with her the role that Michelle Castagna plays in Central Australia for people with a disability. She is a tremendous advocate; someone whom I have enormous admiration for. I look forward to continuing to listen to Michelle as she advocates for people with a disability because she certainly knows what she is talking about. She lives disability every day.
The issue of transport has not gone unnoticed by me since I became minister. I have pursued this issue with gusto. I am working collaboratively with both my agency and the minister for Transport to sort out what has been a decade’s long problem in providing adequate taxi transport for people with a disability.
I will be taking up the issue of the change in wheelchair policy with Qantas. I participated in debates about 10 years ago on air transport and it is a shame, in this day and age, that we have to revisit such debates. However, I am more than happy to take up the issue with Qantas.
The issue the member for Braitling raised about constituents and aged constituents requiring a scooter happens to be an issue that I have investigated and considered at some length. I am still searching for ways to resolve this issue to a satisfactory resolution and I am working with the agency on that. In an ideal world, I would be able to grant Barney his scooter tomorrow. I am not operating in an ideal world; I am operating within processes and procedures that I have to, as minister, follow. However, I have not given up on Barney’s need for a scooter and I will be chasing up the idea of Lasseters Casino contributing to the cost of a scooter. It is very good news to hear and I will be hoping to hear from the member for Braitling as to how that is going.
Member for Braitling, rest assured the idea of the review into disability services is to ensure that it is comprehensive in its approach to consultation with the broader community and the sector specifically. I will be very happy to provide you with the information and advice on how people can link into the review. The tender for the consultancy has gone out and we have established the terms of reference, as my statement says, in consultation with the Disability Advisory Council.
Member for Braitling, I will be happy to provide you with additional information about how people can get their views heard in the disability services review which I believe is an essential road mapping exercise for government to ensure that we improve the whole-of-government approach in delivering disability services. There are things that I am already aware of and, as a government funding disability services and understanding the great services that exist out there, we can do better. We need to do better.
On that point, I pick up on the member for Greatorex’s contribution. It was a strange contribution. He started by indicating that we are pretending about how much additional funding we have put into the disability services because we have shifted staff over into the sector from another agency. However, he is failing to understand the budget involved in the Aged and Disability program and I am happy to offer him a briefing. It is important as the shadow minister that he understands it. The staff that came over accounts for $1m and it certainly does not account for the 78% increase in disability funding that the Labor Martin government has put in place. He talked about the need for the non-government sector to be able to keep pace with wage rises. Again, he has missed a very important aspect of what this government is delivering. We have delivered an election commitment to index non-government organisations funding to ensure that they can keep pace with wages growth. That was a significant aspect of our election commitment to the sector.
The member for Greatorex tried to indicate that we are doing nothing for carers. He did not seem to understand that the statement says we are the first jurisdiction in Australia that will introduce the carers’ concession scheme through the carers card. Nor does he seem to understand the significant Carers (Recognition and Services) Act. Again, I am more than happy to provide the member for Greatorex with a briefing. I did interject at one point in his speech. I did my best to not interject, even though his speech was, basically, ill-informed, carping, whingeing and whining. I found it appalling that he tried to insinuate that in some way I was involved in the tragic death of an aged care client. Member for Greatorex, I know this is a Chamber where often politics is played, but you sank to a new depth in your contribution. I have had communications with the aged care clients’ family who the shadow spokesperson has been in contact with and I have advised them to take any unresolved issues around aged care to the Commonwealth Residential Aged Care Complaints office. It is quite appropriate that these people have concerns with the quality of aged care that they actually do take those concerns to the relevant authority.
Member for Greatorex, playing gutter politics with the tragic death of an aged care client is at all time new low, even for you. You have sunk to significant lows over the years that I have had to listen to you in this Chamber.
I end by again thanking all other members for their very excellent contributions to this statement. Apart from the member for Greatorex, I did pick up a bipartisan approach to improving services for people with disability and for approving services for those who care for people with disability. I am really grateful for that and I look forward to the support in future years in the work that we do together to do that.
I want to thank the hardworking staff of my agency and the staff of the Aged and Disability Services Division of the agency who are extremely hardworking. They make a little bit go along way.
In the 1980s, there was a $1bn shortfall in disability services Australia-wide and the Territory is not alone in that our demand in disability services far outstretched our capacity to deliver. I am constantly impressed with the effort that these staff go to in the agency to ensure the fairest possible delivery of services to people with disability. I thank the staff throughout the Territory. I have had the honour as minister to go and meet staff right across the Territory. I have acknowledged in my statement the fine work done by the Katherine Regional Allied Health Services in Katherine. They are a Commonwealth-funded scheme, but they are doing significant work in Allied Health Service delivery around the Katherine region, and I really thank them for their efforts.
I also thank the Disability Advisory Council; they give their time generously. They are a group of very fine people who understand the issues confronting people with a disability and carers. I look forward to continuing to work with them to improve disability services in the Territory.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
Building the Territory’s Resource Base
Building the Territory’s Resource Base
Mr VATSKALIS (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, today I provide this House with an update on this government’s Building the Territory’s Resource Base investment attraction program.
This four-year $15.2m program commenced in July 2003 and aims to maximise mining and petroleum exploration investment in the Territory. This initiative was designed to arrest an alarming 48% decline in private sector mineral exploration in the Northern Territory over the six-year period from 1995-96 to 2001-02.
Despite a substantially improved investor sentiment towards the mining industry that commenced with the recovery in the gold price in late 2001, and the subsequent recoveries in other commodity prices beginning in late 2003, Australia’s share of global mineral exploration investment has fallen over the same period, from 17.6% in 2002 to just 13% in 2005.
Much of Australia, especially the Territory, is still considered prospective, but its geological environment does present unique technical challenges that make discovery of new resources difficult. In an effort to maximise inward mineral investment, all Australian jurisdictions have now established their own exploration incentive programs whose primary thrusts are to assist in mitigating the technical risk. The Territory, therefore, finds itself in a highly competitive environment, and our challenge is to succeed at differentiating ourselves as a superior investment destination from other mineral prospective jurisdictions in Australia and, indeed, across the world.
It is vital that we confront this challenge because exploration is the lifeblood of the mining industry. Furthermore, mining is absolutely fundamental to the Northern Territory’s economic growth and future prosperity. The mining and petroleum sector is the major contributor to the Territory economy, accounting for over 20% of GSP in 2004-05, the second largest proportion of any jurisdiction in Australia. It plays a fundamental role in regional development and has enormous potential for support in the commercial and social development of indigenous and regional communities.
The mining industry is characterised by long lead times, typically up to 10 years, from commencement of exploration to discovery and potentially, as long again from discovery to development. It follows that sustained growth in the Territory’s mining sector requires a corresponding long-term strategy and sustained effort from government. I am very pleased to report today that this government is delivering.
Building the Territory’s Resource Base comprises four key and interrelated elements delivered by my Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines. These elements are:
- 1. the acquisition of high-quality pre-competitive geoscientific data, increasingly being made available to industry via the Internet;
Under the current program, an outstanding record of publication and data release to industry has been achieved, including the production of 21 new geological maps, eight new geographical information system datasets, and 12 new major geoscientific publications. Highlights of the geoscience program include:
- Australia’s first diamond indicator and mineral chemistry database;
proceedings of the Timor Sea Petroleum Geoscience Symposium;
major reports on the gold mineral system of the Tanami region, southern McArthur Basin seismic survey, the geology of the Musgrave Province, a review of source rocks in the Amadeus Basin and Tin-Tantalum mineralisation of the Northern Territory; and
over 50 000 km2 of airborne geophysical surveys over the Simpson Desert, and an airborne gravity survey over western Arnhem Land – again, an Australian first.
In fact, my Geological Survey Division has successfully attracted and responded to thousands of exploration inquiries since the commencement of Building the Territory’s Resource Base. In the last six months alone, the take-up rate for technical data has increased by 250%, clearly demonstrating the survey’s ability to draw investor attention to opportunities hosted by the Territory’s world-renowned prospective geology, because the Territory is elephant country. When you find something, you find it big.
The Territory’s comprehensive geological database is highly regarded by explorers the world over. This is supported by a recent international survey of over 1100 exploration, development and mining companies conducted by the internationally respected Fraser Institute of Canada. In it, the Territory rated fifth out of 64 jurisdictions assessed for the quality and ease of access to its geological database. An outstanding achievement indeed, showing that we can mix it with the best the world has to offer.
The accelerated delivery of products from our geoscience program has led to several positive outcomes for the Territory, including: a doubling of the success rate of exploration wells in the Timor Sea to 50%; heightened interest in the Territory’s diamond prospectivity leading to the discovery of new diamond pipes in the Abner Range near Borroloola; and for the first time ever, significant interest in the mineral potential of the Simpson Desert area in the remote south-eastern part of the Territory.
I will now focus on the program’s second element; namely the capacity of my department’s Minerals and Petroleum Titles Division to process and manage exploration and mining title. Heightened interest in the Territory’s exploration opportunities, brought about by both our increased promotional activity and market demand, have translated into a steady rise in title applications over the past 12 months, resulting in a total of $2.5m of rental revenue for 2004-05. This represents an increase of $800 000 over and above the average yearly rent collected during the four years leading into the current program.
The number of exploration licences granted has almost trebled since 1999-2000. On 30 June 2000, there were 285 granted mineral exploration licences, now there are 751. These licences are monitored to ensure that holders actively explore as required in the conditions placed on the titles. At the same time, the number of outstanding mining tenements subject to the native title process has been reduced, primarily through active case management, and facilitating mediation and negotiation between parties.
My titles teams has been tasked with accelerating the processes related to land tenure and has made solid progress with native title land where the expedited procedure is now routine, and timeliness generally accords to statutory time frames.
However, a lot of work remains, due in part to the global commodity boom. This boom, in conjunction with our exploration initiative, has contributed to a significant increase in the number of new applications received by my department each year. For example, in 2005, the department received 365 new mineral exploration licence applications compared with 197 new applications in 2004, an increase of 85%.
Headway is also being made in the grant of mineral leases. In recent times, a range of companies have applied for and, in a number of cases, been granted mineral leases for the development of various mineral commodities. Several recent examples illustrate this point. Matilda Minerals have been granted a mineral lease on the Tiwi Islands for the development of zircon mineral sands. Olympia Resources have been granted a mineral lease at Harts Range, north-east of Alice Springs, for the mining of garnet abrasives. An application for a mineral lease at Frances Creek, north of Pine Creek, has been received from Territory Iron for the development of an iron ore deposit. Compass Resources holds mineral leases near Batchelor and has submitted proposals for the development of a copper, cobalt and nickel Browns Oxide mine. These proposals are currently subject to environmental assessment by this government. We are, moreover, expecting several new development proposals to be submitted in the coming year.
The enhanced capacity of my department to process and manage exploration and mining title has led to some outstanding achievements. These include:
- the establishment of the new manganese mine at Bootu Creek. The mineral lease was granted to Bootu Creek Resources with the full cooperation of the Northern Land Council and the local indigenous people;
an extensive mineral sand exploration program by Matilda Minerals in an alliance with Tiwi Land Council on the Tiwi Islands; and
the first time grant under the native title processes on onshore petroleum exploration permits in the Territory, most specifically in the Katherine/Barkly Region.
In recent years, my department has worked hard to cement harmonious relationships with the Territory’s land councils. In collaboration with the Central and Northern Land Councils, my department published the guide to exploration and mining on Aboriginal land in June 2004. Some 1000 copies have been distributed to industry governments and indigenous corporations. A second series booklet focusing on forming partnerships and agreement with indigenous people is currently being developed.
Building the Territory’s Resource Base includes ongoing promotion of the Territory as an attractive destination for exploration investment, the all important fourth element of the program. Our promotion study has focused on direct contact with industry and building key business relationships. We have been targeting large domestic markets from Western Australia to Queensland, as well as premium international sectors such as Canada.
Last year, my team intensified that coverage of the domestic market through the innovative ‘Top End Secret’ campaign. I personally led a delegation from my department and industry to Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne to communicate the scope of business opportunities in Northern Territory. At last count, we laid out a very simple message backed up by a genuine offer of assistance to around 750 industry and investment executives. That message is that the Territory government welcomes exploration and mining business.
Top End Secret campaign was run with the support of six strategic private sector partners and endorsed by 21 Territory-focused explorers. There is ample evidence to indicate that this campaign has successfully raised the profile of the Northern Territory which witnessed a surge in inquiries for the three-month period after the first leg of the campaign in Perth in April, including a 165% increase in geoscience inquiries to my geological survey team. As part of the Top End Secret campaign, we have launched an electronic Northern Territory Investment Alert. This ‘alert’ is sent every six to eight weeks and provides the latest intelligence on exploration investment opportunities in the Territory. Potential investors are actively availing themselves to updates on our undeveloped mineral deposits and joint ventures in the Territory. This information exchange will help us to develop future business with our contacts.
Since 2000, the Annual Geoscience Exploration Seminar, or AGES, has been used by my department as a key platform to communicate the results of significance of its geoscience program to the mineral petroleum sectors in Australia. AGES convenes each March in Alice Springs and regularly attracts 150 delegates from all over Australia. By the Building the Territory’s Resource Base, the significance of this event has been enhanced by incorporating special sessions in the 2004 and 2005 programs to discuss and examine indigenous involvement in exploration and mining. AGES will be again broadened in 2006 by close agency cooperation with the Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development in the hosting of a mining supply expo, showcasing a number of Central Australian businesses and their capabilities to support mining and exploration activity.
