2008-05-06
Madam Speaker Aagaard took the Chair at 10 am.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I table Message No 27 from His Honour the Administrator recommending to the Legislative Assembly a bill for an act authorising the issuing and expending of public monies of the Territory in respect of the year ending 30 June 2009.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Year 3/4 Bakewell Primary School students who are participating in Parliament of the Birds, accompanied by Shannon Birch; and also Year 7 Darwin Middle School students accompanied by Merryn Brown. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move - That the routine of business of the Assembly be rearranged or suspended, if a question or debate is before the Chair, so as to permit the Treasurer to deliver Budget 2008-09 at 11 am this day.
Motion agreed to.
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I also move - That the routine of business of the Assembly, General Business, Notices and Orders of the Day be rearranged or suspended if a question or debate is before the Chair, so as to permit a response to Budget 2008-09 by the Leader of the Opposition at 11 am on Wednesday, 7 May 2008.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise you that at 11 am during government business, I will call on the Treasurer to deliver the budget. Members speaking at that time will be asked to continue their remarks after Question Time.
I also advise honourable members that I have given permission for various media to broadcast live, or rebroadcast with sound and vision, the presentation of the budget, the Treasurer’s speech and the Leader of the Opposition’s reply.
Territory FM radio will broadcast live the presentation of the budget, the Treasurer’s speech and the Leader of the Opposition’s reply, and The Northern Territory News will take photographs.
Today the Assembly will resume after the luncheon suspension at 2.30 pm.
Mr VATSKALIS (Business and Economic Development): Madam Speaker, five years ago, as the then Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment, I introduced legislation to create the Northern Territory’s Strategic Industrial Land Developer - the Land Development Corporation. The legislation came into effect on 1 July 2003.
Today, I am pleased to stand in this House and say to you that the Land Development Corporation has come of age. The concept of a strategic industrial and commercially orientated land corporation was developed to ensure the Territory is in the best position to take advantage of emerging industrial projects, particularly associated with the AustralAsia Railway, the new port, Defence projects and future gas-based opportunities.
Beyond natural resources, land is an essential requirement for any onshore industry. Five years ago, I intended that the Land Development Corporation would be able to provide quick access for strategic industries to appropriately developed land. That is exactly what the small dynamic team at the Land Development Corporation, under the guidance of the corporation’s advisory board, is delivering. The corporation’s responsive land release and development focus has assisted many significant businesses to establish close to the rail, the East Arm port and essential transport connections.
The last year has been a bumper year for inquiries in land sales. Over $11m in revenue from land sales was achieved in the last 12 months. There is going to be another $3m worth of sales under contract and a further $8.6m under formal negotiation.
To date, the Land Development Corporation has lease arrangements with 12 businesses at the Darwin Business Park, with developments now including: the Vopak $55m liquid storage facility; Natural Fuel’s $70m biodiesel plant; Toll’s $18m rail frontage complex and recently acquired Westrain’s facility for $2.7m; the Metcash $20m warehouse complex; Smorgan Steel’s $2.57m distribution centre; Shaws Transport $8.5m distribution facility; Gwelo’s $3.5m in port warehouse assembly facility; Gibbon’s $1.2m distribution facility; Top Class $4m fresh produce distribution facility; Gaymark’s $5m to $8m distribution warehouse complex; Amcor’s $1.5m storage facility; Dawson’s Diesel $8m heavy machinery repairs and maintenance facility; and leases of buildings to a number of businesses including Mintech, Linfox and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
In 2008, nearly $38m worth of new building works will be undertaken within the Darwin Business Park bringing significant private investment to more than $200m.
The Land Development Corporation currently: generates almost $800 000 annually through building and grounds rentals; owns and manages over 100 ha of strategic industrial land at its East Arm estate; and administers 208 ha of Crown land at East Arm with an unimproved capital value of $120m. There are more than 45 projects actively being undertaken by the Land Development Corporation including: planned releases of new waterfront industrial areas; subdivision of land in the Darwin Business Park to create additional industrial lots; and several off-market land negotiations for businesses with specific land requirements.
Not only has the Land Development Corporation been responding to the growing industrial land demand, but it has also reviewed the operation of the corporation to meet national standards.
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of opening the new Land Development Corporation office at 35 Export Drive. The corporation had previously been a tenant of the Darwin Port Corporation which now requires the office space for its own staff. As soon as you walk in the doors of the new office, you are dealing with a fresh and vibrant team of people.
At the same time, I launched the new corporate branding and website. The website at www.Landdevcorp.nt.gov.au provides many new features and will be updated with the latest images and information regularly. It also allows visitors to print brochure information directly from the site. The work that the team has undertaken in the last 12 months, under the guidance of the advisory board, to refresh the organisation and position the corporation for the future is a credit to the staff and the advisory board members.
We do not always get the opportunity to see the outcomes of our initiatives. I am very fortunate to have been able to report on the Land Development Corporation five years after I introduced the legislation. I am very proud of its achievements, and I congratulate my advisory board and Land Development Corporation team on what has become a great initiative.
I look forward to being involved with the development of the Land Development Corporation and the finalisation of its five-year plan.
Mr MILLS (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I welcome the statement which, in effect, reinforces the need, particularly in the current discussions, for a clear vision and direction on where the Territory is going. We are in such a fortunate position to have land, but that land can be best utilised effectively with a comprehensive vision. Once that vision is in place, we then develop plans for how we use our land for maximum benefit both now and into the future. Agencies such as the Land Development Corporation develop that land in accordance with an underlying vision. Then, there are processes established. What we hear today are the processes that are in place for the development of that land.
What is being reinforced is the need for a comprehensive vision so we know how we can move forward over the horizon. We are so blessed with the abundance of land in the Territory, but we do not seem to have a clear vision at this moment of where we are going in the long term with the development of that resource to maximise our strategic advantage; that being, resource rich, and land in abundance. Without a clear vision we will not be able to capitalise on the abundance of land and resources that we have.
I welcome the statement and acknowledge this as evidence of the economic growth, along with factors that have been born by the demand in India and China, particularly. It is benefiting many Territorians and many families which is a good thing. It is good to have good processes in place to make that growth as efficient and effective as possible.
However, it goes back to the need for a clear plan and direction with proper leadership, so that we can maximise the benefits in these times where there is an interest in the Territory.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I also welcome the minister’s report. It highlights the fact that the Territory’s economy is growing and there is a need for well-planned industrial development. I take on board what the Leader of the Opposition said; I believe our long-term plans are not in place, or if they were, we are now changing them as we go along.
If you consider the East Arm port area, you will know that it is not in either the Palmerston City Council or Darwin City Council boundaries. The reason for that is that the government wanted to have control over the development of all that land in relation to the port. Therefore, it is surprising that they are looking at cutting up the Berrimah Farm into residential land when that land should be kept for further expansion of industrial development, especially in relation to the port. It is only about 2 km or 3 km from the port.
I believe the government should reconsider the future of that land and also to keep some of it for part of a newly revamped prison to stay on the site where it is.
In relation to other areas, gas, for instance, I think it was the industrial land corporation, or the previous land corporation, that looked at developing land at Glyde Point. It was not something that I thought of; it was something that was planned a long time ago. It can still be done. and done in a different way. That is what we should be looking at.
I notice the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce said today, whilst he might support INPEX going in the middle of the harbour, he wants to know what the government’s future plan is for more industrial expansion. That is the big thing that worries us – is Dow Chemicals now going into the middle of the harbour? What else will now go in the middle of the harbour?
Have we planned far enough ahead? For instance, there is only a small amount of land in the middle of the harbour and, when that is full, minister, where will the next block of industrial development go? These are reasonable questions. They are not questions to say we should not have industrial development. They are simply questions that the government needs to answer.
Minister, I thank you for your report. It is an important area. Perhaps we could get a more substantial statement on it one day, because it is the core of development in the Northern Territory at the moment, especially in the Top End.
Mr VATSKALIS (Business and Economic Development): Madam Speaker, our government has a clear vision and has in place processes and a plan for the future. Five years ago we put something in place. We had criticism at the time that nothing would happen; that it was not going to be successful. However, because of the economic and resources boom we are seeing now, as soon as we make land available, it is grabbed straightaway.
My recent visit to Singapore clearly showed me how important a plan is for the development of any jurisdiction in the country. We are lucky we have land under our control. Some of this land is going to be sold as freehold land; some of this land is only going to be leased because it is on the waterfront. There are certain examples in Darwin and its surroundings where land under the previous government was given freehold to developers. That land is sitting there empty. Nobody is developing it because people are land banking. We are trying to avoid that.
One thing I would like members opposite to know is this model we have in Darwin is going to be repeated in Katherine and Alice Springs and other places where there is demand for land for economic development.
Mr NATT (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, I report on the unqualified success of the 9th Annual Geoscience Exploration Seminar, or AGES, as we know it, held in the Alice Springs Convention Centre from 17 to 19 March this year. This conference is held to highlight the mineral exploration potential of the Northern Territory. This year, AGES had particular emphasis on the emerging mineral potential of Central Australia.
The information presented at AGES was comprised of reports from selected explorers and miners already working in the Territory, and the findings and results of work undertaken by the Northern Territory Geological Survey, or the NTGS, as part of the Territory’s wider investment attraction strategy Bringing Forward Discovery. This forum has been building in importance over the years and, now, with the implementation of the department’s China strategy and interest from Chinese investors increasing, AGES has become one of the major exploration and mining seminars in the country.
The Northern Territory is still the only jurisdiction in Australia which has a dedicated China strategy. This strategy is a long-term plan to attract Chinese investment into minerals exploration and development. It assists industry to open doors; identify potential Chinese investors and match them with companies working in the Territory who would benefit from such alliances. The strategy also promotes Territory projects to Chinese investors by participation in seminars, inbound visits, and Northern Territory government delegations to China.
My Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines has a dedicated Chinese website, which is linked to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Minerals website, thus connecting users to over 3000 Chinese companies. Under the strategy, we also assist local companies with protocol and communication in the Chinese market.
Our focus on China and other potential overseas investors has paid off. This was borne out by the most recent AGES which saw international delegates from Canada, China and Japan - a reflection of the increased interest in the Territory from major overseas companies.
This year, AGES was attended by a record number of delegates: 359 people listened to presentations from seven exploration companies who gave highly technical presentations on their projects in the Territory, and to departmental experts who outlined the work being undertaken by the NTGS. The associated Mining Supply Seminar and Mining Services Expo were also well attended, with attendances overall up by 18% from the previous year.
During AGES, delegates were introduced to my department’s major investment attraction program Bringing Forward Discovery. Under this program, the government through the NTGS, has committed to: undertaking detailed prospectivity analysis of greenfield terrains; conducting regional gravity surveys - one of which was completed last week in Central Australia; continuing the release of high-quality, targeted geoscience data; and improving online access to information for industry.
Delegates also received an overview of exploration in the Territory for 2007 and were informed about new mining developments in the Territory with a snapshot of what the future may look like. They were presented with technical papers on new insights into the Alcoota region; geology and mineralisation of the Entia Dome; mineralisation styles in the eastern Arunta; the discovery of the Archaean inlier in Arnhem Land; and a paper on mineral systems of the Calvert Hills region.
Delegates also listened to presentations on topics very much in the news, such as: the Alligator River uranium modelling project; sacred sites in the Territory and the processes for site registration; the government’s China investment strategy; and onshore energy security programs in the Territory. From these diverse topics it is clear why AGES is of such importance to explorers and miners alike.
The interest in AGES can also be demonstrated by a breakdown of the attendees. There were 105 exploration executives attending from 63 different companies with over 50% of them attending AGES for the first time - a clear indication that the word about the value of this seminar is well and truly out.
My department has received very positive feedback from industry on the success of AGES 2008 and is already planning the 10th AGES conference in March 2009, to ensure that the goodwill and momentum already developed continues.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his report this morning. It is very important these seminars are held to show that the Northern Territory is highly supportive of the resource industry. We are riding on the boom of this area now. It is very pleasing to see the seminar’s goal fulfilled and this year’s record number of participants. This is presenting the Northern Territory in the best light possible.
It also shows the importance of capitalising on the Chinese market. I do not need to tell the minister that. He has had delegations to China, which is most important. With the amount of money they have to develop the resources from Australia, it is critical our relationship with China continues so the Northern Territory can capitalise on it and continue with its boom.
Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his report.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, it was a very successful conference. For the business community of Alice Springs, the Mining Supply Seminar was particularly beneficial. A number of were companies represented and extensive networking went on. When we do get past the exploration stage, there will be benefits for local businesses.
I would have liked to have attended some of the talks that were given. I know they were highly technical and I would not have understood them, but there were occasions when I thought there was information that would have been beneficial for the general public to receive. There is a much exploration activity in the Alice Springs region at the moment and, as you know, there are many myths and legends spreading around the place.
I was surprised there was no demonstration at the conference. We were all geared up to see the anti-uranium mining lobby come out and demonstrate. I am not quite sure how you managed to get away with that. It was interesting that the seminar did not attract that group of demonstrators.
I know it is technical, but I would have liked to have had some overview of what was going on from the mining people who were there. I know you had two parts; you had the conference and then you had the other part which was not open to the general public. I suggest that next time provision be made for those of us who are interested in some of the mining companies presentations .
Mr NATT (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, I thank members for their responses. As was pointed out, the work that has been done by the department has been exceptional. The Alice Springs business community has benefited greatly from that, especially in supplying goods to the exploration companies undertaking work in that area.
I recognise members of the public may be interested. I understand the AGES conference was advertised. I will check to see how widely that was advertised. It is worthwhile noting. We should have a look at that.
I thank the Geoscience team for all the work that they undertook for the Northern Territory. They recognise the Territory is a vast land. It is rich in minerals. It has huge opportunities and potential. My department is well aware of that and they are pushing it very hard. That is where the China investment strategy comes in. We have seen some terrific interest from there and, in the not-too-distant future, there are going to be some impressive agreements come out of it.
Mr KIELY (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Madam Speaker, I report to the Assembly on the great work being done by our marine scientists to assist the redevelopment of one of the Territory’s closest regional neighbours and the world’s newest nation, Timor-Leste.
Timor-Leste has a rich array of marine biodiversity and coral reefs which are virtually untouched. Timor-Leste has a coastline of approximately 700 km. However, the extent and status of these coastal and marine resources are poorly known. Significantly, Timor-Leste’s north coast sits on the edge of an underwater precipice, Wetar Strait, a marine trench approximately 3 km deep which provides a natural corridor for a vast array of pelagic and migrating marine wildlife, including whales, dolphins, tuna and sailfish.
Its coastal coral reefs sit at the heart of the Indo-Pacific ‘coral triangle’ - the global centre of coral and tropical marine biodiversity. These reefs are constantly refreshed by deep, nutrient-rich water bringing both predators and prey to within easy reach of the coast. These conditions provide for some of the world’s best diving. While the status of Timor-Leste’s marine environment is predicted to be promising, due to limited commercial exploitation little or no research information is available on the state of Timor’s coasts and oceans.
In October 2006, the government of Timor-Leste funded a multi-agency collaborative coastal and marine research planning and training program with a view to building capacity and fostering regional economic development and sustainable marine industries such as coastal ecotourism, fisheries and aquaculture.
This multidisciplinary program includes 12 Northern Territory-based experts and as many experts from Timor-Leste covering a wide range of disciplines including cetacean biology, ecotourism, fisheries, marine parks, marine habitat mapping and monitoring, and anthropology. The projects are being led and undertaken by staff in the Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts’ (NRETA ) newly established Marine Biodiversity Branch, Northern Territory Fisheries, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and Charles Darwin University.
NRETA scientists are leading or are key participants in four of the six projects. These are:
Mapping the coastal and marine habitats of Timor-Leste. This collaborative project with Charles Darwin University is using advance mapping techniques and will provide information necessary to find the best sites for marine parks, tourism infrastructure and small-scale fisheries and aquaculture development;
Coastal and marine ecotourism in Timor-Leste. This project is identifying the key natural and cultural coastal and marine ecotourism values, as well as the issues and challenges for developing a small-scale coastal ecotourism industry in Timor;
Establishing Timor-Leste’s first marine park. Timor’s first marine park will be situated on the Jaku Island in Lospalos on the easternmost tip of Timor-Leste. The island is a protected national park recognised for its pristine waters and white sand beaches, abundant coral reefs and marine life such as turtles, sharks and rays, and nearby ancient cave paintings and ancestral tombs; and
Aerial surveys of marine megafauna. This collaborative project with the Australian Institute of Marine Science is identifying the distribution and abundance of large marine wildlife in Timor such as whales, dolphins, dugongs, crocodiles, sharks, rays and large pelagic fish species such as sailfish.
Employment creation, training and capacity building is a key focus for all these marine projects so the people of Timor-Leste will, one day, be in a position to manage their outstanding natural assets. The work done will also lay the foundation for economic development and long-term environmental stewardship.
The Territory has its own very good reasons for its marine program in Timor-Leste. Our marine environment, marine wildlife and marine fisheries resources do not recognise international boundaries. Within our shared seas of the Arafura and Timor region, the development of a cooperative and collaborative approach in marine research, planning and training is vital for long-term management of our marine environment.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his report. It is reassuring to see a good relationship with Timor-Leste as far as our marine areas are concerned. The preservation of them is very important. Minister, it would appear from the report this morning that you have a good relationship with them. That is very important for the future.
It is a pity that you do not have such a good relationship with the agricultural industry around the Douglas Daly and the Daly region. You seem to have a very good relationship, working cooperatively and collaboratively with Timor-Leste, so, why do you not try sorting out the problem on the home front as well in the Douglas Daly area, so that farmers know exactly where they stand? Then that area can be developed, and we can have that cooperative and collaborative effort happening here as well.
I note your report, minister.
Mr KIELY (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Katherine for her contribution and comments. The member for Katherine is right when she says it is great to build relationships, particularly with the newest nation to our north, Timor-Leste. The need to look to the north to strengthen our ties and to work with our neighbours is a point that the members of the opposition consistently make in this House, and is something that we are doing quite happily with Timor-Leste, because we are not sure of that marine wildlife’s migratory patterns. Some, we believe, does end up around our coastline here in Darwin.
Insofar as relationships with horticulturalists on the Daly, we are about getting those relationships right. Our work is about sustainability and about the future. We are looking to protect the Daly for all Territorians. We are looking to ensure that it is there for all Territorians into the future. I am sure this government will be thanked by this generation when the report is finally released.
Reports noted pursuant to standing orders.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr BURNS (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to amend the Legal Profession Act to improve and clarify issues relating to the operation of the disciplinary provisions of the Legal Profession Act 2006. The Legal Profession Act 2006 made substantial changes to the ways in which complaints are made against lawyers, and in which the complaints are dealt with. This included the creation of the Disciplinary Tribunal. The Legal Profession Act 2006 adopted model provisions in relation to the matters that could be the subject of complaints against, and the discipline of, Australian legal practitioners.
The provisions were designed to achieve a greater uniformity of standards applied by the regulators such at the Law Society and courts across Australia. One of the purposes of these provisions concerning the discipline of the legal profession is to ensure all persons have the right to complain about the conduct of a lawyer, and to promote transparency and openness of the related processes, subject to the need for confidentiality in some circumstances. Each jurisdiction has developed its own administrative system governing complaints.
For the Northern Territory, the agreed process for disciplinary action is as follows:
any person, whether or not they are a client of the legal practitioner (the complainant) may make a complaint against a legal practitioner to the Law Society;
the Law Society may request further information from the complainants about the complaint;
the Law Society will generally then notify the complainant of the receipt of their complaint, and will also ensure the subject of the complaint is informed of the complaint against them, and are provided with a copy of the complaint and informed of their rights in regard to the complaint;
in some circumstances, the subject of the complaint may not be notified, for example, if the Law Society considered that doing so would prejudice the investigation or court processes; and
the complainant may also withdraw the complaint provided the Disciplinary Tribunal is not yet involved.
The Law Society will investigate the complaint unless certain provisions of the Legal Profession Act apply. The Law Society then has the power to take certain action, including dismissing the complaint. After investigating a complaint, the Law Society may publicly reprimand or impose a fine on the legal practitioner. The Law Society may also immediately suspend the legal practitioner’s practising certificate. In order to take this action, the Law Society must comply with a number of provisions outlined in the Legal Profession Act 2006. The Statutory Supervisor must monitor the investigations by the Law Society and may require the Law Society to provide progress reports of investigations.
Both the legal practitioner and the complainant can appeal to the Disciplinary Tribunal against a decision of the Law Society. An appeal to the Disciplinary Tribunal is by way of re-hearing, and involves each of the complainant, the legal practitioner and the Law Society as parties to the appeal. The Law Society may also lodge a complaint, called a Disciplinary Application, directly with the Disciplinary Tribunal. Such an application is dealt with by way of a hearing with the Law Society and the legal practitioner as parties to the hearing. Appeals from the Disciplinary Tribunal are heard by the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory.
In the course of the implementation of the disciplinary provisions of the act, a number of matters have come to light. In the main, they are minor matters of inconsistencies within the act. I shall now outline the inconsistencies, together with the government’s proposed amendments.
Section 530 of the act requires that the legal practitioner’s Disciplinary Tribunal provide ‘parties’ to proceedings with copies of its decisions. In most cases, the parties will be a lawyer and the Law Society. A complainant is not a party and, therefore, does not currently have a right to be provided with the decision of the tribunal. We propose that complainants who appeared at a hearing are provided with notice of the decision of the tribunal.
Section 533 of the act provides a right of appeal to the Supreme Court to complainants and legal practitioners who are a party to disciplinary proceedings before the tribunal. There is no right of appeal provided to the Law Society. This amendment proposes to provide the Law Society with a right of appeal against any decisions of the tribunal. For decisions made prior to the commencement of the amending legislation, any such appeal must be made within 28 days of the commencement of the amending legislation.
The Disciplinary Tribunal has two main areas of jurisdiction. The first is to deal with the major disciplinary matters; the second is to deal with appeals against decisions of the Law Society. The act currently provides that members of the Disciplinary Tribunal to hear and decide disciplinary proceedings are selected by the chairperson of the Disciplinary Tribunal after a disciplinary action is started under Chapter 4 of the act. However, the act does not say how the membership is determined for appeals. Section 674 is to be amended to cover appeals against the Law Society decisions under section 506 of the act, as well as disciplinary applications.
Currently, section 676A of the act requires all 12 members of the Disciplinary Tribunal to agree before signing new rules for its practice and procedure. Section 676A is to be repealed and replaced by section 677. New section 677 provides that the chairperson can make practice directions and rules after consultation with the other members. It is not practical to have all 12 part-time members signing the rules.
Section 677A provides for the appointment of a Registrar of the Disciplinary Tribunal. Most tribunals have an administrative officer who is responsible for the day-to-day conduct of the affairs of the tribunal. Currently, as an administrative arrangement, the function is carried out by the Registrar of the Supreme Court. It is appropriate that the act formally provide for the position and that the decision as to who should perform the function should rest with the chief executive officer of the department administering the act, which is currently the Department of Justice.
I will provide a clause-by-clause description of the contents of the bill.
Clause 3 amends section 530, Notice of decision, so that the Disciplinary Tribunal must now provide notice of its decision to both the ‘parties’ of proceedings. Notice must also be given to any complainant who appeared at the hearing.
Clause 4 amends section 533, Appeal against Disciplinary Tribunal Orders, so as to also give the Law Society a right of appeal to the Supreme Court against any Disciplinary Tribunal decision, and to restrict the right of a complainant to complainants who appeared at the hearing.
For decisions made prior to the commencement of the amending legislation, any such appeal by the Law Society must be made within 28 days of the commencement of the amending legislation. This provision is justified on the basis that it is preferable to ensure that the achieving of the correct outcome for the disciplinary matter should not be prejudiced by a technical problem in the act regarding appeals. In practice, it is expected that few, if any, matters will be actually affected by this transitional provision.
Clause 5 amends section 674, Constitution of Disciplinary Tribunal for Hearings of the Act, to provide for the constitution of the tribunal to hear and decide proceedings for an appeal against Law Society decisions under section 506 of the act, as well as for disciplinary applications.
Clause 6 repeals section 676A of the act. Section 676A is to be replaced by section 677A.
Clause 7 provides for a new section 677A. This section will give the chairperson the power to issue practice directions and rules relating to the practice and procedure of the disciplinary tribunal. This clause also provides for a person to be appointed by the chief executive officer of the agency administering the act to be the Registrar of the Disciplinary Tribunal.
Clause 8 provides for minor grammatical amendments to the definition of regulatory authority in section 4 of the act as set out in the schedule of the bill. There is no change to the substantive meaning of the definition.
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 BURNS (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
This bill seeks to clarify four things:
1. that judicial officers are immune from civil and criminal liability when exercising judicial function;
2. that judicial officers are also immune when they are exercising administrative function;
The purpose of this bill is to introduce a legislative system of immunities to judicial officers and members of administrative tribunals. Immunity for judicial officers stems from the common law and dates back to the 17th century. It was generally accepted that parties, witness, counsel, jury or judge could not be called to answer either in the civil or criminal courts for words or acts performed honestly and in good faith in the course of legal proceedings. The High Court of Australia has delivered judgments accepting this general proposition. This does not mean that legal proceedings are of themselves above the law. The law does not absolve liability simply because an act or omission was committed by a judge or a lawyer.
Blatant disregard for the law such as bribery, corruption or perverting the course of justice does not attract the immunity. Provisions such as section 93 of the Criminal Code are specifically directed at judicial corruption. What the immunity does enable is the resolution of disputes because participants are free to fully state their case or exercise appropriate authority without fear of recrimination by government or other authorities. Traditionally, the centuries-old rule was taken to apply only to judges and magistrates and those persons who appeared before them; that is, the immunity only applied to judicial functions. In more recent times however, quasi-judicial tribunals have been created by statute. These tribunals derive their power solely through government created legislation, not the common law.
Normally, such tribunals may only make decisions in relation to a particular area of industry or government business. Take, for example, the Agents Licensing Board of the Northern Territory. Real estate agents, agent’s representatives, business agents and conveyancing agents must act in accordance with the Agents Licensing Act. Failure to do so may result in an appearance before the Agents Licensing Board. Similarly, the Building Practitioners Board and Director of building control oversee the Buildings Act.
The creation of these tribunals does not blur the lines between the separate functions of administrative bodies on one hand and judicial bodies on the other. The Supreme Court itself carries out a largely administrative task when it or one of its members constitutes, or partly constitutes, tribunals such as the Motor Accidents Compensation Tribunal under the Motor Accidents (Compensation) Act or as a Land and Valuation Review Tribunal under the Valuation of Land Act.
Often people who sit on tribunals are not judges or magistrates but industry specialists who have experience in that particular field. The establishment of the tribunal through legislation, plus the fact that the members of the tribunal may not be judicial officers, casts some doubt over whether the immunity normally afforded to judges, magistrates and participants in judicial proceedings also applies to these members of quasi-judicial tribunals. In addition, many judges, and magistrates in particular, perform functions of an administrative nature by sitting on those review panels which oversee the decisions made by these government-created tribunals. The role played by these officers in such circumstances may be better classified as administrative.
Judges and magistrates may also perform administrative tasks in the exercise of their judicial authority. Examples of these types of activities include authorising search warrants or granting a restraining order over property which is suspected of being the proceeds of crime. Judicial officers are well placed to be able to exercise this function. However, it calls into question the extent to which traditional and judicial immunity afforded to judges and magistrates applies when the forum in which the decisions they make are not traditional courts, but tribunals.
Finally, administrative tasks are also performed by judicial officers in the exercise of their judicial function. All these tasks are usually performed ‘off the bench’ or when the judge or magistrate is not acting in a judicial capacity. Examples of these acts are organising court lists or delegating other judicial staff to sit at particular circuit courts. None of these functions can properly be classified as judicial although they are necessary for the day-to-day operation of our judicial system.
There are over 122 individual acts which establish the Northern Territory Administrative Tribunals or persons with statutory powers of a quasi-judicial nature. These range from those mentioned previously to ones such as the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, when considering complaints and making decisions regarding compensation.
If, following a decision of a particular tribunal, one of the parties wishes to seek a review of the factual merits of the decision made, in the majority of cases that party makes an application to the local court. This is at odds with the rest of the country where there are formally established and wholly dedicated Appeals Tribunals with full-time members who hear the factual merits appeal, even though they are not formally appointed judges or magistrates. Although a similar regime may be desirable in the Northern Territory, our small jurisdiction may not yet be at a stage where it would be viable on a full-time basis. This is an issue that is under consideration. However, for the present and foreseeable future, it is more than likely that the judiciary will continue to have a strong day-to-day role in providing second-tier administrative decision-making. Indeed, it appears that most of the magistrates who perform the bulk of this review work have indicated they currently do not experience any difficulty in balancing their traditional judicial role with additional administrative review functions many government statutes still require them to take.
What they have expressed concern about, however, is the uncertainty which surrounds the extent of their immunity when they perform these administrative tasks. They are not sitting as judicial officers, even though that is their main occupation; therefore, it is not clear to what extent traditional immunities which are offered to judicial officers extend to them when performing this administrative role. Further, not all of the acts which create tribunals specifically set out the extent of the immunity, if any, for members who are not judicial officers, legal practitioners, or other persons who come before the tribunal. It is important to bear in mind that, while these tribunals appear to have a strictly legal function, in actual fact they are government creations. Therefore, persons who appear before them may not be legal practitioners but government employees or industry specialists from the private sector. While government employees do enjoy a certain degree of immunity by virtue of their employment, it is unclear to what extent this immunity would extend to a private individual exercising functions in these tribunals. This bill seeks to clarify these potential anomalies by stating that all persons who are involved in these tribunals - be they judges, magistrates, industry specialists, witnesses or lawyers - will enjoy the same immunities which have previously been afforded parties who appear in judicial courts.
The bill also ensures that when judicial officers perform administrative tasks such as organising staff meetings or dividing workloads, they are also afforded the same immunity as when they are actually sitting in a courtroom exercising their judicial function. The immunity will cover all persons performing tasks required under the 122 or so acts in the Northern Territory which establish administrative tribunals. As has always been the case with traditional judicial immunity, this immunity only applies when persons are acting honestly and in good faith before the tribunal. Criminal activity, bribery, or corruption is clearly not contemplated by this amendment. What is intended, however, is that Territory residents can participate fully in having their government queries resolved without fear of recrimination or legal action.
I will now briefly deal with each of the provisions of the act. Clause 3 contains the key definitions. ‘Administrative tribunal’ is broadly defined so that it covers any person or body that may conduct hearings for the resolution of administrative or quasi-judicial issues. Thus, it covers licensing bodies and determinative bodies and persons such as the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner and the Commissioner for Tenancies. For the provision of removing doubts that may exist regarding particular decision-makers, the regulations may prescribe that such persons are or are not a tribunal for the purposes of this legislation.
Clause 4 provides the immunities for persons exercising judicial powers, powers of administrative review or ancillary powers. A member of a court, as defined, incurs no civil or criminal liability for performing an honest act in the exercise of their judicial powers, administrative powers assigned in their judicial capacity, or administrative powers conferred by law. Members of an administrative tribunal incur no civil or criminal liability for performing an honest act in the exercise of the power of administrative review, or any incidental powers conferred by law on the tribunal or member. An ancillary officer of a court or administrative tribunal incurs no civil or criminal liability for honest acts performed in the exercise of the powers conferred on the officer.
Clause 5 sets out what are the immunities for witnesses and representatives. Representatives before an administrative tribunal, who may or may not be legal practitioners, and witnesses who give evidence before an administrative tribunal, are immune from civil and criminal liability provided their behaviour is honest and reasonable in all the circumstances. Existing liabilities such as prosecution for contempt of court or professional misconduct continue to apply.
Clause 6 provides that the act does not affect other acts and the common law. Many, if not most of the acts that provide for administrative tribunals, afford a level of protection for persons who are members of the tribunal or involved with the work of the tribunal. Often, they provide no protection for persons who appear before them - with some exceptions, such as the Agents Licensing Act in relation to persons appearing before the Agents Licensing Board.
Notwithstanding the introduction of the bill, existing immunities and protections afforded under legislation, and at common law, continue to apply. Over time, consideration will be given to amending other acts so that they use either the same words as in the bill or so that they rely on the bill.
We have also given consideration to a suggestion made by the Chief Magistrate that the legislation should give judicial officers immunity from giving evidence concerning the discharge of their duties. The Chief Magistrate gave, as an example, immunity from giving evidence about search warrants. At this time, I do not support the need for such an amendment. It is one thing to provide a level of immunity for acts done in good faith in the course of duties; it is quite another matter to grant immunity from giving evidence about matters done in the course of duties.
Based on advice provided by the Department of Justice, I understand that there are few, if any, recent examples of judicial officers giving evidence about why they made particular decisions. The practical problems do not warrant trying to draft legislation that could, in some circumstances, appear to place a judicial officer above the law. The view from such a place does not offer a good perspective for a judicial officer.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
Continued from 1 May 2008.
Mr NATT (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to talk about the Chief Minister’s economic report. We have heard from the Chief Minister how the Territory’s economy is moving from strength to strength. I take this opportunity to outline to the Assembly how my portfolios of Primary Industry and Fisheries and Mines and Energy are playing a major role in that success.
I will start with the pastoral industry. There are 1.8 million cattle in the Northern Territory. In 2007, around 283 000 cattle were exported through the Port of Darwin, with a gross value of $224m, an increase of 55 000 cattle over the previous year of 2006. In anyone’s language, that is a significant contribution to the economy.
The Territory is broadly divided into four cattle regions. The Top End region predominantly fattens cattle sourced from other areas and also has specific breeder cattle operations for the live export market. The properties are mostly privately owned, with two indigenous-owned operations running within the region.
The Katherine region also breeds and fattens cattle for the live export market. This region comprises the Victoria River district, or the VRD, and Sturt Plateau and the Roper. The VRD is predominantly owned by corporate pastoral houses, with some private ownership, and the Sturt Plateau and Roper regions are almost exclusively privately owned.
The Barkly region breeds composite - that is, a mixture of Brahman and European breeds) cattle that lend themselves well to the eastern seaboard feedlot trade, the domestic market and also the live cattle export trade. The properties are mostly owned by large corporate pastoral entities. Whilst they tend to concentrate on the eastern seaboard trade rather than live export, they also supply the live cattle export trade.
Around the Alice Springs region, the properties are almost all privately owned and concentrate on British breeds suited to the southern domestic market and the domestic feedlot trade.
Of the entire Northern Territory cattle herds, 64% go to the live export with the other 36% being sold interstate. The majority of these exports are to a single major market, and that is Indonesia.
That is the reason I travelled to Indonesia earlier this year. I visited Jakarta and met with the members of APFINDO, which is a group that exports our cattle to Indonesia. I have assured them the Northern Territory support is assured. I visited some very large feedlots there which were exceptionally well-kept and maintained. This is a highly significant market for the Northern Territory. My department has been working extremely well and closely with the members to ensure that their operations are well-maintained, that their animal husbandry issues are supported, and that they appropriately educate the feedlot workers and owners within the industry.
I also visited Sabah in Malaysia. My department has been doing a lot of work with Sabah. The government-to-government partnership in that area is exceptional. We currently have a memorandum of cooperation with them. My department has been doing a lot of on-the-ground work to support them, giving them various aspects of guidance in the breeding programs and also with feedlot support. In addition, we have been assisting them with their halal meat market to the point where they have actually built an abattoir. We have had a lot of input into the methods of slaughtering beasts and maintaining the animal husbandry aspects of that. We expect that to grow into the future.
My Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines is working hard developing new markets in Vietnam and Malaysia, so this important industry can continue to grow. Estimates reveal that, with strategic development and planning, there is potential to double the live cattle export market to in excess of 500 000 animals over the next five to seven years - something that would be very beneficial for the Territory and our Asian neighbours.
Consequently, I visited Vietnam earlier this year to follow up on a trip that the former Chief Minister made last year. We had representatives of the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association and the Northern Territory Live Exporters Association with us. We met with government officials in Hanoi and Na Tring. We have had a wonderful response. We ran some feedlot seminars in Ho Chi Minh City and also Na Tring. We are going to have some follow-ups from Vietnamese government officials and produce businessmen who will be coming out in May. That is great news for the cattle industry and we look forward to ensuring we can export cattle there into the future.
While the cattle industry is the most obvious of our primary industries, crops, forestry and horticulture are also important ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, I will interrupt you at that point. You can continue your remarks after Question Time.
Debate suspended.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the Speaker’s Gallery of his Worship the Lord Mayor of Darwin, Mr Graham Sawyer, and Ms Meron Looney; the Senator for the Northern Territory, Senator Trish Crossin; and also Ms Dawn Lawrie, the former member for Nightcliff and mother of the Treasurer, with the Treasurer’s two daughters, Jhenne and Bronte, and Mrs Daphne Read On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
It is wonderful to have so many visitors here from Darwin and Palmerston in the galleries. I particularly welcome the Under Treasurer, Ms Jennifer Prince and Treasury officers. Thank you for all your hard work in relation to putting the budget together with the Treasurer. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
I also draw your attention to the Chief Executive of the Department of the Chief Minister, Mr Mike Burgess, and several other chief executives from the public service. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Bill presented and read a first time.
Ms LAWRIE (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time. I table the 2008-09 Appropriation Bill and related papers.
Budget 2008-09 is the Labor government’s eighth budget and my first as Treasurer. It delivers on the Henderson government’s key priorities of: growing our economy and cutting taxes; Closing the Gap on Indigenous Disadvantage; tackling crime; quality education and health services; and investing in infrastructure.
The Henderson government is delivering on these priorities to ensure the Territory remains the best place in Australia to live, work and raise a family. Budget 2008-09 delivers for Territory families today and it provides for a bright future. Wherever you live in the Territory, Budget 2008-09 invests in the fundamentals of a fair society, extending services throughout the bush whilst strengthening our towns and capital city.
As Treasurer, I inherited a strong economy and a healthy budget. Under Labor, we have now had five consecutive budget surpluses and, today, we are projecting cash surpluses for the next five years. Strong financial management is the cornerstone of a strong economy. It is no accident that our economy is forecast to have the strongest growth in the country over the next five years. Access Economics has forecast the Territory’s economic growth to be at 7% next financial year. We are a little more conservative and today’s budget papers forecast growth at 6.6%. Growth forecasts are remarkable and the highest in the country. Growth forecasts are driven by strong growth in exports from the mining and manufacturing industries. The major contributors to the growth in exports will be the increased production of alumina from the Alcan Gove refinery and lead zinc from the McArthur River Mine, as well as recovery in offshore oil and gas production following temporary shutdowns of the LNG plants and associated gas field and the Corallina oil fields in late 2007.
Importantly, new projects are coming online in 2008-09 including oil field developments in the Timor Sea, the ongoing development of the Blacktip gas field, and the expansion of the GEMCO manganese processing facility at Groote Eylandt, sustaining engineering activity.
So far this year, three Henderson government ministers, including the Chief Minister, have been to China to talk up the Territory and what we have to offer. Obviously, China is important to our extractive industry, but the future of our relationship with China goes beyond just resources and includes tourism. Engaging China and promoting the Territory will continue to be a focus of this government’s economy strategy.
The Territory’s labour force is expanding strongly in 2007-08 with resident employment increasing by 4.8%. More than 5000 jobs have been created in the year since the last budget. This is a testament to the success of the Henderson government’s Jobs Plan 3. Business and consumer confidence is high and retail spending is the highest in the country. At the same time as we are experiencing strong economic, employment and consumption growth, Darwin also has the second-lowest annual inflation rate in the country.
The Darwin CPI is estimated to moderate to 3.1% in 2008 from 3.4% recorded for 2007, and forecast to reduce further in 2009 to 2.8%. Our population is increasing and is estimated to grow by 1.9% in 2008, compared to 1.5% nationally. The outlook for the 2008-09 is positive, with the high levels of investment of recent years driving Territory exports and strong economic growth.
The benefits of a strong economy must flow through to Territory families. This is the underlying structure of Budget 2008-09. There are tax cuts for families, improved home affordability, new and improved schools, improved hospitals and health services, and a record infrastructure spend. Budget 2008-09 delivers for Territory families while continuing to focus on fiscal responsibility and sustainability.
There is no greater threat to our growing economy than irresponsible financial management. We cannot go back to the days of black holes. We cannot go back to the days of a capital works program without cash. Three years ago, we said that the budget would be in balance by Budget 2008-09. In fact, we have now delivered five consecutive surpluses and are projecting cash surpluses in all the years from 2007-08. Long-term surpluses mean that government can plan for the future and deliver both service expansion and new infrastructure development. We can deliver for families now and invest in the Territory’s future.
Long-term surpluses give business the confidence required to invest. A surplus of $5m is projected for 2007-08. This is a $45m improvement in the estimated outcome, and includes $20m set aside for future infrastructure and superannuation requirements.
During 2007-08, there has been a significant increase in both receipts and payments. Receipts have increased by $333m to $3.723bn, largely due to an increase in Commonwealth revenue of $246m and taxes and mining royalties of $47m. The higher Commonwealth revenue is the result of higher GST revenue of $51m, due to increased Territory population and the size of the GST pool. The remaining $195m of Commonwealth revenue is the result of additional special purpose payment funding, with much of it related to the federal intervention. The balance of the increase is due to higher dividends and taxes from government’s business entities of $11m, increased interest revenue of $21m, and a minor increase in agency revenue.
Payments in 2007-08 are estimated to be $3.718bn, $331m higher than the original budget. This growth is largely attributable to additional Commonwealth revenue and initiatives associated with Closing the Gap of Indigenous Disadvantage. For the 2008-09 Budget, total receipts are estimated to be $3.855bn, and payments are estimated to be $3.846bn, resulting in a projected surplus for 2008-09 of $9m. Nett debt for 2008-09 is projected to be $1.58bn, with a nett debt to revenue ratio at 38%, falling to 36% by 2011-12. Nett debt plus employee liabilities is expected to be $4.4bn in 2008-09, with a ratio to revenue of 106%, falling to 101% by 2011-12. This is a significant reduction on the 134% inherited in 2001. It demonstrates the sound, fiscal responsibility of this government while, at the same time, improving the services delivered for Territory families.
Budget 2008-09 will continue to deliver jobs growth critical to Territory families. Jobs Plan 3 continues with more Territorians in training than ever before. Budget 2008-09 also provides for improved community safety with funding for 60 additional police dedicated to the streets of our suburbs. The benefits of economic growth needs to be applied to strengthening communities, bringing harmony through opportunities for all.
Budget 2008-09 delivers critical funding towards the Northern Territory government’s Closing the Gap initiatives to tackle indigenous disadvantage. Closing the Gap is supported by a five-year investment package of $286m. Budget 2008-09 delivers a range of new investments in child protection, education, housing, community safety and regional economic development. Our child protection and out-of-home care services budget is now $48m, compared to less than $8m when we came to government, and there are 106 more child protection workers than in 2001. As part of the Closing the Gap initiatives, $5.9m expands the Child Abuse Task Force, which involves 24 extra police and 23 extra Family and Community Services workers. There is also $7m for a range of child protection and family support services designed to assist families in crisis and prevent child harm.
Last week, the Deputy Chief Minister outlined a comprehensive reform agenda for improving indigenous education. This is a priority for the Henderson government and is a key element of Closing the Gap. Budget 2008-09 delivers education initiatives, including over $17m towards education in our remote areas.
The Territory government will spend $6.6m over the next five years to develop partnership programs to improve student engagement and community involvement in our remote areas. Funding of $2.67m is also provided for the National Accelerated Literacy program to improve the literacy skills of students who have failed to make appropriate literacy gains.
To accommodate increases in enrolments in the bush, school facilities are being upgraded and improved, with $10m worth of school and education centre upgrades and new classrooms.
In supporting access to education, community safety is critical, and Budget 2008-09 delivers additional funding for community safety initiatives in the bush. Aside from the extra 47 staff in the Child Abuse Task Force, there is an additional $4.5m being provided for increased policing, community courts, court clinicians, Corrections officers and the expansion of the Indigenous Family Violence community-based program.
A total of $7.76m will be funded by the Commonwealth for the construction of the Galiwinku Police Station and police officer accommodation. There is also $1.8m being provided in Budget 2008-09 to support the Closing the Gap initiatives in cracking down on the curse of alcohol abuse, which so often is at the core of family and community dysfunction.
While we address need, it is also critical to provide opportunities. The Territory government is working to increase indigenous participation in the workforce, and this budget includes the following initiatives to meet this priority: development of a new Indigenous Employment and Career Development Strategy; $830 000 for targeted indigenous ranger programs, including the Marine Ranger Program; and funding for the Indigenous Arts Strategy.
In conjunction with the Commonwealth, the Territory has contributed $100m, taking the total to $893m, for the five-year commitment to improving remote indigenous housing. Budget 2008-09 includes: $108m for indigenous housing and infrastructure; implementation of a new housing management framework for remote communities and town camps; and $38m for the construction and replacement of remote government employee houses. This will build the bush socially and economically. Closing the Gap is an absolute priority of the Henderson government, and we will monitor its progress and work with communities and the Commonwealth to ensure that we succeed.
Budget 2008-09 cuts taxes with comprehensive reforms in stamp duty. The government continues to be the most tax-reforming government in the Territory’s history. Budget 2008-09 cuts stamp duty and payroll tax. The tax cuts in Budget 2008-09 deliver for Territory families and businesses. These tax cuts mean the Northern Territory will remain the lowest-taxing jurisdiction for small businesses in Australia.
The Henderson government has taken the step of being the first jurisdiction to cut conveyance stamp duty rates for all purchases and properties. From today, it will be more affordable to buy your own home, an investment property or a business in the Territory. The minimum tax rate will be just 1.5%, down from 2.1%, and the maximum rate will be reduced to 4.95% from 5.4%. The top rate will apply to properties valued at $525 000 or more, up from $500 000. First homebuyers will also benefit with an increase in the tax-free threshold from $350 000 to $385 000. These cuts are estimated to deliver savings of some $12m in 2008-09 for Territorians.
Budget 2008-09 cuts the payroll tax from 6.2% to 5.9%, a saving of $7.2m for business. The lower rate and the Territory’s tax-free threshold of $1.25m means that Territory businesses with wages up to $5m pay the lowest payroll tax in Australia, and businesses of up to 100 staff continue to pay the lowest recurrent taxes in Australia.
Budget 2008-09 cuts taxes and red tape. We are harmonising payroll tax to provide a simpler system consistent with other jurisdictions to make doing business in the Territory easier. We will introduce payroll tax exemptions from 1 July 2008 for a range of allowances that will save businesses $1.7m per year.
This government also delivers an enhanced HomeNorth scheme, which will help more Territorians own their own home sooner. The main improvements are increased income thresholds, an increase in the value of properties that can be purchased, and an increased level of government equity. Based on sales over the last year, these changes will enable an average Territory family with two adults and two children to access over 65% of the units and a quarter of the houses on the market.
The government recognises that the Territory has not been isolated from the national decrease in home affordability. While Darwin remains the second most affordable capital city, we need to ensure that affordability improves for Territory families. Stamp duty cuts and HomeNorth improvements in Budget 2008-09 will help deliver improved home affordability for Territory families.
The stamp duty and payroll tax cuts will help small business, the families that run them and the Territorians employed by them. It should also be pointed out that in Budget 2008-09 the Northern Territory remains the only jurisdiction not to impose a land tax - an annual tax on commercial properties that does not exist in the Northern Territory.
Budget 2008-09 also includes a range of other initiatives for improving business in the Territory. An additional $2.4m will be provided over three years for government/industry partnership to increase mineral exploration in the Territory. This is on top of the $12m provided under the Bringing Forward Discovery program that we commenced in Budget 2007-08. It is no accident that one of our key economic drivers, the minerals boom, is delivering results. The budget continues to fund the industry development support programs including peak business-related organisations, industry development grants and regional development grants of $1.8m.
Budget 2008-09 provides $4.5m for the Land Development Corporation to continue the development of industrial land including the Defence Support Hub, waterfront industrial land and Stage 2 of the Darwin Business Park.
Tourism NT will have a budget of $35.7m in 2008-09. There is funding to develop niche travel packages that appeal to global experience seekers who travel with a key purpose or special interest in mind such as indigenous culture, wildlife and art.
Madam Speaker, talk to almost any Territory business, big or small, and they will tell you that their biggest problem is getting staff. Notwithstanding the fact that more than 5000 extra jobs have been filled in the last year, the skill shortage remains a key issue for Territory businesses as it does for business Australia-wide. Under Jobs Plan 3, there are now more Territorians in training than ever before and we have the highest number of people in training on a per-capita basis in Australia.
Budget 2008-09 maintains the government’s commitment to maximising employment opportunities for all Territorians and developing a highly skilled labour market that meets industry needs. This budget will invest $6.3m in strategic jobs and training initiatives. There are now over 3300 apprentices and trainees in training. This is an increase of 1150 since 2001; of those 1760 are in skill shortage areas. Budget 2008-09 continues to invest in the vital services provided to Territory families in community safety, health and education.
Budget 2008-09 is tough on crime, with more police and funding to support our tough new laws. Budget 2008-09 for NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services is now at $247m, an increase of 81% since 2001. In Budget 2008-09, the Henderson government is providing an additional 60 police over two years dedicated to suburban streets. There will also be 10 additional auxiliaries placed in call centres by the end of next year. This is on top of the 40 police staff provided as part of Closing the Gap, and taking the additional police resources approved since the 2007 budget to 110. The Safer Streets initiative will increase the number of patrols and assist in targeting youth crime and public disorder. Budget 2008-09 is providing new and expanded police facilities. The new police station at Casuarina has been increased by $2.5m, taking the project to $7.34m. This station will provide state-of-the-art facilities for police and for the public. To further assist police in their work, this budget includes $5.16m to upgrade the digital radio network. We are providing the police with the tools they need to do the job.
To strengthen community safety, Budget 2008-09 includes additional funding of $2.5m for a range of initiatives to address antisocial behaviour including: $1.5m for a first response patrol and a Darwin area Night Patrol; $110 000 for a 24-hour antisocial behaviour reporting hotline; and ongoing funding of $650 000 is being provided to install and monitor a closed circuit TV network in the Darwin CBD. Funding of $750 000 is also provided in Budget 2008-09 for extra transport safety officers, and more resources to reduce antisocial behaviour on the Darwin bus network.
Budget 2008-09 backs the government’s commitment to crack down on youth crime. Where parents fail in their responsibility to their children, the government will step in. Juvenile offenders will be targeted with $2.5m towards tough new measures including family responsibility agreements and orders and new youth camps to stop the revolving door of youth offending.
Assisting victims is important and, as part of an ongoing package, an extra $427 000 has been provided in Budget 2008-09 to expand the operation of the Crime Victims Services Unit and victims register.
Work will commence on a detailed design of a new 1000-bed prison in the Darwin region. The government is committed to improving community safety, and Budget 2008-09 provides more police, better resources and increased funding to support our tough new laws.
The Henderson government is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of Territory families. We have announced that a new Department of Health and Families will be established from 1 July and will include NT Families and Children. The new Department of Health and Families will receive $915m in 2008-09.
Budget 2008-09 will deliver more money for hospitals with $229m for Royal Darwin Hospital, $130m for Alice Springs, $26.3m for Katherine, $18.8m for Gove, and $11.6m for Tennant Creek. In 2008-09, an additional six beds will be provided in Royal Darwin Hospital. Additional beds will also be opened in Alice Springs Hospital as the redevelopment of the Emergency Department and fire safety rectification works are progressed.
Budget 2008-09 delivers improved health facilities across the Territory including: a new $4.5m health centre at Milingimbi; new sobering-up shelters in Katherine and Tennant Creek to be funded by the Commonwealth; $1.7m for Stage 3 of fire upgrades at Tennant Creek Hospital; the Allied Health Service at the Alice Springs Hospital will also be expanded with the allocation of an addition $200 000. Hospital in the Home will be expanded at both Royal Darwin Hospital and Alice Springs Hospital to increase the service to a seven day per week operation.
An important Budget 2008-09 initiative is the expansion of the Northern Territory Patient Assistance Travel Scheme. Travelling interstate for medical treatment can be a difficult experience for patients and their families. An additional $2m has been provided to improve and expand the PAT scheme.
The Community Midwifery Program has been successfully implemented at Royal Darwin Hospital, and will be introduced to Alice Springs in 2008-09 with additional funding of $280 000.
Renal health is a chronic issue for the Territory, and Budget 2008-09 increases funding in this area by $1m.
As part of the Australian Health Care Agreement, additional funding of $3m will be provided to enhance hospital core services.
The newly established NT Families and Children will support Territory families and children by bringing together a range of services, including child protection, foster care, youth support and diversion programs. In line with these changes, the first NT Children’s Commissioner has been appointed.
An Office of Disability will be created. The office will streamline the way families and people with disabilities access services by providing a single front door service for the Northern Territory. $3.7m will be allocated to continue implementation of recommendations from the Northern Territory Disability Services Review. An additional $240 000 has been provided to increase the Taxi Subsidy Scheme and the Territory Independence and Mobility Equipment Scheme.
