2005-10-12
Madam Speaker Aagaard took the chair at 10 am.
Madam SPEAKER: It is with deep regret that I advise honourable members of the death on 24 September 2005 of Mr Roderick Carson Oliver, a member of the Legislative Assembly from August 1977 until June 1980.
Honourable members, on completion of debate on the condolence motion, I will ask members to stand in silence for a minute as a mark of respect.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move - That this Assembly express its deep regret at the death of Roderick Carson Oliver, an elected member of the Legislative Assembly from 1977 until 1980; place on the record its appreciation of his service to the people of the Northern Territory; and tender its profound sympathy to his family.
Rod Oliver died on Thursday, 24 September, 2005. He represented the electorate of Alice Springs for the Country Liberal Party between 1977 and 1979 before sitting out the last 10 months of his term as an Independent.
Like so many of us, Rod did not always live in the Territory. He was born in Victoria and just before taking up the position of pastoral inspector for the Department of Lands, a position he held for 15 years, he was sheep grazing in New South Wales. After his term in the Legislative Assembly he worked in the Department of Mines and Energy until his retirement in 1987.
Not content with a quiet retirement, Rod wanted to make a further contribution to his community and was rewarded by becoming an alderman on the Alice Springs Town Council, where he served one term. He was passionate about his home town of Alice Springs and was an active member of the community. He made valuable contributions to a diverse range of organisations, including the Rotary Club, the Kiwanis Club of Alice Springs, various school and college committees, the Council on the Ageing, the Anti-Cancer Foundation, the Central Australian Show Society, and the Road Safety Council.
Much of Rod’s life was dedicated to making a positive difference to the place where he lived, and he will be sorely missed by the Alice Springs community.
Rod Oliver leaves behind two daughters, and our sympathies go to Kerry and Vicky at this difficult time.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of students from Batchelor Area School, accompanied by Susan Luong-Van, Jan Thompson, David Cunningham and Bill Bean. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend a warm welcome to our visitors.
Members: Hear, hear!
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, the opposition joins with the government in this condolence motion. This long-time Territorian passed away only a short time ago, and it is fit and proper that we, as parliamentarians, rise to remember him in this place as he was a former member of the Territory’s Legislative Assembly. Mind you, this building is not the one that he would have remembered because, like the man Rod Oliver was, the building that used to be the Legislative Assembly that he occupied was a much more humble building.
Rod was from a grazing family background. Born on 8 March 1922 in Melbourne, he grew up in Balranald in western New South Wales. He spent his early years on his father’s property about 200 km north of my home town of Bendigo on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. Even today, a quick check of the Balranald street directory will reveal that Rod was a man with rural Australia in his blood. Balranald is a very small town, but it was home and the place where he was educated. That is just the way Rod Oliver liked it: small with a strong sense of community. That is his legacy to the people of the Northern Territory and, in particular, to the people of Alice Springs.
Like so many men of his time, when his country called, he served. Between the years of 1941 to 1945, he was attached to the Australian Infantry Force, the AIF. I cannot say I know much about his service in the war years, but I can say that it affected him because, over 50 years later, he still treasured that day and was reported to have said about Anzac Day: ‘Things come back that through the years you push aside; all of your defences come down on Anzac Day’. This gentleman - and I mean gentle man in every sense of the word - would have hated war because it stood as an anathema to everything he believed in.
After the war years Rod Oliver joined the Australian Public Service in 1952 and, in the early 1960s, found himself living in the town he would live in for the rest of his live - my home town now of Alice Springs. Once again, he was in a place that suited him: a small, tight knit community in which he could participate and get involved. He worked as a pastoral inspector which took him to places that would have reminded him of his childhood. The pastoral properties around Alice Springs were full of the type of people he was so familiar with.
After some years of this work, the land issues of the Northern Territory became a matter of concern to him, and his later work as a lands clerk in the 1970s convinced him that the Territory had to have land reform and allow for the purchase of freehold title. Indeed, it was one of his planks in the 1977 election campaign, and it was the election that saw him move to the Legislative Assembly.
Not all of us in this place lived in the heady days of the late 1970s in the Northern Territory, but those who did experience those days would remember the other great issue of the day – self-government. It was something that Rod Oliver believed in, and also formed a part of the election campaign that the CLP engaged in at the time. There were real voices of dissent in that campaign. Indeed, the push for self-government cost the then ruling CLP seats, not the least of which was the majority leader’s seat held by Mr Goff Letts. It was that episode that propelled the now famous Paul ‘Porky’ Everingham to become the first Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. Rod was there to see it all come true but, in the fashion of a man who was conservative, he only supported self-government because he was convinced that a self-governing Northern Territory would be a responsible Territory, that it was good for the Territory.
The no-nonsense member for Alice Springs entered parliament and went straight to work. A maiden speech? Certainly not. Rod went straight to work and, in his first speech to the Assembly, talked about itinerants in the Todd and Charles Rivers in Alice Springs. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Rod stayed in the Legislative Assembly for only one term. He was later replaced by Mr Denis Collins in 1980. One would ask whether this stopped his community service. The answer is no, it did not. In 1984, he became Alderman Oliver in Alice Springs and served with distinction until 1996.
Rod was a horseman, a swimmer, and a participant in the life of his community. His service club work included Boy Scouts, Guides, the Alice Springs Pony Club, and Youth Centre. He was a life member of the Show Society and worked with numerous organisations including the Road Transport Hall of Fame, the RSL, Red Cross, and Neighbourhood Watch, just to name a few.
Rod Oliver wanted to see Alice Springs and the Territory grow, and he must have extracted enormous satisfaction at seeing his community prosper in the years between his arrival in the Territory and the time of his death only a few weeks ago.
In his absence, the member for Greatorex has asked me to add his personal condolences to the family, as he knew Rod very well and worked with him in many places over the years. They were both on the Town Planning Authority together and they served on the town council together. I know that the member for Greatorex was close to Rod Oliver, and I extend my condolences to him as well as Rod Oliver’s family.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, I also join with members of the Legislative Assembly in this condolence motion for Rod Oliver. Without wishing to repeat many of the things that have been said about Rod, I do want to put on record many of the thoughts that his family have passed on to me. Might I also tell members that his family are listening to this broadcast in my office in Alice Springs. They send their apologies for not being here but they were keen to listen to what was said.
Rod Carson Oliver was born in Melbourne in 1922 to parents James and Rebecca, and enjoyed the company of four brothers and a sister. I met his sister at his funeral in Alice Springs and it was wonderful that she was able to be there. Despite the death of one of his brothers during the war, he remained close to his siblings right to his old age. His father, a Melbourne tailor, moved on to the land during the depression years and, when Rod was 12, the family relocated to a sheep station in Euston in New South Wales. At the age of 17, the family moved again to Paika, a sheep station near Balranald on the Murrumbidgee River.
Rod joined the Army in 1941, and during the official troop training, experienced Alice Springs for the very first time. Based in Darwin during 1942 to 1943, he served in Papua New Guinea, Lae, Wau, Nadzab, Markham Valley and Bougainville. After the war, he again returned to Alice Springs and in 1948 drove trucks to Darwin and Mt Isa, a time he recalled with great fondness and one which would eventually lead to his permanent return to the Alice.
He went back to the family station at Paika, where he met Eleanor Lewis, a Melbourne hairdresser, who was visiting a cousin at the station next door. Rod and Eleanor became engaged and were married at Brighton in 1951. Three children, Rod, Vicki and Greg, were born in Brighton before Rod and Eleanor moved to Alice Springs in 1962. A fourth child, Carrie, was born in 1966.
His position as a pastoral inspector with the Lands Branch involved many long trips away from home. Travelling alone and often away for weeks, he was captured by the beauty of the Tanami and Simpson Deserts. Rod led a very busy and active life, and made a lasting contribution to Alice Springs and the Northern Territory generally.
He was involved in a huge number of organisations in Alice Springs. I remember in 1987 there was a by-election for the alderman’s position on Alice Springs Town Council. I stood for that by-election but was defeated by Rod Oliver. However, in 1988, I again stood and was happy to join with him on the council. It was there that I became very close to Rod because he was a man of no nonsense. He was willing to make a contribution but he was such a down-to-earth person that you were always happy to listen to his opinion. Rod always liked to have a chat.
He became a member of the Legislative Assembly for the Northern Territory in 1977 but, on 21 August 1979, he sat the remainder of his term as an ‘Independent Liberal’ as he called it. He and I shared the experience and memories of both being disendorsed by the CLP. He came into my office and said that regardless of what happened it was the best time of his life to be an independent in this parliament. I guess many of you will eventually realise that. He said he felt free for the first time, not confined by party politics, and he was able to put forward his contribution. That was a bond Rod and I shared. I just say to members of the Legislative Assembly, it is not bad being an Independent; you can be like Rod Oliver, you can be free from the shackles of a party.
Rod also had involvement in the social life of Alice Springs. He was secretary of the Hartley Street School Committee from 1962 to 1972; president and secretary of the Traeger Park Primary School Council; a committee member of the Alice Springs Pony Club, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Guides, and the Youth Centre; a member and director of the Alice Springs Rotary Club; chairman of the Alice Springs Co-operative Society; a councillor for the Central Australian Show Society and was president for seven years and then made an honorary member; he was a founding member of the Spencer Hill Group; a member of the Alice Springs High School Council; a member of the Community College of Central Australia Advisory Council; president of the Council on the Ageing; president of the Anti-Cancer Foundation of Alice Springs; member of the Gap Neighbourhood Centre committee, and also a member of the Kiwanis Club; past president of the Old Timers Auxiliary; past member of the RSL committee; past coordinator of Neighbourhood Watch, Red Cross, Probus, and the Transport Hall of Fame. It is an incredible list of community involvement. Rod Oliver loved Alice Springs, and he loved the Centre and the people of the Centre.
I spoke this morning to his son, Greg Oliver, and I pass on these remarks from the family. They want to thank the Legislative Assembly for this Motion of Condolence. They know that Rod would be honoured by what we are doing here today. He was a proud Centralian who put his heart and soul into everything he did and always for the right intentions. He loved Central Australia and the week before he passed away, his two sons, Greg and Rod Junior, spent nights with him in the palliative care ward in the Alice Springs Hospital. They set up his bed so it overlooked the MacDonnell Ranges and in the morning they would wake up and see the sun coming over the hills. Rod died peacefully in the place that he loved and with the people that he loved.
Madam Speaker, I too thank the Chief Minister and all the members of the Assembly here. I pass on my sincere sympathy to Rod’s family, to Rod, Greg, Vicki and Carrie, and their partners, and to his eight grandchildren.
Rod Oliver was a special person. Rod would have loved to have still been a member of the Legislative Assembly where he could have contributed in his own style and his own way. I say to Rod’s family that our thoughts are with you. God bless you.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: I thank honourable members for their contributions and tributes. On behalf of officers and members of the parliament, I extend condolences to the family.
Motion agreed to.
Members stood in silence for one minute as a mark of respect.
Madam SPEAKER: I thank honourable members.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, this morning I report on my recent visit to Brunei where I attended the 10th Brunei Indonesia Malaysia Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area, or BIMP-EAGA, ministerial meeting and spoke at the East ASEAN Business Forum.
Last month, I had the pleasure of representing the Territory at the BIMP-EAGA ministerial meeting where we were afforded the unique privilege of co-chairing a special NT/BIMP-EAGA dialogue session. I was very pleased by our acceptance as a development partner to the BIMP-EAGA, which was ratified in Brunei with the signing of a framework of cooperation between the Territory and BIMP-EAGA. I pay tribute to the work that was done to achieve that development partner status by the previous minister, Paul Henderson. I also had the privilege of launching the first phase of the new BIMP-EAGA business portal, also an initiative pushed by the previous minister. It was his great idea, well done. This is now an official project under the BIMP-EAGA working groups and will, when completed, serve to facilitate trade between small and medium enterprises across the BIMP-EAGA region and throughout Australia, using the links of the Chamber of Commerce in the Territory.
While at the ministerial meeting, I also committed to the staging of the Darwin dialogue sessions again, and they will be held in May next year. This dialogue will bring together similar officials and ministers from the BIMP-EAGA with representatives from the private and public sector here in the Territory. We will have the opportunity to discuss areas of mutual interest such as tourism, health, education and the growth in regional trade. This dialogue will also include key Australian government agencies such as AusAID, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and regional agencies including the Asian Development Bank, World Bank and the German agency GTZ. We will deliver outcomes – that is my commitment I gave to BIMP-EAGA from this dialogue – that will add substantial value to the Territory’s ongoing relationship with BIMP-EAGA. Through this relationship we will continue to build on the trading opportunities across a number of sectors for Territory businesses.
When I was in Brunei, I also addressed the East ASEAN Business Summit as keynote speaker for the summit luncheon, and had the opportunity to promote the Territory as a great place to invest in, live, study and do business with. I must say my presentation was well received - when you talk about the Territory, how could it be otherwise – and encouraged quite a few inquiries to my departmental staff travelling with me.
I was also able to engage in a number of key meetings during my visit. These included a meeting with the Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines and his key staff. This meeting was a very positive one and it resulted in a commitment by Royal Brunei to come to Darwin in the very near future to engage in a workshop with government and key private stakeholders. This workshop will explore a greater collaboration with Royal Brunei and will look at expanding the opportunities for regional marketing of such areas as ecotourism and regional holiday packages.
I also met with Timothy Ong, the Chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board. Brunei, as we know, is a major producer of oil and gas and is now moving ahead with substantial investments into downstream. The Brunei government has already approved the construction of a major methanol plant and is planning to approve a fertiliser plant and, potentially, an aluminium smelter. I had the opportunity to discuss these plans with Mr Ong and to learn first-hand about the issues involved in developing downstream production from oil and gas from a Brunei perspective. This is the direction that the Northern Territory is heading and, by having strong relationships with countries such as Brunei, we will be able to leverage off their experience and knowledge to build a strong and competitive industry of our own.
On my return from Brunei, I had the opportunity to visit Singapore. During my brief stopover there, I was given a special presentation by the National Parks Department on the policy and activities in greening Singapore. Everyone who visits Singapore is left with an indelible image of incredibly lush, green, tropical city. However, that is something that did not occur overnight. It has taken the Singapore government, with a very strategic plan, over 40 years to get Singapore looking the way it does. It was great to be able to see what their plan was, how it had emerged over those 40 years, where they had gone wrong, where they had not, and an indication of their future directions. I also had the opportunity to visit their Botanic Gardens and, with the boss of the Botanic Gardens, look at some of the successes they have had there. It really is inspirational.
I continue to be enthusiastic about the relationships we have in the region and continue to build with our neighbours. Through initiatives such as BIMP-EAGA and the growth of the AustralAsia trade route, my government will continue to deliver strong economic growth to the Territory business community.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, the Country Liberal Party supports this approach. We have a strategic advantage, as the Chief Minister and members of Cabinet know, and many in the business sector recognise and have recognised for many years. The Territory has a strategic advantage that must be exploited and used to greater advantage. We have a number of things that are not in our favour – our isolation and small population base – but we do have some unique factors in our favour. Therefore, to have this change of policy from the Labor government, and to have the Chief Minister engaging in high level meetings to open up the diplomatic doors is supported.
I note, though, accompanying this statement is the commitment – that word again - to outcomes. It will be the duty of opposition, on behalf of the Territory community, to ensure that the outcomes are evident and measurable. We will continue to support any engagement of Asia, provided we are able to identify the outcomes, and those outcomes are ultimately achieved by that which passes through our port from local industry. One is the engagement of AusAID. There are huge amounts of money that flow from the AusAID budget into our region, but is not receiving much uptake in the Northern Territory. We want to see that as an increased outcome.
Further to that, to do with the words that government often uses, ‘whole-of-government approach’, we must have increased links into education and revisiting our Indonesian language programs within our schools. That is something that has great currency within our region. Also sporting engagements that we once prided ourselves on in this region - being able to engage in the region in sporting competitions - needs to be elevated, particularly soccer, which provides a great opportunity. I look forward to seeing that broader approach to the region ...
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Blain, your time has expired.
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, this morning I update the House on the government’s progress with the building of new schools and other infrastructure upgrades.
Approach to school infrastructure by the previous government can be best described as patchy. As a result, we have much ageing infrastructure in need of substantial upgrade across education. To deal with this, I have requested the Department of Employment, Education and Training to provide the government with a systemic way of analysing and addressing future infrastructure needs. A preliminary assessment of DEET schools infrastructure facilities is currently under way. Consultants Stanton Partners have been commissioned to provide a snapshot of each school facility as the first stage of assessing infrastructure needs right across the Territory. Initial indication of infrastructure needs will form the basis of a second stage study to involve comparison with benchmark standards for national and international education built assets. Once it is done, we will have a clear indication of priorities and needs in education infrastructure.
In the meantime, government has continued with the extensive capital works projects, both urban and remote. Keeping with the commitment to provide secondary education in remote communities, we have built new secondary school facilities at Maningrida, Kalkaringi, Shepherdson College, Papunya, and Minyerri.
Just over a year ago, I visited Emu Point. There I found 25 students, a teacher and assistant teacher operating in a school that was a bow shed made from bush timber and corrugated iron in 38 C on a black soil mud plain, pre-Wet. I am pleased to report that the new school at Emu Point will be completed this month with new classrooms, ablutions facilities, and teachers’ accommodation at a cost of around $1.3m.
Mamaruni School on Croker Island suffered the full destruction of Cyclone Ingrid. The construction of the new school will commence this month, after the awarding of a $2m contract in September. Manyallaluk Community will see its new school, consisting of a double classroom and early childhood facilities, completed this month. Students will no longer have to travel 50 km over dirt roads every day to go to school. Commencement of new school facilities, including classrooms, ablutions facilities, and teachers’ accommodation, will begin at Donydji and Mapurru. At Wadeye, the community is thoroughly engaged in the design of the new secondary school at a cost of in excess of $2m.
Construction commenced at Alawa Primary School in June; Stage 1 upgrades at a cost of a little over $2m. Stage 1A of Darwin High School finally commenced April this year following unexpected delays, and will take some time to complete. Stage 2A will be under way when that is completed. We expect that to be in place starting around June 2006. The Gillen Primary School airconditioning upgrade is now completed. Design and documentation of the Gunbalanya Community Education Centre upgrade has been completed, with the target date for getting this under way of April 2006.
We have a proud record of investment in school infrastructure in our first four years of government, and this will continue apace during this second term.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, this government does not have a proud record of developing education infrastructure in their term. They have failed to build a single school in their first term. On the books was a school in Rosebery. Money was allocated - or reference was certainly made to that in budgets - but nothing was actually done. The result has been that you now have a school in Bakewell, which was once proudly boasted by the member for Nhulunbuy as the largest primary school in the Northern Territory, which only opened in 1999, and now has 10 or 11 demountables. Part of those few years that school has been in operation, students have occupied lessened space on the school stages. In Woodroffe Primary School, there are no male teachers on staff. The school is now larger than it was intended to be, and has only one toilet for all of the female staff of that school. Why is this the case? Why is there so much pressure on these two schools? Why are those two school communities facing management of a crisis by the installation of demountables - transportable classrooms? It is because this government never built the school in Rosebery that has placed undue pressure upon those two school communities. That is not a proud record, minister, and you simply need to build a school.
To then ask, in the last week of last term, of all the schools in Palmerston, ‘Please tell us what your projected growth numbers are for the schools’, is a clear indication that behind the scenes you are panicking, you are managing a crisis. Build the school in Rosebery so that you can relieve the pressure on those two schools directly. Durack also has a problem. Build a school in Palmerston. Not only that, make a clear decision with regards to secondary provision in Palmerston. There are in excess of 600 high school students who do not attend high school in Palmerston and, yet, you make a decision not to build further secondary capacity in Palmerston. You do not have a proud record.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Blain, your time has expired.
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, that is the tired voice of a discredited government of the past and their failure to recognise. What is the definition of a new school? Presumably, a new secondary facility at Minyerri is not a school, because it is not in Palmerston, nor is it in an urban area. This is the tired voice of a government that refused for 27 years to deliver secondary education to the bush - because they were black, it was a long way away, or it was expensive? I do not know the reasons, but it is a very sad and sorry legacy that the CLP left education with.
Regarding this so-called crisis in Palmerston, every state in Australia uses these high quality demountables. They are built to order; they come at a huge cost. I visit these schools. I visited each of those schools in the last couple of months that the member for Blain referred to. These are high-quality transportables that deliver quality education, and we will continue to roll them out as and when needed, as we will right across the Northern Territory. However, this opposition says never built a new school because schools in the bush do not count.
Nurse Recruitment Strategies
Dr TOYNE (Health): Madam Speaker, today I report to the House on the success of the government’s commitment to increasing nursing numbers in the Northern Territory. I am very pleased to report that we exceeded our first term commitment to create 75 new hospital nurse positions, and successfully recruited over 100 extra nurses, both within and outside our public hospitals. Having developed some innovative recruitment and retention strategies we are already on the way towards fulfilling our second term commitment to increase hospital nurse positions by a further 75.
By the end of June 2005, we had established 106 new nurse positions in the hospitals and 20 new nurse positions in remote services. The extra nurses recruited to date include a range of specialists, such as clinical nurse educators, nurse managers, renal, critical care and midwifery nurses, as well as general ward nurses and remote area nurses. On average, 86% of these additional positions are filled at any time. Vacancies will occur from time to time when nurses act in higher positions, gain experience in other roles, or decide to leave the Northern Territory for varied reasons such as family or travel interests, and the position is advertised.
It is good news for the regional hospitals where recruitment can be problematic as the 10 new positions across Katherine, Tennant Creek and Gove Hospitals have been filled continuously since their creation. Fifty-six of the new hospital positions are in Royal Darwin Hospital, with the majority being in the critical care areas of intensive care, high dependency and emergency. This growth matches the major redevelopments and expansion of the critical care services at Royal Darwin Hospital.
At Alice Springs Hospital, 40 new positions have been established. Currently, there are seven positions to be recruited to the critical care area of Alice Springs Hospital, a traditionally difficult area to recruit to. Recruitment of permanent staff is a priority for this area, and innovative strategies are being implemented to fill these positions, including an overseas recruitment drive to be undertaken in October this year.
We have also established over 20 extra nurse positions outside our hospitals. The child heath initiative has resulted in an additional six nurses, phasing out the single nurse communities. The relief pool for single nurse posts has added eight nurses, and there are four primary health care access program funded remote nurses. Four outreach midwives positions for remote have been successfully recruited to; two for the Top End and two for Central Australia. Since July 2005, a further 18 nursing positions attached to special programs at Royal Darwin Hospital have also been established. These include the hospice, where 11 new nursing positions have been established, of which seven have been filled; the expansion of the Hospital in the Home Program which has resulted in the establishment of nine new positions of which seven have been filled; and the new discharge lounge at Darwin Hospital which has recruited one new nurse for a trial period until March 2006.
Recruiting more nurses in the Northern Territory remains a priority to this government. We have established a number of strategies to overcome the historic difficulties which will ensure ongoing success in this area. These strategies include continuing to provide better wages and conditions than other jurisdictions - our nurses are amongst the best paid in Australia; continuing to improve professional development opportunities; and continuing to support the NT Nurses and Midwifery Awards, established to recognise the important role our nurses play in the Territory.
We have developed a fresh and energetic local and national recruitment campaign, the early results of which are encouraging. To the end of September, the Department of Health and Community Services had received inquiries from 863 nurses and midwives. The department is taking a personal response to these inquiries and following them up with a high degree of diligence. A flexible package of exciting promotional materials including targeted fax sheets, postcards and Territory lifestyle materials are being developed, and feedback is overwhelmingly positive.
I am pleased to report that Territory nurses have been creating a lot of interest around the Royal College of Nursing expos at New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia. They also attended the Royal College of Nursing Conference in South Australia. Two Territory nurses are off to London towards the end of this year where they will interview 200 nurses and promote the Territory as a unique work and lifestyle opportunity. Other attraction and retention methods, including strengthening the links between CDU and postgraduate programs in the Department of Health, are under way.
Madam Speaker, we are confident that, while we are still facing quite major competition in the marketplace, we will fill these positions that have been created.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I will respond to this statement in the absence of the shadow minister for health, the member for Greatorex. I do know something about the area because I had the privilege of being the shadow minister for a couple of years. I appreciate that the minister is trying his best, but he is a man who is well paid to do more than just try his best. The buck does stop with him. His hands, I do not think, are terribly clean when one steps back and looks at the state of the health system in the Northern Territory. Since we are talking about nurses, in the 1 minutes I have left I have the following points to make by way of a reply.
We know, because we found in the government Gazette - of course, this government is not forthcoming when it comes to spinning or trying to come clean with the bad bits - a government document earlier this year that gave a damning indictment of the efforts of this government to recruit nurses. The document said and I quote:
I do not know how much worse you can get. The nurses at our hospitals, particularly Alice Springs and Darwin, tell me still that it is a mess.
The government quotes figures, but there is a problem with them; that is, that they are top heavy positions. If you are a nurse at a hospital, they are asking - and I know you are aware of this - where are the ward nurses? Where are the nurses helping them on the ground? There is still a vote of no confidence on the books by nurses at Alice Springs Hospital. Coincidently, there is also a vote of no confidence against the Department of Justice by Corrections. The minister is very unlucky, not to mention incompetent ...
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, your time has expired.
Dr TOYNE (Health): Madam Speaker, despite the wailings and gnashing of teeth over the other side of the House, the figures speak for themselves. We have created these extra positions, and the vast majority of them are filled with real working nurses; and very good ones I might say. I get around our hospitals and clinics on a regular basis. What I am hearing is what you would expect to hear: people agree that we have moved forward significantly in the last couple of years. They are happy that there are new approaches being taken to both recruitment and retention issues. They are working hard for Territorians. They are being very professional about their work. They deserve all the respect, and so do we, for the gains that we have made.
Reports noted pursuant to Sessional Order.
Madam SPEAKER: Whoever has that mobile phone, could you take it out of the Chamber.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The main purpose of this bill is to make consequential amendments to various Northern Territory laws that follow on from the passage of the Health Practitioners Act in 2004. The bill also updates superseded references, corrects typing errors and omissions, and clarifies ambiguous terminologies in the affected acts and subordinate legislation. None of the amendments constitute substantive changes in government policy or programs.
The consequential amendments to affected acts and regulations that follow on from the enactment of the Health Practitioners Act 2004 and the Veterinarians Act 1994 remove the confusion surrounding references to persons in certain occupations and professions regulated by both of those acts.
In essence, the principle adopted is that, for consistency of approach, the amendments will ensure that cross-references in affected acts and regulations will now be worded so that they are cross-references to persons entitled to practice in the occupations and professions referred under the Health Practitioners Act 2004 and the Veterinarians Act 1994. Thus, for example, a dentist will only be classified as a dentist for the purposes of the Education Act if the person has a current entitlement to practice as a dentist in terms of the Health Practitioners Act 2004.
I now describe some of the more significant or obscure corrections made by this bill. The first comprises a number of amendments to the mental impairment provisions of the Criminal Code. Section 43Z of the Criminal Code deals with the making of supervision orders in cases involving mental impairment and unfitness to be tried. The section is to be amended to remove the confusion surrounding cases of persons with mental impairment by specifying when a supervision order shall be made or when a person is liable for supervision. Other minor amendments to the mental impairment provisions of the Code correct a grammatical error in section 43ZN and update wording used in current section 412(3) to accord with reforms made by the enactment of the Criminal Code Amendment (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 2002.
The bill also makes several amendments to the Local Government Act. The purpose of these amendments is to achieve parity between municipal councils and community government councils. This is done by removing the word ‘municipal’ from the phrase ‘municipal council’ in many provisions of the act. The effect is that the definition of ‘council’, which covers both municipal and community government council, then applies.
Additionally, section 92 of the Local Government Act is to be amended so that it is clear that, in addition to the out-of-pocket expenses referred to in the current section 92(2), councils may, in respect of legal action for unpaid rates, also recover court costs, solicitor’s costs and enforcement costs.
Section 16 of the Poisons and Dangerous Drugs Act provides for the supply of a poison specified in a certificate of registration to a person who is authorised under the act to supply or administer that poison to another person. The section is amended by inserting the words ‘or an animal’ after ‘another person’. This amendment will remove a significant handicap to veterinary surgeons in their practice by correcting an omission which currently prevents manufacturers and wholesalers from legally supplying vets with certain poisons.
The bill also amends the Energy Pipelines Act so that it is clear that a pipeline may be owned by someone other than a person with a licence under the act. In essence, this is done by more simply stating the purpose of section 59 which is that of ensuring that pipelines do not necessary belong to the owner of the land. Under the act, a licence is required to construct or to operate a pipeline, but not to own a pipeline. The amendment takes into account situations where the actual owner of a pipeline may not have a licence to construct or operate the pipeline.
Finally, the bill corrects an error in section 40 of the Wills Act. The Wills Act 2000 was very closely modelled on a national bill developed under the authority of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General. An error in the model has been identified in the course of the development of the Queensland Succession Amendment Bill 2005. Stated broadly, the objective of section 40 is to provide that the children of a beneficiary under the will shall share in that person’s inheritance if that beneficiary does not survive the testator by 30 days. The policy objective is that they would take the same share of the estate that they would have taken of their parent’s estate. Unfortunately, the provision was drafted so that the share is described as being the share they would have taken of the testator’s estate. In many circumstances, there would be no such share. Accordingly, the amendment provides that the references to the testator’s estate are to be replaced by references to the parent’s estate. As this is a fundamental drafting flaw, the amendment is to have retrospective effect to the time of the commencement of the Wills Act in 2001.
Madam Speaker, that concludes my explanation of the bill. I table the explanatory statement which accompanies the bill. I commend the bill to honourable members.
Debate adjourned.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Arts and Museums): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to repeal and replace the current Strehlow Research Centre Act. It will clarify the role of the Strehlow Research Centre Board and the Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts. It will also overcome the difficulty that the existing legislation provides with two parallel lines of authority in relation to management of the affairs of the Strehlow Research Centre. The current Strehlow Research Centre Act gives the Strehlow Research Centre Board a wide range of functions relating to the establishment and operations of the Strehlow Research Centre.
The Public Sector Employment and Management Act and the Financial Management Act provide the legislative framework for the regulation of the management of financial affairs for government organisations with the responsibility for the proper efficient and economical administration vested with the organisation’s chief executive officer. The overall intention of this bill is to ensure that the chief executive officer, under the Financial Management Act and the Public Sector Employment and Management Act, is responsible to government for the financial management of the Strehlow Research Centre.
It is proposed to repeal and re-enact the Strehlow Research Centre Act, establishing the Strehlow Research Centre Board whose main functions will be to advise the minister on the activities of the Strehlow Research Centre, and to hold the cultural collections of the Strehlow Research Centre on behalf of the Territory.
The government is committed to ensuring that the cultural assets held by the Strehlow Research Centre remain the legal responsibility of the board. The government is also committed to ensuring that, where this is consistent with the needs and expectations of Aboriginal traditional custodians, there is the potential to return elements of the Strehlow Research Centre cultural collections to Aboriginal traditional custodians with rights over the material under traditional law. As a result, items from the Strehlow Research Centre’s collection can only be disposed of with the agreement of at least six of the seven members of the board, as well as the minister, under sections 7(3) and 23.
The Strehlow Research Centre has experienced an increasing level of demand from traditional custodians in Central Australia to store cultural objects on their behalf. The new bill ensures that the Strehlow Research Centre is empowered to store ethnographic objects and archival material on behalf of the traditional custodians. The intention is that objects or materials stored in this way will not represent part of the collection as defined under the act, and that approval of the board and the minister would not be required for the owner to remove them from the Strehlow Research Centre.
The intention is not to make the Strehlow Research Centre a repository for cultural materials owned by other arms of government or by the general public. Instead, the intention is that the Strehlow Research Centre would store cultural materials relating to Central Australia at the request of the traditional Aboriginal custodians of that material. It is intended that any such arrangement would occur at the discretion of the Strehlow Research Centre.
In proposing this bill, the intention is not to affect current board members. Clause 28 in the new legislation allows for current membership of the board to be maintained for a period and to be eligible for reappointment. I take this opportunity to thank the current members of the board for their past commitment, and look forward to working with them under the new act. I commend the bill to honourable members.
Debate adjourned.
Continued from 30 June 2005.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I spoke with the Attorney-General yesterday and indicated that we would support this bill. I try, invariably, to give him such indications before every sittings. It does not always work but, for the record, I did advise him we would be supporting it.
Madam Speaker, you may recall that, at the beginning of this, the Tenth Assembly, I made the point that the opposition would support legislation when support was warranted, and that we would sensibly oppose legislation should the need arise. This is one of these occasions where it is sensible to support this significant legislative change. It shows, I believe, how seriously we regard our role, and certainly how seriously I regard mine as shadow Attorney-General. It is incumbent, of course, for all of us to strive to work to promote the best interests of Territorians and, happily, on occasion, it can be done both in government and in opposition. The bill is worthy of support and, accordingly, it is supported.
Having outlined a very clear support, however, I would like to make a couple of points on the way through. They are matters I believe that, in the context of what will be judged in historical terms as a significant change to important legislation - even if only a few people get to read it - it is important to make some points about. I am also making these points because, even though the Attorney-General and I have our political differences, I believe we share some common core values as human beings. I would like him, in his own way, to maybe just take note of some of the matters I raise because he may want to take them on board when bringing further legislation to this parliament.
Having prefaced my remarks with those comments, I will get straight to it. The way notice of these changes was conveyed to the general public was nothing short of appalling. The tenor of the Attorney-General’s media release in October 2004 was such that it promoted an ill-informed commentary in the media which, coincidentally, happened to work to the government’s benefit which, no doubt, is why steps were not taken to correct it. There are several examples, but the first paragraph in the story of the NT News of 25 October 2004 was alarming. It said:
The NT News presumably learned this because it was, no doubt, sold to that newspaper in those terms. To my knowledge, there was no attempt made by the Attorney-General, the Territory’s first law officer, to correct that assertion. Cynically, I could ask why he did not. The answer, of course, would be because it happened to put the government in a good light. The story was consistent with a part of the Attorney-General’s media release that was misleading, to say the least, which promoted the view that if you were drunk or high on drugs the criminal law could not deal with you. It was rubbish then and it is rubbish now.
Madam Speaker, you and other members of the Australian Labor Party will know that it is not often that I - in fact, I do not think I have ever - quote Jon Tippet QC. However, in the context of this bill I am very happy to do so; indeed, it is appropriate. Jon Tippet was interviewed on ABC radio on 25 October 2004 and he said:
l said at the time on Territory Top FM on 27 October 2004, and it is worth repeating now to show that at least I am consistent:
That is what I thought then and I still think it now.
Finally on this point, I take this opportunity, with great respect, to say to those in the media that it would be unwise to take on or trust ill-informed sales pitches from ministerial staffers who have the job of selling the government’s message and who have proven themselves willing to do so regardless of how far they distort the truth in the course of making their pitch.
The second issue I would like to address picks up another comment made by Mr Jon Tippet QC. He lamented in his radio interview on ABC the lack of consultation that preceded the announcement of these changes. The government had, it seemed to me, prided itself on consulting early in its first term, but things seem to change towards the end of the first term. Clearly, voters did not appear to be overly concerned about this but I feel certain that they will notice it more in Labor’s second term if it continues to introduce legislation without properly consulting in relation to it.
There is, of course, a level of hypocrisy - is there not? - involved with a government that says it consults and actually does not. It is a concern that the legal profession of the Northern Territory and the likes of Jon Tippet were not consulted. No doubt calls from ministerial officers were made to Mr Tippet and other lawyers after the event, but these changes should not have unfolded in the manner in which they did.
Third, I would like to deal briefly with the model Criminal Code that has been developed by Commonwealth, state and territory criminal law experts. There is, as I understand it, a nine chapter model Criminal Code, and it takes reference from the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General to develop particular model offences for national agreement. The point I make is this: the model Criminal Code has been floating around for years. It came across my desk when I was practicing. I would like the Attorney-General to advise why it is that the whole code cannot or has not been adopted.
Madam Speaker, you and others will appreciate that, for me, there are more than a few downsides to all states and territories being run by Labor governments. However, there are some upsides, and one of them is that, surely, it is an opportunity to make some real progress to implementing the model Criminal Code. The bill that we are presently debating comes before the House because this government takes the view, quite rightly, that there are reasons to change the specific parts of the Criminal Code. I agree, but I simply ask - and I would be grateful to hear the Attorney-General’s reply - why it is the case that more fulsome changes to the Code cannot be made or are not being made in light of the national model Criminal Code?
The final point I would like to make arises from the changes to the code, but also arises from some of the information circulated by the Attorney-General’s staff that accompanied his media release in October 2004. Much of the material went on and on about the difficulties experienced in gaining convictions under the existing provisions. It used language like, ‘it is extremely difficult for the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that’. Another one was: ‘you are not likely to be convicted.’ Also, in the Attorney-General’s media release: ‘The amendment will mean that victims of crime and their families get justice.’ Elsewhere in his release: ‘This reform will send a strong message to violent offenders.’
I refer the Attorney-General to an issue I have raised both in and out of parliament for some time regarding the extremely low conviction rates that exist in the Northern Territory for rape and sexual assaults. I have talked about this on three or four occasions in the parliament and I will quote what is probably not the best instance of what I said on 18 August 2004:
The South Australian parliament undertook a committee of inquiry into the extraordinarily low conviction rates for sexual assaults in South Australia. There is much we in the Northern Territory can learn, not only from the South Australians, but surely from starting our own parliamentary committee of inquiry in relation to this matter. If the Attorney-General and his staff use language expressing concern about the difficulties arising from ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ in relation to murder and manslaughter, it is surely appropriate to be consistent in relation to sexual assaults. If they express concern, such as ‘you are not likely to be convicted’ in relation to murder, manslaughter and dangerous acts, is it not consistent to have a look at that in the context of sexual assaults? If the Attorney-General is serious about getting a strong message to violent offenders and to give victims of crime and their families a sense of justice when it comes to murder, manslaughter and dangerous acts, then is it not consistent for him to argue the same concepts and believe in the same thing when it comes to our appalling rate of conviction for sexual assaults in the place we all call home?
I have given my four or five pleas now, and given my pleas again. I ask the Attorney-General to consider establishing a parliamentary committee of inquiry aimed at improving or examining why it is we have such appallingly low convictions. It is the case that the Attorney-General and I are concerned about the low convictions that are the result by reason of the relevant provisions in the Criminal Code which brings the present bill before us. However, I am becoming increasingly concerned that the Attorney-General has consistently refused to show what I assume is his concern about the low number of convictions for sexual offences. We have a problem; it should be fixed. We had a problem with this part of the Criminal Code; you had an academic from interstate give you advice on the matter. Will you at least do the same thing in an attempt to address the low conviction rates for sexual offences or, better still, establish a committee to examine the matter? I cannot ask in any way better than that.
In conclusion, Madam Speaker, I have raised a number of matters in the course of this debate - all of them relevant for the reasons I have outlined; all of them matters that needed to be raised and put on the Parliamentary Record. Yes, I am pleased to say this bill is supported, and I outlined earlier why that was the case. However, I ask the Attorney-General to address the other matters I have raised or, at very least, consider them. I look forward to his reply and to being in the history books, as it were, for such a significant change to our criminal law. I congratulate the Attorney-General and his officers from the Department of Justice for making such a significant change because, despite the very strong objections I have in relation to the spin that has been put on it, this is a good change to the law and I thank you for it.
Mr BURKE (Brennan): Madam Speaker, I support the Criminal Code Amendment (Criminal Responsibility Reform) Bill (No 2) 2005 (Serial 7). I am pleased to speak in support of this bill at a time when recent crime statistics show that, over the last five years, property offences in Palmerston have dropped by 29% and offences against the person by 22%. Any crime is too much, but drops of that magnitude are welcome in any area of the community.
It is universally recognised that laws must be reviewed to ensure they keep up with society as it evolves. Law that once was suitable - even necessary - can become archaic - even ineffective - as society moves forward. I do not, for a moment, suggest that the Criminal Code Act is ineffective or archaic. It must be conceded, however, that it has avoided significant reform since its inception in 1983. Certain provisions of our Criminal Code have attracted negative comment from the High Court, as well as judges from our own Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. The Attorney-General made references to some of this commentary in his second reading speech on this bill. When the most important courts administering your Criminal Code query and unfavourably comment upon it, you need to take the hint. Thankfully, the Territory’s first Labor Attorney-General and Labor government have done just that.
The Criminal Code Amendment (Criminal Responsibility Reform) Bill (No 2) proposes the most significant set of reforms to the Territory’s Criminal Code that have occurred since its inception. This bill is the government’s considered response to a process of extensive consideration and review of the adequacy of existing Criminal Code law in the Northern Territory. It is notable that the model Criminal Code on which the Commonwealth code is based was developed over many years by the National Model Criminal Code Officers Committee set up by the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General. A similar approach to reform is currently being undertaken in the Australian Capital Territory, where Chapter 2 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code has also been enacted to apply to that jurisdiction’s new Criminal Code.
I agree with the explanatory statement to this bill, which observes that, and I quote:
I note that the Commonwealth passed its legislation enacting Chapter 2 of the model Criminal Code in 1995. Our lawyers, magistrates and judges will be assisted by the body of law and academic comment that has occurred since that time. They will not have to reinvent the wheel in interpreting new provisions. Instead, they can access analysis of the corresponding provisions in the ACT and Commonwealth. This has to make for better law in the Northern Territory.
As mentioned by the Attorney-General in his second reading speech, the criminal responsibility provisions of the Commonwealth Criminal Code are effectively already in operation in the Northern Territory in respect of federal offences. There is much to be said for uniformity across jurisdictions. The positive flow-ons of such an approach can be seen in areas such as the national approach to the corporations law. No doubt, businesses across the country welcomed that move.
The new Part IIAA to the Northern Territory Criminal Code, which will be inserted by the bill, forms the basis to which future renovations to the Criminal Code will refer. These provisions will initially only apply to the new or amended offences proposed by this bill; namely manslaughter; reckless endangerment of life or serious harm; causing negligent harm; dangerous driving causing death or serious harm; and, rape or sexual intercourse, or gross indecency without consent. However, over time, all of the offences under the Northern Territory Criminal Code will be rewritten and enacted with the new criminal responsibility provisions then applying to them. This will give legal practitioners and the courts plenty of time to come to grips with the new principles of criminal responsibility as our Criminal Code is progressively revamped to meet the needs of the modern Territory.
Some might say that all that is needed is an increase in the maximum penalties for offences under the code. However, that argument is too simplistic and does not address the real issue. A penalty only comes into effect when a person is convicted of an offence. Increasing the penalty does nothing to address the problems in the definition of the offence. It is the definition of an offence, by its elements and whether the facts meet those elements, that determines whether a prosecution is successful. If an element is missing, the prosecution will fail. It may be that an accused will not be prepared to plead guilty to one offence, but will plead guilty to another - usually a lesser offence with a lesser penalty. With the current formulation of the criminal responsibility provisions, for a variety of reasons it has been the case that a lesser charge is often accepted in the interests of securing a conviction.
What I am leading to is the point that the Attorney-General so succinctly made. A charge of dangerous act causing death, under section 154 of the Northern Territory Criminal Code has often been the only option in relation to fairly serious offences. Because of the narrow framing of the offence of manslaughter under our Criminal Code, a charge of a dangerous act is often used where, in many other jurisdictions, the charge would be manslaughter. This can give rise to sentences that are out of kilter with community expectation. This code repeals the offence of dangerous act under section 154 of the code, and replaces it with a range of new, more specific offences. Specific provisions are always preferred over general ones. This is inherent in rules of statutory interpretation, and especially so in criminal law where conviction has serious consequences for the convicted.
The changes that this bill introduces are both fundamental and complex. There are specific changes to a range of offences, and the general changes to the way of defining criminal responsibility embodied in Part IIAA. The Criminal Code was due for major reform and this bill commences that process.
I know that the people of my electorate of Brennan want our laws to be enforced in a fair and just manner, so it is particularly important that our laws do reflect community expectations about just outcomes. This bill is going to bring about changes to ensure that our laws match community expectations about criminal responsibility and that the punishment fits the crime. This bill represents important work in modernising the law in this area and will bring the standard of criminal responsibility in the Territory back into line with the position of other Australian jurisdictions.
However, as we know, making our community safer is not just about making formal changes to statute law. It is also about enforcement of the law on the ground. This government has put significant additional resources into law enforcement, including the 137 extra police already on the ground and the 63 more officers soon to join them. This government has also encouraged community partnerships which are aimed at making homes and streets safer, such as Crime Prevention Councils and Neighbourhood Watch. The results of these extra resources are being felt in Palmerston. As I previously stated, the recent statistics show that in the past five years property offences in Palmerston have dropped 29% and offences against the person 22%.
The member for Drysdale and I recently attended a meeting of Neighbourhood Watch at the Gray Community Centre. We are committed to working with Sergeant Jeff Mosel of the Northern Territory Police and the Executive Officer of Neighbourhood Watch NT, as well as the Palmerston community, to establish Neighbourhood Watch in all parts of Palmerston to ensure our community gets the full benefit of the program. I am sure the 137 extra police that this Labor government put on the beat and the 63 others who will join them, as well as the Neighbourhood Watches and Crime Prevention Councils, will welcome this bill as another valuable tool in crime prevention, law enforcement and prosecution of offenders. I hope that it will assist in delivering further drops in crime, not just in Palmerston but throughout the Territory. Falls of 29% and 22% as we have seen over the last five years in Palmerston are always welcome news.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I suppose one feels a little incompetent, sometimes, dealing with a bill that the previous three speakers obviously have much more knowledge about than I. Notwithstanding that, I believe that it is one of our duties as members of parliament to try to work our way through what, for me, is a very complex bill - probably the most complex bill I have ever had to deal with. I would even say, at this present time, I do not have a complete understanding of all the issues that are involved, although I have learned certain things that I have never known before about physical and fault elements that relate to an offence. I understand that those two elements are very important when it comes to the prosecution of an offence in court; that you have to have one or two …
Dr Toyne: Or four.
Mr WOOD: Or even four of these elements and, in some cases, you do not have to have an element at all. In some case, you can have a physical element but do not have to have a fault element. It took me a while to understand all of that. A couple of re-reads and it slowly sank in what we were talking about.
It is, obviously, extremely important legislation. It looks at a whole range of definitions which go to the basis on which other things will occur. The matters that do occur here later in the bill regarding the changes to driving offences, a dangerous act, to sexual intercourse without consent, and a number of other issues such as manslaughter, are dependent on, I believe, the definitions that are now being put into this act. That is the way I see this bill coming to us today. It is the complications - that is, the number of definitions - that are required to make sure a prosecution can be successful, especially in the light of reflecting government policy.
For instance, they are trying to clarify driving under intoxication. I take the point from the member for Araluen. I would be interested to know whether what she said was correct that, under existing Criminal Code, it is not the case that intoxication or being under the effect of drugs can be excused in the case of dangerous driving. I think that is what she said earlier. I would be interested to hear what the Attorney-General says about that particular matter. The reason I raise that is because, sometimes, I have to ask whether we are just duplicating the law or was there a real need to change it. I am interested in the minister’s response.
I thank the minister for the explanatory statements. I must admit I did not read all of the Commonwealth’s explanatory statements; just the basic explanatory statements. They certainly do help you understand many of the clauses in the bill. Although I will be asking the Attorney-General whether we can go to the committee stage for some explanations on some clauses which I would like to hear from him, I am not challenging the bill and I would support it. However, I believe there is an opportunity there for me to get some clarification on a few issues. They may be minor in nature, but I would like the bill to go to the committee stage if that is possible.
I also think that there should be some form of review at some time - whether it is 12 months or 24 months. With such important legislation coming to parliament, I think the review should be held either in 12 or 24 months. I was listening to the member for Brennan who was speaking about how our community is expecting laws that we develop in relation to changing times to be just. The reality is, of course, much responsibility comes back on to us as members of parliament because I would say two men and a dog would read this because it is very difficult legislation. A lot of trust is put in the people who put the laws together and us, as members of parliament, who have to read those laws and see whether they are just and fair. This is complex legislation as the member for Brennan said. The average Joe Blow is not going to pick up this legislation until he finds himself in court, and then he might find out whether we did the right thing when his lawyers start to interpret it.
If you could bring this to committee stage, the questions I have will only be short, but I would like to ask a few questions about some of the matters that I have noted in my reading of this act. Madam Speaker, as I said before, I support the bill.
Ms McCARTHY (Arnhem): Madam Speaker, I support the Criminal Code Amendment (Criminal Responsibility Reform) Bill introduced by the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General.
It is a difficult and complex bill but I have every confidence in the Justice minister and his advisors that they have taken the appropriate path in preparing for this bill. Let us have a look at the lead-up to the bill and the consultation process that occurred before that. We go back to over a year ago when Professor Fairall, Dean of Law, University of Adelaide, undertook both reviews on behalf of the Department of Justice. Professor Fairall has particular expertise in the area of criminal law and has published extensively in that field.
The member for Araluen focused on the hypocrisy of this government about not enough consultation. I firmly disagree with that because I know that the Justice minister would not have woken up one day and thought: ‘What am I going to do today? What kind of amendments am I going to make?’ He has done this simply because there has been extensive consultation that has occurred at the preliminary stages in the development of the current reforms with the Chief Justice, the Chief Magistrate, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Solicitor-General.
This bill is aimed at closing some of the loopholes that currently exist in the Territory’s legal system which mean that offenders are not always being punished appropriately, particularly in relation to crimes of violence. It is a bill that will enable the justice system to respond more satisfactorily in determining the appropriate punishment for offenders who commit crimes of violence in our community. Too many times, victims of violence in the Northern Territory have been dealt a double blow when they feel the legal system also fails them. This is especially so in the case of rape victims who may find that the accused walks free and unpunished simply because they are able to use their drunkenness as an excuse to avoid conviction.
The intent of this bill is to bring the standard of criminal responsibility in the Territory back into line with the position in other Australian jurisdictions. In the Territory, for a number of serious offences including manslaughter and rape, the standard of criminal responsibility has been different to the standard applicable in the other common law and co-jurisdictions around Australia.
The criminal responsibility provisions under existing section 31 of the Territory’s Criminal Code have had a profoundly unsatisfactory effect when applied to the offence of rape. As the Attorney-General noted in his second reading speech on this bill, in the recent decision of Director of Public Prosecutions vs WJI, the High Court held that because of section 31 in rape cases, the prosecution must prove that the accused intended to have sexual intercourse without consent. The result of this is that, if an accused believes that the victim is consenting, even if that belief is an entirely unreasonable one, he cannot have intended to have sexual intercourse without consent and cannot be convicted. Furthermore, if an accused does not turn his mind to the issue of consent, claiming, for example, that in his state of intoxication he gave consent no thought at all, his conduct would again fail to satisfy the requirements for section 31; that is, the intention to have sexual intercourse without consent. There is no fall-back provision here; an accused in these circumstances must be acquitted.
It is at this point that the double blow is felt by rape victims. Not only have they had to endure the humiliation of repeating and reliving the crime before a jury made up of strangers, but they then walk away shattered by the result. That is why this bill extends the concept of recklessness for the purpose of the rape offence to ensure that the offence will cover the case of a person who has simply not bothered to turn his mind to the question of consent. While this may not assist those victims who have already endured difficult rape trials, I hope that these important reforms do give some comfort to the Northern Territory community, especially women, who can be assured that this government is taking positive action to create a fairer justice system.
These reforms will also send an important message to the community about dangerous driving. Under the changes brought about by this bill, such offenders will be made to take full responsibility for their actions. In recent weeks, we have seen the Northern Territory Police urging motorists to drive with care. In travelling the Stuart Highway from the Daly Waters Highway Inn to Darwin on the weekend, I noticed the increasing number of memorials along the side of the highway, where a cross was surrounded by flowers in memory of those who have died on our roads. Even here in Darwin, one cannot help but notice the number of memorials along our roads, as families remind themselves of where their loved ones have died. It is also a strong reminder to others as well, because there are so many memorials reminding each one of us of the lives lost on Territory roads.
In reading this bill and trying to understand it in its complex and difficult nature, I thought about these roads and the memorials. How many of those accidents involved alcohol? How many other accidents have involved drugs? Was excessive speed a major factor in any of those accidents? The Northern Territory is the only jurisdiction in Australia that does not have a specific offence of causing death or serious harm by driving a motor vehicle. At present, cases where death or serious harm have resulted from dangerous driving, generally have to be prosecuted as an offence of dangerous act. Although there is an offence of dangerous driving under the Traffic Act, it is not specifically aimed at cases involving death or serious harm, and only attracts a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment. The problem with relying on the offence of dangerous act is that it has sometimes proved to be difficult, from a legal point of view, to pinpoint the specific act that can be said to have caused a death or harm. There are examples of cases where a person who drove at an excessive speed while intoxicated has been acquitted because it was not possible to point to the so-called dangerous act involved as there were a number of other factors that might have contributed to the accident.
Under the changes in this bill, the problematic offence of dangerous act is abolished and replaced with a more modern range of targeted offences, including a new offence of dangerous driving causing death or serious harm. The creation of a more specific offence of dangerous driving causing death or serious harm recognises the significant anguish suffered by families in our community when their loved ones die in tragic accidents on our roads. A person who drives a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, so as to be incapable of exercising proper control over the vehicle, or who drives in a manner or at a speed dangerous to another person, will be guilty of this crime. Dangerous driving causing death or serious harm will be an offence of strict liability, and this means that the prosecution will only have to prove the physical elements of the offence, such as driving under the influence or at an excessive speed, to achieve a conviction.
This bill represents another important step by the Martin Labor government in fighting crime within our community, and it will ensure the courts and police have the tools they need to make the Territory a safer place. This bill is the government’s considered response to a process of extensive consideration, and a review of the adequacy of existing Criminal Code laws in the Northern Territory. As the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General has said, we have a justice system under which offenders who have caused the death of another have not been held criminally responsible to the same degree as they would have had they committed the identical act in another jurisdiction.
This bill represents important work in terms of modernising the law in this area, and shows that the Martin Labor government is not afraid to get on with the business of reform, and is committed to ensuring the laws in the Northern Territory are modern and represent accepted best practice. Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I thank all members who have contributed to this debate today. There is no doubt it is a very important piece of legislation in that it deals with one of the fundamental underpinnings of our entire Criminal Code, or it will come to do that over time as it is extended to other offences.
I thank the opposition for their support, and for the support the member for Nelson expressed for the bill in total. To deal with your concern to obtain further explanations, I understand that we have arranged to brief you on those. We will ensure you or, indeed, any member who requires further elaboration of what are very complex provisions can have access to that process.
Be that as it may, I believe this bill has gone through a very exhaustive process. I can assure members that it has had the benefit of both expert opinion and advice from my agency, and also the ongoing advice of Professor Paul Fairall, who is here today in the advisor’s room. He has had very important input into the development of this legislation.
I will deal with the issues in the sequence that has been raised by members. However, first I take the opportunity to correct an area of the second reading speech where I feel there needs to be some further explanation on record. It is in relation to comments that were included in the second reading speech regarding the crime of sexual intercourse without consent. In the second reading speech and in the explanatory statement in relation to clause 14 of the bill, I made a comment in relation to the availability of the defence of mistaken fact in respect of the offence of sexual intercourse or gross indecency without consent. These statements require qualification and addition. The position was more accurately stated in the explanatory statement in reference to new section 43AW. The reasonableness of the mistake is a factor for the tribunal of fact; the jury in the case of a trial by jury to consider in deciding whether the mistaken belief was actually held. In other words, if the mistake or ignorance is objectively unreasonable, the jury or the court may form the view that the defendant was not genuinely mistaken. This position is consistent with the common law jurisdictions and the Commonwealth Code in relation to this offence. Mistake may be relevant, but will only be relevant to the question of whether the accused held the requisite fault element. A person who has acted under a genuine but mistaken belief as to consent will not have formed the requisite fault element of knowledge or recklessness. This is a codification of the common law position in relation to proof of the mental elements for an offence.
The offence, as amended, alters the fault element from the current requirement that the Crown must prove that the accused intended an act of sexual intercourse without consent, to fault elements that require either the accused knew of or was reckless as to the existence of consent. Significantly, recklessness under the amendment is extended for the purpose of this offence to include a failure to give any consideration as to whether the other person was consenting. Under the existing formulation, an accused who failed to consider the question of consent would be entitled to be acquitted because he would not have an intent to have sexual intercourse without consent, having no intent in relation to consent at all.
The change in the requisite fault element and the extension of recklessness to include a failure to avert to consent removes this gap in criminal responsibility for this offence. It is my firm belief that a person who fails to consider the question of consent to sexual intercourse must be held accountable otherwise we have failed to promote standards of acceptable sexual behaviour in the community.
I hope that further clarifies that section of the second reading speech, and it is certainly on record there for all to use.