In the context of the international market, for the last two years officers of my department have attended the annual Convention of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada in Toronto, the world’s premier exploration and mining investment trade show. Targeted marketing strategies, including a trade display and a meeting with major and mid-sized North American mining companies, had been successful in stimulating increased North American industry and investment in Territory exploration opportunities. As a result, several North American groups including Aldershot Resources, Teck-Cominco, Falconbridge, Laramide Resources and GBS Gold have recently initiated or enhanced their level of exploration investment in the Territory.
Other elements of the communication strategy include targeted advertisements, presentations and trade displays at industry-focused conferences, editorial and short reports in industry journals, a well designed and maintained web site, and organisation of technical conferences designed to stimulate new geological thinking so as to trigger new exploration activity. We are only just over halfway through our program and its success has been phenomenal. This success is evident in:
- the greater interest in the Territory’s mineral and petroleum prospectivity demonstrated by a 250% increase in the take up rate for technical data, and a significant increase in new applications for mineral exploration licences over the past year;
Another telltale sign that our message is getting through is that over the last year my department has been receiving an ever-increasing frequency of inquiries and visits from Australians and, particularly overseas investors, wanting to capitalise on opportunities in the Territory’s mineral sector.
This government’s proactive strategy is clearly demonstrating success in positioning the Territory to fully capitalise in the current resources boom, leading to sustained economic growth that has been driven by strong and highly efficient mining sector. Moreover, in our desire to improve performance and maintain focus, my department has commissioned an independent review of the effectiveness of our strategy to ensure that the Northern Territory remains competitive in the priority of exploration and investment attraction.
Whilst the government has made a commitment to spend $1m to Building the Territory’s Resource Base, we would not be able to achieve all this if we did not have the people behind the legislation and the project - people in the department like Richard Brescianini who heads the geological survey, Lisa Mutch who has done so much about the Top End Secret project, Jerry Whitfield, in titles, and John Carroll, the head of the department. We might have the ideas, the legislation, the project and the money, but these are the people who make this project, this legislation, and this idea a reality. Altogether government and the department has worked very effectively, and very well in order to promote the Territory and make people rediscover the Territory as the last frontier of exploration and the land for opportunity.
Madam Speaker, I commend the statement to honourable members, and move that the Assembly take note of the statement.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I respond to the Minister for Mines and Energy’s statement. We all know in this Assembly that mining is the most significant economic industry in the Territory, averaging over 20% of GSP per annum since 2000. As the minister said in his statement, this is the second largest proportion of any jurisdiction in Australia.
The AGES 2006 seminar that the minister referred to is scheduled to be held on 28 and 29 March at the Alice Springs Convention Centre and it has highlighted in its promotional material that the Northern Territory is Australia’s final exploration frontier and that there is no doubt that the Northern Territory is a highly attractive destination for exploration. It is an exciting statement and one that we all agree with and support.
Regional Northern Territory relies heavily on the prosperity that the mining industry brings and it is, therefore, imperative that the industry is given as much assistance as possible and encouragement to come to the Northern Territory to explore and develop. In most instances, the exploration leases are on indigenous land, so the potential for prosperity for these regional and remote communities is very significant, and reliant on the successful development of these mines.
Technology today allows potential investors to access quite detailed information over the Internet, which saves them some considerable time. The Country Liberal Party has always supported the mining industry and encouraged exploration. As a matter of fact, it was the Country Liberal Party that instigated the largest airborne surveys undertaken in Australia. The Country Liberal Party minister for Resource Development, minister Manzie in the previous government, addressed the Northern Territory parliament on 20 February 2001, which is right on five years ago. I quote from his statement:
- Airborne geophysical surveys are the cornerstone of the exploration initiative. Explorers focus heavily on geophysical data in their strategic planning, area selection and project generation. During 1999 and 2000, almost one million line kilometres of high-resolution airborne magnetic, radiometric and elevation data were acquired under contract to the Geological Survey Division. These are, without question, the largest airborne surveys being undertaken in Australia. The Territory now boasts one of the most extensive, uniformly high-quality airborne datasets available anywhere in the world.
There is no doubt that the Country Liberal Party in government were leaps ahead of the rest of Australia in addressing the technology required to assist and encourage exploration in the Northern Territory.
As I have said, mining and petroleum industries are the lifeblood of the Territory’s economy, and will continue to be so into the future, as long as industry and government work together to keep the Territory as an attractive exploration investment destination.
Building the Territory’s Resource Base has allowed the Geological Survey Division of the government to embark on a pre-competitive geoscientific program which has seen the Territory become more attractive to mineral and petroleum exploration. This needs to continue to ensure that the Territory not only maintains its position as an attractive place to invest, but improves its position such that countries like Canada, South Africa and the South Americas do not lure away exploration dollars.
The current round of funding ends in June 2007, and I urge the government to continue the pre-competitive geoscientific program, so that more information is available to industry and it is encouraged to come into the Territory to explore. Exploration work leads to regional employment and development, and indirect benefits can be large. For example, another commitment of $38m over four years, using acknowledged multipliers, could stimulate private expenditure of between $190m and $570m based on a 5:15 multiplier. This is possible, and I urge the government to look seriously at the future of the resource industry into the next 10 years, given that we may have only three major operating mines following the closure of Ranger in about 2011, and the McArthur River this year, if that project does not secure approval to go open cut.
That leads me into another area that I consider the most serious situation that the minister and the Northern Territory government needs to address right now. McArthur River Mine employs over 300 workers, and their jobs are at stake. They may be fly-in and fly-out workers, but they all live in the Northern Territory, and all contribute to the multiplying effect, for example, their families are here, they have houses and cars, the kids go to school and they contribute to our economy.
The McArthur River Mine injects over $320m into the Territory’s economy each year, and there are 400 companies that supply that mine. This particular mine is threatened with closure at the end of February because no decision has been made by this government to stamp their approval to go to above ground mining. The time frame the government has put required a 10-week public review, and I believe that the time frame is normally five to eight weeks. That aside, there were still submissions put into the review three weeks after the time line, and there were 14 submissions received. There were nine from government, four community organisations and one from an individual. These included three that were accepted three weeks after the deadlines closed, which gave the community more time to consider the environmental impact statement fully. They were not ignored, they were included in the review, despite being overdue.
The time frame for the environmental impact statement was extended five weeks, despite this government initially saying that they would hasten the process. Following the decision by the minister for the Environment and Heritage, the submission will then have to go to the Commonwealth for their approval. The Commonwealth has offered to hasten the process at their end. This will still have to come back to the Northern Territory Minister for Mines and Energy for another decision. Before a sod is turned at the mine, a mining management plan will have to be approved, which will take another five to six weeks. This situation at McArthur River Mine is crucial - it is critical. If the mine closes down for any time at all, the workers will move elsewhere. There are plenty of opportunities in the mining industry elsewhere, and it is highly likely that these workers will move out of the Northern Territory, and it is also highly likely that they will not come back.
Minister, the most serious situation that you and your government have right at this moment is addressing the future of the McArthur River Mine, and I urge you to take action now.
During Question Time today, the Leader of Government Business spent some time telling us how wonderful his government is in handling big projects, and how many dollars are injected into the Northern Territory economy through these projects. Well, Madam Speaker, I think $329m that McArthur River Mine injects into the Northern Territory economy each year is highly significant and one that needs to be secured. It would appear that the Labor government obviously does not feel the same way.
The minerals and petroleum industry has the full support of the Country Liberal Party, and I remind members that it was a Country Liberal Party that first introduced the pre-competitive geoscientific program funding. The future of the Territory, its peoples and its lifestyle is too important. Support must be given to the industry and a continuation of the exploration program by government is one way to demonstrate this support.
I thank the minister for his statement, but I am more interested in hearing about what he is doing to hasten the decision about the future of the McArthur River Mine expansion.
Mr HENDERSON (Business and Economic Development): Madam Speaker, I support my colleague, the mining minister, in his statement. In the lecture we just received from the member for Katherine, as the local member, she did not mention the legacy of the Mt Todd mine and the dangers that are inherent when one ignores the very appropriate and responsible regulatory regime around the operation of a mine site, and that regulatory regime goes towards environmental safety, occupational health and safety and the exposure to taxpayers for many years to come, and the detriment to the environment on the sad occasions when these things go wrong and mining operations fail.
In the process of the assessment of the EIS for McArthur River, that will all be announced in due time. This is a government that takes our responsibilities seriously, not only in encouraging investment in the mining industry. My colleague, the minister – I do not have a copy of his press release with me today – shows that investment in exploration is at an all time high at the moment. We have to be responsible for the environment. That is a balance and we will not shirk from that responsibility, unlike the previous government which has left a very sad and unfortunate legacy for future taxpayers of the Northern Territory to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, and one that will not be repeated under this government.
The recent Economic Development Summit identified unlocking the economic potential of our regions as one of the crucial elements to building a more prosperous Territory. As one of our biggest industries, exploration and mining has a linchpin role to play in assisting in making this a reality. Crucial to the success of this is the building of partnerships between governments, the mining exploration industry and indigenous communities - that is the key to it. The key to a sustainable future for the mining industry globally in Australia, in the Northern Territory, is successful partnerships within the communities in which they operate. That is the way that the industry is evolving. Certainly, the mining industry of today is totally different to the mining industry of 20 years ago in its acknowledgement and understanding of the commitment to environment. Commitment to long-term sustainable social objectives is absolutely paramount in the industries licensed to operate.
Any mining company which is seeking to have a sustainable future has to pay regard to a genuine commitment to partnerships with the communities in which they seek to operate. Those communities are, obviously, the local people on the grounds, the government that regulates their industry, and also a genuine and lasting commitment to the environment. The responsible miners of which the vast majority are, are understanding of that. The good old days of years gone by, where they get in and rip it out and throw a bit of top soil on and are off over the horizon are long gone, and thank goodness for that.
Mrs Miller: You have the EIS now, though.
Mr HENDERSON: Member for Katherine, decisions will be made within the appropriate time frames that are established under regulation. If you do not understand what those are, then I am sure that you can be provided a briefing. The process is all actually defined in the legislation and regulations, and if you were to get a copy of the legislation and the regulations it would be there for you to see and to understand how the system works, and we will not short cut that.
Much of the exploration and mining potential in the Territory exists on Aboriginal land, and ensuring access to this land is critical to the economic growth of the Territory. Without access, developers cannot explore the potential of resources that could, in turn, provide valuable opportunities for economic development and employment in those communities. We need to ensure open lines of communication and greater understanding between traditional land owners and exploration and mining companies wishing to do business here. The potential on both sides is enormous. For the mining industry there is significant investment opportunities throughout the Territory, and for indigenous people, it is the potential to gain employment and training on these projects and generate economic wealth in their communities, not only employment and training but genuine commitment from those companies to the social and economic development of those communities.
This is where the Indigenous Business and Industry Services Division of my department have a significant role to play. IBIS’s objectives include: facilitating access to Aboriginal land for the Northern Territory geological survey and the Commonwealth Geoscience’s Australia mapping programs; encouraging and promoting increased mineral and energy exploration on Aboriginal land; encouraging and promoting increased indigenous participation in the mining and energy industries; increasing awareness of the importance of the mineral and petroleum industries in indigenous communities; and providing resources related to mining and energy to compliment the curriculum particularly in non-urban schools.
IBIS’s mission is twofold: ensuring that indigenous people and communities have appropriate information to make informed decisions about mining issues and that Aboriginal land will be accessible for geological investigation, and that any identified mineral potential will be developed in a sustainable manner in partnership with those communities.
IBIS acts as a conduit between government and its clients, including the mining industry, indigenous people, the NT Mineral’s Council and relevant government agencies. That communication is achieved in a number of ways, including community and remote visits, consultation and discussion with land councils, indigenous local government bodies, indigenous companies, mining companies and peak bodies. Currently, mining and petroleum title applicants conduct their negotiations with traditional owners, custodians and land councils often without prior experience or background advice. IBIS have developed a range of initiatives to assist companies to do this in an appropriate manner, including resource kits for mining and petroleum companies to increase their understanding of the legal and cultural requirements of exploring and mining in the Territory; workshops for industry so they have the skills and knowledge to do business on Aboriginal land; and attending and presenting at industry forums, where possible, assisting industry to negotiate with land councils and traditional owners. IBIS also provides advice and information to its indigenous clients so they can make informed decisions about exploration and mining issues through information workshops in indigenous communities; appropriate information packages and teacher resource kits; establishing and maintaining communication with teacher and community schools; and producing a quarterly newsletter for schools and communities.
IBIS sees its role as knowledge building so all key stakeholders have a better understanding of each other and the mutual benefits in developing a symbiotic relationship. Part of that knowledge building approach includes educating young people about exploration and mining through a schedule of school visits. The objectives include encouraging children to think about employment in the mining industry and giving them an understanding of minerals extraction and processing and how minerals are an important part of daily life. At the same time, IBIS invites parents to the school for presentations. While these school visits have been well received, it is still clear that the employment take-up rate by indigenous people in the mining industry is far from optimum. IBIS is working better to refine and focus its knowledge building efforts by ensuring its programs are more strategically aligned with the results of the NT geological survey.