Spending on education and training this year will be $719m. This is in addition to the significant capital spending in both our urban and remote schools. I talked earlier about the initiatives being undertaken in relation to indigenous and remote education. Budget 2008-09 also continues to build and upgrade urban education infrastructure. The biggest urban initiative is the two new schools which will be built at Rosebery at a cost of $48.8m - a primary school for 600 students and a middle school for 850 students. This is an exciting new development and acknowledges Palmerston’s status as one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. Budget 2008-09 includes $9.5m for headworks, and both schools are due to be open in 2011.
Other urban school upgrades in Darwin and Alice Springs total $9.5m. Additional funding of $2.7m for school buses has been provided to cater for the introduction of middle year schooling and the introduction of seat belts on high-risk, regional school bus routes.
To assist students with intellectual disabilities and other special needs, this budget provides additional funding of $1.7m.
A growing economy requires infrastructure investment. Budget 2008-09 delivers the highest ever Territory infrastructure spend – a record $870m. Infrastructure spending creates jobs and has a flow-on effect through the whole economy. Perhaps the most important aspect of this record infrastructure spend is roads. When we came to government in 2001, the roads budget we inherited was $84m. In Budget 2008-09, the roads budget is $271m – a record. We have more than tripled the roads budget.
The biggest road project is the Tiger Brennan Drive extension, which is being done in partnership with the Commonwealth. The $110m multi-year project has started, and will ramp up in 2008-09. Budget 2008-09 includes Stage 2 of the project at $89m.
Other specific road projects include: $2.5m for passing lanes on existing parts of Tiger Brennan Drive; $35.8m for the multi-year Victoria Highway project; $4.3m for railway crossing upgrades in 2008-09 as part of our $6.4m program; $3.5m for Maryvale Road upgrade; and $4m for road access to Pine Hill horticulture area.
Improving our economic infrastructure is a key priority for the Henderson government. We are spending more than $60m improving our port, including a conveyor to increase the throughput of our bulk minerals.
2008 will see the delivery of Stage 1 of the Darwin Waterfront development. The convention centre will have its official opening shortly. This $1.1bn development will be largely funded by the private sector and the costs of the precinct to government substantially offset by returns from property sales of well in excess of $100m. The wider economic benefit to the community has been estimated at $350m.
The provision of new land development is important for the growth of the Territory. Budget 2008-09 sees the continuation of a number of projects to increase available land to assist Territorians with home ownership. Our comprehensive land release strategy involves new residential housing for Darwin at Lyons, Muirhead, Bellamack and Berrimah Farm. Our property market is showing signs of moderation and our land release strategy must ensure that excess supply does not distort the market.
Last year, we announced an $812m, five-year program for essential services infrastructure. This year, further projects have been added, with a total program of more than $1bn over the next five years, with a continued strategic focus on improving supply reliability and increasing capacity. The Territory will provide a $100m capital contribution to Power and Water to assist in this significant investment.
The government’s commitment to undergrounding power lines gets a further boost in Budget 2008-09. Nightcliff has already been completed, and Rapid Creek will be finished by the end of this year. Budget 2008-09 provides funding of $16.6m to continue the undergrounding project into Millner, with completion expected by December 2009. This will take the total cost of the project so far to $50m.
Madam Speaker, while we are improving our capital city, we are determined to strengthen our regions. Local government reform and the new shires will make the bush a better place to live, work and raise a family, with improved services and investment in the regions. Further funding of $5m has been committed in Budget 2008-09 to assist the new shires with additional establishment and infrastructure requirements. This takes the total Territory government funding provided to local government reform to $27m.
Preserving the Territory’s environment is vital for all Territorians and contributes to the Territory’s fantastic lifestyle. The Henderson government is committed to addressing climate change and has announced a dedicated Office of Climate Change to lead the Territory in this important area. This budget provides additional funding of $5m over three years to assist businesses and households to respond to climate change issues. In addition, $2m has been provided in 2008-09 to upgrade government buildings to appropriate energy efficient standards.
Other environment initiatives include: $1.2m for water and air quality programs; $3.5m for renewal energy rebates; $10.8m to deliver clean energy to remote indigenous communities; increased funding of $100 000 to the Environment Grants program for the inclusion of a wildlife category; $1.5m for control of weeds; $2.8m for the Solar Cities renewal energy program; $344 000 for three years to monitor the Daly River catchment under the Living Rivers program; continued funding of $100 000 for the Cool Communities initiative; continued funding of $100 000 for the Alice Springs and Tennant Creek water initiative; increased funding of $628 000 for the Environment Protection Authority; and $6.7m for the Bushfires NT program.
Preserving and improving our parks and reserves is not only in the best interests of the environment but also promotes tourism and enhances our great Territory lifestyle. This budget includes infrastructure for our parks and reserves of $4.4m to upgrade Litchfield National Park; $5.2m to upgrade Leanyer Recreation Park; $1.5m to rebuild the Fogg Dam boardwalk; and $1.5m to develop the Red Centre Way Interpretive Centre for the West MacDonnells National Park.
Budget 2008-09 supports boat ramp improvements across the Territory including $4.6m for continuing works to provide a new boat ramp and associated facilities at East Arm; $1m to improve fishing infrastructure across the Top End; and $450 000 for a new pontoon at Dinah Beach.
Territorians love their sport. Involvement in sport also assists in diverting young Territorians from harm into positive outcomes. In total, $25.9m will be spent on sport and recreation by the Territory government throughout the Territory in 2008-09. Funding of $6.4m will be provided for grassroots sport and recreation grants. Budget 2008-09 has also increased sporting grants by $1m. In the next 12 months, the Territory will host more elite sporting events than ever before.
The arts and cultural events are also important to Territorians, with the Territory becoming more recognised as a place to hold international events such as the Elton John concert later this month. This budget has also provided an additional $777 000 over three years for the Darwin Festival in August. This event is becoming more popular with Territorians and visitors from interstate and overseas. The Arts Grants budget for 2008-09 is $5.25m including $300 000 for a public art program.
Promoting our parks, our environment, our fishing, our sport and our arts is a very important component of the Henderson government’s commitment to continue to make the Territory the best place to live, work and raise a family.
This budget is one for all Territorians. It is full of new initiatives right across the Territory, more services, more infrastructure, less tax and a growing economy. Budget 2008-09 does all this while strictly adhering to financial responsibility and sustainability. It is this responsibility and the commitment to delivering surplus budgets that allows the Henderson government to plan and provide for Territory families now and into the future.
This budget delivers for Territory families and invests in our future. I thank the Under Treasurer, her staff and mine for their hard work on Budget 2008-09, and I commend the Budget 2008-09 to the House.
Debate adjourned.
Continued from earlier this day.
Mr NATT (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, I will continue with my reply to the Chief Minister’s economic statement following the Treasurer’s wonderful 2008-09 budget.
The fruit sector is valued at around about $101.2m and is made up of many products including mangos, melons, table grapes, citrus and tropical fruits. The sector covers about 7353 ha and supports around 400 enterprises employing 2500 people. Most of the fruit is produced in the Darwin region. Katherine, however, is growing in importance. I have had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the Northern Territory to see many of the growers, especially around Katherine and Mataranka where they are growing melons and mangoes with great success; Ti Tree to see the work undertaken with grape vines, melons and table grapes; as well as Alice Springs and the Darwin rural area.
There is a strong citrus presence and many hard-working people out on the ground, considering that industry is undergoing change at the moment. My department is assisting as much as we can. It is an invaluable assistance we provide to the growers, working with the producers to develop other crops for the future.
The vegetable sector produces a range of traditional and Asian vegetable products from cucumbers, herbs, pumpkin, zucchini, bitter melons, okra, snake beans, as well as a range of leafy vegetables. The sector was valued at $27m in 2006 with 65 enterprises, covering 1300 ha. In 2006, some 25 500 ha was planted with forestry products including hardwood pulp at the Tiwi Islands and high value hardwoods in the Douglas Daly region. Four enterprises employ some 200 people and recent significant land purchases in the Douglas Daly will see the planted area increase by 50% by the end of this year.
The field and fodder sector is another contributor to the Territory’s economy. The majority of the $19m worth of production in 2006 came from the Douglas Daly and Katherine regions. Ninety-five producers cropped some 120 000 ha with products as diverse as hay and silage, pasture seeds and other crops. Also, we have a booming nursery sector that includes the ornamental and cut flower industry. In 2006, the combined value of this sector was $17m comprising 66 enterprises employing some 150 people.
Whilst the industry development-focused divisions of the Primary Industries group have the lead role in working in partnership with industry to advance these industries, the importance of biosecurity and related diagnostic services cannot be understated. The work done by the animal and plant health staff in the field and in laboratories underpins industry development. A couple of years ago, we had a fruit fly outbreak in Central Australia. The department jumped onto that swiftly and quashed it. We also had the grape vine leaf rust scare which we saw eradicated with similar effectiveness. Recently, the outbreak of equine influenza interstate was managed very well in the Territory. The outbreak of black striped mussels in the harbour was dealt with very quickly as well. It is significant work being undertaken in our laboratories and the field to ensure that our environment is protected for future generations.
Primary industries play a major role in the Territory’s economic success story. The indications are that this sector will continue to develop and grow.
Another section of my portfolio which makes a significant contribution to the Territory’s economy is fishing. In 2006, the gross value of production from wild stock harvest fisheries in the Territory was $33m. At the same time, aquaculture activities grossed approximately $30m. The three highest catch value wild harvest fisheries in the Territory were the barramundi fishery at $5.3m, mud crabs at $4.7m and shark at $4.3m. Other high value fisheries include finfish trawl, Timor Reef and Spanish mackerel.
The Territory has eight commercial fisheries accredited for export approval under the Australian government’s environmental legislation. This is a strong indicator of the sustainable fisheries management practices undertaken within the Territory, and augers well for the future. It means that, as a government, we are prepared to make decisions to ensure our fisheries are sustainable and that the fishing experience available today continues into the future.
As well as the commercial fishing sector, there is the recreational fishing sector, the single most important tourism attractor to the Territory. Over 1000 000 visitors to the Territory each year say that they want to ‘wet a line’ while they are here, and that makes this sector of the fishing industry of paramount importance. Most recent figures indicate that the industry is worth well in excess of $35m a year, with over 350 000 barramundi caught annually. Of these, it is estimated 75% of the barramundi are released back into the wild, a considerable increase over the last release figure of 58% in 1995.
A large-scale recreational fishing survey is to be undertaken over the periods of 2008-09 and 2009-10, which will provide further detail on the importance of this sector to the Territory. I expect to confirm my view that recreational fishing is of immense economic and social benefit to the Northern Territory.
I had the opportunity to go to the Daly River to open the Barra Nationals. They had 171 competitors and 50-odd boats. I think of those 171 competitors, 80 were from interstate. They were there for a week and, reading the reports in the paper, they have gained another record catch this year. Although the fish were not of exceptionally large size, they were all of good size and of good quality. Again, it just shows that the management of the fishery in that area is doing exceptionally well.
We are going to advertise that a little further - or the Palmerston Game Fishing Club is. I must congratulate them for they have actually put an electronic book together, so that every fish that was caught was photographed. They have some videotape of many of them being caught and this has gone on to an electronic book. That electronic book has gone on to the Internet where people from interstate and overseas can access it and see how good the fishing is in the Territory. It is going to be another lure for the Territory and it is great for our fishing industry and our economy.
The world-class research and development undertaken at the Darwin Aquaculture Centre continues to underpin aquaculture growth, including for example, growth in barramundi farming from a value of $2.6m in 2002 to approximately $5m in 2006. Pearling continues to be a prime aquaculture sector with an estimated value of around $17m to $18m. The work of my department, in conjunction with industry, on fish health and husbandry is a key success factor for long-term sustainability and growth.
Madam Speaker, there is no doubt that the single most important industry which contributed to the Territory’s strong economic performance is minerals and energy. Mining accounts for a massive 27% of the Territory’s GSP, and this rises to over 40% if LNG and alumina are included. Here in the Territory we have the world’s largest manganese mine, GEMCO, based at Groote Eylandt; a major silver, lead and zinc body being mined at McArthur River; and a major bauxite mine at Alcan Gove. The Territory is also home to ERA, Australia’s largest uranium producer. The income earned and the flow-on effects of these major mines underpins the Territory’s economy, and it is of note that all of the big mines in the Territory are undergoing expansion programs.
On the petroleum front, I acknowledge the huge impact of ConocoPhillips’ Bayu-Undan fuel development and the LNG plant, the ongoing contribution of Woodside at Laminaria, ENI’s expanding operations offshore, Jabiru/Challis, as well as the planned Blacktip development and the AED, which commissioned the Puffin oil field late last year.
Further to these, a range of other offshore petroleum developments are under study by various players. The potential for value-added gas processing projects in Darwin is a priority focus for government, as outlined earlier by the Chief Minister.
It has been encouraging to see a number of mineral and petroleum companies set up offices in the Territory during the past year. I congratulate Arafura Resources, Nupower, Rum Jungle Uranium, Crossland Uranium, Territory Uranium and GDS Gold on their efforts and confidence in the Territory as a place to do business.
Exploration activity continues to increase with virtually all mineral commodities being targeted including, of course, uranium. Combined mineral and petroleum exploration expenditure totalled approximately $370m in 2006-07. A number of advanced high-potential exploration programs are under way.
It was very interesting to note that, in the Business Review Weekly last week, there were a number of fantastic articles written on the Northern Territory. They painted such a terrific picture of the Northern Territory for everyone around Australia to see. There was an excerpt on mining which was called Northern Exposure. I will read some comments on the department from the magazine:
As you can see, the confidence from the miners on the land is fantastic. It is great for us to have those sorts of article painting us in great light.
However, we need major new discoveries to maintain the minerals and energy contribution into the long-term, and the government is aware that the Territory needs to compete for its share of exploration investment in order to generate these discoveries. Hence, the four-year $12m Bringing Forward Discovery program and the recently announced $2.4m top-up of this program to cover drilling and geophysics surveys. This additional funding will allow exploration companies to apply for 50% or up to $100 000 of their costs for drilling and geophysical surveys in greenfields regions. The program also seeks to maximise outcomes from the commodity boom by working with miners, developers and investors to convert known deposits and prospects into operational mines as soon as possible.
There has been ongoing and extensive incremental infrastructure development by both the Northern Territory government and industry to service mining, oil and gas activity - most notably, the ship-loading facility at the East Arm port which services the exports of iron ore and manganese to the China market and which will, in the future, services more mines in the Territory and interstate.
The rail link paved the way for new mining developments in the Territory and will support future developments such as the proposed Nolans Bore rare earths and phosphate project. It is also opening up opportunities for the freight of minerals concentrate from interstate mines to Darwin and, thence, export, and for the supply of goods and equipment to such mines via Darwin. All this reinforces Darwin’s growing role as a regional hub for the resource sector, and drives increased local supply and service capacity which, in turn, strengthens the importance of the minerals and energy sector to the Northern Territory’s economy.
Madam Speaker, the booming economy currently being enjoyed by the Territory is in no small way due to the contributions made by primary industries, fisheries and mines. I can assure you and the people of the Territory that, with careful management and foresight, our economy will continue to outperform the other states and that we will reap the benefits and rewards into the future. I commend this statement to the House.
Mr KIELY (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Madam Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s statement on our strong Territory economy and to emphasise the importance we place on ensuring that we continue to grow our economy in an environmentally sustainable way. The Territory is blessed with one of the most stunning and diverse natural environments on the planet. It is this environment that is the basis for many of the industries that keep our economy strong, industries which employ thousands of Territorians.
Our unique environment is also one of the key features of the Territory’s fantastic lifestyle, a lifestyle the envy of many around the world. This rich natural endowment is a large part of why the Territory is the best place to live, work and raise a family. We on this side of the House see no reason why Territorians should not enjoy a strong economy which creates jobs for Territory families and a unique natural environment which is preserved for future generations.
Achieving these goals require a government that has a long-term, strategic vision for the Territory economy and also a commitment to develop and implement the policies and safeguards which ensure our natural environment can sustain a growing, job-creating economy over the long term. This government’s record against these goals is a strong one.
When my colleague, the Minister for Planning and Lands, first announced that the government had made a decision not to proceed with heavy industrial development at Glyde Point, she told this Assembly that she had moved to rezone the Glyde Point area for public open space and for conservation. That rezoning has since taken place. The decision to protect Glyde Point reflects the broader Territory community values of the area. It has a pristine environment, much appreciated by nature lovers and fishermen alike. There are 833 plant species in the area. Of these, two are only known for the area, 32 are listed as being of conservation concern, with 16 listed under NT legislation as endangered, vulnerable or near threatened. Wildlife species found in the area include the northern quoll, the Irrawadi and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, dugong, a number of bats which are pollinators of many of our plants, marine turtles, goannas such as the mangrove monitor and Merton’s water monitor, and a number of snakes. In addition, there are numerous bird species, including migratory species that are protected under international agreements which aim to protect the habitats and resting areas of birds that migrate annually to Australia from the northern hemisphere.
The primary purpose of the conservation zone in the planning scheme is to conserve and protect the flora and fauna and character of natural areas. Any development that does not occur in this zone is to be sensitive to the natural features and habitats of the zone and be sited and operated so it will have a minimal impact on the environment. Under this government, the pristine environment and natural value of Glyde Point will be protected for all Territorians into the future.
I turn now to the Daly moratorium. This government’s commitment to developing the Territory economy’s sustainability is also evident in our recent decision to extend the moratorium on broad scale land clearing in the Daly for a further two years. This was the right decision for the Daly and will ensure further development in the region will be subject to the principles of sustainable development, informed by the best available science.
We have seen the devastating consequences on river systems in Australia and around the world when there is not enough scientific understanding of the catchment. Although much work has been done, an additional two years will enable more comprehensive scientific research to be carried out. In particular, it is crucial that we get the right alignment between water allocation and native vegetation clearing. That is why we are working closely with the Daly River Management Advisory Committee and the Katherine Water Advisory Committee to ensure that Tindal and Ooloo aquifers, which feed into the Daly River, are managed sustainably, striking the right balance between environmental flows and extraction for agricultural and other industry purposes.
This approach reflects this government’s commitment across the Territory to maintain healthy rivers, wetlands and other water-dependent ecosystems, while also supporting sustainable development and our unique Territory lifestyle. Sustainable use of the Territory’s water resource is crucial to ongoing economic development across the Territory, particularly in our regions.
Our approach to sustainable use of water in the Territory centres on a number of key principles. Water is made available for consumptive use only after environmental and cultural issues have been determined. In most systems, we need more information on how to maintain environmental quality but, to compensate, we have set very strong safety nets. Unless we have information to set a specific figure, we ensure that 80% of flows - that is, surface water and of recharge of the groundwater - are available to protect environmental and lifestyle values, particularly during dry climatic conditions.
We always look to meet or exceed national standards. The Territory endorses the National Water Initiative. Its implementation plan is accredited by the National Water Commission. The National Water Initiative seeks to achieve a nationally compatible market, regulatory and planning based systems of managing surface and groundwater resources for rural and urban use to optimise economic, social and environmental outcomes.
While we are committed to meeting all important National Water Initiative obligations, we are also making adjustments to better match application to the Territory’s situation. In many key areas such as a strong, precautionary approach and safety nets, we exceed the requirement of the National Water Initiative. In others, such as the markets in water, we are putting mechanisms in place to limit trade by adjusting approaches to manage regional communities. We look at adaptive management; acting cautiously but retaining flexibility.
In addition to the strong safety nets, the Territory’s precautionary approach depends on responding early to increasing demand on water resources and adopting principles of adaptive management. Our rolling program for the development of water allocation intends to keep us ahead of demand by putting plans in place well before water use causes environmental or other problems. Because we are committed to act ahead of problems, we also need to make decisions without having all the information we would like. We deal with this conundrum through adaptive management. This involves setting initially very tight limits on use, while retaining the flexibility to adjust use upwards. Research and experience shows this is possible without significant impacts on environments or other interests, or downwards if there is even a hint of problems.
Good effective management demands strong systems for following and understanding any change associated with water use. Every water allocation plan will identify the values that have to be protected including: well-developed systems of gauging stations, bores and such; monitoring impacts; and outlining immediate responses if there are signs of unwelcome change. In most cases, there will also be targeted research programs for addressing the most important gaps in knowledge and improve the knowledge used in allocation decision-making.
Community engagement is critical to this process. It is important that the community have ownership of the water planning process. To this end, partnerships with the community will constitute water advisory committees drawn from stakeholder groups including indigenous people from each language group in the relevant area.
In other parts of Australia it has proved very difficult to retrieve water once it has been allocated, no matter how extreme the need. To avoid this problem, Territory water allocation plans will feature clearer recognition that water entitlements will vary in levels of security. Entitlements for domestic water are most secure, but can still be adjusted. Entitlements for production vary in security from being adjustable in the level of entitlement to being at risk of total withdrawal. These provisions, attached to every entitlement, provide the ability to respond quickly to reduce use should it ever prove necessary.
The establishment of the Northern Territory’s new Environment Protection Authority provides yet another safeguard to ensure the future development in the Northern Territory will be ecologically sustainable with development. While not having a role in assessing individual projects, the EPA can provide advice about the frameworks under which development should proceed, and has significant brief to provide advice to government about dealing with cumulative impacts.
There has been much attention given to the environmental protection of Darwin Harbour of late, particularly Middle Arm. I can assure the House, assigning Middle Arm for gas-based development will not result in an open slather approach to industrial development. First, there is a significant area of Middle Arm already zoned for conservation. This provides protection to the surrounding areas; a buffer between development and the receiving environment. Second, the primary purpose of the Middle Arm Development Zone is to allow development of major strategic industries, including gas-based industry, road, rail or port-related industries. There is already significant infrastructure in place on the peninsula to support development. Keeping industries close together provides for specific use of infrastructure and can minimise the need for additional single-use or industry-specific infrastructure. Keeping development together can also facilitate better use of resources; for example, by having the waste or by-product of one industry used by another industry, such as reusing water or using waste to generate power. Under the planning scheme, any development proposal in this zone needs to have regard for potential environmental impacts, including those arising from industrial processes, methods of manufacture or the nature of the materials used to produce or stored.
Third, the government has undertaken a thorough investigation into the environment of Middle Arm to ensure that sensitive issues are understood and given great consideration in the context of any industrial development proposal. Our aim is to identify potential cumulative impacts of development and to work with businesses and the community to abide by best practice environmental management techniques that will protect our much-loved Territory lifestyle.
We know what has happened as a result of uncontrolled development in other parts of Australia and the developed world. We are determined to avoid similar problems arising here. The Department of Planning and Infrastructure is coordinating a series of environmental studies at the Middle Arm Peninsula, which will result in an overall assessment, and provide principles to guide the management of potential cumulative impacts from industrial development. The Department of Planning and Infrastructure is working closely with my Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts, and other government agencies, to ensure that this work is undertaken as effectively and efficiently as possible. The terms of reference for the environmental assessment of Middle Arm can be found on the Department of Infrastructure website at www.nt.gov.au/lands/.
The purpose of investigations is to focus on the major issues that need to be managed for the overall development of Middle Arm, and to be better informed of the ongoing and future planning of the industrial area. By understanding the environmental risk, land capability, and potential cumulative impacts, we will be in a better position to provide options for the management of those risks. The investigations will look at a number of matters: infrastructure, such as port transport requirements like roads and shipping channels; industrial waste management, including initiatives such as product stewardship, reuse and recycling; water requirements, including reuse and stormwater harvesting opportunities; sharing resources with other potential and new industries; power requirements; and sewerage management.
Air quality will assess the current air quality and identify ways of minimising impacts on future industries. So important is this aspect of government that I recently announced that we will invest more than $700 000 this year in establishing the air monitoring system in Darwin. Groundwater and surface water will also be investigated, with a view of putting in place measures that will safeguard surface and groundwater resources, and the water quality of Darwin Harbour. This will include developing options for the appropriate treatment and disposal of construction and operational waste water linked with the water quality protection plan for Darwin Harbour currently being prepared in partnership with the Darwin Harbour Advisory Committee and the Commonwealth Department of Environment, Heritage, Water and the Arts.
Cultural and archaeological heritage will be identified and the Heritage Management Plan produced will outline out how heritage sites will be managed. I expect these sites to include sites where there is evidence of pre-contact Aboriginal activity, and also those with contemporary significance including collection of traditional foods still carried out in the marine and surrounding areas - underwater shipwrecks, plane wrecks and the antisubmarine boom net such as those remaining from World War II.
I recognise that many people from the Darwin and Palmerston region may be concerned with the potential impact on visual and recreation amenity arising from some new industries on Middle Arm. The terms of reference for the environmental assessment of Middle Arm, therefore, encompass matters of amenity in order to minimise any visual impact from key vantage points in Darwin and Mandorah; to minimize any potential noise disturbance; and to assess the potential impact on existing on and off water recreational use and is an opportunity for Darwin’s residents now and into the future.
We all love Darwin Harbour; and this government is determined to ensure that the natural values of the harbour are maintained. The environmental assessment of Middle Arm will, therefore, consider the potential impacts on marine and estuarine habitats from industrial development and any associated dredging and land reclamation. Other matters to be investigated in environmental assessment including greenhouse emissions and the local impacts of climate change, biting insects and land capability.
As I said, government has in place a number of mechanisms to ensure that any development on Middle Arm occurs in an ecologically sustainable manner. Government’s other tool is to require that individual development proposals are subject to normal development assessment approval processes. These assessments will be complementary for work undertaken by the government in relation to Middle Arm as a whole.
We want to attract industry to Darwin, but only on the understanding that proponents will undertake investigations and design developments and operational practices that minimise environmental impacts to ensure that those impacts remain at an acceptable level. Understanding the cumulative impacts of development and having measures in place that monitor and evaluate our industrial activities will provide a mechanism to intervene, should there be any evidence of unacceptable deterioration in the environment that is so highly valued by our locals and visitors alike.
In summary, it is clear that this government’s approach to ensuring our economy remains strong, continues to create jobs for Territory families, and reflects our commitment to ecological sustainability. We have the legislation and the processes in place to balance the development pressure with the long-term future of our economy and community.
Territorians deserve and expect a government that maintains a strong economy that delivers jobs for Territory families while maintaining a unique natural environment for the enjoyment of many generations to come. This is what the Henderson government will continue to deliver.
In closing, I will contrast the contribution I have just made and the contributions from previous members of government in regard to the economic statement put forward by the Chief Minister, and that delivered by the Leader of the Opposition. Madam Speaker, I am not going to go over the Leader of the Opposition’s contribution, but I commend any person who is following this debate to have a look at his effort. It was a blank statement with no vision for the future, does not address the issue of today and, as a matter of fact, it is one long negative blurb. I do not believe that the Leader of the Opposition has any real economic vision for the Territory. I am not too sure what his thoughts are for the future of the Territory but, if people care to peruse his contribution in the Parliamentary Record of Tuesday, 29 April 2008 as an indicator, they can sum it up in one word; that is, ‘bleak’.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, at last I get a chance …
Mr Henderson: I do apologise, Gerry - miscommunication.
Mr WOOD: That is okay, thank you, minister. It is little hard to speak now the budget has come down because I might have to change some of my notes. I will put it this way. Obviously, the economy is growing and we can see that. Well, I can see it at 6 am with the amount of traffic going in from the rural area. Funny thing is, they all seem to stop around Winnellie because, after that, it is quite quiet. Perhaps there is a different kind of worker who goes into town a bit later. However, there is a lot of people who move from the rural area into the Palmerston, to Winnellie areas, and to the East Arm port from the rural area. That traffic is increasing quite considerably. This is, obviously, just a sign that there is a lot more activity in the workforce at the present time.
We need jobs and, without the Territory growing and without more development, our families will not have jobs and, of course, that will be detrimental to the Territory lifestyle. I should not use that word too much; you might think I am on the other side.
The difference between me and the government is not that we should not be praising the economy; it is the way that we should be looking at the future. My gripe with the government is that it might say a lot of things that I agree with, but there has not been enough emphasis on long-term planning. I refer back to a document that I brought in to parliament once before and asked the government: ‘Why do you not bring out your version of this?’ It was the Darwin Regional Structure Plan. That Darwin Regional Structure Plan is a document that still can be used in planning to look at the future of the Darwin region.
I still have concerns, for instance, about where we are going with housing development. I believe the housing is still too expensive. You can raise all the figures you like, but I look in the real estate papers and in the rural area to see what the price of land is, and I can see that it is too expensive. When you are paying $240 000 to $340 000 for a rural block, and you have to then build a house, a single person or a young couple on a low income - and I notice in the budget papers an average income in Darwin is about $48 000, so I imagine there are people below that average - who would just be left out of the market because the first thing they have to buy is a block of land that they cannot afford. As we know, with HomeNorth packages and first homeowner loans from banks, you have to have a house and land as a package. Once upon a time, you could buy a block of land so cheap you could put a shed on it, live in the shed until you saved up a bit more money and, then, build your house. That, unfortunately, is not possible today unless you have someone who gives you a block of land, or your parents have a large block of land that they can subdivide.
I challenge the government to go out and talk to young people today who are starting off. I know the minister talks about getting a unit. Well, even units are pretty expensive today. However, that is not the sort of lifestyle that I would encourage for someone starting a family; to necessarily live in a unit. They do not have much space, they are crowded in and, sometimes, when you are a young family, the last thing you want to do is to be able to hear the neighbours carrying on. You want a little peace and quiet so you can raise your family.
The government really needs to look at, and explain exactly, what its policy is on opening up new land. The minister today mentioned a number of subdivisions including the Berrimah Experimental Farm, and I believe that is a poor decision. However, what is clear and was clear before the budget today, is that there has been no statement by the government on the future of the city or the town of Weddell. Weddell probably has an area three times bigger than Palmerston, is the next town plan under the Darwin Regional Structure Plan and, yet, there is no mention of it. I would like the government to tell me where it is going in relation to more housing developments in the rural area and in the Darwin region.
Weddell has been proposed for a long time, and I know there are a number of developers in the Noonamah area who are just biting at the bit to try to get some development in that area as part of an overall Weddell subdivision process. I am interested to know what is happening in relation to that because, if you release some of that land in, you would certainly, I believe, give a lot more opportunity to first homeowners to have a choice where they want to live and at what price they can afford to buy their land.
In relation to Berrimah, the decision to release land there for housing is a poor decision. It shows lack of planning, and I believe that is the key to the problem the government has at the moment. There were no plans one or two years ago to cut up Berrimah Farm. In fact, if you look at your own Darwin Planning Scheme, which is the one you approved in 2007, it does not say that. The minister might say these are evolving and changing, but this went through a whole consultation process. I attended a meeting in Howard Springs to look at this, and there were meetings in Darwin and through the whole of the Territory. When all of those meetings were finished, this is the document you came forward with. So there were some plans in place that we could look at and say, ‘Well, this appears to be the government’s policy in relation to the Darwin region’, and that, all of a sudden, has changed. My feelings are that, with the port being developed at the present time, with the high demand for land that is a reasonable price, and the high demand for industrial land which is not cheap, if we are going to close down Berrimah Farm, then we should be retaining that land for industrial development that is close to and accessible to the Port of Darwin. That means those businesses there do not have to travel long distances to the port, they do not have to travel through residential land, and they will not be affected by noise. I have no doubt that you will have problems with Hidden Valley racetrack in that area, and that is a decision that the government has made, again without a lot of thought.
Also, of course, the government has decided to move the prison. The reason for wanting to move the prison is simply because it will have difficulty selling residential land that is adjacent to a prison and, therefore, its solution is to move the prison. Where it is to go is anyone’s guess. It is unfortunate the government has made an announcement about moving the prison without telling people in the rural area where exactly it is to go. I have been told that Gunn Point Road is one of the possibilities. I am sure that people in Gunn Point Road, especially those in the forestry land area, would be appreciative if the government would at least release the possible alternatives for the prison so they know what their future is in that area.
In relation to development in my area, there are lots of little things that have not been done. We talk about the big picture, the waterfront, and Tiger Brennan Drive. What happened to the regional waste dump that caused the people of the rural area to lose their landfill site? There was a big hullabaloo about that about three years ago. There has been no mention in the budget or anywhere about the regional waste dump site that was promised by the government.
A bicycle path from Howard Springs to Palmerston was promised by the Treasurer. Admittedly, she said the forward budget. Well, that depends, I suppose, how far forward it is. However, that seems to have been lost as well. There are a lot of little things that have not occurred in the rural area, which may not be of consequence to the minister but, in fact, do affect the economy of the rural area.
The development of Coolalinga is an important development that should go ahead in the rural area. I know there are some issues with it, and I am pleased to hear that the government is having talks with the developer. There is a chance that that development might occur, and I believe that will be good for the economy of the rural area.
However, my problem is, again, that the government has not planned. When it said that it will cost $500m to put in infrastructure at Glyde Point, what it has missed out on is the fact that, in the plans for that area - again, you can look at the Darwin Regional Structure Plan or your own plans - it shows clearly the town of Murrumujuk, and that township has been on the planning board for at least, I would say, 15 years. One way to recover some of your infrastructure costs would be the sale of that land for that town. I have no doubt that that town would sell very well - if anyone has seen Shoal Bay – yet, it is still on the Darwin Regional Structure Plan, in the NT Planning Scheme, and it still has its own structure plan. Yet, it is not given any mention. We should have been looking at that.
We should have been looking at alternative ways to develop Glyde Point. I do not think government had a plan to develop Glyde Point. AFANT did not support that. They did not support the destruction of about 30 km of mangroves. We had a chance to consider Glyde Point and see whether we could have done the development there, treating the area as special, but allowing industry to develop there. In the end, if INPEX goes in the middle of the harbour, where would Dow Chemicals go? We know Dow Chemicals are interested because the previous Chief Minister spoke about them. Where will Dow Chemicals go? .
I gather there is only 14 km of land in the middle of the harbour. When that is full where will the next industrial development go? The Minister for Natural Resources and Environment spoke about Middle Arm in detail, but he missed a major point. It is not so much about pollution because I understand that the environmental controls over an LNG plant are quite strict. Wickham Point does not affect the environment except, perhaps, through air emissions. We know it has to produce carbon dioxide emissions because that is part of the process. When you look at the government’s own guidelines for the Darwin region, it says the administration of this scheme is ‘to provide for orderly and appropriate expansion and development in the region that …’ – and I am quoting from section 4.2(a)(ii) - ‘… recognises the inherent aesthetic and environmental values of Darwin Harbour’.
That is not my statement; that is the government’s statement. I am saying if you are going to put five concrete tanks which INPEX are going to put on Blayden Point – I had meetings with them the other day - you would have to be pushing it to say that is protecting the inherent aesthetic and environmental values of Darwin Harbour.
For me, it is not an issue of pollution. I believe if you put good enough controls over industry, you can probably put them anywhere. We have lost an opportunity to do something special with our harbour. If we had planned well and looked at developing Glyde Point and other options to develop it, then I consider we could have achieved that. We have had all this planning from the current and previous governments. We have two corridors going to Glyde Point, even with the railway line as part of that infrastructure, yet that seems to have all gone out the door. We do not have a long-term strategy.
Darwin itself is booming; no doubt about it. The mall could do with a lift. You just have to look around the buildings going up and you know that the place is moving along at a rapid speed. My concern is that we have not done enough to protect the Darwin look of our city. I said on radio this morning: ‘It is not the height that matters, it is the space around these buildings’. We have an opportunity to say: if you want to build 30 storeys high, you have to provide X amount of space. No different if you are putting a new suburb out at Lyons. If you want to throw up a 100 houses, you must provide X amount of open space; whether it be in the form of parks or whatever. We have not done that for those two buildings. We have counted the balconies as open space. The open space on one building is on the fifth floor where the swimming pool is. We have allowed buildings to take up an entire block and only feature four or five trees planted on the road - and we class that as good. We have missed an opportunity to make our city look good.
Drive down St Kilda Road in Melbourne and have a look at their skyscrapers or large residential or office buildings and they are surrounded by landscaping; they have space; they look good. You can see the buildings. They are not up against one another. They do not take up the entire space. There is an opportunity to ensure that any other developments have space around them. I want to see Darwin be a city that I can be proud of, not just a copy of some other city elsewhere, where there has been no vision.
The other thing we have to look at, Chief Minister, is where we draw the line on the increasing number of people who want to live on the peninsula of Darwin. It is a peninsula, it has some basic problems in regard to infrastructure - transport infrastructure in particular. If you keep cramming people on to a peninsula you are going to have increasing traffic problems. That is already highlighted by the fact that we have to build Tiger Brennan Drive - and I am looking forward to the day that it is built. However, we have to be a bit more visionary and look at public transport - modern public transport - trying to bring people in and out of the city. If we are also visionary, we will not have everyone living in the city. That is why Weddell should be the next city to build. We had a vision which was a good vision based on, to some extent, the Canberra model where you had Darwin, Palmerston, Weddell and another three cities around the Cox Peninsula which, subject to the land claim, could still be built. However, they were separated by rural, Defence, industrial, conservation-type land. We did not have the ordinance for Melbourne, we would have, basically, smaller cities which, if done properly, mean you reduce the amount of traffic going to just one particular spot. We can become too Darwin centric in our thinking, and that is bad. We certainly need to look at that as well.
The other thing that concerns me, minister, is that the economy is booming, there is lots of money around, but is everyone participating in that boom? When we know that many of our indigenous people do not partake in the benefits of this boom, then we really have to look at where we are going. The boom is good for some people; they go out in a nice flash boat with a nice new Land Cruiser, they have the plasma television, and they are enjoying a great lifestyle. However, if you look at the budget and at the average wage for, say, Barkly, it is $37 000, compared to Groote Eylandt which is $61 000, and Darwin which is about $48 000.
As a government, we need to be careful we do not say, ‘Wow, the place is going beautiful’, but we have alcohol problems, gambling problems, overcrowding, and poor literacy and numeracy. I know the government, with Closing the Gap is trying to attend to those things but, in the speech about the economy, there needs to be more emphasis on ensuring that we do not have a society where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, because then we are not all sharing in the booming economy. Some of us are being left behind.
From an agricultural aspect, the minister was talking about his portfolio a little while ago. There is no doubt the cattle industry is booming and, as I have said before, that is great. However, how many indigenous people are participating in that boom? Indigenous people used to be a major part of the cattle industry, and they are not so much any more. It is disappointing if they cannot take part in that. I know the minister is talking about giving us a statement on that particular issue.
The mining industry is booming. Again, how many Aboriginal families overall are benefiting from that? Some are, but in proportion to other non-indigenous families, it is not very high. Has that to do a lot with the lack of literacy and numeracy in Aboriginal communities?
Someone rang me up the other day and said we are looking at INPEX in Darwin Harbour. Why could we not look at putting INPEX where Blacktip comes onshore at Port Keats, at Wadeye? Is there an opportunity there for the government to look at using the gas opportunities to develop the region, especially Wadeye? What is wrong with looking at that as an alternative? All right, for some years you may have a large number of non-indigenous people working in that plant, but kids at Wadeye would see a reason to get educated if they have an opportunity to go and work in that place. That is an opportunity we should at least be talking about. Some places have industry. Wadeye does not have much.
The minister spoke about the Douglas Daly. My complaint with the government is not that it should not be looking at how much water resources are being used - that is fair enough. However, the reason they are putting a moratorium on land clearing there - that is, this extra moratorium - was based on the theory that they did not have enough information about the water in the Oolloo and Tindal aquifers. Well, these people wanted to clear land for non-irrigated pastures. How one puts the two together, I am not sure, but we have very strict clearing controls, we know what land can be cleared. The government really sat on its hands in relation to that, because it is in the too-hard basket when it comes to convincing some people in the northern suburbs.
I did have a bit of a laugh, minister, when you mentioned in your speech that we have uranium which will provide global demand for base-load power generation to combat global warming. If I get up and say that nuclear power plants do have a role to play in reducing global warming, I get laughed out of town. However, we can quite happily say to other countries that we think they should take our uranium because it will do that. I am not necessarily advocating we have nuclear power plants, but it is something that should not be thrown out the door as some nutty idea. It is something that is used by many countries, and it should be looked at as part of the mix to try to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his statement. He said something that many politicians have said since the Territory became part of the Commonwealth: ‘the future is in the north’. I agree with you; many politicians have said that. What that really means, I suppose, is that future generations will be able to assess. However, I believe you are right. I still love the Territory; it is a great place to live. The economy is booming, but we do have to plan better, and really ensure that all Territorians get a fair share of our booming economy - both black and white.
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank everybody for their contributions to the debate. I apologise to the member for some confusion in regard to the timing of this debate over the last few days of sittings.
The economy really is the foundation of everything we strive to do as a government, a community, and a society. Having a strong economy not only gives people employment opportunities and enables them to make decisions in courses of life, but it gives government the capacity, with growing revenues, to invest in infrastructure and, also, on the social side of the infrastructure issues. A growing economy is absolutely fundamental for any government and should be a key priority for all governments to ensure their economies are robust, strong and moving forward.
Regarding my statement about the economy and some of the strengths, challenges and focus areas for the government, I have to say the Leader of the Opposition, in his response, provided no vision, no forward thinking. It was a very predictable statement that just attempted to nitpick, which is fair enough. However, I am looking forward to his budget reply tomorrow to see what sort of vision the Leader of the Opposition has for the economy and the role that government should play in attracting private sector investment because, at the end of the day, governments have a very key role. Strong economies do not happen by accident.
What has become very clear to me in my time - particularly in government - is that it is all about confidence. People do not invest unless they have confidence in getting a return on that investment. Confidence is a very fragile part of the equation. People who wish to grow their businesses - to invest in Australia, in the Northern Territory - look to see if there is responsible government in place; if the right fiscal settings are in place; if there is a responsible government regarding revenue and expenditure; and if there is a vision. That all contributes to the confidence to invest. When we came to government in 2001 there was a dearth of confidence in the Northern Territory, particularly on the back of record budget deficits and zero percent growth in 2000-01. That led to people being unemployed for the first time, and selling their houses because they could not meet the mortgage repayments. There was a very large lack of confidence. How times have changed.
He went on - and I will just pick some of the comments the Leader of the Opposition made - and talked about the Treasurer deceiving the public with bogus media releases. I do not know what sort of deception he was talking. When we came to government in 2001, the roads budget was something around $80m - $75m, $80m a year, something like that. That was for new roads and repairs and maintenance. I think the budget this financial year is $270m. There are large projects in that but, even if you took Tiger Brennan Drive out, it is well over 100% increase on what we inherited in regard to funding for roads across the Northern Territory. Why on earth the Leader of the Opposition would not acknowledge that, with growing revenues, expending more on roads as a key part of the economic and social infrastructure of the Northern Territory is a good things to do, and maybe have a quibble about which roads should be a priority. However, to try to demonstrate that the Treasurer was deceiving the public; he has a different definition of deception than I have.
He said that the government should be honest about how much revenue the government has and that should be the ‘core honest message’, whatever that means. It is a growing economy, and this is what the Leader of the Opposition and others on the other side of the House fail to understand: that a growing economy, an expanding economy, does provide government with a bigger revenue stream, but that revenue stream, in large part, goes back in infrastructure for a growing population. Improved infrastructure further gives confidence for people to invest. We have always acknowledged that we have a growing economy, and that growing economy does lead to increased revenue streams, but this is a government that has had a proud record of cutting taxes. From the disasters that we inherited to over the last four or five years, $270m-odd worth of taxes have been removed from the back of Territory business over that time, with further tax cuts in the budget that the Treasurer handed down today.
These are taxes that business in the Northern Territory was paying under the CLP that business is not paying today. A great many of those cuts - given the very targeted payroll tax cuts that this government has put in place - went to Territory-owned businesses, not to the major multinationals and corporations like Coles and Woolies. We sought to lift the tax threshold to $1.25m. Most of our businesses in the Northern Territory are small- to medium-sized employers that just operate in the Northern Territory, and we have taken something like 80% of these businesses out of the payroll tax net.
What do those businesses do with that money they were previously paying to CLP governments in payroll tax? What they do is invest it back in their business. That is what they have been doing: investing back into their businesses and generating more jobs to employ more Territorians rather than people seeking to come here. An additional 5000 jobs created in the economy last year, perhaps out of all of the numbers in these budget papers, is the thing we should all be most proud of. There are an extra 5000 jobs in this economy. That is 5000 Territorians in a job, enjoying the Territory lifestyle, making the Territory their home - 5000 more than last year. It is an absolutely fabulous number.
He went on about the Territory slipping behind, but he did not define where we are slipping behind. I must admit, whenever I travel interstate or overseas, when I get home, I am always pleased to be home. You go around the Northern Territory and there is a real buzz, an absolute buzz about the place - from the local shopping centres, to the communities, and regions - about what is happening in regard to local government reform or the housing money that is coming through. As a Brisbane businessman said to me the other day: ‘Gee, I wish we had this number of cranes on the skyline’. The place is going ahead. It is not slipping behind, and all the economic data in these budget papers - but also the Access Economic indicators if you want to go to an independent source - see the Territory as really moving ahead very strongly. How the Leader of the Opposition can sit there and assert we are slipping behind but not actually define where, is beyond me.
I will finish with his comments about the slipping and sliding that is going on. On the one hand he is saying that he wants gas development, but, on the other, he is doing everything that is possible to campaign against INPEX coming to the Northern Territory. He is campaigning against them coming to the Northern Territory saying: ‘You are better off in Western Australia. Let the Western Australians have the $12bn for capital investment. Let the West Australians have 4000 jobs in the construction phase. Let the Western Australian economy benefit long term from that investment’. He has moved from trying to have two bob each way by saying: ‘Oh, we support it, but we do not want it at Middle Arm; it should go to Glyde Point’. He knows full well with this particular investment decision there is no Glyde Point option. He knows that very well. The company has told him that face-to-face. He is now acknowledging he is going to campaign against this project. I feel it is a very sad day when a leader in this parliament says to a major international investor: ‘We do not want your money. We would rather you go to Western Australia’. However, if that is the image the Leader of the Opposition wants to portray, that is his business. At the Chamber of Commerce lunch for the budget today, I was talking to business people who were scratching their heads and wondering where the Leader of the Opposition is coming from.
Moving to the budget, I commend all members to go to the Economy section in the Budget papers, Northern Territory Economy Overview, which shows what is happening in our economy. It presents a bit of a history of that. Where can the Leader of the Opposition point to this document and say: ‘We are slipping behind’? It is not there in the budget figures that are projected by Treasury. We all know not only this Treasury but all Treasuries across Australia - the Commonwealth is handing down their budget next week and the Victorians today - even conservative Treasury figures paint a very good picture for the Northern Territory’s future economic growth.
I thank all of my ministerial colleagues who contributed to the debate. Confidence to invest in the economy does not happen by accident. People invest in the Northern Territory because the opportunities are here. They are investing as a result of the resources boom, but they are also investing because the government has very solid fiscal targets in place; it is fiscal responsible and is investing in infrastructure on the social side of the equation to ensure that the Territory continues to be the best place to live, work and raise a family in Australia. We do this since we need more people here. We need skills here. Part of attracting people to the Northern Territory is not only the jobs that are available but the lifestyle that we are privileged to have here; a lifestyle seen in the quality of our health and education, our sport, infrastructure and events.
As the Sports minister mentioned, many people like me came here from somewhere else. One of the things we all enjoy is seeing the Australian Football League team and the Australian Cricket Team come here, and Elton John coming to perform here. It makes people who live in Darwin feel part of the broader Australian community. A strong economy makes those opportunities available for Territorians.
I move quickly to the member for Nelson and his comments. I will give him one thing; he is very consistent in his arguments. Housing is too expensive; I do not deny that it is difficult for first homebuyers to get into the system. However, we are not Robinson Crusoe in the Northern Territory on this issue. All state governments are struggling with this issue. There is no magic pudding, no silver bullet solution to getting first homebuyers into housing. It is something that is challenging all governments. The member for Nelson, and I think the Leader of the Opposition, believes there is a silver bullet approach to that, which is to release more land onto the market. The danger of flooding the market with land is leaving people who are already in the market very highly geared with their mortgages with negative equity in their homes. We are not going to do that. That would be absolutely reckless and irresponsible of any government to put so much land onto the marketplace so that the price of that land falls through the floor. It would absolutely destroy the equity that people have built up in their homes.
I urge people to go to the Northern Territory Economy Overview. There is a very interesting table on page 12 which outlines the residential property markets. It shows median house prices in all of our major centres across the Northern Territory; that is, the five-year accumulated growth in median house prices for 2002 to 2007- essentially the time that this government has been in office - grew by 98.3% in Darwin, 103.2% in Palmerston; 86.5% in Katherine, 46.4% in Tennant Creek and 72.4% in Alice Springs. That is real wealth in the bank balances and pockets of Territory families. This is real accumulated wealth for Territory families. I acknowledge it is hard to get in but, once you are in the market, you have very solid returns. That is the great thing for Territory families. For those families that have just bought into this marketplace, which is very highly geared in an era of rising interest rates, we have to be very careful we do not drive them into negative equity.
He talked about buying rural blocks and how unachievable that is for single people or families. I remember the days the member for Nelson was talking about, the early to mid-1980s, when you could buy five acres at Humpty Doo and Howard Springs for about $27 000 to $30 000. They were different days and different times. Our HomeNorth Scheme goes to the lower end of the market for people who cannot get traditional bank finance, but also protects those people to ensure that, unlike in America where loans were being given out to people with no job and no capacity to repay them, people can succeed in making their payments. That does not go to propping up people to buy five acres of land in the rural area as a single person looking for a start in life. I believe those days are gone. If there was a simple solution to this problem, others would have found it.
The government does have policy regarding land release and my colleague, the Lands minister has, many times in this House, talked about the lands release policy, and how we are doing it differently. In the not-too-distant future we will advise about the developers who have won the rights to turn off Bellamack.
The member for Nelson talked about Glyde Point; I am not going to go over that again. He knows because he has been advised, I understand, by the company that Glyde Point is not an option for this particular investment decision. To try to pretend you support the INPEX investment but it has to go to Glyde Point, is nonsense, and he knows it.
I agree with him about indigenous participation in an economy that is significantly expanding. It is a theme that challenges every one of us in this House. We all want to see better employment outcomes for indigenous people, right across the Northern Territory, particularly in our regional and remote centres. One of the fundamental reforms I believe we will see, over time, will be significant opportunities for indigenous business and employment and training in regional and remote communities as a result of reforms to local government. It is not just a governance reform. It is a very significant economic reform which will allow over nearly $700m to be spent on improving indigenous housing in the bush over the next four years. We are all determined to see significant employment opportunities arise from that. I am on exactly the same page as the member for Nelson: greater indigenous participation in our economy is an absolute policy must. Our Closing the Gap money we are injecting into these areas - an extra $276m over the next five years on top of what we have already been spending in the bush - is going to help achieve that goal.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank everyone for contributing to the statement. We are going to have many more statements on the economy over the time ahead. I commend the statement to the House.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Continued from 1 May 2008.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Deputy Chief Minister): Madam Deputy Speaker, I support my colleague, the Minister for Housing. Before I go through details of what the minister has outlined, I want to touch on some of what the member for Katherine was saying last week in her response to the remote housing statement.
Instead of taking the opportunity offered and showing bipartisan support for a long-overdue initiative aimed at overcoming problems out bush, which were obvious long before 2001, the member for Katherine treated us to a laudatory lecture extolling the wisdom of Noel Pearson. The only problem was that she clearly did not understand the substance of Mr Pearson’s position in relation to housing and land tenure. I will return to that point in more detail shortly, because it needs to be understood by everyone that the antediluvian attitudes towards land rights held by past and present representatives of the CLP are not, in fact, shared by Pearson or anyone with a modicum of sense and vision.
However, as regards to the elevation of Noel Pearson into the hagiography of the Howard era conservatives - an era from which the member for Katherine and her colleagues have, obviously, still not yet emerged - I want to place on record my view that most of the things Noel Pearson said are entirely unremarkable and reflect views held by many people on both sides of politics for many years.
What has made Mr Pearson’s view newsworthy is his assertion that he is some sort of latter day Martin Luther promoting a radical reform agenda that strikes against the long-held welfare worshipping doctrines of the Labor Party. From my experience, that assertion amounts to a distorted fable as regards the Labor Party generally. It does not apply to me personally. For example, for many years I and many other people - certainly before I entered politics – were articulating the desirability of quarantining the welfare payment for parents who do not send their children to school. I have always maintained that any such measures should be enforced universally and not just against Aboriginal people. As I understand it, Mr Pearson would agree with me on that point. My views are also parallel to those of Pearson when it comes to the need to take tough measures to deal with substance abuse, particularly in respect to alcohol.
Noel Pearson is a sophisticated thinker and communicator with a knack for presenting, in dramatic and confronting terms, some of the problems afflicting Aboriginal communities that we have known about for many years. That is all well and good but, when it comes to specific details of and processes for formulating solutions for those problems, it does not help us in this place at all for the member for Katherine to quote selections from her ‘greatest hits archive’ of Noel’s assorted media quotes and sound bites. In almost every instance, they deal with generalities, not specifics.