I move to the various points raised by members during their contribution to the second reading debate. My response to the member for Araluen’s concerns about the coverage by media, I would have to say up-front that I am generally fairly careful about what I say. What lies in the hands of the journalists themselves and their editors and all the other people, the member for Araluen’s would agree that it is an uncertain science of getting a message out through the media and …
Ms Carney: It is a carefully crafted one actually, but anyway, go on.
Dr TOYNE: Like all sciences, it requires a long training and professional standards of compliance with it. We are both grownups in politics, and there will be times where the message you try to get out to the community is not accurate. That is why we use other mechanisms to get to stakeholders and talk directly to them, because we know that, with all the best intent in the world, often there are distortions in the way things are reported. Not to say that we do not have excellent journalists here in the Northern Territory. Please do not let me get on their wrong side because we know what happens when you do.
Regarding the issue of consultation, I responded to comments made at the criminal lawyers conference by delaying the debate on this bill by one sitting, so it is being debated now rather than the August sittings. We did receive some submissions from various members of our legal community. We have very carefully considered them, and have prepared a response. It is being prepared and sent to the people who submitted to us, including Jon Tippet whom you named. We have been pretty careful to get in touch will all members of the organisations and the community - certainly the legal community - that need to apply these provisions. Obviously, we need to give them plenty of opportunity to comment on and understand them before they enter the courts and the court processes.
Regarding your comment: ‘Why didn’t we adopt the whole code and introduce it across?’. It is simply too long and complex a task to do it all in one go is one reason for that. I can make comment in the second reading speech that this is the first tranche in a series of bills that will come to the House to gradually extend Part IIAA across the whole of the code. We started with the offences that were causing the most difficulties in terms of court outcomes. The first tranche we are talking about today; the second bill will come forward shortly and will deal with murder and the remaining sexual offences. That will get some of the most serious categories of offences in under these new provisions. We will then move through the code. There is quite a bit of work involved in making sure that references to criminal responsibility embodied in the actual offence descriptions themselves align with the new code element that has been introduced. We will go on with that. We see it as an urgent task, but a long task. It could take a number of years to go right through all the offence categories, but best to start now.
The member for Arnhem has made the most telling comment; that is, it is the court outcomes for the victims and their families that you have to be most concerned about. If they are going away from a court hearing around a sexual offence feeling that they did not get justice from our system, that is a point of very high concern to me. There is also the question of the reputation of the Territory, generally, around the Australian justice systems. These provisions that we are getting rid of today have brought us into disrepute right up to the High Court and back again. It really was seen as a very high priority to get these areas aligned first. I give you an absolute undertaking that our intention is to extend right across the code as quickly as the work can be done.
The issue dealt with largely by the member for Arnhem in her contribution was the impact of these current reforms on the offence of rape and how it is handled in our courts. I will refer to a few notes. Some of it is going over the same ground as the member for Arnhem. However, the crucial thing with it is that the criminal responsibility provisions under the existing section 31 of the NT Criminal Code have had a profoundly unsatisfactory effect when applied to the offence of sexual intercourse or gross indecency without consent - the offence commonly known as rape.
In the 2004 decision in DPP v WJI, the Australian High Court held that, because of section 31, in rape cases the prosecution must prove that the accused intended to have sexual intercourse without consent. The result of this is that if an accused person does not turn his mind to the issue of consent, claiming that in his state of intoxication he gave consent no thought at all, his conduct would fail to satisfy the requirements of section 31; that is, the intention to have sexual intercourse without consent. There is no fall back provision. An accused in these circumstances has to be acquitted.
In this bill, the rape offence is amended to provide for fault elements of knowledge or recklessness in relation to consent. Recklessness is extended, for the purposes of rape, to include not giving any thought as to whether the person was consenting to sexual intercourse. This means that the offence now covers the case of a person who gives no thought to the issue of consent. The criminal law is an important function in controlling behaviour and this is an important way to send a very clear signal that, if you are seeking sexual intercourse, you have to give very careful thought to whether the person in question has consented to that.
Regarding intoxication, clearly, given those provisions, intoxication will not have the same negative impact on the prospects of successful conviction.
Regarding the rate of convictions and the general outcomes, I share your concerns about the low outcomes of a successful prosecution in rape cases for many different factors, one of which, of course, is the basis on which a prosecution has to seek a finding of guilt. These provisions will deal with some parts of that problem, not all. You are well aware that there are practical issues around these sort of cases as well, in terms of the witnesses, whether it is the victim or other people who have been involved in the alleged offence, and their readiness to give evidence to a court hearing. Those practical areas have to be worked on alongside the actual body of law that is at work. As you know, we have probably worked together on some of those practical issues around court hearings about taking of evidence and the protection of vulnerable witnesses and victims when they are seeking recourse under the operation of law. We will continue to work on those.
I do not believe we need an inquiry on top of the Sexual Assault Task Force and the work that the police and courts are doing in trying to get a better outcome – or better process at least - for the victims of these terrible crimes. However, we will monitor these. Taking the member for Nelson’s point, clearly we are going to be reviewing how these quite fundamental reforms impact on our court outcomes.
You can take some comfort, though, that these are not new to courts in Australia. The Commonwealth code was developed by codifying the body of common law outcomes. Common understandings of terms, application of arguments in previous court cases were codified into a standard set of fault elements in the application of those. Therefore, it is not new in that sense, in that it stands on a body of court hearings and outcomes. Secondly, this will not be the first place in which this code is applied to a Criminal Code. Federal courts are already using these provisions in the ACT, so we will be able to judge how we are going alongside the other court jurisdictions where this same approach has been adopted.
I believe I have covered, as best I can, the points that were made through the second reading debate. I formally thank, at this stage of the debate, Professor Paul Fairall, Sue Oliver from the Department of Justice, and Rebecca Rowsell, my advisor on legislation. They have all had to work extremely hard on this very complex legislation, and they have done a great job in my view. I am very confident standing here commending this bill to the House.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of visitors for Business Month. On behalf of honourable members I extend a very warm welcome to our visitors.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr VATSKALIS (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, today I provide the House with a comprehensive review of the work this government is undertaking in cleaning up the Mt Todd mine site. In this statement, I shall report on the status of current management activities for limiting water discharges, security issues and the commencement of a remedial work program which began this year. I shall also briefly refer to the planning requirements that must be undertaken to develop sustainable options for the long-term rehabilitation of the site.
Mt Todd gold resource was discovered by BHP and Zapopan in 1987. Following the sale of BHP’s interest to Zapopan, and the subsequent acquisition of Zapopan by Pegasus Gold Australia Pty Ltd, the Mt Todd mine was developed by Pegasus in 1993. The Mt Todd project was developed subject to the Mt Todd Project Agreement between the original mine proponent, Zapopan, and the Northern Territory government. This agreement was ratified by legislation, the Mt Todd Project Agreement Ratification Act which commenced on 5 March 1993.
The Pegasus mining operation began in 1993 and ceased in November 1997 when Pegasus went into receivership. In 1999, the mine was purchased by General Gold Resources backed by Multiplex Construction Pty Ltd, with a small interest being retained by Pegasus. In 2000, the mine operator, General Gold Operations Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of General Gold Resources, went into receivership following the refusal of Multiplex to pay its final instalment. This led to the second closure of the mine in July 2000. The receivers for both General Gold and Pegasus then took possession of the mine and sought to sell it as a going concern. Following unsuccessful attempts to find an operator interested in purchasing the mine as an ongoing operation, the receivers sold the land, infrastructure and other assets piecemeal by auction in June 2001. The bulk of the mine site assets were sold to a company called Aussiequip, which has the responsibility to remove them and leave the site in a clean and safe condition.
The abrupt collapse of operations just one year after the mine’s restart following its purchase by General Gold Resources in 1999 meant a rehabilitation program to deal with the waste and other materials from the mining operations was not commenced. Much of the material contains low quantities of iron sulphide which, when exposed to the open atmosphere and the annual Wet Season rainfall, oxidise to produce sulphuric acid. This acid then dissolves the minute quantities of heavy metals in the rock, producing very poor quality water known as acid rock drainage. It is the seepage of the acid rock drainage that poses an environment risk to downstream environments. The current water management strategies are focused on containing this poor quality seepage, while the long-term planning efforts will be attempting to develop sustainable rehabilitation options.
With the mine closure in July 2000, the Territory government obtained from Multiplex, and placed in the Mt Todd Rehabilitation Trust Fund, the $900 000 security. The level of security was assessed when the mine first commenced in 1993, and had remained, despite concerns about the quantum, to ensure General Gold could restart the operation for the benefits it would bring the local Katherine community. This money was exhausted with the acquisition of the pumping equipment and other infrastructure necessary to minimise water discharges from the site, together with the maintenance of the environmental integrity of the mine site.
Following a review of the Mines and Petroleum Management Division of the Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries and Mines, significant changes have been implemented to the assessment and management procedures for rehabilitation securities. The review identified the need to apply a more consistent approach and bring greater transparency to the environmental assessment process to remove any misconception by stakeholders.
The review recommended that the Mining and Energy Assessment Board be established with the primary role to assess the risk, rehabilitation estimates and other relevant factors before ratifying any decision on the quantum of securities, as well as other security-related matters. The board consists of representatives from DPIFM and the Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts. They will assess proposed security levels associated with new and current mining and onshore petroleum activities. This assessment is based on cost estimates by both the client and qualified government officers for closure rehabilitation requirements of operations detailed in planning documentation such as environmental impact statements, mining management plans, and risk assessments for the operations.
The Mt Todd gold mine operated on three mineral leases, the N1070, N1071 and N1127. A number of exploration licences which surrounded these mineral leases and formed part of the original project area have now expired or been cancelled. That area is now subject to a reservation from occupation, which allows the government to manage tenure over the area surrounding the Mt Todd mine site. Government has approved the retention of the mineral leases 1070, 1071 and 1127, despite non-compliance by the leaseholder, Pegasus, for the terms of these leases. This decision has provided time for the administrator of the leaseholders to attempt to negotiate the sale of these mineral leases.
The Mt Todd Mine produced $242m worth of gold and silver over the five years of production, from 1993 to 2000. The benefits accrued to the Territory are estimated to have been around $107m. An estimated 58% of its benefits derived from salaries and wages, split almost equally between contractors and company employment. An estimated 39% of the benefits went to local business operators who delivered supplies to the mine. Total labour used was in the order of 1400 person years over those operating years of the mine life.
Most of the buildings and equipment have now been removed from the Mt Todd mine site. Removal of the last remaining building and several tanks now owned by Tanami Gold has been rescheduled to the 2006 Dry Season, due to delays with development of the Coyote project, which is located just over the border in Western Australia. Although several smaller sheds and other equipment remain on site, negotiations with Aussiequip and the chief executive of my department are progressing, with the intention to wind up the Aussiequip activities by the end of this month.
The government now permanently employs two local Jawoyn men who maintain and operate the pumps and other parts of the water management system. They also carry out the water monitoring requirements, as well as the many other activities required to actively manage the site.
The Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts issues an annual discharge licence for the release of contaminated waters only during periods of very high flow in the receiving waters. Dilution during this time reduces the risk of any impact, and the discharge licence conditions set out the quality standards that such discharges are to achieve.
This year, pumping capacity has already been restored to one of the primary retention ponds with a completely overhauled system. Other maintenance activities include replacement of valves at the tailings dam decant pond, which secured that system from the risk of uncontrolled failure.
The department also carries out annual macro-invertebrate studies on the Edith River, as well as the Ferguson River as a comparison. The results of these studies clearly indicate the department’s water management strategy has been successful, with only minimal impact being detected by these studies. They also demonstrated that the river environment is able to recover quickly from any impact.
Mining officers did detect the death of some 30 small fish with the first flush effect in December 2004. It was determined that this was likely due to the accumulated salts from seepage on the Mt Todd mine site during the Dry Season being remobilised during the first storms. The combination of the elevated metal concentrations with the natural, very low oxygen levels at that time were too much for the already stressed fish. However, the effect was very localised and subsequent testing demonstrated no residual contamination in samples taken from fish flesh.
With the abrupt closure of operations in 2000, a substantial volume of cyanide solution remained in three large storage tanks on site. Following a minor leakage from one of the tanks into the containment bund around the tanks, and the refusal of Aussiequip to remove the hazard from the mine, I directed my department to take the necessary action to ensure this solution did not create any further threat to the environment. The cyanide solution was successfully neutralised in early 2005, without any release into the surrounding environment or waterways. The resulting nitrogen-rich solution has now been transferred safely to the pit to eliminate the risk of any increase in algal growth downstream at in the Edith River environment.
To ensure the security of the department’s infrastructure on-site, fire breaks are established each year early in the season. These have held and there has been no damage so far this season. Controlled burns have reduced fuel loads and further reduced the risk to the mine site infrastructure. The annual weed eradication program has begun which will be ongoing over the next months to minimise the spread of rubber bush and other undesirable growth of the site.
The government has made a public commitment to rehabilitate the mess at this legacy mine site created by the Country Liberal Party. We have committed funds for the ongoing management of the site and will ensure that the rehabilitation efforts continue.
The government has approved an increase of $1.5m in the current Mt Todd containment works program, from $3.5m to $5m, for immediate work to be done. The purpose of this program is to maximise the containment of run-off and seepage from the site while the required studies to develop sustainable long-term rehabilitation options are carried out. This year’s Mt Todd containment works program includes:
The heap leach: the material that has eroded from the heap leach stockpile into the moat that surrounds the stockpile has been removed. This will provide secure access to pump contaminated water from that source to the pit rather than allowing it to overflow into the surrounding environment and then to Edith River. Repairs will also be made to some sections of the heap leach embankment which have been eroded over the past several years. A contract for these works has been awarded to Ostojic Transport Pty Ltd. Work commenced on 22 September 2005 with a contract completion date expected to be at the end of December 2005. The pumping system will be re-established from the heap leach stockpile to the pit where contaminated water can be safety contained.
Work on retention pond No 1 pumping system: the valve and discharge system for pumping the contaminated water from this pond was found to be badly corroded. To eliminate the significant risk to the Edith River from a catastrophic failure of the system, it had to be replaced. This work will include a new discharge system to enhance the ability for the safe discharge of contaminated water during periods of peak flow during floods. Installation of a second pump will also improve the reliability of the system. The backup will ensure pumping can be maintained for extended periods, regardless of any breakdowns. A new pipeline will allow transfer of the contaminated water to the pit instead of the tailings dam where there is a risk of turning that material into another acid rock drainage source on the site. The tender for this work is currently being advertised through the Department of Planning and Infrastructure.
Site security: to improve security on the site an accommodation unit will be installed on-site to maintain a constant government presence. This will reduce the likelihood of trespass which generally results in theft and vandalism. It will also include minor infrastructure to link into the current power, water and other services on-site. Moreover, new security gates and additional fencing along the current access road are to be installed to limit inadvertent access to the site. The Department of Planning and Infrastructure has advertised this tender and it closes next week.
Environmental monitoring equipment: an advanced weather monitoring station with telemetry and software is required for the detailed studies necessary to develop the long-term rehabilitation options for sustainable closure of the site; likewise, automated monitoring and sampling equipment for the Edith River and the various water bodies around the site with the necessary telemetry. This equipment will provide accurate data for the modelling that is required for the long-term studies. An initial scope of works for surface water monitoring and environmental control options has been completed by Earth Water Life Sciences Pty Ltd. The Department of Planning and Infrastructure is in the process of putting the package for a 12-month monitor program out for tender.
Environment: the remedial work will have significant environmental benefits and are intended to:
reduce the risk of failure of the retention pond No 1 discharge system that could seriously impact the
downstream Edith River and, potentially, even the Daly River;
No 1 pumping system during the Wet. Unwanted overflow could similarly impact the Edith River
environment; and
will, in turn, reduce the first flush impact on the environment. This limits the threat to fish and other life
in the Edith River during that low oxygen level period in streams in the Top End. It should be noted that
even with these works, the possibility of fish deaths remains at the start of this Wet Season from the
salts that have already been released.
Members of the reference group, which is an initiative of this government to provide a mechanism for community input into the management of Mt Todd site, are supportive of the current government plans to tackle the Mt Todd rehabilitation issue. These members are working closely with my department’s officers on the complex range of issues to be managed at the site. The fourth meeting of the reference group was held on 21 September 2005. Discussions have covered issues arising from the terms of reference, the priority works program for the 2005 Dry Season, and current site issues such as the status of the clean up by Aussiequip.
There are a number of stakeholders who have an interest in both the priorities for, and outcomes from, any rehabilitation work done on the Mt Todd site. The following groups are represented on the reference group: the Jawoyn Association, the Northern Territory Minerals Council, AFANT, the NT Environment Centre, Charles Darwin University, Katherine Town Council, Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts, and my department.
The Jawoyn, who will inherit the land when all operations have ceased at Mt Todd, have clearly expressed their desire to not eliminate the potential for further mining operations on the site. With this and a number of other suggestions by the stakeholders, the rehabilitation planning will remain flexible to ensure viable options are not closed off. As well as this year’s urgent rehabilitation work to get the site back to a stage where it can be managed and the discharge controlled, my department is working on developing sustainable, long-term rehabilitation options for consideration by government.
A consultancy, referred to as the Unger Report, was undertaken and identified areas of high risk that have now been addressed by the short-term work that I have already discussed. It also described the detail that had to have further comprehensive research before the rehabilitation strategies and options could be developed.
It must be noted that the long-term strategy and cost estimates will not be available for government consideration for several years. The complexities of acid rock drainage are such that if the research is not carried out thoroughly, rehabilitation solutions may only delay the impact such waters can have on their downstream environments.
With the current site works under way, my department is preparing a brief for government’s consideration of the research work, time frames and the funding required to commence the long-term strategy planning. I shall ensure that the reference group is continually informed and involved as appropriate in this process.
The Mt Todd saga is a history of inadequate mining planning and a litany of abrogation of responsibility by the previous CLP government. It is amazing that a CLP minister for mines could, without obtaining the advice of his department of experts, accept less than $1m as rehabilitation security for a mine which presents a probable rehabilitation liability of some tens of millions of dollars.
This government is prepared to face a long and costly path to rehabilitate the Mt Todd mess, and the residents of Katherine and the Territory can be assured that we will not abrogate this responsibility.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the statement.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Mr Deputy Speaker, I respond to the minister’s statement on the Mt Todd mine rehabilitation. I welcome the minister’s statement advising this Assembly of the detail of the rehabilitation work being carried out at the site. There is no doubt that the rehabilitation process will take considerable time and I will be watching with interest as work progresses.
Let me assure this House that had the companies operating Mt Todd not gone into receivership the CLP would have taken every action within the law to force the proper rehabilitation of the Mt Todd site. It was not, and is not, possible to predict the failure of companies, regrettably. The opposition is as devastated as the government in relation to this issue.
I have visited the site and been given a very comprehensive briefing. Since that time, the Mt Todd Reference Group has been formed, which will continue to monitor the ongoing process of rehabilitation. As the minister has stated, the reference group is made up of a representatives from over seven groups which includes representation from Katherine, through the Jawoyn Association, the Amateur Fishermen’s Association NT and the Katherine Town Council.
One of the challenges that faces the Mt Todd site is people being unlawfully in the area - in other words, trespassing. This issue is also a challenge for the Jawoyn in relation to Lake Todd which is home to many thousands of healthy barra, albeit not fully grown. I have it on very reliable authority that there have been many trespassers found in four-wheel drives accessing not only the pristine area of Lake Todd, but also into Mt Todd. It has proved to be an ongoing security challenge. The challenge with trespassers on Mt Todd mine site is an ongoing issue as well. I certainly hope that legal action will be taken against any would-be gold and topaz poachers, illegal campers and any pilferers who are detected. Legal action is the best message to send to anybody wanting to push their luck around the Mt Todd mine site and Lake Todd. Of course, the temptation will be too much for someone who is hell-bent on making a gold discovery that will set them up for life; the stuff that the early gold miners dreamt of – the big find.
There is still potential for the future of the Mt Todd mine site, as well as taking into consideration the importance of the area for cultural, historical and environmental reasons. Despite all the political hype that this government loves to throw at the CLP about the Mt Todd mine, the economic benefit that was gained by the Katherine community when the mine was in operation cannot be pushed into the background. Many families, with a majority of the employees indigenous, were able to buy their own homes, new vehicles and live a very comfortable lifestyle and commit to the Katherine community - and the majority of those are still there. Their money was spent in Katherine and they are still in the Katherine community. Mt Todd was extremely good for the Katherine economy. You can imagine how devastating it was for our community when the mine was shut down. Despite what this government repeatedly throws at us, Mt Todd was great for the Katherine economy.
One last point I would like to raise is that the rehabilitation process will only be truly tested when we experience a very heavy Wet Season. I hope that has been taken into consideration because a very heavy Wet Season is not out of the realms of possibility. That will be the big test for the ongoing rehabilitation process.
I turn now to the future economy of the Northern Territory through mines and energy. Much time has been spent discussing the past, but we must now look to the future for our economic growth and development. High in the discussion for development this year has been, of course, the subject that seems to send many people into some sort of a frenzy; that is, the potential for the mining and exploration of uranium in the Northern Territory. Since the subject of uranium has become such an interesting topic in this Assembly when first raised earlier this year, there have been some extremely varied and quite emotional views.
The Northern Territory is in a unique position to be able to exploit the high quality resources of uranium that are virtually untapped. It is most unfortunate that this government has not given clarity and certainty to the resources industry. In fact, this government has wiped its hands of the industry by continually saying that their policy is ‘no to uranium mining’. In addition, they also claim that they will not change from their three-mine policy. What other message has the government sent to the resources industry except: government is not interested in one of the most valuable resources available to them in the Northern Territory - end of discussion?
It took the Commonwealth government to come to the Northern Territory to bring some commonsense into the discussion and to give certainty and clarity to the industry - and it did not take very long. A uranium inquiry was set up in March 2005 through the Commonwealth Parliament House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry and Resources inquiry into the development of the non-fossil fuel energy industry in Australia. The Northern Territory Minerals Council forwarded a submission to this standing committee on 14 June 2005, and member companies and the Minerals Council of Australia have also provided submissions. The Commonwealth standing committee will be meeting in Darwin on 24 October, and the Minerals Council will be appearing before it.
The federal minister, Ian Macfarlane, also set up the Uranium Industry Framework Steering Group on 11 August 2005. This high-level advisory group comprises senior industry, government and industry group representatives, and has been established to oversee the development of a framework for the uranium industry. The first meeting was held on 11 August 2005 in Canberra. The Northern Territory is well represented on the steering committee by Ron Matthews from Cameco, Harry Kenyon-Slaney from ERA, Kezia Purick from the NT Minerals Council and John Carroll from the Northern Territory government.
The proposed framework will identify opportunities for, and impediments to, the development of the Australian uranium mining industry over the short, medium and longer term. Importantly, the framework will examine all sides of the issue through a science-based approach developed in partnership with relevant territory and state governments, industry, and indigenous and community stakeholders. By removing the emotion from the subject of uranium and getting down to science-based evidence, the framework that will be identified by this steering committee should present clear outcomes and guidelines to the resource industry.
There is no doubt that since the federal minister, Ian Macfarlane, visited Darwin to give clarity and certainty to the resources industry which the Northern Territory government failed to do, there has been a huge increase in interest by companies to uranium exploration and mining, with 25 companies identified as working in this area. The 25 companies are either mining, actively exploring, or have expressed an interest in exploring for uranium in the Northern Territory. In some of these cases, uranium is seen as a secondary target in the company’s exploration for other commodities. Some of the companies are in joint venture or corporately affiliated. The 25 companies I am referring to are operating in areas right across the Northern Territory such as Rum Jungle, Lagoon Creek, Harts Range, West Arnhem Land, Tennant Creek, Napperby, Tanami, Jabiru, McArthur Basin, Pine Creek and Ngarlia Basin. You can see the potential of the resources to the Northern Territory economy is untouched.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I ask the Minister for Mines and Energy to open his mind to the potential of the resources industry in the Northern Territory and to start supporting it. I conclude by welcoming his statement for the Mt Todd mine rehabilitation, and welcome the work that is being done to restore it and make sure that it is kept safe for future generations.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Mr Deputy Speaker, I welcome the minister’s statement. However, I cannot help but pick up on one fact that the member for Katherine was talking about, making it seem like Ian Macfarlane, the federal minister, came up here on his big white horse and gave certainty to industry ...
Mrs Miller: He sure did!
Ms SCRYMGOUR: The Commonwealth has always had that responsibility and the Commonwealth …
Mrs Miller: Oh!
Ms SCRYMGOUR: They did! Put a bit of factual information in there. If you are going to say that, put the facts there; the responsibility for uranium and its mining always rests with the Commonwealth. That was the trade-off with self-government.
The minister has outlined in considerable detail the significant environmental problems and risks at Mt Todd in a clear and transparent way forward to fix those problems.
I am very pleased to see my department working side by side with officers from the Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines. This collaboration and sharing of expertise is essential if we are to fix the complex environmental problems of the nature found at Mt Todd.
It is impossible to walk away from the conclusion that Mt Todd represents a very significant regulatory failure. The problems at Mt Todd occurred while the CLP government was asleep at the wheel. Corners were cut and decisions on environmental controls were made …
Mrs Miller: I was far too nice to you in my reply - far too nice!
Ms SCRYMGOUR: I will just repeat that again, because this is fact. Corners were cut and decisions on environmental controls were made behind closed doors without the accountability and transparencies that would have rung the alarm bells. Mt Todd is a costly disaster that did not need to happen. It goes to the core of why strong and fair environmental regulation is good for business and our communities and essential to protect our unique environment.
Yes, member for Katherine, I agree, Mt Todd was very good for the economy of Katherine. I lived in Katherine at the time when Mt Todd was at its peak and it did boost the economy of Katherine. However, there was a social impact that people did not look at either.
The costs of fixing the problems at Mt Todd far exceed the costs that would have been incurred to prevent them. We must learn from the failures at Mt Todd. That is why government is establishing an EPA and rewriting our environmental laws. We will have a strong EPA that is independent in its advice that it provides to government.
I note that Mt Todd is located within the Katherine/Daly catchment. This government has taken unprecedented action to protect this icon river: $3.5m for better monitoring and research and the highest standards of water and land management. It is vital that, with all our focus on managing the lower parts of the catchment, we do not take our eyes off the issues such as Mt Todd in the upper parts of the catchment. A problem in one part of the river system is rarely confined. It is why we have committed to managing the Daly as a living river, to establish river health as a core goal in how we manage these important environmental assets. I very much welcome the minister’s effort to minimise the risk of contamination from Mt Todd to the Edith and Ferguson River. They are vital for river health.
The minister also mentioned the significant efforts made by government to involve the community in the decisions taken on Mt Todd. This is to be applauded. Mt Todd is another example of how this government is putting the community first in the environment. It follows on from the community planning exercises we have undertaken for Darwin Harbour and the Daly, and our very successful environment grants. The community is at the centre of how we approach environment management. One cannot help but reflect that, if a similar openness was taken in the 1990s by the previous government, then the story of Mt Todd could have been very much different.
I note the efforts outlined by the minister to bring far greater rigour and accountability into the process for setting rehabilitation bonds for mines. This is at the core of the problem that beset Mt Todd. The bond set by the CLP government was simply too low, and one can only speculate as to how that may have arisen. The minister has detailed some important reforms to the way bonds will be set in the future. I am very pleased that my Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts will be involved because there are officers within my department with significant expertise to bring to the job.
The environment assessment process is also very important to ensure that we do not have another Mt Todd. When undertaken rigorously, environment assessment helps predict environmental impacts and risk from a development and to develop safeguards to manage them. It is a very important process that, in turn, guides the regulation of the mine once it is up and running. My department is currently run off its feet with environment assessments, many of them mining developments including the expansion of the McArthur River mine, the Matilda’s mineral sand mining proposal, Browns Oxide Project at Rum Jungle, and the Mt Porter gold project. We will rigorously apply our environment assessment processes to these developments to ensure none cause the type of problems experienced at Mt Todd.
Mr Deputy Speaker, in closing, I welcome the statement. Unfortunately, we have inherited a significant environment problem, but we are getting on with the job of fixing it. I commend the minister’s statement to the House.
Mr KNIGHT (Daly): Mr Deputy Speaker, much has been said about this matter, not only at the time in 2000 when it all went pear shaped, but in the years since and in this House today. This mine is situated in the Daly electorate. I was around the region for many years during its operations. I know the rivers and the creeks in this area. I know the people in the nearby community of Werenbun, and my family and I have visited the Edith River for fishing and swimming for a few years now. I also know many of the business people who were affected during the mine closure and its operations.
The knowledge of this place, the people, and the expanding knowledge of the continuing environmental problems at this site, leaves me with a growing feeling of disgust and anger about the whole sad saga. We have heard from the minister about the history of the mine being established, the ownership and the operators. We heard about the environmental situation at the time of the closure, the current situation and what is being proposed for the future management of the site. We have also heard about the huge sums of taxpayers’ money which are going into rectifying the problem at the mine, and also the work being done by the stakeholder groups which are providing their time to provide advice on the ongoing remedial environmental work.
What strikes me about this issue is the level of chronic mismanagement by the previous CLP government. That is where I am laying the primary blame for the current situation at the mine - not because it is politically advantageous, but that is where the blame truly lies …
Mrs Miller: I think it might be!
Mr KNIGHT: The member for Katherine talked about political hype. This is not political hype. She was a business operator in Katherine and she would know. Her CLP government at the time constructed this project very poorly and she, and her other CLP mates in Katherine, would have been affected by it. It is a very sad saga. From its inception in 1993, the CLP government was up to its neck in the development of various scrutiny and institutional structures. Their cosy relationship and neglect for departmental advice sowed the seeds for the environmental disaster we are now facing and the economic collapse small businesses suffered in Katherine in 2000. The previous CLP government and the present CLP opposition cannot divest themselves of responsibility for what happened at the time and what we see presently. I truly believe the current CLP opposition needs to make a public apology for their incompetence in this matter.
It has been widely accepted that in their haste for a quick buck they did not provide the environmental security for future Territorians for this wonderful area. They did not put the protections in place to stop the financial act of bastardry which sent many small businesses to the wall. The whole saga and commercial transactions were fed to the receiver being imported to have a good hard look at it. The CLP paints itself as a friend of the mining industry and small business, and a responsible environmental manager. Well, they have stained the image of the mining industry to the wider public because of this project.
They are complicit in destroying well established small businesses in Katherine and Pine Creek, and they will always be linked to the many years of contamination at the mine. It is hypocritical for the CLP opposition to criticise this Labor government for its initiatives around small businesses, for the mining industry, and environmental management. This mine is your legacy in this area and you will be remembered for the abhorrent failures and mismanagement which resulted in this government having to fix the problems. I commend this government for its continual commitment to fixing these problems.
Other speakers have gone into extensive detail about the downside aspects of the mine and rehabilitation, and this is very important. What I would like to talk about are some positive initiatives out of a bad situation which are being proposed. These include links to research with other organisations to provide benefits. I would like to refer to the Unger Report which the minister referred to. The report mentions potential links with research and other organisations such as the Charles Darwin University doing its research with them, as well as research organisations such as CSIRO, the Supervising Scientist doing extensive work within Jabiru, research groups and other academic institutions, as well as the Australian Centre for Mine and Environmental Research which has recently held an abandoned mine rehabilitation workshop. They have important links involved in technology transfer in the mining industry. Also, the International Network of Acid Prevention is looking at research into acid rock drainage. There are also government departments throughout Australia which could look at this site and learn much; and we can learn much from them. Also, the NT Minerals Council has a link to the industry within the Territory.
There are some benefits, strangely enough, to come out of the project. Through the $5m that the Labor government is spending on this project, there will be Aboriginal and other local employment and training in earthworks and revegetation. This will flow on to employment and training within the Katherine region and small businesses within Katherine. There will be some alternative uses for the mining leases there. Also, there will be work done on the protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage and the protection of European mining heritage in the area. The raw water dam which has been spoken about has some potential for recreational camping and fishing, and that is something that may be looked at in the future. Obviously, tours and other activities will be generated from that. It will also be used to educate and communicate to the broader community about the work being done there, creating a role for somebody. There is also the development of rehabilitation techniques.
As I highlighted, this is an absolute mess. I am surprised that the shadow minister would spend three minutes on such an important issue, and then talk about the uranium industry and uranium mining. Why should we ever trust a CLP government with uranium mining if they cannot look after a single mine? Talk about political hype and the benefit to some workers! What about the $5m now being spent on fixing the problem? That is not the end of it; I think the quote was something like $20m to fix this. We certainly do not want to be doing this all over the place. I will be watching this development. We have other mines in the area - Maud Creek is one example. The initiatives that the Labor government has initiated, with the changes to some legislation, will certainly stop any repeat of the Mt Todd mess. I will be working with the minister making sure we keep the information going about the Mt Todd area. I commend the statement.
Mr WARREN (Goyder): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support this important statement on the rehabilitation of the Mt Todd mine site. Previous speakers have spoken about the abysmal efforts of the previous government, and I can only concur with that. However, I would like to focus more on what this government is doing to rectify the mess that was created by the previous government.
As the minister pointed out in his ministerial statement, the sudden cessation of operations in July 2000, only one year after its restart, meant the mine site rehabilitation was not commenced. Also, under the previous CLP government, a paltry $900 000, as we have been told, had been placed in the Mt Todd rehabilitation fund. Given the nature of mineralisation, acid rock drainage (ARD) posed the greatest risk to downstream environments and, consequently, the most pressing issue was to focus on containing the poor quality seepage. Unfortunately, the $900 000 set aside for the rehabilitation trust was quickly exhausted in acquiring pumping equipment and infrastructure to minimise water discharge from the site.
This Martin Labor government took note of what happened, and I applaud this government for its public commitment to rehabilitate the mine site - something that previous CLP governments chose not to do. Furthermore, this government undertook a review into implementing significant changes to assessment and management procedures for rehabilitation securities of mine sites. The review recommended a Mining and Energy Assessment Board be established to asses the risk and rehabilitation estimates for potential mining projects. This will allow appropriate securities, as well as security release matters, to be determined for mine closure before the mining starts.
Back to Mt Todd: the challenge facing this government is to develop and implement a sustainable, long-term rehabilitation strategy for Mt Todd. We are drawing on the state-of-the-art methodology developed as part of the Mt Morgan Mine rehabilitation plan and implementation, the Unger Report. An environmental consultant has completed a study that identified areas of high risk that are currently being addressed.
For the information of other members, I will outline the identified high risks associated with specific mine site areas. The tailings storage facility has a well identified risk of ARD generation and de-watering infrastructure failure. The groundwater contamination and land use limitations are a slightly lower but still significant risk. The waste rock dump has a relatively high identified risk of ARD generation with groundwater contamination a significant risk. The heap leach pad has a relatively high identified risk of mass failure, ARD generation, groundwater contamination, and a significant risk of major erosion. The ROM crusher stockpile has a significant identified risk of groundwater contamination. The low grade ore stockpile has a relatively high identified risk of ARD generation and significant risk of groundwater contamination. The scats stockpile has a moderate identified risk of ARD generation and land use limitations. The retention ponds have a relatively high identified risk of spillway failure, overflow potential and danger to people with a significant risk of impacting on the groundwater. The raw water dam has a relatively high identified risk to people and a significant risk of wall failure. The Batman pit has a relatively high identified risk of pit wall instability and danger to people with a significant risk of groundwater contamination. It is pretty horrendous, isn’t it?
The immediate concerns of acid rock drainage are being addressed. Funding has been made available to maximise the containment of run-off and seepage from the mine site, while long-term sustainable rehabilitation options are researched and decided upon. The environmental consultant also outlined an approach that needs to be comprehensive, systematic, ongoing and specific to Mt Todd to ensure a long-term rehabilitation strategy can be cost estimated. The recommended systematic approach commences with an overview of objectives, risks and rehabilitation challenges. The emphasis then turns to developing the terms of reference for a realistic rehabilitation plan. A project management team with appropriate skills needs to be appointed. The job of project manager is then to look at potential triple bottom line linkages and benefits as part of the rehabilitation process.
The objectives have already been clearly defined and they include: return Mt Todd to a safe and stable condition; limit the impacts from site discharges to acceptable levels; remove on-site hazards to humans and the environment; minimise restrictions on future land uses; as far as possible, accommodate the objectives of all the stakeholders; and where appropriate, facilitate local employment and training opportunities. A comprehensive risk management strategy has to be followed to ensure a systematic approach to problem solving and the development of a conceptual schedule to assist with planning and implementation.
It is envisaged that the project management will be led by a project manager and a team comprising technical, administrative and operational personnel. Their role will be to manage site operational matters, plan rehabilitation project elements, communicate findings, manage procurement processes, and then oversee the rehabilitation through to completion. Once project management has gained sufficient information, a rehabilitation plan will be prepared to become the basis for all subsequent decision making.
Mr Deputy Speaker, as explained by the minister, the comprehensive nature of the approach means that it will not be a short-term process, as we need time to get it right. Surely, that is cause enough to applaud this government’s current and ongoing practices - practices that will ensure state-of-the-art, comprehensive rehabilitation procedures take place to enable sustainable, long-term rehabilitation of the Mt Todd mine site.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to talk on Mt Todd because, thanks to the minister, last Friday I was able to visit the mine site for the first time and had a detailed tour of the mine as it is today. I say up-front, I am very thankful to the minister for allowing his officers to take me around there, as well as Robbie Friel, one of the Jawoyn workers on site, who was very knowledgeable about the operations there. I appreciated the information he was able to give me, especially about the history of the problems of the mine and how the whole mine worked. I thank Robbie very much for that.
In saying that, of course, Mt Todd has been a disaster. I would put it in the same words as the member for Goyder. I do not think it is a total disaster because there is an opportunity, hopefully, for some other company to maybe come on board and reopen some of those ore bodies that the government is retaining leases on and actually get the mine going again. One of the reasons it appears that the mine has the problems it has is that there is not enough money. The government, at the time, certainly did not leave enough money in the pile for rehabilitation. The other reason is that you had a state-of-the-art mine where a company went bust and, because the heap piles were not being maintained they eventually fell into disrepair. My understanding is that if it was maintained it was an excellent mine - no great problems. However, someone went bung and there was not enough money for the rehabilitation process.
I ask this question of the government because you were in opposition, and it is easy to look in hindsight and say the CLP should have spent more money – and I would agree, I am not excusing the CLP in the slightest. I would like to know if the opposition at that time screamed and yelled and made a fuss that there was not enough money in the kitty? It is all right to criticise, and that is quite within your rights because it has been a disaster from the point of view of the amount of money for rehabilitation. However, when you sat here did you point the finger at the CLP and say: ‘You have not put enough money in; you have let this company off lightly’? It is all right to say something now, but did you do something at the time yourselves? I need to know whether the government now, when in opposition, also was aware that this was happening.
I had a good look at the mine. I notice, minister, that you are now pumping the acid water into the main pit. I heard the member for Goyder talking about the possibility of pollution of groundwater, but I am not sure if that is the case. If the member for Goyder is right, then I would be asking why you are pumping water into the main pit. Perhaps the member for Goyder does not realise that it is in this statement from the minister. I presume that the government would not be doing that if there was a chance of contaminating the groundwater. I ask the minister if the government has done any checks on contamination of the groundwater in the pit, because that is what you are now using as the main area to pump the water into.
I also hope that the government is proactive. I think you mentioned something about looking at getting other companies on-site. It would be interesting to know whether that is a realistic approach because, as you say, minister, this is going to be a lot of taxpayers’ money to fix it. If we can get a private company onside to start up the mine, even in a small way, some of those costs of rehabilitation might be able to be spread through the private development, which would be less of a burden on the taxpayer.
The member for Daly mentioned the freshwater lake. Whilst I did not get to the lake because we did not have time, we saw the aerial photographs. It is a substantial lake and, if the mine is not opened up as it was before, there must be some potential in that area for recreation. The word about two weeks ago was there was some big barra there. When we went out, the word was there was none. I do not know whether the minister has investigated the tracks in there and what sized net might have gone through there. I am sure they did not disappear that quickly. There are opportunities for recreational fishing and perhaps water skiing. As with Manton Dam these areas are important for those people who want to partake in that kind of recreation - camping and a safe place to swim.
There may be spin-offs that, perhaps, have not been looked at including tourism, which might sound funny. That mine has a history. You can tell people what happened there. You have historic sites; a mine that is politically controversial. That can make the place interesting to some people. I am not saying set up mines just to make them controversial; however, you can make it part of a package for tourism in that area. It is a big mine. You are not dealing with some little tin-pot mine that just started up and died; it was a big enterprise. People will be interested in that.
The member for Daly was talking about the Unger Report, of which I do not know much. I have not seen it and the first I knew about it was what you mentioned in your statement, minister. I am interested in seeing what work has been done. I am learning from the mistakes of Mt Todd and I presume that is partly what the Unger Report is about. You have various bodies like the CSIRO and other people studying what has happened there and looking at ways to improve the way we mine in the area.
The other thing I ask - and maybe this is not a practical thing: is it reasonable to ask that rehabilitation occurs on mines as they are being used? In other words, instead of waiting for rehabilitation to occur at the end of the mine, can some rehabilitation in the form of reforestation or grassing of areas be a part of the mining process so that if something does go wrong you do not have this huge big mess to fix up; some of it is already in a stable state? Obviously, when you look at heap piles, you see a lot of bare ground which, without any maintenance, has collapsed. It may not be possible to grow things on heap piles. I do not know whether it is possible to have some ongoing rehabilitation which maintains some of these areas in a condition which will mean there is less of a problem when the mine closes down as some of the work is already done.
Minister, I thank you for the report. I probably could say a few words on uranium but I will not. I believe that it is an issue that should be debated in this parliament. I noticed in today’s paper Martin Ferguson said that the Labor Party should rethink its opposition to uranium mining. It is an area that we will keep debating, and should debate, as it is important in this day and age.
However, getting back to the original focus of your statement, I thank you for that statement. I am interested in a regular update - maybe every six months - on whether you have any other companies interested in developing an area; what the state of the environmental rehabilitation process is; and how much the rehabilitation process has cost us. Perhaps an appropriate time for a report is after the Wet Season because the work has been done there. Much of that work has been done by a local company from Howard Springs, Ostojic Transport. I am sure Tommo would be very pleased that he has some of that work. Work has been done to try to stabilise the heap piles. I am interested in a report after the Wet Season to see whether that has happened. Has the moat area been cleaned out sufficiently to retain a lot of that water that comes from there? Have the pumps all worked well enough to stop water running into the creek? A detailed report at the end of the Wet Season would be vitally important to members of this House who have an interest in mining and support it, but do not support mining that damages the environment.
Mining is one of the main employment and economic facets of our economy. We need that industry, but we need to ensure that it is not a false economy - in other words, people making profit and the taxpayer paying to fix it afterwards. We do not want the mining industry propped up by the taxpayer; we want a mining industry that is sustainable. Just as I agree with sustainable agriculture, I agree with sustainable mining - that is the way we have to go. If we can learn from this particular disaster, then so be it. We should be able to learn from our mistakes and go on.
People sometimes go crook at my attitude about cotton and uranium. I do not believe in the technology of 30 or 40 years ago. I look at the technology today and ask if we have improved on it, and that is where I make my decisions. I do not look at the technology that might have caused the problems with Mt Todd mine 10 years ago. I ask if we have moved on and improved our technology, and that is what I will support. That is why I take on some of those issues, because I do not believe staying static and making decisions based on old technology is the way to go. Look at things, see what they are today, not yesterday, and let us learn by those things.
Ms McCARTHY (Arnhem): Madam Speaker, I respond to the Mt Todd mine rehabilitation ministerial statement by the Minister for Mines and Energy. Without a doubt, this coming Wet Season will certainly be the biggest test for Mt Todd and, in particular, the plans that are in place for rehabilitation of the area.
We pride ourselves on the pristine environment the Northern Territory is renowned for, not only in this country, but internationally. Tourists travel to the Red Centre for the stunning beauty of our tourist attractions there, and they are just as captivated by the tropical delights of the Top End. Trying to find a balance between the tourist attractions and the economic practicality of mining is what the Martin government is all about - finding that balance and maintaining it. We know that mining injects around $1bn into the Northern Territory economy, and that there are 12 hard rock mines across the Northern Territory, not forgetting, of course, the oil and gas industry. Each mining company must be acutely aware of the fundamental need to protect and rehabilitate the environment that surrounds them. If they are not aware of this social and moral responsibility, they are certainly aware of the legal one.
The Mt Todd gold mine brought great prosperity to the people of the Katherine region, as we have heard from the members for Katherine and Arafura. When the mine was in full production it certainly did bring economic benefit to Katherine. As the Minister for Mines and Energy said in his statement, Mt Todd produced $242m worth of gold and silver over the years of production from 1993 to 2000. The benefits that flowed to the Territory from Mt Todd are estimated to have been around $107m. An estimated 58% of those benefits derived from salaries and wages, and 39% went to local business operators, particularly in the Katherine region.
However, with the economic prosperity of any company comes the social and moral responsibility to protect the environment. The environment means the rivers and the creeks which are full of fish and marine life, and even birds such as the Gouldian finch. Mt Todd is renowned as a habitat that is special to the Gouldian finch. It is a place where people go for recreational activities. The Martin government is deeply aware of the concerns raised since mining ceased at Mt Todd. Concerns centred around reports of seepage of acid rock drainage that poses an environmental risk to downstream environments.
It is highly commendable that the mining minister and his department have moved swiftly to ensure the environmental safeguards are in place at Mt Todd. This has included the establishment of the reference group which is representative of many groups such as the Jawoyn Association, the Northern Territory Minerals Council and the Amateur Fisherman’s Association, just to name a few.
With the abrupt closure of operations in 2000, how is it that a substantial volume of cyanide solution remained in three large storage tanks on site? It is deeply disturbing to think that insufficient safeguards, if any, were in place from the very beginning of mining at Mt Todd. How is it - and these are questions that many people must ask - that less than $1m was accepted as rehabilitation security for Mt Todd when, clearly, the rehabilitation liability is in the tens of millions of dollars - and this from the very beginning? Was the awareness for rehabilitation of the site underestimated? At best, perhaps it was. Or was it that no care was taken at all, which is probably the worst situation? I urge the Martin Labor government to be vigilant against following the same path, not just with Mt Todd, but all mines across the Northern Territory.
It is encouraging to hear the minister for the environment speak about the Environmental Protection Authority for the Northern Territory. Look at some of the environmental achievements that have taken place over the last four years, good things like environment grants which have been established to support community projects and community groups to help the environment. Many of the indigenous ranger and Landcare groups which were not in place previously are now finding strength because they can look after country and culture at the same time.
I would like to turn to the Jawoyn Association which was instrumental from the beginning as well in the employment process for Aboriginal people at Mt Todd, and certainly in the caring for country of the region. In the government’s rehabilitation plans for Mt Todd, two Jawoyn men have been employed to maintain and operate the pumps and other parts of the water management system. They carry out the water monitoring requirements, as well as the many other activities required to actively manage the site.
It is the Jawoyn Association and, no doubt, the Minerals Council and other groups that hope future mining will continue at Mt Todd under the right conditions. I would like to add here that the executive director of the Jawoyn Association, Robert Lee, is currently unwell, so my predecessor, the former member for Arnhem, John Ah Kit, will come out of retirement to act as a part-time Executive Director for the Jawoyn Association. No doubt, with his expertise in the Jawoyn Association and, indeed, with the Northern Territory Labor government, he will be able to bring some insight as to where the next steps can be taken.
It was in the early 1990s that the Northern Territory government and the Jawoyn Association entered into the Jawoyn Agreement, which resolved the native title claims on the area by converting the land to Territory freehold land owned by the Barnjarn Aboriginal Corporation. The actual mining leases are within and on the freehold land. Any new mining activities would require proponents to negotiate compensation with the Jawoyn Association which acts on behalf of the corporation.
The Jawoyn Association is closely involved in all attempts by the receiver since mine closure to sell the mining leases and has, moreover, been an active member of the Mt Todd Rehabilitation Reference Group since it was founded earlier this year. I commend the Minister for Mines and Energy for the rehabilitation plans for Mt Todd, and for ensuring that the reference group is continually informed and involved in the process.
Mr HENDERSON (Business and Economic Development): Madam Speaker, I was not scheduled to speak in this debate, but as a previous portfolio minister for Mines and Energy, and listening to contributions, I wanted to put my contribution on the public record.
I thank my colleague, the current minister, for this statement, because it really does put in context the history of the Mt Todd gold mine and where we, as government, are inheriting the responsibility on behalf of the Northern Territory for its rehabilitation, which is the crux of the matter. It should never have reached this particular point. The government and the taxpayers of the Northern Territory should not have ended up being responsible for stabilising and rehabilitating the Mt Todd gold mine.
We certainly have not lost hope, as gold prices increase, that somebody may come in and restart operations in Mt Todd in some capacity in the future as the gold is still there. There is a lot of gold there, to my understanding, and the traditional owners, the Jawoyn, with the appropriate environmental safeguards in place, are still keen to see mining on that land.
I join with the member for Arnhem in sending my best wishes to Robert Lee from Jawoyn. I worked very closely with Robert when I came to the portfolio. I understand he is very ill and wish him well, because he is a man of great integrity, capacity, and vision for the Jawoyn people.
There has been a sad story here. I remember very well, as mines minister, inheriting Mt Todd which was in receivership at the time. Receivers had been appointed, trying to do the best thing by the creditors. Very early on in the piece, I went to the mine site and had a look around. Aussiequip had been on site for six to eight months at the time. It was a crying shame for somebody who is a fitter by trade and has actually worked in mine sites, not only in Tasmania but also here in the Northern Territory. It made you want to cry to see how Aussiequip was just dismantling that particular plant with oxyacetylene. At every stroke of the oxy torch through a piece of equipment, the chances of getting that mine up and running again receded even further.
The central issue here is: how did we get to this point? I know my colleague, the current minister, has some further information in the closing remarks that he is going to make, but governments have to learn lessons from Mt Todd. Mining is a vital industry in the Northern Territory. It is a vital industry for Australia and is actually underpinning economic growth given the resources boom globally, and will continue into the future. Mining companies in 2005 are much more cognisant today of their responsibilities to the communities in which they operate, and their commitments to the triple bottom line. Those commitments have to be genuine; they have to be founded in trust between the mining companies and the communities where they operate. One of those issues is the amount of security that needs to be held in the future for rehabilitation. The taxpayer should not have to pick up the bill to stabilise and rehabilitate mining operations in a first world country like Australia.
The history is decisions were made that enabled a company with the financial muscle like Multiplex, backing General Gold, to only lodge a $900 000 environmental bond. Then that company walked away from General Gold. I understand from ministerial officers that, at the time in 2000 when General Gold went into receivership, the mine was profitable; it was actually making money. Multiplex withdrew their support at the last minute, I understand, for taxation reasons. We had a major multinational company making a very cold, calculated decision to walk away from an operation, knowing full well that the amount of money that was left in trust for rehabilitation of that mine was not sufficient. To be able to walk away from that particular venture they were operating in 2000 does not stand Multiplex in good light. The government of the day took the decision that they would accept that $900 000 and, I suppose, only the minister of the day can account for why he thought that was an adequate amount of money.
I agree with the member for Nelson that we need to learn lessons from this. One of the lessons that should be learned is that the taxpayer should not have to pick up the pieces. There is enough money in the mining industry and the resources sector at the moment for companies to plan for mine rehabilitation and lodge appropriate bonds in various financial instruments. Most mining companies today - and I was very proud to hold the portfolio for a number of years - or at least 99% of them, have absolute commitments to the triple bottom line to the communities in which they operate. Whilst this government is in place in the Northern Territory, we will not have another legacy such as the Mt Todd mine.
It is an absolute tragedy that that mine has ceased to operate. It was a very significant operation in its day - $242m worth of gold and silver recovered. There is millions of dollars worth of gold still there. As technology improves in extracting gold and silver from the very hard rock that it is imbedded in, in and around that area, I am pretty confident into the future - who knows when - we will see gold mining in that area again.
Unfortunately, the taxpayer, through this government, does have to pick up the pieces. We are taking our responsibilities to the environment very seriously. On behalf of the people of Katherine and the Jawoyn people, we are taking those responsibilities very seriously. I am very pleased to see that the minister has put this partnership group in place, because it is all about trust. The people of Katherine and the Jawoyn people are working with this government, and trust this government to do everything we can to stabilise Mt Todd and rehabilitate the site to the best of our capacity, all the while leaving the door open for another commercial operator to come in and pick up the pieces if it is commercially feasible and environmentally feasible and acceptable to the Jawoyn.
Madam Speaker, I commend the minister on his statement. However, there are certain ministers in previous governments who need to have a look at themselves in the mirror. There is also one very large multinational company whose history and corporate legacy has not been left in a very good light by this particular saga at all.
Mr VATSKALIS (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their contribution. I have to admit I am extremely disappointed with the contribution from the member for Katherine. She spent three minutes talking about Mt Todd and then switched to uranium. I thought I was here today to brief this House about the Mt Todd rehabilitation and what we are going to do to bring Mt Todd to some acceptable condition because, currently, it is totally unacceptable. Of course, she would change to uranium because the political advisor to the opposition knows very well it does not matter how much you gloss over Mt Todd, it is and will be a sad legacy of the CLP government.
I am very disappointed also because the member for Katherine was very vocal when Maud Creek was touted as being reopened. She was asking me what we were going to do about Mt Todd, and what precautions we were going to take to protect the people in Katherine from the operation of Mt Todd. She was concerned about the operations, the cyanide, and quite rightly so - I would be too. She told me she was going to watch very carefully what we were doing with Maud Creek mine. I promised her we would not repeat the mistake that the CLP government made in 1993 and 2000. I recall she said that if the CLP was in power and the company was trying to walk away from Mt Todd they would take them to court.
However, you cannot predict failure. That is exactly why you put environmental bonds in trust so, in case the company goes bust, you have something to draw from to rehabilitate a mining site or any other site they will leave behind unattended. However, $900 000 will not go far enough. That $900 000 lasted only about two or three years and was used by the department to ensure the water was pumping around the retention pond and would not escape into the Edith River with enormous environmental pollution potential.
I mention that, last year, 17 tonnes of copper went down the Edith River. That was copper dissolved by the sulphuric acid generated by the rain when it went through 12 million cubic metres of rock left uncovered at Mt Todd. As well as that were enormous quantities of aluminium, and you can see it. Where the water turns white, that is actually the aluminium that is deposited as the acid rock drainage goes through the waterway. I mention that the pH of the water in the pit is two – it is actually lower than your battery. These are all environmental disasters. Nowhere else in the civilised world, in a civilised country, would it be allowed to happen, and it was allowed to happen here.
Let me tell you something: in 1993, the CLP minister did not seek any advice on rehabilitation security from departmental experts. In 1993, the CLP minister did not take any notice of other rehabilitation securities in place at the time. This is the advice I have received from people who worked in the department at that time. They were angry and disappointed that the minister did not take into account their expert advice or other rehabilitation bonds in place by other companies. He chose to put a $900 000 bond in 1993 in a place where the geology and the potential for pollution was known. But, no, he decided to put in place his own estimate for his own bond.
People were angry and disappointed and I am angry. My colleague was very angry when he visited the site. I recall when I became the minister for mines he briefed me about the problem I was going to take over. I thought he was exaggerating until I read the file and had a look at the site. I knew that he was not telling me the whole truth; he was trying to make it look a bit better. The place is a disaster that was caused not only by the company but contributed to by the CLP government of the time. They contributed further in 2000 when the first company collapsed and General Gold and Multiplex took over. That was the time to review the bond; it did not happen. The advice I have from departmental people was that it was a decision, once again, made on the fifth floor in the ministerial office. The reason for that was if it was more than $1m the company would not start Mt Todd again. If it did not start Mt Todd, there would be problems with employment in Katherine, which would affect people’s electorates. That is the whole truth of why the bond was so low; it was a political decision that now you and I are left to wear. Of course, you, as the member for Katherine now, have to wear it because you inherited this place with the member for Daly, and it will affect places in your electorates.
I said before the geology and the potential for pollution was known. The government of the day should have sought advice from the experts of what the potential would be for pollution and how much it would cost to rehabilitate a site in case the company went bust or closed up and left. We do that every day. My colleague, the member for Arafura, said that her department is doing it every day. We set bonds, and I have to advise the member for Nelson that the opposition at the time could not ask about the bonds because they are actually commercial-in-confidence. We cannot tell you what companies have bonds in trust because of commercial-in-confidence. However, I know very well there were companies here in the Territory that had bonds to the value of $25m, $30m and more. There are other companies which have much more than that, because the department experts have estimated the possibility of how much it would cost to rehabilitate - not to a perfect site - to rehabilitate to an acceptable site after mining has finished. Mt Todd received only $900 000.