IBIS is also playing a crucial role in assisting with land access during the NT geological survey process, particularly in Central Australia. Some of the activities carried out by the senior advisory officer in Alice Springs included a trip to Ellery Creek with 25 industry and NTGS staff, a trip to Mt Liebig with five traditional owners and 12 NTGS industry representatives, and a follow-up trip to Docker River drilling program that was completed in October. Meanwhile, the senior advisor officer in Tennant Creek successfully completed 18 months of extensive negotiation with the Central Land Council for 700 km of seismic lines in the Tanami including an archaeological clearance. In addition, clearance was also obtained for a gravity survey of the Birrindudu Sheet. Central Land Council field officers have played an extremely valuable role in these processes.
IBIS was also involved with the traditional owners of the Bootu Creek manganese mine site and has been assisting North Barkly Indigenous Developments in the formative stage of its development. The company has been formed to engage in commercial opportunities in the region. IBIS has also an important role to play in assisting and supporting the Indigenous Mining and Enterprise Task Force, an informal organisation dedicated to increasing and improving indigenous employment and contracting opportunities in mining and other industry sectors. It consists of mining companies, Territory and Commonwealth government agencies, land councils, indigenous contractors and groups, training organisations, general contractors and other interested parties. The task force is made up of a dynamic group who, collectively, bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table with the aim of increasing the participation of indigenous in all sectors of mining exploration supply and service industries.
There were three IMETF forums held in 2005. The first was held in Alice Springs in February with an attendance of 65 people; the second was in Kununurra in June with 36 in attendance; and the third was in Jabiru with 46 people attending. Mining industry representatives continue to report improving indigenous employment and training outcomes, a positive sign. However, we still have a long way to go.
There is no doubt that mining and exploration offers enormous opportunities for the ongoing economic and social developments of our regions and remote indigenous communities. My department is playing an important role in ensuring that the key players are able to form strong and mutually beneficial partnerships to ensure exploration and mining work is able to occur in a sustainable environment. I am proud of the work that those officers in my department do. When you talk to people in the mining industry and the department - I am very proud, as I know that people on this side of the House are - we have moved away from the politics of division that used to be around access to land here in the Northern Territory. There is one sure thing that is really going to open up opportunities for the mining industry in the Northern Territory on Aboriginal land, and that is establishing the trust of traditional owners, indigenous people, on those communities. If we, as a government, can play some role in brokering that trust equation between the companies and the people on whose land they wish to explore and, potentially, mine, then we have done our job as government. We have been the honest broker in trying to build that trust equation.
When one compares that to policies of previous governments in the Northern Territory, whose sole position was to champion the cause of the mining industry against the aspirations and the wishes of those traditional owners on Aboriginal land, that was a sure-fire recipe for an industry that was going out of the door backwards. When we came to government, the issues surrounding native title; the pursuit in the Territory of their own native title regime and process, and seeking to bypass the federal native title regime that had been put in place, saw over a period of about three years not one single exploration licence on Aboriginal land issued. In fact, the previous Mines minister, when we came to office, if I am not wrong, member for Casuarina, had about 400 applications piled up on his desk that were not moving anywhere because there was no process to move them through. Such was the ideological positions of the government of the day that, essentially, it did not support the native title regime, were hostile towards land rights, and the climate of trust between indigenous people, the mining industry and governments had completely broken down or, if not completely, had badly broken down.
Over the last term of government and this term, my colleague, the member for Casuarina, who is as passionate about this as we all are on this side of the House, knows the strongest position that we can take, as a government, is to build that trust equation, be the honest brokers, and do our part in issuing exploration licences and mining approvals and to apply the legislation and the regulation of that industry without fear or favour and do our jobs. Then, the future for the mining industry in the Northern Territory is looking very strong. We all want to see more mining in the Northern Territory. We all know that we still have a largely poorly-explored land mass here in the Northern Territory, and we all want better regional and indigenous employment and business outcomes.
Madam Speaker, I commend the minister for this statement and I am sure that everybody on this side of the House will continue to do all we can to broker that trust equation between indigenous people and the mining industry.
Mr KNIGHT (Daly): Madam Speaker, I support not only the statement of the minister, but also the references from the member for Wanguri in relation to the ideological position which has certainly been a huge impediment in the past. I will give some examples of how that ideological position has changed now with the Martin Labor government.
I was fairly fortunate to come into this House last year, halfway through a four-year, $15.2m program that was attracting investing mining exploration in the Northern Territory. Building the Territory’s Resource Base is a visionary program which is now bearing fruit, and that fruit is starting to appear in my electorate. I am very grateful for that, as I am sure the people of the electorate are.
There are several examples of that, and I talked briefly about them in the economic statement earlier this week. One of those projects is at Frances Creek, which is just to the east of Pine Creek. The Frances Creek mine is an iron ore mine, which was operating between 1967 and 1974. It closed due to high operational costs at the time, a moribund iron ore market and a failed rail infrastructure. Finally, Cyclone Tracy wiped it out completely. It sat there idle for 30-odd years. The Martin Labor government has had a vision of investment in and stimulation of economic development projects, not only in Darwin but in the regions. One of the factors which encouraged the reopening of the mine has been the Alice Springs to Darwin railway, which has made the whole project much more viable.
Territory Iron - which is an offshoot of OM Holdings - is one of those companies and is at Bootu Creek. To give an example of the ideological position, Bootu Creek was a very cooperative arrangement where the government, and certainly the member for Barkly, have been working very closely with Aboriginal traditional owners, the land council and the mining company to get some real results on the ground.
Following the completion of preliminary feasibility studies, the board of Territory Iron have now given the go ahead for Frances Creek mine to start. A press release, which only came out to the stock exchange yesterday, stated that the Frances Creek mine is going ahead. The direct capital cost portion is estimated in the order of $10m. They will have mining transport and crushing contracts which will be offered, and they will also be utilising the bulk loader facilities there.
Territory Iron have been drilling at Frances Creek for several years. They have spent something like $2.6m so far in drilling operations, and they will be drilling further into the future, so they are spending a great deal of money on that project. The highlights of this project include the fact that it will actually contribute to the Alice Springs to Darwin railway. They are building a siding there. They will be putting 70 wagons on that railway, and they will be going to Darwin daily, so they will increase the usage of the Alice Springs to Darwin railway. They will also be paying port charges for storage and handling of their crates, which will actually offset the considerable cost of the port infrastructure which is now in place, and they will further develop the port facilities by expanding suitable useable land in the area.
The Frances Creek mine will revitalise the Pine Creek community. It will stimulate small business in the area and it is projected that they will have 65 full-time jobs. This is an example of the ideological position and the vision of this government in that, early on, we had the minister’s office involved with this company. I have been involved in this company, talking to them early, talking to the community, bringing people together, talking with the land council about opportunities for not only local people and local businesses but also for that segment of the community which needs encouragement and assistance to get into the work force. That is, obviously, Aboriginal people in the Kybrook Farm area outside Pine Creek. We now are working up employment training strategies for that community, not only for Kybrook but also for Pine Creek, Adelaide River, and Katherine as well, to get local people employed in that project. With this project, we also involved DBERD to allow local businesses which want to diversify, to expand, and people who would like to start new business to make use of this mining project.
This is a very exciting project, certainly for me and for the town. They are going to extract something like 6.9 million tonnes of ore from Frances Creek, with 3.5 million tonnes of that resource reported to the reserve category. That is what they have in the bank and they will conduct further drilling, costing several million dollars, over the years to come to prove up more of that reserve. There is a three-year guarantee of that mine operating and I believe the mine will have further years to contribute back to the community.
One of the other mines in that area and one of the other players is GBS Gold. This is a Canadian-based company which bought out several companies and is now operating the old Northern Gold mining leases. They also bought out Terra Gold which had the lease for the Maud Creek Mine. It was an interesting situation that the shadow mining spokesperson and the member for Katherine failed to mention the most significant mining operation since, I guess, Mt Todd, that being Maud Creek. That mine now is stimulating housing prices in Katherine. It is going to generate several hundred jobs in the area, for which many of the people will come from Katherine. GBS Gold is buying up houses in Katherine as we speak and it did not seem to rate a mention. As with Territory Iron, I and the minister’s office have been meeting with them. They are a genuine player, have a genuine community spirit and are looking at residential workers. They are not looking at fly-in/fly-out and they are looking at training up local people, allowing us to use their mill, the Union Reef mill, so that we can undertake training programs so local people who do not have the current skills can up-skill and gain good paying jobs in the mining industry. This is extremely encouraging.
GBS Gold, which has several tenements around the area, is hoping to start towards the end of the year and this is very exciting. They have a projected mine life of 10 years. They will be underground and also open cut mining. They will mill all the ore at the Union Reef mill just north of Pine Creek. The initial through-put of the mill should be something like 1.5 million tonnes per annum and rising to 2.3 million tonnes by the year 2009. The initial gold production will be approximately 1000 ounces rising to approximately 250 000 ounces by 2009. The direct job creation will be 100 people and it will rise to 200 people in 2010. That is just direct jobs. There are, obviously, spin-offs, with small contracts and large contracts. I thank GBS Gold and their directors for allowing us to work with them and I know that this Labor government wants them to be there. They want to allow the mining to go ahead, and every opportunity made to keep the money in the region and in the Northern Territory where it belongs.
The other mine which is opening up in my electorate is the one at Batchelor. The Browns Oxide project is run by Compass Resources which has tried to open this site before. They are looking at doing it in several stages. They are looking at mining the alluvial ore for several years then expanding after that. This mine has a projected life of something like 50 years. They think there is something like $250m worth of minerals, that being 10 000 tonnes of copper, 1000 tonnes of cobalt and 700 tonnes of nickel. With the cobalt price at $US14 a pound, they are going to generate a lot of income. They projected something like 80 permanent workers will be employed at the mine and 150 workers in the construction phase.
This goes to show that the government is saying: ‘We are open for business and we are prepared to work with you’. We are prepared to work with the land councils and to make sure the community and Territorians get benefit out of this. That it is something that I am appreciative of and people in the regional areas know that this government cares about them and knows that they want to get the best out of it.
The mining companies seem to be lining up to mine the Territory. Only today, there was an article about Arafura Resources wanting to start at the Nolans Bore mine, another project which will probably utilise the railway to transport its ore. Here we have a great deal of investment. As well as the investments we have made at the port and in the railway, the investments we have made in this program are bearing fruit; they are returning money to Territorians in the way of royalties and taxes. It is something the CLP need to have a think about when they complain about expenditure. We have a clear example where this government has invested in projects which return jobs and royalties to all Territorians.
Madam Speaker, I commend the statement to the House and thank the minister.
Mr VATSKALIS (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, the mining industry is the lifeline for the Territory by contributing 20% of gross state product and employing more than 4000 people. Mining could be the tool for the Territory government for the development of the regions and for the employment of indigenous people, especially people who live in regional centres where there are not many jobs available. However, mining has changed significantly.
First of all, in the old times you could see the big companies like BHP or Rio Tinto putting people on the ground to explore for new minerals. Now, the exploration is undertaken by small companies where they go out to find potential minerals and then, if they find something, they sell it to the big companies. The reality is that the small explorers do not have the money or the resources either to collect geophysical data or to interpret it in order to make a decision to minimise the risk before they go to explore in an area. That is where the government comes in. The government actually has the ability, the potential to scope the mining, and the expertise to collect and interpret geophysical data.
The difference is how do you provide it. Do you ask people to pay for it or do you provide it free? I recall very well in one of the mining seminars when we suggested that we give our geophysical data on CD and the maps for free, one of the explorers commented that in Western Australia the only thing they get for free from the mines department are pens and beer coasters. However, by doing that we manage to actually go into the boardrooms of companies, into the computers, be part of decision-making processes by providing this information, minimising their risk. When they see in front of them the potential of the Territory unlocking before their eyes, they can make the decision to come to the Territory, or to come back to the Territory at a later date.
Another thing that makes a big difference with the Territory and mining is the railway. People from Arafura Resources told me that, now the railway is in place, anything 140 km east and west of the Territory can be mined and exported. That was impossible before because it was difficult to move large volumes quickly to an export port. This is has made a significant difference.
The member for Katherine referred to what the CLP did. I thought that the CLP had a split personality problem. Here, you had the minister for mines ordering airborne surveys, but then the other minister responsible for the titles for the land refusing to issue exploration licences, or sitting on them. How are you going to attract people, give them all the information but, when they put in their application, they are not going to get it? Some of these applications were sitting on the desk for years because the CLP decided to play politics; they did not want to do anything. They actually wanted to blame the blackfellas for not giving permits to go onto their land to explore. It was not difficult; we managed to do it, if you sit down and not play politics. As the member for Katherine said before: ‘Let us not play politics, let us talk about business. Let us sit down with the people, and discuss it with them’. We managed to talk to them; the companies managed to talk to them.
Sweetpea Corporation managed, within 12 months, to access Aboriginal land. When I asked the person who was with the corporation how he managed to do that in 12 months, he said to me: ‘We operate in America. We have been operating with native Americans for the past 40 years. We have now developed a template. Every time we negotiate with indigenous people we use this template, overcome the problems and get what we want, and get it quickly’. That is what we should have been doing.