At the end of the day, Northern Territory problems need to be addressed by the implementation of customised Northern Territory solutions. Some aspects of the package of measures that Pearson has developed for Cape York may be usefully imported here, while others may be a poor fit. By all means, let us look at the detail of what has been trialled in the Cape as one of a range of reference points but, in the meantime, let us can the Howard years of rhetoric, including the gospel according to St Noel.
Much of the member for Katherine’s speech harped on about welfarism and an acclaimed aversion, by both government and Aboriginal communities, to the fostering and development of private enterprise out bush. Because of that largely misinformed emphasis, I want to make some comments. Before I address the details of how we are going to integrate housing and land tenure reform let me discuss where this Territory Labor government stands as regards the twin government roles of development facilitator and safety net provider.
The theory that governments have no role to play in a free enterprise market economy was effectively debunked by the Great Depression of the 1930s and the writings of John Maynard Keynes. What people came to realise was that, in countries and regions where economic activity was moribund or non-existent, the commencement by government of large public - or public/private partnership - development projects could provide interim employment for the unemployed and help create or revive market activity and private investment. Obviously, where there was a significant commercial entity with capital and other resources equivalent to those available to government willing to set up shop in the depressed country or region, then it would be the job of government to assist and facilitate the commencement of that project, leaving the government free to devote more attention and resources to areas where no commercial entity was willing to establish a venture.
Applying all of that to the Northern Territory, we face the situation where, in our urban centres, the economy is booming, but out bush it is depressed. Every single member of this government wants to see economic activity out bush. Putting aside those localities where large-scale mining operations may be established, the opportunities are limited and need to be strategically pursued. The occasions where large- or even medium-sized commercial enterprises set up operations in or near a remote Aboriginal community will be relatively infrequent for some years to come, although we will be doing all that we can to change that.
In the meantime, it is the role of the Territory government, as it was that of the United States government of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s, to look after its citizens in two ways. First, it needs to try to initiate government-funded and controlled projects that will act as economic development drivers. Second, it needs to ensure that, acting in partnership with the Commonwealth government, there is a safety net in place to give support and encouragement to this generation of Aboriginal people living through what amounts to the kind of depression that you have when no independently-viable market economy exists.
What you do not do as government is to condemn families and communities as welfare parasites at the very same time as you are trying to gradually create the embryonic market economy that you hope will eventually provide them with the employment, self-esteem and life choices that are available in our urban centres. Families with the ultimate potential to be working families need to have enough money for food and clothing and other necessities to keep them going. That is what welfare programs are really about. It is not about anyone in government - in particular this government - swanning about with some weird philosophical notion that, when it comes to remote Aboriginal communities, they are really all better off getting the dole and not integrating with any kind of economy.
Moving now to housing and land tenure, I will start by reading my own selected quote from Noel Pearson, and this is taken from his piece in The Weekend Australian of 11-12 August last year:
That passage confirms fearsome support for land rights and the concept of underlying title. He went on to endorse the concept of creating secure and transferable interest in land in the form of leasehold title. His ideas are very clear in the undesirability of government taking on the role of landlord rather than that of major lessee. These are his words on that issue:
If the member for Katherine wanted support from Queensland for the take on land tenure reform in remote Aboriginal communities that she is calling for, the man she wants to praise is not Noel Pearson but Bob Katter. It was Katter who stated on national television, when commenting about land rights in both Queensland and the Northern Territory, that the government should get rid of the underlying Aboriginal title and replace it with separate freehold titles. That is what the CLP is on about - same old, same old. By contrast, we agree with Pearson.
The member for Katherine said she wanted more details about secure land tenure arrangements mentioned by the Housing Minister. It is quite straightforward. Territory Housing will obtain block section 19 leases on the land on communities where existing public housing stock is located, and where future public housing is to be constructed. Tenancy agreements with each occupying family will be entered into; appropriate rent will be paid; and tenancy agreements’ terms and conditions will be enforced. There will be no effective legal or policy difference between Territory Housing tenancies in Aboriginal communities and the equivalent tenancies in the urban centres.
I next address the member for Katherine’s call for home ownership. Wherever possible, this government will encourage and try to facilitate the construction of housing in communities, in addition to the public housing stock which will be leased and managed by Territory Housing. The number of individuals or families in remote communities with income sufficient to acquire the leasehold titles to such additional dwellings will be very small to start off with but, we all agree, the path to home ownership should not be discouraged. However, it is likely the more frequently accessed path to home ownership will be by the purchase by a public housing tenant of Territory Housing leasehold interest in the house which he or she occupies. This is exactly the same as in urban centres. The only difference is the transferable interest in land is leasehold rather than freehold.
My colleague, the Minister for Housing, is absolutely correct in his statement in identifying solutions to housing as the lynchpin for so much else that affects indigenous people from our town camps to our remote towns and communities. The minister outlined the program that will save the health of thousands of Territorians and is a fundamental part of this government’s approach to closing the gap.
I take members of this Assembly to the realities of life out bush for so many of their fellow Territorians and their children . It could be anywhere in my electorate of Arafura, in Arnhem, Macdonnell, Nhulunbuy, Stuart, Daly or Barkly or, indeed, the town electorates of Katherine, Araluen, Greatorex, or Braitling. It is a picture of housing that is, quite simply, cruelly inadequate. It is a picture of overcrowding.
Imagine, if you can, that you are a child just at school age. It is night time, perhaps 10 pm. The house is noisy and you cannot sleep. There are 18 other people in the house, including eight other kids, from your baby sister to your 15-year-old cousins. There are only three bedrooms and a lounge room. There are mattresses inside and on the veranda. There are lots of kids sleeping in the same room. You are hungry and you have sore ears again. The medicine the health centre gave you fixed them up but the pain is back again. The pain comes and goes. Tonight is not so bad because there has not been the same drinking as the night before when you had to run off to your auntie’s house at the top camp after the fight between your older brother and his wife. You did not sleep much at your auntie’s place because there are heaps of relatives and their kids there too. So you did not go to school again. You were too tired and school is too hard. The teacher is nice but it is hard to make out what she is saying.
This is, in microcosm, one of the consequences of overcrowded housing. Our imaginary child is suffering from chronic suppurative otitis media, or CSOM. It is a disease of overcrowding and the Sunrise Health Service described it back in 2002. The approximate cause of CSOM is persistent nasopharyngeal colonisation by multiple bacterial species and subtypes. In Aboriginal communities, infants are frequently exposed to other children whose bacterial carriage rates are at almost 100% for each of the major otitis media pathogens. In non-Aboriginal children low dose infections usually eradicate pathogens which, in turn, reduce inflammation and tissue damage. In Aboriginal children, it is understood that early exposure to large-scale multiple bacterial infections constantly inflames and damages tissue without eliminating the pathogens. There is a vicious cycle which persists throughout early childhood; early and chronic exposure leading to persistent infections, thus leading to chronic mucosal disease.
Kids become chronic carriers of the disease thus infecting other children, for reasons that are unclear but which may, in fact, indicate the sheer prevalence and, hence, apparent normalcy of the condition. Aboriginal infants infected rarely exhibit symptoms such as fever, pain, irritability or inflammation of the ear. This means the illness goes unnoticed by parents and, thus, goes untreated. The invisibility is further exacerbated by two related features. Aboriginal childhood hearing loss is intermittent; that is, hearing phases in and out. This means that for at least some of the time children can hear and so can acquire the capacity to speak and interact as ‘normal’ full hearing children.
Of course, our child is not really imaginary. Menzies School of Health research showed over 29 communities indicated an overall average of 25% of young Aboriginal children have perforated ear drums, 31% have middle ear fluid in both ears, and only 7% of children had normal ears. Five communities have perforation rates greater than 40%. That is why the statement from the Minister for Housing offers us real hope.
Over the years, there were many who have tried to deny that Aboriginal housing or lack of it was of particular importance. A string of Howard’s moribund Housing ministers, such as Amanda Vanstone onwards, denied the connection between the lousy housing and substance abuse, chronic disease, sexual abuse of children, domestic violence and bleak educational outcomes. In partnership with the Rudd Labor government, we recognise the crucial importance of housing to the whole program of Closing the Gap. It gives teeth to Closing the Gap, real meaning to a housing program that will, as the minister said earlier, create a generational change.
The federal minister, Jenny Macklin, has shown the kind of vision so lacking in her predecessors’ approach to the portfolio. A key to the new strategic indigenous housing program being rolled out is summed up by a simple word: alliance - a genuine alliance that now exists between the Commonwealth and Northern Territory governments. The strategic alliance model is being adopted to bring Aboriginal stakeholders, private enterprise and government together in this great social and economic enterprise. It is a model that is based on evidence. It has worked on the eastern seaboard and South Australia. It is not based on cheap rhetoric and coercion. It brings together the skills of the private sector with government financing and the interest of Aboriginal people in physical results - decent housing - and classical results - training and employment. This really ticks the boxes of what we must sustain over the next generation of Closing the Gap.
That, Madam Deputy Speaker, is what it is all about. I endorse the minister’s statement.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, there is no doubt about it; this is something really essential for Territorians, particularly those living in communities,. To have the amount of housing the minister is talking about is essential. For too long, homes have been overcrowded and we have all seen the consequences of that.
There is no doubt that I support the minister in what he is saying. I have a few questions to ask the minister and, in his reply, I hope he will be able to give me some answers. I was looking at the communities that are listed to receive the housing upgrades and the major capital works. I noticed in Central Australia Hermannsburg and Yuendumu are the only two communities to receive major capital works. There is also Lajamanu but, other than that, all the rest are in the Top End.
Considering there are so many – how many? - 16 major communities receiving capital works, to just have two communities in Central Australia seems to be indicating, in a way, that it is not as essential for them as it is for the rest of the Territory. We certainly need the houses. I was at Hermannsburg not so long ago, and there was a section where there were some new homes. However, the number of people living in those homes was too great. Is it any wonder that we have maintenance and disease problems because of the lack of maintenance and the filth that surrounds the houses? Perhaps the minister could tell me why there were only two communities in Central Australia? Of the 57 receiving housing upgrades, again I notice that 38 are in Katherine or the Top End. There seems to be a huge emphasis on the Top End with these major upgrades. I was thinking about Utopia. It is not on the list, but its CEO has indicated it would need a great deal of upgrades and many more houses. If you went to many of the communities in Central Australia that would be the cry of everyone: ‘Give us more’.
Your list also does not include the town camps. Perhaps the minister could let us know whether the town camps are going to have some new homes. I realise that Tangentyere knocked back that funding from the federal government. I will always consider that was one of the most stupid things they ever did - and I will say that publicly. You only have to look at the town camps to see the disrepair and the state they are in. For Tangentyere to not accept that on behalf of their people when they so badly needed it was, to me, a terrible mistake and they should be criticised for it. I do not believe the housing associations themselves have enough input into these decisions being made on their behalf. Therefore, if the minister can do anything to improve that, that would be great.
The minister also said in his statement that urban and remote housing is now going to be taken over by Territory Housing, and that Territory Housing is going to be responsible for repairs, maintenance and property management. He is nodding his head so, I guess, that is right. I have a few questions regarding the contracts that are being put out. Are these contracts being handled by DIPE, or is there a private consultant, as we have normally had with many of the government contracts in the past where you have a project manager from the private sector overseeing it? It is my understanding that DIPE is now going to be doing much of that hands-on management of contracts. I am interested to know whether that is so or not, or whether it is going to outside consultants.
I know you are hoping to get Aboriginal employment out of this, and I hope you do. I hope we get some of these young fellas trained as apprentices so there will be a long-term benefit for the communities; so repairs and maintenance can be done on the communities without bringing in a load of people from outside to do it for them. That would be good, but how are you going to manage it? With the staffing component you have at the moment with Territory Housing and remote housing, you must be going to have a rather large increase in Housing staff to oversee and manage all this. Will there be tenancy managers out on places like Yuendumu, which is a rather large community, or Papunya, or those other places? Well, I think Papunya was not on the list, was it? Sorry, no it was not. Can you give some details on the operation of this and whether we will see improvements?
When these houses are built, what are you going to do before you let people into them? I only mention that because, at the moment, the Housing information referral team in Alice Springs, has a program called, the Good House Program, the Apmere Mwerre program. It is a contract they go through with their tenants whereby they sign an agreement, but they also show tenants what they should be doing week by week. For instance, they ensure they have a clean kitchen, or an materials/products internal start-up kit. This has things which we probably take for granted when we go into a home. Here is a list of some of the items they are talking about: a mop and bucket, a broom, a banister brush and pan, toilet brush, a plastic bucket, Superwipes, Chux, sponges, and Domestos. They list for these people things that we take for granted. They go and purchase these with them and the items are subsidised so they know they are in the home.
They also have an internal and an external program. The external program talks about how you can look after your yard, so we will not see that huge amount of rubbish that is blowing around in many of the communities at the moment. Again, yard hardware - a garden hose and fittings, a rake, assorted plants, mulch, pine logs, sleepers, and a wheelie bin cleaner – is all listed for these tenants. The cost to the tenant is listed, but it is also subsidised. It is a very good program. They have photographs of a yard that is blank then, photographed later after the trees have been planted and cared for. It is that type of instruction, which I know sounds simple, that is part of a life skills program that, I believe, is necessary in our communities to ensure that these homes, when they do get built, are not destroyed quickly, and we do not see rubbish lying everywhere. People understand their responsibility: when you are given a home, you have to look after it. There are certain things you need, and they are very basic.
Minister, I am more than happy to let you have a look at that. This is confidential in the sense that there has been someone who has signed it. It shows photographs of her doing her shopping and maintenance around the place. The life skills program the department had, I believe, went out to Tangentyere Council. I do not know whether it was for town camps, but we saw no benefit from that in the town tenancies. I do not know where that contract is with Tangentyere at the moment, but I believe it has not been a success. We need to ensure that, when we build these houses on communities, we do the same thing, ensuring people understand their responsibilities when they are given a him because, let us face it, these houses are costly.
My other concern - and I can remember back a long time – is that we went through a whole stage of designs. The design for the Top End was certainly different to a design for the Centre. The Centre usually had shade all the way around the house so people who like to sit outside could do so. They usually had access to a toilet from outside, rather than have to go tramping through the house. In the Top End, I have seen houses where they had bedrooms this side and living areas that side with a lovely breezeway through the middle. There have been all sorts of fantastic designs for homes in the past. I do not believe demountables have always been successful because they are not able to withstand the wear and tear on them. Is it true, minister, that you are now going through another consultancy round of looking at houses designs? That is probably a waste of money. You must by now have a bucket load of designs that would be appropriate.
There has been a widespread interest from contractors across the Territory, minister, as you are aware. The lack of skilled tradesmen is of great concern. I just hope we do not get overpriced houses because of this. That is why I am wondering whether DIPI is managing the contracts, or are you having an outside consultant? I am also concerned that – and how can I say this without sounding offensive? - but many of the contractors have indicated that if they are going to go to a bush community and spend four to six weeks there building a house and they cannot have a beer after work, they probably will not go. They would rather work in town where there is plenty of work. It is part of the federal government’s intervention that these are dry areas. In the past, I know contractors have gone out to communities with the police and teachers and whoever else was on-site, with members of the council and there has always been a permit or an agreement whereby they could have a beer after work.
I do not know of any incidents where a contractor has been involved in some sort of altercation with the community because of alcohol being misused, over-drunk or passed around. It is what the Labor government keeps talking about - the Territory lifestyle. It is a bit like the people in Kekwick Avenue who came to me and said: ‘We used to come home after work and have a beer, but we cannot have a fridge on our back verandah any more’. It is part of the lifestyle that we have. I do not know whether you can address that, minister, so contractors will not be put off. You might say: ‘Oh, well. What the heck? It is only six weeks. Surely, they can go without a beer’. But when you are working a 10-hour day in the heat, in the dust and dirt, it is not such a bad thing to say: ‘Well, why not? Why can’t they have that beer after work as they would do if they were in town?’ Perhaps, that is a price they pay for accepting a contract. It will be interesting to see the response when the contracts are given out. Will people be asking: ‘Can I do this or can’t I do this?’
Minister, we are hoping that there will be houses built fairly quickly in the Centre. I understand why people do not want to live out in communities. I was talking to some young people the other day and what did they say? ‘It’s boring’. It is boring. Home is not a nice, comfortable place and environment to live in. What do they do after school? They might not have a recreation hall, a grassed oval, or activities planned for them. They cannot go and work at McDonalds for a few hours each day to earn a few dollars. They do not have the opportunities we have in town. So why not stay in town? It is a better lifestyle.
Housing is important. We all take pride in our houses; they are our homes. Many indigenous people would like to have that same opportunity. It is their home, their castle and they should be able to protect it.
When these are houses distributed, I hope there will be a ceiling on the maximum number of people who can live in them. I believe you have to put a cap on those numbers. I do not think you can allow the situation to continue where we have 10, 15, 20 people living in a house. As you know and as most members have said, it is unhygienic and causes all sorts of problems. If we are going to talk about new homes, then let us make that part of the stipulation. Let us make Territory Housing have that as part of the agreements they give to these people.
This will be a huge boost for the Northern Territory economy. It is going to be a huge boost for the housing industry. I believe there are people out there who are already talking and networking, trying to work out how they can apply for these contracts and ensure they will be there to do them. You need good, sensible people to manage these contracts. It is going to be really important who finally gets that job. I imagine you are going to have to employ many more staff.
On the whole, minister, what you and the federal government are doing is overdue. It is about time. I am quite sure previous Ministers for Housing will tell you how difficult it was to go to the ministerial councils, continually put the case forward for the Northern Territory, and continually be knocked back. It has occurred for many years. Now, at least, we seem to have the cooperation of the federal government which is important. It is a great benefit for the Territory. I wish you luck and I hope it works well.
Mr BONSON (Sport and Recreation): Madam Deputy Speaker, I add my support to the statement by my colleague the Minister for Housing. There is no doubt that housing needs in the Territory remote communities have been ignored for too long. While the challenges facing our remote communities are long-standing and complex, it is obvious that more and better housing is critical to make any reasonable advances for Territorians living in the bush. It is encouraging, as a Territory-born Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander member of this parliament, to hear the minister outline this historic initiative.
The Territory is currently enjoying unprecedented growth. As a government, we have a responsibility to ensure the most disadvantaged Territorians share in our economic success, because we not only live in an economy, we live in a community.
Access Economics has forecast a 7% growth rate for the Territory. We have seen a series of major developments come online over the last five years. There has been a corresponding growth in employment over that period. Territory businesses are enjoying significant growth. All the economic indicators are in the right place and when we look around centres such as Darwin, you can see living proof of the Territory’s economic success.
We all know economic growth like this is only possible through strong economic management. This type of economic growth does not just happen by accident. It can only be achieved through proper planning. The Territory’s strong economy has given us the opportunity to embark on initiatives like the one outlined by the Minister of Housing. We are also moving to improve living conditions in our remote regions at times when there is an enormous groundswell of support and goodwill across Australia for the improvement of life for indigenous Australians. The time is right. Our remote area housing program will be the first serious attempt in decades to turn around indigenous housing in the Territory. We had a briefing saying that the housing policy had not changed since the 1950s and 1960s. Hopefully, this new initiative will offer some real change.
However, the challenges are significant. The scope of work is beyond anything attempted in the remote communities before. It would be impossible for a single entity acting alone to successfully manage this task. It can only be achieved through strong partnerships. Our relationship with the Australian government is critical to the success of the program. That relationship is strong. By working in partnership with the Rudd Labor government, through the Strategic Indigenous Housing and. Infrastructure Program, we will be able to direct almost $650m to improve remote housing.
It should also be noted that all sides of politics recognise the need and the deficit of housing is far greater than the money being invested. As a country, we need to get realistic about what type of outcomes we can get out of this type of investment, and understand that it is going to take further and greater investment. This program is part of almost $1bn to be spent on housing across the Territory over the next five years. About $420m of the Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program will be directed to new houses and upgrades in 16 high-need communities.
As significant as this commitment is, it will still not be enough to complete the task of completely reversing the historic shortfall of housing stocks in the bush. We need to recognise and understand that and work towards further investments by both the Northern Territory and Commonwealth governments. The partnership will be much easier to achieve such a great need, if both sides of parliament - both of the Territory and Commonwealth levels - can work together.
This investment has the potential to change the lives of thousands of people in the bush for the better. That is the bottom line here: this is all about people. This is about delivering for Territory families, and investing in the Territory’s future.
We heard the member for Arafura talk passionately about the issues of overcrowding and what can be caused by overcrowding. She often speaks in such dramatic - I do not know, what is the word I am looking for? - descriptive language of what the reality is - and with such passion.
As a government, we recognise now is the time to act. The Strategic Housing Plan due for completion in 2012 is an ambitious one which will include some 750 new houses, more than 230 houses to replace structures that currently are derelict, more than 2500 housing upgrades, as well as improved conditions in town camps.
However, it is hoped that this initiative will deliver more than just houses. While housing is a key goal, this is a program which is also aimed at workforce development, building capacity in communities and developing real, viable, long-term jobs to help communities support themselves. The scope and nature of the program will require more than just a partnership between governments. It is a partnership which must also involve industry and communities themselves. Given the size of the project, the need for genuine partnerships and requirements for immediate results, it was decided to adopt a new approach to contracting. Calls of expressions of interest from companies wanting to be involved in the program opened last week.
Last Wednesday, more than 350 industry representatives attended an information session conducted by Territory Housing and Program Manager, Parsons and Brinckerhoff. The information session attracted not just Territory-based companies but also interstate firms. I am able to report that the response to this new way of doing business in indigenous housing construction was extremely positive.
Next week, a series of regional information sessions will begin to advise communities how they will be involved in this historic initiative. Alliance contracting is a departure from the hard-dollar approach most of us would be familiar with. It is about creating partnerships which allow every member of the alliance to make decisions on the program. It is an approach endorsed by both the Territory and Australian governments. The Territory and Australian government jointly assessed the contracting models that could be best applied to this program. Alliance contracting was chosen because it has the potential to achieve not just the primary goals of new housing and housing upgrades, but also social outcomes. As the Minister for Housing has already observed, alliance contracting has been used elsewhere in recent years to deliver complex major infrastructure projects. Alliance contracting allows organisations to work in partnership to reduce risk and achieve savings in both budget and time. The philosophy underpinning alliance contracting is very much one of collectively working to resolve program challenges.
Briefly, some key characteristics of alliance contracting are: collective sharing of project risks; no fault, no blame; no dispute between alliance participants; payment under a compensation model; unanimous principle-based decision-making on all key project issues; and an integrated project team selected on the basis of the best person for each position. The alliance contracting model also allows for incentives to be built into the program for outstanding results - incentives that can be ranked against outcomes, like bringing the package in under the targeted budget and other features like indigenous employment levels. It actively rewards people for these outcomes.
This is an ambitious program. It is one that has been a long time coming. The people of remote communities have missed out for too long and, if we want to achieve progress in our remote communities, we have to make significant inroads into the housing deficit that has, for too long, helped shackle progress in the bush and, in turn, affected the whole of the Territory. If the remote housing program and the associated alliance contracting approach can achieve their stated goals, then they will leave a truly worthwhile legacy for the Northern Territory.
I remind the House, those people listening throughout this building, and those listening to the broadcast, we need to recognise this is only the beginning of trying to address many of the problems. Depending on what independent sources people quote, the need is somewhere over $2bn in remote area housing alone in the Northern Territory. That does not cover housing in urban or rural areas.
It is a great achievement. It has been achieved in partnership with the Commonwealth government. It has been achieved as part of an initiative begun with the previous Commonwealth government, taken on by this Commonwealth government and, of course, embraced by the Northern Territory Labor government. I am sure both sides of the House and the Independents agree that, no matter what party you are in, this money is needed. The reality is, it is not enough, and what we have to work towards is trying to secure more. The best way we can do that is by working together. No doubt, there will be issues about how this money will be spent and what the outcomes will be etcetera. We can play political games with that but, if we start from the point recognising the investment we have now is not enough but is a start to fix the problem, then we can genuinely work to resolve the problem.
No matter wherever you go on this planet, on any continent, in any religion, in any culture, amongst any race or tribe, when you have poverty, you have certain indicators that are related to that. One of the greatest poverty issues is lack of proper housing. In the Northern Territory what we see is 10, 15, 20 people per household and the associated problems.
The member for Arafura talked about people who lived in Darwin, Sydney, New York, China etcetera. If you were in a household of 15 to 20 people, and you all used the toilet once a day, and you all open the front door once a day, you all turned on the fan once a day, and this happened for 100 days in row, of course, your fan, your toilet would not work and your door would fall off the hinges. We often see photographs of remote areas and people come up with racially profiled views on how people are living their life but, in reality, whatever culture, whatever background, whatever religion, if you put a group of individuals into that same situation - knowing that there is no repairs or maintenance, no capacity to fix the toilet or the hinges - the outcomes will be the same. These are the things that we have to face.
Finally, I have mentioned many times in this House - and, no doubt, there will be someone smarter than me one day who will pick up on the idea - consider if places like North America and Western Europe invested in a country, some 15 to 20 years ago, where the population did not speak English, did not have the same religion, did not classify themselves as European, and had a different political system such as communism, totally adverse to capitalism. Yet, in spite of all that, we can find a mechanism to invest in them. Those countries have consumers totalling not hundreds of millions, not billions, but trillions. If we can find the way to do that and find consumers in the fastest ever growing economy in the history of the industrial revolution, and take 400 million people out of poverty into what we call middle class, why can we not do this for some 30 000 identified indigenous people, two-thirds of which are living in remote areas and may be struggling - some 20 000 individuals that live in the Northern Territory. The only way we can do that, of course, is investment.
I appreciate this investment from the Australian people, both through the Commonwealth and Northern Territory governments. However, the reality is that this is only a starting point. We can change the lives of these 20 000-odd people. We can improve their housing. We can improve their education. We can improve it by giving them opportunities to make choices. Often, we forget that in this House. When we spend this $1bn, we are still going to have a huge problem and people will make political mileage out of that, no matter what side of parliament they are on. Yet, we need to start at the starting point: this is great but it is not enough. Let us work towards getting enough.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I wish the minister well. You and others have described the initiative as ambitious. The amount of spending is impressive, combining federal government and Northern Territory monies: $647m over 73 remote communities, 230 houses and over 2500 upgrades to existing homes. There is, no doubt, more housing needed in the bush. Pretty much every speaker has said that. Others have questioned you, minister, and I will be listening to your reply as to why only two communities in Central Australia are going to benefit from this program. I do not know the Top End bush communities as well as the Central Australian, but there can be no doubt there is a need for more housing in those communities. Could you give us a straight answer to the question: why does the Centre miss out in such a significant way?
Second, and it is referred to in the most recent edition of The Alice News dated 1 May. Erwin Chlanda investigates why the Centre is missing out to such an extent. I will read half a paragraph from Mr Chlanda’s article:
What is the mutual obligation? You build all these houses. I think the member for Braitling touched on some of these issues as well, in a town environment. Estimates is a time when we will ask questions about how many bad tenants have been evicted.
You will remember, I think in about 2005, there was antisocial behaviour legislation which was linked up with a tenancy bill. That was, as per government spin, how the government was going to act to get rid of bad public housing tenants. As an aside, how many people have been evicted? Noting that concept as it was espoused by government - that is, if you are a bad tenant and are not looking after your house in the suburbs - what similar mechanisms are in place for those in the bush? In other words, if you build houses for people - anyone - and they do not look after them, what role does this government have? What do you envisage to be the result if some people - and it may happen, it may not - do not look after their houses? Some might trash them and, of course, we have all been to bush communities and seen evidence of that.
The third issue, minister, is that you said that: ‘… a further $103m will be invested in fixing our town camps and in a few other ongoing programs’. My questions are as follows. What are the other ongoing programs? Does the $103m referred to apply to all town camps in the Northern Territory? Or does it apply to those only in Alice Springs? If it applies to only those in Alice Springs, could you explain the difference between the $103m about which you spoke and the $18m that was earmarked under the SIHIP program to address the emerging needs and contingencies as outlined in the minutes of meeting between the Chief Minister and the federal minister, Jenny Macklin on 6 March 2008? You were at that meeting. You have, as I do no doubt, a copy of the minutes. You will remember there was a reference to $18m being earmarked and it was under the heading of town camps. All of us in this Chamber - and pretty much everyone outside it - agrees that Tangentyere Council missed a great opportunity – was it last year? – with the offer on the table by the federal government. I note that the Territory government tried very hard to get Tangentyere Council over the line. However, it seems everyone, unfortunately, failed. That was $60m, from memory, on the table. This is now $18m over and above. Explaining the difference between the $103m you referred to in your statement and the $18m in the minutes, can you update us - with respect, you should in a statement like this - as to how your negotiations are going with Tangentyere Council and what is going to be done for the town camps in Alice Springs? I invite you elaborate or to provide as much information as you possibly can or are willing to.
You mentioned in your statement the home care and urban living skills programs and that they will be a key component of this framework. Can you, in your reply, advise us of the current status of those programs as administered by Tangentyere Council in Alice Springs and, specifically: how many programs are run, how many times they are run a month, and how many people are assisted under this program? I do not think they are unreasonable questions, given that the Northern Territory government provides the money.
As you know, there are increasing concerns about the accountability of Tangentyere Council in relation to the urban living skills programs. The member for Braitling touched upon it. You would be familiar with it. Other media organisations are. In fact, it has been quite topical in relatively recent times. It does not fall within the confines of this statement but another time, another place, we should talk about Return to Country because that is not working well either, and blind Freddy can see that. It goes to the issue of accountability. Can you tell us what sort of programs are being run, how many, how many people are being helped, and what the current status is? It remains pretty much a mystery to many people.
I just remembered there was a reference, I think, to an indigenous workforce. Clearly in the bush, there is great capacity for numbers of people who, with assistance - and there does need to be assistance given – are a potential workforce in the bush. It was not clear from your statement – I am not sure whether it was deliberate or not – but can you advise in your reply how exactly you plan to get an indigenous workforce up and running? I would have thought that would very much underpin the success in these communities if success is measured by the level of engagement with the indigenous people there. Yes, okay. Building houses. That is great. However, surely, a parallel aim is to engage and train a workforce. I would like some details, if you would, as to how exactly you plan to do that. With those questions, I will conclude but you should know, minister, that I wish you well.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank the minister for his statement. When you make such a statement, which tends to emphasise some of the bad things about housing, perhaps we should go back and look at some of the good things in Aboriginal housing. I lived, when I was young, at Daly River and later moved to Bathurst Island. Daly River, when I first went there, had Middle Camp, Top Camp and Bottom Camp. It also had a series of houses which, I understand, were funded by the United Nations because Daly River, at that time, was more or less sponsored by the UN. In fact, I seem to remember I was told Sir Paul Hasluck came and inspected the mission, as it was then, and they built what was then regarded as probably the most modern houses around. They were a series of two-room brick houses, which were a big advance on tin shacks.
The other thing that we could look at today, is that the word ‘camp’ was removed. I remember Brother Howley, who was a Brother who worked on many missions in the Northern Territory, said: ‘Calling a place “camp” was, to some extent, derogatory’. We do not call a place in a non-indigenous community a camp but, for some reason, we call where Aboriginal people live a camp. It was one of the first things that they got rid of at Daly River. You did not have Top Camp, Bottom Camp anymore; they were all part of the one community.
At Daly River, they also had what was a very progressive housing gang. There were a number of people who lived on the community. I remember the McCarthy’s - Peter and Bob McCarthy - built many houses on the Daly River. In fact, Bob McCarthy died from skin cancer, and much of that could be blamed on working on rooves on houses at the Daly River in very hot conditions. The Daly River is like Katherine; in the build-up and the build-down it can be very unpleasant. They used to work right through the day building houses. If you go to Daly River you will see some very nice houses. They are the envy of many other Aboriginal communities. They had a system there which ensured the houses were looked after. Because they had done such a great job, they did attract more funds to keep building houses. If you go there today - I am going down for the Merrepen Festival - you will see for yourself that that is a shining example of good housing on an Aboriginal community.
When I went to Bathurst Island, just before Cyclone Tracy, it was a fairly abysmal place in the number of decent houses it had. I always remember Tiwis used to say to me: ‘What a great place we live in’. They used to all brag about it when you would see them. When you went over there, you found that it really was a place with very poor housing. There were a number of houses being built at that stage, but that was taking a long time. A person called Brother Gallagher - who has now come back to the Territory and lives at Palmerston – decided there needed to be something urgently done about Aboriginal housing. They bought about 30 houses straight out of Adelaide, brought them up by transport and put them together. They had a kitchen, shower, two or three bedrooms, and a breezeway between them. Within about six months, all of a sudden, people had decent housing. I have not been to Bathurst Island for a while but, as far as I know, some of those houses still exist today.
There are good stories about housing. There are also some bad stories: inadequate designs; people putting in electric hot water systems and electric stoves when they should have been putting in either gas or barbecues outside and using solar; and designs not suitable for the tropics. However, there have been many people over a long period of time who have worked very hard to build a good standard of housing in the Aboriginal communities that I have worked at.
I have some good housing in my area. I have 15 Mile, now called Palmerston Indigenous Village. They have a very nice little set-up with six new houses and a small bitumen road going into that area. Also, the Lagoon Road people, who have given themselves a new name - I cannot remember what the name is, but it means ‘water lily community’. They have a number of houses. They are trying to do the right thing, and trying to make sure these communities come up to a good standard. They have good housing now and there is plenty more work to be done. So, there are some good stories; it is not all bad.
I am glad the word ‘camp’ has gone. I know Alice Springs people refer to their communities there as town camps. Maybe it is a colloquialism we got used to. Why do we use the word ‘camp’? To me it separates one group of people because they are Aboriginal and they live in these houses. I am happy to see the word ‘camp’ go. It is an old-fashioned word that has had its time.
Getting directly back to what the minister was talking about, I had a look at her statement to try to work out how much money the minister has set aside for housing. I found it very hard to know exactly how much money is being spent. I will give you the examples as I go through the statement. You said that on 12 April there was $647m, which was a record spend, relating to 3500 houses. You did not say whether that was to build new houses or to repair houses. That needs some clarification. You mentioned there was $1bn required on housing over the next five years. The minister said it was estimated we need $2.4bn for 5000 new homes. There was also $100m extra for existing remote housing. There was $42m for housing government employees, which is on top of $14.5m for government employee housing, of which $4m was for Police housing.
The minister then said there was $813m of Commonwealth money to be invested in housing and related initiatives in the bush for 2011, and this will come out of the $1.6bn Remote Indigenous Accommodation Program. The minister then said - and I think you were referring to what he said in the beginning - there will be $647m, which includes $100m from the Territory, that will be directed to this Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program over five years. The minister then said the 16 high-need communities will be targeted with new houses and large-scale upgrades to the value of $420m. There will be $124m in refurbishment in 57 communities, and a $103m investment in fixing town camps and on other ongoing programs.
Minister, it sounds like a considerable sum, but I am not sure which bit of money is being repeated in there. Is some of this money part of what you already allocated? It is probably very hard in the reply statement to do it, but it would be good if you gave us a diagram of what money is going where. What money is going for the repair of houses, what money is going to replace houses, who is getting that money, and which buckets of money are we talking about? It seems a bit complex, going through your statement, as to how much is being spent. I am not knocking the program. I am trying to get clarification of what is actually happening on the ground.
The next issue I would like to discuss is this: I am going to compare a statement made in this House two years ago in relation to indigenous housing. In that statement The Northern Territory was laying on the table a five-pronged approach to accelerate solutions to the housing crisis. It stated:
This statement came from the then Minister for Housing, Mr McAdam. We are still in the process where, in conjunction with the Northern Territory Indigenous Housing Advisory Board in July, the government will be convening a workshop with many of the major players in indigenous housing - including strong representation from the private sector to look at issues of cost, design, financing and investment.
Minister, when I read your statement, I thought this was like chalk and cheese. We have some nitty-gritty things in here. You have a much broader approach. Perhaps, you have gone off on a tangent now that the Commonwealth intervened and you have the alliance.
The previous minister made a statement in parliament about issues we have not tackled precisely in this document. Just for starters: the type of housing. The cost of housing is a killer. We have known that for years. I remember producing in parliament a book that the Conservation Commission put together some years ago which showed a cheap way of building bush houses. I am not saying it was perfect, but it highlighted the need for much more discussion about the cost of housing. There was a gentleman working at the Aboriginal Development Foundation two years ago who was making cheap concrete wall panels specifically for remote communities. There was talk about prefabricated housing on the Tiwi Islands for the new Christian school that is being built there. Wadeye have a concrete factory which builds panels. I hope we do not lose sight of those things.
A big centralised housing association might bypass all this. We have to ensure that we do not lose sight of the importance of creating employment in these areas. The issue of the private sector, especially in relation to private housing, was mentioned by the previous minister. I am interested to hear what you have to say about that. I think the member for Arafura mentioned that. The minister spoke about the possibility of purchasing housing through the HomeNorth Extra Program. My understanding, reading the budget today, is only about 5% of indigenous people are using HomeNorth to purchase a house, so I am interested to hear what you have to say about that. It is important. I felt your statement glossed over some of these areas. It was more about how we are going to have this big project. It is all well and good to spend oodles of money - how are we going to start up this alliance system of building these houses? I hope we do not sweep right across with this big centralised housing program and not look at other ways outside of this particular program to encourage indigenous people to find ways of owing their own home. What the previous minister said in his statement was a good start.
I have a few questions, minister. I do not know how you have worked out which houses will be built where, where the money should be allocated, or which communities should be involved. I go back to Daly River. When it was building good houses regularly, this community had government people coming down and saying: ‘Oh, well, you have lots of good houses now. You do not need any money’. Then they would go off to another community that wasted its money. The other community got money but did not build houses with it. Either they were inefficient or they had the wrong sort of workers. The proper community doing the right thing would be penalised because there was a rival community getting the money because they either did not know how to build houses properly, were wrecking them quickly, or were exerting no control of who used them.
I believe you must assess whether people need houses, as well as their ability to manage them. Can the houses be built according to the budget and will they continue to do so? It is not just a matter of handing houses out; it is a matter of ensuring that money is well spent and people understand that this money must be used carefully. I understand agreements will be made to ensure the houses are maintained in good order. The Housing Commission will be looking at that. It will be interesting to see what comes out of that.
You already have existing indigenous community housing organisations. What will happen to their assets? What will happen to the manager and the workers? What about their local knowledge and their understanding of the system within their communities? Will that be lost? How will you incorporate that sort of thing into the big system? Big systems sound good, but sometimes they can also be their own worst enemy because they lose that personal touch in each of these communities. When I argue that the shires are too big, I mean someone in Elliott does not always know what is happening in Alpurrurulam and it would be the same for someone in Darwin or one of the major centre who does not always understand what is happening in a community.
I do not believe councils should get involved in housing. Councils should get involved in providing the infrastructure, which are the roads. Power and Water should put in the power and the water, but the councils should be involved in the subdivision process, making sure the roads are in. Do not tie the councils up in these other areas which will get them away from their core functions. Even though councils involvement is mentioned, I believe that would not be the right way to go.
The other big question is: if you are going to have the Housing Commission involved in running the show, what percentage of money, out of all this money that is being allocated, will go to administration? We know that is how Transport and Works make their money. They allocate 10% of the project, put it in the budget and that is their bucket. If you really want every dollar and cent going to Aboriginal housing, then we need to see how much money is going into the Department of Local Government or the Department of Housing or whoever is going to run it, for administration costs and try to keep these administration costs down to a minimum. Otherwise, you are spending money that should be on housing into areas that will not really help the situation.
I welcome the minister’s statement. I know there will be many issues that other speakers will raise. I have seen housing associations come and go. I have seen an attempt, for instance, on Bathurst and Melville Islands, the Tiwi Islands, to get rid of housing associations and bring them in under the wing of local government. To me, that was a disaster. It became an almighty bureaucratic process that lost sight of what really needed to happen. Leave your local government to do what it is good at doing - putting in services like the roads - and have a separate body in charge of building the houses.
You also have to ensure that the right people get the houses. Nepotism can come into these things. I know very well from my wife’s side of the family, that you have to be careful that the more influential in a society do not get housing that they are not properly entitled to. We need to ensure that when housing is allocated there is a neutral person who is not influenced by family pressures or whatever, to ensure those people who are the most needy or first on the list, get those houses. These are some of the practical issues that need to be looked at..
I welcome the minister’s statement. I would like to hear a bit more about the designs of houses as the cost of housing in Aboriginal communities has been over the top. The minister said in his statement that we are going to provide houses that are the equivalent of those in other areas of the Territory. That might be all very nice but, to provide a house that is built in Palmerston, which might be a ‘you-beaut fantastic house’, in Yuendumu, will probably cost double the amount of money. We have to be realistic. We need to provide good shelter, good sanitary conditions, a place where people can call their home and raise their family, but that does not mean we have to build luxury mansions where only a few will end up with a house and many others will still be living in overcrowded conditions.
Madam Speaker, we have to find a balance between the reality of the type of housing we need and the cost limitations. There is a sizeable amount of money here. Let us ensure it is spent wisely and efficiently so that everyone, or the most number of people, can benefit from this program.
Mr KNIGHT (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I support the statement on remote housing by the Minister for Housing. Amongst the many important matters covered by the Minister of Housing was that the objectives of the housing and local government reforms in remote areas largely mirrored each other. There are many similarities between the two reforms. There are also many synergies that can be advanced in support of this government’s absolute commitment to closing the gap for indigenous Territorians. The minister has pointed out the difficulties of providing housing services to remote indigenous communities through approximately 70 small community housing organisations. In the same way, there have been many difficulties in providing local government services through over 50 small community government councils. In fact, in a majority of communities, these small councils double as community housing organisations.
A stronger local government structure will bring enormous benefits to the bush, but it must not stop there. A better way of delivering housing in the bush is essential for the development of remote areas. With a stronger, simplified system of local government and the commencement of the eight new regional shires on 1 July 2008, there will be a greater financial and administrative capacity to manage and deliver local government services to remote communities. Importantly, the new system of local government will also provide the necessary structure for remote communities to negotiate with Commonwealth and Territory government agencies to deliver more services through the new shires. This includes desperately needed housing in the bush. There have already been preliminary discussions with Territory Housing regarding the possibility of the new shires providing the repairs and maintenance program for community housing and government employee housing in remote communities. An agency agreement is also being discussed for the tenancy management function on communities.
Change to the structure of local government has been the essential first step in providing better housing in bush communities. Without wishing to preempt the outcome of ongoing discussions, I can say several of the strategic priorities in the housing reform program outlined by the Minister for Housing are also reflected in the local government reform.
As I have travelled the length and breadth of the Territory as the Minister for Local Government, one of my commitments has been to ensure that the maximum number of real jobs and relevant training programs are made available for local indigenous people. I know the Minister for Housing shares this commitment, and we are moving forward together to bring these outcomes to the bush through housing and local government reform.
In this context, I am pleased to say that a project funding agreement has been reached with the federal Department of Family, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, FACSIA, to transition local indigenous people to paid jobs in the new shires. Under this agreement, the Australian government will provide $5m in this current financial year, and top up to $10m for each of the next two years on a dollar matching basis with the Northern Territory government, to support this transition to paid jobs. The local government operational funding program will be used, in part, to support this agreement and to facilitate the employment of as many local indigenous people as possible in local government jobs in the new shires.
The Local Government Association of the Northern Territory is currently working with the CEOs of the existing councils and the CEOs of the new shire councils to job match employees in existing councils with similar skills level positions in the new shires. As many existing councils are also community housing organisations, quite a few of the jobs involved in this job-matching process are in the areas of housing repairs and maintenance and tenancy management. This is one of the many synergies between the housing and local government reforms that I anticipate will lead to future cooperative arrangements, resulting in improved economic development outcomes for remote communities.
Now that we have entered a new era of major structural and operational reform in both housing and local government in remote areas, it is timely to acknowledge those hundreds of local indigenous people who have been involved in the outgoing housing and local government organisational structures over the many years. I salute the men and women who have served on local government councils and community housing organisations, often wearing both hats at the same time. They have, generally, provided their knowledge, experience and energy to improvements of their local communities.
Many people have been involved in the previous arrangements and transition to the new organisations, either as elected members or employees, or as members of advisory bodies such as local boards. I firmly hope that every single person remain involved in the local community affairs in one way or another. Community involvement is a key to the success of local government and long-term housing solutions. There is still much to be done by everybody to close the gap in the living conditions. The old people have a role, parents have a role, youth have a role, traditional owners and elders have a role. The government, for all our best intentions and program commitments, can only act in support of local endeavour. What we are saying with these far-reaching housing and local government reforms is that this government means business; we are ready to play our part.
There is a high level of public interest in indigenous development at present, and government-funded programs have never been so generous. The unique opportunity that this environment provides needs to be seized. The statement on remote housing by my colleague, the Minister for Housing, provides a clear demonstration that the Northern Territory government is being robustly proactive as an agent for change and has no intention of letting these unfavourable conditions slip by.
The Territory Housing Community Engagement team in Alice Springs has worked closely with the Aboriginal Interpreter Service in identifying suitable interpreters to assist with a communications strategy in the MacDonnell Shire region. Interpreters have also been provided and used as language voiceovers to assist the community in understanding the local government reform process. As the housing reform process spreads throughout the Territory, there are plans of increasing reliance on the Aboriginal Interpreter Service to ensure that the information and messages are delivered in a clear, concise and understandable way to the residents of the remote communities. The ongoing involvement of Aboriginal interpreters in both the housing reform and throughout the local government reform processes demonstrates the importance of the Aboriginal Interpreter Service and its key role in communication for remote Territorians.
Madam Speaker, I congratulate the minister for his statement, and for his courage with this housing reform thus far. It is a huge challenge; something that is desperately needed. I believe we, as a government, are most capable of delivering this huge program. I hope this four-year program is followed by another four-year program, because this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as resolving housing issues out bush and, thus, lifestyle out bush.
Mr CONLAN (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, I support the minister’s statement. I know that many members have raised many points, so I will not take up too much of the House’s time. I am sure there are still a few others who have a lot to say on this.
We recognise this is a significant spend by the Northern Territory and Commonwealth governments: $650m. I know Territorians are desperate to see some serious outcomes for indigenous housing, not just in the bush, of course, but right across the Northern Territory in the urban centres where we see as many problems with indigenous or public housing. As I said before, other members have raised many points and asked many questions. I know you have been taking notes, minister, so I am sure you will answer those in your reply.
I join with other members who criticise Tangentyere Council for knocking the $60m offered by the federal government last year to address some of those issues with indigenous or public housing. I believe it was a mistake. I know some members on both sides of the House agree with that. Hopefully, this $640m spend will go a long way to addressing those shortfalls.
Overcrowding is, obviously, a huge problem in public housing right across the Northern Territory, in the bush and urban areas. I hope this $647m will go a long way to addressing those problems, because we see the flow-on effects from that overcrowding; the social problems that go with that - problems not just for the people living in the houses, but also for neighbours. Then there are the children who, perhaps, are losing sleep and not doing their homework. Drinking, too, minister, is a pretty serious problem in housing in urban centres. This is despite the initiative by this government to put up ‘no grog’ signs on houses. Sometimes it is working but, if you drive around Alice Springs, certainly in parts of my electorate, you will see, for the most part, these signs are being ignored. I hope that this will go a long way to addressing that.
As I said, $647m is a huge amount of money. I think in your statement, minister, 3500 houses should benefit as a result of that. $1bn on housing will occur right across the Territory over the next five years. It is a lot of money and some would say: ‘Not soon enough’. Nevertheless, it is here and, since the minister has committed himself to that, we can only wish him well.
I noticed on page 211 of Budget Paper No 3, Territory Housing, Expenses, Remote and Community Housing, the 2007-08 estimate was $90 757 000. Budgeted for 2008-09 is $70 349 000. It is around $20m less for this year’s budget for the next 12 months. That is $211m. I am wondering why there is a drop of $20m.
Looking through the profile it states:
That may well be another issue altogether for you, minister. It is another pressing issue for all Territorians and not just those subject to public housing or those living in public housing.
I ask you, minister, about the dollars for the demountable housing that was part of the Mal Brough era, you might say - the dongas on the North Side. These are the ones earmarked for Alice Springs. The dongas on the North Side are on the north side of town near Dalgety Road, and the others near Blatherskite Park. Could you just update the House on what you know about that; whether they are going ahead? There seems to be a much confusion in the general public. Are they still earmarked for the Territory, whether it is going ahead? People were very concerned about their proximity. They were not against using demountable housing to fill that short-term accommodation need, but more about the proximity of those demountables, particularly at Dalgety Road. That was a big concern. It was very close to that urban and semi-industrial area. If you could update the House on that, minister ...
Ms Carney: Yes. Is that still going ahead?
Mr CONLAN: Yes. Is that still going ahead? If so, minister, I am sure the people of Alice Springs would love to know the answer to that.
Overall, as I said, I support the statement. This is a massive injection into Territory Housing, a much-needed injection: $647m as you say; $1bn over the next five years., As I said, Territorians far and wide are in desperate need for some improvement in public housing - housing for people in the bush but also in the urban areas. Nevertheless, Madam Speaker, we welcome this statement from the minister today.
Ms ANDERSON (Macdonnell): Madam Speaker, I support the minister’s statement to this House on indigenous housing. I stand here today as a proud member of the Henderson Labor government with all the announcements made today in all areas of Aboriginal affairs. It gives me great pleasure to talk about these areas, including the great injection into Aboriginal housing. As we all know, shelter is one of the fundamental of needs in all human societies.
This great injection by this Labor government, in true partnership with the federal government, can offer hope for Aboriginal communities and people. A Labor government in the Northern Territory is clearly demonstrating its interest in their wellbeing. We know that poor housing has other health ramifications. We know that if children are in overcrowded or unsafe houses they are more prone to abuse. That relates not only to child abuse; it relates to all forms of abuse through overcrowding when people are drinking and gambling inside the houses and, if there is no maintenance being done on the houses, it then it is unsafe for children. If the children do not have the safety of a good home to go to and study in, that also will have a huge impact on the children’s education.
Last week, we witnessed the huge announcement made by the Deputy Chief Minister and the minister for Education to overhaul indigenous education. It is heartening to see, at long last, we are putting a determined effort into Aboriginal communities. We can guarantee that we will see results in two, five and 10 years times. That will give us all the hope to stand here as future politicians in the Labor party.
I also want to talk about the other effects in people’s and families’ lives if they cannot have good affordable housing. With the announcements that we have made over the week, we have had a huge injection into Aboriginal health into our major hospitals in Darwin, Alice Springs, Katherine and Tennant Creek. We have made injections into Aboriginal education, substance abuse, juvenile diversion and parents’ responsibility packages that the Health minister bought in last week. It shows that we are a government that is prepared to do something. We are a government that is prepared to move all Territorians forward and give all Territorians hope and aspirations for the future. I thank this Labor government for a real high ball; not just in housing but also in education, in local government reform – the bill the minister will put to this House tomorrow - and child protection. These are all packages that look at all Territorians. It is about making all Territorians healthy, educated Territorians so that we can all enjoy the fruitful things that everybody else enjoys in the Northern Territory.
I turn now to my electorate of Macdonnell, and thank the minister and the Henderson Labor government. Out of 57 communities to receive housing upgrades, in Macdonnell I have 15 communities which will be included in those. I am very grateful because I have travelled around in my electorate and seen the problems in Aboriginal housing. I thank you, minister, for making sure that all communities from the south to the Top End of the Northern Territory have been considered for repairs and maintenance
There are a few that have been considered for major capital works. I can see how those communities are being identified. They are communities that really have a crisis. I have one community, Hermannsburg, which is included in the major capital works. Hermannsburg really deserves to have major capital works put in. They have a huge population; there is extreme overcrowding. My brother has three generations of his family all living in a three-bedroom house. I thank the minister, and commend and thank your Cabinet colleagues for sincerely taking into consideration these issues and having the foresight to provide for the wellbeing of future generations of Territorians.
Also in this package is town camps, which I will comment on. Town camps have been in the media for years. This package embraces the town camps; it seeks to solve the crises of town camps and to normalise and mainstream them into our towns so that, as the member for Nelson said, we no longer refer to them as ‘town camps’, but as just another part of the society of Darwin or Alice Springs. That is the way it should be. This package will also aim to improve the lives of town campers and their children. Children will come home to safer houses that will have had repairs and maintenance done to them. Houses will have doors and windows and kids can come home and do their homework. The towns will look much safer and cleaner.
I want to talk about the fact that we have come a long way in Aboriginal society from living in humpies, half rainwater tanks, and tin houses. We are living in $400 000 to $500 000 three-bedroom, four-bedroom brick houses now. The minister’s statement and the government’s position quite clearly indicates that people will have to take responsibility for these expensive houses that are going to be built on Aboriginal communities. I support the minister and this government in ensuring that people are responsible for looking after their houses that taxpayers pay for. I want to ensure that, when these houses are built, people pay rent and look after their homes. What we have had in the past is, if a family left, for example, a house in Papunya to go away for holidays to Alice Springs for four weeks, because the assets belonged to the council, in their absence that house would have been given to someone else.