What is really disappointing is the behaviour of a corporate citizen, a multinational company, like Multiplex. I have been advised, not only by the department but by a third party - a gold company - that when the mine closed the second time, the company General Gold started making money after the process. Multiplex pulled the plug. Why? Because they wanted to get the tax benefit. The estimated tax benefit that they received was approximately $A100m. The mine closed not because it was not profitable, but because a multinational company wanted to wipe $A100m from their tax bill. That is extremely disappointing.
However, the people in Katherine did make money. Well done! People worked very hard to make money. The people I blame are the people who made a decision about Mt Todd; the people who now have imposed upon us a $20m, $30m or $40m bill to clean that site. That money could have gone to the Territory to build clinics and new schools, to renovate schools, to put in new public housing, to have new police, new stadiums, and new sports facilities. But no, it is going to rehabilitate a site that somebody else made money from - $240m worth of gold. Even 20% profit is a hell of a lot of money. Somebody made this money, took it away and we are left with a bill to clean up the site.
Not only that, the site is not going to be cleaned in the one day, one year, or two years. This site will generate acid rock drainage for years to come. We have to plan very carefully how we are going to address the problem to make sure that this acid rock drainage does not find its way into the environment of Edith River and, in turn, Daly River. It has the potential to create a catastrophe. It has the potential to create a problem that will remain for years to come. We are not going to allow this to happen. We are also not going to allow decisions about environmental bonds to take place in ministerial offices. I insisted, during the review of the department …
A member interjecting.
Mr VATSKALIS: The member for Blain might think this is funny. It is not funny. The decision about Mt Todd was a political decision made on the fifth floor by a minister who did not want to impact upon his own electorate!
I insisted during the review that there would be mechanisms in place that no minister would have a say in determining environmental bonds. That is why there is now a group of experts, not only from department of mines but from other departments, who will sit together and determine the level of the bond in order to cover any possible future expenses should the mine close, the company go bust, or people walk away from the mine. This is very important. I want transparency and honesty, and this is what we are getting. This is what we are going to get no matter what government is in place; as long as there is legislation is in place, this will remain. That is very important.
Of course, another problem we found was the cyanide – 750 000 litres of high potency cyanide stored in three tanks – they were saving there. They are another potential for enormous disaster should something go wrong. If there is a storm and one of the tanks breaks open, or the bund wall is not able to hold this volume of cyanide, it will once again find its way down to Edith River – potential for disaster. After many arguments with Aussiequip, which refused to take ownership and responsibility for the cyanide, I instructed the department to expend our own money to neutralise it. We did it, and did it very well. The potential for pollution at Mt Todd is very real. The member for Nelson went there and, I believe, the member for Katherine also had a look at not only the volume of rock but the heap leach area. This has enormous potential for pollution because of the size of the rock the water can generate much more acid rock drainage, or sulphuric acid going through that hill of ore, than from the other rock. We have the potential for an environmental disaster at Mt Todd, and that is why we moved very quickly in order to address the issues.
The member for Katherine said that it was for political hype and that I play politics with Mt Todd. No, I do not; I just say things exactly the way they are. I tell you I was very surprised when, a few months ago, I received an e-mail from an ex-member of the CLP living in Katherine. In his e-mail, that person told me that Mike Reed and Tim Baldwin should be hauled over hot coals for the Mt Todd disaster. Tim Baldwin and Mike Reed were saying it would be the best mine in the world - the most environmentally-friendly mine in the world - nothing would go wrong. He demanded that I take any action I could against those members and, I guess, anybody responsible. Unfortunately, we cannot. I wish we could but, unfortunately, we cannot. The Mt Todd legacy will be here for years to come. It will cost a lot of money and, unfortunately, it will always be the result of a political decision by a politician, made not in the best interests of Territorians, but probably in the best interests of himself in order to protect a vested interest in his electorate.
I assure members that I intend to watch Mt Todd closely. We moved very quickly. We are spending $5m to address some of the immediate problems with Mt Todd. We will not close Mt Todd completely. We will be very keen to see companies restarting operations at Mt Todd. There is quite a lot of gold in Mt Todd. It has its own difficulties: the hardness of the rock, the geology of the ground. Some companies have already approached us and they are willing to start Mt Todd and work with us to address some of the past and present problems. We have an open mind, but we will make sure, whatever happens at Mt Todd, that this government makes decisions based on resolving the problems and preventing any future problems occurring from the operation of Mt Todd, and make sure that, if there is a problem, Territorians will not have to fork out their own money to rehabilitate the site. The people responsible for it are the ones who are going to pay for it. That is the reason, when a bond is put in place by any company which wants to operate in Mt Todd, it will be a bond that will be decided by people in the department and the committee, and not by the minister.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Ms LAWRIE (Sport and Recreation): Madam Speaker, today I reflect on the substantial sporting achievements made by this government to improve sport and recreation for the Northern Territory, to build on the work of my predecessor, John Ah Kit, and to inform the Assembly of important new initiatives my department will implement into the future. I am pleased to be the Minister for Sport and Recreation and, since becoming minister, have met with sports representatives across the Northern Territory in both the government and non-government sector.
Sport and recreation is a critical element of the Northern Territory lifestyle, bringing lifelong social, emotional and health benefits to individuals and the community. The development of a Sport and Recreation Policy is our highest priority, with the consultation process to begin in 2005-06, with finalisation of policy in 2006-07. The policy will provide a common platform which will allow everyone in the sport and recreation industry to move ahead with common purpose.
I am giving this statement today, as Minister for Sport and Recreation, but I am also Minister for Family and Community Services and I feel that I approach sport and recreation in our community with two hats on. There are many synergies between these two portfolios. Providing sport opportunities for our youth is important; it keeps them on track. It provides them with goals and ambitions, and it helps prevent the boredom that so often leads to destructive behaviour. A good swimming pool or a good football oval can make such a difference to a community and can lead to positive outcomes in health, education and community safety. It can also obviously lead to future sporting champions.
However, we need to make sure that sport and recreation opportunities apply to all, not just the elite. Often, it is the kids who are not good at sport who miss out and feel marginalised, which can lead to problems such as petrol sniffing. We also need to be mindful that it is not just the youth that sport and recreation helps.
On Monday this week, I launched Mental Health Week. For years now, it has been common knowledge that exercise is good for one’s physical health. However, it has only been recently …
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Just as a point of clarification. This was delivered to us last night and I have prepared a response to this. I may have been delivered an incorrect copy. The words that you have just uttered are not in here.
Ms LAWRIE: I am reading from my statement, member for Blain. If you want to take some notes that you do not have there, by all means.
Mr MILLS: Sorry, but the protocol - and I am not trying to be smart – is, I understand, that a statement delivered to parliament and to the opposition is as delivered. There are elements of this that are different. I am just wondering whether I have the wrong copy?
Mrs LAWRIE: I do not have your copy in my hand ...
Madam SPEAKER: Excuse me, minister. Are you deviating as you speak, or do you have a different version fully typed?
Ms LAWRIE: I may have a different version, Madam Speaker. I do not have the member for Blain’s version in my hands, but I am reading from the ministerial statement …
Madam SPEAKER: Excuse me, minister, could you just resume your seat, and member for Blain, resume your seat. Leader of Government Business, could we have new copies of the statement brought out if it is significantly different?
Mr HENDERSON: Speaking to a procedural debate, my understanding of the protocol is that a final copy is delivered to the opposition. Whether something has happened with a different version, I do not know. However, we do not know what the member for Blain has and what version the minister has. Can we, for expediency, continue with the statement? I will take it on board to find out what has happened in terms of the different versions. Something has obviously happened in version control, but I do not think giving the member for Blain a full copy of the current statement is going to assist him. If he could just take some notes, we will sort it out later. I doubt that the content is vastly different. I will take it on board as Leader of Government Business to check what has happened regarding version control between the version that the member for Blain has and the one that the minister is reading from.
Mr MILLS: Just to assist in my response as a member of opposition - and will raise the underlying issue here - I was concerned when I saw that there was a rather significant departure in the second page. All I need to know at this point is whether this means that there will be further changes to the original? Then I can be prepared to really focus on listening carefully to something that is quite different to what I and opposition has been presented.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Blain, the minister has indicated that she …
Mr Mills: Is it just a minor change?
Ms LAWRIE: I can clarify for the member for Blain.
Madam SPEAKER: All right, minister.
Ms LAWRIE: My version is the latest version. I know that there were changes made through the afternoon yesterday to the statement. What photocopied version you have I cannot attest to because I do not know what is in your hands. What I can say is that only minor changes were made. Substantially, the statement is as of the first version. However, if you do not have the final version, there are only minor changes made.
Mr Mills: That is all I am asking.
Ms LAWRIE: That is all - minor changes made.
Mr MILLS: I am not trying to be smart. I am just trying to do my job as opposition. I do not need that sort of response which is really quite churlish. All I am trying to do is get some clarification on this statement so that I can give an adequate response to it. That is all.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Blain, you can resume your seat.
Mr STIRLING: Madam Speaker, I want to put on the record that the circulation of ministerial statements is done as a courtesy to inform the opposition. If he wants to get precious about it, the simple rule is we will not circulate them in the future and we will drop them on the table …
Mr Mills: Oh come on, fair call!
Mr STIRLING: ... the next day. Many times in 10 years in opposition I have walked in here never to see a statement; not even when a statement was coming. We were asked to respond on the spot. If you want to go back to that, then fine.
Mr Mills: I am not.
Mr STIRLING: A couple of minor changes to a ministerial statement ought not to be a court case to decide what is going on.
Members interjecting.
Mr Mills: It was not a court case, you fool!
Ms CARNEY: It is appropriate I say something in these unusual circumstances. I hear what the Deputy Chief Minister has said. However, it is the government’s rule, and it is not unreasonable for the opposition to ask the government to stick to their own rules. If they want to change it, we will deal with that as and when the need arises. The fundamental issue here is that, notwithstanding the convention that has existed to date in the Tenth Assembly - and you can sigh and roll your eyes as much as you like, Leader of Government Business, but I will have my say. In the context of a government minister who knows well that she is deviating from the statement, and going beyond the rules set by you lot …
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition …
Ms CARNEY: … as for a solution …
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, please, resume your seat. It appears to me that what is happening here is that there have been several versions of a single statement and for whatever reason the opposition has received a different version. It is generally accepted that a minister can deviate from a statement which has been delivered. Nevertheless, I would appreciate in the future if there could be careful checking of what copies of a statement are given to the opposition and the Independents.
Minister, I would like you to continue.
Ms LAWRIE: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would have thought there was no harm in talking about the relationship between mental health and physical health. I will continue and, member for Blain, I am sorry if you are upset about it.
For years now, it has been common knowledge that exercise is good for one’s physical health; however, it has only been in recent years that there has been more recognition of the fact that physical activity can also contribute to positive mental health. A vibrant sporting community helps lead to a vibrant healthy community. I will continue to look at sport and recreation opportunities as a vital component of what this government is trying to achieve with our family, youth and community services.
The government went to the recent election with an exciting range of initiatives in sport and recreation. Delivering on these election commitments is a priority and, today, I reaffirm the government’s commitments. We have committed to the construction of the Palmerston Recreation Centre, as well as the football soccer stadium at the Marrara Sporting Complex. We will meet our other commitments during this term, such as: a new aquatic centre for Alice Springs; lighting of the baseball ground at the Tracy Village Sports Club; upgrade of the Gapuwiyak oval; lighting of the oval at Nakara; upgrade of the Ngukurr oval; upgrade of sport facilities at Elliott; upgrade of the Henry Scott building at the Katherine sports ground; and remedial work to the Alice Springs golf course.
I am pleased to report that headworks for the Palmerston Recreation Centre are complete and tenders for the main construction contract closed on 5 October this year. Together with the new library currently under construction, these projects will re-energise the Palmerston CBD. The shared zone vehicle and pedestrian linkages will also provide benefits to other established areas within the CBD.
With the commitment to construct a multipurpose stadium at Marrara, the facility will be the home of the Football Federation Northern Territory. A 2005-06 capital works program of $5.8m has been provided in addition of the $500 000 in 2004-05 for the headworks. I am pleased to announce that the design and documentation for the new facility is now complete and we are looking forward to construction during 2005-06.
Government’s commitment to developing sporting facilities is not only in Darwin and Palmerston, but also Alice Springs. I am pleased to update the Assembly on the continuing upgrade of the facilities at Traeger Park. In the last four years, $5.5m has been committed to Traeger Park with the Alice Springs Hockey Centre upgrade completed in October 2002 at a cost of $800 000, and more than $1.7m spent on the main oval floodlights completed in February 2004. This upgrade has meant that major special events such as AFL pre-season fixtures and evening cricket matches can now be regularly held in Alice Springs. The last part of the development, the new grandstand, is under way. A contract was awarded to Probuild (NT) Pty Ltd on 28 July of this year to construct a new grandstand at the Traeger Park main oval. The new facility includes change rooms, ablutions, first aid rooms, umpires rooms, spectator seating, a lift, and a bridge and ramp connecting to the adjacent Mona’s Lounge. It is expected that this development will be completed by March of next year, just in time for the preseason AFL/NAB cup challenge in March. The project has been of benefit to the town, with work going to local tradesmen and subcontractors such as PRA Electrical, Alice Springs Town Council and the Arrernte Council.
This government is committed to providing opportunities to all Territorians to participate in sport and physical activity, and this includes women and girls. Government has committed $4.8m to construct an outdoor netball facility in Darwin with 10 courts, spectator and change facilities, as well as office space. Netball is a key sport for women and girls, and this is supported by the government’s commitment to the Commonwealth Bank trophy games being played in the Territory.
The development of a home ground for the Palmerston Magpies was a $2m commitment that we have honoured. In June 2004, the Northern Territory government provided a $2m capital grant to the Charles Darwin University to redevelop one of their ovals for use by the Maggies. The $2m grant provides a significant boost to the quality of the facility, benefiting not only the football community but the wider university community as well. I understand that the Magpies have been training at the CDU facility and work is well under way on the changing room facility. I am confident that the completion of these works will see a quality home for the Magpies.
Tennant Creek has not been forgotten, with a commitment of $500 000 to the Tennant Creek Town Council for lighting at Purkiss Reserve.
There is lighting also for the Tiwis, with completion of the installation of floodlights at the Stanley Tipiloura Oval at Nguiu. This has greatly increased the availability for sporting and other community events at this location. It is a tremendous social boost, enabling the young people of the community to use this facility in an extended, supervised and safe environment.
With soccer one of the fastest growing junior sports in Alice Springs, a commitment of $500 000 has been made to Alice Springs for the development of soccer fields. The development will complement the $500 000 already provided for the junior soccer funding program and the recent restructuring of the Football Federation of the Northern Territory. The restructuring of football - or soccer as many of us still know it - at both national and Territory levels has been timely, with Australia’s acceptance into the Asia Confederation a huge step forward for the code in Australia.
Another great project in Alice Springs is the new drag strip, a government initiative that I know is very close to the heart of the member for Stuart. In April this year, the member for Stuart announced funding of $800 000 for the construction of a new drag racing facility in Alice Springs to be co-located with the Finke Desert Race start/finish site. There have been recent discussions around some concerns that Power and Water and Environment and Heritage have in relation to environmental management plans and the location of the site and its proximity to Roe Creek. I thank the member for Stuart for the work he has done in bringing the parties together and addressing these issues. These issues are being addressed and should not delay the development of the strip. The funding is being provided for the Central Australian Drag Racing Association (CADRA), and there should be no reason why they cannot complete construction next year. It will be a great asset for Alice Springs.
One of the challenges in sport and recreation is to get the balance right between supporting the elite and big events, and the grassroots. This will be one the key planks in our sports and recreation policy. A key feature of this government has been its commitment to sporting events. Not only does this serve to put the Territory on the national sporting map and provide economic benefit, it also allows children and young people the chance to see and be inspired by their heroes.
The staging of major sporting events, such as the Arafura Games and the Alice Springs Masters Games, provides significant opportunities for sports administrators and coaches. It also allows sports people from throughout the Northern Territory to compete against those from other states and overseas, whether socially, such as in the Alice Springs Masters Games, or as a developing athlete in the Arafura Games. Importantly, these events also bring significant economic benefits to the Northern Territory and further advance our valuable links with our neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region.
Work is ongoing to ensure that the Alice Springs Masters Games and Arafura Games scheduled in 2006 and 2007 respectively will be successful. Olympic and Australian swimming legend, Dawn Fraser, visited Western Australian country centres to promote the 2006 Alice Springs Masters Games. As patron of the event since it started in 1986, Dawn Fraser has highlighted that the games has a reputation for being friendly and fun, attracting more than 4500 competitors last year. Last year’s games attracted 4545 registrations, and 33 sports were on offer. The next Alice Springs Masters Games will be held from 21 to 28 October 2006.
The 2005 Arafura Games was a resounding success, and saw 5089 participants from 31 Asia-Pacific countries and beyond compete in 30 sports. The Arafura Games is a leading international sporting competition for the developing athletes of the Asia-Pacific region. Held every two years in Darwin, the games are billed as a meeting of ‘sporting neighbours’, and attract competitors from all parts of Australia and nations throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The next Arafura Games will be held from 12 to 19 May 2007, and forward planning has already commenced. Games organisers will travel to member countries which participated in the recent games to encourage participation in 2007. With the 2008 Olympics to be held in Beijing, there is a renewed emphasis on sport development and performance throughout Asia.
I recently met with Justin Madden, the Sports minister in Victoria, who has carriage of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne next year. He has extended an invitation for some of our Arafura Games organisers to be members of the official observers program at the games. It will be a great opportunity for them to improve their skills and pick up some ideas that they can apply to the Arafura Games in 2007. He also agreed to help promote the Arafura Games during the Commonwealth Games, and we talked about opportunities to send some Territory kids down to see the games.
Whilst the Arafura Games and Alice Springs Masters Games are our own home grown events, government also assists in the planning and delivery of a number of national level events including during our first term being very proud to bring AFL football, Test cricket, NBL basketball and CBT netball to the Northern Territory. All of these are continuing and, in this term, we have now added ARL Rugby.
International cricket: the current agreement with Cricket Australia sees cricket matches staged in Darwin from 2003 to 2007 except, of course, during an Ashes year; that is, this year. We look forward to next year’s A series, between Australia A, India A and Pakistan A. That was just a little plug.
Australian Football League: next year, we will again see a pre-season fixture in Darwin and Alice Springs, as well as the Western Bulldogs home and away game, where they will play Port Adelaide on 12 August at Marrara. We remain confident that the Bulldogs will continue to see Darwin as their home in the north.
National Basketball League: the third Perth Wildcats game will be held early in 2006 at the Marrara Indoor Stadium. The first two games of this series have all been well received - sold out, in fact.
Australian Rugby League: I recently announced that Newcastle Knights and Penrith Panthers will play a pre-season Rugby League game in Alice Springs in May of next year. This is an exciting return of top class Rugby League to Alice Springs with a pre-season game in Darwin then planned for 2007.
Commonwealth Bank Trophy for netball: already two matches have been held in Darwin in 2004 and 2005 and a proposal for future matches is under consideration.
The majority of these agreements ensure that a series of players and coaches clinics, community visits, hospitals and schools, and remote community visits are conducted around the matches.
This government is proud to support the Crusty Demons Motorcycle Stunt Group to tour the Territory. As you would be aware, we have provided them with $20 000 in sponsorship and allowed them access to the Marrara Oval. The Crusty Demons will perform in Darwin on 15 October, this Saturday, and in Alice Springs on 22 October, next Saturday. Free demonstrations and meet and greets will be held in Katherine and Tennant Creek on the way down to Alice.
Whilst sporting events provide both opportunity and entertainment, the management and administrative health of local sport and recreation is extremely important. Without strong governance and management, sports will have difficulty in delivering quality programs. To progress sport and recreation in the Territory, the Sportsbiz Unit has been established to work with a number of sports closely, to identify weaknesses in their organisations, to assist them with developing better government and management strategies and assistance, and to promote stronger business foundations and sporting outcomes for a sustainable future.
A number of sporting organisations are being assisted under the Sportsbiz banner. For example, significant assistance is being provided to golf. As a first step, a golf forum is being planned. The forum will be an opportunity for golf clubs to come together with the Territory peak body and their national body to gain an understanding of the issues and challenges that are presently impacting on golf clubs within the Territory and right across Australia. A survey will be conducted on all Territory golf clubs to derive agenda items for the forum. Sportsbiz is also working closely with a number of the larger golf clubs to assist them with building stronger governance. This assistance will form a common thread for the forum.
Providing assistance and professional development opportunities to community-based sport and recreation officers is essential to the ongoing provision of sport in the bush. The Indigenous Sport Program is a national program that provides funding to my department to link between NT sporting organisations and our communities. Regional Indigenous Sport Program officers have also focused on working with community-based sport and recreation officers to ensure that there are sport and recreation opportunities, particularly for women and girls.
In terms of remote sports, cricket has increased its presence in communities with a steady growth in the number of teams entering regional indigenous Super 8s competitions that are held in the Katherine region. Thirty-four remote indigenous communities are receiving grants to support sport and recreation officers in 2005-06.
Grassroots development is fundamental to sport innovation and growth for both remote and regional organisations. Unless sport and recreation is encouraged and supported at the grassroots level, children and young people will not be able to develop and be supported along their pathway to sporting excellence. Grassroots grants provide up to $160 000 per year to directly fund grassroots community-driven projects. This government is committed to delivering and promoting programs and initiatives that will encourage young Territorians to participate in sport.
I recently had the pleasure of launching the new Sport Linkup web site. This web site is a one-stop shop for junior sport information in the Territory. Young Territorians and their families are encouraged to visit this site where they will find information on contact details for local clubs, training times, junior sport competitions, school holiday programs and healthy lifestyle tips - some of the recipes look great, Madam Speaker. All sporting organisations with junior programs have the opportunity to contribute to the web site content.
Whilst sport is for everyone, it is also important to cultivate an environment which encourages talented athletes to strive to achieve the highest level in their chosen sport. The Northern Territory Institute of Sport provides opportunities for talented young Territorians to pursue their sporting ambitions. The Northern Territory Institute of Sport continues to be a centre of sporting excellence, providing athlete-centred programs with an emphasis on young people. For the four year period from 2005 to 2009, 10 sports have NTIS squads: hockey, AFL, cricket, Rugby Union, Rugby League, netball, ten pin bowling, weight lifting, cycling and tennis. The squad program provides access to the NTIS for more than 200 young athletes. Elite, Elite Development and Junior Elite Development scholarships have also been provided to more than 30 athletes this year.
There are a number of prominent athletes who have been the beneficiaries of support and specialist assistance from the NTIS. These include: David Hennessy, who travelled to Korea and Japan with the Australian Institute of Sport’s hockey team to play a five-game series against both of those nations; Joel Carroll and Desmond Abbott, who is on an Australian Institute of Sports scholarship, and Colin Hennessy won a silver medal in the Junior World Cup in July held in Rotterdam in Holland this year - losing to Argentineans only 1-0. Colin Hennessy was the leading goal scorer from all countries with 15 goals.
Ashlee Brown has a top 10 ranking in the Australian Under 18 in tennis and is currently seeking to break into a Women’s Tennis Association event. All the best to Ashlee.
Maria Tsoukalis is the holder of the Australian Under 18 snatch, clean and jerk record with a total lift of 58 kg in July in Darwin. She also holds the Under 20 age snatch record of 79 kg. Maria will be attending the Commonwealth Games trial in Melbourne in December. We wish her all the very best.
Karen Bailey from the netball program, in her debut in the 2005 CBA season with Queensland Firebirds, was selected in the Under 19 national squad. She has also recently been selected as both an AIS scholarship holder and, most importantly, as a member of the Australian Under 21 squad. Congratulations, Karen!
Joseph Egan played for the Australian Schoolboys team against Japan and Samoa and has gained selection - just hot news yesterday. Sorry, member for Blain but it is very late news. He is going to a tour of the UK and Ireland in December.
Ms Carney: Thanks for that!
Ms LAWRIE: I know you are disrespectful about sport, Leader of the Opposition.
Ms Carney: No, I said thank you for that, member for Karama.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: You do not have to be so nasty about it!
Elijah Peart and Tyson Doughty were selected in the combined states team from the NT, along with the captain, Joseph Egan, to play in Division 1 against New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT.
Michelle Halprin won the Under 23 Melbourne Cup. Michelle Halprin is ranked second behind Jade Flanagan, an Australian representative who has joined the NTIS squad from Queensland.
In the men’s, Andrew McArthur from Alice Springs is ranked second in the country in ten pin bowling and Ronald Voukolos is eighth.
In summary, the government has moved sport and recreation forward over the last four years and I am looking forward to the exciting opportunities that are ahead of us. We will focus on ensuring that our facilities are well managed, that our events are professionally planned and delivered, our developing athletes can access the expertise of the NTIS and, above all, a strong sport and recreation sector provides grassroots opportunities for all Territorians to participate in sport and recreation.
Madam Speaker, I move that the statement be noted.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, we did get off to a tricky start. I just need to preface my comments by restating that it was quite a genuine inquiry of the minister. I was astounded at the response both of the Treasurer and of the minister to a very straightforward inquiry. Nonetheless, I will proceed to provide a response to this statement from opposition.
The role of sport is very well connected to the Northern Territory community, and a very important connection. It is one that has existed in the Territory for many years. It is my belief that when government comes to office, it is their responsibility to continue doing good things, particularly in the area of sport and recreation. That is the responsibility of governments. To that end, I have many things that I would like to commend the minister and this government on that are contained within this statement.
There are some initiatives here that I was very pleased to see. Two of them I will mention straightaway. One is the support to community organisations. I have always seen that as a concern, particularly in modern times as we increase the burden upon community organisations which exist through the goodwill of volunteers. I have seen in this Chamber legislation such as the Associations Bill passed that has imposed greater responsibility on volunteers and discouraged them. To see a response from government such as this; to provide support to those grassroots organisations is to be highly commended.
Further to that is the communication to families and young people through the Sportsbiz web site which I also commend. As you will note by me starting with these comments, my interest and that of the CLP opposition is the grassroots aspect of these sports area. In the heart of this statement is the most important reference to getting the balance right - to use the minister’s words. That is always the challenge: to get the balance right between the high profile events that excite people and capture their imaginations and grassroots level. Although I have never really been in government, I have just been a backbencher for a short time when the CLP was in government, I can imagine it is a great temptation to be in government and to be faced with the opportunity to either invest at the grassroots level or to expend money on high profile events. One allows the minister to stand before an excited grandstand full of people and to have that roar of support. With the other one, you do not get many accolades; it is happening at an almost invisible level when you are supporting volunteers. That must be a really big temptation to see which way you would go.
I pay particular reference to that statement that we must get the balance right. Which would be the better way to go: the money invested in those big events or a reduction in those and an investment in the grassroots organisations? I am really pleased to see, as I have said already, there are two very important initiatives here to strengthen the grassroots because, if we do not strengthen the grassroots level of our sports culture we end up with nothing - we starve the whole enterprise and end up not achieving what really are the objectives of sport and recreation. The objectives, of course, are not to have a minister standing before a grandstand and tossing a coin or whatever.
The real objective for government or anyone involved in this area is to promote healthy and strong lifestyles. As the minister has referred to the wearing of two hats, I can see that theme rightfully tied together through this statement - the purpose of sport; what we are doing this for. Why do parents have their children involved in sport? Why should government invest money in sports? Remembering there is the political temptation, there is also doing that which is right. There is a purpose in sport, and the minister has referred to that a number of times in her statement.
Before I go into what I would like to spend more time on - that is, the purpose of sport and one specific area of concern of obesity and health and how sports can address a very serious issue - I would like to cover some issues that arise from the statement directly. I would like to know from the minister - and I will endeavour to receive this information in an open and transparent way. I have been slightly discouraged, in one respect, on getting clear answers to these questions. However, I ask, not from the point of trying to outsmart or embarrass the minister, but in my role as a member of the opposition: how much has it cost to bring the major events to town? I know the minister will probably give me either a polite or an impolite answer. The impolite one will be, ‘go and check it out, the information is there’ …
Ms Lawrie: I am happy to answer.
Mr MILLS: Sorry?
Ms Lawrie: I would be happy to answer that.
Mr MILLS: All right. The questions I need to find out are regarding the International Cricket: how much that whole exercise has cost? The Australian football: how much the deal is to have the Bulldogs here in the Northern Territory and ongoing costs? The National Basketball League: the deal with the Perth Wildcats; also, the Rugby League and the Commonwealth Bank Trophy with netball. I will ask the minister’s assistance in identifying exactly what the costs are, both now and into the future, for those events. I know the government can be very sensitive on these matters, but it is not for any other purpose than to assist the minister in her own position of getting that balance right between expenditure and outcome. What is the outcome? Not a political one, but health.
The second issue is the question that is not raised in this statement, but has been raised through this portfolio in times past. There may have been something that has been mentioned that I have missed. I have a fair bit of ground to cover and I cannot cover every bit of it. I will take this opportunity to ask about the plans to alter the way that sport is administered in the Marrara complex. Central to that was the change of the presence and the operation of AFLNT at the Marrara Stadium. I would just like to know where we are with that. That was something that the former minister was toying with, and did not do a very good job of covering up some thinking that was going on behind the scenes. I would like to know where that is at, because many people would like to know.
Yes, it is good to see that there have been promises kept, and that there are promises made, and the commitment to honour those promises. With the experience of the commitment made to the Palmerston Magpies, there is a lesson for this government. I am glad the Treasurer is here, as this will save some grief for the Treasurer if these commitments are brought to book earlier rather than later. The reason being, as the Treasurer will well know, that any delay today is going to escalate the cost tomorrow, which will pose a problem for the Treasurer later on. Anyone who proposes to build a house, let us say in the next month or two, and puts it off for 12 months, is in for one heck of a shock.
The primary issue here is to ensure that we have timely acquittal of these commitments because, to use the example of the Palmerston Magpies, one which I am intimately familiar with, the initial commitment of a dollar value buys much less when that is actually acquitted. That is the same with any commitment with your promised upgrades and the like for soccer. It is just a helpful suggestion from opposition: get them to book earlier. Weigh up the costs and the benefits that will flow to the grassroots organisations, as opposed to putting them off and delaying them until you can get the maximum political benefit, of which you have a return today, but you will have a deficit tomorrow which may be someone else’s responsibility because governments can change, as I have seen.
Also, at the beginning of this statement is the reference to a sport and recreation policy. Good to hear. I would like to get updated on how that unfolds as we move along.
When we think of such issues as sport and recreation, and read this statement and find reference to all the wonderful activities that are occurring, we know some of them pre-existed the life of this government and were significant events which have really changed the culture of sport in the nation, such as the Masters Games. It is good to see that continuing and thriving, as well as with a whole range of these activities; the Institute of Sport, for example. Many of us have young people in our electorates who have benefited from the Institute of Sport. My children have benefited; my daughter particularly. Some of our leading sports stars that we now see are major role models have received their status through the contribution of the Institute of Sport.
Going back one step from that with the link to schools, I do not see any reference to Schools Sports NT in here. Those programs that have been running through the schools for many, many years have seen the likes of Nova Peris, who has a very important role to play today, as a result of her involvement through School Sports NT, as well as Nathan Buckley. I have spent many hours beside the swimming pool with a stop watch and announcing and doing all manner of things. I have seen young Danni Miatke in the pool, swimming against my daughter, in fact. The investment with good sports programs over many years has resulted in her status today, which we all enjoy and celebrate with her and her family.
There is great benefit; it lifts the whole community. But what is the purpose of it? As a person who has been involved with young people, when we put sports programs in place in a school, sometimes it is a bit tricky to put in place because it requires a complete change of management style and different resourcing and so on. Then you think about it: why are you running sports programs? The reason for sports programs, as the minister has alluded to, is it strengthens some core issues that are often neglected; those being discipline, a sense of achievement and, primarily, health. Not just physical health, but mental health. The purpose of sport is health. That is why a Mum and Dad want to get their kids involved in enjoying sport, because of the health benefits. That is why we have so many commentators around the country talking about the dangers of obesity. Obesity is connected to sport, by sport delivering the antidote to the obesity epidemic.
Underneath this is a deeper and more concerning issue. I have been surprised at the level of comment around the country and, in fact, most of the first world about this appalling problem. I also had my first encounter on my arrival in the Territory many years ago, when I got all the kids out to go for a run. There was this great environment and I found that many of the kids were not that keen on a run. A number of years ago there was a program which talked about getting active, something like that. They just wanted kids to become a little more active. If everyone became a little more active, then we would have long-term health benefits that were quite measurable. Taking a large group of kids for an extended walk one day illustrated the issue that has occupied the minds of many social commentators, community leaders, nutritionists and sporting people. I took the grand gesture, a noble gesture, as a school principal when the teachers were all having some difficult times at in-service. I said: ‘Do not worry, I will take all the kids for a long walk in the bush’, and I thought it would be good for them. It was quite a long walk. I had worked out the path through the bush and I had about 60 kids and a few helpers with me. It was not that much earlier that I had been engaged in the idea of this. I cannot be sure but it was something like a ‘let us get active’ program; the premise of which was that if everyone became a little more active, then we would have long-term health benefit. It was not pitched at the elite kids; it was pitched at the middle and lower end kids who were not particularly active, and it dealt with adults as well.
Going for this long walk through the scrub with 60 kids, I discovered that there were three distinct bands. The ones who always loved sport and could not wait for the sport program to start were the ones who were running up ahead. I had to spend my time calling them back saying: ‘Do not go past the corner where I cannot see you’. I had to keep them in sight. ‘I need to watch you. If you want to, run up to the end but stay there, do not go around the corner’. I had to manage those kids. Then there were the plodding kids in the middle who did not mind looking at the birds and having a chat with everybody. They just walked along and did not cause any concern, and kept up a reasonable pace. Then there was the tail end who started puffing, panting, and sweating and who started to grumble, wondering how much longer we were going to be walking for. It really was an ordinary walk.
I became very aware of the depth of basic inactivity and the accompanying health problems, and it wasn’t 33%, 33%, 33%. There seemed to be about 10% to 12% who were really active and loved physical exercise. There seemed to be about probably 40% in the middle; and there were too many at the tail end who were looking forward to their lunch box, did not want to go any further and were requesting to turn back and go home. They were sweating and finding it very uncomfortable. That was concerning as I knew these kids and I knew that they spent most of their lunchtimes sitting on the veranda eating out of their lunchboxes; they were not particularly healthy. That is a concern to me now. However, I look ahead and I can see what problems we are going to be faced with in the future because overweight children become overweight adults.
Obesity is a growing concern. Recently, there was a quite radical plan proposed by a Tasmanian Senator who believed that schools should now be involved in measuring fitness levels as they measure literacy and numeracy levels. As one who has spent a lot of time in schools, I know that teachers would think: ‘My God, what next?’. Now teachers are going to have to measure whether kids are fit or not, fat or thin, placing a lot on the schools. However, there is this call that we need to make a greater effort in identifying how serious this problem is. This call by Senator Guy Barnett in Tasmania was presented to Tony Abbott, who has taken this plan seriously and is weighing it up.
Then the marathon runner, Mr Robert de Castella, weighed into the issue, and even accused parents of neglect for allowing children to become obese. He called on governments and community leaders for courageous leadership. I continue following this issue. He makes a call that courageous leadership means kicking out soft drinks and junk food from school canteens. Bearing in mind this statement is about sport and recreation, what is the connection, the purpose of sport and recreation? The purpose is for the health benefits, in the short and long term. Robert de Castella supports the call made by Senator Guy Barnett, and says that there should be a report to parents to help them understand the problem and accept some responsibility for obesity.
We acknowledge that 60% to 70% of our young people are not overweight or obese; however, the number who are overweight and obese is increasing. What is being advocated in all of this is probably a sensible response - we need to screen our young people to see what the size of this problem is. I call on the minister because she says she wears two hats - maybe, if we want to achieve real outcomes in this area of sport and recreation, we could support the call for a screening program to look at the composition of the percentage of body fat, measure the cardio/respiratory fitness, flexibility, coordination, strength and muscle endurance of our young people, just to get a snapshot of where young Territorians are. Then, our programs could be adjusted to really meet that issue.
Unless we know exactly where our young people are in terms of fitness - because that is what sport and recreation is actually about - then we will be dealing with the issue which has been referred to before: are we attending to the core issue in sport and recreation, or are we being tempted to go the other way and play to the crowds and provide bread and circuses for the masses? No, we are delivering a fitter and healthier community.
There is a Senator from Tasmania and Tony Abbott having a look at it, Robert de Castella has made his comments, as well as no less than the Governor-General. The Governor-General has warned the nation about Australia’s fat lifestyle and called for us not to sit back and let others deal with obesity. We need to get involved ourselves and, if community leaders and others do not help, we are going to have little chance of overcoming the growing burden on the nation. The Governor-General said that Australians owe it to each other to make a greater effort to improve our health and, thus, the nation’s wealth. ‘We must encourage children who do not play sport or take part in any physical activity to get moving and join in’, said the Governor-General. The Prime Minister recognises the seriousness of this problem. Not referred to directly, I must add, in the statement, he has made a contribution of $115m to tackle the problems of childhood obesity.
How do we respond to this? From the comments which I have been able to look at over the last little while, what is needed here is that screening program so we know exactly the state of health and fitness right across the Territory. Look at the food being provided in our school canteens and, as Robert de Castella calls for, courageous leadership. It is the Health Minister – if the Health Minister is still the Health Minister in 15 years - who is the one who will be managing the problem which is not dealt with today.
Believe it or not, the list of characters has gone from a Senator from Tasmania, Robert de Castella, Tony Abbott, the Prime Minister, the Governor-General, and the last one I will mention is Arnold Schwarzenegger. He has moved to ban soft drinks and junk food from all the canteens in all the schools in California.
This is a significant issue – and, by the way, I notice that The Latham’s Diaries is down there; I bet he made reference to it as well …
Ms Carney: Oh I bet he did; he referred to many things, our friend Mark.
Mr MILLS: Okay. We have talked about the purpose of sport and recreation being health - that is the objective. We are not going to be fighting obesity as an end in itself; however, apart from physical, mental, and even emotional benefits, it is the long-term gains which have huge implications. It is overweight children who become overweight adults.
The Heart Foundation reports that, by the middle of this century, one in four adults will be at risk from heart disease, and we can do something now. There are a range of approaches required to assess advertising and what sort of messages are being given our children through the media. The PE programs that are offered in our schools: are we putting enough emphasis on sports at school? Could we alter the way that our schools conduct their business? School hours, for example, where all those facilities close at 2.30 pm, could that be an issue addressed by courageous leadership, as Robert De Castella has called for? Look at different ways of using school facilities so that we can use those sports grounds after hours, when kids are sent home and spend time in front of a television or at the shopping centre from 2.30 pm onwards. We could make better use of our schools, as well as assessing the PE programs that are run at school, and inter-school sporting competitions, as there once was very strongly, but not so strongly today.
We could look at our school canteens and ensure that we have healthy eating programs that do not just address the issue in the schools, but into the homes. We need to screen, so that we are able to assess the level of health, fitness, and obesity within our young kids. It requires action, both from parents and from government. It is a serious and urgent problem. As with almost all - I cannot think of any health or social problem - the answer lies in the home.
This is an issue that we can respond to and have a statement in parliament, and not much will happen as a result of it. However, I hope something does because the community is becoming aware of our affluence and the effect that that affluence is having on our young people. It requires mums and dads to spend a bit more time with their kids and turn the television off, and make sure that their kids are eating properly. It requires the school communities to be more proactive in the sorts of programs that are run in the school, and in particular, the food that is offered in the canteens. It requires leadership and courage from government to think creatively of how we can move this nation, this community in the Territory forward, and play our part in making sure that we have healthy kids who grow up to become healthy and contributing adults.
To return to the story that I told about the group of kids that I walked some distance with - it was only a couple of kilometres - it is quite disturbing to see how unfit many of our young kids actually are. We celebrate the top end of the scale and all those kids who play soccer on the weekends. It is fantastic to see them all out there on those playing fields, playing Aussie Rules in the Top End. However, there are also those others who do not participate in anything much at all, and spend so much time eating sugary and fatty foods and watching television. We really must look after them now.
I call upon this minister to take heed to the issues that I have raised, not only regarding obesity, but all those other questions that also accompanied my comments in support of her statement.
Mr VATSKALIS (Primary Industry and Fisheries): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the ministerial statement by my colleague, the Minister for Sport and Recreation. I quite agree with the member for Blain, it is ideal that she is the Minister for Sport and Recreation and also the Minister for Family and Community Services. I believe she has the right combination to make a difference in families, young people and young adults through sports.
I will start with something that you have heard many times, probably not the way I will say it. I will say it in the way it was said by my ancestors about 2000 years ago: the translation of which is ‘healthy minds in healthy bodies’. That was identified 2000 years ago by the ancient Greeks who first developed sports and sportsmanship. The word ‘athlete’ is from the Greek word ‘’, the sportsman. It was the sportsman because women were not allowed to take part in sports. The Greeks were the ones who identified the escape that sports provide to human beings and also the physiological, psychological and sociological benefits. They elevated sports to a very high level because they believed in sports and they established the Olympic Games in the 8th century BC. The sports were not for money or rewards. The only reward the athlete would get was a wreath made from an olive branch. I was very impressed to see in the last Olympic Games in Athens that every successful athlete received a wreath of an olive branch.
The other things that the Greeks established was the , the noble competition - competition in sportsmanship, not competition just to be better than other people. They were all equal. Some were more equal than others and better than others.
They were quite right to say 2000 years ago that the healthy minds live in healthy bodies. In order to develop one or the other you have to do it together; you cannot do it separately. They were quite right to define the physiological benefits of sport or recreation. As the member for Blain said today, unfortunately you do not see physiological benefits in many kids, because they are absorbed by television. You have a television that has 48 different channels, and the only exercise the kids get is by changing the channel one after the other - all 48 of them - using the remote control. My sons are very good with computers. That is the sport they like. Their dexterity has improved a lot and also their eyesight - they can shoot an enemy from miles away by sitting all day in front of the computers! It does not do much for their body or for their mind.
Research has shown the psychological benefits are that people who exercise are more stable and suffer fewer psychological diseases. Of course, you can go to the other extreme. People exercise for the sake of exercise and that can be a psychological disease. The other benefit is sociological health. People can get together, they become more social. They can walk with each other. They identify each others position in a team and they react accordingly. I have to admit that I am not a sportsperson; I do not have the time. I try to do things. I probably did a lot more a few years back when my sons were playing soccer. I recall when my son was five years old I started coaching his soccer team, the Under 6s, and I continued that until after the 2001 election. That was good for the kids, and it was good for me too. It was good for me because, at least three times a week, I was out there kicking or chasing a ball or chasing the boys. What really impressed me was the fact that these boys came together from five years old until they were 11 or 12 years old; they knew each other and they worked with each other as a team. They knew each other’s position in the team.
The other thing is that, in some case I was probably the most stable male in their lives, because they came from single parent families. I was the only one they would see three times a week and, in some cases, I was a substitute father because I was the only one able to tell them what to do or tell them off if they did something wrong. From a bunch of six-year-old kids running around like a group of dogs chasing a fox, they became a very well coordinated team. We were not always successful, we were not top of their age, but we did really well.
What was also impressive was that, as the kids grew up and started getting to the age where kids start behaviour problems because they fall with the wrong crowd or do the wrong thing, these kids did not. None of these kids in that particular team went astray. They did not do anything wrong, they stayed together and, even when they went to high school, they still stayed together. They really worked very well and they did well in their schooling. We did not have any problem with kids who vandalised or went out with mates and cut fences, threw stones at roofs or stole cars. They worked as a team and that shows the benefits of sport in our society.
Going back to my own early days, when I went to primary school I recall that we had a Phys Ed hour at least once a day. That was different; it brought us out as a group and gave us the opportunity to run around, kick a ball, and exercise together. I went to a mixed class school in my country, where boys and girls were together until Year 6. We would happily play together and would never see any difference. After going to high school, we actually looked forward to the days when we had physical education, especially when it was the same day as we had difficult maths or physics. Physical education was an escape for us; something that we could go out and have free time from and, at the same time, exercise. It happens less and less now in our schools. There are a lot of hard times for our kids. We put a lot of pressure on our kids, and they tend to drop out of sporting activities. As an example, my son is in Year 11 and he dropped out of soccer because he has to study hard to prepare for Year 12. In Year 12, he has to prepare for university. With the little time he has, he will do something else rather than play soccer or any other sport.
Sport certainly puts a lot of pressure on the family. I recall having to be out on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. As the kids grew up, the family would split up for the day, as I would take the older son to Malak and my wife would take the little one to Bagot on Sundays to play soccer. We did not get together until 2 pm. However, it was exciting, it was interesting, the kids loved it and we also loved it.
As the member for Blain said, he is really pleased there are so many kids playing soccer out there. You have to remember that, despite the fact that AFL is very popular sport, soccer is the most popular sport for junior players. We have a significant number of junior players in the Northern Territory and Australia, who play soccer more than any other sport. Even in other countries such as America, soccer is more popular than baseball. Soccer has made inroads into the Australian sports culture and the American culture and, it is very popular in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
What I am pleased about is not only what we have done in the past few years. We have done a lot; we brought sports here for national competition. We are prepared for even more sport in the next four years. We are targeting not only facilities in Darwin but are looking at the regional centres, as they have their own clubs and sports facilities. In some cases, sports that were never played in some parts of the Territory now are becoming really big sports. An example is Borroloola. A few years back, Borroloola knew nothing about soccer. It took an English teacher to go there to teach who started playing soccer with the kids. Nowadays, kids from Borroloola take part in a national competition every year, and we have some of the best talent coming from Borroloola.
People say that the best players in Australia for AFL are indigenous people. I can tell you that the best players I have seen in soccer are the kids who came from Bagot. I was really impressed to see those kids coming onto Bagot Oval, playing soccer without shoes, shirts or socks. We all put our kids in kneecaps and protective devices around their calves to play. These kids were going there and playing, and enjoying it. They are going to be the future of soccer in Australia. It is not going to be people from an ethnic background, but a combination of people of ethnic background and indigenous people because they can run at an amazing speed. Our kids will run one, two, three times around the oval and they will puff. I saw some of these Aboriginal kids running for the 45 minute halves, and they were not even tired.
I am pleased that the minister has presented her statement today; it is an important statement. What is most important is that we are not only looking at spending money to improve facilities, but proceeding with the development of a sport and recreation policy which has become our highest priority. We plan for the future. We have to plan how we are going to engage every Territorian in sports. We know that in the Territory we play a lot of sports. There are different kinds of sports and big participation every week. We want to look at sports and recreation, not only as part of our life to enjoy, but also for the health benefit it can provide.
I was reading a report yesterday from Europe that 15% of all Europeans suffer a heart ailment - one in six, one in seven. Why? Because of the lifestyle and the food we eat which is highly processed and high in saturated fats and, of course, lack of exercise. You can argue that in England or in Scandinavian countries where there are heavy winters, most people like to move as quickly as possible out of the cold weather, and are in their houses most of the time. However, that is not an excuse here in the Northern Territory. The build-up can be difficult, but you can put up with it. We have the opportunity and the ability to play sports, and we have the facilities.
Going back to when I was growing up in Athens, our sports oval was every vacant block in the neighbourhood. The goal posts were two stones set apart on that side, and another two on the other side, with a bunch of kids kicking a ball, screaming and yelling and having a great time. Of course, you would not see an inch of fat on us, because we were all running around. However, as in Europe today, of the kids who are going to our schools, who are in our neighbourhood, quite a few of them are quite prime size. It is not considered as a problem, even by parents. It is our fault as well, because we should push our kids to participate in sport rather than having a computer.
It is also a sense of security. Many parents think that if their child is in the house, they know where they are, and they feel safe. I remember I used to be out in the streets and play until it was 9 pm or 10 pm. It was different times. Everybody knew everybody else; there were not so many cars around. Now, parents feel really reluctant to let their kids go out in the neighbourhood street to play for various reasons. Sometimes, I believe we create our own prisons and lock ourselves in, and we should look at that. We have the opportunities, the facilities, especially in the Territory with so many parks around our neighbourhoods. Every single neighbourhood has a park. We should reclaim those parks, and start using them for the purpose they were put in place.
I congratulate the minister, and offer my full support in this. I would not mind being involved in the development of the sports and recreational policy. The community I come from is very big in soccer and we would like to develop it, mainly for the young kids. One of the problems we have is that young athletes develop through the early ages and come to a stage where there are no further career paths. People play soccer until they are 16 or 17. If they want to go somewhere, they have to go down south or to another country. We have quite a few Greek kids from Darwin who have gone down south or to New Zealand, and some of them have gone back to Greece, because that is the only opportunity to develop their skills. In those cases, we lose many good athletes. That is not only happening with soccer, but with other sports. We have to arrest this drift to other states, losing good athletes who have developed in the Northern Territory going somewhere else.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I congratulate the minister. I am prepared to assist with the development of the sport and recreation policy. I would certainly like to see more and more Territorians participating in sports, especially young Territorians.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Mr Deputy Speaker, I want to make a few comments in relation to the Minister for Sport and Recreation’s statement today.
There is no doubt that sport and recreation plays a significant part in the lifestyle of Northern Territorians; and it is a most important part of our lifestyle. The climate in the Northern Territory lends itself, for most of the year, to outdoor activities and, therefore, is encouraging a healthy lifestyle.
Regional and remote communities throughout the Northern Territory have strong connections through sporting activities, and that applies especially to my electorate of Katherine. The variety of sport that is played in Katherine and the region brings the community together. There are many different sports played, but the main ones are AFL, Rugby, soccer, baseball, netball, cricket, BMX, off-road motor bikes, and golf, in addition to eight ball.
I have had the pleasure of being the patron of the Katherine AFL for the past two years. The teams which participate in the league come from the surrounding remote communities, with only one Katherine town team. The community teams are from Lajamanu, Kalkarindji, Ngukurr, Barunga and Beswick. They are so enthusiastic about their sport that they travel for hours to participate in their footy game. And my goodness me, can they play football! There are some very good players in those teams.
Digressing a little, I want to tell the Assembly about the lengths that some of those remote communities go to so that they can play their game of football. More times than not during the Wet Season, when we had our AFL season during the Wet Season, the Ngukurr team were faced with crossing a flooded Roper River before they could go any further. Their commitment was so great they would have rung Mataranka to hire a bus to come out to the Roper to meet the players after they had crossed the flooded Roper in boats. They would then travel by bus to Katherine, play their sport, buy some food and drinks, get back on the bus and return to the Roper to cross back to Ngukurr. This round trip would take around 15 hours. The bus would then return to Mataranka. That is how much passion and commitment was put into playing their beloved game of sport, and they never missed a game, flooded Roper or not.
Another great AFL activity held in Katherine this year was an Under 16 AFL competition, which ran for six weeks of games in July, August and early into September. Fred Murphy, who has been such a great supporter of the Ozkick program and supporting young people to become involved in sporting activities, was the instigator. Fred organised six AFL teams for the Under 16 players, which came from outlying communities mainly, with some of them from around Katherine as well. These young players turned up every week for the whole six weeks and were provided with uniforms and put into teams. They had great support from many volunteers who were either field or boundary umpires.
When I was in Katherine on a Saturday, I had the great pleasure of being able to watch these games and the enthusiasm in which they were played. I was also a sponsor for this Under 16 competition, and had great pleasure in providing the players with a free sausage sizzles. At the end of the six weeks, I also provided each of the players who participated with a medallion to acknowledge their part in the competition. Mind you, the competition did not have a grand final. There were no winners; they were all winners for participating. I thank Fred for his efforts in putting that together. When he put the competition together, his aim was to encourage young people to become fit, healthy and to be involved in sporting activities to channel their energies into something meaningful. I congratulate Fred on his initiative, and I know that the Under 16 boys who participated thoroughly enjoyed themselves and are looking forward to another competition.
The minister spoke today about visiting AFL teams to the Northern Territory during the next season. I know these games are well loved and supported by Territorians. However, I was disappointed to first of all read, in Adelaide’s The Advertiser on Wednesday, 5 October, a report by the Chief Football Writer, Michelangelo Rucci, on the back page of the paper. He was talking in his article about the 2006 season. I quote:
Being very parochial about the Northern Territory, I was very disappointed to read this and decided to ring the writer to ask him to explain his comment. I have made three telephone calls and have been unable to make contact with him. Perhaps the member for Brennan, with his knowledge of AFL in South Australia, may be able to shed some light on why such a comment would be made. I also noted in a weekend paper that another AFL coach - and I think it was Mick Malthouse - was not happy about his team coming to Darwin to play. He stated it is because of the heat. I am concerned about negative comments concerning the Northern Territory, wherever they come from. I am wondering if the Minister for Sport and Recreation is aware of these and has some comment to make about them.
In closing, I am proud of the number of people from Katherine who have attained success in many different sports, despite the distances and the expense incurred by them and their families which challenges people in rural areas. I will not name any of these people at this time but will talk about them in adjournments when it is appropriate.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the minister for her statement. I know that the future will hold plenty of challenges in ensuring that sport and a healthy lifestyle are a part of as many Territorians’ lifestyles as possible. Just before I do finish, I will comment that all of those AFL teams that played in Katherine, including the Under 16s, were the healthiest bunch of people I have ever seen. I do not think there was one excessive weighted person on the oval at any time; for the seniors as well as for the Under 16s. They are doing something right out there. They were very healthy players. I thank the minister for her statement.
Mr NATT (Drysdale): Mr Deputy Speaker, it gives me great pleasure this afternoon to reflect on the wonderful achievements the Martin government has instigated and, in many cases, completed for sport and recreation for the Northern Territory. Having come from a sports administration background, I have had first-hand dealings with many sports in the Territory; have had the pleasure of attending several major events; and had input into initiatives and further plans for many sports.
Let me firstly say that the Territory loves its sport and, of course, its recreational activities. It is a critical element of our lifestyle and provides wonderful social outlets and healthy benefits to many Territorians, and assists younger people to interact with their own age group and adults, and work within a team structure in many cases. This government does recognise the importance of our lifestyle and has supported them in many ways.
The drawing power of the Territory in the past to secure top-grade teams and sports to participate in the Territory was hindered by the lack of good facilities. This government has undertaken to fix that problem and has dedicated many dollars into upgrading facilities throughout the Territory. The one area that I am obviously aware of was the upgrade of Marrara Oval to secure AFL matches and attract international cricket. The surface of the ground is now one of the best in Australia, and the facilities within the grandstand are up to the standard of other recognised grounds throughout the world. The AFL and Cricket Australia have acknowledged the efforts afforded to the facility and have programmed top standard fixtures accordingly, and will continue to support the Territory in the future.
The follow-up to Marrara was to accommodate the residents in Central Australia. As outlined, in the past four years $5.5m has been spent on Traeger Park to upgrade the floodlights and the hockey centre and erect a new main grandstand. This building will accommodate change rooms, umpires’ rooms, spectator seating, and will incorporate a lift for patrons to access the upper levels. This construction is long overdue - if you had known the old grandstand that was standing before - and will allow major sports to expand their horizons to play fixtures in Central Australia.
I was extremely pleased to hear that this government has committed to construct a long overdue multipurpose stadium at Marrara to accommodate a home for the Football Federation of the Northern Territory - or as some of us Aussie Rules followers call it, ‘soccer’. Soccer has a large following in the NT and has for some time had its problems. However, it is great to see now a united front has been formed in the code to ensure its way forward. When the facility is finished, I am sure that the local administration will be endeavouring to achieve the feats of other major sports; that is, attracting teams of the highest quality to play in the Territory.
Many people do not realise the importance sport plays at the highest levels in the Territory. Due to our population numbers, we do not have the luxury of accessing such events on a weekly basis in the Top End, as people down south do. However, when crowds of 8000-plus roll up to support these fixtures, it shows that the public in the Territory is starved of such large events and it offers a wonderful opportunity for many young aspiring sports people to see and mix with their sporting heroes. These young followers are the future of our sports and will be contributors to our society in the future. Therefore, it is extremely important that the opportunity to see their heroes in the flesh is maintained. I am pleased this government has recognised the importance of these events.
From an electorate point of view, I was pleased to see that Palmerston has not been forgotten in the upgrades. The sporting agencies based in Palmerston play an integral part of society in that area and the city, and is very proud of its teams and the feats of its people. An election commitment honoured by this government for the city has seen a complete upgrade of a playing surface at the Palmerston CDU and the construction of change rooms at the ground to accommodate the Palmerston Magpies and the wider community for various functions. The change rooms are currently under construction and I expect it to be completed in the not-too-distant future, ensuring a quality home for the Magpies in the future.
The second commitment for the city is the construction of the Palmerston Recreation Centre. Headworks have been completed at the site and tender processes undertaken. Construction is expected to be under way later this month. This facility is an initiative of the Palmerston Partnership Agreement, an understanding between this government and the Palmerston City Council. The construction will revitalise the business CBD and supply a magnificent sporting venue for the people of Palmerston and Darwin. It will go a long way to help the youth initiatives currently in play in the city and provide a meeting and sporting hub for many Palmerston residents.