The other thing we have is the CLP left a legacy behind – the legacy of nearly 2000 mines that came, dug, took all the material and then they left a big hole in the ground or very few rehabilitated mines. Mt Todd is a legacy. Mt Todd is actually in the electorate of the member for Katherine, as she is very well aware. I recall very well a call from the member for Katherine asking what we were doing about Mt Todd. I also recall her sensitivity about the environment and the possible impact that Maud Creek would have on the water table that provides water to Katherine if processes were allowed to take place. She warned me that she would be watching very closely what we are doing with Maud Creek, if we did not go through the right processes, or do the right thing.
I would like to assure the member for Katherine, and any member of this parliament, that our government is not going to cut corners. Our government has a process and legislation in place. Any mine that wants to be developed or expanded, has to go through that process of a PER and EIS, and then, following the evaluation process, the minister for Mines – either me or whoever is in my chair - will make the appropriate decision.
We have gone a step further. Following the problems that we have had and are faced with at Mt Todd, where the decision for the rehabilitation bond was made, not by the department, but the minister and the politicians in the ministerial office, we have now changed the system. The department will actually recommend to an independent board, after evaluation of the management plan of the mine, what rehabilitation bond should be in place. Not only that, but the rehabilitation bond is re-evaluated every year. Therefore, if the mine increases productivity or increases disturbance, the rehabilitation bond will go up. If the mine carries out rehabilitation as it progresses as some companies in the Northern Territory do, the rehabilitation bond may be diminished.
We welcome and encourage mines in the Territory and are prepared to work together with the mining industry. A strong, unambiguous government policy, including environmental policy, applied consistently and transparently is, itself, an important tool in exploration and mining investment attraction. We want to have here responsible companies that will mine the Territory. We certainly do not want cowboys. We do not want people who come here, rape and pillage the earth, take the wealth away and leave a big bill for Territorians to pay. We want companies that will come here, do the right thing, employ Territorians, make a profit, but they are going to leave part of the profits in the Territory, and they are going to leave behind a rehabilitated site with no future liability to the Territory.
The encouraging thing is that the mining industry has changed over the past 20 years, and all the best operators now increasingly talk about the triple bottom line. They aim to maximise their investment - fair enough - through best practice environmental protection, and with full community consultation and participation. That is the reason why I have already advised my department that for any future mine application, they should not only consider the mine management plan, or the lease application or anything else, but we should consider the benefit to the Territory. The company has to provide us with a regional and Territory-wide plan for the supply of goods and services from companies in the Territory, and certainly a jobs plan. How many local people will be working in the mine from the region of the town?
We have mines in Tanami, and mines that border Aboriginal land, Aboriginal places where there are a lot of indigenous people, and none of these people would have a job. This is unacceptable. If these miners, either Australian or international, come to the Territory to mine a commodity, at least they should be leaving something behind, and the best thing to leave behind would be jobs and skills. You do not need a degree to work in a mine, but you need commonsense and some of the skills that can be easily acquired, either through the company or by some other means.
I am pleased to say that our government encourages mining in the Territory, not only by putting $15.2m in a project to build the Territory resource base, but also by the department of Mines providing a scholarship to young Territorians who want to study geology. The scholarship is $12 000 a year for three years, and every time this person goes on holidays, they will be working in our department, or they will be working in the mining companies. Not only will we train people, but we will try to actually make sure that these people we train, who we pay the money for, are coming back to the Territory.
One thing that is missing is a basic course that will train Territorians with the basic skills for mining. I am very pleased to say that, currently, I am exploring a course from South Australia that has a possibility to train people to become assistants to geologists, who will be able to assist geophysical data specialists. They do not have to have a university degree. It probably would be a TAFE degree, a Certificate III or Certificate IV, and it would be very easy to go through it.
The other thing is that the scholarship is only for three years. I would like to expand it, but I do not think the government should actually pay the full bill. I will be calling some mining and exploration companies to create a trust account that every company contributes to, and from that account then we will take the scholarship for geologists or other mining specialists.
I said before that mining is important for the Territory; it is the lifeline of the Territory. However, we want people to come here and contribute toward the wealth of the Territory, without leaving behind a liability for the future generation of Territorians to have to pay for.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
After 30 years of demountables, the Gove Country Golf Club has finally completed its first solidly built Rod Parish Club House. I was pleased to assist with the official opening, alongside Doug Parrish from Alcan, in late December.
Establishing a new club house required a heavy cash commitment. Fundraising began in earnest with the golf club raising $230 000, and Alcan Gove and the Northern Territory government each contributing $150 000 towards the new venture. The support of local business was terrific, with small and large business, tradesmen, club members and staff working tirelessly to complete the project. It is a first-class effort for Nhulunbuy. I congratulate Alan Jory for his commitment in seeing the project through and the community at large for their great assistance.
Nhulunbuy High School is renowned for its support of the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme over many years. This year, the school had the highest number of students of the public schools compete in the awards, with approximately 25% of the students involved. Duke’s coordinator, Don McKinnon, advocates the scheme as one of the best support schemes for youth. I congratulate and thank Don for his commitment to these youth in ensuring there is something worthwhile, positive and achievable for every youth in the town to take on if they wish.
Many local organisations were involved and I thank them also for their encouragement to the Duke’s Mob. I was pleased to present the awards to the following recipients:
- Gold – Justine McKinnon, Sarah Bendyna, Alexander Mew and Clare Woodrow.
Silver – Clare Woodrow.
Bronze – Julian Aitchison, Alix Betts, Matthew Bevan, Rahkel Bose, Sam Brumby, Brinkley Dennerly, Kirste Duncan, Brendan Drzezdzon, Larissa Ellis, Michael Hinchcliffe, Jazmin Kesteven, Taliska Kiebat, Holly Marrable, Monika O’Hanlon, Ryan Outen, Hanna Putland, Simone Richter, Jessica Roeger, Bradley Vellacot, Scott Whelan, Keisha Wilds and Simon Woodrow.
Congratulations to Elise Gane, who has been awarded the William Gove Memorial Award for Youth Achievement for 2005, including a prize for $1000. Elise completed most of her schooling in Nhulunbuy, and some secondary education in Queensland, where she gained the highest score possible for school leavers in Queensland. Elise successfully completed the first year of her Bachelor of Physiotherapy at the University of Queensland and received a series of distinctions and high distinctions, earning her a Dean’s commendation. Elise has demonstrated strong and determined commitment to excel academically and, on completion of her studies, would like to return to Nhulunbuy to work. I wish her well as she continues with her studies and hope, indeed, that she does return to Nhulunbuy.
Group Training Northern Territory held their award evening last month for 50 trainees and apprentices employed by Alcan and Group Training in Nhulunbuy. The evening recognised achievements and the support given by employers in the town. I thank Group Training NT, Alcan, and the local employers and the mentors for assisting the apprentices in pursuing their goals. Congratulations to the following recipients on their achievements:
- Matthew Haywood, Group Training Apprentice of the Year; Setaita Ofa, Group Training Town Trainee of the Year; Shae McClure, Group Training Centre Trainee of the Year; Paul Kynigopoulos, Apprentice of the Year, Stage 1; Leslie Detenon, Apprentice of the Year, Stage 2; Jaimus Easter, Apprentice of the Year, Stage 3; Robert Poyner, Apprentice of the Year, Stage 4; Michele Heard, Trainee of the Year for Business; and Joy Wright, Mentor of the Year.
Nhulunbuy Australia Day Citizen of the Year Award went to Yalmay Yunupingu, from Yirrkala. Yalmay was born and raised in East Arnhem Land and educated at a missionary school and Dhupuma College. She commenced her career as a Library Assistant in 1974, eventually gaining her teaching qualification after studying externally through Batchelor College. This necessitated juggling her home commitment of raising six daughters. A very talented sportswoman, Yalmay was an inspiration to others on the basketball court and softball field. She helped on the Yolngu softball team and represented the Gove region where she gained selection for the Northern Territory team, accompanying them on several interstate trips.
Yalmay is an outstanding spokesperson against alcohol abuse and other social issues affecting the community in Yirrkala. Yalmay assists with the preparation of NAIDOC Week in encouraging the community to demonstrate their sense of national pride with the Garma Festival, running the women’s forum, and the women’s shelter. I was pleased to present the inaugural Teaching Excellence Award for a Remote Primary School to Yalmay late last year, recognising her excellence and innovation in achieving strong education outcomes. My sincere congratulations to Yalmay, a very worthy recipient of the Australia Day award.
The Australia Day Young Citizen of the Year Award was presented to Hannah Putland. Hannah and her family arrived in Gove in 1997. At the age of eight, Hannah soon became active in sport. In 2004, Hannah was the Gove Peninsula Surf Life Saving Club and Northern Territory Under 16 Lifesaver of the Year. She completed her Bronze Medallion and continues to be an active member. Hannah was awarded the radio operators training award and continues to take advantage of the courses offered to youth in Nhulunbuy. She has been involved in soccer, touch football, and volleyball, and is a member of the Arafura Dance Association and completed her Grade 6 classical ballet and jazz exams, and is an assistant teacher for the junior jazz class.
She has choreographed and performed dances at the Darwin Eisteddfod, as well as the opening of the Arafura Games in Darwin last year. Hannah has been a member of the student representative council, sports house captain, and participant in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme. She had the honour of travelling to New Zealand for four months as a Rotary exchange student, reciprocating her New Zealand sister in Nhulunbuy. Hannah is an outstanding role model for her peers and is always willing to give of her time to assist in community activities. Congratulations to Hannah, who is well deserving of this award.
Ms MARTIN (Fannie Bay): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, earlier this month I had the pleasure of helping the Batchelor community launch their Tourism Development Plan at the Coomalie Council chambers. You would be particularly interested in this since you were there. The plan is the result of a year-long partnership between the Batchelor Tourism Action Group, Tourism Top End, the Northern Territory Tourist Commission - now Tourism NT - and a number of other government agencies. It has been a truly collaborative effort. Its aim is to get the town visitor ready and in a position to capitalise on the many thousands of people who visit this region each year.
Over 250 000 people visited Litchfield National Park last year and three-quarters of them passed through Batchelor to get there. That is a big incentive to develop a new tourism product and expand the range of experiences for visitors to the region. The Batchelor community is right behind this vision for the town and I was impressed by how many people came along and the wonderful hospitality of the community. I know the local member shares those sentiments about the day.
Bruce Jones, the President of the Coomalie Community Council, introduced me to the many stallholders who were showcasing some of the area’s products and crafts. I congratulate all those people and say what a pleasure it was to meet them. I would like to name them because they were out mid-week with their products on display for the launch of this plan.
There was John Earthrowl of Compass Resources and his display of metals; Christine Fox from Crater Farm Produce; Ursula Jangoot who is establishing the Batchelor Art Gallery; Molly from Croker Island with her pandanus mats; Victor Fox with his wooden crafts; from the Batchelor Area School there was a display of student artworks; Patsy Fawcett and her homemade preserves were on show; Amanda Brown and her designer clothing range; Gillian Hunter and her pottery wares; Bob Davis from Batchelor Resort; Jeanie Gadambua and her woven mats; Nina Keener from Nina’s Ark Wildlife Centre; Paul Arnold of Outback Photos; Colleen and Doug Allsop of Kakadu Dried Fruits; the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education - and I thank them for their show bag of educational items; Batchelor Cultural Centre and the array of artefacts; Alan Peterson from Rum Jungle Organics; Dan, Joan and Bill Stewart of Milkwood Tropical Orchids; Linda Douglas of RS Gardening Care; Judy and Malcolm McGinn of Batchelor General Store and Stony River representing the Batchelor Butterfly Farm.
I also got to meet the volunteers from the Visitor Information Centre: Corrie Van Den Dolder, Myra Skinner, Kay Nordern, Ruth McMartin and Pat and Julius Robinson. They do a great job and their efforts are very much appreciated. Many people contributed to the development of the plan. In particular I say a big thank you to Leslee Penno, the Chair of the Batchelor Tourism Action Group and Lisa Wain the CEO of Coomalie Community Council and her staff and councillors for their commitment to this vision for the Batchelor region.
Before I finish, my thanks to Sylvia Wolf and Tony Clementson and the Tourism Top End team. Their continuing support of the subregions is greatly valued. To all those at Tourism NT, a big thank you. Your work with the Batchelor community has been terrific. It was a most enjoyable day and we will be working with the Batchelor community very closely to see that plan realised. It is a plan for a number of years. There are some activities like the markets for the Dry Season that we will see in operation this Dry Season, which will be great. I thank all those who put the basket together for me with the local produce including the mango wine and the dried fruits and the chutneys for which I am very grateful. I wish all the best of luck to the Batchelor community.
On a totally different topic I strongly encourage every member of this Assembly and everyone in Darwin with an interest in our history to get along to the Paul Foelsche exhibition at the Museum and Art Gallery at Bullocky Point. This exhibition called the Policeman’s Eye showcases the photography of Foelsche who actually worked as the first police inspector in the Top End. Paul Foelsche was born in the German village of Moorburg in 1831 and came to this country with other German migrants in 1854. He joined the South Australian Mounted Police in late 1856 and in 1869 led the first police contingent to the Territory. Paul Foelsche went on to become the most dedicated and prolific photographer in the Top End. He took photographs of the emerging town of Palmerston, as Darwin was then known, and its people - Aboriginal as well as settlers. His was a photographic record of the town and much treasured because, after numerous cyclones, the bombing of Darwin and over 100 years of development, Foelsche’s Darwin has almost vanished.