When the idea of people owning their homes came up, people at Docker River were quite happy with that. They said: ‘Oh well, that is good’. It is going to mean that they can go into Western Australia to Laverton and Warburton and have a holiday with their children there, or go to Alice Springs and visit family, but can still come back and the house will be theirs. At the moment, if people leave the community houses, the council or whoever is responsible for those houses, just puts other tenants in. People get really upset about that because people have gone, come back home and seen their stuff moved out of the house, just sitting on the veranda, and someone else is in the house. Through this process and this reform, it gives surety to people that that home is theirs because they are paying rent. They are paying rent at the same level as Territory Housing rent. That gives responsibility to our people. It says: ‘You will no longer have anything for free. You will be mainstreamed into the way the Territory operates in general’.
In closing, we have seen designs of houses come a long way. When I first became the ATSIC Regional Councillor and later a Commissioner, we went from two-bedroom brick houses without verandas to three-bedroom brick houses with verandas and 16 doors, in some cases. This really mainstreams the kind of houses that are built on remote Aboriginal communities.
I want to send a message to all my constituents in Macdonnell to say: take responsibility for any assets being built on your land, on your country. Make sure you look after the houses that people give you. Make sure that your children are safe. Make sure that your women are safe. These assets can last for ever.
Another package I want to mention, very briefly, is the fact that we have employment strategies within building these houses to promote indigenous work skills on remote Aboriginal communities. This is a real incentive by the Henderson Labor government to say to the indigenous people: ‘We believe in you, we want you to have the same dreams as other Territorians. We have looked after you. We have looked after you in health and education, and housing’. In saying that, minister, I commend and congratulate you and your colleagues in Cabinet for all the announcements that have been made in this House in the last week and today.
Ms McCARTHY (Arnhem): Madam Speaker, I support the ministerial statement on remote housing. I draw to the attention of this parliament what an incredible day today is all round for indigenous people across the Northern Territory, indeed, for all Territorians to see such wide-ranging support for every family with the release of today’s budget announcement. This has been quite an extraordinary time with the education policy that has come through this parliament, and now the ministerial statement on housing.
The historic announcement came in April, when the Commonwealth and the Northern Territory governments joined together to combat what we knew and still know to be the housing crisis across the Northern Territory. We knew this back in 2006 when the former Housing minister, the member for Barkly, spoke in this parliament about the housing crisis for indigenous people. If I can refer to some of the comments that were said at that time. In February 2006, the former minister said that 4000 new houses were needed to meet the demands for Aboriginal people across the Northern Territory. Two years ago, 120 new houses could be built between 2006 and 2007 with the funding available. I have to remind parliament of the extraordinary situation where we are: we can now, with great courage, conviction, and determination, impact on the lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged across our regions.
However, at the same time, with this tremendous amount of money going into our remote regions, there is, as previous speakers and the member for Macdonnell has said, an important urgency about that sense of responsibility that must go and hit at the heart of all the people in our remote regions. Now is the time to stand up. Now is the time to make firm decisions about your future. Now is the time for people across Arnhem Land, in all my communities, who have been incredibly fortunate to receive a fair bulk of the $647m in housing.
I have a number of communities - Ngukurr, Numbulwar, Milyakburra, Angurugu, Umbakumba, just to mention a few - who are going to be the proud recipients of these new houses to be built in those communities. I say, and say again and again, the time for responsibility is well and truly here. In order for these incredible finances that are being spent, courageously and determinedly, in our communities, every single member, every single participant, every single child, needs to see that there is hope, that we have a clear vision for our future for all people here in the Northern Territory.
I recall the former Chief Minister’s indigenous affairs statement in June last year, when she stated the value of improving indigenous housing was $1bn. We have heard the current Housing minister say that number has almost doubled. The urgency is there and we are dealing with it.
I am incredibly proud to stand here two years from when we announced there was a crisis in indigenous housing, and know our government, under the leadership of Chief Minister, Paul Henderson, is tackling the heart of it; know, too, that he is doing so in consultation with and absolute support of the federal government under Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and Aboriginal Affairs minister, Jenny Macklin..
It is this consultative process, a process of respect and of true and real dialogue that is occurring between willing participants at a federal and Territory level that is going to make a genuine difference on the ground for our Aboriginal people. That is really exciting. It is something that not only Aboriginal people can feel proud of. I urge sincerely every single member of Northern Territory Housing to recognise this historic moment and fully appreciate this incredible amount of money. Let us do it and get it right.
Let us not bury it away. Let us not siphon it off to somewhere else thinking the communities will be okay - because they will not be okay. Every single dollar must be spent in every single community that we have said it must be spent in.
With that comes an incredible onus of responsibility. We can change it, and it is changing. As we experienced in this House last week with the education policy, change is happening right now. Everyone from every staff member in every building block of the Housing department, and from every council and soon-to-be shire council, is invited to get on board and make this change real in our communities.
The exciting thing about this change is that it offers hope - real hope. So often in our communities we are overwhelmed by the depression and hopelessness. We give up. However, now, within the space of two years, that is turning around - that is really turning around. It gives me and a great many other people a rare and precious hope. Consider, for example, my community of Arnhem. I think of the many times through the Wet Season we have flooded communities, especially Beswick; how Ngukurr always gets cut off. But, now, with the road and infrastructure changes we are beginning to see in the bush, life is changing. The way of life is changing.
Once we accepted the abnormal as normal. We no longer do. Where once we thought 10 to 15 people to a house was normal; we no longer do. We, as leaders in this parliament, are saying that is not right, that is not normal. Every single family in the Northern Territory deserves to have a good home; deserves to have a bed for each child; deserves that their child be able to go to school. And we are not merely talking about it, we are doing it.
Every single bush member in this House can go out, talk about it and can now say: ‘Hey, guys. You mob in the community. This money that is coming to you - get up, get prepared. Who is going to work on this house? Who is going to be part of the construction?’ I believe these are key challenges we now have in front of us - exciting challenges. For once, instead of screaming for more money, we actually have it. Thanks to the Housing Minister, the member for Casuarina; the Chief Minister; the Indigenous Affairs minister; the member for Arafura; and every Cabinet member for their combined, concerted and determined effort to recognise the great need and to have the courage to get behind it. To all of them, I say thank you. Thank you so much.
Some of those challenges we have spoken about are going to be asking our people on the ground, out in the communities: ‘Do you want to be involved with the transport of the materials? Do you want to be involved with the services to support the construction camps that need to be set up, such as the laundry services, the cleaning and the catering? Do you want to be involved with the light industry support? What about being involved with plant maintenance and vehicle serving? How about the provision of tenancy management and the repairs and maintenance?’ This is fantastic stuff. This is great and exciting. This is where I call on every single member of this parliament to not diss this. This is fantastic, historic news and each of us should jump on board and say to all our constituents: ‘Get up! Get onboard. Come on. Do not waste this opportunity. Take responsibility. Things are changing. Get with the program’.
I feel positive now talking to the people I represent, in Arnhem, especially in Ngukurr where they have been screaming for houses for so long. I am positive because our government staffers are going to have housing, that there is going to be a chance for jobs, that students will go through secondary schooling knowing they can move on to something with real training, such as real VET programs, with carpentry skills, with mechanical skills, with all the skills required to be able to build a house - and not only build a house but to maintain one.
The Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program over the next five years is going to be very important in how it develops the grassroots employment opportunities for people on the ground. That is an area I will be watching very closely. At the end of the day, we do not want just anyone coming into these communities, building these houses and then leaving. We want to grow our communities. This is what our government is about - growing our communities, growing our people, growing our own. That is what the future is based on. That is what we, as the Labor government, both here in the Northern Territory, and with support from our federal counterparts, are about: knowing that our remote regions are growing, and growing in such a way that they give hope to the children for our future. In growing our youth we have to give them an opportunity. We have to say that there is a future in all of this. When we look at our population of just over 215 000, it is critical the Northern Territory concentrate its housing effort into a single system.
I reiterate the need by members of the Department of Housing to recognise this extraordinary time in the history of the Northern Territory, and to please get it right. Talk to everyone, talk to your local people. The plans to have the educational program so the people can better understand the alliance contracting model, minister, is integral to guaranteeing this works. It is integral to the success of this program. Knowing the alliance model has worked and is working in Queensland and, I believe, Western Australia, makes it an important model for us to look at, to emulate, and to then to go on and work out our own model; to shape our own so that, in each of those 16 communities, we can ensure when these houses are built they are built for the long term.
The only other area that I will comment on is the issue of choice. I believe it is fundamental for every family in the Northern Territory to have the choice when you live in a community of whether you will be living in a house that is a Northern Territory government house or a house you built yourself on your own land which, through your clan, you have fought and struggled for in the 30 years since the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act. That is another exciting area which we have not even begun to tap into but are exhausting all avenues of considering. It is an area that, as we go along - especially with our government committed to providing choice - there will be families right across the Northern Territory who, being traditional owners, now see there is a choice.
We have section 19 of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act. We have opportunities to share, to look at giving people and families across the Northern Territory the choice of how they want their homes built, where they want them built, and how are they are going to pay for them. They are the things we are going to see down the track. One of my little passions in that area, minister - and my colleagues will have heard me in the past talk about it - is the next step. The step of encouraging financial institutions to be able to share in that, to look at the importance of land and its value. We have seen it here in the Northern Territory, in Darwin itself. We know that we have not really tapped into the rest of the Northern Territory with its vast amounts of land nor its importance, especially to the people who live in those regions.
Madam Speaker, in closing, I am proud, as a member of the Labor government, as the member for Arnhem, to speak in support of this brilliant, wonderful announcement; proud to know that my colleagues are absolutely supportive of making real change in the lives of indigenous people who, like any other Territorian, deserve the same things.
Mr HAMPTON (Stuart): Madam Speaker, I support the minister’s statement on remote indigenous housing. With the rest of the members of the House, I am truly excited about the announcement and look forward to seeing some great results in the near future.
I feel it is important from the outset to acknowledge the work of the previous minister, the member for Barkly, as my colleague, the member for Arnhem, has touched on. It has been almost two years since his statement to the House on his 20-year vision for indigenous housing in the Northern Territory. It was also only last week that my colleague, the minister for Education, spoke about what this government was doing in transforming indigenous education. I acknowledge the previous minister and also the minister for Education.
Indigenous housing and education have received much media attention in recent times and are at the forefront of this government’s policy of Closing the Gap. Indigenous housing and education have critical links to improving indigenous health. If we are going to make a difference, then these three important areas must go hand-in-hand: housing, education and health. Improving links between those three important areas is critical. The other two important areas that make such a huge commitment of nearly $1bn a reality are the state of our economy and the political will to make a difference.
We have heard today from our Treasurer how the economy in the Northern Territory is travelling, how we are riding on the back of a mining and resources boom. Equally important is the state of the national economy. Without the fortunes of both the national and Territory economies, commitments such as this may not have been as significant as they have. The current political environment and relationship between the Territory and Australian governments is also providing political will and resources needed to deal with such a huge problem.
There have been many reports over the years spelling out the problems, including the relationship between overcrowded indigenous houses in our communities, town camps and urban centres, and child abuse. In fact, in the former minister’s statement of the 20-year vision for indigenous housing almost two years ago in this House, he stated that the simple truth was, in the Northern Territory and many other places in Australia, we are failing to keep up with the need for indigenous housing, thus resulting in some of the sad situations we hear of in the media.
The time is over to continue this process of academic evaluation of indigenous people, particularly by the commentators in other states. The time has come for action. Regarding the Northern Territory’s response, one of the positive measures has been the attention given to the extreme need to build more houses in the bush, town camps and urban centres. Along with the health checks, these changes and this attention will make a difference. As I stated last week in one of my speeches, the health checks, with a total of 793 consultations though Phase 1 in Central Australia alone, are making a difference.
What does the housing program mean for the Northern Territory, Central Australia and, in particular, my electorate of Stuart. As we have heard from other speakers, the housing announcement is looking at 73 Northern Territory indigenous communities and some urban areas including Tennant Creek and, hopefully, Alice Springs. The program will deliver around 750 new houses including new subdivisions, over 230 new houses to replace houses to be demolished, and over 2500 housing upgrades.
As stated in the media release by the federal minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, the housing program will substantially improve living conditions for around 80% of indigenous people in the targeted remote and urban centres. A total of $420m for major works in the 16 high-need communities and more than $124m for refurbishments in an additional 57 communities will be provided.
In my electorate of Stuart, I am pleased to be able to put on public record that, out of the 16 communities to receive major capital works, Yuendumu and Lajamanu, both in my electorate, are on that list, both deservedly. When I told both communities the news they are on the major capital works list, they were ecstatic. With the large number of young people and the severe overcrowding of houses, they know only too well there is an urgent need.
Out of the 57 communities to receive housing upgrades, 12 of those communities are in Stuart, including Undoolya, Wilora, Pigeon Hole, Daguragu, Kalkarindji, Yuelamu, Yarralin, Pmara Jutunta, Nyirripi, Willowra, Laramba and Ampilatwatja. Once again, I, with my other colleagues, thank the former Minister for Housing, the member for Barkly, but also the current minister and his Cabinet colleagues, for pushing those particular communities in my electorate to be on those lists.
Regarding Central Australia, I acknowledge what other members have said. I am sure the previous minister and the minister at the moment, know only too well that I have written to them about the housing needs in Central Australia. As we all know, though, the current need in the Northern Territory is around $2bn. Getting back to what the former minister said in his statement, how we are playing catch-up at the moment, other communities in my colleagues’ electorates of Arnhem, Barkly, Nhulunbuy, Daly and Arafura are also in high need. It is a difficult situation. There is a need of $2bn, you have $1bn to put out there, and $1bn does not go into $2bn equally. I understand and feel for those communities in Central Australia, particularly those covered by my colleague, the member for Macdonnell, in not getting as many communities as we wanted on that list. The project is going to make a great inroads for those communities on the list, both in Stuart and Macdonnell.
I see that there are particular areas of housing still falling through the gap, particularly in relation to outstations. In my electorate of Stuart, Utopia, serves as a good example. The member for Braitling touched on that need. I have talked to people there and have shown the Minister for Local Government around. He has seen, firsthand, the needs of the 18 or 19 outstations around Utopia. The outstations are currently negotiating between us and the Commonwealth for our government to put together some sort of outstation policy.
I am pleased that the minister for Education announced last week that Utopia will be receiving $2m to establish a middle school and have its outstation school change in status to a primary and middle years school. So, in terms of education, there are changes there. I look forward to announcements for outstations regarding new housing. We are seeing great results being achieved through education and health throughout the Utopia region. Those outcomes put places like Utopia in even more urgent need of housing. Minister, if I can put that on the public record as well. As the local member, Utopia is in need of more housing and I look forward to working with you in addressing that gap.
We have heard from speakers today about town camps. I have seven town camps in my electorate. Of particular concern for me is White Gates. People there have been living in sheds and humpies for close to 40 years. It is a concern of mine as a local member and I look forward to working with the minister and the government in addressing the housing gap that exists for the people there.
We have the town camp education strategy in Alice Springs which is working well. There are five mainstream schools involved. In particular, I have noticed the relationship between Bradshaw, Irrkerlantye and Ngkarte Mikwekenhe group improving. There are some great outcomes being delivered in education for people from Irrkerlantye. Many of those people are living on town camps. Places like White Gates have no houses. The importance of linking health, education and housing provides another example in my electorate of where we need to do that.
Amongst the emerging regions, places such as Timber Creek, Pine Creek, Ti Tree and Mataranka provide great opportunities for indigenous people to achieve home ownership. I know five or six women in Ti Tree who have worked at the school, clinic or council for 20-plus years, who have said to me constantly that we need land freed up in Ti Tree so they can buy some and build their own home. Successful HomeNorth ownership programs delivered in the bush in emerging regions such as Ti Tree should be there. We should be pushing for them into the future. In those emerging regions we need to work within the frameworks of native title and the Aboriginal Lands Rights (Northern Territory) Act. Points such as section 19 have to be dealt with, but also the sticky problem of outstations that may not be occupied. It is upon us to see how we can draft really effective and productive lease arrangements with traditional owners so we can achieve better outcomes for everyone, particularly in relation to housing.
There are challenges, as we have heard from everyone here this afternoon. Some of the challenges relate to the conflict between getting houses built quickly and appropriately, and having those houses for employment and training opportunities for locals. As we know, people want houses built immediately but the demands are equally strong for employment and training. Building the local labour force offers the chance to reform CDEP. Conducting skills audits in the Centre region could fit in well with the initiative. At my community of Laramba, the previous IHANT Builder Trainer program had three young men attain Certificate III in Building Construction. These individuals could be given employment. What are those fellahs doing now? We have all this work coming up. Let us go out and recognise these young blokes for their prior learning they achieved through different programs and get them engaged in the workforce.
There will be further challenges managing tenancy as indigenous housing in the bush and town camps comes under the Territory Housing framework. Lessons could be learnt from places such as the Aboriginal Urban Housing Association in Alice Springs. Balancing cultural issues we find in the Northern Territory which are quite unique with tenancy agreement responsibilities will prove a hurdle. Sorry business, for example, where, according to custom, families are required to move out of their dwellings. How do we get families back in their homes in a way that is culturally appropriate and within a time that suits them?
House design is another area that will test our resources and knowledge. The IHANT program at Papunya, which I am sure the member for Macdonnell knows about, investigated not only suitable costs of building houses but also their maintenance and repair. The alliance contract will need to think about such matters. Land tenure will mean working within the framework of native title and The Land Rights Act. This issue was raised with me today at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon by a business person. He said the biggest issue for him with the alliance contract was land tenure in the Northern Territory.
Living skills will require changing the behaviour of some of our indigenous people who are coming from traditional lifestyles regarding their responsibilities in looking after a new home. Simple things such as using a gas oven or flushing a toilet which we take for granted are, for people living in those remote communities, tasks they probably need a bit more education and assistance in. There are not all negatives or challenges in all this; there are some positives. This initiative will address the $2bn shortfall in indigenous housing and is a great step forward.
We need to look at special purpose accommodation in the bush. It is not just a three- or four-bedroom home that we have in Alice Springs or in Darwin. Accommodation for widows is a big issue in places like Yuendumu where women who have lost a husband or a partner and, because of cultural responsibilities, need to live with certain people. We need to look at special purpose accommodation that suits the culture of our indigenous people.
If we are rolling out middle year schools then we need to look at student accommodation. We need accommodation for seniors, for our old people and renal patients, and single men and women. We have seen seniors accommodation at places like Flynn Drive in Alice Springs. There is no reason why we cannot think outside the square and, maybe, do the same thing at Yuendumu or Lajamanu.
There are positives looking at environmental health issues with housing. We need to look at outdoor kitchen areas and wind breaks. People often prefer to sleep outside. Insulation in the housing is important. We have extremes in the weather in the desert. When it is winter, it reaches minus temperatures while, in summer, it is over 40. Therefore, the design of our houses needs to be looked at as well.
There are many opportunities for jobs and training, in particular for contractors in Alice Springs, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Darwin. There are huge opportunities there with a $1bn program.
The bush is going through a great deal of change, as we all know. How governments communicate this change to the people will determine how successful an initiative such as this housing program will be. The member for Daly mentioned interpreters. It is vitally important that we are out there, whether it is talking about the housing program, employment and training or the Territory Housing framework. We need to get the message across to the people in their first, second or third language because their mother tongue is not always English. The Northern Territory Emergency Response still rolling out, as well as the reforms to local government. As I said, there are many changes happening.
How do we measure the success after this $1bn is spent? It is up to us as government to have some accountability in place for the taxpayers. There are various ways we can do that over the short-, medium- and long-term, but I see that as essential, and will work with the minister on that.
There is a need for governments to come together with the community and have a shared vision in closing the gap. There is also a need for government and communities to agree on what we are both responsible for. I will be encouraging my electorate and constituents to take up the baton on Closing the Gap in housing, education and health, and also to work with the government in a true spirit of reconciliation and partnership. I believe we are now in the right political and social environment as a nation, and as the Northern Territory, to achieve this. I look forward to working with the minister in my role as a parliamentary secretary but also as a member of this parliament to make a difference.
Mr VATSKALIS (Housing): Madam Speaker, I thank all the members for their support and comments about the remote housing statement. One thing that struck me as I listened to responses about this project was that some members thought this is not going to succeed because the government will not succeed. This project will only succeed if we all of work together. I was very encouraged to hear the member for Arnhem say that it is our responsibility, each of us, to go to our communities and tell them that we have to work together. It is easy for a government to go in and unload a number of houses in a community and disappear. Unless the community participates actively in the selection of the land, the design, and the people who are going to live in this housing – be they elders, widows or the young people who want a future by participating in a training program to become not just Certificate III holders, but qualified builders who can put a nail through a piece of wood and do something useful - nothing is going to change.
The Strategic Indigenous Housing Infrastructure Program is the most important housing project, not only in the Territory but, I believe, in Australia: $647m allocated by the federal government, plus our own 100 jobs. The eyes of Australia are upon us; we have to succeed not because it going to be embarrassing for me, personally, as a minister who failed, but because I have a responsibility towards fellow Territorians and fellow Australians - to the old people living in the communities who do not have a decent house and to the young kids who want to go to school and are bright sparks, but who cannot do their homework because their houses are overcrowded. These kids do not even have the space to put down their notebook to do their homework.
I am speaking from personal experience. My first experience with indigenous housing was in Port Hedland. When I arrived and drove up the road to go to the house provided by the council, I saw these disused railway carriages. When I asked what they were doing there, they told me that it was the Aboriginal housing in Port Hedland. This was not 30 or 40 years ago, this was in 1990. My wife would come home and say there were some smart Aboriginal kids in that school, but none of them would come with completed homework. When she asked them why not, they said: ‘There are 12 people in my house. Do you think I can go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning and do my homework? Do you think I have the time or the space to do my homework?’ That is the harsh reality out there. We need housing and we need housing now.
We all have to share the blame. Successive Australian governments, irrespective of ideology, failed Aboriginal people. People in Canberra did not care what happened, as I said before, in the Pilbara, Cape York, or the Northern Territory - out of sight, out of mind. They were throwing some money here, but that money was not enough to repair a window or a door. You cannot have these kinds of houses. The houses we had to live in were substandard.
I had the experience of going into our house and finding the cistern not working because it was not connected to the septic tanks. All the sewerage and water was running along the ground. People risked electrocution because wires were not properly connected. People were complaining about the health of Aboriginal people but, when the hot water system does not work, you do not have a water supply to your washing machine, or if your washing machine has broken down for two years and nobody will fix it, of course, there are going to be problems. If that can happen to my own house, it can happen to anybody’s house if you do not get the facilities or the appropriate design.
I remember going to Aboriginal houses to find them constructed as they would have been in downtown Perth or Melbourne, houses with kitchens with melamine tops in the middle of the desert. When these people lived a traditional lifestyle, and brought a wallaby home and chopped it up on the bench, of course, the bench fell apart. Nobody thought to change the design and not use the standard splashback benches, so the bench would not break.
We have a responsibility to do something in Aboriginal communities. I am very glad that this money has now been put on the table, and we are able to provide 3500 houses to indigenous communities in the Territory. I said 3500 houses because the member for Katherine questioned why we spend all this money for 200 houses. No, we do not. We will put in 750 new houses, 230 new houses to replace derelict structures, and we will repair about 2500 houses around the Territory.
My response will cover a number of questions from different members.
The member for Braitling asked why there were only two communities covered in Central Australia. They are not the only communities, there are more than two. Each of you mentioned your communities. Some of them are: Ali Curung, Amoonguna, Areyonga, Engawala, Finke, Haasts Bluff, Kintore, Barunga, Mutitjulu, Mt Liebig, Ntaria, Nyirripi, Papunya, Santa Teresa, Titjikala, Wallace Rockhole, Woollahra, and Yuelamu. Some of the communities in Central Australia are going to have new houses or upgraded ones.
A total of $103m is going to be spent in town camps - from Tennant Creek to Alice Springs to the Stuart electorate. Town camps will receive a significant amount for upgrading. In some of these town camps, not only are the houses falling apart, the services - electricity, water supply and sewerage - are not up to standard. We are spending the money to address these issues. How are we going to do it? That is the alliance contract. It is a new contract, which has been used in Western Australia and Queensland.
The other day, 150 were expected to attend an information session at SKYCITY regarding our housing initiative. Three hundred and fifty people turned up, and more were coming. There is a much interest about such a significant contract. It is not going to be contract for the whole of Territory; there are going to be a number of contracts. We are going to break them down. We are going to go out and talk, not only to the big companies, but also to the smaller companies and the subcontractors. This way everyone has an idea how the whole program is going to work.
We are going to talk to the local communities. Again, I speak from experience. When I was an environmental health officer, we asked the community what they wanted. They told us: ‘This is a white fellow house from Perth. We do not want this one. We want something different’. So we offered something different but then another community would say: ‘Why this design? Aren’t we good enough for a white person’s house?’ So we have to speak to the community and find out what they really want. As was mentioned before, in the north you need a different style of house. You want breezes during the Wet and the build-up, while in Central Australia you need the house to be solid to keep you warm during the winter and cool in summer.
It is a multifaceted issue. I do not want to see only construction of houses from this project. This is going to mean a revolution in communities, because the federal government has made it clear that no house is going to be built unless there is going to be a land tenure in place. The communities have to make active decisions about providing land to build the houses, to provide the subdivisions. Until now, that was impossible. If you want a house, the community has to come together and say: ‘This is the piece of land we are going to free from all obligations or obstructions so you can put the subdivision in, in order to build the houses’. If communities start thinking like that now, this is the beginning of a sea change.
Why can we not do the same to have small business in the communities? We mentioned Ngukurr. I have been to Ngukurr. Where is the petrol station? Where are the mechanics? Where are the tyre fitters? All these opportunities can exist in a community the size of Ngukurr. They are not there any more because we have problems with land tenure. With this, we are going to see a change coming from the community for the betterment of the community.
As for training, I want to see the contracts drawn in such a way that companies will have certain distinct obligations linked to training indigenous employees when building these houses. There needs to be contractual agreements to train so many people. If BHP can do it in Port Hedland, we can do it here. I visited their site and saw what they do. If somebody wants to work for BHP providing goods and services, they have to sign a contract undertaking that in the first year 10% of their workforce will be indigenous trainees, the second year 20%, and so on. If you do not put it in your contract, you will not receive another contract from the company. Of course, BHP is a gigantic company; they can do that. If we have $1bn on the table for housing, we can do the same very successfully.
On to management. Here we have another sea change. These houses are not going to be welfare houses, they are going to be Territory houses. It does not matter if they are in Alice Springs, Yuendumu, Tiwi or Nakara, they are going to be managed like every single house that comes under the control of Territory Housing. The same rules will apply everywhere. We still have to make the decision regarding who is going to manage the houses. It is either going to our direct employees, or we will have a contractual agreement with the new shires to manage the houses. They will be managed in a way every house is managed in an urban centre, be it big or small - the same regulations will apply.
I know there will be problems. My family comes from a small Greek village of about 1000 people. They did not have running water or a sewerage system. The first time electricity was connected was in 1968. These village people have a different mindset than people living in the city. The same thing happens in these communities. How are we going to address this problem? We have to put in place appropriate living skills programs. I am not going to say that we are going to do it ourselves. We might outsource it but, if we are going to outsource it, we will ensure the people who get the contract, deliver. They are going to be checked regularly about their delivery. If they cannot do it, I am prepared to put our own people there to develop those living skills.
These living skills programs might need halfway houses. People who come in from remote communities or outstations are not used to living in the city; they are not used to living in Yuendumu. They may have to live in a halfway house until they acquire the appropriate skills before moving into a proper house. It is a complex project, but it gives us the opportunity to do things that we have never before done.
I would like to see, at the end of this project, not fly-in/fly-out contractors arriving to fix houses. Instead, I would like to see indigenous building companies with indigenous workers doing the repairs and maintenance and, eventually, going on to construct those houses we have to build to address the shortage of houses in the Territory. We need 5000 houses today, we can only deliver 3500. We have to have further discussions with the Commonwealth government about the provision of extra funding to build the remaining houses. By that time, we will probably need more for the next generation of indigenous people coming along.
The communities have been selected. Of those 73 communities, 16 communities have been selected because of their need, their size and the input by the federal government. The Commonwealth government made the decision regarding the alliance contract and requested that this is the way we go. I am not going to argue. I am not going to throw away $540m because I do not like this particular decision. We have to work cooperatively. We have done it, and we are going to do it well. This is very important.
I thank all the members for their comments. For me, it is a personal challenge because it is a great responsibility the Chief Minister has put on my shoulders. The biggest challenge will be to go a community in five years time and see the young kids living in a house like any other person in Darwin, Alice Springs or Katherine, and not having 12, 14, 16 relatives arriving and living there for extended periods of time. It is good to remember that things change.
Things were the same in Europe. I recall very well - and I have seen photographs - after the war in Europe there was exactly the same situation you see in remote communities. I have seen photographs with my own mother in 1949, lined up in front of her house which was sprayed with DDT because that was the solution they used at the time to deal with insects. Her dress was made from a United Nation’s relief agency flour sack. I know that because the bag had a big UN emblem and writing on it. Today we wear T-shirts with these emblems but, in those days, they did not have a choice. They used whatever they could get their hands on.
This is a big challenge. It is an exciting project. People congratulate me, but congratulations are due to Jack Ah Kit, who stood here as the first person who spoke openly about the need of indigenous people for housing, and dysfunctional communities. The same congratulations are due to my colleague, the previous minister, the member for Barkly, because of the enormous work he has done. I am only building on the foundations that he put in place. This is not a Kon Vatskalis, member for Casuarina, project. We have here an example of a whole-of-government approach. We have to build the houses but, at the same time, we have to put in the subdivisions that come under the Minister for Planning and Lands’ portfolio. We have to provide the services that are the responsibility of the Minister for Essential Services, which happens to be me. Then, of course, we have to build on opportunities.
Nothing is going to change in indigenous communities if we keep the same conditions and the young people say: ‘It is boring. What am I doing here? I am going to be driven mad’. We have to give these people a job. We have to give these people a future. Nothing will change unless we give these people a place they can call home.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Ms LAWRIE (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Madam Speaker, tonight I talk about a great company, a great family business in Alice Springs which had its beginnings in 1959. I speak, of course, of Bonanni Brothers. These were four brothers from Italy, who came to Australia at different times and started a building company in Alice Springs known as Bonanni Brothers, recently renamed Bonanni’s.
These pioneering men decided to make their own bricks, and Bonanni Brothers began. What a great history they have had.
Current directors, Fabio and Kylie, decided early last year that the premises Fabio’s father and uncle started from was too small and unsuitable for a modern upgrade. The decision was made to move to a new site at Ghan Road in Alice Springs In order for the most up-to-date modern technology to be installed, Fabio and Kylie travelled interstate with a view to seeing what others did elsewhere. They met with the Besser Company in Sydney and were taken to plants at Sydney and Wollongong. Another company showed them their site in Adelaide. They then knew what they needed and, of course, learnt about new technologies in brick making.
In May 2007, they started working on purchasing the land on which the new site was going to be placed. They succeeded and the new brick-making facility is one of the newest and most significant businesses in Alice Springs. There was approximately a $1m investment, which is a great sign of confidence in the future of Alice Springs. The company has a number of sand leases just out of town and, consequently, does not have to rely on sand from interstate.
When I visited Bonanni’s on 24 April, I was shown the masonry manufacturing work and the up-to-date equipment . What an impressive sight it was. I also met with some of their staff, some of whom have been with the company for many years. The importance of the company cannot be underestimated in Alice Springs. It has a good working relationship with another well-known and pioneering company, Sitzlers, not to mention many others. A number of businesses are, in many respects, interconnected, and Bonanni’s role in the local building industry is significant.
When I was there I met Trevor, who is the product manager, as well as Andrew and Joy. Joy works in the office and has been with the company for some 20 years. Fabio and Kylie employ seven staff. They are well-regarded business people in Alice Springs. Their history in the town and their confidence in its future is wonderful to see. I am sure all members join with me to congratulate them on their marvellous achievements.
For a company that started in 1959, it is wonderful to see how it continues to develop and represent the very best in masonry production. I asked the Parliamentary Library Service to provide me with additional information and I thank it for that material which I will send on to Kylie and Fabio. Looking through the information one can see the importance of the company over the years and the pioneering way in which it has put itself in the forefront of business in Alice Springs.
It was a joy to meet Kylie, Fabio and some of their staff when I visited. This is a great business. It is terrific to see long-established businesses in Alice look to the future and invest in it. We are very proud in Alice Springs that we have an iconic company. I have mentioned Sitzlers, and I believe Bonanni’s sits right up there in being an iconic company, not only for Central Australia but for the Territory.
I offer Kylie, Fabio and their marvellous team the parliament’s best wishes for their future, but also acknowledge their past. In 2008, it is easy for us to meet with business people and listen to them and their experiences. Imagine what it was like in the late 1950s and early 1960s to go to a place like Alice Springs and to be so far away from everywhere else and without the modern technology that business people have today. No doubt, Bonanni’s experienced highs and lows, peaks and troughs, but they have managed to get through all of those and continue to build. This is a great business in Alice Springs and we are very pleased they have demonstrated their confidence in the future of Alice Springs and the building industry, generally. I am sure all members join with me tonight in congratulating Kylie and Fabio and all of their staff as we wish them the very best for the future.
Mrs AAGAARD (Nightcliff): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, it was my pleasure to attend the installation of the new Lutheran Pastor, Dale Gosden of St Andrew’s Lutheran Church on Sunday, 4 May. It was my pleasure to be able to offer a greeting from the parliament and the government. Pastor Dale replaces long-standing Pastor John Vitale, who was a very active and well-respected member of the wider community in Darwin. I would like to extend my best wishes to him and his wife, Judith, in their new life.
I certainly extend my best wishes to Pastor Dale and his wife, Sarah, and I look forward to working with him in his parish as we serve the local community together.
On 1 April, it was my pleasure to attend a surprise afternoon tea party to celebrate Commissioner Paul White’s 40 years of policing. The function was organised by his greatly loved wife, Cynthia, and senior staff in the police force. I joined a gathering of executive and members of the Northern Territory Police and senior staff of Police, Fire and Emergency Services at Police Headquarters to acknowledge and congratulate Commissioner White on his significant service to policing in Australia.
Cynthia gave a very moving speech on the commissioner’s service with SA Police and his service as the Northern Territory Police Commissioner since 17 December 2001. I will read part of the speech that Cynthia gave at the function.
Cynthia spoke of how very proud their children, grandchildren and family were of Paul and all that he has achieved. She said:
She also said:
Cynthia went on to say:
She was referring to the recent incident in Adelaide where the Police Commissioner apprehended an offender while en route to the Police Commissioner’s Conference. It was a terrific effort and goes to show that our police officers stay very fit, even when they are as senior as the Police Commissioner.
Thank you very much, commissioner, for all your work in our community. I have to say that, as the member for Nightcliff, it is a pleasure working with the commissioner and with senior officers of the police force.
On a sad note, I extend my condolences to the commissioner and his family on the sudden death of his brother, Michael, in the United States last month – undoubtedly, a great loss for his family.
It was my pleasure to attend the installation of the Anglican Dean of Christchurch Cathedral on the 2 February this year. It was a pleasure to be part of this special ceremony where Jeremy Greaves became the Dean of Christchurch Cathedral, a position which had been held by Father Mike Nixon previously. Jeremy Greaves came from the parish of Katherine and he is well known to the member for Katherine, who was also at the ceremony, as well as the Leader of the Opposition. It was a very special ceremony for those of us who had the good fortune to attend. It is a very special thing when a community comes together as it did in this case, to see the bishop and other bishops present lay hands on the dean as he received the spirit and became the dean of that cathedral. I know the member for Katherine and I were both very moved by the ceremony. It was a real pleasure to be there as part of that congregation.
I should also record my thanks to Christchurch Cathedral for their gracious hospitality over many years. They are a very special congregation, one which reaches out to a much wider community. I have been very grateful for their prayers for me over many years, both during my illness and in my role as Speaker. I extend my thanks to them.
I place on the record my congratulations to a constituent of mine, Nightcliff resident, Mrs Joan Halverson, who was recently named Northern Territory’s Barnardos Mother of the Year. Mrs Halverson moved to Darwin in 1962 where she met and married her husband, Gary. Mrs Halverson has been an advocate for intellectually disabled children for many years, and her family nominated her for this award. On 8 May, the national winner will be announced in Sydney. I am sure my colleagues will be joining me in wishing Mrs Halverson the best of luck. Joan is a terrific woman and she works very hard in the community, not just with her family but particularly through the Catholic Church. I wish her all the best. I am looking forward to hear that, perhaps, she will be named the national Mother of the Year.
On 29 February, I attended a special assembly at Nightcliff Primary School to farewell retiring teacher, Kaye Tyrrell, whose career in education spans 26 years. Kaye began employment with DEET as an administration assistant at Darwin High School in 1982, but continued her studies to become an early childhood teacher. On graduating, she took up a Transition teacher’s position at Nightcliff Primary School, replacing Trish Crossin, now Senator Crossin. She then taught at Wagaman before setting up a Special Education Unit at Alawa Primary School, where she stayed for three years before returning to Nightcliff Primary School in 1998, where she taught Transition classes as well as classes in the Special Education Unit until her retirement in February.
Kaye is staying in Darwin for her retirement with her husband, Paul, who is well known to members in this Chamber as the former Chief Executive of the Department of the Chief Minister, who is also in semi-retirement, although I understand the Minister for Health has called him in to work recently on the oncology unit. I say to Kaye well, it is perhaps not the retirement you were looking forward to. Kaye is well known representing the Territory in many areas, such as lawn bowls. She pursues other hobbies such as patchwork, travelling and spending time with her family and friends, particularly with her first grandchild who was born earlier this year. I am sure honourable members will join me in wishing both Kaye and Paul a very happy retirement.
Honourable members, one of the most pleasurable things about being a member of parliament is getting to know the students in the schools in our electorates. I have many schools in my electorate, and each year it has been my honour to hand out badges or awards to students. Each year, at the beginning of the year, students are elected by either their peers or their school to represent that school, either as student representative councillors, house captains or school captains.
This year, I recognise from the Nightcliff Primary School, the Gregory House Captains, Katie O’Donoghue and Lachlan Bryan; Vice Captains, Tayla McKinnon and Marlow Fitzpatrick; Flinders House Captains, Max Stretton and Breanna Dyer; Vice Captains, Stephi Von Kanel and Philip Reece; Stuart House Captains, August Farmer and Atticus Farmer; Vice Captains, Jennifer Talbot and Nik Emmerton; Tasman House Captains, Sam Fulton and James Tate; Vice Captains, Kobi Stewart and Kal Pehi.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I seek leave to have the names of the Nightcliff Primary School Student Representative Council incorporated in the Parliamentary Record, together with the Nightcliff Middle School Student Representative Council names, the assistant network technicians, the St Paul’s Primary School students, plus also those students from the Essington School Council.
Leave granted.
Dr BURNS (Johnston): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, this government is committed to delivering the radiation oncology unit for all Territorians. We have made our position on this issue absolutely clear. This stands in contrast to confused statements recently made by some members opposite. The opposition Health spokesman and the member for Araluen do not want Alice Springs’ residents to use this facility and even appear willing to jeopardise its viability. Meanwhile, the Opposition Leader has held a public forum to advocate for the development of the unit, saying it could deliver on such a complex specialised project in seven weeks.
But what is even more concerning now are the lengths the members of the CLP, the members for Greatorex and Araluen, are willing to go to push their own personal and political agenda - moves that show they do not seem to care if they put this project at risk. In the adjournment debate on 30 April 2008, the member for Greatorex alarmingly misquoted the expert advice from the Barton-Frommer report. Members will recall this was a report commissioned by government to provide a plan for establishing a radiation oncology unit within the Northern Territory. This is a quote from the member for Greatorex’s speech last week:
And I will quote from this report …
In fact, from the experts’ executive summary, the correct quote is:
The member for Greatorex then went on to say:
It appears the member for Greatorex could not get past the first page of the report. Recommendation 6, as I will quote soon, says nothing of the sort. It says nothing that the member for Greatorex has asserted in his speech. The report reflects the expressed opinions of some patients from the consultation process. It then goes on to consider those opinions with views of health professionals and expert opinions from radiation oncology providers for the viability and sustainability of the unit. It fact, let me clearly articulate for the public record, the Barton-Frommer report’s recommendation 6, and I quote directly:
The actual quote from the Barton-Frommer report says nothing at all like the member for Greatorex said. I will repeat what he said:
That is nothing like recommendation 6. The member for Greatorex should be careful because he is bordering on misleading this parliament by his statements. However, I will let the readers and those that research this come to their own judgments as to whether that is the case or not.
What is further amazing to me is that neither CLP member from Central Australia has bothered to check the report to ensure they are quoting it correctly. This is an extract from the member for Araluen’s adjournment on that same evening:
That is nothing like recommendation 6 that I have quoted from the Barton-Frommer report. It is talking about the service in Darwin is attractive to all cancer patients in the Northern Territory including those from the southern zone who might otherwise prefer to travel interstate. Elsewhere, as I have said, in the Executive Summary, it actually canvasses the view that many cancer patients in Central Australia have a desire to travel to Adelaide. No one disputes that, but what is in dispute is the actual recommendation 6 of the Barton-Frommer report which I feel has been monstered - to be charitable - by the members for Greatorex and Araluen, in their quest to make political points over this very sensitive issue.
The members for Greatorex and Araluen clearly do not support a radiation oncology unit in Darwin. They misquoted the report and completely misunderstood the expert advice before us. I would be happy to give the members a briefing on the report and the development of the radiation oncology unit, so that we can look forward to their support to see this project is delivered as soon as possible for all Territorians.
I will now speak of more deserving matters, and make special mention of a senior male Aboriginal Health Educator, Johnny Briscoe, who worked tirelessly to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people in Central Australia; in particular, those people at the Aputula community.
I also take this opportunity and pay tribute to a number of people who have left the Territory workforce after a long period of service with the Department of Health and Community Services.
I recognise Johnny Briscoe who passed away in March this year. Johnny was one of the first male Aboriginal Health Workers in Central Australia, becoming the Aboriginal Health Worker for Finke in 1977.
In the old days, Johnny participated in some of the Royal Flying Doctors visits. Significantly, in 1979 Johnny was invited by the Queen to join her in officially opening the new Alice Springs Hospital. In 1985, Johnny was the first Aboriginal Health Worker to gain registration in the Northern Territory and held the registration No 1. This is a highly significant achievement and a historical moment in the Northern Territory’s history, deserving of our praise and acknowledgement.
In fact, in 2001 Johnny received a Centenary Medal for his many years of service to the people of the remote community Aputula. People who knew Johnny, knew that this was a very proud moment for him. Johnny was often the sole practitioner at the Aputula Health Clinic servicing over 100 people. In addition to his many achievements I have already mentioned, Johnny was the first Aboriginal Health Worker to successfully complete an accredited dentistry course.
Johnny Briscoe was a mentor and a teacher to many up and coming Aboriginal Health Workers in Central Australia. He was a key person in setting up the Learning and Training Pathways Program for Aboriginal Health Workers in the Northern Territory. Johnny was instrumental in providing information to doctors, nurses and allied health professionals about the use, benefit and significance of traditional bush medicines in treating Aboriginal patients. Johnny was unique. He involved traditional healers in the treatment of patients by also explaining and outlining the benefits of western medical practises to them. He truly embraced and practised a two-way, cross-cultural approach to health care in order to build understanding of both ways and get the best outcomes for patients.
Johnny’s passion and mission in life was to improve his people’s health and wellbeing. He continued to do this in an advisory capacity well after his retirement. On behalf of the House, I send my sincere and heartfelt sadness to Johnny’s family and speak about him this evening in order to remember his great and lasting contribution to the community of Aputula and Central Australia more broadly. Johnny touched many lives and was highly regarded for the wisdom he imparted and his passionate two-way approach to health care.
I now take this opportunity to inform the House of great works and service provided by some other Department of Health and Community Service employees.
Jenny Francis is leaving the Department of Health and Community Services after 30 years of dedicated service. Jenny’s contribution to public service was celebrated on 23 April and she is currently enjoying a well-deserved break until she officially leaves the department in October 2008.
Jenny and her family migrated to Australia from India. In 1972, Jenny commenced her nursing training at the old Darwin Hospital on Lambell Terrace and completed her training in 1975. Jenny is a dedicated professional who continued to work at the old Darwin Hospital following Cyclone Tracy. During 1975 and 1976, Jenny travelled to India where she met Nigel, who followed her back to Australia where they married. Jenny completed her Midwifery Certificate at Redcliffe Hospital in Queensland in 1976, 1977 and worked for one year in Coorparoo, Queensland, before returning to Darwin and resuming midwifery at Darwin Hospital in 1978.
In 1979, Jenny became a permanent employee with the Department of Health and Community Services and worked in a number of wards until 1981. Jenny moved from Darwin Hospital to Royal Darwin Hospital in 1981 and worked until 1985 in the postnatal ward. Between late 1987 until 1988, Jenny played an instrumental role in setting up Darwin Private Hospital’s midwifery ward, working as clinical nurse consultant for antenatal and postnatal care.
In November, 1988, Jenny transferred to the Casuarina Community Care as a clinical nurse specialist. While making a significant contribution throughout her career and rising through the ranks, Jenny also raised her three children working part-time from October 1993 until February 1997. Jenny always went above and beyond her duties and endeavoured to provide holistic care for all her clients. Jenny began her community work experience as a generalist nurse and, during that time, developed expertise in palliative care. She did this by working on-call for clients after hours.
Jenny’s non-judgmental approach and calm confidence allowed her clients to feel at ease and help build trusting, caring relationships very quickly. Combined with Jenny’s extensive medical knowledge, she sought to create a positive experience within the health system for all her clients. Jenny has been a great support for parents whose children have medical problems or growth and developmental anomalies, and is able to explain complex medical conditions and how best to manage these in a simple, accessible way.
Over the years, Jenny has been a preceptor for many students who have been enrolled in general nursing degrees, midwifery, and child health courses at Charles Darwin University or interstate universities. Students have often taken the opportunities to express their gratitude through the evaluation forms, stating that Jenny had a wealth of knowledge and she willingly shared this with them, and how this knowledge added to their experience of short placements within community nursing.
Jenny has been a highly valuable staff member and continuously demonstrated her commitment to professional employment. While working at the Casuarina Community Health Centre, Jenny completed postgraduate Bachelor of Nursing (Northern Territory University); Certificate Basic Counselling Skills; Level 3 Positive Parenting Program; Graduate Certificate in Child, Youth, Adolescent and Family Health Nursing (Flinders University in South Australia); Australasian Lactation Course Certificate; and International Board of Certified Lactation Consultancy.
Jenny is a strong proponent of recognising that knowledge can be developed in many different ways, including direct client contact as well as academic pursuits. Jenny has advocated for child health to be seen as a specialised area, encouraging colleagues to undertake appropriate studies and supporting them by providing feedback on their assignments.
Jenny’s capacity to share knowledge and support breastfeeding women in the community is tied to the belief that good health comes from a good start, a primary health care focus on helping others to help themselves. With her focus on the importance of breastfeeding for good, long-term outcomes, and the departmental focus on giving kids a good start in life, Jenny undertook her Australasian Lactation Course Certificate in 1999. She continued to develop her expertise by updating her knowledge in 2006 and 2007 by obtaining her International Board Certified Lactation Consultancy.
Jenny has shared her knowledge with the clients and her peers, providing high-level in-service sessions, and ensuring the necessary resources existed within the community health centre to help maintain this high standard.
Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I commend these long-serving employees to the House and wish them all the best in their retirement.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
MESSAGE FROM ADMINISTRATOR
Message No 27
Message No 27
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I table Message No 27 from His Honour the Administrator recommending to the Legislative Assembly a bill for an act authorising the issuing and expending of public monies of the Territory in respect of the year ending 30 June 2009.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Year 3/4 Bakewell Primary School students who are participating in Parliament of the Birds, accompanied by Shannon Birch; and also Year 7 Darwin Middle School students accompanied by Merryn Brown. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
MOTION
Routine of Business
Routine of Business
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move - That the routine of business of the Assembly be rearranged or suspended, if a question or debate is before the Chair, so as to permit the Treasurer to deliver Budget 2008-09 at 11 am this day.
Motion agreed to.
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I also move - That the routine of business of the Assembly, General Business, Notices and Orders of the Day be rearranged or suspended if a question or debate is before the Chair, so as to permit a response to Budget 2008-09 by the Leader of the Opposition at 11 am on Wednesday, 7 May 2008.
MEDIA ARRANGEMENTS
Presentation of Budget Speech
Presentation of Budget Speech
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise you that at 11 am during government business, I will call on the Treasurer to deliver the budget. Members speaking at that time will be asked to continue their remarks after Question Time.
I also advise honourable members that I have given permission for various media to broadcast live, or rebroadcast with sound and vision, the presentation of the budget, the Treasurer’s speech and the Leader of the Opposition’s reply.
Territory FM radio will broadcast live the presentation of the budget, the Treasurer’s speech and the Leader of the Opposition’s reply, and The Northern Territory News will take photographs.
Today the Assembly will resume after the luncheon suspension at 2.30 pm.
MINISTERIAL REPORTS
Land Development Corporation
Land Development Corporation
Mr VATSKALIS (Business and Economic Development): Madam Speaker, five years ago, as the then Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment, I introduced legislation to create the Northern Territory’s Strategic Industrial Land Developer - the Land Development Corporation. The legislation came into effect on 1 July 2003.
Today, I am pleased to stand in this House and say to you that the Land Development Corporation has come of age. The concept of a strategic industrial and commercially orientated land corporation was developed to ensure the Territory is in the best position to take advantage of emerging industrial projects, particularly associated with the AustralAsia Railway, the new port, Defence projects and future gas-based opportunities.
Beyond natural resources, land is an essential requirement for any onshore industry. Five years ago, I intended that the Land Development Corporation would be able to provide quick access for strategic industries to appropriately developed land. That is exactly what the small dynamic team at the Land Development Corporation, under the guidance of the corporation’s advisory board, is delivering. The corporation’s responsive land release and development focus has assisted many significant businesses to establish close to the rail, the East Arm port and essential transport connections.
The last year has been a bumper year for inquiries in land sales. Over $11m in revenue from land sales was achieved in the last 12 months. There is going to be another $3m worth of sales under contract and a further $8.6m under formal negotiation.
To date, the Land Development Corporation has lease arrangements with 12 businesses at the Darwin Business Park, with developments now including: the Vopak $55m liquid storage facility; Natural Fuel’s $70m biodiesel plant; Toll’s $18m rail frontage complex and recently acquired Westrain’s facility for $2.7m; the Metcash $20m warehouse complex; Smorgan Steel’s $2.57m distribution centre; Shaws Transport $8.5m distribution facility; Gwelo’s $3.5m in port warehouse assembly facility; Gibbon’s $1.2m distribution facility; Top Class $4m fresh produce distribution facility; Gaymark’s $5m to $8m distribution warehouse complex; Amcor’s $1.5m storage facility; Dawson’s Diesel $8m heavy machinery repairs and maintenance facility; and leases of buildings to a number of businesses including Mintech, Linfox and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
In 2008, nearly $38m worth of new building works will be undertaken within the Darwin Business Park bringing significant private investment to more than $200m.
The Land Development Corporation currently: generates almost $800 000 annually through building and grounds rentals; owns and manages over 100 ha of strategic industrial land at its East Arm estate; and administers 208 ha of Crown land at East Arm with an unimproved capital value of $120m. There are more than 45 projects actively being undertaken by the Land Development Corporation including: planned releases of new waterfront industrial areas; subdivision of land in the Darwin Business Park to create additional industrial lots; and several off-market land negotiations for businesses with specific land requirements.
Not only has the Land Development Corporation been responding to the growing industrial land demand, but it has also reviewed the operation of the corporation to meet national standards.
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of opening the new Land Development Corporation office at 35 Export Drive. The corporation had previously been a tenant of the Darwin Port Corporation which now requires the office space for its own staff. As soon as you walk in the doors of the new office, you are dealing with a fresh and vibrant team of people.
At the same time, I launched the new corporate branding and website. The website at www.Landdevcorp.nt.gov.au provides many new features and will be updated with the latest images and information regularly. It also allows visitors to print brochure information directly from the site. The work that the team has undertaken in the last 12 months, under the guidance of the advisory board, to refresh the organisation and position the corporation for the future is a credit to the staff and the advisory board members.
We do not always get the opportunity to see the outcomes of our initiatives. I am very fortunate to have been able to report on the Land Development Corporation five years after I introduced the legislation. I am very proud of its achievements, and I congratulate my advisory board and Land Development Corporation team on what has become a great initiative.
I look forward to being involved with the development of the Land Development Corporation and the finalisation of its five-year plan.