One sport that is suffering quietly at Palmerston is the Golf and Bowls Club. Like many sporting associations and clubs over the years, the Golf and Bowls Club has found itself in financial difficulties. However, I understand that the appointed administrator will be seeking talks with this government to discuss options to ensure the club remains in a viable position. I am sure this government will do what it can within their guidelines to assist.
The lighting of Nguiu oval was a wonderful innovation for the people of Tiwi Islands and proudly supported by this government. I have had first-hand dealings with the football league on the islands and I understand what sport - not just Aussie Rules - means to the people over there. This innovation has been a wonderful social boost for the local communities, enabling them to conduct community events. I have seen the significant impact it has had for the young people of the community who use the oval after hours in a safe, supervised environment, thus removing them from mischievous activities which were prevalent before the light were erected.
One institution I would like to acknowledge is our highly regarded Northern Territory Institute of Sport. We all know that it is important for our budding athletes to have an opportunity to pursue their dreams to achieve the highest level in their chosen sport. Our institute offers outstanding opportunities for many young sportsmen and women. Scholarships are provided to athletes who show outstanding ability in their field of endeavour, and the institute offers wonderful support for these individuals. Experienced sports coaches, psychologists, hygienists, sports scientists and the like are at hand for the athletes to utilise. They have achieved some outstanding results over the years. Many Territorians have gone on to bigger and better things in their sports and it is due, in many cases, to the support of these people at the institute.
Of course, we cannot forget the endeavour and the ability of the athletes. It is pleasing to see these athletes return to Darwin from time to time and thank, with pride, their coaches and mentors who supported them at the institute. They recognise, in no uncertain terms, that the institute has played a huge role in their careers and they are always willing to help other athletes following in their footsteps. The NTIS continues to be a centre of excellence and provides many outstanding programs for team sports.
I am particularly pleased to hear that many regional townships and communities have not slipped the net. Sporting and recreational facilities play a huge role in the life of these townships, and it is important that the various facilities in these towns are maintained in a viable state of repair. It is pleasing that many dollars have been expended to maintain these amenities. Of course, several ongoing grants are available on application to organisations to assist them with upgrades and promotion.
Governance and management issues have been problems within many organisations over many years. This government, through the Department of Sport and Recreation, is endeavouring to assist this important area of responsibility for clubs and organisations by offering courses, mentoring programs, forums and several other initiatives to assist associations and the like. I have attended several of these courses and have found them to be extremely helpful and thought provoking. The department seeks the best and most qualified speakers and tutors for these forums, and the literature made available is always well sourced and of excellent quality.
I could go on and on about this topic close to my heart. I would love to talk about the national basketball matches that are played in Darwin each year; the ARL match to be played in Alice Springs between the Knights and the Panthers early next year; the international Union matches which frequent the Marrara grounds a few times each year; and, of course, the Commonwealth Bank netball match played at Marrara each year. Australian and international hockey matches are also played at Marrara and have been held there for several years now. They also draw a dedicated following. This outstanding list of achievements goes on and on. Of course, we could throw in there the Crusty Demons on Saturday night.
As an aside, I have been given a wonderful opportunity to chair a youth and sport committee. This committee has been given carriage to seek information on where program dollars are spent and the areas of significance to improve youth and their access to the various programs. The task will be enormous, but the committee is keen to ensure practical results are achieved. They realise that grassroots sport is a cultivating ground for the future lives of children and the directions they take in their health choices. This committee has a responsibility to inform government of where changes can be made to assist these processes. I am looking forward to working with the group to ensure our initiatives are put forward to the appropriate forums to achieve results for our children at the grassroots levels.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to finish by saying that this government has made some outstanding and significant achievements for the Territory in the area of sport and recreation during their term in government, and are still working on future initiatives. It gives me great pleasure to congratulate the minister and her departments for their great work. I support the statement this afternoon.
Ms SACILOTTO (Port Darwin): Mr Deputy Speaker, today I support the Minister for Sport and Recreation’s exciting statement. I am proud to be a part of a government that has such a dedication and focus on youth, families and healthy lifestyles. This is especially demonstrated in the portfolio of Sport and Recreation, and the strong commitment that is consistently demonstrated in providing and maintaining sporting facilities.
It is encouraging to note that there is to be some strategic intent in the building of future infrastructure through the development of a sports policy. This government has always expressed a strong view on the necessity for new and old sporting infrastructure to be viable. It is critically important that sporting codes are able to get on with the job of managing their sport to the best of their capacity for the enjoyment of their members. Facility management and maintenance can be a distracting task, and I am pleased that the minister is meeting with a cross-section of the sporting community so early in her time as minister to gain a strong vision of what their needs are to be sustainable.
Family interaction and involvement in their children’s sporting lives is an important part of developing and maintaining a healthy family. The promotion of a healthy lifestyle cannot be underestimated. Government has a major role in the encouragement of physical activity and resulting social interaction for both participants and family members. In such a short time in this portfolio, the minister has continued the achievements of her predecessor, the former Minister for Sport and Recreation, Mr John Ah Kit. These achievements include, but are certainly not limited to, attracting the following big ticket events:
international cricket: I very much look forward to welcoming the return of international cricket to Darwin
in June/July next year;
the Western Bulldogs, in Darwin, in August 2006;
Townsville Marlins, held in Darwin at the Marrara Indoor Stadium. I am sure this will be yet another
sell-out crowd;
and a Darwin game is planned for 2007; and
only the Territory, but Australia, continues.
The opportunity for all Territorians to witness first-hand the athletic feats of their sporting heroes cannot be underestimated. It is important that our youth can see that dedication to their sport can change their lives in a positive way, and that there are pathways and people within the community who can assist them in the pursuit of their dreams.
The Crusty Demons are the world’s leading freestyle motocross riders, and they are coming to the Northern Territory and proudly being supported by this government - much to my son, Luca’s, delight. He is ecstatic, as many children, teens and adults are about the reality that this international class event is coming to Darwin this weekend. Young Luca has also made comments that the minister is cool for going on a Crusty Demon bike, and that she did not even look scared. ‘She must be tough’, he said. Well, I agree to a certain extent, with a slightly different perspective. I feel that the minister is tough in supporting the Northern Territory on a national and international level, and I look forward to her future achievements in promoting the Northern Territory as a worthy and favoured venue for many future national and international events.
Although it is fantastic to have these events in the Northern Territory, this portfolio has many facets, and attracting events is only one. Walk to Work Day was held on 7 October 2005, and it was pleasing to hear that our Minister for Sport and Recreation led the way in her walk to her electorate office with several of her constituents. Partners of this event are the Heart Foundation, Diabetes Australia, Beyond Blue, the Cancer Council, and the Commonwealth and our Territory governments. This is the 8th year that this event has been staged and, if the amount of interest this year is any indication, it will be around for a long time. In simple terms, Walk to Work Day promotes better health and less traffic. It was supported strongly not only with contributions by this Territory government, but in a positive and leadership role with many other members taking up the challenge of walking to work or sponsoring the participants.
This month, October, is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this brings me to the sporting achievements of Dragons Abreast NT. These include competing in many national and international dragon boating competitions. Dragons Abreast are a group of breast cancer survivors of various ages from a variety of backgrounds, athletic abilities and interests. They are also highly competitive sportspeople with a clear message. Dragons Abreast provides a face for the breast cancer statistics, whilst spreading the message of breast cancer awareness through participation in the wonderful and strenuous sport of dragon boat racing. This is a perfect example of how far reaching sport can be. Not only can sport condition a body, but it can bring people together in a common cause, raise money, save lives by raising awareness, boost confidence, heal the mind and body with positive thought and, the best medicine of all, bring joy and fun to people’s lives where there may have previously been fear and isolation. Sport is powerful and far reaching.
I would also like to mention the tireless work of another important group based in my electorate, and that is Total Recreation. As many members would be aware, Total Recreation is an organisation that provides sporting opportunities for people with a disability. This not only includes assisting their clients to access mainstream sporting codes, but to coordinate specific sporting and social experiences, and to encourage and build individual self-esteem in an environment that would, under normal circumstances, have been considered inaccessible. Their work is critical in the areas of liaison with sporting clubs to gain access for their members, funding of sporting activities including taking groups to national disability championships, and organising and supervising client outings. Organisations such as Total Recreation are that important link between sport and the wider community. They clearly demonstrate that sport is for everyone and a great way to inspire community inclusion and participation. This government is on the right track; it encourages sporting participation by every sector of the community at every level, whilst not forgetting both the infrastructure to support its growth and development, and equality of access.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend the Minister for Sport and Recreation on her efforts to date and support her unequivocally in her plans for the future.
Mr BURKE (Brennan): Mr Deputy Speaker, I speak in support of the minister’s statement. Before beginning, I was sitting here looking around the Chamber and reflecting how wonderful it is to be able to come here and have this as your office. It is still a thrilling and humbling realisation to know the people of Brennan put me here to look after their interests, and to think on questions important to the Territory.
I welcome the update on the Palmerston Recreation Centre which the minister gave as part of her statement. The Palmerston Recreation Centre will be an important sporting and recreational centre in Palmerston, serving both Palmerston and surrounding areas. The recreation centre is part of a revitalisation of the Palmerston CBD. This project was put together in consultation with the Palmerston City Council, which was given the important task of facilitating consultation with the community. Council advised the NT government of the results of its consultations. The government worked closely with the council in developing what is now taking shape in the Palmerston CBD. This is a process which will continue for some time, and the recreation centre will be an important, indeed iconic part of, Palmerston’s CBD.
It is important to recognise that the Palmerston City Council committed considerable resources to building the new library, just as the Northern Territory government committed considerable resources of its own in putting in the infrastructure for the development, such as the roads and the drains and, of course, the Palmerston Recreation Centre. I take this opportunity to thank the organisers and stallholders of the Palmerston Friday night markets, as well as the business owners near the development, for their continued understanding. Works always create inconvenience for those nearby; however, the backdrop of temporary fencing has not dampened the enthusiasm for the markets. I understand they will conclude on 28 October. I encourage all members to attend before the finale for this year. By the time the 2006 markets kick off, the backdrop will have changed considerably.
I was recently approached by someone representing a range of interested sporting and social clubs. Palmerston does not yet have a facility with a sprung floor and I was approached to see what could be done to remedy this situation. I can advise honourable members that the Palmerston Recreation Centre will fill this need. Part of its design includes an indoor basketball court. I am advised by the minister that this floor is a high quality sprung floor suitable for such pursuits as gymnastics and ballroom dancing, to name but two. It accords with Australian standards for such sprung flooring.
The government has a role in providing facilities and specialised personnel to provide as much assistance as it can. No matter what the code - netball, basketball, ten pin bowling - the desire to participate will override all obstacles. How much easier it is when you have the appropriate field, court and lanes to play on. Access to dieticians, physiotherapists and other professionals can help our young athletes recognise how to improve in ways they may not even imagine.
What I am going to say next may sound a bit controversial to some. This is a statement about sport. Well, is fishing a sport or a past time or both? I have heard the argument in pubs and on fishing boats on many occasions, with no agreed position. However, the Northern Territory has committed to improving fishing ramps and facilities for our anglers. It is delivering on its commitments to the benefits of all Territorians, interstate and international visitors who are lured to our world-class fishing venues to tackle this popular sport. I understand this government provided funding to the Palmerston City Council in the region of $100 000 in order for it to ascertain what is needed to improve our fishing facilities around Palmerston. Once again, we see the close consultative approach this government has with the Palmerston City Council.
Palmerston Golf and Country Club is another important part of Palmerston’s sporting community. The Northern Territory government has indicated that it is willing to discuss ways it can assist the club if it requires. I have made an offer to help in any way I can. My grandfather is a member of the club, so my offer is motivated by more than just recognition of the important role the club fulfils.
My colleague, the member for Drysdale, has already mentioned the money and support that this government has given the Palmerston Magpies Football Club. All that remains for me to do is wish them every success for the coming season.
One thing that was dear to my heart was the commitment of this government to providing a home for soccer. I played soccer for many years in Darwin at both junior and senior level. I have played on almost every oval in Darwin and a couple in the Alice area as well. Soccer does not often get the recognition that it deserves in Australia. It does not enjoy the status of Aussie Rules or the Rugby codes. This is curious because, at a junior level, there is huge participation. For example, at a junior level, its participation levels in Victoria and South Australia outrank the Rugby codes, and in New South Wales it outranks Aussie Rules. In Palmerston, many young people of either sex play soccer. Members only need to go past Gray oval on a Sunday morning when it is hosting the soccer to see the popularity. The popularity of the code to both sexes, even into senior level, is something perhaps that sets it a part from the other football codes.
Here in the Territory you will see a variety of the various professional soccer teams’ jerseys on the streets. The names, colours and histories of many clubs, both Australian and overseas, are well known to Territorians. The variety of loyal supporters is testament to our multicultural society. Most members will recognise names of big teams such as Chelsea, Celtic, Rangers and my own favourite, Liverpool. But there are many other clubs from other countries whose exploits are followed avidly: Panathinaikos, a Greek club; FC Porto from Portugal; Real Madrid and Barcelona the giants of the Spanish league; and many of the Italian clubs are followed by those in our Italian community.
The following that soccer has in the Territory is evidenced by the number of weary, blurry-eyed people across all age groups who crawl off to work or school, having been up all night watching an important match. I look forward to attending the first game at the new home of Darwin soccer. It has been a long time coming, and I know that it will be appreciated by many people across many different cultural backgrounds.
Sport is an important social tool; it provides social cohesion. How many rural towns across our country seem to exist through their sporting teams? Sport is also a social leveller. Rich or poor, patrician or plebeian, all that matters is that you give your all and back up your team mates. It teaches our children and young people important life skills. Sport also provides scope for great rivalries and friendships. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Sport is a great tool for encouraging understanding between people of different cultures. I remember one of the soccer teams I played in where out of about 20 of us were represented some 14 or 15 nationalities. Sport is clearly part of our social fabric in the Territory. It also has an important role in developing understanding between nations. There are numerous examples of the first cracks in icy international relations being made by an advanced guard of a sporting team.
One of the Territory’s premier sporing events is the Arafura Games. I believe we can say that the event has iconic status in our region. Every games, we have more and more athletes from more and more countries participate. The games are expanded to include a greater array of sports. They provide a forum for athletes in individual and team events to gain experience, and to be exposed to competition they might not otherwise have had the opportunity to test themselves against. The event plays its part in improving international, intercultural relations at a local level. Personal friendships are made that demystify the supposed difference between people who live in different parts of the world. I am sure that members who have lived overseas or travelled extensively - whether for sport or otherwise - will agree that what we have in common outstrip, by a long way, those things that are different.
There is the economic benefit that sporting events such as the Arafura Games bring as well. Our businesses, tourist ventures and a variety of shops all benefit from the Arafura Games and the sports people it brings to the Top End. I attended the bowling competition at the Arafura Games at the Palmerston Golf and Country Club. The event swapped between different venues and, on this particular day, there were many female teams from Malaysia, Brunei, and the Territory. It was interesting looking around at the different national and religious dress that was incorporated into the sporting uniforms. As I have been indicating with my earlier comments, it was not something that particularly stuck out as different. It did not stop people enjoying the camaraderie that being involved in sport brings, and it certainly did not stop people making some useful friendships with those from other countries.
The Northern Territory has its own dragon boat racing team, and the member for Port Darwin mentioned Dragons Abreast. So far, I have talked about other teams coming to the Territory, but it is important to realise that we are participating in international events in a sport that we are not traditionally known for and that is dragon boat racing. It is fantastic to know that a Territory team goes off to Singapore and elsewhere to compete against teams of world-class standing in an event where, in our region of the world, that has a fanatical following - as fanatical as Aussie Rules, soccer and Rugby have elsewhere in the globe and here.
Sport is part of our social and cultural fabric. We need to keep encouraging our children and youth to participate in sport. It is too easy now to sit in front of a television, or in front of a computer surfing the Internet. You can learn much from television and from the Internet; they are powerful tools in the information age in which we now live. However, neither promote face-to-face interaction of a very deep nature with other people. Neither television nor computer use is listed among the highest factors that prevent obesity.
Obesity has become a major health issue in first world countries around the globe. When I was growing up, kids were encouraged to get outdoors and play. Most of the kids I knew played at least one sport, usually two or three. We can probably thank our beautiful Northern Territory weather in part for that, but I also think we used to have a more sporting-minded community at a local level. The health problems associated with obesity cost our community in a variety of ways. There is, for example, the cost of providing health facilities to deal with those health problems and, at the extreme end, our community can be deprived of the benefit of a person’s contribution much earlier than it ought because they have succumbed to the more serious of those health problems.
I have focused, to this point, almost exclusively on team sport. I wish to make it clear that this is not in some way derisive of individual sports. Athletics is very important to our local communities. They require a high degree of fitness and, perhaps, even a greater level of self-discipline. Who has not marvelled at the young gymnast who hurls themselves through the air at full speed to then, somehow, land on their feet several somersaults later.
A constituent of mine, Jamie Blewitt, an 11-year-old, will soon return from a trip that has taken in two Australian states to participate in motocross national titles, another individual sport. He was one of only two youngsters in the whole country who was personally invited to the KTM Cup in Queensland this year. This is a national competition and, if he does well, he will be invited to join the Australian KTM team to go to the United States. For those who are not familiar with the KTM Cup, to give you an idea of the importance of this, even at this age of 11, if he does well in the United States, it will possibly change his life and that of his entire family. His is an example of how a young lad progressed at a local level. He was able to compete on a good, standard track here in the Northern Territory to develop his skills and, combined with family support and his own steely determination, he now sees himself knocking at the door of opportunity for a possible professional career.
Governments have a role in both major and local sporting events. To my mind, the role is probably greater at the local level. It is a role that is vital to many of our local sporting clubs. We will not develop as many stars of the future if we are not providing facilities for the use of local clubs and associations today. However, this is not the real aim of government being involved in local sport at a local level; it is the icing on top. The real aim, in my view, is to support that essential social fabric of our society. It is essential for a myriad of reasons. I have outlined some today but, no doubt, there are many others that I have not covered.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend the minister on her statement and the government for all it is doing to promote local and international events and sports for Territorians.
Mr WARREN (Goyder): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Minister for Sport and Recreation’s statement on sport and recreation for the Territory. What a really important statement to be able to speak on. It is such an honour as we really value our sport in the Territory. I am very pleased to be able to add my comments to those of other members of parliament. Each of them has told interesting stories and anecdotal information in support of this very valuable statement.
I welcome the development of the sport recreation policy which is not just directed at elite sports people or the iconic sporting events. I must admit, in the rural area we are very passionate about things like sporting events.
I commend the minister for being able to promote and bring to the Territory the Crusty Demons, the dirt show which is on this Saturday at Marrara Oval. People in the rural area really warm to that sort of activity, and they would really get involved in that. I am very pleased that we can make the rural people of Goyder, Nelson and part of Daly feel part of that whole process; that is really good. We have a couple of sporting clubs out there - the Top End Motocross Club at Marlow Lagoon which is in my electorate, and also the Darwin Motorcycle Club. As you can see from those two clubs, that is a very popular sport in the rural area, and to have such iconic events as the Crusty Demons come to Darwin is really great. I appreciate them coming here. They will be presenting a three-hour entertainment package consisting of aerial stunts on motorbikes, snowmobiles and quad bikes. The show will be supported by a popular rock band, 28 Days, and lighting displays. So, yes, this government has really shown that they are committed to iconic events.
As I said before, it is not just about the elite sports people or the iconic events. Sport is for everyone. There are strong synergies between family and community services, as the minister has pointed out. In the rural area, it is one of the strong aspects that bring the rural community together. Sometimes, people suggest that rural communities are diverse and they do not have those linkages, but they do have those strong linkages of family and community services which really shows through in the areas of sport. It is great that the minister is acknowledging that it is not just about the elite sports people because there are literally hundreds of people in the rural area who are very passionate about their sport. There are literally hundreds of people who actively participate at all different levels, and we should not forget that they do participate. It comes back to what other members – even members on the other side of the House - said about sport and healthy lifestyles going together; hence the synergies that the minister spoke about before.
I commend this government for its commitment to the construction of the Palmerston Recreational Centre. Part of my electorate is in Marlow Lagoon in Palmerston. I am watching with keenness and interest as that development process is starting to take shape. It is really a cooperative effort between this government, which is very committed, the council and the people of Palmerston. They are very lucky to have this facility going ahead. It will be the centre of the township there, and will really give a focus to Palmerston. I am sure my residents in Marlow Lagoon will be very pleased when it comes together. It just is a part of the whole community stuff, the sport stuff all coming together quite nicely.
There are a number of other things that I want to talk about, and foremost amongst those is the visit of the Sport and Recreation Minister to Freds Pass Reserve last Thursday to meet the management board. I was there and we were welcomed. The board took us on an extended tour of the facilities and we were all pretty impressed with it. I know that I and the minister were. It just shows what the rural community can do.
There are a number of groups there. In fact, there are 30 different user groups at the Freds Pass Reserve. The obvious ones are football, Rugby, cricket and polo, but there are a number of minor sports and general social and sporting activities that go on there. Again, there is that synergy between sport, family and the community in general.
Minister Vatskalis, when he was in a previous portfolio, gifted a container shed from the wharf and a facility grant of $50 000 a year for three years to get 200 undercover venues up and running. That facility, the old shed from the wharf, is pretty well complete. Part of it is complete as the new under cover equestrian centre. The minister and I saw that and it is really good. It has had a lot of work on it. They have sandblasted it, and they are just in the final stages of preparing it. It will be a great facility for the equestrian community. The other part of the shed is going up near the soccer ovals and it will be an indoor stadium. It has to be raised to a minimum of 8.3 m to accommodate international standard competition, but I am sure they will do that in due course.
The development of a new soccer oval is another great initiative we have participated in, with a grant of $180 000 paid to the management board with the Junior Soccer grants in 2004. The government money has assisted in moving a long way towards seeing those fields and facilities move towards completion. There is still a long way to go and still a lot of work to do. Nevertheless, the rural people get in there, pitch in, and we all appreciate the work. Members, I urge you to go out and have a look at the facilities. They are fine facilities. In fact, some of the people commented they could easily accommodate some of the sporting events that occur during the Arafura Games; it will be a broadening of the whole aspect of the games if the rural people got involved. I can see a whole raft of sporting areas that could be facilitated at Freds Pass reserve.
To conclude, I want to talk about the rural bus services. As they are running on weekends and public holidays they will definitely assist in the travel to and from Freds Pass and Palmerston for the sporting fraternity and, particularly, our youth. That is going to open up that area for sport coming together in the Freds Pass and Palmerston area, which is the hub for many of the rural sports.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend the minister for her statement. I welcome it and look forward to seeing how it is going to develop in the rural area.
Ms LAWRIE (Sport and Recreation): Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank all members who contributed to today’s sport and recreation statement debate. It is great to see how sport and recreation has a thread of passion running right through this Assembly. Every member who spoke today contributed with great passion about their acknowledgement of the importance of sports and recreation in our lives, enabling us all to live far healthier lives in our psychological, physical and social outlooks on life. It is very heartening to hear about the range of activities, sports and recreation events, and the people who are getting in there and supporting them right across the electorates in the Territory. There seems to be enormous amount of support right across our great Territory for what I like to think is the lifeblood of the Territory - sport and recreation.
The member for Blain talked about the importance of our grassroots initiatives, which we paid particular attention to in my ministerial statement. I am pleased to see that he is supportive of our Sportsbiz initiative, which was established to support sporting organisations. I am delighted he has agreed with the government, that we have to get the balance right between the grassroots and the major events. The statement tried to illustrate that we are doing everything that we can to get this balance right. We heard members speaking about the importance of people being able to see the major events, get the inspiration from their heroes and role models, but also ensure that the grassroots support is there to ensure greater participation in their favourite sport and activity.
The member for Blain, as the shadow spokesperson, quite appropriately asked about the cost of the major events. I can let him know that next year is the third year of our current three-year agreement with the AFL in bringing the Bulldogs’ home and away game to the Territory. The agreement costs about $250 000 and involves pre-season games in both Darwin and Alice Springs, the biennial Aboriginal All Stars game, and that important AFL home and away game. The AFL Bulldogs and the government are in agreement that the current agreement should be extended to 2007 and beyond. As you would be aware, we hope to extend it to two Bulldogs’ games, and we will be working with the AFL and the Bulldogs towards this for 2007 and beyond.
The basketball agreement with Perth Wildcats is worth $50 000. Netball cost us $56 000, and the new Rugby League agreement is worth $73 000 for games in Darwin and Alice Springs. Apart from the costs in providing the infrastructure and the important upgrade of the Marrara Oval, international cricket is free. These events almost always sell out and they are worth the money, in the pure entertainment for Territorians, to encourage people to participate and be involved in their sport and, importantly, to see their heroes in action and be inspired.
Encouraging involvement in sport is important for the reasons that I have stated in the statement, including helping in the fight against obesity that the member for Blain talked about. Certainly, inactivity and obesity are obviously linked and compound each other. Put simply, obesity contributes to inactivity and, in turn, inactivity contributes to obesity. Although there might be arguments about how to quantify the cost, physical inactivity is clearly a direct burden to the health system. In their contributions today, we have heard many speakers talk about this link and how, ultimately, it costs the taxpayers. Investment in sporting and recreational facilities and activities is an investment in good health outcomes and, hence, savings to the health system. Conversely, reductions in expenditure on sport and recreation activities would arguably increase expenditure in our health system. It should be accepted that the education and health functions of government also contribute to sport and recreation activities in our community. Thus, a sports policy must have in mind the health benefits it can bring to our community.
The member for Blain asked about arrangements at Marrara. The AFLNT has a lease at Marrara Oval until 2010, and we are already talking with the AFLNT about a longer lease. Under the lease arrangement, there is recognition that Marrara is our premier venue and it can be used for other crowd-drawing events such as the international cricket and the Crusty Demons this weekend. Marrara will always be the home of football but, importantly, it will also be a multipurpose event facility; for example, it hosts the Arafura Games.
We also talked about our school programs. The Australian Sports Commission has established an active after school communities program. My department is supporting the implementation of this program. To date, 70 schools and after school care centres have expressed interest in commencing the program this year. It is an excellent program and we are very happy to support it.
I thank the Minister for Multicultural Affairs for his contribution. He certainly showed a great knowledge of the genesis of the Grecian competition that we all now know as the Olympics. He focused, quite appropriately, on the link between healthy minds and healthy bodies, both the psychological and sociological benefits of sports and recreation. He talked about the importance of developing pathways and skills, such as in areas of coaching, to ensure that there is opportunity for Territorians to play their sport at all levels while remaining residents of the Territory and enjoying the benefits of our fantastic lifestyle. I am pleased that the minister has said he is happy to support us in our work in developing the sport and recreation policy. I know that, as an avid soccer fan, he has certainly been on my case to make sure that the oval at Marrara that we are building for soccer is absolutely pristine.
I acknowledge the member for Katherine’s contribution. She talked passionately about footy in Katherine and, like most towns and communities, football there is thriving. I share the sentiments of the member for Katherine about the fine work that Fred Murphy does with the young children in the Katherine region. It was my pleasure to know Fred when he worked as an Indigenous Liaison Officer at the school my children attend. He is a man who will volunteer every moment of his time, quite selflessly, to assist young children to develop and grow. The way he does it touches their hearts, gets them involved, and gets competitions up and running. He is an absolute stand-out Territorian. I thank the member for Katherine for raising his contribution to the people of Katherine in her comments in the Chamber tonight.
I just want to caution the member for Katherine. I have had past experience of having worked at Adelaide’s The Advertiser. I can assure you, do not believe everything you read in the paper in the negative comments that you said The Advertiser ran. If there were negative comments, it was just probably Adelaide being a little jealous about Darwin. I might add, really putting paid to this myth that The Advertiser wanted to run how we were not terrific. It is contrary to every comment I have heard. I have met with AFL officials from right around the country. I have met with people from other codes as well, who have come up and participated in national events here, who have brought top level national teams up here. They all sing the praises of Darwin as a host. We are known for our friendliness, our professionalism and our excellent sporting facilities.
Really, the Darwin Doggies playing Richmond in Darwin in pre-season comp, and Port in the main season speak volumes about the fact that we really are seen as a very attractive place to be playing AFL at the elite level. Both of the clubs have a long association with the Northern Territory, and both the clubs currently have at last three Territory players on their list and it will be great to have them here. We have Joel Bowden, Patrick Bowden and Richard Tambling playing for the Tigers, and Port have Shaun and Peter Burgoyne and, of course, Daniel Motlop just got his dream of going over and being based with Port. Good on you, Daniel!
I thank the member for Drysdale for his contribution. He has an incredibly important and vital role to play in the development of sport and pathways in the Northern Territory in his position as the chair of our new Sport and Youth Committee. I have had a series of meetings with him in his capacity as the chair of that committee, and have enormous confidence in the vision, skill and capacity he has to identify where we can improve to encourage participation of youth in sport. It will be a very exciting body of work that that committee undertakes. There are enormous opportunities there and I look forward to seeing the recommendations that they bring forward after their investigations and inquiries.
The member for Drysdale talked eloquently about the role of football. A former champion with Port Adelaide himself, we know he came to us after several years as CEO of the AFLNT, and he has an incredible in-depth knowledge of football throughout the Territory. It is clear from his contribution today, and from discussions I have had with him, that his knowledge and interest in sport goes well beyond football. He will be an asset to our team, and I look forward to seeing the work which he brings forward.
I thank the member for Port Darwin for her contribution. It was very supportive of our role in bringing forward international and national events. I know her son, Luca, is an enormous fan of the Crusty Demons and I hope he really enjoys himself on Saturday night. I had the opportunity the to meet with one of the Crusty Demons at Marlows Lagoon to promote the fantastic event coming to the Territory, as the member for Goyder mentioned. That is where the Top End Motocross is residing. I had the opportunity to get on a bike with Robbie Maddison from the Crusty Demons. Young Luca picked it up – he is right - I was not frightened as I confess to having spent a good Territory childhood. From age seven I was on dirt bikes riding through the bush and enjoying myself riding motorbikes. Perhaps the kid in me is getting some delight from being able to see some of the best riders in the world do their tricks on Saturday night. The opportunity to have a motocross event of that degree in the Territory, which taps into the need of bringing heroes to the 15 to 25-year-olds, was an opportunity too good to miss out on. I thank my Cabinet colleagues for their support in presenting this great event.
I want to state here – I have stated it several times on radio and in the newspaper – that we would not be putting the Crusty Demons on the Marrara Oval if there was a possibility of damage. We had the curator of the oval who is also curator of the MCG, Tony Ware, to look in fine detail at the proposal of bringing the Crusty Demons to Marrara. He gave us an assurance that the surface would be fine; otherwise I would not have let the Crusty Demons use Marrara. It is going to be a financial boon for AFLNT; they get the portage rights at Marrara. Whilst they are very busy working in preparation for the event, they will certainly get a financial windfall out of it.
I also thank the member for Port Darwin for the ongoing and enormous support she provides to Dragons Abreast, and the great work they do in dragon boat racing. She was quite right about the opportunity in sport and recreation where it can bring joy and fun, and remove fear and isolation. Whilst I pick up on the importance of the health links which were raised by all members in their contributions, the member of Port Darwin tapped into the heart of what we sometimes miss about sport and recreation - just the sheer enjoyment and fun it can bring in to people’s lives.
I thank the member for Port Darwin for her acknowledgement of the great work being done by Total Recreation to ensure the participation in sport and recreation of people with a disability. I have had a good opportunity to meet with people at Total Recreation and talk about their current programs and future directions, and give them advice on identifying various grant opportunities coming up within the Office of Sport and Recreation which they can tap into. They are a great team out there. They put in a lot of effort with a whole range of age groups of people with disabilities. They do a fantastic job. I thank the member for Port Darwin for her contribution and the important highlights which she made.
I thank the member for Brennan for his enormous support for the construction of the Palmerston Recreation Centre. As he said, it is a project in collaboration with the Palmerston City Council. It is great to hear they are going to have a sprung floor and I look forward to seeing the member for Brennan test his ability to ballroom dance on that floor. Maybe the member for Blain might get out there and tread the boards as well. We could probably have a parliamentary ballroom dance-off; do the tango together. It is great to see a multifunction facility being created in the heart of Palmerston. I know it will bring enormous benefits to the Palmerston community. I am delighted to be carrying on the fine work of the previous Minister for Sport and Recreation in delivering the promise of the Palmerston Recreation Centre to the people of Palmerston.
I picked up on a point the member for Brennan made about fishing; whether it is a sport or a pastime. I can say it is a great recreation. I often remind people that I am not just the Minister for Sport, but I am the Minister for Sport and Recreation. Recreation gives us a great deal of latitude to embrace pretty well any pastime which people get a great deal of enjoyment out of.
I acknowledge the support that the member for Brennan has for the Palmerston Magpies. Both he and I have benefited from ongoing discussions the member for Drysdale has had with the Palmerston Magpies, supporting and encouraging their growth and involvement in Palmerston. They are making the most of that fantastic Charles Darwin University facility the government has funded to the tune of $2m. It is another great commitment to the people of Palmerston.
I just want to make the point in response to the appropriate concerns that the member for Blain raised regarding the escalation of costs and at what point you provide capital funding. We actually provided the funding much earlier than member for Blain acknowledges. It was discussions between the university and the Magpies that held up that construction. We provided that grant some years ago.
Everyone picked up in their speeches that sport and recreation is a real social leveller. That was articulated extremely well by the member for Brennan; it is about friendships, bringing cultures together and creating understanding between people. The Arafura Games, as the member for Brennan identified, does this fantastically in the celebration of culture. I thank the member for Brennan for raising the great work in motocross done by young Jamie Blewitt. I wish him all the best in the KTM Cup. Maybe he will become a Crusty Demon.
Dragon boat racing is important for the region and it is great we have dragon boat racers who compete in Shanghai and Singapore. Really, they will go anywhere; those dragon boat racers are absolute fanatics. They are incredibly fit and it is great to see it crosses genders and all ages. While living in Hong Kong I lived next door to a man who made dragon boats; it is quite a skill. The member for Brennan was spot on when he said it is fanaticism right throughout the region. This dragon boat builder was held in high esteem because he was reputedly the best dragon boat builder in Hong Kong at the time. The village told me that so I chose to believe them.
I thank the member for Goyder for his contribution to the debate tonight as well. He is quite correct in identifying that the development of a sport and recreation policy will create the all important links that we need to identify grassroots and major events and facilities. It gives organisations and sporting codes right across the Territory an opportunity to provide input into government through a consultative process about what their ambitions and dreams are, and what support they are looking for into the future. I am delighted to be able to initiate that direction in creation of policy, and seek the support of all members and their input into that because it is a good opportunity for all of us to look at how we can enhance sport and recreation across the Territory.
The visit last Thursday with the member for Goyder to Freds Pass Reserve was absolutely fantastic. There is a team of rural residents there who have just given blood, sweat and tears over the years to create a beautiful and magnificent reserve with a whole range of sporting opportunities. They have built the facilities from their own toil and labour with financial support from government, and the extent of those facilities far expands the amount of financial support they have ever received. I take my hat off to the rural community. Freds Pass Reserve is magnificent. Even with the Dry that we have been through it is an absolute treat.
They are very excited about seeing the development of the extra facilities. As the member for Goyder said, the equestrian facility is up; all they need now is to put the roof on and lay the sand and they have a fantastic equestrian facility; thanks to the wisdom of my colleague, the minister for Primary Industries, who made sure that the old sheds were shifted from the waterfront to there. It will be a fantastic indoor facility once they complete that facility out of one of the old warehouse sheds from the waterfront. You can see the soccer field taking shape. It is a fantastic reserve and they are a good body of people.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I conclude by thanking everyone for their contributions. Sport and recreation is the lifeblood of the Territory. I have inherited a very healthy functioning department from the previous minister. I acknowledge all the work done by the Department of Sport and Recreation which has a committed team of officers. I look forward to future statements in the House to update members on the advancements we are making in sport and recreation across the Territory.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Twenty secondary-age students from Yirrkala Homeland School recently attended an outdoor education centre in North Queensland as a reward for their regular school attendance. Students from Garrthalala, Biranybirany, Rorruwuy, Dhalinybuy, Gangan, Dhuruputjpi and Yilpara attend school in their home communities. This trip was an invaluable opportunity to immerse them in an English-speaking, non-threatening environment. The students were able to participate in activities usually out of their reach because they are resident in such remote communities. Horse riding, movies, shopping and engaging in different games and sports encouraged students to enhance their skills in spoken language through real life situations. Congratulations to Yirrkala Homeland School for their initiative in encouraging these young people to not only continue with their secondary education in homelands, but to broaden their knowledge and language skills in a rewarding and exciting way.
Long-term employment opportunities for Yolngu people will improve with the opening of YNOTS operation centre in Nhulunbuy. YNOTS is a unique indigenous training program, successfully improving employment opportunities for the people of north-east Arnhem Land. This is a result of meetings held with the Northern Territory government, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and other training bodies, to provide a solid way forward for indigenous employment. I am impressed with the direction YNOTS is taking, with a strong focus and drive for indigenous people. I am confident that YNOTS will go from strength to strength and encourage other indigenous youth to take up the challenge of full-time employment and training. Congratulations to Klaus Helms, representing Alcan, and Craig Bonney and his supervisors at YNOTS, for their commitment to YNOTS in ensuring job opportunities for indigenous people in a comfortable environment that gives consideration to their cultural commitments.
Congratulations to Nhulunbuy High School student Zoe Wild, a 16-year-old currently in Year 11, for winning the VET in Schools Award given by the Department of Employment, Education and Training for a Work in Business Certificate I; and runner-up in Business Administration in WorldSkills held in Darwin. Zoe is also a recipient of the principal’s and Duke of Edinburgh awards, and will fly to Perth in November to compete in the Australian Training Awards finals, and to Melbourne next year for the WorldSkills finals. My best wishes to Zoe as she travels interstate for these awards. I wish her well; she will be a great representative for the Northern Territory.
I was pleased to officially open the $1m upgrade of the Arnhem Club two weeks ago. I commend both current and past committees who had the vision for the extension and got the ball rolling. Congratulations to manager, Mr Richard De Waal, who was appointed to the position way back in 1989, for his efforts and his integrity over the past 16 years in developing the club to a great standard of entertainment for Nhulunbuy. Richard actually started work with the Arnhem Club as an 18-year-old. He has done very well for the club and fully deserves the congratulations for bringing the club to this great condition and for the great service that it provides.
Nhulunbuy residents will have better access to information about Alcan’s G3 expansion with the opening of the Alcan Gove Development Centre in the town square. This has been a commitment from Alcan to increase public awareness and access to information about the G3 project. Community members can find out information about aspects of the expansion, employment opportunities, the work force, the accommodation village, and the philosophy of the project. I congratulate Alcan for the initiative in assisting the people of Nhulunbuy to have their concerns addressed, and to promote a better understanding of the G3 process.
Residents of Nhulunbuy were saddened by the death of Russell Butel last week, a victim of a crocodile attack at Cobourg Peninsula. An opportunity in the late 1980s to install fire protection at Nabalco brought Russell to the Top End. He absolutely fell in love with the tropical waters. He and his partner, Lorraine, moved from Townsville to open a dive shop from which Russell taught several hundred residents, contractors and visitors to scuba dive. He always enjoyed the water and sailing. He learnt to scuba dive later in life and, with his new passion, continued with his scuba diving activities. Russell was in his element with a boat full of divers, and he would boisterously sing tunes to entertain them. Russell and Lorraine expanded their business to include fishing charters, wilderness safaris and aquarium fish collections. He was well known and respected throughout north-east Arnhem Land by many Aboriginal communities, and established very special friendships with many across a wide range of coastal communities.
I had the privilege and pleasure of accompanying Russell on quite a number of charter fishing trips, and he was an absolute joy to travel with. He was totally professional. His love of the sea, the water, boating, fishing - anything to do with the water - always shone through. He was extremely competent in every aspect of boating and chartering. In 2004, Russell and Lorraine sold their charter business and relocated to Darwin to continue with their aquarium business.
After meeting Russell, very few people ever forgot him, whether for his intensity to forge the boundaries for change, his outspoken manner, or his mischievous behaviour in stirring the pot. He certainly knew the risks of the waters and he was never foolhardy where safety concerns for himself or his crew were ever concerned. Russell will be sadly missed - hugely missed - by his loving family, his many dive buddies, his many friends and associates who were at the funeral service last week - and it was a wide range of people. My thoughts and prayers and, indeed, the thoughts of many of the residents of Nhulunbuy, are with Lorraine, and Russell and Lorraine’s families, at this time.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I place on record tonight my appreciation for our Clerk, Mr Ian McNeill, who recently received the Order of Australia Public Service Medal. I believe all of us will join in saying that it is a very well deserved medal for our Clerk, who tends to be a very shy person but, in fact, is a very highly skilled person and has a great deal of knowledge about parliamentary procedures which surpasses many people - certainly many members of this parliament. It was a great pleasure for me to see the Clerk receive recognition for his service to the Northern Territory Public Service but, in particular for his service to the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory. He has been providing a long and valuable service to the Legislative Assembly over a period of 20 years.
Ian came to the Northern Territory in 1985, having served in the Australian Senate between 1966 and 1985. In 1985, when he arrived in the Northern Territory, the Assembly was housed, as you may recall, in the old Chan Building and, as Deputy Clerk, he was instrumental in providing advice on the requirements of the new Parliament House, Darwin, which was opened in 1994. His experience and knowledge was invaluable to the design, operation and layout of the building and ensuring its effective operation.
Ian McNeill has an enviable reputation amongst his peers. It is significant that whenever I travel to Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conferences, Clerks and officers refer to the knowledge and expertise in parliamentary procedures that he has, and I come away feeling that we are very fortunate in the Northern Territory to have an officer of such a high calibre. In fact, at the last Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Mr Ian McNeill, our Clerk, and Peter Shoyer, our Information Commissioner, ran a workshop on Freedom of Information for countries of the Pacific. It was extremely well received and they did a great job.
As well as that, Mr McNeill presented a paper to the Small Countries Conference. You may recall, in 2001, we held the Small Countries Conference in Darwin. It was a great success because we introduced a different format, and Mr McNeill was instrumental in that. At this particular CPA Small Countries Conference he put forward a discussion paper because much of the interaction had been lost over the years with the conference and the Small Countries were keen to look at a new format again. On two occasions the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association met in Fiji recently, our Clerk was asked to facilitate a conference on Freedom of Information, and he was also invited to speak on the format for the fourth Small Countries Conference. That is an acknowledgement and a recognition of the esteem in which he is held.
I have to admit as Speaker for two Assemblies I have had much confidence in asking the Clerk to assist me or clarify for me any dispute or question that may arise, both parliamentary and by members who have come to the Speaker’s Office seeking clarification of certain issues. He has always given sound, logical advice based on parliamentary procedure.
Throughout his service as the Deputy Clerk, and as Clerk from 1993, his advice and guidance to this Assembly and various parliamentary committees has been exemplary, politically unbiased, and has ensured that the Assembly has operated at the highest level of the Westminster system of government. That is a very important point that we should note. It is a fact that he has worked with a number of governments in Darwin but he is still able to give unbiased advice to whichever government is in power. He has treated all members in parliament, regardless of their political alliance, with professionalism and confidentiality and has won respect from all in doing so.
In the course of his duties, he has made significant impact in the recording and acknowledgement of the Northern Territory Assembly, which may have otherwise been neglected. This includes the establishment of the Oral History project, the erection of historical markers in the parliamentary precinct, and the recognition that the site of this Assembly was originally the site of the post office which was bombed in February 1942.
His contribution to the development of the Northern Territory Assembly and its committees has been most notable, in particular, his work on constitutional reform and parliamentary procedures where he has been the driving force in supporting reform of successive governments. You only have to look at the history of our standing orders to see his input in reviewing and meeting challenges of each incoming government. Overall, his untiring efforts and devotion to the Legislative Assembly has been pivotal in the development and implementation of self-government in the Northern Territory.
Ian McNeill is a strength for this parliament. I cannot think of another Clerk - and I have met most of them around Australia - who has had such an impact on his peers and colleagues throughout the Commonwealth. It is a credit to Ian McNeill that he has remained with the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly and guided it through its very early period, and as it moved into this rather grand building here, which we now really enjoy. You only have to walk through the corridors of this building to understand the respect the staff have for him; the fact that he is the Clerk, but he is able to liaise closely and form close relationships with his staff, and is also able to guide them. As well as that, we only have to see his performance when we look at the Estimates Committee and the way he is able to answer with a degree of professionalism. It is that professional career that he established for this Northern Territory parliament which must be commended.
As well as that, he has also been a strong supporter and worker for charity for many organisations including Diabetes Australia. This connection was established by the formation of the Bernborough Club of the Northern Territory in 1993, by charter of the parent club in Queensland. As a foundation member, Mr McNeill has been worked hard in the fundraising activities over the years, and held the position of secretary until 1997, and vice-president since 1998. We all know his love of and involvement in horse racing, particularly around the Darwin Cup. Might I add, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, he has not really given me a good tip yet; I am still waiting for that.
Overall, he has made a significant contribution to the effective management of the running of the Legislative Assembly for almost 20 years - or is 20 years up now? He enjoys a reputation of high esteem in the parliamentary community. He has forged effective relationships with notable community organisations on a personal level, and is valued for his input. He is a member of the Commonwealth Society of Clerks at the Table, the Australasian Study of Parliament Group, the Australian Political Studies Association, and is the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Secretary in the Northern Territory.
As we all know, he has a keen interest in AFL, being a former Essendon player. He also has a great interest in the Lord Taverners’ function that is held here each year.
Ian McNeill is married and his wife, Kit, whom we know well, is a great support to him. He has two sons and a daughter, and now has a granddaughter. He certainly has made the Northern Territory his home.
His contribution as the Clerk of this Assembly has been recognised by the awarding of the Public Service Medal. I was pleased to attend his investiture. I seek leave to table this record of the investiture.
Leave granted.
Mrs BRAHAM: Thank you. I congratulate Mr McNeill on his award and look forward to working with him in his capacity as Clerk of the Assembly. I am sure all members will join with me in wishing him well.
Ms MARTIN (Fannie Bay): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I was delighted to meet with many people involved in business whilst I was in Alice Springs last week for Community Cabinet. While I was there, I took the opportunity to visit the community of Titjikala, approximately 120 km south of Alice Springs. Titjikala is a relatively small community of about 300 people. However they have big plans, big aspirations, and are leading by example. I take this opportunity to thank the community’s President, Phillip Wilyuka, Johnny Briscoe and the CEO of Titjikala, Harry Scott for their hospitality on the day.
Titjikala is a great example of a progressive, forward thinking community. They have a thriving arts centre which has enabled the artists of the community to diversify their interests and their market from beautiful canvas paintings to bush toys, pottery, silk screening and, most recently, to the manufacture of jewellery, tjanpi or woven grass animals. The impressive range of artefacts on offer at the art centre is testament to the creativity and talent of the artists of Titjikala.
Recently, the community opened a new Early Childhood Centre, and what an impressive building that is. It was designed by Tangentyere Design in Alice Springs, and constructed by Alice Springs based building company, Pederson’s Pty Ltd, with significant contributions from the community building crew. This is just one of a number of significant jobs that the community building crew has been involved with. The community’s Adult Education Knowledge Centre was constructed by the building crew, and they are currently in the process of building and fitting out a new CDEP store shed - yet another example of a community moving ahead.
It was great to see the children enjoying themselves in the Early Childhood Centre and learning as they went. The community leaders and parents recognise how important it is for their children to get the best start in life and, to this end, the Early Childhood Centre is an integral part of Titjikala’s long-term future. It was also particularly encouraging to see employment opportunities being opened up to women from the community in child care, with assistance from a mentor provided through Indigenous Community Volunteers.
The people of Titjikala have recognised the importance of education and opportunities for lifelong learning. They have invested a great deal of time and effort in developing a cradle to grave education strategy, emphasising the importance of both the western style of mainstream education and training, and the benefits of intergenerational learning.
The community has continued to explore creative employment opportunities. In addition to more contemporary employment, it has its own stonemason team which manufactures headstones for the cemetery, and the community is developing a small citrus orchard for community consumption. Titjikala currently has 64 local people on the payroll and 90 more employed through CDEP.
Titjikala’s most ambitious and exciting enterprise, however, is their joint venture with Gunya Tourism. Gunya Titjikala is an exclusive tourism experience providing visitors with an opportunity to absorb themselves in the culture of Arrernte, Luritja and Pitjantjatjara people living in a remote desert community. The accommodation provided consists of three deluxe safari tents raised above the sandy red dunes overlooking table top mountains and desert country. The luxuriously appointed tents come complete with private ensuites. A fly-proof dining room tent makes the comfort experience complete. Plans are afoot to increase the number of tents to five, and to further develop the area to heighten the visitor experience. A stay at Gunya Titjikala includes gourmet meals prepared by the resident bush tucker chef. Meals consist of western style dishes fused with the local bush tucker, including kangaroo, emu, witchetty grubs, wild fruits and berries.
It was fascinating being there with the local member, Alison Anderson, the member for Macdonnell. As we were driving back and talking about the Gunya tourism experience and the fact that kangaroo and emu were on the menu that night, the member for Macdonnell was telling me how you cooked emu. I have not tried emu. She was saying that you take all the feathers off, and you actually put the feathers inside the emu’s belly. When you cook it, it provides a really special flavour. It sounded great and, as we drove back from Alice Springs, I was a little envious of those tourists who were going to have special emu that evening.
The Gunya tourist visitors can choose to go bush with the local traditional owners on exclusive day tours to areas such as Chambers Pillar to search for bush tucker and to learn how people survive in the desert. Since opening its doors for business in February this year, Gunya Titjikala has been overwhelmed by interest in their product and visitor numbers. Just in the next three weeks, they have 12 bookings alone. It is a fine example of how tourism can offer real opportunities to Aboriginal communities to benefit from the industry and provide people with a genuine chance to participate in the labour market.
Titjikala community demonstrates that Aboriginal aspiration is alive and well; that the desire to actively engage in economic development is strong. The willingness of Aboriginal people to pursue enterprise joint venture opportunities is without question. The people of Titjikala have worked hard to develop a plan for themselves and for future generations. They have worked even harder to ensure that the plan is systematically implemented.
I am very proud that our government stands beside the people of Titjikala in assisting them to achieve their aims. We will continue to do everything we can to support them, as well as other enterprising communities just like this community south of Alice Springs. Titjikala seems to have had a rash of ministers visiting recently. The Police minister visited the week before I was there and I believe the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport was there a few weeks before that. I virtually had to promise Titjikala that was the end of ministers for a while; they will be seeing their local member.
The electorate of Fannie Bay encompasses a number of important historical sites, one of which I want to talk about tonight. The East Point Military Museum on Alec Fong Lim Drive was founded in the mid-1960s by Jack Haydon and members of the NT Branch of the Royal Australian Artillery Association. The museum holds a collection of wartime photos and memorabilia, weapons and equipment housed in the original concrete structure used by the Australian Army to plan strategy for the defence of the Top End. The exhibit includes a video about the World War II bombing of Darwin.
The curator, Chris Benton and his wife, Felicity, are largely responsible for the success of the museum and for its continued enhancement over the years. The manager is Fay Karamanakis and Spiros Karamanakis is the caretaker. Fay is writing a book called A Tribute to the Silent Heroes about the many men and women who defended Australia in World War II, and she is seeking contributions of stories and photos for her book.
Today, the museum is a popular attraction with visitors from interstate and overseas, including former soldiers and prisoners of war, some of whom recognise themselves or their friends or families in the photo exhibit. The museum has also received visits from Japanese school students and the Ambassador of Japan. One entry in the Visitors’ Book described the museum as ‘one of the best military museums that I have ever seen’. The East Point Museum is one of those places that make my electorate special. I certainly congratulate the quiet achievers who are involved with it.
Also on electorate business, there are some terrific businesswomen running small businesses in Parap Village. I want to talk about just a few of them tonight.
The Yoghurt Bar is a new business that opened in early July and is owned and run by Deanna Tonks and Sheree Scully. It is the only yoghurt bar in the Territory. Deanna also owns the Silver Grevillea Florist at the Darwin Private Hospital. The Yoghurt Bar - and I would certainly recommend all to try it - serves all natural Greek-style yoghurt with fruit added, as well as smoothies, fresh muffins, nuts, chocolate, sweets and cookies. Of course, the last ones I mentioned are not as healthy as the yoghurt but certainly delicious. Business is going well, particularly on Saturday mornings during the Parap Markets. Many customers have become regulars. My electorate officer is one of those who is certainly addicted. I have been told that mixed berries is the most popular flavour.
Another business which opened only in June this year is called Chocolate Orange. It sells beautiful home wares, jewellery, body care products and artworks sourced from interstate. It is owned by Kathy Katras and managed by Kerry McPhee. Both women are Territorians. Kathy manages a dental practice in Palmerston and Kerry has experience in retail, as well as in our public sector, including with the Museum and Art Gallery. Business for the Chocolate Orange is going well. Kathy and Kerry find the location at Parap Village is working well for them, and say it is preferable to being in a large shopping centre. They are also supportive of the street closure during the markets because it means the venue is much safer and better for customers and, therefore, good for business.
Marianne Eichenberg is the very talented jeweller who owns and manages Foxfire Designs. Born and trained in Germany, Marianne came to Australia and the Northern Territory in 1978. She has taught jewellery-making workshops since 1982 at Darwin Community College, and also at Territory Craft. She is currently considering teaching casting classes next year. After having a shop in Palmerston for seven years, Marianne moved to Parap Village five years ago. She also sells her work through the Territory Craft Gallery, the Territory Craft shop here at Parliament House, and at Mindil Beach Markets.
I am very proud of the wonderful range of interesting businesses we have at Parap Village, and they are just some of the newish and longer-term businesses that are run by very innovative and enterprising women in business.
Finally, I am pleased, as member for Fannie Bay, to report that students at Parap Primary School moved into their new classrooms this week. Parap is the oldest operating school in Darwin, since 1958, but with significant commitment from government, the school has been redeveloped. There were some very excited students and teachers this week, as four T/1 classes moved into four new classrooms. The classrooms form two double rooms that can be separated or opened up for team teaching.
For our teachers, the new facilities include a separate teacher resource area with desks, storage space and computers. Each classroom has its own wet area and chilled fountains. There are also 10 ports in each classroom for data, phone or television, up from the previous two per room.
Teachers and students worked hard at the end of last term to pack up and move everything from the old classrooms to the new ones. Teachers also worked during their recent holidays to ensure the rooms were ready for the start of term.
I would like to acknowledge the efforts of those T/1 teachers, Lisa Paddison, Melinda Everitt, Niki Giallouris and Stephen Hughes, and the Project Control Group at Parap that have overseen the building works. I also mention Principal, Mick Myers, Associate Principal, Barry Kepert, Project Manager, Bruce Baldey, School Council representatives, David Moody and Tania Lawrie, Nick Mitaros, parent representatives, and staff at the Education department supporting the project.
Congratulations also to local contractor, Sunbuild, for their work on the redevelopment. The company has been working closely with the school to ensure disruptions are minimised and the school is kept safe for students and all school users. A further six classrooms will be ready by the start of school next year, and will complete the development of the Early Childhood Learning area.
These 10 new classrooms form part of the second stage of the Parap School redevelopment, a nearly $4m project which also includes upgrading existing classrooms, the assembly area, the canteen and stage areas and landscaping.
The first stage of the redevelopment which helped to reshape the school was completed last year with a new administration block, new and modern library and a new school entrance on Urquhart Street – that was a $2.25m project.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, we are certainly committed to enhancing student outcomes and providing a better learning environment for our students. We want to ensure our young people are given every opportunity and the best start in life, and the redevelopment of an old school that was certainly in need of it helps that happen.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
CONDOLENCE MOTION
Mr Roderick Carson Oliver
Mr Roderick Carson Oliver
Madam SPEAKER: It is with deep regret that I advise honourable members of the death on 24 September 2005 of Mr Roderick Carson Oliver, a member of the Legislative Assembly from August 1977 until June 1980.
Honourable members, on completion of debate on the condolence motion, I will ask members to stand in silence for a minute as a mark of respect.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move - That this Assembly express its deep regret at the death of Roderick Carson Oliver, an elected member of the Legislative Assembly from 1977 until 1980; place on the record its appreciation of his service to the people of the Northern Territory; and tender its profound sympathy to his family.
Rod Oliver died on Thursday, 24 September, 2005. He represented the electorate of Alice Springs for the Country Liberal Party between 1977 and 1979 before sitting out the last 10 months of his term as an Independent.