Included in the exhibition at the art gallery are photos of one of Darwin’s first hotels, the Commercial Hotel in Mitchell Street, taken in 1874; the Chinese market gardens; and Palmerston Hotel from 1878; the christening of the first locomotive for the Port Darwin to Pine Creek railway in 1887; and a view of Port Darwin jetty from Stokes Hill taken in 1888. Foelsche’s photographs featured in national and international exhibitions including the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1875 and the Philadelphia Exhibition in 1876. He photographed the Territory’s gold fields for the 1878 Paris exhibition. This involved loading a wagon with camera, tripod, portable darkroom and chemicals and heading out into remote country.
In 1877, he started doing portraits of Aboriginal people. While they were intended as scientific studies to depict racial types for anthropological comparison with other indigenous people, they ended up becoming personal studies. Unlike other photographers, he recorded the names of his subjects and also recorded the material culture of the people - the spears and spear throwers, bark canoes, decorative woven baskets and bags, nose pegs and amulets, just to name a few.
Foelsche also made contributions to science, collecting and documenting over 1000 Aboriginal artefacts for the South Australian Museum, noting the indigenous names and functions of the objects. During the 1870s and 1880s, he collected bird, animal and insect specimens for the museum, as well as for overseas museums and collectors. He even has a species of eucalypt named after him. Here in the Territory, we have a river, a mountain, a Darwin street and a meteorite crater named after Paul Foelsche.
He died in 1914 before the Great War broke out between Britain and his native Germany. He will be remembered most for his images of the Larrakia, the Djerimanga, Iwaidja and Alligator River peoples. Larrakia artist, Gary Mura Lee, describes his photographs as ‘a legacy for all Larrakia today and those of the future, a permanent reminder of our ancestors and a lasting affirmation of our Larrakia identity’.
I would like to thank all those involved in bringing this wonderful exhibition to the Top End. In particular, I thank the South Australian Museum, the State Library and Art Gallery of South Australia, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, the Darwin Freemason Lodge, and the NT Archives and Library Service. I say to everyone: if you are interested in this photography or simply a history buff, get along to see this wonderful exhibition which runs, I think, to mid-March, at the Bullocky Point Art Gallery.
This evening, I would also like to talk about one of Darwin’s most important recreational facilities in my electorate, the Darwin Turf Club. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the tremendous work Chief Executive, Des Friedrich and his Turf Club team are now doing to grow the industry in the Territory, not leaving out, of course, the Chairman of the Board of that Turf Club team, Charles Burkett.
For many years, NT racing has been trying to obtain TV coverage of race meetings. It was a tough slog, but the hard work paid off last July when Thoroughbred Racing NT secured TV coverage of Darwin racing. The challenge was to establish a reliable cost-effective method of transmitting the signal to Sydney. Without going into the nuts and bolts of it, Teleport Darwin was formed and, for the first time, our races were broadcast interstate. Teleport is a joint venture between Thoroughbred Racing NT and the Darwin Turf Club, and is supported by locals like Graham Edwards from Nornet Media Technology, Russell Craig from Homesat TV and Bill Fletcher from Darwin Pro Video. It is a 100% percent owned and operated Darwin business, and the potential is limitless. We have the capacity to send signals throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia including South China, and the west coast of the US. Significantly, we also have the capacity to send signals to remote communities across the Territory in the future.
TV coverage is not the only thing on the Turf Club agenda. The Turf Club now has more horses on the track than last year, and its aim is to continue increasing this number. Last year, the Territory’s first ever equine swimming pool was opened, a great asset in our tropical climate. The number of stables is set to increase, and the club is also looking at the feasibility of a purpose-built facility for corporate bookmakers. They are also aiming to increase the number of touch fields at the grounds and, possibly, develop other sporting facilities.
The profile of the industry is set for a further boost with the inaugural NT Racing Awards. These awards will honour the very best in the Territory from both the Darwin and Alice Springs Turf Clubs. The venue will alternate between Alice Springs and Darwin, with the first awards to be held in Alice on Thursday before the Alice Springs Cup this year. Des Friedrich expects his club to do very well at the awards.
The industry is going well in the Territory and the 2006 Darwin Cup Carnival is set to be bigger and better than ever, with the number of people in the centre field expected to hit 4000. I wish Des and his team all the best for the coming year and the best of luck at our first NT Racing Awards.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I want to place on record my comments after a response from the Minister for Family and Community Services to a question that I asked her the other day in Question Time. She said in her statement that her agencies had negotiated directly with DASA and ASYASS regarding a juvenile facility for young petrol sniffers. When I challenged the minister on that, she became quite positive that she had not. The minister had, in fact, at that stage received an e-mail from ASYASS, which is the Alice Springs Youth Accommodation Support Services which stated:
On Wednesday during Question Time you responded to a question re juvenile treatment. During your response you stated that your agency had negotiated directly with two agencies to date both, DASA and ASYASS. I am just wondering if it is in fact the intent of your agency to negotiate with ASYASS as there have been no negotiations around providing treatment services to date.
I would be more than willing to discuss the possibility for providing these type of services. As you are aware, ASYASS does have a purpose-built facility to provide treatment services and it would seem to make sense for the government to approach a specialist youth agency to provide youth-specific treatment services.
However, they have never been approached by government to discuss their capacity to provide treatment under the legislation or entered into any type of negotiation. I think it is misleading to state that ASYASS has been approached to provide treatment services; however, I reiterate that I would be happy to discuss this option.
When I queried the minister about that, after Question Time, she came into my office and stated categorically that the ASYASS manager had, in fact, been present at a meeting and negotiations had taken place; that she had seen minutes of such a meeting. I requested a copy of the minutes but, of course, the minister declined to give them to me or show them to me.
In searching again, I found out that the meeting that she was referring to was attended by many agencies in Alice Springs and was, in fact, a discussion session around what a treatment model may look like. At no stage during this meeting did her department approach ASYASS on an individual basis to negotiate the provision of a treatment service as provided under this new act.
I am just saying to the minister, ASYASS is willing to negotiate with you but, as of even today, your department has not been near them. Therefore, to suggest to me that they had been involved in discussions is incorrect. If you would like to table the minutes of the meeting that you were referring to, then we can clarify and verify one way or the other. However, it is my understanding the meeting was a general meeting with many agencies and, of course, there has been no direct individual approach to this youth service whatsoever. I would like to ask the minister to clarify again whether her agency will negotiate with ASYASS, and why the minister has refused to admit that these negotiations have not taken place to date.
Mr VATSKALIS (Casuarina): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, this is the first adjournment since the beginning of the school year. I would like to wish all students and school staff a wonderful start to an exciting 2006 school year, and a big thank you to the Northern Territory government for making the start of the school year easier on parents with the $50 Back to School Payment Scheme voucher. I have to say, as a parent of two young children who attend school, I received the $50 voucher that went straight to pay for the essentials that they would need when they go to school.
During my election campaign, I promised to work very hard to secure funds for my electorate primary schools. Nakara and Alawa received funds for much needed upgrades, and I am very pleased to say that, while Nakara has been completed, Alawa is a few weeks away from completion. From my inspection that I did a few weeks ago, the upgrade looks absolutely fantastic. The brand new classrooms have been built, and some others have been renovated. That was especially important, because Alawa and Nakara were neglected. For many years, nothing was actually done to upgrade them.
Recently, I visited Nakara Primary School and I spoke to Principal, Mr Barry Griffin. I witnessed many happy parents at the front office utilising their child’s $50 voucher. I know that can be quite expensive at the start of the school year and I am pretty sure that $50 voucher was welcomed by the parents.
I also visited the Alawa Primary School to inspect the completion of the new southern block. As I said before, I will be very pleased in the next few weeks when it will be completed and there will be an official opening.
At Dripstone High School, the Principal, Lyn Elphinstone, advised me that student numbers at Dripstone are the highest they have been for a number of years, with initial waiting lists for entry for Years 8 to 11. As of last week, they had 165 students in Years 11 and 12, and 585 in Years 8 to 10. Lyn said that staff are very excited to have a full-time school counsellor thanks to the Northern Territory government’s Building Better Schools initiative. Mr Dave Clarke has been appointed to the position. They are very fortunate to have someone so highly experienced.
In addition to that, the school now has a full-time careers adviser, Mr Wolfgang Schubert, who is available to assist students with their career aspiration.
Congratulations to Australia Day Student Citizen, Michael Andersson, for his effort and contribution to school and the community. Michael was a Year 12 student in 2005. He has now moved to Canberra with his family. This year, there have been a number of innovations at the school in senior curriculum. In particular, the school has introduced a vocational program which is aimed at providing an appropriate and manageable program of study for students aiming to get a school-based new apprenticeship, or who already have one. Mr Rod Opie is the coordinator of this program.
Dripstone High School Parent Teacher evening is on Wednesday, 1 March, at 5 pm with the school AGM later at 7 pm.
At Alawa Primary School, Principal Sharon Reeves is excited about the school’s excellent start for 2006. The whole school community is looking forward to the open week, 3 to 7 April, when family and friends can walk around and inspect the newly upgraded southern block.
This year’s exciting new goal is ‘Looking into the future’ in education for Territory children. The school has divided this year’s learning into three levels: ‘Strong beginnings’ for preschoolers to Year 2; ‘Ignition’, setting students on fire for learning for Years 3 to 5; and ‘Middle years’ for Years 6 and 7.
Congratulations to Nick Browning for being awarded the Australia Day Citizen of the Year Award for Alawa Primary.
At Nakara Primary School, the Principal, Mr Griffin, said it was a wonderful start for Nakara Primary School. There were significant numbers of children enrolled: 409 students enrolled at the primary school with 55 in preschool. Congratulations to Theo Skonis for being awarded the Nakara Primary’s Australia Day Citizen of the Year. Kelsey Smith was awarded the Nakara School Citizen of the Year. I congratulate the school.
It is very important that we support schools not only as members of parliament but as individuals and also as parents. The reality is that education is very important and vital for the future of our children. On many occasions, we have seen kids who receive substandard education; in some areas they finish in high school unable to read and write. It is something we want to avoid here. Congratulations to all students and teachers, staff and certainly good luck for this school year 2006.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, last night I spoke about the breakdown of law and order, particularly in Alice Springs, and drew members’ attention to the litany of problems in Alice Springs. Law and order breakdown is not only in Alice Springs; it is really Territory-wide. Alice Springs was cited because of the recent spate of antisocial behaviour that I needed to spend significant time.
Yesterday, I also tried to find a transcript of a broadcast on 8HA on 3 February. I could not find it, although I found it last night and I would like to read what was said by the reporter:
- The Central Australian Advocate has spread the comfit pictures of these three animals who bashed and raped Jenissa Ryan last weekend at Centralian College. Have a look at these people if you can call them that and keep an eye out for them. Not that they will show their face around town. Typical cowardly behaviour usually follows such attacks and no doubt they are hiding in communities somewhere. Now, if they are hiding in one of these communities or town camps I urge community elders to turn these men into police. What they have done to this girl and her family and the town is just beyond the pale.
The letters in today’s papers speak volumes about people’s attitudes and the editorial that goes to my comments on this show on Tuesday said the town is dying under the problems we have with the Aboriginal community in Alice Springs. Litter, abuse, assault, vandalism, murder, and Norman Strangeway wrote in today’s paper it is hard not to be a little racist when faced with these problems on daily basis. He says how are people expected to treat the Aboriginal community with respect, when the money that is given to them is wasted on crap cars, booze, gambling, smokes and the likes. He says it is like pouring water in a bucket with a hole in it. Good analogy, Norman.
There has been a distinct lack of Aboriginal leadership. With all the millions of dollars spent on Aboriginal services and organisations we are no better off than we were 30 years ago. So much for self-government in the dream that was Alice Springs. The papers are full of letters. This radio station and others around town are flooded with calls from residents who have had enough. The place is fast becoming a ghetto full of Aboriginal men and women who are either drunk, stoned off their face, lying around town making a nuisance of themselves, smashing shopfront windows, breaking into houses, yelling fowl language at the top of their voices in the CBD and destroying the hard work the local business community and the heinous of all crimes, the rape and murder of children. The beautiful iconic wonderful Alice is in serious danger of dying. Nothing changes, so die a very quick death.
That is something that was broadcast over the air, voicing the sentiment that is felt in Alice Springs. Here we have the member for Braitling, who is finally starting to become irrelevant in this Chamber. She slams the CLP for raising the fact that Alice Springs is dying. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Friday last week, in Elder Street, in the electorate of Braitling, guess what happened? Every police car in Alice Springs was in Elder Street last Friday night at 11 pm trying to settle a huge disturbance and, for 50 minutes to an hour, there was no other police vehicle available to address any other issues in Alice Springs. Is that good for the town? Of course not. The member for Braitling should be looking after her own electorate instead of worrying about what the CLP are doing, as we are trying to fight for Alice Springs.