Mr MILLS (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I welcome the statement which, in effect, reinforces the need, particularly in the current discussions, for a clear vision and direction on where the Territory is going. We are in such a fortunate position to have land, but that land can be best utilised effectively with a comprehensive vision. Once that vision is in place, we then develop plans for how we use our land for maximum benefit both now and into the future. Agencies such as the Land Development Corporation develop that land in accordance with an underlying vision. Then, there are processes established. What we hear today are the processes that are in place for the development of that land.
What is being reinforced is the need for a comprehensive vision so we know how we can move forward over the horizon. We are so blessed with the abundance of land in the Territory, but we do not seem to have a clear vision at this moment of where we are going in the long term with the development of that resource to maximise our strategic advantage; that being, resource rich, and land in abundance. Without a clear vision we will not be able to capitalise on the abundance of land and resources that we have.
I welcome the statement and acknowledge this as evidence of the economic growth, along with factors that have been born by the demand in India and China, particularly. It is benefiting many Territorians and many families which is a good thing. It is good to have good processes in place to make that growth as efficient and effective as possible.
However, it goes back to the need for a clear plan and direction with proper leadership, so that we can maximise the benefits in these times where there is an interest in the Territory.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I also welcome the minister’s report. It highlights the fact that the Territory’s economy is growing and there is a need for well-planned industrial development. I take on board what the Leader of the Opposition said; I believe our long-term plans are not in place, or if they were, we are now changing them as we go along.
If you consider the East Arm port area, you will know that it is not in either the Palmerston City Council or Darwin City Council boundaries. The reason for that is that the government wanted to have control over the development of all that land in relation to the port. Therefore, it is surprising that they are looking at cutting up the Berrimah Farm into residential land when that land should be kept for further expansion of industrial development, especially in relation to the port. It is only about 2 km or 3 km from the port.
I believe the government should reconsider the future of that land and also to keep some of it for part of a newly revamped prison to stay on the site where it is.
In relation to other areas, gas, for instance, I think it was the industrial land corporation, or the previous land corporation, that looked at developing land at Glyde Point. It was not something that I thought of; it was something that was planned a long time ago. It can still be done. and done in a different way. That is what we should be looking at.
I notice the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce said today, whilst he might support INPEX going in the middle of the harbour, he wants to know what the government’s future plan is for more industrial expansion. That is the big thing that worries us – is Dow Chemicals now going into the middle of the harbour? What else will now go in the middle of the harbour?
Have we planned far enough ahead? For instance, there is only a small amount of land in the middle of the harbour and, when that is full, minister, where will the next block of industrial development go? These are reasonable questions. They are not questions to say we should not have industrial development. They are simply questions that the government needs to answer.
Minister, I thank you for your report. It is an important area. Perhaps we could get a more substantial statement on it one day, because it is the core of development in the Northern Territory at the moment, especially in the Top End.
Mr VATSKALIS (Business and Economic Development): Madam Speaker, our government has a clear vision and has in place processes and a plan for the future. Five years ago we put something in place. We had criticism at the time that nothing would happen; that it was not going to be successful. However, because of the economic and resources boom we are seeing now, as soon as we make land available, it is grabbed straightaway.
My recent visit to Singapore clearly showed me how important a plan is for the development of any jurisdiction in the country. We are lucky we have land under our control. Some of this land is going to be sold as freehold land; some of this land is only going to be leased because it is on the waterfront. There are certain examples in Darwin and its surroundings where land under the previous government was given freehold to developers. That land is sitting there empty. Nobody is developing it because people are land banking. We are trying to avoid that.
One thing I would like members opposite to know is this model we have in Darwin is going to be repeated in Katherine and Alice Springs and other places where there is demand for land for economic development.
Annual Geoscience Exploration Seminar
Mr NATT (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, I report on the unqualified success of the 9th Annual Geoscience Exploration Seminar, or AGES, as we know it, held in the Alice Springs Convention Centre from 17 to 19 March this year. This conference is held to highlight the mineral exploration potential of the Northern Territory. This year, AGES had particular emphasis on the emerging mineral potential of Central Australia.
The information presented at AGES was comprised of reports from selected explorers and miners already working in the Territory, and the findings and results of work undertaken by the Northern Territory Geological Survey, or the NTGS, as part of the Territory’s wider investment attraction strategy Bringing Forward Discovery. This forum has been building in importance over the years and, now, with the implementation of the department’s China strategy and interest from Chinese investors increasing, AGES has become one of the major exploration and mining seminars in the country.
The Northern Territory is still the only jurisdiction in Australia which has a dedicated China strategy. This strategy is a long-term plan to attract Chinese investment into minerals exploration and development. It assists industry to open doors; identify potential Chinese investors and match them with companies working in the Territory who would benefit from such alliances. The strategy also promotes Territory projects to Chinese investors by participation in seminars, inbound visits, and Northern Territory government delegations to China.
My Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines has a dedicated Chinese website, which is linked to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Minerals website, thus connecting users to over 3000 Chinese companies. Under the strategy, we also assist local companies with protocol and communication in the Chinese market.
Our focus on China and other potential overseas investors has paid off. This was borne out by the most recent AGES which saw international delegates from Canada, China and Japan - a reflection of the increased interest in the Territory from major overseas companies.
This year, AGES was attended by a record number of delegates: 359 people listened to presentations from seven exploration companies who gave highly technical presentations on their projects in the Territory, and to departmental experts who outlined the work being undertaken by the NTGS. The associated Mining Supply Seminar and Mining Services Expo were also well attended, with attendances overall up by 18% from the previous year.
During AGES, delegates were introduced to my department’s major investment attraction program Bringing Forward Discovery. Under this program, the government through the NTGS, has committed to: undertaking detailed prospectivity analysis of greenfield terrains; conducting regional gravity surveys - one of which was completed last week in Central Australia; continuing the release of high-quality, targeted geoscience data; and improving online access to information for industry.
Delegates also received an overview of exploration in the Territory for 2007 and were informed about new mining developments in the Territory with a snapshot of what the future may look like. They were presented with technical papers on new insights into the Alcoota region; geology and mineralisation of the Entia Dome; mineralisation styles in the eastern Arunta; the discovery of the Archaean inlier in Arnhem Land; and a paper on mineral systems of the Calvert Hills region.
Delegates also listened to presentations on topics very much in the news, such as: the Alligator River uranium modelling project; sacred sites in the Territory and the processes for site registration; the government’s China investment strategy; and onshore energy security programs in the Territory. From these diverse topics it is clear why AGES is of such importance to explorers and miners alike.
The interest in AGES can also be demonstrated by a breakdown of the attendees. There were 105 exploration executives attending from 63 different companies with over 50% of them attending AGES for the first time - a clear indication that the word about the value of this seminar is well and truly out.
My department has received very positive feedback from industry on the success of AGES 2008 and is already planning the 10th AGES conference in March 2009, to ensure that the goodwill and momentum already developed continues.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his report this morning. It is very important these seminars are held to show that the Northern Territory is highly supportive of the resource industry. We are riding on the boom of this area now. It is very pleasing to see the seminar’s goal fulfilled and this year’s record number of participants. This is presenting the Northern Territory in the best light possible.
It also shows the importance of capitalising on the Chinese market. I do not need to tell the minister that. He has had delegations to China, which is most important. With the amount of money they have to develop the resources from Australia, it is critical our relationship with China continues so the Northern Territory can capitalise on it and continue with its boom.
Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his report.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, it was a very successful conference. For the business community of Alice Springs, the Mining Supply Seminar was particularly beneficial. A number of were companies represented and extensive networking went on. When we do get past the exploration stage, there will be benefits for local businesses.
I would have liked to have attended some of the talks that were given. I know they were highly technical and I would not have understood them, but there were occasions when I thought there was information that would have been beneficial for the general public to receive. There is a much exploration activity in the Alice Springs region at the moment and, as you know, there are many myths and legends spreading around the place.
I was surprised there was no demonstration at the conference. We were all geared up to see the anti-uranium mining lobby come out and demonstrate. I am not quite sure how you managed to get away with that. It was interesting that the seminar did not attract that group of demonstrators.
I know it is technical, but I would have liked to have had some overview of what was going on from the mining people who were there. I know you had two parts; you had the conference and then you had the other part which was not open to the general public. I suggest that next time provision be made for those of us who are interested in some of the mining companies presentations .
Mr NATT (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, I thank members for their responses. As was pointed out, the work that has been done by the department has been exceptional. The Alice Springs business community has benefited greatly from that, especially in supplying goods to the exploration companies undertaking work in that area.
I recognise members of the public may be interested. I understand the AGES conference was advertised. I will check to see how widely that was advertised. It is worthwhile noting. We should have a look at that.
I thank the Geoscience team for all the work that they undertook for the Northern Territory. They recognise the Territory is a vast land. It is rich in minerals. It has huge opportunities and potential. My department is well aware of that and they are pushing it very hard. That is where the China investment strategy comes in. We have seen some terrific interest from there and, in the not-too-distant future, there are going to be some impressive agreements come out of it.
Marine Research Programs between the Northern Territory and Timor-Leste
Mr KIELY (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Madam Speaker, I report to the Assembly on the great work being done by our marine scientists to assist the redevelopment of one of the Territory’s closest regional neighbours and the world’s newest nation, Timor-Leste.
Timor-Leste has a rich array of marine biodiversity and coral reefs which are virtually untouched. Timor-Leste has a coastline of approximately 700 km. However, the extent and status of these coastal and marine resources are poorly known. Significantly, Timor-Leste’s north coast sits on the edge of an underwater precipice, Wetar Strait, a marine trench approximately 3 km deep which provides a natural corridor for a vast array of pelagic and migrating marine wildlife, including whales, dolphins, tuna and sailfish.
Its coastal coral reefs sit at the heart of the Indo-Pacific ‘coral triangle’ - the global centre of coral and tropical marine biodiversity. These reefs are constantly refreshed by deep, nutrient-rich water bringing both predators and prey to within easy reach of the coast. These conditions provide for some of the world’s best diving. While the status of Timor-Leste’s marine environment is predicted to be promising, due to limited commercial exploitation little or no research information is available on the state of Timor’s coasts and oceans.
In October 2006, the government of Timor-Leste funded a multi-agency collaborative coastal and marine research planning and training program with a view to building capacity and fostering regional economic development and sustainable marine industries such as coastal ecotourism, fisheries and aquaculture.
This multidisciplinary program includes 12 Northern Territory-based experts and as many experts from Timor-Leste covering a wide range of disciplines including cetacean biology, ecotourism, fisheries, marine parks, marine habitat mapping and monitoring, and anthropology. The projects are being led and undertaken by staff in the Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts’ (NRETA ) newly established Marine Biodiversity Branch, Northern Territory Fisheries, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and Charles Darwin University.
NRETA scientists are leading or are key participants in four of the six projects. These are:
Mapping the coastal and marine habitats of Timor-Leste. This collaborative project with Charles Darwin University is using advance mapping techniques and will provide information necessary to find the best sites for marine parks, tourism infrastructure and small-scale fisheries and aquaculture development;
Coastal and marine ecotourism in Timor-Leste. This project is identifying the key natural and cultural coastal and marine ecotourism values, as well as the issues and challenges for developing a small-scale coastal ecotourism industry in Timor;
Establishing Timor-Leste’s first marine park. Timor’s first marine park will be situated on the Jaku Island in Lospalos on the easternmost tip of Timor-Leste. The island is a protected national park recognised for its pristine waters and white sand beaches, abundant coral reefs and marine life such as turtles, sharks and rays, and nearby ancient cave paintings and ancestral tombs; and
Aerial surveys of marine megafauna. This collaborative project with the Australian Institute of Marine Science is identifying the distribution and abundance of large marine wildlife in Timor such as whales, dolphins, dugongs, crocodiles, sharks, rays and large pelagic fish species such as sailfish.
Employment creation, training and capacity building is a key focus for all these marine projects so the people of Timor-Leste will, one day, be in a position to manage their outstanding natural assets. The work done will also lay the foundation for economic development and long-term environmental stewardship.
The Territory has its own very good reasons for its marine program in Timor-Leste. Our marine environment, marine wildlife and marine fisheries resources do not recognise international boundaries. Within our shared seas of the Arafura and Timor region, the development of a cooperative and collaborative approach in marine research, planning and training is vital for long-term management of our marine environment.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his report. It is reassuring to see a good relationship with Timor-Leste as far as our marine areas are concerned. The preservation of them is very important. Minister, it would appear from the report this morning that you have a good relationship with them. That is very important for the future.
It is a pity that you do not have such a good relationship with the agricultural industry around the Douglas Daly and the Daly region. You seem to have a very good relationship, working cooperatively and collaboratively with Timor-Leste, so, why do you not try sorting out the problem on the home front as well in the Douglas Daly area, so that farmers know exactly where they stand? Then that area can be developed, and we can have that cooperative and collaborative effort happening here as well.
I note your report, minister.
Mr KIELY (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Katherine for her contribution and comments. The member for Katherine is right when she says it is great to build relationships, particularly with the newest nation to our north, Timor-Leste. The need to look to the north to strengthen our ties and to work with our neighbours is a point that the members of the opposition consistently make in this House, and is something that we are doing quite happily with Timor-Leste, because we are not sure of that marine wildlife’s migratory patterns. Some, we believe, does end up around our coastline here in Darwin.
Insofar as relationships with horticulturalists on the Daly, we are about getting those relationships right. Our work is about sustainability and about the future. We are looking to protect the Daly for all Territorians. We are looking to ensure that it is there for all Territorians into the future. I am sure this government will be thanked by this generation when the report is finally released.
Reports noted pursuant to standing orders.
LEGAL PROFESSION AMENDMENT (COMPLAINTS AND DISCIPLINE) BILL
(Serial 147)
(Serial 147)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr BURNS (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to amend the Legal Profession Act to improve and clarify issues relating to the operation of the disciplinary provisions of the Legal Profession Act 2006. The Legal Profession Act 2006 made substantial changes to the ways in which complaints are made against lawyers, and in which the complaints are dealt with. This included the creation of the Disciplinary Tribunal. The Legal Profession Act 2006 adopted model provisions in relation to the matters that could be the subject of complaints against, and the discipline of, Australian legal practitioners.
The provisions were designed to achieve a greater uniformity of standards applied by the regulators such at the Law Society and courts across Australia. One of the purposes of these provisions concerning the discipline of the legal profession is to ensure all persons have the right to complain about the conduct of a lawyer, and to promote transparency and openness of the related processes, subject to the need for confidentiality in some circumstances. Each jurisdiction has developed its own administrative system governing complaints.
For the Northern Territory, the agreed process for disciplinary action is as follows:
any person, whether or not they are a client of the legal practitioner (the complainant) may make a complaint against a legal practitioner to the Law Society;
the Law Society may request further information from the complainants about the complaint;
the Law Society will generally then notify the complainant of the receipt of their complaint, and will also ensure the subject of the complaint is informed of the complaint against them, and are provided with a copy of the complaint and informed of their rights in regard to the complaint;
in some circumstances, the subject of the complaint may not be notified, for example, if the Law Society considered that doing so would prejudice the investigation or court processes; and
the complainant may also withdraw the complaint provided the Disciplinary Tribunal is not yet involved.
The Law Society will investigate the complaint unless certain provisions of the Legal Profession Act apply. The Law Society then has the power to take certain action, including dismissing the complaint. After investigating a complaint, the Law Society may publicly reprimand or impose a fine on the legal practitioner. The Law Society may also immediately suspend the legal practitioner’s practising certificate. In order to take this action, the Law Society must comply with a number of provisions outlined in the Legal Profession Act 2006. The Statutory Supervisor must monitor the investigations by the Law Society and may require the Law Society to provide progress reports of investigations.
Both the legal practitioner and the complainant can appeal to the Disciplinary Tribunal against a decision of the Law Society. An appeal to the Disciplinary Tribunal is by way of re-hearing, and involves each of the complainant, the legal practitioner and the Law Society as parties to the appeal. The Law Society may also lodge a complaint, called a Disciplinary Application, directly with the Disciplinary Tribunal. Such an application is dealt with by way of a hearing with the Law Society and the legal practitioner as parties to the hearing. Appeals from the Disciplinary Tribunal are heard by the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory.
In the course of the implementation of the disciplinary provisions of the act, a number of matters have come to light. In the main, they are minor matters of inconsistencies within the act. I shall now outline the inconsistencies, together with the government’s proposed amendments.
Section 530 of the act requires that the legal practitioner’s Disciplinary Tribunal provide ‘parties’ to proceedings with copies of its decisions. In most cases, the parties will be a lawyer and the Law Society. A complainant is not a party and, therefore, does not currently have a right to be provided with the decision of the tribunal. We propose that complainants who appeared at a hearing are provided with notice of the decision of the tribunal.
Section 533 of the act provides a right of appeal to the Supreme Court to complainants and legal practitioners who are a party to disciplinary proceedings before the tribunal. There is no right of appeal provided to the Law Society. This amendment proposes to provide the Law Society with a right of appeal against any decisions of the tribunal. For decisions made prior to the commencement of the amending legislation, any such appeal must be made within 28 days of the commencement of the amending legislation.
The Disciplinary Tribunal has two main areas of jurisdiction. The first is to deal with the major disciplinary matters; the second is to deal with appeals against decisions of the Law Society. The act currently provides that members of the Disciplinary Tribunal to hear and decide disciplinary proceedings are selected by the chairperson of the Disciplinary Tribunal after a disciplinary action is started under Chapter 4 of the act. However, the act does not say how the membership is determined for appeals. Section 674 is to be amended to cover appeals against the Law Society decisions under section 506 of the act, as well as disciplinary applications.
Currently, section 676A of the act requires all 12 members of the Disciplinary Tribunal to agree before signing new rules for its practice and procedure. Section 676A is to be repealed and replaced by section 677. New section 677 provides that the chairperson can make practice directions and rules after consultation with the other members. It is not practical to have all 12 part-time members signing the rules.
Section 677A provides for the appointment of a Registrar of the Disciplinary Tribunal. Most tribunals have an administrative officer who is responsible for the day-to-day conduct of the affairs of the tribunal. Currently, as an administrative arrangement, the function is carried out by the Registrar of the Supreme Court. It is appropriate that the act formally provide for the position and that the decision as to who should perform the function should rest with the chief executive officer of the department administering the act, which is currently the Department of Justice.
I will provide a clause-by-clause description of the contents of the bill.
Clause 3 amends section 530, Notice of decision, so that the Disciplinary Tribunal must now provide notice of its decision to both the ‘parties’ of proceedings. Notice must also be given to any complainant who appeared at the hearing.
Clause 4 amends section 533, Appeal against Disciplinary Tribunal Orders, so as to also give the Law Society a right of appeal to the Supreme Court against any Disciplinary Tribunal decision, and to restrict the right of a complainant to complainants who appeared at the hearing.
For decisions made prior to the commencement of the amending legislation, any such appeal by the Law Society must be made within 28 days of the commencement of the amending legislation. This provision is justified on the basis that it is preferable to ensure that the achieving of the correct outcome for the disciplinary matter should not be prejudiced by a technical problem in the act regarding appeals. In practice, it is expected that few, if any, matters will be actually affected by this transitional provision.
Clause 5 amends section 674, Constitution of Disciplinary Tribunal for Hearings of the Act, to provide for the constitution of the tribunal to hear and decide proceedings for an appeal against Law Society decisions under section 506 of the act, as well as for disciplinary applications.
Clause 6 repeals section 676A of the act. Section 676A is to be replaced by section 677A.
Clause 7 provides for a new section 677A. This section will give the chairperson the power to issue practice directions and rules relating to the practice and procedure of the disciplinary tribunal. This clause also provides for a person to be appointed by the chief executive officer of the agency administering the act to be the Registrar of the Disciplinary Tribunal.
Clause 8 provides for minor grammatical amendments to the definition of regulatory authority in section 4 of the act as set out in the schedule of the bill. There is no change to the substantive meaning of the definition.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
COURTS AND ADMINISTRATIVE
TRIBUNALS (IMMUNITIES) BILL
(Serial 143)
TRIBUNALS (IMMUNITIES) BILL
(Serial 143)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr BURNS (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
This bill seeks to clarify four things:
1. that judicial officers are immune from civil and criminal liability when exercising judicial function;
2. that judicial officers are also immune when they are exercising administrative function;
The purpose of this bill is to introduce a legislative system of immunities to judicial officers and members of administrative tribunals. Immunity for judicial officers stems from the common law and dates back to the 17th century. It was generally accepted that parties, witness, counsel, jury or judge could not be called to answer either in the civil or criminal courts for words or acts performed honestly and in good faith in the course of legal proceedings. The High Court of Australia has delivered judgments accepting this general proposition. This does not mean that legal proceedings are of themselves above the law. The law does not absolve liability simply because an act or omission was committed by a judge or a lawyer.
Blatant disregard for the law such as bribery, corruption or perverting the course of justice does not attract the immunity. Provisions such as section 93 of the Criminal Code are specifically directed at judicial corruption. What the immunity does enable is the resolution of disputes because participants are free to fully state their case or exercise appropriate authority without fear of recrimination by government or other authorities. Traditionally, the centuries-old rule was taken to apply only to judges and magistrates and those persons who appeared before them; that is, the immunity only applied to judicial functions. In more recent times however, quasi-judicial tribunals have been created by statute. These tribunals derive their power solely through government created legislation, not the common law.
Normally, such tribunals may only make decisions in relation to a particular area of industry or government business. Take, for example, the Agents Licensing Board of the Northern Territory. Real estate agents, agent’s representatives, business agents and conveyancing agents must act in accordance with the Agents Licensing Act. Failure to do so may result in an appearance before the Agents Licensing Board. Similarly, the Building Practitioners Board and Director of building control oversee the Buildings Act.
The creation of these tribunals does not blur the lines between the separate functions of administrative bodies on one hand and judicial bodies on the other. The Supreme Court itself carries out a largely administrative task when it or one of its members constitutes, or partly constitutes, tribunals such as the Motor Accidents Compensation Tribunal under the Motor Accidents (Compensation) Act or as a Land and Valuation Review Tribunal under the Valuation of Land Act.
Often people who sit on tribunals are not judges or magistrates but industry specialists who have experience in that particular field. The establishment of the tribunal through legislation, plus the fact that the members of the tribunal may not be judicial officers, casts some doubt over whether the immunity normally afforded to judges, magistrates and participants in judicial proceedings also applies to these members of quasi-judicial tribunals. In addition, many judges, and magistrates in particular, perform functions of an administrative nature by sitting on those review panels which oversee the decisions made by these government-created tribunals. The role played by these officers in such circumstances may be better classified as administrative.
Judges and magistrates may also perform administrative tasks in the exercise of their judicial authority. Examples of these types of activities include authorising search warrants or granting a restraining order over property which is suspected of being the proceeds of crime. Judicial officers are well placed to be able to exercise this function. However, it calls into question the extent to which traditional and judicial immunity afforded to judges and magistrates applies when the forum in which the decisions they make are not traditional courts, but tribunals.
Finally, administrative tasks are also performed by judicial officers in the exercise of their judicial function. All these tasks are usually performed ‘off the bench’ or when the judge or magistrate is not acting in a judicial capacity. Examples of these acts are organising court lists or delegating other judicial staff to sit at particular circuit courts. None of these functions can properly be classified as judicial although they are necessary for the day-to-day operation of our judicial system.
There are over 122 individual acts which establish the Northern Territory Administrative Tribunals or persons with statutory powers of a quasi-judicial nature. These range from those mentioned previously to ones such as the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, when considering complaints and making decisions regarding compensation.
If, following a decision of a particular tribunal, one of the parties wishes to seek a review of the factual merits of the decision made, in the majority of cases that party makes an application to the local court. This is at odds with the rest of the country where there are formally established and wholly dedicated Appeals Tribunals with full-time members who hear the factual merits appeal, even though they are not formally appointed judges or magistrates. Although a similar regime may be desirable in the Northern Territory, our small jurisdiction may not yet be at a stage where it would be viable on a full-time basis. This is an issue that is under consideration. However, for the present and foreseeable future, it is more than likely that the judiciary will continue to have a strong day-to-day role in providing second-tier administrative decision-making. Indeed, it appears that most of the magistrates who perform the bulk of this review work have indicated they currently do not experience any difficulty in balancing their traditional judicial role with additional administrative review functions many government statutes still require them to take.
What they have expressed concern about, however, is the uncertainty which surrounds the extent of their immunity when they perform these administrative tasks. They are not sitting as judicial officers, even though that is their main occupation; therefore, it is not clear to what extent traditional immunities which are offered to judicial officers extend to them when performing this administrative role. Further, not all of the acts which create tribunals specifically set out the extent of the immunity, if any, for members who are not judicial officers, legal practitioners, or other persons who come before the tribunal. It is important to bear in mind that, while these tribunals appear to have a strictly legal function, in actual fact they are government creations. Therefore, persons who appear before them may not be legal practitioners but government employees or industry specialists from the private sector. While government employees do enjoy a certain degree of immunity by virtue of their employment, it is unclear to what extent this immunity would extend to a private individual exercising functions in these tribunals. This bill seeks to clarify these potential anomalies by stating that all persons who are involved in these tribunals - be they judges, magistrates, industry specialists, witnesses or lawyers - will enjoy the same immunities which have previously been afforded parties who appear in judicial courts.
The bill also ensures that when judicial officers perform administrative tasks such as organising staff meetings or dividing workloads, they are also afforded the same immunity as when they are actually sitting in a courtroom exercising their judicial function. The immunity will cover all persons performing tasks required under the 122 or so acts in the Northern Territory which establish administrative tribunals. As has always been the case with traditional judicial immunity, this immunity only applies when persons are acting honestly and in good faith before the tribunal. Criminal activity, bribery, or corruption is clearly not contemplated by this amendment. What is intended, however, is that Territory residents can participate fully in having their government queries resolved without fear of recrimination or legal action.
I will now briefly deal with each of the provisions of the act. Clause 3 contains the key definitions. ‘Administrative tribunal’ is broadly defined so that it covers any person or body that may conduct hearings for the resolution of administrative or quasi-judicial issues. Thus, it covers licensing bodies and determinative bodies and persons such as the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner and the Commissioner for Tenancies. For the provision of removing doubts that may exist regarding particular decision-makers, the regulations may prescribe that such persons are or are not a tribunal for the purposes of this legislation.
Clause 4 provides the immunities for persons exercising judicial powers, powers of administrative review or ancillary powers. A member of a court, as defined, incurs no civil or criminal liability for performing an honest act in the exercise of their judicial powers, administrative powers assigned in their judicial capacity, or administrative powers conferred by law. Members of an administrative tribunal incur no civil or criminal liability for performing an honest act in the exercise of the power of administrative review, or any incidental powers conferred by law on the tribunal or member. An ancillary officer of a court or administrative tribunal incurs no civil or criminal liability for honest acts performed in the exercise of the powers conferred on the officer.
Clause 5 sets out what are the immunities for witnesses and representatives. Representatives before an administrative tribunal, who may or may not be legal practitioners, and witnesses who give evidence before an administrative tribunal, are immune from civil and criminal liability provided their behaviour is honest and reasonable in all the circumstances. Existing liabilities such as prosecution for contempt of court or professional misconduct continue to apply.
Clause 6 provides that the act does not affect other acts and the common law. Many, if not most of the acts that provide for administrative tribunals, afford a level of protection for persons who are members of the tribunal or involved with the work of the tribunal. Often, they provide no protection for persons who appear before them - with some exceptions, such as the Agents Licensing Act in relation to persons appearing before the Agents Licensing Board.
Notwithstanding the introduction of the bill, existing immunities and protections afforded under legislation, and at common law, continue to apply. Over time, consideration will be given to amending other acts so that they use either the same words as in the bill or so that they rely on the bill.
We have also given consideration to a suggestion made by the Chief Magistrate that the legislation should give judicial officers immunity from giving evidence concerning the discharge of their duties. The Chief Magistrate gave, as an example, immunity from giving evidence about search warrants. At this time, I do not support the need for such an amendment. It is one thing to provide a level of immunity for acts done in good faith in the course of duties; it is quite another matter to grant immunity from giving evidence about matters done in the course of duties.
Based on advice provided by the Department of Justice, I understand that there are few, if any, recent examples of judicial officers giving evidence about why they made particular decisions. The practical problems do not warrant trying to draft legislation that could, in some circumstances, appear to place a judicial officer above the law. The view from such a place does not offer a good perspective for a judicial officer.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
MOTION
Note Statement – Our Economy -
Delivering for Families
Note Statement – Our Economy -
Delivering for Families
Continued from 1 May 2008.
Mr NATT (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to talk about the Chief Minister’s economic report. We have heard from the Chief Minister how the Territory’s economy is moving from strength to strength. I take this opportunity to outline to the Assembly how my portfolios of Primary Industry and Fisheries and Mines and Energy are playing a major role in that success.
I will start with the pastoral industry. There are 1.8 million cattle in the Northern Territory. In 2007, around 283 000 cattle were exported through the Port of Darwin, with a gross value of $224m, an increase of 55 000 cattle over the previous year of 2006. In anyone’s language, that is a significant contribution to the economy.
The Territory is broadly divided into four cattle regions. The Top End region predominantly fattens cattle sourced from other areas and also has specific breeder cattle operations for the live export market. The properties are mostly privately owned, with two indigenous-owned operations running within the region.
The Katherine region also breeds and fattens cattle for the live export market. This region comprises the Victoria River district, or the VRD, and Sturt Plateau and the Roper. The VRD is predominantly owned by corporate pastoral houses, with some private ownership, and the Sturt Plateau and Roper regions are almost exclusively privately owned.
The Barkly region breeds composite - that is, a mixture of Brahman and European breeds) cattle that lend themselves well to the eastern seaboard feedlot trade, the domestic market and also the live cattle export trade. The properties are mostly owned by large corporate pastoral entities. Whilst they tend to concentrate on the eastern seaboard trade rather than live export, they also supply the live cattle export trade.
Around the Alice Springs region, the properties are almost all privately owned and concentrate on British breeds suited to the southern domestic market and the domestic feedlot trade.
Of the entire Northern Territory cattle herds, 64% go to the live export with the other 36% being sold interstate. The majority of these exports are to a single major market, and that is Indonesia.
That is the reason I travelled to Indonesia earlier this year. I visited Jakarta and met with the members of APFINDO, which is a group that exports our cattle to Indonesia. I have assured them the Northern Territory support is assured. I visited some very large feedlots there which were exceptionally well-kept and maintained. This is a highly significant market for the Northern Territory. My department has been working extremely well and closely with the members to ensure that their operations are well-maintained, that their animal husbandry issues are supported, and that they appropriately educate the feedlot workers and owners within the industry.
I also visited Sabah in Malaysia. My department has been doing a lot of work with Sabah. The government-to-government partnership in that area is exceptional. We currently have a memorandum of cooperation with them. My department has been doing a lot of on-the-ground work to support them, giving them various aspects of guidance in the breeding programs and also with feedlot support. In addition, we have been assisting them with their halal meat market to the point where they have actually built an abattoir. We have had a lot of input into the methods of slaughtering beasts and maintaining the animal husbandry aspects of that. We expect that to grow into the future.
My Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines is working hard developing new markets in Vietnam and Malaysia, so this important industry can continue to grow. Estimates reveal that, with strategic development and planning, there is potential to double the live cattle export market to in excess of 500 000 animals over the next five to seven years - something that would be very beneficial for the Territory and our Asian neighbours.
Consequently, I visited Vietnam earlier this year to follow up on a trip that the former Chief Minister made last year. We had representatives of the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association and the Northern Territory Live Exporters Association with us. We met with government officials in Hanoi and Na Tring. We have had a wonderful response. We ran some feedlot seminars in Ho Chi Minh City and also Na Tring. We are going to have some follow-ups from Vietnamese government officials and produce businessmen who will be coming out in May. That is great news for the cattle industry and we look forward to ensuring we can export cattle there into the future.
While the cattle industry is the most obvious of our primary industries, crops, forestry and horticulture are also important ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, I will interrupt you at that point. You can continue your remarks after Question Time.
Debate suspended.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the Speaker’s Gallery of his Worship the Lord Mayor of Darwin, Mr Graham Sawyer, and Ms Meron Looney; the Senator for the Northern Territory, Senator Trish Crossin; and also Ms Dawn Lawrie, the former member for Nightcliff and mother of the Treasurer, with the Treasurer’s two daughters, Jhenne and Bronte, and Mrs Daphne Read On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
It is wonderful to have so many visitors here from Darwin and Palmerston in the galleries. I particularly welcome the Under Treasurer, Ms Jennifer Prince and Treasury officers. Thank you for all your hard work in relation to putting the budget together with the Treasurer. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
I also draw your attention to the Chief Executive of the Department of the Chief Minister, Mr Mike Burgess, and several other chief executives from the public service. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
APPROPRIATION BILL 2008
(Serial 141)
(Serial 141)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Ms LAWRIE (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time. I table the 2008-09 Appropriation Bill and related papers.
Budget 2008-09 is the Labor government’s eighth budget and my first as Treasurer. It delivers on the Henderson government’s key priorities of: growing our economy and cutting taxes; Closing the Gap on Indigenous Disadvantage; tackling crime; quality education and health services; and investing in infrastructure.
The Henderson government is delivering on these priorities to ensure the Territory remains the best place in Australia to live, work and raise a family. Budget 2008-09 delivers for Territory families today and it provides for a bright future. Wherever you live in the Territory, Budget 2008-09 invests in the fundamentals of a fair society, extending services throughout the bush whilst strengthening our towns and capital city.
As Treasurer, I inherited a strong economy and a healthy budget. Under Labor, we have now had five consecutive budget surpluses and, today, we are projecting cash surpluses for the next five years. Strong financial management is the cornerstone of a strong economy. It is no accident that our economy is forecast to have the strongest growth in the country over the next five years. Access Economics has forecast the Territory’s economic growth to be at 7% next financial year. We are a little more conservative and today’s budget papers forecast growth at 6.6%. Growth forecasts are remarkable and the highest in the country. Growth forecasts are driven by strong growth in exports from the mining and manufacturing industries. The major contributors to the growth in exports will be the increased production of alumina from the Alcan Gove refinery and lead zinc from the McArthur River Mine, as well as recovery in offshore oil and gas production following temporary shutdowns of the LNG plants and associated gas field and the Corallina oil fields in late 2007.
Importantly, new projects are coming online in 2008-09 including oil field developments in the Timor Sea, the ongoing development of the Blacktip gas field, and the expansion of the GEMCO manganese processing facility at Groote Eylandt, sustaining engineering activity.
So far this year, three Henderson government ministers, including the Chief Minister, have been to China to talk up the Territory and what we have to offer. Obviously, China is important to our extractive industry, but the future of our relationship with China goes beyond just resources and includes tourism. Engaging China and promoting the Territory will continue to be a focus of this government’s economy strategy.
The Territory’s labour force is expanding strongly in 2007-08 with resident employment increasing by 4.8%. More than 5000 jobs have been created in the year since the last budget. This is a testament to the success of the Henderson government’s Jobs Plan 3. Business and consumer confidence is high and retail spending is the highest in the country. At the same time as we are experiencing strong economic, employment and consumption growth, Darwin also has the second-lowest annual inflation rate in the country.
The Darwin CPI is estimated to moderate to 3.1% in 2008 from 3.4% recorded for 2007, and forecast to reduce further in 2009 to 2.8%. Our population is increasing and is estimated to grow by 1.9% in 2008, compared to 1.5% nationally. The outlook for the 2008-09 is positive, with the high levels of investment of recent years driving Territory exports and strong economic growth.
The benefits of a strong economy must flow through to Territory families. This is the underlying structure of Budget 2008-09. There are tax cuts for families, improved home affordability, new and improved schools, improved hospitals and health services, and a record infrastructure spend. Budget 2008-09 delivers for Territory families while continuing to focus on fiscal responsibility and sustainability.
There is no greater threat to our growing economy than irresponsible financial management. We cannot go back to the days of black holes. We cannot go back to the days of a capital works program without cash. Three years ago, we said that the budget would be in balance by Budget 2008-09. In fact, we have now delivered five consecutive surpluses and are projecting cash surpluses in all the years from 2007-08. Long-term surpluses mean that government can plan for the future and deliver both service expansion and new infrastructure development. We can deliver for families now and invest in the Territory’s future.
Long-term surpluses give business the confidence required to invest. A surplus of $5m is projected for 2007-08. This is a $45m improvement in the estimated outcome, and includes $20m set aside for future infrastructure and superannuation requirements.
During 2007-08, there has been a significant increase in both receipts and payments. Receipts have increased by $333m to $3.723bn, largely due to an increase in Commonwealth revenue of $246m and taxes and mining royalties of $47m. The higher Commonwealth revenue is the result of higher GST revenue of $51m, due to increased Territory population and the size of the GST pool. The remaining $195m of Commonwealth revenue is the result of additional special purpose payment funding, with much of it related to the federal intervention. The balance of the increase is due to higher dividends and taxes from government’s business entities of $11m, increased interest revenue of $21m, and a minor increase in agency revenue.
Payments in 2007-08 are estimated to be $3.718bn, $331m higher than the original budget. This growth is largely attributable to additional Commonwealth revenue and initiatives associated with Closing the Gap of Indigenous Disadvantage. For the 2008-09 Budget, total receipts are estimated to be $3.855bn, and payments are estimated to be $3.846bn, resulting in a projected surplus for 2008-09 of $9m. Nett debt for 2008-09 is projected to be $1.58bn, with a nett debt to revenue ratio at 38%, falling to 36% by 2011-12. Nett debt plus employee liabilities is expected to be $4.4bn in 2008-09, with a ratio to revenue of 106%, falling to 101% by 2011-12. This is a significant reduction on the 134% inherited in 2001. It demonstrates the sound, fiscal responsibility of this government while, at the same time, improving the services delivered for Territory families.
Budget 2008-09 will continue to deliver jobs growth critical to Territory families. Jobs Plan 3 continues with more Territorians in training than ever before. Budget 2008-09 also provides for improved community safety with funding for 60 additional police dedicated to the streets of our suburbs. The benefits of economic growth needs to be applied to strengthening communities, bringing harmony through opportunities for all.
Budget 2008-09 delivers critical funding towards the Northern Territory government’s Closing the Gap initiatives to tackle indigenous disadvantage. Closing the Gap is supported by a five-year investment package of $286m. Budget 2008-09 delivers a range of new investments in child protection, education, housing, community safety and regional economic development. Our child protection and out-of-home care services budget is now $48m, compared to less than $8m when we came to government, and there are 106 more child protection workers than in 2001. As part of the Closing the Gap initiatives, $5.9m expands the Child Abuse Task Force, which involves 24 extra police and 23 extra Family and Community Services workers. There is also $7m for a range of child protection and family support services designed to assist families in crisis and prevent child harm.
Last week, the Deputy Chief Minister outlined a comprehensive reform agenda for improving indigenous education. This is a priority for the Henderson government and is a key element of Closing the Gap. Budget 2008-09 delivers education initiatives, including over $17m towards education in our remote areas.
The Territory government will spend $6.6m over the next five years to develop partnership programs to improve student engagement and community involvement in our remote areas. Funding of $2.67m is also provided for the National Accelerated Literacy program to improve the literacy skills of students who have failed to make appropriate literacy gains.
To accommodate increases in enrolments in the bush, school facilities are being upgraded and improved, with $10m worth of school and education centre upgrades and new classrooms.
In supporting access to education, community safety is critical, and Budget 2008-09 delivers additional funding for community safety initiatives in the bush. Aside from the extra 47 staff in the Child Abuse Task Force, there is an additional $4.5m being provided for increased policing, community courts, court clinicians, Corrections officers and the expansion of the Indigenous Family Violence community-based program.
A total of $7.76m will be funded by the Commonwealth for the construction of the Galiwinku Police Station and police officer accommodation. There is also $1.8m being provided in Budget 2008-09 to support the Closing the Gap initiatives in cracking down on the curse of alcohol abuse, which so often is at the core of family and community dysfunction.
While we address need, it is also critical to provide opportunities. The Territory government is working to increase indigenous participation in the workforce, and this budget includes the following initiatives to meet this priority: development of a new Indigenous Employment and Career Development Strategy; $830 000 for targeted indigenous ranger programs, including the Marine Ranger Program; and funding for the Indigenous Arts Strategy.
In conjunction with the Commonwealth, the Territory has contributed $100m, taking the total to $893m, for the five-year commitment to improving remote indigenous housing. Budget 2008-09 includes: $108m for indigenous housing and infrastructure; implementation of a new housing management framework for remote communities and town camps; and $38m for the construction and replacement of remote government employee houses. This will build the bush socially and economically. Closing the Gap is an absolute priority of the Henderson government, and we will monitor its progress and work with communities and the Commonwealth to ensure that we succeed.
Budget 2008-09 cuts taxes with comprehensive reforms in stamp duty. The government continues to be the most tax-reforming government in the Territory’s history. Budget 2008-09 cuts stamp duty and payroll tax. The tax cuts in Budget 2008-09 deliver for Territory families and businesses. These tax cuts mean the Northern Territory will remain the lowest-taxing jurisdiction for small businesses in Australia.
The Henderson government has taken the step of being the first jurisdiction to cut conveyance stamp duty rates for all purchases and properties. From today, it will be more affordable to buy your own home, an investment property or a business in the Territory. The minimum tax rate will be just 1.5%, down from 2.1%, and the maximum rate will be reduced to 4.95% from 5.4%. The top rate will apply to properties valued at $525 000 or more, up from $500 000. First homebuyers will also benefit with an increase in the tax-free threshold from $350 000 to $385 000. These cuts are estimated to deliver savings of some $12m in 2008-09 for Territorians.
Budget 2008-09 cuts the payroll tax from 6.2% to 5.9%, a saving of $7.2m for business. The lower rate and the Territory’s tax-free threshold of $1.25m means that Territory businesses with wages up to $5m pay the lowest payroll tax in Australia, and businesses of up to 100 staff continue to pay the lowest recurrent taxes in Australia.
Budget 2008-09 cuts taxes and red tape. We are harmonising payroll tax to provide a simpler system consistent with other jurisdictions to make doing business in the Territory easier. We will introduce payroll tax exemptions from 1 July 2008 for a range of allowances that will save businesses $1.7m per year.
This government also delivers an enhanced HomeNorth scheme, which will help more Territorians own their own home sooner. The main improvements are increased income thresholds, an increase in the value of properties that can be purchased, and an increased level of government equity. Based on sales over the last year, these changes will enable an average Territory family with two adults and two children to access over 65% of the units and a quarter of the houses on the market.
The government recognises that the Territory has not been isolated from the national decrease in home affordability. While Darwin remains the second most affordable capital city, we need to ensure that affordability improves for Territory families. Stamp duty cuts and HomeNorth improvements in Budget 2008-09 will help deliver improved home affordability for Territory families.
The stamp duty and payroll tax cuts will help small business, the families that run them and the Territorians employed by them. It should also be pointed out that in Budget 2008-09 the Northern Territory remains the only jurisdiction not to impose a land tax - an annual tax on commercial properties that does not exist in the Northern Territory.
Budget 2008-09 also includes a range of other initiatives for improving business in the Territory. An additional $2.4m will be provided over three years for government/industry partnership to increase mineral exploration in the Territory. This is on top of the $12m provided under the Bringing Forward Discovery program that we commenced in Budget 2007-08. It is no accident that one of our key economic drivers, the minerals boom, is delivering results. The budget continues to fund the industry development support programs including peak business-related organisations, industry development grants and regional development grants of $1.8m.
Budget 2008-09 provides $4.5m for the Land Development Corporation to continue the development of industrial land including the Defence Support Hub, waterfront industrial land and Stage 2 of the Darwin Business Park.
Tourism NT will have a budget of $35.7m in 2008-09. There is funding to develop niche travel packages that appeal to global experience seekers who travel with a key purpose or special interest in mind such as indigenous culture, wildlife and art.
Madam Speaker, talk to almost any Territory business, big or small, and they will tell you that their biggest problem is getting staff. Notwithstanding the fact that more than 5000 extra jobs have been filled in the last year, the skill shortage remains a key issue for Territory businesses as it does for business Australia-wide. Under Jobs Plan 3, there are now more Territorians in training than ever before and we have the highest number of people in training on a per-capita basis in Australia.
Budget 2008-09 maintains the government’s commitment to maximising employment opportunities for all Territorians and developing a highly skilled labour market that meets industry needs. This budget will invest $6.3m in strategic jobs and training initiatives. There are now over 3300 apprentices and trainees in training. This is an increase of 1150 since 2001; of those 1760 are in skill shortage areas. Budget 2008-09 continues to invest in the vital services provided to Territory families in community safety, health and education.
Budget 2008-09 is tough on crime, with more police and funding to support our tough new laws. Budget 2008-09 for NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services is now at $247m, an increase of 81% since 2001. In Budget 2008-09, the Henderson government is providing an additional 60 police over two years dedicated to suburban streets. There will also be 10 additional auxiliaries placed in call centres by the end of next year. This is on top of the 40 police staff provided as part of Closing the Gap, and taking the additional police resources approved since the 2007 budget to 110. The Safer Streets initiative will increase the number of patrols and assist in targeting youth crime and public disorder. Budget 2008-09 is providing new and expanded police facilities. The new police station at Casuarina has been increased by $2.5m, taking the project to $7.34m. This station will provide state-of-the-art facilities for police and for the public. To further assist police in their work, this budget includes $5.16m to upgrade the digital radio network. We are providing the police with the tools they need to do the job.
To strengthen community safety, Budget 2008-09 includes additional funding of $2.5m for a range of initiatives to address antisocial behaviour including: $1.5m for a first response patrol and a Darwin area Night Patrol; $110 000 for a 24-hour antisocial behaviour reporting hotline; and ongoing funding of $650 000 is being provided to install and monitor a closed circuit TV network in the Darwin CBD. Funding of $750 000 is also provided in Budget 2008-09 for extra transport safety officers, and more resources to reduce antisocial behaviour on the Darwin bus network.
Budget 2008-09 backs the government’s commitment to crack down on youth crime. Where parents fail in their responsibility to their children, the government will step in. Juvenile offenders will be targeted with $2.5m towards tough new measures including family responsibility agreements and orders and new youth camps to stop the revolving door of youth offending.
Assisting victims is important and, as part of an ongoing package, an extra $427 000 has been provided in Budget 2008-09 to expand the operation of the Crime Victims Services Unit and victims register.
Work will commence on a detailed design of a new 1000-bed prison in the Darwin region. The government is committed to improving community safety, and Budget 2008-09 provides more police, better resources and increased funding to support our tough new laws.
The Henderson government is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of Territory families. We have announced that a new Department of Health and Families will be established from 1 July and will include NT Families and Children. The new Department of Health and Families will receive $915m in 2008-09.
Budget 2008-09 will deliver more money for hospitals with $229m for Royal Darwin Hospital, $130m for Alice Springs, $26.3m for Katherine, $18.8m for Gove, and $11.6m for Tennant Creek. In 2008-09, an additional six beds will be provided in Royal Darwin Hospital. Additional beds will also be opened in Alice Springs Hospital as the redevelopment of the Emergency Department and fire safety rectification works are progressed.
Budget 2008-09 delivers improved health facilities across the Territory including: a new $4.5m health centre at Milingimbi; new sobering-up shelters in Katherine and Tennant Creek to be funded by the Commonwealth; $1.7m for Stage 3 of fire upgrades at Tennant Creek Hospital; the Allied Health Service at the Alice Springs Hospital will also be expanded with the allocation of an addition $200 000. Hospital in the Home will be expanded at both Royal Darwin Hospital and Alice Springs Hospital to increase the service to a seven day per week operation.
An important Budget 2008-09 initiative is the expansion of the Northern Territory Patient Assistance Travel Scheme. Travelling interstate for medical treatment can be a difficult experience for patients and their families. An additional $2m has been provided to improve and expand the PAT scheme.
The Community Midwifery Program has been successfully implemented at Royal Darwin Hospital, and will be introduced to Alice Springs in 2008-09 with additional funding of $280 000.
Renal health is a chronic issue for the Territory, and Budget 2008-09 increases funding in this area by $1m.
As part of the Australian Health Care Agreement, additional funding of $3m will be provided to enhance hospital core services.
The newly established NT Families and Children will support Territory families and children by bringing together a range of services, including child protection, foster care, youth support and diversion programs. In line with these changes, the first NT Children’s Commissioner has been appointed.
An Office of Disability will be created. The office will streamline the way families and people with disabilities access services by providing a single front door service for the Northern Territory. $3.7m will be allocated to continue implementation of recommendations from the Northern Territory Disability Services Review. An additional $240 000 has been provided to increase the Taxi Subsidy Scheme and the Territory Independence and Mobility Equipment Scheme.
Spending on education and training this year will be $719m. This is in addition to the significant capital spending in both our urban and remote schools. I talked earlier about the initiatives being undertaken in relation to indigenous and remote education. Budget 2008-09 also continues to build and upgrade urban education infrastructure. The biggest urban initiative is the two new schools which will be built at Rosebery at a cost of $48.8m - a primary school for 600 students and a middle school for 850 students. This is an exciting new development and acknowledges Palmerston’s status as one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. Budget 2008-09 includes $9.5m for headworks, and both schools are due to be open in 2011.
Other urban school upgrades in Darwin and Alice Springs total $9.5m. Additional funding of $2.7m for school buses has been provided to cater for the introduction of middle year schooling and the introduction of seat belts on high-risk, regional school bus routes.
To assist students with intellectual disabilities and other special needs, this budget provides additional funding of $1.7m.
A growing economy requires infrastructure investment. Budget 2008-09 delivers the highest ever Territory infrastructure spend – a record $870m. Infrastructure spending creates jobs and has a flow-on effect through the whole economy. Perhaps the most important aspect of this record infrastructure spend is roads. When we came to government in 2001, the roads budget we inherited was $84m. In Budget 2008-09, the roads budget is $271m – a record. We have more than tripled the roads budget.
The biggest road project is the Tiger Brennan Drive extension, which is being done in partnership with the Commonwealth. The $110m multi-year project has started, and will ramp up in 2008-09. Budget 2008-09 includes Stage 2 of the project at $89m.
Other specific road projects include: $2.5m for passing lanes on existing parts of Tiger Brennan Drive; $35.8m for the multi-year Victoria Highway project; $4.3m for railway crossing upgrades in 2008-09 as part of our $6.4m program; $3.5m for Maryvale Road upgrade; and $4m for road access to Pine Hill horticulture area.
Improving our economic infrastructure is a key priority for the Henderson government. We are spending more than $60m improving our port, including a conveyor to increase the throughput of our bulk minerals.
2008 will see the delivery of Stage 1 of the Darwin Waterfront development. The convention centre will have its official opening shortly. This $1.1bn development will be largely funded by the private sector and the costs of the precinct to government substantially offset by returns from property sales of well in excess of $100m. The wider economic benefit to the community has been estimated at $350m.
The provision of new land development is important for the growth of the Territory. Budget 2008-09 sees the continuation of a number of projects to increase available land to assist Territorians with home ownership. Our comprehensive land release strategy involves new residential housing for Darwin at Lyons, Muirhead, Bellamack and Berrimah Farm. Our property market is showing signs of moderation and our land release strategy must ensure that excess supply does not distort the market.
Last year, we announced an $812m, five-year program for essential services infrastructure. This year, further projects have been added, with a total program of more than $1bn over the next five years, with a continued strategic focus on improving supply reliability and increasing capacity. The Territory will provide a $100m capital contribution to Power and Water to assist in this significant investment.
The government’s commitment to undergrounding power lines gets a further boost in Budget 2008-09. Nightcliff has already been completed, and Rapid Creek will be finished by the end of this year. Budget 2008-09 provides funding of $16.6m to continue the undergrounding project into Millner, with completion expected by December 2009. This will take the total cost of the project so far to $50m.
Madam Speaker, while we are improving our capital city, we are determined to strengthen our regions. Local government reform and the new shires will make the bush a better place to live, work and raise a family, with improved services and investment in the regions. Further funding of $5m has been committed in Budget 2008-09 to assist the new shires with additional establishment and infrastructure requirements. This takes the total Territory government funding provided to local government reform to $27m.
Preserving the Territory’s environment is vital for all Territorians and contributes to the Territory’s fantastic lifestyle. The Henderson government is committed to addressing climate change and has announced a dedicated Office of Climate Change to lead the Territory in this important area. This budget provides additional funding of $5m over three years to assist businesses and households to respond to climate change issues. In addition, $2m has been provided in 2008-09 to upgrade government buildings to appropriate energy efficient standards.
Other environment initiatives include: $1.2m for water and air quality programs; $3.5m for renewal energy rebates; $10.8m to deliver clean energy to remote indigenous communities; increased funding of $100 000 to the Environment Grants program for the inclusion of a wildlife category; $1.5m for control of weeds; $2.8m for the Solar Cities renewal energy program; $344 000 for three years to monitor the Daly River catchment under the Living Rivers program; continued funding of $100 000 for the Cool Communities initiative; continued funding of $100 000 for the Alice Springs and Tennant Creek water initiative; increased funding of $628 000 for the Environment Protection Authority; and $6.7m for the Bushfires NT program.