Like so many of us, Rod did not always live in the Territory. He was born in Victoria and just before taking up the position of pastoral inspector for the Department of Lands, a position he held for 15 years, he was sheep grazing in New South Wales. After his term in the Legislative Assembly he worked in the Department of Mines and Energy until his retirement in 1987.
Not content with a quiet retirement, Rod wanted to make a further contribution to his community and was rewarded by becoming an alderman on the Alice Springs Town Council, where he served one term. He was passionate about his home town of Alice Springs and was an active member of the community. He made valuable contributions to a diverse range of organisations, including the Rotary Club, the Kiwanis Club of Alice Springs, various school and college committees, the Council on the Ageing, the Anti-Cancer Foundation, the Central Australian Show Society, and the Road Safety Council.
Much of Rod’s life was dedicated to making a positive difference to the place where he lived, and he will be sorely missed by the Alice Springs community.
Rod Oliver leaves behind two daughters, and our sympathies go to Kerry and Vicky at this difficult time.
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of students from Batchelor Area School, accompanied by Susan Luong-Van, Jan Thompson, David Cunningham and Bill Bean. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend a warm welcome to our visitors.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, the opposition joins with the government in this condolence motion. This long-time Territorian passed away only a short time ago, and it is fit and proper that we, as parliamentarians, rise to remember him in this place as he was a former member of the Territory’s Legislative Assembly. Mind you, this building is not the one that he would have remembered because, like the man Rod Oliver was, the building that used to be the Legislative Assembly that he occupied was a much more humble building.
Rod was from a grazing family background. Born on 8 March 1922 in Melbourne, he grew up in Balranald in western New South Wales. He spent his early years on his father’s property about 200 km north of my home town of Bendigo on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. Even today, a quick check of the Balranald street directory will reveal that Rod was a man with rural Australia in his blood. Balranald is a very small town, but it was home and the place where he was educated. That is just the way Rod Oliver liked it: small with a strong sense of community. That is his legacy to the people of the Northern Territory and, in particular, to the people of Alice Springs.
Like so many men of his time, when his country called, he served. Between the years of 1941 to 1945, he was attached to the Australian Infantry Force, the AIF. I cannot say I know much about his service in the war years, but I can say that it affected him because, over 50 years later, he still treasured that day and was reported to have said about Anzac Day: ‘Things come back that through the years you push aside; all of your defences come down on Anzac Day’. This gentleman - and I mean gentle man in every sense of the word - would have hated war because it stood as an anathema to everything he believed in.
After the war years Rod Oliver joined the Australian Public Service in 1952 and, in the early 1960s, found himself living in the town he would live in for the rest of his live - my home town now of Alice Springs. Once again, he was in a place that suited him: a small, tight knit community in which he could participate and get involved. He worked as a pastoral inspector which took him to places that would have reminded him of his childhood. The pastoral properties around Alice Springs were full of the type of people he was so familiar with.
After some years of this work, the land issues of the Northern Territory became a matter of concern to him, and his later work as a lands clerk in the 1970s convinced him that the Territory had to have land reform and allow for the purchase of freehold title. Indeed, it was one of his planks in the 1977 election campaign, and it was the election that saw him move to the Legislative Assembly.
Not all of us in this place lived in the heady days of the late 1970s in the Northern Territory, but those who did experience those days would remember the other great issue of the day – self-government. It was something that Rod Oliver believed in, and also formed a part of the election campaign that the CLP engaged in at the time. There were real voices of dissent in that campaign. Indeed, the push for self-government cost the then ruling CLP seats, not the least of which was the majority leader’s seat held by Mr Goff Letts. It was that episode that propelled the now famous Paul ‘Porky’ Everingham to become the first Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. Rod was there to see it all come true but, in the fashion of a man who was conservative, he only supported self-government because he was convinced that a self-governing Northern Territory would be a responsible Territory, that it was good for the Territory.
The no-nonsense member for Alice Springs entered parliament and went straight to work. A maiden speech? Certainly not. Rod went straight to work and, in his first speech to the Assembly, talked about itinerants in the Todd and Charles Rivers in Alice Springs. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Rod stayed in the Legislative Assembly for only one term. He was later replaced by Mr Denis Collins in 1980. One would ask whether this stopped his community service. The answer is no, it did not. In 1984, he became Alderman Oliver in Alice Springs and served with distinction until 1996.
Rod was a horseman, a swimmer, and a participant in the life of his community. His service club work included Boy Scouts, Guides, the Alice Springs Pony Club, and Youth Centre. He was a life member of the Show Society and worked with numerous organisations including the Road Transport Hall of Fame, the RSL, Red Cross, and Neighbourhood Watch, just to name a few.
Rod Oliver wanted to see Alice Springs and the Territory grow, and he must have extracted enormous satisfaction at seeing his community prosper in the years between his arrival in the Territory and the time of his death only a few weeks ago.
In his absence, the member for Greatorex has asked me to add his personal condolences to the family, as he knew Rod very well and worked with him in many places over the years. They were both on the Town Planning Authority together and they served on the town council together. I know that the member for Greatorex was close to Rod Oliver, and I extend my condolences to him as well as Rod Oliver’s family.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, I also join with members of the Legislative Assembly in this condolence motion for Rod Oliver. Without wishing to repeat many of the things that have been said about Rod, I do want to put on record many of the thoughts that his family have passed on to me. Might I also tell members that his family are listening to this broadcast in my office in Alice Springs. They send their apologies for not being here but they were keen to listen to what was said.
Rod Carson Oliver was born in Melbourne in 1922 to parents James and Rebecca, and enjoyed the company of four brothers and a sister. I met his sister at his funeral in Alice Springs and it was wonderful that she was able to be there. Despite the death of one of his brothers during the war, he remained close to his siblings right to his old age. His father, a Melbourne tailor, moved on to the land during the depression years and, when Rod was 12, the family relocated to a sheep station in Euston in New South Wales. At the age of 17, the family moved again to Paika, a sheep station near Balranald on the Murrumbidgee River.
Rod joined the Army in 1941, and during the official troop training, experienced Alice Springs for the very first time. Based in Darwin during 1942 to 1943, he served in Papua New Guinea, Lae, Wau, Nadzab, Markham Valley and Bougainville. After the war, he again returned to Alice Springs and in 1948 drove trucks to Darwin and Mt Isa, a time he recalled with great fondness and one which would eventually lead to his permanent return to the Alice.
He went back to the family station at Paika, where he met Eleanor Lewis, a Melbourne hairdresser, who was visiting a cousin at the station next door. Rod and Eleanor became engaged and were married at Brighton in 1951. Three children, Rod, Vicki and Greg, were born in Brighton before Rod and Eleanor moved to Alice Springs in 1962. A fourth child, Carrie, was born in 1966.
His position as a pastoral inspector with the Lands Branch involved many long trips away from home. Travelling alone and often away for weeks, he was captured by the beauty of the Tanami and Simpson Deserts. Rod led a very busy and active life, and made a lasting contribution to Alice Springs and the Northern Territory generally.
He was involved in a huge number of organisations in Alice Springs. I remember in 1987 there was a by-election for the alderman’s position on Alice Springs Town Council. I stood for that by-election but was defeated by Rod Oliver. However, in 1988, I again stood and was happy to join with him on the council. It was there that I became very close to Rod because he was a man of no nonsense. He was willing to make a contribution but he was such a down-to-earth person that you were always happy to listen to his opinion. Rod always liked to have a chat.
He became a member of the Legislative Assembly for the Northern Territory in 1977 but, on 21 August 1979, he sat the remainder of his term as an ‘Independent Liberal’ as he called it. He and I shared the experience and memories of both being disendorsed by the CLP. He came into my office and said that regardless of what happened it was the best time of his life to be an independent in this parliament. I guess many of you will eventually realise that. He said he felt free for the first time, not confined by party politics, and he was able to put forward his contribution. That was a bond Rod and I shared. I just say to members of the Legislative Assembly, it is not bad being an Independent; you can be like Rod Oliver, you can be free from the shackles of a party.
Rod also had involvement in the social life of Alice Springs. He was secretary of the Hartley Street School Committee from 1962 to 1972; president and secretary of the Traeger Park Primary School Council; a committee member of the Alice Springs Pony Club, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Guides, and the Youth Centre; a member and director of the Alice Springs Rotary Club; chairman of the Alice Springs Co-operative Society; a councillor for the Central Australian Show Society and was president for seven years and then made an honorary member; he was a founding member of the Spencer Hill Group; a member of the Alice Springs High School Council; a member of the Community College of Central Australia Advisory Council; president of the Council on the Ageing; president of the Anti-Cancer Foundation of Alice Springs; member of the Gap Neighbourhood Centre committee, and also a member of the Kiwanis Club; past president of the Old Timers Auxiliary; past member of the RSL committee; past coordinator of Neighbourhood Watch, Red Cross, Probus, and the Transport Hall of Fame. It is an incredible list of community involvement. Rod Oliver loved Alice Springs, and he loved the Centre and the people of the Centre.
I spoke this morning to his son, Greg Oliver, and I pass on these remarks from the family. They want to thank the Legislative Assembly for this Motion of Condolence. They know that Rod would be honoured by what we are doing here today. He was a proud Centralian who put his heart and soul into everything he did and always for the right intentions. He loved Central Australia and the week before he passed away, his two sons, Greg and Rod Junior, spent nights with him in the palliative care ward in the Alice Springs Hospital. They set up his bed so it overlooked the MacDonnell Ranges and in the morning they would wake up and see the sun coming over the hills. Rod died peacefully in the place that he loved and with the people that he loved.
Madam Speaker, I too thank the Chief Minister and all the members of the Assembly here. I pass on my sincere sympathy to Rod’s family, to Rod, Greg, Vicki and Carrie, and their partners, and to his eight grandchildren.
Rod Oliver was a special person. Rod would have loved to have still been a member of the Legislative Assembly where he could have contributed in his own style and his own way. I say to Rod’s family that our thoughts are with you. God bless you.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: I thank honourable members for their contributions and tributes. On behalf of officers and members of the parliament, I extend condolences to the family.
Motion agreed to.
Members stood in silence for one minute as a mark of respect.
Madam SPEAKER: I thank honourable members.
MINISTERIAL REPORTS
BIMP-EAGA Ministerial Meeting, Brunei
BIMP-EAGA Ministerial Meeting, Brunei
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, this morning I report on my recent visit to Brunei where I attended the 10th Brunei Indonesia Malaysia Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area, or BIMP-EAGA, ministerial meeting and spoke at the East ASEAN Business Forum.
Last month, I had the pleasure of representing the Territory at the BIMP-EAGA ministerial meeting where we were afforded the unique privilege of co-chairing a special NT/BIMP-EAGA dialogue session. I was very pleased by our acceptance as a development partner to the BIMP-EAGA, which was ratified in Brunei with the signing of a framework of cooperation between the Territory and BIMP-EAGA. I pay tribute to the work that was done to achieve that development partner status by the previous minister, Paul Henderson. I also had the privilege of launching the first phase of the new BIMP-EAGA business portal, also an initiative pushed by the previous minister. It was his great idea, well done. This is now an official project under the BIMP-EAGA working groups and will, when completed, serve to facilitate trade between small and medium enterprises across the BIMP-EAGA region and throughout Australia, using the links of the Chamber of Commerce in the Territory.
While at the ministerial meeting, I also committed to the staging of the Darwin dialogue sessions again, and they will be held in May next year. This dialogue will bring together similar officials and ministers from the BIMP-EAGA with representatives from the private and public sector here in the Territory. We will have the opportunity to discuss areas of mutual interest such as tourism, health, education and the growth in regional trade. This dialogue will also include key Australian government agencies such as AusAID, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and regional agencies including the Asian Development Bank, World Bank and the German agency GTZ. We will deliver outcomes – that is my commitment I gave to BIMP-EAGA from this dialogue – that will add substantial value to the Territory’s ongoing relationship with BIMP-EAGA. Through this relationship we will continue to build on the trading opportunities across a number of sectors for Territory businesses.
When I was in Brunei, I also addressed the East ASEAN Business Summit as keynote speaker for the summit luncheon, and had the opportunity to promote the Territory as a great place to invest in, live, study and do business with. I must say my presentation was well received - when you talk about the Territory, how could it be otherwise – and encouraged quite a few inquiries to my departmental staff travelling with me.
I was also able to engage in a number of key meetings during my visit. These included a meeting with the Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines and his key staff. This meeting was a very positive one and it resulted in a commitment by Royal Brunei to come to Darwin in the very near future to engage in a workshop with government and key private stakeholders. This workshop will explore a greater collaboration with Royal Brunei and will look at expanding the opportunities for regional marketing of such areas as ecotourism and regional holiday packages.
I also met with Timothy Ong, the Chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board. Brunei, as we know, is a major producer of oil and gas and is now moving ahead with substantial investments into downstream. The Brunei government has already approved the construction of a major methanol plant and is planning to approve a fertiliser plant and, potentially, an aluminium smelter. I had the opportunity to discuss these plans with Mr Ong and to learn first-hand about the issues involved in developing downstream production from oil and gas from a Brunei perspective. This is the direction that the Northern Territory is heading and, by having strong relationships with countries such as Brunei, we will be able to leverage off their experience and knowledge to build a strong and competitive industry of our own.
On my return from Brunei, I had the opportunity to visit Singapore. During my brief stopover there, I was given a special presentation by the National Parks Department on the policy and activities in greening Singapore. Everyone who visits Singapore is left with an indelible image of incredibly lush, green, tropical city. However, that is something that did not occur overnight. It has taken the Singapore government, with a very strategic plan, over 40 years to get Singapore looking the way it does. It was great to be able to see what their plan was, how it had emerged over those 40 years, where they had gone wrong, where they had not, and an indication of their future directions. I also had the opportunity to visit their Botanic Gardens and, with the boss of the Botanic Gardens, look at some of the successes they have had there. It really is inspirational.
I continue to be enthusiastic about the relationships we have in the region and continue to build with our neighbours. Through initiatives such as BIMP-EAGA and the growth of the AustralAsia trade route, my government will continue to deliver strong economic growth to the Territory business community.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, the Country Liberal Party supports this approach. We have a strategic advantage, as the Chief Minister and members of Cabinet know, and many in the business sector recognise and have recognised for many years. The Territory has a strategic advantage that must be exploited and used to greater advantage. We have a number of things that are not in our favour – our isolation and small population base – but we do have some unique factors in our favour. Therefore, to have this change of policy from the Labor government, and to have the Chief Minister engaging in high level meetings to open up the diplomatic doors is supported.
I note, though, accompanying this statement is the commitment – that word again - to outcomes. It will be the duty of opposition, on behalf of the Territory community, to ensure that the outcomes are evident and measurable. We will continue to support any engagement of Asia, provided we are able to identify the outcomes, and those outcomes are ultimately achieved by that which passes through our port from local industry. One is the engagement of AusAID. There are huge amounts of money that flow from the AusAID budget into our region, but is not receiving much uptake in the Northern Territory. We want to see that as an increased outcome.
Further to that, to do with the words that government often uses, ‘whole-of-government approach’, we must have increased links into education and revisiting our Indonesian language programs within our schools. That is something that has great currency within our region. Also sporting engagements that we once prided ourselves on in this region - being able to engage in the region in sporting competitions - needs to be elevated, particularly soccer, which provides a great opportunity. I look forward to seeing that broader approach to the region ...
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Blain, your time has expired.
New Schools and Infrastructure Upgrades
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, this morning I update the House on the government’s progress with the building of new schools and other infrastructure upgrades.
Approach to school infrastructure by the previous government can be best described as patchy. As a result, we have much ageing infrastructure in need of substantial upgrade across education. To deal with this, I have requested the Department of Employment, Education and Training to provide the government with a systemic way of analysing and addressing future infrastructure needs. A preliminary assessment of DEET schools infrastructure facilities is currently under way. Consultants Stanton Partners have been commissioned to provide a snapshot of each school facility as the first stage of assessing infrastructure needs right across the Territory. Initial indication of infrastructure needs will form the basis of a second stage study to involve comparison with benchmark standards for national and international education built assets. Once it is done, we will have a clear indication of priorities and needs in education infrastructure.
In the meantime, government has continued with the extensive capital works projects, both urban and remote. Keeping with the commitment to provide secondary education in remote communities, we have built new secondary school facilities at Maningrida, Kalkaringi, Shepherdson College, Papunya, and Minyerri.
Just over a year ago, I visited Emu Point. There I found 25 students, a teacher and assistant teacher operating in a school that was a bow shed made from bush timber and corrugated iron in 38 C on a black soil mud plain, pre-Wet. I am pleased to report that the new school at Emu Point will be completed this month with new classrooms, ablutions facilities, and teachers’ accommodation at a cost of around $1.3m.
Mamaruni School on Croker Island suffered the full destruction of Cyclone Ingrid. The construction of the new school will commence this month, after the awarding of a $2m contract in September. Manyallaluk Community will see its new school, consisting of a double classroom and early childhood facilities, completed this month. Students will no longer have to travel 50 km over dirt roads every day to go to school. Commencement of new school facilities, including classrooms, ablutions facilities, and teachers’ accommodation, will begin at Donydji and Mapurru. At Wadeye, the community is thoroughly engaged in the design of the new secondary school at a cost of in excess of $2m.
Construction commenced at Alawa Primary School in June; Stage 1 upgrades at a cost of a little over $2m. Stage 1A of Darwin High School finally commenced April this year following unexpected delays, and will take some time to complete. Stage 2A will be under way when that is completed. We expect that to be in place starting around June 2006. The Gillen Primary School airconditioning upgrade is now completed. Design and documentation of the Gunbalanya Community Education Centre upgrade has been completed, with the target date for getting this under way of April 2006.
We have a proud record of investment in school infrastructure in our first four years of government, and this will continue apace during this second term.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, this government does not have a proud record of developing education infrastructure in their term. They have failed to build a single school in their first term. On the books was a school in Rosebery. Money was allocated - or reference was certainly made to that in budgets - but nothing was actually done. The result has been that you now have a school in Bakewell, which was once proudly boasted by the member for Nhulunbuy as the largest primary school in the Northern Territory, which only opened in 1999, and now has 10 or 11 demountables. Part of those few years that school has been in operation, students have occupied lessened space on the school stages. In Woodroffe Primary School, there are no male teachers on staff. The school is now larger than it was intended to be, and has only one toilet for all of the female staff of that school. Why is this the case? Why is there so much pressure on these two schools? Why are those two school communities facing management of a crisis by the installation of demountables - transportable classrooms? It is because this government never built the school in Rosebery that has placed undue pressure upon those two school communities. That is not a proud record, minister, and you simply need to build a school.
To then ask, in the last week of last term, of all the schools in Palmerston, ‘Please tell us what your projected growth numbers are for the schools’, is a clear indication that behind the scenes you are panicking, you are managing a crisis. Build the school in Rosebery so that you can relieve the pressure on those two schools directly. Durack also has a problem. Build a school in Palmerston. Not only that, make a clear decision with regards to secondary provision in Palmerston. There are in excess of 600 high school students who do not attend high school in Palmerston and, yet, you make a decision not to build further secondary capacity in Palmerston. You do not have a proud record.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Blain, your time has expired.
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, that is the tired voice of a discredited government of the past and their failure to recognise. What is the definition of a new school? Presumably, a new secondary facility at Minyerri is not a school, because it is not in Palmerston, nor is it in an urban area. This is the tired voice of a government that refused for 27 years to deliver secondary education to the bush - because they were black, it was a long way away, or it was expensive? I do not know the reasons, but it is a very sad and sorry legacy that the CLP left education with.
Regarding this so-called crisis in Palmerston, every state in Australia uses these high quality demountables. They are built to order; they come at a huge cost. I visit these schools. I visited each of those schools in the last couple of months that the member for Blain referred to. These are high-quality transportables that deliver quality education, and we will continue to roll them out as and when needed, as we will right across the Northern Territory. However, this opposition says never built a new school because schools in the bush do not count.
Nurse Recruitment Strategies
Dr TOYNE (Health): Madam Speaker, today I report to the House on the success of the government’s commitment to increasing nursing numbers in the Northern Territory. I am very pleased to report that we exceeded our first term commitment to create 75 new hospital nurse positions, and successfully recruited over 100 extra nurses, both within and outside our public hospitals. Having developed some innovative recruitment and retention strategies we are already on the way towards fulfilling our second term commitment to increase hospital nurse positions by a further 75.
By the end of June 2005, we had established 106 new nurse positions in the hospitals and 20 new nurse positions in remote services. The extra nurses recruited to date include a range of specialists, such as clinical nurse educators, nurse managers, renal, critical care and midwifery nurses, as well as general ward nurses and remote area nurses. On average, 86% of these additional positions are filled at any time. Vacancies will occur from time to time when nurses act in higher positions, gain experience in other roles, or decide to leave the Northern Territory for varied reasons such as family or travel interests, and the position is advertised.
It is good news for the regional hospitals where recruitment can be problematic as the 10 new positions across Katherine, Tennant Creek and Gove Hospitals have been filled continuously since their creation. Fifty-six of the new hospital positions are in Royal Darwin Hospital, with the majority being in the critical care areas of intensive care, high dependency and emergency. This growth matches the major redevelopments and expansion of the critical care services at Royal Darwin Hospital.
At Alice Springs Hospital, 40 new positions have been established. Currently, there are seven positions to be recruited to the critical care area of Alice Springs Hospital, a traditionally difficult area to recruit to. Recruitment of permanent staff is a priority for this area, and innovative strategies are being implemented to fill these positions, including an overseas recruitment drive to be undertaken in October this year.
We have also established over 20 extra nurse positions outside our hospitals. The child heath initiative has resulted in an additional six nurses, phasing out the single nurse communities. The relief pool for single nurse posts has added eight nurses, and there are four primary health care access program funded remote nurses. Four outreach midwives positions for remote have been successfully recruited to; two for the Top End and two for Central Australia. Since July 2005, a further 18 nursing positions attached to special programs at Royal Darwin Hospital have also been established. These include the hospice, where 11 new nursing positions have been established, of which seven have been filled; the expansion of the Hospital in the Home Program which has resulted in the establishment of nine new positions of which seven have been filled; and the new discharge lounge at Darwin Hospital which has recruited one new nurse for a trial period until March 2006.
Recruiting more nurses in the Northern Territory remains a priority to this government. We have established a number of strategies to overcome the historic difficulties which will ensure ongoing success in this area. These strategies include continuing to provide better wages and conditions than other jurisdictions - our nurses are amongst the best paid in Australia; continuing to improve professional development opportunities; and continuing to support the NT Nurses and Midwifery Awards, established to recognise the important role our nurses play in the Territory.
We have developed a fresh and energetic local and national recruitment campaign, the early results of which are encouraging. To the end of September, the Department of Health and Community Services had received inquiries from 863 nurses and midwives. The department is taking a personal response to these inquiries and following them up with a high degree of diligence. A flexible package of exciting promotional materials including targeted fax sheets, postcards and Territory lifestyle materials are being developed, and feedback is overwhelmingly positive.
I am pleased to report that Territory nurses have been creating a lot of interest around the Royal College of Nursing expos at New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia. They also attended the Royal College of Nursing Conference in South Australia. Two Territory nurses are off to London towards the end of this year where they will interview 200 nurses and promote the Territory as a unique work and lifestyle opportunity. Other attraction and retention methods, including strengthening the links between CDU and postgraduate programs in the Department of Health, are under way.
Madam Speaker, we are confident that, while we are still facing quite major competition in the marketplace, we will fill these positions that have been created.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I will respond to this statement in the absence of the shadow minister for health, the member for Greatorex. I do know something about the area because I had the privilege of being the shadow minister for a couple of years. I appreciate that the minister is trying his best, but he is a man who is well paid to do more than just try his best. The buck does stop with him. His hands, I do not think, are terribly clean when one steps back and looks at the state of the health system in the Northern Territory. Since we are talking about nurses, in the 1 minutes I have left I have the following points to make by way of a reply.
We know, because we found in the government Gazette - of course, this government is not forthcoming when it comes to spinning or trying to come clean with the bad bits - a government document earlier this year that gave a damning indictment of the efforts of this government to recruit nurses. The document said and I quote:
- Although the Department of Health and Community Services efforts to recruit have been ongoing, there has been
no consistent coordinated and strategic approach to recruitment. Recruitment efforts have been ad hoc.
I do not know how much worse you can get. The nurses at our hospitals, particularly Alice Springs and Darwin, tell me still that it is a mess.
The government quotes figures, but there is a problem with them; that is, that they are top heavy positions. If you are a nurse at a hospital, they are asking - and I know you are aware of this - where are the ward nurses? Where are the nurses helping them on the ground? There is still a vote of no confidence on the books by nurses at Alice Springs Hospital. Coincidently, there is also a vote of no confidence against the Department of Justice by Corrections. The minister is very unlucky, not to mention incompetent ...
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, your time has expired.
Dr TOYNE (Health): Madam Speaker, despite the wailings and gnashing of teeth over the other side of the House, the figures speak for themselves. We have created these extra positions, and the vast majority of them are filled with real working nurses; and very good ones I might say. I get around our hospitals and clinics on a regular basis. What I am hearing is what you would expect to hear: people agree that we have moved forward significantly in the last couple of years. They are happy that there are new approaches being taken to both recruitment and retention issues. They are working hard for Territorians. They are being very professional about their work. They deserve all the respect, and so do we, for the gains that we have made.
Reports noted pursuant to Sessional Order.
Madam SPEAKER: Whoever has that mobile phone, could you take it out of the Chamber.
STATUTE LAW REVISION BILL
(Serial 24)
(Serial 24)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The main purpose of this bill is to make consequential amendments to various Northern Territory laws that follow on from the passage of the Health Practitioners Act in 2004. The bill also updates superseded references, corrects typing errors and omissions, and clarifies ambiguous terminologies in the affected acts and subordinate legislation. None of the amendments constitute substantive changes in government policy or programs.
The consequential amendments to affected acts and regulations that follow on from the enactment of the Health Practitioners Act 2004 and the Veterinarians Act 1994 remove the confusion surrounding references to persons in certain occupations and professions regulated by both of those acts.
In essence, the principle adopted is that, for consistency of approach, the amendments will ensure that cross-references in affected acts and regulations will now be worded so that they are cross-references to persons entitled to practice in the occupations and professions referred under the Health Practitioners Act 2004 and the Veterinarians Act 1994. Thus, for example, a dentist will only be classified as a dentist for the purposes of the Education Act if the person has a current entitlement to practice as a dentist in terms of the Health Practitioners Act 2004.
I now describe some of the more significant or obscure corrections made by this bill. The first comprises a number of amendments to the mental impairment provisions of the Criminal Code. Section 43Z of the Criminal Code deals with the making of supervision orders in cases involving mental impairment and unfitness to be tried. The section is to be amended to remove the confusion surrounding cases of persons with mental impairment by specifying when a supervision order shall be made or when a person is liable for supervision. Other minor amendments to the mental impairment provisions of the Code correct a grammatical error in section 43ZN and update wording used in current section 412(3) to accord with reforms made by the enactment of the Criminal Code Amendment (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 2002.
The bill also makes several amendments to the Local Government Act. The purpose of these amendments is to achieve parity between municipal councils and community government councils. This is done by removing the word ‘municipal’ from the phrase ‘municipal council’ in many provisions of the act. The effect is that the definition of ‘council’, which covers both municipal and community government council, then applies.
Additionally, section 92 of the Local Government Act is to be amended so that it is clear that, in addition to the out-of-pocket expenses referred to in the current section 92(2), councils may, in respect of legal action for unpaid rates, also recover court costs, solicitor’s costs and enforcement costs.
Section 16 of the Poisons and Dangerous Drugs Act provides for the supply of a poison specified in a certificate of registration to a person who is authorised under the act to supply or administer that poison to another person. The section is amended by inserting the words ‘or an animal’ after ‘another person’. This amendment will remove a significant handicap to veterinary surgeons in their practice by correcting an omission which currently prevents manufacturers and wholesalers from legally supplying vets with certain poisons.
The bill also amends the Energy Pipelines Act so that it is clear that a pipeline may be owned by someone other than a person with a licence under the act. In essence, this is done by more simply stating the purpose of section 59 which is that of ensuring that pipelines do not necessary belong to the owner of the land. Under the act, a licence is required to construct or to operate a pipeline, but not to own a pipeline. The amendment takes into account situations where the actual owner of a pipeline may not have a licence to construct or operate the pipeline.
Finally, the bill corrects an error in section 40 of the Wills Act. The Wills Act 2000 was very closely modelled on a national bill developed under the authority of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General. An error in the model has been identified in the course of the development of the Queensland Succession Amendment Bill 2005. Stated broadly, the objective of section 40 is to provide that the children of a beneficiary under the will shall share in that person’s inheritance if that beneficiary does not survive the testator by 30 days. The policy objective is that they would take the same share of the estate that they would have taken of their parent’s estate. Unfortunately, the provision was drafted so that the share is described as being the share they would have taken of the testator’s estate. In many circumstances, there would be no such share. Accordingly, the amendment provides that the references to the testator’s estate are to be replaced by references to the parent’s estate. As this is a fundamental drafting flaw, the amendment is to have retrospective effect to the time of the commencement of the Wills Act in 2001.
Madam Speaker, that concludes my explanation of the bill. I table the explanatory statement which accompanies the bill. I commend the bill to honourable members.
Debate adjourned.
STREHLOW RESEARCH CENTRE BILL
(Serial 21)
(Serial 21)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Arts and Museums): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to repeal and replace the current Strehlow Research Centre Act. It will clarify the role of the Strehlow Research Centre Board and the Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts. It will also overcome the difficulty that the existing legislation provides with two parallel lines of authority in relation to management of the affairs of the Strehlow Research Centre. The current Strehlow Research Centre Act gives the Strehlow Research Centre Board a wide range of functions relating to the establishment and operations of the Strehlow Research Centre.
The Public Sector Employment and Management Act and the Financial Management Act provide the legislative framework for the regulation of the management of financial affairs for government organisations with the responsibility for the proper efficient and economical administration vested with the organisation’s chief executive officer. The overall intention of this bill is to ensure that the chief executive officer, under the Financial Management Act and the Public Sector Employment and Management Act, is responsible to government for the financial management of the Strehlow Research Centre.
It is proposed to repeal and re-enact the Strehlow Research Centre Act, establishing the Strehlow Research Centre Board whose main functions will be to advise the minister on the activities of the Strehlow Research Centre, and to hold the cultural collections of the Strehlow Research Centre on behalf of the Territory.
The government is committed to ensuring that the cultural assets held by the Strehlow Research Centre remain the legal responsibility of the board. The government is also committed to ensuring that, where this is consistent with the needs and expectations of Aboriginal traditional custodians, there is the potential to return elements of the Strehlow Research Centre cultural collections to Aboriginal traditional custodians with rights over the material under traditional law. As a result, items from the Strehlow Research Centre’s collection can only be disposed of with the agreement of at least six of the seven members of the board, as well as the minister, under sections 7(3) and 23.
The Strehlow Research Centre has experienced an increasing level of demand from traditional custodians in Central Australia to store cultural objects on their behalf. The new bill ensures that the Strehlow Research Centre is empowered to store ethnographic objects and archival material on behalf of the traditional custodians. The intention is that objects or materials stored in this way will not represent part of the collection as defined under the act, and that approval of the board and the minister would not be required for the owner to remove them from the Strehlow Research Centre.
The intention is not to make the Strehlow Research Centre a repository for cultural materials owned by other arms of government or by the general public. Instead, the intention is that the Strehlow Research Centre would store cultural materials relating to Central Australia at the request of the traditional Aboriginal custodians of that material. It is intended that any such arrangement would occur at the discretion of the Strehlow Research Centre.
In proposing this bill, the intention is not to affect current board members. Clause 28 in the new legislation allows for current membership of the board to be maintained for a period and to be eligible for reappointment. I take this opportunity to thank the current members of the board for their past commitment, and look forward to working with them under the new act. I commend the bill to honourable members.
Debate adjourned.
CRIMINAL CODE AMENDMENT (CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY REFORM) BILL (No 2)
(Serial 7)
(Serial 7)
Continued from 30 June 2005.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I spoke with the Attorney-General yesterday and indicated that we would support this bill. I try, invariably, to give him such indications before every sittings. It does not always work but, for the record, I did advise him we would be supporting it.
Madam Speaker, you may recall that, at the beginning of this, the Tenth Assembly, I made the point that the opposition would support legislation when support was warranted, and that we would sensibly oppose legislation should the need arise. This is one of these occasions where it is sensible to support this significant legislative change. It shows, I believe, how seriously we regard our role, and certainly how seriously I regard mine as shadow Attorney-General. It is incumbent, of course, for all of us to strive to work to promote the best interests of Territorians and, happily, on occasion, it can be done both in government and in opposition. The bill is worthy of support and, accordingly, it is supported.
Having outlined a very clear support, however, I would like to make a couple of points on the way through. They are matters I believe that, in the context of what will be judged in historical terms as a significant change to important legislation - even if only a few people get to read it - it is important to make some points about. I am also making these points because, even though the Attorney-General and I have our political differences, I believe we share some common core values as human beings. I would like him, in his own way, to maybe just take note of some of the matters I raise because he may want to take them on board when bringing further legislation to this parliament.
Having prefaced my remarks with those comments, I will get straight to it. The way notice of these changes was conveyed to the general public was nothing short of appalling. The tenor of the Attorney-General’s media release in October 2004 was such that it promoted an ill-informed commentary in the media which, coincidentally, happened to work to the government’s benefit which, no doubt, is why steps were not taken to correct it. There are several examples, but the first paragraph in the story of the NT News of 25 October 2004 was alarming. It said:
- Being drunk or high on drugs will no longer be a criminal defence, the Northern Territory News learned last night.
The NT News presumably learned this because it was, no doubt, sold to that newspaper in those terms. To my knowledge, there was no attempt made by the Attorney-General, the Territory’s first law officer, to correct that assertion. Cynically, I could ask why he did not. The answer, of course, would be because it happened to put the government in a good light. The story was consistent with a part of the Attorney-General’s media release that was misleading, to say the least, which promoted the view that if you were drunk or high on drugs the criminal law could not deal with you. It was rubbish then and it is rubbish now.
Madam Speaker, you and other members of the Australian Labor Party will know that it is not often that I - in fact, I do not think I have ever - quote Jon Tippet QC. However, in the context of this bill I am very happy to do so; indeed, it is appropriate. Jon Tippet was interviewed on ABC radio on 25 October 2004 and he said:
- Yes, there have been mitigating circumstances where people have been drunk, but drunkenness and drug abuse has never
been a defence under the Criminal Code of the Northern Territory. I just don’t know what the Attorney-General is talking about
at the moment.
l said at the time on Territory Top FM on 27 October 2004, and it is worth repeating now to show that at least I am consistent:
- I am not necessarily opposed to what I think the government is trying to do. What I am disgusted about is just the spin that
has been created and a lot of people are confused, and the headline in the NT News is exactly the one that the government
wanted I would have thought.
That is what I thought then and I still think it now.
Finally on this point, I take this opportunity, with great respect, to say to those in the media that it would be unwise to take on or trust ill-informed sales pitches from ministerial staffers who have the job of selling the government’s message and who have proven themselves willing to do so regardless of how far they distort the truth in the course of making their pitch.
The second issue I would like to address picks up another comment made by Mr Jon Tippet QC. He lamented in his radio interview on ABC the lack of consultation that preceded the announcement of these changes. The government had, it seemed to me, prided itself on consulting early in its first term, but things seem to change towards the end of the first term. Clearly, voters did not appear to be overly concerned about this but I feel certain that they will notice it more in Labor’s second term if it continues to introduce legislation without properly consulting in relation to it.
There is, of course, a level of hypocrisy - is there not? - involved with a government that says it consults and actually does not. It is a concern that the legal profession of the Northern Territory and the likes of Jon Tippet were not consulted. No doubt calls from ministerial officers were made to Mr Tippet and other lawyers after the event, but these changes should not have unfolded in the manner in which they did.
Third, I would like to deal briefly with the model Criminal Code that has been developed by Commonwealth, state and territory criminal law experts. There is, as I understand it, a nine chapter model Criminal Code, and it takes reference from the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General to develop particular model offences for national agreement. The point I make is this: the model Criminal Code has been floating around for years. It came across my desk when I was practicing. I would like the Attorney-General to advise why it is that the whole code cannot or has not been adopted.
Madam Speaker, you and others will appreciate that, for me, there are more than a few downsides to all states and territories being run by Labor governments. However, there are some upsides, and one of them is that, surely, it is an opportunity to make some real progress to implementing the model Criminal Code. The bill that we are presently debating comes before the House because this government takes the view, quite rightly, that there are reasons to change the specific parts of the Criminal Code. I agree, but I simply ask - and I would be grateful to hear the Attorney-General’s reply - why it is the case that more fulsome changes to the Code cannot be made or are not being made in light of the national model Criminal Code?
The final point I would like to make arises from the changes to the code, but also arises from some of the information circulated by the Attorney-General’s staff that accompanied his media release in October 2004. Much of the material went on and on about the difficulties experienced in gaining convictions under the existing provisions. It used language like, ‘it is extremely difficult for the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that’. Another one was: ‘you are not likely to be convicted.’ Also, in the Attorney-General’s media release: ‘The amendment will mean that victims of crime and their families get justice.’ Elsewhere in his release: ‘This reform will send a strong message to violent offenders.’
I refer the Attorney-General to an issue I have raised both in and out of parliament for some time regarding the extremely low conviction rates that exist in the Northern Territory for rape and sexual assaults. I have talked about this on three or four occasions in the parliament and I will quote what is probably not the best instance of what I said on 18 August 2004:
- I urge the Attorney-General to consider - perhaps announcing when the bill next comes before parliament - commencing
an inquiry, similar to that initiated in March this year by the South Australian parliament, into sexual assault conviction rates.
I have asked him about this before, but I will do so again with some passion and great sincerity.
The South Australian parliament undertook a committee of inquiry into the extraordinarily low conviction rates for sexual assaults in South Australia. There is much we in the Northern Territory can learn, not only from the South Australians, but surely from starting our own parliamentary committee of inquiry in relation to this matter. If the Attorney-General and his staff use language expressing concern about the difficulties arising from ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ in relation to murder and manslaughter, it is surely appropriate to be consistent in relation to sexual assaults. If they express concern, such as ‘you are not likely to be convicted’ in relation to murder, manslaughter and dangerous acts, is it not consistent to have a look at that in the context of sexual assaults? If the Attorney-General is serious about getting a strong message to violent offenders and to give victims of crime and their families a sense of justice when it comes to murder, manslaughter and dangerous acts, then is it not consistent for him to argue the same concepts and believe in the same thing when it comes to our appalling rate of conviction for sexual assaults in the place we all call home?
I have given my four or five pleas now, and given my pleas again. I ask the Attorney-General to consider establishing a parliamentary committee of inquiry aimed at improving or examining why it is we have such appallingly low convictions. It is the case that the Attorney-General and I are concerned about the low convictions that are the result by reason of the relevant provisions in the Criminal Code which brings the present bill before us. However, I am becoming increasingly concerned that the Attorney-General has consistently refused to show what I assume is his concern about the low number of convictions for sexual offences. We have a problem; it should be fixed. We had a problem with this part of the Criminal Code; you had an academic from interstate give you advice on the matter. Will you at least do the same thing in an attempt to address the low conviction rates for sexual offences or, better still, establish a committee to examine the matter? I cannot ask in any way better than that.
In conclusion, Madam Speaker, I have raised a number of matters in the course of this debate - all of them relevant for the reasons I have outlined; all of them matters that needed to be raised and put on the Parliamentary Record. Yes, I am pleased to say this bill is supported, and I outlined earlier why that was the case. However, I ask the Attorney-General to address the other matters I have raised or, at very least, consider them. I look forward to his reply and to being in the history books, as it were, for such a significant change to our criminal law. I congratulate the Attorney-General and his officers from the Department of Justice for making such a significant change because, despite the very strong objections I have in relation to the spin that has been put on it, this is a good change to the law and I thank you for it.
Mr BURKE (Brennan): Madam Speaker, I support the Criminal Code Amendment (Criminal Responsibility Reform) Bill (No 2) 2005 (Serial 7). I am pleased to speak in support of this bill at a time when recent crime statistics show that, over the last five years, property offences in Palmerston have dropped by 29% and offences against the person by 22%. Any crime is too much, but drops of that magnitude are welcome in any area of the community.
It is universally recognised that laws must be reviewed to ensure they keep up with society as it evolves. Law that once was suitable - even necessary - can become archaic - even ineffective - as society moves forward. I do not, for a moment, suggest that the Criminal Code Act is ineffective or archaic. It must be conceded, however, that it has avoided significant reform since its inception in 1983. Certain provisions of our Criminal Code have attracted negative comment from the High Court, as well as judges from our own Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. The Attorney-General made references to some of this commentary in his second reading speech on this bill. When the most important courts administering your Criminal Code query and unfavourably comment upon it, you need to take the hint. Thankfully, the Territory’s first Labor Attorney-General and Labor government have done just that.
The Criminal Code Amendment (Criminal Responsibility Reform) Bill (No 2) proposes the most significant set of reforms to the Territory’s Criminal Code that have occurred since its inception. This bill is the government’s considered response to a process of extensive consideration and review of the adequacy of existing Criminal Code law in the Northern Territory. It is notable that the model Criminal Code on which the Commonwealth code is based was developed over many years by the National Model Criminal Code Officers Committee set up by the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General. A similar approach to reform is currently being undertaken in the Australian Capital Territory, where Chapter 2 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code has also been enacted to apply to that jurisdiction’s new Criminal Code.
I agree with the explanatory statement to this bill, which observes that, and I quote:
- The enactment of Chapter 2 as Part IIAA will ultimately be a valuable aid in interpreting and applying offences created
by statute.
I note that the Commonwealth passed its legislation enacting Chapter 2 of the model Criminal Code in 1995. Our lawyers, magistrates and judges will be assisted by the body of law and academic comment that has occurred since that time. They will not have to reinvent the wheel in interpreting new provisions. Instead, they can access analysis of the corresponding provisions in the ACT and Commonwealth. This has to make for better law in the Northern Territory.
As mentioned by the Attorney-General in his second reading speech, the criminal responsibility provisions of the Commonwealth Criminal Code are effectively already in operation in the Northern Territory in respect of federal offences. There is much to be said for uniformity across jurisdictions. The positive flow-ons of such an approach can be seen in areas such as the national approach to the corporations law. No doubt, businesses across the country welcomed that move.
The new Part IIAA to the Northern Territory Criminal Code, which will be inserted by the bill, forms the basis to which future renovations to the Criminal Code will refer. These provisions will initially only apply to the new or amended offences proposed by this bill; namely manslaughter; reckless endangerment of life or serious harm; causing negligent harm; dangerous driving causing death or serious harm; and, rape or sexual intercourse, or gross indecency without consent. However, over time, all of the offences under the Northern Territory Criminal Code will be rewritten and enacted with the new criminal responsibility provisions then applying to them. This will give legal practitioners and the courts plenty of time to come to grips with the new principles of criminal responsibility as our Criminal Code is progressively revamped to meet the needs of the modern Territory.
Some might say that all that is needed is an increase in the maximum penalties for offences under the code. However, that argument is too simplistic and does not address the real issue. A penalty only comes into effect when a person is convicted of an offence. Increasing the penalty does nothing to address the problems in the definition of the offence. It is the definition of an offence, by its elements and whether the facts meet those elements, that determines whether a prosecution is successful. If an element is missing, the prosecution will fail. It may be that an accused will not be prepared to plead guilty to one offence, but will plead guilty to another - usually a lesser offence with a lesser penalty. With the current formulation of the criminal responsibility provisions, for a variety of reasons it has been the case that a lesser charge is often accepted in the interests of securing a conviction.
What I am leading to is the point that the Attorney-General so succinctly made. A charge of dangerous act causing death, under section 154 of the Northern Territory Criminal Code has often been the only option in relation to fairly serious offences. Because of the narrow framing of the offence of manslaughter under our Criminal Code, a charge of a dangerous act is often used where, in many other jurisdictions, the charge would be manslaughter. This can give rise to sentences that are out of kilter with community expectation. This code repeals the offence of dangerous act under section 154 of the code, and replaces it with a range of new, more specific offences. Specific provisions are always preferred over general ones. This is inherent in rules of statutory interpretation, and especially so in criminal law where conviction has serious consequences for the convicted.
The changes that this bill introduces are both fundamental and complex. There are specific changes to a range of offences, and the general changes to the way of defining criminal responsibility embodied in Part IIAA. The Criminal Code was due for major reform and this bill commences that process.
I know that the people of my electorate of Brennan want our laws to be enforced in a fair and just manner, so it is particularly important that our laws do reflect community expectations about just outcomes. This bill is going to bring about changes to ensure that our laws match community expectations about criminal responsibility and that the punishment fits the crime. This bill represents important work in modernising the law in this area and will bring the standard of criminal responsibility in the Territory back into line with the position of other Australian jurisdictions.
However, as we know, making our community safer is not just about making formal changes to statute law. It is also about enforcement of the law on the ground. This government has put significant additional resources into law enforcement, including the 137 extra police already on the ground and the 63 more officers soon to join them. This government has also encouraged community partnerships which are aimed at making homes and streets safer, such as Crime Prevention Councils and Neighbourhood Watch. The results of these extra resources are being felt in Palmerston. As I previously stated, the recent statistics show that in the past five years property offences in Palmerston have dropped 29% and offences against the person 22%.
The member for Drysdale and I recently attended a meeting of Neighbourhood Watch at the Gray Community Centre. We are committed to working with Sergeant Jeff Mosel of the Northern Territory Police and the Executive Officer of Neighbourhood Watch NT, as well as the Palmerston community, to establish Neighbourhood Watch in all parts of Palmerston to ensure our community gets the full benefit of the program. I am sure the 137 extra police that this Labor government put on the beat and the 63 others who will join them, as well as the Neighbourhood Watches and Crime Prevention Councils, will welcome this bill as another valuable tool in crime prevention, law enforcement and prosecution of offenders. I hope that it will assist in delivering further drops in crime, not just in Palmerston but throughout the Territory. Falls of 29% and 22% as we have seen over the last five years in Palmerston are always welcome news.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I suppose one feels a little incompetent, sometimes, dealing with a bill that the previous three speakers obviously have much more knowledge about than I. Notwithstanding that, I believe that it is one of our duties as members of parliament to try to work our way through what, for me, is a very complex bill - probably the most complex bill I have ever had to deal with. I would even say, at this present time, I do not have a complete understanding of all the issues that are involved, although I have learned certain things that I have never known before about physical and fault elements that relate to an offence. I understand that those two elements are very important when it comes to the prosecution of an offence in court; that you have to have one or two …
Dr Toyne: Or four.
Mr WOOD: Or even four of these elements and, in some cases, you do not have to have an element at all. In some case, you can have a physical element but do not have to have a fault element. It took me a while to understand all of that. A couple of re-reads and it slowly sank in what we were talking about.
It is, obviously, extremely important legislation. It looks at a whole range of definitions which go to the basis on which other things will occur. The matters that do occur here later in the bill regarding the changes to driving offences, a dangerous act, to sexual intercourse without consent, and a number of other issues such as manslaughter, are dependent on, I believe, the definitions that are now being put into this act. That is the way I see this bill coming to us today. It is the complications - that is, the number of definitions - that are required to make sure a prosecution can be successful, especially in the light of reflecting government policy.
For instance, they are trying to clarify driving under intoxication. I take the point from the member for Araluen. I would be interested to know whether what she said was correct that, under existing Criminal Code, it is not the case that intoxication or being under the effect of drugs can be excused in the case of dangerous driving. I think that is what she said earlier. I would be interested to hear what the Attorney-General says about that particular matter. The reason I raise that is because, sometimes, I have to ask whether we are just duplicating the law or was there a real need to change it. I am interested in the minister’s response.
I thank the minister for the explanatory statements. I must admit I did not read all of the Commonwealth’s explanatory statements; just the basic explanatory statements. They certainly do help you understand many of the clauses in the bill. Although I will be asking the Attorney-General whether we can go to the committee stage for some explanations on some clauses which I would like to hear from him, I am not challenging the bill and I would support it. However, I believe there is an opportunity there for me to get some clarification on a few issues. They may be minor in nature, but I would like the bill to go to the committee stage if that is possible.
I also think that there should be some form of review at some time - whether it is 12 months or 24 months. With such important legislation coming to parliament, I think the review should be held either in 12 or 24 months. I was listening to the member for Brennan who was speaking about how our community is expecting laws that we develop in relation to changing times to be just. The reality is, of course, much responsibility comes back on to us as members of parliament because I would say two men and a dog would read this because it is very difficult legislation. A lot of trust is put in the people who put the laws together and us, as members of parliament, who have to read those laws and see whether they are just and fair. This is complex legislation as the member for Brennan said. The average Joe Blow is not going to pick up this legislation until he finds himself in court, and then he might find out whether we did the right thing when his lawyers start to interpret it.
If you could bring this to committee stage, the questions I have will only be short, but I would like to ask a few questions about some of the matters that I have noted in my reading of this act. Madam Speaker, as I said before, I support the bill.
Ms McCARTHY (Arnhem): Madam Speaker, I support the Criminal Code Amendment (Criminal Responsibility Reform) Bill introduced by the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General.
It is a difficult and complex bill but I have every confidence in the Justice minister and his advisors that they have taken the appropriate path in preparing for this bill. Let us have a look at the lead-up to the bill and the consultation process that occurred before that. We go back to over a year ago when Professor Fairall, Dean of Law, University of Adelaide, undertook both reviews on behalf of the Department of Justice. Professor Fairall has particular expertise in the area of criminal law and has published extensively in that field.
The member for Araluen focused on the hypocrisy of this government about not enough consultation. I firmly disagree with that because I know that the Justice minister would not have woken up one day and thought: ‘What am I going to do today? What kind of amendments am I going to make?’ He has done this simply because there has been extensive consultation that has occurred at the preliminary stages in the development of the current reforms with the Chief Justice, the Chief Magistrate, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Solicitor-General.
This bill is aimed at closing some of the loopholes that currently exist in the Territory’s legal system which mean that offenders are not always being punished appropriately, particularly in relation to crimes of violence. It is a bill that will enable the justice system to respond more satisfactorily in determining the appropriate punishment for offenders who commit crimes of violence in our community. Too many times, victims of violence in the Northern Territory have been dealt a double blow when they feel the legal system also fails them. This is especially so in the case of rape victims who may find that the accused walks free and unpunished simply because they are able to use their drunkenness as an excuse to avoid conviction.
The intent of this bill is to bring the standard of criminal responsibility in the Territory back into line with the position in other Australian jurisdictions. In the Territory, for a number of serious offences including manslaughter and rape, the standard of criminal responsibility has been different to the standard applicable in the other common law and co-jurisdictions around Australia.
The criminal responsibility provisions under existing section 31 of the Territory’s Criminal Code have had a profoundly unsatisfactory effect when applied to the offence of rape. As the Attorney-General noted in his second reading speech on this bill, in the recent decision of Director of Public Prosecutions vs WJI, the High Court held that because of section 31 in rape cases, the prosecution must prove that the accused intended to have sexual intercourse without consent. The result of this is that, if an accused believes that the victim is consenting, even if that belief is an entirely unreasonable one, he cannot have intended to have sexual intercourse without consent and cannot be convicted. Furthermore, if an accused does not turn his mind to the issue of consent, claiming, for example, that in his state of intoxication he gave consent no thought at all, his conduct would again fail to satisfy the requirements for section 31; that is, the intention to have sexual intercourse without consent. There is no fall-back provision here; an accused in these circumstances must be acquitted.
It is at this point that the double blow is felt by rape victims. Not only have they had to endure the humiliation of repeating and reliving the crime before a jury made up of strangers, but they then walk away shattered by the result. That is why this bill extends the concept of recklessness for the purpose of the rape offence to ensure that the offence will cover the case of a person who has simply not bothered to turn his mind to the question of consent. While this may not assist those victims who have already endured difficult rape trials, I hope that these important reforms do give some comfort to the Northern Territory community, especially women, who can be assured that this government is taking positive action to create a fairer justice system.
These reforms will also send an important message to the community about dangerous driving. Under the changes brought about by this bill, such offenders will be made to take full responsibility for their actions. In recent weeks, we have seen the Northern Territory Police urging motorists to drive with care. In travelling the Stuart Highway from the Daly Waters Highway Inn to Darwin on the weekend, I noticed the increasing number of memorials along the side of the highway, where a cross was surrounded by flowers in memory of those who have died on our roads. Even here in Darwin, one cannot help but notice the number of memorials along our roads, as families remind themselves of where their loved ones have died. It is also a strong reminder to others as well, because there are so many memorials reminding each one of us of the lives lost on Territory roads.
In reading this bill and trying to understand it in its complex and difficult nature, I thought about these roads and the memorials. How many of those accidents involved alcohol? How many other accidents have involved drugs? Was excessive speed a major factor in any of those accidents? The Northern Territory is the only jurisdiction in Australia that does not have a specific offence of causing death or serious harm by driving a motor vehicle. At present, cases where death or serious harm have resulted from dangerous driving, generally have to be prosecuted as an offence of dangerous act. Although there is an offence of dangerous driving under the Traffic Act, it is not specifically aimed at cases involving death or serious harm, and only attracts a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment. The problem with relying on the offence of dangerous act is that it has sometimes proved to be difficult, from a legal point of view, to pinpoint the specific act that can be said to have caused a death or harm. There are examples of cases where a person who drove at an excessive speed while intoxicated has been acquitted because it was not possible to point to the so-called dangerous act involved as there were a number of other factors that might have contributed to the accident.
Under the changes in this bill, the problematic offence of dangerous act is abolished and replaced with a more modern range of targeted offences, including a new offence of dangerous driving causing death or serious harm. The creation of a more specific offence of dangerous driving causing death or serious harm recognises the significant anguish suffered by families in our community when their loved ones die in tragic accidents on our roads. A person who drives a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, so as to be incapable of exercising proper control over the vehicle, or who drives in a manner or at a speed dangerous to another person, will be guilty of this crime. Dangerous driving causing death or serious harm will be an offence of strict liability, and this means that the prosecution will only have to prove the physical elements of the offence, such as driving under the influence or at an excessive speed, to achieve a conviction.
This bill represents another important step by the Martin Labor government in fighting crime within our community, and it will ensure the courts and police have the tools they need to make the Territory a safer place. This bill is the government’s considered response to a process of extensive consideration, and a review of the adequacy of existing Criminal Code laws in the Northern Territory. As the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General has said, we have a justice system under which offenders who have caused the death of another have not been held criminally responsible to the same degree as they would have had they committed the identical act in another jurisdiction.
This bill represents important work in terms of modernising the law in this area, and shows that the Martin Labor government is not afraid to get on with the business of reform, and is committed to ensuring the laws in the Northern Territory are modern and represent accepted best practice. Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I thank all members who have contributed to this debate today. There is no doubt it is a very important piece of legislation in that it deals with one of the fundamental underpinnings of our entire Criminal Code, or it will come to do that over time as it is extended to other offences.
I thank the opposition for their support, and for the support the member for Nelson expressed for the bill in total. To deal with your concern to obtain further explanations, I understand that we have arranged to brief you on those. We will ensure you or, indeed, any member who requires further elaboration of what are very complex provisions can have access to that process.
Be that as it may, I believe this bill has gone through a very exhaustive process. I can assure members that it has had the benefit of both expert opinion and advice from my agency, and also the ongoing advice of Professor Paul Fairall, who is here today in the advisor’s room. He has had very important input into the development of this legislation.
I will deal with the issues in the sequence that has been raised by members. However, first I take the opportunity to correct an area of the second reading speech where I feel there needs to be some further explanation on record. It is in relation to comments that were included in the second reading speech regarding the crime of sexual intercourse without consent. In the second reading speech and in the explanatory statement in relation to clause 14 of the bill, I made a comment in relation to the availability of the defence of mistaken fact in respect of the offence of sexual intercourse or gross indecency without consent. These statements require qualification and addition. The position was more accurately stated in the explanatory statement in reference to new section 43AW. The reasonableness of the mistake is a factor for the tribunal of fact; the jury in the case of a trial by jury to consider in deciding whether the mistaken belief was actually held. In other words, if the mistake or ignorance is objectively unreasonable, the jury or the court may form the view that the defendant was not genuinely mistaken. This position is consistent with the common law jurisdictions and the Commonwealth Code in relation to this offence. Mistake may be relevant, but will only be relevant to the question of whether the accused held the requisite fault element. A person who has acted under a genuine but mistaken belief as to consent will not have formed the requisite fault element of knowledge or recklessness. This is a codification of the common law position in relation to proof of the mental elements for an offence.
The offence, as amended, alters the fault element from the current requirement that the Crown must prove that the accused intended an act of sexual intercourse without consent, to fault elements that require either the accused knew of or was reckless as to the existence of consent. Significantly, recklessness under the amendment is extended for the purpose of this offence to include a failure to give any consideration as to whether the other person was consenting. Under the existing formulation, an accused who failed to consider the question of consent would be entitled to be acquitted because he would not have an intent to have sexual intercourse without consent, having no intent in relation to consent at all.