The papers are full of reports of crime. Almost every day, you see something happening to one of our law-abiding citizens. Why should any person, let alone a woman, driving home from work in broad daylight, be attacked by somebody wielding a tree branch - smashing it through her front windscreen? Just as well she remained on the roadway, otherwise she would have got herself in all sorts of difficulties, not only with other people, but probably hurting herself as well. When we tell government there are huge issues with an influx of people who are ill-prepared to live in urban areas, that is the truth.
All you have to do is listen to the people who are complaining about Territory Housing tenants who have been moved in en masse, and causing the disruption within the neighbourhood. I received an e-mail from one resident who has neighbours who have caused huge detriment to her own property. She wrote to me saying that she was trying to sell her property and could not do so without a great loss because of the Territory Housing property next door. She told me that she would lose something in the order of $20 000 if she sold her property, while the Territory Housing property next door is being poorly managed. There is a group of people camping in the front yard of the property across the road and next door. She had the real estate agent have open inspections on her property. Imagine how she is going to sell her property when people walk up to her place, see next door and say: ‘No way am I going to buy this’. You sell it for a song. I tell you, not many people will make you an offer because it is impossible to expect people to live with neighbours who do not seem to value a neighbour’s property.
A mother currently lives there as her tenant and she is moving out soon. With the mother sitting in full view of the front yard, neighbours came into this person’s property and took scooters, garden chimes, kids toys, in full view of this person’s mother. Her sister has been able to recover some of the stuff but the rest has been destroyed. When you have a birdcage sitting on your front patio and your neighbours come in and open the door of the birdcage and let the bird out - how do you feel? How do you expect to feel, when you are sitting there inside your house and the front door suddenly springs open and children are screaming through the door for food and, basically, harassing the occupants of the property? That is not something that this government should expect of anybody living in Alice Springs.
There is another property, next door to which is a block of flats, which has eight flats. All in all, there are 35 adults and 12 children in those eight units. Those units are two-bedroom units at best. This does not add up. I thought that two-bedroom units would have, at most, two adults and a child. What are we doing? Is Territory Housing observing the rules or ensuring that the tenants are observing the rules? Is it right that law-abiding citizens should complain to Territory Housing that improper behaviour is occurring?
When I visited this property myself, I was standing outside in the carport talking to the occupants. Across the street was a Territory Housing property. For all intents and purpose, it was quite peaceful. But - lo and behold! - what was happening was people were jumping the back fence. I saw that for myself. You might not see them coming through the front door, but they definitely came in through the back door.
Very often, cars which pull into a Territory Housing property, instead of being parked in the front, either on the street or off the street in the driveway, are driven right behind the house so that you cannot see that there is, in fact, a car parked on the back lawn. Not that I say that you should not park a car on the back lawn, but this was done so that you have two or three cars parked on the back lawn, out of sight of anybody driving past on the front road. If you are an officer from Territory Housing and you drive past and see everything looks fine, there are no cars there when, in fact, there are three cars and their occupants are all inside the house. One day, this person noticed that out of one four-wheel drive Troop Carrier poured 10 people, all visiting that home.
A business manager in Todd Mall complained about gambling circles on the lawns of the Flynn Church. There was litter, dogs, people sitting on the ground gambling, in open view of everybody. This person rang the council and said: ‘There is litter everywhere, go and get them to clean it up. Children are unsupervised, they are running over the mall’. Guess what the council said? ‘Nothing to do with us; it is private land. It is Flynn Church land. You go and to talk to the Christian Bookshop that is next to the Flynn Church’. She went there and there was nobody there because the Christian Bookshop has now moved out of the tenancy. This shopkeeper rang the police. She relayed the story and they said to her: ‘Yes, gambling is illegal’, but more than that, they said they have limited resources and cannot patrol the mall as frequently as they would like. Then she was asked: ‘Would you please write us a letter and fax it to us to the Officer-in-Charge to request a daily patrol’. She did that.
Some time that afternoon, a patrol car actually came along to the mall, and the officers spoke to one group. They never left the police vehicle, just sat in the vehicle and spoke to the group. Some of the people picked up the rubbish, and then the police drove on in their paddy wagon to the next group. Again, they did not get out of the car. Then the police car moved on. Guess what? As they drove off, the gambling continued. We need more police on the beat. We need them to be walking up and down the mall, down Hartley Street and Leichhardt Terrace. We need them walking around showing their presence, seeing for themselves what is going on, so they do not have to wait for people to ring up to complain. The increased presence will make a huge impact in Alice Springs.
It is not that I am not proud of Alice Springs; I have lived in Alice Springs for 25 years now. That town has been good to me and I want to see it prosper. It has huge potential. The potential has been there since self-government but, in the last two years, it is dying and this government is not doing enough to fix it. Business people are struggling every day to come to terms with this, and it is time this government listened to the people in the town. The media is representing the collective view of Alice Springs, and if the radio stations are broadcasting such sentiments, and the newspaper editors are writing such sentiments, there is a major issue and this government must listen. To the member for Braitling, I know you dance around and say that you feel safe in Alice Springs; I wonder whether you still do?
Mr KIELY (Sanderson): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I want to talk about a couple of wonderful events that are happening around my school community, or have happened or will happen in the near future.
Sanderson High School’s Stage 2 students celebrated the end of their secondary schooling at their awards ceremony on Tuesday, 29 November 2005 at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. Staff, parents and friends were in the audience as the students paraded in to the auditorium in all their finery. Certificates were presented to all students to mark this special occasion. There was a very honest and moving address by Mr Ron Abbott, the Principal of Manunda Terrace Primary School.
Personal Best Medallions were presented by Mr Ken Davies, Deputy Chief Executive, Department of Employment, Education and Training. These awards acknowledged 10 students whose teachers felt had worked to the best of their ability throughout the year. In addition, several students received Academic Achievement Awards. There were a number of presenters that night. These included myself; Ms Elisabeth Tak, whose sister I had the pleasure of working with many years ago; Mr Greg Gibbs, who is the president of the council and a very good supporter of the school; the principal, Mrs Denise Wilkowski; and the Minister for Sport and Recreation, member for Karama, my colleague Delia Lawrie. Both presented Board of Studies Awards.
Dr LIM: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! Standing order 65 states that a member must be referred to by the member’s electorate and not be called by their first names. I have said this for the last four years for the benefit of the then new members, now for current new members. I am sure you all know about it and I do not know why you persist in doing it. There is obviously a …
Mr Acting Deputy SPEAKER: I note the point of order, member for Greatorex.
Mr KIELY: It is very late in the evening, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, and I do not feel like going into toss over it.
Dr Lim: Well, observe the rules or else do not have them.
Mr KIELY: If he does not have the courtesy to allow me to thank the students for all the hard work they did in 2005, I can live with that.
Dr Lim: Nothing to do with that at all.
Mr KIELY: The program was ably led, as I said, by Masters of Ceremonies, who were students Amber Munkara and Samira Seldu, and congratulations to both of them on a job well done.
A fitting finale to the program was provided by the final comments from Stage 2 students, Jessica Briant and Jarred Farmer. This is quite a tradition at the Sanderson High School where a couple of students do the year in review. It is always entertaining. You cannot really repeat them again because they get right down to the nitty gritty, but a great show it was, indeed.
Prior to the formal ceremony, students and their families mingle and have their photographs taken on the grounds of the museum, and then the students then to dinner with their teachers at Cornucopia Restaurant. I know that I, the Sports minister - the member Karama whose name I cannot mention because of standing orders - would have loved to have been there. However, we got a leave pass because parliament was sitting that night. We got down there for the presentations and then we had to get back here. It was a great night for all there.
I would just like to go through all the Stage 2 award winners: the Caltex Best All Rounder Award was Ashlee McInnes; 2005 Sanderson High School Stage 2 Service Award was an award that I had the pleasure of awarding to Mark Pilkington. I have seen Mark grow up through the school. As you would understand, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I have been attending the awards for five years now so I have seen these young adults go from their adolescent years into this stage of their maturity. I have seen Mark for many years go through; he is also an umpire now at the hockey. He does a great job there and is well regarded. All the best to him.
The Principal’s Vocational Education and Training Award went to Jessica Briant; School Council Award for Indigenous Student of the Year, Kyle Nelson; School Council Award for Student of the Year, Nativity Dunbar; and Board of Studies Award Top Achiever Indigenous Year 12 and Board of Studies Award Top Achiever Year 12, Catherine Anstess. Well done to all those young adults.
Many times in this House we hear people rail against the youth in our community and they say some pretty unkind things about them. Let me say that the youth represented here from Sanderson High School are a credit to the community, their parents, and their teachers. I feel pretty comfortable and happy with the youth that we are turning out of these institutions, and good luck to them. I am sure that Darwin and the Territory in the future will continue to be a great place to live with these kids turning into young adults.
On Friday, I will have the pleasure of attending the Wulagi Primary School assembly where I will have the honour of presenting badges and acknowledgements to the recently elected school captains, student representative councils, and sports captains to the different sporting houses. This is always a great assembly. I would just like to formally recognise these children who have been elected by their peers and by their teachers, and it is a great honour for them. I think it is such a great honour that it should be acknowledged in Hansard. The school captains are Heather Kerley and Jordan Wilson; and school vice-captains are Cassandra Vung and Danny Maglieri. The student representative councils are: from Year 6/7 Ms Kolomitsev - Hayley Allen and Dayna Feltus. The Allen family is a great family in Wulagi. Many children they have grown up in Darwin and they are always represented in all sorts of places. Year 6/7 Ms Schultz - Teneale Ah Mat and Nick Hoving. The Hovings are a great contributor to the Wulagi School community. Year 4/5 Ms Biorci and Ms Refchange - there is a story there too. I actually worked with Shirley Biorci in DEET when I was there. She had retired but had gone back on a temporary basis to help out Ms Refchange who actually was a bit crook. She got caught up in that illness from an eating place in town just before Christmas – she is on the mend and I hope she gets well and is right back into it. It was good to see Shirley Biorci there teaching again - wonderful to see. The student representative councillors in that grade were Misha Lay and Josh Lemmers; and then Year 4/5 Ms Burnett’s class, Esther Thomas and Joel Thomas. I worked with their father and I know their mother. It is just so great to see kids of the parents I know, friends who are growing up and taking on such responsibilities.
The sports captains for Brolga House were Taylor Emeny and Jed Anderson, the vice-captains are Claire Wilson and Dylan Dawes. Jabiru captains are Kate Wauchope and Donovan Carter; the vice-captains are Crystal Thomas and Matthew Archbold. The Pelican captains are Krystal Browne and Andrew Ellis, and vice-captains are Shaan Mitchell and Corbin Shean.
I am also pleased to advise that on Friday, 24 February 2006, there is a great sporting event happening at Marrara. How could one forget the Dogs and Demons coming to Darwin? It is going to be a great night of football. I am very pleased to advise that Wulagi Primary School will be playing there at half time of the NAB cup game. There are going to be about nine students. They are going to be there for a run. It is a really good little competition with nine students a side. It is an Auskick grid game. Mr Kensey and another parent will coach and manage the team. I am looking forward to seeing the half time entertainment. We cannot jump the fence and go over to them. That would be pitch invasion, and we cannot have any of that business going on in this town. You get a heavy fine if you pitch invade. I will be cheering for those kids from the sideline.
I would like to say I am going there on Friday. I will pick up a couple of tickets to the game and I will throw them over and let the school decide which kids or which families might get them. What a lovely little gift just for the day. Good luck to Wulagi Primary School at the footy. Good luck to the Demons; good luck to the Doggies - they are both fine sides. It is going to be a big evening for all of Darwin. I just know that the police will do a wonderful job of managing the crowds getting in and out of Marrara. It is always a big one for us in Sanderson. Down the road, the lights are on and the crowds are cheering. It is a pretty good feeling. All in all a good weekend coming up for everyone, particularly the kids out at Wulagi Primary School.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I wanted to talk tonight about a person experiencing difficulties who does not live in my electorate. Unlike Darwin, Alice Springs does not have the sort of suburban divisions that exist in Darwin. Therefore, it is not uncommon for people who live in the member for Braitling’s electorate to contact me for assistance. I am happy to help anyone in Alice Springs who asks for my assistance.
I have been working with this woman in any way I can for some time. I propose to read into the Parliamentary Record, an extract of numerous e-mails that she has written. This issue is about housing and the sorts of tenants that make life miserable for their neighbours. I note that this week we debated some changes to the Residential Tenancies Act. My view is that those changes, once they are gazetted, will not assist this person.
Nevertheless, this person and her husband have been throwing themselves - for the want of a better expression - at the Minister for Housing - both the current one and his predecessor - as well as the local member, and all to no avail it would seem.
The sort of details contained in these e-mails - some of the language is unparliamentary, so I will not be quoting from those e-mails. However, it is important that I put some of this woman’s comments onto the Parliamentary Record, so that politicians can have some insight into what a misery has been created for this woman and her husband as a result of outrageous, offensive and disgusting neighbours who are making her life hell. They are not in necessarily chronological order. They are on my computer, although we keep a paper file in my office in Alice Springs.