Preserving and improving our parks and reserves is not only in the best interests of the environment but also promotes tourism and enhances our great Territory lifestyle. This budget includes infrastructure for our parks and reserves of $4.4m to upgrade Litchfield National Park; $5.2m to upgrade Leanyer Recreation Park; $1.5m to rebuild the Fogg Dam boardwalk; and $1.5m to develop the Red Centre Way Interpretive Centre for the West MacDonnells National Park.
Budget 2008-09 supports boat ramp improvements across the Territory including $4.6m for continuing works to provide a new boat ramp and associated facilities at East Arm; $1m to improve fishing infrastructure across the Top End; and $450 000 for a new pontoon at Dinah Beach.
Territorians love their sport. Involvement in sport also assists in diverting young Territorians from harm into positive outcomes. In total, $25.9m will be spent on sport and recreation by the Territory government throughout the Territory in 2008-09. Funding of $6.4m will be provided for grassroots sport and recreation grants. Budget 2008-09 has also increased sporting grants by $1m. In the next 12 months, the Territory will host more elite sporting events than ever before.
The arts and cultural events are also important to Territorians, with the Territory becoming more recognised as a place to hold international events such as the Elton John concert later this month. This budget has also provided an additional $777 000 over three years for the Darwin Festival in August. This event is becoming more popular with Territorians and visitors from interstate and overseas. The Arts Grants budget for 2008-09 is $5.25m including $300 000 for a public art program.
Promoting our parks, our environment, our fishing, our sport and our arts is a very important component of the Henderson government’s commitment to continue to make the Territory the best place to live, work and raise a family.
This budget is one for all Territorians. It is full of new initiatives right across the Territory, more services, more infrastructure, less tax and a growing economy. Budget 2008-09 does all this while strictly adhering to financial responsibility and sustainability. It is this responsibility and the commitment to delivering surplus budgets that allows the Henderson government to plan and provide for Territory families now and into the future.
This budget delivers for Territory families and invests in our future. I thank the Under Treasurer, her staff and mine for their hard work on Budget 2008-09, and I commend the Budget 2008-09 to the House.
Debate adjourned.
MOTION
Note Statement – Our Economy -
Delivering for Families
Note Statement – Our Economy -
Delivering for Families
Continued from earlier this day.
Mr NATT (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, I will continue with my reply to the Chief Minister’s economic statement following the Treasurer’s wonderful 2008-09 budget.
The fruit sector is valued at around about $101.2m and is made up of many products including mangos, melons, table grapes, citrus and tropical fruits. The sector covers about 7353 ha and supports around 400 enterprises employing 2500 people. Most of the fruit is produced in the Darwin region. Katherine, however, is growing in importance. I have had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the Northern Territory to see many of the growers, especially around Katherine and Mataranka where they are growing melons and mangoes with great success; Ti Tree to see the work undertaken with grape vines, melons and table grapes; as well as Alice Springs and the Darwin rural area.
There is a strong citrus presence and many hard-working people out on the ground, considering that industry is undergoing change at the moment. My department is assisting as much as we can. It is an invaluable assistance we provide to the growers, working with the producers to develop other crops for the future.
The vegetable sector produces a range of traditional and Asian vegetable products from cucumbers, herbs, pumpkin, zucchini, bitter melons, okra, snake beans, as well as a range of leafy vegetables. The sector was valued at $27m in 2006 with 65 enterprises, covering 1300 ha. In 2006, some 25 500 ha was planted with forestry products including hardwood pulp at the Tiwi Islands and high value hardwoods in the Douglas Daly region. Four enterprises employ some 200 people and recent significant land purchases in the Douglas Daly will see the planted area increase by 50% by the end of this year.
The field and fodder sector is another contributor to the Territory’s economy. The majority of the $19m worth of production in 2006 came from the Douglas Daly and Katherine regions. Ninety-five producers cropped some 120 000 ha with products as diverse as hay and silage, pasture seeds and other crops. Also, we have a booming nursery sector that includes the ornamental and cut flower industry. In 2006, the combined value of this sector was $17m comprising 66 enterprises employing some 150 people.
Whilst the industry development-focused divisions of the Primary Industries group have the lead role in working in partnership with industry to advance these industries, the importance of biosecurity and related diagnostic services cannot be understated. The work done by the animal and plant health staff in the field and in laboratories underpins industry development. A couple of years ago, we had a fruit fly outbreak in Central Australia. The department jumped onto that swiftly and quashed it. We also had the grape vine leaf rust scare which we saw eradicated with similar effectiveness. Recently, the outbreak of equine influenza interstate was managed very well in the Territory. The outbreak of black striped mussels in the harbour was dealt with very quickly as well. It is significant work being undertaken in our laboratories and the field to ensure that our environment is protected for future generations.
Primary industries play a major role in the Territory’s economic success story. The indications are that this sector will continue to develop and grow.
Another section of my portfolio which makes a significant contribution to the Territory’s economy is fishing. In 2006, the gross value of production from wild stock harvest fisheries in the Territory was $33m. At the same time, aquaculture activities grossed approximately $30m. The three highest catch value wild harvest fisheries in the Territory were the barramundi fishery at $5.3m, mud crabs at $4.7m and shark at $4.3m. Other high value fisheries include finfish trawl, Timor Reef and Spanish mackerel.
The Territory has eight commercial fisheries accredited for export approval under the Australian government’s environmental legislation. This is a strong indicator of the sustainable fisheries management practices undertaken within the Territory, and augers well for the future. It means that, as a government, we are prepared to make decisions to ensure our fisheries are sustainable and that the fishing experience available today continues into the future.
As well as the commercial fishing sector, there is the recreational fishing sector, the single most important tourism attractor to the Territory. Over 1000 000 visitors to the Territory each year say that they want to ‘wet a line’ while they are here, and that makes this sector of the fishing industry of paramount importance. Most recent figures indicate that the industry is worth well in excess of $35m a year, with over 350 000 barramundi caught annually. Of these, it is estimated 75% of the barramundi are released back into the wild, a considerable increase over the last release figure of 58% in 1995.
A large-scale recreational fishing survey is to be undertaken over the periods of 2008-09 and 2009-10, which will provide further detail on the importance of this sector to the Territory. I expect to confirm my view that recreational fishing is of immense economic and social benefit to the Northern Territory.
I had the opportunity to go to the Daly River to open the Barra Nationals. They had 171 competitors and 50-odd boats. I think of those 171 competitors, 80 were from interstate. They were there for a week and, reading the reports in the paper, they have gained another record catch this year. Although the fish were not of exceptionally large size, they were all of good size and of good quality. Again, it just shows that the management of the fishery in that area is doing exceptionally well.
We are going to advertise that a little further - or the Palmerston Game Fishing Club is. I must congratulate them for they have actually put an electronic book together, so that every fish that was caught was photographed. They have some videotape of many of them being caught and this has gone on to an electronic book. That electronic book has gone on to the Internet where people from interstate and overseas can access it and see how good the fishing is in the Territory. It is going to be another lure for the Territory and it is great for our fishing industry and our economy.
The world-class research and development undertaken at the Darwin Aquaculture Centre continues to underpin aquaculture growth, including for example, growth in barramundi farming from a value of $2.6m in 2002 to approximately $5m in 2006. Pearling continues to be a prime aquaculture sector with an estimated value of around $17m to $18m. The work of my department, in conjunction with industry, on fish health and husbandry is a key success factor for long-term sustainability and growth.
Madam Speaker, there is no doubt that the single most important industry which contributed to the Territory’s strong economic performance is minerals and energy. Mining accounts for a massive 27% of the Territory’s GSP, and this rises to over 40% if LNG and alumina are included. Here in the Territory we have the world’s largest manganese mine, GEMCO, based at Groote Eylandt; a major silver, lead and zinc body being mined at McArthur River; and a major bauxite mine at Alcan Gove. The Territory is also home to ERA, Australia’s largest uranium producer. The income earned and the flow-on effects of these major mines underpins the Territory’s economy, and it is of note that all of the big mines in the Territory are undergoing expansion programs.
On the petroleum front, I acknowledge the huge impact of ConocoPhillips’ Bayu-Undan fuel development and the LNG plant, the ongoing contribution of Woodside at Laminaria, ENI’s expanding operations offshore, Jabiru/Challis, as well as the planned Blacktip development and the AED, which commissioned the Puffin oil field late last year.
Further to these, a range of other offshore petroleum developments are under study by various players. The potential for value-added gas processing projects in Darwin is a priority focus for government, as outlined earlier by the Chief Minister.
It has been encouraging to see a number of mineral and petroleum companies set up offices in the Territory during the past year. I congratulate Arafura Resources, Nupower, Rum Jungle Uranium, Crossland Uranium, Territory Uranium and GDS Gold on their efforts and confidence in the Territory as a place to do business.
Exploration activity continues to increase with virtually all mineral commodities being targeted including, of course, uranium. Combined mineral and petroleum exploration expenditure totalled approximately $370m in 2006-07. A number of advanced high-potential exploration programs are under way.
It was very interesting to note that, in the Business Review Weekly last week, there were a number of fantastic articles written on the Northern Territory. They painted such a terrific picture of the Northern Territory for everyone around Australia to see. There was an excerpt on mining which was called Northern Exposure. I will read some comments on the department from the magazine:
- Australian mining and exploration companies operating in the NT are liberal in their praise for the regime. Outspoken Western Australian mining identity Michael Kiernan believes it is an easier place to do business than his home state.
‘The government up there recognises that mining will benefit their gross state product’, Kiernan, who is involved with two companies with interests in the NT, Territory Resources and Matilda Minerals, says: ‘That permeates through all departments’.
‘Territory Resources’ Frances Creek iron ore mine and Matilda’s Tiwi Islands mineral sands operation, both of which have come into production in the past 18 months, were up and running in quick time because of the NT government’s cooperative attitude’, he says.
‘They have the same steps and processes as you have to go through in WA, but they really facilitated everything. In comparison to dealing with state government (in WA) it was like chalk and cheese. In dealing with all government departments, our people found them very helpful. There was certainly an air of goodwill, an air of wishing to assist and facilitate wherever possible. That’s a serious breath of fresh air in mining’.
The government gets another tick from Kiernan on infrastructure. Its decision to invest in upgrading the port at Darwin before the boom kicked in and without a project to underpin it was a substantial leap in faith, he says. ‘The government spent $25 to $30m - a big bite of them - to build a bulk loader (at the port). Without that, Frances Creek wouldn’t be up and running. They realise it’s their job to provide infrastructure; it’s not the job for the miners’.
As you can see, the confidence from the miners on the land is fantastic. It is great for us to have those sorts of article painting us in great light.
However, we need major new discoveries to maintain the minerals and energy contribution into the long-term, and the government is aware that the Territory needs to compete for its share of exploration investment in order to generate these discoveries. Hence, the four-year $12m Bringing Forward Discovery program and the recently announced $2.4m top-up of this program to cover drilling and geophysics surveys. This additional funding will allow exploration companies to apply for 50% or up to $100 000 of their costs for drilling and geophysical surveys in greenfields regions. The program also seeks to maximise outcomes from the commodity boom by working with miners, developers and investors to convert known deposits and prospects into operational mines as soon as possible.
There has been ongoing and extensive incremental infrastructure development by both the Northern Territory government and industry to service mining, oil and gas activity - most notably, the ship-loading facility at the East Arm port which services the exports of iron ore and manganese to the China market and which will, in the future, services more mines in the Territory and interstate.
The rail link paved the way for new mining developments in the Territory and will support future developments such as the proposed Nolans Bore rare earths and phosphate project. It is also opening up opportunities for the freight of minerals concentrate from interstate mines to Darwin and, thence, export, and for the supply of goods and equipment to such mines via Darwin. All this reinforces Darwin’s growing role as a regional hub for the resource sector, and drives increased local supply and service capacity which, in turn, strengthens the importance of the minerals and energy sector to the Northern Territory’s economy.
Madam Speaker, the booming economy currently being enjoyed by the Territory is in no small way due to the contributions made by primary industries, fisheries and mines. I can assure you and the people of the Territory that, with careful management and foresight, our economy will continue to outperform the other states and that we will reap the benefits and rewards into the future. I commend this statement to the House.
Mr KIELY (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Madam Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s statement on our strong Territory economy and to emphasise the importance we place on ensuring that we continue to grow our economy in an environmentally sustainable way. The Territory is blessed with one of the most stunning and diverse natural environments on the planet. It is this environment that is the basis for many of the industries that keep our economy strong, industries which employ thousands of Territorians.
Our unique environment is also one of the key features of the Territory’s fantastic lifestyle, a lifestyle the envy of many around the world. This rich natural endowment is a large part of why the Territory is the best place to live, work and raise a family. We on this side of the House see no reason why Territorians should not enjoy a strong economy which creates jobs for Territory families and a unique natural environment which is preserved for future generations.
Achieving these goals require a government that has a long-term, strategic vision for the Territory economy and also a commitment to develop and implement the policies and safeguards which ensure our natural environment can sustain a growing, job-creating economy over the long term. This government’s record against these goals is a strong one.
When my colleague, the Minister for Planning and Lands, first announced that the government had made a decision not to proceed with heavy industrial development at Glyde Point, she told this Assembly that she had moved to rezone the Glyde Point area for public open space and for conservation. That rezoning has since taken place. The decision to protect Glyde Point reflects the broader Territory community values of the area. It has a pristine environment, much appreciated by nature lovers and fishermen alike. There are 833 plant species in the area. Of these, two are only known for the area, 32 are listed as being of conservation concern, with 16 listed under NT legislation as endangered, vulnerable or near threatened. Wildlife species found in the area include the northern quoll, the Irrawadi and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, dugong, a number of bats which are pollinators of many of our plants, marine turtles, goannas such as the mangrove monitor and Merton’s water monitor, and a number of snakes. In addition, there are numerous bird species, including migratory species that are protected under international agreements which aim to protect the habitats and resting areas of birds that migrate annually to Australia from the northern hemisphere.
The primary purpose of the conservation zone in the planning scheme is to conserve and protect the flora and fauna and character of natural areas. Any development that does not occur in this zone is to be sensitive to the natural features and habitats of the zone and be sited and operated so it will have a minimal impact on the environment. Under this government, the pristine environment and natural value of Glyde Point will be protected for all Territorians into the future.
I turn now to the Daly moratorium. This government’s commitment to developing the Territory economy’s sustainability is also evident in our recent decision to extend the moratorium on broad scale land clearing in the Daly for a further two years. This was the right decision for the Daly and will ensure further development in the region will be subject to the principles of sustainable development, informed by the best available science.
We have seen the devastating consequences on river systems in Australia and around the world when there is not enough scientific understanding of the catchment. Although much work has been done, an additional two years will enable more comprehensive scientific research to be carried out. In particular, it is crucial that we get the right alignment between water allocation and native vegetation clearing. That is why we are working closely with the Daly River Management Advisory Committee and the Katherine Water Advisory Committee to ensure that Tindal and Ooloo aquifers, which feed into the Daly River, are managed sustainably, striking the right balance between environmental flows and extraction for agricultural and other industry purposes.
This approach reflects this government’s commitment across the Territory to maintain healthy rivers, wetlands and other water-dependent ecosystems, while also supporting sustainable development and our unique Territory lifestyle. Sustainable use of the Territory’s water resource is crucial to ongoing economic development across the Territory, particularly in our regions.
Our approach to sustainable use of water in the Territory centres on a number of key principles. Water is made available for consumptive use only after environmental and cultural issues have been determined. In most systems, we need more information on how to maintain environmental quality but, to compensate, we have set very strong safety nets. Unless we have information to set a specific figure, we ensure that 80% of flows - that is, surface water and of recharge of the groundwater - are available to protect environmental and lifestyle values, particularly during dry climatic conditions.
We always look to meet or exceed national standards. The Territory endorses the National Water Initiative. Its implementation plan is accredited by the National Water Commission. The National Water Initiative seeks to achieve a nationally compatible market, regulatory and planning based systems of managing surface and groundwater resources for rural and urban use to optimise economic, social and environmental outcomes.
While we are committed to meeting all important National Water Initiative obligations, we are also making adjustments to better match application to the Territory’s situation. In many key areas such as a strong, precautionary approach and safety nets, we exceed the requirement of the National Water Initiative. In others, such as the markets in water, we are putting mechanisms in place to limit trade by adjusting approaches to manage regional communities. We look at adaptive management; acting cautiously but retaining flexibility.
In addition to the strong safety nets, the Territory’s precautionary approach depends on responding early to increasing demand on water resources and adopting principles of adaptive management. Our rolling program for the development of water allocation intends to keep us ahead of demand by putting plans in place well before water use causes environmental or other problems. Because we are committed to act ahead of problems, we also need to make decisions without having all the information we would like. We deal with this conundrum through adaptive management. This involves setting initially very tight limits on use, while retaining the flexibility to adjust use upwards. Research and experience shows this is possible without significant impacts on environments or other interests, or downwards if there is even a hint of problems.
Good effective management demands strong systems for following and understanding any change associated with water use. Every water allocation plan will identify the values that have to be protected including: well-developed systems of gauging stations, bores and such; monitoring impacts; and outlining immediate responses if there are signs of unwelcome change. In most cases, there will also be targeted research programs for addressing the most important gaps in knowledge and improve the knowledge used in allocation decision-making.
Community engagement is critical to this process. It is important that the community have ownership of the water planning process. To this end, partnerships with the community will constitute water advisory committees drawn from stakeholder groups including indigenous people from each language group in the relevant area.
In other parts of Australia it has proved very difficult to retrieve water once it has been allocated, no matter how extreme the need. To avoid this problem, Territory water allocation plans will feature clearer recognition that water entitlements will vary in levels of security. Entitlements for domestic water are most secure, but can still be adjusted. Entitlements for production vary in security from being adjustable in the level of entitlement to being at risk of total withdrawal. These provisions, attached to every entitlement, provide the ability to respond quickly to reduce use should it ever prove necessary.
The establishment of the Northern Territory’s new Environment Protection Authority provides yet another safeguard to ensure the future development in the Northern Territory will be ecologically sustainable with development. While not having a role in assessing individual projects, the EPA can provide advice about the frameworks under which development should proceed, and has significant brief to provide advice to government about dealing with cumulative impacts.
There has been much attention given to the environmental protection of Darwin Harbour of late, particularly Middle Arm. I can assure the House, assigning Middle Arm for gas-based development will not result in an open slather approach to industrial development. First, there is a significant area of Middle Arm already zoned for conservation. This provides protection to the surrounding areas; a buffer between development and the receiving environment. Second, the primary purpose of the Middle Arm Development Zone is to allow development of major strategic industries, including gas-based industry, road, rail or port-related industries. There is already significant infrastructure in place on the peninsula to support development. Keeping industries close together provides for specific use of infrastructure and can minimise the need for additional single-use or industry-specific infrastructure. Keeping development together can also facilitate better use of resources; for example, by having the waste or by-product of one industry used by another industry, such as reusing water or using waste to generate power. Under the planning scheme, any development proposal in this zone needs to have regard for potential environmental impacts, including those arising from industrial processes, methods of manufacture or the nature of the materials used to produce or stored.
Third, the government has undertaken a thorough investigation into the environment of Middle Arm to ensure that sensitive issues are understood and given great consideration in the context of any industrial development proposal. Our aim is to identify potential cumulative impacts of development and to work with businesses and the community to abide by best practice environmental management techniques that will protect our much-loved Territory lifestyle.
We know what has happened as a result of uncontrolled development in other parts of Australia and the developed world. We are determined to avoid similar problems arising here. The Department of Planning and Infrastructure is coordinating a series of environmental studies at the Middle Arm Peninsula, which will result in an overall assessment, and provide principles to guide the management of potential cumulative impacts from industrial development. The Department of Planning and Infrastructure is working closely with my Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts, and other government agencies, to ensure that this work is undertaken as effectively and efficiently as possible. The terms of reference for the environmental assessment of Middle Arm can be found on the Department of Infrastructure website at www.nt.gov.au/lands/.
The purpose of investigations is to focus on the major issues that need to be managed for the overall development of Middle Arm, and to be better informed of the ongoing and future planning of the industrial area. By understanding the environmental risk, land capability, and potential cumulative impacts, we will be in a better position to provide options for the management of those risks. The investigations will look at a number of matters: infrastructure, such as port transport requirements like roads and shipping channels; industrial waste management, including initiatives such as product stewardship, reuse and recycling; water requirements, including reuse and stormwater harvesting opportunities; sharing resources with other potential and new industries; power requirements; and sewerage management.
Air quality will assess the current air quality and identify ways of minimising impacts on future industries. So important is this aspect of government that I recently announced that we will invest more than $700 000 this year in establishing the air monitoring system in Darwin. Groundwater and surface water will also be investigated, with a view of putting in place measures that will safeguard surface and groundwater resources, and the water quality of Darwin Harbour. This will include developing options for the appropriate treatment and disposal of construction and operational waste water linked with the water quality protection plan for Darwin Harbour currently being prepared in partnership with the Darwin Harbour Advisory Committee and the Commonwealth Department of Environment, Heritage, Water and the Arts.
Cultural and archaeological heritage will be identified and the Heritage Management Plan produced will outline out how heritage sites will be managed. I expect these sites to include sites where there is evidence of pre-contact Aboriginal activity, and also those with contemporary significance including collection of traditional foods still carried out in the marine and surrounding areas - underwater shipwrecks, plane wrecks and the antisubmarine boom net such as those remaining from World War II.
I recognise that many people from the Darwin and Palmerston region may be concerned with the potential impact on visual and recreation amenity arising from some new industries on Middle Arm. The terms of reference for the environmental assessment of Middle Arm, therefore, encompass matters of amenity in order to minimise any visual impact from key vantage points in Darwin and Mandorah; to minimize any potential noise disturbance; and to assess the potential impact on existing on and off water recreational use and is an opportunity for Darwin’s residents now and into the future.
We all love Darwin Harbour; and this government is determined to ensure that the natural values of the harbour are maintained. The environmental assessment of Middle Arm will, therefore, consider the potential impacts on marine and estuarine habitats from industrial development and any associated dredging and land reclamation. Other matters to be investigated in environmental assessment including greenhouse emissions and the local impacts of climate change, biting insects and land capability.
As I said, government has in place a number of mechanisms to ensure that any development on Middle Arm occurs in an ecologically sustainable manner. Government’s other tool is to require that individual development proposals are subject to normal development assessment approval processes. These assessments will be complementary for work undertaken by the government in relation to Middle Arm as a whole.
We want to attract industry to Darwin, but only on the understanding that proponents will undertake investigations and design developments and operational practices that minimise environmental impacts to ensure that those impacts remain at an acceptable level. Understanding the cumulative impacts of development and having measures in place that monitor and evaluate our industrial activities will provide a mechanism to intervene, should there be any evidence of unacceptable deterioration in the environment that is so highly valued by our locals and visitors alike.
In summary, it is clear that this government’s approach to ensuring our economy remains strong, continues to create jobs for Territory families, and reflects our commitment to ecological sustainability. We have the legislation and the processes in place to balance the development pressure with the long-term future of our economy and community.
Territorians deserve and expect a government that maintains a strong economy that delivers jobs for Territory families while maintaining a unique natural environment for the enjoyment of many generations to come. This is what the Henderson government will continue to deliver.
In closing, I will contrast the contribution I have just made and the contributions from previous members of government in regard to the economic statement put forward by the Chief Minister, and that delivered by the Leader of the Opposition. Madam Speaker, I am not going to go over the Leader of the Opposition’s contribution, but I commend any person who is following this debate to have a look at his effort. It was a blank statement with no vision for the future, does not address the issue of today and, as a matter of fact, it is one long negative blurb. I do not believe that the Leader of the Opposition has any real economic vision for the Territory. I am not too sure what his thoughts are for the future of the Territory but, if people care to peruse his contribution in the Parliamentary Record of Tuesday, 29 April 2008 as an indicator, they can sum it up in one word; that is, ‘bleak’.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, at last I get a chance …
Mr Henderson: I do apologise, Gerry - miscommunication.
Mr WOOD: That is okay, thank you, minister. It is little hard to speak now the budget has come down because I might have to change some of my notes. I will put it this way. Obviously, the economy is growing and we can see that. Well, I can see it at 6 am with the amount of traffic going in from the rural area. Funny thing is, they all seem to stop around Winnellie because, after that, it is quite quiet. Perhaps there is a different kind of worker who goes into town a bit later. However, there is a lot of people who move from the rural area into the Palmerston, to Winnellie areas, and to the East Arm port from the rural area. That traffic is increasing quite considerably. This is, obviously, just a sign that there is a lot more activity in the workforce at the present time.
We need jobs and, without the Territory growing and without more development, our families will not have jobs and, of course, that will be detrimental to the Territory lifestyle. I should not use that word too much; you might think I am on the other side.
The difference between me and the government is not that we should not be praising the economy; it is the way that we should be looking at the future. My gripe with the government is that it might say a lot of things that I agree with, but there has not been enough emphasis on long-term planning. I refer back to a document that I brought in to parliament once before and asked the government: ‘Why do you not bring out your version of this?’ It was the Darwin Regional Structure Plan. That Darwin Regional Structure Plan is a document that still can be used in planning to look at the future of the Darwin region.
I still have concerns, for instance, about where we are going with housing development. I believe the housing is still too expensive. You can raise all the figures you like, but I look in the real estate papers and in the rural area to see what the price of land is, and I can see that it is too expensive. When you are paying $240 000 to $340 000 for a rural block, and you have to then build a house, a single person or a young couple on a low income - and I notice in the budget papers an average income in Darwin is about $48 000, so I imagine there are people below that average - who would just be left out of the market because the first thing they have to buy is a block of land that they cannot afford. As we know, with HomeNorth packages and first homeowner loans from banks, you have to have a house and land as a package. Once upon a time, you could buy a block of land so cheap you could put a shed on it, live in the shed until you saved up a bit more money and, then, build your house. That, unfortunately, is not possible today unless you have someone who gives you a block of land, or your parents have a large block of land that they can subdivide.
I challenge the government to go out and talk to young people today who are starting off. I know the minister talks about getting a unit. Well, even units are pretty expensive today. However, that is not the sort of lifestyle that I would encourage for someone starting a family; to necessarily live in a unit. They do not have much space, they are crowded in and, sometimes, when you are a young family, the last thing you want to do is to be able to hear the neighbours carrying on. You want a little peace and quiet so you can raise your family.
The government really needs to look at, and explain exactly, what its policy is on opening up new land. The minister today mentioned a number of subdivisions including the Berrimah Experimental Farm, and I believe that is a poor decision. However, what is clear and was clear before the budget today, is that there has been no statement by the government on the future of the city or the town of Weddell. Weddell probably has an area three times bigger than Palmerston, is the next town plan under the Darwin Regional Structure Plan and, yet, there is no mention of it. I would like the government to tell me where it is going in relation to more housing developments in the rural area and in the Darwin region.
Weddell has been proposed for a long time, and I know there are a number of developers in the Noonamah area who are just biting at the bit to try to get some development in that area as part of an overall Weddell subdivision process. I am interested to know what is happening in relation to that because, if you release some of that land in, you would certainly, I believe, give a lot more opportunity to first homeowners to have a choice where they want to live and at what price they can afford to buy their land.
In relation to Berrimah, the decision to release land there for housing is a poor decision. It shows lack of planning, and I believe that is the key to the problem the government has at the moment. There were no plans one or two years ago to cut up Berrimah Farm. In fact, if you look at your own Darwin Planning Scheme, which is the one you approved in 2007, it does not say that. The minister might say these are evolving and changing, but this went through a whole consultation process. I attended a meeting in Howard Springs to look at this, and there were meetings in Darwin and through the whole of the Territory. When all of those meetings were finished, this is the document you came forward with. So there were some plans in place that we could look at and say, ‘Well, this appears to be the government’s policy in relation to the Darwin region’, and that, all of a sudden, has changed. My feelings are that, with the port being developed at the present time, with the high demand for land that is a reasonable price, and the high demand for industrial land which is not cheap, if we are going to close down Berrimah Farm, then we should be retaining that land for industrial development that is close to and accessible to the Port of Darwin. That means those businesses there do not have to travel long distances to the port, they do not have to travel through residential land, and they will not be affected by noise. I have no doubt that you will have problems with Hidden Valley racetrack in that area, and that is a decision that the government has made, again without a lot of thought.
Also, of course, the government has decided to move the prison. The reason for wanting to move the prison is simply because it will have difficulty selling residential land that is adjacent to a prison and, therefore, its solution is to move the prison. Where it is to go is anyone’s guess. It is unfortunate the government has made an announcement about moving the prison without telling people in the rural area where exactly it is to go. I have been told that Gunn Point Road is one of the possibilities. I am sure that people in Gunn Point Road, especially those in the forestry land area, would be appreciative if the government would at least release the possible alternatives for the prison so they know what their future is in that area.
In relation to development in my area, there are lots of little things that have not been done. We talk about the big picture, the waterfront, and Tiger Brennan Drive. What happened to the regional waste dump that caused the people of the rural area to lose their landfill site? There was a big hullabaloo about that about three years ago. There has been no mention in the budget or anywhere about the regional waste dump site that was promised by the government.
A bicycle path from Howard Springs to Palmerston was promised by the Treasurer. Admittedly, she said the forward budget. Well, that depends, I suppose, how far forward it is. However, that seems to have been lost as well. There are a lot of little things that have not occurred in the rural area, which may not be of consequence to the minister but, in fact, do affect the economy of the rural area.
The development of Coolalinga is an important development that should go ahead in the rural area. I know there are some issues with it, and I am pleased to hear that the government is having talks with the developer. There is a chance that that development might occur, and I believe that will be good for the economy of the rural area.
However, my problem is, again, that the government has not planned. When it said that it will cost $500m to put in infrastructure at Glyde Point, what it has missed out on is the fact that, in the plans for that area - again, you can look at the Darwin Regional Structure Plan or your own plans - it shows clearly the town of Murrumujuk, and that township has been on the planning board for at least, I would say, 15 years. One way to recover some of your infrastructure costs would be the sale of that land for that town. I have no doubt that that town would sell very well - if anyone has seen Shoal Bay – yet, it is still on the Darwin Regional Structure Plan, in the NT Planning Scheme, and it still has its own structure plan. Yet, it is not given any mention. We should have been looking at that.
We should have been looking at alternative ways to develop Glyde Point. I do not think government had a plan to develop Glyde Point. AFANT did not support that. They did not support the destruction of about 30 km of mangroves. We had a chance to consider Glyde Point and see whether we could have done the development there, treating the area as special, but allowing industry to develop there. In the end, if INPEX goes in the middle of the harbour, where would Dow Chemicals go? We know Dow Chemicals are interested because the previous Chief Minister spoke about them. Where will Dow Chemicals go? .
I gather there is only 14 km of land in the middle of the harbour. When that is full where will the next industrial development go? The Minister for Natural Resources and Environment spoke about Middle Arm in detail, but he missed a major point. It is not so much about pollution because I understand that the environmental controls over an LNG plant are quite strict. Wickham Point does not affect the environment except, perhaps, through air emissions. We know it has to produce carbon dioxide emissions because that is part of the process. When you look at the government’s own guidelines for the Darwin region, it says the administration of this scheme is ‘to provide for orderly and appropriate expansion and development in the region that …’ – and I am quoting from section 4.2(a)(ii) - ‘… recognises the inherent aesthetic and environmental values of Darwin Harbour’.
That is not my statement; that is the government’s statement. I am saying if you are going to put five concrete tanks which INPEX are going to put on Blayden Point – I had meetings with them the other day - you would have to be pushing it to say that is protecting the inherent aesthetic and environmental values of Darwin Harbour.
For me, it is not an issue of pollution. I believe if you put good enough controls over industry, you can probably put them anywhere. We have lost an opportunity to do something special with our harbour. If we had planned well and looked at developing Glyde Point and other options to develop it, then I consider we could have achieved that. We have had all this planning from the current and previous governments. We have two corridors going to Glyde Point, even with the railway line as part of that infrastructure, yet that seems to have all gone out the door. We do not have a long-term strategy.
Darwin itself is booming; no doubt about it. The mall could do with a lift. You just have to look around the buildings going up and you know that the place is moving along at a rapid speed. My concern is that we have not done enough to protect the Darwin look of our city. I said on radio this morning: ‘It is not the height that matters, it is the space around these buildings’. We have an opportunity to say: if you want to build 30 storeys high, you have to provide X amount of space. No different if you are putting a new suburb out at Lyons. If you want to throw up a 100 houses, you must provide X amount of open space; whether it be in the form of parks or whatever. We have not done that for those two buildings. We have counted the balconies as open space. The open space on one building is on the fifth floor where the swimming pool is. We have allowed buildings to take up an entire block and only feature four or five trees planted on the road - and we class that as good. We have missed an opportunity to make our city look good.
Drive down St Kilda Road in Melbourne and have a look at their skyscrapers or large residential or office buildings and they are surrounded by landscaping; they have space; they look good. You can see the buildings. They are not up against one another. They do not take up the entire space. There is an opportunity to ensure that any other developments have space around them. I want to see Darwin be a city that I can be proud of, not just a copy of some other city elsewhere, where there has been no vision.
The other thing we have to look at, Chief Minister, is where we draw the line on the increasing number of people who want to live on the peninsula of Darwin. It is a peninsula, it has some basic problems in regard to infrastructure - transport infrastructure in particular. If you keep cramming people on to a peninsula you are going to have increasing traffic problems. That is already highlighted by the fact that we have to build Tiger Brennan Drive - and I am looking forward to the day that it is built. However, we have to be a bit more visionary and look at public transport - modern public transport - trying to bring people in and out of the city. If we are also visionary, we will not have everyone living in the city. That is why Weddell should be the next city to build. We had a vision which was a good vision based on, to some extent, the Canberra model where you had Darwin, Palmerston, Weddell and another three cities around the Cox Peninsula which, subject to the land claim, could still be built. However, they were separated by rural, Defence, industrial, conservation-type land. We did not have the ordinance for Melbourne, we would have, basically, smaller cities which, if done properly, mean you reduce the amount of traffic going to just one particular spot. We can become too Darwin centric in our thinking, and that is bad. We certainly need to look at that as well.
The other thing that concerns me, minister, is that the economy is booming, there is lots of money around, but is everyone participating in that boom? When we know that many of our indigenous people do not partake in the benefits of this boom, then we really have to look at where we are going. The boom is good for some people; they go out in a nice flash boat with a nice new Land Cruiser, they have the plasma television, and they are enjoying a great lifestyle. However, if you look at the budget and at the average wage for, say, Barkly, it is $37 000, compared to Groote Eylandt which is $61 000, and Darwin which is about $48 000.
As a government, we need to be careful we do not say, ‘Wow, the place is going beautiful’, but we have alcohol problems, gambling problems, overcrowding, and poor literacy and numeracy. I know the government, with Closing the Gap is trying to attend to those things but, in the speech about the economy, there needs to be more emphasis on ensuring that we do not have a society where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, because then we are not all sharing in the booming economy. Some of us are being left behind.
From an agricultural aspect, the minister was talking about his portfolio a little while ago. There is no doubt the cattle industry is booming and, as I have said before, that is great. However, how many indigenous people are participating in that boom? Indigenous people used to be a major part of the cattle industry, and they are not so much any more. It is disappointing if they cannot take part in that. I know the minister is talking about giving us a statement on that particular issue.
The mining industry is booming. Again, how many Aboriginal families overall are benefiting from that? Some are, but in proportion to other non-indigenous families, it is not very high. Has that to do a lot with the lack of literacy and numeracy in Aboriginal communities?
Someone rang me up the other day and said we are looking at INPEX in Darwin Harbour. Why could we not look at putting INPEX where Blacktip comes onshore at Port Keats, at Wadeye? Is there an opportunity there for the government to look at using the gas opportunities to develop the region, especially Wadeye? What is wrong with looking at that as an alternative? All right, for some years you may have a large number of non-indigenous people working in that plant, but kids at Wadeye would see a reason to get educated if they have an opportunity to go and work in that place. That is an opportunity we should at least be talking about. Some places have industry. Wadeye does not have much.
The minister spoke about the Douglas Daly. My complaint with the government is not that it should not be looking at how much water resources are being used - that is fair enough. However, the reason they are putting a moratorium on land clearing there - that is, this extra moratorium - was based on the theory that they did not have enough information about the water in the Oolloo and Tindal aquifers. Well, these people wanted to clear land for non-irrigated pastures. How one puts the two together, I am not sure, but we have very strict clearing controls, we know what land can be cleared. The government really sat on its hands in relation to that, because it is in the too-hard basket when it comes to convincing some people in the northern suburbs.
I did have a bit of a laugh, minister, when you mentioned in your speech that we have uranium which will provide global demand for base-load power generation to combat global warming. If I get up and say that nuclear power plants do have a role to play in reducing global warming, I get laughed out of town. However, we can quite happily say to other countries that we think they should take our uranium because it will do that. I am not necessarily advocating we have nuclear power plants, but it is something that should not be thrown out the door as some nutty idea. It is something that is used by many countries, and it should be looked at as part of the mix to try to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his statement. He said something that many politicians have said since the Territory became part of the Commonwealth: ‘the future is in the north’. I agree with you; many politicians have said that. What that really means, I suppose, is that future generations will be able to assess. However, I believe you are right. I still love the Territory; it is a great place to live. The economy is booming, but we do have to plan better, and really ensure that all Territorians get a fair share of our booming economy - both black and white.
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank everybody for their contributions to the debate. I apologise to the member for some confusion in regard to the timing of this debate over the last few days of sittings.
The economy really is the foundation of everything we strive to do as a government, a community, and a society. Having a strong economy not only gives people employment opportunities and enables them to make decisions in courses of life, but it gives government the capacity, with growing revenues, to invest in infrastructure and, also, on the social side of the infrastructure issues. A growing economy is absolutely fundamental for any government and should be a key priority for all governments to ensure their economies are robust, strong and moving forward.
Regarding my statement about the economy and some of the strengths, challenges and focus areas for the government, I have to say the Leader of the Opposition, in his response, provided no vision, no forward thinking. It was a very predictable statement that just attempted to nitpick, which is fair enough. However, I am looking forward to his budget reply tomorrow to see what sort of vision the Leader of the Opposition has for the economy and the role that government should play in attracting private sector investment because, at the end of the day, governments have a very key role. Strong economies do not happen by accident.
What has become very clear to me in my time - particularly in government - is that it is all about confidence. People do not invest unless they have confidence in getting a return on that investment. Confidence is a very fragile part of the equation. People who wish to grow their businesses - to invest in Australia, in the Northern Territory - look to see if there is responsible government in place; if the right fiscal settings are in place; if there is a responsible government regarding revenue and expenditure; and if there is a vision. That all contributes to the confidence to invest. When we came to government in 2001 there was a dearth of confidence in the Northern Territory, particularly on the back of record budget deficits and zero percent growth in 2000-01. That led to people being unemployed for the first time, and selling their houses because they could not meet the mortgage repayments. There was a very large lack of confidence. How times have changed.
He went on - and I will just pick some of the comments the Leader of the Opposition made - and talked about the Treasurer deceiving the public with bogus media releases. I do not know what sort of deception he was talking. When we came to government in 2001, the roads budget was something around $80m - $75m, $80m a year, something like that. That was for new roads and repairs and maintenance. I think the budget this financial year is $270m. There are large projects in that but, even if you took Tiger Brennan Drive out, it is well over 100% increase on what we inherited in regard to funding for roads across the Northern Territory. Why on earth the Leader of the Opposition would not acknowledge that, with growing revenues, expending more on roads as a key part of the economic and social infrastructure of the Northern Territory is a good things to do, and maybe have a quibble about which roads should be a priority. However, to try to demonstrate that the Treasurer was deceiving the public; he has a different definition of deception than I have.
He said that the government should be honest about how much revenue the government has and that should be the ‘core honest message’, whatever that means. It is a growing economy, and this is what the Leader of the Opposition and others on the other side of the House fail to understand: that a growing economy, an expanding economy, does provide government with a bigger revenue stream, but that revenue stream, in large part, goes back in infrastructure for a growing population. Improved infrastructure further gives confidence for people to invest. We have always acknowledged that we have a growing economy, and that growing economy does lead to increased revenue streams, but this is a government that has had a proud record of cutting taxes. From the disasters that we inherited to over the last four or five years, $270m-odd worth of taxes have been removed from the back of Territory business over that time, with further tax cuts in the budget that the Treasurer handed down today.
These are taxes that business in the Northern Territory was paying under the CLP that business is not paying today. A great many of those cuts - given the very targeted payroll tax cuts that this government has put in place - went to Territory-owned businesses, not to the major multinationals and corporations like Coles and Woolies. We sought to lift the tax threshold to $1.25m. Most of our businesses in the Northern Territory are small- to medium-sized employers that just operate in the Northern Territory, and we have taken something like 80% of these businesses out of the payroll tax net.
What do those businesses do with that money they were previously paying to CLP governments in payroll tax? What they do is invest it back in their business. That is what they have been doing: investing back into their businesses and generating more jobs to employ more Territorians rather than people seeking to come here. An additional 5000 jobs created in the economy last year, perhaps out of all of the numbers in these budget papers, is the thing we should all be most proud of. There are an extra 5000 jobs in this economy. That is 5000 Territorians in a job, enjoying the Territory lifestyle, making the Territory their home - 5000 more than last year. It is an absolutely fabulous number.
He went on about the Territory slipping behind, but he did not define where we are slipping behind. I must admit, whenever I travel interstate or overseas, when I get home, I am always pleased to be home. You go around the Northern Territory and there is a real buzz, an absolute buzz about the place - from the local shopping centres, to the communities, and regions - about what is happening in regard to local government reform or the housing money that is coming through. As a Brisbane businessman said to me the other day: ‘Gee, I wish we had this number of cranes on the skyline’. The place is going ahead. It is not slipping behind, and all the economic data in these budget papers - but also the Access Economic indicators if you want to go to an independent source - see the Territory as really moving ahead very strongly. How the Leader of the Opposition can sit there and assert we are slipping behind but not actually define where, is beyond me.
I will finish with his comments about the slipping and sliding that is going on. On the one hand he is saying that he wants gas development, but, on the other, he is doing everything that is possible to campaign against INPEX coming to the Northern Territory. He is campaigning against them coming to the Northern Territory saying: ‘You are better off in Western Australia. Let the Western Australians have the $12bn for capital investment. Let the West Australians have 4000 jobs in the construction phase. Let the Western Australian economy benefit long term from that investment’. He has moved from trying to have two bob each way by saying: ‘Oh, we support it, but we do not want it at Middle Arm; it should go to Glyde Point’. He knows full well with this particular investment decision there is no Glyde Point option. He knows that very well. The company has told him that face-to-face. He is now acknowledging he is going to campaign against this project. I feel it is a very sad day when a leader in this parliament says to a major international investor: ‘We do not want your money. We would rather you go to Western Australia’. However, if that is the image the Leader of the Opposition wants to portray, that is his business. At the Chamber of Commerce lunch for the budget today, I was talking to business people who were scratching their heads and wondering where the Leader of the Opposition is coming from.
Moving to the budget, I commend all members to go to the Economy section in the Budget papers, Northern Territory Economy Overview, which shows what is happening in our economy. It presents a bit of a history of that. Where can the Leader of the Opposition point to this document and say: ‘We are slipping behind’? It is not there in the budget figures that are projected by Treasury. We all know not only this Treasury but all Treasuries across Australia - the Commonwealth is handing down their budget next week and the Victorians today - even conservative Treasury figures paint a very good picture for the Northern Territory’s future economic growth.
I thank all of my ministerial colleagues who contributed to the debate. Confidence to invest in the economy does not happen by accident. People invest in the Northern Territory because the opportunities are here. They are investing as a result of the resources boom, but they are also investing because the government has very solid fiscal targets in place; it is fiscal responsible and is investing in infrastructure on the social side of the equation to ensure that the Territory continues to be the best place to live, work and raise a family in Australia. We do this since we need more people here. We need skills here. Part of attracting people to the Northern Territory is not only the jobs that are available but the lifestyle that we are privileged to have here; a lifestyle seen in the quality of our health and education, our sport, infrastructure and events.
As the Sports minister mentioned, many people like me came here from somewhere else. One of the things we all enjoy is seeing the Australian Football League team and the Australian Cricket Team come here, and Elton John coming to perform here. It makes people who live in Darwin feel part of the broader Australian community. A strong economy makes those opportunities available for Territorians.
I move quickly to the member for Nelson and his comments. I will give him one thing; he is very consistent in his arguments. Housing is too expensive; I do not deny that it is difficult for first homebuyers to get into the system. However, we are not Robinson Crusoe in the Northern Territory on this issue. All state governments are struggling with this issue. There is no magic pudding, no silver bullet solution to getting first homebuyers into housing. It is something that is challenging all governments. The member for Nelson, and I think the Leader of the Opposition, believes there is a silver bullet approach to that, which is to release more land onto the market. The danger of flooding the market with land is leaving people who are already in the market very highly geared with their mortgages with negative equity in their homes. We are not going to do that. That would be absolutely reckless and irresponsible of any government to put so much land onto the marketplace so that the price of that land falls through the floor. It would absolutely destroy the equity that people have built up in their homes.
I urge people to go to the Northern Territory Economy Overview. There is a very interesting table on page 12 which outlines the residential property markets. It shows median house prices in all of our major centres across the Northern Territory; that is, the five-year accumulated growth in median house prices for 2002 to 2007- essentially the time that this government has been in office - grew by 98.3% in Darwin, 103.2% in Palmerston; 86.5% in Katherine, 46.4% in Tennant Creek and 72.4% in Alice Springs. That is real wealth in the bank balances and pockets of Territory families. This is real accumulated wealth for Territory families. I acknowledge it is hard to get in but, once you are in the market, you have very solid returns. That is the great thing for Territory families. For those families that have just bought into this marketplace, which is very highly geared in an era of rising interest rates, we have to be very careful we do not drive them into negative equity.
He talked about buying rural blocks and how unachievable that is for single people or families. I remember the days the member for Nelson was talking about, the early to mid-1980s, when you could buy five acres at Humpty Doo and Howard Springs for about $27 000 to $30 000. They were different days and different times. Our HomeNorth Scheme goes to the lower end of the market for people who cannot get traditional bank finance, but also protects those people to ensure that, unlike in America where loans were being given out to people with no job and no capacity to repay them, people can succeed in making their payments. That does not go to propping up people to buy five acres of land in the rural area as a single person looking for a start in life. I believe those days are gone. If there was a simple solution to this problem, others would have found it.
The government does have policy regarding land release and my colleague, the Lands minister has, many times in this House, talked about the lands release policy, and how we are doing it differently. In the not-too-distant future we will advise about the developers who have won the rights to turn off Bellamack.
The member for Nelson talked about Glyde Point; I am not going to go over that again. He knows because he has been advised, I understand, by the company that Glyde Point is not an option for this particular investment decision. To try to pretend you support the INPEX investment but it has to go to Glyde Point, is nonsense, and he knows it.
I agree with him about indigenous participation in an economy that is significantly expanding. It is a theme that challenges every one of us in this House. We all want to see better employment outcomes for indigenous people, right across the Northern Territory, particularly in our regional and remote centres. One of the fundamental reforms I believe we will see, over time, will be significant opportunities for indigenous business and employment and training in regional and remote communities as a result of reforms to local government. It is not just a governance reform. It is a very significant economic reform which will allow over nearly $700m to be spent on improving indigenous housing in the bush over the next four years. We are all determined to see significant employment opportunities arise from that. I am on exactly the same page as the member for Nelson: greater indigenous participation in our economy is an absolute policy must. Our Closing the Gap money we are injecting into these areas - an extra $276m over the next five years on top of what we have already been spending in the bush - is going to help achieve that goal.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank everyone for contributing to the statement. We are going to have many more statements on the economy over the time ahead. I commend the statement to the House.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
MOTION
Note Statement - Major Capital Infrastructure Program for Remote Housing
Note Statement - Major Capital Infrastructure Program for Remote Housing
Continued from 1 May 2008.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Deputy Chief Minister): Madam Deputy Speaker, I support my colleague, the Minister for Housing. Before I go through details of what the minister has outlined, I want to touch on some of what the member for Katherine was saying last week in her response to the remote housing statement.
Instead of taking the opportunity offered and showing bipartisan support for a long-overdue initiative aimed at overcoming problems out bush, which were obvious long before 2001, the member for Katherine treated us to a laudatory lecture extolling the wisdom of Noel Pearson. The only problem was that she clearly did not understand the substance of Mr Pearson’s position in relation to housing and land tenure. I will return to that point in more detail shortly, because it needs to be understood by everyone that the antediluvian attitudes towards land rights held by past and present representatives of the CLP are not, in fact, shared by Pearson or anyone with a modicum of sense and vision.
However, as regards to the elevation of Noel Pearson into the hagiography of the Howard era conservatives - an era from which the member for Katherine and her colleagues have, obviously, still not yet emerged - I want to place on record my view that most of the things Noel Pearson said are entirely unremarkable and reflect views held by many people on both sides of politics for many years.
What has made Mr Pearson’s view newsworthy is his assertion that he is some sort of latter day Martin Luther promoting a radical reform agenda that strikes against the long-held welfare worshipping doctrines of the Labor Party. From my experience, that assertion amounts to a distorted fable as regards the Labor Party generally. It does not apply to me personally. For example, for many years I and many other people - certainly before I entered politics – were articulating the desirability of quarantining the welfare payment for parents who do not send their children to school. I have always maintained that any such measures should be enforced universally and not just against Aboriginal people. As I understand it, Mr Pearson would agree with me on that point. My views are also parallel to those of Pearson when it comes to the need to take tough measures to deal with substance abuse, particularly in respect to alcohol.
Noel Pearson is a sophisticated thinker and communicator with a knack for presenting, in dramatic and confronting terms, some of the problems afflicting Aboriginal communities that we have known about for many years. That is all well and good but, when it comes to specific details of and processes for formulating solutions for those problems, it does not help us in this place at all for the member for Katherine to quote selections from her ‘greatest hits archive’ of Noel’s assorted media quotes and sound bites. In almost every instance, they deal with generalities, not specifics.
At the end of the day, Northern Territory problems need to be addressed by the implementation of customised Northern Territory solutions. Some aspects of the package of measures that Pearson has developed for Cape York may be usefully imported here, while others may be a poor fit. By all means, let us look at the detail of what has been trialled in the Cape as one of a range of reference points but, in the meantime, let us can the Howard years of rhetoric, including the gospel according to St Noel.
Much of the member for Katherine’s speech harped on about welfarism and an acclaimed aversion, by both government and Aboriginal communities, to the fostering and development of private enterprise out bush. Because of that largely misinformed emphasis, I want to make some comments. Before I address the details of how we are going to integrate housing and land tenure reform let me discuss where this Territory Labor government stands as regards the twin government roles of development facilitator and safety net provider.
The theory that governments have no role to play in a free enterprise market economy was effectively debunked by the Great Depression of the 1930s and the writings of John Maynard Keynes. What people came to realise was that, in countries and regions where economic activity was moribund or non-existent, the commencement by government of large public - or public/private partnership - development projects could provide interim employment for the unemployed and help create or revive market activity and private investment. Obviously, where there was a significant commercial entity with capital and other resources equivalent to those available to government willing to set up shop in the depressed country or region, then it would be the job of government to assist and facilitate the commencement of that project, leaving the government free to devote more attention and resources to areas where no commercial entity was willing to establish a venture.
Applying all of that to the Northern Territory, we face the situation where, in our urban centres, the economy is booming, but out bush it is depressed. Every single member of this government wants to see economic activity out bush. Putting aside those localities where large-scale mining operations may be established, the opportunities are limited and need to be strategically pursued. The occasions where large- or even medium-sized commercial enterprises set up operations in or near a remote Aboriginal community will be relatively infrequent for some years to come, although we will be doing all that we can to change that.
In the meantime, it is the role of the Territory government, as it was that of the United States government of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s, to look after its citizens in two ways. First, it needs to try to initiate government-funded and controlled projects that will act as economic development drivers. Second, it needs to ensure that, acting in partnership with the Commonwealth government, there is a safety net in place to give support and encouragement to this generation of Aboriginal people living through what amounts to the kind of depression that you have when no independently-viable market economy exists.
What you do not do as government is to condemn families and communities as welfare parasites at the very same time as you are trying to gradually create the embryonic market economy that you hope will eventually provide them with the employment, self-esteem and life choices that are available in our urban centres. Families with the ultimate potential to be working families need to have enough money for food and clothing and other necessities to keep them going. That is what welfare programs are really about. It is not about anyone in government - in particular this government - swanning about with some weird philosophical notion that, when it comes to remote Aboriginal communities, they are really all better off getting the dole and not integrating with any kind of economy.