The change in the requisite fault element and the extension of recklessness to include a failure to avert to consent removes this gap in criminal responsibility for this offence. It is my firm belief that a person who fails to consider the question of consent to sexual intercourse must be held accountable otherwise we have failed to promote standards of acceptable sexual behaviour in the community.
I hope that further clarifies that section of the second reading speech, and it is certainly on record there for all to use.
I move to the various points raised by members during their contribution to the second reading debate. My response to the member for Araluen’s concerns about the coverage by media, I would have to say up-front that I am generally fairly careful about what I say. What lies in the hands of the journalists themselves and their editors and all the other people, the member for Araluen’s would agree that it is an uncertain science of getting a message out through the media and …
Ms Carney: It is a carefully crafted one actually, but anyway, go on.
Dr TOYNE: Like all sciences, it requires a long training and professional standards of compliance with it. We are both grownups in politics, and there will be times where the message you try to get out to the community is not accurate. That is why we use other mechanisms to get to stakeholders and talk directly to them, because we know that, with all the best intent in the world, often there are distortions in the way things are reported. Not to say that we do not have excellent journalists here in the Northern Territory. Please do not let me get on their wrong side because we know what happens when you do.
Regarding the issue of consultation, I responded to comments made at the criminal lawyers conference by delaying the debate on this bill by one sitting, so it is being debated now rather than the August sittings. We did receive some submissions from various members of our legal community. We have very carefully considered them, and have prepared a response. It is being prepared and sent to the people who submitted to us, including Jon Tippet whom you named. We have been pretty careful to get in touch will all members of the organisations and the community - certainly the legal community - that need to apply these provisions. Obviously, we need to give them plenty of opportunity to comment on and understand them before they enter the courts and the court processes.
Regarding your comment: ‘Why didn’t we adopt the whole code and introduce it across?’. It is simply too long and complex a task to do it all in one go is one reason for that. I can make comment in the second reading speech that this is the first tranche in a series of bills that will come to the House to gradually extend Part IIAA across the whole of the code. We started with the offences that were causing the most difficulties in terms of court outcomes. The first tranche we are talking about today; the second bill will come forward shortly and will deal with murder and the remaining sexual offences. That will get some of the most serious categories of offences in under these new provisions. We will then move through the code. There is quite a bit of work involved in making sure that references to criminal responsibility embodied in the actual offence descriptions themselves align with the new code element that has been introduced. We will go on with that. We see it as an urgent task, but a long task. It could take a number of years to go right through all the offence categories, but best to start now.
The member for Arnhem has made the most telling comment; that is, it is the court outcomes for the victims and their families that you have to be most concerned about. If they are going away from a court hearing around a sexual offence feeling that they did not get justice from our system, that is a point of very high concern to me. There is also the question of the reputation of the Territory, generally, around the Australian justice systems. These provisions that we are getting rid of today have brought us into disrepute right up to the High Court and back again. It really was seen as a very high priority to get these areas aligned first. I give you an absolute undertaking that our intention is to extend right across the code as quickly as the work can be done.
The issue dealt with largely by the member for Arnhem in her contribution was the impact of these current reforms on the offence of rape and how it is handled in our courts. I will refer to a few notes. Some of it is going over the same ground as the member for Arnhem. However, the crucial thing with it is that the criminal responsibility provisions under the existing section 31 of the NT Criminal Code have had a profoundly unsatisfactory effect when applied to the offence of sexual intercourse or gross indecency without consent - the offence commonly known as rape.
In the 2004 decision in DPP v WJI, the Australian High Court held that, because of section 31, in rape cases the prosecution must prove that the accused intended to have sexual intercourse without consent. The result of this is that if an accused person does not turn his mind to the issue of consent, claiming that in his state of intoxication he gave consent no thought at all, his conduct would fail to satisfy the requirements of section 31; that is, the intention to have sexual intercourse without consent. There is no fall back provision. An accused in these circumstances has to be acquitted.
In this bill, the rape offence is amended to provide for fault elements of knowledge or recklessness in relation to consent. Recklessness is extended, for the purposes of rape, to include not giving any thought as to whether the person was consenting to sexual intercourse. This means that the offence now covers the case of a person who gives no thought to the issue of consent. The criminal law is an important function in controlling behaviour and this is an important way to send a very clear signal that, if you are seeking sexual intercourse, you have to give very careful thought to whether the person in question has consented to that.
Regarding intoxication, clearly, given those provisions, intoxication will not have the same negative impact on the prospects of successful conviction.
Regarding the rate of convictions and the general outcomes, I share your concerns about the low outcomes of a successful prosecution in rape cases for many different factors, one of which, of course, is the basis on which a prosecution has to seek a finding of guilt. These provisions will deal with some parts of that problem, not all. You are well aware that there are practical issues around these sort of cases as well, in terms of the witnesses, whether it is the victim or other people who have been involved in the alleged offence, and their readiness to give evidence to a court hearing. Those practical areas have to be worked on alongside the actual body of law that is at work. As you know, we have probably worked together on some of those practical issues around court hearings about taking of evidence and the protection of vulnerable witnesses and victims when they are seeking recourse under the operation of law. We will continue to work on those.
I do not believe we need an inquiry on top of the Sexual Assault Task Force and the work that the police and courts are doing in trying to get a better outcome – or better process at least - for the victims of these terrible crimes. However, we will monitor these. Taking the member for Nelson’s point, clearly we are going to be reviewing how these quite fundamental reforms impact on our court outcomes.
You can take some comfort, though, that these are not new to courts in Australia. The Commonwealth code was developed by codifying the body of common law outcomes. Common understandings of terms, application of arguments in previous court cases were codified into a standard set of fault elements in the application of those. Therefore, it is not new in that sense, in that it stands on a body of court hearings and outcomes. Secondly, this will not be the first place in which this code is applied to a Criminal Code. Federal courts are already using these provisions in the ACT, so we will be able to judge how we are going alongside the other court jurisdictions where this same approach has been adopted.
I believe I have covered, as best I can, the points that were made through the second reading debate. I formally thank, at this stage of the debate, Professor Paul Fairall, Sue Oliver from the Department of Justice, and Rebecca Rowsell, my advisor on legislation. They have all had to work extremely hard on this very complex legislation, and they have done a great job in my view. I am very confident standing here commending this bill to the House.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of visitors for Business Month. On behalf of honourable members I extend a very warm welcome to our visitors.
Members: Hear, hear!
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
Mt Todd Mine Site Rehabilitation
Mt Todd Mine Site Rehabilitation
Mr VATSKALIS (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, today I provide the House with a comprehensive review of the work this government is undertaking in cleaning up the Mt Todd mine site. In this statement, I shall report on the status of current management activities for limiting water discharges, security issues and the commencement of a remedial work program which began this year. I shall also briefly refer to the planning requirements that must be undertaken to develop sustainable options for the long-term rehabilitation of the site.
Mt Todd gold resource was discovered by BHP and Zapopan in 1987. Following the sale of BHP’s interest to Zapopan, and the subsequent acquisition of Zapopan by Pegasus Gold Australia Pty Ltd, the Mt Todd mine was developed by Pegasus in 1993. The Mt Todd project was developed subject to the Mt Todd Project Agreement between the original mine proponent, Zapopan, and the Northern Territory government. This agreement was ratified by legislation, the Mt Todd Project Agreement Ratification Act which commenced on 5 March 1993.
The Pegasus mining operation began in 1993 and ceased in November 1997 when Pegasus went into receivership. In 1999, the mine was purchased by General Gold Resources backed by Multiplex Construction Pty Ltd, with a small interest being retained by Pegasus. In 2000, the mine operator, General Gold Operations Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of General Gold Resources, went into receivership following the refusal of Multiplex to pay its final instalment. This led to the second closure of the mine in July 2000. The receivers for both General Gold and Pegasus then took possession of the mine and sought to sell it as a going concern. Following unsuccessful attempts to find an operator interested in purchasing the mine as an ongoing operation, the receivers sold the land, infrastructure and other assets piecemeal by auction in June 2001. The bulk of the mine site assets were sold to a company called Aussiequip, which has the responsibility to remove them and leave the site in a clean and safe condition.
The abrupt collapse of operations just one year after the mine’s restart following its purchase by General Gold Resources in 1999 meant a rehabilitation program to deal with the waste and other materials from the mining operations was not commenced. Much of the material contains low quantities of iron sulphide which, when exposed to the open atmosphere and the annual Wet Season rainfall, oxidise to produce sulphuric acid. This acid then dissolves the minute quantities of heavy metals in the rock, producing very poor quality water known as acid rock drainage. It is the seepage of the acid rock drainage that poses an environment risk to downstream environments. The current water management strategies are focused on containing this poor quality seepage, while the long-term planning efforts will be attempting to develop sustainable rehabilitation options.
With the mine closure in July 2000, the Territory government obtained from Multiplex, and placed in the Mt Todd Rehabilitation Trust Fund, the $900 000 security. The level of security was assessed when the mine first commenced in 1993, and had remained, despite concerns about the quantum, to ensure General Gold could restart the operation for the benefits it would bring the local Katherine community. This money was exhausted with the acquisition of the pumping equipment and other infrastructure necessary to minimise water discharges from the site, together with the maintenance of the environmental integrity of the mine site.
Following a review of the Mines and Petroleum Management Division of the Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries and Mines, significant changes have been implemented to the assessment and management procedures for rehabilitation securities. The review identified the need to apply a more consistent approach and bring greater transparency to the environmental assessment process to remove any misconception by stakeholders.
The review recommended that the Mining and Energy Assessment Board be established with the primary role to assess the risk, rehabilitation estimates and other relevant factors before ratifying any decision on the quantum of securities, as well as other security-related matters. The board consists of representatives from DPIFM and the Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts. They will assess proposed security levels associated with new and current mining and onshore petroleum activities. This assessment is based on cost estimates by both the client and qualified government officers for closure rehabilitation requirements of operations detailed in planning documentation such as environmental impact statements, mining management plans, and risk assessments for the operations.
The Mt Todd gold mine operated on three mineral leases, the N1070, N1071 and N1127. A number of exploration licences which surrounded these mineral leases and formed part of the original project area have now expired or been cancelled. That area is now subject to a reservation from occupation, which allows the government to manage tenure over the area surrounding the Mt Todd mine site. Government has approved the retention of the mineral leases 1070, 1071 and 1127, despite non-compliance by the leaseholder, Pegasus, for the terms of these leases. This decision has provided time for the administrator of the leaseholders to attempt to negotiate the sale of these mineral leases.
The Mt Todd Mine produced $242m worth of gold and silver over the five years of production, from 1993 to 2000. The benefits accrued to the Territory are estimated to have been around $107m. An estimated 58% of its benefits derived from salaries and wages, split almost equally between contractors and company employment. An estimated 39% of the benefits went to local business operators who delivered supplies to the mine. Total labour used was in the order of 1400 person years over those operating years of the mine life.
Most of the buildings and equipment have now been removed from the Mt Todd mine site. Removal of the last remaining building and several tanks now owned by Tanami Gold has been rescheduled to the 2006 Dry Season, due to delays with development of the Coyote project, which is located just over the border in Western Australia. Although several smaller sheds and other equipment remain on site, negotiations with Aussiequip and the chief executive of my department are progressing, with the intention to wind up the Aussiequip activities by the end of this month.
The government now permanently employs two local Jawoyn men who maintain and operate the pumps and other parts of the water management system. They also carry out the water monitoring requirements, as well as the many other activities required to actively manage the site.
The Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts issues an annual discharge licence for the release of contaminated waters only during periods of very high flow in the receiving waters. Dilution during this time reduces the risk of any impact, and the discharge licence conditions set out the quality standards that such discharges are to achieve.
This year, pumping capacity has already been restored to one of the primary retention ponds with a completely overhauled system. Other maintenance activities include replacement of valves at the tailings dam decant pond, which secured that system from the risk of uncontrolled failure.
The department also carries out annual macro-invertebrate studies on the Edith River, as well as the Ferguson River as a comparison. The results of these studies clearly indicate the department’s water management strategy has been successful, with only minimal impact being detected by these studies. They also demonstrated that the river environment is able to recover quickly from any impact.
Mining officers did detect the death of some 30 small fish with the first flush effect in December 2004. It was determined that this was likely due to the accumulated salts from seepage on the Mt Todd mine site during the Dry Season being remobilised during the first storms. The combination of the elevated metal concentrations with the natural, very low oxygen levels at that time were too much for the already stressed fish. However, the effect was very localised and subsequent testing demonstrated no residual contamination in samples taken from fish flesh.
With the abrupt closure of operations in 2000, a substantial volume of cyanide solution remained in three large storage tanks on site. Following a minor leakage from one of the tanks into the containment bund around the tanks, and the refusal of Aussiequip to remove the hazard from the mine, I directed my department to take the necessary action to ensure this solution did not create any further threat to the environment. The cyanide solution was successfully neutralised in early 2005, without any release into the surrounding environment or waterways. The resulting nitrogen-rich solution has now been transferred safely to the pit to eliminate the risk of any increase in algal growth downstream at in the Edith River environment.
To ensure the security of the department’s infrastructure on-site, fire breaks are established each year early in the season. These have held and there has been no damage so far this season. Controlled burns have reduced fuel loads and further reduced the risk to the mine site infrastructure. The annual weed eradication program has begun which will be ongoing over the next months to minimise the spread of rubber bush and other undesirable growth of the site.
The government has made a public commitment to rehabilitate the mess at this legacy mine site created by the Country Liberal Party. We have committed funds for the ongoing management of the site and will ensure that the rehabilitation efforts continue.
The government has approved an increase of $1.5m in the current Mt Todd containment works program, from $3.5m to $5m, for immediate work to be done. The purpose of this program is to maximise the containment of run-off and seepage from the site while the required studies to develop sustainable long-term rehabilitation options are carried out. This year’s Mt Todd containment works program includes:
The heap leach: the material that has eroded from the heap leach stockpile into the moat that surrounds the stockpile has been removed. This will provide secure access to pump contaminated water from that source to the pit rather than allowing it to overflow into the surrounding environment and then to Edith River. Repairs will also be made to some sections of the heap leach embankment which have been eroded over the past several years. A contract for these works has been awarded to Ostojic Transport Pty Ltd. Work commenced on 22 September 2005 with a contract completion date expected to be at the end of December 2005. The pumping system will be re-established from the heap leach stockpile to the pit where contaminated water can be safety contained.
Work on retention pond No 1 pumping system: the valve and discharge system for pumping the contaminated water from this pond was found to be badly corroded. To eliminate the significant risk to the Edith River from a catastrophic failure of the system, it had to be replaced. This work will include a new discharge system to enhance the ability for the safe discharge of contaminated water during periods of peak flow during floods. Installation of a second pump will also improve the reliability of the system. The backup will ensure pumping can be maintained for extended periods, regardless of any breakdowns. A new pipeline will allow transfer of the contaminated water to the pit instead of the tailings dam where there is a risk of turning that material into another acid rock drainage source on the site. The tender for this work is currently being advertised through the Department of Planning and Infrastructure.
Site security: to improve security on the site an accommodation unit will be installed on-site to maintain a constant government presence. This will reduce the likelihood of trespass which generally results in theft and vandalism. It will also include minor infrastructure to link into the current power, water and other services on-site. Moreover, new security gates and additional fencing along the current access road are to be installed to limit inadvertent access to the site. The Department of Planning and Infrastructure has advertised this tender and it closes next week.
Environmental monitoring equipment: an advanced weather monitoring station with telemetry and software is required for the detailed studies necessary to develop the long-term rehabilitation options for sustainable closure of the site; likewise, automated monitoring and sampling equipment for the Edith River and the various water bodies around the site with the necessary telemetry. This equipment will provide accurate data for the modelling that is required for the long-term studies. An initial scope of works for surface water monitoring and environmental control options has been completed by Earth Water Life Sciences Pty Ltd. The Department of Planning and Infrastructure is in the process of putting the package for a 12-month monitor program out for tender.
Environment: the remedial work will have significant environmental benefits and are intended to:
reduce the risk of failure of the retention pond No 1 discharge system that could seriously impact the
downstream Edith River and, potentially, even the Daly River;
No 1 pumping system during the Wet. Unwanted overflow could similarly impact the Edith River
environment; and
will, in turn, reduce the first flush impact on the environment. This limits the threat to fish and other life
in the Edith River during that low oxygen level period in streams in the Top End. It should be noted that
even with these works, the possibility of fish deaths remains at the start of this Wet Season from the
salts that have already been released.
Members of the reference group, which is an initiative of this government to provide a mechanism for community input into the management of Mt Todd site, are supportive of the current government plans to tackle the Mt Todd rehabilitation issue. These members are working closely with my department’s officers on the complex range of issues to be managed at the site. The fourth meeting of the reference group was held on 21 September 2005. Discussions have covered issues arising from the terms of reference, the priority works program for the 2005 Dry Season, and current site issues such as the status of the clean up by Aussiequip.
There are a number of stakeholders who have an interest in both the priorities for, and outcomes from, any rehabilitation work done on the Mt Todd site. The following groups are represented on the reference group: the Jawoyn Association, the Northern Territory Minerals Council, AFANT, the NT Environment Centre, Charles Darwin University, Katherine Town Council, Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts, and my department.
The Jawoyn, who will inherit the land when all operations have ceased at Mt Todd, have clearly expressed their desire to not eliminate the potential for further mining operations on the site. With this and a number of other suggestions by the stakeholders, the rehabilitation planning will remain flexible to ensure viable options are not closed off. As well as this year’s urgent rehabilitation work to get the site back to a stage where it can be managed and the discharge controlled, my department is working on developing sustainable, long-term rehabilitation options for consideration by government.
A consultancy, referred to as the Unger Report, was undertaken and identified areas of high risk that have now been addressed by the short-term work that I have already discussed. It also described the detail that had to have further comprehensive research before the rehabilitation strategies and options could be developed.
It must be noted that the long-term strategy and cost estimates will not be available for government consideration for several years. The complexities of acid rock drainage are such that if the research is not carried out thoroughly, rehabilitation solutions may only delay the impact such waters can have on their downstream environments.
With the current site works under way, my department is preparing a brief for government’s consideration of the research work, time frames and the funding required to commence the long-term strategy planning. I shall ensure that the reference group is continually informed and involved as appropriate in this process.
The Mt Todd saga is a history of inadequate mining planning and a litany of abrogation of responsibility by the previous CLP government. It is amazing that a CLP minister for mines could, without obtaining the advice of his department of experts, accept less than $1m as rehabilitation security for a mine which presents a probable rehabilitation liability of some tens of millions of dollars.
This government is prepared to face a long and costly path to rehabilitate the Mt Todd mess, and the residents of Katherine and the Territory can be assured that we will not abrogate this responsibility.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the statement.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Mr Deputy Speaker, I respond to the minister’s statement on the Mt Todd mine rehabilitation. I welcome the minister’s statement advising this Assembly of the detail of the rehabilitation work being carried out at the site. There is no doubt that the rehabilitation process will take considerable time and I will be watching with interest as work progresses.
Let me assure this House that had the companies operating Mt Todd not gone into receivership the CLP would have taken every action within the law to force the proper rehabilitation of the Mt Todd site. It was not, and is not, possible to predict the failure of companies, regrettably. The opposition is as devastated as the government in relation to this issue.
I have visited the site and been given a very comprehensive briefing. Since that time, the Mt Todd Reference Group has been formed, which will continue to monitor the ongoing process of rehabilitation. As the minister has stated, the reference group is made up of a representatives from over seven groups which includes representation from Katherine, through the Jawoyn Association, the Amateur Fishermen’s Association NT and the Katherine Town Council.
One of the challenges that faces the Mt Todd site is people being unlawfully in the area - in other words, trespassing. This issue is also a challenge for the Jawoyn in relation to Lake Todd which is home to many thousands of healthy barra, albeit not fully grown. I have it on very reliable authority that there have been many trespassers found in four-wheel drives accessing not only the pristine area of Lake Todd, but also into Mt Todd. It has proved to be an ongoing security challenge. The challenge with trespassers on Mt Todd mine site is an ongoing issue as well. I certainly hope that legal action will be taken against any would-be gold and topaz poachers, illegal campers and any pilferers who are detected. Legal action is the best message to send to anybody wanting to push their luck around the Mt Todd mine site and Lake Todd. Of course, the temptation will be too much for someone who is hell-bent on making a gold discovery that will set them up for life; the stuff that the early gold miners dreamt of – the big find.
There is still potential for the future of the Mt Todd mine site, as well as taking into consideration the importance of the area for cultural, historical and environmental reasons. Despite all the political hype that this government loves to throw at the CLP about the Mt Todd mine, the economic benefit that was gained by the Katherine community when the mine was in operation cannot be pushed into the background. Many families, with a majority of the employees indigenous, were able to buy their own homes, new vehicles and live a very comfortable lifestyle and commit to the Katherine community - and the majority of those are still there. Their money was spent in Katherine and they are still in the Katherine community. Mt Todd was extremely good for the Katherine economy. You can imagine how devastating it was for our community when the mine was shut down. Despite what this government repeatedly throws at us, Mt Todd was great for the Katherine economy.
One last point I would like to raise is that the rehabilitation process will only be truly tested when we experience a very heavy Wet Season. I hope that has been taken into consideration because a very heavy Wet Season is not out of the realms of possibility. That will be the big test for the ongoing rehabilitation process.
I turn now to the future economy of the Northern Territory through mines and energy. Much time has been spent discussing the past, but we must now look to the future for our economic growth and development. High in the discussion for development this year has been, of course, the subject that seems to send many people into some sort of a frenzy; that is, the potential for the mining and exploration of uranium in the Northern Territory. Since the subject of uranium has become such an interesting topic in this Assembly when first raised earlier this year, there have been some extremely varied and quite emotional views.
The Northern Territory is in a unique position to be able to exploit the high quality resources of uranium that are virtually untapped. It is most unfortunate that this government has not given clarity and certainty to the resources industry. In fact, this government has wiped its hands of the industry by continually saying that their policy is ‘no to uranium mining’. In addition, they also claim that they will not change from their three-mine policy. What other message has the government sent to the resources industry except: government is not interested in one of the most valuable resources available to them in the Northern Territory - end of discussion?
It took the Commonwealth government to come to the Northern Territory to bring some commonsense into the discussion and to give certainty and clarity to the industry - and it did not take very long. A uranium inquiry was set up in March 2005 through the Commonwealth Parliament House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry and Resources inquiry into the development of the non-fossil fuel energy industry in Australia. The Northern Territory Minerals Council forwarded a submission to this standing committee on 14 June 2005, and member companies and the Minerals Council of Australia have also provided submissions. The Commonwealth standing committee will be meeting in Darwin on 24 October, and the Minerals Council will be appearing before it.
The federal minister, Ian Macfarlane, also set up the Uranium Industry Framework Steering Group on 11 August 2005. This high-level advisory group comprises senior industry, government and industry group representatives, and has been established to oversee the development of a framework for the uranium industry. The first meeting was held on 11 August 2005 in Canberra. The Northern Territory is well represented on the steering committee by Ron Matthews from Cameco, Harry Kenyon-Slaney from ERA, Kezia Purick from the NT Minerals Council and John Carroll from the Northern Territory government.
The proposed framework will identify opportunities for, and impediments to, the development of the Australian uranium mining industry over the short, medium and longer term. Importantly, the framework will examine all sides of the issue through a science-based approach developed in partnership with relevant territory and state governments, industry, and indigenous and community stakeholders. By removing the emotion from the subject of uranium and getting down to science-based evidence, the framework that will be identified by this steering committee should present clear outcomes and guidelines to the resource industry.
There is no doubt that since the federal minister, Ian Macfarlane, visited Darwin to give clarity and certainty to the resources industry which the Northern Territory government failed to do, there has been a huge increase in interest by companies to uranium exploration and mining, with 25 companies identified as working in this area. The 25 companies are either mining, actively exploring, or have expressed an interest in exploring for uranium in the Northern Territory. In some of these cases, uranium is seen as a secondary target in the company’s exploration for other commodities. Some of the companies are in joint venture or corporately affiliated. The 25 companies I am referring to are operating in areas right across the Northern Territory such as Rum Jungle, Lagoon Creek, Harts Range, West Arnhem Land, Tennant Creek, Napperby, Tanami, Jabiru, McArthur Basin, Pine Creek and Ngarlia Basin. You can see the potential of the resources to the Northern Territory economy is untouched.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I ask the Minister for Mines and Energy to open his mind to the potential of the resources industry in the Northern Territory and to start supporting it. I conclude by welcoming his statement for the Mt Todd mine rehabilitation, and welcome the work that is being done to restore it and make sure that it is kept safe for future generations.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Mr Deputy Speaker, I welcome the minister’s statement. However, I cannot help but pick up on one fact that the member for Katherine was talking about, making it seem like Ian Macfarlane, the federal minister, came up here on his big white horse and gave certainty to industry ...
Mrs Miller: He sure did!
Ms SCRYMGOUR: The Commonwealth has always had that responsibility and the Commonwealth …
Mrs Miller: Oh!
Ms SCRYMGOUR: They did! Put a bit of factual information in there. If you are going to say that, put the facts there; the responsibility for uranium and its mining always rests with the Commonwealth. That was the trade-off with self-government.
The minister has outlined in considerable detail the significant environmental problems and risks at Mt Todd in a clear and transparent way forward to fix those problems.
I am very pleased to see my department working side by side with officers from the Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines. This collaboration and sharing of expertise is essential if we are to fix the complex environmental problems of the nature found at Mt Todd.
It is impossible to walk away from the conclusion that Mt Todd represents a very significant regulatory failure. The problems at Mt Todd occurred while the CLP government was asleep at the wheel. Corners were cut and decisions on environmental controls were made …
Mrs Miller: I was far too nice to you in my reply - far too nice!
Ms SCRYMGOUR: I will just repeat that again, because this is fact. Corners were cut and decisions on environmental controls were made behind closed doors without the accountability and transparencies that would have rung the alarm bells. Mt Todd is a costly disaster that did not need to happen. It goes to the core of why strong and fair environmental regulation is good for business and our communities and essential to protect our unique environment.
Yes, member for Katherine, I agree, Mt Todd was very good for the economy of Katherine. I lived in Katherine at the time when Mt Todd was at its peak and it did boost the economy of Katherine. However, there was a social impact that people did not look at either.
The costs of fixing the problems at Mt Todd far exceed the costs that would have been incurred to prevent them. We must learn from the failures at Mt Todd. That is why government is establishing an EPA and rewriting our environmental laws. We will have a strong EPA that is independent in its advice that it provides to government.
I note that Mt Todd is located within the Katherine/Daly catchment. This government has taken unprecedented action to protect this icon river: $3.5m for better monitoring and research and the highest standards of water and land management. It is vital that, with all our focus on managing the lower parts of the catchment, we do not take our eyes off the issues such as Mt Todd in the upper parts of the catchment. A problem in one part of the river system is rarely confined. It is why we have committed to managing the Daly as a living river, to establish river health as a core goal in how we manage these important environmental assets. I very much welcome the minister’s effort to minimise the risk of contamination from Mt Todd to the Edith and Ferguson River. They are vital for river health.
The minister also mentioned the significant efforts made by government to involve the community in the decisions taken on Mt Todd. This is to be applauded. Mt Todd is another example of how this government is putting the community first in the environment. It follows on from the community planning exercises we have undertaken for Darwin Harbour and the Daly, and our very successful environment grants. The community is at the centre of how we approach environment management. One cannot help but reflect that, if a similar openness was taken in the 1990s by the previous government, then the story of Mt Todd could have been very much different.
I note the efforts outlined by the minister to bring far greater rigour and accountability into the process for setting rehabilitation bonds for mines. This is at the core of the problem that beset Mt Todd. The bond set by the CLP government was simply too low, and one can only speculate as to how that may have arisen. The minister has detailed some important reforms to the way bonds will be set in the future. I am very pleased that my Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts will be involved because there are officers within my department with significant expertise to bring to the job.
The environment assessment process is also very important to ensure that we do not have another Mt Todd. When undertaken rigorously, environment assessment helps predict environmental impacts and risk from a development and to develop safeguards to manage them. It is a very important process that, in turn, guides the regulation of the mine once it is up and running. My department is currently run off its feet with environment assessments, many of them mining developments including the expansion of the McArthur River mine, the Matilda’s mineral sand mining proposal, Browns Oxide Project at Rum Jungle, and the Mt Porter gold project. We will rigorously apply our environment assessment processes to these developments to ensure none cause the type of problems experienced at Mt Todd.
Mr Deputy Speaker, in closing, I welcome the statement. Unfortunately, we have inherited a significant environment problem, but we are getting on with the job of fixing it. I commend the minister’s statement to the House.
Mr KNIGHT (Daly): Mr Deputy Speaker, much has been said about this matter, not only at the time in 2000 when it all went pear shaped, but in the years since and in this House today. This mine is situated in the Daly electorate. I was around the region for many years during its operations. I know the rivers and the creeks in this area. I know the people in the nearby community of Werenbun, and my family and I have visited the Edith River for fishing and swimming for a few years now. I also know many of the business people who were affected during the mine closure and its operations.
The knowledge of this place, the people, and the expanding knowledge of the continuing environmental problems at this site, leaves me with a growing feeling of disgust and anger about the whole sad saga. We have heard from the minister about the history of the mine being established, the ownership and the operators. We heard about the environmental situation at the time of the closure, the current situation and what is being proposed for the future management of the site. We have also heard about the huge sums of taxpayers’ money which are going into rectifying the problem at the mine, and also the work being done by the stakeholder groups which are providing their time to provide advice on the ongoing remedial environmental work.
What strikes me about this issue is the level of chronic mismanagement by the previous CLP government. That is where I am laying the primary blame for the current situation at the mine - not because it is politically advantageous, but that is where the blame truly lies …
Mrs Miller: I think it might be!
Mr KNIGHT: The member for Katherine talked about political hype. This is not political hype. She was a business operator in Katherine and she would know. Her CLP government at the time constructed this project very poorly and she, and her other CLP mates in Katherine, would have been affected by it. It is a very sad saga. From its inception in 1993, the CLP government was up to its neck in the development of various scrutiny and institutional structures. Their cosy relationship and neglect for departmental advice sowed the seeds for the environmental disaster we are now facing and the economic collapse small businesses suffered in Katherine in 2000. The previous CLP government and the present CLP opposition cannot divest themselves of responsibility for what happened at the time and what we see presently. I truly believe the current CLP opposition needs to make a public apology for their incompetence in this matter.
It has been widely accepted that in their haste for a quick buck they did not provide the environmental security for future Territorians for this wonderful area. They did not put the protections in place to stop the financial act of bastardry which sent many small businesses to the wall. The whole saga and commercial transactions were fed to the receiver being imported to have a good hard look at it. The CLP paints itself as a friend of the mining industry and small business, and a responsible environmental manager. Well, they have stained the image of the mining industry to the wider public because of this project.
They are complicit in destroying well established small businesses in Katherine and Pine Creek, and they will always be linked to the many years of contamination at the mine. It is hypocritical for the CLP opposition to criticise this Labor government for its initiatives around small businesses, for the mining industry, and environmental management. This mine is your legacy in this area and you will be remembered for the abhorrent failures and mismanagement which resulted in this government having to fix the problems. I commend this government for its continual commitment to fixing these problems.
Other speakers have gone into extensive detail about the downside aspects of the mine and rehabilitation, and this is very important. What I would like to talk about are some positive initiatives out of a bad situation which are being proposed. These include links to research with other organisations to provide benefits. I would like to refer to the Unger Report which the minister referred to. The report mentions potential links with research and other organisations such as the Charles Darwin University doing its research with them, as well as research organisations such as CSIRO, the Supervising Scientist doing extensive work within Jabiru, research groups and other academic institutions, as well as the Australian Centre for Mine and Environmental Research which has recently held an abandoned mine rehabilitation workshop. They have important links involved in technology transfer in the mining industry. Also, the International Network of Acid Prevention is looking at research into acid rock drainage. There are also government departments throughout Australia which could look at this site and learn much; and we can learn much from them. Also, the NT Minerals Council has a link to the industry within the Territory.
There are some benefits, strangely enough, to come out of the project. Through the $5m that the Labor government is spending on this project, there will be Aboriginal and other local employment and training in earthworks and revegetation. This will flow on to employment and training within the Katherine region and small businesses within Katherine. There will be some alternative uses for the mining leases there. Also, there will be work done on the protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage and the protection of European mining heritage in the area. The raw water dam which has been spoken about has some potential for recreational camping and fishing, and that is something that may be looked at in the future. Obviously, tours and other activities will be generated from that. It will also be used to educate and communicate to the broader community about the work being done there, creating a role for somebody. There is also the development of rehabilitation techniques.
As I highlighted, this is an absolute mess. I am surprised that the shadow minister would spend three minutes on such an important issue, and then talk about the uranium industry and uranium mining. Why should we ever trust a CLP government with uranium mining if they cannot look after a single mine? Talk about political hype and the benefit to some workers! What about the $5m now being spent on fixing the problem? That is not the end of it; I think the quote was something like $20m to fix this. We certainly do not want to be doing this all over the place. I will be watching this development. We have other mines in the area - Maud Creek is one example. The initiatives that the Labor government has initiated, with the changes to some legislation, will certainly stop any repeat of the Mt Todd mess. I will be working with the minister making sure we keep the information going about the Mt Todd area. I commend the statement.
Mr WARREN (Goyder): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support this important statement on the rehabilitation of the Mt Todd mine site. Previous speakers have spoken about the abysmal efforts of the previous government, and I can only concur with that. However, I would like to focus more on what this government is doing to rectify the mess that was created by the previous government.
As the minister pointed out in his ministerial statement, the sudden cessation of operations in July 2000, only one year after its restart, meant the mine site rehabilitation was not commenced. Also, under the previous CLP government, a paltry $900 000, as we have been told, had been placed in the Mt Todd rehabilitation fund. Given the nature of mineralisation, acid rock drainage (ARD) posed the greatest risk to downstream environments and, consequently, the most pressing issue was to focus on containing the poor quality seepage. Unfortunately, the $900 000 set aside for the rehabilitation trust was quickly exhausted in acquiring pumping equipment and infrastructure to minimise water discharge from the site.
This Martin Labor government took note of what happened, and I applaud this government for its public commitment to rehabilitate the mine site - something that previous CLP governments chose not to do. Furthermore, this government undertook a review into implementing significant changes to assessment and management procedures for rehabilitation securities of mine sites. The review recommended a Mining and Energy Assessment Board be established to asses the risk and rehabilitation estimates for potential mining projects. This will allow appropriate securities, as well as security release matters, to be determined for mine closure before the mining starts.
Back to Mt Todd: the challenge facing this government is to develop and implement a sustainable, long-term rehabilitation strategy for Mt Todd. We are drawing on the state-of-the-art methodology developed as part of the Mt Morgan Mine rehabilitation plan and implementation, the Unger Report. An environmental consultant has completed a study that identified areas of high risk that are currently being addressed.
For the information of other members, I will outline the identified high risks associated with specific mine site areas. The tailings storage facility has a well identified risk of ARD generation and de-watering infrastructure failure. The groundwater contamination and land use limitations are a slightly lower but still significant risk. The waste rock dump has a relatively high identified risk of ARD generation with groundwater contamination a significant risk. The heap leach pad has a relatively high identified risk of mass failure, ARD generation, groundwater contamination, and a significant risk of major erosion. The ROM crusher stockpile has a significant identified risk of groundwater contamination. The low grade ore stockpile has a relatively high identified risk of ARD generation and significant risk of groundwater contamination. The scats stockpile has a moderate identified risk of ARD generation and land use limitations. The retention ponds have a relatively high identified risk of spillway failure, overflow potential and danger to people with a significant risk of impacting on the groundwater. The raw water dam has a relatively high identified risk to people and a significant risk of wall failure. The Batman pit has a relatively high identified risk of pit wall instability and danger to people with a significant risk of groundwater contamination. It is pretty horrendous, isn’t it?
The immediate concerns of acid rock drainage are being addressed. Funding has been made available to maximise the containment of run-off and seepage from the mine site, while long-term sustainable rehabilitation options are researched and decided upon. The environmental consultant also outlined an approach that needs to be comprehensive, systematic, ongoing and specific to Mt Todd to ensure a long-term rehabilitation strategy can be cost estimated. The recommended systematic approach commences with an overview of objectives, risks and rehabilitation challenges. The emphasis then turns to developing the terms of reference for a realistic rehabilitation plan. A project management team with appropriate skills needs to be appointed. The job of project manager is then to look at potential triple bottom line linkages and benefits as part of the rehabilitation process.
The objectives have already been clearly defined and they include: return Mt Todd to a safe and stable condition; limit the impacts from site discharges to acceptable levels; remove on-site hazards to humans and the environment; minimise restrictions on future land uses; as far as possible, accommodate the objectives of all the stakeholders; and where appropriate, facilitate local employment and training opportunities. A comprehensive risk management strategy has to be followed to ensure a systematic approach to problem solving and the development of a conceptual schedule to assist with planning and implementation.
It is envisaged that the project management will be led by a project manager and a team comprising technical, administrative and operational personnel. Their role will be to manage site operational matters, plan rehabilitation project elements, communicate findings, manage procurement processes, and then oversee the rehabilitation through to completion. Once project management has gained sufficient information, a rehabilitation plan will be prepared to become the basis for all subsequent decision making.
Mr Deputy Speaker, as explained by the minister, the comprehensive nature of the approach means that it will not be a short-term process, as we need time to get it right. Surely, that is cause enough to applaud this government’s current and ongoing practices - practices that will ensure state-of-the-art, comprehensive rehabilitation procedures take place to enable sustainable, long-term rehabilitation of the Mt Todd mine site.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to talk on Mt Todd because, thanks to the minister, last Friday I was able to visit the mine site for the first time and had a detailed tour of the mine as it is today. I say up-front, I am very thankful to the minister for allowing his officers to take me around there, as well as Robbie Friel, one of the Jawoyn workers on site, who was very knowledgeable about the operations there. I appreciated the information he was able to give me, especially about the history of the problems of the mine and how the whole mine worked. I thank Robbie very much for that.
In saying that, of course, Mt Todd has been a disaster. I would put it in the same words as the member for Goyder. I do not think it is a total disaster because there is an opportunity, hopefully, for some other company to maybe come on board and reopen some of those ore bodies that the government is retaining leases on and actually get the mine going again. One of the reasons it appears that the mine has the problems it has is that there is not enough money. The government, at the time, certainly did not leave enough money in the pile for rehabilitation. The other reason is that you had a state-of-the-art mine where a company went bust and, because the heap piles were not being maintained they eventually fell into disrepair. My understanding is that if it was maintained it was an excellent mine - no great problems. However, someone went bung and there was not enough money for the rehabilitation process.
I ask this question of the government because you were in opposition, and it is easy to look in hindsight and say the CLP should have spent more money – and I would agree, I am not excusing the CLP in the slightest. I would like to know if the opposition at that time screamed and yelled and made a fuss that there was not enough money in the kitty? It is all right to criticise, and that is quite within your rights because it has been a disaster from the point of view of the amount of money for rehabilitation. However, when you sat here did you point the finger at the CLP and say: ‘You have not put enough money in; you have let this company off lightly’? It is all right to say something now, but did you do something at the time yourselves? I need to know whether the government now, when in opposition, also was aware that this was happening.
I had a good look at the mine. I notice, minister, that you are now pumping the acid water into the main pit. I heard the member for Goyder talking about the possibility of pollution of groundwater, but I am not sure if that is the case. If the member for Goyder is right, then I would be asking why you are pumping water into the main pit. Perhaps the member for Goyder does not realise that it is in this statement from the minister. I presume that the government would not be doing that if there was a chance of contaminating the groundwater. I ask the minister if the government has done any checks on contamination of the groundwater in the pit, because that is what you are now using as the main area to pump the water into.
I also hope that the government is proactive. I think you mentioned something about looking at getting other companies on-site. It would be interesting to know whether that is a realistic approach because, as you say, minister, this is going to be a lot of taxpayers’ money to fix it. If we can get a private company onside to start up the mine, even in a small way, some of those costs of rehabilitation might be able to be spread through the private development, which would be less of a burden on the taxpayer.
The member for Daly mentioned the freshwater lake. Whilst I did not get to the lake because we did not have time, we saw the aerial photographs. It is a substantial lake and, if the mine is not opened up as it was before, there must be some potential in that area for recreation. The word about two weeks ago was there was some big barra there. When we went out, the word was there was none. I do not know whether the minister has investigated the tracks in there and what sized net might have gone through there. I am sure they did not disappear that quickly. There are opportunities for recreational fishing and perhaps water skiing. As with Manton Dam these areas are important for those people who want to partake in that kind of recreation - camping and a safe place to swim.
There may be spin-offs that, perhaps, have not been looked at including tourism, which might sound funny. That mine has a history. You can tell people what happened there. You have historic sites; a mine that is politically controversial. That can make the place interesting to some people. I am not saying set up mines just to make them controversial; however, you can make it part of a package for tourism in that area. It is a big mine. You are not dealing with some little tin-pot mine that just started up and died; it was a big enterprise. People will be interested in that.
The member for Daly was talking about the Unger Report, of which I do not know much. I have not seen it and the first I knew about it was what you mentioned in your statement, minister. I am interested in seeing what work has been done. I am learning from the mistakes of Mt Todd and I presume that is partly what the Unger Report is about. You have various bodies like the CSIRO and other people studying what has happened there and looking at ways to improve the way we mine in the area.
The other thing I ask - and maybe this is not a practical thing: is it reasonable to ask that rehabilitation occurs on mines as they are being used? In other words, instead of waiting for rehabilitation to occur at the end of the mine, can some rehabilitation in the form of reforestation or grassing of areas be a part of the mining process so that if something does go wrong you do not have this huge big mess to fix up; some of it is already in a stable state? Obviously, when you look at heap piles, you see a lot of bare ground which, without any maintenance, has collapsed. It may not be possible to grow things on heap piles. I do not know whether it is possible to have some ongoing rehabilitation which maintains some of these areas in a condition which will mean there is less of a problem when the mine closes down as some of the work is already done.
Minister, I thank you for the report. I probably could say a few words on uranium but I will not. I believe that it is an issue that should be debated in this parliament. I noticed in today’s paper Martin Ferguson said that the Labor Party should rethink its opposition to uranium mining. It is an area that we will keep debating, and should debate, as it is important in this day and age.
However, getting back to the original focus of your statement, I thank you for that statement. I am interested in a regular update - maybe every six months - on whether you have any other companies interested in developing an area; what the state of the environmental rehabilitation process is; and how much the rehabilitation process has cost us. Perhaps an appropriate time for a report is after the Wet Season because the work has been done there. Much of that work has been done by a local company from Howard Springs, Ostojic Transport. I am sure Tommo would be very pleased that he has some of that work. Work has been done to try to stabilise the heap piles. I am interested in a report after the Wet Season to see whether that has happened. Has the moat area been cleaned out sufficiently to retain a lot of that water that comes from there? Have the pumps all worked well enough to stop water running into the creek? A detailed report at the end of the Wet Season would be vitally important to members of this House who have an interest in mining and support it, but do not support mining that damages the environment.
Mining is one of the main employment and economic facets of our economy. We need that industry, but we need to ensure that it is not a false economy - in other words, people making profit and the taxpayer paying to fix it afterwards. We do not want the mining industry propped up by the taxpayer; we want a mining industry that is sustainable. Just as I agree with sustainable agriculture, I agree with sustainable mining - that is the way we have to go. If we can learn from this particular disaster, then so be it. We should be able to learn from our mistakes and go on.
People sometimes go crook at my attitude about cotton and uranium. I do not believe in the technology of 30 or 40 years ago. I look at the technology today and ask if we have improved on it, and that is where I make my decisions. I do not look at the technology that might have caused the problems with Mt Todd mine 10 years ago. I ask if we have moved on and improved our technology, and that is what I will support. That is why I take on some of those issues, because I do not believe staying static and making decisions based on old technology is the way to go. Look at things, see what they are today, not yesterday, and let us learn by those things.
Ms McCARTHY (Arnhem): Madam Speaker, I respond to the Mt Todd mine rehabilitation ministerial statement by the Minister for Mines and Energy. Without a doubt, this coming Wet Season will certainly be the biggest test for Mt Todd and, in particular, the plans that are in place for rehabilitation of the area.
We pride ourselves on the pristine environment the Northern Territory is renowned for, not only in this country, but internationally. Tourists travel to the Red Centre for the stunning beauty of our tourist attractions there, and they are just as captivated by the tropical delights of the Top End. Trying to find a balance between the tourist attractions and the economic practicality of mining is what the Martin government is all about - finding that balance and maintaining it. We know that mining injects around $1bn into the Northern Territory economy, and that there are 12 hard rock mines across the Northern Territory, not forgetting, of course, the oil and gas industry. Each mining company must be acutely aware of the fundamental need to protect and rehabilitate the environment that surrounds them. If they are not aware of this social and moral responsibility, they are certainly aware of the legal one.
The Mt Todd gold mine brought great prosperity to the people of the Katherine region, as we have heard from the members for Katherine and Arafura. When the mine was in full production it certainly did bring economic benefit to Katherine. As the Minister for Mines and Energy said in his statement, Mt Todd produced $242m worth of gold and silver over the years of production from 1993 to 2000. The benefits that flowed to the Territory from Mt Todd are estimated to have been around $107m. An estimated 58% of those benefits derived from salaries and wages, and 39% went to local business operators, particularly in the Katherine region.
However, with the economic prosperity of any company comes the social and moral responsibility to protect the environment. The environment means the rivers and the creeks which are full of fish and marine life, and even birds such as the Gouldian finch. Mt Todd is renowned as a habitat that is special to the Gouldian finch. It is a place where people go for recreational activities. The Martin government is deeply aware of the concerns raised since mining ceased at Mt Todd. Concerns centred around reports of seepage of acid rock drainage that poses an environmental risk to downstream environments.
It is highly commendable that the mining minister and his department have moved swiftly to ensure the environmental safeguards are in place at Mt Todd. This has included the establishment of the reference group which is representative of many groups such as the Jawoyn Association, the Northern Territory Minerals Council and the Amateur Fisherman’s Association, just to name a few.
With the abrupt closure of operations in 2000, how is it that a substantial volume of cyanide solution remained in three large storage tanks on site? It is deeply disturbing to think that insufficient safeguards, if any, were in place from the very beginning of mining at Mt Todd. How is it - and these are questions that many people must ask - that less than $1m was accepted as rehabilitation security for Mt Todd when, clearly, the rehabilitation liability is in the tens of millions of dollars - and this from the very beginning? Was the awareness for rehabilitation of the site underestimated? At best, perhaps it was. Or was it that no care was taken at all, which is probably the worst situation? I urge the Martin Labor government to be vigilant against following the same path, not just with Mt Todd, but all mines across the Northern Territory.
It is encouraging to hear the minister for the environment speak about the Environmental Protection Authority for the Northern Territory. Look at some of the environmental achievements that have taken place over the last four years, good things like environment grants which have been established to support community projects and community groups to help the environment. Many of the indigenous ranger and Landcare groups which were not in place previously are now finding strength because they can look after country and culture at the same time.
I would like to turn to the Jawoyn Association which was instrumental from the beginning as well in the employment process for Aboriginal people at Mt Todd, and certainly in the caring for country of the region. In the government’s rehabilitation plans for Mt Todd, two Jawoyn men have been employed to maintain and operate the pumps and other parts of the water management system. They carry out the water monitoring requirements, as well as the many other activities required to actively manage the site.
It is the Jawoyn Association and, no doubt, the Minerals Council and other groups that hope future mining will continue at Mt Todd under the right conditions. I would like to add here that the executive director of the Jawoyn Association, Robert Lee, is currently unwell, so my predecessor, the former member for Arnhem, John Ah Kit, will come out of retirement to act as a part-time Executive Director for the Jawoyn Association. No doubt, with his expertise in the Jawoyn Association and, indeed, with the Northern Territory Labor government, he will be able to bring some insight as to where the next steps can be taken.
It was in the early 1990s that the Northern Territory government and the Jawoyn Association entered into the Jawoyn Agreement, which resolved the native title claims on the area by converting the land to Territory freehold land owned by the Barnjarn Aboriginal Corporation. The actual mining leases are within and on the freehold land. Any new mining activities would require proponents to negotiate compensation with the Jawoyn Association which acts on behalf of the corporation.
The Jawoyn Association is closely involved in all attempts by the receiver since mine closure to sell the mining leases and has, moreover, been an active member of the Mt Todd Rehabilitation Reference Group since it was founded earlier this year. I commend the Minister for Mines and Energy for the rehabilitation plans for Mt Todd, and for ensuring that the reference group is continually informed and involved in the process.
Mr HENDERSON (Business and Economic Development): Madam Speaker, I was not scheduled to speak in this debate, but as a previous portfolio minister for Mines and Energy, and listening to contributions, I wanted to put my contribution on the public record.
I thank my colleague, the current minister, for this statement, because it really does put in context the history of the Mt Todd gold mine and where we, as government, are inheriting the responsibility on behalf of the Northern Territory for its rehabilitation, which is the crux of the matter. It should never have reached this particular point. The government and the taxpayers of the Northern Territory should not have ended up being responsible for stabilising and rehabilitating the Mt Todd gold mine.
We certainly have not lost hope, as gold prices increase, that somebody may come in and restart operations in Mt Todd in some capacity in the future as the gold is still there. There is a lot of gold there, to my understanding, and the traditional owners, the Jawoyn, with the appropriate environmental safeguards in place, are still keen to see mining on that land.
I join with the member for Arnhem in sending my best wishes to Robert Lee from Jawoyn. I worked very closely with Robert when I came to the portfolio. I understand he is very ill and wish him well, because he is a man of great integrity, capacity, and vision for the Jawoyn people.
There has been a sad story here. I remember very well, as mines minister, inheriting Mt Todd which was in receivership at the time. Receivers had been appointed, trying to do the best thing by the creditors. Very early on in the piece, I went to the mine site and had a look around. Aussiequip had been on site for six to eight months at the time. It was a crying shame for somebody who is a fitter by trade and has actually worked in mine sites, not only in Tasmania but also here in the Northern Territory. It made you want to cry to see how Aussiequip was just dismantling that particular plant with oxyacetylene. At every stroke of the oxy torch through a piece of equipment, the chances of getting that mine up and running again receded even further.
The central issue here is: how did we get to this point? I know my colleague, the current minister, has some further information in the closing remarks that he is going to make, but governments have to learn lessons from Mt Todd. Mining is a vital industry in the Northern Territory. It is a vital industry for Australia and is actually underpinning economic growth given the resources boom globally, and will continue into the future. Mining companies in 2005 are much more cognisant today of their responsibilities to the communities in which they operate, and their commitments to the triple bottom line. Those commitments have to be genuine; they have to be founded in trust between the mining companies and the communities where they operate. One of those issues is the amount of security that needs to be held in the future for rehabilitation. The taxpayer should not have to pick up the bill to stabilise and rehabilitate mining operations in a first world country like Australia.
The history is decisions were made that enabled a company with the financial muscle like Multiplex, backing General Gold, to only lodge a $900 000 environmental bond. Then that company walked away from General Gold. I understand from ministerial officers that, at the time in 2000 when General Gold went into receivership, the mine was profitable; it was actually making money. Multiplex withdrew their support at the last minute, I understand, for taxation reasons. We had a major multinational company making a very cold, calculated decision to walk away from an operation, knowing full well that the amount of money that was left in trust for rehabilitation of that mine was not sufficient. To be able to walk away from that particular venture they were operating in 2000 does not stand Multiplex in good light. The government of the day took the decision that they would accept that $900 000 and, I suppose, only the minister of the day can account for why he thought that was an adequate amount of money.
I agree with the member for Nelson that we need to learn lessons from this. One of the lessons that should be learned is that the taxpayer should not have to pick up the pieces. There is enough money in the mining industry and the resources sector at the moment for companies to plan for mine rehabilitation and lodge appropriate bonds in various financial instruments. Most mining companies today - and I was very proud to hold the portfolio for a number of years - or at least 99% of them, have absolute commitments to the triple bottom line to the communities in which they operate. Whilst this government is in place in the Northern Territory, we will not have another legacy such as the Mt Todd mine.
It is an absolute tragedy that that mine has ceased to operate. It was a very significant operation in its day - $242m worth of gold and silver recovered. There is millions of dollars worth of gold still there. As technology improves in extracting gold and silver from the very hard rock that it is imbedded in, in and around that area, I am pretty confident into the future - who knows when - we will see gold mining in that area again.
Unfortunately, the taxpayer, through this government, does have to pick up the pieces. We are taking our responsibilities to the environment very seriously. On behalf of the people of Katherine and the Jawoyn people, we are taking those responsibilities very seriously. I am very pleased to see that the minister has put this partnership group in place, because it is all about trust. The people of Katherine and the Jawoyn people are working with this government, and trust this government to do everything we can to stabilise Mt Todd and rehabilitate the site to the best of our capacity, all the while leaving the door open for another commercial operator to come in and pick up the pieces if it is commercially feasible and environmentally feasible and acceptable to the Jawoyn.
Madam Speaker, I commend the minister on his statement. However, there are certain ministers in previous governments who need to have a look at themselves in the mirror. There is also one very large multinational company whose history and corporate legacy has not been left in a very good light by this particular saga at all.
Mr VATSKALIS (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their contribution. I have to admit I am extremely disappointed with the contribution from the member for Katherine. She spent three minutes talking about Mt Todd and then switched to uranium. I thought I was here today to brief this House about the Mt Todd rehabilitation and what we are going to do to bring Mt Todd to some acceptable condition because, currently, it is totally unacceptable. Of course, she would change to uranium because the political advisor to the opposition knows very well it does not matter how much you gloss over Mt Todd, it is and will be a sad legacy of the CLP government.
I am very disappointed also because the member for Katherine was very vocal when Maud Creek was touted as being reopened. She was asking me what we were going to do about Mt Todd, and what precautions we were going to take to protect the people in Katherine from the operation of Mt Todd. She was concerned about the operations, the cyanide, and quite rightly so - I would be too. She told me she was going to watch very carefully what we were doing with Maud Creek mine. I promised her we would not repeat the mistake that the CLP government made in 1993 and 2000. I recall she said that if the CLP was in power and the company was trying to walk away from Mt Todd they would take them to court.
However, you cannot predict failure. That is exactly why you put environmental bonds in trust so, in case the company goes bust, you have something to draw from to rehabilitate a mining site or any other site they will leave behind unattended. However, $900 000 will not go far enough. That $900 000 lasted only about two or three years and was used by the department to ensure the water was pumping around the retention pond and would not escape into the Edith River with enormous environmental pollution potential.
I mention that, last year, 17 tonnes of copper went down the Edith River. That was copper dissolved by the sulphuric acid generated by the rain when it went through 12 million cubic metres of rock left uncovered at Mt Todd. As well as that were enormous quantities of aluminium, and you can see it. Where the water turns white, that is actually the aluminium that is deposited as the acid rock drainage goes through the waterway. I mention that the pH of the water in the pit is two – it is actually lower than your battery. These are all environmental disasters. Nowhere else in the civilised world, in a civilised country, would it be allowed to happen, and it was allowed to happen here.
Let me tell you something: in 1993, the CLP minister did not seek any advice on rehabilitation security from departmental experts. In 1993, the CLP minister did not take any notice of other rehabilitation securities in place at the time. This is the advice I have received from people who worked in the department at that time. They were angry and disappointed that the minister did not take into account their expert advice or other rehabilitation bonds in place by other companies. He chose to put a $900 000 bond in 1993 in a place where the geology and the potential for pollution was known. But, no, he decided to put in place his own estimate for his own bond.
People were angry and disappointed and I am angry. My colleague was very angry when he visited the site. I recall when I became the minister for mines he briefed me about the problem I was going to take over. I thought he was exaggerating until I read the file and had a look at the site. I knew that he was not telling me the whole truth; he was trying to make it look a bit better. The place is a disaster that was caused not only by the company but contributed to by the CLP government of the time. They contributed further in 2000 when the first company collapsed and General Gold and Multiplex took over. That was the time to review the bond; it did not happen. The advice I have from departmental people was that it was a decision, once again, made on the fifth floor in the ministerial office. The reason for that was if it was more than $1m the company would not start Mt Todd again. If it did not start Mt Todd, there would be problems with employment in Katherine, which would affect people’s electorates. That is the whole truth of why the bond was so low; it was a political decision that now you and I are left to wear. Of course, you, as the member for Katherine now, have to wear it because you inherited this place with the member for Daly, and it will affect places in your electorates.