This has been going on for some time. Why it is that this woman and her husband need to put up with it is a mystery to me. The problems outlined by this woman are not restricted to her, nor are they restricted to where she lives in Larapinta. They exist in my electorate as they also exist in the member for Greatorex’ electorate. I quote:
- Since 0630 hours on Friday morning there have been an approximate number of 19 vehicles, not tenants, vehicles, parked at the car park of North Rock flats and those are the only ones I have seen as I have not been home for some periods of time. Ten of those vehicles were visiting Unit 2/61 Lyndavale Drive, the first arriving at 0630 hours Friday. The rest were visiting Units 4, 3, 1 and 8. I have photos of all the vehicles I saw. This very morning there were four vehicles in the car park that have been there all night. Indeed, all weekend. The amount of noise coming from these units is unbelievable.
- I estimate the following numbers of people were living/staying in the following units.
She lists the units, then she says:
This comes to a total of 47 bodies occupying a total of seven two-bedroom units. The female tenant in Unit 8/61 is back to her old tricks again, with numerous cars and drunks coming and going from her unit all weekend, yelling and babbling and lurching all over the place. Her child, despite telling your department that she has settled in school, never goes to school. The school bus pulls up at the back gate every morning and beeps and that poor little child never gets the bus.
- 58 Lyndavale Drive. This property, once again, was a delight to live across the road from on the weekend – not. As I have been telling you for weeks now, there are men living there and, on Saturday night around 1940 hours, I heard shouting coming from inside …
She then goes on to describe the events of that night. That e-mail went to the Chief Minister and the Minister for Housing and others. Another e-mail, also sent to the Chief Minister and the Minister for Housing and others, listed the difficulties that has been experienced at some units:
- 2/61 Lyndavale Drive. There are multiple people living in this unit, including the male the police had in the back of their paddy wagon on the weekend.
- 58 Lyndavale Drive. There are still up to five adults and juvenile males at this unit, and they continue to intimidate me to the point that I will not go out the front of my house as they will stand under the verandah and stare at our house.
- 7/61 Lyndavale Drive. Detectives have been at this unit seven times over the past few weeks looking for either the tenant or her de facto known to me …
And then she lists the name.
Another e-mail sent to the Minister for Housing, the Chief Minister and others says:
- These e-mails of complaint about your treatment of taxpaying citizens of this town and, in particular, Larapinta are, obviously, falling on deaf ears and have been since our plight began over two years ago. Your treatment of us is nothing short of disgraceful and you should be ashamed to collect your pay cheque each fortnight. To continually pour petrol onto an inferno can only lead to disaster. I predicted that someone would be seriously hurt or killed in this area, and that is when the Saltwell murder happened. How many more deaths do you want on your hands before some real action is taken and our concerns and, most importantly our rights, to live in our homes without fear of reprisal from neighbours who continually break the law and their tenancy agreement.
That was sent to the Housing Minister and the Chief Minister. In another one sent to, specifically, the Housing Minister and the Chief Minister and then copied to others, she writes:
- I hope you had a wonderfully restful and quiet weekend. Not that we would know what that is anymore. Since the 11 people moved into the two units at 1/61 and 4/61 Lyndavale Drive, the noise and visitors are driving us to the point of despair - still.
- I was outside at 0315 hours unable to sleep on Sunday morning, and saw two people coming out of 52 Lyndavale Drive, a male adult and a female adult both drunk, and stagger off up to Ellery Drive. I also understand that the female by the name of …
… who smashed all the windows at 4 Saltwell, is still living at 52 Lyndavale Drive, even though she has a unit at 9 Elliott Street.
- Your department …
That is, the Minister for Housing’s department:
- … is slowly killing me and that is not a statement I make lightly.
This woman has expressed her dissatisfaction with the way the minister has handled the matter, and pretty much expressed dissatisfaction with certain individuals at Territory Housing, although not all.
The minister - both the present one and his predecessor - needs to show some leadership in this area - leadership, I might say with the greatest of respect, which has been lacking for a long period of time. I do not believe the Residential Tenancy Act amendments will assist this woman, and she does not take great comfort from them. What it does provide, however, is the opportunity for her to go and see a lawyer to make multiple and regular applications to evict the sort of disgraceful people who are making the life of her and her husband hell.
These e-mails go on and on. She sends these e-mails to me pretty much on a weekly basis. I know they are sent to the Minister for Housing and the Chief Minister, who clearly just do not care, because I understand that the Chief Minister has never bothered to reply. I am sure the Housing minister knows about this. If he does not, then he should not have the government e-mail address with his name on it. I encourage and urge him to show some leadership, because no one - it does not matter who they are, what the colour of their skin is, what the agenda is, how they vote, or where they live - should be forced to put up with these sorts of difficulties.
The fact that there is overcrowding at Territory Housing premises is something the minister needs to turn his mind to. It is not something that we as a community can turn a blind eye to. If there are 20 or so people in a two-bedroom house then, clearly, that presents a number of difficulties. It seems to be the case that people just turn away from it and say: ‘Well, that is a bit tricky, isn’t it?’ Well, it is more than tricky for the people near these houses. I have received other e-mails from people in the area expressing their concern, but I do have this woman’s permission to read parts of her e-mails into the Parliamentary Record. I will keep doing so in the few minutes that I have left.
She talks of one tenant, and says:
- I understand that this tenant has been given a warning letter, which she so obviously intends to ignore. The male is one of several who frequent this unit and continually causes havoc and noise, and I feel quite threatened by his continued presence. He is one who I have seen on many occasions jumping the back fence to gain access to this property. 8/61, that is Lyndavale Drive, continues to house a cast of thousands, and the noise in the car park from her visitors last night after 10 pm when we were already in bed is intolerable, but then again she continues to get away with it.
Another e-mail:
- Again, yesterday morning at around 0600 hours, the same male, extremely intoxicated, arrived at the front door of 8/61 Lyndavale Drive and banged on the door, all the time yelling. He became very aggressive when the door was not answered and I thought he was going to break in. He banged on the window also. I rang the security guard, who said he was in town getting petrol but would be there as soon as he could. The drunken male then collapsed on the lawn area of the units and seemed to fall asleep. When the security guard arrived, he called police. By the time the police arrived, some time later, the male had woken up sufficiently to stagger out on to the footpath where he was spoken to by police and allowed to leave.
- Last night at 2100 hours, there were two paddy wagons in the car park of the units. You will need to contact the police for the reason why they were there. The situation is really escalating again, and after last week’s debacle, which was another incident, I want something done urgently, please.
That was in December last year.
Another e-mail:
- The situation at 58 Lyndavale Drive worsened over the weekend, with eight adults and 10 children staying there. There are at least five adults and five children there all the time, and the noise is just intolerable.
She goes on:
- Every time this property is tenanted, we have the same problem with overcrowding and noise, with the exception of the previous tenant, who was a well-known drug dealer and that presented its own set of problems which we did not even bother to report to you but we went straight to police.
Further:
- The Tenancy Act needs to be changed so that the number of people staying, not visiting, is limited. I accept that people can have visitors and have no problem with that at all, as we do also. But when you have 10 people staying in a small unit and more than that in a three-bedroom home for long periods of time it becomes unacceptable for many reasons including health and safety.
- A number of children have come outside and there appears to be around eight people at this house. All day and night this goes on. Again previous emails have been ignored.
That was sent to the Minister for Housing. No wonder this woman and her husband are now forwarding the e-mails in the last six months or so to other politicians. They are utterly desperate and something needs to be done. I feel certain that the Minister for Housing knows about these difficulties. There is a swag of e-mails; these are the ones I have printed off. I know, minister, that it is complex but I feel certain that you will also agree that no human being needs to put up with the sort of garbage that this woman and her husband are putting up with. They are not doing anything to bring this situation on themselves. They are not what you would call provocative individuals and my heart goes out to them. I wish there was something I could do for these people. In government, I would know what I would do for these people. Unfortunately, I am not in government, I am not the Chief Minister, nor am I the Housing Minister. But I implore you, minister, to do something about it because it is just not on.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I say at the outset I appreciate the concern the Opposition Leader had for my welfare a little while ago, and I say that sincerely. It has been a very strange day for me. My brother-in-law died at 7.30 this morning unexpectedly and, so, the day did not start exactly as I would have normally expected it to. I just should say a little about my brother-in-law, whose name was Bill Armstrong. He worked at Batchelor College for many years as the cook and general handyman around the place. He was married to my sister-in-law, Nancy. He had three children, Wayne, Brendan and Adrianna, who were there today when he died. I also appreciate the comments and expressions of sympathy from people who knew about that.
Strangely enough, this particular sitting is the third anniversary of my father’s death. That has not helped exactly because I was here when my father died. It was February sittings and I was told at lunchtime that he had died. I know I will remember the February sittings for a long time: (1) because it was my father’s death; and (2) because of the death a good friend of mine, my brother-in-law, Bill Armstrong. So thank you, Opposition Leader, for your thoughts.
The rest of my adjournment debate is a bit of a dog’s breakfast so I will get into it. First of all, I will mention Australia Day. We have the official Australia Day. We also have, you might say, the unofficial Australia Day sport where we played a strange game of pool, which is French. You might ask why we are playing the French game on Australia Day - probably because we had some sympathy for La Perouse arriving here a few days after Captain Cook. Not only that, it is a game that a lot of people can play who do not care too much about sport. It is a game you can get all the kids to play, the adults and vice versa. It has a $400 first prize which also helps attract people, and $100 second prize, plus it also has a junior competition.
There is also a just-about-anything-goes cricket match where as many people as can fit on the Howard Reserve as possible can go and play cricket. It has a cold pie and hot coke eating competition. They all attract different prizes from various companies. I just need to put it on record those companies that helped out for that day. It was the Howard Springs Bakehouse, naturally with the pies; Reidy’s Lures supplied lots of lures and things for prizes for the cricket; All Earth and Saddleworld who provided the prizes for the pool competition; the Howard Springs Tavern, also for the boules competition; Howard Springs Volunteer Fire Brigade, who provided the barbecue and the drinks, which were all free; Southern Districts Cricket Club, who helped out organising the pandemonium called the cricket match; Howard Springs Mitre 10; Shorelands, who provided the meat; Coca-Cola Amatil, who provided the hot coke to go with the cold pies; Coolalinga Mowers; the Howard Reserve Management Board; Woolworths Coolalinga were kind enough to offer some Australia Day caps; and Gusher who is a local building company who supplied some money for prizes as well. It was a great day and I thank all those companies for helping out on that wonderful occasion.
I was away tonight and, unfortunately, I wanted to speak on the mineral resource statement that the minister gave today. However, I attended the meeting at Girraween Primary School about the future management of Howard Springs which, of course, has been in the news and has had some debate in parliament. There were about 20 people who attended and they discussed a whole range of issues. They discussed the current plan of management set up in 1992, fire management, feral animals, expanding the boundaries of the park, the effects of outside development, the increase in water tracks, a possible wall replacement of the dam and, of course, a water management plan so that people can swim in it all year round. There were quite a few other issues and a lot of people put forward their opinions about the future of the Howard Springs Nature Park. From what was said during the evening, there will be a draft management plan that will come out that people will be able to comment on, which we will know will have come from a group of people who are committed to doing something about their local park. I appreciate the Parks and Wildlife staff who organised tonight’s meeting. There has been plenty of discussion about various issues in the past; at the moment we have moved on. It was a positive meeting with some positive outputs and let us hope that everybody in the community can get behind the plan and make it work.
I forgot that it was also open day at the Girraween school tonight, and that has cost me three sausages and two raffle tickets for a few people concerned about possible rate increases in the Litchfield Shire in relation to the tip. I might have gone to attend the meeting about the Howard Springs Nature Park but it cost me a few dollars. I also got side-tracked with a few other issues.
Regarding TIO - and I am not going to go into the political side of TIO - I need to thank those people who supported us. There were people who delivered the pamphlets, helped us with petitions, put up the advertising signs, and who gave their general support, who I did not even know. People came up and said: ‘Do not let them sell TIO’. I appreciate their comments which came from the heart.
In all this debate, the issue for me was about protecting jobs. TIO is an insurance and banking company and, like any company, it has people who do not like it. The Croker Island store believes that TIO is not willing to pay them for damage during Cyclone Ingrid. That is an issue that TIO have to deal with; it is a marketplace issue, I am not whether to back TIO on that or the store. That is not what the issue was about; the issue was about trying to save the jobs of those people who work for TIO, and trying to save a company that many people support. I would be the first one to say I was overwhelmed by the number of petitions, and the number of people who signed it. I say to TIO: you have $100 000 of free advertising out of our campaign. Hopefully, you will repay that with doing the right thing by Territorians and giving them the service that they expect and being fair, because that is what I would imagine any company dealing in insurance has to be. You do not want people rorting the system, nor do you want them not being paid for what they are entitled to receive.
I especially need to thank a lady called Megan. I have always known her as Megan. She took some time off work - quite a bit of time of work. She was the lady who convinced me and, I think, the member for Blain, that there was a real issue here. Of course, she was concerned about her job. Why wouldn’t you if you heard that there was a possibility that TIO would be sold?
She put to me a very good argument as to why it should be saved. It is that person - not from me - who inspired me to put a bit more effort than saying it should not be sold. I would like to thank Megan for all the hard work and the dedication. I will give you an idea of how much hard work. She was so concerned that we did not have the right number of petitions after she presented them to us, that she asked for them all back to again count them. She wanted to make sure that the number that was spoken of in parliament was incorrect. When you count 15 000 names and have to go back and do it again, that shows the dedication of that woman. She really deserves a great pat on the back. I have said before perhaps she should be an honorary life member of TIO - perhaps free premiums for the rest of her life. I am sure that will be someone else’s decision.