Moving now to housing and land tenure, I will start by reading my own selected quote from Noel Pearson, and this is taken from his piece in The Weekend Australian of 11-12 August last year:
- … I have become convinced in the years since that there must be, and there can be, a reconciliation between private title-holding and the preservation of the underlying communal tenure. Aboriginal leaders rightly fear the consequences of allowing communal lands to be alienated. There would not just be a Swiss cheese effect; the whole cheese block would be lost to dealings with unscrupulous money lenders and developers. There is much history in North America and New Zealand that cannot be allowed to be repeated in Australia. However, this fear of alienation has led to a paranoid opposition to any notion of private titles to community members for housing or businesses.
That passage confirms fearsome support for land rights and the concept of underlying title. He went on to endorse the concept of creating secure and transferable interest in land in the form of leasehold title. His ideas are very clear in the undesirability of government taking on the role of landlord rather than that of major lessee. These are his words on that issue:
- It is absolutely imperative that the provisions relating to the holding of town leases and the subsequent disposition of leases not be within the sole and arbitrary power of the federal government. Rather, this should be the province of an entity that is comprised of representatives of indigenous landowners.
If the member for Katherine wanted support from Queensland for the take on land tenure reform in remote Aboriginal communities that she is calling for, the man she wants to praise is not Noel Pearson but Bob Katter. It was Katter who stated on national television, when commenting about land rights in both Queensland and the Northern Territory, that the government should get rid of the underlying Aboriginal title and replace it with separate freehold titles. That is what the CLP is on about - same old, same old. By contrast, we agree with Pearson.
The member for Katherine said she wanted more details about secure land tenure arrangements mentioned by the Housing Minister. It is quite straightforward. Territory Housing will obtain block section 19 leases on the land on communities where existing public housing stock is located, and where future public housing is to be constructed. Tenancy agreements with each occupying family will be entered into; appropriate rent will be paid; and tenancy agreements’ terms and conditions will be enforced. There will be no effective legal or policy difference between Territory Housing tenancies in Aboriginal communities and the equivalent tenancies in the urban centres.
I next address the member for Katherine’s call for home ownership. Wherever possible, this government will encourage and try to facilitate the construction of housing in communities, in addition to the public housing stock which will be leased and managed by Territory Housing. The number of individuals or families in remote communities with income sufficient to acquire the leasehold titles to such additional dwellings will be very small to start off with but, we all agree, the path to home ownership should not be discouraged. However, it is likely the more frequently accessed path to home ownership will be by the purchase by a public housing tenant of Territory Housing leasehold interest in the house which he or she occupies. This is exactly the same as in urban centres. The only difference is the transferable interest in land is leasehold rather than freehold.
My colleague, the Minister for Housing, is absolutely correct in his statement in identifying solutions to housing as the lynchpin for so much else that affects indigenous people from our town camps to our remote towns and communities. The minister outlined the program that will save the health of thousands of Territorians and is a fundamental part of this government’s approach to closing the gap.
I take members of this Assembly to the realities of life out bush for so many of their fellow Territorians and their children . It could be anywhere in my electorate of Arafura, in Arnhem, Macdonnell, Nhulunbuy, Stuart, Daly or Barkly or, indeed, the town electorates of Katherine, Araluen, Greatorex, or Braitling. It is a picture of housing that is, quite simply, cruelly inadequate. It is a picture of overcrowding.
Imagine, if you can, that you are a child just at school age. It is night time, perhaps 10 pm. The house is noisy and you cannot sleep. There are 18 other people in the house, including eight other kids, from your baby sister to your 15-year-old cousins. There are only three bedrooms and a lounge room. There are mattresses inside and on the veranda. There are lots of kids sleeping in the same room. You are hungry and you have sore ears again. The medicine the health centre gave you fixed them up but the pain is back again. The pain comes and goes. Tonight is not so bad because there has not been the same drinking as the night before when you had to run off to your auntie’s house at the top camp after the fight between your older brother and his wife. You did not sleep much at your auntie’s place because there are heaps of relatives and their kids there too. So you did not go to school again. You were too tired and school is too hard. The teacher is nice but it is hard to make out what she is saying.
This is, in microcosm, one of the consequences of overcrowded housing. Our imaginary child is suffering from chronic suppurative otitis media, or CSOM. It is a disease of overcrowding and the Sunrise Health Service described it back in 2002. The approximate cause of CSOM is persistent nasopharyngeal colonisation by multiple bacterial species and subtypes. In Aboriginal communities, infants are frequently exposed to other children whose bacterial carriage rates are at almost 100% for each of the major otitis media pathogens. In non-Aboriginal children low dose infections usually eradicate pathogens which, in turn, reduce inflammation and tissue damage. In Aboriginal children, it is understood that early exposure to large-scale multiple bacterial infections constantly inflames and damages tissue without eliminating the pathogens. There is a vicious cycle which persists throughout early childhood; early and chronic exposure leading to persistent infections, thus leading to chronic mucosal disease.
Kids become chronic carriers of the disease thus infecting other children, for reasons that are unclear but which may, in fact, indicate the sheer prevalence and, hence, apparent normalcy of the condition. Aboriginal infants infected rarely exhibit symptoms such as fever, pain, irritability or inflammation of the ear. This means the illness goes unnoticed by parents and, thus, goes untreated. The invisibility is further exacerbated by two related features. Aboriginal childhood hearing loss is intermittent; that is, hearing phases in and out. This means that for at least some of the time children can hear and so can acquire the capacity to speak and interact as ‘normal’ full hearing children.
Of course, our child is not really imaginary. Menzies School of Health research showed over 29 communities indicated an overall average of 25% of young Aboriginal children have perforated ear drums, 31% have middle ear fluid in both ears, and only 7% of children had normal ears. Five communities have perforation rates greater than 40%. That is why the statement from the Minister for Housing offers us real hope.
Over the years, there were many who have tried to deny that Aboriginal housing or lack of it was of particular importance. A string of Howard’s moribund Housing ministers, such as Amanda Vanstone onwards, denied the connection between the lousy housing and substance abuse, chronic disease, sexual abuse of children, domestic violence and bleak educational outcomes. In partnership with the Rudd Labor government, we recognise the crucial importance of housing to the whole program of Closing the Gap. It gives teeth to Closing the Gap, real meaning to a housing program that will, as the minister said earlier, create a generational change.
The federal minister, Jenny Macklin, has shown the kind of vision so lacking in her predecessors’ approach to the portfolio. A key to the new strategic indigenous housing program being rolled out is summed up by a simple word: alliance - a genuine alliance that now exists between the Commonwealth and Northern Territory governments. The strategic alliance model is being adopted to bring Aboriginal stakeholders, private enterprise and government together in this great social and economic enterprise. It is a model that is based on evidence. It has worked on the eastern seaboard and South Australia. It is not based on cheap rhetoric and coercion. It brings together the skills of the private sector with government financing and the interest of Aboriginal people in physical results - decent housing - and classical results - training and employment. This really ticks the boxes of what we must sustain over the next generation of Closing the Gap.
That, Madam Deputy Speaker, is what it is all about. I endorse the minister’s statement.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, there is no doubt about it; this is something really essential for Territorians, particularly those living in communities,. To have the amount of housing the minister is talking about is essential. For too long, homes have been overcrowded and we have all seen the consequences of that.
There is no doubt that I support the minister in what he is saying. I have a few questions to ask the minister and, in his reply, I hope he will be able to give me some answers. I was looking at the communities that are listed to receive the housing upgrades and the major capital works. I noticed in Central Australia Hermannsburg and Yuendumu are the only two communities to receive major capital works. There is also Lajamanu but, other than that, all the rest are in the Top End.
Considering there are so many – how many? - 16 major communities receiving capital works, to just have two communities in Central Australia seems to be indicating, in a way, that it is not as essential for them as it is for the rest of the Territory. We certainly need the houses. I was at Hermannsburg not so long ago, and there was a section where there were some new homes. However, the number of people living in those homes was too great. Is it any wonder that we have maintenance and disease problems because of the lack of maintenance and the filth that surrounds the houses? Perhaps the minister could tell me why there were only two communities in Central Australia? Of the 57 receiving housing upgrades, again I notice that 38 are in Katherine or the Top End. There seems to be a huge emphasis on the Top End with these major upgrades. I was thinking about Utopia. It is not on the list, but its CEO has indicated it would need a great deal of upgrades and many more houses. If you went to many of the communities in Central Australia that would be the cry of everyone: ‘Give us more’.
Your list also does not include the town camps. Perhaps the minister could let us know whether the town camps are going to have some new homes. I realise that Tangentyere knocked back that funding from the federal government. I will always consider that was one of the most stupid things they ever did - and I will say that publicly. You only have to look at the town camps to see the disrepair and the state they are in. For Tangentyere to not accept that on behalf of their people when they so badly needed it was, to me, a terrible mistake and they should be criticised for it. I do not believe the housing associations themselves have enough input into these decisions being made on their behalf. Therefore, if the minister can do anything to improve that, that would be great.
The minister also said in his statement that urban and remote housing is now going to be taken over by Territory Housing, and that Territory Housing is going to be responsible for repairs, maintenance and property management. He is nodding his head so, I guess, that is right. I have a few questions regarding the contracts that are being put out. Are these contracts being handled by DIPE, or is there a private consultant, as we have normally had with many of the government contracts in the past where you have a project manager from the private sector overseeing it? It is my understanding that DIPE is now going to be doing much of that hands-on management of contracts. I am interested to know whether that is so or not, or whether it is going to outside consultants.
I know you are hoping to get Aboriginal employment out of this, and I hope you do. I hope we get some of these young fellas trained as apprentices so there will be a long-term benefit for the communities; so repairs and maintenance can be done on the communities without bringing in a load of people from outside to do it for them. That would be good, but how are you going to manage it? With the staffing component you have at the moment with Territory Housing and remote housing, you must be going to have a rather large increase in Housing staff to oversee and manage all this. Will there be tenancy managers out on places like Yuendumu, which is a rather large community, or Papunya, or those other places? Well, I think Papunya was not on the list, was it? Sorry, no it was not. Can you give some details on the operation of this and whether we will see improvements?
When these houses are built, what are you going to do before you let people into them? I only mention that because, at the moment, the Housing information referral team in Alice Springs, has a program called, the Good House Program, the Apmere Mwerre program. It is a contract they go through with their tenants whereby they sign an agreement, but they also show tenants what they should be doing week by week. For instance, they ensure they have a clean kitchen, or an materials/products internal start-up kit. This has things which we probably take for granted when we go into a home. Here is a list of some of the items they are talking about: a mop and bucket, a broom, a banister brush and pan, toilet brush, a plastic bucket, Superwipes, Chux, sponges, and Domestos. They list for these people things that we take for granted. They go and purchase these with them and the items are subsidised so they know they are in the home.
They also have an internal and an external program. The external program talks about how you can look after your yard, so we will not see that huge amount of rubbish that is blowing around in many of the communities at the moment. Again, yard hardware - a garden hose and fittings, a rake, assorted plants, mulch, pine logs, sleepers, and a wheelie bin cleaner – is all listed for these tenants. The cost to the tenant is listed, but it is also subsidised. It is a very good program. They have photographs of a yard that is blank then, photographed later after the trees have been planted and cared for. It is that type of instruction, which I know sounds simple, that is part of a life skills program that, I believe, is necessary in our communities to ensure that these homes, when they do get built, are not destroyed quickly, and we do not see rubbish lying everywhere. People understand their responsibility: when you are given a home, you have to look after it. There are certain things you need, and they are very basic.
Minister, I am more than happy to let you have a look at that. This is confidential in the sense that there has been someone who has signed it. It shows photographs of her doing her shopping and maintenance around the place. The life skills program the department had, I believe, went out to Tangentyere Council. I do not know whether it was for town camps, but we saw no benefit from that in the town tenancies. I do not know where that contract is with Tangentyere at the moment, but I believe it has not been a success. We need to ensure that, when we build these houses on communities, we do the same thing, ensuring people understand their responsibilities when they are given a him because, let us face it, these houses are costly.
My other concern - and I can remember back a long time – is that we went through a whole stage of designs. The design for the Top End was certainly different to a design for the Centre. The Centre usually had shade all the way around the house so people who like to sit outside could do so. They usually had access to a toilet from outside, rather than have to go tramping through the house. In the Top End, I have seen houses where they had bedrooms this side and living areas that side with a lovely breezeway through the middle. There have been all sorts of fantastic designs for homes in the past. I do not believe demountables have always been successful because they are not able to withstand the wear and tear on them. Is it true, minister, that you are now going through another consultancy round of looking at houses designs? That is probably a waste of money. You must by now have a bucket load of designs that would be appropriate.
There has been a widespread interest from contractors across the Territory, minister, as you are aware. The lack of skilled tradesmen is of great concern. I just hope we do not get overpriced houses because of this. That is why I am wondering whether DIPI is managing the contracts, or are you having an outside consultant? I am also concerned that – and how can I say this without sounding offensive? - but many of the contractors have indicated that if they are going to go to a bush community and spend four to six weeks there building a house and they cannot have a beer after work, they probably will not go. They would rather work in town where there is plenty of work. It is part of the federal government’s intervention that these are dry areas. In the past, I know contractors have gone out to communities with the police and teachers and whoever else was on-site, with members of the council and there has always been a permit or an agreement whereby they could have a beer after work.
I do not know of any incidents where a contractor has been involved in some sort of altercation with the community because of alcohol being misused, over-drunk or passed around. It is what the Labor government keeps talking about - the Territory lifestyle. It is a bit like the people in Kekwick Avenue who came to me and said: ‘We used to come home after work and have a beer, but we cannot have a fridge on our back verandah any more’. It is part of the lifestyle that we have. I do not know whether you can address that, minister, so contractors will not be put off. You might say: ‘Oh, well. What the heck? It is only six weeks. Surely, they can go without a beer’. But when you are working a 10-hour day in the heat, in the dust and dirt, it is not such a bad thing to say: ‘Well, why not? Why can’t they have that beer after work as they would do if they were in town?’ Perhaps, that is a price they pay for accepting a contract. It will be interesting to see the response when the contracts are given out. Will people be asking: ‘Can I do this or can’t I do this?’
Minister, we are hoping that there will be houses built fairly quickly in the Centre. I understand why people do not want to live out in communities. I was talking to some young people the other day and what did they say? ‘It’s boring’. It is boring. Home is not a nice, comfortable place and environment to live in. What do they do after school? They might not have a recreation hall, a grassed oval, or activities planned for them. They cannot go and work at McDonalds for a few hours each day to earn a few dollars. They do not have the opportunities we have in town. So why not stay in town? It is a better lifestyle.
Housing is important. We all take pride in our houses; they are our homes. Many indigenous people would like to have that same opportunity. It is their home, their castle and they should be able to protect it.
When these are houses distributed, I hope there will be a ceiling on the maximum number of people who can live in them. I believe you have to put a cap on those numbers. I do not think you can allow the situation to continue where we have 10, 15, 20 people living in a house. As you know and as most members have said, it is unhygienic and causes all sorts of problems. If we are going to talk about new homes, then let us make that part of the stipulation. Let us make Territory Housing have that as part of the agreements they give to these people.
This will be a huge boost for the Northern Territory economy. It is going to be a huge boost for the housing industry. I believe there are people out there who are already talking and networking, trying to work out how they can apply for these contracts and ensure they will be there to do them. You need good, sensible people to manage these contracts. It is going to be really important who finally gets that job. I imagine you are going to have to employ many more staff.
On the whole, minister, what you and the federal government are doing is overdue. It is about time. I am quite sure previous Ministers for Housing will tell you how difficult it was to go to the ministerial councils, continually put the case forward for the Northern Territory, and continually be knocked back. It has occurred for many years. Now, at least, we seem to have the cooperation of the federal government which is important. It is a great benefit for the Territory. I wish you luck and I hope it works well.
Mr BONSON (Sport and Recreation): Madam Deputy Speaker, I add my support to the statement by my colleague the Minister for Housing. There is no doubt that housing needs in the Territory remote communities have been ignored for too long. While the challenges facing our remote communities are long-standing and complex, it is obvious that more and better housing is critical to make any reasonable advances for Territorians living in the bush. It is encouraging, as a Territory-born Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander member of this parliament, to hear the minister outline this historic initiative.
The Territory is currently enjoying unprecedented growth. As a government, we have a responsibility to ensure the most disadvantaged Territorians share in our economic success, because we not only live in an economy, we live in a community.
Access Economics has forecast a 7% growth rate for the Territory. We have seen a series of major developments come online over the last five years. There has been a corresponding growth in employment over that period. Territory businesses are enjoying significant growth. All the economic indicators are in the right place and when we look around centres such as Darwin, you can see living proof of the Territory’s economic success.
We all know economic growth like this is only possible through strong economic management. This type of economic growth does not just happen by accident. It can only be achieved through proper planning. The Territory’s strong economy has given us the opportunity to embark on initiatives like the one outlined by the Minister of Housing. We are also moving to improve living conditions in our remote regions at times when there is an enormous groundswell of support and goodwill across Australia for the improvement of life for indigenous Australians. The time is right. Our remote area housing program will be the first serious attempt in decades to turn around indigenous housing in the Territory. We had a briefing saying that the housing policy had not changed since the 1950s and 1960s. Hopefully, this new initiative will offer some real change.
However, the challenges are significant. The scope of work is beyond anything attempted in the remote communities before. It would be impossible for a single entity acting alone to successfully manage this task. It can only be achieved through strong partnerships. Our relationship with the Australian government is critical to the success of the program. That relationship is strong. By working in partnership with the Rudd Labor government, through the Strategic Indigenous Housing and. Infrastructure Program, we will be able to direct almost $650m to improve remote housing.
It should also be noted that all sides of politics recognise the need and the deficit of housing is far greater than the money being invested. As a country, we need to get realistic about what type of outcomes we can get out of this type of investment, and understand that it is going to take further and greater investment. This program is part of almost $1bn to be spent on housing across the Territory over the next five years. About $420m of the Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program will be directed to new houses and upgrades in 16 high-need communities.
As significant as this commitment is, it will still not be enough to complete the task of completely reversing the historic shortfall of housing stocks in the bush. We need to recognise and understand that and work towards further investments by both the Northern Territory and Commonwealth governments. The partnership will be much easier to achieve such a great need, if both sides of parliament - both of the Territory and Commonwealth levels - can work together.
This investment has the potential to change the lives of thousands of people in the bush for the better. That is the bottom line here: this is all about people. This is about delivering for Territory families, and investing in the Territory’s future.
We heard the member for Arafura talk passionately about the issues of overcrowding and what can be caused by overcrowding. She often speaks in such dramatic - I do not know, what is the word I am looking for? - descriptive language of what the reality is - and with such passion.
As a government, we recognise now is the time to act. The Strategic Housing Plan due for completion in 2012 is an ambitious one which will include some 750 new houses, more than 230 houses to replace structures that currently are derelict, more than 2500 housing upgrades, as well as improved conditions in town camps.
However, it is hoped that this initiative will deliver more than just houses. While housing is a key goal, this is a program which is also aimed at workforce development, building capacity in communities and developing real, viable, long-term jobs to help communities support themselves. The scope and nature of the program will require more than just a partnership between governments. It is a partnership which must also involve industry and communities themselves. Given the size of the project, the need for genuine partnerships and requirements for immediate results, it was decided to adopt a new approach to contracting. Calls of expressions of interest from companies wanting to be involved in the program opened last week.
Last Wednesday, more than 350 industry representatives attended an information session conducted by Territory Housing and Program Manager, Parsons and Brinckerhoff. The information session attracted not just Territory-based companies but also interstate firms. I am able to report that the response to this new way of doing business in indigenous housing construction was extremely positive.
Next week, a series of regional information sessions will begin to advise communities how they will be involved in this historic initiative. Alliance contracting is a departure from the hard-dollar approach most of us would be familiar with. It is about creating partnerships which allow every member of the alliance to make decisions on the program. It is an approach endorsed by both the Territory and Australian governments. The Territory and Australian government jointly assessed the contracting models that could be best applied to this program. Alliance contracting was chosen because it has the potential to achieve not just the primary goals of new housing and housing upgrades, but also social outcomes. As the Minister for Housing has already observed, alliance contracting has been used elsewhere in recent years to deliver complex major infrastructure projects. Alliance contracting allows organisations to work in partnership to reduce risk and achieve savings in both budget and time. The philosophy underpinning alliance contracting is very much one of collectively working to resolve program challenges.
Briefly, some key characteristics of alliance contracting are: collective sharing of project risks; no fault, no blame; no dispute between alliance participants; payment under a compensation model; unanimous principle-based decision-making on all key project issues; and an integrated project team selected on the basis of the best person for each position. The alliance contracting model also allows for incentives to be built into the program for outstanding results - incentives that can be ranked against outcomes, like bringing the package in under the targeted budget and other features like indigenous employment levels. It actively rewards people for these outcomes.
This is an ambitious program. It is one that has been a long time coming. The people of remote communities have missed out for too long and, if we want to achieve progress in our remote communities, we have to make significant inroads into the housing deficit that has, for too long, helped shackle progress in the bush and, in turn, affected the whole of the Territory. If the remote housing program and the associated alliance contracting approach can achieve their stated goals, then they will leave a truly worthwhile legacy for the Northern Territory.
I remind the House, those people listening throughout this building, and those listening to the broadcast, we need to recognise this is only the beginning of trying to address many of the problems. Depending on what independent sources people quote, the need is somewhere over $2bn in remote area housing alone in the Northern Territory. That does not cover housing in urban or rural areas.
It is a great achievement. It has been achieved in partnership with the Commonwealth government. It has been achieved as part of an initiative begun with the previous Commonwealth government, taken on by this Commonwealth government and, of course, embraced by the Northern Territory Labor government. I am sure both sides of the House and the Independents agree that, no matter what party you are in, this money is needed. The reality is, it is not enough, and what we have to work towards is trying to secure more. The best way we can do that is by working together. No doubt, there will be issues about how this money will be spent and what the outcomes will be etcetera. We can play political games with that but, if we start from the point recognising the investment we have now is not enough but is a start to fix the problem, then we can genuinely work to resolve the problem.
No matter wherever you go on this planet, on any continent, in any religion, in any culture, amongst any race or tribe, when you have poverty, you have certain indicators that are related to that. One of the greatest poverty issues is lack of proper housing. In the Northern Territory what we see is 10, 15, 20 people per household and the associated problems.
The member for Arafura talked about people who lived in Darwin, Sydney, New York, China etcetera. If you were in a household of 15 to 20 people, and you all used the toilet once a day, and you all open the front door once a day, you all turned on the fan once a day, and this happened for 100 days in row, of course, your fan, your toilet would not work and your door would fall off the hinges. We often see photographs of remote areas and people come up with racially profiled views on how people are living their life but, in reality, whatever culture, whatever background, whatever religion, if you put a group of individuals into that same situation - knowing that there is no repairs or maintenance, no capacity to fix the toilet or the hinges - the outcomes will be the same. These are the things that we have to face.
Finally, I have mentioned many times in this House - and, no doubt, there will be someone smarter than me one day who will pick up on the idea - consider if places like North America and Western Europe invested in a country, some 15 to 20 years ago, where the population did not speak English, did not have the same religion, did not classify themselves as European, and had a different political system such as communism, totally adverse to capitalism. Yet, in spite of all that, we can find a mechanism to invest in them. Those countries have consumers totalling not hundreds of millions, not billions, but trillions. If we can find the way to do that and find consumers in the fastest ever growing economy in the history of the industrial revolution, and take 400 million people out of poverty into what we call middle class, why can we not do this for some 30 000 identified indigenous people, two-thirds of which are living in remote areas and may be struggling - some 20 000 individuals that live in the Northern Territory. The only way we can do that, of course, is investment.
I appreciate this investment from the Australian people, both through the Commonwealth and Northern Territory governments. However, the reality is that this is only a starting point. We can change the lives of these 20 000-odd people. We can improve their housing. We can improve their education. We can improve it by giving them opportunities to make choices. Often, we forget that in this House. When we spend this $1bn, we are still going to have a huge problem and people will make political mileage out of that, no matter what side of parliament they are on. Yet, we need to start at the starting point: this is great but it is not enough. Let us work towards getting enough.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I wish the minister well. You and others have described the initiative as ambitious. The amount of spending is impressive, combining federal government and Northern Territory monies: $647m over 73 remote communities, 230 houses and over 2500 upgrades to existing homes. There is, no doubt, more housing needed in the bush. Pretty much every speaker has said that. Others have questioned you, minister, and I will be listening to your reply as to why only two communities in Central Australia are going to benefit from this program. I do not know the Top End bush communities as well as the Central Australian, but there can be no doubt there is a need for more housing in those communities. Could you give us a straight answer to the question: why does the Centre miss out in such a significant way?
Second, and it is referred to in the most recent edition of The Alice News dated 1 May. Erwin Chlanda investigates why the Centre is missing out to such an extent. I will read half a paragraph from Mr Chlanda’s article:
- There is no response on the question from The Alice News, why the ‘mutual obligation’ notion of previous Aboriginal Affairs Minister Mal Brough has apparently been discarded ...
What is the mutual obligation? You build all these houses. I think the member for Braitling touched on some of these issues as well, in a town environment. Estimates is a time when we will ask questions about how many bad tenants have been evicted.
You will remember, I think in about 2005, there was antisocial behaviour legislation which was linked up with a tenancy bill. That was, as per government spin, how the government was going to act to get rid of bad public housing tenants. As an aside, how many people have been evicted? Noting that concept as it was espoused by government - that is, if you are a bad tenant and are not looking after your house in the suburbs - what similar mechanisms are in place for those in the bush? In other words, if you build houses for people - anyone - and they do not look after them, what role does this government have? What do you envisage to be the result if some people - and it may happen, it may not - do not look after their houses? Some might trash them and, of course, we have all been to bush communities and seen evidence of that.
The third issue, minister, is that you said that: ‘… a further $103m will be invested in fixing our town camps and in a few other ongoing programs’. My questions are as follows. What are the other ongoing programs? Does the $103m referred to apply to all town camps in the Northern Territory? Or does it apply to those only in Alice Springs? If it applies to only those in Alice Springs, could you explain the difference between the $103m about which you spoke and the $18m that was earmarked under the SIHIP program to address the emerging needs and contingencies as outlined in the minutes of meeting between the Chief Minister and the federal minister, Jenny Macklin on 6 March 2008? You were at that meeting. You have, as I do no doubt, a copy of the minutes. You will remember there was a reference to $18m being earmarked and it was under the heading of town camps. All of us in this Chamber - and pretty much everyone outside it - agrees that Tangentyere Council missed a great opportunity – was it last year? – with the offer on the table by the federal government. I note that the Territory government tried very hard to get Tangentyere Council over the line. However, it seems everyone, unfortunately, failed. That was $60m, from memory, on the table. This is now $18m over and above. Explaining the difference between the $103m you referred to in your statement and the $18m in the minutes, can you update us - with respect, you should in a statement like this - as to how your negotiations are going with Tangentyere Council and what is going to be done for the town camps in Alice Springs? I invite you elaborate or to provide as much information as you possibly can or are willing to.
You mentioned in your statement the home care and urban living skills programs and that they will be a key component of this framework. Can you, in your reply, advise us of the current status of those programs as administered by Tangentyere Council in Alice Springs and, specifically: how many programs are run, how many times they are run a month, and how many people are assisted under this program? I do not think they are unreasonable questions, given that the Northern Territory government provides the money.
As you know, there are increasing concerns about the accountability of Tangentyere Council in relation to the urban living skills programs. The member for Braitling touched upon it. You would be familiar with it. Other media organisations are. In fact, it has been quite topical in relatively recent times. It does not fall within the confines of this statement but another time, another place, we should talk about Return to Country because that is not working well either, and blind Freddy can see that. It goes to the issue of accountability. Can you tell us what sort of programs are being run, how many, how many people are being helped, and what the current status is? It remains pretty much a mystery to many people.
I just remembered there was a reference, I think, to an indigenous workforce. Clearly in the bush, there is great capacity for numbers of people who, with assistance - and there does need to be assistance given – are a potential workforce in the bush. It was not clear from your statement – I am not sure whether it was deliberate or not – but can you advise in your reply how exactly you plan to get an indigenous workforce up and running? I would have thought that would very much underpin the success in these communities if success is measured by the level of engagement with the indigenous people there. Yes, okay. Building houses. That is great. However, surely, a parallel aim is to engage and train a workforce. I would like some details, if you would, as to how exactly you plan to do that. With those questions, I will conclude but you should know, minister, that I wish you well.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank the minister for his statement. When you make such a statement, which tends to emphasise some of the bad things about housing, perhaps we should go back and look at some of the good things in Aboriginal housing. I lived, when I was young, at Daly River and later moved to Bathurst Island. Daly River, when I first went there, had Middle Camp, Top Camp and Bottom Camp. It also had a series of houses which, I understand, were funded by the United Nations because Daly River, at that time, was more or less sponsored by the UN. In fact, I seem to remember I was told Sir Paul Hasluck came and inspected the mission, as it was then, and they built what was then regarded as probably the most modern houses around. They were a series of two-room brick houses, which were a big advance on tin shacks.
The other thing that we could look at today, is that the word ‘camp’ was removed. I remember Brother Howley, who was a Brother who worked on many missions in the Northern Territory, said: ‘Calling a place “camp” was, to some extent, derogatory’. We do not call a place in a non-indigenous community a camp but, for some reason, we call where Aboriginal people live a camp. It was one of the first things that they got rid of at Daly River. You did not have Top Camp, Bottom Camp anymore; they were all part of the one community.
At Daly River, they also had what was a very progressive housing gang. There were a number of people who lived on the community. I remember the McCarthy’s - Peter and Bob McCarthy - built many houses on the Daly River. In fact, Bob McCarthy died from skin cancer, and much of that could be blamed on working on rooves on houses at the Daly River in very hot conditions. The Daly River is like Katherine; in the build-up and the build-down it can be very unpleasant. They used to work right through the day building houses. If you go to Daly River you will see some very nice houses. They are the envy of many other Aboriginal communities. They had a system there which ensured the houses were looked after. Because they had done such a great job, they did attract more funds to keep building houses. If you go there today - I am going down for the Merrepen Festival - you will see for yourself that that is a shining example of good housing on an Aboriginal community.
When I went to Bathurst Island, just before Cyclone Tracy, it was a fairly abysmal place in the number of decent houses it had. I always remember Tiwis used to say to me: ‘What a great place we live in’. They used to all brag about it when you would see them. When you went over there, you found that it really was a place with very poor housing. There were a number of houses being built at that stage, but that was taking a long time. A person called Brother Gallagher - who has now come back to the Territory and lives at Palmerston – decided there needed to be something urgently done about Aboriginal housing. They bought about 30 houses straight out of Adelaide, brought them up by transport and put them together. They had a kitchen, shower, two or three bedrooms, and a breezeway between them. Within about six months, all of a sudden, people had decent housing. I have not been to Bathurst Island for a while but, as far as I know, some of those houses still exist today.
There are good stories about housing. There are also some bad stories: inadequate designs; people putting in electric hot water systems and electric stoves when they should have been putting in either gas or barbecues outside and using solar; and designs not suitable for the tropics. However, there have been many people over a long period of time who have worked very hard to build a good standard of housing in the Aboriginal communities that I have worked at.
I have some good housing in my area. I have 15 Mile, now called Palmerston Indigenous Village. They have a very nice little set-up with six new houses and a small bitumen road going into that area. Also, the Lagoon Road people, who have given themselves a new name - I cannot remember what the name is, but it means ‘water lily community’. They have a number of houses. They are trying to do the right thing, and trying to make sure these communities come up to a good standard. They have good housing now and there is plenty more work to be done. So, there are some good stories; it is not all bad.
I am glad the word ‘camp’ has gone. I know Alice Springs people refer to their communities there as town camps. Maybe it is a colloquialism we got used to. Why do we use the word ‘camp’? To me it separates one group of people because they are Aboriginal and they live in these houses. I am happy to see the word ‘camp’ go. It is an old-fashioned word that has had its time.
Getting directly back to what the minister was talking about, I had a look at her statement to try to work out how much money the minister has set aside for housing. I found it very hard to know exactly how much money is being spent. I will give you the examples as I go through the statement. You said that on 12 April there was $647m, which was a record spend, relating to 3500 houses. You did not say whether that was to build new houses or to repair houses. That needs some clarification. You mentioned there was $1bn required on housing over the next five years. The minister said it was estimated we need $2.4bn for 5000 new homes. There was also $100m extra for existing remote housing. There was $42m for housing government employees, which is on top of $14.5m for government employee housing, of which $4m was for Police housing.
The minister then said there was $813m of Commonwealth money to be invested in housing and related initiatives in the bush for 2011, and this will come out of the $1.6bn Remote Indigenous Accommodation Program. The minister then said - and I think you were referring to what he said in the beginning - there will be $647m, which includes $100m from the Territory, that will be directed to this Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program over five years. The minister then said the 16 high-need communities will be targeted with new houses and large-scale upgrades to the value of $420m. There will be $124m in refurbishment in 57 communities, and a $103m investment in fixing town camps and on other ongoing programs.
Minister, it sounds like a considerable sum, but I am not sure which bit of money is being repeated in there. Is some of this money part of what you already allocated? It is probably very hard in the reply statement to do it, but it would be good if you gave us a diagram of what money is going where. What money is going for the repair of houses, what money is going to replace houses, who is getting that money, and which buckets of money are we talking about? It seems a bit complex, going through your statement, as to how much is being spent. I am not knocking the program. I am trying to get clarification of what is actually happening on the ground.
The next issue I would like to discuss is this: I am going to compare a statement made in this House two years ago in relation to indigenous housing. In that statement The Northern Territory was laying on the table a five-pronged approach to accelerate solutions to the housing crisis. It stated:
- First … a transformation of indigenous housing, from social or welfare housing to a strong mix that reflects housing elsewhere in the nation; that is, a mix of social and community housing, including rental and private housing.
Second … encouraging and facilitating private sector investment in housing including through Aboriginal royalty associations and investment vehicles, joint venture projects and direct investment in housing stock by the private sector.
Third, in partnership with the private sector, we are commencing an urgent investigation of major housing prefabrication operations in major regional towns down the track … The demand for housing in our remote communities can sustain at least 400 houses a year for at least the next 20 years. The possibilities for sustainable regional development through fabrication facilities … are considerable ... joint ventures between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal enterprises in these developments …
Fourth … encourage public housing tenants in remote towns and communities to purchase housing to HomeNorth Extra program … This program is currently unavailable for people in remote towns and communities on Aboriginal land.
Fifth … considerably increased Commonwealth resources, along with funding commitments from the Northern Territory government as well as private investment, to develop long-term construction projects across our regions…. We …
- … must look to regional construction contracts based on multi-year platforms.
This statement came from the then Minister for Housing, Mr McAdam. We are still in the process where, in conjunction with the Northern Territory Indigenous Housing Advisory Board in July, the government will be convening a workshop with many of the major players in indigenous housing - including strong representation from the private sector to look at issues of cost, design, financing and investment.
Minister, when I read your statement, I thought this was like chalk and cheese. We have some nitty-gritty things in here. You have a much broader approach. Perhaps, you have gone off on a tangent now that the Commonwealth intervened and you have the alliance.
The previous minister made a statement in parliament about issues we have not tackled precisely in this document. Just for starters: the type of housing. The cost of housing is a killer. We have known that for years. I remember producing in parliament a book that the Conservation Commission put together some years ago which showed a cheap way of building bush houses. I am not saying it was perfect, but it highlighted the need for much more discussion about the cost of housing. There was a gentleman working at the Aboriginal Development Foundation two years ago who was making cheap concrete wall panels specifically for remote communities. There was talk about prefabricated housing on the Tiwi Islands for the new Christian school that is being built there. Wadeye have a concrete factory which builds panels. I hope we do not lose sight of those things.
A big centralised housing association might bypass all this. We have to ensure that we do not lose sight of the importance of creating employment in these areas. The issue of the private sector, especially in relation to private housing, was mentioned by the previous minister. I am interested to hear what you have to say about that. I think the member for Arafura mentioned that. The minister spoke about the possibility of purchasing housing through the HomeNorth Extra Program. My understanding, reading the budget today, is only about 5% of indigenous people are using HomeNorth to purchase a house, so I am interested to hear what you have to say about that. It is important. I felt your statement glossed over some of these areas. It was more about how we are going to have this big project. It is all well and good to spend oodles of money - how are we going to start up this alliance system of building these houses? I hope we do not sweep right across with this big centralised housing program and not look at other ways outside of this particular program to encourage indigenous people to find ways of owing their own home. What the previous minister said in his statement was a good start.
I have a few questions, minister. I do not know how you have worked out which houses will be built where, where the money should be allocated, or which communities should be involved. I go back to Daly River. When it was building good houses regularly, this community had government people coming down and saying: ‘Oh, well, you have lots of good houses now. You do not need any money’. Then they would go off to another community that wasted its money. The other community got money but did not build houses with it. Either they were inefficient or they had the wrong sort of workers. The proper community doing the right thing would be penalised because there was a rival community getting the money because they either did not know how to build houses properly, were wrecking them quickly, or were exerting no control of who used them.
I believe you must assess whether people need houses, as well as their ability to manage them. Can the houses be built according to the budget and will they continue to do so? It is not just a matter of handing houses out; it is a matter of ensuring that money is well spent and people understand that this money must be used carefully. I understand agreements will be made to ensure the houses are maintained in good order. The Housing Commission will be looking at that. It will be interesting to see what comes out of that.
You already have existing indigenous community housing organisations. What will happen to their assets? What will happen to the manager and the workers? What about their local knowledge and their understanding of the system within their communities? Will that be lost? How will you incorporate that sort of thing into the big system? Big systems sound good, but sometimes they can also be their own worst enemy because they lose that personal touch in each of these communities. When I argue that the shires are too big, I mean someone in Elliott does not always know what is happening in Alpurrurulam and it would be the same for someone in Darwin or one of the major centre who does not always understand what is happening in a community.
I do not believe councils should get involved in housing. Councils should get involved in providing the infrastructure, which are the roads. Power and Water should put in the power and the water, but the councils should be involved in the subdivision process, making sure the roads are in. Do not tie the councils up in these other areas which will get them away from their core functions. Even though councils involvement is mentioned, I believe that would not be the right way to go.
The other big question is: if you are going to have the Housing Commission involved in running the show, what percentage of money, out of all this money that is being allocated, will go to administration? We know that is how Transport and Works make their money. They allocate 10% of the project, put it in the budget and that is their bucket. If you really want every dollar and cent going to Aboriginal housing, then we need to see how much money is going into the Department of Local Government or the Department of Housing or whoever is going to run it, for administration costs and try to keep these administration costs down to a minimum. Otherwise, you are spending money that should be on housing into areas that will not really help the situation.
I welcome the minister’s statement. I know there will be many issues that other speakers will raise. I have seen housing associations come and go. I have seen an attempt, for instance, on Bathurst and Melville Islands, the Tiwi Islands, to get rid of housing associations and bring them in under the wing of local government. To me, that was a disaster. It became an almighty bureaucratic process that lost sight of what really needed to happen. Leave your local government to do what it is good at doing - putting in services like the roads - and have a separate body in charge of building the houses.
You also have to ensure that the right people get the houses. Nepotism can come into these things. I know very well from my wife’s side of the family, that you have to be careful that the more influential in a society do not get housing that they are not properly entitled to. We need to ensure that when housing is allocated there is a neutral person who is not influenced by family pressures or whatever, to ensure those people who are the most needy or first on the list, get those houses. These are some of the practical issues that need to be looked at..
I welcome the minister’s statement. I would like to hear a bit more about the designs of houses as the cost of housing in Aboriginal communities has been over the top. The minister said in his statement that we are going to provide houses that are the equivalent of those in other areas of the Territory. That might be all very nice but, to provide a house that is built in Palmerston, which might be a ‘you-beaut fantastic house’, in Yuendumu, will probably cost double the amount of money. We have to be realistic. We need to provide good shelter, good sanitary conditions, a place where people can call their home and raise their family, but that does not mean we have to build luxury mansions where only a few will end up with a house and many others will still be living in overcrowded conditions.
Madam Speaker, we have to find a balance between the reality of the type of housing we need and the cost limitations. There is a sizeable amount of money here. Let us ensure it is spent wisely and efficiently so that everyone, or the most number of people, can benefit from this program.
Mr KNIGHT (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I support the statement on remote housing by the Minister for Housing. Amongst the many important matters covered by the Minister of Housing was that the objectives of the housing and local government reforms in remote areas largely mirrored each other. There are many similarities between the two reforms. There are also many synergies that can be advanced in support of this government’s absolute commitment to closing the gap for indigenous Territorians. The minister has pointed out the difficulties of providing housing services to remote indigenous communities through approximately 70 small community housing organisations. In the same way, there have been many difficulties in providing local government services through over 50 small community government councils. In fact, in a majority of communities, these small councils double as community housing organisations.
A stronger local government structure will bring enormous benefits to the bush, but it must not stop there. A better way of delivering housing in the bush is essential for the development of remote areas. With a stronger, simplified system of local government and the commencement of the eight new regional shires on 1 July 2008, there will be a greater financial and administrative capacity to manage and deliver local government services to remote communities. Importantly, the new system of local government will also provide the necessary structure for remote communities to negotiate with Commonwealth and Territory government agencies to deliver more services through the new shires. This includes desperately needed housing in the bush. There have already been preliminary discussions with Territory Housing regarding the possibility of the new shires providing the repairs and maintenance program for community housing and government employee housing in remote communities. An agency agreement is also being discussed for the tenancy management function on communities.
Change to the structure of local government has been the essential first step in providing better housing in bush communities. Without wishing to preempt the outcome of ongoing discussions, I can say several of the strategic priorities in the housing reform program outlined by the Minister for Housing are also reflected in the local government reform.
As I have travelled the length and breadth of the Territory as the Minister for Local Government, one of my commitments has been to ensure that the maximum number of real jobs and relevant training programs are made available for local indigenous people. I know the Minister for Housing shares this commitment, and we are moving forward together to bring these outcomes to the bush through housing and local government reform.
In this context, I am pleased to say that a project funding agreement has been reached with the federal Department of Family, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, FACSIA, to transition local indigenous people to paid jobs in the new shires. Under this agreement, the Australian government will provide $5m in this current financial year, and top up to $10m for each of the next two years on a dollar matching basis with the Northern Territory government, to support this transition to paid jobs. The local government operational funding program will be used, in part, to support this agreement and to facilitate the employment of as many local indigenous people as possible in local government jobs in the new shires.
The Local Government Association of the Northern Territory is currently working with the CEOs of the existing councils and the CEOs of the new shire councils to job match employees in existing councils with similar skills level positions in the new shires. As many existing councils are also community housing organisations, quite a few of the jobs involved in this job-matching process are in the areas of housing repairs and maintenance and tenancy management. This is one of the many synergies between the housing and local government reforms that I anticipate will lead to future cooperative arrangements, resulting in improved economic development outcomes for remote communities.
Now that we have entered a new era of major structural and operational reform in both housing and local government in remote areas, it is timely to acknowledge those hundreds of local indigenous people who have been involved in the outgoing housing and local government organisational structures over the many years. I salute the men and women who have served on local government councils and community housing organisations, often wearing both hats at the same time. They have, generally, provided their knowledge, experience and energy to improvements of their local communities.
Many people have been involved in the previous arrangements and transition to the new organisations, either as elected members or employees, or as members of advisory bodies such as local boards. I firmly hope that every single person remain involved in the local community affairs in one way or another. Community involvement is a key to the success of local government and long-term housing solutions. There is still much to be done by everybody to close the gap in the living conditions. The old people have a role, parents have a role, youth have a role, traditional owners and elders have a role. The government, for all our best intentions and program commitments, can only act in support of local endeavour. What we are saying with these far-reaching housing and local government reforms is that this government means business; we are ready to play our part.
There is a high level of public interest in indigenous development at present, and government-funded programs have never been so generous. The unique opportunity that this environment provides needs to be seized. The statement on remote housing by my colleague, the Minister for Housing, provides a clear demonstration that the Northern Territory government is being robustly proactive as an agent for change and has no intention of letting these unfavourable conditions slip by.
The Territory Housing Community Engagement team in Alice Springs has worked closely with the Aboriginal Interpreter Service in identifying suitable interpreters to assist with a communications strategy in the MacDonnell Shire region. Interpreters have also been provided and used as language voiceovers to assist the community in understanding the local government reform process. As the housing reform process spreads throughout the Territory, there are plans of increasing reliance on the Aboriginal Interpreter Service to ensure that the information and messages are delivered in a clear, concise and understandable way to the residents of the remote communities. The ongoing involvement of Aboriginal interpreters in both the housing reform and throughout the local government reform processes demonstrates the importance of the Aboriginal Interpreter Service and its key role in communication for remote Territorians.
Madam Speaker, I congratulate the minister for his statement, and for his courage with this housing reform thus far. It is a huge challenge; something that is desperately needed. I believe we, as a government, are most capable of delivering this huge program. I hope this four-year program is followed by another four-year program, because this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as resolving housing issues out bush and, thus, lifestyle out bush.
Mr CONLAN (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, I support the minister’s statement. I know that many members have raised many points, so I will not take up too much of the House’s time. I am sure there are still a few others who have a lot to say on this.
We recognise this is a significant spend by the Northern Territory and Commonwealth governments: $650m. I know Territorians are desperate to see some serious outcomes for indigenous housing, not just in the bush, of course, but right across the Northern Territory in the urban centres where we see as many problems with indigenous or public housing. As I said before, other members have raised many points and asked many questions. I know you have been taking notes, minister, so I am sure you will answer those in your reply.
I join with other members who criticise Tangentyere Council for knocking the $60m offered by the federal government last year to address some of those issues with indigenous or public housing. I believe it was a mistake. I know some members on both sides of the House agree with that. Hopefully, this $640m spend will go a long way to addressing those shortfalls.
Overcrowding is, obviously, a huge problem in public housing right across the Northern Territory, in the bush and urban areas. I hope this $647m will go a long way to addressing those problems, because we see the flow-on effects from that overcrowding; the social problems that go with that - problems not just for the people living in the houses, but also for neighbours. Then there are the children who, perhaps, are losing sleep and not doing their homework. Drinking, too, minister, is a pretty serious problem in housing in urban centres. This is despite the initiative by this government to put up ‘no grog’ signs on houses. Sometimes it is working but, if you drive around Alice Springs, certainly in parts of my electorate, you will see, for the most part, these signs are being ignored. I hope that this will go a long way to addressing that.
As I said, $647m is a huge amount of money. I think in your statement, minister, 3500 houses should benefit as a result of that. $1bn on housing will occur right across the Territory over the next five years. It is a lot of money and some would say: ‘Not soon enough’. Nevertheless, it is here and, since the minister has committed himself to that, we can only wish him well.
I noticed on page 211 of Budget Paper No 3, Territory Housing, Expenses, Remote and Community Housing, the 2007-08 estimate was $90 757 000. Budgeted for 2008-09 is $70 349 000. It is around $20m less for this year’s budget for the next 12 months. That is $211m. I am wondering why there is a drop of $20m.
Looking through the profile it states:
- Territory Housing provides access to safe, secure and affordable housing for Territorians in urban and remote areas who are most in need ...
Key functional responsibilities include:
…
managing and coordinating the development of social and indigenous housing policy and programs …
…
access to affordable home ownership opportunities for low to middle income earners.
That may well be another issue altogether for you, minister. It is another pressing issue for all Territorians and not just those subject to public housing or those living in public housing.
I ask you, minister, about the dollars for the demountable housing that was part of the Mal Brough era, you might say - the dongas on the North Side. These are the ones earmarked for Alice Springs. The dongas on the North Side are on the north side of town near Dalgety Road, and the others near Blatherskite Park. Could you just update the House on what you know about that; whether they are going ahead? There seems to be a much confusion in the general public. Are they still earmarked for the Territory, whether it is going ahead? People were very concerned about their proximity. They were not against using demountable housing to fill that short-term accommodation need, but more about the proximity of those demountables, particularly at Dalgety Road. That was a big concern. It was very close to that urban and semi-industrial area. If you could update the House on that, minister ...
Ms Carney: Yes. Is that still going ahead?
Mr CONLAN: Yes. Is that still going ahead? If so, minister, I am sure the people of Alice Springs would love to know the answer to that.
Overall, as I said, I support the statement. This is a massive injection into Territory Housing, a much-needed injection: $647m as you say; $1bn over the next five years., As I said, Territorians far and wide are in desperate need for some improvement in public housing - housing for people in the bush but also in the urban areas. Nevertheless, Madam Speaker, we welcome this statement from the minister today.
Ms ANDERSON (Macdonnell): Madam Speaker, I support the minister’s statement to this House on indigenous housing. I stand here today as a proud member of the Henderson Labor government with all the announcements made today in all areas of Aboriginal affairs. It gives me great pleasure to talk about these areas, including the great injection into Aboriginal housing. As we all know, shelter is one of the fundamental of needs in all human societies.
This great injection by this Labor government, in true partnership with the federal government, can offer hope for Aboriginal communities and people. A Labor government in the Northern Territory is clearly demonstrating its interest in their wellbeing. We know that poor housing has other health ramifications. We know that if children are in overcrowded or unsafe houses they are more prone to abuse. That relates not only to child abuse; it relates to all forms of abuse through overcrowding when people are drinking and gambling inside the houses and, if there is no maintenance being done on the houses, it then it is unsafe for children. If the children do not have the safety of a good home to go to and study in, that also will have a huge impact on the children’s education.
Last week, we witnessed the huge announcement made by the Deputy Chief Minister and the minister for Education to overhaul indigenous education. It is heartening to see, at long last, we are putting a determined effort into Aboriginal communities. We can guarantee that we will see results in two, five and 10 years times. That will give us all the hope to stand here as future politicians in the Labor party.
I also want to talk about the other effects in people’s and families’ lives if they cannot have good affordable housing. With the announcements that we have made over the week, we have had a huge injection into Aboriginal health into our major hospitals in Darwin, Alice Springs, Katherine and Tennant Creek. We have made injections into Aboriginal education, substance abuse, juvenile diversion and parents’ responsibility packages that the Health minister bought in last week. It shows that we are a government that is prepared to do something. We are a government that is prepared to move all Territorians forward and give all Territorians hope and aspirations for the future. I thank this Labor government for a real high ball; not just in housing but also in education, in local government reform – the bill the minister will put to this House tomorrow - and child protection. These are all packages that look at all Territorians. It is about making all Territorians healthy, educated Territorians so that we can all enjoy the fruitful things that everybody else enjoys in the Northern Territory.
I turn now to my electorate of Macdonnell, and thank the minister and the Henderson Labor government. Out of 57 communities to receive housing upgrades, in Macdonnell I have 15 communities which will be included in those. I am very grateful because I have travelled around in my electorate and seen the problems in Aboriginal housing. I thank you, minister, for making sure that all communities from the south to the Top End of the Northern Territory have been considered for repairs and maintenance
There are a few that have been considered for major capital works. I can see how those communities are being identified. They are communities that really have a crisis. I have one community, Hermannsburg, which is included in the major capital works. Hermannsburg really deserves to have major capital works put in. They have a huge population; there is extreme overcrowding. My brother has three generations of his family all living in a three-bedroom house. I thank the minister, and commend and thank your Cabinet colleagues for sincerely taking into consideration these issues and having the foresight to provide for the wellbeing of future generations of Territorians.
Also in this package is town camps, which I will comment on. Town camps have been in the media for years. This package embraces the town camps; it seeks to solve the crises of town camps and to normalise and mainstream them into our towns so that, as the member for Nelson said, we no longer refer to them as ‘town camps’, but as just another part of the society of Darwin or Alice Springs. That is the way it should be. This package will also aim to improve the lives of town campers and their children. Children will come home to safer houses that will have had repairs and maintenance done to them. Houses will have doors and windows and kids can come home and do their homework. The towns will look much safer and cleaner.
I want to talk about the fact that we have come a long way in Aboriginal society from living in humpies, half rainwater tanks, and tin houses. We are living in $400 000 to $500 000 three-bedroom, four-bedroom brick houses now. The minister’s statement and the government’s position quite clearly indicates that people will have to take responsibility for these expensive houses that are going to be built on Aboriginal communities. I support the minister and this government in ensuring that people are responsible for looking after their houses that taxpayers pay for. I want to ensure that, when these houses are built, people pay rent and look after their homes. What we have had in the past is, if a family left, for example, a house in Papunya to go away for holidays to Alice Springs for four weeks, because the assets belonged to the council, in their absence that house would have been given to someone else.
When the idea of people owning their homes came up, people at Docker River were quite happy with that. They said: ‘Oh well, that is good’. It is going to mean that they can go into Western Australia to Laverton and Warburton and have a holiday with their children there, or go to Alice Springs and visit family, but can still come back and the house will be theirs. At the moment, if people leave the community houses, the council or whoever is responsible for those houses, just puts other tenants in. People get really upset about that because people have gone, come back home and seen their stuff moved out of the house, just sitting on the veranda, and someone else is in the house. Through this process and this reform, it gives surety to people that that home is theirs because they are paying rent. They are paying rent at the same level as Territory Housing rent. That gives responsibility to our people. It says: ‘You will no longer have anything for free. You will be mainstreamed into the way the Territory operates in general’.