I said before the geology and the potential for pollution was known. The government of the day should have sought advice from the experts of what the potential would be for pollution and how much it would cost to rehabilitate a site in case the company went bust or closed up and left. We do that every day. My colleague, the member for Arafura, said that her department is doing it every day. We set bonds, and I have to advise the member for Nelson that the opposition at the time could not ask about the bonds because they are actually commercial-in-confidence. We cannot tell you what companies have bonds in trust because of commercial-in-confidence. However, I know very well there were companies here in the Territory that had bonds to the value of $25m, $30m and more. There are other companies which have much more than that, because the department experts have estimated the possibility of how much it would cost to rehabilitate - not to a perfect site - to rehabilitate to an acceptable site after mining has finished. Mt Todd received only $900 000.
What is really disappointing is the behaviour of a corporate citizen, a multinational company, like Multiplex. I have been advised, not only by the department but by a third party - a gold company - that when the mine closed the second time, the company General Gold started making money after the process. Multiplex pulled the plug. Why? Because they wanted to get the tax benefit. The estimated tax benefit that they received was approximately $A100m. The mine closed not because it was not profitable, but because a multinational company wanted to wipe $A100m from their tax bill. That is extremely disappointing.
However, the people in Katherine did make money. Well done! People worked very hard to make money. The people I blame are the people who made a decision about Mt Todd; the people who now have imposed upon us a $20m, $30m or $40m bill to clean that site. That money could have gone to the Territory to build clinics and new schools, to renovate schools, to put in new public housing, to have new police, new stadiums, and new sports facilities. But no, it is going to rehabilitate a site that somebody else made money from - $240m worth of gold. Even 20% profit is a hell of a lot of money. Somebody made this money, took it away and we are left with a bill to clean up the site.
Not only that, the site is not going to be cleaned in the one day, one year, or two years. This site will generate acid rock drainage for years to come. We have to plan very carefully how we are going to address the problem to make sure that this acid rock drainage does not find its way into the environment of Edith River and, in turn, Daly River. It has the potential to create a catastrophe. It has the potential to create a problem that will remain for years to come. We are not going to allow this to happen. We are also not going to allow decisions about environmental bonds to take place in ministerial offices. I insisted, during the review of the department …
A member interjecting.
Mr VATSKALIS: The member for Blain might think this is funny. It is not funny. The decision about Mt Todd was a political decision made on the fifth floor by a minister who did not want to impact upon his own electorate!
I insisted during the review that there would be mechanisms in place that no minister would have a say in determining environmental bonds. That is why there is now a group of experts, not only from department of mines but from other departments, who will sit together and determine the level of the bond in order to cover any possible future expenses should the mine close, the company go bust, or people walk away from the mine. This is very important. I want transparency and honesty, and this is what we are getting. This is what we are going to get no matter what government is in place; as long as there is legislation is in place, this will remain. That is very important.
Of course, another problem we found was the cyanide – 750 000 litres of high potency cyanide stored in three tanks – they were saving there. They are another potential for enormous disaster should something go wrong. If there is a storm and one of the tanks breaks open, or the bund wall is not able to hold this volume of cyanide, it will once again find its way down to Edith River – potential for disaster. After many arguments with Aussiequip, which refused to take ownership and responsibility for the cyanide, I instructed the department to expend our own money to neutralise it. We did it, and did it very well. The potential for pollution at Mt Todd is very real. The member for Nelson went there and, I believe, the member for Katherine also had a look at not only the volume of rock but the heap leach area. This has enormous potential for pollution because of the size of the rock the water can generate much more acid rock drainage, or sulphuric acid going through that hill of ore, than from the other rock. We have the potential for an environmental disaster at Mt Todd, and that is why we moved very quickly in order to address the issues.
The member for Katherine said that it was for political hype and that I play politics with Mt Todd. No, I do not; I just say things exactly the way they are. I tell you I was very surprised when, a few months ago, I received an e-mail from an ex-member of the CLP living in Katherine. In his e-mail, that person told me that Mike Reed and Tim Baldwin should be hauled over hot coals for the Mt Todd disaster. Tim Baldwin and Mike Reed were saying it would be the best mine in the world - the most environmentally-friendly mine in the world - nothing would go wrong. He demanded that I take any action I could against those members and, I guess, anybody responsible. Unfortunately, we cannot. I wish we could but, unfortunately, we cannot. The Mt Todd legacy will be here for years to come. It will cost a lot of money and, unfortunately, it will always be the result of a political decision by a politician, made not in the best interests of Territorians, but probably in the best interests of himself in order to protect a vested interest in his electorate.
I assure members that I intend to watch Mt Todd closely. We moved very quickly. We are spending $5m to address some of the immediate problems with Mt Todd. We will not close Mt Todd completely. We will be very keen to see companies restarting operations at Mt Todd. There is quite a lot of gold in Mt Todd. It has its own difficulties: the hardness of the rock, the geology of the ground. Some companies have already approached us and they are willing to start Mt Todd and work with us to address some of the past and present problems. We have an open mind, but we will make sure, whatever happens at Mt Todd, that this government makes decisions based on resolving the problems and preventing any future problems occurring from the operation of Mt Todd, and make sure that, if there is a problem, Territorians will not have to fork out their own money to rehabilitate the site. The people responsible for it are the ones who are going to pay for it. That is the reason, when a bond is put in place by any company which wants to operate in Mt Todd, it will be a bond that will be decided by people in the department and the committee, and not by the minister.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
Sport and Recreation for the Territory
Sport and Recreation for the Territory
Ms LAWRIE (Sport and Recreation): Madam Speaker, today I reflect on the substantial sporting achievements made by this government to improve sport and recreation for the Northern Territory, to build on the work of my predecessor, John Ah Kit, and to inform the Assembly of important new initiatives my department will implement into the future. I am pleased to be the Minister for Sport and Recreation and, since becoming minister, have met with sports representatives across the Northern Territory in both the government and non-government sector.
Sport and recreation is a critical element of the Northern Territory lifestyle, bringing lifelong social, emotional and health benefits to individuals and the community. The development of a Sport and Recreation Policy is our highest priority, with the consultation process to begin in 2005-06, with finalisation of policy in 2006-07. The policy will provide a common platform which will allow everyone in the sport and recreation industry to move ahead with common purpose.
I am giving this statement today, as Minister for Sport and Recreation, but I am also Minister for Family and Community Services and I feel that I approach sport and recreation in our community with two hats on. There are many synergies between these two portfolios. Providing sport opportunities for our youth is important; it keeps them on track. It provides them with goals and ambitions, and it helps prevent the boredom that so often leads to destructive behaviour. A good swimming pool or a good football oval can make such a difference to a community and can lead to positive outcomes in health, education and community safety. It can also obviously lead to future sporting champions.
However, we need to make sure that sport and recreation opportunities apply to all, not just the elite. Often, it is the kids who are not good at sport who miss out and feel marginalised, which can lead to problems such as petrol sniffing. We also need to be mindful that it is not just the youth that sport and recreation helps.
On Monday this week, I launched Mental Health Week. For years now, it has been common knowledge that exercise is good for one’s physical health. However, it has only been recently …
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Just as a point of clarification. This was delivered to us last night and I have prepared a response to this. I may have been delivered an incorrect copy. The words that you have just uttered are not in here.
Ms LAWRIE: I am reading from my statement, member for Blain. If you want to take some notes that you do not have there, by all means.
Mr MILLS: Sorry, but the protocol - and I am not trying to be smart – is, I understand, that a statement delivered to parliament and to the opposition is as delivered. There are elements of this that are different. I am just wondering whether I have the wrong copy?
Mrs LAWRIE: I do not have your copy in my hand ...
Madam SPEAKER: Excuse me, minister. Are you deviating as you speak, or do you have a different version fully typed?
Ms LAWRIE: I may have a different version, Madam Speaker. I do not have the member for Blain’s version in my hands, but I am reading from the ministerial statement …
Madam SPEAKER: Excuse me, minister, could you just resume your seat, and member for Blain, resume your seat. Leader of Government Business, could we have new copies of the statement brought out if it is significantly different?
Mr HENDERSON: Speaking to a procedural debate, my understanding of the protocol is that a final copy is delivered to the opposition. Whether something has happened with a different version, I do not know. However, we do not know what the member for Blain has and what version the minister has. Can we, for expediency, continue with the statement? I will take it on board to find out what has happened in terms of the different versions. Something has obviously happened in version control, but I do not think giving the member for Blain a full copy of the current statement is going to assist him. If he could just take some notes, we will sort it out later. I doubt that the content is vastly different. I will take it on board as Leader of Government Business to check what has happened regarding version control between the version that the member for Blain has and the one that the minister is reading from.
Mr MILLS: Just to assist in my response as a member of opposition - and will raise the underlying issue here - I was concerned when I saw that there was a rather significant departure in the second page. All I need to know at this point is whether this means that there will be further changes to the original? Then I can be prepared to really focus on listening carefully to something that is quite different to what I and opposition has been presented.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Blain, the minister has indicated that she …
Mr Mills: Is it just a minor change?
Ms LAWRIE: I can clarify for the member for Blain.
Madam SPEAKER: All right, minister.
Ms LAWRIE: My version is the latest version. I know that there were changes made through the afternoon yesterday to the statement. What photocopied version you have I cannot attest to because I do not know what is in your hands. What I can say is that only minor changes were made. Substantially, the statement is as of the first version. However, if you do not have the final version, there are only minor changes made.
Mr Mills: That is all I am asking.
Ms LAWRIE: That is all - minor changes made.
Mr MILLS: I am not trying to be smart. I am just trying to do my job as opposition. I do not need that sort of response which is really quite churlish. All I am trying to do is get some clarification on this statement so that I can give an adequate response to it. That is all.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Blain, you can resume your seat.
Mr STIRLING: Madam Speaker, I want to put on the record that the circulation of ministerial statements is done as a courtesy to inform the opposition. If he wants to get precious about it, the simple rule is we will not circulate them in the future and we will drop them on the table …
Mr Mills: Oh come on, fair call!
Mr STIRLING: ... the next day. Many times in 10 years in opposition I have walked in here never to see a statement; not even when a statement was coming. We were asked to respond on the spot. If you want to go back to that, then fine.
Mr Mills: I am not.
Mr STIRLING: A couple of minor changes to a ministerial statement ought not to be a court case to decide what is going on.
Members interjecting.
Mr Mills: It was not a court case, you fool!
Ms CARNEY: It is appropriate I say something in these unusual circumstances. I hear what the Deputy Chief Minister has said. However, it is the government’s rule, and it is not unreasonable for the opposition to ask the government to stick to their own rules. If they want to change it, we will deal with that as and when the need arises. The fundamental issue here is that, notwithstanding the convention that has existed to date in the Tenth Assembly - and you can sigh and roll your eyes as much as you like, Leader of Government Business, but I will have my say. In the context of a government minister who knows well that she is deviating from the statement, and going beyond the rules set by you lot …
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition …
Ms CARNEY: … as for a solution …
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, please, resume your seat. It appears to me that what is happening here is that there have been several versions of a single statement and for whatever reason the opposition has received a different version. It is generally accepted that a minister can deviate from a statement which has been delivered. Nevertheless, I would appreciate in the future if there could be careful checking of what copies of a statement are given to the opposition and the Independents.
Minister, I would like you to continue.
Ms LAWRIE: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would have thought there was no harm in talking about the relationship between mental health and physical health. I will continue and, member for Blain, I am sorry if you are upset about it.
For years now, it has been common knowledge that exercise is good for one’s physical health; however, it has only been in recent years that there has been more recognition of the fact that physical activity can also contribute to positive mental health. A vibrant sporting community helps lead to a vibrant healthy community. I will continue to look at sport and recreation opportunities as a vital component of what this government is trying to achieve with our family, youth and community services.
The government went to the recent election with an exciting range of initiatives in sport and recreation. Delivering on these election commitments is a priority and, today, I reaffirm the government’s commitments. We have committed to the construction of the Palmerston Recreation Centre, as well as the football soccer stadium at the Marrara Sporting Complex. We will meet our other commitments during this term, such as: a new aquatic centre for Alice Springs; lighting of the baseball ground at the Tracy Village Sports Club; upgrade of the Gapuwiyak oval; lighting of the oval at Nakara; upgrade of the Ngukurr oval; upgrade of sport facilities at Elliott; upgrade of the Henry Scott building at the Katherine sports ground; and remedial work to the Alice Springs golf course.
I am pleased to report that headworks for the Palmerston Recreation Centre are complete and tenders for the main construction contract closed on 5 October this year. Together with the new library currently under construction, these projects will re-energise the Palmerston CBD. The shared zone vehicle and pedestrian linkages will also provide benefits to other established areas within the CBD.
With the commitment to construct a multipurpose stadium at Marrara, the facility will be the home of the Football Federation Northern Territory. A 2005-06 capital works program of $5.8m has been provided in addition of the $500 000 in 2004-05 for the headworks. I am pleased to announce that the design and documentation for the new facility is now complete and we are looking forward to construction during 2005-06.
Government’s commitment to developing sporting facilities is not only in Darwin and Palmerston, but also Alice Springs. I am pleased to update the Assembly on the continuing upgrade of the facilities at Traeger Park. In the last four years, $5.5m has been committed to Traeger Park with the Alice Springs Hockey Centre upgrade completed in October 2002 at a cost of $800 000, and more than $1.7m spent on the main oval floodlights completed in February 2004. This upgrade has meant that major special events such as AFL pre-season fixtures and evening cricket matches can now be regularly held in Alice Springs. The last part of the development, the new grandstand, is under way. A contract was awarded to Probuild (NT) Pty Ltd on 28 July of this year to construct a new grandstand at the Traeger Park main oval. The new facility includes change rooms, ablutions, first aid rooms, umpires rooms, spectator seating, a lift, and a bridge and ramp connecting to the adjacent Mona’s Lounge. It is expected that this development will be completed by March of next year, just in time for the preseason AFL/NAB cup challenge in March. The project has been of benefit to the town, with work going to local tradesmen and subcontractors such as PRA Electrical, Alice Springs Town Council and the Arrernte Council.
This government is committed to providing opportunities to all Territorians to participate in sport and physical activity, and this includes women and girls. Government has committed $4.8m to construct an outdoor netball facility in Darwin with 10 courts, spectator and change facilities, as well as office space. Netball is a key sport for women and girls, and this is supported by the government’s commitment to the Commonwealth Bank trophy games being played in the Territory.
The development of a home ground for the Palmerston Magpies was a $2m commitment that we have honoured. In June 2004, the Northern Territory government provided a $2m capital grant to the Charles Darwin University to redevelop one of their ovals for use by the Maggies. The $2m grant provides a significant boost to the quality of the facility, benefiting not only the football community but the wider university community as well. I understand that the Magpies have been training at the CDU facility and work is well under way on the changing room facility. I am confident that the completion of these works will see a quality home for the Magpies.
Tennant Creek has not been forgotten, with a commitment of $500 000 to the Tennant Creek Town Council for lighting at Purkiss Reserve.
There is lighting also for the Tiwis, with completion of the installation of floodlights at the Stanley Tipiloura Oval at Nguiu. This has greatly increased the availability for sporting and other community events at this location. It is a tremendous social boost, enabling the young people of the community to use this facility in an extended, supervised and safe environment.
With soccer one of the fastest growing junior sports in Alice Springs, a commitment of $500 000 has been made to Alice Springs for the development of soccer fields. The development will complement the $500 000 already provided for the junior soccer funding program and the recent restructuring of the Football Federation of the Northern Territory. The restructuring of football - or soccer as many of us still know it - at both national and Territory levels has been timely, with Australia’s acceptance into the Asia Confederation a huge step forward for the code in Australia.
Another great project in Alice Springs is the new drag strip, a government initiative that I know is very close to the heart of the member for Stuart. In April this year, the member for Stuart announced funding of $800 000 for the construction of a new drag racing facility in Alice Springs to be co-located with the Finke Desert Race start/finish site. There have been recent discussions around some concerns that Power and Water and Environment and Heritage have in relation to environmental management plans and the location of the site and its proximity to Roe Creek. I thank the member for Stuart for the work he has done in bringing the parties together and addressing these issues. These issues are being addressed and should not delay the development of the strip. The funding is being provided for the Central Australian Drag Racing Association (CADRA), and there should be no reason why they cannot complete construction next year. It will be a great asset for Alice Springs.
One of the challenges in sport and recreation is to get the balance right between supporting the elite and big events, and the grassroots. This will be one the key planks in our sports and recreation policy. A key feature of this government has been its commitment to sporting events. Not only does this serve to put the Territory on the national sporting map and provide economic benefit, it also allows children and young people the chance to see and be inspired by their heroes.
The staging of major sporting events, such as the Arafura Games and the Alice Springs Masters Games, provides significant opportunities for sports administrators and coaches. It also allows sports people from throughout the Northern Territory to compete against those from other states and overseas, whether socially, such as in the Alice Springs Masters Games, or as a developing athlete in the Arafura Games. Importantly, these events also bring significant economic benefits to the Northern Territory and further advance our valuable links with our neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region.
Work is ongoing to ensure that the Alice Springs Masters Games and Arafura Games scheduled in 2006 and 2007 respectively will be successful. Olympic and Australian swimming legend, Dawn Fraser, visited Western Australian country centres to promote the 2006 Alice Springs Masters Games. As patron of the event since it started in 1986, Dawn Fraser has highlighted that the games has a reputation for being friendly and fun, attracting more than 4500 competitors last year. Last year’s games attracted 4545 registrations, and 33 sports were on offer. The next Alice Springs Masters Games will be held from 21 to 28 October 2006.
The 2005 Arafura Games was a resounding success, and saw 5089 participants from 31 Asia-Pacific countries and beyond compete in 30 sports. The Arafura Games is a leading international sporting competition for the developing athletes of the Asia-Pacific region. Held every two years in Darwin, the games are billed as a meeting of ‘sporting neighbours’, and attract competitors from all parts of Australia and nations throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The next Arafura Games will be held from 12 to 19 May 2007, and forward planning has already commenced. Games organisers will travel to member countries which participated in the recent games to encourage participation in 2007. With the 2008 Olympics to be held in Beijing, there is a renewed emphasis on sport development and performance throughout Asia.
I recently met with Justin Madden, the Sports minister in Victoria, who has carriage of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne next year. He has extended an invitation for some of our Arafura Games organisers to be members of the official observers program at the games. It will be a great opportunity for them to improve their skills and pick up some ideas that they can apply to the Arafura Games in 2007. He also agreed to help promote the Arafura Games during the Commonwealth Games, and we talked about opportunities to send some Territory kids down to see the games.
Whilst the Arafura Games and Alice Springs Masters Games are our own home grown events, government also assists in the planning and delivery of a number of national level events including during our first term being very proud to bring AFL football, Test cricket, NBL basketball and CBT netball to the Northern Territory. All of these are continuing and, in this term, we have now added ARL Rugby.
International cricket: the current agreement with Cricket Australia sees cricket matches staged in Darwin from 2003 to 2007 except, of course, during an Ashes year; that is, this year. We look forward to next year’s A series, between Australia A, India A and Pakistan A. That was just a little plug.
Australian Football League: next year, we will again see a pre-season fixture in Darwin and Alice Springs, as well as the Western Bulldogs home and away game, where they will play Port Adelaide on 12 August at Marrara. We remain confident that the Bulldogs will continue to see Darwin as their home in the north.
National Basketball League: the third Perth Wildcats game will be held early in 2006 at the Marrara Indoor Stadium. The first two games of this series have all been well received - sold out, in fact.
Australian Rugby League: I recently announced that Newcastle Knights and Penrith Panthers will play a pre-season Rugby League game in Alice Springs in May of next year. This is an exciting return of top class Rugby League to Alice Springs with a pre-season game in Darwin then planned for 2007.
Commonwealth Bank Trophy for netball: already two matches have been held in Darwin in 2004 and 2005 and a proposal for future matches is under consideration.
The majority of these agreements ensure that a series of players and coaches clinics, community visits, hospitals and schools, and remote community visits are conducted around the matches.
This government is proud to support the Crusty Demons Motorcycle Stunt Group to tour the Territory. As you would be aware, we have provided them with $20 000 in sponsorship and allowed them access to the Marrara Oval. The Crusty Demons will perform in Darwin on 15 October, this Saturday, and in Alice Springs on 22 October, next Saturday. Free demonstrations and meet and greets will be held in Katherine and Tennant Creek on the way down to Alice.
Whilst sporting events provide both opportunity and entertainment, the management and administrative health of local sport and recreation is extremely important. Without strong governance and management, sports will have difficulty in delivering quality programs. To progress sport and recreation in the Territory, the Sportsbiz Unit has been established to work with a number of sports closely, to identify weaknesses in their organisations, to assist them with developing better government and management strategies and assistance, and to promote stronger business foundations and sporting outcomes for a sustainable future.
A number of sporting organisations are being assisted under the Sportsbiz banner. For example, significant assistance is being provided to golf. As a first step, a golf forum is being planned. The forum will be an opportunity for golf clubs to come together with the Territory peak body and their national body to gain an understanding of the issues and challenges that are presently impacting on golf clubs within the Territory and right across Australia. A survey will be conducted on all Territory golf clubs to derive agenda items for the forum. Sportsbiz is also working closely with a number of the larger golf clubs to assist them with building stronger governance. This assistance will form a common thread for the forum.
Providing assistance and professional development opportunities to community-based sport and recreation officers is essential to the ongoing provision of sport in the bush. The Indigenous Sport Program is a national program that provides funding to my department to link between NT sporting organisations and our communities. Regional Indigenous Sport Program officers have also focused on working with community-based sport and recreation officers to ensure that there are sport and recreation opportunities, particularly for women and girls.
In terms of remote sports, cricket has increased its presence in communities with a steady growth in the number of teams entering regional indigenous Super 8s competitions that are held in the Katherine region. Thirty-four remote indigenous communities are receiving grants to support sport and recreation officers in 2005-06.
Grassroots development is fundamental to sport innovation and growth for both remote and regional organisations. Unless sport and recreation is encouraged and supported at the grassroots level, children and young people will not be able to develop and be supported along their pathway to sporting excellence. Grassroots grants provide up to $160 000 per year to directly fund grassroots community-driven projects. This government is committed to delivering and promoting programs and initiatives that will encourage young Territorians to participate in sport.
I recently had the pleasure of launching the new Sport Linkup web site. This web site is a one-stop shop for junior sport information in the Territory. Young Territorians and their families are encouraged to visit this site where they will find information on contact details for local clubs, training times, junior sport competitions, school holiday programs and healthy lifestyle tips - some of the recipes look great, Madam Speaker. All sporting organisations with junior programs have the opportunity to contribute to the web site content.
Whilst sport is for everyone, it is also important to cultivate an environment which encourages talented athletes to strive to achieve the highest level in their chosen sport. The Northern Territory Institute of Sport provides opportunities for talented young Territorians to pursue their sporting ambitions. The Northern Territory Institute of Sport continues to be a centre of sporting excellence, providing athlete-centred programs with an emphasis on young people. For the four year period from 2005 to 2009, 10 sports have NTIS squads: hockey, AFL, cricket, Rugby Union, Rugby League, netball, ten pin bowling, weight lifting, cycling and tennis. The squad program provides access to the NTIS for more than 200 young athletes. Elite, Elite Development and Junior Elite Development scholarships have also been provided to more than 30 athletes this year.
There are a number of prominent athletes who have been the beneficiaries of support and specialist assistance from the NTIS. These include: David Hennessy, who travelled to Korea and Japan with the Australian Institute of Sport’s hockey team to play a five-game series against both of those nations; Joel Carroll and Desmond Abbott, who is on an Australian Institute of Sports scholarship, and Colin Hennessy won a silver medal in the Junior World Cup in July held in Rotterdam in Holland this year - losing to Argentineans only 1-0. Colin Hennessy was the leading goal scorer from all countries with 15 goals.
Ashlee Brown has a top 10 ranking in the Australian Under 18 in tennis and is currently seeking to break into a Women’s Tennis Association event. All the best to Ashlee.
Maria Tsoukalis is the holder of the Australian Under 18 snatch, clean and jerk record with a total lift of 58 kg in July in Darwin. She also holds the Under 20 age snatch record of 79 kg. Maria will be attending the Commonwealth Games trial in Melbourne in December. We wish her all the very best.
Karen Bailey from the netball program, in her debut in the 2005 CBA season with Queensland Firebirds, was selected in the Under 19 national squad. She has also recently been selected as both an AIS scholarship holder and, most importantly, as a member of the Australian Under 21 squad. Congratulations, Karen!
Joseph Egan played for the Australian Schoolboys team against Japan and Samoa and has gained selection - just hot news yesterday. Sorry, member for Blain but it is very late news. He is going to a tour of the UK and Ireland in December.
Ms Carney: Thanks for that!
Ms LAWRIE: I know you are disrespectful about sport, Leader of the Opposition.
Ms Carney: No, I said thank you for that, member for Karama.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: You do not have to be so nasty about it!
Elijah Peart and Tyson Doughty were selected in the combined states team from the NT, along with the captain, Joseph Egan, to play in Division 1 against New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT.
Michelle Halprin won the Under 23 Melbourne Cup. Michelle Halprin is ranked second behind Jade Flanagan, an Australian representative who has joined the NTIS squad from Queensland.
In the men’s, Andrew McArthur from Alice Springs is ranked second in the country in ten pin bowling and Ronald Voukolos is eighth.
In summary, the government has moved sport and recreation forward over the last four years and I am looking forward to the exciting opportunities that are ahead of us. We will focus on ensuring that our facilities are well managed, that our events are professionally planned and delivered, our developing athletes can access the expertise of the NTIS and, above all, a strong sport and recreation sector provides grassroots opportunities for all Territorians to participate in sport and recreation.
Madam Speaker, I move that the statement be noted.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, we did get off to a tricky start. I just need to preface my comments by restating that it was quite a genuine inquiry of the minister. I was astounded at the response both of the Treasurer and of the minister to a very straightforward inquiry. Nonetheless, I will proceed to provide a response to this statement from opposition.
The role of sport is very well connected to the Northern Territory community, and a very important connection. It is one that has existed in the Territory for many years. It is my belief that when government comes to office, it is their responsibility to continue doing good things, particularly in the area of sport and recreation. That is the responsibility of governments. To that end, I have many things that I would like to commend the minister and this government on that are contained within this statement.
There are some initiatives here that I was very pleased to see. Two of them I will mention straightaway. One is the support to community organisations. I have always seen that as a concern, particularly in modern times as we increase the burden upon community organisations which exist through the goodwill of volunteers. I have seen in this Chamber legislation such as the Associations Bill passed that has imposed greater responsibility on volunteers and discouraged them. To see a response from government such as this; to provide support to those grassroots organisations is to be highly commended.
Further to that is the communication to families and young people through the Sportsbiz web site which I also commend. As you will note by me starting with these comments, my interest and that of the CLP opposition is the grassroots aspect of these sports area. In the heart of this statement is the most important reference to getting the balance right - to use the minister’s words. That is always the challenge: to get the balance right between the high profile events that excite people and capture their imaginations and grassroots level. Although I have never really been in government, I have just been a backbencher for a short time when the CLP was in government, I can imagine it is a great temptation to be in government and to be faced with the opportunity to either invest at the grassroots level or to expend money on high profile events. One allows the minister to stand before an excited grandstand full of people and to have that roar of support. With the other one, you do not get many accolades; it is happening at an almost invisible level when you are supporting volunteers. That must be a really big temptation to see which way you would go.
I pay particular reference to that statement that we must get the balance right. Which would be the better way to go: the money invested in those big events or a reduction in those and an investment in the grassroots organisations? I am really pleased to see, as I have said already, there are two very important initiatives here to strengthen the grassroots because, if we do not strengthen the grassroots level of our sports culture we end up with nothing - we starve the whole enterprise and end up not achieving what really are the objectives of sport and recreation. The objectives, of course, are not to have a minister standing before a grandstand and tossing a coin or whatever.
The real objective for government or anyone involved in this area is to promote healthy and strong lifestyles. As the minister has referred to the wearing of two hats, I can see that theme rightfully tied together through this statement - the purpose of sport; what we are doing this for. Why do parents have their children involved in sport? Why should government invest money in sports? Remembering there is the political temptation, there is also doing that which is right. There is a purpose in sport, and the minister has referred to that a number of times in her statement.
Before I go into what I would like to spend more time on - that is, the purpose of sport and one specific area of concern of obesity and health and how sports can address a very serious issue - I would like to cover some issues that arise from the statement directly. I would like to know from the minister - and I will endeavour to receive this information in an open and transparent way. I have been slightly discouraged, in one respect, on getting clear answers to these questions. However, I ask, not from the point of trying to outsmart or embarrass the minister, but in my role as a member of the opposition: how much has it cost to bring the major events to town? I know the minister will probably give me either a polite or an impolite answer. The impolite one will be, ‘go and check it out, the information is there’ …
Ms Lawrie: I am happy to answer.
Mr MILLS: Sorry?
Ms Lawrie: I would be happy to answer that.
Mr MILLS: All right. The questions I need to find out are regarding the International Cricket: how much that whole exercise has cost? The Australian football: how much the deal is to have the Bulldogs here in the Northern Territory and ongoing costs? The National Basketball League: the deal with the Perth Wildcats; also, the Rugby League and the Commonwealth Bank Trophy with netball. I will ask the minister’s assistance in identifying exactly what the costs are, both now and into the future, for those events. I know the government can be very sensitive on these matters, but it is not for any other purpose than to assist the minister in her own position of getting that balance right between expenditure and outcome. What is the outcome? Not a political one, but health.
The second issue is the question that is not raised in this statement, but has been raised through this portfolio in times past. There may have been something that has been mentioned that I have missed. I have a fair bit of ground to cover and I cannot cover every bit of it. I will take this opportunity to ask about the plans to alter the way that sport is administered in the Marrara complex. Central to that was the change of the presence and the operation of AFLNT at the Marrara Stadium. I would just like to know where we are with that. That was something that the former minister was toying with, and did not do a very good job of covering up some thinking that was going on behind the scenes. I would like to know where that is at, because many people would like to know.
Yes, it is good to see that there have been promises kept, and that there are promises made, and the commitment to honour those promises. With the experience of the commitment made to the Palmerston Magpies, there is a lesson for this government. I am glad the Treasurer is here, as this will save some grief for the Treasurer if these commitments are brought to book earlier rather than later. The reason being, as the Treasurer will well know, that any delay today is going to escalate the cost tomorrow, which will pose a problem for the Treasurer later on. Anyone who proposes to build a house, let us say in the next month or two, and puts it off for 12 months, is in for one heck of a shock.
The primary issue here is to ensure that we have timely acquittal of these commitments because, to use the example of the Palmerston Magpies, one which I am intimately familiar with, the initial commitment of a dollar value buys much less when that is actually acquitted. That is the same with any commitment with your promised upgrades and the like for soccer. It is just a helpful suggestion from opposition: get them to book earlier. Weigh up the costs and the benefits that will flow to the grassroots organisations, as opposed to putting them off and delaying them until you can get the maximum political benefit, of which you have a return today, but you will have a deficit tomorrow which may be someone else’s responsibility because governments can change, as I have seen.
Also, at the beginning of this statement is the reference to a sport and recreation policy. Good to hear. I would like to get updated on how that unfolds as we move along.
When we think of such issues as sport and recreation, and read this statement and find reference to all the wonderful activities that are occurring, we know some of them pre-existed the life of this government and were significant events which have really changed the culture of sport in the nation, such as the Masters Games. It is good to see that continuing and thriving, as well as with a whole range of these activities; the Institute of Sport, for example. Many of us have young people in our electorates who have benefited from the Institute of Sport. My children have benefited; my daughter particularly. Some of our leading sports stars that we now see are major role models have received their status through the contribution of the Institute of Sport.
Going back one step from that with the link to schools, I do not see any reference to Schools Sports NT in here. Those programs that have been running through the schools for many, many years have seen the likes of Nova Peris, who has a very important role to play today, as a result of her involvement through School Sports NT, as well as Nathan Buckley. I have spent many hours beside the swimming pool with a stop watch and announcing and doing all manner of things. I have seen young Danni Miatke in the pool, swimming against my daughter, in fact. The investment with good sports programs over many years has resulted in her status today, which we all enjoy and celebrate with her and her family.
There is great benefit; it lifts the whole community. But what is the purpose of it? As a person who has been involved with young people, when we put sports programs in place in a school, sometimes it is a bit tricky to put in place because it requires a complete change of management style and different resourcing and so on. Then you think about it: why are you running sports programs? The reason for sports programs, as the minister has alluded to, is it strengthens some core issues that are often neglected; those being discipline, a sense of achievement and, primarily, health. Not just physical health, but mental health. The purpose of sport is health. That is why a Mum and Dad want to get their kids involved in enjoying sport, because of the health benefits. That is why we have so many commentators around the country talking about the dangers of obesity. Obesity is connected to sport, by sport delivering the antidote to the obesity epidemic.
Underneath this is a deeper and more concerning issue. I have been surprised at the level of comment around the country and, in fact, most of the first world about this appalling problem. I also had my first encounter on my arrival in the Territory many years ago, when I got all the kids out to go for a run. There was this great environment and I found that many of the kids were not that keen on a run. A number of years ago there was a program which talked about getting active, something like that. They just wanted kids to become a little more active. If everyone became a little more active, then we would have long-term health benefits that were quite measurable. Taking a large group of kids for an extended walk one day illustrated the issue that has occupied the minds of many social commentators, community leaders, nutritionists and sporting people. I took the grand gesture, a noble gesture, as a school principal when the teachers were all having some difficult times at in-service. I said: ‘Do not worry, I will take all the kids for a long walk in the bush’, and I thought it would be good for them. It was quite a long walk. I had worked out the path through the bush and I had about 60 kids and a few helpers with me. It was not that much earlier that I had been engaged in the idea of this. I cannot be sure but it was something like a ‘let us get active’ program; the premise of which was that if everyone became a little more active, then we would have long-term health benefit. It was not pitched at the elite kids; it was pitched at the middle and lower end kids who were not particularly active, and it dealt with adults as well.
Going for this long walk through the scrub with 60 kids, I discovered that there were three distinct bands. The ones who always loved sport and could not wait for the sport program to start were the ones who were running up ahead. I had to spend my time calling them back saying: ‘Do not go past the corner where I cannot see you’. I had to keep them in sight. ‘I need to watch you. If you want to, run up to the end but stay there, do not go around the corner’. I had to manage those kids. Then there were the plodding kids in the middle who did not mind looking at the birds and having a chat with everybody. They just walked along and did not cause any concern, and kept up a reasonable pace. Then there was the tail end who started puffing, panting, and sweating and who started to grumble, wondering how much longer we were going to be walking for. It really was an ordinary walk.
I became very aware of the depth of basic inactivity and the accompanying health problems, and it wasn’t 33%, 33%, 33%. There seemed to be about 10% to 12% who were really active and loved physical exercise. There seemed to be about probably 40% in the middle; and there were too many at the tail end who were looking forward to their lunch box, did not want to go any further and were requesting to turn back and go home. They were sweating and finding it very uncomfortable. That was concerning as I knew these kids and I knew that they spent most of their lunchtimes sitting on the veranda eating out of their lunchboxes; they were not particularly healthy. That is a concern to me now. However, I look ahead and I can see what problems we are going to be faced with in the future because overweight children become overweight adults.
Obesity is a growing concern. Recently, there was a quite radical plan proposed by a Tasmanian Senator who believed that schools should now be involved in measuring fitness levels as they measure literacy and numeracy levels. As one who has spent a lot of time in schools, I know that teachers would think: ‘My God, what next?’. Now teachers are going to have to measure whether kids are fit or not, fat or thin, placing a lot on the schools. However, there is this call that we need to make a greater effort in identifying how serious this problem is. This call by Senator Guy Barnett in Tasmania was presented to Tony Abbott, who has taken this plan seriously and is weighing it up.
Then the marathon runner, Mr Robert de Castella, weighed into the issue, and even accused parents of neglect for allowing children to become obese. He called on governments and community leaders for courageous leadership. I continue following this issue. He makes a call that courageous leadership means kicking out soft drinks and junk food from school canteens. Bearing in mind this statement is about sport and recreation, what is the connection, the purpose of sport and recreation? The purpose is for the health benefits, in the short and long term. Robert de Castella supports the call made by Senator Guy Barnett, and says that there should be a report to parents to help them understand the problem and accept some responsibility for obesity.
We acknowledge that 60% to 70% of our young people are not overweight or obese; however, the number who are overweight and obese is increasing. What is being advocated in all of this is probably a sensible response - we need to screen our young people to see what the size of this problem is. I call on the minister because she says she wears two hats - maybe, if we want to achieve real outcomes in this area of sport and recreation, we could support the call for a screening program to look at the composition of the percentage of body fat, measure the cardio/respiratory fitness, flexibility, coordination, strength and muscle endurance of our young people, just to get a snapshot of where young Territorians are. Then, our programs could be adjusted to really meet that issue.
Unless we know exactly where our young people are in terms of fitness - because that is what sport and recreation is actually about - then we will be dealing with the issue which has been referred to before: are we attending to the core issue in sport and recreation, or are we being tempted to go the other way and play to the crowds and provide bread and circuses for the masses? No, we are delivering a fitter and healthier community.
There is a Senator from Tasmania and Tony Abbott having a look at it, Robert de Castella has made his comments, as well as no less than the Governor-General. The Governor-General has warned the nation about Australia’s fat lifestyle and called for us not to sit back and let others deal with obesity. We need to get involved ourselves and, if community leaders and others do not help, we are going to have little chance of overcoming the growing burden on the nation. The Governor-General said that Australians owe it to each other to make a greater effort to improve our health and, thus, the nation’s wealth. ‘We must encourage children who do not play sport or take part in any physical activity to get moving and join in’, said the Governor-General. The Prime Minister recognises the seriousness of this problem. Not referred to directly, I must add, in the statement, he has made a contribution of $115m to tackle the problems of childhood obesity.
How do we respond to this? From the comments which I have been able to look at over the last little while, what is needed here is that screening program so we know exactly the state of health and fitness right across the Territory. Look at the food being provided in our school canteens and, as Robert de Castella calls for, courageous leadership. It is the Health Minister – if the Health Minister is still the Health Minister in 15 years - who is the one who will be managing the problem which is not dealt with today.
Believe it or not, the list of characters has gone from a Senator from Tasmania, Robert de Castella, Tony Abbott, the Prime Minister, the Governor-General, and the last one I will mention is Arnold Schwarzenegger. He has moved to ban soft drinks and junk food from all the canteens in all the schools in California.
This is a significant issue – and, by the way, I notice that The Latham’s Diaries is down there; I bet he made reference to it as well …
Ms Carney: Oh I bet he did; he referred to many things, our friend Mark.
Mr MILLS: Okay. We have talked about the purpose of sport and recreation being health - that is the objective. We are not going to be fighting obesity as an end in itself; however, apart from physical, mental, and even emotional benefits, it is the long-term gains which have huge implications. It is overweight children who become overweight adults.
The Heart Foundation reports that, by the middle of this century, one in four adults will be at risk from heart disease, and we can do something now. There are a range of approaches required to assess advertising and what sort of messages are being given our children through the media. The PE programs that are offered in our schools: are we putting enough emphasis on sports at school? Could we alter the way that our schools conduct their business? School hours, for example, where all those facilities close at 2.30 pm, could that be an issue addressed by courageous leadership, as Robert De Castella has called for? Look at different ways of using school facilities so that we can use those sports grounds after hours, when kids are sent home and spend time in front of a television or at the shopping centre from 2.30 pm onwards. We could make better use of our schools, as well as assessing the PE programs that are run at school, and inter-school sporting competitions, as there once was very strongly, but not so strongly today.
We could look at our school canteens and ensure that we have healthy eating programs that do not just address the issue in the schools, but into the homes. We need to screen, so that we are able to assess the level of health, fitness, and obesity within our young kids. It requires action, both from parents and from government. It is a serious and urgent problem. As with almost all - I cannot think of any health or social problem - the answer lies in the home.
This is an issue that we can respond to and have a statement in parliament, and not much will happen as a result of it. However, I hope something does because the community is becoming aware of our affluence and the effect that that affluence is having on our young people. It requires mums and dads to spend a bit more time with their kids and turn the television off, and make sure that their kids are eating properly. It requires the school communities to be more proactive in the sorts of programs that are run in the school, and in particular, the food that is offered in the canteens. It requires leadership and courage from government to think creatively of how we can move this nation, this community in the Territory forward, and play our part in making sure that we have healthy kids who grow up to become healthy and contributing adults.
To return to the story that I told about the group of kids that I walked some distance with - it was only a couple of kilometres - it is quite disturbing to see how unfit many of our young kids actually are. We celebrate the top end of the scale and all those kids who play soccer on the weekends. It is fantastic to see them all out there on those playing fields, playing Aussie Rules in the Top End. However, there are also those others who do not participate in anything much at all, and spend so much time eating sugary and fatty foods and watching television. We really must look after them now.
I call upon this minister to take heed to the issues that I have raised, not only regarding obesity, but all those other questions that also accompanied my comments in support of her statement.
Mr VATSKALIS (Primary Industry and Fisheries): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the ministerial statement by my colleague, the Minister for Sport and Recreation. I quite agree with the member for Blain, it is ideal that she is the Minister for Sport and Recreation and also the Minister for Family and Community Services. I believe she has the right combination to make a difference in families, young people and young adults through sports.
I will start with something that you have heard many times, probably not the way I will say it. I will say it in the way it was said by my ancestors about 2000 years ago: the translation of which is ‘healthy minds in healthy bodies’. That was identified 2000 years ago by the ancient Greeks who first developed sports and sportsmanship. The word ‘athlete’ is from the Greek word ‘’, the sportsman. It was the sportsman because women were not allowed to take part in sports. The Greeks were the ones who identified the escape that sports provide to human beings and also the physiological, psychological and sociological benefits. They elevated sports to a very high level because they believed in sports and they established the Olympic Games in the 8th century BC. The sports were not for money or rewards. The only reward the athlete would get was a wreath made from an olive branch. I was very impressed to see in the last Olympic Games in Athens that every successful athlete received a wreath of an olive branch.
The other things that the Greeks established was the , the noble competition - competition in sportsmanship, not competition just to be better than other people. They were all equal. Some were more equal than others and better than others.
They were quite right to say 2000 years ago that the healthy minds live in healthy bodies. In order to develop one or the other you have to do it together; you cannot do it separately. They were quite right to define the physiological benefits of sport or recreation. As the member for Blain said today, unfortunately you do not see physiological benefits in many kids, because they are absorbed by television. You have a television that has 48 different channels, and the only exercise the kids get is by changing the channel one after the other - all 48 of them - using the remote control. My sons are very good with computers. That is the sport they like. Their dexterity has improved a lot and also their eyesight - they can shoot an enemy from miles away by sitting all day in front of the computers! It does not do much for their body or for their mind.
Research has shown the psychological benefits are that people who exercise are more stable and suffer fewer psychological diseases. Of course, you can go to the other extreme. People exercise for the sake of exercise and that can be a psychological disease. The other benefit is sociological health. People can get together, they become more social. They can walk with each other. They identify each others position in a team and they react accordingly. I have to admit that I am not a sportsperson; I do not have the time. I try to do things. I probably did a lot more a few years back when my sons were playing soccer. I recall when my son was five years old I started coaching his soccer team, the Under 6s, and I continued that until after the 2001 election. That was good for the kids, and it was good for me too. It was good for me because, at least three times a week, I was out there kicking or chasing a ball or chasing the boys. What really impressed me was the fact that these boys came together from five years old until they were 11 or 12 years old; they knew each other and they worked with each other as a team. They knew each other’s position in the team.
The other thing is that, in some case I was probably the most stable male in their lives, because they came from single parent families. I was the only one they would see three times a week and, in some cases, I was a substitute father because I was the only one able to tell them what to do or tell them off if they did something wrong. From a bunch of six-year-old kids running around like a group of dogs chasing a fox, they became a very well coordinated team. We were not always successful, we were not top of their age, but we did really well.
What was also impressive was that, as the kids grew up and started getting to the age where kids start behaviour problems because they fall with the wrong crowd or do the wrong thing, these kids did not. None of these kids in that particular team went astray. They did not do anything wrong, they stayed together and, even when they went to high school, they still stayed together. They really worked very well and they did well in their schooling. We did not have any problem with kids who vandalised or went out with mates and cut fences, threw stones at roofs or stole cars. They worked as a team and that shows the benefits of sport in our society.
Going back to my own early days, when I went to primary school I recall that we had a Phys Ed hour at least once a day. That was different; it brought us out as a group and gave us the opportunity to run around, kick a ball, and exercise together. I went to a mixed class school in my country, where boys and girls were together until Year 6. We would happily play together and would never see any difference. After going to high school, we actually looked forward to the days when we had physical education, especially when it was the same day as we had difficult maths or physics. Physical education was an escape for us; something that we could go out and have free time from and, at the same time, exercise. It happens less and less now in our schools. There are a lot of hard times for our kids. We put a lot of pressure on our kids, and they tend to drop out of sporting activities. As an example, my son is in Year 11 and he dropped out of soccer because he has to study hard to prepare for Year 12. In Year 12, he has to prepare for university. With the little time he has, he will do something else rather than play soccer or any other sport.
Sport certainly puts a lot of pressure on the family. I recall having to be out on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. As the kids grew up, the family would split up for the day, as I would take the older son to Malak and my wife would take the little one to Bagot on Sundays to play soccer. We did not get together until 2 pm. However, it was exciting, it was interesting, the kids loved it and we also loved it.
As the member for Blain said, he is really pleased there are so many kids playing soccer out there. You have to remember that, despite the fact that AFL is very popular sport, soccer is the most popular sport for junior players. We have a significant number of junior players in the Northern Territory and Australia, who play soccer more than any other sport. Even in other countries such as America, soccer is more popular than baseball. Soccer has made inroads into the Australian sports culture and the American culture and, it is very popular in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
What I am pleased about is not only what we have done in the past few years. We have done a lot; we brought sports here for national competition. We are prepared for even more sport in the next four years. We are targeting not only facilities in Darwin but are looking at the regional centres, as they have their own clubs and sports facilities. In some cases, sports that were never played in some parts of the Territory now are becoming really big sports. An example is Borroloola. A few years back, Borroloola knew nothing about soccer. It took an English teacher to go there to teach who started playing soccer with the kids. Nowadays, kids from Borroloola take part in a national competition every year, and we have some of the best talent coming from Borroloola.
People say that the best players in Australia for AFL are indigenous people. I can tell you that the best players I have seen in soccer are the kids who came from Bagot. I was really impressed to see those kids coming onto Bagot Oval, playing soccer without shoes, shirts or socks. We all put our kids in kneecaps and protective devices around their calves to play. These kids were going there and playing, and enjoying it. They are going to be the future of soccer in Australia. It is not going to be people from an ethnic background, but a combination of people of ethnic background and indigenous people because they can run at an amazing speed. Our kids will run one, two, three times around the oval and they will puff. I saw some of these Aboriginal kids running for the 45 minute halves, and they were not even tired.
I am pleased that the minister has presented her statement today; it is an important statement. What is most important is that we are not only looking at spending money to improve facilities, but proceeding with the development of a sport and recreation policy which has become our highest priority. We plan for the future. We have to plan how we are going to engage every Territorian in sports. We know that in the Territory we play a lot of sports. There are different kinds of sports and big participation every week. We want to look at sports and recreation, not only as part of our life to enjoy, but also for the health benefit it can provide.
I was reading a report yesterday from Europe that 15% of all Europeans suffer a heart ailment - one in six, one in seven. Why? Because of the lifestyle and the food we eat which is highly processed and high in saturated fats and, of course, lack of exercise. You can argue that in England or in Scandinavian countries where there are heavy winters, most people like to move as quickly as possible out of the cold weather, and are in their houses most of the time. However, that is not an excuse here in the Northern Territory. The build-up can be difficult, but you can put up with it. We have the opportunity and the ability to play sports, and we have the facilities.
Going back to when I was growing up in Athens, our sports oval was every vacant block in the neighbourhood. The goal posts were two stones set apart on that side, and another two on the other side, with a bunch of kids kicking a ball, screaming and yelling and having a great time. Of course, you would not see an inch of fat on us, because we were all running around. However, as in Europe today, of the kids who are going to our schools, who are in our neighbourhood, quite a few of them are quite prime size. It is not considered as a problem, even by parents. It is our fault as well, because we should push our kids to participate in sport rather than having a computer.
It is also a sense of security. Many parents think that if their child is in the house, they know where they are, and they feel safe. I remember I used to be out in the streets and play until it was 9 pm or 10 pm. It was different times. Everybody knew everybody else; there were not so many cars around. Now, parents feel really reluctant to let their kids go out in the neighbourhood street to play for various reasons. Sometimes, I believe we create our own prisons and lock ourselves in, and we should look at that. We have the opportunities, the facilities, especially in the Territory with so many parks around our neighbourhoods. Every single neighbourhood has a park. We should reclaim those parks, and start using them for the purpose they were put in place.
I congratulate the minister, and offer my full support in this. I would not mind being involved in the development of the sports and recreational policy. The community I come from is very big in soccer and we would like to develop it, mainly for the young kids. One of the problems we have is that young athletes develop through the early ages and come to a stage where there are no further career paths. People play soccer until they are 16 or 17. If they want to go somewhere, they have to go down south or to another country. We have quite a few Greek kids from Darwin who have gone down south or to New Zealand, and some of them have gone back to Greece, because that is the only opportunity to develop their skills. In those cases, we lose many good athletes. That is not only happening with soccer, but with other sports. We have to arrest this drift to other states, losing good athletes who have developed in the Northern Territory going somewhere else.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I congratulate the minister. I am prepared to assist with the development of the sport and recreation policy. I would certainly like to see more and more Territorians participating in sports, especially young Territorians.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Mr Deputy Speaker, I want to make a few comments in relation to the Minister for Sport and Recreation’s statement today.
There is no doubt that sport and recreation plays a significant part in the lifestyle of Northern Territorians; and it is a most important part of our lifestyle. The climate in the Northern Territory lends itself, for most of the year, to outdoor activities and, therefore, is encouraging a healthy lifestyle.
Regional and remote communities throughout the Northern Territory have strong connections through sporting activities, and that applies especially to my electorate of Katherine. The variety of sport that is played in Katherine and the region brings the community together. There are many different sports played, but the main ones are AFL, Rugby, soccer, baseball, netball, cricket, BMX, off-road motor bikes, and golf, in addition to eight ball.
I have had the pleasure of being the patron of the Katherine AFL for the past two years. The teams which participate in the league come from the surrounding remote communities, with only one Katherine town team. The community teams are from Lajamanu, Kalkarindji, Ngukurr, Barunga and Beswick. They are so enthusiastic about their sport that they travel for hours to participate in their footy game. And my goodness me, can they play football! There are some very good players in those teams.
Digressing a little, I want to tell the Assembly about the lengths that some of those remote communities go to so that they can play their game of football. More times than not during the Wet Season, when we had our AFL season during the Wet Season, the Ngukurr team were faced with crossing a flooded Roper River before they could go any further. Their commitment was so great they would have rung Mataranka to hire a bus to come out to the Roper to meet the players after they had crossed the flooded Roper in boats. They would then travel by bus to Katherine, play their sport, buy some food and drinks, get back on the bus and return to the Roper to cross back to Ngukurr. This round trip would take around 15 hours. The bus would then return to Mataranka. That is how much passion and commitment was put into playing their beloved game of sport, and they never missed a game, flooded Roper or not.
Another great AFL activity held in Katherine this year was an Under 16 AFL competition, which ran for six weeks of games in July, August and early into September. Fred Murphy, who has been such a great supporter of the Ozkick program and supporting young people to become involved in sporting activities, was the instigator. Fred organised six AFL teams for the Under 16 players, which came from outlying communities mainly, with some of them from around Katherine as well. These young players turned up every week for the whole six weeks and were provided with uniforms and put into teams. They had great support from many volunteers who were either field or boundary umpires.
When I was in Katherine on a Saturday, I had the great pleasure of being able to watch these games and the enthusiasm in which they were played. I was also a sponsor for this Under 16 competition, and had great pleasure in providing the players with a free sausage sizzles. At the end of the six weeks, I also provided each of the players who participated with a medallion to acknowledge their part in the competition. Mind you, the competition did not have a grand final. There were no winners; they were all winners for participating. I thank Fred for his efforts in putting that together. When he put the competition together, his aim was to encourage young people to become fit, healthy and to be involved in sporting activities to channel their energies into something meaningful. I congratulate Fred on his initiative, and I know that the Under 16 boys who participated thoroughly enjoyed themselves and are looking forward to another competition.
The minister spoke today about visiting AFL teams to the Northern Territory during the next season. I know these games are well loved and supported by Territorians. However, I was disappointed to first of all read, in Adelaide’s The Advertiser on Wednesday, 5 October, a report by the Chief Football Writer, Michelangelo Rucci, on the back page of the paper. He was talking in his article about the 2006 season. I quote:
- Port Adelaide has a demanding finish, including the unpopular trip to Darwin, for the second time in three years ...
Being very parochial about the Northern Territory, I was very disappointed to read this and decided to ring the writer to ask him to explain his comment. I have made three telephone calls and have been unable to make contact with him. Perhaps the member for Brennan, with his knowledge of AFL in South Australia, may be able to shed some light on why such a comment would be made. I also noted in a weekend paper that another AFL coach - and I think it was Mick Malthouse - was not happy about his team coming to Darwin to play. He stated it is because of the heat. I am concerned about negative comments concerning the Northern Territory, wherever they come from. I am wondering if the Minister for Sport and Recreation is aware of these and has some comment to make about them.
In closing, I am proud of the number of people from Katherine who have attained success in many different sports, despite the distances and the expense incurred by them and their families which challenges people in rural areas. I will not name any of these people at this time but will talk about them in adjournments when it is appropriate.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the minister for her statement. I know that the future will hold plenty of challenges in ensuring that sport and a healthy lifestyle are a part of as many Territorians’ lifestyles as possible. Just before I do finish, I will comment that all of those AFL teams that played in Katherine, including the Under 16s, were the healthiest bunch of people I have ever seen. I do not think there was one excessive weighted person on the oval at any time; for the seniors as well as for the Under 16s. They are doing something right out there. They were very healthy players. I thank the minister for her statement.
Mr NATT (Drysdale): Mr Deputy Speaker, it gives me great pleasure this afternoon to reflect on the wonderful achievements the Martin government has instigated and, in many cases, completed for sport and recreation for the Northern Territory. Having come from a sports administration background, I have had first-hand dealings with many sports in the Territory; have had the pleasure of attending several major events; and had input into initiatives and further plans for many sports.
Let me firstly say that the Territory loves its sport and, of course, its recreational activities. It is a critical element of our lifestyle and provides wonderful social outlets and healthy benefits to many Territorians, and assists younger people to interact with their own age group and adults, and work within a team structure in many cases. This government does recognise the importance of our lifestyle and has supported them in many ways.
The drawing power of the Territory in the past to secure top-grade teams and sports to participate in the Territory was hindered by the lack of good facilities. This government has undertaken to fix that problem and has dedicated many dollars into upgrading facilities throughout the Territory. The one area that I am obviously aware of was the upgrade of Marrara Oval to secure AFL matches and attract international cricket. The surface of the ground is now one of the best in Australia, and the facilities within the grandstand are up to the standard of other recognised grounds throughout the world. The AFL and Cricket Australia have acknowledged the efforts afforded to the facility and have programmed top standard fixtures accordingly, and will continue to support the Territory in the future.
The follow-up to Marrara was to accommodate the residents in Central Australia. As outlined, in the past four years $5.5m has been spent on Traeger Park to upgrade the floodlights and the hockey centre and erect a new main grandstand. This building will accommodate change rooms, umpires’ rooms, spectator seating, and will incorporate a lift for patrons to access the upper levels. This construction is long overdue - if you had known the old grandstand that was standing before - and will allow major sports to expand their horizons to play fixtures in Central Australia.
I was extremely pleased to hear that this government has committed to construct a long overdue multipurpose stadium at Marrara to accommodate a home for the Football Federation of the Northern Territory - or as some of us Aussie Rules followers call it, ‘soccer’. Soccer has a large following in the NT and has for some time had its problems. However, it is great to see now a united front has been formed in the code to ensure its way forward. When the facility is finished, I am sure that the local administration will be endeavouring to achieve the feats of other major sports; that is, attracting teams of the highest quality to play in the Territory.
Many people do not realise the importance sport plays at the highest levels in the Territory. Due to our population numbers, we do not have the luxury of accessing such events on a weekly basis in the Top End, as people down south do. However, when crowds of 8000-plus roll up to support these fixtures, it shows that the public in the Territory is starved of such large events and it offers a wonderful opportunity for many young aspiring sports people to see and mix with their sporting heroes. These young followers are the future of our sports and will be contributors to our society in the future. Therefore, it is extremely important that the opportunity to see their heroes in the flesh is maintained. I am pleased this government has recognised the importance of these events.