I will not go on anymore except to comment on the cat problem. There has been a bit of talk about registering cats in Darwin. I noticed a letter in today’s paper ‘Halt the Stalking Suburban Menace’. There are people - even Newman who was talking about cats and then went on to curfews for kids. Obviously, he was taking it to another level. I just thought when I was reading this book, the Jawoyn Plants and Animals book, which I commented on the other night, that we may have a solution for the feral cat. It might be that the Jawoyn have the solution. Under feral and introduced animals, it has cat – fearless catus - and the Kriol name is Pussy Cat. It says here in the note:
- The flesh may be eaten after roasting; it is very tasty. It was eaten in the past but has not been eaten in recent times.
Mr HENDERSON (Wanguri): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, in sadness tonight I contribute to the adjournment debate, following on the contribution from the member for Greatorex for the last two nights in the adjournment debate. All of us elected to this House are elected to show leadership. To show leadership is what we are elected to do, and people put their confidence in us at the ballot box and expect the people they vote to very high office, very privileged office, to propose solutions to some of the issues we, as a community, face. There has been a total lack of leadership from the member for Greatorex in his contributions over the last two nights.
All of us in here should be attempting to find solutions to problems. We know that there are problems in Alice Springs; there have been for many years. Those problems escalate from time to time and, sometimes, they escalate to very significant proportions. There is no doubt that we have had a period over the last few months of too many stabbings, a tragedy in the death of a 15-year-old girl under circumstances all of us cannot comprehend. We should be attempting to find solutions to these problems in this parliament. We should also be a force for unity and not for division. That is what the people who elected us to this parliament expect of us. Those attributes have certainly been missing from the member for Greatorex.
We all know, as I have said, that there are problems in Alice Springs. They are difficult, they are complex, and all of us who hold ministerial office are working as hard as we can to try and find solutions to those problems, alongside many ministers in previous governments who have attempted to do the same thing. We will continue to work hard to try to find those solutions. However, all the member for Greatorex has done over the last two nights, very irresponsibly, has been to amplify the problems, deliberately seek to inflame the situation with rhetoric, such as last night’s speech, followed by tonight. Last night, he stated that there is anarchy in the streets of Alice Springs, which is grossly irresponsible and very sad.
Police do a difficult and dangerous job. I have spent three hours on Sunday patrolling with police in Alice Springs, talking to them about the issues that they face. The officer I was patrolling with has been a police officer in Alice Springs for 15 years and, over the course of three hours, we had a lot of opportunity to talk about the history of policing in Alice Springs, the current situation in Alice Springs and how it compares over the years. I have never lived in Alice Springs, but I take the word of this police officer who has lived there for 15 years over the rhetoric from the member for Greatorex any day. He said we have peaks and troughs. We are going through a pretty bad run at the moment, but it has been much worse in the past. Not just much worse since the time that this Labor government came to office, but much worse over many years. This officer said that there are very difficult problems but, when we look back to the mid- and early 1990s and late 1980s, and the hundreds of people who used to live in the river bed, and the issues and problems that were around in those days, these problems have been pretty constant. There are certainly peaks and troughs.
I do not agree, and I find it is an absolute insult to the police in Alice Springs, that the member for Greatorex claims that there is anarchy in those streets, because it is not just borne out by the facts. The Opposition Leader, I believe, is trying to be constructive with her proposal for Alice in Five. I am inherently suspicious, but I will give her the benefit of the doubt that she is trying to be constructive. In debate the other night, she called for tolerance and calm. I urge her, if she has any influence or any leadership amongst the parliamentary wing, to pull the member for Greatorex aside and tell him to pull his head in.
I would have some respect for the member for Greatorex if, in amongst his contributions, he had proposed some initiatives or solutions to the problems in Alice Springs, but there has been none. There has just been amplification of the problems and rhetoric, which is not helpful. One has to consider his motives in the absence of any proposed initiatives. I believe he has abrogated his responsibility to show leadership in his contribution over the last two nights.
Fortunately, there are many people in Alice Springs who are confident about the future of Alice Springs. One only has to and talk to the people there, and I meet many people who are very positive about the future of Alice Springs. A part of the spin that the member for Greatorex tries to put on the situation is that people are leaving in droves and they no longer want to live there. You only have to go to the latest real estate analysis from the real estate industry to show that property prices in Alice Springs, like the rest of the Northern Territory, are going through the roof, such is the confidence that people have in the future of Alice Springs. In the last 12 months, we have seen price increases of 11.8% in Alice Springs. Quoting from the Monitor, there was a 4.1% increase in the median house price over the December quarter to reach a new high, which moves it beyond the maximum level allowed under the HomeNorth scheme. Activity and house size also recorded a new high over the quarter, as the strong demand for housing continues. It hardly paints the picture that people are leaving Alice Springs in droves. There is strong demand for housing in Alice Springs and people are paying more for the privilege of living in Alice Springs than they ever have.
If you look at median unit sales, Alice Springs reached the $200 000 median unit sale price milestone in December 2005 with an increase of 6.1%. Good demand for units continues as residential space is at a premium. Hardly a town that is in anarchy with people leaving in droves. Land sales were very limited again, placing great pressure on the rest of the market. There are nearly 50 blocks under contract that have been waiting for the subdivision to be signed off and issued and land prices have increased by 15% in Alice Springs over the last 12 months. If the situation is so appalling, why are people paying more than ever to have the privilege of living in Alice Springs? If you look at vacancy rates for houses and units and town houses in Alice Springs, they are only 3.7%.
I am not denying that there are significant problems in Alice Springs. They are difficult and complex and many people, better than I, are trying really hard to find solutions. The contributions made by the member for Greatorex in the last two nights in this House do not help anybody. I urge the Leader of the Opposition, if she has any credibility in regard to what she is trying to do in Alice Springs with her call for tolerance and calm, that she should be talking to the member for Greatorex and getting him to show some of those attributes that she is trying to espouse.
Mr KNIGHT (Daly): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, tonight I provide some statements in regards to my electorate. Last week, I talked briefly about a trip I took around the electorate at around the time the school year was starting. I would just like to acknowledge all the new teachers and the continuing teachers at these schools throughout my electorate. I have 12 schools in my electorate, so it is quite busy for me sometimes around Christmas and the start of school as well.
I mentioned last week that the new co-principal of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at Wadeye was Anne Rebgetz along with Tobias Nganbe. Anne is very welcome and she has come over from Queensland, although she spent 11 years in the Northern Territory. She started out at the Darwin High School. She then proceeded to Bathurst Island and to Jabiru. She is very welcome back in the Territory and her husband, who is a doctor, is stationed at Wadeye.
Alf Murray is stationed at Mataranka and has been there for six years and is the longest serving staff member in the Katherine Group schools. I am glad to see we have these long-serving staff in the school for the continuity with the children. There has not been much change at Adelaide River, Dundee or Douglas Daly. The primary school at Woolaning is headed up by Guna Deva who won Teacher of the Year. I was very pleased that she won such an award and it is good to see her staying on. She is a resident of Adelaide River and I catch up with her from time to time.
Reg Robinson is out at Amanbidji. He spent sometime at Bulla previously and he has been out there for several years now. It is good to see him sticking around the area and providing a great service to the children.
The new principal at Taminmin High School is Tony Considine. I, like the member for Goyder, attended the school council meeting the other day and it was great to see the vision that Tony has and the way he wants to work with the school council in developing a plan for the school and to progress it further. I look forward to working with him in the future.
The Batchelor Area School has Vivienne Lazos. She is the preschool teacher and she has worked with various communities throughout the Northern Territory and is great to see her there. Robert Batholomew is the new teacher librarian and he has come across from the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, so it is great to see him staying in the town and providing a good service to the area school. Paul Mucharoveski is the IT person and it is good to see that he has come to join the community. Andrew Pinnell is the student counsellor and he is actually on a part-time basis with the Jabiru community as well. It is great to see the student counsellor there> He is much needed and I hope that all goes well for him.
The Woolianna School is one that I have been heavily involved with. We have Dave Stewart there and he was previously at Peppimenarti so it is good to see him. At the moment, he is on the right side of the river and I will be working with Dave in regards to upgrading that school over this year. The other teacher there is Mark Grosser who has moved up from Lajamanu, so he has a bit greener aspect than at Lajamanu. It is great to have Mark on board. The Nganmarriyanga School has its first ever male principal. Otto Eijkman and his wife, Helen, were originally from Poland. They have worked for 15 years with the Department of Education and have also taught on Torres Strait Island. It is great to see Otto and his wife on board.
At Peppimenarti, we have Mark Ryan. He was originally from Adelaide. He spent a bit of time in Melbourne and came to Darwin several years later. He has taught English as a Second Language as well as Indonesian and is hoping to cultivate solid citizens with a good education and proud of their community. I believe he will do that there. We have Kurt Saber, who is a new arrival, there as well. He spent three years at Milingimbi before that so, welcome to Kurt. Bree Whitford is a first year teacher and it is great to see people coming into these communities - she will get an education. I am sure the kids will get their education as well. Ric Eade has started at the Timber Creek School. He was previously at Bulla so he is just moving about 60 km down the road. I am sure the kids from Bulla will appreciate seeing him there as they move into the secondary classes. At Berry Springs, there is Georgina Barbour. She has come from the Malak School. It is great to see Georgina in the rural area. Liz Evans has moved from the city into the bush. Why wouldn’t you? She came from Nightcliff High School. At Woodykupuldiya,we have Lucia Carlingung who is an assistant teacher. She will be supporting the principal there and it is a very challenging school. It is fairly isolated and I welcome Lucia on board.
I would like to move on to - I mentioned this last week in the sittings - the Australia Day celebrations that I attended. As I said, I attended the Pine Creek and Batchelor functions and would like to acknowledge the recipients of those awards and tell you a little about those people. At Pine Creek, the Citizen of the Year was won by Kayleen Stevens. Kayleen and her husband Shags - I do not know his real name, I just know him as Shags - have spent quite a bit of time together. It is great to see that Kayleen has been recognised.
She received three nominations this year for the award, and it is very much overdue. Kayleen is always there when you need her, whether it is selling glow sticks to raise funds for the school, selling raffle tickets, working behind the stall at local events, organising Monday night Bingo at the club, helping out at the Blue Light Disco, volunteering to work behind the bar at the Turf Club, helping at Clean Up Australia Day or the fire cracker night.
She has lived in Pine Creek for 17 years, and she and her husband have been long-term residents and have brought up their three fabulous kids in that community. Actually, they are getting quite big now. It is great to see that the kids are thriving, and it will be great to see Shags come back to the community as the mining starts up.
Kayleen has participated on many local committees and is a generous supporter of all local events. She is a past member of the Playgroup and Sport and Social Committee, the school council and secretary of the Turf Club, and was an enthusiastic participant and supporter of the Auskick program for three years, and was a major contributor of both her time and effort to the Goldrush slave auctions. I encourage people to get along to the Goldrush, because it certainly is a great day.
For the past year, she has been a Red Cross lady helping out the seniors with their daily tasks. If there were more people like Kayleen in the town, it would be even better than it is. I acknowledge Kayleen’s work and I believe she is a deserved winner.
The Young Citizen of the Year was won by Becky Smith. Becky was born in Pine Creek and she has lived there most of her life. Her mother, Pat, is still there, and it is great to see that she is helping her mum at the school. She was actually named Young Citizen of the Year in 1998 for outstanding contribution to the community and her scholastic achievement. She has since gone on to complete a Degree in Business, majoring in Tourism and Hospitality, and she has worked in the tourism industry in London, Darwin and Queensland.
The Junior Citizen was Scott Jenkins. Scott was presented with his award at the school’s end-of-year concert in December. The recipient of this award is chosen by the school staff, and was given to Scott for his hard work and being helpful to his class.
The event of the year was the fire cracker night, and was an exciting time. The work that the local people do and the work of the Police and Fire and Emergency Response Groups, the FERGs, on that night is much appreciated by the community.
The Local Hero is Ellen Fielder. She has been nominated for her continued volunteering with the turf club. She does everything out there. She works in the bar, helps in the building, and with the barbecues on Friday nights. Congratulations, Ellen, for all your work.
At the Australia Day celebrations, I met Ms Juliette Mills. I met Juliette in Darwin River after she moved there. It was great to see her there. I welcomed her to the community. I know the community will also welcome her. She has recognised the unique nature of Pine Creek. I welcome Juliette to the community and, no doubt, knowing her and the community, we will see a lot more of her at the functions around town.
The Coomalie awards were presented in Batchelor. I had the honour of presenting those. The Citizen of the Year was shared by two very deserving winners, one was Dick Skinner. Dick has lived and worked and contributed to the Batchelor community for 20 years. He has done thousands of hours with St John Ambulance over 12 years. He is always there for events, such as Clean Up Australia Day. In his spare time, he helps the disadvantaged families around town, as well as the oldies.
The other winner was Mr Bill Roberts. Bill has been a resident for 35 years and has helped with the FERG group. He is a long-serving volunteer with the arts club and as the patron of the arts club, I acknowledge his efforts.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016