In closing, we have seen designs of houses come a long way. When I first became the ATSIC Regional Councillor and later a Commissioner, we went from two-bedroom brick houses without verandas to three-bedroom brick houses with verandas and 16 doors, in some cases. This really mainstreams the kind of houses that are built on remote Aboriginal communities.
I want to send a message to all my constituents in Macdonnell to say: take responsibility for any assets being built on your land, on your country. Make sure you look after the houses that people give you. Make sure that your children are safe. Make sure that your women are safe. These assets can last for ever.
Another package I want to mention, very briefly, is the fact that we have employment strategies within building these houses to promote indigenous work skills on remote Aboriginal communities. This is a real incentive by the Henderson Labor government to say to the indigenous people: ‘We believe in you, we want you to have the same dreams as other Territorians. We have looked after you. We have looked after you in health and education, and housing’. In saying that, minister, I commend and congratulate you and your colleagues in Cabinet for all the announcements that have been made in this House in the last week and today.
Ms McCARTHY (Arnhem): Madam Speaker, I support the ministerial statement on remote housing. I draw to the attention of this parliament what an incredible day today is all round for indigenous people across the Northern Territory, indeed, for all Territorians to see such wide-ranging support for every family with the release of today’s budget announcement. This has been quite an extraordinary time with the education policy that has come through this parliament, and now the ministerial statement on housing.
The historic announcement came in April, when the Commonwealth and the Northern Territory governments joined together to combat what we knew and still know to be the housing crisis across the Northern Territory. We knew this back in 2006 when the former Housing minister, the member for Barkly, spoke in this parliament about the housing crisis for indigenous people. If I can refer to some of the comments that were said at that time. In February 2006, the former minister said that 4000 new houses were needed to meet the demands for Aboriginal people across the Northern Territory. Two years ago, 120 new houses could be built between 2006 and 2007 with the funding available. I have to remind parliament of the extraordinary situation where we are: we can now, with great courage, conviction, and determination, impact on the lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged across our regions.
However, at the same time, with this tremendous amount of money going into our remote regions, there is, as previous speakers and the member for Macdonnell has said, an important urgency about that sense of responsibility that must go and hit at the heart of all the people in our remote regions. Now is the time to stand up. Now is the time to make firm decisions about your future. Now is the time for people across Arnhem Land, in all my communities, who have been incredibly fortunate to receive a fair bulk of the $647m in housing.
I have a number of communities - Ngukurr, Numbulwar, Milyakburra, Angurugu, Umbakumba, just to mention a few - who are going to be the proud recipients of these new houses to be built in those communities. I say, and say again and again, the time for responsibility is well and truly here. In order for these incredible finances that are being spent, courageously and determinedly, in our communities, every single member, every single participant, every single child, needs to see that there is hope, that we have a clear vision for our future for all people here in the Northern Territory.
I recall the former Chief Minister’s indigenous affairs statement in June last year, when she stated the value of improving indigenous housing was $1bn. We have heard the current Housing minister say that number has almost doubled. The urgency is there and we are dealing with it.
I am incredibly proud to stand here two years from when we announced there was a crisis in indigenous housing, and know our government, under the leadership of Chief Minister, Paul Henderson, is tackling the heart of it; know, too, that he is doing so in consultation with and absolute support of the federal government under Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and Aboriginal Affairs minister, Jenny Macklin..
It is this consultative process, a process of respect and of true and real dialogue that is occurring between willing participants at a federal and Territory level that is going to make a genuine difference on the ground for our Aboriginal people. That is really exciting. It is something that not only Aboriginal people can feel proud of. I urge sincerely every single member of Northern Territory Housing to recognise this historic moment and fully appreciate this incredible amount of money. Let us do it and get it right.
Let us not bury it away. Let us not siphon it off to somewhere else thinking the communities will be okay - because they will not be okay. Every single dollar must be spent in every single community that we have said it must be spent in.
With that comes an incredible onus of responsibility. We can change it, and it is changing. As we experienced in this House last week with the education policy, change is happening right now. Everyone from every staff member in every building block of the Housing department, and from every council and soon-to-be shire council, is invited to get on board and make this change real in our communities.
The exciting thing about this change is that it offers hope - real hope. So often in our communities we are overwhelmed by the depression and hopelessness. We give up. However, now, within the space of two years, that is turning around - that is really turning around. It gives me and a great many other people a rare and precious hope. Consider, for example, my community of Arnhem. I think of the many times through the Wet Season we have flooded communities, especially Beswick; how Ngukurr always gets cut off. But, now, with the road and infrastructure changes we are beginning to see in the bush, life is changing. The way of life is changing.
Once we accepted the abnormal as normal. We no longer do. Where once we thought 10 to 15 people to a house was normal; we no longer do. We, as leaders in this parliament, are saying that is not right, that is not normal. Every single family in the Northern Territory deserves to have a good home; deserves to have a bed for each child; deserves that their child be able to go to school. And we are not merely talking about it, we are doing it.
Every single bush member in this House can go out, talk about it and can now say: ‘Hey, guys. You mob in the community. This money that is coming to you - get up, get prepared. Who is going to work on this house? Who is going to be part of the construction?’ I believe these are key challenges we now have in front of us - exciting challenges. For once, instead of screaming for more money, we actually have it. Thanks to the Housing Minister, the member for Casuarina; the Chief Minister; the Indigenous Affairs minister; the member for Arafura; and every Cabinet member for their combined, concerted and determined effort to recognise the great need and to have the courage to get behind it. To all of them, I say thank you. Thank you so much.
Some of those challenges we have spoken about are going to be asking our people on the ground, out in the communities: ‘Do you want to be involved with the transport of the materials? Do you want to be involved with the services to support the construction camps that need to be set up, such as the laundry services, the cleaning and the catering? Do you want to be involved with the light industry support? What about being involved with plant maintenance and vehicle serving? How about the provision of tenancy management and the repairs and maintenance?’ This is fantastic stuff. This is great and exciting. This is where I call on every single member of this parliament to not diss this. This is fantastic, historic news and each of us should jump on board and say to all our constituents: ‘Get up! Get onboard. Come on. Do not waste this opportunity. Take responsibility. Things are changing. Get with the program’.
I feel positive now talking to the people I represent, in Arnhem, especially in Ngukurr where they have been screaming for houses for so long. I am positive because our government staffers are going to have housing, that there is going to be a chance for jobs, that students will go through secondary schooling knowing they can move on to something with real training, such as real VET programs, with carpentry skills, with mechanical skills, with all the skills required to be able to build a house - and not only build a house but to maintain one.
The Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program over the next five years is going to be very important in how it develops the grassroots employment opportunities for people on the ground. That is an area I will be watching very closely. At the end of the day, we do not want just anyone coming into these communities, building these houses and then leaving. We want to grow our communities. This is what our government is about - growing our communities, growing our people, growing our own. That is what the future is based on. That is what we, as the Labor government, both here in the Northern Territory, and with support from our federal counterparts, are about: knowing that our remote regions are growing, and growing in such a way that they give hope to the children for our future. In growing our youth we have to give them an opportunity. We have to say that there is a future in all of this. When we look at our population of just over 215 000, it is critical the Northern Territory concentrate its housing effort into a single system.
I reiterate the need by members of the Department of Housing to recognise this extraordinary time in the history of the Northern Territory, and to please get it right. Talk to everyone, talk to your local people. The plans to have the educational program so the people can better understand the alliance contracting model, minister, is integral to guaranteeing this works. It is integral to the success of this program. Knowing the alliance model has worked and is working in Queensland and, I believe, Western Australia, makes it an important model for us to look at, to emulate, and to then to go on and work out our own model; to shape our own so that, in each of those 16 communities, we can ensure when these houses are built they are built for the long term.
The only other area that I will comment on is the issue of choice. I believe it is fundamental for every family in the Northern Territory to have the choice when you live in a community of whether you will be living in a house that is a Northern Territory government house or a house you built yourself on your own land which, through your clan, you have fought and struggled for in the 30 years since the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act. That is another exciting area which we have not even begun to tap into but are exhausting all avenues of considering. It is an area that, as we go along - especially with our government committed to providing choice - there will be families right across the Northern Territory who, being traditional owners, now see there is a choice.
We have section 19 of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act. We have opportunities to share, to look at giving people and families across the Northern Territory the choice of how they want their homes built, where they want them built, and how are they are going to pay for them. They are the things we are going to see down the track. One of my little passions in that area, minister - and my colleagues will have heard me in the past talk about it - is the next step. The step of encouraging financial institutions to be able to share in that, to look at the importance of land and its value. We have seen it here in the Northern Territory, in Darwin itself. We know that we have not really tapped into the rest of the Northern Territory with its vast amounts of land nor its importance, especially to the people who live in those regions.
Madam Speaker, in closing, I am proud, as a member of the Labor government, as the member for Arnhem, to speak in support of this brilliant, wonderful announcement; proud to know that my colleagues are absolutely supportive of making real change in the lives of indigenous people who, like any other Territorian, deserve the same things.
Mr HAMPTON (Stuart): Madam Speaker, I support the minister’s statement on remote indigenous housing. With the rest of the members of the House, I am truly excited about the announcement and look forward to seeing some great results in the near future.
I feel it is important from the outset to acknowledge the work of the previous minister, the member for Barkly, as my colleague, the member for Arnhem, has touched on. It has been almost two years since his statement to the House on his 20-year vision for indigenous housing in the Northern Territory. It was also only last week that my colleague, the minister for Education, spoke about what this government was doing in transforming indigenous education. I acknowledge the previous minister and also the minister for Education.
Indigenous housing and education have received much media attention in recent times and are at the forefront of this government’s policy of Closing the Gap. Indigenous housing and education have critical links to improving indigenous health. If we are going to make a difference, then these three important areas must go hand-in-hand: housing, education and health. Improving links between those three important areas is critical. The other two important areas that make such a huge commitment of nearly $1bn a reality are the state of our economy and the political will to make a difference.
We have heard today from our Treasurer how the economy in the Northern Territory is travelling, how we are riding on the back of a mining and resources boom. Equally important is the state of the national economy. Without the fortunes of both the national and Territory economies, commitments such as this may not have been as significant as they have. The current political environment and relationship between the Territory and Australian governments is also providing political will and resources needed to deal with such a huge problem.
There have been many reports over the years spelling out the problems, including the relationship between overcrowded indigenous houses in our communities, town camps and urban centres, and child abuse. In fact, in the former minister’s statement of the 20-year vision for indigenous housing almost two years ago in this House, he stated that the simple truth was, in the Northern Territory and many other places in Australia, we are failing to keep up with the need for indigenous housing, thus resulting in some of the sad situations we hear of in the media.
The time is over to continue this process of academic evaluation of indigenous people, particularly by the commentators in other states. The time has come for action. Regarding the Northern Territory’s response, one of the positive measures has been the attention given to the extreme need to build more houses in the bush, town camps and urban centres. Along with the health checks, these changes and this attention will make a difference. As I stated last week in one of my speeches, the health checks, with a total of 793 consultations though Phase 1 in Central Australia alone, are making a difference.
What does the housing program mean for the Northern Territory, Central Australia and, in particular, my electorate of Stuart. As we have heard from other speakers, the housing announcement is looking at 73 Northern Territory indigenous communities and some urban areas including Tennant Creek and, hopefully, Alice Springs. The program will deliver around 750 new houses including new subdivisions, over 230 new houses to replace houses to be demolished, and over 2500 housing upgrades.
As stated in the media release by the federal minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, the housing program will substantially improve living conditions for around 80% of indigenous people in the targeted remote and urban centres. A total of $420m for major works in the 16 high-need communities and more than $124m for refurbishments in an additional 57 communities will be provided.
In my electorate of Stuart, I am pleased to be able to put on public record that, out of the 16 communities to receive major capital works, Yuendumu and Lajamanu, both in my electorate, are on that list, both deservedly. When I told both communities the news they are on the major capital works list, they were ecstatic. With the large number of young people and the severe overcrowding of houses, they know only too well there is an urgent need.
Out of the 57 communities to receive housing upgrades, 12 of those communities are in Stuart, including Undoolya, Wilora, Pigeon Hole, Daguragu, Kalkarindji, Yuelamu, Yarralin, Pmara Jutunta, Nyirripi, Willowra, Laramba and Ampilatwatja. Once again, I, with my other colleagues, thank the former Minister for Housing, the member for Barkly, but also the current minister and his Cabinet colleagues, for pushing those particular communities in my electorate to be on those lists.
Regarding Central Australia, I acknowledge what other members have said. I am sure the previous minister and the minister at the moment, know only too well that I have written to them about the housing needs in Central Australia. As we all know, though, the current need in the Northern Territory is around $2bn. Getting back to what the former minister said in his statement, how we are playing catch-up at the moment, other communities in my colleagues’ electorates of Arnhem, Barkly, Nhulunbuy, Daly and Arafura are also in high need. It is a difficult situation. There is a need of $2bn, you have $1bn to put out there, and $1bn does not go into $2bn equally. I understand and feel for those communities in Central Australia, particularly those covered by my colleague, the member for Macdonnell, in not getting as many communities as we wanted on that list. The project is going to make a great inroads for those communities on the list, both in Stuart and Macdonnell.
I see that there are particular areas of housing still falling through the gap, particularly in relation to outstations. In my electorate of Stuart, Utopia, serves as a good example. The member for Braitling touched on that need. I have talked to people there and have shown the Minister for Local Government around. He has seen, firsthand, the needs of the 18 or 19 outstations around Utopia. The outstations are currently negotiating between us and the Commonwealth for our government to put together some sort of outstation policy.
I am pleased that the minister for Education announced last week that Utopia will be receiving $2m to establish a middle school and have its outstation school change in status to a primary and middle years school. So, in terms of education, there are changes there. I look forward to announcements for outstations regarding new housing. We are seeing great results being achieved through education and health throughout the Utopia region. Those outcomes put places like Utopia in even more urgent need of housing. Minister, if I can put that on the public record as well. As the local member, Utopia is in need of more housing and I look forward to working with you in addressing that gap.
We have heard from speakers today about town camps. I have seven town camps in my electorate. Of particular concern for me is White Gates. People there have been living in sheds and humpies for close to 40 years. It is a concern of mine as a local member and I look forward to working with the minister and the government in addressing the housing gap that exists for the people there.
We have the town camp education strategy in Alice Springs which is working well. There are five mainstream schools involved. In particular, I have noticed the relationship between Bradshaw, Irrkerlantye and Ngkarte Mikwekenhe group improving. There are some great outcomes being delivered in education for people from Irrkerlantye. Many of those people are living on town camps. Places like White Gates have no houses. The importance of linking health, education and housing provides another example in my electorate of where we need to do that.
Amongst the emerging regions, places such as Timber Creek, Pine Creek, Ti Tree and Mataranka provide great opportunities for indigenous people to achieve home ownership. I know five or six women in Ti Tree who have worked at the school, clinic or council for 20-plus years, who have said to me constantly that we need land freed up in Ti Tree so they can buy some and build their own home. Successful HomeNorth ownership programs delivered in the bush in emerging regions such as Ti Tree should be there. We should be pushing for them into the future. In those emerging regions we need to work within the frameworks of native title and the Aboriginal Lands Rights (Northern Territory) Act. Points such as section 19 have to be dealt with, but also the sticky problem of outstations that may not be occupied. It is upon us to see how we can draft really effective and productive lease arrangements with traditional owners so we can achieve better outcomes for everyone, particularly in relation to housing.
There are challenges, as we have heard from everyone here this afternoon. Some of the challenges relate to the conflict between getting houses built quickly and appropriately, and having those houses for employment and training opportunities for locals. As we know, people want houses built immediately but the demands are equally strong for employment and training. Building the local labour force offers the chance to reform CDEP. Conducting skills audits in the Centre region could fit in well with the initiative. At my community of Laramba, the previous IHANT Builder Trainer program had three young men attain Certificate III in Building Construction. These individuals could be given employment. What are those fellahs doing now? We have all this work coming up. Let us go out and recognise these young blokes for their prior learning they achieved through different programs and get them engaged in the workforce.
There will be further challenges managing tenancy as indigenous housing in the bush and town camps comes under the Territory Housing framework. Lessons could be learnt from places such as the Aboriginal Urban Housing Association in Alice Springs. Balancing cultural issues we find in the Northern Territory which are quite unique with tenancy agreement responsibilities will prove a hurdle. Sorry business, for example, where, according to custom, families are required to move out of their dwellings. How do we get families back in their homes in a way that is culturally appropriate and within a time that suits them?
House design is another area that will test our resources and knowledge. The IHANT program at Papunya, which I am sure the member for Macdonnell knows about, investigated not only suitable costs of building houses but also their maintenance and repair. The alliance contract will need to think about such matters. Land tenure will mean working within the framework of native title and The Land Rights Act. This issue was raised with me today at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon by a business person. He said the biggest issue for him with the alliance contract was land tenure in the Northern Territory.
Living skills will require changing the behaviour of some of our indigenous people who are coming from traditional lifestyles regarding their responsibilities in looking after a new home. Simple things such as using a gas oven or flushing a toilet which we take for granted are, for people living in those remote communities, tasks they probably need a bit more education and assistance in. There are not all negatives or challenges in all this; there are some positives. This initiative will address the $2bn shortfall in indigenous housing and is a great step forward.
We need to look at special purpose accommodation in the bush. It is not just a three- or four-bedroom home that we have in Alice Springs or in Darwin. Accommodation for widows is a big issue in places like Yuendumu where women who have lost a husband or a partner and, because of cultural responsibilities, need to live with certain people. We need to look at special purpose accommodation that suits the culture of our indigenous people.
If we are rolling out middle year schools then we need to look at student accommodation. We need accommodation for seniors, for our old people and renal patients, and single men and women. We have seen seniors accommodation at places like Flynn Drive in Alice Springs. There is no reason why we cannot think outside the square and, maybe, do the same thing at Yuendumu or Lajamanu.
There are positives looking at environmental health issues with housing. We need to look at outdoor kitchen areas and wind breaks. People often prefer to sleep outside. Insulation in the housing is important. We have extremes in the weather in the desert. When it is winter, it reaches minus temperatures while, in summer, it is over 40. Therefore, the design of our houses needs to be looked at as well.
There are many opportunities for jobs and training, in particular for contractors in Alice Springs, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Darwin. There are huge opportunities there with a $1bn program.
The bush is going through a great deal of change, as we all know. How governments communicate this change to the people will determine how successful an initiative such as this housing program will be. The member for Daly mentioned interpreters. It is vitally important that we are out there, whether it is talking about the housing program, employment and training or the Territory Housing framework. We need to get the message across to the people in their first, second or third language because their mother tongue is not always English. The Northern Territory Emergency Response still rolling out, as well as the reforms to local government. As I said, there are many changes happening.
How do we measure the success after this $1bn is spent? It is up to us as government to have some accountability in place for the taxpayers. There are various ways we can do that over the short-, medium- and long-term, but I see that as essential, and will work with the minister on that.
There is a need for governments to come together with the community and have a shared vision in closing the gap. There is also a need for government and communities to agree on what we are both responsible for. I will be encouraging my electorate and constituents to take up the baton on Closing the Gap in housing, education and health, and also to work with the government in a true spirit of reconciliation and partnership. I believe we are now in the right political and social environment as a nation, and as the Northern Territory, to achieve this. I look forward to working with the minister in my role as a parliamentary secretary but also as a member of this parliament to make a difference.
Mr VATSKALIS (Housing): Madam Speaker, I thank all the members for their support and comments about the remote housing statement. One thing that struck me as I listened to responses about this project was that some members thought this is not going to succeed because the government will not succeed. This project will only succeed if we all of work together. I was very encouraged to hear the member for Arnhem say that it is our responsibility, each of us, to go to our communities and tell them that we have to work together. It is easy for a government to go in and unload a number of houses in a community and disappear. Unless the community participates actively in the selection of the land, the design, and the people who are going to live in this housing – be they elders, widows or the young people who want a future by participating in a training program to become not just Certificate III holders, but qualified builders who can put a nail through a piece of wood and do something useful - nothing is going to change.
The Strategic Indigenous Housing Infrastructure Program is the most important housing project, not only in the Territory but, I believe, in Australia: $647m allocated by the federal government, plus our own 100 jobs. The eyes of Australia are upon us; we have to succeed not because it going to be embarrassing for me, personally, as a minister who failed, but because I have a responsibility towards fellow Territorians and fellow Australians - to the old people living in the communities who do not have a decent house and to the young kids who want to go to school and are bright sparks, but who cannot do their homework because their houses are overcrowded. These kids do not even have the space to put down their notebook to do their homework.
I am speaking from personal experience. My first experience with indigenous housing was in Port Hedland. When I arrived and drove up the road to go to the house provided by the council, I saw these disused railway carriages. When I asked what they were doing there, they told me that it was the Aboriginal housing in Port Hedland. This was not 30 or 40 years ago, this was in 1990. My wife would come home and say there were some smart Aboriginal kids in that school, but none of them would come with completed homework. When she asked them why not, they said: ‘There are 12 people in my house. Do you think I can go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning and do my homework? Do you think I have the time or the space to do my homework?’ That is the harsh reality out there. We need housing and we need housing now.
We all have to share the blame. Successive Australian governments, irrespective of ideology, failed Aboriginal people. People in Canberra did not care what happened, as I said before, in the Pilbara, Cape York, or the Northern Territory - out of sight, out of mind. They were throwing some money here, but that money was not enough to repair a window or a door. You cannot have these kinds of houses. The houses we had to live in were substandard.
I had the experience of going into our house and finding the cistern not working because it was not connected to the septic tanks. All the sewerage and water was running along the ground. People risked electrocution because wires were not properly connected. People were complaining about the health of Aboriginal people but, when the hot water system does not work, you do not have a water supply to your washing machine, or if your washing machine has broken down for two years and nobody will fix it, of course, there are going to be problems. If that can happen to my own house, it can happen to anybody’s house if you do not get the facilities or the appropriate design.
I remember going to Aboriginal houses to find them constructed as they would have been in downtown Perth or Melbourne, houses with kitchens with melamine tops in the middle of the desert. When these people lived a traditional lifestyle, and brought a wallaby home and chopped it up on the bench, of course, the bench fell apart. Nobody thought to change the design and not use the standard splashback benches, so the bench would not break.
We have a responsibility to do something in Aboriginal communities. I am very glad that this money has now been put on the table, and we are able to provide 3500 houses to indigenous communities in the Territory. I said 3500 houses because the member for Katherine questioned why we spend all this money for 200 houses. No, we do not. We will put in 750 new houses, 230 new houses to replace derelict structures, and we will repair about 2500 houses around the Territory.
My response will cover a number of questions from different members.
The member for Braitling asked why there were only two communities covered in Central Australia. They are not the only communities, there are more than two. Each of you mentioned your communities. Some of them are: Ali Curung, Amoonguna, Areyonga, Engawala, Finke, Haasts Bluff, Kintore, Barunga, Mutitjulu, Mt Liebig, Ntaria, Nyirripi, Papunya, Santa Teresa, Titjikala, Wallace Rockhole, Woollahra, and Yuelamu. Some of the communities in Central Australia are going to have new houses or upgraded ones.
A total of $103m is going to be spent in town camps - from Tennant Creek to Alice Springs to the Stuart electorate. Town camps will receive a significant amount for upgrading. In some of these town camps, not only are the houses falling apart, the services - electricity, water supply and sewerage - are not up to standard. We are spending the money to address these issues. How are we going to do it? That is the alliance contract. It is a new contract, which has been used in Western Australia and Queensland.
The other day, 150 were expected to attend an information session at SKYCITY regarding our housing initiative. Three hundred and fifty people turned up, and more were coming. There is a much interest about such a significant contract. It is not going to be contract for the whole of Territory; there are going to be a number of contracts. We are going to break them down. We are going to go out and talk, not only to the big companies, but also to the smaller companies and the subcontractors. This way everyone has an idea how the whole program is going to work.
We are going to talk to the local communities. Again, I speak from experience. When I was an environmental health officer, we asked the community what they wanted. They told us: ‘This is a white fellow house from Perth. We do not want this one. We want something different’. So we offered something different but then another community would say: ‘Why this design? Aren’t we good enough for a white person’s house?’ So we have to speak to the community and find out what they really want. As was mentioned before, in the north you need a different style of house. You want breezes during the Wet and the build-up, while in Central Australia you need the house to be solid to keep you warm during the winter and cool in summer.
It is a multifaceted issue. I do not want to see only construction of houses from this project. This is going to mean a revolution in communities, because the federal government has made it clear that no house is going to be built unless there is going to be a land tenure in place. The communities have to make active decisions about providing land to build the houses, to provide the subdivisions. Until now, that was impossible. If you want a house, the community has to come together and say: ‘This is the piece of land we are going to free from all obligations or obstructions so you can put the subdivision in, in order to build the houses’. If communities start thinking like that now, this is the beginning of a sea change.
Why can we not do the same to have small business in the communities? We mentioned Ngukurr. I have been to Ngukurr. Where is the petrol station? Where are the mechanics? Where are the tyre fitters? All these opportunities can exist in a community the size of Ngukurr. They are not there any more because we have problems with land tenure. With this, we are going to see a change coming from the community for the betterment of the community.
As for training, I want to see the contracts drawn in such a way that companies will have certain distinct obligations linked to training indigenous employees when building these houses. There needs to be contractual agreements to train so many people. If BHP can do it in Port Hedland, we can do it here. I visited their site and saw what they do. If somebody wants to work for BHP providing goods and services, they have to sign a contract undertaking that in the first year 10% of their workforce will be indigenous trainees, the second year 20%, and so on. If you do not put it in your contract, you will not receive another contract from the company. Of course, BHP is a gigantic company; they can do that. If we have $1bn on the table for housing, we can do the same very successfully.
On to management. Here we have another sea change. These houses are not going to be welfare houses, they are going to be Territory houses. It does not matter if they are in Alice Springs, Yuendumu, Tiwi or Nakara, they are going to be managed like every single house that comes under the control of Territory Housing. The same rules will apply everywhere. We still have to make the decision regarding who is going to manage the houses. It is either going to our direct employees, or we will have a contractual agreement with the new shires to manage the houses. They will be managed in a way every house is managed in an urban centre, be it big or small - the same regulations will apply.
I know there will be problems. My family comes from a small Greek village of about 1000 people. They did not have running water or a sewerage system. The first time electricity was connected was in 1968. These village people have a different mindset than people living in the city. The same thing happens in these communities. How are we going to address this problem? We have to put in place appropriate living skills programs. I am not going to say that we are going to do it ourselves. We might outsource it but, if we are going to outsource it, we will ensure the people who get the contract, deliver. They are going to be checked regularly about their delivery. If they cannot do it, I am prepared to put our own people there to develop those living skills.
These living skills programs might need halfway houses. People who come in from remote communities or outstations are not used to living in the city; they are not used to living in Yuendumu. They may have to live in a halfway house until they acquire the appropriate skills before moving into a proper house. It is a complex project, but it gives us the opportunity to do things that we have never before done.
I would like to see, at the end of this project, not fly-in/fly-out contractors arriving to fix houses. Instead, I would like to see indigenous building companies with indigenous workers doing the repairs and maintenance and, eventually, going on to construct those houses we have to build to address the shortage of houses in the Territory. We need 5000 houses today, we can only deliver 3500. We have to have further discussions with the Commonwealth government about the provision of extra funding to build the remaining houses. By that time, we will probably need more for the next generation of indigenous people coming along.
The communities have been selected. Of those 73 communities, 16 communities have been selected because of their need, their size and the input by the federal government. The Commonwealth government made the decision regarding the alliance contract and requested that this is the way we go. I am not going to argue. I am not going to throw away $540m because I do not like this particular decision. We have to work cooperatively. We have done it, and we are going to do it well. This is very important.
I thank all the members for their comments. For me, it is a personal challenge because it is a great responsibility the Chief Minister has put on my shoulders. The biggest challenge will be to go a community in five years time and see the young kids living in a house like any other person in Darwin, Alice Springs or Katherine, and not having 12, 14, 16 relatives arriving and living there for extended periods of time. It is good to remember that things change.
Things were the same in Europe. I recall very well - and I have seen photographs - after the war in Europe there was exactly the same situation you see in remote communities. I have seen photographs with my own mother in 1949, lined up in front of her house which was sprayed with DDT because that was the solution they used at the time to deal with insects. Her dress was made from a United Nation’s relief agency flour sack. I know that because the bag had a big UN emblem and writing on it. Today we wear T-shirts with these emblems but, in those days, they did not have a choice. They used whatever they could get their hands on.
This is a big challenge. It is an exciting project. People congratulate me, but congratulations are due to Jack Ah Kit, who stood here as the first person who spoke openly about the need of indigenous people for housing, and dysfunctional communities. The same congratulations are due to my colleague, the previous minister, the member for Barkly, because of the enormous work he has done. I am only building on the foundations that he put in place. This is not a Kon Vatskalis, member for Casuarina, project. We have here an example of a whole-of-government approach. We have to build the houses but, at the same time, we have to put in the subdivisions that come under the Minister for Planning and Lands’ portfolio. We have to provide the services that are the responsibility of the Minister for Essential Services, which happens to be me. Then, of course, we have to build on opportunities.
Nothing is going to change in indigenous communities if we keep the same conditions and the young people say: ‘It is boring. What am I doing here? I am going to be driven mad’. We have to give these people a job. We have to give these people a future. Nothing will change unless we give these people a place they can call home.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
ADJOURNMENT
Ms LAWRIE (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Madam Speaker, tonight I talk about a great company, a great family business in Alice Springs which had its beginnings in 1959. I speak, of course, of Bonanni Brothers. These were four brothers from Italy, who came to Australia at different times and started a building company in Alice Springs known as Bonanni Brothers, recently renamed Bonanni’s.
These pioneering men decided to make their own bricks, and Bonanni Brothers began. What a great history they have had.
Current directors, Fabio and Kylie, decided early last year that the premises Fabio’s father and uncle started from was too small and unsuitable for a modern upgrade. The decision was made to move to a new site at Ghan Road in Alice Springs In order for the most up-to-date modern technology to be installed, Fabio and Kylie travelled interstate with a view to seeing what others did elsewhere. They met with the Besser Company in Sydney and were taken to plants at Sydney and Wollongong. Another company showed them their site in Adelaide. They then knew what they needed and, of course, learnt about new technologies in brick making.
In May 2007, they started working on purchasing the land on which the new site was going to be placed. They succeeded and the new brick-making facility is one of the newest and most significant businesses in Alice Springs. There was approximately a $1m investment, which is a great sign of confidence in the future of Alice Springs. The company has a number of sand leases just out of town and, consequently, does not have to rely on sand from interstate.
When I visited Bonanni’s on 24 April, I was shown the masonry manufacturing work and the up-to-date equipment . What an impressive sight it was. I also met with some of their staff, some of whom have been with the company for many years. The importance of the company cannot be underestimated in Alice Springs. It has a good working relationship with another well-known and pioneering company, Sitzlers, not to mention many others. A number of businesses are, in many respects, interconnected, and Bonanni’s role in the local building industry is significant.
When I was there I met Trevor, who is the product manager, as well as Andrew and Joy. Joy works in the office and has been with the company for some 20 years. Fabio and Kylie employ seven staff. They are well-regarded business people in Alice Springs. Their history in the town and their confidence in its future is wonderful to see. I am sure all members join with me to congratulate them on their marvellous achievements.
For a company that started in 1959, it is wonderful to see how it continues to develop and represent the very best in masonry production. I asked the Parliamentary Library Service to provide me with additional information and I thank it for that material which I will send on to Kylie and Fabio. Looking through the information one can see the importance of the company over the years and the pioneering way in which it has put itself in the forefront of business in Alice Springs.
It was a joy to meet Kylie, Fabio and some of their staff when I visited. This is a great business. It is terrific to see long-established businesses in Alice look to the future and invest in it. We are very proud in Alice Springs that we have an iconic company. I have mentioned Sitzlers, and I believe Bonanni’s sits right up there in being an iconic company, not only for Central Australia but for the Territory.
I offer Kylie, Fabio and their marvellous team the parliament’s best wishes for their future, but also acknowledge their past. In 2008, it is easy for us to meet with business people and listen to them and their experiences. Imagine what it was like in the late 1950s and early 1960s to go to a place like Alice Springs and to be so far away from everywhere else and without the modern technology that business people have today. No doubt, Bonanni’s experienced highs and lows, peaks and troughs, but they have managed to get through all of those and continue to build. This is a great business in Alice Springs and we are very pleased they have demonstrated their confidence in the future of Alice Springs and the building industry, generally. I am sure all members join with me tonight in congratulating Kylie and Fabio and all of their staff as we wish them the very best for the future.
Mrs AAGAARD (Nightcliff): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, it was my pleasure to attend the installation of the new Lutheran Pastor, Dale Gosden of St Andrew’s Lutheran Church on Sunday, 4 May. It was my pleasure to be able to offer a greeting from the parliament and the government. Pastor Dale replaces long-standing Pastor John Vitale, who was a very active and well-respected member of the wider community in Darwin. I would like to extend my best wishes to him and his wife, Judith, in their new life.
I certainly extend my best wishes to Pastor Dale and his wife, Sarah, and I look forward to working with him in his parish as we serve the local community together.
On 1 April, it was my pleasure to attend a surprise afternoon tea party to celebrate Commissioner Paul White’s 40 years of policing. The function was organised by his greatly loved wife, Cynthia, and senior staff in the police force. I joined a gathering of executive and members of the Northern Territory Police and senior staff of Police, Fire and Emergency Services at Police Headquarters to acknowledge and congratulate Commissioner White on his significant service to policing in Australia.
Cynthia gave a very moving speech on the commissioner’s service with SA Police and his service as the Northern Territory Police Commissioner since 17 December 2001. I will read part of the speech that Cynthia gave at the function.
- On 1 April 1968, Paul Cameron White joined the SA Police Force as a cadet, and he became the Northern Territory Police Commissioner on the 17 December 2001.
Cynthia spoke of how very proud their children, grandchildren and family were of Paul and all that he has achieved. She said:
- You have had a wonderful career culminating in your appointment as Commissioner.
She also said:
- You were the youngest police officer accepted in the Criminal Investigation Branch, and chosen to partner the first squad of uniformed policewomen patrols. You were chosen by the United Nations to head a team of four to report on the militia in Kurdistan, and you were the first police officer to go to Kent in England on an exchange program of six and, of course, the six years as a mature-age student where you achieved a double major in politics and sociology followed by a first class honour degree in Sociology.
Cynthia went on to say:
- You have, on and off duty, achieved and given it all with integrity, loyalty and dedication. Forty years of policing and still chasing crooks …
She was referring to the recent incident in Adelaide where the Police Commissioner apprehended an offender while en route to the Police Commissioner’s Conference. It was a terrific effort and goes to show that our police officers stay very fit, even when they are as senior as the Police Commissioner.
Thank you very much, commissioner, for all your work in our community. I have to say that, as the member for Nightcliff, it is a pleasure working with the commissioner and with senior officers of the police force.
On a sad note, I extend my condolences to the commissioner and his family on the sudden death of his brother, Michael, in the United States last month – undoubtedly, a great loss for his family.
It was my pleasure to attend the installation of the Anglican Dean of Christchurch Cathedral on the 2 February this year. It was a pleasure to be part of this special ceremony where Jeremy Greaves became the Dean of Christchurch Cathedral, a position which had been held by Father Mike Nixon previously. Jeremy Greaves came from the parish of Katherine and he is well known to the member for Katherine, who was also at the ceremony, as well as the Leader of the Opposition. It was a very special ceremony for those of us who had the good fortune to attend. It is a very special thing when a community comes together as it did in this case, to see the bishop and other bishops present lay hands on the dean as he received the spirit and became the dean of that cathedral. I know the member for Katherine and I were both very moved by the ceremony. It was a real pleasure to be there as part of that congregation.
I should also record my thanks to Christchurch Cathedral for their gracious hospitality over many years. They are a very special congregation, one which reaches out to a much wider community. I have been very grateful for their prayers for me over many years, both during my illness and in my role as Speaker. I extend my thanks to them.
I place on the record my congratulations to a constituent of mine, Nightcliff resident, Mrs Joan Halverson, who was recently named Northern Territory’s Barnardos Mother of the Year. Mrs Halverson moved to Darwin in 1962 where she met and married her husband, Gary. Mrs Halverson has been an advocate for intellectually disabled children for many years, and her family nominated her for this award. On 8 May, the national winner will be announced in Sydney. I am sure my colleagues will be joining me in wishing Mrs Halverson the best of luck. Joan is a terrific woman and she works very hard in the community, not just with her family but particularly through the Catholic Church. I wish her all the best. I am looking forward to hear that, perhaps, she will be named the national Mother of the Year.
On 29 February, I attended a special assembly at Nightcliff Primary School to farewell retiring teacher, Kaye Tyrrell, whose career in education spans 26 years. Kaye began employment with DEET as an administration assistant at Darwin High School in 1982, but continued her studies to become an early childhood teacher. On graduating, she took up a Transition teacher’s position at Nightcliff Primary School, replacing Trish Crossin, now Senator Crossin. She then taught at Wagaman before setting up a Special Education Unit at Alawa Primary School, where she stayed for three years before returning to Nightcliff Primary School in 1998, where she taught Transition classes as well as classes in the Special Education Unit until her retirement in February.
Kaye is staying in Darwin for her retirement with her husband, Paul, who is well known to members in this Chamber as the former Chief Executive of the Department of the Chief Minister, who is also in semi-retirement, although I understand the Minister for Health has called him in to work recently on the oncology unit. I say to Kaye well, it is perhaps not the retirement you were looking forward to. Kaye is well known representing the Territory in many areas, such as lawn bowls. She pursues other hobbies such as patchwork, travelling and spending time with her family and friends, particularly with her first grandchild who was born earlier this year. I am sure honourable members will join me in wishing both Kaye and Paul a very happy retirement.
Honourable members, one of the most pleasurable things about being a member of parliament is getting to know the students in the schools in our electorates. I have many schools in my electorate, and each year it has been my honour to hand out badges or awards to students. Each year, at the beginning of the year, students are elected by either their peers or their school to represent that school, either as student representative councillors, house captains or school captains.
This year, I recognise from the Nightcliff Primary School, the Gregory House Captains, Katie O’Donoghue and Lachlan Bryan; Vice Captains, Tayla McKinnon and Marlow Fitzpatrick; Flinders House Captains, Max Stretton and Breanna Dyer; Vice Captains, Stephi Von Kanel and Philip Reece; Stuart House Captains, August Farmer and Atticus Farmer; Vice Captains, Jennifer Talbot and Nik Emmerton; Tasman House Captains, Sam Fulton and James Tate; Vice Captains, Kobi Stewart and Kal Pehi.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I seek leave to have the names of the Nightcliff Primary School Student Representative Council incorporated in the Parliamentary Record, together with the Nightcliff Middle School Student Representative Council names, the assistant network technicians, the St Paul’s Primary School students, plus also those students from the Essington School Council.
Leave granted.
- Nightcliff Primary School Student Representative Council 2008:
5/6 Hennessy: Tamara West; Eldo Dewanto; and Stylianos Timotheou.
5/6 Williams: Pam Lloyd; Joselyn Adjudra; and Mieszko Zukowski.
5/6 Fulton: Victor East; Makita Allen; and Cheyanne Howard.
5 Hammond: Lucas Frichot and Alice Davies.
4/5 McKinnon: Louis Lejeune and Natasha Mee.
4 Nascimento: Pushan Desai and Scarlett Gray.
4 Bryce: Daniel Coates and Clara Egglestone
- Nightcliff Middle School Student Representative Council:
Laura Pollock, Sian Tiedeman, Stevie Martin, Myra Hales, Lena Meyer, Georgia Watkinson, Emily Smith, Kymberly Morrisby, Dylan Jones, Shyanne Alderton, Dylan Tiedeman, Bradley Moore, Mariana Cleanthous, Nick Deveril, Nia Basyaruddin and Keely Whitehead
- Nightcliff Middle School Assistant Network Technicians:
- Dylan Jones, Grant Bellis, Natasha Rose, Nia Basyruddin, Jacob Bencher, Rhyss Lee, Kenny Lee, Keely Whitehead, Nick Deveril, Khoa Nguyen and Tian Nichols
- St Paul’s Primary School:
School Captains: Rowan Dally and Lara Whitehouse
House Captains:
Chevalier (Blue): Calvin Lazaro and Adrianne Furlan
Hartzer (Green): Joshua Cercarelli and Kassandra Hall
Hargreaves (Gold): Joshua Braines-Mead and Lori Short
Henshke (Red): Dylan Glover and Paige Barcroft
- Essington School:
School Captains: Aaron Halliwell, Taara McLaren, Kurt Ramjan and Amy Stirrup.
School Vice-Captains: Andrew Bravos, Neda Farshidi, Karl Kratschmer and Felicity Woods
House Captains:
Gunn Frillnecks: Andrew Bravos and Taara McLaren
Flynn Geckos: Jacob Syme and Amy Stirrup
Wickham Skinks: Aaron Halliwell and Kate Boyd
House Vice-Captains
Gunn Frillnecks: Harrison Roberts and Alice Coburn
Flynn Geckos: Harry Owen and Molly Ness
Wickham Skinks: Kurt Ramjan and Deni Taulelei
Junior School House Vice-Captains:
Gunn Frillnecks: Imogen Austin, Jesse Esam and Darcy Roberts
Flynn Geckos: Grace Fuller, Tahlia Lowrie and Narayan Verma
Wickham Skinks: Caitlin Futter, Travis Ryan and Eli Taulelei
Student Representatives:
Year 10A - Alisha Jenkins,
Year 9A - Curtis Werrett and Chelsea Cook
Year 9B - Harrison Roberts and Isabelle Florence
Year 8A - Gabriel Haines and Isabelle Baldwin
Year 8B - Connor Nutton and Maddison Brown
Year 8C - Phillip Perez-Ruiz and Bridgette Primmer
Year 6/7A - Zach Cork and Sabrina Wills
Year 7B - Darryn Killian and Maddison McCourt
Year 7C - Joseph Valastro and Tayla Maddock
Year 7D - Joel Kay, Rishi Hyanki and Ariane Bravos
Year 6A - Lewis Kilburn Erin Jovanovich
Year 6B - Joe Primmer, Sam Pisel and Meagan Johnston
Year 5A - Giuliano Spadaccini and Emilee Hatfield
Year 5B - Yianni Glynatsis and Sophie Sudholz
Year 5C - Louis Parry-Mills and Lana Kains
Year 4A - Declan Curran and Kaila Gordon
Year 4B - Amy Messenger and Alex Dubrava
Year 4C - Max Oliphant-Hand and Jemima Croser
Year 2/3A - Ryley Park and Zoe Cork
Year 3B - Gautum Abhyanker and Abby Jovanovich
Year 3C - Julian Tonkin and Zara Antonio
Year 2A - Kip Hardiam and Jade Schmutter
Year 2B - Harry Croser and Abby Jennings
Dr BURNS (Johnston): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, this government is committed to delivering the radiation oncology unit for all Territorians. We have made our position on this issue absolutely clear. This stands in contrast to confused statements recently made by some members opposite. The opposition Health spokesman and the member for Araluen do not want Alice Springs’ residents to use this facility and even appear willing to jeopardise its viability. Meanwhile, the Opposition Leader has held a public forum to advocate for the development of the unit, saying it could deliver on such a complex specialised project in seven weeks.
But what is even more concerning now are the lengths the members of the CLP, the members for Greatorex and Araluen, are willing to go to push their own personal and political agenda - moves that show they do not seem to care if they put this project at risk. In the adjournment debate on 30 April 2008, the member for Greatorex alarmingly misquoted the expert advice from the Barton-Frommer report. Members will recall this was a report commissioned by government to provide a plan for establishing a radiation oncology unit within the Northern Territory. This is a quote from the member for Greatorex’s speech last week:
- The Barton-Frommer report commissioned by the Northern Territory government and released in 2004 clearly states …
And I will quote from this report …
- Northern Territory cancer patients living in Central Australia should retain the choice of travelling to Adelaide rather than Darwin for radiotherapy.
In fact, from the experts’ executive summary, the correct quote is:
- NT cancer patients living in Central Australia wish to retain the choice of travelling to Adelaide rather than Darwin for radiotherapy.
The member for Greatorex then went on to say:
- It also says, among other things, in Recommendation 6, that Northern Territory cancer patients from Central Australia should retain the right to choose whether they receive radiotherapy in Darwin or Adelaide, regardless of whether the Adelaide service or another radiation oncology unit becomes linked with the Darwin unit.
It appears the member for Greatorex could not get past the first page of the report. Recommendation 6, as I will quote soon, says nothing of the sort. It says nothing that the member for Greatorex has asserted in his speech. The report reflects the expressed opinions of some patients from the consultation process. It then goes on to consider those opinions with views of health professionals and expert opinions from radiation oncology providers for the viability and sustainability of the unit. It fact, let me clearly articulate for the public record, the Barton-Frommer report’s recommendation 6, and I quote directly:
- The Northern Territory Department of Health and Community Services should ensure that the radiotherapy service that is developed in Darwin is attractive to all cancer patients in the Northern Territory, including those from the ‘southern zone’ who might otherwise prefer to travel interstate for treatment.
The actual quote from the Barton-Frommer report says nothing at all like the member for Greatorex said. I will repeat what he said:
- Northern Territory cancer patients from Central Australia should retain the right to choose whether they receive radiotherapy in Darwin or Adelaide, regardless of whether the Adelaide service or another radiation oncology service becomes linked with the Darwin unit.
That is nothing like recommendation 6. The member for Greatorex should be careful because he is bordering on misleading this parliament by his statements. However, I will let the readers and those that research this come to their own judgments as to whether that is the case or not.
What is further amazing to me is that neither CLP member from Central Australia has bothered to check the report to ensure they are quoting it correctly. This is an extract from the member for Araluen’s adjournment on that same evening:
- The member for Greatorex touched on this in his contribution, and it is worth repeating in mine. Recommendation 6:
Northern Territory cancer patients from Central Australia should retain the right to choose whether they receive radiotherapy in Darwin or Adelaide, regardless of whether the Adelaide service or another radiation oncology service becomes linked with the Darwin unit.
That is nothing like recommendation 6 that I have quoted from the Barton-Frommer report. It is talking about the service in Darwin is attractive to all cancer patients in the Northern Territory including those from the southern zone who might otherwise prefer to travel interstate. Elsewhere, as I have said, in the Executive Summary, it actually canvasses the view that many cancer patients in Central Australia have a desire to travel to Adelaide. No one disputes that, but what is in dispute is the actual recommendation 6 of the Barton-Frommer report which I feel has been monstered - to be charitable - by the members for Greatorex and Araluen, in their quest to make political points over this very sensitive issue.
The members for Greatorex and Araluen clearly do not support a radiation oncology unit in Darwin. They misquoted the report and completely misunderstood the expert advice before us. I would be happy to give the members a briefing on the report and the development of the radiation oncology unit, so that we can look forward to their support to see this project is delivered as soon as possible for all Territorians.
I will now speak of more deserving matters, and make special mention of a senior male Aboriginal Health Educator, Johnny Briscoe, who worked tirelessly to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people in Central Australia; in particular, those people at the Aputula community.
I also take this opportunity and pay tribute to a number of people who have left the Territory workforce after a long period of service with the Department of Health and Community Services.
I recognise Johnny Briscoe who passed away in March this year. Johnny was one of the first male Aboriginal Health Workers in Central Australia, becoming the Aboriginal Health Worker for Finke in 1977.
In the old days, Johnny participated in some of the Royal Flying Doctors visits. Significantly, in 1979 Johnny was invited by the Queen to join her in officially opening the new Alice Springs Hospital. In 1985, Johnny was the first Aboriginal Health Worker to gain registration in the Northern Territory and held the registration No 1. This is a highly significant achievement and a historical moment in the Northern Territory’s history, deserving of our praise and acknowledgement.
In fact, in 2001 Johnny received a Centenary Medal for his many years of service to the people of the remote community Aputula. People who knew Johnny, knew that this was a very proud moment for him. Johnny was often the sole practitioner at the Aputula Health Clinic servicing over 100 people. In addition to his many achievements I have already mentioned, Johnny was the first Aboriginal Health Worker to successfully complete an accredited dentistry course.
Johnny Briscoe was a mentor and a teacher to many up and coming Aboriginal Health Workers in Central Australia. He was a key person in setting up the Learning and Training Pathways Program for Aboriginal Health Workers in the Northern Territory. Johnny was instrumental in providing information to doctors, nurses and allied health professionals about the use, benefit and significance of traditional bush medicines in treating Aboriginal patients. Johnny was unique. He involved traditional healers in the treatment of patients by also explaining and outlining the benefits of western medical practises to them. He truly embraced and practised a two-way, cross-cultural approach to health care in order to build understanding of both ways and get the best outcomes for patients.
Johnny’s passion and mission in life was to improve his people’s health and wellbeing. He continued to do this in an advisory capacity well after his retirement. On behalf of the House, I send my sincere and heartfelt sadness to Johnny’s family and speak about him this evening in order to remember his great and lasting contribution to the community of Aputula and Central Australia more broadly. Johnny touched many lives and was highly regarded for the wisdom he imparted and his passionate two-way approach to health care.
I now take this opportunity to inform the House of great works and service provided by some other Department of Health and Community Service employees.
Jenny Francis is leaving the Department of Health and Community Services after 30 years of dedicated service. Jenny’s contribution to public service was celebrated on 23 April and she is currently enjoying a well-deserved break until she officially leaves the department in October 2008.
Jenny and her family migrated to Australia from India. In 1972, Jenny commenced her nursing training at the old Darwin Hospital on Lambell Terrace and completed her training in 1975. Jenny is a dedicated professional who continued to work at the old Darwin Hospital following Cyclone Tracy. During 1975 and 1976, Jenny travelled to India where she met Nigel, who followed her back to Australia where they married. Jenny completed her Midwifery Certificate at Redcliffe Hospital in Queensland in 1976, 1977 and worked for one year in Coorparoo, Queensland, before returning to Darwin and resuming midwifery at Darwin Hospital in 1978.
In 1979, Jenny became a permanent employee with the Department of Health and Community Services and worked in a number of wards until 1981. Jenny moved from Darwin Hospital to Royal Darwin Hospital in 1981 and worked until 1985 in the postnatal ward. Between late 1987 until 1988, Jenny played an instrumental role in setting up Darwin Private Hospital’s midwifery ward, working as clinical nurse consultant for antenatal and postnatal care.
In November, 1988, Jenny transferred to the Casuarina Community Care as a clinical nurse specialist. While making a significant contribution throughout her career and rising through the ranks, Jenny also raised her three children working part-time from October 1993 until February 1997. Jenny always went above and beyond her duties and endeavoured to provide holistic care for all her clients. Jenny began her community work experience as a generalist nurse and, during that time, developed expertise in palliative care. She did this by working on-call for clients after hours.
Jenny’s non-judgmental approach and calm confidence allowed her clients to feel at ease and help build trusting, caring relationships very quickly. Combined with Jenny’s extensive medical knowledge, she sought to create a positive experience within the health system for all her clients. Jenny has been a great support for parents whose children have medical problems or growth and developmental anomalies, and is able to explain complex medical conditions and how best to manage these in a simple, accessible way.
Over the years, Jenny has been a preceptor for many students who have been enrolled in general nursing degrees, midwifery, and child health courses at Charles Darwin University or interstate universities. Students have often taken the opportunities to express their gratitude through the evaluation forms, stating that Jenny had a wealth of knowledge and she willingly shared this with them, and how this knowledge added to their experience of short placements within community nursing.
Jenny has been a highly valuable staff member and continuously demonstrated her commitment to professional employment. While working at the Casuarina Community Health Centre, Jenny completed postgraduate Bachelor of Nursing (Northern Territory University); Certificate Basic Counselling Skills; Level 3 Positive Parenting Program; Graduate Certificate in Child, Youth, Adolescent and Family Health Nursing (Flinders University in South Australia); Australasian Lactation Course Certificate; and International Board of Certified Lactation Consultancy.
Jenny is a strong proponent of recognising that knowledge can be developed in many different ways, including direct client contact as well as academic pursuits. Jenny has advocated for child health to be seen as a specialised area, encouraging colleagues to undertake appropriate studies and supporting them by providing feedback on their assignments.
Jenny’s capacity to share knowledge and support breastfeeding women in the community is tied to the belief that good health comes from a good start, a primary health care focus on helping others to help themselves. With her focus on the importance of breastfeeding for good, long-term outcomes, and the departmental focus on giving kids a good start in life, Jenny undertook her Australasian Lactation Course Certificate in 1999. She continued to develop her expertise by updating her knowledge in 2006 and 2007 by obtaining her International Board Certified Lactation Consultancy.
Jenny has shared her knowledge with the clients and her peers, providing high-level in-service sessions, and ensuring the necessary resources existed within the community health centre to help maintain this high standard.
Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I commend these long-serving employees to the House and wish them all the best in their retirement.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016