From an electorate point of view, I was pleased to see that Palmerston has not been forgotten in the upgrades. The sporting agencies based in Palmerston play an integral part of society in that area and the city, and is very proud of its teams and the feats of its people. An election commitment honoured by this government for the city has seen a complete upgrade of a playing surface at the Palmerston CDU and the construction of change rooms at the ground to accommodate the Palmerston Magpies and the wider community for various functions. The change rooms are currently under construction and I expect it to be completed in the not-too-distant future, ensuring a quality home for the Magpies in the future.
The second commitment for the city is the construction of the Palmerston Recreation Centre. Headworks have been completed at the site and tender processes undertaken. Construction is expected to be under way later this month. This facility is an initiative of the Palmerston Partnership Agreement, an understanding between this government and the Palmerston City Council. The construction will revitalise the business CBD and supply a magnificent sporting venue for the people of Palmerston and Darwin. It will go a long way to help the youth initiatives currently in play in the city and provide a meeting and sporting hub for many Palmerston residents.
One sport that is suffering quietly at Palmerston is the Golf and Bowls Club. Like many sporting associations and clubs over the years, the Golf and Bowls Club has found itself in financial difficulties. However, I understand that the appointed administrator will be seeking talks with this government to discuss options to ensure the club remains in a viable position. I am sure this government will do what it can within their guidelines to assist.
The lighting of Nguiu oval was a wonderful innovation for the people of Tiwi Islands and proudly supported by this government. I have had first-hand dealings with the football league on the islands and I understand what sport - not just Aussie Rules - means to the people over there. This innovation has been a wonderful social boost for the local communities, enabling them to conduct community events. I have seen the significant impact it has had for the young people of the community who use the oval after hours in a safe, supervised environment, thus removing them from mischievous activities which were prevalent before the light were erected.
One institution I would like to acknowledge is our highly regarded Northern Territory Institute of Sport. We all know that it is important for our budding athletes to have an opportunity to pursue their dreams to achieve the highest level in their chosen sport. Our institute offers outstanding opportunities for many young sportsmen and women. Scholarships are provided to athletes who show outstanding ability in their field of endeavour, and the institute offers wonderful support for these individuals. Experienced sports coaches, psychologists, hygienists, sports scientists and the like are at hand for the athletes to utilise. They have achieved some outstanding results over the years. Many Territorians have gone on to bigger and better things in their sports and it is due, in many cases, to the support of these people at the institute.
Of course, we cannot forget the endeavour and the ability of the athletes. It is pleasing to see these athletes return to Darwin from time to time and thank, with pride, their coaches and mentors who supported them at the institute. They recognise, in no uncertain terms, that the institute has played a huge role in their careers and they are always willing to help other athletes following in their footsteps. The NTIS continues to be a centre of excellence and provides many outstanding programs for team sports.
I am particularly pleased to hear that many regional townships and communities have not slipped the net. Sporting and recreational facilities play a huge role in the life of these townships, and it is important that the various facilities in these towns are maintained in a viable state of repair. It is pleasing that many dollars have been expended to maintain these amenities. Of course, several ongoing grants are available on application to organisations to assist them with upgrades and promotion.
Governance and management issues have been problems within many organisations over many years. This government, through the Department of Sport and Recreation, is endeavouring to assist this important area of responsibility for clubs and organisations by offering courses, mentoring programs, forums and several other initiatives to assist associations and the like. I have attended several of these courses and have found them to be extremely helpful and thought provoking. The department seeks the best and most qualified speakers and tutors for these forums, and the literature made available is always well sourced and of excellent quality.
I could go on and on about this topic close to my heart. I would love to talk about the national basketball matches that are played in Darwin each year; the ARL match to be played in Alice Springs between the Knights and the Panthers early next year; the international Union matches which frequent the Marrara grounds a few times each year; and, of course, the Commonwealth Bank netball match played at Marrara each year. Australian and international hockey matches are also played at Marrara and have been held there for several years now. They also draw a dedicated following. This outstanding list of achievements goes on and on. Of course, we could throw in there the Crusty Demons on Saturday night.
As an aside, I have been given a wonderful opportunity to chair a youth and sport committee. This committee has been given carriage to seek information on where program dollars are spent and the areas of significance to improve youth and their access to the various programs. The task will be enormous, but the committee is keen to ensure practical results are achieved. They realise that grassroots sport is a cultivating ground for the future lives of children and the directions they take in their health choices. This committee has a responsibility to inform government of where changes can be made to assist these processes. I am looking forward to working with the group to ensure our initiatives are put forward to the appropriate forums to achieve results for our children at the grassroots levels.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to finish by saying that this government has made some outstanding and significant achievements for the Territory in the area of sport and recreation during their term in government, and are still working on future initiatives. It gives me great pleasure to congratulate the minister and her departments for their great work. I support the statement this afternoon.
Ms SACILOTTO (Port Darwin): Mr Deputy Speaker, today I support the Minister for Sport and Recreation’s exciting statement. I am proud to be a part of a government that has such a dedication and focus on youth, families and healthy lifestyles. This is especially demonstrated in the portfolio of Sport and Recreation, and the strong commitment that is consistently demonstrated in providing and maintaining sporting facilities.
It is encouraging to note that there is to be some strategic intent in the building of future infrastructure through the development of a sports policy. This government has always expressed a strong view on the necessity for new and old sporting infrastructure to be viable. It is critically important that sporting codes are able to get on with the job of managing their sport to the best of their capacity for the enjoyment of their members. Facility management and maintenance can be a distracting task, and I am pleased that the minister is meeting with a cross-section of the sporting community so early in her time as minister to gain a strong vision of what their needs are to be sustainable.
Family interaction and involvement in their children’s sporting lives is an important part of developing and maintaining a healthy family. The promotion of a healthy lifestyle cannot be underestimated. Government has a major role in the encouragement of physical activity and resulting social interaction for both participants and family members. In such a short time in this portfolio, the minister has continued the achievements of her predecessor, the former Minister for Sport and Recreation, Mr John Ah Kit. These achievements include, but are certainly not limited to, attracting the following big ticket events:
international cricket: I very much look forward to welcoming the return of international cricket to Darwin
in June/July next year;
the Western Bulldogs, in Darwin, in August 2006;
Townsville Marlins, held in Darwin at the Marrara Indoor Stadium. I am sure this will be yet another
sell-out crowd;
and a Darwin game is planned for 2007; and
only the Territory, but Australia, continues.
The opportunity for all Territorians to witness first-hand the athletic feats of their sporting heroes cannot be underestimated. It is important that our youth can see that dedication to their sport can change their lives in a positive way, and that there are pathways and people within the community who can assist them in the pursuit of their dreams.
The Crusty Demons are the world’s leading freestyle motocross riders, and they are coming to the Northern Territory and proudly being supported by this government - much to my son, Luca’s, delight. He is ecstatic, as many children, teens and adults are about the reality that this international class event is coming to Darwin this weekend. Young Luca has also made comments that the minister is cool for going on a Crusty Demon bike, and that she did not even look scared. ‘She must be tough’, he said. Well, I agree to a certain extent, with a slightly different perspective. I feel that the minister is tough in supporting the Northern Territory on a national and international level, and I look forward to her future achievements in promoting the Northern Territory as a worthy and favoured venue for many future national and international events.
Although it is fantastic to have these events in the Northern Territory, this portfolio has many facets, and attracting events is only one. Walk to Work Day was held on 7 October 2005, and it was pleasing to hear that our Minister for Sport and Recreation led the way in her walk to her electorate office with several of her constituents. Partners of this event are the Heart Foundation, Diabetes Australia, Beyond Blue, the Cancer Council, and the Commonwealth and our Territory governments. This is the 8th year that this event has been staged and, if the amount of interest this year is any indication, it will be around for a long time. In simple terms, Walk to Work Day promotes better health and less traffic. It was supported strongly not only with contributions by this Territory government, but in a positive and leadership role with many other members taking up the challenge of walking to work or sponsoring the participants.
This month, October, is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this brings me to the sporting achievements of Dragons Abreast NT. These include competing in many national and international dragon boating competitions. Dragons Abreast are a group of breast cancer survivors of various ages from a variety of backgrounds, athletic abilities and interests. They are also highly competitive sportspeople with a clear message. Dragons Abreast provides a face for the breast cancer statistics, whilst spreading the message of breast cancer awareness through participation in the wonderful and strenuous sport of dragon boat racing. This is a perfect example of how far reaching sport can be. Not only can sport condition a body, but it can bring people together in a common cause, raise money, save lives by raising awareness, boost confidence, heal the mind and body with positive thought and, the best medicine of all, bring joy and fun to people’s lives where there may have previously been fear and isolation. Sport is powerful and far reaching.
I would also like to mention the tireless work of another important group based in my electorate, and that is Total Recreation. As many members would be aware, Total Recreation is an organisation that provides sporting opportunities for people with a disability. This not only includes assisting their clients to access mainstream sporting codes, but to coordinate specific sporting and social experiences, and to encourage and build individual self-esteem in an environment that would, under normal circumstances, have been considered inaccessible. Their work is critical in the areas of liaison with sporting clubs to gain access for their members, funding of sporting activities including taking groups to national disability championships, and organising and supervising client outings. Organisations such as Total Recreation are that important link between sport and the wider community. They clearly demonstrate that sport is for everyone and a great way to inspire community inclusion and participation. This government is on the right track; it encourages sporting participation by every sector of the community at every level, whilst not forgetting both the infrastructure to support its growth and development, and equality of access.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend the Minister for Sport and Recreation on her efforts to date and support her unequivocally in her plans for the future.
Mr BURKE (Brennan): Mr Deputy Speaker, I speak in support of the minister’s statement. Before beginning, I was sitting here looking around the Chamber and reflecting how wonderful it is to be able to come here and have this as your office. It is still a thrilling and humbling realisation to know the people of Brennan put me here to look after their interests, and to think on questions important to the Territory.
I welcome the update on the Palmerston Recreation Centre which the minister gave as part of her statement. The Palmerston Recreation Centre will be an important sporting and recreational centre in Palmerston, serving both Palmerston and surrounding areas. The recreation centre is part of a revitalisation of the Palmerston CBD. This project was put together in consultation with the Palmerston City Council, which was given the important task of facilitating consultation with the community. Council advised the NT government of the results of its consultations. The government worked closely with the council in developing what is now taking shape in the Palmerston CBD. This is a process which will continue for some time, and the recreation centre will be an important, indeed iconic part of, Palmerston’s CBD.
It is important to recognise that the Palmerston City Council committed considerable resources to building the new library, just as the Northern Territory government committed considerable resources of its own in putting in the infrastructure for the development, such as the roads and the drains and, of course, the Palmerston Recreation Centre. I take this opportunity to thank the organisers and stallholders of the Palmerston Friday night markets, as well as the business owners near the development, for their continued understanding. Works always create inconvenience for those nearby; however, the backdrop of temporary fencing has not dampened the enthusiasm for the markets. I understand they will conclude on 28 October. I encourage all members to attend before the finale for this year. By the time the 2006 markets kick off, the backdrop will have changed considerably.
I was recently approached by someone representing a range of interested sporting and social clubs. Palmerston does not yet have a facility with a sprung floor and I was approached to see what could be done to remedy this situation. I can advise honourable members that the Palmerston Recreation Centre will fill this need. Part of its design includes an indoor basketball court. I am advised by the minister that this floor is a high quality sprung floor suitable for such pursuits as gymnastics and ballroom dancing, to name but two. It accords with Australian standards for such sprung flooring.
The government has a role in providing facilities and specialised personnel to provide as much assistance as it can. No matter what the code - netball, basketball, ten pin bowling - the desire to participate will override all obstacles. How much easier it is when you have the appropriate field, court and lanes to play on. Access to dieticians, physiotherapists and other professionals can help our young athletes recognise how to improve in ways they may not even imagine.
What I am going to say next may sound a bit controversial to some. This is a statement about sport. Well, is fishing a sport or a past time or both? I have heard the argument in pubs and on fishing boats on many occasions, with no agreed position. However, the Northern Territory has committed to improving fishing ramps and facilities for our anglers. It is delivering on its commitments to the benefits of all Territorians, interstate and international visitors who are lured to our world-class fishing venues to tackle this popular sport. I understand this government provided funding to the Palmerston City Council in the region of $100 000 in order for it to ascertain what is needed to improve our fishing facilities around Palmerston. Once again, we see the close consultative approach this government has with the Palmerston City Council.
Palmerston Golf and Country Club is another important part of Palmerston’s sporting community. The Northern Territory government has indicated that it is willing to discuss ways it can assist the club if it requires. I have made an offer to help in any way I can. My grandfather is a member of the club, so my offer is motivated by more than just recognition of the important role the club fulfils.
My colleague, the member for Drysdale, has already mentioned the money and support that this government has given the Palmerston Magpies Football Club. All that remains for me to do is wish them every success for the coming season.
One thing that was dear to my heart was the commitment of this government to providing a home for soccer. I played soccer for many years in Darwin at both junior and senior level. I have played on almost every oval in Darwin and a couple in the Alice area as well. Soccer does not often get the recognition that it deserves in Australia. It does not enjoy the status of Aussie Rules or the Rugby codes. This is curious because, at a junior level, there is huge participation. For example, at a junior level, its participation levels in Victoria and South Australia outrank the Rugby codes, and in New South Wales it outranks Aussie Rules. In Palmerston, many young people of either sex play soccer. Members only need to go past Gray oval on a Sunday morning when it is hosting the soccer to see the popularity. The popularity of the code to both sexes, even into senior level, is something perhaps that sets it a part from the other football codes.
Here in the Territory you will see a variety of the various professional soccer teams’ jerseys on the streets. The names, colours and histories of many clubs, both Australian and overseas, are well known to Territorians. The variety of loyal supporters is testament to our multicultural society. Most members will recognise names of big teams such as Chelsea, Celtic, Rangers and my own favourite, Liverpool. But there are many other clubs from other countries whose exploits are followed avidly: Panathinaikos, a Greek club; FC Porto from Portugal; Real Madrid and Barcelona the giants of the Spanish league; and many of the Italian clubs are followed by those in our Italian community.
The following that soccer has in the Territory is evidenced by the number of weary, blurry-eyed people across all age groups who crawl off to work or school, having been up all night watching an important match. I look forward to attending the first game at the new home of Darwin soccer. It has been a long time coming, and I know that it will be appreciated by many people across many different cultural backgrounds.
Sport is an important social tool; it provides social cohesion. How many rural towns across our country seem to exist through their sporting teams? Sport is also a social leveller. Rich or poor, patrician or plebeian, all that matters is that you give your all and back up your team mates. It teaches our children and young people important life skills. Sport also provides scope for great rivalries and friendships. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Sport is a great tool for encouraging understanding between people of different cultures. I remember one of the soccer teams I played in where out of about 20 of us were represented some 14 or 15 nationalities. Sport is clearly part of our social fabric in the Territory. It also has an important role in developing understanding between nations. There are numerous examples of the first cracks in icy international relations being made by an advanced guard of a sporting team.
One of the Territory’s premier sporing events is the Arafura Games. I believe we can say that the event has iconic status in our region. Every games, we have more and more athletes from more and more countries participate. The games are expanded to include a greater array of sports. They provide a forum for athletes in individual and team events to gain experience, and to be exposed to competition they might not otherwise have had the opportunity to test themselves against. The event plays its part in improving international, intercultural relations at a local level. Personal friendships are made that demystify the supposed difference between people who live in different parts of the world. I am sure that members who have lived overseas or travelled extensively - whether for sport or otherwise - will agree that what we have in common outstrip, by a long way, those things that are different.
There is the economic benefit that sporting events such as the Arafura Games bring as well. Our businesses, tourist ventures and a variety of shops all benefit from the Arafura Games and the sports people it brings to the Top End. I attended the bowling competition at the Arafura Games at the Palmerston Golf and Country Club. The event swapped between different venues and, on this particular day, there were many female teams from Malaysia, Brunei, and the Territory. It was interesting looking around at the different national and religious dress that was incorporated into the sporting uniforms. As I have been indicating with my earlier comments, it was not something that particularly stuck out as different. It did not stop people enjoying the camaraderie that being involved in sport brings, and it certainly did not stop people making some useful friendships with those from other countries.
The Northern Territory has its own dragon boat racing team, and the member for Port Darwin mentioned Dragons Abreast. So far, I have talked about other teams coming to the Territory, but it is important to realise that we are participating in international events in a sport that we are not traditionally known for and that is dragon boat racing. It is fantastic to know that a Territory team goes off to Singapore and elsewhere to compete against teams of world-class standing in an event where, in our region of the world, that has a fanatical following - as fanatical as Aussie Rules, soccer and Rugby have elsewhere in the globe and here.
Sport is part of our social and cultural fabric. We need to keep encouraging our children and youth to participate in sport. It is too easy now to sit in front of a television, or in front of a computer surfing the Internet. You can learn much from television and from the Internet; they are powerful tools in the information age in which we now live. However, neither promote face-to-face interaction of a very deep nature with other people. Neither television nor computer use is listed among the highest factors that prevent obesity.
Obesity has become a major health issue in first world countries around the globe. When I was growing up, kids were encouraged to get outdoors and play. Most of the kids I knew played at least one sport, usually two or three. We can probably thank our beautiful Northern Territory weather in part for that, but I also think we used to have a more sporting-minded community at a local level. The health problems associated with obesity cost our community in a variety of ways. There is, for example, the cost of providing health facilities to deal with those health problems and, at the extreme end, our community can be deprived of the benefit of a person’s contribution much earlier than it ought because they have succumbed to the more serious of those health problems.
I have focused, to this point, almost exclusively on team sport. I wish to make it clear that this is not in some way derisive of individual sports. Athletics is very important to our local communities. They require a high degree of fitness and, perhaps, even a greater level of self-discipline. Who has not marvelled at the young gymnast who hurls themselves through the air at full speed to then, somehow, land on their feet several somersaults later.
A constituent of mine, Jamie Blewitt, an 11-year-old, will soon return from a trip that has taken in two Australian states to participate in motocross national titles, another individual sport. He was one of only two youngsters in the whole country who was personally invited to the KTM Cup in Queensland this year. This is a national competition and, if he does well, he will be invited to join the Australian KTM team to go to the United States. For those who are not familiar with the KTM Cup, to give you an idea of the importance of this, even at this age of 11, if he does well in the United States, it will possibly change his life and that of his entire family. His is an example of how a young lad progressed at a local level. He was able to compete on a good, standard track here in the Northern Territory to develop his skills and, combined with family support and his own steely determination, he now sees himself knocking at the door of opportunity for a possible professional career.
Governments have a role in both major and local sporting events. To my mind, the role is probably greater at the local level. It is a role that is vital to many of our local sporting clubs. We will not develop as many stars of the future if we are not providing facilities for the use of local clubs and associations today. However, this is not the real aim of government being involved in local sport at a local level; it is the icing on top. The real aim, in my view, is to support that essential social fabric of our society. It is essential for a myriad of reasons. I have outlined some today but, no doubt, there are many others that I have not covered.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend the minister on her statement and the government for all it is doing to promote local and international events and sports for Territorians.
Mr WARREN (Goyder): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Minister for Sport and Recreation’s statement on sport and recreation for the Territory. What a really important statement to be able to speak on. It is such an honour as we really value our sport in the Territory. I am very pleased to be able to add my comments to those of other members of parliament. Each of them has told interesting stories and anecdotal information in support of this very valuable statement.
I welcome the development of the sport recreation policy which is not just directed at elite sports people or the iconic sporting events. I must admit, in the rural area we are very passionate about things like sporting events.
I commend the minister for being able to promote and bring to the Territory the Crusty Demons, the dirt show which is on this Saturday at Marrara Oval. People in the rural area really warm to that sort of activity, and they would really get involved in that. I am very pleased that we can make the rural people of Goyder, Nelson and part of Daly feel part of that whole process; that is really good. We have a couple of sporting clubs out there - the Top End Motocross Club at Marlow Lagoon which is in my electorate, and also the Darwin Motorcycle Club. As you can see from those two clubs, that is a very popular sport in the rural area, and to have such iconic events as the Crusty Demons come to Darwin is really great. I appreciate them coming here. They will be presenting a three-hour entertainment package consisting of aerial stunts on motorbikes, snowmobiles and quad bikes. The show will be supported by a popular rock band, 28 Days, and lighting displays. So, yes, this government has really shown that they are committed to iconic events.
As I said before, it is not just about the elite sports people or the iconic events. Sport is for everyone. There are strong synergies between family and community services, as the minister has pointed out. In the rural area, it is one of the strong aspects that bring the rural community together. Sometimes, people suggest that rural communities are diverse and they do not have those linkages, but they do have those strong linkages of family and community services which really shows through in the areas of sport. It is great that the minister is acknowledging that it is not just about the elite sports people because there are literally hundreds of people in the rural area who are very passionate about their sport. There are literally hundreds of people who actively participate at all different levels, and we should not forget that they do participate. It comes back to what other members – even members on the other side of the House - said about sport and healthy lifestyles going together; hence the synergies that the minister spoke about before.
I commend this government for its commitment to the construction of the Palmerston Recreational Centre. Part of my electorate is in Marlow Lagoon in Palmerston. I am watching with keenness and interest as that development process is starting to take shape. It is really a cooperative effort between this government, which is very committed, the council and the people of Palmerston. They are very lucky to have this facility going ahead. It will be the centre of the township there, and will really give a focus to Palmerston. I am sure my residents in Marlow Lagoon will be very pleased when it comes together. It just is a part of the whole community stuff, the sport stuff all coming together quite nicely.
There are a number of other things that I want to talk about, and foremost amongst those is the visit of the Sport and Recreation Minister to Freds Pass Reserve last Thursday to meet the management board. I was there and we were welcomed. The board took us on an extended tour of the facilities and we were all pretty impressed with it. I know that I and the minister were. It just shows what the rural community can do.
There are a number of groups there. In fact, there are 30 different user groups at the Freds Pass Reserve. The obvious ones are football, Rugby, cricket and polo, but there are a number of minor sports and general social and sporting activities that go on there. Again, there is that synergy between sport, family and the community in general.
Minister Vatskalis, when he was in a previous portfolio, gifted a container shed from the wharf and a facility grant of $50 000 a year for three years to get 200 undercover venues up and running. That facility, the old shed from the wharf, is pretty well complete. Part of it is complete as the new under cover equestrian centre. The minister and I saw that and it is really good. It has had a lot of work on it. They have sandblasted it, and they are just in the final stages of preparing it. It will be a great facility for the equestrian community. The other part of the shed is going up near the soccer ovals and it will be an indoor stadium. It has to be raised to a minimum of 8.3 m to accommodate international standard competition, but I am sure they will do that in due course.
The development of a new soccer oval is another great initiative we have participated in, with a grant of $180 000 paid to the management board with the Junior Soccer grants in 2004. The government money has assisted in moving a long way towards seeing those fields and facilities move towards completion. There is still a long way to go and still a lot of work to do. Nevertheless, the rural people get in there, pitch in, and we all appreciate the work. Members, I urge you to go out and have a look at the facilities. They are fine facilities. In fact, some of the people commented they could easily accommodate some of the sporting events that occur during the Arafura Games; it will be a broadening of the whole aspect of the games if the rural people got involved. I can see a whole raft of sporting areas that could be facilitated at Freds Pass reserve.
To conclude, I want to talk about the rural bus services. As they are running on weekends and public holidays they will definitely assist in the travel to and from Freds Pass and Palmerston for the sporting fraternity and, particularly, our youth. That is going to open up that area for sport coming together in the Freds Pass and Palmerston area, which is the hub for many of the rural sports.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend the minister for her statement. I welcome it and look forward to seeing how it is going to develop in the rural area.
Ms LAWRIE (Sport and Recreation): Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank all members who contributed to today’s sport and recreation statement debate. It is great to see how sport and recreation has a thread of passion running right through this Assembly. Every member who spoke today contributed with great passion about their acknowledgement of the importance of sports and recreation in our lives, enabling us all to live far healthier lives in our psychological, physical and social outlooks on life. It is very heartening to hear about the range of activities, sports and recreation events, and the people who are getting in there and supporting them right across the electorates in the Territory. There seems to be enormous amount of support right across our great Territory for what I like to think is the lifeblood of the Territory - sport and recreation.
The member for Blain talked about the importance of our grassroots initiatives, which we paid particular attention to in my ministerial statement. I am pleased to see that he is supportive of our Sportsbiz initiative, which was established to support sporting organisations. I am delighted he has agreed with the government, that we have to get the balance right between the grassroots and the major events. The statement tried to illustrate that we are doing everything that we can to get this balance right. We heard members speaking about the importance of people being able to see the major events, get the inspiration from their heroes and role models, but also ensure that the grassroots support is there to ensure greater participation in their favourite sport and activity.
The member for Blain, as the shadow spokesperson, quite appropriately asked about the cost of the major events. I can let him know that next year is the third year of our current three-year agreement with the AFL in bringing the Bulldogs’ home and away game to the Territory. The agreement costs about $250 000 and involves pre-season games in both Darwin and Alice Springs, the biennial Aboriginal All Stars game, and that important AFL home and away game. The AFL Bulldogs and the government are in agreement that the current agreement should be extended to 2007 and beyond. As you would be aware, we hope to extend it to two Bulldogs’ games, and we will be working with the AFL and the Bulldogs towards this for 2007 and beyond.
The basketball agreement with Perth Wildcats is worth $50 000. Netball cost us $56 000, and the new Rugby League agreement is worth $73 000 for games in Darwin and Alice Springs. Apart from the costs in providing the infrastructure and the important upgrade of the Marrara Oval, international cricket is free. These events almost always sell out and they are worth the money, in the pure entertainment for Territorians, to encourage people to participate and be involved in their sport and, importantly, to see their heroes in action and be inspired.
Encouraging involvement in sport is important for the reasons that I have stated in the statement, including helping in the fight against obesity that the member for Blain talked about. Certainly, inactivity and obesity are obviously linked and compound each other. Put simply, obesity contributes to inactivity and, in turn, inactivity contributes to obesity. Although there might be arguments about how to quantify the cost, physical inactivity is clearly a direct burden to the health system. In their contributions today, we have heard many speakers talk about this link and how, ultimately, it costs the taxpayers. Investment in sporting and recreational facilities and activities is an investment in good health outcomes and, hence, savings to the health system. Conversely, reductions in expenditure on sport and recreation activities would arguably increase expenditure in our health system. It should be accepted that the education and health functions of government also contribute to sport and recreation activities in our community. Thus, a sports policy must have in mind the health benefits it can bring to our community.
The member for Blain asked about arrangements at Marrara. The AFLNT has a lease at Marrara Oval until 2010, and we are already talking with the AFLNT about a longer lease. Under the lease arrangement, there is recognition that Marrara is our premier venue and it can be used for other crowd-drawing events such as the international cricket and the Crusty Demons this weekend. Marrara will always be the home of football but, importantly, it will also be a multipurpose event facility; for example, it hosts the Arafura Games.
We also talked about our school programs. The Australian Sports Commission has established an active after school communities program. My department is supporting the implementation of this program. To date, 70 schools and after school care centres have expressed interest in commencing the program this year. It is an excellent program and we are very happy to support it.
I thank the Minister for Multicultural Affairs for his contribution. He certainly showed a great knowledge of the genesis of the Grecian competition that we all now know as the Olympics. He focused, quite appropriately, on the link between healthy minds and healthy bodies, both the psychological and sociological benefits of sports and recreation. He talked about the importance of developing pathways and skills, such as in areas of coaching, to ensure that there is opportunity for Territorians to play their sport at all levels while remaining residents of the Territory and enjoying the benefits of our fantastic lifestyle. I am pleased that the minister has said he is happy to support us in our work in developing the sport and recreation policy. I know that, as an avid soccer fan, he has certainly been on my case to make sure that the oval at Marrara that we are building for soccer is absolutely pristine.
I acknowledge the member for Katherine’s contribution. She talked passionately about footy in Katherine and, like most towns and communities, football there is thriving. I share the sentiments of the member for Katherine about the fine work that Fred Murphy does with the young children in the Katherine region. It was my pleasure to know Fred when he worked as an Indigenous Liaison Officer at the school my children attend. He is a man who will volunteer every moment of his time, quite selflessly, to assist young children to develop and grow. The way he does it touches their hearts, gets them involved, and gets competitions up and running. He is an absolute stand-out Territorian. I thank the member for Katherine for raising his contribution to the people of Katherine in her comments in the Chamber tonight.
I just want to caution the member for Katherine. I have had past experience of having worked at Adelaide’s The Advertiser. I can assure you, do not believe everything you read in the paper in the negative comments that you said The Advertiser ran. If there were negative comments, it was just probably Adelaide being a little jealous about Darwin. I might add, really putting paid to this myth that The Advertiser wanted to run how we were not terrific. It is contrary to every comment I have heard. I have met with AFL officials from right around the country. I have met with people from other codes as well, who have come up and participated in national events here, who have brought top level national teams up here. They all sing the praises of Darwin as a host. We are known for our friendliness, our professionalism and our excellent sporting facilities.
Really, the Darwin Doggies playing Richmond in Darwin in pre-season comp, and Port in the main season speak volumes about the fact that we really are seen as a very attractive place to be playing AFL at the elite level. Both of the clubs have a long association with the Northern Territory, and both the clubs currently have at last three Territory players on their list and it will be great to have them here. We have Joel Bowden, Patrick Bowden and Richard Tambling playing for the Tigers, and Port have Shaun and Peter Burgoyne and, of course, Daniel Motlop just got his dream of going over and being based with Port. Good on you, Daniel!
I thank the member for Drysdale for his contribution. He has an incredibly important and vital role to play in the development of sport and pathways in the Northern Territory in his position as the chair of our new Sport and Youth Committee. I have had a series of meetings with him in his capacity as the chair of that committee, and have enormous confidence in the vision, skill and capacity he has to identify where we can improve to encourage participation of youth in sport. It will be a very exciting body of work that that committee undertakes. There are enormous opportunities there and I look forward to seeing the recommendations that they bring forward after their investigations and inquiries.
The member for Drysdale talked eloquently about the role of football. A former champion with Port Adelaide himself, we know he came to us after several years as CEO of the AFLNT, and he has an incredible in-depth knowledge of football throughout the Territory. It is clear from his contribution today, and from discussions I have had with him, that his knowledge and interest in sport goes well beyond football. He will be an asset to our team, and I look forward to seeing the work which he brings forward.
I thank the member for Port Darwin for her contribution. It was very supportive of our role in bringing forward international and national events. I know her son, Luca, is an enormous fan of the Crusty Demons and I hope he really enjoys himself on Saturday night. I had the opportunity the to meet with one of the Crusty Demons at Marlows Lagoon to promote the fantastic event coming to the Territory, as the member for Goyder mentioned. That is where the Top End Motocross is residing. I had the opportunity to get on a bike with Robbie Maddison from the Crusty Demons. Young Luca picked it up – he is right - I was not frightened as I confess to having spent a good Territory childhood. From age seven I was on dirt bikes riding through the bush and enjoying myself riding motorbikes. Perhaps the kid in me is getting some delight from being able to see some of the best riders in the world do their tricks on Saturday night. The opportunity to have a motocross event of that degree in the Territory, which taps into the need of bringing heroes to the 15 to 25-year-olds, was an opportunity too good to miss out on. I thank my Cabinet colleagues for their support in presenting this great event.
I want to state here – I have stated it several times on radio and in the newspaper – that we would not be putting the Crusty Demons on the Marrara Oval if there was a possibility of damage. We had the curator of the oval who is also curator of the MCG, Tony Ware, to look in fine detail at the proposal of bringing the Crusty Demons to Marrara. He gave us an assurance that the surface would be fine; otherwise I would not have let the Crusty Demons use Marrara. It is going to be a financial boon for AFLNT; they get the portage rights at Marrara. Whilst they are very busy working in preparation for the event, they will certainly get a financial windfall out of it.
I also thank the member for Port Darwin for the ongoing and enormous support she provides to Dragons Abreast, and the great work they do in dragon boat racing. She was quite right about the opportunity in sport and recreation where it can bring joy and fun, and remove fear and isolation. Whilst I pick up on the importance of the health links which were raised by all members in their contributions, the member of Port Darwin tapped into the heart of what we sometimes miss about sport and recreation - just the sheer enjoyment and fun it can bring in to people’s lives.
I thank the member for Port Darwin for her acknowledgement of the great work being done by Total Recreation to ensure the participation in sport and recreation of people with a disability. I have had a good opportunity to meet with people at Total Recreation and talk about their current programs and future directions, and give them advice on identifying various grant opportunities coming up within the Office of Sport and Recreation which they can tap into. They are a great team out there. They put in a lot of effort with a whole range of age groups of people with disabilities. They do a fantastic job. I thank the member for Port Darwin for her contribution and the important highlights which she made.
I thank the member for Brennan for his enormous support for the construction of the Palmerston Recreation Centre. As he said, it is a project in collaboration with the Palmerston City Council. It is great to hear they are going to have a sprung floor and I look forward to seeing the member for Brennan test his ability to ballroom dance on that floor. Maybe the member for Blain might get out there and tread the boards as well. We could probably have a parliamentary ballroom dance-off; do the tango together. It is great to see a multifunction facility being created in the heart of Palmerston. I know it will bring enormous benefits to the Palmerston community. I am delighted to be carrying on the fine work of the previous Minister for Sport and Recreation in delivering the promise of the Palmerston Recreation Centre to the people of Palmerston.
I picked up on a point the member for Brennan made about fishing; whether it is a sport or a pastime. I can say it is a great recreation. I often remind people that I am not just the Minister for Sport, but I am the Minister for Sport and Recreation. Recreation gives us a great deal of latitude to embrace pretty well any pastime which people get a great deal of enjoyment out of.
I acknowledge the support that the member for Brennan has for the Palmerston Magpies. Both he and I have benefited from ongoing discussions the member for Drysdale has had with the Palmerston Magpies, supporting and encouraging their growth and involvement in Palmerston. They are making the most of that fantastic Charles Darwin University facility the government has funded to the tune of $2m. It is another great commitment to the people of Palmerston.
I just want to make the point in response to the appropriate concerns that the member for Blain raised regarding the escalation of costs and at what point you provide capital funding. We actually provided the funding much earlier than member for Blain acknowledges. It was discussions between the university and the Magpies that held up that construction. We provided that grant some years ago.
Everyone picked up in their speeches that sport and recreation is a real social leveller. That was articulated extremely well by the member for Brennan; it is about friendships, bringing cultures together and creating understanding between people. The Arafura Games, as the member for Brennan identified, does this fantastically in the celebration of culture. I thank the member for Brennan for raising the great work in motocross done by young Jamie Blewitt. I wish him all the best in the KTM Cup. Maybe he will become a Crusty Demon.
Dragon boat racing is important for the region and it is great we have dragon boat racers who compete in Shanghai and Singapore. Really, they will go anywhere; those dragon boat racers are absolute fanatics. They are incredibly fit and it is great to see it crosses genders and all ages. While living in Hong Kong I lived next door to a man who made dragon boats; it is quite a skill. The member for Brennan was spot on when he said it is fanaticism right throughout the region. This dragon boat builder was held in high esteem because he was reputedly the best dragon boat builder in Hong Kong at the time. The village told me that so I chose to believe them.
I thank the member for Goyder for his contribution to the debate tonight as well. He is quite correct in identifying that the development of a sport and recreation policy will create the all important links that we need to identify grassroots and major events and facilities. It gives organisations and sporting codes right across the Territory an opportunity to provide input into government through a consultative process about what their ambitions and dreams are, and what support they are looking for into the future. I am delighted to be able to initiate that direction in creation of policy, and seek the support of all members and their input into that because it is a good opportunity for all of us to look at how we can enhance sport and recreation across the Territory.
The visit last Thursday with the member for Goyder to Freds Pass Reserve was absolutely fantastic. There is a team of rural residents there who have just given blood, sweat and tears over the years to create a beautiful and magnificent reserve with a whole range of sporting opportunities. They have built the facilities from their own toil and labour with financial support from government, and the extent of those facilities far expands the amount of financial support they have ever received. I take my hat off to the rural community. Freds Pass Reserve is magnificent. Even with the Dry that we have been through it is an absolute treat.
They are very excited about seeing the development of the extra facilities. As the member for Goyder said, the equestrian facility is up; all they need now is to put the roof on and lay the sand and they have a fantastic equestrian facility; thanks to the wisdom of my colleague, the minister for Primary Industries, who made sure that the old sheds were shifted from the waterfront to there. It will be a fantastic indoor facility once they complete that facility out of one of the old warehouse sheds from the waterfront. You can see the soccer field taking shape. It is a fantastic reserve and they are a good body of people.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I conclude by thanking everyone for their contributions. Sport and recreation is the lifeblood of the Territory. I have inherited a very healthy functioning department from the previous minister. I acknowledge all the work done by the Department of Sport and Recreation which has a committed team of officers. I look forward to future statements in the House to update members on the advancements we are making in sport and recreation across the Territory.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Twenty secondary-age students from Yirrkala Homeland School recently attended an outdoor education centre in North Queensland as a reward for their regular school attendance. Students from Garrthalala, Biranybirany, Rorruwuy, Dhalinybuy, Gangan, Dhuruputjpi and Yilpara attend school in their home communities. This trip was an invaluable opportunity to immerse them in an English-speaking, non-threatening environment. The students were able to participate in activities usually out of their reach because they are resident in such remote communities. Horse riding, movies, shopping and engaging in different games and sports encouraged students to enhance their skills in spoken language through real life situations. Congratulations to Yirrkala Homeland School for their initiative in encouraging these young people to not only continue with their secondary education in homelands, but to broaden their knowledge and language skills in a rewarding and exciting way.
Long-term employment opportunities for Yolngu people will improve with the opening of YNOTS operation centre in Nhulunbuy. YNOTS is a unique indigenous training program, successfully improving employment opportunities for the people of north-east Arnhem Land. This is a result of meetings held with the Northern Territory government, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and other training bodies, to provide a solid way forward for indigenous employment. I am impressed with the direction YNOTS is taking, with a strong focus and drive for indigenous people. I am confident that YNOTS will go from strength to strength and encourage other indigenous youth to take up the challenge of full-time employment and training. Congratulations to Klaus Helms, representing Alcan, and Craig Bonney and his supervisors at YNOTS, for their commitment to YNOTS in ensuring job opportunities for indigenous people in a comfortable environment that gives consideration to their cultural commitments.
Congratulations to Nhulunbuy High School student Zoe Wild, a 16-year-old currently in Year 11, for winning the VET in Schools Award given by the Department of Employment, Education and Training for a Work in Business Certificate I; and runner-up in Business Administration in WorldSkills held in Darwin. Zoe is also a recipient of the principal’s and Duke of Edinburgh awards, and will fly to Perth in November to compete in the Australian Training Awards finals, and to Melbourne next year for the WorldSkills finals. My best wishes to Zoe as she travels interstate for these awards. I wish her well; she will be a great representative for the Northern Territory.
I was pleased to officially open the $1m upgrade of the Arnhem Club two weeks ago. I commend both current and past committees who had the vision for the extension and got the ball rolling. Congratulations to manager, Mr Richard De Waal, who was appointed to the position way back in 1989, for his efforts and his integrity over the past 16 years in developing the club to a great standard of entertainment for Nhulunbuy. Richard actually started work with the Arnhem Club as an 18-year-old. He has done very well for the club and fully deserves the congratulations for bringing the club to this great condition and for the great service that it provides.
Nhulunbuy residents will have better access to information about Alcan’s G3 expansion with the opening of the Alcan Gove Development Centre in the town square. This has been a commitment from Alcan to increase public awareness and access to information about the G3 project. Community members can find out information about aspects of the expansion, employment opportunities, the work force, the accommodation village, and the philosophy of the project. I congratulate Alcan for the initiative in assisting the people of Nhulunbuy to have their concerns addressed, and to promote a better understanding of the G3 process.
Residents of Nhulunbuy were saddened by the death of Russell Butel last week, a victim of a crocodile attack at Cobourg Peninsula. An opportunity in the late 1980s to install fire protection at Nabalco brought Russell to the Top End. He absolutely fell in love with the tropical waters. He and his partner, Lorraine, moved from Townsville to open a dive shop from which Russell taught several hundred residents, contractors and visitors to scuba dive. He always enjoyed the water and sailing. He learnt to scuba dive later in life and, with his new passion, continued with his scuba diving activities. Russell was in his element with a boat full of divers, and he would boisterously sing tunes to entertain them. Russell and Lorraine expanded their business to include fishing charters, wilderness safaris and aquarium fish collections. He was well known and respected throughout north-east Arnhem Land by many Aboriginal communities, and established very special friendships with many across a wide range of coastal communities.
I had the privilege and pleasure of accompanying Russell on quite a number of charter fishing trips, and he was an absolute joy to travel with. He was totally professional. His love of the sea, the water, boating, fishing - anything to do with the water - always shone through. He was extremely competent in every aspect of boating and chartering. In 2004, Russell and Lorraine sold their charter business and relocated to Darwin to continue with their aquarium business.
After meeting Russell, very few people ever forgot him, whether for his intensity to forge the boundaries for change, his outspoken manner, or his mischievous behaviour in stirring the pot. He certainly knew the risks of the waters and he was never foolhardy where safety concerns for himself or his crew were ever concerned. Russell will be sadly missed - hugely missed - by his loving family, his many dive buddies, his many friends and associates who were at the funeral service last week - and it was a wide range of people. My thoughts and prayers and, indeed, the thoughts of many of the residents of Nhulunbuy, are with Lorraine, and Russell and Lorraine’s families, at this time.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I place on record tonight my appreciation for our Clerk, Mr Ian McNeill, who recently received the Order of Australia Public Service Medal. I believe all of us will join in saying that it is a very well deserved medal for our Clerk, who tends to be a very shy person but, in fact, is a very highly skilled person and has a great deal of knowledge about parliamentary procedures which surpasses many people - certainly many members of this parliament. It was a great pleasure for me to see the Clerk receive recognition for his service to the Northern Territory Public Service but, in particular for his service to the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory. He has been providing a long and valuable service to the Legislative Assembly over a period of 20 years.
Ian came to the Northern Territory in 1985, having served in the Australian Senate between 1966 and 1985. In 1985, when he arrived in the Northern Territory, the Assembly was housed, as you may recall, in the old Chan Building and, as Deputy Clerk, he was instrumental in providing advice on the requirements of the new Parliament House, Darwin, which was opened in 1994. His experience and knowledge was invaluable to the design, operation and layout of the building and ensuring its effective operation.
Ian McNeill has an enviable reputation amongst his peers. It is significant that whenever I travel to Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conferences, Clerks and officers refer to the knowledge and expertise in parliamentary procedures that he has, and I come away feeling that we are very fortunate in the Northern Territory to have an officer of such a high calibre. In fact, at the last Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Mr Ian McNeill, our Clerk, and Peter Shoyer, our Information Commissioner, ran a workshop on Freedom of Information for countries of the Pacific. It was extremely well received and they did a great job.
As well as that, Mr McNeill presented a paper to the Small Countries Conference. You may recall, in 2001, we held the Small Countries Conference in Darwin. It was a great success because we introduced a different format, and Mr McNeill was instrumental in that. At this particular CPA Small Countries Conference he put forward a discussion paper because much of the interaction had been lost over the years with the conference and the Small Countries were keen to look at a new format again. On two occasions the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association met in Fiji recently, our Clerk was asked to facilitate a conference on Freedom of Information, and he was also invited to speak on the format for the fourth Small Countries Conference. That is an acknowledgement and a recognition of the esteem in which he is held.
I have to admit as Speaker for two Assemblies I have had much confidence in asking the Clerk to assist me or clarify for me any dispute or question that may arise, both parliamentary and by members who have come to the Speaker’s Office seeking clarification of certain issues. He has always given sound, logical advice based on parliamentary procedure.
Throughout his service as the Deputy Clerk, and as Clerk from 1993, his advice and guidance to this Assembly and various parliamentary committees has been exemplary, politically unbiased, and has ensured that the Assembly has operated at the highest level of the Westminster system of government. That is a very important point that we should note. It is a fact that he has worked with a number of governments in Darwin but he is still able to give unbiased advice to whichever government is in power. He has treated all members in parliament, regardless of their political alliance, with professionalism and confidentiality and has won respect from all in doing so.
In the course of his duties, he has made significant impact in the recording and acknowledgement of the Northern Territory Assembly, which may have otherwise been neglected. This includes the establishment of the Oral History project, the erection of historical markers in the parliamentary precinct, and the recognition that the site of this Assembly was originally the site of the post office which was bombed in February 1942.
His contribution to the development of the Northern Territory Assembly and its committees has been most notable, in particular, his work on constitutional reform and parliamentary procedures where he has been the driving force in supporting reform of successive governments. You only have to look at the history of our standing orders to see his input in reviewing and meeting challenges of each incoming government. Overall, his untiring efforts and devotion to the Legislative Assembly has been pivotal in the development and implementation of self-government in the Northern Territory.
Ian McNeill is a strength for this parliament. I cannot think of another Clerk - and I have met most of them around Australia - who has had such an impact on his peers and colleagues throughout the Commonwealth. It is a credit to Ian McNeill that he has remained with the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly and guided it through its very early period, and as it moved into this rather grand building here, which we now really enjoy. You only have to walk through the corridors of this building to understand the respect the staff have for him; the fact that he is the Clerk, but he is able to liaise closely and form close relationships with his staff, and is also able to guide them. As well as that, we only have to see his performance when we look at the Estimates Committee and the way he is able to answer with a degree of professionalism. It is that professional career that he established for this Northern Territory parliament which must be commended.
As well as that, he has also been a strong supporter and worker for charity for many organisations including Diabetes Australia. This connection was established by the formation of the Bernborough Club of the Northern Territory in 1993, by charter of the parent club in Queensland. As a foundation member, Mr McNeill has been worked hard in the fundraising activities over the years, and held the position of secretary until 1997, and vice-president since 1998. We all know his love of and involvement in horse racing, particularly around the Darwin Cup. Might I add, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, he has not really given me a good tip yet; I am still waiting for that.
Overall, he has made a significant contribution to the effective management of the running of the Legislative Assembly for almost 20 years - or is 20 years up now? He enjoys a reputation of high esteem in the parliamentary community. He has forged effective relationships with notable community organisations on a personal level, and is valued for his input. He is a member of the Commonwealth Society of Clerks at the Table, the Australasian Study of Parliament Group, the Australian Political Studies Association, and is the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Secretary in the Northern Territory.
As we all know, he has a keen interest in AFL, being a former Essendon player. He also has a great interest in the Lord Taverners’ function that is held here each year.
Ian McNeill is married and his wife, Kit, whom we know well, is a great support to him. He has two sons and a daughter, and now has a granddaughter. He certainly has made the Northern Territory his home.
His contribution as the Clerk of this Assembly has been recognised by the awarding of the Public Service Medal. I was pleased to attend his investiture. I seek leave to table this record of the investiture.
Leave granted.
Mrs BRAHAM: Thank you. I congratulate Mr McNeill on his award and look forward to working with him in his capacity as Clerk of the Assembly. I am sure all members will join with me in wishing him well.
Ms MARTIN (Fannie Bay): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I was delighted to meet with many people involved in business whilst I was in Alice Springs last week for Community Cabinet. While I was there, I took the opportunity to visit the community of Titjikala, approximately 120 km south of Alice Springs. Titjikala is a relatively small community of about 300 people. However they have big plans, big aspirations, and are leading by example. I take this opportunity to thank the community’s President, Phillip Wilyuka, Johnny Briscoe and the CEO of Titjikala, Harry Scott for their hospitality on the day.
Titjikala is a great example of a progressive, forward thinking community. They have a thriving arts centre which has enabled the artists of the community to diversify their interests and their market from beautiful canvas paintings to bush toys, pottery, silk screening and, most recently, to the manufacture of jewellery, tjanpi or woven grass animals. The impressive range of artefacts on offer at the art centre is testament to the creativity and talent of the artists of Titjikala.
Recently, the community opened a new Early Childhood Centre, and what an impressive building that is. It was designed by Tangentyere Design in Alice Springs, and constructed by Alice Springs based building company, Pederson’s Pty Ltd, with significant contributions from the community building crew. This is just one of a number of significant jobs that the community building crew has been involved with. The community’s Adult Education Knowledge Centre was constructed by the building crew, and they are currently in the process of building and fitting out a new CDEP store shed - yet another example of a community moving ahead.
It was great to see the children enjoying themselves in the Early Childhood Centre and learning as they went. The community leaders and parents recognise how important it is for their children to get the best start in life and, to this end, the Early Childhood Centre is an integral part of Titjikala’s long-term future. It was also particularly encouraging to see employment opportunities being opened up to women from the community in child care, with assistance from a mentor provided through Indigenous Community Volunteers.
The people of Titjikala have recognised the importance of education and opportunities for lifelong learning. They have invested a great deal of time and effort in developing a cradle to grave education strategy, emphasising the importance of both the western style of mainstream education and training, and the benefits of intergenerational learning.
The community has continued to explore creative employment opportunities. In addition to more contemporary employment, it has its own stonemason team which manufactures headstones for the cemetery, and the community is developing a small citrus orchard for community consumption. Titjikala currently has 64 local people on the payroll and 90 more employed through CDEP.
Titjikala’s most ambitious and exciting enterprise, however, is their joint venture with Gunya Tourism. Gunya Titjikala is an exclusive tourism experience providing visitors with an opportunity to absorb themselves in the culture of Arrernte, Luritja and Pitjantjatjara people living in a remote desert community. The accommodation provided consists of three deluxe safari tents raised above the sandy red dunes overlooking table top mountains and desert country. The luxuriously appointed tents come complete with private ensuites. A fly-proof dining room tent makes the comfort experience complete. Plans are afoot to increase the number of tents to five, and to further develop the area to heighten the visitor experience. A stay at Gunya Titjikala includes gourmet meals prepared by the resident bush tucker chef. Meals consist of western style dishes fused with the local bush tucker, including kangaroo, emu, witchetty grubs, wild fruits and berries.
It was fascinating being there with the local member, Alison Anderson, the member for Macdonnell. As we were driving back and talking about the Gunya tourism experience and the fact that kangaroo and emu were on the menu that night, the member for Macdonnell was telling me how you cooked emu. I have not tried emu. She was saying that you take all the feathers off, and you actually put the feathers inside the emu’s belly. When you cook it, it provides a really special flavour. It sounded great and, as we drove back from Alice Springs, I was a little envious of those tourists who were going to have special emu that evening.
The Gunya tourist visitors can choose to go bush with the local traditional owners on exclusive day tours to areas such as Chambers Pillar to search for bush tucker and to learn how people survive in the desert. Since opening its doors for business in February this year, Gunya Titjikala has been overwhelmed by interest in their product and visitor numbers. Just in the next three weeks, they have 12 bookings alone. It is a fine example of how tourism can offer real opportunities to Aboriginal communities to benefit from the industry and provide people with a genuine chance to participate in the labour market.
Titjikala community demonstrates that Aboriginal aspiration is alive and well; that the desire to actively engage in economic development is strong. The willingness of Aboriginal people to pursue enterprise joint venture opportunities is without question. The people of Titjikala have worked hard to develop a plan for themselves and for future generations. They have worked even harder to ensure that the plan is systematically implemented.
I am very proud that our government stands beside the people of Titjikala in assisting them to achieve their aims. We will continue to do everything we can to support them, as well as other enterprising communities just like this community south of Alice Springs. Titjikala seems to have had a rash of ministers visiting recently. The Police minister visited the week before I was there and I believe the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport was there a few weeks before that. I virtually had to promise Titjikala that was the end of ministers for a while; they will be seeing their local member.
The electorate of Fannie Bay encompasses a number of important historical sites, one of which I want to talk about tonight. The East Point Military Museum on Alec Fong Lim Drive was founded in the mid-1960s by Jack Haydon and members of the NT Branch of the Royal Australian Artillery Association. The museum holds a collection of wartime photos and memorabilia, weapons and equipment housed in the original concrete structure used by the Australian Army to plan strategy for the defence of the Top End. The exhibit includes a video about the World War II bombing of Darwin.
The curator, Chris Benton and his wife, Felicity, are largely responsible for the success of the museum and for its continued enhancement over the years. The manager is Fay Karamanakis and Spiros Karamanakis is the caretaker. Fay is writing a book called A Tribute to the Silent Heroes about the many men and women who defended Australia in World War II, and she is seeking contributions of stories and photos for her book.
Today, the museum is a popular attraction with visitors from interstate and overseas, including former soldiers and prisoners of war, some of whom recognise themselves or their friends or families in the photo exhibit. The museum has also received visits from Japanese school students and the Ambassador of Japan. One entry in the Visitors’ Book described the museum as ‘one of the best military museums that I have ever seen’. The East Point Museum is one of those places that make my electorate special. I certainly congratulate the quiet achievers who are involved with it.
Also on electorate business, there are some terrific businesswomen running small businesses in Parap Village. I want to talk about just a few of them tonight.
The Yoghurt Bar is a new business that opened in early July and is owned and run by Deanna Tonks and Sheree Scully. It is the only yoghurt bar in the Territory. Deanna also owns the Silver Grevillea Florist at the Darwin Private Hospital. The Yoghurt Bar - and I would certainly recommend all to try it - serves all natural Greek-style yoghurt with fruit added, as well as smoothies, fresh muffins, nuts, chocolate, sweets and cookies. Of course, the last ones I mentioned are not as healthy as the yoghurt but certainly delicious. Business is going well, particularly on Saturday mornings during the Parap Markets. Many customers have become regulars. My electorate officer is one of those who is certainly addicted. I have been told that mixed berries is the most popular flavour.
Another business which opened only in June this year is called Chocolate Orange. It sells beautiful home wares, jewellery, body care products and artworks sourced from interstate. It is owned by Kathy Katras and managed by Kerry McPhee. Both women are Territorians. Kathy manages a dental practice in Palmerston and Kerry has experience in retail, as well as in our public sector, including with the Museum and Art Gallery. Business for the Chocolate Orange is going well. Kathy and Kerry find the location at Parap Village is working well for them, and say it is preferable to being in a large shopping centre. They are also supportive of the street closure during the markets because it means the venue is much safer and better for customers and, therefore, good for business.
Marianne Eichenberg is the very talented jeweller who owns and manages Foxfire Designs. Born and trained in Germany, Marianne came to Australia and the Northern Territory in 1978. She has taught jewellery-making workshops since 1982 at Darwin Community College, and also at Territory Craft. She is currently considering teaching casting classes next year. After having a shop in Palmerston for seven years, Marianne moved to Parap Village five years ago. She also sells her work through the Territory Craft Gallery, the Territory Craft shop here at Parliament House, and at Mindil Beach Markets.
I am very proud of the wonderful range of interesting businesses we have at Parap Village, and they are just some of the newish and longer-term businesses that are run by very innovative and enterprising women in business.
Finally, I am pleased, as member for Fannie Bay, to report that students at Parap Primary School moved into their new classrooms this week. Parap is the oldest operating school in Darwin, since 1958, but with significant commitment from government, the school has been redeveloped. There were some very excited students and teachers this week, as four T/1 classes moved into four new classrooms. The classrooms form two double rooms that can be separated or opened up for team teaching.
For our teachers, the new facilities include a separate teacher resource area with desks, storage space and computers. Each classroom has its own wet area and chilled fountains. There are also 10 ports in each classroom for data, phone or television, up from the previous two per room.
Teachers and students worked hard at the end of last term to pack up and move everything from the old classrooms to the new ones. Teachers also worked during their recent holidays to ensure the rooms were ready for the start of term.
I would like to acknowledge the efforts of those T/1 teachers, Lisa Paddison, Melinda Everitt, Niki Giallouris and Stephen Hughes, and the Project Control Group at Parap that have overseen the building works. I also mention Principal, Mick Myers, Associate Principal, Barry Kepert, Project Manager, Bruce Baldey, School Council representatives, David Moody and Tania Lawrie, Nick Mitaros, parent representatives, and staff at the Education department supporting the project.
Congratulations also to local contractor, Sunbuild, for their work on the redevelopment. The company has been working closely with the school to ensure disruptions are minimised and the school is kept safe for students and all school users. A further six classrooms will be ready by the start of school next year, and will complete the development of the Early Childhood Learning area.
These 10 new classrooms form part of the second stage of the Parap School redevelopment, a nearly $4m project which also includes upgrading existing classrooms, the assembly area, the canteen and stage areas and landscaping.
The first stage of the redevelopment which helped to reshape the school was completed last year with a new administration block, new and modern library and a new school entrance on Urquhart Street – that was a $2.25m project.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, we are certainly committed to enhancing student outcomes and providing a better learning environment for our students. We want to ensure our young people are given every opportunity and the best start in life, and the redevelopment of an old school that was certainly in need of it helps that happen.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016